#everyone’s always asking oh you have a nice flute can i play it? HELL NO

[dykebluejay]

i’m ngl letting someone play my flute would be just as intimate as kissing them to me. i’m just not gonna do that unless i rly know and trust you

#bluejay.txt #i offered to do it Once with a girl from a music event that i knew well and had a fat crush on. #we didn’t end up actually doing it but we held each others flutes and like inspected them which also felt very close lmao #that sounds like a euphemism #everyone’s always asking oh you have a nice flute can i play it? HELL NO #music school moment

[veliseraptor]

So this is in NO WAY PRESSURING, get to this whenever you're bored and have nothing better to do, but I (have still not watched The Untamed) would love to hear any disorganized rambles around your fic 'Punitive Measures', like your thoughts while writing it, how you view Xue Yang's fight/flight/freeze instinct, and/or where you would take the plot if you ever came back to it (again, not pressuring, I'm not asking for a sequel, I'm asking for director's commentary. Also I know the mysterious flute was implying Wei Wuxian, I know that much and not much more.) It's a really fun, quick fic that I enjoy reading through while I keep circling around your longer, more intimidating stories. I aspire to write like you.

oh boy, well, I don't know that I ever have nothing to do but here I am answering this ask anyway, because I like talking about my fic even if I get self-conscious about it.

this entire fic falls solidly into the genre of fic I write that is legitimately just “I’m gonna fuck up this character I love because it’ll be fun and I love to do that” and then just kinda...went for it. actually harder than I was initially planning! my vague sense of what I was going to do with this fic didn’t have Xue Yang down an eye at the end of it.

but when inspiration strikes, what’s a girl to do, etc.

I actually thought recently about writing a sequel to this fic (or, well, continuing into the AU it started, more like) because the concept of Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang being bloodthirsty vengeance brethren is a very good one for me, personally, and at the point their paths would be intersecting in this AU a more plausible one than it would be at pretty much any other time (I would argue, at least in CQLverse). And that’s where I think this would be going. Because Xue Yang would see Wei Wuxian, in his bloodiest frame of mind, powered up with a gorgeous flute of bad vibes and go “fuck yes” even if he wasn’t in a place where he really needed the help.

The question I had was whether Wei Wuxian would be interested in accepting company, and I feel like Xue Yang on that front could be convincing. And the way that the latter would both enable and egg on all the former’s darkest fantasies and impulses...I’m just saying, Wen Chao and everyone he has ever known is in for a very bad time, possibly even worse than they already were.

I invite you to picture in this AU the part where Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji find not just darker and edgier Wei Wuxian at the end of their scavenger hunt but darker and edgier Wei Wuxian with a friend. A familiar friend! Now down an eye and practically picking his teeth with Wen Chao’s finger bones. :D

since you asked for disorganized rambling I went back to reread and I’ll give you some director’s commentary on a few things

And he’d kind of hoped Wen Ruohan would be too busy figuring out how to deal with his brewing war to dedicate much attention to looking for one absent retainer. And even if he did, Xue Yang had sort of figured that finding him would fall to Wen Chao, who’d probably struggle to find his own ass with two hands.

kicking off this director’s commentary with Xue Yang’s brutal assessment of the competency of Wen Chao.

tbh one of my favorite things about CQL’s involving Xue Yang in the whole Sunshot storyline, despite the merry hell it plays with timeline stuff later, is how obviously little regard Xue Yang has for the Wens, even when they’re at the height of their power. He shows Wen Ruohan himself very little respect, and I can’t imagine anyone else getting more (except maybe Wen Qing, because Wen Qing is competent and if nothing else Xue Yang can respect competency).

and he just like. ditches them. walks out! promises to deliver very powerful magical artifact, and then gets what he wants and is like “smell ya later, peace” and they never catch him.

that’s just a kind of gutsiness and casual disregard for very powerful people that I really both love and respect about Xue Yang. and also that he has in common with Xiao Xingchen, tbh. and Song Lan (though him I think to a slightly lesser degree, partly because he has a little more tact and sense of societal norms as something relevant to be thinking about)! they can all vibe on that.

They took Jiangzai. Well. One of the Wen disciples took Jiangzai in the stomach and Xue Yang didn’t get it back.

this isn’t an important line or anything. I just like it a lot.

Wen Chao gestured again and he went down in a hail of fists and feet. Xue Yang tucked his chin down to protect his throat, curled his hands into his chest, and drew up his knees to guard his stomach.

He knew how this worked. Sure, it’d been a while since someone had beat him like this, but the lessons stuck. It was almost boring, really. If Wen Chao was going to play torture games then he could at least do Xue Yang the favor of trying to be creative.

He checked out the part of his brain that registered pain as anything other than a thing that was happening and focused instead on opportunities. Weaknesses in his assailants. Escape routes. Getting away would be the first thing. Nice if he could take a piece of Wen Chao with him on the way out - arm, or maybe even a head - but the priority was freedom and survival.

okay, this I feel like cuts into some of what you were talking about regarding Xue Yang’s fight/flight instinct, and also a lot of what if, I was feeling pretentious, I feel like this fic is digging into on a level under “what if I just tortured Xue Yang a whole bunch,” which is something about the relationship Xue Yang has to (a) pain and (b) his own body. Specifically, the relative indifference he has toward both. Or...not indifference, exactly, because it’s not like he’s enjoying himself, it still hurts. It’s just...expected.

unremarkable.

which is a lot of what I was trying to convey with Xue Yang’s narration during the whole torture sequence, with the commentary on methodology and how things are mundane or boring, because the suffering itself is mundane! as far as Xue Yang is concerned that’s exactly what suffering is! other peoples’, for sure, which is part of why it doesn’t matter, but also his own.

the world hurts and that’s just how it is and you learn how to cope with that. pain as...a thing that [is] happening.

I also, since you mentioned the fight/flight instinct, think a lot about how Xue Yang is, while he’s very proud and very stubborn, absolutely not someone to pick fights (in general) that he knows he can’t win. Xue Yang will almost always be on the side of “run and come back another day” over “stand and fight when all is lost.” survival, first and foremost.

which feeds into the weird paradox that I kind of hint toward at the end of this fic about Xue Yang as someone who has a definite death drive, who is profoundly obsessed with his own death in a lot of ways, and simultaneously is attached to staying alive above pretty much all else.

“Snap and snarl all you want,” he said. “You’re not going anywhere. And the only part of you I need intact is your tongue, so you can tell me where you hid the Yin Metal you promised. Everything else is optional.”

A prickle of fear rolled down Xue Yang’s spine and he flicked it away, baring his teeth.

I actually do think that, even before they get around to hand-specific trauma, permanent mutilation is one of those things that still scares Xue Yang. which is a short list! there isn’t much that actually either gets to or scares him, but I think the prospect of (further) mutilation does, because I think Xue Yang is very...acutely aware of the fact that his physical capability is a major factor in what has kept him alive and what, in all likelihood, is going to keep him alive moving forward. anything that threatens that capability, that limits him in terms of strength or mobility or otherwise has a disabling effect, is consequently going to be a short road to death, and Xue Yang would much rather die painfully fighting than die as a consequence of not being able to take care of himself.

for Xue Yang, the idea of a return to the kind of helplessness that is tied to his trauma is one of the worst possible prospects to contemplate. in my head this is exacerbated further by the fact that I figure Xue Yang didn’t get much if any medical care post hand incident, meaning that the recovery period was absolutely nightmarish and a whole stretch of time beyond the event itself where Xue Yang was struggling to survive because he’d been damaged.

in some ways I think that period of time probably did more to shape Xue Yang than the moment itself.

Wen Chao grabbed one of the branding irons from a disciple’s belt and pressed it to his stomach. That hurt. More. He clamped his back teeth together so he didn’t make any sound, absorbed the burn, owned it. His. You only hurt if you were alive. And anything you survived made you stronger.

Not that this was actually going to make him stronger. It was probably just going to make him dead. But then again, the worse this went the more resentment he’d have built up. He could use that. Would.

Dead didn’t have to mean finished.

obviously this is pulled almost direct from what Wei Wuxian himself says to Wen Chao. deliberate echoes based on character parallels! we love those.

and yeah, again here about Xue Yang and his relationship to pain, but in a less mundane way this time where it’s about pain as a tool, pain as something he can use. which is another thing about coping, I think - when pain and suffering are a regular part of your life, one way to deal with that can be to convert it into having some kind of purpose or benefit.

which in this case it definitely can. Xue Yang is definitely someone who, I think, has thought a lot about trying to arrange it so he becomes a ghost after he dies. or at least has thought a lot about what he’d do after dying to the person who killed him. 

and when you’re a necromancer by trade death really isn’t the end of the line anymore, just the start of a something new. Xue Yang’s relationship to life itself: about as jacked up as his relationships in general.

He felt the snap of bone in his teeth. Pain shooting up the side of his hand, all the way to his wrist, and Xue Yang couldn’t keep himself still enough not to try to wrench himself away. He swallowed his scream and turned it into a laugh. It was funny, wasn’t it? Funny, that he was back here, again. It wasn’t as bad, though. He knew how to take pain, how to breathe it in, make it part of himself, later turn it outwards magnified tenfold. They were old friends. Practically lovers. 

two things here:

1. the thread throughout this fic of Xue Yang making things funny so he can deal with them, here brought to you by reliving trauma! because it’s funny! right? laugh about it! just fucking hilarious.

I have a thing about characters basically deciding for themselves to make very unfunny situations funny because it makes them less awful.

2. and look, now he can deal with it better this time! he’s Learned. :) :) :)

Everything splintered. Splintered like bones under a wheel, and first thing he tried to struggle to get away but that just hurt worse and then old old old instincts kicked in and he went still, limp, dead.

“Did he faint?”

Someone nudged him with their foot. One part of him roared to grab that foot and rip it off along with the leg it was attached to. Immediately the same thing that’d made him play dead told him to wait.

at an end point where fighting is impossible and running is also impossible, the only thing left to do is play dead and wait it out. this is very much, in my head, a reversion to a tactic Xue Yang hasn’t used in a very long time and does not want to be using now, because it is absolutely the recourse of the extraordinarily helpless with no way out.

which he has been! and is now, but he really really really doesn’t want to be. Xue Yang has built his life around not being that, ever again.

but here it’s not a move he makes planning to turn it around the way he does, not at first. he gets there, but when he first does it I think it is literally just instinct that goes enough is enough and shuts down.

Wen Chao, Wen Chao, Xue Yang thought. My body’s going to give out before I do.

someone should remind me at some point maybe (or not) to write something coherent about my Xue Yang vs. his own body thoughts. specifically the way that, while Xue Yang is very physical and very grounded, I think he has a somewhat antagonistic relationship with his own body, actually. not completely! he definitely respects what it can do for him! but I think he also treats it a little as a slightly separate entity that’s capable of betraying him rather than as a fully integrated part of himself.

not always! but it’s a little bit there. this idea that sometimes his body, and its capacity to be hurt or damaged, is a weakness that he’d like to be able to forgo entirely, if only it wouldn’t mean losing all the good things about having a body. and that’s present here in this line, for me, where he thinks about himself and his body as slightly separate, and his body as something weaker than its Xue Yang core.

#hope that was enough rambling for you anon jesus christ #confessions of a frustrated writer #i don't even know what to tag this #anonymous #conversating

[bard-llama]

Hello again! May I request Rorveth for the ship game again? Maybe prerelationship 2, General 1, 5, Love 2, Domestic 9? Have a good day

Always! Rorveth owns my heart and I can always talk about them lol.

Pre-Relationship #2: What was their first impression of each other?

Hmm. I mean, there was definitely some hate, lbr. But I think there was also a lot of admiration? Well, I guess it depends on what we count as first impression. When they first learn of each other or when they first meet?

Because Roche found Iorveth long before Iorveth knew he existed. Roche had a crush worked intelligence, analyzing data and putting together who their targets in the Scoia'tael were. So I think he and Thaler and other intel folks would have come up with code names for each unit commander that they knew of (probably something lame too), but as we see in the game - the Scoia'tael are PROUD of their commander. They cheer Iorveth's name as they go into battle. It would not take many confrontations to start to put names to positions. So Roche's first impression of Iorveth would be one of someone recognizing a skilled opponent. But it would also be heavily countered by the details of what exactly Iorveth is using those skills for. Because they probably have an office somewhere in the Temerian royal palace that's full of pictures stuck to bulletin boards and string connecting them lol. So he'd have front and center in his mind exactly how brutal Iorveth can be.

So when they meet, I think Roche expects to appreciate Iorveth's ability, but hate him as a person. But then Iorveth introduces himself playing the fucking recorder flute!? Like, that had maybe been shared in intel, but it was the kind of meaningless detail that Roche had never really paid attention to. Which was a mistake, as it turns out, because Iorveth is every bit as much a musician as he is a soldier. But Roche only learns that later.

On Iorveth's side... well, he'd first hear of Roche when Roche and the Stripes, on their first day, slaughtered an entire unit of Scoia'tael. So I think Iorveth's first impression would be fury and hate, but also, as time goes on and it turns out that wasn't just a fluke, he'd come to respect Roche as an enemy commander. Then they meet and Roche is so full of hate for killing his king and Iorveth wasn't expecting that to hurt, but it really actually does. And he tries to shove it down and ignore it, but the feeling lingers long enough that he ends up seeking Roche out post-W2.

General #1: Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

Following the thread above... I think Iorveth did, but semi on accident. So he goes searching for Roche after Saskia has established Vergen and doesn't need him quite so much and this longing just won't stop nagging him. So he seeks Roche out and basically manages to say something along the lines of "I can't stop thinking about you and I'm going to make it your problem". Then he proceeds to follow Roche around and criticize his attempts at guerilla warfare as the Temerian partisans kicked off. Roche finds this absolutely baffling, but like, Iorveth is more experienced with this sort of thing, so why not take his advice? After arguing about it extensively, of course. Ves thinks this is all a Scoia'tael trap and keeps a very close eye on Iorveth. So close, in fact, that she notices the way that Iorveth looks at Roche over the campfire in the evenings. And once she notices that, suddenly the signs that Iorveth adores her Boss are everywhere. And she doesn't really know what to think about that or whether to tell Roche.

Not sure what she decides, but she definitely threatens Iorveth. And actually, I could see that being the first step in them coming to like, actually respect one another beyond "wow, you can kill a guy pretty efficiently". Like, maybe Iorveth begs asks as nicely as he can that Ves not tell Roche, because he's certain that it would only ruin things. And yeah, the longing is still there, but it's not so bad now that he has Roche in his life at all. He is grateful for as much of Roche as he can get.

i think Ves would be perfectly fine with that at first, but as she grows to appreciate Iorveth more as a person, she starts to feel bad. Because like, he very clearly loves Roche. And yeah, he probably has complicated feelings about loving a human, but like...he so clearly does and it's kind of pathetic but in a way that tugs at her heart and she HATES feeling sympathy for an elf, but...

I don't think she tells Roche directly. But she basically tells him that Iorveth is always staring at him and he should ask why. (Roche: because we're enemies, duh??? He's watching to see if I make a move to shank him, isn't he?)

General #5: What’s their height difference? Age difference?

Oh man, okay, this one is fun to play with. So, Roche is shorter than everyone most people and he is resentful about it. That whole thing about shorter people being closer to hell? Yeah, he is that 100%.

Iorveth, of course, enjoys very much that he is taller and will 100% grab Roche's paperwork or something and hold it out of reach just to enjoy Roche attempting to climb him to annoy Roche.

For age difference, I hc Roche as late 40s and Iorveth as around 1300, so it's a pretty big difference lol. I go back and forth on what elves think of such age differences, 'cause like... 40 is the age of majority for elves, so I could see them pointing at tired and wrinkled Roche and going, "that is a baby!"

But also, realistically, if they live so long (which they don't in canon, oops), i think they'd be a little more blase about age differences, as long as they're over the age of majority for their culture. Especially considering that they lost basically an entire generation of elves with Ailerinn's failed uprising + other pogroms like the cleansing of Loc Muinne, so like, the only elves left are either really old (pre-Conjunction) or really pretty young (200-300yo max, I think). So even if they don't already not care that much about age differences, I think they'd have to learn to, because there's not a lotta other options left.

(Not to derail, but Isengrim being torn up over being so much older than Eldain could be really, really fun, so I might ignore this lmao)

Love #2: What are their primary love languages?

Ooooh, Roche's is definitely touch! Just soft, casual touches, like a hand on the back or the shoulder, or just brushing their arms against each other or knocking their shoulders together to show that he's here. I think his receiving language might be more words of affirmation than touch, though. But that could be due to trauma/the fact that everyone in court does one thing and says another. So like, Foltest will clap him on the shoulder and then also go send him to torture someone. But then he'll also say 'good job' when Roche gets the intel they needed. So he has... kind of a fucked up relationship with both ideas, honestly.

Okay, I couldn't remember all 5 love languages, so I looked them up and fuck, Roche is very much acts of service, too. But in a self-sacrificing way.

Iorveth... hmm. I could see maybe receiving gifts just because it was such a rare and exciting thing when he was young. But along the same veins, I think quality time would mean a lot to him, because his family never made time for him. He always felt like he was in the way/bothering them while they're busy and hasn't fully yet come to understand that they should have made the time for him. So when Roche does things like call off work for the day to do something with Iorveth? Iorveth absolutely melts. I don't think he previously understood that time together could be precious, not because it's limited, but because it is special.

Domestic #9: Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Iorveth is a night owl. And very much NOT a morning person. Roche is also not a morning person, but he doesn't even get the exchange of being a night person, he's just eternally Tired. So I think Roche tries to encourage Iorveth to come to bed during the night, but is rarely successful, because Iorveth feels inspired. Fortuntely, Roche has ear plugs/enjoys music when he sleeps.

But when one of them gets really fixated on their work and loses track of the time? It's almost always Roche obsessing over some ig or small problem, and Iorveth will try to get him to come to bed, but usually he has to resort to physically sitting in Roche's lap/getting between Roche and the fixation. But once he's gotten Roche distracted, he can get some nice cuddles and/or sex out of it and Roche falls asleep afterwards.

But when they wake up in the morning and need to get up and go to work? It's always Iorveth who tries to persuade Roche that if he can't get 30 mins more sleep, then he could at least offer some morning sex.

#rorveth #a mention of #isendain #iorveth x roche #the witcher #ask game #fic planning #idk why i'm tagging these as fic planning #but i feel like i should read them again when i go searching for ideas/inspiration #longpost

[storysofmyown]

can u do a hc on how the brothers n u would b in quarantine? ik there would b no quarantine in devildom but yk dhsjsjjs-

Of course! And as someone who has been in quarantine since almost February, this was a little too real XD

Lucifer:

Oh? There's a quarantine? Time to be productive!

He goes full mother mode and starts cleaning the whole house while also making the brothers clean their rooms and help him up.

He doesn't use the "does this spark joy?" Methods, nah, he uses the "if it's on the ground it's getting thrown out"

That's how Levi almost lost one of figurines. Poor boy dove on the floor to save it a still has the scrap

Besides cleaning, Lucifer also spent most of his time doing the paperwork he would usually do at night.

This man went in strong and finished all the paperwork in 2 weeks and so...he was forced to spend time with his brothers.

Worst/best months of his life. He has never been so close with his brothers...and he absolutely hates it-

On the bright side, he has discovered new ways to punish his brothers in different, inventive ways. (RIP Mammon)

Mammon:

While some may think he would be from the ones that have the hardest time, he actually suffered from it the first few weeks and then he just...grew uses to it?

Tho, Lucifer did give him a hard time with his room. Was his floor always this color? Or did it change when you mopped it?

Also, how the hell was there loose change in his room?! How the hell did he not know about it!?

After that he offered to help clean the others room just so he could snatch any loose change they had.

Tho, the part that most bothered him of being quarantined was not being able to go out and go to casinos or get to his usual schemes

But then, he found a couple of online games that fueled his addiction to gamble

"I mean! It's a gambling game, with all the real life stuff...but get this! You don't actually have to spend or lose any money! Isn't that great?!"

"You do realize that also means you don't make any money...right?"

"...what-"

Leviathan:

This boy didn't even know there was a quarantine the whole time.

He thought it was weird how everyone was always home all of a sudden but he had many events, games, animes and mangas to care for to ask his brothers why they were at the house all the time. 

This whole thing did make him grow closer to his brothers tho. Since, he is basically the king of isolation (Elsa who? Nah, Levi) all the others kept constantly bugging him and asking him for recommendations of games and even shows to watch.

He has like 70 new records on his games and didn't even bat an eye when Lucifer told him they would be taking online classes. His response was just “Nice, less people!”

Which got a whine out of Asmo who is so touch starved

The day Lucifer announced the quarantine was over everyone was happy except for Levi who just ???

“There was a quarantine going on?”

“You are a useless otaku, you know that-”

“SHUT UP MAMMON”

Satan:

This man went into quarantine with a whole ass library worth of unread books and he came out being able to recite them like old poetry, learned 6 languages (without including morse code), is basically a chef at this point, has a whole ass youtube channel to debunking stupid theories he saw on the internet and knows how to play violin, piano, and the flute.

He wasted zero seconds being stuck in that house. He used them all to gain knowledge.

He even started to read some mangas from levi just because he had read ALL of his books at least twice and he wouldnt be getting any new because he couldn't leave to go to the library.

Tho, his and Lucifer’s relationship got better...and worse at the same time.

The two spent so much time stranded with one another they are physically sick of seeing the others face. Satan literally put a spell on Lucifer so that he wouldn't be able to see him for a whole day. He was grounded an entire month.

Being grounded from the stuff he liked to do ended up making him have to play along with his brothers ideas. Which only gave Lucifer more headache. Satan 1 - Lucifer 0.

Asmo:

“DEAR LORD THIS TORTURE!”

“It hasn't even been 3 days-”

“AND YET I HAVE LOST SUBS, BEEL! This is all because the lightning in this house is LESS than ideal for my beautiful skin!”

This poor demon has never been as touch starved as he is during the whole process.

He is constantly whining about how he just wants to be hugged and held. It makes all the brothers sick of hi by the third day. Tho, he does manage to get some hugs a day from them! Even from Levi the reclusive.

Also, you KNOW this man made himself an only fans account.

He got so fucking popular on it even Diavolo heard of it...which obviously meant Lucifer found out and close the account.

“Eeeeeh?! But what about my fans?! They cant possibly survive this quarantine without my precious face!”

“I’m sure they will manage.”

“You are so mean! Where am i going to get from the attention and compliments I deserve?”

“You literally compliment yourself every 2 seconds in front of the mirror.”

“It’s not the same, Belphegor!”

Also, this boy did so many g=face masks and shit he basically came out shinning-

Beel:

This poor boy gets in trouble so much. But he cant help himself! he gets hungry and being able to just...get up and go into the kitchen is a possibility he is not about to throw away!

Like! How is he supposed to resist?!

Besides! It was Lucifer’s fault for buying a month worth of groceries knowing Beel would be around. They didn't last an hour.

On the other hand, has actually been working out quite a lot.

And! Boy even managed to convince Levi to work out with him as well!

Granted, Leviathan didn't make it 10 minutes in, but it was fun for Beel to instruct his brother! : D

Beel actually would be one of the less that suffered during the whole time. Yes he missed going out and tasting new restaurants. But he loves his family and enjoys spending time with them quite a bit!

Belphegor:

He literally slept trough the whole thing.

The day it started he looked at Lucifer and went “Welp, i’m going to hibernate. Wake me up when its over.”

Lucifer only rolled his eyes...but almost a week later he realized that Belphegor was being serious about not waking up at all-

So, Beel was instructed to wake him up.

He was in a bad mood for being woken up, and groggy the rest of the day. But after that, he started to spend a lot of time with both Asmodeus and Leviathan playing games.

He even managed to win against Levi once!

Also, Belphegor spent the whole time procrastinating on doing any chores Lucifer gave him. Clean his room? Good luck waking him up. Do the laundry? Awe, too bad Beel ate the detergent. Help Satan on the kitchen? He almost burned Mammon in the process because he feel asleep watching over boiling water. 

Bonus on one of my Mc’s just because I can

During this whole thing I can see my Mc, Amaria,driving Satan crazy! She wouldn't leave his side at all XD. She would also be constantly helping Mammon, Belphie, and Satan on their pranks on Lucifer

Hope y’all enjoyed those little headcanons! I dont know if this is exactly what you wanted but I had fun with it! Stay safe people!

#obey me #obey me! #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons

[sandu-zidian]

Blabbing about this Musician!au I started last summer that has now also turned into a marching band!au because I got sad and nostalgic because despite how shitty it could be, marching band defined my high school life and social life and I couldn’t had asked for anything else.

I also don’t have every single prequel character (because this au is surrounding the prequel characters) in Star Wars smacked into here, and I gave up halfway through a couple of months ago in terms of brainstorming. Anyways, this is hella long so check everything out under the line if you’d like! don’t want to spam everyone with something that’s like, 4 pages long

Now, you might be asking. What instruments are these characters playing, or what are they doing in marching band? well, boy oh boy do I have some lore for you.

Anakin Skywalker: alright lets start of with the “Chosen One”. Now, I gotta say. He’s got some intense brass vibes, specifically high brass. But I don’t know. He didn’t really mesh well. And given his natural talent with the Force in canon, I thought that Anakin would be a sort of prodigy. And we all know the two instruments associated with that: the piano and violin. He’s more of a piano dude, so here we go! piano prodigy Anakin Skywalker. He also gives mad drumline vibes, and I can see him as either the lead snare, setting the tempo, or the main quad player. He’s brash, slightly obnoxious, but damn is he fucking good at what he does.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: I literally started this AU on the idea that Obi-Wan would play the cello. One of the defining quotes for him is that fucking “infinite sadness” quote. And we all know that cellos play some of the saddest pieces out there. (see: Elgar cello concerto) However, I can’t see him as a marching band dude. He doesn’t really give off color guard vibes (since that’s where most non-band people go to) so I have him as the resident student helper who everyone tolerates because he brings ice cream after band camp.

Ahsoka Tano: Ahsoka is a flute player. As a flute player, I have intimate knowledge on this. She’s like the chill flute player who’s competitive enough to keep her position as principal, but is also chill enough to not have a big ego that butts heads with everyone. She also gives mad color guard vibes. Also speaking about that from personal experience (am I lowkey projecting my own experiences on her? you didn’t hear that from me). She seems like the type to love swing flags and sabre, and is 100% captain by senior year.

I have Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka as siblings in this AU because I say so. Qui-Gon is around here somewhere as the resident hippie dad who lowkey smokes pot and will support his children while giving a big ‘fuck you’ to Dooku. 

Yoda’s also in here somewhere, and I love the idea that he’s an old Chinese/Asian man who refuses to speak english and will only do so with the most backwards grammar so his grandchild (Qui-Gon) and great-grandchildren (the trio) are forced to speak Mandarin/Cantonese to him (pick your poison). He just spends his days cutting up fruit and also might pull out his erhu if everyone asks nice enough. (I want to say he was a Peking Opera musician, but immigrated during Mao’s reign after he lost opportunities during the cultural revolution)

So, I know that it doesn’t make sense for a family to have 3 sets of twins and one triplet set, but fuck that I do what I want.

Cody Fett: okay so, Cody 100% plays the french horn. I don’t know, he just, he does. He’s got that air of sophistication because he can play the hardest brass instrument, but at the same time, he’s incredibly good at it and is matter-of-fact about it. He also would be the mello section leader (I was playing with the idea of drum major, but for now, leaving him as a section leader for now). He’s a bit uptight to be a low brass player, but cool enough to still be associated with the general brass group.

Rex Fett: I got Rex and Cody as the eldest Fett twins. Rex feels like a string player, so I have him on violin. I can see him be very hardworking and practicing diligently to the point where he easily sweeps through to concertmaster in high school and the local youth orchestra. He also gives of mad drum major vibes. I can see him copying music, handing out drill charts, and hauling the met around. Also, just think about Rex doing a fancy ass salute at competitions. Yes.

Next round of twins lets gooo

Jesse Fett: You could say Jesse has brass vibes. I see him as a reed person though. In concert band, he’s on clarinet. I used to think clarinets were as stuck up as us flutes but no they’re literally balls of chaotic energy ready to be unleashed. Just imagine Jesse blaming everything on his reed. I see him as the guy who switches to saxophone for marching band, though. He’s got the energy of the clarinet and the saxophone harnessed. Also, wouldn’t be surprised if he knows how to play the sousa.

Kix Fett: Y’know, when I originally made this AU, I had Kix as a musician as well. I’m gonna scratch that. He’s going to medical school, or at least, he’s planning to. He’s on the pre-med track and is dying in organic chemistry and wishes there weren’t so many pre-requisites. However, in high school, he definitely played the oboe. Of course Kix chose one of the hardest instruments to play. Also, just imagine him trying to make his own reeds. I don’t see him as a guy who’s in marching band. He’ll come to competitions and maybe football games if he’s bullied into it. Kix is the guy who’s classes are all AP and he’s dying inside.

Next round of twins yeet:

Fives Fett: shit, I forgot I gave them all real names. If I remember correctly, Fives is Frank. Anyways, trumpet vibes. Need I say more? He’s on the trumpet in marching band as well and he’s the dude who’s obsessed with DCI and always tries to play as high as he possibly can and absolutely demolishes his chops. I would say he’s section leader as well. He also hangs with the drumline at the back of the bus and always plays meme songs on blast and sends weird pictures to people’s phone via open airdrop.

Echo Fett: I think his birth name is Ethan??? I’m spitting thoughts not checking my old documents. Anyways. Echo feels like a string person. Specifically, low strings. So, he plays the bass. Upright bass. Whatever. You get what I mean. He sleeps in the case after school and hates hauling it everywhere. He was in marching band as a mello player (the easiest brass instrument to pick up for the activity so) but he was in a car crash that left him paralyzed from the hip down, and had to quit to recover. He never stopped playing, and found ways to adjust. (I do not know how exactly this would work, since I’m able bodied and also don’t play the bass, but I know he’d at least have a stool to sit on in order to lean his body on. let me know if you have other ideas i’d love to hear them!)

Finally, we got the triplets:

Dogma Fett: Dogma plays the bassoon. He’s a low reed kinda guy and between the bari sax, bass clarinet, and bassoon, he fits the last one the best. He and Kix moan over making reeds and he’s on the quieter side. He just vibes and plays all the low notes and has fun whenever he’s got some moving part. I see Dogma as someone who is only casually into marching band. He uses Jesse’s old student clarinet as his instrument and he’s always on time, knows his sets, and his technique is on point. He always finds himself roped into his brothers’ shenanigans though.

Tup Fett: Tup plays the harp. I like to think he met Shaak Ti (we’ll get to her in a bit) when he was young, and she was playing with an orchestra. He met her backstage and she offered to give him lessons. Tup’s not really a part of high school orchestra but sometimes he’ll be brought in. He’s more involved with solo work and the youth orchestra more than anything. Tup’s another on where I don’t think he’d be into marching band. Though I can see him being in winter guard as the dude who just shows up and is lowkey rip and therefore is a hunk on the rifle. His technique’s good but they’ve never been able to saddle him into fall guard.

Hardcase Fett: (i’ve given up on remembering the birth names so i’m just gonna not) Hardcase is 100% low brass vibes. He can’t be anything but a low brass. I see him as a tuba player. He’s chill, laid back, but also reliable for being the foundation of the band sound. He plays the sousaphone in marching band and always blasts either Seven Nation Army or some other popular show tune right after rehearsals. Hardcase also can play the bari sax and no one knows when he learned how to. 

OKAY we’re done with the Fett’s! Jango and Boba are in here somewhere but honestly I don’t have enough brainpower to come up with what their roles are. Jango’s gonna be a good dad though. Maybe he was a musician and that’s why most of his kids are going into music. Or maybe he’s just a supportive father. Boba’s the youngest though, that’s for sure. And he’s a little shit. Don’t know if he plays an instrument (probably) or what it might be.

Now lets get into some other characters! There’s a lot. And I wasn’t even halfway done with the characters I wanted to include. What the hell was I on last summer?

Padmé Amidala: Padmé is a flute player who quit after freshman year of high school and started taking music production and music theory classes. She loved it so much that she decided that composing was her jam. Now, she’s highly successful and often works with well known pianist, Anakin Skywalker, on piano concertos. Also, she may or may not be dating said pianists but you didn’t hear that from me.

Satine Kryze: twosetters don’t shit on me but Satine feels like she’d play the viola. She and Obi-Obi-Wan definitely dated in high school but after a year broke up on mutual terms and are just good friends now. A lot of people feel like she’d have been a better political science/international studies major than a music major but she’s good so no one complains (until she gets into a fighting match with someone and wins smugly)

Bo-Katan Kryze: shes Satine’s younger sister and is a mad athlete. She doesn’t play any instruments but she’s deeply active and is on scholarship for college, on the pre-med track with Kix. She’s very scary and most people are too intimidated by her to approach.

Plo Koon: I originally had him as an asian man, but I can see Native American as well. He plays the euphonium and he’s just a sweet man. He helps out a lot with private lessons at local high schools and is often brought in to help with low brass during marching band.

Wolffe Koon: Wolffe and Gregor (get to him in a bit) were both adopted by Plo when their parents died when they were very young. Plo was their godfather and he took them in like they were his own. They’re cousins to the Fett brothers (though don’t ask me how I have no idea). Wolffe is an engineer and works close to home.

Gregor Koon: Gregor is Wolffe’s younger brother and had a short stint of musical interest in middle school but quit after he entered high school. Gregor was in a serious car crash during college that left him amnesiac for a year before some of his memories returned. He now owns a restaurant and sticks close to home. Wolffe often comes around to check up on him because his brain injury still impacts his current life in small physical and emotional dips

Kit Fisto: Kit gives off mad trombone vibes and it’s mostly because he seems incredibly laid back. He’s one of those brass players who’s just a nice guy and while jokes around, never got pulled into jokes as a student.

Shaak Ti: like I said above, Shaak Ti is most definitely a harpist. She has that ethereal quality I think is common in harpists. She’s a tall Indian woman and she loves her job! She’s a private lesson teacher and instructor at the conservatory on top of her job in the orchestra since she’s not called in often to play. She loves all her students and gives good hugs.

Mace Windu: Mace is the director of the Jedi Symphony, the orchestra which almost everyone is involved with. He is a bass player and he likes his more classical pieces over contemporary music. He’s good friends with Yoda and sometimes the old troll has to wack some sense into Windu and have him take on newer pieces. Windu 100% gives off unhinged director vibes because mistakes and lazy musicians definitely don’t end after high school/college is over.

Quinlan Vos: this lil shithead definitely is the obnoxious, slightly arrogant, but kind of deserving of that, percussionist. He loves his snare drum and is also in the drumline. He’s the same age as Obi-Wan and the two are close friends. Quinlan is definitely slightly unhinged and is always at the back of the bus causing havoc after competitions. He’s the guy that I (OP) hate but also can’t help but respect cuz yeah he’s annoying but at least he’s good.

Aayla Secura: Aayla is Quinn’s half-sister, and plays the French horn. Again, like Cody, she’s got this air of professionalism that I associate with French horn players and like, we gotta represent the girls in brass somehow. She just fits it really nicely.

I feel like now is the time to list who’s still in conservatory and who isn’t: Obi-Wan, Anakin, Rex, Cody, Jesse, Quinlan, Padmé, and Satine are all recent graduates. Ahsoka, Aayla, Fives, Echo, Tup, Dogma, and Hardcase are still in conservatory (at varying years of course). Kix and Bo are entering med school/frantically applying and banging their heads cuz MCATs. Wolffe and Gregor are older and have been in the field for quite some time now. Plo, Kit, Shaak, and Mace are all faculty/seasoned professionals.

Somehow, I was gonna bring in The Skiratas (with proper research cuz I know very little about them), Dooku, Ventress, the Oppress siblings, rest of Domino Squad, Cut Lawquene, the other CCs, and more. I designated a page out of my sketchbook for this and my oh my the flow chart was hella confusing. How I thought I was gonna handle that in the summer before my first year of college, I have no idea. Maybe I’ll brainstorm more in the future but for now, this is all I have :]]]

Also excuse some of my slightly unhinged language I started writing this a few days ago while slightly unfocused and tired and stressed so my language is a product of that

#star wars #meta #musician au #my thoughts #I miss marching band so fucking much #I miss DCI #and WGI #miss the community #even if it was pretty stressful at times cuz drama #people love their drama in band #I don’t blame them you get sick of people after band camp #star wars au

[iwriteabouthim]

Underneath It All - Chapter 2

Napoleon Solo / OFC

Napoleon is interested in the treasures of an old aristocratic family from England. It takes him one visit to learn he could treasure more than precious stones and art.

Fluff, Smut and a bit of Angst I guess.

A/N: I’m so happy I got some likes and I hope you guys like this part too. Please, let me know what you think! :) 

I still need a beta..like, desperately.

Chapter 2

After the most amazing kiss of her life and still a little out of her own mind, Ellie walks to the Chapel, her heels clicking at the marble floor and her eyes falling at the painting of Doubting Thomas. That is a sign, she’s the doubting one, always has been! How would she find love if she doubts every man that gets closer? Napoleon was not like any man, though. He was so direct and self-assured that...scrap that, he’s fucking hot, sex on legs, handsome as hell and she is feeling her panties getting damp. Great, now I’m sinning at the Chapel she thinks before leaving the room.

Deciding that waiting for one hour is the most stupid thing she thought about, she leaves the house searching for Mr. Solo, that was back at the garden talking to a tall man while drinking champagne. She gets closer and observes him excusing himself from the talk as soon as he sees her; she reaches for his flute and takes a big gulp of the drink, looking nervous but determined.

“Who told you ‘Mars and Venus’ is my favorite painting?” she asks, still fighting some nervousness.

He smiles genuinely and wraps his hand at her elbow, wanting to show her some support. “Well, you, just now. I wonder what else we have in common.”

“Yes, I was wondering something like that, too…”

“That’s why you’re here after deciding you needed an hour?”

“Yes. God bless me but I’m curious, Mr. Solo.”

“If you call me Mr. Solo again I’ll have to kiss you in front of everyone. I’m not sure how you feel about public displays of affection.”

“Public displays of lust, Mr. Solo.” Ellie whispers in an attempt to be firm. It all vanishes when the man takes a step closer and mumble back at her, just a centimeter away from her ear “I see you’re taking my advice and being brave, sweetie. I like it. Take me inside.”

Unfortunately, before she can say anything a young employee coughs behind them to get her attention and causes the woman to take a step behind. “Lady Cavendish...I’m sorry for interrupting but your father is on the phone.” 

“My father? Ok, I’ll...give me a minute, Vince.”

“My Lady.” The young man nods in a strange reverence and leaves, leaving a flushed Ellie behind. Napoleon finds her mortification adoring and smiles at her - he never smiles that much, but she brings something in him.

It’s hard to look at him without wishing to be his, to feel his lips and move her hands all over his body, but she manages to divert her train of thoughts and excuse herself from his presence. “I have to get that. Don’t disappear."

“Never.”

At the phone, her father had interesting news about the police concerns over robbery complaints from other families with possessions. Mr. Cavendish asked to be watchful and double the security at the property for some days. She’s usually way more attentive with her dear father but this day she was only half listening, Napoleon’s body playing a bigger role in her contemplations. It took her a second to find Mr. Solo again, two women talking animatedly with him, that this time was turned back from her and couldn’t see her coming.

“Mr. Solo?” Is that jealousy flying from her mouth?

“Darlin’. I hope everything’s okay with your dad?” Oh, how dare him act so perfectly!

“Yes. Just some reports...” she looks from him to the women at his side but they don’t explode as she so wishes.

“Great. I was just telling these nice ladies I am being constantly left all alone by my Lady, but I’ll gladly follow you around like a damn puppy. Are you finally free?” Napoleon’s words work as a charm, a spell that makes her weak and dutiful and she loves and hates the power he has...she doesn’t even know him!

“I am. Do you want to go inside?” 

“I think we should, gorgeous. Excuse us, ladies.”

Leaving the garden to get back inside, Napoleon rests his hand at the small of her back. “Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere?”

“Yes.”

“The belvedere.” he states.

“The belvedere?”

“Take me to the belvedere, gorgeous, let me show you something.”

She couldn’t do anything other than take him there, and anywhere else he might want to go. Ellie wants him to talk to her forever, closely, softly, in that delicious deep voice of his...she’s a goner. Usually she’s the only one that goes to the north tower these days, part of it is being restored and she likes to see the team of specialists working. Today, it is only her and Napoleon, she takes him by the staircases at the northeast corner of the main block and they reach the big and open space with the majestic pillars, overseeing the beautiful landscape hills and the river.

“Why here?”

“I want the gods to see us, but not too much, I’m afraid they’ll get envious and try to steal you from me.” Napoleon thinks to himself how unfair he’s being at not telling her the truth, that he thinks she’s a goddess, with her beautiful curves and delicious lips surely made to torture him into becoming whatever she wants him to be. He must be losing his mind. A shiver runs through her body and before she can say anything - not that she’s able to form any sentence - he kisses her deeply, a hand holding her by the hair, something no man had ever done and that she discovers to be the door to her darkest desires.

“What are you doing to me?” is all she can say between his desperate kisses.

“Me? Are you real, my sweet Venus? I can’t get my hands out of you.” his hands move all around her body, bringing her closer, walking her backwards till her bottom touches the balcony railing, lifting her till she’s sitting at the old marble, scared of falling. She looks down and tries to get out, back to the ground, but he holds her and brings her face towards his again. “Trust me.”

“Napoleon…” she still tries to disengage herself from him, but he gets between her legs, pressing her body on his.

“Just trust me.” Something on his voice makes her stop and look at him. A kind of agony hidden into the command.

“That’s not how it works”

“No. But it’s not even an hour yet and I already want you to love me. To need me.” she gasps with the intensity of his words. Trying to find something else in his eyes, something she might be missing, she let go of the strong grip she has in his arms, making his hold on her the only security keeping from falling from the highest place of the house.

“Trust me in return, Napoleon. Tell me what’s wrong. Something is wrong.”

“I’m an agent. CIA. And I need to steal something from you.” Her heart stops and she feels like she is falling.

#napoleon solo #napoleon solo fic #napoleon solo x ofc #henry cavill #henry cavill smut #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill x ofc #henry cavill x original female character #my fic

[rpf-bat]

Underground, Getting Down

Pairing: Gerard Way x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Summary: Written for Gothtober 2020, Day 14. Prompt: “Symphony”. 

You’re a flutist, playing in the New York subway for tips. Gerard watches one of your performances, and decides that his next single, needs a mad flute solo. 

Beneath the streets of New York, the subway station bustled, filled with people. Some moved up the stairs, towards the streets, and others down the steps, towards the trains. Everyone in the crowd was rushing on to their next destination. At the base of the staircase, you stood, playing your flute. 

Your flute case sat propped open on the tiles in front of you. A few bills already lined the inside. A young woman dropped another fiver in, as you played Bach’s ‘Flute Sonata in A Minor’. 

You lifted your face from the instrument for a moment, to call out, “Thank you!” 

The woman had already turned away from you, rushing down the corridor to catch the E train. You shrugged, returning your lips to the flute’s embouchure hole. Even the best buskers, rarely made someone stop in their tracks. The song ended. 

I think I’ll mix it up, you decided, do something more pop for the next song. 

You picked the Bach sheet music up off your stand, placing it back in your bag. Then, you pulled out the sheet music for Jethro Tull’s ‘No Lullaby’.  This one was usually more impressive-sounding, when you had your friend, who played guitar, with you to do the intro. But, he was busy today, at his day job at Starbucks. You would just have to launch right into your solo. 

Your fingers danced over the keys, as the music echoed off the walls of the tunnel. You found your mind wandering, as you played. 

I really thought, when I graduated, that I was gonna play for the New York Philharmonic, you recalled wistfully. But, the auditions for first chair ended up being competitive as hell. Instead of playing high society symphonies, I just play out here, for the commuters and hobos. 

It wasn’t what you had dreamed of - but it was a living. 

As you continued your song, you felt a pair of eyes watching you. You glanced up from your songbook, and realized that a man was sitting, eerily still, on the steps. Hurried people were practically tripping over him, but he didn’t move, to get out of their way.  He stayed exactly where he was. He didn’t look homeless, you considered. His face was hidden by thick aviator sunglasses, but his clothes suggested wealth. He was staring at you, with rapt attention, as if your flute, was the only sound in the world. 

You found yourself blushing under his steady gaze, as the song concluded. You lowered your flute-holding arm to your side, and looked at the stranger again, curiously. 

“Bravo!” he cried, clapping, and jumping up. “You were amazing!” 

He walked over, and dropped a handful of bills, into your case. 

Wait, what? All of those are hundreds!, you realized, eyes widening. Who the hell is this guy?

He pulled the sunglasses off his face, shaking his long, dark hair out of his eyes as he did so. Your jaw dropped, when you realized you recognized him. 

“Hi,” he said casually, “my name’s Gerard Way.” 

“I….I know who you are,” you stammered, scarcely believing this was real. Your inner emo kid was screaming. “What are you doing in New York?” 

“Visiting family,” Gerard shrugged. “Well, technically, they live on the Jersey side of the river. But, I always have to stop by Forbidden Planet, when I’m in town.” 

“Oh, you mean the comic shop, on Broadway?” you nodded. “Yeah, they’re pretty cool. I….I’m Y/N, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N,” Gerard grinned. “I really enjoyed that song, that you just did.” 

“I….uh, really enjoy your music, too,” you said awkwardly. You didn’t want to sound like a fangirl.

“I’m actually working on some new music right now,” Gerard revealed. 

“What?” you blinked. “Really? Wasn’t your last album in like…..2014?” 

“Yeah, Hesitant Alien was four years ago, already!” Gerard chuckled. “I think I’m definitely overdue for something new!” 

“Oh, wow,” your heart hammered excitedly. “I can’t wait to hear the new record, when it comes out!”

“I don’t know if I’m gonna do a whole second album,” Gerard confessed. “I think I’m just gonna put a couple singles out, and see how it goes.”

“I….I see,” you mumbled. This was crazy. Why was he telling all this, to a random busker, that he just met? 

“I wanted to thank you,  Y/N,” Gerard went on. “There’s this song I’ve been working on, for a couple months now. it’s just not sounding right to me, quite yet. You helped me realize what it’s missing.”

“And, what is that?” you wondered, still feeling bewildered. 

“A flute solo,” Gerard grinned. 

“Huh?” you gasped. “Who uses flute music, in a rock n roll song? I mean, besides Jethro Tull?” 

“I love Jethro Tull,” Gerard laughed. “But, for real, it’s not that weird. Billy Corgan had some flutes on ‘Drum + Fife’, on the album Monuments To An Elegy.”

“Oh, true,” you remembered. “Didn’t that drop in 2014, too?” 

“Yeah, I actually got to open for him, on that tour!” Gerard said excitedly. “That was when I decided that I wanted to bring a flute into one of my own songs, someday.” 

“Wow,” you realized, “You’re serious about this.” 

“I am,” Gerard said, looking you in the eyes. “But….can we talk about this somewhere else? I’m worried if I stay in one place much longer, somebody is gonna spot me, and start asking for pictures.” 

“Oh, uh, sure!” you nodded. 

“I think if we go up to the street level, there’s a coffee shop, like, right outside,” Gerard suggested. 

“You’re…..asking me to get a cup of coffee with you?” you grasped. Was this a date?

“Yeah,” Gerard said, turning red, as he awkwardly combed his fingers through his hair. “Is, uh, is that okay with you?”

“......Absolutely,” you smiled. “Just let me put my flute away!”

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Gerard had insisted on carrying your flute case for you, despite the short walk. He was such a gentleman. You did not, however, allow him to buy your cup of coffee for you. He’d already given you that absurd tip, when he first strolled over to your busking spot. 

You stared at him across the table, as he sipped his latte. This still felt entirely unreal. 

“So, the song I’m working on,” Gerard explained, “It’s called ‘Getting Down The Germs.’”

“...Germs?” you repeated, confused. 

“The lyrics are still a work in progress,” Gerard admitted. He dug into the pocket of his green coat, and pulled out a small, tattered-looking notebook. He opened it to a page near the back, and pushed it towards you. “This is what I have so far.”

You took the book gingerly, feeling as if you’d been handed a holy text. The words on the page, were written in a surprisingly untidy scrawl:

It's never the same and the nights always glow

There's nothing to see and nowhere to go

It's easy to say you're happier when you're disturbed

The green lights in your head

Getting down the germs

I'm lazy and tame and the chimes always blow

A glimmering sound on the breeze when you go

It's never a shame and I've learned to live with the worms

Underground

Getting down the germs

“That sounds really good so far,” you complimented. “I’m guessing that’s supposed to be the chorus?” 

“Yeah,” Gerard nodded. “I usually write the choruses first. The verses, I’m still figuring out.” 

“Makes sense,” you replied, as you sipped your drink. “What about the melody?” 

“Oh, the melody’s pretty much completely done,” Gerard clarified. “But….I don’t know. There’s this bridge that comes before the second verse. I originally planned for that to be a guitar solo, but it just doesn’t sound right.”

“You think the solo would sound better, played on a flute?” you surmised. 

“Yeah, exactly!” Gerard said enthusiastically. You wondered if the caffeine was getting to him. 

“....Do you even know how to play the flute?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No,” Gerard shook his head. “But, you do.”

“....What are you saying?” you blinked. 

“That’s why I asked you to come up here with me,” Gerard explained. “Y/N…..would you be willing to go into the studio with me, and record a flute solo, for the track?” 

You choked on your drink. 

“Wh….What?” you wheezed, coughing from the coffee that had gone down the wrong way. “A-Are you serious?” 

“....Can you breathe?” Gerard asked, putting a concerned hand on your shoulder. 

“Yeah, I can breathe,” you managed, trying not to hyperventilate even more.  

“Good,” Gerard smiled, “because I am serious, Y/N. Your flute playing really impressed me. I won’t drag you all the way out to LA, of course. But, if I find a studio space, here in New York, will you work with me?”

“Yes!” you cried. “Oh my god, yes!” 

This wasn’t what you had dreamed of - it was more. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

A few days later, you found yourself in a recording studio, in Lower Manhattan. You’d never seen so much professional equipment like this before. You’d always just performed for live audiences.

Can I really do this?, you asked yourself, hit with a wave of uncertainty. 

“Y/N, thank you so much for coming out here, and joining us today,” Gerard greeted you. His smile, somehow instantly put you at ease. 

“This is Doug McKean,” he introduced, indicating a man in the corner. “He’s my producer.” 

“Nice to meet you, Doug,” you said politely, shaking hands. 

“And this is Ian Fowles,” Gerard said, indicating a second guy, with longer hair. “He was my touring guitarist, when I went on the road with Hesitant Alien.” 

“Oh, I remember seeing him, when you guys played Irving Plaza,” you recalled. 

“You were at that little gig we did, in Union Square?” Ian smiled. 

“Yeah, of course I bought a ticket!” you smiled back. “You guys were amazing!” 

“Aw, you really think so?” Gerard reddened, looking flattered. 

“I really do,” you replied. My Chemical Romance had been your favorite band, since your teens. When they had broken up, five years ago, you had been heartbroken. But, you’d found Gerard’s solo work, to be equally amazing - just in a different way. 

“Well, thank you, Y/N,” Ian said quietly. “Has Gerard explained to you, what we’re going to be doing today?” 

“Yeah, he said he wants me to do a flute solo for you guys,” you said, almost not believing your own words. 

“Let’s start from the beginning of the song,” Doug directed. “Ian, can you take us from the top, please? I know we got a great take of your part yesterday, but I feel like we can still do better.” 

“Definitely,” Ian agreed. He shrugged his guitar strap over his head, and stepped into the recording booth. You listened intently, as he played the opening notes. The tune was definitely different from anything MCR had done. But, it didn’t sound quite like Hesitant Alien, either. You were intrigued by the new musical direction that Gerard seemed to be heading in. 

“Alright, cut,” Doug called, pressing a button, to stop recording. “Ian, that was good. Gerard, it’s your turn to get in there. I want to hear that verse you were working on the other day.”

“Alright,” Gerard nodded. You watched him put his headphones over his ears, and timidly approach the microphone. A blush crept into his cheeks. Did it make him nervous, to have you, as an audience? 

“The answer’s always no,” Gerard sang, “to questions of a private nature…...the lights are always low, in settings of a conversation…..” 

He seemed to grow more confident, as the song continued. By the time he got to the chorus, he was belting it out. He sounded incredible. 

“....How was that?” he asked finally. 

“Amazing,” you breathed. 

Gerard’s cheeks reddened at your compliment. He stayed quiet, as he watched Doug take the vocal track, and mix it with Ian’s guitar playing. He played back the clip, of the two spliced together. The parts formed an even more impressive whole. 

“Alright, Y/N, it’s your turn,” Doug commanded. “Show us what you can do.” 

You gulped. You weren’t sure that you could do anything, that was on the same level, as what you just heard. 

“You can do it,” Gerard encouraged. “You played an amazing solo, in front of a whole station worth of people yesterday. Playing for three dudes like us, should be nothing.” 

That’s different, you thought to yourself. I don’t have a huge crush on everyone in the station.

“Here’s the sheet music,” Ian said, handing you a piece of paper. “I really like what Gerard’s composed here. But, I think he’s right. It’s going to sound better on your instrument, than mine.”

You took the sheet, and grabbed the flute case, out of your backpack. Taking a deep breath, you walked into the booth. Your fingers trembled on the middle joint of the flute. You glanced up at Gerard, who was sitting on the other side, of the pane of glass. 

He gave you a friendly smile, and a dorky-looking thumbs-up. You chuckled, your nerves dissipating. 

Alright, you told yourself. I got this. You brought your lips to the head joint, and began to play. 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

“I don’t know,” you said, as you stepped back out of the booth. “Do you think that was okay?”

“That was incredible,” Gerard gushed, pulling you into an impulsive hug. His arms were so soft and warm. 

“Like, wow, what are you?” Ian gaped. “The secret lovechild of Ian Anderson, or something?” 

“Ha, I wish,” you laughed. “I’m just your average band kid.” 

“I wouldn’t call that average,” Gerard insisted, staring into your eyes, as he still held you close. “I was right….the flute just fits perfectly in with the song. And you’re the perfect person to play it.”

“Y/N, I can show you what the guitar and the flute will sound like together,” Doug offered, “If you could, uh, let go of her for a moment, Gee.”

“O-oh, right,” Gerard stammered, releasing you quickly. You blushed, and turned away. 

Doug began to play the edited-together track for you. You couldn’t believe it - your flute, Ian’s guitar, and Gerard’s vocals, blended together, into something incredibly beautiful. 

“I wasn’t sure if the flute was going to go well, with your style of music,” you confessed. “My background is the symphony orchestra. Most of the time, you only really see the flute, used in classical music, like that. I wasn’t sure if you could make it sound rock n’ roll. But...it works! Somehow.” 

“It does,” Gerard agreed. “Y/N…..I’m so, so glad that I met you.”

His eyes sparkled as he looked at you. It made your heart pound, for reasons you couldn’t articulate. 

“Y/N,” Doug said, bringing you back to reality, “that first take was great, but I’d like you to try it again for me, please.”

“Of course,” you acquiesced. “I’ll give it as many takes as it needs.” 

“I feel like we could all use some coffee first, though,” Ian decided. “Doug? You want to run down the street with  me, to get it?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s our turn, since Gerard ran and got the last round,” Doug agreed. “Y/N - what can we get you?”

“Oh, just a vanilla latte, I guess,” you decided. 

“Coming right up,” Ian smiled. “We’ll be right back.” 

The guitarist and producer got up and left. Your pulse quickened again, as you realized, that you were now alone in the room with Gerard. It felt different, than it had at the station, or the coffeeshop. Both of those times, there were plenty of other people around. But now…..?

“It’s just you and me,” Gerard said softly. He was still staring at you. 

“Y-Yeah,” you said nervously. “I guess we got quite a day ahead of us, huh?”

“Yup,” Gerard said awkwardly. “Doug’s not gonna let you leave, until you get your part just right.” 

“.....Gerard,” you asked, “why did you pick me for this job? You could have gotten anyone to play flute for you. I’m nobody.” 

“I told you, your performance got my attention,” Gerard reminded you. “I was just passing through the station, minding my own business. But, when I heard the sound of your flute…..I stopped still. I was like, oh my god, this is the sound that I’ve been looking for.” 

“Was it really that great?” you asked, feeling unsure of yourself. 

“Yes!” Gerard insisted. “Y/N, I swear to god, it was like I was hypnotized. By that incredible sound….and by the beauty, of the person making it……” 

“Beauty?” you repeated, your face going hot. Did he mean…..?

“I won’t lie to you,” Gerard said softly. “The moment I laid eyes on you, in that subway tunnel, I was so attracted to you.” 

“You think I’m attractive?” you realized, eyes going wide. 

“Yes,” Gerard whispered, looking you up and down, with evident desire. “I’m sorry…..you probably think I’m just a creepy, older dude….” 

“You’re not creepy!” you shook your head. “Gerard, I’ve always thought that you were extremely good-looking.” 

“You’re…..attracted to me, too?” Gerard put two and two together. 

You weren’t sure which of you took a step towards the other first, but, before you knew it, you were in his arms. He kissed you gently, but your body quickly responded to him, and the kiss rapidly turned more passionate.

He pressed you against the studio wall, his hands trailing down your body, as the kiss continued. 

“.....G-Gerard,” you gasped. “The others could walk back in, at any minute.” 

“If they interrupt us,” Gerard said, his voice husky, “we could always continue this, at my hotel, after the recording session is over.” 

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Gerard panted, as your lips found his neck. “Oh, fuck, yeah…..I got a room at a five star hotel in Times Square, that I would love to show you.”

“When do you have to go back to LA?” you asked, gasping for breath, as he kissed you again. 

“I’m supposed to go home on Saturday,” Gerard confessed. “But, if you keep kissing me like that….I might just miss the flight.” 

#gerard way x reader #gerard way imagine #gothtober #i gotta stop posting these at 2 am

[sinkingwmyships]

General MDZS modern (AU?) headcanons

(I’m not sure if this can be considered a full-fledged modern AU? so let’s just call it modern hcs.)

(I haven’t finished the live-action or the novel, so most of my knowledge comes from the donghua. pls forgive me if the canon stuff is wrong asf ;_;)

the Yunmeng Jiang siblings all have little silver bells as cellphone charms, and they basically jingle wherever they go

Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji (ofc) still plays the xiao and guqin, bc their family is traditional and wants their sons to be connected to their roots

which seems to be cool w/ both bc damn if they aren’t godly on those instruments

Wei Wuxian takes up the flute as a joke bc he wants to impress LWJ (“his brother plays the xiao and he seems to like his brother so if I play the flute he’ll like me too right?”), but ends up being so mfkin good at it for some reason

which annoys the hell out of Jiang Cheng bc he can’t music for shit

he can’t even cook

he’s asked Jiang Yanli many times for her help but “the kiTCHEN JUST WON’T COOPERATE WITH ME HELP I GENUINELY CAN’T DO THIS”

supportive JYL “what do u mean ofc u can oh no JC did u cut urself again”

LXC, the next day: “JC what’s wrong w your hands, why do u have so many band-aids on” JC: “I’m fine” WWX: “he was trying to cook, y’know I always tell him he’s gotta master it soon bc it doesn’t look like he’s gonna have any girlfriend to do it for him” JC: “shUT UP”

LXC: “it’s ok JC I can cook” JC: “what (//∇//)”

JC is ambidextrous (lowkey canon if you watch the donghua)

JYL owns a cooking channel on youtube, and is hella popular bc she cooks so well and everything just looks so nice and ~aesthetic~

her fans often asks how she can be so cute even when literally only her hands can be seen on screen

sometimes Wen Qing joins her (she has a home cafe channel) and they make baking videos which are just heaven for their fans

Jin Zixuan is usually their featured guest (aka lab rat) but he doesn’t mind bc 1) the food is always so good and 2) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ who knows? but the fans ship him and JYL

WWX and LWJ co-run an instagram account for their rabbits. the posts are mostly videos, only in 3 forms: ASMR of rabbits eating while LWJ calmly & silently feeds them; WWX playing with them and getting even more excited than the rabbits themselves; and WWX bringing the rabbits along to witness whatever shenanigan he’s about to get LWJ involved in

WWX: “welcome back everyone today i’m going to leave a rabbit in JC’s bag and see how he reacts” LWJ: “Wei Ying you’re just torturing the rabbit” WWX: “don’t worry JC loves animals to death it’s fine, besides we can ask your brother to look out for it” LWJ: “… fine”

LXC agrees (!!)

“What why is there a rabbit in my bag” “No no stay in there” “Don’t come out I’m busy oh my god you idiot I almost stepped on you” “Xichen do you know where this thing came from??” “I gotta w o r k can you please just hold it” “Fuck it looks hungry is it hungry? Do you know?”

LXC: “No?:3??”

JC: “... I feel so bad, let me go buy it some food”

(the rabbit is returned to WWX and LWJ later by LXC, safe and sound)

Wen Ning always carries around colorful cartoony band-aids. you want it? he got it.

some of them even make it onto JC’s hands once in a while, but JC threatens WN into promising he’ll never tell WWX

both WN and WQ are extra scary when they’re sleepy/tired/moody

WWX calls JZX “Young Lord Jin” as a joke and it pisses JZX off sooo much (but JYL laughs at it so like whatevs it’s all cool :’D )

part 2!

#idk how many parts this is gonna have lol #mdzs #cql #the untamed #mdzs headcanons #mdzs modern headcanons #lan wangji #lan xichen #lan huan #lan zhan #wei wuxian #wei ying #wen ning #wen qing #wangxian #xicheng #jiang wanyin #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #jin zixuan #jiang yanli x jin zixuan #modern au #mdzs modern au #sinkingwmyaus

[twinkleimagines]

✨This one time at band camp✨

Summary: you and Tom have been band buddies since middle school and have made it to college together. You’re finally ready to confess your love for him when he meets someone else. Is it too late?

⚠️⭕️ ( smut and language included)

“Save me a seat would ya?” Tom yelled out while sticking a dollar in the vending machine right outside the band room.

“ sure thing Tom” you said while picking up your trumpet (you can pick what instrument you want) and Toms , heading out to the bus. “ it’s not like I have anyone else to sit with” you joked before exiting through the double doors outside. Your school was on its way to yours and Toms third year of band camp. It was a two week overnight stay at the camp to get as much practice in for the upcoming football season, but it was also your favorite thing ever because it gave you two weeks straight to be with Tom.

You’ve been in love with that brown eyed boy since freshman year . It felt as if it were meant to be. Your careers were in mostly the same paths, and he was your best friend. Nobody knew you like Tom. But he always had eyes for other people, girls that looked nothing like you. He even said one time that it was ‘ gross’ when someone asked if the two of you were a couple. After that , the idea of telling the truth was a no go.

You plopped down in your seat, grabbing out your tablet for you and Tom to share . You always watched movies together because the bus ride to camp was almost 4 hours long and it gave you an excuse to lay your head on him and fall asleep. You really wanted to tell him this yeah during band camp. You were worried about the friendship status and where it would go if he rejected you, but at the same time you couldn’t handle it anymore. You wanted him to love you more than just a best friend.

“ scoot” Tom said while putting his trumpet under the bus seat. “ did you bring any snacks?” He asked. You nodded unzipping one of the pockets on your duffel bag. Tom grinned real big before reaching in and grabbing him one. “ so what movie are we going to watch this time?” He asked looking over at you. God that sincere smile of his is just so calming. Sometimes you couldn’t believe such a beautiful guy was YOUR best friend.

“ they finally came out with the second amazing spider man” you said excitedly .     

“ I saw! Is that what we’re watching?” He beamed. You nodded before grabbing the tablet and putting the movie up.

Most of the ride to camp was silent . Tom was just innocently watching the movie but you couldn’t help but day dream the whole time. Your eyes constantly looking at his hands, up his arms, you’d look at his reflection in the tablet, watching his lips open slightly when an intense scene came on , or when he’d get uncomfortable he’d move around, looking over at you asking if you were okay. “ are you tired?” He whispered. You looked up nodding while yawning. “ well come here” he said pulling you towards him.you snuggled up against his chest , his arm wrapping over your shoulder. You felt him lay his head down on yours, his chest rising up and down as he took steady breaths. Before you knew it you were fast asleep.

“Y/n” you heard faintly . “Y/n” Tom said while slightly shaking your shoulder.

“ huh” you said sitting up some.

“Wake up we’re here” he said before standing up and stretching. You damn near drooled when you saw his shirt lift up, his happy trail showing , veins and abs. When did he get so ripped? You quickly looked away, grabbing your duffel bag before he noticed you staring.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this again for the third time” he beamed excitedly while looking out the window towards the buildings and field.

“ I know and we get to do it together “ you said looking at him, admiring his face, again.

“ well duh” he smirked before grabbing his stuff and walking down the aisle. It took you a minute to get off the bus, struggling to get your bags and instrument off , and by the time you got off Tom was no where in sight . You sighed in frustration. Tom always waits for you so you don’t lose each other. Where could he be?

You sat for a second , looking around before grabbing your phone out calling him.

“ hey” he answered.

“ where the heck did you go , you just left me here” you said semi jokingly butt hurt.

“ oh I’m by the C building, I had to meet up with someone. come over” he said. ‘C building ?’ You thought . That’s where the wood winds stay . What is he doing over there?

“ uhm okay? “ you responded before hanging up. It took you a minute before you got over ther, wondering who the hell he wanted you to meet. When you walked up though your heart sank.

Crystal, the most wanted girl in your band . She was a flute player, long perfectly soft wavy golden brown hair, teeth that sparkles in the light everytime she smiled, blue eyes that you could notice a mile away. And a flirtatious laugh. Don’t forget her perfect figure. You could see that Tom was blushing while talking to her and she kept playing with her hair.

‘ no no no’ you thought . This literally cannot be happening .

“ hey Tom “ you said while walking up to him. “ you ready to go put our stuff up? “ you asked trying your hardest to take the attention off of Crystal.

“ yeah just a sec, uh Y/n you remember Crystal?” He asked turning the attention right back to her.

“ hey y/n, I love your t-shirt!” She said overly nice. You knew it was fake without a doubt.

“ thanks “ you said with a fake smile. “ you play the flute right? “ you asked.

“ yup that’s me” she said smiling real big before flipping her hair . You looked at Tom who was looking at her in awe. He was mesmerized by her and it was honestly breaking your heart.

“ well I can see you guys are busy so I guess I’ll be on my way then” you said looking directly at Tom. He barely even acknowledged what you had said, just a quick yeah before starting a conversation with Crystal. You walked back to building B with your head down. Did you lose your opportunity to be with the person you truly loved? Has he found someone ? Tom had a handful of flings but he never looked at any of them the way he did Crystal.

It had been lunch time before you had heard from Tom again. The first day everyone really just spent the day roaming the area and having fun. You stood in line by yourself looking around At all the familiar and unfamiliar faces. This facility held all the surrounding college bands for their first two week practices so there were at least 3 different schools there.

“ thanks” you mumbled as you grabbed the tray from the lunch lady before finding an empty seat next to a couple of other kids. You were just so upset. How could he just drop you like that? You both always did everything together during band camp but because of this bimbo Crystal it was like you never existed.

You were picking around with your food when someone tapped your shoulder. It was Tom, thankfully.

“ y/n where were you ? We looked for you”

‘We?’ You thought . Sure enough walks up Crystal and another girl from the flute section and two guys from the drumline.

“ you were busy” you said glancing your eyes towards Crystal and her group before back at Tom.

“ no come sit with us “ he insisted. You hesitated for a second. You really didn’t want to sit and watch him and Crystal flirt but you wanted to be with Tom.

“ okay” you said grabbing your phone and tray before getting up and following them outside to a round table .

You sat directly across Tom, both flute girls sitting on the other side of him and you in between the drummers. They all conversated between themselves , laughter filling throughout the group. Crystal was mainly the center of attention the whole time, but you in the other hand just sat , listening. No one really even acknowledged that you were there.

Not even Tom. You started to feel sick to your stomach. This was not your crowd at all. You didn’t fit in. And you knew Crystal was only really interested in Tom because he had been working out and his body was maturing. She didn’t know him like you did though and that’s what upset you the most.

By the time the day was over with , you were in your bunk in tears. At this point it felt it like you had no one to spend band camp with . You had lost your best friend. He’s had girlfriends before but he never left you out like this before. You were almost asleep when you felt your phone vibrate under your pillow. It was Tom.

T: wyd?

Y: sleepin 😴 y?

T: well wake up and come outside😬

You could feel your heartbeat speeding up. Finally . You quickly put your t shirt on over your tank top and slipped on your tennis shoes before sneaking out before anyone could catch you.

“ boo!” Tom yelled while grabbing your arms.

“ damn you! “ you jumped , turning around to look at him. God he was just so beautiful.

“ I’ve missed you today why were you being so distant “ he asked while hugging you. You wanted to tell him but you didn’t want to sound like a possessive friend.

“ no reason I just wasnt really feeling all that good” you said pulling away from the hug. “ nerves kicking in I guess” you said shrugging it off.

“ oh. Welcome with me” he said grabbing your hand. “ I got a cool Hang out spot” he beamed while walking towards the field . Finally , you get to have Tom all to yourself. Maybe this would be the perfect time to really tell him how you fe-

‘What the fuck. ‘ you thought as you saw Crystal and her Group of friends sitting by the pond.

“ really Tom” you blurted out, unintentionally you pulled your hand away from him and start walking, causing him to turn around in confusion. 

“ what? What’s wrong?” He asked, putting his hand on your arm. You sighed heavily . It’s too late now just go ahead and say it.

“I don’t even know these people” you said throwing your hand up towards the group .

“ I know that’s the whole point of bringing you here so you could get to know them” he said excitedly, as if he had some great big plan. You scoffed crossing your arms looking away from him. “ look Crystal and I started talking at the end of the school year last year and we hung out a few times over the summer . I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t know if anything was going to come out of it but then these last couple of weeks things started escalating and .. well I really really like her and you won’t even give her a chance” he said pulling you closer towards him. You could feel the lump forming in the back of your throat. This was all wrong. This wasn’t how the weekend was suppose to go.

“Hey..” he said, lifting your chin up as a tear fell down your cheek. “ why are you crying y/n ? What’s wrong?” He asked sincerely worried.

“ because I can’t do this” you cried out, your voice trembling.

“ what? Do what? What are you talking about y/n?” He said stepping back from you, confusion written over his face.

“ I love you “ you cried out , your voice cracking while more tears started pouring down your face.

“ y/n I love you too I - I don’t understand what’s wrong” he said , panicking.

“ no Tom I love you” you explained, throwing your hands down . He stopped and stared at you with his eyes wide, finally realizing what you were insinuating. “ I’ve been in love with you for years now but I didn’t want to ruin our friendship” you said softly while losing your head. “ I was going to tell you but then you showed up with perfect Crystal and it was like you had no time for me . “ you said looking back up at him, wiping some of your tears away. “ but it’s clear you don’t feel the same way about me “ you said shaking your head.

“Y/n..” he said softly reaching out for your hand but you quickly snatched it away.

“ and I’m sorry but I’m not going to sit here and just be a third wheel to your new relationship. It’s clear you don’t need me anymore” you said looking back at him. “ you’ve got your other friends now”. You stated before turning around walking away. You heard him call your name a few times but you kept walking. You couldn’t bare it anymore.

*To be continued *

#tom holland smut #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland #Tom Holland fan fiction smut #smut

[jafndaegur]

Noise of Rain | Chapter Three

Without Forgiveness, Rather than Rusted by Falsehood

Sesskag

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

A holy arrow split the moment away, surging forward in a torrent of electric blue power.

Sesshomaru’s sword lashed out, too fast to see, and yet it was not he that felled the arrow. Kagome's eyes glowed haunting and bright crimson, a cruel and pained smile on her face. The holy arrow hovered mid-air, grasped by the inky tendrils of dark energy.

"Oho? Glad to know Kikyo is using her newfound humanity the same as she always had." She glared and the arrow flipped around, hurtling back to the earth.

Below they could hear Inuyasha shouting—Sesshomaru could see his brother dive and deflect the arrow intended to attack the priestess. His brow furrowed. Plenty of resentful energy spurred the returned projectile, but none of that dazzling bright pink purification Kagome kept unfiltered.

"Think it's high time I say hi?" Her voice fluttered through the air innocently. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

He didn't answer her. Refused to answer her. Maybe once long ago, he would have given her his thoughts, maybe. But that'd been because she was different. Not a creature that sought unlimited power like this—unlimited, unclean power—but someone who would make a change her own way, through hard work and her own practice. Pointing out at the darkness, even when she traverses it.

Not this.

She descended slowly, almost ethereal, her outer layer billowing, her yukata delicate and graceful. And yet the splatters of Naraku's blood marring the green and grey cloth said otherwise.

Her shoes are dirtied—

"Kagome!" Inuyasha rushed to meet her, his feet trudging through the battlefield sludge.

Kagome landed gracefully, a few slow strides before she made it to her stumbling hanyou. The others followed close behind him, while Sesshomaru took up vigil behind her.

She reached out and embraced the hanyou in a surprisingly gentle hug. He held onto her, no words needed, only a trembling grasp.

Yet the scathing and cold voice still cut through the air. "Get away from her Inuyasha. That thing is not the Kagome you know."

Kikyo's tone perusal was scant of emotion, save her usual mocking righteousness.

Kagome's chin tilted up and she took a step back while Inuyasha whirled around to protest.

"I shouldn't have to explain myself," the priestess hummed. "But even your monk and demon slayer can sense the demonic aura coming from her."

Sango said nothing, her gaze cast to the ground.

Miroku on the other hand fumbled with his words a bit before mentioning an amendment. "It's not evil per say. Just dark."

Sesshomaru’s golden gaze narrowed. So—without her notice—the little miko had scared all of her little friends.

Kagome rested her hand on the fife tucked into her thin obi. "It isn't evil, believe it or not."

"If you let me purify you, I'd be more inclined to believe you," Kikyo bit out.

"Damn, Kikyo—it's just Kagome, what's gotten into you?" Inuyasha's brow was furrowed, and he was clearly disgruntled.

"Were you not just undead?" Sesshomaru ran his fingers through his hair. "It seems you hardly have room to speak."

Inuyasha drew in a sharp breath.

Kikyo smiled half-heartedly and drew another arrow. "And now look at my reincarnation. Fitting she took my place."

"Kikyo, what the hell are you trying to start?" Inuyasha moved to appease her.

She refused and released the arrow.

Sesshomaru was quick — and yet again something else was quicker. The ringing clang of metal struck the air and warbled, and in a blink, the fight was over.

A small boy with pulled back hair and angered eyes withdrew his scythe.

"Kohaku!" Sango shouted, pushing past the belligerent miko and mostly-confused hanyo.

"Sister," the young demon slayer offered a weak smile. "I'm happy to see you again."

No time was wasted in the barreling hug. Sango pulled her little brother close, and this time, he returned her embrace.

"How is this possible?" She looked from him, cupping his face and gazing at Kagome and back to him. "The Shikon was destroyed."

"I revived him in a sense," Kagome offered. "He's not fully alive. But he's not fully dead. We bumped into each other a month or so back. And I pulled the shard from him. Once he was dead, I brought him back."

Sesshomaru’s brow twitched. A miko wouldn't, and shouldn't, have a power as such.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha's voice offered everyone's hesitance and discomfort.

"Explain," Kikyo bit out.

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. "But of course. There's a tea house not far from here. Our little group will make for quite some clientele, but I think what I have to say will be ill suited if we stay on the battlefield."

That much it seemed, everyone could agree on.

-‐-

Kagome despite her earlier sardonic tone, seemed on friendly basis with the teashop owner. He welcomed her with a bright smile and familiar call of her name. He waved their little group over to a nice secluded spot, away from regular patrons enough to not be egregious, but close enough to feel included with the surprisingly light atmosphere.

"The regular?" The owner asked.

She waved him off with a friendly laugh. "An extra pot and a plate of bean buns."

He nodded and scooted away.

"I helped him start this place," she pulled the fife from her obi and twirled it lazily. "This entire area was under Naraku's influence three months ago. He's from the mainland and wanted to bring a little taste of home. Once this place was cleaned out of miasma and...other obstacles—I've deceived these memories in my mind over and over again to remember just quite what they were—we built this place."

"You built this place?" Shippo echoed with a little bit of awe.

The fife waved back and forth with a sheepish giggle. "Well I decorated the place."

Inuyasha huffed.

Miroku and Sango chuckled lightly.

Even Sesshomaru, who really did seem out of place with their little pack, rolled his eyes.

The only one not bemused was Kikyo. "So you did not help with any construction."

Kagome grinned and lifted her brow, the look almost sultry. "I wouldn't be much help there, I don't have nearly enough strength for heavy lifting. But the feral undead in my control handled it just fine."

Kikyo's brow twitched and Inuyasha's amusement turned pale.

"Oh I'm sorry. Undead strikes a nerve I see," Kagone continued. "Corpse. I think that's what I would call them. They don't think much."

She pointed her flute at Sango and her brother. "Kohaku is my only and greatest exception. A feral corpse who thinks and acts almost entirely for himself."

Kohaku looked down at the table and wrinkled his nose a little.

"Corpse?" Sango's whisper was half broken, staggered.

Decorated with lies, Kagome winced. "Zombie may be better. Not really alive, not really dead. An odd mix in between."

The teashop owner brought their order and swept settings over the table quickly. He seemed to sense the tense mood and left. In the stiff silence, Kikyo graciously poured everyone a cup of tea save for Kagome, Shippo, and Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru didn't even bat an eye, and the little fox demon busied himself with forking bean buns to care.

Lounging back, Kagome draped her arm over her knee.  

Inuyasha pushed his teacup in her direction, his ears flattened apologetically against his head.

It made her heart twinge, she'd missed her best friend.

"What right do you have playing with their lives?" Kikyo hummed, staring over the rim of her mug. "It is both the unorthodox and unethical path."

"I wish I could've seen you complain about that earlier," Kagome tapped the fife against her brow. "Tell me again, how long have you been a living human by now?"

The two mikos then engaged in another quiet round of glaring.

"The flute Kagome," Miroku piped up, trying to keep the conversation going. "What does it do?"

"This?" Kagome offered her instrument to him. "It's just an ordinary fife. However I use it to channel the resentful energy, that's what summons and brings the feral corpses to life. I named it Kangaimuryo. Like it?"

Miroku took it in a ginger hold before his eyes widened and he observed it more carefully. "There's no evil aura. There's an aura, but it's not impure."

"It's an ordinary object." Kagome took it back once he'd finished his inspection. "Although it's sturdy and can hold its own in a fight. Kohaku and I have discovered more than once that it's decent at blocking a blade."

The young demon slayer gave a reassuring nod. "Lady Kagome has been steering away smaller yokai from the Burial Mounds for months now. She uses it to both channel resentful energy and deflect physical attacks. She's skilled."

There was silence. A lingering hesitance blared the looming question that no one wanted to ask. Well, almost no one.

"Why don't you just purify them?" Kikyo rested her chin on her hand, relaxing forward. "Such a simple task for a miko."

An exasperated sigh caused Kagome's bangs to puff up before she stood and wiped off the front of her yukata. "Kohaku, will you return later?"

"Kagome…" Sango was the first to vocally protest.

Kagome smiled gently at first before sending a cruel imitation to Kikyo. "I love myself far too much to waste my reiki on small fries."

Her voice hitched just a bit. "This is easier."

"Oy Kagome!" Inuyasha stood, the table screeching as he pushed it  forward.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"I'll see you guys around," she told him gently before waving. "I have some things to settle back home."

"Home?" Came the hanyou's echo. But there was no response.

Kagome strode out of the tea house long enough to appear proud. Once out of eyesight she slouched and panted, her hand resting on her chest. The demonic energy had risen painfully with each biting nag from she-who-should-probably-not-be-named—it lashed and made restraint difficult. It had taken everything for Kagome not to react negatively.

Leaving was her best response.

"It is not easy."

The deep tenor surprised her and she twisted to see Sesshomaru standing nonchalantly beside her. A lazy flick of his eyes told her he feigned boredom. But if it was his mask, why was he interested in seeing her.

She walked forward, straightening herself out and walking evenly. "Not like it's a walk in a park."

He kept pace, even steps with no trouble maintaining stride. "And yet you walk."

Kagome hummed, well wasn't he talkative today. "You were at the Burial Mounds today. I have talismans there to let me know when anyone arrives there. So why did you go?"

"Hn."

Maybe not.

"You ever get tired of living in someone's shadow?"

The daiyoukai's brow twitched.

"Yeah, figured that's a yes." Kagome exhaled, resting her hand on the fife tucked neatly against her side. "What happened…helped with that. I'm not in her shadow anymore."

Sesshomaru’s gaze met hers.

"And that's what I'll tell myself is for the best. With the jewel gone, there's no need for me to walk the widely paved road anymore."

She didn't say why. She doubted he cared. But speaking to him and admitting she would keep on the demonic path, lightened her heart—as if Sesshomaru’s troubled silence offered acceptance.

#sesskag #sesshomaru x kagome #kagome higurashi #sesshomaru #au: mo dao zu shi #chapter song: roll the dice by takanori nishikawa #inuyasha

[thecrenellations]

Return of the Thief Notes, Part Two: The Book of Pheris, Volume 2, Chapters 1-5

Notes from my first read, October 2020. (Part One | Part Three | TaT)

Contents: Me losing my mind in multiple ways each chapter, helpful links, nighttime garden cousins, an Irene pun, notes from my second read, “mwt is just like going for it,” and “this is so fucked up and heartwarming.”

Format: Page number. My thoughts (Context?)

Volume 2

Illustration

Book 2 bro

Now we’re caught up and changed forever by lots of things

What printer’s apprentice made this?

Elephants!

Chapter 1

175. me too, Costis, me too. I am so tired. (it’s hard to sleep when your brain and heart and everything are fizzing because you’re reading Return of the Thief for the first time and a new Queen’s Thief book for the last time) 

176. Klimun + Gerosthenes vibes [moon doodle]

Holes in documents. That’s cute

Gen!!! <3

Wtf Ansel was hoodwinked!

177. The Queen waited

They’re ridiculous

Hi Pheris

Wtf he stole her earrings for Melheret?!?

178. Excuse me??? What is this book (sleeveless leather tunic)

He still roams!!!

Tattoos!

179. a sentence I never fucking expected to read ever “The absence of tattoos…”

180. that’s interesting

Stacked like kindling wow oh dear

181. She wants him to move in lol

Lol sorry Ion

Did she just want them to leave the room?

182. I can’t with this… I can’t. Why is sex symbol Relius canon. (the play that featured him! It’s great, it’s great, it was just a lot to take in!)

Silver crown?

183. Cleon! Rude!

Did they call Costis to deck him?

Queen scene!! <3

184. This is an epic. Abt Costis. Dirty stranger

185. he’s “the high king”

Lol

187. prophet (Pheris sure makes Costis sound like one)

Shut up Piloxides

188. resources for war! (book launch foreshadowing part two! She talked a lot about this kind of thing as well, and recommended the book Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army)

189. “we”

What were you gonna say (Gen almost says something to Costis part one)

193. RIP The Magus Archives … it was not to be. Yet.

194. Melenze’s doorstep. Why? Bc Melenze is Ferria’s dog. (idk dude that line from ACoK has just never left me)

195. This is … a big war

196. Oh gen

Nighttime garden cousins.

Chapter 2

197. wtf did Relius think of that play

Also … not a peep from the sacred mountain huh

198. wtf will happen with Cleon

with Erondites

with THE MOUNTAIN

a lot going on

everyone was in that room but Kamet! So close!

199. Cute Fordad + Gen friendship (I never said these notes would make me look smart)

Same 2 T + R! :) It’s not them is it? (I NEVER SAID THESE NOTES WOULD MAKE ME LOOK SMART)

Poor Teleus

200. gdi Gen

Excuse me? Is he worried for Pheris??? (taking his tablet)

They trust each other! C’mon!

Sure he has reasons

202. oh dear. :( that’s … the worst cover story

Also falling

203. wow almost like a story huh

Ula’s altar :(

Why haven’t we had a Gen and Costis scene IN THREE BOOKS

205. I just … I don’t know if he’s just miserable or if it’s all a plan. I feel like I should know it’s all a plan. But he really feels like he has far to go. He’s just a mess and the same and so different. (having a small Gen meltdown)

205. he did give him the gun

Odd that he missed Quedue

206. he’s gonna bite them (buckle up! it’s abdication time!)

207. Power. Power. Power. Power.

Thx 4 the editorializing Pheris

208. Gen is making choices. That’s a choice.

209. There’s KoA down the drain

Aaaand he’s Eugenides

“Eugenides stared into the future”

The page of like 3 different tumblr posts: Trophy husband, Library, No! yes!

210. make sure he doesn’t leave lol

211. Pheris :(

Also fucked up timing for Irene

I love them

212. again with the birthday book

He’s still the king in the narration

Go on the roof! So close!

213. EUGENIDES IS ALWAYS APPROPRIATE my motto

Viper! Bastard!

Oh shit. I love them.

214. “our treaty” “our queen”

AAAH! Wedding night!

Asked her to leave!

Smash Erondites and peace out, literally

215. a frank talk

HE SAID IT.

216. The Bructs?

Wait is this his grandfather (taking a moment to remember all about Susa)

Also that’s Costis territory

217. who is this lion

218. #3 to Gen.

219. hmmm ring

There’s been a lot to unpack wow.

Did this happen, Pheris? Pheris?! 

220. Atté atté!

(Dear reader: for some strange reason, I completely forgot about taking notes on the final pages of this chapter. These notes are from when I reread those pages a few minutes later.)

Erondites full cup to brimming

The Pherises…

We must think of others before ourselves … occasionally

I do not like Orutus

Don’t fence Costis in! Does this count as prison? No (I had a square on my bingo board for “someone ends up in prison” ... but it turned out to be for someone else)

221. damn Costis

Aaah

Costis …

Irene… your jokes (I mean, it’s a joke, but also it is very real for her.)

SHE SAID IT!

My heart

222. where is Relius going?

SPYING

What you see and what you think it means (I love these instructions/this quote so much)

So are Susa + Erondites 2gether or what (listen ... proximity generates meaning in these books)

Also, like

What can

I say

WHAT CAN I SAY (Hell yeah! Never more glad to be wrong about the magus)

[page long list of doubles and parallels - from Cleons and Pherises and Ions to god-character and character-character connections]

Also the fact that in KoA and TaT Relius was like … oh … no … I just live a gentle life being friends with my king and queen and being scholarly. But no. He’s SPYING and TRAVELING MYSTERIOUSLY and has MANY LOVERS and also has been WITH TELEUS ALL ALONG and there is a PLAY written about him and he has a ~messenger~ network and PLAYS THE FLUTE and DOESN’T MAKE HIS BED and DISLIKES MATH and oh and he’s VERY HANDSOME! (Yes I was losing it, I hope my note from after the poem helps show some of the feelings behind this rant.)

Fucking … Wine shop. Should have known.

Chapter 3

224. ominous

Hello magus!

Sophos … babe (his impatience!)

225. Magus … cool your socks that’s your bff (he’s just describing Helen’s dead body! Fun!!!!)

In the van

That was good I love them

Why is it Couples Hour?

226. finally we’re out of the capital of Attolia

Ok they’re so cute

She was NEVER Helen in ACoK narration! 

Also – Pheris. This is all Pheris. (Pheris plus information others told him!)

227. Bringing each other up to date – that’s their thing. Talking forever

All this talk of shooting Therespides

228. EX FUCKING SCUSE ME (time to learn a lot about the country of Eddis)

He was 15! (or almost 15)

He didn’t know! Or did he!

The MoW!

All thru Pheris

Fuck you magus

When did he know

229. EXCUSE ME

The emeralds?

Assumed the worst?

That classic quote about little to do with winter but with “seducing other people’s lovers”

230. yeah Sophos that’s a lost cause (“spare me my blushes”)

Also she didn’t answer you

What are they laughing about (the generally nameless men we’re learning many things about this chapter)

233. Gen I think it’s fair to say that was a mistake

234. wtf Gen

GEN! he just. Had those. (the jewels!)

Her crown

I cannot

235. Gen!

237. Crash

Her CHANGES

238. THESE TWO

239. called annux

Yeah it’s like … a family meeting (the war council)

Bring your father to work day

241. Oh no.

Stenides! Boagus!!!!!!!

EDDIS!

Wolves! Lol

mwt is just like going for it

243. aww

Eddis > Boagus > Gen

244. Yeah I’m with her on this. (“if that doesn’t frighten you, it should”)

Chapter 4

245. Gen and Magus scene yes!

Two people affected by his long hair (Gen and the magus? I think?)

Pheris are you there?

Gen … you used to wish yourself out of existence

Wow

Hair vanity

Yeah also battlefield

Ion is a darling tbh

248. Is he. Is he going to fight all of them

Also they are all his cousins huh

AULUS! I liked you!

Same, Hilarion

Taking a page out of Costis’s book?

You have definitely seen it before. (I mistook his lie for truth!)

Will Costis hear about this? (please)

249. #4 to Gen!

Pheris where are you

Why doesn’t the Continent want to conquer them (do I get partial credit for this)

A tattoo!

250. “Do not offend the gods”

Honestly … too bad Helen DIDN’T do this

251. he said he’d give all he had

I’m sure there are rules

253. Just men? :( (let everybody fight him!)

Ornon is back! I mean, of course he is

Also yea they practice

HELLO ORNON

A house being built … or one knocked down. Nice

Is Teleus in on this?

254. Pheris called him my king!

255. I wanna know which guards though

:( he’d been faking

Kicked him in the head (ouch)

256. “when he fell”

I … don’t like this

He never gives up. The thieves don’t have limits. They have flash points.

Stepped on his hand

“Enough Gen” – what Irene said?

257. :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

The magus. I forgot he was there.

The magus said … nevermind …

The magus is probs very into this as a cultural thing. Also he was talking to the MoW

Pigeon. The sky. :( Like in TT (OH BOY, THE SKYYYY)

If there was a god, Pheris would see…

258. They’ve, they’ve been through a lot.

Oh god what’s next

259. I … no. not in his arms to the palace.

The palace where….

The stairs…

They are all 3 lookers. Basilisks and brass and lead

I hate this. But I love this.

I will someday see this differently.

Ah yes… the grunt. Approval.

260. Honestly, this is so fucked up and heartwarming. These books.

Lol don’t defend Hilarion, we know him

Eddis visits him.

Attolia watches him.

261.WTF Gen. I knew it. Why.

Crying or laughing? Crying? :(

How does this not undermine her now that he is her king?

But … what he wouldn’t do for her.

262. “he did fine”

This book is like… Reasons Gen Says Sorry

So, so… - Helen

GEN!

263. I am right. I am always right. It’s a curse.

Helen :( :( :(

The amount of times these people have seen him beaten.

He’s like … self destructive, but in a way that gives himself more power. Which he hates.

Gen, let them in. Let them in.

Chapter 5

264. honeycomb

OH NO. is it happening?

266. I’m just supposed to accept this?!! What does it mean?!

267. … a my king moment … important

But like … now can he fight?

Caryatid? [doodle after I looked it up]

268. Teleus!

C’mon Teleus. Everyone you love or respect loves him!

Honestly Pheris and Teleus … not a duo I expected

THESE TWO ARE SO DEDICATED TO TELLING HIM THAT! Ok I should chill. At least he said “may.” These are like … Pheris’s life lessons.

Honestly… I love that Teleus likes poetry, or at least likes it for Relius.

269. Lol Legarus. It’s been years! I mean, I guess that was a big deal for him… (almost being executed is a big deal for most people.)

Does he not love Gen because of Relius? Because Gen manipulated him? Because he keeps sending away his successor? Why on earth not! Hop on that train! (...)

It’s interesting that their relationship is the one that touches Pheris, not Gen and Irene. Hm.

Also … “Idiot.” The parallels.

“relatively gently” (it’s so good)

~Teleus here to talk about love~

This book is full of surprises.

270. That is NOT the bright side, Gen (“I could use my newfound authority to insist on going into battle”)

271. BUNNY! Wtf is a wineglass warrior

Very cute everyone, good job.

Still sad about Helen’s tears.

271. Gen. Don’t say these things. [volcano doodle]

272. SEE I was worried about this! The doubt!

I am not ok

This is TOO MANY Eddisian Revelations (Lader time)

Yeah. Wow.

273. Cleon x5

I … his grandfather

No.

Baby Helen begging

How did Pheris get this scene

Gen chose Cleon for his plan

275. IRENE WITH THE STATS!

276. lol Gen

My brother Sounis!

277. Missing Relius club.

Where is he though

Yes! Sophos Gen food fight!

Grapes!

“Wisdom”

He’s “the king” here and in KoA bc that’s the story but also that’s who he is to Pheris and Costis

278. So how did that Irene and MoW meeting go anyway?

How does Aulus know???

Thief short story! Probably terrible to reread, oh no

279. Are … are Aulus and Boagus together???! (“his slightly smaller partner”)

This feels … potentially traumatic … but fun? Idk

Fleece

280. This dang book. No rules!

The chandelier! So dramatic!

Mwt had … a lot to put into this one. A lot. A lot.

283. “not the Thief he was chasing”

284. The queens! The salute!

He can’t give this up.

Official Worries:

100,000 soldiers heading towards Kamet

Re: Lyopidus, Gen called Sophos his brother. Helen apparently might BE his sister. Temenus and Stenides are also going to a war where 9/10 will probably die.

Also

the MoW could have been a king if he’d stolen Helen’s throne. A lot there.

why does this book have the vibe of the library post, my comic from 2010, the king and queen interactions here, and the military tactics dream

#part twooo #word clouds next #the queen's thief #return of the thief #mwt #rott spoilers #return of the thief spoilers #something i

[thatgirlonstage]

@fluffyblue-multifandommess so I tried to save your ask in draft at one point while I was working on answering it (it uh.... got... long on me) and fortunately I didn’t actually lose it but it did fuck the formatting to hell and I couldn’t fix it, so I just copy-pasted into a new post entirely; sorry about that.

@fluffyblue-artnwriting asked: I'm thinking about possibilities for a wangxian Witcher!AU and I can't decide which one of them is the Witcher because on one hand WWX has a personality way closer to Jaskier but ALSO the whole Public View Of Witchers Is Shit thing parallels demonic cultivation nicely.... And THEN I thought, but what if LWJ is the witcher and WWX is... like Yennefer. Then who would take on the bard's role... IDK. Maybe NHS? I like the idea of LWJ&NHS friendship A Lot but their dynamic would be very different from Geralt and Jaskier’s obviously. However that all works out, one thing is obvious; A-Yuan is Ciri.

*rubs hands together* Okay hear me out: WWX as the Witcher and LWJ as the Bard, but paralleling a sort of Jaskier/Geralt roleswap AU. The one where Jaskier is a witcher and Geralt is a bard, albeit a much more subdued type of bard, the kind who sits in the corner of an inn and strums his songs and gains a reputation as this guy with a deep, husky (well, Geralt is husky, LWJ in this instance is more… warm and round) kind of voice who is maybe not the best for a jig but whenever he sings he has a way of just making everyone stop and listen. He tells stories with his songs, and he makes people want to hear them. And he doesn’t really like to stick around after he plays, he doesn’t want to be dragged into every piece of gossip and every scandal of every small town he visits, he prefers to meet people privately and gather his stories thoughtfully and carefully before he sets them to music. But one day after his set, just as he’s packing up, this has-no-fear witcher sprawls himself across the table nearest the bard and calls for a drink and a meal for the man who sings so beautifully, golden eyes glowing (like the sun, Lan Wangji thinks, like he wants to light the world around him, not hellfire and brimstone like he’s heard). So he takes the meal but turns down the drink and requests instead to follow him for a day and see if there’s a story waiting in the witcher’s company.

And there is, there’s dozens of stories, but more importantly there is Wei Ying with his golden eyes and bright smile and fierce whirling swords, and the way he laughs and waves it off when the innkeepers throw food in his face or people lie about what they agreed to pay him or even when he is literally stoned out of town. So Lan Wangji vows he will write songs about the witcher, about the children he saves and the long nights in the mud and the wilderness, about stitching his own wounds back together because not even a doctor will touch him. He will write songs so beautiful it will make grown men weep, he will write songs so popular that no one will be able to get them out of their heads, he will write songs for noble and common alike, he will make people stop looking at Wei Ying with fear and revulsion if he has to play until his fingers bleed.

(“Lan Zhan, why do you write so many songs about me?” Wei Ying laughs as he asks it, the question only half serious.

“I write songs that I want people to hear,” he answers, and Wei Ying’s mask slips slightly to the complicated face beneath the smile.)

(He writes one song that is not about him, but for him. One song that no one else will ever hear.)

(“Wangji, be careful with your songs,” his brother tells him, but it doesn’t stop him.)

(Oops it got long, more under the cut)

I am vaguely aware from fanfic that there was at some point, some kind of attack? On the witchers? A bunch of them were wiped out? This would be a lot easier if I knew more lore and history but I want to read the books now* so I’m not gonna spoil myself by looking at the wiki (I also imagine with the number of different canons that looking at the wiki is likely to confuse me more than anything). But anyway: the destruction of Lotus Pier.

Lan Wangji eventually meets Wei Ying’s family, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli, two other witchers, three of very very few witchers left. Jiang Cheng fights monsters with a whip that crackles with purple lightning. Jiang Yanli uses potions that make her monstrously strong, and drips poison on her blade. Lan Wangji asks Wei Ying why his swords seem perfectly ordinary, if largely too heavy for the average man to swing about with ease, or why he doesn’t use the same potions and poisons Jiang Yanli does, the ones she warned Lan Wangji not to touch lest they burn his skin. He asks why the scars in his skin seem so much deeper, like they took far longer to heal. Wei Ying laughs it off and hastily changes the subject.

(Netflix told us fuck all about witcher lore so I am kinda flying by the seat of my pants here and also this is a more subtle version of losing his core. But the idea here is that WWX gave up some degree of witcher magic that would have allowed him to use magic weapons/the potions. He’s still unnaturally strong, he can see in the dark, he can smell out monsters, but he’s not quite what a full witcher should be.)

One time, when they meet in a roadside inn, Wei Ying seems fit to burst with excitement at seeing him. He pulls him up to his room before Lan Wangji can protest and takes a glossy black flute from his saddlebags. “Teach me to play it, Lan Zhan?” Golden eyes shine like the first glimmers of dawn. “I’ve always wanted to learn music but the witchers never allowed it, and now I’m never in one place long enough to learn.” He has a way of talking around things, Lan Wangji has learned, when it’s something that he fears will evoke pity. Lan Wangji knows that no community suffers a witcher to stay a day longer than necessary, and that even if he managed to earn his keep in a borderland city or somewhere like that, somewhere he could return every month or so, no one would take a witcher as a music student. “But we travel together all the time!” Wei Ying is saying. “So you can teach me!”

Lan Wangji takes the flute, examining it. “I do not play the flute,” he says. Wei Ying’s face falls.

“Oh,” he says. “Right. I thought about getting a guqin like yours, but it’s too bulky to carry with everything else, and I’d be too worried about breaking it when I get in fights…” He reaches for the flute, but Lan Wangji does not return it.

“My brother plays. I took some lessons with him when we were children. I remember the basics. I will teach you.” And Wei Ying lights up again, the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

He’s fumbling at first, his ear unused to the difference between flat and sharp, his fingers unaccustomed to the delicate pressure needed. But he’s a fast learner, and his hands have always been clever. Soon, the days that they travel, when they don’t end in monster hunts, they end in music, in quiet evenings around a campfire, improvised duets weaving through the smoke.

One time, when they meet out on the road, both chasing the same rumor of a cockatrice (well, Wei Ying chasing the rumor, Lan Wangji chasing Wei Ying), Lan Wangji takes out a newly purchased jian and says “Will you teach me?” He doesn’t expect the horror and sadness that spasms over Wei Ying’s face.

“Lan Zhan,” he says, more somber than Lan Wangji has ever seen him, “you don’t have to kill monsters to travel with me. You don’t have to kill anything.”

“Mn. I have no wish to kill. I only want to be able to defend myself, so that you do not have to risk yourself if I am in danger.” Wei Ying still looks hesitant, but he brightens considerably, and agrees to teach Lan Wangji the basics of swordplay. He is not starting from scratch — he learned a few things growing up the child of nobility — but it has been many years since he has been near anything more serious than a bar brawl or a mugging. He is also a fast learner, and so long as Wei Ying does not use his witcher strength, after enough practice Lan Wangji holds his own and even puts Wei Ying in the dirt from time to time.

As for Yen, I actually really like NHS as Yen? He grows up in a family where he was supposed to swing a sword he never wanted to pick up, and he hated it so much that one day he simply teleported away. By the time Nie Huaisang makes it back home, his brother has a plan. He has recently thrown out the Unclean Realm’s Brotherhood advisor, Meng Yao, for treason. If Nie Huaisang has the spark, then Nie Mingjue will send his defenseless little brother to become a powerful mage, and then he can be the Unclean Realm’s advisor. So much easier when things stay in the family. So Nie Mingjue writes to one of the rectors, Lan Qiren, and secures Nie Huaisang’s place in the school. Nie Huaisang goes, and he is a shuddering, tearful mess, and he seems to survive by the skin of his teeth, and not even his classmates notice how skillfully he learns to make the world dance with a crook of his finger.

Years later, Lan Wangji accidentally destroys an amphora containing a djinn. He, in a fit of anger, speaks carelessly for once in his life, at the worst possible moment he could have done so. He rides back into town as fast as Wei Ying’s horse can carry them. He hears of a mage who might be able to help. “No mages,” Wei Ying tries to say, but there’s barely enough air in his lungs to force it out as words. Lan Wangji drags him to the mage’s door and begs for help. Nie Huaisang does it out of curiosity more than anything. Never met a witcher who couldn’t guard their mind before. What happened to your magic?

Get out of my head, Wei Ying thinks, but he lets the mage heal him.

“Why no mages?” Lan Wangji finds the courage to ask, much later, months later, fingers trembling over his guqin with the paralyzing shame of his actions. Wei Ying looks away and tells him the story of two siblings — Wen Qing and Wen Ning — marked as cursed, tells him the head of the Brotherhood, Jin Guangshan, sent his nephew Jin Zixun to kill them for fear of what they could become. He walked into the middle of the conflict. Both Jin Zixun and the siblings asked him for his help. Wei Ying chose the Wens. He killed Jin Zixun. The mages declared him an enemy. When Jiang Cheng tried to protect him, they nearly killed him. To repay Wei Ying, Wen Qing saved Jiang Cheng’s life. But no magic comes without a price, and the price for this was Wei Ying’s witcher magic. Afterward, Wei Ying demanded the Jiang school of witchers disown him, and make peace with the Brotherhood, for everyone’s sake. To cement the peace, Jiang Yanli married a mage and Jin Zixun’s cousin, Jin Zixuan.

(Lan Wangji understands, now, why he’s only every met Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli in the wilderness, and then only rarely, why Wei Ying has pleaded with him not to write songs about them, why his brother tried to caution him away, why his uncle seems so exceptionally chilly on the rare occasions they see each other.)

(Nie Huaisang learned Wei Ying’s history while he was poking through his mind. He laughed when Wei Ying asked if he was going to kill him. “Your friend promised me gold and music if you live,” he said. “I would far rather have that than the dubious honor of giving your head to Jin Guangshan on a platter.”)

(It was Jin Guangshan, after all, who — with someone whispering in his ear, Nie Huaisang is certain — noticed how dangerous letting him go home to his brother would make the Unclean Realm, and instead contrived to send him to the ends of the earth, where Nie Huaisang elected to abandon his duties and the Brotherhood.)

Wen Ruohan rules Qishan with the defected Brotherhood mage Meng Yao by his side. He has found and welcomed back his distant relatives Wen Qing and Wen Ning, in the years since they met Wei Wuxian. Hearing their stories, he sends an invitation to the Black Wolf Witcher, to come visit his kingdom. Wei Wuxian pleads and cajoles Lan Wangji into going with him because really Lan Zhan, do I seem like I belong in rich halls among the nobility? I don’t even know what shirt to buy.

(Okay I am about to careen wildly into Simply Making Shit Up that only has a passing resemblance to either canon, bear with me.)

Wen Ruohan, in the midst of his entire court, demands Wei Wuxian choose a reward for saving Wen Qing and Wen Ning’s lives (Wen Qing saving Jiang Cheng’s life is not, cannot be public knowledge). Wei Wuxian tries to demur, but Wen Ruohan refuses to exist in anyone’s debt, let alone an outcast witcher’s. Somewhat desperate and on the spot, Wei Wuxian invokes the Law of Surprise. It can’t be seen as insultingly low or high in value, and he figures at most he’ll get a puppy from the next litter of Wen Ruohan’s hunting dogs, or something equally inane, and they can all call it even. Unfortunately for everyone, Wen Xu’s wife chooses this exact moment to become spectacularly ill, the first sign other than a late period that she is pregnant with Wen Ruohan’s first grandchild. Wei Wuxian flees. He spends a lot of the next few years fleeing.

(“Come to Gusu with me,” Lan Wangji pleads, some time later, on top of a mountain.

“No,” Wei Ying tells him, not because he doesn’t want to, not because he wouldn’t leave the path if he could, but because he can’t stop running, because there are too many maligned creatures who don’t deserve death and too many monsters preying on innocent people that do, because if he doesn’t help them who will, because how can he stop, because he’s terrified of stopping.

“I cannot watch you destroy yourself, Wei Wuxian.”

“Then leave, Lan Wangji.”)

It ends in fire, when Wen Ruohan grows too power hungry, and the Brotherhood turns on him with the Unclean Realm and Lan Wangji’s family on their side, and it turns out that Meng Yao’s defection from the Brotherhood was an act (some of the time? all of time?) and he’s been spying (for years? for months?). Nie Mingjue manages to pull his brother out of exile in return for his help against the Wens, although Nie Huaisang is doubtful about the merits of this.

Wei Wuxian is there when it happens, having been dragged reluctantly back by the strings of fate and the nebulous tie to a child he has never met but who is still a child and doesn’t deserve to die in the coming carnage. Wen Ruohan locks him away for trying to take his grandchild — and heir, after both Wen Xu and Wen Chao perish on the battlefield. He escapes while the city is sacked, but doesn’t manage to find Wen Yuan before he’s fled the city. Instead he finds Wen Qing and Wen Ning, and defends them from the mages when they come into the city. It would’ve been a futile effort, if not for Nie Huaisang and — surprisingly — Meng Yao, who had been at court with them for years at that point, and — even more surprisingly — Jin Zixuan, who has had years of cajoling from Jiang Yanli at this point, stepping to his side. It’s enough that they’re allowed to leave unscathed.

Wen Yuan, meanwhile, meets an elf boy called Jingyi, flees through the fields of refugees, and learns that he has the same kind of magic or curse he heard people whispering about his relatives Wen Qing and Wen Ning having.

Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing, and Wen Ning find A-Yuan in a destroyed field, lost but alone no more, and he runs into their arms.

Aaaaaaaaaand I have run out of Witcher canon, and this is also OBNOXIOUSLY long by now, so uh, pending part two, maybe, when s2 happens/when I read the books, whichever comes first

#answers #mdzs #wangxian #the witcher #wei wuxian #lan wangji #nie huaisang #witcher!wwx #*i WOULD also like to play the games but alas i have none of the technology i would need #so books and netflix it is #i write this entire thing knowing that xiao zhan singing a cover of her sweet kiss would kill me instantly #BUT i really enjoy the concept of witcher!wwx #i think witcher!lwj has some REALLY NEAT potential too #but this is the direction my head decided to go ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #i hope you didn't mind me taking off in this direction instead of the yen!wwx #also this is a mess lmao #me mercilessly cramming mdzs the witcher and my headcanons and aus for both into this all at once #wait what canon am i even taking this from anymore #how old is everyone and how the hell does time work in this au you ask? #shhhh they're all just inexplicably immortal shhhhhhh #well. unless we want to make 'wwx losing his witcher magic made him not/less immortal' A Thing #but that is perhaps for part 2 i have run out of steam here

[multihailstormm]

Bad Times at the Ball

Featuring: @celia-deluca, @hunt-huffred, and @lysataylor During: The Vesta LGBT Charity Ball, beginning of the ball Summary: Celia isn’t happy to see her ex attending the ball with a date. Lysa learns she’s like Jon Snow and knows nothing. Hunter is screwed no matter what way you look at it. 

Celia: An open bar, and a good cause, something Celia believed in and supported with rigor, plus an excuse to wear a beautiful dress and some form of glitter. A real-life Cinderella, she had mused as she took a champagne flute and kissed the cheeks of a friend before she was turning to find someone to climb. When she cut the corner, Celia had expected to see her ex in the company of a beautiful woman on a definite date. Celia's heart plummeted into the pit of her stomach as she closed the space between them, looking the other woman up and down with an apparent disdain she couldn't hide. "So this is what you've been doing since-" She didn't finish, but the pain was clear manifesting in anger as her fingernails curled into her palm.

Hunter: Drinking some complimentary champagne, Hunter hovered near Lysa. It was the beginning of the party so people we're still arriving slowly and chatting amicably. Hunter's suit had been matched to Lysa's dress, a clear indication they were there together. It had been so long since he'd been to a fancy party. With a date nonetheless. He enjoyed his time with Lysa too, so he couldn't wait to see where the night went. That is, until was Celia approaching them. Hunter's adams apple bobbed as Celia opened her mouth. He rested a protective hand on the small of Lysa's back. With a cough he made introductions. "Celia, this is Lysa, my date. Lysa, this is Celia, my ex." He hadn't mentioned either woman to each other and he was now regretting it.

Lysa: Lysa was no stranger to fancy parties - the etiquette and pleasantries coming as naturally to the former new yorker as smiling and breathing - but there was something exciting about coming with a date. The shared glances, the casual play between their fingers as they sipped at their drinks and greeted the passer-bys. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, smiling up at Hunter, her fingers running down the lapel of his jacket, when a voice drew attention. Her expression faltered, catching the hint of accusation in the other’s voice, and even more so as he introduced the undoubtedly beautiful woman in front of them as his ex. Casting a nervous glance in his direction - they hadn’t had the conversation yet, she had no idea if the woman was a fling from a year ago or someone he’d dated seriously, but the tension in the air made her suspect the latter - she made an attempt to gather herself, a somewhat forced smile curling her lips. “Pleasure,” Lysa nodded, even if the other’s disposition was anything but. “You look great. It’s a beautiful dress.”

Celia: Celia's heart was breaking, her chest ached, and a lump caught in her throat as she looked from Hunter to his date, Lysa. The name rolled like acid down her throat, and she felt sick. If she had thought it was too late to apologize and salvage something from Hunter, she surely did now. An angry beast of jealousy and ache rumbled inside of her, and Celia shook her head- "So she brings out the passion in you?" Celia asked, Lysa's kindness was not lost on her; it settled like lead in the pit of her stomach and made her want to puke. "Oh, don't." Celia cut her eyes at the woman and took a domineering step in her direction. "Pleasure? I'm sure it's all yours since you're fucking my ex." She was beautiful in the soft ways that had never touched Celia, and it made her all the angrier. Celia looked between the two of them, and pointed a sharp finger at Lysa, "Are some sort of fucking Disney princess or is this some scheme?"

Hunter: Hunter practically moaned. The last thing he wanted to talk about was the fact they'd barely shared more than a kiss in the last few weeks while he and Celia had shared, well, much more than that. Still, it didn't excuse her outburst. "Okay, wow..." Hunter's eyes darted around the room. He stepped forward, trying to keep his voice down while at the same time showing he wasn't about to put up with shit tonight. "First of all, Celia, this isn't the place or time for this." He remarked. A hetero showdown and a LGBT charity ball really didn't go together. "Secondly, we've been separated for seven months. She's my date. That is all that's going on here. It's ––" He looked back at Lysa trying to find the right words. "It's a new situation, so leave Lysa out of this."

Lysa: Lysa nearly flinched at the poison laced into Celia’s words, as baffled by her accusations now as she’d been by her existence seconds ago. She hated herself for inching back when she stepped forward, her gaze flickering back to Hunter, hoping for him to make sense of this mess. But he wasn’t looking at her and she couldn’t blame him, feeling herself getting smaller, trapped in a play she’d never even got the script for. Forcing her back straight and chin up, she kept her mouth shut, afraid to say anything that could be used against her. Only after Hunt called her his date did her lips part, as if about to contradict him. “I—” He was telling the truth, she just hated how insignificant it made her seem. But that was another truth, she supposed. “Yes. What Hunt said.” She hated how small her voice sounded, how her breath threatened to catch in her throat and how little she had to say. She felt helpless and oblivious, an outsider to a show she wasn’t meant to be a part of.

Celia: A lump caught in her throat felt like fire and vitriol, and Celia was ignoring every word falling from Hunter's lips. "Seven months-" Her voice cracked while looking up at him, like an ebb and flow and tears that she'd manifest into anger. Celia was used to being the bad guy- what was another scene. She turned her attention to Lysa, his date. It felt wrong, but anger never did feel right. Celia never really was sure on how to manifest her emotions, where she didn't destroy everyone nearest her. "Over a decade together, and he's over me in just seven months?" Celia scoffed, her eyes glistening as if threatening to cry, to make her feel weaker than she already did. "Well- speak up, or are you this limp in bed too?" She spoke directly at Lysa; cry or be angry, Celia always would choose the latter.

Hunter: Hunter tensed at her words. He could tell Celia was upset and hurting, but she gave up any right to jealousy the second he found her in bed with another man. Besides, it wasn’t that simple. He spent the last seven months heartbroken, constantly thinking about her and what he did wrong. Was he over her? No. There was no future with Celia though, and he needed to figure out how to move on. He turned to Lysa. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, holding her elbow. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out about –– well, Celia. I hope you’ll allow me to explain. Later.” With that, he turned back to Celia and tucked Lysa behind him protectively. Maybe this was only their second date, but she didn’t deserve her wrath. “Please, stop speaking to Lysa like that. You’ve got a problem with me because we’ve hurt each other? Fine. She has been nothing but nice, and has done nothing to earn your ire.”

Lysa: Lysa couldn’t hide the astonishment Celia’s words brought on, her insecurities skyrocketing all over again. They’d been together over a decade.. a decade! She’d figured there was history but not an entire franchise worth of it. And she still didn’t know the ending, didn’t know where she fit into all of this, or if there was a place for her in this story at all. Her eyes flickered back to Hunter as he turned to her, trying and failing at some semblance of a smile. This might’ve been only their second date, but she couldn’t believe he’d brought her out to be dissected by someone he’d dated for years without as much as a hint at Celia’s existence. Was this some sort of jealousy ploy? He didn’t seem the type, but she also hadn’t thought her ex would be the type to change his mind after proposing, so blind faith really wasn’t on her side. “What do you want me to say?” she finally spoke, unable to keep quiet when Celia did everything to provoke her. “That I’m sorry I’m out with someone I like because you got there first? I’m not.” It took a lot of willpower for her voice not to falter. She wasn’t sorry, she just hoped it’d stay that way.

Celia: Celia's glass trembled in her hands, her fist closing around the flute, her knuckles turning white. "No, of course, you wouldn't be sorry. How could you be- someone you like." Celia felt like she was wobbling, nothing made sense to her- it was as if the air had been sucked from the room, and she wanted to scream. She wanted to hit something- logic knew Lysa didn't deserve her anger, so she stood with disbelief written all over her face. "I try not to rub his face in it." She'd done it enough, "but here we are." Celia felt the glass crack, the effort to keep her composure shattered. "Are you fucking twelve? I'm not upset over some bull shit dibs. I'm upset because this feels pointed- because I love him-" Celia stunned herself, clearing her throat. "Never mind."

Hunter: Her words sliced his chest in half, he was hurt, then angry, and he was done being polite. “Damn it, Celia! Stop!” He wasn’t yelling, but his voice boomed around the ballroom. “Stop trying to sabotage my date. I like Lysa! I really do. She is the first woman I have even remotely flirted with after finding out you were cheating on me for the last three years of our relationship! God forbid, I wanted to have a fun evening. I’m not going to let you ruin that with whatever mind games you’re trying to play. So, you can apologize to Lysa and stay the hell the way from us the rest of the evening, or you can fucking leave. It’s a charity ball for fucks sake…” He waved a hand dramatically, before turning and walking away. Absolutely fuming. He stood a few paces behind Lysa, watching them carefully while waiting for the group to disperse.

Lysa: Lysa’s jaws pressed together, baffled by the audacity of her statement. It was either that or gaping openly. Celia loved him. Her gaze drifted to Hunter again, wondering if he loved her too. Celia had called her a Disney princess, but what if she’d got it wrong, what if she was the evil stepsister in this scenario? That thought was quickly snuffed out by his outburst, however. She felt almost guilty standing there, like she was eavesdropping on something she wasn’t supposed to be hearing. Not like this anyway. Looking at Hunt, she took a tentative step to follow him, fixing her gaze on Celia before she did. It was her turn to look at the other with something resembling disdain in her eyes. “You can keep the apology. I don’t care for meaningless words and I’ve got a feeling you’ve got a lot worse to be sorry about than this.” She felt sick and unbalanced turning away from her, finishing off what little she had left in her glass before brushing her fingers down his sleeve. Lysa wasn’t sure where they were standing right now, still unsure about what had just gone down, but she wasn’t about to give Celia the pleasure of pushing past him.

Celia: “Stop just like you.” Celia rolled her eyes swallowing the lump in her throat. “Why not you sabotaged three years of my life...three years of waiting for you to care again.” Celia’s throat was hoarse from effort and then she laughed. “I’m not the one who yelled at this event.” Celia gestured between them as he walked away taking fingers through her hair. Soon she turned her attention to Lysa. “Who the hell said I was in anyway going to apologize to you?” She May have owed one but there wouldn’t let it pass her lips. “Honestly you want to know?” Celia didn’t let her answer. “I spent three years waiting for him to come back and get help. Three years for him to be the man I fell in love with. I can’t say any other woman would have waited while she watched her man slip into a stranger. So don’t pretend you know a single thing about what I need to be sorry for.” Celia watched her hand with a shake of her head. “How trite.” With one last look of longing, and unsaid apologies Celia plucked a champagne glass from a passing tray and turned to leave. She wouldn’t brush past let herself become something they could be in front of. Celia squared her shoulders, “problems like yours don’t just go away Hunter.” It sounded colder than she meant...a quote dip in her words as she walked away looping her arm through a handsome strangers. A distraction for the remainder of what had started as a terrible evening. 

Hunter: Every word, especially those last few, were a slash at Hunter's calm and collected composure he'd been pulling off the last few months, his fists clenched at his sides as he boiled in anger as Celia spouted off her usual story, making him seem even crazier to Lysa surely. He didn't deign her with a response though, and let her get everything out knowing she needed the last words to leave. Once she was walking away, a deep breath had him relaxing slightly. He looked at Lysa, more sad than angry now. Nothing he said or did would save this night. He tried, and forced a smile. "Want to get a drink?"

Lysa: Lysa wasn’t sure who or what to believe at this point. She’d come to the party excited, intending to have fun; she’d also been looking forward to getting to know Hunter, organically, on their own terms — she’d even told Margaret as much — but now she just felt confused and slightly out of it, her hands full of pieces of his past that didn’t quite go together. “No.” The word escaped her lips in a harsh exhale, her gaze flickering up to him as she added: “Maybe. I don’t know. I think I need some fresh air first. Maybe both.” She shook her head, a nervous chuckle tearing through her throat. “I mean, wow— both, I think. Both’s good.”

#vestaevent2 #event: charity ball #//did a chatzy like it's 2011 XD

[emybain]

*squints at menu* can i uhhhhh get some uhhhhh character descriptions for novas team in the “fam lives au”?????def not for a drawing,,,,,,👀

ooooOOOOOooo YES! ive been meaning to do this for a while so thank you for asking!!! im bad at physical descriptions so i found some inspiration on Pinterest. i went ahead and included more description stuff if that’s okay 👉🏼👈🏼

- k so we got nova ofc. really the only physical descriptions different than in the book are that she has a bunch of ear piercings (literally she’s out of room on both ears lmao), a nose piercing, and occasionally dyes her hair just for the hell of it.

Ramona Sànchez, alias Sirena

- water manipulation and can turn into a mermaid

- Afro Latina

- she’s insanely sweet and loves cracking jokes

- although she seems like this innocent and pure girl she’s known to have a dirty mind around her friends and it cracks them up

- the first member nova recruited. they’re pretty close

- she loves kids and one of her favorite things to do is go to the beach/water parks/pools and be a mermaid in the water and interact with kids

- she goes in literally every single direction although she’s never dated anyone

- pretty outgoing all around and loves talking to people

- she can be a bit impulsive when making decisions and doesn’t think things through

-overall goofball. will make you smile within 5 minutes of meeting her. chaotic good. protect her at all costs.

Adèle Toussaint, alias Piper

- control people through music-preferred instrument is her voice or the flute

- Red head alert

- last member to nova’s team, came around 14 from France

- she’s fluent in six languages (French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian) and currently learning mandarin just because

- her friends make fun of her bc she’s the stereotypical French person-a little haughty, proper, good (and expensive) fashion taste, is pretty smart

- once you get to know her and look past her background (comes from a relatively wealthy family), she’s pretty nice and will probably offer to help you with your homework

- smartest in terms of book smart on the team

- being on nova’s team has really helped loosen her up and not be so proper all the time

- also plays multiple instruments but primary are voice and flute bc her power is strongest on those

Benton Halthorne, alias the Whisperer

- speaks to animals, can persuade them to do what he wants

- Afro Caucasian

- his eyes are so pretty literally everyone is jealous of them

- he’s literally scared of nothing (save for spiders) and it’s weird

- more brawn than brain

- it’s not that he isn’t smart, he does okay in school, but his strong suit has always been sports and stuff

- okay he and his bf are literally relationship goals like they’re just so perfect ??? and they’ve been together for years and the whole team loves him as much as they love Benton

- you’d think that he loves animals since he can talk to them but really dogs and cats are all he can tolerate. it gets annoying after years of overhearing animals make fun of humans and mock them and stuff right in front of him

- pretty quiet and introverted unless he’s around friends

- has good manners and knows when it’s the right time for things and rolls his eyes whenever nova and Ramona are being dumbasses/innapropriate

- argues a lot with Adèle over dumb things

- oh yeah he loves a good argument and is into things like debate and government

#asks #this was so much fun to do #im gonna tag it #my writing #so i can find it easier #i need to put a link for it on my ao3 #i LOVE you

[angelofthequeers]

Hold Me By Both Hands: Chapter 39

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

Season timeline? What season timeline?

@smolplantmum tagged as requested :)

Chapter 38 | Chapter 40 | AO3 link

This. Is. Not. Fair.

“Good job, Marinette,” Luka says. His hand is warm on her shoulder under her side braid, soft and encouraging as she strums chord after chord on his guitar, and she must totally suck at it but Luka’s looking at her like she’s the most talented guitarist in the world and this is not fair!

“Adrien? Kagami?” Alya gasps from over on the soft blue couch. Marinette beams when she catches sight of her friend and her boyfriend, Adrien with their fencing bags slung over his shoulders and Kagami with a white cardigan rolled to her elbows, a red button-down shirt, and sleek black slacks. Marinette’s never seen Kagami without a skirt before, and the way the slacks cling to her legs is gorgeous, why doesn’t Kagami wear them more often –

Marinette freezes. Shit. This can’t be happening. No, no, she’s already got Adrien slash Chat Noir as her boyfriend and she’s losing her mind over Luka, this can’t happen, it can’t happen –

In all honesty, it’s not like the feelings are new. But considering the clusterfuck that her life has turned into, is it any wonder that Marinette’s been trying desperately to ignore them?

“Hi, Adrien!” Lila beams and waves and makes to jump up and greet him, but one look from Kagami keeps her rooted right where she is. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re officially at fencing practice right now,” Adrien says with a mischievous little grin. “But oh no, Kagami, isn’t this the wrong address?”

“Oh dear, I think you’re right!” Kagami says and then she and Adrien dissolve into fits of laughter, and Marinette focuses very pointedly on anything but how cute Kagami is when she laughs like that.

“It’s a good thing Adrien’s found someone he can get out of the house with at last,” Luka says, and his voice sends shivers down Marinette’s spine, and why is she like this?

“Your hair is…beautiful in that style, Marinette,” Kagami says. Marinette’s insides are flooded with warmth like she’s been dunked in a hot bath without a chance to steel herself.

“I – uh – you thank! Thank you!” Marinette babbles. She takes a deep breath. No. She’s not doing this again. “Yours is beautiful too! It’s nice and shiny and really silky – not that I’d know unless I touched it – which I won’t, that would be just creepy –”

Kagami tilts her head, while Alya, Mylène, and Alix smirk in the background. Marinette resists the extremely strong urge to flip them off and give them that petty victory.

“I don’t see how if you asked for permission,” Kagami says.

“It’s not – I don’t –” Marinette groans. “Just ignore me. I’m a mess.”

“Do I intimidate you?” Kagami says. “I apologise if I do. I know I can come across as…standoffish. And I don’t always know what’s appropriate, so please tell me if I cross a line.”

“No, no!” Marinette waves her hands so frantically that she nearly yeets Luka’s guitar halfway across the boat. “Me intimidate? Don’t you – I mean – you don’t!” With another groan, she covers her face with her hands.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Luka says, and that’s the tipping point, because there’s no way Marinette can handle his smooth voice in conjunction with Kagami being adorably…Kagami.

“Bathroom!” Marinette blurts out, shoving the guitar at Luka and nearly tripping and breaking her neck in her haste to get away from the situation. Once she’s barricaded herself inside, she drops her face into her hands with a groan, wincing when her healing arm twinges.

“You okay, kiddo?” A warm little presence nuzzles against Marinette’s hand. Marinette groans and uncovers her face.

“I’m a mess, Plagg,” she sighs. “I like three people at once! How is that possible? How is that fair to Adrien? I mean, I know that liking people doesn’t make me a cheater, and it’s normal…”

“Uh, hello?” Plagg says. “Polyamory? Honestly, am I the voice of reason around here?”

“That’s about the one certainty in my life right now,” Marinette mutters. Plagg smirks.

“Kid, listen,” he says. “It’s perfectly normal to like more than one person. It’s perfectly normal to be with more than one person. I remember one of Tikki’s bugs ended up in a relationship with four people.”

“Four?” Marinette splutters.

“Yep,” Plagg says. “And his partners were dating others as well. You’re not a mess.”

“It’s just…” Marinette sighs and rubs at her eyes. “Part of me wants to be with Luka and Kagami too. But part of me thinks that means I’m unhappy with Adrien, even though I really am happy!”

“How secure in your relationship with my kitten are you?” Plagg says.

“Super secure!” Marinette says. “I don’t feel like adding another person or two would be to fix any problems, if that’s what you mean.”

“Then there’s your answer,” Plagg says. “Hold on, lemme channel my inner Tikki.” He clears his throat and adopts a high-pitched voice that leaves Marinette giggling. “Only you know what you truly want, Marinette! I can give you all the advice in the world, but I can’t know what’s really in your heart.”

Before Marinette can reply, her phone pings, and her eyes widen at the notification from Adrien that reads @everyone akuma at the couffaine houseboat calls herself desperada. Oh, no! Who’s been akumatised? Has Luka finally succumbed to Hawkmoth’s influence like Juleka and Anarka had? Or have one of them been akumatised for a second time?

“Plagg, claws out!” she cries desperately, as though slapping on the mask will solve her crisis.

.

“Where are you running to, wannabe?” Desperada grins at Luka and Adrien, blocking their way off the houseboat. Adrien gulps and takes an instinctive step back towards Luka, who grabs his arms as though trying to protect him. Something hot explodes in Adrien’s gut at the touch.

“Stop this, Vivica, you’re giving rock ‘n’ roll a bad name!” Jagged Stone cries. “Just ‘cause I tried to get Nanarchy and the blueberry kid to play with me –”

Desperada immediately shoots a cloud of yellow gas at him with the trombone-gun in her hand, and he vanishes in a puff of smoke. With her jet-black hair in a low ponytail, a face that’s chalk-white with black skull makeup and music notes across her cheek, a black and gold rock ‘n’ roll pantsuit, and a star-shaped guitar case slung across her back, Desperada bears a striking resemblance to someone who might be seen on Day of the Dead, and Adrien can’t help but fleetingly wonder if she has Mexican heritage.

“Nice instrument,” quips a blessedly familiar voice. Rena Rouge twirls her flute around her fingers from where she’s perched on top of the houseboat’s cockpit. “Bet I can play better than you.”

“Don’t make bets with akumas, Rena!” Lady Noire lands next to Rena Rouge. “I thought we taught you better than that.”

“Two against one?” Desperada smirks. She tosses her trombone-gun, causing it to vanish in golden smoke, and instead summons an axe-like guitar. “Unlike your duet, I prefer to solo!”

“Come on!” Luka grabs Adrien by the wrist and tugs him away from the fight. Adrien barely manages to resist, because he needs to transform but he can’t just ditch Luka, especially not since Kagami got dusted trying to protect them, and his heart is racing, and what the hell even is his life –

“We’ll be safe here.” Luka pulls Adrien behind a massive chunk of stone, where they can safely watch the fight between Lady Noire, Rena Rouge, and Desperada. The problem is that if they get hit, they don’t get brainwashed or frozen or otherwise potentially useful for a convoluted Lucky Charm plan; they totally vanish, no do-overs. And considering Desperada’s speed and ferocity, she’s one pissed akuma.

Adrien’s so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t even notice Luka’s absence until the sound of Luka’s guitar reaches his ears. Luka’s out in the open, strumming on his guitar to distract Desperada, and shit, he’s an easy target, Desperada’s going to get him and Adrien can’t just stand by and let that happen –

“Tikki, spots on!” As Misterbug, he dives out of cover and manages to tackle Luka out of the way just in time.

“Thanks,” Luka pants. In the background, Ladybug’s busy wrapping her yo-yo around the bridge to make it cave in on itself and buy them some time against Desperada. “Where’s Adrien?”

“Safe,” Misterbug says. Heat floods his cheeks when he realises that he’s still got his arms wrapped around Luka’s waist, and he clears his throat and jumps to his feet, helping Luka up. “Don’t worry about him.”

“About time!” Rena Rouge says to Misterbug, then she turns to shout at Lady Noire, “That won’t keep Desperada down for long!”

But Marinette’s always got a plan, whether she’s Ladybug or Lady Noire. This plan happens to involve hiding out in the sewers, which Misterbug is less than enthusiastic about, although if it gets Luka out of Desperada’s sights then he’ll suck it up and deal with it.

“You shouldn’t put yourself in harm’s way like that, Luka!” Lady Noire scolds once they’ve finally skidded to a halt. Then her face softens and she adds, “But…thank you. I appreciate it.”

“I think we need a bit of luck,” Misterbug says. He tosses his yo-yo into the air and calls, “Lucky Charm!” and a ladybug-patterned saddle falls into his hands. “I think I would’ve preferred a lucky horseshoe.”

Lady Noire rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, hold your goddamn horses,” Rena Rouge says into her flute. Misterbug shoots Lady Noire a sideways smirk at that. “Just keep her busy, okay? Lady Noire’s plotting.”

“Was that Carapace and Honeybee?” Lady Noire says when Rena Rouge hangs up.

“Yep. They’re wondering where the hell we are.”

“Well, if they can distract Desperada for long enough, we can come up with a plan,” Lady Noire says. “Luka, you find a place to hide.”

Thanks to their teammates keeping Desperada busy, Misterbug, Lady Noire, and Rena Rouge are easily able to sneak out of the sewer without her catching sight of them. But Lady Noire’s stomach plummets at the sight of Desperada gleefully catching Carapace and Honeybee in a puff of golden smoke.

“They bought us the time we needed, milady,” Misterbug says when Lady Noire just stares out at Desperada silently for a moment. “We’ll take down Desperada and save them.”

“I know…” Lady Noire sighs. “I just…feel responsible, is all. Everyone looks up to me as the team leader, yet I sent them to get dusted for us. What kind of a leader am I?”

“The best one.” Misterbug grabs her by the shoulders and looks her straight in the eye, and the urge to lean in and kiss him is so overwhelming that Lady Noire stumbles forward ever so slightly. “You didn’t send them off to be sacrificed. They just got caught doing their job. And you’re the only one who can fix everything, kitten, so don’t feel guilty when we take the fall for you. We know you’ll always save us.”

“That’s the kind of pressure that’ll make me lose it one of these days,” Lady Noire says with a weak laugh.

“I might not know just how hard it is to be a super Ladybug, since you’re still the one calling the shots, but I’ve always got your back,” Misterbug says with a wink. “You and me against the world.”

Lady Noire nods and squares her shoulders and smiles. Her bugaboy always knows just what to say! “Thank you, lovebug,” she says.

“What he said, minus all the gooey stuff,” Rena Rouge says. “Got a plan?”

Misterbug and Lady Noire exchange looks, then grin and nod. “Always,” they chorus.

.

“Great job out there today!” Marinette says when Misterbug deposits her next to the Couffaine houseboat after their battle, where Rena Rouge had distracted Desperada while Lady Noire had Cataclysmed the guitar case containing the akuma. Not that she needed him to bring her back, but when she’d detransformed and almost immediately run into him, well, who is she to refuse a ride from her superhero boyfriend?

“You were watching?” Misterbug preens. Marinette rolls her eyes and slaps him on the arm.

“Don’t be an idiot, lovebug.”

“Well, so long as the akumas don’t get you, my princess is always more than welcome to watch her knight defend her honour,” Misterbug says with a smug little grin. This time, Marinette tries to push him into the Seine, but he’s protected by layers of magical spandex and creative power and so he doesn’t budge an inch. “You’ll have to try harder than that, kitten.”

“Oh, shut up,” Marinette mutters, then stands on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss goodbye before he has to disappear and detransform. With a low purr left over from being Chat Noir, Misterbug slides his hands to her waist and pulls her closer, deepening the kiss, and his earrings beep a warning and then –

“Oh my god!” someone shrieks. Marinette yelps and jumps away from Misterbug, but it’s too late to convince a wide-eyed Alya, who’s obviously returning from detransforming, that they’d been doing anything but kissing. “You – Marinette – oh my god!”

“What?” Rose comes rushing out from below deck, followed by Juleka and Lila and then everyone else. Marinette turns to enlist Misterbug’s help, to get him to make up an excuse since he must be used to doing so to protect his identity, but he looks like a deer caught in the headlights of her friends and…yeah, he’s not gonna be any help.

“Marinette – and Misterbug! Chat Noir!” Alya squeals. She fumbles in her pocket. “I gotta –”

“No!” Marinette bounds forward and grabs Alya’s wrist to prevent her from grabbing her phone. “I’ll explain! Just – don’t put it on the Ladyblog! Please!”

“The Ladyblog? Why the hell would I do that?” Alya wrenches her hand free of Marinette’s grip. “Someone’s gotta tell Adrien that his girlfriend’s been cheating on him! Really, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I thought I knew my bestie better.”

“How could you do that to poor Adrien?” Lila cries, clutching at her heart.

“Oh, Adrien knows,” Misterbug says. “And he’s super okay with it.”

“What?” Alya’s eyes bulge.

“Have you seen Adrien?” Kagami says.

“No,” Misterbug says. “But Desperada didn’t get him, so he’ll probably be back soon. I didn’t hide him very far.” His earrings beep again, so he offers a quick salute and bounds off.

“So,” Alix says. “Got something you wanna share, Marinette?”

Marinette gulps. But there’s no getting out of this, not after getting caught in front of so many witnesses, so she squares her shoulders and follows her friends down into the houseboat, where she’s pushed down onto the couch and surrounded by the interrogation squad.

“Hi! Hi!” Adrien comes skidding down the stairs, then pauses and frowns at the sight before him. “Um…what’s going on?”

“Marinette has some explaining to do, doesn’t she?” Lila says, tilting her head at Marinette.

“Or we could respect her relationship with Adrien and let them sort it out themselves?” Kagami says. Marinette shoots her a grateful look.

“Well, we’ve already seen it,” Mylène points out.

“Seen what?” Adrien says. Marinette sighs.

“Fine, fine,” she says. “I mean, it’s not that I don’t trust any of you, but we kind of did want to keep it as lowkey as possible so that Hawkmoth couldn’t be a dick about it.”

“So, it’s true?” Rose bounces on the spot. “You’re really dating Chat Noir – uh, Misterbug? As well as Adrien?”

“Oh, is that what this is about?” Adrien says. He winks at Marinette and grins when her eye twitches with the effort of not scowling back at him in front of everyone. “Of course I know about it, guys. We’re in a polyamorous love fest.”

“I’m gonna pass out,” Alya murmurs.

“And Lady Noire’s okay with that?” Lila says, looking vaguely constipated.

“Well, yeah,” Marinette says. “Misterbug told me that she said something about not letting Hawkmoth rule over their daily lives and win that way. To be fair, this one was my fault – I could’ve kissed him literally anywhere else, but I forgot that we were in public…”

“So…” Alya says with a mischievous grin. “Is he a good kisser?”

“Alya!” Marinette whines, while Adrien flushes a deep red in the background. Ha. Payback’s a bitch, Adrien Agreste.

“What?” Alya says. “My bestie’s been dating a superhero in secret as well as her own boyfriend and you think I’m not gonna squeeze her for details?”

“Am I the only one who doesn’t understand the point of forcing your friends to reveal personal information like this?” Kagami says.

“I’m with Kagami,” Luka says.

“Thank you,” Marinette says. “You’re my favourite people right now.”

“Fine, fine, we’ll drop it,” Alya says.

“Thank god,” Alix says. “This romance shit makes me sick.”

Later that night, Marinette snuggles against Adrien on her chaise, sketching a rough plan for some Kitty Section-themed jackets. The band’s not that big yet, but they’ve certainly got the talent, and Marinette wants to get in for them before anyone else has the chance, especially because they’re her friends.

“I can’t believe we got busted today,” Adrien grumbles.

“To be fair, making out in broad daylight will probably do that,” Marinette says. “I just can’t believe we got busted in front of Luka and Kagami.”

“I know what you mean,” Adrien grumbles. Then they both freeze.

“Why does it matter that we got caught in front of Luka and Kagami?” they say together. “Um – you go first – no, I’ll go first – gah!”

They lapse into an awkward silence, both trying to gauge each other and figure out when the other will speak. Just before Marinette can open her mouth, Adrien gets in first.

“I, uh…” He scratches the back of his head. “You know I really like you, right, Marinette?”

“Y-Yeah,” Marinette says, trying not to dissolve into a puddle of goo because damn her, she’s a romantic at heart. “But…you like another person as well, don’t you? You mentioned it on our date.”

“Right, yeah. I remember.”

“I’ve, uh…got the same problem. I’ve got a major crush on Luka. And, um…Kagami. And it’s getting to me, because I’m pretty sure I’m polyamorous and Tikki says that it’s perfectly normal and it doesn’t mean I like you any less, but I’ve been freaking out because what if you don’t approve, especially of Luka and Kagami, and I don’t want to break up with you or make you choose or anything, but I also don’t want you to think I’ll go and cheat and –”

“Marinette!” Adrien wraps his arms around her from behind and squeezes. “Oh my god. I can’t believe you like Luka and Kagami.”

“Is that a problem? I mean, I chose you first, so I’ll always –”

“Mari.” Adrien presses a kiss to the back of her head, and Marinette shivers and melts against him. “No. It’s not a problem. It’s just hilarious because, well…Luka was the other person I liked when I brought it up on our date. And I think I’ve been falling for Kagami too, for a while now.”

Blink. Blink. That’s all Marinette can do before she doubles over in peals of laughter, her sketchbook slipping from between her fingers onto the floor and her pencil rolling away.

“Are you serious?” she chokes. “We both – we both like other people too – and they’re the same people – oh my gosh –”

“We really are soulmates, princess,” Adrien says, mirroring what he’d said to Ladybug all those months ago as he gently undoes her braid to let her hair fan loosely over his chest. “So, uh, when did you realise?”

“Oh. Luka was easy – I got so flustered around him when we first met, and it just went from there.” Marinette wipes her eyes as her laughter dies off into hiccups. “And I realised recently that I’ve kind of got a massive crush on Kagami too.”

“So, what d’you wanna do about it?” Adrien says. “Talk to them and see where they stand?”

“Oh my god, no, I have to talk to them?” Marinette groans and covers her face with her hands. “And I was a total disaster around them today! They were just both so cute and I got so flustered and I ran off and – how does anyone even like me when I’m such a mess?”

“Because you’re an adorable mess,” Adrien says, twirling her hair around his fingers. “Why do you think I call you my angel? You’re so gorgeous and way out of my reach but you can also destroy anyone who crosses you, just like an angel. And I kind of like having nicknames between our civilian selves that don’t relate to our alter-egos.”

Marinette’s cheeks flood with hot blood. Is that really how Adrien sees her? Out of his reach? No way. He’s so far out of her league!

“Also, if you think I’m a functional bi, you’ve got another thing coming,” Adrien adds.

“We’ll both be disaster bis together,” Marinette giggles, then twists to press a quick kiss to his lips. “So, what now? Do we both pull Luka and Kagami aside and talk to them?”

“Well, you’ve got more of a chance with them than me,” Adrien says. “We could probably get away with the polyamory thing with you, but me? Adrien Agreste? My father would blow a gasket. And I can’t date them as Chat because someone’ll eventually put two and two together when I’m never around at the same time as Adrien.”

“Okay, so that’s a no for the time being,” Marinette says.

“What? No! Just because I can’t yet –”

“We both like the same people, my sunshine.” Marinette laces her fingers with his and lifts his hand to kiss his gleaming silver ring. “It’s not like I like someone else that you’re not into and it’s not fair for me to go ahead when you’ll have to sit back and watch us be happy together. That’d hurt you, and I’d never want to hurt you, Adrien.”

“I think…” Adrien sighs. “I do want to date Luka and Kagami as well. And I’m willing to come out as bi and polyam, especially if it helps anyone who looks up to me. Just…not yet. I need a bit of time.”

“Take all the time in the world, lovebug,” Marinette says softly. After a few moments of silence, Adrien groans.

“As much as I’d love to stay, princess, this dashing knight had better get going before his absence is realised,” he says.

“Can’t you stay?” Marinette whines. “Wouldn’t you rather be here than at home?”

“Of course, darling kitten,” Adrien says. Marinette slaps him on the arm for the darling comment. “But if I don’t get home, Father will get angry. And then I can’t come in the future. A small sacrifice for now.”

“Ugh, fine.” Marinette pushes herself up with a groan, then turns to pull Adrien to his feet. He grins and bends down to peck her on the lips.

“Until next time, kitten,” he says. Then, before she can react, he’s transformed into Misterbug and is slithering out onto the balcony, and the room feels just that little bit emptier like it always does when he leaves.

#miraculous ladybug #ml fic #aotq fic #aotq: hold me #marinette dupain-cheng #lady noire #adrien agreste #misterbug #alya cesaire #rena rouge #luka couffaine #kagami tsurugi #lila rossi #anti-lila #ugh #adrinette #adrienette #misternette #lukanette #kagaminette #ot4 #lukadrigaminette #poor mari #ml polyamory #desperada

[buckeverlasting]

Masquerade

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Summary: Another one of Tony’s parties *eye roll*...But the night takes an unexpected turn when adventure calls in the form of Bucky Barnes.

Warnings: fluff and slight angst; alcohol; implied sex

A/N: This fic was recently on @themaskedwriter! Thank you @delicatelyherdreams and @notimetoblog for letting me be a part of the game!!

Word count: 2.1k

At this point you had lost track of the diseases that these benefit balls were funding research on. Tonight was a masquerade for mumps or something. A couple thousand dollars per plate, unless, of course, you were an Avenger. Avengers and their dates ate for free. You had just gotten off the phone with yours. He wasn’t coming, which surprised you because he hadn’t even bothered to play it cool (“Go to a masquerade with an Avenger? No question!”). Perhaps he really was sick. He did sound congested over the phone. You’d give him the benefit of the doubt.

You took a black sequined gown out of the closet and pulled it over your head. The slit came up almost to the top of your thigh, with a plunging neckline. It was really sexy, which you were going for. After all, that New York Times editor who was supposed to be your date was very handsome.

There was a knock at your door. You straightened out your dress and opened it.

“I heard your date bailed on you.” Natasha walked into your room and looked you up and down. “Damn, you look gorgeous.”

You looked her up and down, too, taking in her sleek, satin-y silver gown with a matching shawl. “You look good yourself,” you said. “How’d you hear about my date?”

“Oh, everyone knows.” She laughed. “I’m sorry. That really sucks. I wish Bruce knew some people to hook you up with. He’s not good at making friends, though.”

You laughed.

“You could ask Steve to be your date. I hear he’s going stag.”

“No, I don’t think so. He’s too much like an older brother.”

“Understandable.” She nodded. “Well, then maybe you’ll just have to find some cute guy to schmooze with tonight.”

“Schmooze with? I hate schmoozing.” You looked in the mirror and applied some lipstick. “I’d rather be blowing up another Hydra base.”

“You’d rather fight than schmooze?” She paused. “Relatable. But you signed up to be an Avenger, so that means attending the occasional black tie event along with blowing up Hydra bases, unfortunately.”

“Maybe I can get a buzz going and get through this thing,” you said.

“That’s the spirit! You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”

- - -

“You two look lovely this evening,” Sam said, as you and Natasha got off the elevator. He was standing next to his date, whom you didn’t know, wearing a tux, holding a champagne flute in one hand and a black mask in the other.

“Couldn’t you say something about how smart we are or how good we are at our jobs instead?” you asked.

“Don’t mind Y/N,” Natasha said. “She’s just grumpy because—”

“She doesn’t have a date,” Sam said. “I heard. That really sucks. Did he give you a reason?”

“Apparently, he’s sick. Anyway, where did you get that?” You pointed to his mask. “I really need to hide right now.”

“There’s a table right behind you.” Sam pointed over your shoulder. “You can pick one out.”

You whirled around. Indeed, there was a table covered with rows of all kinds of masks. Some had elastics to hold them to your face; others you held up with a little stick to cover your eyes. They were all black and decorated with sequins and feathers and vaguely resembled different animals. You selected some sort of bird mask that you held up to your face.

“Do I still look like me?” you asked Natasha who was picking out her own mask.

“Like someone who enjoys feeling sorry for herself? Not at all.” She selected a lion mask.

Before you could think of a comeback, the elevator dinged and out stepped Steve. You accidentally caught his eye, and he headed right toward you.

“Before you say anything,” you said, “yes, my date did ditch me.” Your expression soured, and you looked down at your shoes.

“That’s his loss.” Steve rested a heavy hand on your shoulder and flashed you a grin. “You know, you’re really beautiful when you smile.”

“And I’m a hideous hag when I’m in a bad mood?” you asked. “Would you say something like that to Sam? Or Bucky?”

“I’m sorry.” He removed his hand. “Call me a little old fashioned. I was just trying to cheer you up.”

“Sorry for snapping at you, Steve,” you said. “I should probably grab a drink.” You hurried off to the bar before anyone could follow you.

You caught the bartender’s eye. “Gin martini, dry as hell, no olives, please. And could you actually make that two?”

A  man wearing a wolf mask sidled up to you. “Is that second one for your invisible date?”

“Shut up, Barnes.” Of course, you recognized his gravelly baritone right away. You’d heard it millions of times over the comms. “I’m not in a trifling mood.”

“Who is this ‘Barnes’ you speak of?”

“I recognize your voice and your hair,” you said.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” he insisted. “This Barnes character, is he a friend of yours?”

“At the moment, no, he isn’t.” You accepted your two martinis from the bartender and stuffed a few bills in a glass jar on the counter. He nodded his thanks.

“At the moment,” you continued, “he’s being a bit annoying, actually, because he won’t take his mask off and talk to me like a real person.”

“He sounds like a mysterious man. Mysterious and alluring, even.”

“He’s about to get punched.”

Bucky removed his mask. “Are both of those really for you?”

“They were, but you can have this one.” You handed him one of your martinis.

“Thank you.” He took a small sip. “Dry.”

You took a gulp. “Where’s your date?”

“She’s asking everyone to take selfies with her.” Bucky sighed.

“Where do you find these women?” you asked.

“Where’d you find your date?”

“He was interviewing me for a piece about the Avengers, but don’t change the subject.”

“I met her at the gym.”

“But you work out here.”

“I do. But didn’t you know that Tony hired a nutritionist for us? Well, she seemed nice, so I figured I’d ask her to this.”

“You know what they say about dipping your pen in the company ink.”

“That’s so vulgar.”

“One martini on an empty stomach makes me a little vulgar.” You placed your empty glass on the bar. “And calm down, grandma. It’s not that vulgar anyway.”

“So, if one martini makes you vulgar, what do two martinis do?”

“Kind of a creepy question, and I’m going to ignore it. I’ll just to stick to the champagne.” You snatched a flute off the tray of a passing waiter. You emptied the flute in one toss of your head. “You gotta catch up, Barnes.”

“It’s Bucky,” he said. “Why do you always call me Barnes?”

You shrugged. “It’s a work thing, I guess.”

“Well, you can call me Bucky, at work or not at work”

“Okay, Barnes.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and then held up his martini to look at it. “You know, I can’t even get drunk. Not on anything from this realm, at least. Thor has some Asgardian...”

You both turned to look at Steve because a squeal of laughter came from his general direction. It wasn’t him, of course, but Bucky’s date. She was pulling on his arm and looking up at him with doe eyes. Steve looked stiff and awkward as he tried to continue talking to Vision.

Bucky downed the rest of his martini. “Let’s say we get out of here?”

“And go where?”

- - -

Hot, humid wind blew at your gown as you stood on the subway platform. “I don’t know why I agreed to this,” you said. “We could have just taken a cab.”

“Where’s the adventure in that?” Bucky asked.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“You’ll see.”

The number five train arrived noisily, and you entered an almost empty car. Bucky sat down, and you sat down across from him. You sat in silence, reading the subway ads, until the train screeched to a halt at Union Square. Bucky stood up.

“We’re going to Union Square?” you asked.

“No, we’re transferring here.” He exited the car, and you followed.

You found yourself on the platform again, this time looking up at the LED sign that informed you that the next Brooklyn-bound L train would arrive in five minutes.

“I suppose we never have a lot of time to explore the City,” you said.

“No, we really don’t,” he said. “I miss it.”

“I’ll bet.”

Bucky folded his arms and leaned to look down the dark tunnel. You joined him at the edge of the platform. “Three minutes to go,” you said.

In three minutes, the L train barreled to a stop, and the two of you entered another almost empty car. There were a few twenty-something’s listening to earphones and avoiding eye contact with everyone. You took a seat next to Bucky and watched him carefully.

“I can see you’re watching me,” he said.

“I’m just trying to figure out what you’re up to, Barnes.”

“It’s Bucky.” He gave you a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

- - -

Summer wind whipped down the funnels of the street, and your hair flew about your face freely. You and Bucky were standing on the sidewalk staring at health food store. Behind you was a taco truck.

“This is where I used to live,” he said.

You both peered into the darkened window and saw barrels of nuts you could buy by in bulk, and shelves of organic groceries.

“This is Brooklyn now.” He turned at looked at the sidewalks bustling with trendy people, the noise from bars drifting out into the night.

“This taco truck looks pretty good,” you said. “Want one? Or two? Or five? My treat.”

“Sure,” he said. “Just one. I’m not very hungry.” He put a hand over his stomach and followed a couple walking their dog with his eyes.

“I’ll take three al pastor tacos,” you told the young man in a white apron. “No cilantro, please.”

You ate the tacos in silence as you headed back to the subway.

“Maybe we should just take a taxi back,” he said. “Then maybe no one at the masquerade would even have missed us.”

“Where’s the adventure in that?”

- - -

As the L train gently swayed, you rested your head on Bucky’s shoulder, content and full of tacos. He put and arm around you and pulled you closer, resting his chin on your head.

“Why do you always call me Barnes?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

“Why do you ask girls who aren’t right for you on dates?” you asked.

“That’s a weird question.” He laughed.

“It’s weird to think we’re underwater right now.” You changed the subject.

“It’s weird to think how much things have changed. My old apartment is a yuppie grocery store, and Steve gets all the girls now.” He laughed lightly, but his voice was low and with a bluesy lilt.

You broke away from him. “Not all the girls.” You put your hand to his cheek and kissed him. You pulled back just a little to look at him, your hand still on his cheek. His eyes darted across your face, flicking from your eyes to your lips, where his gaze finally lingered. He leaned forward and kissed you again, cradling the back of your head, holding you to him.

- - -

You woke in Bucky’s arms the next morning. You looked up at him, and he was looking down at you.

“How long have you been awake?” you asked.

“A bit,” he said. “I didn’t want to wake you. You’re so peaceful when you’re asleep.”

“Because I’m not talking and being a jerk.”

He just smiled. “You’re not a jerk. You could never be a jerk.”

“Thank you for last night, by the way,” you said. “You really gave me some perspective.”

“By reminding you of how tragic my life has been?”

“No! That’s not what I meant. But kind of, yes. I mean, there are greater losses in the world than a date to one of Tony’s stupid parties.”

“And there are a lot better things to gain.” He kissed your forehead.

“Bucky,” you said.

“Yes?”

“Nothing. It’s just nice to say.” You paused. “Bucky?”

“Yes?”

“I think I figured out some answers to our questions from last night. Why I called you Barnes and why you date women who aren’t right for you.”

“I think I know, too.”

“Let’s never wear masks again,” you said.

“Okay.” He kissed you on the forehead again. “No more masks.”

---

Tags

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Bucky: @gamorazenn // @38leticia // @marvelsangel // @coal000

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes x you