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whoppert · 2 months

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SUNNA 11 (doctor strange/reader) (loki/reader)

◂ previous chapter first chapter ▴

----- words

warnings: the after effects of mind violation; canon-typical violence.

AO3 MASTERPOST

Through the flames I spot a crack, leading to a cream-colored hallway. Another memory.

An escape.

A crack in the fabric of my mind.

In the distance the monster howls grow steadily closer.

I sent a searching glance out into the forest but Loki is nowhere to be seen. We'd gotten separated somewhere in the flames and smoke. I wasn't suppose to leave him, but this is an out.

What had been a crack the size of a large tree rapidly stitched up, if I waited too long I would lose the opportunity.

The howls grow closer - the creature is after me.

I throw myself through the crack, misjudging the drop onto the carpeted hall and grazing my knee. The crackle of burning wood is shut completely out as the gateway to the forest vanished, leaving this new alien environment eerily quiet. I suddenly know exactly why I am not supposed to leave Loki. What do I do now?

Shit. I have actually fucked myself.

AO3

What Would Wong Do?��Gotta get my bearings. It's office building but not, very corporate feeling, clean and efficient, everything made from synthetic materials and white or off-white or beige or gray. The open doors show big rooms, and stacks of chairs that could accommodate a decent group of people if needed, but the building is seemingly empty.

Somewhere a phone is ringing.

Some of Loki's words begin to sink in. It's not that he's suggesting that Stephen is behind all of this - even if I'm realizing I don't actually know Stephen that well, I trust him, implicitly. I don't know why, I can't put a feeling into words, but I do. Even if I have just embarrassed myself, I still trust him. Maybe that's why I like him. Am I crazy for liking him? I'm definitely crazy for kissing him.

The hallway led to some kind of foyer area which was a lot nicer in appearance than the beige hallway. New looking couches as well as ornate flowers arranged in vases and paintings decorated the room, though I recognized nothing.

Maybe I'm not crazy. I'm not the only one who thought Stephen and I had a connection, even if the only other person is Loki. I literally just watched our meet-cute. Stephen is very attractive, super smart. Witty. And I swear I can feel his hands linger on me every time he touches me, even if he makes a point of touching me very sparingly. He makes my heart race. I make him snort with laughter like at least once a week. God, this the world's stupidest crush. I have to get over it, because he made it perfectly clear- I barely see him as it is. He turns up for five minutes after avoiding me for a month, or it definitely feels like he's ignoring me and then we get- I get too close and he avoids me again. I don't have any other friends as it is, the last thing I need is to chase one away.

My mind quivers at the thought of him, tightening like a heart pulsing. I can do it, I can get over him.

A low rumbling vibrated the walls. No matter where in the building I went the ringing of that stupid phone never seemed any closer or further away.

WWWD? Keep moving, I think.

The ringing gets louder and louder. I push on the crash door to get outside, only to find myself next to a waterfall in a lush looking rainforest and face-to-face with Kuema. The ringing ceases as the door shuts behind me.

“You,” I reared back a little, “who are you to me?”

“You know, I really don’t remember,” she smiles brightly.

“What?” A bird called loudly from where it was perched on some vines, distracting me, but when I looked back Kuema was gone. “What do you mean?” I call to the forest, the humid air hard to breathe and I gasp, my throat closing up. It's only a few seconds but time doesn’t seem so fixed now that I'm away from Loki. I’d assumed that he was using his magic to keep the area around us stable enough for us to explore, and now I am confident that my assumption was correct.

I continue to choke on nothing. I claw at my throat, desperate to stop the burn in my lungs, but by the time my nails began to sink into my flesh, something slid into place inside me and I gulp the fresh air down.

While I was distracted a golden throne room had grown around me. Kuema stood next to it, wearing long delicate white robes and a tight smile, her hair braided into a white crown that wraps around the top of her head.

“I didn’t make you up,” I realize. She didn’t fit here. I could just feel it. She originated elsewhere.

“No, you didn’t,” she replied, suddenly serious.

“You’re not a memory. This- you’re not a memory.”

“No.”

“What are you?”

“A safety feature.”

Again, my mind pulses. The setting sun shines through the columns, bouncing off the smooth edges of the ornate stone. I clutch my head as it begin to grow heavy and ache. Sleep would be so, so easy.

Kuema vanishes in a blink of an eye, the room melting like it had suddenly turned to liquid, reforming to place me in the center of Stephen’s office.

“Your relationship with Stephen is unusual, don’t you think? That you’re so enamored with him, even if you won’t admit it to yourself. Another word for the Loki list - insightful. I know that you think Loki has some valuable points, though even torture likely wouldn't get a confession out of you.” Kuema smirks, her tone playful, like she was dancing around a lesson, but wanted me to come to the conclusion on my own. She reminds me too much of Loki.

“It’s Loki, even a broken clock and all that,” I say, wiping spit from my mouth, “I’m not worried about him, I’m looking for my memories. Where are they?”

In the hall, that godforsaken phone began to ring and Kuema’s head whipped towards it, a slight frown tugging at her mouth. “I don’t know.”

“Did the real you plant you in my head?”

“I don’t know. I assume so.”

“You’re the only thing in my head that isn’t a memory? The beast?”

The Kuema copy shook her head.

“What does it want with me?”

“It doesn’t want anything from you .”

My blood chilled. Loki. It was after Loki. And I’d left him.

As soon as I decide I need to get back to Loki, the scene comes undone like a loose thread on a gray wool sweater, the carpet beneath my feet frayed, causing me to trip as I try to steady myself. The roof lifted off and the walls began to dissolve as though touched with something very acidic. Another stumble takes me to my knees. Something else inside my head clicks into place and purple light glimmers my fingertips. My magic. I can feel its energy thrumming. My magic returned. Somewhere, wherever he was in my head, Loki was fixing my brain and I’d left him alone while the beast hunted him.

A quick glance below me revealed other memories, filling thousands of feet below me. The fall would kill me.

“What does the beast want with him?”

Another pulse causes a spike in my reclaimed power that I can’t tamp down quick enough. I plummet, memories whizzing pass me as I fall. My hair whips in my ears. The memories, around me, always moving, shifting, showing things I cannot remotely declare as truth. One such memory moves below me, as if to catch me, but I fall through it as if it would nothing but a cloud. Chunks of land and parts of scenes flew past me, faster than I can grab with my magic. Desperately, I try to cling onto a statue from work, but the impact on my reaching arms and bloody hands causes instant agony. The world around me responds in kind, turning red and inflamed. The collision with the statue had set me spinning and I smash through the floor of my bedroom at the Sanctum, splintering the wood, and opening up an exit wound in that scene. Again the world responds, squeezing in on me like a heart valve with no blood, pulsing to an inaudible beat, and my magic responses in kind, tightening then releasing. It's excruciating. My magic is back, but I'm so out of practice using it.

New York quickly comes into focus, but I can barely process the nearing pavement, too busy pondering the result of landing on concrete at speed when something invisible wraps around my middle, slowing my descent, my feet finally make purchase with the sidewalk, but they don’t have the energy to keep me up and I fall straight on my hands and knees, nauseous and grateful for solid ground.

Loki made no move to help me. "I have been looking everywhere for you!" His coat was gone and the edges of his trousers singed, but he doesn’t look too worse for wear. "If I hadn't looked up, you would be a splatter on the pavement right now."

"Because you care so much about my wellbeing, right?" I cough, breathing heavy. My heart pounds. I clutch my chest as though it would stop it from tearing out of me. Everything is getting so vibrant. My brain hurts.

“You abandoned me, even though I am the only thing standing between you and madness."

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same if the positions were reversed.”

“That’s the thing, Sunna, you don’t know a thing about me. Your entire perception of who I am is based on assumptions, I understand it, it is the same of every soul I encounter, but when it comes down to it, like everyone who exists, you choose to save your own skin first. You’re not better than me. You’re the same as your perception of me, and your moral superiority complex grows tiring, child.”

“Your reputation knocked before you did. Boo-hoo. You tried to take over New York!” I managed to push myself up, leaning back on my ankles and swaying dangerously.

“But I didn’t.” Indignant.

I face plant on the ground, my body limp.

I have no idea if I have dreamed this dream before.

“It’s not you, you know,” Stephen mutters. “I don’t fall for people. It’s always a mess when I do.”

"Listen to him," Kuema's voice splinters around us.

When I wake, I am confronted with the distorted image of Loki leaning over me. “Thank Ymir. You’re awake.”

But before I can answer there is a thunderous crack and he's knocked out cold, crumpling next to me.

I scream.

“It’s okay,” said Another Loki looms over me, a plank of wood in his hands. “He wasn’t real- that wasn't real, no, no, no, no, stay with me.”

Again, I pass out.

It's like watching bacteria multiply, one Stephen becomes many, each a memory or a thought, but all about him. I can feel on my body the imprint of every time he’d touched me, a shoulder brush as we passed each other in the hallway, heat blossoming across my skin from the remnants of sparring bruises, the impression of his lips over mine when I'd kissed him, the feeling of his hand tangling in my hair after he’d found me wandering New York, concussed and frightened.

Intoxicating to me.

When Stephen and I first met, it was like basking in the warmth of the sun for the first time after a life of shadow. His laugh, his humor. Even in the beginning he'd been able to make me laugh, loudly and without care. I care about him. I do. He makes me feel safe! He makes me feel safe. He makes me feel safe.He makes me feel safe.He makes me feel safe.He makes me feel safe.He makes me feel safe.Hemakesmefeelsafe.Hemakesmefeelsafe.Hemakesmefeelsafe.hemakesmefeelsafe.hemakesmefeelsafehemakesmefeelsafemakesmefeelsafefeelsafesafesafesafe.

I'm in some parking building when I wake up. All grey concrete and dotted with a handful of cars. Loki is next to me, sitting on the dirty ground, head resting back against the wall.

His eyes opened narrowly to observe me, before squeezing shut again in annoyance.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I've had worse beatings," Loki said with an air of nonchalance. Still he winced, his hand raising to the opposite shoulder. Red stains his shirt. Claw marks.

“What happened?”

“You passed out, and I’ve had to lug you around until you woke up, so not only are we even, but now you owe me,” he sounds exhausted, but clearly not too exhausted to be frustrated at me.

“I… thank you,”

He says nothing.

“Why are you helping me?”

Loki doesn’t have time to react before the flash flood hits us. His body slides against the wall, smashing into mine, winding me, and pushing me under the surface, the current sweeping me down to the next level of the parking building. Is it possible to drown in your own mind? The tumultuous waters kept flipping me, and I can't tell which way is up. My brain forces me to breathe in, choking on water, flailing in the pull of the undercurrent when arms wrap around me, hoisting me so my head comes out of the water. My back is against Loki’s chest, and I cough and splutter. His own breathing heavy, laborious in my ear is swept from him entirely when the wave crashes, and I sandwich him against the wall. We descended another level.

A small white car barrels in my direction, about to crush me when Loki pulls me out of the water. He had managed to heave himself onto a nearby staircase, one hand hauls me up and the other gripping onto the railing.

Once I am out of the water, Loki drops me, more out of exertion, so that I stumble onto the stairs.

The beast is swept past, trying to fight through the rushing rapids.

Loki hasn’t noticed, still focused on me, as the featureless monster defied the thundering water to make its way over to us. The prince is in the middle of saying ‘what are you doing?’ when I yank him away from the beast’s outstretching claws, even though he falls against me on the hard edges of the steps. If this was real-life my ribs would have broken against the concrete, but even in this form the pain overwhelms me, and I whimper, trying to fight through the feeling.

The parking building vanishes and we are laying in long grass in the middle of a meadow, still soaking wet, Loki straddling my waist.

“Get off-” I try to push him off, but his hand covers my mouth (covers half my goddamn face), silencing me, though it is just as likely his expression would have silenced me on its own.

Loki has gone preternaturally still, his gaze searching as he listens for something I can’t hear, his supporting hand pressed palm first into the soil above my shoulder.

The grass rustles.

Nearby, the monster stalks.

It could not see us over the long grass, though without eyes, I’m not sure how its been able to see us in the first place. It croons, a long, sad mournful sound, broken with gasps for breath.

My body shakes against my will, trying to contain the fear when the creature takes a step in our direction. Loki does not release his hand from my mouth, though I wasn't inclined to speak again. His hair has come out of its braid, dripping water onto my nose.

Another step towards us. Again, that anguished call vibrated over our heads. Was it crying? It sounded like it.

Neither of us had the energy to run again. I wonder how Loki had managed to keep me alive while I had passed out, but the beast takes another step and Loki lays flat on top of me, keeping me pressed into the earth. I hold him tight. Even wet from the flood his body is particularly cold, though he does not shiver.

If I die, I am going to miss Stephen so, so much.

The strong pungent smell of earth fills my noise. I could hear Loki whispering faintly in some language I can’t understand. The beast is close now. I want to tell him to run. It’s not after me, I scream in my head, but there was no falter in his whispers to suggest he’d heard.

The beast bore down on us and I couldn’t help but jolt in fear when the warm earth beneath us began to drag us into its embrace, plants and bugs and soil and Loki’s arms wrap around me tightly, holding me against him as we sunk out of sight.

I have no control over anything in my whole life. The Spellcaster uses me for an unimaginable end. I have lost my memories. I feel like some fantasy that mistakenly gained sentience. I don't know who I am.

A phone rings. My cell.

It’s in my pocket.

Slide to answer.

When we rise out of the earth we were no longer in the meadow. We weren’t even outside. The walls of my old apartment were closed around us. It seems normal on the surface. The layout was as I remembered, familiar even. The kitchen is stocked with food, dirty plates in the sink. An open door to my bedroom reveals an unmade bed. There is art on the walls and a busted TV that only plays a few free channels and had a bad habit of giving anyone who touched it a static shock.

Somewhere in the room, a phone rings.

The apartment shudders and becomes double exposed, showing memories over the top of other memories.

Every memory that I’d had in this apartment.

Kicking off my shoes at the front door and slumping on the sofa to watch TV after work. Cooking a midnight snack.

He props himself up on one elbow, and I am vaguely aware that I have my own body, and he his, and I falling back against the floor as he raises himself up.

A flick of Loki's hand and a wash of green is all it takes to reveal the magical signatures in the room, mine, all mine. Purples and violets and blues laying overtop of everything like a fresh bruise.

Hundreds of ghosts of me go through the motions of living, each memory laid one on top of another, reenacting every single moment I had in this apartment.

“Diplopia, I know that it might not seem like a good sign, but it is.” Loki slid off of me, he offers me a hand up, which I accept. He's relieved. “An anchor point in your mind, usually your childhood home. Interesting that you only have adult memories in this place,” he swept his hand through the air in a wide arch, gesturing to my compatriots.

Every thought seemed to mix together, slurring words and images into a brown smudge. Loki looks badly drained.

“No, no, don't-” Loki is at my side, holding me up, strong fingers gripping my upper arms. I hadn’t realized I was swaying. “Oh dear.”

The window shows the street outside, and the beast whines like an ignored dog, wandering back and forth, looking up and pawing at the brick occasionally.

Inside the memories kept flowing.

Only of them seems solid. It's me, sitting in the heap against the wall, staring into space.

Motion sick. Not well, not well. I have the urge to vomit.

"Stop," Loki's voice is rough in my ear, like I am a child who needs chastisement. "Don't go to sleep, that's what it wants. The key to getting your memories back is in this room."

It seemed that he'd sensed that my eyelids beginning to droop before I had.

The memories around us are making me dizzy.

Something calls to me in a sleepy whisper in my ear, "lay down and rest." The voice feels like family.

Someone snaps their fingers in my face. I open my eyes expecting to see Loki, but it's Kuema's hand, her other arm wrapped around me, supporting me as Loki had.

Next to us, the window opens, sliding up.

The beast stretches its bulk in order to fit through the window, flopping into a puddle on the hardwood, where it sits contained and unmoving.

Kuema, slightly taller than me, braced herself so that I wouldn’t trip when I stumble backwards away from the beast.

The creature is bigger than a horse with grey mottled skin that reminds me of the worst kind of spiders. Featureless flesh stretching over the sockets where its eyes could have been, its thin, lipless mouth held no expression, and strangely enough, no teeth. Its bones must be able to maneuver into unnatural positions.

Where is-? My own thought it cut off when I see him.

Loki is collapsed on the floor, seemingly asleep. The beast made no move to harm him.

“She's after Loki,” Kuema mutters in my ear sharply, “not you, okay? It recognizes him as a foreign body in your mind. No one intended for him to be here.”

I nod, but my head hurt from the movement.

“This can all be over in a moment, but you have to listen to me,” Kuema’s tone was almost… motherly. Commanding and gentle at the same time, like I would be smart to do as she said. “This creature here, she wants to take Loki’s memories. And you’re going to let her, okay?”

“Wait- what?” I slur through the words, shaking the fog off my brain.

“There isn’t time-”

“No,” I push her away, a moment of clarity emboldening me, enough. Without her I wobble. “Why would it want that? His memories? What is it?”

I try to throw off the sluggishness overtaking me, but it weighs me down, and again Kuema is holding me up, only this time I accept the assistance.

"You're asking too many questions," Kuema snaps.

"If you don't give me some context, there is no way I am acting on your recommendations."

"You have to trust me."

"Why would I trust you?"

"Please! I don't know why I'm here, but I know I have a job to do." Her golden eyes narrow. "This apartment, this room, is the last thing holding your memories from splintering away. It is the anchor point in your mind, your memories are here, but the person who cast that spell on you booby-trapped it. As soon as Loki entered your mind, this point birthed that creature to hunt him down.”

"To protect me?"

Kuema doesn't answer me. "My duty is to protect you."

The beast cocks its head to the side, quizzically. When the monster leans back on its heels, it looks humanoid. It's not angry anymore. Neither am I. Anger was for elsewhere, maybe outside this anchor point, maybe for outside of being in my own head. This creature is just lost in here like I am. When faced square on, it looks horribly misshapen, marked and wrinkled and yet bland, the kind of thing the audience imprints their own fears upon.

“It’s your deepest sense of self, it's the offspring of a great trauma,” Kuema said from behind me, sadly. “It knows the pain that Loki caused you, it knows what he has taken from you. It wants revenge. It wants him to feel the vulnerability- the violation."

The beast just looked mournfully at the sleeping prince.

I get the impression that she is trying to whip me up into an angry frenzy, but I just can't. Anger does not exist here.

The heap in the corner, the only other solid me in this room full of memories looks at me.

The double exposed memories stop and stare. I could not meet the hatred in their eyes, so I stare at the beast, and the beast, without eyes, stares back at me.

They all ignored Loki.

“And I-I could get my memories back?”

The room breathes in unison, it's subtle but I can feel it, I breathe with them.

“Yes,” Kuema takes my hand, rubbing her thumb along the back of it comfortingly, “and all you have to trade is his memories. You could get even with him.”

For a long moment, I am tempted.

A really long moment.

But I can't do to Loki on purpose, what he had done to me inadvertently. “What if I don’t want him to lose his memories? I wouldn’t wish this fate on my worst enemy.”

“It’s yours or his. You cannot have both.”

“Why not?” I snapped, turning on her, “why do you get to make all the decisions Kuema? I’m getting out of here and I’m taking both of our memories with me!”

“That is not possible. Right now, I am the only thing keeping you alive. Loki’s been wandering around your mind, he’s gotten you your powers back. When you wake up you will find the physical symptoms of his invasion totally healed. Out there-” she pointed up, “Stephen and Wong have made sure that your body survives the physical toll of this treatment,” she called me by my name, but it sounds foreign on her tongue, “but right now? The only person intervening in the natural order is me. If it weren’t for me, the beast would’ve taken its price by now, and this anchor point would have remained as it was created- to erase your memories permanently. I am the only reason you get a choice. So choose, and quickly. If a decision isn’t made soon, I don’t know what will become of any of you.”

The beast observes me coolly, no hint of expression.

“You’re thinking of saving him. Of giving up everything you are. Would he do the same for you?”

I glanced at the solid me, glaring from where it rested.

Somewhere in the distance, a phone rings.

"Lay down and rest," that sleepy voice whispered again, only it's the room that is speaking to me. Each memory, each version of me whispers it over and over again.

I looked at Kuema, and she holds my gaze, a hand sliding to each of my cheeks, as she looked at me in sympathy, "I know, this is hard for you, but you have to put yourself first."

"Can he hear us?" I whisper.

“Loki knows everything that is going on, the room has subdued him to prevent further damage to your mind, but he is powerful. He watches from his slumber,” Kuema guides me to make my decision.

"And he won't remember any of this?"

“He is at your mercy this time.”

AO3 MASTERPOST

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omnybus · 1 year

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Dream Sketches: Rat Family Christmas

Last night I had a rough time sleeping, feeling rather sick and ended up sleeping in short bursts of a couple hours each. Each one had a dream of some kind, but the last bit of sleep I got was the only one I could actually remember, and it was quite vivid and surprisingly wholesome.

t;My dream started off with me walking down the road to a house that used to be my grandmother's, on my mom's side. About twenty years ago IRL, my family and I lived in this house with my grandmother when we first moved here, before buying and settling into our own house a couple years later. After my grandmother died my mom inherited and sold the house to another family, though sadly they ended up leaving the house in terrible disrepair, letting the lawn get overgrown and strewn with junk, as well as doing half-assed, unfinished "renovations" that left the house with exposed plywood and heaps of dissused wood on the lawn. It wasn't our responsibility at the end of the day though it still makes me and my mother sad to look at the state the house is now in. It was a very old but otherwise nice little house.

History lesson aside, in my dream I was on my phone talking to this demolitions company who rented out giant monsters for people to take control of to use for demolishing buildings. I arrived at the house and found this massive, forty-foot Godzilla-like creature standing intert and lifeless in front of the house's driveway. It looked like a mashup of several different dinosaurs and had seven digits on its hands and feet.

I told them that the monster they had sent was there and was ready for me to take control of to destroy the house, but then I looked over and saw that the house was completely different from what I remembered. Namely it was much nicer-looking and seemed completely different, looking like a mashup of several parts of a fancy old manor. It was asymmetrical but well put together, with a lovely garden and fresh paint and even a bell tower.

I told the demolition company I'd call them back and hung up, walking towards this new house to speak to the owners. I was originally going to just smash the house down as no-one was supposed to be inside, but I wanted to see what the deal was with this new look. As I eventually found the front door, I was greeted by a cheerful anthropomorphic rat lady dressed like a vampire. Her outfit seemed to be a mashup of a Halloween and Christmas dress, having a spiderweb motif but decorated with glittery baubles in red, black, and green. She invited me inside, and I obliged.

The interior of the house was much like the outside, fancy looking in shape and decor but put together in a haphazard yet solid way, with staircases and hallways going in every direction and countless rooms of every shape and size. All of it was decorated in orniments typical for both Halloween and Christmas, with strings of multicolored lights strug everywhere and little plastic bats, skulls, and pumpkins mixed with candy canes, holly, and jingle bells. As the rat lady led me deeper into the house she told me she was so glad to have a guest over and wanted me to meet the whole family. I ended up running into more anthro rat people of different ages, all dressed as vampires in Halloween/Christmas themed garb. Everyone I ran into was very friendly, greeting me as if I were one of their own- one big rat fellow, the "uncle", gave me a big hug and said "Glad to meet ya, champ!" while an elderly "grandpa" rat slapped me on the back and invited me to play cards later. Eventually I ended up in a huge room where dozens of rats were all gathered around, the whole family coming together to greet me. There were tables laden with snacks and drinks, a roaring fire, and a big Christmas tree decorated with shiny baubles, lights, and an iron chain garland witg what looked like a medieval morningstar on top. Several rat children of varying ages ran up and looked at me with excitement, as if expecting me to give them presents. The "triplets" were the most memorable here, popping out of three cardboard coffin-shaped gift boxes.

Once the rat lady got everyone to settle down, I managed to introduce myself, telling them my name and explaining that I used to live in this house. I told them that originally it was ordered for demolition because it was assumed no one lived here, but since it was clearly occupied, I told them I was going to call the whole thing off and join them for their Halloween/Christmas celebration. Everyone rejoiced at the news, and I headed out to take care of the demolitions company, getting several hugs, handshakes and high-fives along the way. I was really excited but at the same time slightly worried the monster outside would go rogue and attack anyway, but I figured I could enlist the help of this vampire rat family to stopping it. Either way I ended up waking up.

Overall, one of the most wholesome and colorful dreams I've had in a while! A lot of my dreams lately have been rather unpleassnt, with gorey and disturbing imagery or just a really melancholic or dreary tone, especially the ones I have when I fall asleep immediately after waking up. This is a nice little change of pace. I especially liked the giant house it took place in- honestly, ever since I was a little kid I wanted to live in a huge house or manor with lots of different hallways and hidden passages and stuff. The rats especially were fascinating, looking as if they were my own drawings but animated.

#my art #omny87 #sketch #dream sketch #anthro #rat #vampire #halloween #christmas #kaiju #monster #house #manor #mansion #cute #family #wholesome

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natalie-the-writer · 2 years

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After the events of the movie, the robots try to regain order in Imperfection.

Took me a while, but I finally finished this one! It'll be a bit for the other asks because I have a HUGE oneshot I'm working on. I definitely want to do them soon though. I hope you like this! Even if it turns out to not be what you were really going for

Also, I love seeing asks. Your ask is actually the first one I've ever gotten and I've been so excited to write for it. I'm always open to prompt suggestions!

Robot Overload

"What are the robots doing up there?"

It was the question of one brunette haired doll - Janice, he recalled automatically - that had Lou looking up from where he was hidden from others, mopping an alleyway near town square. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, pushing back his bangs in the process. His stupid hair was nowhere close to what it used to be: shorter pieces tried to hang over his left eye when he looked down and the longer pieces fell down his head in slightly curly waves, stopping at the base of his neck. It was annoying, but there was nothing he could do about it with his limited resources.

It had been three weeks since he was essentially 'dethroned from power,' as some dolls liked to put it. Three weeks since he was put through several intense wash cycles on the highest setting, causing his suit to shrink and hair to be frazzled for a while (not to mention the reoccurring nightmares of infinite drowning.) He was immediately moved from his mansion to a small shack on the edge of town. It was roomey enough, but far, far from what he was used to. He raged about it in his head, ignoring that part of him, deep down, that was thankful for it. No more too big rooms. No more empty halls. It was still lonely, just not suffocatingly empty.

Not long after, a mop and bucket were pushed into his hands, and he was told to get to work. He wanted to scream at them all, scream at himself for letting this happen, but something - maybe that small part of him that was thankful to be moved away from the mansion - kept him from doing that. Instead, he took the items and got to work. Dolls laughed and mocked. Ox wouldn't meet his eyes half the time. Lou threw himself into scrubbing, sweeping, pulling weeds - anything.

He was outcasted. A freak to the place he'd been forced to call home for ten years, watching dolls come and go. He'd been toppled from power, lost the admiration, and tossed into the shadows to be gawked at and made fun of.

But there was no more pressure to be perfect. Perfection wasn't needed. And you know what? That was fine by him. Let them make the mistakes. Let them figure out that his lessons had hepled. Let them figure it all out because no one listened when he tried to speak up. Not even Ox.

So he scrubbed, keeping his head down, invisible, all the way up until that question reached his ears.

Lou squinted at the forms of the robots flying over the town, then at the ones moving quickly through the streets, eyes glowing red and- oh no. The blonde dropped the mop and broke into a run down the street, dodging dolls, the glares thrown his way, and the curious questions from some slightly nicer, newer dolls who didn't know his full story. He ignored them all, only focusing on his feet hitting concrete and finding Ox. He was fast, but the robots were everywhere and could fly.

He had to make it in time to warn him.

The robots did an automatic check once a month. A check on dolls, sales, the portal - everything, including Lou himself. It had completely slipped his mind - how, he didn't know. He'd never forgotten a check before. His legs moved faster, arms swinging at his sides as he zig zagged through dolls of all kinds who were frozen in confusion on the streets. 'They must've started the check, didn't recognize me, and then saw the UglyDolls.' He thought, rushing up the stairs to the new, public capital building of the democracy. He threw open the doors to the grotesquely decorated place that always made him want to gag, letting his legs carry him as fast as possible down the middle hallway. The inside wasn't as disorganized and randomly colored as the outside, but Lou didn't exactly have much time to pay attention to those details.

He slowed his run a little to scan the signs on doors, his heart pounding faster with every little plaque that didn't have Ox's name there. Or mayor. Or whatever he was called. Dang it, he better not have to go back and sprint the set of stairs to the second floor. He would be wasting precious time

Finally - finally - he hit the last door. It was in the center with a plaque that read 'Mayor.' He skidded to a stop, toes hitting the wood, and threw open the door, knocking forgotten. "Ox! I know you hate me, but-" He paused, heart going to his throat at the scene before him. The table and chairs were overturned, papers everywhere, and the window was shattered. No Ox. The robots got to him.

He ran to the window, ignoring the glass on the floor - they had to have busted in from the outside - and looked out. He could just barely see several colorful figures being herded by metallic grey ones around the corner of some buildings. Ox, Moxy, Mandy, Nolan, Babo - all of them. The robots must have recognized them as the perpetrators of this whole mess. That or the others came to Ox's rescue only to get taken themsleves.

With no time to spare, he undid the latch and pushed open the window, sending some shards of glass outside. He hauled himself up and over, thankful for how grand in size the window was, and hit the ground sprinting in the direction of the robots. The direction of the furnace.

Other robots were keeping dolls - Pretty and Ugly - from moving far, hands or paws up in the air and backs pressed to the multicolored building walls. Lou saw their wide eyes following him in his peripheral, but he only had eyes for one direction. When robots tried to grab him, he ducked and dodged nimbly, too fast for them to catch. He'd be proud of himself if his heart wasn't going a million miles a minute. If his appearance wasn't so shaken up, they'd recognize him on the dot without a scan of his chip - a scan they wouldn't do to a doll running from them.

He made his way around the corner and crouched behind an alley trash can, watching the few robots chasing him pass. Lou dragged in breath after breath as quietly as possible, observing as they slowly headed back the way they came, likely communicating to each other that they would find him later. When he was sure the last robot passed, he edged his way to the opening, peering both ways around the corner. To the right, a couple of blocks away, were the captured forms of Ox and his merry gang. He could vaguely hear Ox talking, trying to reason with hunks of metal that only followed coding.

Lou needed them to scan him, recognize him, and follow his orders to get everything back on track. Subconsciously, he reached up and touched his neck over where his chip was. The thing that separated him from every other doll. The thing that made him a prototype. He sighed, shook his head, and made his way quickly and silently down the street, ducking by buildings, taking empty alleyways, and, when those disappeared, taking cover behind washed up cardboard stacks and big rocks. He crouched by another small stack of cardboard, taking a moment to watch and catch his breath. They were only a few yards away, his... the dolls pressed back to back where the robots circled them, red eyes glowing. Lou was so close he could throw a rock and hit a robot in the back of the head.

Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to do that. But he did need a weapon.

"Listen, robots, please. There has been a misunderstandin. We can talk an' fix it." Ox was trying to sound firm and reasonable, as always, but an edge of pleading was seeping into his voice. A foreign, forgotten feeling slipped into Lou, squeezing his heart. Ox wasn't supposed to sound like that. Those dolls behind him weren't supposed to be pressed together, trying to stand tall as they clung to the hands of each other, no way out with the hulking figures around them. "I'm Ox, the new mayor, and-"

"Protocal section A1," the robot in front of him said in a blocky voice, "dictates that the only ruler we follow besides the creator is the Model 12 Prototype: Louis Everett." Lou grimaced. He was the only (technical) doll with a given last name before recieving a child. He had his creator's last name. He hadn't seen that strict man in years, and he didn't hope to see him again after everything he was put through with him. (Learn everything, know everything, do everything-) "Our sensors and cameras failed to find him among the dolls. We were met with foreign entities instead. Video footage proves you, green mistake and others, started all of this, and need to go into the furnace with the other miscreant figures."

"Where is Lou?" The blonde heard Nolan quietly ask the group, receiving head shakes and nervous shoulder shrugs. "He didn't leave. He was at the square earlier."

Nolan noticed him? Something about that made his heart widen and squeeze at the same time.

"He probably left because he knew all this would happen." Ugly Dog grumbled, the quaver in his voice overshadowing the anger. Lou found he couldn't blame him. Once again, his blue eyes looked over the area for some kind of weapon-

There was a short, broken ended pipe on the other wide of the pile. He grabbed it silently, weighing it in his hands. Not too heavy, roghly six doll feet long, and the sharp end would be useful. He got up onto his knees, one hand tight around the pipe, and got ready to run again.

'Why am I doing this?' The inner question made him pause, the next part of the conversation disappearing admist his buzzing thoughts. 'They threw me to the side. They took my place. My mansion. Ox left me. Everyone has left me. I'm all alone. Why do I care? Why, after everything, do I still care about anyone?'

The answers came in the form of memory flashes. Being created under the strict and watchful hand of Greyson Everett. Trained under the harshest conditions. Running the Institute, unable to leave for the world he taught other dolls to go to, knowing he would never see them again. Knowing he could never build a connection with them. Then Ox came along, taught him how to feel and understand emotions on some level, and though he left, who could blame him? He couldn't blame Ox for wanting to go to the Big World. He couldn't blame Ox for leaving after what Lou showed him, could he? The loneliness ate Lou, turned him more bitter with every passing day, and then dolls like Ox came along and turned everything upside down. He lost everything, but maybe, he needed that to happen.

A yelp of alarm slammed him back into reality.

The claws of a robot had reached out, grabbing Ox by his ears and arm, dragging him forward, foot by foot. The others tried to reach out to help only to be constrained by the four other robots there, their arms stretching to wrap around them all in a rough hold. Despite Ox's frantic struggling, he couldn't slow the robot down. In fact, it was moving faster.

"You will be the first to die." It said tonelessly. The furnace was still a good several blocks away, but it didn't make the threat any less horrible. Lou's heart pounded in his ears, his lungs seizing up at the thought of Ox 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔, and he froze in place. Every thought urged him to move, to do something, but he couldn't.

The robot's claws tightened when Ox continued to struggle.

His brother screamed. Not in surprise, but in pain.

Red washed Lou's vision. Every thought was erased. Every bit of fear was gone. It was all replaced by the sound of his brother screaming and the need to stop that pain.

Lou crossed the distance in four seconds, sliding under the arm of the robot that tried to grab him. He jumped into the air in front of the robot holding Ox, then slammed the pointed end of the pipe into the eye of it. The robot crackled and popped for a moment, then fell to the ground in a heap. Lou used the falling momentum to his advantage, flipping over the pipe with his hands still wrapped around the metal. The force yanked it free of the eye and Lou was standing again, spinning to face everyone, robots and dolls alike. The formers' faces didn't change, but the dolls? They were painted with shock.

"Lou?" Ox questioned quietly, pulling the blonde's attention to him. The robot was dead, circuits and wires pulled out through the break Lou caused, but the claws were still wrapped around his appendages tightly. Lou wanted to help him, but the robots were letting go of the dolls, their red eyes zeroed in on the prototype.

"Yeah, I'm here. Big shocker." It was all he could come up with. His feet moved him paces to the right and back, away from Ox. The robots followed. "Just... all of you, stay out of the way." When one robot surged forward, he raised the pipe like a bat and swung, hitting the weak spot in its neck. The force of the hit reverberated through his entire body, but it sent the metal head flying off and the rest of it crumpling to the ground. Two down. Three left.

The remainder moved in quickly, navigating to surround Lou as much as they could. He spun, trying to keep his eyes on all of them at once. It was no use. One was always out of his field of vision. His heart slammed against his chest, adrenaline making his hands shake where they were clasped tightly around his makeshift weapon. He couldn't see all of them. What if-

"Behind you!" Mandy yelled.

Lou turned in barely enough time to slam the pipe through the stomach of his attacker. It was not a clean hit, but when he pulled it back, there was a good sized hole. It sparked. The robot fell. Three down. Two left.

"Thanks." He called to Mandy over his shoulder, ignoring how his breath was stalling in his chest. His legs ached. His body shook. Too many nights of little sleep from nightmares was taking its revenge at the worst possible time. He spun the pipe between his hands, taking a step back as the two robots moved slowly forward, clearly surveying him. The stand off gave him a moment to think. He couldn't destroy both of them. He needed one to scan him and send out a signal to every other robot to call off the attack on the Institute before anyone got burned.

"Listen to me." He said, pouring every inch of formal command into his voice. One robot stalled. The other kept moving. "I am Louis Everett. Prototype Model 12. Created by Greyson Everett." He had to pause for breath, taking another step back away from the advancing robot. "I am not missing. I have a... temporary look and the scanners didn't catch me. I am still in charge." The lie slipped off his lips like honey and salt. "Nothing is wrong."

"Explain the unknown entities." The stopped robot stated.

"You weren't updated properly." This lie was easier. "These new dolls are called UglyDolls. They are a new product for the company and have been selling off the charts with kids." That was not a lie. He'd heard Ox talking about it with Mandy once, while he was hidden in the shadows. "They are not to be disposed of. I repeat: do not dispose of them."

The moving robot lunged forward. Lou raised his pipe up, catching the claws with it, but the force of the robot sent his back to the ground. He was pinned, the pipe between them the only barrier. He heard the urgent yells of his name as he pushed back against the robot, desperate to free himself. The bar came further his way, pressing down on his chest until he could hardly breathe.

Think. Think. Think. Think, Louis!

He heard the patters of several feet moving his way. No. They couldn't put themsleves in danger for him. He wouldn't allow it. "No!" He managed to yell. "Don't come closer!" The last word ended in a hiss of pain as the pipe further crushed his chest. "I... I can do this." The sentence was barely a whisper, more to himself than anyone else. In a last attempt, he managed to bend his legs and press them to the torso of the robot. With a burst of desperate strength and adrenaline, he pushed up. The robot was forced back and couple of inches along with the bar.

Lou took his chance.

He rolled out from under the bar and let it slam down against the concrete. The sharp end cut into his shoulder, resulting in him biting back a yell of pain. He couldn't worry them. They would come jumping into the fray without knowing how to defend themsleves, making everything more complicated. He rolled away from the robot and up onto his shaking legs. The robot tossed the pipe to the side as it faced him, the red glow in its eyes blinking in and out. It was closest he'd ever seen a robot come to expressing anger, or an emotion of any kind.

The blonde spared a quick glance around. No more pipes besides the one on the other side of the robot. Nothing-

Nolan grabbed the pipe as Lou was forced to duck a grab to the neck. His mismatched eyes were wide with fear and uncertainty as they met Lou's, his hands clasped tightly around the only possible weapon in the vicinity. After half a second, he raised it. "Lou, catch!" He reared it back over his shoulder.

"This way!" Lou dove to the side to get out of the way of another strike and to get clear of the robot. Nolan stumbled forward and threw. It soared through the air.

Too high. When it went over him, it would be out of reach by a few feet.

Mind racing for a solution, Lou did the only thing he could do. He ran toward the robot, earning many yells of alarm, and jumped. It was only by sheer luck that he dodged the arms coming for him, kicking against the chest of the robot with one foot, sending himself into the air. His fingers wrapped around the pipe as the robot grabbed his foot, slamming Lou down against the ground like a rag doll. The impact knocked the breath out of him and he saw stars in his vision, but he didn't let go of the pipe.

The robot released his foot to try and pin him down again. Lou was ready for it. He turned the pipe at the last second, slamming it upward and through the chest of the robot. He didn't need to see to know it came out the other end. Quickly, he scrambled out from under it right before it fell in the very spot he was laying.

Breath heaving in his chest, he pulled himself to stand, dimly aware of everyone else not far behind him, including Ox. Their eyes were burning holes in the back of his head as he faced off the last robot. "Scan me." He told the frozen machine. "Scan me and listen to my orders or I'll have you toasted." He somehow managed to keep his voice strong and commanding even as he felt like falling over on the spot. The adrenaline was fading and he had to lock his legs at the knees to keep from hitting the ground then and there. He only hoped the others couldn't see his struggle.

The lights in the robot's eyes turned blue. Lou faced forward, palms out at his sides and feet spread to shoulder width. It casted a blue light over him, scanning him from head to toe before zeroing in on his neck. His chip. It made him feel vulnerable, but he didn't dare move.

"Authorization complete. Hello, Louis."

He heaved a sigh of relief, pushing back a smart remark. "Hello."

"What commands would you like me to carry out at the moment?"

Lou took a second to gather himself, crossing his arms over his chest and pulling his feet together. He ignored the sting in his shoulder when he moved. It didn't feel like a deep cut, but it definitely hurt. "Communicate to all robots that the Model 12 Prototype is fine, here, and," he spared Ox a momentary glance over his shoulder, "in charge. Everything is under control. You were not programmed correctly, and so didn't recognize my... other look and the new dolls on the market. Have them release everyone. They are not intruders. New code will be given to you all in the next few days." His voice was strong and calm, but his body felt anything but that. He was beginning to waver inwardly, the last of the adrenaline disappearing into hand shakes and tiredness.

"Understood, sir." The blue lights blinked in and out. "Done."

Some of the tension coiled in his chest loosened. He could've collapsed right then from relief. "Good. That's good." He cleared his throat. "Now, go help clean up the mess you all made and apologize to those dolls for the miscommunication."

"Yes, sir." The robot headed back toward town, leaving Lou with the other dolls. He spun to face them, pushing a hand through the hair that hung over his right eye. It was annoying how much it fell, though he was more concerned with how much he was shaking and the darkening of his vision at the edges.

"Lou, are you okay?" Of course it was Ox to ask, running up to him with his one eye wide with concern. Lou had to glance away a second, caught off guard by the sheer amount of emotion radiating from him. "Oh my gosh. Your shoulder-"

"It's fine." He cut in, shaking his head. "I'll fix it myself. It's not bad. Are you all fine?" The question slipped out before he could properly think about it, exposing more worry than he thought he had in him.

"We're okay, thanks to you." Mandy said, stepping forward. Her hands hovered in front of her, fingers reaching for him unsurely. Subconsciously, Lou moved back an inch, disguising it as shifting the weight on his feet. She stopped in her tracks, eyes displaying something he didn't quite understand.

"Those were some moves you pulled, Lou." Lucky Bat said. Ugly Dog appeared to agree, letting out a low whistle despite his earlier words. "We knew you were athletic but wow-"

"Do you know why that happened?" Ox asked, pulling them back to the topic at hand. The robots still sparked around them, dead and gone. They weren't anything to worry about. The factory would retrieve and fix them at some point. By then, their code would be upgraded.

The blonde ran a hand down his face, letting out a small sigh. "Yes, I actually do. The robots do a maintenance check once a month. I completely forgot about it. If I hadn't, I would've warned you. With me... like this," He made an absentminded gesture at his loose hair and outfit, "they didn't recognize me without an actual scan. Their code wasn't updated for the new dolls, so the robots took action by recognizing them as threats and trying to bring back order without me." It was after he spoke that he realized he didn't call them 'Uglies.'

Nolan was the one to ask the next question, wringing his hands in front of him as he stared off in the direction of recycling. "Is it fixed now?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it should all be fixed. They'll have a temporary code on the surface. Micheal might be able to fix it up in their hard drives, or any other doll with an engineering or coding role, like Amy or Zack." The names came to his mind instantly when searching dolls for tasks. 'One of the few good things about being a prototype,' he supposed, pressing his forefinger and thumb to the bridge of his nose. They needed to get back to town. Ox and the others would have to calm several dolls down, he was sure of it, and Lou needed to fix his shoulder and fade to the background again.

Moxy took the words out of his mind. "Let's head back to town. Everyone's probably really shaken up. We need to get things taken care of, including your shoulder, Louis."

"I said I'm fine." He touched the rip gingerly. No stuffing had come out yet. It was peeking at the tear's edge. "It's not a big deal."

"I say it is." She sing-songed. Lou didn't understand how, after such a terrible ordeal, she was skipping her way back toward the multicolored buildings, getting them all to follow. Lou's feet moved on their own accord, falling in line with Ox, who didn't leave his side to go to the front. "And you're not allowed to leave until you're fixed up."

His eyes narrowed. He expected the familiar heat of annoyance to build in him, burn him up on the inside, but nothing came. The warmth he did feel was foreign and slow, gathering in his chest. "Moxy, seriously," the bite in his words was lost no matter how hard he tried to find it, "I'm-"

"If you say you're fine one more time, I'll..."

"It's alright, Moxy." Ox assured her midway through the threat. "I'll handle him." Lou huffed, crossing his arms, but couldn't find the energy to interject. In fact, he was losing energy for everything. Putting one foot in front of the other felt almost impossible and-

All at once, his visioned tunneled out, going grey and black. His legs crumbled beneath him. The world felt like it was spinning out from under him, sending him and his suddenly pounding head pitching toward the ground. He would've face planted if not for the fluffy arms hooking around his torso, holding him up.

"Lou!"

His eyes were closed. That's why it was so dark. He felt his head hang forward, all control over his body lost and his mind fighting to stay above the waves trying to pull him under. He vaguely felt himself being turned and shifted, the back of his head resting gently against the ground with the rest of his body splayed out. Something - a hand - hit his cheek lightly. "Hey, hey, Lou, buddy, what's wrong?" Ox's voice was strained and shaky. He could sense everyone crowding around him, casting shadows beyond his closed eyelids. His friend shook his shoulder. "Lou, open your eyes. Don't do this to me right n-now." The word cracked. Lou's heart cracked with it. He wanted to open his eyes. Forget coldness and indifference - he wanted to take the pain out of Ox's voice. They hurt each other. It didn't need to keep happening.

Another hand cradled his chin, then moved to his cheek. "He's completely out." Mandy said quietly, her voice almost washed out by the white noise growing in his ears. Conciousness was taunting him at this point.

"That fight took a lot out of him." Babo said - his first time speaking since this whole fiasco began. "I can't blame him though."

A heartbeat of silence passed. "No," Ox stated. "No, that's not all this is. Something else is wrong. I can feel it. Get him to my house. Babo, help me." Hands and arms lifted him gently. The waves crashed down again. He knew no more.

___________________________

It was warm.

Lou's conciousness slowly emerged through the blackness, gaining feeling in his body and coherency in mind. It was warm. Comfortably warm. Nothing like the shack with too thin walls. It felt good to be warm again. There was a light weight across his entire body and a softness at his back - bed and blankets. An incredibly soft bed and blankets that were so warm. He could feel every breath going in and out of his lungs. The world was there, but distant, clouded, and he couldn't find it in him to care-

Someone was holding his hand.

It was a soft hand. Paw-like in a way only certain dolls could be and entirely familiar. Ox. This was Ox's hand, wasn't it? Why was Ox holding his hand? After everything with the recycling, the Gauntlet, the portal, the dethroning, the menial duties - why was he here at all? Wasn't he supposed to be hanging out with those other dolls? Being where Lou couldn't?

An image flashed into his mind. A metal claw holding the arm of his brother while he yelled in pain, fear beginning to move into eyes that were always so brave and warm like this bed-

Ox. The robots. The town.

Everything snapped into place at once.

Lou yanked his heavy eyelids open, ignoring the grainy feel to them, and started to sit up. His bad shoulder sent a pain through his arm with the sudden movement and his back ached from the earlier impact, but he needed to 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒. Why? He wasn't sure. 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑘𝑎𝑦. The grip on his hand tightened as he tried to let go. "Woah, Lou, slow down." Another paw grabbed his good shoulder, the closest to Ox, and pulled him back down to the pillows. The blonde struggled, but his strength was gone. How long had he been out for? What happened? "I'm right here, brother. You're fine. Everything is fine."

Words tumbled out of Lou's mouth without his consent. "The robots-" He tried to fight Ox's grip, but the green doll held firm, standing at Lou's bedside. Where in the world were they? The shack definitely wasn't decorated like this-

"The robots are fine, too. They're cleaning up, so lay back down before I make ya. Those stitches and bruises have got ta' be smartin." The light threat to Ox's words wasn't missed, though it wasn't like when he was told he had cleaning duty. Lou laid down either way - mainly because his heart was calming down, he was too tired to stay up, and his shoulder was hurting the longer he put weight on it.

"Where am I?" He asked, forcing his voice to remain level. His hands fisted on the blankets as his eyes swept around the room, looking anywhere but at his old friend. The sun shone dimly through drawn windows, leaving the room dark and comfortable.

"My house. We brought you here after you passed out. You scared me half to death, buddy." Ox ran a hand down his face, letting go of Lou's shoulder.

"Sorry." Lou muttered, glancing at him briefly. Why in the world was he using all those old nicknames? Calling him brother? He thought that relationship was dead and gone. Lost in dust years ago. "Don't know why that happened."

"I think I do." Ox leaned back in a chair Lou only now noticed, parked mere inches from the bed. "You're exhausted."

Annoyance flared in his chest, masking the part of him that knew Ox was right. "Am not. I am perfectly fine."

"I have never believed you when you've said those words. I'm not believing you now." The green doll crossed his arms. Lou drew his hands together, interlocking his fingers to try and replace the lost feeling of Ox's hand. "You said you forgot about the bot check."

"I honestly did, Ox." Did he think he was lying? After defending them? He looked away, ignoring the unnatural sting behind his eyes. "I-"

"I know. I believe you. We all do." Ox put a paw on his good shoulder, shaking him a little until Lou looked at him again. "But you and I both know you never forget anything. Your brain has one astounding memory, and you'd never forget something like that without a reason. Lou, you're plain exhausted, and not just from running across town and fighting robots. Have you not been sleeping?"

"Ox, it doesn't matter." He pulled himself to slow sit up, ignoring the light hands that tried to push him back down, pushing force into his voice with energy he didn't have. "Just let me go. I'm fine."

"It does too matter." He stood on the chair to make them almost eye level. "Louis, answer me honestly." The blonde bristled a little at his full name, gazing intently at his legs. "Are you sleeping?"

Maybe it was the fact that no one else was around. Maybe it was because he and Ox had a friendship, a brotherhood, so many years ago. Maybe, on some level, they were still brothers with a lot of trauma. Maybe Lou just wanted to let out the emotions he'd been bottling uo and unable to understand. No matter the reason, the true answer tumbled out of his mouth. "No." His voice was quiet, but in the near empty room, it bounced back to his ears.

"Why?" The doll was equally quiet, bending down until Lou was forced to meet his eye. "I know we haven't been on the best terms at all, but put all that away for a minute. You can talk to me. It's only me and you here. Like old times." He offered a small, shaky smile. "What's keeping you awake?"

"I..." He hesitated. Him and Ox, but it was nowhere near the same. Lou wasn't helping Ox as the one in power. Ox was in power. Lou was the outcast. And yet he felt safe for the first time in a long, long time. He hadn't felt safe since not long before Ox left. Since before Lou found out he wanted to leave. "A lot of things, Ox. I'm not exactly on the best terms with anybody. I can't talk to anyone. You won't even look me in the eyes sometimes. And that stupid, stupid washer-" His breath hitched momentarily. "I can't stop the nightmares. I can't deal with it. It's easier to not sleep than be afraid." He put his face in his hands, trying to push back the tears as he laid his heart out for the first time in.... he didn't know when.

Soft arms wrapped around him, enveloping him in a hug. He stiffened. The last time he had a hug, it was from Ox. Slowly, he pulled his hands from his face, breath frozen in his lungs. The tears he'd been trying to push back moved down his cheeks, plopping down onto Ox's shoulder where Lou's chin was placed. "I didn't know this was happening to you, Lou. I'm sorry. I... I didn't think you'd want anything to do with me after everything. They turned the washer on high, didn't they?"

"It's not supposed to go on high." Lou muttered. "I never put it on high."

"I know, I know. They didn't know. That shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry."

Hesitantly, Lou raised his arms to wrap them around the green doll, closing his eyes and letting out a stuttering breath. Keeping it together was futile. Were he and Ox friends again? Or was this a fluke of a doll pitying him? For the moment, Lou didn't care. He turned his head to put his face to Ox's shoulder, breathing shallowly as he tried to get himself back under control. With his racing thoughts, that was hard to do. Suddenly, there was so much he wanted to say and the chance to say it was right here, right now. He raised his head again so he could speak clearly. "I'm sorry for what I did. All I did. I shouldn't have left you. I shouldn't have fought you. I got bitter and so, so angry at you. At everything. It might've been better if I told you I was a prototype from the start, but... I could only see you leaving me. I couldn't handle it and... and... I'm sorry." He hid his face again.

Ox's paw moved up and down his back soothingly. "I know I can't say anything for the town but.... I forgive you, Lou. We're going to have a lot of work to do, yeah, but I forgive you. Nothing's going to snap right back into place though."

"I didn't expect it to, after everything."

"I'm sorry for trying to leave you like that. I should've picked up that there was something else going on the first couple of times you tried to sway me away from it, and at least talked to you about it. I already knew you said you'd never leave the place, wanted to teach dolls. I should've thought about how I'd be leaving you permanently. I didn't think about how the portal was a one way thing back then. I only focused on getting a kid, not the friend I wasn't going to see again."

"No, that wasn't your fault. That was on me, too. There's no way you could've known."

"We can agree to disagree then because you're not changing my mind." He squeezed the hug a little tighter. Lou ignored the twinge of pain that went through his body, focusing on how the first hug he'd recieved in eternity was still happening. "And Lou, I've been meaning to tell you something. It's about what you said at the Gauntlet."

His heart plummeted to his stomach. "What?"

"You're not just a prototype. You may not be able to leave, but you are a doll. You're no less a doll than I am or anyone else for that matter."

A lump formed in Lou's throat and he had to push it down, more tears flooding his eyes. He hadn't cried like this in a long time. The nightmares were different. He might wake up crying involuntarily or unable to force back a few stray tears as he tried to calm down after waking, wrestling with his lungs in order to stop hyperventilating. "I'll try to believe that." He managed to say.

"I'll keep telling you until you do." They pulled back from each other. Ox gripped Lou's shoulder again. "Are we okay now?"

"Yeah, we're good, I think. Maybe a work in progress at the moment." The blonde offered the tiniest smile that Ox returned.

"I'd say we are."

Lou pulled in a deep breath, using his sleeve to wipe away the tears on his cheeks quickly. It was only then he noticed that he wasn't wearing his suit, but a set of pajamas he definitely didn't recognize. He rarely worpajamas and when he did, it was his white undershirt and a loose pair of black slacks. He didn't have real pajamas. These were green striped - a button up shirt and fluffy pants. "Huh?"

"Oh, yeah." Ox plopped down on the edge of the bed by Lou's side, dropping his hand to pat the taller doll's knee. "They're an extra set of Nolan's pajamas. You only have suits in your house. Care to tell me about that?" Ox raised an eyebrow.

"Nope." He moved the collar to look at where his shoulder was currently ripped. Correction, had been ripped. Ox said something about sitches earlier. The cloth of his shoulder was pulled together by near invisible stitches. Eventually, by the same magic that made them alive, it would all merge together and only leave a scar of white - or whatever color thread was used to tie it together. "Who did the stitching?" Last he remembered, Ox wasn't the best at stitching anything.

"Nolan. He stayed here for a while. Everybody did."

That surprised him. "Everybody?"

Ox nodded, a soft smile on his face. "Lou, after what you did right there - nobody can hate you completely. If they were there, anyway. Actually, a lot of dolls who saw you run earlier came by to ask if you were okay. The others were here for a while to make sure you were okay, but they had to go help the other dolls and the robots. Nolan left only twenty minutes ago."

"How long was I..."

"Six hours. Again, scared me half to death."

"I'll try not to do it again."

"Ya better."

They shared a small laugh. Lou dropped his collar and tested the stretch of his arm. It hurt, but that pain would go away after a day or two. Another thought hit him and he steeled his nerves, feeling confident enough to talk in this comfortable space. "Hey, Ox..."

"Yeah?"

"I... know I deserve my punishment. Heck, I deserved more than what I got, and while I don't hate cleaning at all, just doing that is going to eventually drive me nuts. Possibly literally." He raised his good arm to rub at his temple.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, my programming demands I run this place. I was made for it. Every stitch is meant for it and yet I'm not doing it. Eventually, my programming is going to go nuts. It's already starting to happen. I sometimes can't focus at all. I know I'm not supposed to, Ox, and a lot of dolls won't like it, but if you don't want me to go absolutely crazy, I have to do 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 for this place that's not just cleaning. Paperwork, at least. Please." He was practically begging his former- no, current friend to give him a good job.

Ox tapped his chin, letting out a low hum of thought. "I think your actions today have gotten you off of menial duties." He smiled slightly, making Lou's heart thump with hope. "There may be some dolls adverse to it, but if you're with me, I think they'll be fine. You can work with me in the background. We'll call it a new job where you can do all the paperwork you can handle."

A smile of relief and happiness spread across his lips involuntarily. He let out a sigh and gave a small nod of agreement. "Yeah, I will take that deal."

"Plus, it would be a really big help to me, honestly."

Lou raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go on."

Ox rubbed the back of his neck. "I kind of don't really know how to do the paperwork. We've been trying, but it's really complicated. I've been on the edge of asking you. I just didn't think you'd be open to it."

"Granted, I might not have if all this hadn't happened, but..." He sighed, folding his hands once more. "I really need it, and I really... really want to be friends with you again."

"We can be. We are. Time will help us." He smiled. "For now though, you need to sleep."

"What are you talking about? I've slept enough. Can't we do the paperwork plan now? And don't you have dolls to check on? Seriously, you're the mayor. They probably want to see you."

"Six hours isn't enough, Lou. Lay back down." He pushed against Lou's chest with his hand, not relenting until the doll gave in and laid back on the pillows. Honestly, he was tired, but the notion of actually doing something sounded better than sleeping. "And the others can take care of em. I'm takin care of my brother. You're my priority."

That warmth of earlier swelled in his chest again. Not fire, not ashes, not hot coal, but warm heat that filled him up from toes to hair and made his heart do little squeezes. "Whatever you say."

"I do say." Ox chuckled, pulling the blankets back up to Lou's neck. "First thing tomorrow, we'll eat breakfast together and get to the office. My kid is on vacation without me, so we'll get the whole week to make up for lost time, got it?"

He bit back a yawn. "Got it."

"Good. Now go to sleep before I make ya."

Lou rolled his eyes then closed them, letting himself relax. The tension he hadn't known was in his chest has lessened, allowing him breathe a little deeper mentally. The tension between him and Ox wasn't completely gone, but this was a start. A good start. The relationship between him and everyone else... it would depend on the doll, and he wouldn't blame him if they never forgave him, but he hoped, really hoped, they would. Three words came to his mind to describe this new phase of his life as he dropped off into nightmare-less oblivion:

A new start.

_______________________________

The next day, the other dolls would walk into Ox's office in search of their mayor and Lou to find the two sitting side by side at a brand new desk. It was really Lou's desk that he insisted they get from his old mansion as it was big enough for the two of them to work comfortably without bumping elbows over and over again. Each had different stacks of paper - Ox was sorting whatever Lou handed to him and the blonde doll was actually filling out the paperwork from the information on the computer. To every other doll, it would look like a jumble of jibberish words but to him? It was what he'd been used to for ten years.

They would walk through the door to find the two dolls - brothers - arguing good naturedly about the files, one half eaten breakfast plate from Wage's diner to the side.

"How in the world did you manage to get this disorganized? Did your office have a tornado in it?" Lou was asking, shaking his head as he spun a pen in his hand. His suit was back, covering the stitching in his shoulder, and he sat a little bit hunched to try and take the strain off his bruises. Less than perfect posture, but in the new institute, who cared? "Seriously, why are the April files with the October files?"

Ox rolled his eyes, tossing a wad of trash paper at the blonde head. It bounced off, landing in the trash can and earning him a little, unheated glare from a blonde who was trying to fight off a smile despite his frustration. "I have no clue."

"That's really helpful."

"I try to be."

"You're insufferable."

"I try to be that, too." Ox grabbed a piece of toast off Lou's plate. "You need to finish your breakfast."

"Ox, I am not a child-" He was cut off as the French toast was put in his mouth and he was forced to chew lest it drop to the ground. After swallowing, he said, "No fair." Ox only laughed, going back to sorting files as Lou's effortless cursive flew across the blank pages. There was only one way to describe the scene before them.

It was the beginning of a new era.

#lou uglydolls #fanfiction #uglydolls #comfort #fanfic #friendship #sleepy bois inc #oneshot #answered

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lucalicatteart · 1 year

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Poll adventure (paventure? lol) Day 9: read the small story tidbit below the poll for more details, OR just vote based on initial impression

(✦ see past poll results + further information HERE (link) ✦)

Yesterday's poll helped The Adventurer build his raft...

"After two hours of fumbling about with tangled rope and tree branches, he's finally produced something that at least.. mostly, looks like a normal raft. He attaches a few extra flowers for decoration, loops his cat into a makeshift safety harness (so they can't get lost in the water), then gives everything one last check before deciding it's all ready to go, nervously pushing off into the river...

Surprisingly, it floats just fine. As long as he doesn't make any sudden movements, the raft doesn't threaten to flip over, or even wobble nearly as much as he expected. There's no way to really steer or paddle, but he does have a large stick he occasionally uses to push himself away from rocks or other obstacles. Luckily, the current is very slow at this section of the river, and hopefully will remain so for his entire trip.

Just lazily floating around, he estimates he should travel about 4 hours to fully get past the blocked road and end up at the next area on his map. Though the raft is too small (and too lumpy) to comfortably lay on, he can still recline slightly, bathing in the near afternoon sun, watching the scenery slowly drift by....

About 30 minutes into his first ever sailing adventure, he feels the water shift as a larger boat comes near. He can't see it clearly yet, but it seems to be nice - polished wood with painted sections and little flags draped along the sides, presumably some sort of actual steering and propelling mechanisms, and about 10 people lounging on the surface, maybe having some sort of party..? It's been very quiet so far, these are the first other travelers he's seen in the entire area today... Should he attempt to make contact with them? "

--------

Additional details -

Boat Make-up : Based on the results of the last poll (where people helped him make a boat by choosing the amount of materials) -- With 30% branches and 21% rope, there's only a 9% difference between them, so both are in pretty close amounts, which means there's a TON of rope. (normal ratio would be like 65% wood and 10% rope lol). I probably should have even added more, but it's so visually busy, just pretend there's extra rope wrapped under the boat too.

30% branch and 15% fabric means there's about half as much fabric as there is wood, which is also A LOT for just a little side decoration, so I made the flag huge, and a square of fabric for the cat to sit on. 10% berries means that there's enough ink for 1/3 of the wood to be entirely covered in purple designs. The least amount was the twigs and leaves for padding, which would cover a little under 1/3 of the wood (laid on top). then a little over 1/3 of the space is flowers for decor, which are just kind of sitting in a pile on top, with a few actually tied down onto the flag or other areas.

Since the branches were pretty close in percentage to all other things (not like 80% branches and 20% all other materials), the raft is fairly small, as not much wood was used.

main goal: follow his map to reach the abandoned castle ruins and see the rare animal specialist about the mysterious egg he has

#paventure posting #polls #choose your own adventure #hghnhh... yes.. this is very late lol #I'm trying for every other day at least if not daily but.. you know lol.. Life #It snowed here which like YEAAAAAAA my favorite weather ever!! but it's also always annoying because of transportation #I hate how car-centric america is and how it's no necessary to drive to get places #I loooooove the snow so much but I also hate driving in it or anyone I know or any of my roomates or anything having to drive #in it. because the day after it snows everything always freezes into a flat sheet of ice at night and nobody can drive on it #because this area is not used to it and it's very hilly so then it just ends up being A Thing where everyone gets stranded on the #road side or cant make it up a hill and people are just out there sliding around anyway risking their lives #because everyting is always like a 20-30 minute drive away and most poeple cant just walk to their work or the market #and the public transport system is not robust or reliable enough to get them around instead.#which lukcily I dont have to deal with too much but every time it gets really snowy and icy I still get nervous and unfocused and #distracted by the threat of the possibility of me or my roomates having to go somewhere lol #and then also I'm busy outside because I spend time in the snow on and off through the day so I get distracted by that too #I've probably walked an hour a day or more the past few days just because I HAVE to go out and be in the snow #I love the feeling when it's like 26 degrees outside and it's windy and yersterday's snow is like blowing everywhere in little clouds #and there's like ice on your face and you can just plop down into a pile of snow and lay on your back looking up at the sky #Which I do try to be careful but I probably will stil lget frostbite at some point in my life. I take it seriously and try to bundle up but #I cannot resist just being out in the cold. If not for the aspect of trasnportation woes and the occasional power outage it would #be paradise. I think because I'm so warm natured I just feel less sick. less achey. less dizzy and weird when I'm cold #Whatever health things I have going on with me it seems to help them. And is just beautiful and perfect #ANYWAY.. I finally focused enough to get one of these done. I'm still trying to work on other things and ease back into a normal #schedule if I ever can.. be productive for once. The past month or two has been so weird and hard to accomplish things because I just #keep having physical issue flare ups or schedule disruptions or etc. hhrghghh #but here he is! on his boat! Still trying to get to the Innkeeper's brother's abandoned castle ruins lol. but it was mentioned #it'll be a long journey. he probably has to make it a few more days before he's close to there (if he even makes it there)#It's all part of the journey!

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raewritez · 3 years

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Enough | Sokka

based on this request: You want requests? I have an idea/request if you don't mind and are still accepting them, if not I’m sorry. Maybe “friends to lovers/teammates to lovers” where Reader joins the team from Ba Sing Se and while they’re preparing for the invasion, or beyond, Sokka and Reader fall in love, or start to fall in love? I hope that makes sense. Thanks! Your writing is all wonderful! <3

word count: 3.6k

The last thing you'd expected was for the Avatar to break into your house.

You'd been upstairs in your room when you'd heard a ruckus from down below, drawing you to your feet with nervousness and light footsteps. Who was it, burglars? You made your way down the stairs, body pressed against the wall. You heard muffled whispering.

"We can't just break into random houses, Sokka!"

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?! Do you have any better ideas?"

Silence.

"That's what I thought, Aang. Just trust the process."

You peered over the corner, catching sight of the intruders. A boy, a bit shorter than you, stood awkwardly in the corner of your living room. He was dressed in yellow and orange robes, his head decorated with a blue arrow. Huh. Beside him, pulling the curtain back cautiously to scan outside, was a boy seemingly about your age. He was tall, tan skin and dark hair, dressed in a sleeveless blue tunic. You didn't peg these guys as particular threats, so you stepped down.

"Uh, hello?"

They spun around with a yelp, assuming defensive positions. The taller boy held something in his hand - a boomerang? He narrowed his eyes at you.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Um, this is my house? Who are you?"

He lowered his arm, glancing around sheepishly. "Oh, uh, sorry. We needed to hide."

You raised an eyebrow. "Hide? Hide from who?"

The younger boy spoke up. "The Dai Li."

You furrowed your brows. "The Dai Li?" You questioned, confused. "Why would you need to hide from them? Did you, like, break the law?"

The older boy crossed his arms. "What? No!"

"Then why are you hiding?"

"Because they're after us!"

"Why would they be after you if you didn't break the law?"

"Because!" He was flailing his arms now, and you almost chuckled with amusement. "They - they're bad guys!"

You looked at him flatly. "That sounds like something a criminal would say."

He groaned. "Ugh, ok, ok. Once we know they're gone, we'll leave."

"Are you sure? I was gonna invite you for some tea and cookies," you teased. He glances back, as if seeing if you were serious, before turning back grumpily.

The younger boy scratches his head awkwardly. "Um, anyway, thanks for not kicking us out. I'm Aang."

You chuckle. "Yeah...no problem. I'm Y/n." You aren't quite sure why you're having a conversation with the guys who just broke into your house, but they seem nice enough. The older one's a little grouchy, but for some reason you feel safe.

Aang smiles brightly. "Nice to meet you. This is Sokka," he says, nudging his shoulder.

Sokka glances back at you. "Hey." You offer him a wave.

"So...why are you hiding in my house?"

Aang glances at Sokka, and it seems like a silent argument passes between them. Sokka shakes his head, Aang gives him an imploring look, and Sokka glares. Then he throws his hands up, mumbles a "Fine", and Aang turns back to you with a grin.

"Well, you see, I'm the Avatar," Your eyes grow wide. "And we're trying to get some important information to the Earth King. But the Dai Li don't want us to, so they're kinda chasing us."

"You're the Avatar?" You breathe. He nods cheerfully. "Wait - so, why are the Dai Li chasing you? Shouldn't they be helping?"

"Yeah, they should," Sokka says. "But they decided to, you know, not."

You're confused. The Dai Li are the highest level of protection for the people of Ba Sing Se. Why wouldn't they help the Avatar? You look around the room, spotting the closet near the door. An idea pops into your head.

"I can help." They both turn to you, looking skeptical. "I mean I can help you get out. Without being noticed."

They look at each other, hold their gaze, then turn to you and nod.

///

"I look ridiculous."

You stifle a laugh, taking in Sokka's appearance. "I think you look great. And it'll help you get by unnoticed, so that's what matters."

He's dressed in your father's trench coat, a heavy, brown beast of a thing that's so long it pools at his ankles. He's also sporting a dashing top-hat; the brim so wide it effectively shelters his face. He glares.

Aang comes bouncing in, dressed in a hooded cape that provides coverage for his tattoo. He stops short when he sees Sokka, doubling over in laughter. "Oh, you look great, Sokka."

Sokka groans, slumping over. "Let's just get out of here."

You lead them out the front door, scanning the road for any sign of threats. You step out, the boys following in tow, and walk as confidently as you can past the agents lining the street. Eventually, you successfully make it out of the middle ring. Sokka immediately sheds his disguise.

"Well, here you go," you say, looking around. Although only one ring above you, the Upper Ring is much nicer than you're used to. "Good luck with the Earth King."

Aang's eyes grow wide. "Wait! You should...you should come with us!"

You tilt your head. "Come with you where?"

"Back to our place! You could meet our friends!" He nudges Sokka, who appears disinterested. "Right, Sokka?"

Sokka's eyes snap to yours. "Oh, uh, sure. I guess."

You're about to politely decline, but Aang is staring at you so hopefully that you can't turn him down. You smile softly. "Sure, Aang."

"Awesome! Let's go."

You're led through the cobblestone pathways, eyes trailing after ornate carriages and towering buildings. Soon, you reach their house. The home of the Avatar. Sokka walks up and turns the knob, jumping back in surprise. In front of him stands a girl, not much younger than you, with her hands on her hips and her eyes bright with anger.

"Where have you been?!" She demands, dragging him inside by his collar. "We've been worried sick! I mean, you didn't even leave a note, didn't say anything-"

"We're sorry, Katara," Aang intervenes, hands raised in peaceful greeting. "We got caught up."

It's then that her eyes fall on you, gaze softening into uncertainty. She looks at Sokka expectantly.

"Oh!" He exclaims, stepping back and gesturing towards you. "This is Y/n. She helped us get away from the Dai Li."

The girl, Katara as she'd been called, offered you a slight smile of gratitude. "Thank you for helping my idiot brother."

You chuckled, grinning at the look of betrayal Sokka gave the girl. "It was no problem."

She nodded, extending her arm. "Do you want to come in?"

You glanced towards Aang, who was smiling excitedly. "Oh, yeah, sure."

You stepped inside, feeling a bit awkward. You didn't really understand why Aang wanted you to come so badly, but it was a kind gesture nonetheless. You scanned the interior; emerald walls adorned with gold plating that was probably more expensive than your whole apartment. You fidgeted your fingers, standing by while Katara and Sokka bickered about responsibility. A slam startled you out of your thoughts.

"Who's this?" A girl stepped out of the - hole? Yeah, hole, she'd just kicked a hole in the wall. Katara paused her lecture.

"Toph, this is Y/n. She helped Sokka and Aang with the Dai Li."

"Cool." She yawned, walking past you and plopping on the couch.

"We need to get to the Earth King," Sokka said, assuming a demeanor of focus and determination. "If the Dai Li aren't going to help us get to him, we'll have to do it ourselves." He briefly explained his plan, something about breaking into the fancy party that was happening later that night. They came up with roles, with guidelines for what each person should do, working together like a well-oiled machine. You felt out of place, you didn't know what your purpose was here. Aang turned to you, smiling softly.

"Y/n, you in?"

You stared. You couldn't comprehend the reason this boy had so much faith in you, the reason these kids were so willing to let you in on their scheme after just meeting you less than an hour ago. You didn't understand why you trusted them, either. You smiled.

"I'm in."

///

That was your first mistake.

When you'd agreed to break into an Earth Kingdom party with the Avatar, you didn't think you'd end up having to flee your home. You sat upon Appa's back, knees pulled to your chest as Ba Sing Se grew smaller. Sokka was steering, and the rest had their heads tucked into their hands. Except for Aang, who was lying unconscious next to Katara.

You'd remained in the city with Katara as the rest of the group separated, happy to spend some time with your newfound friend. It was then that things got messy; you found out the Fire Nation had infiltrated the government, the local tea-boy was actually a banished prince, and you found yourself in the crystal catacombs as a battle went on around you. You'd been there with Zuko and Katara, and you weren't sure exactly what'd gone down between them but it was obviously something serious, and you'd been there as he joined his sister - Azula. She was pretty scary.

You fought the best you could, your unpracticed earth-bending not doing much damage against the Dai Li agents, before Aang was struck by Azula's lightning. Now, you sat atop his sky-bison, mind racing and body numb from the shock of it all. You were in way over your head.

The five of you met up with Sokka and Katara's dad after dropping off the Earth King, because, you know, he was just casually there, too, boarding a Fire Nation ship as a means of disguise. Sokka introduced you to his father, Hakoda, who welcomed you with a warm smile and a firm handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/n. Sokka's told me a lot about you. You two must really get along well," he said when Sokka was out of ear reach, voice laced with mirth. You flushed when you registered what he was implying; the mischief gleaming in his eyes. You frantically tried to put a sentence together.

"Oh, we're not - he doesn't...I mean we do, but not like-" He cut you off with a chuckle and a friendly pat to your shoulder.

"I'm just teasing. Come on, let's join the others."

You sat with your friends and the Water Tribesmen aboard the steely deck, huddling with Toph and Sokka for warmth. Katara went downstairs to heal Aang, who had yet to wake. Your meals mainly consisted of rice as it was too risky to stop and buy more supplies. You were still dressed in your Earth Kingdom clothes; green-tinted pants and a tunic, feet clad in worn-down boots. Not ideal for posing as a Fire Nation soldier.

You were still in shock, you supposed, at how quickly things changed and how fiercely your life was ripped from you. I mean, just a few days ago you were a normal kid living in the middle ring of Ba Sing Se, where nothing remotely exciting ever happened. Then, the Avatar and his friend had broken into your house and now everything was different. You weren't upset, it was just a lot to process. You were worried for Aang and a bit overwhelmed at the reality that seemed to be your new friends' normal. So when everyone else returned to their rooms for sleep, you made your way to the overlook.

The moon beamed down over the sea - ivory light caressing the waves and kissing the surface. You breathed deeply, inhaling the cool night air that smelled of salt-water and a freedom you'd never experienced. You sat there, slightly chilly from the cold, when a warm presence took place by your side.

You glanced up, seeing Sokka's skin glowing under the starlight. Woah, had he always been this pretty? It was probably just the moon...that and your sleep deprivation. Yeah, that was it.

"What're you doing up?" He questioned, eyes cast out to the horizon. His hair was loose from its usual ponytail - wolf-tail, as he'd passionately pointed out to you days earlier - the dark locks flowing freely about his face. You tore your eyes away, following his stare.

"Just couldn't sleep," you glanced over. "You?"

He sighed, leaning against the metal. "Me neither. Just worried."

You turned to face him, face softening into concern. "About what?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "About Aang. About the Earth Kingdom...just...everything."

You moved closer, resting your forearms against the edge of the ship. He pressed his shoulder against yours.

"I get it. I am, too. Everything that's happening is just...crazy. There's no way I could've even imagined it."

Sokka tilted his head towards you, blue eyes glimmering with compassion and softness. "Yeah...how are you doing? I haven't really asked, I mean, this must be kinda shocking for you."

You snorted, nodding your head. "Well, yeah. But it's ok. I'm not the one who has it worst right now."

"Sure, but you can still talk about it. You can talk to me...if you want."

You smiled up at him, his face shadowed by the abyss of the night. "Thanks."

He offered you a grin before staring up at the sky. "You know, that's my first girlfriend," he said, pointing at the moon.

"The moon?" He nodded. "That's...rough."

///

It was finally here. The day of Black Sun.

You'd be lying if you said you felt totally prepared, but with some rigorous earth bending lessons from Toph and sparring with Sokka, you felt more confident in your abilities.

A finger poked your cheek. "Hey, are you listening?"

You glanced at Sokka's teasing grin, scratching the back of your neck sheepishly. "Uh...yes?"

"Really," he said, moving to stand in front of you. "What did I say?"

"Something about...food?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "It's ok, I'll tell you later." He looked behind him, taking in the sight of the preparing fighters and looming submarines. He took your hand in his. "Are you ready for this?"

You sigh, squeezing his fingers between your own. "Ready as I'll ever be."

He smiles down at you, and the look in his eyes is pure adoration. He reaches to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear. "You know, I'm glad I broke into your house."

You snort, swatting his hand away. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks a lot, nerd."

He chuckles. "Hey, I know you're glad, too. Otherwise, you never would've met me and would've been miserable and bored your whole life."

You laugh, but it's probably true. You and Sokka had grown much closer over the past weeks, days spent in playful conversation and evening strolls, in play-wrestling and heads rested on shoulders. You were the one he came to when his mind was troubled, when his energy was too spent to conjure any jokes. Yeah, you were glad, too.

You were called into the submarines - Sokka's invention, something you were unfathomably proud of - and off you went. Into the Fire Nation. Your arrival went mostly smoothly, disregarding the few punctures in the submarine walls, and you ran out of the carrier with the earth at your fingertips. Aang had flown off to fight the Fire Lord, and it was up to the rest of you to deal with everyone else. Your heart pumped loudly, blood rushing in your ears and adrenaline flowing in your veins. You raised your arms, summoning the ground upwards to knock out a few soldiers.

"Y/n!"

You turned around just in time to see Katara swoop down on Appa, Sokka and Hakoda climbing up with her. "Come on!" she yelled. "We're going to take out the soldier's battlements."

You nodded, running towards the bison and pulling yourself atop the saddle with help from Sokka. Appa lifts off, reaching between the battlements.

"Katara and I will take the one on the right," Hakoda said, his voice one of a true commander. "Sokka and Y/n, the left. Let's go."

You climb the battlement, hoisting yourself inside through the window before scanning the room. Pointed outwards is a sort of cannon, aimed perfectly towards the group of fire benders that were advancing towards your friends. You step forward, trying to figure out the mechanics while Sokka climbs in. "Oh-ho," he says, taking note of the projection of the cannon. "This thing is just begging to be fired."

You nodded, toying with the controls. Sokka stepped behind you. "Here, I'll show you."

He placed his palm over your hand, guiding it to where it needed to be. From his pocket he pulled a match - where did that come from, anyway? - and nudged it between your fingers. "Light it up, Sunshine."

You place the tip to the ignition, Sokka aiming the cannon. He pulls you back against him, arms wound tightly around your waist, and you cover your ears. The canon booms, sending out a flurry of smoke. You rush forward, fearful of the damage you might have just inflicted, breathing out when you see that it only landed between the soldiers and your friends. It didn't hit them, something you were a bit grateful for, but it allowed the fighters to evade the onslaught. Sokka chuckled in your ear.

"Not bad, not bad."

"You did all the work."

"That's not true! You were vital."

You shake your head, fighting off a grin. "Ok, we should probably get rid of this thing now."

"Agreed."

You climb back out the window, jumping onto the ground with a thud. Breathing deeply, you concentrated your mind on the earth that lay below the battlement, and with a flick of your wrist, it crumbled. From the cliffside it fell, effectively ridding you of one other thing to worry about.

Sokka let out a low whistle. "Impressive."

You turned to him, out of breath. He stepped closer, brows knitted in slight concern as he lifted your chin with his knuckles. "Hey, you ok?"

You nodded, swallowing and trying to rewatch your breath. "Yeah, still a little new to this."

His thumb stroked your cheek before he moved his arm, placing it over your shoulders. "Come on, just stay with me."

You did, gladly.

///

So...things didn't exactly go as planned.

It turned out that the Fire Lord knew all along about the invasion, and Aang never had the chance to fight him. You'd come face-to-face with Azula again, something that made your blood boil. You'd had to leave - leaving the adults behind while the kids climbed aboard Appa's saddle. You were all exhausted, slumped over and falling to your knees when you finally reached the Western Air Temple.

You tried to mull your sadness; that guilty feeling that it was you who should've been left behind instead. You knew everyone was hurting - some in ways you couldn't really fathom. Aang felt like he had failed - again - and he went to bed that night with a half-hearted side hug and tired eyes. Toph felt weak, something she hated more than anything in the world. And Sokka and Katara...they'd lost their dad again.

So when you saw Sokka on the mountainside, head held in hands, you felt that he was more important. You plopped down next to him, his eyes snapping up and softening when they laid on you. No words were spoken; they didn't need to be. Instead, he sighed, pressing his cheek against your shoulder. You ran your fingers through his hair, soothing him with your touch. You only halted when he laced your fingers with his own, pulling your hand to his lap and tracing patterns across your skin.

"It's not your fault, Sokka."

He nodded against you, but you heard his sniff. You straightened up, his head begrudgingly lifting from its place against you before you cupped his face with your palm. "It's not," you implored, desperate for him to stop feeling so down on himself. "None of us could've predicted that they knew. And with Azula...she knew what she was doing. None of this is because of you."

He glanced away, blue eyes brimming with the tears he'd fought so hard to keep at bay. He dipped his head in silent acceptance, nuzzling against the warmth of your palm. You smiled sadly.

"It's not over, Sokka. There's still hope, now more than ever. And I know we'll figure it out."

He raised his gaze, and it seemed like his soul was carried in his stare. Slowly, enough so that you thought you imagined it, his eyes drifted down to your lips. He leaned in slowly, bringing his calloused hand to brush back your hair. You were frozen, as if one wrong move would shatter you from this dream. His palm was warm against your cheek, and his nose bumped your own. Your eyes met his, close enough together that it was a bit funny to look at, and he offered you a silent question. You answered with your lips against his.

He breathed against you, fingers carding through your hair. His lips were warm and oh, so soft, and they moved against yours with ease. You wound your arms around his neck, bringing him closer. He was warm, and he was familiar, and he was safe. You pulled apart when your lungs ached for air, peeling your eyes open with effort. He was looking at you, and you were looking at him, and suddenly a grin broke out across his face. He laughed breathily, nudging his head into the crook of your neck. You laughed with him, holding him tight. You sat there together for who knows how long, melted in each other's embrace under the light of the moon. He pressed soft kisses against your neck and whispered thanks into your ears. You responded with a peck to his tanned cheeks. You were right, he knew. It wasn't over. There was time left, and there was hope. Wrapped in your arms, he was sure of that.

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stuff-from-the-void-matron · 3 years

Text

Laurel Wreaths & Animal Teeth (3)

(c!technoblade x fem!reader)

(some people liked chapter 2 so here’s chapter 3. whether or not there’s a chapter 4 is dependent on if this one gets any comments/reblogs.)

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

You’re not exactly sure when your plans for a house shifted from ‘maybe a two story house’ into ‘some kinda roman temple/shrine type building’ instead.

Probably after the third time you had to tear down what you were building because it just didn’t look right. You’d initially not been able to go anywhere with the white quartz (you’d made a base but it looked stupid so you’d tossed it) so you’d switched it with a birch wood. That was where the problems started. First you’d tried your hand at making a cute little cottagecore house, but it just didn’t look cute to you and instead came out kinda frumpy? So you scrapped it, even though it pained you.

“Hours wasted.”

Then you tried making another house, this one taller and with dark wood. But it ended up looking like some kind of Viking home, no matter how much you tweaked it, which totally clashed with the vibrant floral scenery around you. It would work better in a snowy biome. So you’d scrapped that one too, none too happy either.

“Why do I suck?”

Then you’d tried your hand at making a cute mushroom house! But…. it was awful. No matter what you did it just didn’t look right?? You tried making the stem ‘natural’ like it would look in minecraft but then it looked too artificial to you. Then you tried making it look more normal but then it just ended up looking wonky. Long story short.. you hated it. You scrapped it, maybe a little more angry than the previous two times. That was when you’d gone back to the white quartz blocks.

And you started with a huge square, then that sorta morphed into a circle. Or as ‘circular’ as this world’s building blocks could get. Then it just sorta.. went from there? Before you knew it you had a circular white temple/shrine with a domed and tiered ceiling and four tall stained glass windows with star and sky designs. You’d gotten into the construction as it had begun to be more fun. You’d even hung lanterns by chains from the ceiling in symmetrical points and it gave the whole place a nice vibe you think. Especially when it started raining outside.

Once it was all done to your satisfaction you just sat in the middle of the quartz floor and gazed up at the gently swaying lanterns. You’re glad you’d ended up with this place, it looks pretty and has a calm vibe you can resonate with.

It would be dawn soon so you decided since you were done you’d go to bed since you had nothing else to do at the moment. Or well that had been the plan until you placed down your bed and couldn’t help but notice how utterly ridiculous a single bed in the corner of this huge temple looked. It actually made you snort before deciding then and there you needed a bed that somewhat matched the temple aesthetic you guessed you were going for now.

-0-

You ended up making this huge canopy bed with curtains and a platform you had to walk up a step to get to the three beds you’d put on it to look right. Under normal circumstances you’d not like such an overly lavish bed but it certainly fit the almost regal aesthetic your new temple home had. Which was just fine you supposed, it’s not like you were opposed to it. Just not what you’d planned to do from the get go.

Only problem now was.. the place still looked weirdly empty of life. Like one of those barren ‘minimalism’ nightmare homes rich people get off to. So you went through the inventory and started looking for stuff to decorate with. On the wall to the left of the entrance you set up an area for a brewing stand and cauldron as well as an ender chest, mostly just because it looked cool with the purple particles. You also hung up some item frames on the wall by the quartz counters you set up and picked out a bunch of pretty colored potions to hang in them.

Then on the opposite wall you made a little library with an alcove in the middle for an enchantment table. With a lantern on top of the bookshelf next to the crafting table and clay pots of flowers on the uppermost bookshelves to give the area a nicer look. You even added some fluffy carpet in front of the area to enhance the comfiness. And when you went over to the front door and then turned to look at the whole space you smiled because it really did look good. Larger than you’d intended, sure, but also very comfy now too.

You think you’re done with the inside until you look up at the bare walls between the stained glass windows. They were a little… naked. So you tried hanging up some paintings but… they looked terrible. The ‘round’ angle of the windows kept the options for what paintings you could put up pretty narrow. So you forgot that idea and instead tried putting up item frames! But you put some up and disliked it almost immediately. It felt way too busy so you got rid of those too.

You were getting tired of decorating so you just grabbed a random banner (purple because why not?) and then you grabbed a handful of different colored dyes before pulling out a loom. You tried a bunch of different designs, threw out most of them because they either ended up with ugly clashing colors or looking way too busy. But you finally settled on one that was a purple banner with an orange gradient coming up from the bottom and finally a gold sun right in the middle. It looked very pretty, like a sunset!

Once you were happy you hung a couple inside then on a whim you even hung a couple outside your door on either side. It made the outside look prettier in your opinion so once you were done (for real this time) you went and just flopped into bed, not feeling more than a touch tired but with nothing else to do at the moment. So you snuggled into your big cozy bed and drifted off to sleep~

-0-

Days passed since you built your home and you kept up work around the village, planting bamboo and berry bushes in a wall around it in a circle as a form of defense against the Illagers. They were kinda jerks and seemed to only want to kill villagers. Which wasn’t cool. And yeah you could have dug a moat or pit around it instead you guessed but you didn’t want any of the villagers falling in and you felt like they would…

So a wall of bamboo and prickly berry bushes it was. And it works! And looks dope. So win/win.

And it was as you were on your way to put some lights at the bottoms of the ponds and rivers that you noticed it from the corner of your eye. One of your sunset banners! But it was hanging up outside of the weaponsmith’s place instead of on your temple home where you knew you left it. But then you noticed another one hanging up outside the stonemason’s workshop…

You look over at your home up on the hill and see your banners still in place. And you know none of them trudged all the way up there just to steal one from the inside so you decide to investigate more in the village. And the further you walk in the more banners with your pattern on them you see. Actually every building you pass has at least one hung up somewhere near the door. You blinked before chuckling a little and thinking to yourself,

‘Oh! They all must have seen the banner I made and liked it! So they made their own to hang up. That’s actually pretty cute. I’m glad they like it.’

You were blissfully ignorant to the fact that the villagers have started to see you as their saint of sorts. Their goddess of prosperity and kindness. Without whom they would still be lost and living in pathetic huts and with no drive to acquire a skill and better themselves. They honestly look back on those times as such a dark period of their lives. When they were ignorant of their own abilities without your blessing to guide them. They owed you their lives and they wanted to show their thanks to you.

So when they saw you put up your sunset banners on your temple they quickly went to the shepherd and asked him to make them some just like it! And the shepherd, with his skill being a master thanks to your wonderful trading help, was easily able to craft such banners. Every villager had at least one by the time the sun was going down, all of them proudly being hung on the outsides of their homes and work buildings to show their allegiance to you!

But it wouldn’t stop there. The villagers wanted to give back even a fraction of what you have given to them.

-0-

In the following weeks you definitely noticed the villagers acting… odd. It started small at first, with them each coming to you and giving you gifts. The shepherd gave you a pair of blankets that were beautifully crocheted with this fluffy wool yarn, one that’d been dyed a soft baby pink while the other was a soothing sea foam color. You thanked him with a smile three times over and he seemed endlessly happy you liked them. You took them home and laid them across your bed and liked the pop of color they provided your space.

Though after that the farmer and leatherworker both met you at the entrance to your temple and each gifted you some things they thought you’d like. The farmer happily handed over a full basket of freshly baked bread along with another basket containing a bushel of golden carrots and almost a full melon’s worth of glistering melon slices. While the leatherworker offered up a pair of dainty leather sandals that looked like they would lace up your legs to just below your knees. And also what looked like a prettily crafted leather utility belt! It had lotus details and golden studs and buckles on the front and back. And one large pocket, one medium zipper pocket, and two smaller pockets. You loved all of their gifts and thanked them both over and over while safely putting the food away (and maybe eating some bread right then) and putting the slippers and belt on.

You were beyond grateful and thought that was the end of that.

You… were wrong.

-0-

As the days turned into weeks you were lavished with more and more offerings. It took you a while to realize that’s what they were; offerings. You got a little uncomfortable with all the gifts after a bit but when you started to refuse them the villagers looked so sad so you began to accept them again. Especially after they tried to make ‘better’ stuff for you after your initial refusal, under the impression the last ones weren’t good enough for you or something. It started to get hard to take in all the gifts, because sometimes you weren’t available in the village (you still liked to explore) or because you were working on something and they couldn’t reach you. So as a solution you set up a double chest outside your temple for them to put the gifts in.

They eagerly adapted to that and each night you’d clean out the chest, putting away practical gifts and discreetly getting rid of ones you had WAY too many of. Like the food. You had a full double chest of food and you didn’t need anymore, but saying so would probably hurt their feelings. So this was the easiest way. Plus a lot of the gifts you actually DID like. Like the sandals, hip pocket belt, and the pretty white dress you were currently wearing. The under part of it was just a simple white sleeveless mini dress that went above your knees (you’re not sure it was that shirt when you first tried it on..) and the over part of the dress was a sheer white maxi dress with loose ruffled sleeved that hung off your shoulders, and a slit on each side that helped with ease of movement.

You’d taken to wearing the dress, the hip pocket belt, and sandals every day. They were all comfortable and looked pretty good on you now that you think about it. Not to mention the fabric was light and breathable too, which helped keep you from getting too hot. You’re not sure what kind of fabric it’s made of, but whatever it is it’s light enough to not make you sweat but it’s also heavy enough to keep you from getting cold when it’s windy. Regardless, it’s your go-to outfit these days.

But aside from the offerings and stuff, you had to sit down and really examine your current position. You really took the time to pay attention to how the villagers were treating you. And you eventually came to the conclusion that they were treating you like some kind of saint or deity. They gave you the best of their wares as offerings, they took on your banner as their own (presumably as a show of loyalty), and they almost seemed to worship the ground you walked on. This isn’t even mentioning the statues that they’d put up of you… Like, they were good! Very well done and made of polished white quartz but.. it was still strange. Though like everything else you can’t say you weren’t getting used to it all.

You sighed and rolled with it.

-0-

You realized one day you’d never been to the Nether. And you wondered if the rules here (like mobs not bothering you) was also true there? You couldn’t deny you were sorta excited to go see, but also scared. You HATED the freaking Hoglins when you played Minecraft before this place. They were always so aggressive and you can’t count how many times they’d killed you, the bastards. But your curiosity won out over your anxiety so you grabbed the enchanted diamond pickaxe you’d been given and then paused while grabbing a stack of gold bars.

“Wait I need to wear gold right? Or the Piglins will be all mad,” you said as you grabbed a gold helmet from your inventory.

You thoughtlessly went to put it on but jerked the helmet back when it clanged against something hard. Something hard that made you wince as a small shock of pain went through your skull. A curse left your lips as you asked out loud what the fuck THAT was about. You were in the middle of trying to come up with an explanation when you reached up with your free hand and flinched when it came into contact with something on your head. Something that 200% was NOT your hair or skull. Panic bubbled inside you and your stomach sank into your feet as you whipped the gold helmet up to look into its polished surface to see yourself.

Horns? Little blunt horns… On your head.

With a shaky hand you reached up, sort of hoping this was just a dream. But when your fingertips brushed against the soft velvety texture of the horns your breathing grew faster and you pulled your hand away like you’d been burned. You dropped the helmet, not even hearing it clatter against the floor as you stumbled back, nearly tripping over the step that led up to the platform your bed was on, but you somehow managed to get to the bed and sit down.

Before you knew it you’d burst into tears and buried your face into your hands, sobbing and unable to cope with this new fuckery.

You’ve had to deal with so much weird insane shit since ending up here, wherever the fuck HERE was. You were honestly so tired. You’ve done your best to stay calm, stay sane, and just keep going. And for the most part you have! You focused on surviving, building, and dealing with the villagers. You’d probably feel silly for breaking down over some dumb horns later, especially after you’d barely batted an eye over your weird ears, teeth, and EYES. But the breakdown was probably more to do with life deciding to give you another slice of bullshit despite your overflowing plate. At least that’s what the logical part of your mind was thinking.

But the illogical part, the emotional part, was just so done. So you cried and cried and cried your very soul out until no sound was leaving you anymore. And then, once you were cried out and exhausted you weakly crawled onto the pillows and just passed out.

You’d deal with this new shit later.

-0-

Far on the outskirts of the opposite side of the village from your temple a young boy with golden hair stumbled across the entrance to said village.

He’d never seen this village before and was curious. He’d have gladly stormed in and started going through villager chests for loot but it was getting close to dusk and his older brother said he needed to get back asap. Now usually he’d shrug off his brother’s bossy nature but he’d sounded worried so he decided to hurry and get back before it got too late.

But before he turned and left he marked down this village’s coordinates so he could get back to it later..

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

tag list:

@salinesoot @lady-bee-fechin @kacchasu @putridjoy @lunawritesstories @galaxypankitty3030 @paradigmax @zachariethememerie @killmewithafanfic @trinity-1002107

#technoblade x reader #technoblade #dsmp #dream smp #mcyt x reader #tommyinnit #tommyinit mcyt #c!techno #c!tommy

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gifted-burnout-archive · 4 years

Text

It’s Just a Costume

Requested?: Yes! I got two requests I merged into one, where Y/N is dressed really nice and all the guys in the office are ogling her, and Jim gets un poco jealous, and another request around the Halloween episode where Dwight turns up as the Joker and when Y/N comes in as Harley he thinks it’s a sign they are meant to be together.

Word Count: 4.2K+

Author’s Note: I have been given a burst of energy recently and want to make sure all the requests I have gotten are written (even if these ones are from a month ago (I’m so sorry)). I like the idea of jealous Jim, not gonna lie, because it seems like this would be his only actual flaw. I hope you enjoy; this is my second thing with smut so bear with me.

Warning: SMUT. oral (female receiving), intercourse, sex while on the phone. I went a bit off the rails, this is new territory for me.

No-one in the office knew you were a cosplayer.

They did not need to know what you did in your spare time, or that you had a whole room in your apartment dedicated to rolls of fabric and your beloved sewing machine. You were actual quite well known within the community, had your own blog about the behind the scenes of costume making and tips for convention goers. But it was your little secret, and most certainly not something you wanted broadcast at your day job.

Not even Jim knew.

The pair of you had been dating on the down low for a good few months now, actually coming on a year, and while he knew all about your love of comic books and your going to conventions, he wasn’t yet aware of the whole ‘dress up like comic book villains and paint your body completely green that one time’ sort of commitment. It’s not that you thought he would mind, if anything he might find it quite cool, but you weren’t ready to share your guilty pleasure with him just yet, and that was ok. Jim got it.

You had joined Dunder Mifflin about three years ago now and were currently filling in the receptionist role while Pam was off in New York at corporate. However, due to doctor’s appointments and compulsory trips to HQ, you had never had the chance to dress up for Halloween at the office. The whole team joined in to some degree, and with the new Batman movie having just been released, you had the perfect costume idea for the occasion.

You had cosplayed as Harley Quinn a fair number of times in your life, and for this year’s Comic Con you had actually made a Dr Harleen Quinzel costume to match the grunge, dark, jaded Joker Heath Ledger had played in the summer blockbuster. It was all handmade, simply because nowhere in Scranton sold the lab coat or dress you had envisioned in your early sketches, and you even took the time to make up a fake nametag, print out a Joker casefile, doodle love hearts with the letters ‘J+H’ in the margins.

You were a woman of detail, you liked to make sure everything was up to your standard, and even got yourself some black ankle boot high heels that match the aesthetic perfectly. The costume as a whole looked great, you wouldn’t even lie, so when you realised your were finally going to be in Scranton to participate in Halloween, you woke up early that morning to sort your makeup and slip into the red and black dress you had designed yourself. You grabbed the lab coat and props, including a pair of glasses you didn’t need to reflect the comic books, and headed out the door to your car.

Whatever forces held reign over your life must have bee reluctant for you to show up at work. Not only did you have to stop for gas when you were sure you had a full tank a few days ago, but a breakdown on your usual route to work had made you thirty minutes late, and the last person to entire the office.

“Morning Hank!” You greeted the security man with a wave, and he replied with a grunt, invested in his newspaper. You called the lift, your phone pinging as you stepped in the lift.

Jim: Not like you to be so late, Y/N. Tut tut. Xx

You rolled your eyes at the message despite the smile on your face, pressing the button for Dunder Mifflin’s floor before texting back.

You: Just heading up now, traffic was insane this morning. Can’t wait to see your costume Xx

You caught your reflection in the steel doors and quickly tidied your hair, which had been blown around a little by the wind. A part of you was nervous, was the outfit too obscure for the office to get? You banished the thoughts: you looked great and that’s what counted.

The elevator doors slid open, the entrance to the office decorated with spider webs and plastic pumpkins. You had made sure to stock up your desk with plenty of candy the night before, and with a smile on your face, you entered the office and sat yourself at the reception desk.

“Sorry I’m late guys…” You apologised offhandedly, pushing the glasses up your nose and logging into your computer, humming along to ‘Thriller’ that was playing in the background on low volume. You had made sure there was a Halloween CD in the player last night too.

It took you a moment, after you had logged on to the computer, to look up at Jim to wave hello, when you realised the whole office seemed to be looking at you. You made sure you weren’t imagining things, blinking a few times to focus your vision, but it was definitely the case.

Everyone was staring.

“Do… Do I have something in my hair?” You asked, oblivious to what everyone else was seeing.

What Jim was seeing.

Your costume for the occasion wasn’t just nice or pretty, it was stunning. The fabric hugged your curves just right, it showed a little more than a fair amount of cleavage, and your heels just emphasised the lace stockings you had decided. Jim was never a man to objectify, but even he couldn’t help but gawk at how sexy you looked that morning.

Thankfully, Phyllis decided to break the silence, walking over to your desk and pretending to pull a piece of fluff from your hair. The rest of the room, the males especially, hurried themselves back to work at that.

“Oh, thank you Phyllis. My morning was chaotic, I knew something would go wrong.” You laughed sweetly, still completely clueless as to what everyone was looking at. “I love your Raggedy Ann look!” You complimented, offering her a candy. She took it with a sweet smile.

“Thank you Y/N… You really went all out this year, you look great.” She offered back, and you felt a blush of pride coming to your cheeks.

“It’s my first time getting to participate in costumes at the office, I thought I’d give it my best shot.” You explained, and with a kind nod, Phyllis headed back to her desk, leaving you to start responding to phone calls.

The day continued in an… Odd fashion. Every twenty minutes or so, one of the guys was up at your desk, asking for something. First it was Ryan dressed up as Gordon Gecko, who you complimented on the suspenders, then Creed, the first Joker impersonator, then Toby, who had gone for the classic skeleton, and Kevin, the second Joker, then Andy, who guffawed when you guessed Mister Mistoffelees, and finally Dwight, Joker number three. Dwight seemed to be visiting the most, whether it was to fax something or ask for a call to be forwarded, he was suddenly a whole bunch nicer to you today. It was around lunchtime, when Dwight made his way up to the desk for the sixth time, that you finally asked for an explanation.

“Hey Dwight? Is everything alright today?” You asked, leaning forward in your chair to smile at him, not noticing your co-worker’s eyes flick down to your chest.

“Uh…” He seemed to stutter on the thought, before straightening himself up. “I just didn’t think a girl like you would be interested in comic books, that’s all. Your outfit just caught me off guard, I wanted to check you were really dressed up as Harleen.” You nodded and smiled.

“You know, you’re the first person to guess my character right all day! I started to wonder if it was too out of the box, if I looked like I came in dressed as a pharmacist or something.” You giggled, and Dwight let out a nervous laugh along with you.

“You have done the character justice… You look good.” He stated with a firm nod, and you handed him a candy in thanks.

“So do you, Dwight.” You complimented back, glancing up at the clock. “I’m going to sort out my lunch.” You excused yourself, standing up and heading over to the kitchen with your coffee mug, lab coat left behind, and glasses perched atop your head.

Your exiting the room allowed for multiple of the younger, testosterone-filled men of the office to get a good look at your ass in the red and black number you had created, and for Dwight to rush back to his desk and get Jim’s attention away from you, his girlfriend’s, ass.

“What, Dwight?” He snapped, not in a good mood at all. He had spent the entire morning watch his co-workers flirt with you, and he didn’t like it. He couldn’t even blame it on you, you seemed completely oblivious to what the outfit was doing to them, to him…

“I was right.” Dwight said with far too much excitement, looking back at the kitchen as you poured yourself some coffee.

“Right about what?” Jim entertained the creep he had worked beside for years, the given adjective not simply because of the Halloween look he had decided on. Jim had never found the fun in dressing up for Halloween, and today wore a nametag with ‘Dave’ written on it. He sipped on his coffee, watching Dwight build up the courage to speak with a raised brow.

“Y/N is in love with me.”

The statement had Jim spitting coffee back into his cup to avoid choking, but Dwight seemed unfazed by the reactionWhile you were unaware of any sort of connection, Dwight had been pining over you since the moment you landed in the office. And Jim had known, of course, thanks to a night at the bar that left Dwight calling out your name as he was piled into a taxi. But what had given him the impression you liked him?

“How are you so sure?” Jim asked, and Dwight scoffed, folding his arms in defence.

“Well, if you must know, I’ve been studying her body language towards the men in the office for quite some time.” Jim’s eyes widened, and Dwight looked him over. “She’s a young, fertile woman, and this is breeding grounds. Out of everyone in the office she could be attracted to, she distinctly shows affection to me. Today she has spoken to me five separate times of her own volition, she has given me two pieces of candy and she matched my costume. The signs are very clear, Jim.”

“She matched you?” Jim asked.

“Her outfit, Doctor Harleen Quinzel? She is dressed as the Joker’s romantic interest.” Dwight explained it to Jim like he was dumb, and quickly quietened down as you returned back into the room, walking past their desks. Jim smiled as you approached, causing you to blush a little.

“Hey Jim, I got you a fresh cup, you’ve been nursing that one for a while.” You passed over the coffee to your boyfriend with a bite of the lip as he took a sip of the fresh brew.

“It’s perfect Y/N. Thanks.” He gave it the nod of approval and you made your way back to your desk, waving at Dwight as you walked by.

“Hey costume partner.” You joked, and Jim raised an eyebrow at you. You mouthed a quick ‘what?’ at him before sitting back down and picking up the ringing phone.

“See?” Dwight whispered, dialling his next number with a manic grin on his face. “She clearly is trying to mate with me.”

By 3 o’clock, Jim couldn’t ignore his jealousy any longer. Ryan and Toby had asked if you were free later, but Dwight… Dwight was going above and beyond. He had spent the day slacking on his work and trying to entice you with cups of coffee, possible prank ideas and chain emails that got you to giggle twice. Frankly, Jim wasn’t quite sure what to do. He had been the one to suggest keeping your relationship quiet, more because he knew the badgering Pam and Roy had gotten when they dated and didn’t want that for you both, and because he didn’t want to come on too strong.

But now, almost a year on? He had just been working up the courage to say the big three words, and you come in dressed like that, then actively flirted with the guys at the office, with Dwight? He wasn’t angry at you, but he was angry at someone, or something.

As 4 pm rolled on, and with no sign of Michael returning from his move in trip with Holly any time soon, the office had begun to pack up for the afternoon, and Jim decided to make a move. He was, technically, in charge of the office for the day. So, as the troops started to file out, Jim held you back.

“Y/N, can I have a word please?” Jim’s face was neutral, his tone leaning to the scolding side more than anything, and you looked at him confused.

“What’s up Jim? The rest of the team are heading for the bar, you not coming?” You asked, waving to Phyllis and Oscar as they headed out.

“Michael’s office. Now.” Jim ordered, though his voice was soft. You nodded, stepping through into the office. Jim turned to see the last people packing up, Dwight seeming quite content on staying until you left. “Dwight, would you head out with everyone else? Y/N and I will catch up. We need to run over some files Michael messed up last week.” Jim was convincing in his act but didn’t very much care. With a sigh and a glare, Dwight headed out the door with Kelly on his heels, leaving you and Jim alone in the office. He locked Michael’s office door for a safety measure and pulled shut the blinds.

“That isn’t good…” You laughed from your seat on the desk, legs swinging as you watched Jim begin to pace. “Halpert? What’s wrong?” You had noticed he had been off balance today; you had assumed it was a few bad sales calls that caused it.

Jim wasn’t quite sure what to say now he had you alone, so instead he decided to act. In two steps, he crossed the room to Michael’s desk and pressed his lips to yours feverishly, his hands coming to your cheeks as he kissed you with raw passion you hadn’t ever seen in him before. You did nothing to stop him though, instead shrugging off the lab coat and letting it fall onto the oak you sat on, spreading your legs for Jim to move closer and tangling you fingers in his hair.

“You’ve been driving me crazy all day…” Jim muttered, pulling away for a moment to catch his breath. His hands moved from your face to travel your body, landing on your ass and pulling you to the edge of the table. “Teasing me in that dress…”

“I have?” You moaned out, surprised by the admission from your boyfriend, and the PDA. You knew you looked nice today, but a tease?

“Why do you think all the guys in the office have been extra attentive today?” Jim chuckled, and it clicked in your head.

“Oh… Oh my god!” You gasped, followed by a giggle. “That makes a lot more sense…” you paused for a moment, pulling Jim close by his tie. You weren’t one for anything hardcore in the bedroom, but with Jim, you knew how to push his buttons. “Is that why you dragged me in here? You were jealous?” You asked with a smirk, loosening his tie until it was on the carpet, and starting to unbutton his shirt.

“So, what if it was?” Jim countered, his thumbs running along the hem of your skirt before pushing it up your thighs, revealing the lacy tops of your stockings and your match black underwear set. He audibly groaned at the sight, his trousers becoming increasingly tight. “The things you do to me Y/N I-” You cut him off by reconnecting your lips, finishing unbuttoning Jim’s shirt and moving on to his belt as he shrugged the fabric from his shoulders.

“You know, you have to remember that this… This is just a costume.” You whispered in Jim’s ear, moving his hand to your underwear, which he swiftly pulled off. “You get everything underneath…” the words dripped from your tongue, sultry and tempting and more than enough to convince Jim to press two fingers against your folds.

To say you were wet was an understatement, and the smirk on Jim’s face did nothing to aid the situation. You were wet for him, from the way he kissed you, the way he touched you, and no-one else. With a pull on the front of your dress, the elasticity of the fabric working in Jim’s favour to expose a lacy black bra, he simultaneously slipped two fingers inside you, earning a moan as your head dropped back.

Jim made sure to tease you first, his thumb flicking over your clit to provide jolts of pleasure but no real stimulation, the fingers pumping slowly inside you, getting you used to the intrusion, forcing you to relax a little.

“You know sweetheart…” Jim’s voice had dropped an octave into a growl that made you shiver. “You could always wear stuff like this more often…” The words caught you off guard, and Jim played to his advantage, speeding up the pace of his fingers and adding a third, earning a gasp from you, one of your hands flying up to cover your mouth as another moan rolled past your lips.

“Jim…” You whispered, your eyes fluttering shut as his fingers curled, tension already building in your abdomen.

“Nobody’s around, move your hand away.” Jim ordered, and you did as instructed. He smirked in approval, picking up the pace with his fingers and dropping down to his knees, eye-level with your dripping cunt. “All this just for me?” He teased, and you whined as his tongue darted out to lick your bud.

“This isn’t fair!” You whimpered, legs trembling, but Jim just smiled.

“You teased me all day in that dress Y/N, I would say this? This is perfectly fair.” Jim finished his statement by switching his fingers inside you for his tongue, and you couldn’t help but thread a hand in his hair and pull him closer.

“Fuck… Jim I’m close.” You warned, Jim slowing down the pace for a just a moment to throw you off, to make you think he wouldn’t let you cum. Your stomach had begun knotting, your whole body tensing up as Jim’s tongue lapped your juices and his thumb pressed down on your clit. Jim moved his face away, planning to finish you off with his fingers again, when a sudden noise jolted you both from the sex-induced haze, and ruined whatever orgasm you had been building up to.

The phone was ringing, and Jim knew the number.

“Answer it.” Jim stood up as he spoke, pressing his lips to your neck. You moved back a little, and Jim looked up at you with a wicked glint in his eye, and you couldn’t lie, it excited you.

So, on the fourth ring, you picked up the phone.

“Hell-oh?” Your eyes widened, and Jim captured your lips in his as he pressed his cock against your heat, having undone his pants while you were preoccupied.

“Hello Y/N? This is Dwight. I was wondering what time you would be leaving the office.” Dwight’s voice on the other end was loud enough for you both to hear, and Jim rocked his hips forward as your lips parted, entering you. You did your best not to moan, Jim’s size was still something that shocked you a little despite almost a year of dating and sex.

“O-oh, hi Dwight.” You responded with shaky breath, biting down on your lip as Jim pulled out again. He was watching your with a playful grin on his face, daring you to moan down the phone, to reveal the compromising situation the pair of you were into his rival. To add insult to injury, he decided to bottom out in you as you began speaking again. “We-WE!” You gasped, slapping his arm with your free hand, only to receive his lips on your neck in return, this time intent on leaving a mark.

“So tight for me…” Jim growled in your ear, and you let out a whimpering, alarming Dwight on the other end.

“Are you alright?”

“Just fine, Dwight. G-got a p…papercut.” You had to stop and breathe, covering the speaker on the phone to let out a whimper, much to Jim’s amusement. “These files are worse than we thought. We might be here a while, head on without us.” You said as quickly as you could, Jim beginning to pick up the pace of his thrusts, your walls clenching around him and earning a groan.

“Well, I could assist if you would like?”

“It’s alright, we’ve… We’ve got it handled. See you tomorrow, Dwight…” You held onto Jim, his movements bringing back round the release you had almost managed to get.

“Right, well, goodni-” You hung up the phone before Dwight had time to finish, letting out a pent up moan as you lay back on the desk, finally relaxing into the rhythm of Jim’s cock pounding into you.

“You asshole.” You hissed through the pleasure, fully giving in to the experience, while still noticing the proud look on Jim’s face.

He knew he had it good. Becaause he could say, without question, the girl everyone wanted was his. He could see it. As you, his Y/N lay on the desk beneath him, hair haloed around your head and breasts now inching free from your bra, dress ridden up to your abdomen and the straps halfway down your arms, moaning and begging for more, Jim knew he had officially won whatever game the world had been playing him in.

“Don’t lie, you love it.” Jim groaned as your walls spasmed around his girth again. His own release was fast approaching, and by the way your lips had parted in pleasure, the trembles that had once again started in your legs, he knew you were close too.

“Jim…” You moaned out, confirming it for him. You reached up, pulling him to lean over you by the neck, shifting his position inside you to press right against your sweet spot, his strokes becoming sloppy but more forceful.

“Fuck Y/N…” He muttered, the light from the window catching on the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. “Cum for me…” He moaned out, and with a final stroke you were pushed over the edge, the tension in your stomach finally releasing and sending moans and curses tumbling from your lips.

You were so gone in the moment that you didn’t notice Jim still, finishing himself, and only after a few moments, and a kiss from Jim on your forehead, did you return to reality.

“We… We really had sex in the office…” You laughed in disbelief, looking around the room. Your clothes were scattered, the desk a complete mess thanks to the hasty sex session. Jim was just watching you as you sat up, a smile on his face, and he pulled out, tucking himself back into his trousers.

“I’m going to get some wet paper towels from the bathroom.” He suggested, shrugging back on his shirt and starting on the buttons as he left you to catch your breath.

By the time you had both cleaned up and fixed your clothes back into something semi-presentable, it was dark outside. Neither of you cared much, walking out the office cuddled into one another, Jim’s arm over your shoulders and yours around his waist.

“You know, I think we should tell the office we’re dating.” Jim announced as he led you over to your cars, and you pulled out your own set of keys as he put his stuff in the trunk. It took you a second to process the proposal, but you looked up and grinned.

“Really?” You asked, and Jim couldn’t help but kiss you.

“Well, yeah, bit tired of not getting to show off the girl I love.” Jim said with a wink, and you kissed him again.

“I love you too.” You promised, the first time you had shared the words between you, but it was clear you both meant it.

“There was silence for a moment, you opening your own car and setting your work bag on the back seat, closing the door as you thought for a moment.

“You know… I cosplay…” You blurted out, and Jim turned to you in surprise. “You know, you mentioned this would happen more often if I wore more stuff like this… I can assure you there is plenty more.” You giggled as you said it, blushing red.

“That… That is very interesting information…” Jim looked like he was going to say something more but went red from ear to ear. Even after the encounter upstairs, Jim was still his goofy self.

“Why don’t you come over tonight?” You offered, to which Jim quickly nodded, leaving you both laughing as you got into your separate cars, only to meet twenty minutes later at your place, a step further in your relationship.

#jim halpert x reader #jim halpert #smut #jim halpert smut #the office #request #queue

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imatechbummerliketomholland · 3 years

Text

"ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ'ᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ, ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ?" - ʜ.ᴏ

Hello to you! There it is! My first Harrison request. I'm working for a one shot with him, but it takes me so long because it's a little angst. But don't worry, this one is just fluff! I hope you'll all like it! I did not have time to be reread and corrected. So be indulgent once again, English is not my native language.

Summary: harrison met you in this coffe/bookstore where you friend worked. Since that day, he tried to ask you out but nothing really worked he would like. Until that day. Word count: 2690 Warning: some of swear, spoilers of "one day" by David Nicholls" Pairing : harrison osterfield Request: yes!

You walked happily into the store, heading towards the counter where your best friend was. “The cup and feather” was a second home to you. The warm atmosphere that reigned in the bookstore/cafe has always seduced you. There was a peace of mind that relaxed your muscles: the woody decor, the warm and captivating light, the mixed smell of old/new books and coffee. You were leaning on the counter where Maya was completing an order for a regular.

“Good morning Luke! Enjoy your drink!” you said with a large smile.

“Hello dear y/n! Thanks sweetie! Let me know if you want to drink something. It’s on me”

“It won’t be necessary but thank you. I appreciate!”

The customer adds a generous 10-pound bill to the tip pot with a wink at you. Maya thanked Luke and then gave you a broken look. You gave her an amused smile, shaking your head, already anticipating her next line. But nothing could dissipate your good mood, your day was good.

"It's unbelievable how my tips increase when you're here. What's your secret?"

“Hello to you too, dear best friend. I don't have a secret...but maybe, try to be...nicer to customers? Give them a smile while you're taking their order! ”

“Hello honey. I’m so thankful you’re here. It’s a boring day”

It was a pretty quiet day, there weren't a lot of customers. The rather gloomy London weather seemed to have put them off. A huge thunderous sound echoed outside and Maya jumped. You had a sympathetic and somewhat amused smile. You liked the storm. To be honest, you liked the storm when you weren't alone: feel the heavy, electric atmosphere before the refreshing rain falls. She looked out the window with annoyance.

"Jesus. It looks like it's gonna be a long day" she complained

“Don’t be so dramatic! Let me help. How can I help you?”

“There is this book cart that I have to put away and that has been lying around for an hour. But my boss would kill me if he found out that someone who actually doesn’t work here, did it for me”

Maya gave you a knowing look. It wasn't that she hated you helping her with her work, on the contrary, you were quite useful to her. But she would have preferred that you spend your free time other than helping her. You took a few books from the cart, sticking your tongue out at your best friend and rushing down the aisles of the library section. The distinct sound of a heavy downpour was heard outside and a few seconds later, the store door opened to let in two young, but also handsome, men. Maya bit her lip as one of the individuals approached the counter with a polite but warm smile. He seemed tall, with a thin but toned build, thin lips, his blue eyes pierced her from the moment his eyes met hers; a fucking model.

"Hello. Do you mind if we stay a little while the downpour subsides?" he asked.

" Hell no, of course! You can stay as long as you want as long as I can admire you… uh, shit, no, as long as you order something… did I say the other part out loud?

The second boy laughed, but nothing mocking. He was shorter than the guy across from Maya, brown hair and chocolate eyes, muscular arms but not sculpted like a bodybuilder. He seemed in good shape.

The blonde raised his eyebrows, an amused smile on his lips.

"I'm afraid so. Um ... okay. Tom?" he turned to his friend "Do you want to drink something?"

"Black tea. A single sugar and a drop of milk."

Your friend nodded meaning she heard it and then she patiently waited for the blonde to place his order.

"I'll have mint tea. Just one sugar too."

"Noted! Feel free to go grab a book once you've settled in."

The blonde smiled at Maya as he turned slightly to the tables to settle in with his friend. You were immersed in reading a synopsis when you finally returned to the counter. You looked up too late while talking to your best friend.

"Hey, Maya can I keep - ouch"

You had just hit a rather solid chest and your eyes widened in surprise. Two hands grabbed your shoulders before the fall, stabilizing you on your two good. And thank you, handsome stranger because you would have been able to let yourself fall so as not to drop the book you were holding in your hands.

"Everything's alright, love?"

"Huh Huh" You barely said, still a little surprised by the impact.

He smiled at you and finally joined Tom at a table without giving you a chance to thank him. You leaned against the counter giving your best friend an indecipherable expression.

"Who are these guys?"

"I know, right?" Maya whispered, biting her lips again.

You smiled to her. You and your best friend had the same tastes when it came to boys. So it was no wonder that they found them attractive.You quickly gave a last look on the mysterious guy before focusing on the cart again. Your logic wanted you to go back and forth rather than pushing this wheeled machine. And deep down, it was also an excuse to admire the blond boy at the table 7. When you came back from your last trip down the aisles and there were no books left on the cart. You noticed with a sad expression on your face that both boys were gone. What did you expect? A romantic scene where love story is born in the aisles of a bookstore cafe. What's the point? You might not even have been his type. Correction: You were certainly not his type. Maya came over to you, a mischievous half-smile on her face.

"If you're wondering. His name is Harrison. I heard his friend call him. And he kindly tipped you 25 pounds."

"I don't work here."

"It's just like"

"I would probably never see him again, Maya"

"Believe me, I have a feeling that you will."

☙♡❧

And she was right. The following week did not bring the handsome stranger, the following week either. You had totally, or almost, forgotten this delicious abrupt encounter. You were in the aisles of the cafe, looking for the next book you were going to devour when you were politely tapped on the shoulder, a throat clearing accompanying the gesture.

"Hm, excuse me?"

You turned around and your eyes widened a little in surprise. You did not expect, or more, to see this beautiful stranger again. He was holding a book in his hands and looked nervous. His demeanor was endearing and you couldn't help but suppress a shy smile.

"Yes?"

"I'm looking to get my mom a book. I've heard of this one but ... I wanted your advice."

You raised an amused eyebrow. He wanted to buy a book from his mom and he went to a coffee shop to ask you for advice on a book he obviously couldn't buy here. You found this sweet and awkward. You gave him a shy and mischievous smile.

“You know you're not supposed to buy the books here… just read them. »You joked

"Hmm, yeah ... but ... I wanted your opinion since ..."

"I don't work here ..."

The surprise was read in his eyes as in yours but for different reasons. Harrison felt silly for asking you when you weren't an employee. You, you were surprised by your tone, which seemed so cold when it was not your intention. You didn’t want to be rude to him. In fact, he makes you a little bit uncomfortable. You had never been so awkward with a boy but, for some reason you didn't know, his piercing blue eyes bowled you over. You couldn't deny that you were drawn to him and there was something really spellbinding about Harrison. To catch up you glanced at the book, you wrinkled his nose and you scratched your head

“I'm sorry, this is not the kind of novel I read ... But if she read Fifty-shade of Grey ... this book might please her” you told him, somewhat embarrassed.

Harrison gave you a confused look and you pointed to the cover of the book. To be fair, although he won't admit it, Harrison had grabbed the first book he saw off the storage cart and it actually turned out that it was an erotic fiction rather categorized in the young adult, a bestseller. Honestly, you didn't know where to put yourself. You watched the cheeks of the boy in front of you turn deep red.

"Okay ... Okay. I wasn't there for my mom."

"No shame ..." you tried to comfort him

"No..no i swear. It..i'm … okay ...

A boy with curly hair appeared in the aisle, calling out to the young man, breaking that awkward moment between you at the same time. Harrison's friend seemed vaguely familiar to you, as if you knew him or seemed to know him.

"Harrison, we're late. Tom's gonna kill me, mate!"

Harrison gave a sigh of relief that he seemed to have held back. He gave you a sorry smile and apologized before leaving you, putting the book down on a shelf. They headed for the exit and you stayed there, without moving, still challenged by this moment. You heard a laugh that came from the curl without actually hearing the reason.

"Did you ask her advice about 365 DNI? What kind of div are you?"

"Shut up Harry."

And Harry's laugh echoed one more time before the door closed on them. After a few seconds, you returned to the counter where your best friend was. She nodded at you, as if asking like it had happened. You have to shake your head negatively while shrugging your shoulders. It was the most bizarre interaction you have had in your life. A total failure. With that, he was sure you would never see him again.

☙♡❧

But you were wrong again. You were, again and again, at the cafe. Maya was finishing her shift and you were sitting at a table with a book in your hand. You were in your own little world when your gaze was drawn to a male hand, wearing rings highlighting the veins of that said hand, placing a cup of latte on your table.

"I didn't order any-" you said before interrupting you.

Harrison was in front of you, a shy little smile drawn across his face. You frowned, intrigued. How had he guessed your favorite drink? A simple glance over the blond's shoulder told you your answer: Maya was smiling at you, thumbs up, as a token of encouragement. You looked Harrison, pursed your lips, flattered by the gesture.

“I wanted to apologize for the other time.” Harrison finally spoke.

“It's nothing ... I..I hope your mom liked the book.” you just told him with a little smile

"I… It wasn't for her."

"Oh..for whom?" you asked intrigued.

He smirked, amused by your carelessness. Was he not obvious, however? Since the day he met you, the actor hadn't stopped thinking about you. Tom and Harry kept telling him that he was completely whipped and looked like a fool.

"For no one actually. I grabbed the first book I found."

"But why?" you seemed more confused.

"I wanted to see you. It was a pretext… I didn't know how to approach you."

Your cheeks turned as red as Harrison's the last you met him. You were flattered but at the same time surprised to know that he was interested in you. You've replaced a strand of hair behind your ear, blushing. An awkward silence has settled between you two. Neither of them really knew how to break the ice. Harrison looked up at the book you had put on the table when he arrived.

"What do you read?" he asked interested

“One day by David Nicholls. It’s the one of the most moving books I have ever read.”

And you started talking for hours about how this book moved you and how Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess' portrayal in the film adaptation blew your mind. How you went from laughter to tears to anger. How you got attached to the characters in both the book and the movie. Harrison couldn't stop you. He admired you talking with passion and found you endearing. The way you spoke with your hands or the way you frowned when some character action disturbed you. You were in your world and he wanted to enter it.

"I hope we end up like them." He said, interrupting you.

You suddenly stopped in your monologue looking at Harrison puzzled. You didn't expect this. First, because by knowing the story of this novel. You didn't want anyone to experience people's stories, no matter how beautiful it was. Second, did Harrison just say he was considering something with you?

"Like who?" you asked

"Emma and Dexter ... I hope we have such a great story."

You pursed your lips, amused. You swallowed to keep from laughing and you shook your head. You were sure he didn't read the book but you wanted to play with him a little.

"I don't hope so."

"Why? Their love story is beautiful!"

"You haven't read this book have you?"

"Of course yes!" he defended himself, uncomfortable.

In truth, he was lying. He was trying to impress you. He had simply said he wanted to live this love affair to soften you and try to approach you to ask for a date. Once again, you smiled, genuinely amused by the boy in front of you. He looked so innocent and so confident in her walk. But you knew ... You knew he hadn't read the book.

"Harrison, she dies at the end"

Harrison's cheeks have once again turn red. He played with his hands nervously, embarrassed. He was an idiot, a complete fucking div. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to let go of all the stress he had accumulated but also to find a way to make up for it. You were blowing him outright. He thought you were so beautiful and had never been so awkward about approaching a girl. Of course, Harry had introduced him to his ex-girlfriend. But, the actor had never had a hard time flirting. He knew his strengths, he was kinda funny, can't deny he was pretty handsome, after all he was a model. He was also an actor, he could play all emotions, recite hundreds of lines of dialogue. But you looked different and he was unable to have a conversation with you without being ridiculous. You found that rather adorable.

"Okay, okay. I don't hope we end up like them."

“I hope you don't wait 20 years before asking me out?”

Harrison looked at you surprised. Did you really just reach out to her? Did he hear what you just said or did his imagination play a dirty trick on him? Her heart skipped a beat. You pursed your lips before putting on a warm but shy smile. You weren't that confident in normal times but ... but it was pushing you out of your comfort zone. You liked him, his clumsiness made you laugh and moved you a lot. You wanted to know him better. And with a simple smile, Harrison knew he had the green light.

"Would you ... have coffee with me?"

"I'm already taking one with you, idiot" you joked ...

"Yeah..hmm, okay ... um. Would you like to go on a date ... one day?"

Your smile widened. You didn't know if he had chosen his last words intentionally but you liked to think he had. And if it wasn't, that awkwardness had melted your heart. You bit your lip, a smile still on your face. Your cheeks were rosy with emotion. Eventually, you might have had your romantic story at a coffee shop / bookstore.

“Yes, Harrison. I would like to go out with you.

#harrison osterfield #harrison osterfield x reader #harrison osterfeild fluff #harrison osterfield writing #harrison osterfield x y/n #haz osterfield x reader #haz osterfield

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starlightxsvt · 3 years

Text

Sweeter Than Sweets

Pairing ➳ CEO!seungcheol x baker female!reader

Genre ➳ kinda enemies to lovers, arranged marriage au, romance, angst?? clicheeee :)

Warnings ➳ hella cursing, reader's going through a lot lol

Word count ➳ 2.5k

part 1 l part 2

Part 1: THE BEGINNING

The plot owner is going to visit you today. I'm sincerely sorry for my mistake, I misunderstood. Please resolve the issue with him gently.

You scoff at the message. What the actual fuck? Fury floods through your blood and you clench your fists.

This cannot be happening.

After such a long time you had finally scraped enough money to lease a place for your bakery shop. It's been your dream since so long and after years of hard work it was finally coming true- until today. Apparently the real estate agent is nothing but a fathead and for whatever goddamn reason, she leased you the place when it was clearly not up to be leased. The building owner is on his way now- to possibly kick you out.

No, you cannot let that happen. It is their fault and because of their miscommunication or whatever you are not going to give this place up which you worked so hard for.

If he thinks you'll give in so easily, he has another thing coming.

A Mercedes Benz pulls up in front of your shop just as you finish screwing one of the decoration lights.

He's here.

You take in a deep breath and march out of the shop as a tall male comes of the car. You almost stop in your tracks to gape at him- broad shoulders, gorgeous rich black hair that matches a sculptured face- he's simply breathtaking. No one should be that gorgeous. And he's young- why the fuck is he so young? Does he seriously own this building?

No no no. Stay focused.

He takes long steps towards you and even before he can reach you, you snap, "I'm not giving up this place so don't waste your time."

He stops right in front of you, his hands in his pockets and raises a brow at you. He chuckles- how dare he, before saying, "You do know that this is my building, right?"

"So?"

"So, it means I can kick out a nuisance like you anytime I want." His eyes go dark as he stares you down.

Nuisance? What the fuck? You take in a deep breath, trying to stop yourself from reaching out and choking him. He's so fucking gorgeous and infuriating, damn it.

"Mr. Choi, I've leased this place for two years and if you want it so much, come back two years later and we can talk about it."

"Leave while I'm being polite," his tone is gravelly and his eyes bore into yours. You shiver slightly.

"But I paid for this place! This is mine now!" You yell, unable to hold yourself together. "If you were so concerned about your building then you should have been careful that your agent was leasing it!"

"I admit that it was her fault, a huge one at that matter but I need this building. I'll give you 3 days to take everything and leave. My workers will start their renovation work from next week." He says and turns around his heel, ready to head back.

"No! I will not be moving out! I've worked so hard to lease this place! I even brought all the furniture for my shop! You have no right to do this!" You shout at him. Fuck that son of a bitch.

He stares at you with a bored look, "You've 3 days."

"No!" You whine, stopping him in his tracks again. "If you really want this place then give me some more time. At least a few months."

He marches back to you, his jaw ticking, "Do you think I'm here to play games? You move out in 3 days or my men will drag you out from here." He warns, eyes glinting.

Motherf-

You can't hold in your temper. So you walk past him and towards his fancy car and draw a long nice scratch on the body using your screwdriver. After being satisfied with your handiwork, you turn back to him.

He stares at you, dumbfounded. His driver looks the same except he looks a bit scared. You smirk at Choi, crossing your arms.

He still looks surprised and he scoffs as if he can't believe what happened. He rakes a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched.

"Expect a call from my insurance company. You'll have to pay for what you just did." That's all he says before walking past you to car as his driver quickly fires on the engine.

You mutely watch him leave.

Fuck. Oh fuck.

What have you done?

You stare at Choi's personal number that you managed to get from the real estate agent. Shit. You've to call him. You've to apologize. You're in no condition to pay for his damn fancy car.

Shit. Shit. Why did you do that?

You bite your lip, staring at your phone screen, mustering up the courage to call him. You've to apologize and somehow get him to forgive you.

Oh heavens, here goes nothing.

With shaky hands you ring him up and hold your breath. After several rings he picks up, his voice gruff, "Choi here."

You clear your throat and inhale deeply, "Mr.Choi, it's me, ___. We...uhm, met earlier today." You try to stable your voice.

The line is silent for a moment and you're afraid he has hung up but he speaks, his voice laced with a chuckle, "Well, well, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

You swallow, "Mr.Choi I called you to um... apologize for what I did to your car. Please understand that I was really angry then and I sincerely apologize for what I did. I'm so sorry."

"Okay," is all he says. You ask nervously, "So, will be please be kind enough to cancel the charges against me?"

"Do you think that a sorry from you will repair my car?"

"I- please, sir, you've to understand that I'm in no condition to afford for the damages... I-I know I'm responsible but please understand-"

"You want to keep the place to yourself, you want me to drop the charges against you- what you think I am? Some sort of genie who'll grant all your wishes?"

"No- sir-"

"Besides you don't even sound so sorry," His voice sounds teasing and you exhale loudly.

This son of a-

"I don't have time for this bullshit so-"

"No sir please! I'll do anything, please cancel the charges. Then we can talk about your building, I'm sure we can come to a conclusion."

"Are you trying to make a deal with me?"

"Sir- I just-, please, please understand my situation," you almost beg.

The line is quiet for a long time and you're about to break into tears but then you hear his voice, "Fine, I'll text you a place. Meet me there at 8 tomorrow evening. Don't be late." Then the line is dead.

You're not dumb enough to go where a stranger tells you to go without telling anybody. So, on the morning of the appointment, you tell your friend the location of the restaurant and in case you were found with a slitted throat, at least the police will have a lead. After that you decide to google Choi, wanting to have a little bit more info on him. Sure enough, he's the son of a filthy rich businessman well known in the country and Choi, himself is the creator of two business companies.

Sure, it'd be nothing for him to dump your body in the water or poison your food.

Evening comes quicker than you expected and you rush to get ready. You pick a maroon knee length dress that is what you believe- hope- to be appropriate for the fancy restaurant. It's not like you have a lot of dresses to choose from. You take a cab and just as the clock hits five minutes past eight, you're rushing into the restaurant.

The receptionist asks you if have booked a seat to which you reply that you're here to meet Mr.Choi. Then you're led through a fancy lobby and into the private dining area, where the said male sits. He's dressed in a grey vest and a pressed linen white shirt underneath, with the sleeves rolled up, showing his muscular arms- damn.

His eyes meet yours and you feel an electricity jolt up your spine.

Lord please help me tonight.

"Good evening, Mr.Choi," you murmur, gently sitting down.

The bastard has the balls to smirk as he crosses his arms over his chest, "Good evening, Ms___. I was wondering if you bailed out on me."

You chuckle nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. He grins, motioning towards the menu in front of you,"Shall we order?"

Your eyes glide over the fancy food and the fancier prices. 85$ for a fucking piece of meat?

After chewing on your lip and thinking too much about what to order, you go with a plate of salad and pasta.

"Do you have any wine preferences?" He asks, eyeing the wine menu. Why's he acting so nice? What's his deal?

"Er...I'll let you choose," you say.

After ordering a fancy bottle of wine, Choi folds his hands over the table and looks at you, a small smile playing on his lips.

"So..shall we talk business now?" You offer, unsure.

He nods but stays quiet which you take as a sign to start first, "I only have two things to ask for. Please cancel the charges and please give me a little more time to look for a place. It's impossible to find another place in 3 days. I've paid for the lease here and I've also ordered the furniture. And then there is a monetary issue. Please understand my situation."

He pretends to think, pursuing his lips, "Hmm, I'm afraid that's too much you're asking from me."

"Mr. Choi, I'm sure a man like you can help me with that much." You try to butter his ego.

"Again, I'm afraid you don't know me. If you had any idea about a man like me, you wouldn't say that." His eyes darken.

Fuck. He won't bulge. Why is he so stubborn?

"Sir- please, I sincerely apologize for my actions yesterday, I wasn't in my right mind."

"If only sorry could cover it," he says, nonchalant, leaning back into his chair. He eyes you quietly, his eyes scanning you carefully as your palms grow sweaty.

You are interrupted as the waiter serves you your dinner and pours you the wine. As soon as he's gone, you gulp down the wine, trying to calm yourself.

Damn, it tastes nice.

Choi laughs at your actions before an evil smile crawls up his face. You swallow, meeting his gaze. What's he thinking?

"You see, nothing comes for free. I'll take off the charges against you and I'll give you time to look for another place- actually no, I'll pay for a nicer place for you to open your shop. But in return you've to give me something."

Fuck. You eye him warily.

"What?" You squeak.

"Marry me."

You choke on your food very unceremoniously followed by a lot of coughs. You sputter, trying to get yourself under control. Meanwhile he simply watches you, a playful smile on his lips.

When you can somewhat speak, you breath, "I...I think I misheard you."

"You didn't. I asked you to marry me."

You gape at him, utterly confused, almost certain this is a dream or nightmare. He simply offers you silence as you try to process what he said.

You're left even more confused.

What? Marry him? What the actual fuck?

"Would you please... enlighten me?" You murmur.

He grins, leaning over the table, "You're thinking too much. It'll be a pretend marriage. I need someone who'll pretend to be my wife for a year or so, so that my father hands over his company to me- which he won't unless I get married and settle. It's as simple as that."

Your mouth only grows wider. That's nowhere near simple.

After processing his words in your head for a long time you mumble, "So...you need me to be your pretend wife for like a year and in return you cancel the charges and give me more time to look for a place?"

"It's actually more than that sweetheart. I'll pay every penny for your shop. I'll make sure you have a successful business. Be my pretend wife and I'll give you the biggest and best bakery shop this country has ever seen."

You're dumbfounded and you can only squeak out, "Is this some sort of a hoax?"

He chuckles, "Say yes and I'll have a contract prepared with all our terms and conditions."

"I- I need to think about it," you rush out. Think? Damn it, were you seriously considering it?

Yes, yes you were.

This is a lifetime opportunity.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Choi nods, "I'm sure you need to. But I expect an answer quickly. You've until tomorrow evening."

"H-huh?" You're lost.

He stands up putting on his jacket, "You've my number, call me when you make your decision." He gives you a look and just like that he's out of the room.

You're left with your half eaten plate of food.

"So you are telling me that a filthy rich, smoking hot motherfucker asked you to marry him?" Jane's voice echos through the phone.

You rub your temples, staring at your lap, "Yes."

"Bitch if you don't want to do this then give me his number. I'm more than willing to help him out."

"Jane, I'm serious."

"Me too, babe."

You groan, flopping into the bed. "Can you believe it? I still can't wrap my head around it." You whisper.

"You're thinking too much. It's not like you're going to be married to him forever."

"I know but still it's so scary...If I say yes I'll be living with a stranger for the next year."

"A sexy as sin stranger for that matter."

"Gosh- will you stop!"

"Okay okay," you hear her sigh. "Listen I know it's scary and all but this is a win win situation for you, think about it. You're going to be living as a millionaire's wife and when you're divorced you're gonna have your own shop. This is a lifetime opportunity, I mean how many of us gets this? This is like one of those romance movies where-"

"Okay I get it. Thank you for your precious help." You roll your eyes.

" You're welcome!" She laughs. "I'll be waiting for updates!"

"Piss off." You laugh, hanging up.

You stare at the ceiling, your mind numb. This is overwhelming- unreal. Why can't he just marry someone prettier, richer? He can have any woman he wants. Dozens of questions gather in your mind but despite the answers, you've made your decision.

You're going to get married.

A/N ➳ heyyy~ it's ya girl's birthday today lol! I've been wanting to write a fic like this for quite a while but yk, couldn't muster up the courage. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please please leave your feedbacks, my ask box is always open- I'll really appreciate it! 💖

Masterlist

Tag list: @chimikima @all-i-needislovee @peekabooseoksoon @masterpiecejoonie @sorrywonwoo @sweetiescoops @diamondsvts @insidesvt @bononswife @ayla-hathway @kpopssuregi @justasoftstan @top-crop @wainrain

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aceofspadegrass · 3 years

Text

Yamazaki Joins

Characters: Arisu Ryohei, Yamazaki Kento, Niragi Suguru, Sakurada Dori

Genre: Fluff. Yamazaki has arrived to the Beach!

1.1k words

Arisu steps out from the latest game he had to participate, clutching the card in his hand. It was an easy game tonight, Arisu walking down the street. He wasn’t far from the Beach anyways, so none of the players sent here took the car, instead allowing a stroll through the dark and empty new world they were all trapped in.

“ Hey! Excuse me!” A voice calls out from a distance to the right of Arisu, the man turning his head as a figure came closer. They sounded familiar to him, but he could not pinpoint it. He stops as the person approaches, waving and clearly not seeming to be a danger to him.

The person comes closer, and Arisu stares blankly as his own face looks back at him, although clearly a little more put together, still fresh. The mystery man blinks, eyes wide in recognition, and he smiles, waving again with arm much more closer to his chest than earlier.

“ Hi! I’m a little lost, so…. could you help me?” The man still kept that soft and easygoing smile, Arisu frozen as he tried to rationalize the person in front of him. It was likely that he happened to meet someone who looked eerily similar, but this person even had the same voice tone, although slightly different at the same time.

He still nods though, not seeing a reason to decline the person. There was no harm after all, and by the small sparkle that alights in the mysterious person’s eyes he didn’t seem dangerous.

“ There’s a safe building in that direction. It’s been where I’ve been staying.” Arisu points in the direction of the Beach, the man following his finger and nodding.

“ Okay, let’s go!” The man starts walking ahead, Arisu jogging to follow and help guide the doppelgänger towards the Beach. In the meantime Arisu’s new companion began to introduce himself as Kento Yamazaki, but didn’t explain as to where he’s been, or if he’s entered a game yet. Arisu didn’t think he did, with how jovial Yamazaki was compared to those that have entered at least one game.

The entrance to the Beach left Yamazaki in awe, Arisu watching him look around like a child seeing Christmas decorations at night. Yamazaki was at least coherent enough to continue to follow Arisu through into the building.

“ It’s so nice here!” Yamazaki chirps, Arisu nodding. Yamazaki continues onwards as he began to do a brief exploration of the ground floor, Arisu following him. He couldn’t help but smile a little at how carefree Yamazaki was, wishing he could easily relax like him.

“ Is that…? Hey! Sakurada! Over here!” Yamazaki calls out as he began running as Yamazaki passes a junction, running past a corner. Arisu follows after, turning the corner to see Yamazaki run up to the man that looked like a nicer version of Niragi. Niragi himself wasn’t even that far away either, still with his rifle at his shoulder and staring in obvious confusion at Yamazaki. Arisu meets his eyes not even a second later, Niragi looking away with a hard scoff that moved his shoulders.

The Niragi clone himself, Sakurada, only matched the same pleasantly surprised energy as Yamazaki. “ You’re here too?”

“ I was brought here by him!” Yamazaki gestures to Arisu, Arisu giving Sakurada a smile and nod as a greeting, the taller male looking to Arisu.

“ Oh really? Well what are the chances of that!” Sakurada looks back at Yamazaki, eyes quickly scanning over the other male’s body. “ Are you alright? Hurt anywhere?” Yamazaki quickly shakes his head, one hand lifting up. “ No, I’m fine! Thank you!” He says, reassuring the other. “ I haven’t been in much trouble, just got a little lost out there!”

“ Is that so. Well I’m glad you’re safe and sound, Yama.”

Yamazaki smiles, then looks at Niragi, bowing his head. “ Hello! You’re Niragi, right?”

“ What’s it to you, eh?” “ Nothing, just making sure!” Yamazaki chirps, Niragi rolling his eyes and going back to just staring at a wall and ignoring the reunion between Yamazaki and Sakurada.

Arisu looks between the two in confusion, wondering how Yamazaki knew who Niragi was even though he likely has never been around here, or even around the Borderlands long at all. He could somewhat understand that the two in front of him knew each other beforehand, and maybe it showed true to Yamazaki and Niragi as well, but something wiggled in the back of his brain that the two have met each other for the first time in this hallway.

Niragi finally looks back, drumming his fingers along the butt of his rifle. “ I’m leaving, this is too sappy for my taste.” He pushes past Sakurada and Yamazaki, not even bothering to give the three another glance as he turns the corner.

Sakurada lets out a small sigh, and sends the two an apologetic look. “ He’s a little wound up, but don’t worry, I have him handled. I’ll come by and talk to you later okay? I need to keep an eye on him, make sure he isn’t going to bully anyone.” Sakurada gives a waves and walks past, Yamazaki waving back as he too disappeared.

“ I didn’t know you had a friend here, Yamazaki.” Arisu finally speaks up, Yamazaki looking at Arisu and nodding.

“ He’s a good friend of mines, and my neighbour! He’s really nice and helpful to me.” Yamazaki explains, Arisu nodding in agreement. Sakurada’s involvement in the Beach certainly caused some changes in the energy around the Beach, Niragi being a little less violent and troublemaking. It wasn’t by much, but Sakurada was at least able to rein the man’s aggressive behaviour by at least 15%, which was plenty enough.

“ So…. what are you going to do now?” Arisu asks, Yamazaki shrugging.

“ Stay here, follow the rules, hang out for a while. Oh, actually, would you like to come with me and walk around some more? Talk about anything you’d like, I’ll happily listen.”

Arisu slowly blinks, thinking about it. There wasn’t any harm after all, and maybe after explaining the new person to Usagi she would also enjoy his company. Yamazaki certainly was full of kindness, and Usagi seemed pretty open to anything Arisu introduced to her.

“ Sure. We can wait for my friend until then.”

Yamazaki nods, and cocks his head in the direction that Sakurada left. “ Can we walk this way? I want to see if I can see my friend again, I’ve missed him." Arisu smiles, a small and fond memory of his own dear friends drifting into his brain as Yamazaki spoke those words. “ That’s fine. Hey, have you ever heard of…..”

#aib #alice in borderland #aib fanfic #alice in borderland fanfic #arisu ryohei #niragi suguru #yamazaki kento #sakurada dori #yamazaki is full of cheer and happiness :D #yeah niragi is pretty much not important but he couldn't care less #he just sees it as all the more reason to be annoyed

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kechiwrites · 3 years

Text

tension headache

Ground Zero x Publicist!Reader

wc: 2.2k

“Being Ground Zero’s publicist comes with its own set of challenges, luckily there are quite a few benefits to sweeten the deal.” warnings: anal play, dirty talk, light degradation, light spanking, d/s undertones (or overtones w/e), bakugo being the king of bullies

author’s note: i’ve been writing this since august and it’s finally done. special thanks to @lady-bakuhoe, @some-kindofgnome, and @nightly-tales for betaing!

Your head is throbbing. The sort of building tension headache you became most familiar with in high school; the kind that starts in the morning and gets stronger with every little irritant. You’re sure it's a tension headache from having your shoulders hunched up to your ears most of the day, a seemingly ever-constant by-product of trying to keep Pro Hero Ground Zero from biting a journalism student's head off. The obscenely large TV hanging above the receptionist’s desk plays Ground Zero’s greatest hits on mute as your heels click-clack towards the steel and glass elevators.

It’s almost the end of his patrol and you know he’ll be up soon, sidekicks and assistants (two this month, because the first had the good sense to resign soon, lucky bastard) in tow. Four consecutive texts rattle your phone in your pocket to confirm this. Each one an iteration of “on our way up!.” Waving at his secretary, you let yourself into his office setting your purse on the floor. Further behind you can already hear the clamor of voices and activity that announces Ground Zero’s arrival, people no doubt scurrying out of his warpath lest they incur his wrath. He pushes open the heavy door and says nothing to acknowledge your presence.

Your forehead throbs with irritation at the snub. You know it’s only a matter of time before either of you begin to push the other’s buttons but your employer seems to have a secondary quirk he uses only for you.

You like to call it Extreme Irritation.

“Would it kill you to be nicer to the press?” You give first, sitting on the overstuffed leather couch pushed against the easternmost wall underneath a frankly, unnecessarily large, framed photo of U-A’s graduating class. “Why do you insist on making my job so hard?”

“Can’t pay you for fucking nothing,” he scoffs, leaning against the desk in the center of his office. Carefully he divests himself of his gauntlets, handing one to his senior assistant, and placing its twin onto the desk next to his big gaudy nameplate, muttering; “Take this to Yumikawa, I think I broke the fucking thing.” When he’s halfway past the threshold, Ground Zero adds, “And tell her to do better with her shitty paint jobs!” His gaze snaps to the newest recruit, a tiny shivering thing who looks like a stiff wind could blow her over, “What the fuck are you standing there for? Go with him! Do I have to fucking tell you everything?”

She practically leaves a dust cloud in her wake. You roll your eyes and begin reading through news updates on your tablet, nails clicking lightly against the screen. Tweet after tweet and article after article summarize Ground Zero’s latest exploit, every title and byline more sensational than the last.

“Ground Zero Overshadows Daring Rescue with Another Tirade!”

“Is Ground Zero the Meanest Pro-Hero Ever?!”

‘imagine ground zero calling you stupid 🥴 #imahole’

You could almost laugh if it weren’t for the startlingly large amount of retweets on that last one. Finally, the pro hero deigns to address you; “I did as you asked, I smiled, I laughed, I didn't blow anyone up.” He actually sounds proud. You blubber in shock. “You called the reporter a fuck wit! They can't even air that!” For good measure you hold up the tablet to replay a heavily edited fancam of Ground Zero sneering at some poor junior reporter. “Isn't that what you wanted? Less of my insults on TV?” He is so smug, it drives you crazy. “Not like that!” You toss the tablet onto the couch beside you and stand, stomping towards Bakugo, who’s leaning against his desk, clenching his jaw, arms crossed, as if he didn’t spend the entire morning making you wish you’d never laid eyes on him. The two of you are growing more and more irritated with each other and it’s evident in the rapidly rising volume of your conversation.

"I'm serious, if you want to be ‘Number One’,” you stress through your teeth, “people have to like you, at least a little bit. That. Includes. The. Press.” Every word is punctuated with a strong poke to his sternum, and you try to ignore the pain of jabbing your finger into his brick wall of a chest. It feels as though the pristine white collar of your button-up shirt is digging into your throat while you try to restrain yourself from biting his stupid, perfect nose off.

Now it’s Bakugo’s turn to roll his eyes, “People like me.” He looks to his sidekicks for confirmation and you pointedly ignore them bobbing their heads in unison.

“Who?! Who are these people that like you?”

Bakugo gestures wildy at his sidekicks, “They like me!”

“They’re afraid of you! They respect you but they don’t like you!” You shake your head in disbelief.

“You like me!” He barks at you.

You almost choke on your surprised laughter. He really was absolutely ridiculous.

“I have to like you, you pay me!”

“That’s right. I sign your cheques, you deal with all the media bullshit and make me look good.”

“You make it impossible for me!” If it weren’t for the intense tunnel vision your arguing was giving you, you would have seen Ground Zero’s sidekicks inching slowly towards the door.

“Well maybe you’re just shit at your job!” He turns away from you to push papers to the side of his desk, the gesture a clear dismissal that only serves to rile you further.

“Oh fucking bite me, Katsuki!” As soon as it’s out you slap your hands over your mouth, eyes wide as dinner plates.

You were exhausted and tense and so mad but it’s not what you agreed on, never at work and never in front of subordinates. In an instant it’s like all the air’s been sucked out of the room. Bakugo’s expression is furious when he whirls on you. You chance a look over at his assistants and all colour has left their faces, ‘Impressive,’ you think idly, ‘Considering Haruto is literally purple.’

“Out. Now.” He growls, and his teeth are clenched together so hard you think they might shatter, his throat is rapidly turning red and his hands are clenching and unclenching around nothing. The sidekicks hesitate and you’re a little grateful for their loyalty.

“Fucking out. NOW!” He yells, and they nearly fall over each other trying to get out the door.

“And there goes the loyalty,” you murmur while you watch their hasty retreat. “I’m sorry,” you say, turning to face him head-on, apology punctuated with the slamming shut of his office door. You focus on the wall of windows behind him, the city skyline slowly lighting up in the nighttime, preparing for an infamous Ground Zero meltdown. “That was inappropriate, especially in front of subordinates.” Idly, you wonder what the theme this time will be; Disrespect? Insubordination? Or just a good old-fashioned dress down? He’d become quite wordy over the years, you were almost beginning to enjoy them.

While you muse Bakugou inches closer to you, cheeks a mottled red. His shoulders rise and fall repeatedly, like he’s bringing himself down from the peak of his anger. For a moment you think he’ll just outright scream in your face, but when he pulls you, first towards him and then past him until your stomach presses against his desk, you realize quickly what he’s planning.

His forearm presses against your back until you’re bent over his desk, your hands palm down between the wood and your chest to prevent your face meeting the cool oak. It’s bordering on humiliating how easy he can manipulate you. But they don’t teach hand to hand combat in the business sector, and although you’d toyed with the idea - being in a high-risk industry and all - you never put stock in seriously learning.

The blond’s hand snakes over your shoulder, slightly damp palm advancing until it’s pressed against the smooth flesh of your throat. Katsuki pulls you towards him this way, and for a short moment breathing is a laboured task. The other hand makes quick work of divesting you of your skirt and underwear, coming down in an instant to make contact with your bare ass. He rubs at it covetously, a shallow attempt at soothing your stinging skin.

There’s no formality when he thrusts into you, only a few seconds between feeling the head of his cock parting your embarrassingly slick folds and him being fully seated within you. You grit your teeth against a whine, fingers scrambling for purchase when he withdraws and fucks into you again, and then again, pace slowly gaining momentum until you can swear the heavy oak desk (and seriously that thing weighs a fucking ton) is shifting with the force. Your stomach presses painfully into the gilded metal decorating its edge but it’s good. Katsuki is so fucking good at taking you apart with every inch he drives into you. Above you he mutters lowly about how fucking wet you are, how eager you must’ve been all day, waiting for him to fill you. It goes on like this for a while, you bouncing between his hips and the desk, him whispering filthy, untrue shit in your ears that makes your nipples hard and your breathing shallow.

He places his free hand on your back, first up under your shirt, then slowly slides it down, until it’s resting on the roundness of your ass again. You don’t know what he’s planned till his thumb’s parted you, sliding softly over the clenched furl of muscle above your stretched open cunt.

“Bakugou, no!” you whisper hoarsely, your voice just edging on hysterical as you struggle against his hold.

“Excuse me?” He hisses between his teeth, thrusts not slowing for a second. The hand around your throat tightens and when he pulls you closer so his sneering mouth is brushing the shell of your ear, you unwillingly tighten around his dick in response.

“(Y/N),” his voice is almost pleasant, and had you not been split open on his cock in his office, you’d ask him who taught him an ‘interview voice’.

“Can you tell me who's name is on the building?” While he teases you, you can feel yourself getting wetter around him, thighs tensing and relaxing with the sensation of being spread open beneath him.

“Yours.” You wish you could fall through the fucking floor.

“I’m sorry?” His thumb presses a little more insistently against your pucker. The pressure is foreign, but not at all bad. Dear God, you’re really about to let him do this to you.

“Yours, sir.” You pant, the burning sensation in your cheeks and neck a mix of exertion and shame.

“Fucking say it,” Katsuki tightens his hold on your throat and your whimpers are barely audible over the sound of his hips brutally meeting your ass.

“G-Ground Zero.” you choke out through your clenched teeth.

“Oh good, so you can read!” Katsuki releases you from his hold and you fall forward. With every thrust, your feet lift off the floor, and you lurch forward like a ragdoll. Katsuki pushes his thumb further inside you, belly-laughing when you cry out in pleasure.

“Where’d all that resistance go, sweetheart?” His digit fucks in and out of you in tandem with his cock, keeping you full constantly. “You know what? Next time, I’m gonna take my time stretching you, keep you wide open, maybe you can wear a plug for me, huh? And then after you’ve been soft and needy all day, I’ll slide right into you, fuck you till you gape for me.”

You’re incapable of firing back, mouth occupied with moaning incoherently while you drool against the desk. Katsuki chokes off his own moan, using his unoccupied hand to hike up your leg so he can have easier access to your clit. The calloused pad of his fingertips press hard against you. He goes so slow, pushing and nudging at you until your entire body feels feverish and your climax takes you by surprise, forcing a yelp from your lips when your legs begin to shake.

“That’s it. Come for me. Come on my dick.” Once he’s sure you're done, he pulls his finger from your ass and releases your leg, blanketing your back with his chest. His hips are quick to lose their rhythm as he fills you, ropes of his spend coating your insides. Katsuki shudders against you, hands running a course along your hips. He pulls away, the evidence of your time together sliding down the inside of your thigh without Katsuki’s cock to hold it in.

“I’m going back to working for Hawks.” Your voice is hoarse when you can finally speak again and levering your chest up off the desk onto shaky knees only serves to make your head spin more. You glare at your boss your boyfriend as he dresses.

Katsuki’s grin is derisive while he tucks his softening dick away, “Like fuck, you love working for me way too much to work for that fuckin’ pretty boy.” He leans down in front of you and slides your underwear up from your ankles back into place, followed by your skirt before pressing soft lips to your forehead, smoothing his hands over your cheeks.

At least your headache is gone.

taglist: @enjifuckersupreme @pleasantanathema

#katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugo x reader #bakugo x you #bnha x reader #bnha bakugo #bnha x you #ground zero #ground zero x reader #bnha ground zero #katsuki x reader #kechiwrites

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crystalninjaphoenix · 3 years

Text

The Winter Solstice

Fantasy Masks AU: Chapter Seven

A JSE Fanfic

Well after last week’s brief foray into writing for a different fandom, we return to the septics once again. The FM!septics to be exact. It’s the winter solstice, meaning there are holidays to celebrate! Chase, Jackie, and Henrik have a great day that totally doesn’t become suddenly serious near the end haha nope just fun times all around with some world building and character development :) Enjoy :)

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

The day dawned cold and snowy, but nobody at Wyvernlair cared. Not when today was the winter solstice. This was a time for celebration! And with all the people in the camp, there was bound to be a big party. Preparations had been ongoing for the past few weeks. Food was made, games were planned, and time was set aside for those honoring the various holy days. When the day itself dawned, normal duties were put on hold so that everyone could join in.

Chase woke up at sunrise. He had a quick breakfast—light, since there would be a lot of food at the feast planned for that night—and strolled about, taking in the changes. Everyone was bustling about as usual, but now they chattered with excitement. Some people had hung decorations outside their tents: replicas of snowflakes made from white-painted sticks, candles with carved designs set on the ground, pine branches and snippets of other winter-blooming plants scattered about. Combined with the white layer of snow, it was quite beautiful.

Yet, Chase felt a pang somewhere deep in his chest. Last year, he’d spent Longest Night with his family and the rest of the village. There’d been town celebrations in the square. He helped Quentin carve his first candle. And now? Now, he didn’t know where his family was.

“Chase!”

He was snapped out of his melancholy thoughts when he heard someone call his name. In the middle of turning to see who it was, that ‘someone’ barrelled straight into him. “Oof!” He was about to respond, but found he couldn’t, because he’d been wrapped in a tight bear hug.

“Sorry, did I knock the wind out of you? Sorry!” Jackie was too full of energy to notice he apologized twice. He gave Chase one last squeeze before breaking off the hug.

“It’s okay, just give me more warning next time.” Chase took a minute to catch his breath. “Well. Happy Longest Night, then?”

“Happy Longest Night, then!” Jackie repeated. He whirled his cloak around dramatically. It was still red, but slightly nicer, with a fur lining. His wolf mask was pushed back, sitting on his forehead. “You know the plan, right? We’re having games all day. War games, dice games, card games—a few strategy games, too, the ones we have the boards for in storage. Then there’s the feast later, and the Dark Vigil tonight.”

“Yea, I understand,” Chase said, a faint smile on his face. He couldn’t help it; Jackie was contagious. “How many people will be at the Vigil?”

“A fair share. Schneep won’t; he does something at moonrise instead.” Jackie shrugged. “Are you planning to do any of the games? What about archery?!”

Chase laughed. “No, no, I’m not good enough to compete in a war game. I’ll probably just drift around and join in where I can. Do you think anyone will be playing Luck of the Deal? I’m very good at that.”

Jackie rolled his eyes. “Everyone’s good at Luck of the Deal. That’s the whole thing about it, it’s luck.”

“You don’t know that. There’s skill involved, too,” Chase insisted.

Jackie patted his shoulder. “Whatever you say, Hunter. It’ll be some time before everything really gets going. Anything you want to do before that?”

“Umm...” Chase thought about it. “Well, is there anything I can do to help with the feast preparations? That’s usually a community thing, isn’t it?”

“Well we already have a lot of volunteers for cooking. They’ve already gotten started, in fact.” Jackie thought about it. “But if you want to help, you could put your hunting skills to the test in the surrounding woods. Always good to have more food than less, on these occasions. People would eat their plates, if it was possible.”

Chase laughed. “Oh, I know that. Amabel would eat us out of home on Longest Night. She must’ve gotten her appetite from Stacia’s side of the family.” Saying their names, the melancholy threatened to return.

“Honestly? I have a confession.” Jackie leaned closer. “I’m one of those types, too.”

“Oh? Somehow, that makes sense.”

“And somehow I’m offended.” Jackie gave him a playful shove. “If you want to go ahead, you know where the shortbows and arrows are. Oh!” His eyes widened as he remembered something. “But try not to shoot any pigeons. Those are important.”

“Important?” Chase put the pieces together. “You mean...messenger birds?”

Jackie nodded. “I don’t expect anyone to send messages on the solstice except for an emergency, but there might be some arriving that were sent a fews days, or even a week, ago. It takes a while to fly across the island.”

“Got it. I won’t shoot any pigeons.” Chase shook his head, a bit in awe. “Messenger birds.” He’d heard of them, but never seen them in use. Somehow, they seemed almost as magical as actual magic. Getting letters sent across the kingdom in a matter of days? That was amazing. “I’ll just head out, then.”

“Good luck, Chase!” Jackie said cheerfully, waving as he turned to leave. “Be back before noon, that’s when the fun will start!”

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

If possible, it was even colder out in the forest, away from the magic heat of the dragon bones. Chase clutched his jacket tighter and made sure his hat was securely on his head. He doubted that he’d find any animals out here. By Longest Night, most of them were hibernating. But it was worth a shot.

Snow crunched under his feet, so he slowed down, carefully placing every step so it wouldn’t make too much noise. There wasn’t a lot of foliage to hide behind in the winter, but he had made sure to grab a white jacket from storage to help him blend in. He’d also turned his hat inside out so that the red ribbon around it didn’t show. After a while, he found what he thought was a good spot to wait. So he settled down, nocking an arrow so it would be ready to fly at any moment.

The world became very still. The only sound he heard was his breath, accompanied by the small puffs of mist that breath caused in the cold. He made sure not to move a muscle.

Until there was a sudden sound. Footsteps, very light, being pursued by much heavier ones. His eyes darted towards the sound. The bare branches of a bush rustled, and suddenly a streak of brown fur dashed out in front of him followed by something much larger—

Chase reacted, letting go of the bow string and loosing the arrow. It shot through the air and landed solidly in the brown furry something. Shocked, he laughed in the rush of actually shooting something moving that fast. But then a voice cried, “I knew it!”

“Wh...?” And Chase finally noticed what the large something pursuing the small animal actually was. He looked up from his position near the ground to see...Lukas. It took him a moment to recognize him without his usual fox mask, but once the brown-auburn hair and tall longbow registered, his heart immediately sank with dread. “What are you doing—”

Lukas took an arrow out of the quiver on his back and nocked it, aiming at Chase. “Did you think you could take me out when nobody was looking?! Claim it was an accident?!”

“What in the world?!” Chase stood up. Slowly, of course, he didn’t want to get skewered by that massive arrow. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t try to play dumb, you just tried to kill me!”

“I was shooting the rabbit!” He pointed at the small animal, which was, in fact, a rabbit.

“A likely cover story.”

All of a sudden, Chase felt hot rage rise up his throat. “I know you hate me but you don’t have to be an idiot about it!” he burst out.

That seemed to take Lukas by surprise. He blinked, and lowered his bow slightly.

“I don’t know what kind of trust issues you have or where they come from, but I’m sick of you always acting this way! I’ve been here for almost a full season now, and you still act like I’m about to stab you in the back the first opportunity I get! I know, you’re probably thinking something like ‘he’s playing a long game to get everyone to trust him,’ but let’s be honest, you’re just looking for any justification to be like this. I wouldn’t trust someone like me in your position either, but I wouldn’t be so obvious about it. You don’t have to like me, you don’t have to trust me, but elders be damned, you don’t have to stir up this much trouble for Jackie and Henrik and everyone else here!” Chase ran out of breath and was forced to stop. He waited silently for Lukas’s reaction.

For a while, there wasn’t one. Lukas just...stared at him. Then he lowered his bow fully, putting the arrow back in its quiver. “What are you doing out here?” he asked in a carefully-neutral tone.

“We have some time before the real celebrations start, so I thought I’d help out by trying to find more food for the feast,” Chase explained. He walked past Lukas and picked up the rabbit, trying not to feel sad. Something about shooting rabbits made him feel guilty. Maybe he respected how hard they worked to stay alive, running so swiftly. Or maybe he thought they were cute. “What are you doing out here?”

“The same thing,” Lukas answered.

Chase snorted. “And you decided to bring that monster of a bow for hunting?”

“It’s more powerful than yours,” Lukas retorted.

“Yes, but it’s also heavier and more cumbersome. I remember my second day here, Holly said that big bows like that were more suited for long range, while shortbows—” Chase waved his bow as an example. “—are better for mobility. Look at all these trees. Do you think you’re able to shoot long range in a forest? Not to mention if you miss, you’ll end up burying your arrow in a tree with all the force you need to fire it. That’ll just be a pain to pull out.”

“I know all this,” Lukas said irritably. “But I’m most familiar with this style of bow. I can make it work.”

“Maybe if you weren’t stomping around the woods,” Chase muttered.

“Excuse me?”

“You were running after the rabbit. Bad idea; you’ll never catch up with them. It’s better to wait and let the animals come to you. If you have to move, be quieter about it. And slow. Conserve your energy; animals get tired faster than humans.” Chase glanced downwards. “You’re wearing heavy boots, I see. Those will make a lot of sound no matter how much you try to be quiet. And your clothes stand out, too. Especially that red band on your wrist. It’s bright and you have to hide it. Like I did.” He turns his cap right-side out again, letting the red ribbon show.

“Hmm.” Lukas eyed him. He did that quite a lot, but somehow, it felt different this time. More...respectful. “Well. I’ll keep that in mind.” He turned away.

“Um...right.” Now that Lukas was leaving, Chase felt the sudden energy that had filled him starting to fade away. “I’ll...see you at the celebrations, then.”

Lukas didn’t say anything, but he raised his hand in acknowledgement, not stopping as he headed back to camp.

Well...that wasn’t too bad, all things considered. Lukas clearly didn’t think worse of him. And he had managed to shoot a rabbit, something he’d rarely done in all his years as a hunter. Though he’d only done that because the rabbit was too busy running from Lukas to notice him crouching nearby. So really, he should thank him.

Maybe later. For now, Chase headed back to camp, ready to join in on the festivities.

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

By the time Chase returned to Wyvernlair, the festivities were starting to get underway. Games, mostly. People gathered in circles playing cards, or in threes playing dice, or in pairs playing board games. Others clustered around the players, watching the game and shouting encouragement. Some food was already prepared. Plates of sweet buns and meat pies were passed around. Chase grabbed a couple buns as he looked around.

But though the camp inside the circle of dragon bones was crowded, most people were out on the combat field. That was where the war games were set up. Chase decided to stop by for a moment. Even if he wasn’t going to participate, he wanted to see how things were going.

Targets were set up for archers to test their skill. People had grabbed close-quarters training weapons and were sparring, onlookers cheering on their favored winner. Someone had dragged over a rock and a large branch, setting up a makeshift see-saw that people were standing on top of, trying to knife-fight without losing their balance. Chase shook his head at that particular event. He himself had some scars on his hands from knife-fights as a young man; they really weren’t worth the bragging rights.

There was an especially large crowd gathered around one particular sparring match. Chase stopped, edging his way into the mass of people as he tried to see what was going on. Wait a minute...was that Jackie?

Indeed, Jackie was one of the sparring participants. And he was easily outclassing his opponent. He easily danced around jabs and swipes, not striking for a while, then jumped forward and hit his opponent on the side with his wooden practice sword. The crowd cheered, and the two participants backed away, shaking hands as they parted. Chase could’ve sworn he saw money change hands among the watchers.

“Anyone want to go for another round?” Jackie called to the crowd. “Doesn’t have to be to the first contact. What about to the ground?”

At that, a tall man grabbed a practice sword from a nearby rack, stepped forward, and announced, “I accept the challenge!” The crowd cheered again. “To the ground!”

Jackie grinned. “To the ground! Someone give us a count!”

In unison, the crowd started chanting, counting down from five as Jackie and his opponent started circling each other. Chase joined in. “Five!...Four!...Three!...Two!...One!...Clash!”

The two men immediately started going at each other with the practice swords, jabbing and backing up, swiping and dodging. The new opponent tried to make use of his height advantage, but Jackie was just too fast. The sparring lasted a few minutes and the crowd was enthralled for every second. Until Jackie managed to get behind his opponent and knock out his legs, making him fall to the ground. The crowd cheered. The opponent got up, looking no worse for wear and in good spirits. He shook hands with Jackie before leaving. Now Chase was sure he saw people exchanging money.

“He’s got skill, doesn’t he?”

Chase looked up, and saw Holly standing beside him. “Oh. Yea, he’s really good.”

Holly laughed. “That’s an understatement. You know he trained at Fíornear Field?” Chase nodded. “Well, so did I. But he could beat me in a fight nine times out of ten.”

“Really?” Chase asked, interested. “That many times? I thought it would’ve been closer between you two.”

“Everyone does. I say it’s the size difference. But what Jackie lacks in height, he makes up for in practice and sheer determination.” Holly watched as Jackie started sparring with another opponent. “Anyway, Chase. Come to watch or try your hand?”

Chase laughed. “No, no, just watching.”

“Well. In that case.” Holly leaned closer. “Care to try for chance?”

“You mean betting? Don’t tempt me.” Chase shook his head. “Besides, I can tell that betting against Jackie is a waste of time and money.”

“Doesn’t have to be at this spar. There’s many more war games to be had. I hear there’s axe throwing.”

“Axe throwing?” Chase perked up. “Alright, I have to see that. Lead the way.”

Holly laughed, and the two of them left, heading towards a set of targets. Indeed, some people had taken up throwing axes at these targets. Not competing against each other at the moment, only themselves, and also showing off for the passersby. Chase watched as one of the axe-throwers hit the center of her target. Then, surprisingly, he recognized the axe-thrower. “Nemet!” he called.

Nemet turned around, smiling at him. “Hello, Chase! How are you?”

“I’m doing fine. What are you...uh...I didn’t know you threw axes.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Is it so unexpected?”

Chase shrugged. “Well, you’re a doctor.”

“I am. I am a doctor who likes to throw axes.” Nemet picked up a throwing axe on the ground beside her. She held it back, paused to aim, and threw. It landed right next to the last one she threw. Holly and Chase clapped, impressed.

“Wanna shoot something, Brodyson?”

Chase yelped in surprise at the voice that came from behind him. He spun around to see Tripp grinning up at him. “You did that on purpose,” he accused.

“Maybe,” Tripp said. He was tossing a rock back and forth between his hands. Getting bored of that, he threw it to the side. Magically, the rock curved around, shooting for the target, where it bounced off the handle of one of Nemet’s axes. “Ah, almost a bull’s eye. Anyway, wanna shoot something, Brodyson? We could have a triple competition, axes versus arrows versus sorcery.”

“Hmm.” Chase considered it. “You know I had only planned to watch, but...that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Don’t let him pressure you if you don’t want to, Chase,” Nemet said.

“No, do let him pressure you, I want to see this!” Holly insisted.

Chase laughed. “Alright, fine. Just a few rounds.”

Though as the afternoon passed, those few rounds stretched out into many. Chase had never been one for war games, but somehow, he didn’t mind.

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

Eventually, of course, came the main draw of the winter celebrations: the feast. The people who’d volunteered to cook had been preparing food all day, and shortly before sunset, declared it ready. Instantly, a good half of everyone dropped what they were doing and headed over to the cooking fires.

Chase wasn’t sure what to expect from the feast. Wyvernlair didn’t use tables for food, so would everyone be standing around with plates? But it seemed as though they’d found tables, if just for today. Probably borrowed from storage. Some of the meat stayed on the skewer, roasting over the fires to keep it hot until someone wanted it. But most food was lined up on the tables, free to take. Sweet buns and meat pies, of course, but also preserved fruits that had been kept for a special occasion like this, and tarts covered in sugar, and pumpkin pie, and roasted potatoes, and more than could be counted.

Everyone ate until they couldn’t anymore, washing down the food with water, juice, and ale. Chase savored it, mingling and talking with the other Phantoms. And for once, he didn’t feel out of place here.

Time passed. The sun set. And as the feast died down, most people began talking about the Dark Vigil, the ceremony used to honor the Elder of Dark and thank them for protecting humankind from the shadows. Chase yawned. They’d be holding that in the center of camp, where a spot had been cleared specifically for that purpose. But it would be some time before everyone was ready. So, Chase decided to slip out. He headed towards the outside of the skeleton, away from the noise and bustle.

The stars were beautiful tonight. It was clear, without any clouds fogging the view, and the moon was nearly full. Chase leaned back against the bone and stared upward. He hadn’t really had the opportunity to appreciate the world lately. It was all busy, working with the Masked Phantoms. But it was nice to slow down for a moment.

Some minutes passed in silence. Then, he heard footsteps approaching. And then, a small thud, the sound of stumbling, and a muttered “Shiesse!”

Chase looked over towards the sounds, already grinning. “You doing alright there, Henrik?”

With a huff, Henrik emerged from the darkness. “I would be better if I know no one heard that,” he muttered.

Chase laughed. “Anyway, how’re you doing? I haven’t seen you all day.”

“Ah, I am fine.” Henrik leaned against the bone next to Chase. “I have been stuck in a dice game for most of the evening. I almost missed the moonrise.”

“I see. Jackie told me you had to do something around then. Is it like the Dark Vigil?” Chase asked.

“Similar, in ways. Different, in others.” Henrik looked up at the sky. He pointed upwards, at the moon. “She is beautiful tonight, yes? I never understood why your Elders never come from the sky.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, I understand there is the Winged Elder One, but they are for more weather, yes?” Henrik kept his eyes fixed skywards. “None of them are for the heavens.”

“Well why would they be?” Chase shrugged. “The sky’s beautiful and wonderful. But it’s so far away. We live on the earth. Shouldn’t we be more concerned with what’s down here?”

“Hmm. Perhaps.” Henrik sighed. He reached down his belt, removing his flask and taking a drink.

“Oh—” Chase started to say something, then stopped. It would probably be rude to ask, wouldn’t it?

Henrik looked over at him, and guessed what he was about to say. “Yes, I am still taking the medicine. It is...not something that goes away.”

“Sorry,” Chase mumbled. “I shouldn’t have—”

“Is okay,” Henrik said, giving him a small smile. “You are polite about it, so I do not mind.” He returned the flask to his belt. “Ah, though I am afraid I must change the subject now. I just remembered. We managed to get the materials for more plaster this week. So you can finally have a mask of your own!”

“I can?” Chase repeated.

“No need to sound so surprised,” Henrik chuckled.

“I did? I didn’t mean to. It just seems a bit...unreal.” Chase had left his borrowed mask, the hedgehog one, back in his tent. Most people had—or at least he assumed they had, since most of them were walking around without them.

“Yes, I understand.” Henrik nodded thoughtfully. “Do you want to wait?”

“Wait no, I didn’t say that—”

“I am just making sure.” Henrik playfully nudged his shoulder. “You will need to choose an animal, you know. Do you have anything in mind?”

“Oh right. I forgot about that part.” Chase thought about it for a moment. “What about...a deer?”

Henrik raised an eyebrow. “A deer?”

“Is that not allowed? I mean, Tripp’s mask has those ram horns so I figured antlers would—”

“No, is not that, I just suppose I did not expect that.”

Chase shrugged. “I like deer. They’re good animals. Um...do I have to make the mask myself, or...?”

“You can if you want, but if you’re not artistically inclined, someone else could do it easily enough. It’s not that difficult if you are...” Henrik trailed off. He was staring out into the trees, eyes fixed on a point. “Chase. Is something moving there?” And he pointed.

“Hm?” Chase peered into the darkness. Indeed, he could see the faint movement of shadows. “Oh, yea. It’s probably just an animal.” He paused. “That’s...getting closer?”

They looked at each other, but unsure what to do with this information, just turned back to watch the animal get closer. And closer. It was too small to be a threat, but Chase felt Henrik tense anyway. Eventually, the animal got close enough to make out what it was. “A...cat?” Chase asked, confused.

“A cat,” Henrik agreed.

“What’s a cat doing all the way out here?”

“I am not sure...” Henrik said slowly, brows lowered as he thought through the possibilities.

The cat continued its course, walking in a straight line up to the two of them. Chase crouched down and held out his hand. “Here, kitty.” Once it was close enough, the cat sniffed his hand. Then, satisfied, butted its head against it. Chase laughed. “Y’know I haven’t met that many cats. When I was young, maybe about twelve, Pastor Cait had a cat. We joked about that, since her name was so similar, ha. But it’s gone now. I don’t think the town had another cat since then. A couple dogs, but no cats.” He reached out and petted it. And after a few seconds of that, scooped up the cat and stood. “Does someone here have a cat?”

“No, there are no animals in camp,” Henrik said, still puzzled. “Does it have a collar?”

Chase checked. Difficult, given that the cat clearly didn’t like being held and was wriggling a bit. “Yea, right here.” He pointed to a braided leather collar around the cat’s neck. “No name, though. For the cat or its person.”

“Well. It is cold and snowy, and even with that fur, I don’t think the cat enjoys being out here,” Henrik stated. “Maybe we should take it into camp? We have that fire set up in the skull now, that could warm it up.”

“Good idea.”

The two of them headed back, passing between the dragon bones and into the main body of Wyvernlair. By now, the festivities were starting to die down. Games were ending, and a lot of people were getting ready to attend the Dark Vigil. Chase and Henrik walked quickly by, since the cat was really struggling against being held by this point. Luckily, it hadn’t used its claws yet, but Chase could already feel them digging into the fabric of his jacket.

They reached the skull soon, passing through the gap where it joined the rest of the bones and ending up inside. It was almost empty here. Except for two people and several birds. Chase blinked a bit at the surprising sight, but then remembered what Jackie had told him that morning. So these must be messenger birds, then. There were about seven of them, pigeons in a variety of colors; white, gray, brown, spotted. Actually, Jackie was here, too. Along with Ana, who Chase had figured out by now was the head of organization at Wyvernlair. They both seemed rather impatient, quickly putting away documents. Probably heading to the Vigil like most others.

Ana looked up, noticed Chase and Henrik, then turned to Jackie and said, “It’s your best friend and his best friend. They have a cat.”

“They have a what?” Jackie spun to look at them. “Oh elders, you have a cat. Where’d you get a cat?”

“It just wandered up,” Chase said. “We thought it might like to get out of the cold—ow!” The cat dug its claws into his skin, managing to pierce the jacket, and Chase instinctively opened his arms. Of course, the cat landed on its feet, and trotted over to the side of the fire, which was slowly dying but still giving off a lot of heat.

“I’ve never seen a cat like that before,” Jackie muttered. “That’s a really unique pattern, isn’t it?” The cat was mostly a brownish off-white, but its ears and tails were dark gray, almost black, and the tail had rings of lighter gray. Its legs were striped with light brown, and it had markings on its face of the same color. Big blue eyes stared up at the strange people.

“Oh!” Henrik’s eyes lit up. “I had not noticed outside! It was fairly dark. Oh, you are a pretty kitty, aren’t you?” He slowly approached the cat, and when it didn’t run away, bent over and started petting it.

Meanwhile, Ana was bored, and anxious to leave. She looked at Chase, and her eyes lit up with a strangely sly expression. “Hey, it’s Chase, isn’t it? Do you mind helping me open this?” She held out a small tube made of metal and leather. “I’ve been trying for a while, I think it’s stuck.”

“Um..sure,” Chase said warily. Was this going to be a joke of some kind? He took the small tube and turned it over in his hands. There was a door on the side of it, and after some effort, he figured out how to open it. Out fell three items. Two folded pieces of paper, made of pressed wood pulp and therefore pale brown, and a rolled-up piece of vellum tied with twine. “What’s this?”

“Messages,” Ana said, grinning. “Can you see names written on them?”

Chase looked down at the items, sorting through them. There was writing on the folded papers, but...well, it could just be his lack of reading skills, but it looked like absolute nonsense. “These are names?” he asked doubtfully.

Jackie and Henrik looked away from the cat, noticing the exchange between Chase and Ana. “What do you mean?” Jackie asked.

“These words written here, these are...names?” Chase shook his head. “I’ve just never heard names like this before. Um...here, I-I’ll try to read them. Uh...” He squinted at the writing in ink on the two papers. “This one is ‘Ee-uh-oo-koh’ and this one is...um...‘Ffssehffmuh.’ I think? The handwriting could be—”

Henrik’s eyes widened. Suddenly, he was right next to Chase, grabbing his arm and squeezing it tightly. “What is it?! The two papers?! Which one is—that one, can I see that one?”

“Whoa, hey, calm down!” Chase leaned back. “You mean this one?” He held out the paper with the ‘Fsefma’ name on it.

“Yes!” Henrik snatched it up, then retreated, unfolding it.

Jackie leaned over his shoulder, then grinned. “Oh, I see. Vsevna sent you a little letter, didn’t he? What’s it say? Is he confessing his love?”

“Shut up, Jackie,” Henrik said, holding the letter far away from him so he couldn’t read it. “Is just another report.”

Jackie laughed. “Yea, with your name on it. Come on, Henrik.”

“That does not mean anything.”

Chase, listening, raised an eyebrow. “So...I don’t know everything that’s going on, but I think I can figure out that this Fsefna person—”

“Vsevna,” Henrik corrected.

“...Vsefna—”

“Vsevna. It is important that you voice those sounds.”

“He’s the person you’re pining for, huh, Henrik?” Chase pressed on.

Henrik was slowly turning red. “I say nothing.”

“Right,” Chase said, grinning. “So, who is he?”

“He’s another one of the Phantoms,” Jackie said, sensing that Henrik wasn’t going to answer. “He and Yuko—that’s the other name on that second paper. Last we heard, they were in the Southern Moors with the rest of their crew. They said they’d scout it out for a bit more, then move on. These are probably their reports. Or...Yuko’s is a report, at least.”

“Shush,” Henrik muttered. He retreated a few steps away from the others, clutching the letter. As he passed Ana, he shot her a glare. “You make Chase open that on purpose.”

Ana just smiled. “Same results, right? Anyway, that’s the last capsule. Do you mind if I head out now?”

“No, go ahead, Ana. Send Harrison to take care of the birds,” Jackie said. She nodded, and left the skull. He then looked at Chase. “Uh...can I have the other two things?”

“Oh right.” Chase forgot he was still holding the other paper and the vellum scroll. He handed them over to Jackie, and the metal tube as well. “I’m surprised. That’s a lot for a bird to carry.”

“Well these guys are trained for it.” Jackie gestured at the pigeons, now strutting around the table. “Especially Mokin here, who had this stuff.” He patted the wings of a particular pigeon, mostly white but with brown wings, which had strangely curly feathers. “They all deserve the best seeds before we send them out again. Anyway.” Jackie unfolded the paper with Yuko’s name on it, scanning the words written there. At first, he looked excited to get a letter from this person. But the more he read, the more serious his expression became. “Henrik.”

Henrik looked away from his own letter, picking up on the tone in Jackie’s voice. “What is it?”

“I...read this while I open this scroll.” Jackie passed Henrik the letter, then began working on the twine knot holding the vellum shut.

Henrik read the letter quickly, and soon his expression matched Jackie’s. “Oh. Oh, Schwestern. Oh, no.”

Chase started to back up, feeling he shouldn’t listen to something like this. But Jackie noticed him leaving and said, “No, it’s fine, Chase. We should tell everyone this, anyway. Tomorrow, maybe.”

“What is it?” Chase asked anxiously.

“Well...you remember we told you about Marvin, right?” Jackie said slowly. “About how he went out on his own and we sometimes get reports of him?” He waited for Chase to nod before continuing. “This...was a report about him. Apparently, he was in the Moors. But...he didn’t just cause chaos and leave. He’s been...caught.”

“Caught?” Chase repeated numbly.

Jackie managed to untie the twine, and unrolled the vellum, scanning what was written there. He nodded grimly. “Yep. You know what this is?” He turned it around so Chase could see.

“That’s...a royal declaration, isn’t it?” Chase asked slowly. He recognized the format, and the royal seal in the corner. “Um...‘The King...announces a...mighty...triumph.’”

“You do not have to keep going, Chase,” Henrik said bitterly. “There are better words to read than that.” He took the declaration from Jackie, glancing at it for just a moment. “I see. Marvin is accused of attempting to kill the King and some other nobility. They caught him in the act, and now...they plan to execute him. Four weeks from now.”

Jackie looked over at the cat, now sitting and licking its paws, and gasped. “Henrik. You don’t think that’s his cat, do you?!”

“What? I suppose perhaps. But if it is, how did it get all the way up here?” Henrik sounded puzzled. “It takes a week or two to get to the Moors from here, and that is for humans on horseback. For a cat...”

“Wizardry?” Jackie guessed. “I don’t know, it was just a thought, since he likes cats so much.”

Everyone fell silent. Henrik looked back at the royal declaration, reading it slowly, taking in the information. “So...how are we going to do this?”

“Do what?” Jackie asked.

Henrik stared at him in surprise. “Well, we have to rescue him, of course.” Jackie didn’t say anything. “Do not tell me that you’re going to let your grudge stand in the way!”

“No, it’s not that!” Jackie protested. “It’s just—you read the letter, right? Yuko said that these declarations were sent everywhere. Since when has the King announced his next move like this? Everything he does, he does in secret. I mean, damn, the Phantoms are just rumors, and we’ve been taking serious action for years now. He’s hushed up so much, why wouldn’t he just make Marvin...you know, disappear? Why a public execution?”

“You think it is a trap,” Henrik stated.

“Well...yes,” Jackie admitted.

“That is fair, but if it’s a trap, who is he planning to catch? If he wants information about us, he could get it from Marvin.”

“But Marvin hasn’t been part of the group for a year now! His information would be out of date.”

“This does not change the fact that there is no guarantee it’s a trap in the first place. Perhaps he wants to strike fear into the population. Given his actions, it seems likely.”

“If it does turn out to be a trap, though, we can’t afford to lose anyone!”

Chase coughed awkwardly. Jackie and Henrik jumped, then turned to him, looking embarrassed to be fighting while he was still there. “You know...I don’t know if I have any place in this. I mean, you two are in charge, after all. But...I think you should try to get him back.”

Henrik and Jackie looked at each other, then back to Chase. “Are you trying to say something?” Jackie asked.

“I just...” Chase paused for a moment, searching for the words. “I don’t think...you should leave someone behind. He was still part of the Phantoms, right? Didn’t he help create it? A-and weren’t you three...Well. You don’t have to talk to him after we rescue him, but it just doesn’t seem right to leave someone behind in this situation. I know you had your fight and all, but maybe...this could be...you know.” He paused. “Also, I want to know if this cat is his or if some random cat just wandered by.”

Jackie laughed. “Yea, that would be good to know, wouldn’t it?” He sighed, and his expression fell, becoming serious as he was lost in thought.

Henrik leaned closer to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Jackie. Chase is right, this does not mean he is rejoining the group. You do not even have to go. But...we should do it. Marvin does not deserve this.”

After a moment, Jackie nodded. “You’re both right. Of course. Even though he was an ass last time we talked, that doesn’t mean I want Marvin dead.” He took a deep breath. “But we should prepare for the possibility of a trap. Just in case.”

“Of course we will,” Henrik assured him.

“...Hey. Chase.” Jackie gave him a smile. “Thank you. I-I don’t know what it is about you, but you know what to say. It’s really easy to talk to you about stuff like this.”

“It’s not a problem,” Chase said, returning the smile. “But, um...I think the Vigil is happening soon, so if we want to go—”

“Shit, I almost forgot about that!” Jackie gasped. “Henrik, I don’t want to leave the cat alone, can you look after it or something?”

“Don’t worry, I will take it to my tent,” Henrik said. “You two go and...is it alright to wish you fun? In a ceremony like this?”

“Come on, Schneep, you’ve lived here for over a decade, don’t talk like it’s so strange to you,” Jackie chuckled.

“I think it’s fun,” Chase said.

“Well, you two go have fun, then,” Henrik said. “I will see you later. Tomorrow, if not tonight.”

“Thanks, Schneep.” Jackie gave him a quick one-armed hug, then headed towards the skull entrance. “Let’s go, Chase. We don’t want to be late.”

They almost were. The Dark Vigil was about to start when they arrived, shuffling into the crowd. Everyone stood in a circle around a set of candles, one blue and the rest black, which were in turn set in a circle around several smooth, round pieces of black onyx. Three people stood inside, lighting the candles.

After the candles were alight, everyone sat on the ground, clashing a bit as they all tried to make room. Then once everyone was sitting with their legs crossed, the three in the center started the Vigil. They spoke the traditional lines, describing the Elder of Dark—their vague appearance, their actions, their history with the other Elders—and finished it by thanking them for their guardianship. Everyone joined in on the final part: “As you stand and watch vigil, so shall we this night.” And then silence fell.

During the silence of the Dark Vigil, each individual offered their thoughts about those who needed protection. In the past, Chase had asked for his family to be alright. For them all to stay healthy and happy. Today, he asked for that again. He wished, silently, desperately, for them to be safe. And not just them, but everyone else who had disappeared from his town, as well as all the other mountain towns that had been destroyed. He thought about Henrik and Jackie and all the other Phantoms he’d met here, and wished for them to have luck in this fight against the King. He thought about Marvin, someone who he’d never met but who was dear to his friends, and wished for them to be able to rescue him.

As Chase stared at the candle flames, he thought he saw...something. He wasn’t sure what. A shape in the smoke. The shape of a four-legged animal, with...antlers. A deer.

Then as was the tradition, the candles were extinguished, and the night was left in darkness.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #jacksepticeye au #septic egos #septic egos au #chase brody #jackieboy man #dr schneeplestein #brigid writes fanfiction #fantasymasksau

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mieohmy · 3 years

Text

𝖬𝖺𝗉 𝗍𝗈 𝖸𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍 | 𝖫𝖾𝖾 𝖩𝗎𝗒𝖾𝗈𝗇

PAIRING: spy! lee juyeon x spy! fem reader

GENRE: fluff, humor, angst, strangers-to-somewhat-lovers?, spy au

WC: 3.3k

NOTES: mentions of violence, weapons

SUMMARY: to be honest, you had no idea how you became a spy with your horrible direction skills. thank goodness for an extremely cute guy that comes to the rescue.

૪

You groan in frustration. Why is this thing so complicated? You’re sure you’ve spent at least 30 minutes (30 minutes and 44 seconds to be exact) trying to figure out how to work this stupid GPS. You curse your horrible directional skills.

It all started with a new case assigned to you. Your boss had called you in and, after naming you “one of the best spies we’ve ever had,” decided to give you a new undercover case. With a new partner. You had no idea who your soon-to-be partner was, not really paying attention to what your boss said oops, and deciding just to study the case later.

After skimming the case file, you took note of the important parts and just threw it aside, putting it to the back of your mind. Which you now regret since you had absolutely no idea how to get to the very high-class party you were attending under a cover, along with your new partner you were supposed to meet up with at the entrance that you were supposed to be at in 8 minutes sharp. You being a very capable spy, knew almost the whole city through and through, but this party was in the more nicer part of the city that you weren’t as familiar with.

Which leads to you now, standing in the middle of the street at night. In a very revealing and glamorous dress that you would never wear but were required to for the case (but mainly because your best friend Yeji said that you should “loosen up more” and “you never have fun”). You would disagree, you considered your job extremely fun and satisfying. It wasn’t every day that you could bash bad guys’ faces in.

Shivering from a sudden gust of wind, it caused you to focus on the task once more. Your phone in hand, you had typed in the address in maps and were sadly still trying to figure out how to get there. You squinted at the screen. Which way were you facing? Is that left or right? You continued walking, still staring at the screen and not paying attention to your surroundings (your boss would be shaking his head if he saw).

You let out a sound of frustration. Why were maps so hard to read? You took a few more steps until you heard a “Whoa!” and an arm reached across and grabbed your shoulder, effectively cutting you off and stopping you abruptly.

You immediately look up, eyes focusing on a lamppost right in front of your face. You glance down at the arm blocking you and then at the person who just saved you and your face (but mainly your pride).

Of course, it had to be an extremely attractive male who saved you from almost face-planting into a pole. You immediately back up and bow at him, muttering thanks and apologies. He laughs, just brushing it off and asking, “I noticed a pretty girl like you all alone and walking, but I never thought you would almost walk straight into a pole.” You blush in embarrassment, from what you almost did or the compliment, you’re not sure. You cough before replying, “I was actually trying to find my way to this party, but I’m afraid I have no idea how to get there.” You study him for a moment, his black hair styled up with gel and wearing a very expensive suit that you’re sure costs more than your car. His body posture seems relaxed so you’re able to put your guard down a little.

His eyes widen for a second before he says, “Actually, I’m on the way to a party as well. Could it be we’re going to the same place?” Turned out, you both were. And luckily, he knew the way. So you were going the right way, you think as he continues on past the telephone pole, you one step behind him.

The mysterious guy introduces himself as Joel, and you comment on his name before he tells you he’s originally from America but moved here to Korea to build his own business. You tilt your head, noticing he didn’t have any kind of accent, but you brush it off. You introduced yourself under your cover name, a daughter representing your father who owns a successful business in printing.

You get along pretty well with him for the 4 minutes that you’re walking together. It didn’t seem awkward or uncomfortable. To be honest, you didn’t really have time or luck for romance with your job, so talking with him made you feel jittery? Not to mention his good looks too. You admired his tall physique from behind as you two continued walking.

You subtly take your in-ear piece tucked in your secret dress pocket and hold it in your hand, waiting until you get closer. When you near the entrance, you turn the earpiece on and put it in, hoping no one saw. You wait until you hear Yeji’s voice coming through. “Can you hear me?” You clear your throat as a sign of confirmation so Joel didn’t suspect anything. As you near the steps to the entrance, you turn to him, “Thank you for guiding me to the right place. I would’ve messed up if I didn’t make it here on time. You don’t have to wait for me here, I have to take a call before going in.” You really would’ve screwed up, you thought. Spies didn’t tolerate lateness and you hoped your partner that you still haven’t found yet did.

Joel nods in understanding, “Then I’ll see you inside perhaps?” You give him a shy smile before nodding back. He grins, giving you a thumbs up before ascending the stairs. “Who was that?” Yeji questioned. “Nobody, just a cute guy that helped me get here,” you reply, looking around the place for any sign of your mysterious partner. You hear her gasp faintly. “You actually called a guy cute?!”

You roll your eyes, deciding to go up the stairs and look. “Yeah, well it doesn’t matter right now. I’m looking for my co-worker, and I have no idea who and where they are.” Yeji makes a sound of disapproval. “You don’t know who they are?” You hear the typing of her keyboard before she responds, “Lee Juyeon. 23. Under Cre.ker branch. He goes by the code name of Joel Lee if you meet him inside.” You raise your eyebrows in shock. “Shoot. The guy that I was talking to earlier was him. And he just left.” Yeji groans. “You didn’t know who he was? And he didn’t either?” And you two are supposedly our best spies...” she mutters off.

Lee Juyeon. The name sounds familiar to you, but you guess you’ve never met him before since you would’ve known if you had seen a face like that before, and he didn’t recognize you either.

You sigh before climbing up the rest of the stairs and giving your invitation to the man waiting by the entrance before heading in. It’s enormous. Elegant. Extravagant. Exactly how you expected it. There are fancy people, food, decorations. You would be lying if you said it didn’t take your breath away still.

Focusing on the task at hand, you scan the area. Where is he? You get distracted by a couple of waiters offering you extremely fancy drinks (which you gladly accept). You are finally able to locate him talking to a group of people. You notice he’s definitely engaged in the conversation but occasionally looks up and scans the room, possibly searching for you?

You hoped he figured out that you were his partner. You honestly wanted to smack him and yourself as well since neither of you guys realized that you were working together. As you study the place, you notice some shady guys in the corner, talking amongst themselves. You don’t know what it is, but they seem off. You narrow your eyes at them, making a note in your head to keep an eye out. “Yeji,” you murmur, “there are some guys to my left that are giving me weird vibes.” “Okay, if you need backup, let me know.”

You recall what your boss had said to you when giving the mission. “-don’t forget that you two have to act like you don’t know each other. You can interact, but don’t make it obvious, alright? ...... “-you two escape through the vents, and you know it from there?” You remember yourself faintly nodding. Your boss gives you a look. “You know what to do if you fail—”

Then you’re interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. You spin around, and there’s a man. He bows and introduces himself as Lee Sangyeon. You return the bow, and Yeji speaks in your ear. “Lee Sangyeon. Vice-chairman of the man you’re after.” Exactly who you’re looking for. You talk for a little more before giving him a sweet smile, blinking up at him. “Would you be so kind as to introduce me to your boss?” Not forgetting about Joel or Juyeon?, you find him looking at you as Sangyeon guides you to your target.

You return your attention to Sangyeon, who leads you to what seems to be the chairman. Target acquired. Middle-aged, slightly drunk, but you can see the gleam in his eyes when he meets you. You bow, trying your best to seem elegant. When the chairman grins at you, you remember his profile. Attracted to innocent girls that play hard-to-get. Strangely specific, you thought at the time, but now you’re grateful for it. “What’s a beautiful girl doing here at a party like this?” You smile in disgust bashfully and recite your story. Perfectly memorized to the bone.

As the party continues, you continue to get closer to the chairman, laughing at whatever he says. You’re not sure what Juyeon is doing at the moment, but music begins to play. The chairman asked you to dance, and of course, you accept. You two dance for a couple of minutes(which you felt extremely uncomfortable but tried not to show it) until Juyeon surprisingly cuts in and asks if he can dance with you. You let out a sigh of relief. The chairman laughs, giving you away with a shoo as he leaves, but you can tell his eyes are still watching you.

Juyeon’s hands naturally go on your waist, and you put your hands around his neck. You’re not sure why you feel so nervous though, heart beating faster for some reason.

You take the chance to look at him. How did you not see such a handsome guy at work before? He smirks, noticing you staring. “What is it?” You blush again, but this was not the time to get distracted. You introduce yourself properly. He quirks his eyebrows in confusion before you reach up to whisper in his ear, “We have to pretend we’ve never met before, Lee Juyeon.” He looks shocked, confused, and almost scared before it clicks in his head. “I’m glad I got a pretty girl like you as my partner,” he replies with a grin, eyes staring deep into yours. You think you hear Yeji squeal.

You two continue swaying, occasionally scanning the area. It felt natural like you could continue dancing with him forever. But you were on a mission, and as much as you wanted to keep dancing, you needed to focus. “I’m gonna go to the door on your right, 2 o’clock, follow me in 3,” you murmur. Finally stepping back, it suddenly feels colder now that you’re not in his arms.

You walk towards the door, but not before being stopped by the chairman. He really won’t let you go, you think. You smile and quickly tell him you have to take a quick call, and he lets you go. Once you twist the knob, you scan the surroundings. It’s an empty hallway, with two doors on the left and one straight down. You wait for a little until you heard the door click.

You turn and Juyeon’s there, and so you talk. “How did we not know who each other was?!” He lowers his head in shame, “I didn’t really take the time to look up who you were..” You laugh before continuing. “ it’s my fault too, anyways, do you know what we have to do?” He nods, about to reply until you hear voices getting closer to the door. You immediately grab him and pull him into the nearest room, shutting the door.

You hear the doors open, and the sound of men’s voices cut through. “Do you have it ready?” “Yes, set to 15 minutes.” There are more murmurs that you strain to hear, but it’s very faint. After a couple of minutes, they leave the hallway. You sigh in relief, having completely forgotten about Juyeon. When you try to turn, you realize what position you’re in. You were leaning against the door, ear pressed to it, and Juyeon was over you, one arm by your head, bodies almost pressed together.

You catch his eye and notice them flick down to your lips. You think you’re slowly leaning in, closer, you can almost feel his lips, until Yeji suddenly asks, “What happened?” Your eyes fling open, and you regain your composure, suddenly clearing your throat. He immediately steps back, allowing you to open the door as you reply to her and go back out into the party, sending him one last look.

The chairman finds you again, no surprise. You suddenly stumble, and he catches you, concerned. You suck in a breath. “I’m... not feeling so well. Is there a place I could rest for a moment?” You look at him underneath your lashes, hoping he would take you to the right room. “Of course, of course, you can stay in my study.” He guides you slowly, hand on your back, to the correct room. He takes out his key and unlocks it, letting you in and placing you on his couch. He puts his hand on your exposed shoulder, and you want to smack it away. “I’m afraid I can’t stay in here with you, but I’ll check up on you in a bit. Let me know if you need anything.” As he closes the door behind him, you immediately get up and go to his desk.

Where is the flash drive? You search through every drawer, moving swiftly as your time is limited. You hope Juyeon is out there, distracting the chairman and doing what was assigned. You continue ruffling through papers until you spot it. “Got it Yeji.” You hide it under your dress. “Great, now-“ She’s immediately interrupted by a loud BOOM from outside the room. Then screams and crashes follow. You immediately rush outside.

It’s chaos. People were running everywhere, trying to escape. And then you see the men from earlier, guns out and shooting. You roll your eyes in frustration. What do they want? Of course, people were messing up your mission. You search for Juyeon, but he’s not in sight. Beginning to panic, you look around. Do I help people or escape? Your boss’s words echo. The mission always comes first. You let out a sigh before comming Yeji. “We need backup. Now. Those guys set off a bomb and have guns.” “On it,” she replies.

Then Juyeon comes into your vision. Once he sees you, he immediately rushes to you, checking over you. “Are you okay-“ You put your hand over his, reassuring. “I’m fine, got the drive. Just follow me, alright?” You run one of the doors. Luckily there’s so much happening no one notices you. You kick it open, and he follows behind you, briskly running through the hallway into the restroom.

Once you get in there, you turn to Juyeon. His ears are red, you notice, probably from being in a restroom with you, but you ignore it. “Juyeon, can you get in that vent?” He looks extremely confused, but the look in your eyes must’ve told him. He climbs on top of the sink and hits it. The door falls down, and he looks at you before climbing in. You climb onto the sink ungracefully, cursing your heels. Juyeon looks down at you, and you reach out your arms, signaling for him to help you up. He grabs your arms and easily pulls you up.

Even though you’ve done countless missions, some far more dangerous than this one, you immediately let out a small shriek at the dirty vents. “Y/n, what is going on?” You sigh, “I don’t have time to explain, just keep going forward until you hit the end.”

You continue crawling in the nasty vents, praying for your very expensive dress. “Just a little more,” he grunts. Once he finally reaches the end, you direct him to open the vent, and he busts it open and crawls out. He politely helps you get out, and you’re about to comment, but you suddenly hear noises below you.

You look around. You’re both on the rooftop, wind blowing past and ruffling your dress. There’s a door leading up to the rooftop where you think you heard the sounds coming from.

“Shoot. I think they’re coming up here.” You grab Juyeon’s hand and lead him to the edge. “What are you doing?” he asks, eyes wide. “Just trust me,” you reply. You position yourself so your back is facing the edge, and you’re in front of him. “Y/n- what-” he splutters. You wrap his arms around your back and place your hands on his shoulders, inching closer and closer to the edge. You think you hear the door burst open and shouts, but you close your eyes, praying this would work, and fall back, pulling Juyeon with you as you rush through the air.

For a second, all you can hear is the rushing of the wind and your hair blowing past, and then you hit something hard, letting out an oof. When you open your eyes, you see Juyeon on top of you, eyes squeezed shut. The only thing heard was the sound of breathing from you two, mixing in the air.

“Juyeon,” you call softly. He slowly opens his eyes, meeting your eyes, somewhat dazed. “Are you okay?” “Wh-what just happened?” he shakily responds. “Since our plan kinda got messed up, this was the backup that I called for. Sorry I didn’t get the chance to tell you..” You unconsciously play with the back of his neck. He says nothing, dark eyes just staring into you.

You open your mouth to ask him to get off you because he was kinda heavy, but you got cut off by Juyeon leaning into you, wrapping his arms around you. You freeze, shocked, before hugging him back. He stays like that for a moment before murmuring, “I’m extremely scared of heights, but thank you.” You were about to ask him why, but whatever you two landed in came to a sudden stop. Honestly, you were so distracted you didn’t notice it was even moving in the first place.

You look at your surroundings. You two were in the back of a truck. Luckily you had landed on top of a covered tapestry(?) to break your fall, but you knew you would be sore after.

You hear a voice, and both your heads turn toward the sound. It was Eric, coming around the back and suddenly seeing you two. “You guys alright-“ He suddenly stops at the sight. You quickly tap Juyeon’s shoulder, and he lets you up. You slowly sit up with a groan. Eric was still frozen so you raise an eyebrow at him. “Oh. Right. Yeah, um we’ve got everything covered. The people are taken care of, and everyone’s safe. I’m guessing you guys are ok?”

“Yeah,” Juyeon suddenly says, getting up and helping you off. He takes your hand as you two continue walking, not letting go. You two share a look before carrying on back to turn in the flash drive, still safely tucked under your dress. Only confused Eric noticing your bashful expression and Juyeon’s red ears as you two walk off.

#the boyz #the boyz juyeon #lee juyeon #tbz juyeon #juyeon #the boyz x reader #the boyz imagines #the boyz scenarios #lee juyeon scenarios #lee juyeon imagines #lee juyeon x reader #juyeon x reader #juyeon scenarios #juyeon imagines #the boyz fluff #tbz #juyeon fluff

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pepperpills · 3 years

Text

The Harvest - RE8 Fanfic

The Harvest

A Resident Evil 8 fan fiction by Joana

Karl Heisenberg x Female Reader

Notes: heey, so here is Part III, hope you all enjoy it! i'm thinking of starting a new story soon, once this is ended, probably focusing more on world building and Karl and reader relationship hehe

Warning: NSFW content

Part I - Destiny (1) Part I - Destiny (2) Part II - The Lord

Part III – The Hunt

Getting to know the factory turned out to be a fantastic experience. You had never seem so many different paraphernalia in your live, the closer you had ever got to that was when you were a child poking around your dad’s storeroom, but there were only some tools, agriculture products and inherited ornaments from your cabin family – these last ones were your absolute favourite.

Heisenberg’s factory, on the other hand, was full of interesting things, some of them you had no idea what were used for. You even found a suspicious “torture” room, but couldn’t dig into it, once he was nearby. Still, you found his journals narrating his experiments, his audio reports and some guide books on mechanics that had you intrigued for a long time while reading them. He was a madman, you were convinced, but at the same time, that secluded part of you was growing a little each day you explored his life.

Lord Heisenberg was nicer and quieter than you would imagine. He basically lived in his various offices across the factory, mostly he would be trying new mechanisms on bodies and seeing how they reacted with the Cadou, the strange parasite the villagers mentioned only on rare and veiled conversations. As far as it wasn’t you, or your family, lying cold on one of the stretchers, you didn’t care. As a matter of fact, you felt tempted to try some things with the gears yourself as you deepen your studies in his books.

At your first days there, you got worried you would have to share the bed with him, which would be much more proximity than you had ever had with another person. The man had already seen your half naked and that was enough. However, he didn’t sleep there with you and you wondered why, once he so enthusiastically mocked you about it when you arrived. Actually, you started doubting he ever slept at all.

You were still a bit scared, though, never knowing if he would play a prank on you, so you were very careful to avoid him for a while - that didn’t endure –, believing you should give him space to get used to your presence after the mood he got into after your reception.

He was disturbed, indeed. His work was getting closer to a crucial point that involved Mother Miranda. He musted be discreet, but it was proving to be a real trial with Soldats activating and running around as lost beasts. Also, having you around actually gave him a new problem.

Lord Heisenberg would walk around the factory looking for material, testing the Soldats and cursing a lot, some of these swearwords you didn’t even know, but started liking how he used them, almost cartoonish. It was never directed to you, of course. He acted like you weren’t there most of the time, in others, when he was more chilled, with less work to do, he asked “how is the mess at the wing, buttercup?” laughing at you blushing at his indiscreet platonic flirts.

You had to find your way around the factory. That place was a labyrinth and a map would come handy, so you drew it on some clean papers you found lying around, loving not to get lost anymore. You hadn’t been face-to-face to one of his creations yet, just saw them on the production lines on the overview of the factory and on some specific rooms. You also avoided it due to fear.

He told you where the wing to be cleaned was and you found it after an hour. It was so incredibly packed with mechanical parts that you could barely come inside to take a look. Huffing, you thought that he could solve that without moving a muscle. It made you mad, but also made you wonder what you were doing there. You cleaned it anyway, as it was your duty and used that waste to build some minor projects.

At the end of your expedient, your hands were orange because of the rusty irons you were moving all day long and you had little cuts here and there, but nothing really bad. As it was going, it wouldn’t take long for you to finish cleaning and could even decorate it for him, making it feel more like home to you too.

You were liking it there. Of course, it was dusty, grey, sometimes rusty and hot all the time, but it was also very different from everything. Once you said goodbye to the cabins, then to the Village and maybe being away from Miranda’s dominance made you feel lighter.

You found some red fabric lying around somewhere, appearing to be forgotten, made some nature sketches on blank papers and put yellow lights on the bedroom and on Karl’s soon-to-be new working room. It looked cosy. You hoped he would appreciate it when he met the reformed wing, until then, you would keep quiet not to bother him.

Though, shortly after you finished decorating the bedroom, an event destroyed your plans of avoiding Heisenberg. On your daily route to what you would now call your wing, you crossed the kitchen and found an overcoat-less Karl trying to prepare a sandwich. He had any chef’s nightmare happening in that place. There were blunt knives flying around, a metal cup chasing the kettle spilling hot coffee all over the floor as he tried to open a bottle of whiskey and, finally, hot coffee hit Heisenberg’s chest and he screamed and cursed like a sore animal.

“FUCK!” He thundered, his word echoing in the corridor where you stood.

You couldn’t ignore that scene even if you tried. You were getting tired of not talking to him, you lived together now and all your few friends were slowly becoming distant memories. You would be happy to hear his voice, something else than gears rumble, even if it was cursing your predecessors.

As a powerful person, he would try to use his powers to do simple things and do a real mess instead. You felt compelled to give him some support, maybe it was a part of your mother’s care for others that lived in you too. You entered the kitchen headstrong, holding a laugh at his misery looks. Now he was stroking his shirt with a cloth and only noticed you when you were getting around the island.

You didn’t know, however, he never “never noticed” you. He felt your presence at the corridor before you saw him and he felt ashamed of you seeing him failing at a stupid task, and so forth his reaction was to be boorish.

“What?” He asked in a rude tone.

“Just let me help.” You offered, placing your hand in the air between you two. It wasn’t really an offer, you were just being polite, you would help him one way or another, you would have your small talk, but he wouldn’t give up so easily. “Please.” You asked, making the sweeter voice you could.

He huffed and threw the wet cloth on the sink. You took another cloth from one of the drawers – you were getting used to the utensils’ places –, wet it a little with water and looked at him, your head slightly tilted to the right.

“What is it, kitten?” Heisenberg questioned, roughly playful then.

“It is your shirt.” You pointed.

“Yes, it is dirty. Weren’t you trying to help?” He started to lose patience.

“Yeah, I am. It is just… You will have to take it off.” You let it out unpretentiously, although in your mind you were revengeful.

“Oh.” He understood and immediately took it off with so much easiness you wondered how many times he did that when you were so uncertain of it at your first day.

You had never seem him shirtless. To be quite sincere, you hadn’t seen many shirtless men in your life. The Village was a very cold town, once it was deep into a forest in the mountains, so even in the summer there wasn’t a hot weather, so people tended to keep their clothes on. Because of this, when he took it off you instantly blushed at his scarred chest.

He has what you would call a dad body. It isn’t really sinewy, although still very strong with thick arms and defined muscles. He has some belly, which means he isn’t a skinny person, but he isn’t fat also. And maybe you took too long looking at him like that and feeling weird feelings you would think about later that night.

“You’re almost drooling there, buttercup.” He teased you and when you quickly, but gently, started cleaning his chest with the cloth, so you wouldn’t have to answer, he gave up a deliciously loud laugh.

You laughed with him, making him laugh even harder. You didn’t want to admit it, but you liked it, this casual connection between you two. The laugh died a gradual death and you started moving you hand on his chest, feeling its warmth below the cloth. You could almost swear his breathing was getting faster and you saw he was biting his lips, maybe because you were taking too long. You didn’t want to finish, but you both know there wasn’t much coffee on him anyway.

You put the cloth with the other one in the sink and as you watered them, you saw him going to get his shirt that had been laying on the island.

“No, no, no.” You said, taking it from his hands kind brusquely, making him confused. “I need to wash these.”

“I see.” He said, raising his hands to show he wouldn’t try again, as a peace offer that made you grin.

“I can finish your sandwich for you, it will only take a minute.” You added, embarrassed to be so bossy with him.

“I will be at my office.” He told you and left without looking back.

You thought he got mad at you because of the shirt situation. It made you sad, you started having a nice approach. To compensate you made him a really good sandwich with the meat and vegetables you found in the refrigerator. Searching for food there you considered asking him to go see the Duke and buy supplies, maybe even hunt, because you didn’t have enough provisions. Anyway, you also prepared the coffee, poured a glass of cowboy whisky – sipped one, two or three times yourself – and cleaned what was there to be cleaned. It took more than one minute, but less than teen.

You were heading to his office when you heard a muffled noise. It sounded guttural and made you shiver. Electricity running through your body, making you feel hopelessly exposed, only that countered by the alcohol it felt good. You stepped carefully as you got closer to the door. You considered not knocking, but the noise made you knock.

“Just…” He gasped. “Leave it at the door, please.” Heisenberg was painting, but he asking “please” was what made up your mind, that politeness wasn’t usual, so you did what he requested.

You wanted to be around him on that day, but chose to respect his privacy. You didn’t imagine that his mind was blowing with you, he desperately wanted to continue the kitchen talk, but couldn’t give himself the chance once he was so close to perfecting the Soldats.

To ease your thoughts, as you were no longer requested at the factory, you tested your stealth skills and slipped to the forest behind it, caring your bow and arrows determinedly.

You were familiar with that area as you have hunted all around the Village, thus, you knew where to go to find good preys. It was by the lake were the deer stopped to drink water. It was far from the factory entrance, but again, you knew exactly what you were doing. When approaching the lake, you climbed a tree and waited.

It didn’t take long until a lonely deer appeared, unsuspicious. It leaned its head so it could reach the water level and started drinking it. You positioned one arrow, held your breath and did the physics magic. The arrow nailed its left eye. It didn’t scream, it was over very quickly.

You climbed the tree down, came closer to the body and tied it with the rope you brough from the factory. Your way back wasn’t effortless, you were slower due to the extra weight and the lycans sensed its blood, their sounds were all around you. They wouldn’t hurt your, though, somehow, they knew you were with Heisenberg.

It was past four in the afternoon when you reached the factory, panting with the effort of bringing the deer. Heisenberg was poking around for something in his front yard. He noticed you just as you appeared in his peripherical vision. He walked towards you, with an intrigued expression that transformed into an impressed one when he saw the deer.

“Some gifts you have there, kitten, ain’t gonna lie.” He commented, squatting to take a good look at the animal. “How did you do that?” It was clear he didn’t mean to offend, quite the opposite, he was genuinely curious.

“A girl has her secrets.” You answered, when you finally stop panting, shrugging when internally you are fulfilled someone knew about you hunting and didn’t seem mad at you.

He wasn’t even angry you left the factory without his permission, which made you happier. He stood below you with the animal for a few seconds more, than got up on his feed, laid his hands on your shoulders, well, on your skin hunting jacket, and said “You are really something, kitten.”

You fell for his words. You never wanted to feel that dependant on someone’s appreciation for you, but with him it was lighter. Karl took the weight of the world off your shoulders by bringing you there and kind off supporting you even though you had only spent little more than a month together.

“Thank you, my lord.” You spoke.

“Stop it. Call me Karl.” He said roughly, but good hearted. “Now, do you know how to clean this deer?” Heisenberg asked.

Usually, Duke would do it for you, although you knew the theory, you hadn’t much practice.

“I was hoping you could help me with it, Karl.” You suggested, toasting him a malicious smile.

“For fuck’s sake.” But he cursed laughing.

He cleaned this table at the garage and disposed the deer there. You helped him doing the messy job, learning with him what you only saw the Duke doing. It wasn’t pretty, but you were comforted by his presence and obstinacy. He probably did it often as it showed, but didn’t bother to take it slower so he could teach you.

Heisenberg enjoyed that night more than you could imagine. He didn’t care for the Soldats, they could wait, it was nice being around you for a change, not running away from your hair, your smile, your presence. For the first time in his life, he actually had someone who wanted to be around him.

Later your prepared venison, demi-glace, potatoes, a fresh arugula salad and both of your enjoyed dinner at the kitchen island with bottles of dark beer. He was funny, he was tripping over words a little, due to the alcohol, but his stories, oh man… He was a real brat. You told him about the cabins and the hunting. He listened carefully, never judging you and laughed at your silly manners, at your etiquette and, over all, loved your cook.

He slept in the bed with you, tired, amused and drunk, he sunk in his dreams. You stayed up a bit longer, resisting your lazy eyes temptations just to appreciate his scent, it would smell like burned wood.

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