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#i cried a little writing this
bramblebush3 · 3 months
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Ygraine de Bois had been dead for a long time now. Decades. Yet, she never lacked for something to do. She tried not to think of what Uther had done; the lives he had destroyed. She remembered when he had been kind, quite like Arthur, really. But those days were long passed. Now, she watches Arthur grow up. Oh, how she adored him. She was not always pleased with his choices and actions, but she was always proud of him. And then: Merlin. The young boy was fiery and bright, with a lively glow and an infectious smile. Ygraine could not help but feel amused and joyful as she watched him insult her son in an effort to stand up for the poor servant Arthur had chosen to pick on that day. She felt something was different about Merlin, and she could tell Arthur did too. She had always been quite magic sensitive, so Arthur being so as well was not a stretch. The full body laugh that escaped her as she watched her husband proclaim Merlin Arthur’s manservant warmed her to her core, and the feeling something was changing wiggled its way into her head. 
She was right, of course. Ygraine watched as Arthur changed, becoming something more. And she knew. Oh, she knew. It was all because of Merlin. The adorable, smiling manservant who made luminescent butterflies and defended Arthur against anything that wished him harm. Before she knew it, Merlin had become as much a fixture of her life as Arthur. Ygraine watched, a swooping feeling of excitement in her chest, as Arthur and Merlin’s relationship became something deeper than even that of friendship. Love.  
So now, Ygraine watches Arthur carefully and reverently gift Merlin her sigil. Merlin does not know exactly what it means (neither of them do, really), but he cradles it as if it is the most precious thing in the world. Ygraine smiles, and finally allows her soul to pass on.
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pilesofpillows · 1 year
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Stars Within || Okoye x Attuma
A Sea of Stars ~ Part 1 of 3
Summary: Attuma's enhanced hearing picks up on more than just the sound of his love's heart.
Warnings: Fluffy Fluff, A Little Bit of a Tear-Jerker
Tags: @xblackreader @mickimomo
A/N: I should say again that I'm supposed to be working on other things... and I am, I swear! I just can't focus on any one thing 😅
Word Count: 1.5k
Attuma stood in the kitchen looking over at his beloved lounging on the sofa, admiring her relaxed beauty. Okoye sat with her knees bent, a book in hand, reading leisurely, humming along to the rhythmic music in the background. The warm lights of the room caught on the arcs of her brows and cheeks, illuminating the rich brown of her skin in an ethereal glow. The corners of her mouth were upturned in a small, content smile that beckoned to him, a siren unaware of her allure.
She was breathtaking.
He wanted to bask in her presence and worship at her altar.
As though she could hear the longing in his heart, her eyes darted up from her book and caught him staring. Okoye smiled, wide and full, and Attuma felt his heart stutter. 
“Ndijoyine, sithandwa.” An outstretched hand accompanied the quiet invitation.
A goddess offered him solace in her arms. There was never any thought to refuse; how could he?
Attuma crossed the room quickly, taking her hand as he settled beside her feet. She pulled her knees in further to give him more room, but he drew them back, pulling them over his legs. He pressed a reverent kiss to her knuckles before releasing her hand to massage the muscles of her calves. Attuma felt Okoye’s eyes studying him for a moment before she returned to her reading. He focused solely on the task at hand, working the tension from her muscles until they were pliant. Once he was done, Attuma ran his hands up and down the length of her calf, tracing partial glyphs into the smooth skin. 
Okoye leaned forward, scooting closer to press a kiss to his bare shoulder and resting her chin on him. “Thank you, my love.” 
“You’re welcome, in diosa,” he murmured, turning his head to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. 
Okoye sighed into his mouth and cupped his face, deepening their kiss. Attuma traced her bottom lip with his tongue, then sucked gently. The temptation for more was there, and perhaps he would indulge later, but for now, he simply wanted to relish in the feel of her. To delight in the intimacy they’d built. 
Their lips parted slowly, and Attuma blinked, watching Okoye’s eyes flutter open. They were lovely, dark, and deep, an ocean he’d willingly drown in. She smiled; it was the same soft, sweet smile she’d given him when she’d first mastered the macuahuitl. The one that arrested his heart and stole the very breath from his lungs. 
Attuma was overcome. “In yaakunech, Okoye.” The words were whispered, but a declaration nonetheless. 
Okoye’s eyes melted, and she rubbed her thumb over his cheek, tracing the scar that marked him as hers. 
“Teen xan in yabilmech, Attuma.”
Attuma closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to hers. There was nothing but them in this moment. Here, he was just a man who loved a woman, and it was here he was content to stay until the stars rained down from the heavens. He pressed a whisper of a kiss to her lips, then another on her nose, and a final one to her forehead. 
Okoye was smiling again when he pulled away, tender and sweet. “Be careful; you’ll spoil me with all this love and affection. Then I’ll have to keep you forever.” 
Attuma wished she would. He knew he would never love anyone the way he loved her. Her name had been engraved on his soul.
Okoye laid back, resting her head on the arm of the sofa, ignorant of his thoughts. She’d returned to her novel, engrossed in the story. 
Despite her legs still being in his lap, Attuma resented the distance between them. He shifted her legs gently, parting them so he could lay between them. Okoye shifted with him, wiggling her hips to adjust to his weight. He wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his head on her stomach. Her hand found its way to his hair, stroking his obsidian waves.
Attuma lulled in her embrace, soothed by the gentle pull of her fingers in his hair. He nuzzled further into her stomach. Pressing his ear to her midsection, Attuma was met with the rhythmic cadence of her heartbeat… and something else.
There was a soft, rapid flutter alongside the constant thump of Okoye’s heart.
His eyes shot open, and he focused intently, listening harder. 
There it was, sure and steady like the galloping of one of K’iino’s rhinos.
A heartbeat. One that did not belong to Okoye.
“Attuma?” Okoye’s hand was frozen in his hair, midstroke. She moved to sit up, but he held her still, concentrating on the quiet pulse within her. “Attuma, is everything okay?”
Her voice was edged with panic, and her heart rate increased along with… their child’s. He ran a hand along her back, trying to calm her. “K'úulen, in K'iino'. Everything is fine… I think.”
He glanced up at Okoye. Her brows were knit together, her dark eyes twin pools of concern.
“You think?”
Attuma hummed, kneading circles into her lower back and waist. His eyes darted between her face and stomach. “I- I cannot say for certain, in yakunaj. Are you- Have you-” his voice trailed off, unsure how to ask Okoye if she had noticed the new life forming within her. 
“Have I what, sithandwa?” she asked, pulling her hand from his hair and setting her book down. Attuma pulled his head away from her middle reluctantly, already missing the thundering pulse of his child. His heart was nearly torn in two when he saw the worry on her face. 
“Okoye. In K’iino’, there’s- you are-,” Attuma found it hard to articulate and huffed a laugh of disbelief while bolstering himself on his elbows. “You are with child, in yakunaj.”
Okoye blinked. “Eh? Uxolo?”
He could hear the disbelief in her tone and see it in the furrow of her brow. He sat up on his knees and scooted closer to her, resting his hands on her thighs. 
“You are pregnant, Okoye,” Attuma repeated, looking her in the eye. 
She sat up, letting out a short, high-pitched laugh that bordered on hysterical before sobering when she saw his face. “You’re serious? What- How- How do you know?”
He glanced back down to her stomach, where he could faintly hear the echo of the life within her. Attuma remembered when his na’ had been pregnant with the last of his sisters, how she brought his head to her stomach and let him listen to the rapid pulse of his sibling. He’d been in awe. 
Now, here with the love of his life, he was struck by that same sense of awe. Of all the years he’d lived in the sea, the wars he’d fought, and the great violence he’d dealt on behalf of his king, Attuma had never felt so overwhelmed by emotion. He swallowed thickly, feeling his eyes well up. 
“Their heart, K’iino’... I can hear their heart,” he breathed. Okoye’s sharp gasp rang in his ears, and her hands flew to her stomach. His eyes were transfixed there, and he ached to hear the sound of his paalo’ once more. 
“Attuma.” Okoye’s voice was a hoarse, wet whisper, and his gaze snapped to her face. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “You- you can hear them?” 
Attuma reached a hand out, covering hers with his own, pressing gently. “I can. As sure as I can hear your own.”
Okoye squeezed her eyes shut, spilling tears over her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered, and her voice shook. “How do they sound?”
“Beautiful,” he answered, still marveling at their blessing. Attuma cupped Okoye’s cheek, using his thumb to wipe her tears away. He brought their foreheads together. “Strong and steady, like the galloping of your fiercest land whales.”
“Bast help you, it's a rhinoceros, Attuma." His beloved let out a wet laugh, rolling her eyes. "A baby? Truly?”
Attuma grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Yes, K'iino'. Our baby.”
Dark eyes locked on his. “Our baby?”
“Yes, in yakunaj, our baby. Tia'alo' yéetel le mía. [Yours and mine.].” Attuma needed her to understand that he would be here. Nothing above the surface or below it could pull him away from them. From her.
He knew the hurt of her ex-husband’s betrayal still lingered within her. He knew a secret part of her heart still held back, afraid to love him with abandon. He knew, and he understood. Okoye gave all she could, which was more than enough for him. The pieces she had given him, he treasured. He always would.
Okoye huffed and shook her head before burying her face in his neck. Attuma pulled her into his lap and held her close as she muttered in rapid Xhosa, too quick for him to comprehend fully. He did understand one thing, though. 
Ndiyakuthandana.
I love you.
Okoye repeated it over and over, pressing feverish kisses up his neck between each utterance until their lips collided in heated passion. Attuma cradled her face in his hands as their lips parted, staring at her reverently. Red-rimmed brown eyes stared back at him, shining with love and adoration.
“We’re going to have a baby, Attuma,” Okoye breathed. 
“Yes, in yakunaj,” Attuma replied. He smiled wide. “Jump'éel eek'e' ichil in K'iino'. [A star within my Sun.].”
A Sea of Stars:
Part II - Stars Abound
Part III - Stars Aglow
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nbnbd · 8 months
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Do you feel as though you can be as queer as you want to be in public, or do you have to tone it down for whatever reason?
Oof. I feel a lot more comfortable in my new city, but I definitely have a toned down safety mode.
But some days the sun is shining and I've got some cunty song on and I doing a little faggot dance down the sidewalk in my gym shorts and I'm happy
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multiverse-imagines · 2 years
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5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Knives x Reader
Song fic, Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1) by AURORA
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You almost considered it a fever dream; The day you were found by Knives Millions. It was the day that Lost July became, well, Lost. After an altercation with his Brother, Vash The Stampede, Vash's Angel Arm decimated the entire city.
You had been left in the rubble. A small toddler of maybe four or five. Who your parents had been, where they were now, or if they had been looking for you didn't matter. As Knives walked about the rubble, pleased with his deed, he found you. Sniveling under what remained of a house, a tilted piece of material that was no longer recognizable. Your arm was gashed open, and your leg appeared to be broken, but you didn't scream any longer.
He didn't know why he took you. To this day, nearly thirty-five years later, he still had no clue why he had plucked you off of the ground and brought you home to his troop of The Gung-Ho Guns.
However he never allowed you to even pick up a gun, or any weapon for that matter. You remained something along the lines of his pet. A little pet human who depended on him endlessly, and loved him eternally. He provided you with a proper diet, fitting and fashionable clothing, and a comfortable living quarters which resided next to his own.
It was when you were 15 that he began to include you in on what he really did in life, and his true goals. Eradicating all human life on Gunsmoke, and this creating a perfect world for him, Vash, and the rest of the plants. And although his time with you and the Guns was finite, he had promised you and the others painless deaths once he had achieved his goal. He made it very clear you were not to beg for your life in His paradise.
After that year, the countdown began. More cities began disappearing off the map, and the people with them.
5: Juneora Rock fell when you were 19, and it was also the year you realized you had fallen for Knives.
4: May turned to ruins when you had turned 23, and by then you had told Knives of your feelings. It would take a year for him to accept this, and actually indulge your "incessant fantasy"
3: December fell just before you turned 26, and Knives had fully succumbed to your relationship. His favorite pet, his love, his toy.
2: Augusta fell at age 32, in which you had to console him at the death of his brother. This future had been for him too. Why did he have to fight it?
1: Octovern was the last city to die just 3 years later. All of the humans had perished, save for those within the remaining Gung-Ho Guns, and yourself.
Five members remained, and it was this day at the end of Gunsmoke that the seven of you stood in a circle with Knives in the middle.
"Thank you for everything. Thank you for helping me create my Paradise. Thank you for your Loyalty. Now my gift to you, is the death you've been searching for." He said pointing the silver gun that had once belonged to his brother to the sky as he cocked it to the ready.
5, 4, 3, 2, he shot them all in the head. Clean shots that wouldn't cause them pain. Their bodies falling with a hollow thud in the cold floor of the otherwise empty room. He paused at Legato. His right hand man. Knives seemed to ever so slightly hesitate. This gave Legato a moment to speak.
"Thank you, My Master. My Love." He says before Knives pulls the trigger, his eyes closing.
Legato hits the floor. 1.
Now it was just the two of you. You look up to him, trying not to have any pleading emotion within your eyes. He leans down to press his lips to yours. Heated, passionate, and quite literally your last kiss. You wished he would fuck you one last time, but that would just be delaying the inevitable. It would be asking too much of him.
"Legato kind of stole my words, Master Knives. Thank you for allowing me to stay by your side." A smile crept across your face, serene and accepting of the bullet that had your name on it.
"I've finally achieved my dream. I just wish He could have seen it." Tears streamed down his face.
"It is your decision to enter this era alone, My Love. One I have always respected." The tears began welling up behind your own eyes.
"This world is not meant for lowly humans such as yourself. Such resources would be wasted by your need for consumption." He recited with no malice in his voice. They were words you'd heard a Million Times. He placed the barrel against your forehead, the gun clicking the bullet in place in the chamber. You knew he was killing you for mercy.
"I will Miss you, Master. I love you, Knives." Your voice waivers as a year slides down your cheek.
"Me too, My Pet. May you find peace in death." His eyes are already closed when he pulls the trigger, and Bang, you are dead.
You felt yourself above your body, though a pressure in your back, and waist remained as you looked down to see Knives holding you in his arms. You can slowly hear the screams of his crying begin to fade as your soul detached from this life more and more. You wave goodbye as you depart knowing you have been saved from the awful things in life that would come from the world he created.
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bread-that-draws · 1 year
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Flowey’s so funny and has me so fucked up like he’s a talking flower. He tries to kill you upon your first interaction. He is ten years old. He is damaged beyond repair. He’s a flower named Flowey. He’s become friends with every single character. He’s killed all of them countless times. He knows everything about everyone. He doesn’t care anymore. He takes care of his mom when she can’t take care of herself. He’s killed her before. He doesn’t care if you kill her. He thinks she’s trying to replace him. He just wants to be himself again. He wants to destroy everything. He hates you. You’re the only one who understands him. He wants his best friend back. He’s terrified of them. He believes in kill or be killed because he died by giving mercy to the wrong person. He believes himself to be the wrong person. He doesn’t understand when you show him that kindness he showed others, even when you know he could kill you for it. He’s tried every route. He asks you if you have anything better to do when you try to do the same. He’s a direct reflection of the player. He’s a fucking talking flower named flowey and his only voice line is by Ronald McDonald and his officially licensed plush does a little dance for you
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missviviii · 3 months
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a/n: zayne my boo <3 im sobbing over the fact that the game killed off mc’s grandma and caleb 😭
.
ミ★ Love & Deep Space ミ★
pairing: zayne x fem!reader
warning(s): mentions of death, mentions of the explosion that killed mc’s grandma + childhood best friend (caleb) in game, spoilers(?)
Summary: Ever since that day, you’ve fallen in a deep, dark pit. Why did you have to be the one that they decide to destroy? Why did Caleb and Grandma have to die? Is it your fault they did? Zayne, as your primary care physician and a family friend, is concerned for your well-being.
“Sometimes, a small gesture is all it takes.”
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The sound of the news on your TV, the thundering rain outside, the sound of the cars driving by your apartment—it all blurs out as you stared at the TV screen, eyes dead and unfocused on the news of the Wanderers attacking and the explosions. Some 22 casualties, two deaths. Grandma and Caleb. His necklace that you bought him as a goodbye gift when he left for the Aerospace Academy sits beside a picture of you, him, and Grandma on the coffee table, the cheerful smiles making you wished that you could revisit time.
Your apartment, once somewhat organized and clean, is now messy with things being knocked down and dirty dishes long discarded. You stare at the one last thing your Grandma left for you, some..tablet(?) with a final letter on it. You haven’t gotten the energy or the ability to open it. It pains you, seeing that you haven’t visited for so long yet when you do, this was the time her house had to explode right in front of you, flames engulfing the house and the only thing that remained was Caleb’s necklace.
“I miss you, Grandma..” You mumbled to nobody, rubbing the tears threatening to spill out your eyes as you glanced down at the item she left you with. Besides that, a small box of her old recipes of those notecards, and other small things that she had entrusted to you years before.
Around you was your laptop, papers and files on the latest Wanderer attacks around you. Yes, Captain Jenna dismissed you and said that you should take some days off to regain your energy, since you haven’t been getting the sleep or the energy you needed, but you just couldn’t.
Your door opened, yet you didn’t bother to look at who entered. “Still sitting in front of the TV?” A familiar voice spoke out, flipping the light switch on and shutting the door behind him. It was Zayne, a long time family friend and your primary care physician. “You haven’t eaten,” he bluntly says as he sets a bag of food on your table and walked into the kitchen. He bites back a sigh, knowing that you were going through a tough time, and people tended to discard everything and grieve and grieve their hearts out.
“Hello to you too, Zayne,” you replied as you shut off the news and got up off your sofa. You pile up all the papers and files you’ve scattered around and set them on the coffee table before you walk into the kitchen as Zayne is cleaning up your dirty dishes. He checks in on you whenever he’s free or when he’s off his shift. He looks back at you, only making a small hum of acknowledgment before cleaning up your dirty kitchen. You looked terrible—eyes red and puffy from crying, obvious eye bags, and the sparkles from your eyes were gone.
You yawn as you take out a bowl and some utensils for whatever food he brought in for you. You unpacked the bag as he cleaned up the dishes you couldn’t bother doing last week. Potatoes, avocado on the side, tuna salad, salmon and rice you said to yourself as you took out the food that he had carefully backed in those plastic containers for you. Then you took out the last thing. Cookie..dough? He remembered your favorite childhood snack. The kind of cookie dough you liked.
“Your grandma gave me a recipe for the cookie dough. She said that if she couldn’t make it, I should since it lightens your mood,” Zayne says as he puts your clean dishes back into the cabinet. He dries his hand off before walking over to you, watching how you stare at it like a piece of gold. Disbelief and shock were etched on your face.
Zayne puts his hand on your back, soothingly rubbing circles as you opened the container and took a bite. Your eyes almost brimmed with tears again. You could remember how your grandma used to bake in the kitchen and you’d always sneak a bite or two of the cookie dough, no care in the world if you could get salmonella.
“Thank..you, Zayne,” you finally said, turning around tightly hugging him. He was a bit hesitant at first, but he put his hand on your head, massaging your scalp as he looked down at you with a gentle look on his face.
“..You’re welcome. I miss her too.”
Zayne’s eyes looked away at the picture on the counter of your grandma. She didn’t have to go out this way.
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colealexart · 6 months
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story time! i met the cr cast this past weekend at mcm london and they were the kindest people imaginable, but my interaction with laura and marisha was just. incomprehensibly sweet and the best thing to ever happen to me.
first up was laura. my friends izzy (@wvearp) and abby (@overnighttosunflowers) went before me in the queue and they got my art signed by her. when they did, she said “oh, best art” and they told her that they were here with the artist. she immediately was like “what?! where?!” and started looking around frantically. i was standing just to the side and i waved awkwardly and she was like “NO WAY! YOU!! i favourite this shit on twitter ALL THE TIME!” which i find hilarious because yeah, i freak out a little every time she does.
when it got to my turn, i said hello and asked her how she was doing. she did not answer my question and instead said “cole, are you kidding me? these are gorgeous” about the two prints i handed to her. (the one pictured and a different one i got signed.) she said she remembers seeing this after the episode aired and i was like “yeah, it airs at 3am here so i drew this in a frantic, sleep deprived stupor at 7am” and she said “you did it so fast, i remember! i sent it to marisha! people are SO QUICK with the fanart, you guys are insane.”
after she signed the print, she held onto it for a moment and just sat and admired it, before looking at me with the BIGGEST smile and saying “you are seriously the best. thank you.” and i don’t know how to handle sincerity so i handed her the dice i got for her. she was so excited about them and immediately rolled the d20 and got a 10 (edit: i misremembered, she got a 3 lol). i then asked if we could play rollies and she beat me. i got a 5 and laura got a 7. i said i’m sorry they’re not rolling well and she was like “it’s fine, they just need charging up!”
i also got a selfie too, but the guy helping her at the table took the photo for us instead of me trying to take it because i suck at taking selfies. she gave me a really tight side hug and when it was done, she thanked me again with the biggest smile.
i also didnt realize until afterwards but instead of writing a character quote, laura wrote “you are everything” on my autograph 😭
next was the group photo op. as we walked up i said hi again to laura and she immediately recognized me from before. she grabbed onto my shoulders and literally spun me around to marisha and was frantically saying “marisha marisha, this is the person that does the amazing imodna art!” but there was a lot going on and marisha was looking at me with the most bewildered expression, until she eventually understood what laura was saying but we had to rush to take the photo. laura held onto my arm and marisha leaned against me and i didn’t realize until afterwards but liam and tal also had their hands on my shoulders lol. it was A Lot. i told marisha i would probably be heading to her autograph queue next so i’d see her there and she was like “awesome, i cant wait!”
so after that, i met marisha. i was probably the most nervous to meet her because she’s just so cool and intimidating but in reality she is just so warm and has such a calming presence about her. she was like “cole, good to see you again!” and i handed her the same imodna print that i had laura sign. she said “ohh, aww this is amazing! this is what laura was talking about, i was so confused!”
then we talked a bit about the live show because her voice was hoarse and i asked her how she was feeling. she said it was just her voice that was gone, but we agreed that it was absolutely worth it because the live show was incredible. i also congratulated her on the how do you wanna do this, then gave her the dice i got for her and we played rollies too. we both got an 18 at first and when we rerolled, she beat me with another 18 to my 16. then she was like “oh these roll really well, i’m definitely gonna use these!”
we took our photo together and afterwards she said “thank you for your art and everything. seriously, you’re so talented” while rubbing my shoulder, and then i headed off to join ashley’s queue.
i’m probably gonna make a separate post about meeting ashley and sam. i just wanted to write this down mostly to immortalize on my blog. i expected them to be kind but i did NOT expect to feel so loved and appreciated. laura was about as excited as i was, and made me feel so special. (this is also a pretty small thing but i dont think i pass very well, so the fact that laura said ‘person’ and didn’t misgender me meant a hell of a lot too.)
i did bring extra prints to give to them as a gift but was overwhelmed and forgot lol
anyway, that’s it! for anyone wondering if the critical role cast are as kind in person as they seem online, they absolutely are and then some. i’ll never forget this past week.
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imasoftieforbarb · 6 months
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i love the little fic u made of my request and you asked if the readers would like a part 2 AND IM SORRY IF IM BEING TO DELUSIONAL BUT
IF YOU HAVE TIME AND WANT TO OFC COULD U DO THE PART 2, I LOVE YOUR WORK SM I MEAN IT 😭⁉️
HERE COMES PART 2‼️
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We’re gonna get into the movie stuff now
John Dory comes to check out Mount Rageous
As he makes his way through the ventilation he hears crying- but it doesn’t sound like Floyd so he moves on (a bit guiltily)
Once he finds Floyd (and lands face first on the dresser)
John Dory groaned as he pulled himself off the floor in a hurry “Yo! Floyd!”
Floyd looked up from his lap as his eyes widened “John dory? I cant believe it!” Floyd pressed his hands against the wall of his prison “I never thought I’d see any of my brothers again”
John Dory smiled before pressing his hand up to the glass in confidence
“Don’t worry bro I’m gonna get you out of here”
“No! You need to get out of here!” Floyd said urgently “you don’t understand- Velvet and Veneer are giant, pop obsessed succubi with NO talent and they’ve been stealing mine and Y/n’s- it’s only a matter of time now until they come back for more!”
John Dory thought to himself “Y/n? Like our old manager and childhood best friend Y/n? But- why did they take her?”
Floyd sighed to himself, misplaced guilt eating at him a bit “when you guys left, she followed me and after a bit we ended up confessing-“
“I KNEW YOU HAD FEELINGS FOR HER-“
“Shhhhhhh!” Floyd shushed his brother, though he couldn’t deny the smile on his face- he had missed this
“So she’s here?” John Dory said looking around, “I don’t see her anywhere!”
“She got taken by Velvet- as like a personal back up! I don’t know where she is- but if shes having her talent drained she won’t last as long, she isn’t a trained singer JD! I’m worried”
“Don’t worry bro- I’ll get both of you out-!”
JD tried many tricks to try and crack the prison his brother was in but to no luck
“It’s made out of diamond- and there’s only one thing that’s strong enough to shatter diamond” Floyd hoped his brother got the clue-
“A diamond shattering diamond hammer! Where do we get one of those?”
It went way over his head
“No, the only thing strong enough to shatter diamond is the perfect family harmony” Floyd said giving his brother a look of humour
“Of course! The prefect family harmony!”
Floyd nodded looking at his brother with tired but hopeful eyes until-
“Our voices sound like GARBAGE! We need more TROLL!”
“Run John Dory- save yourself” Floyd urged, not wanting to get his brother captured
John Dory nodded, grappling back to the vent and shouting that he’d be back with the rest of the family
During the rescue mission you’re nowhere to be found
Floyd’s theory is correct and you are drained far to quickly-
You turn into a crystal troll just before the rage dome show
Velvet decides to put you in her pocket like a little good luck charm
The perfect family harmony works and shatters the diamond perfectly
Floyd thinking of you as he sings the last line
“Just let me take you to a better place!”
When he wakes up from his crystal form and has a moment with his brothers he looks around and doesn’t see you anywhere
“John Dory, where’s Y/n?”
Everybody starts looking around not being able to see you
Not even Crimp knows where you are
“Velvet! Where’s the other troll? The one you took as a backup?” Veneer said, after confessing that they were frauds
“Oh her? She drained far to fast so I gave her another use” velvet stated- pulling you out of her pocket “she’s my little good luck charm- though she didn’t work so she’s useless to me now”
Floyd gasped, tears finally spilling over as he takes in your completely crystallised form in shock
“No… Nononono”
Veneer snatches you off velvet and hands you to the group of trolls on the floor with remorse
“Y/n? Come on- this cant be happening!”
Floyd brings you into a hug- sobbing as he realises there’s no hope for you
You, though crystallised, can hear everything around you
You try to open your eyes but they’re so heavy
“You can’t do this to me- not after everything we’ve been through together, it’s my fault” Floyd stated through his tears “I just want you back.”
Everyone looks down in sadness, shedding their own tears as they mourn with Floyd
Then
The darkness starts to fade from your vision as you blink a few times
You raise your hand to his face, startling him
“You’re so silly”
you say weakly, watching his eyes tear up again- this time from happiness and disbelief
“You never lost me in the first place”
He brings you into a kiss- putting all of his emotions into it
The crowd cheers as they realise you’re alive and as velvet and veneer are taken away in cuffs
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a2zillustration · 3 months
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I carried this thing for MONTHS with the EXPRESS PURPOSE of putting Raphael in it (knowing full well Larian wouldn't let me do that, mechanically) and I had one major miscalculation.
| First | | Previous | | Next |
[[ All Croissant Adventures (chronological, desktop) ]]
[[ All Croissant Adventures (app) ]]
#Ok I'm gonna ramble in the tags about all this get ready:#I KNEW Larian wouldn't let me actually pull this off but I PROMISE you that stupid flask sat in my inventory since the moment I grabbed it#WAITING for when I could write this little bit about putting Raphael in it#I even threw it at him in the fight with a 30% hit chance and it succeeded so I considered that Larian giving me permission to say it workd#But as I was reading up on it again when I was sketching this I saw the bit about native planes and I cried LMAO. But it's dnd-#so I rewrote is as it would've happened in a game. U kno.#Also I have been waiting to use that fox line for SO LONG bc of Croissant's dad being a fox-like fey creature#So much backstory that's slotted in PERFECTLY with the BG3 narrative#Anyway absolutely wild that we managed to take out this ancient powerful devil - and on the first try!#Lae'zel with a potion of speed did WORK. Gale came in clutch with hold monster. Astarion gave Raph stage fright. Croissant made him dance#(I'm pretty sure he just doesn't have a dance animation in ascended form lol)#Hope didn't even need to use divine intervention - this party is terrifying#Croissant hated him but in the end I loved Raphael I see why all you people like him#bg3#baldur's gate 3#bg3 spoilers#act III spoilers#house of hope#croissant adventures#tav#raphael#lae'zel#iron flask#comics#ALSO shoutouts to you if you both noticed and knew which worthikids animation I borrowed the expression in panel 5 from
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skitskatdacat63 · 6 months
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2023 Brazilian Grand Prix - Fernando Alonso & Oscar Piastri exchanging helmets
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dangerousdan-dan · 5 months
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I’ve been thinking a lot about how Cass’ journey as Batgirl (more specifically after losing her abilities) directly relates to her perspective as a martial artist.
I’m convinced that her choices wouldn’t have been the same if she weren’t a martial artist. The thing is, when you love fighting, and when you’re good at it, you become addicted to a lot of things. To winning, to discipline, to having absolute control over your body, to enduring pain for the sake of greatness. And as someone who, same as Cass, lost all of that without consent because of someone else, I totally understand why when given the choice to be “mediocre for a lifetime or perfect for a year,” she chose the latter.
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That’s what training is, after all. Your legs shake and burn to get that stance just right, your knuckles bleed because you can’t afford to let the skin get soft, you practice that kick a hundred times because you can always make it faster, harder, smoother. In the back of your mind, you know that you’re dooming yourself to the aches of the future, but you keep going because the idea of not achieving perfection is worse.
When Batman tells her “it doesn’t matter how long it takes, what matters is that you give it everything you’ve got”, the most painful part is that she had already given everything. Cass gave her childhood, her happiness, her sweat and blood. When Cass lost her abilities, it was the equivalent of dismissing all the sacrifices that got her where she was, like saying none of it was worth it. She was the best because she had earned it. So, even if she tried to achieve that same greatness again, the I could’ve been more would’ve haunted her forever. She would’ve mourned that potential for the rest of her life.
Lady Shiva herself is a martial artist, and she was perfectly aware of what had been taken away from Cass and what offering it back would mean. Refusing her offer was never an option. The proof?
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Just look how happy she is immediately after getting her abilities back. She doesn’t even care that she’s going to die.
She’s great again, she has agency over her body again.
Her sacrifices matter.
Batgirl (2000) #9
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ioniansunsets · 5 months
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may i please have some heartsteel yone/f!reader? i haven't seen much of my beloved producer 🥺
✖ Heartsteel!Yone x Reader ✖
✖ Word Count: 2k
✖ Tags: Long Term Established R/S
✖ A/N: You get together with Yone 10 years ago in Japan. HC Yone as someone who started out DJ-ing at clubs before outgrowing the scene and fading to obscurity online before Heartsteel picked him up.
----  Meeting Him ----
- You met him back in Japan, back when you visited clubs and actually managed to catch his DJ-ing before he quit. It was underground but it was unique. Experimental stuff that just somehow still sounded so damn good to you. You found yourself drawn to him and eventually going up to talk to him during a break between sets. He fell in love with you shortly after, he had a small but loyal fanbase and having someone like you appear at every single one of his performances really weakened the walls around his heart.
- You spent college dropping by any of Yone's appearances throughout your fall quarter and as school went on and as winter break came over, you finally found the time and energy to hang around and visit his other appearances too. Some fun mall gigs, cute online streams in the day, even managing to land a dj-ing gig at a local dance competition. You could tell it was hard, he had a distinctive style that was as much a pro as it was a con and eventually he faded away from performing at all in person.
- It was his 'Final Performance' so the speak. That late night in the club, a drink in hand, bright smiles as you had fun with you friends while watching the elusive masked dj on his little stage. It was his final performance. Now or never to confess your love for both him and his music, your nerves straight ice as the night slowly drew to a close. Unbeknown to you, he too, felt exactly the same as he watched you from the stand. The passing comments and small conversations the two of you shared over the months left him yearning for something more with you.
- And it was sweet when it finally happened. Uncharacteristically gentlemanly coming from a DJ. You stayed as the club begun to close, Yone walking up to talk to you just like any other time a friendly conversation before he offers you a small giftbag, softly telling you its a personal Christmas gift for his most loyal supporter, telling you to open it when you're home. You thank him, pushing yourself to exchange numbers with him so you can give him feedback when you're home safe. You curse as you miss your chance to confess in the heat of the moment.
- As you return home, you pull a thin package beautifully wrapped in the little bag. You unwrap it to find a homemade mixtape, all of your favorite songs from him paired with special unreleased works that he think you would like. How he even managed to know which were your favorites shocked you honestly. As you look into the bag further a sweet handwritten note confessing his budding love for you neatly written in decorative paper falls out. Poetic words with the neatest handwriting, you could swear the paper itself was scented too. Your heart races as you listen to the CD while reading the pages of his feelings. The first thing you ever messaged him was a cute " Yone, I love you too." Which Yone has graciously screenshotted and looked back on often over the years.
---- Heartsteel / Dating ----
- You two are the loving parents of Heartsteel, the comforting consistency, the caring confidants of the group. There was just something nice about seeing Yone and his partner of almost ten years still going strong in such a stable relationship that causes all the boys to look at you with such respect. You have fun with them all, you work hard late nights supporting Yone and his work, you look out for him as he looked out for you. You were as much part of the gang as he was.
- Surprisingly Yasuo loves you just as much (platonically), he's happy to see Yone just genuinely be so at ease around you, to have someone be there for his brother that can actually make the man relax? You have his approval. After moving on and joining True Damage, Yasuo would worry seeing Yone so alone, so having you appear and provide his brother with such companionship made him happy. Though, Yasuo does tease Yone a lot, every time you meet him he always asks you if Yone has proposed. He can't understand how you two have been together so long yet not gotten married.
- Dates with Yone were always so calming. Bringing you out to hot spring inns during stressful times, inviting you to cute hidden cafes to work together, comforting jamming sessions late night at his place if money was tight. Nothing embarrassingly over to top yet not so casual that you felt like the two of you weren't doing anything special. There was just something about the way he just knows what you need. As the years went by you realized it was just how Yone was, he was an attentive guy and especially so when it came to you.
- Also it was no secret that Yone looked at self care as a priority and slowly you picked up on his little habits too. Simple yet small adjustments to your own habits. The way you two would go through the motions of burning incense and making tea early in the mornings for a quick meditation and mindfulness session. The loving way he would cook healthier meals for you, how he would be the one buying bath and beauty products, how he would motivate you to follow him to Kendo lessons to exercise, how he would leave books filled with comments on post-its around the house for you to read when you had time. The softest part was how he never seemed disappointed even if you said no to any of this, he was caring and patient after all, he'll win you over into self help eventually.
- The biggest change with the new popularity of Heartsteel was seeing the sheer number of fans Yone started to get. You almost forgot what it was like being his fangirl honestly, so used to your life with him after his semi-retirement, it was weird suddenly being thrown back to your college days of being in love with that DJ at the club. Sure things were different, you came home to him, you slept by his side every night, you heard all his music before it was released, but still... There was something about the way your heart thrums as you stand in the audience watching Yone lift his mask to throw you a charming smile. There was something about the way you knew when he laughed softly on stage, when he waves to the fans, when the crowd cheers, that the cool DJ standing up there was all yours. Oh it made you smile just as bright.
---- During Touring Season ----
- Being together for so long had its perks and its downfalls, for one, you two had a really nice house together, a place you truly called home. Little bits of Yone all around you all the time in the way the bed smelt like him, the way you see his drinks in the fridge and his things around the room. As much as it all comforts you when he is away, it all also oh so depressingly reminds you how lonely you are without him. At the least, Yone was a man of conviction and strict schedules, without fail every day at midnight where he is, when the concerts over he would always contact you somehow. Be it a call, a message, and photo. He would always make sure to send you at the very least, something, once a day. Lovingly checking in on you to make sure you were ok.
- Sure you had your own life outside of being his loving girlfriend but yet, being by Yone's side was such a commonplace that the emptiness of the house felt foreign after all these years. Yone did his best to make sure you weren't alone though, leaving little notes hidden around the house for you to find and read, leaving you a playlist to fill his study with music so you could feel like someone was still there. Of course he still called you when he could but there were other things too, like how he kept ordering meals for you, secretly asking your neighbors to keep an eye out to make sure you were safe at night, how he actually sent you postcards so you could have a physical reminder that he was thinking of you. It was all so sweet.
- If you could make it to a concert? You had the VIP treatment, he was very secretive, not really having social media, no one really knew he was in a long term relationship with you. But for Heartsteel? Everyone close to Yone knew who you were. No questions asked, a VIP pass thrust into your hands courtesy of Alune who excitedly dragged you backstage to say hi to your partner before and after the performance.
- During the actual show it was crazy, for someone whose style was so underground it was exciting and certainly different to see how wild the crowd was compared to your hazy memories of small secluded rooms in the fringes of Tokyo all those years back. Heartsteel was good for him you had to admit, seeing him on the international stage, seeing him having so much fun with the other boys, seeing the way he was just glowing with joy when people actually hollered and cheered at his beat drops. A warm bubbling feeling rises up in your chest as you see him smile the way he does around you, only this time it was on the big stage. You knew he was happy with his own small fanbase of loyal stans but you two knew better, a tiny fanbase wouldn't pay the bills, being so wildly loved, being able to make music, his passion, for work. Having so many new people hear the same style of mixing that caught your attention years back and actually love it? Heartsteel was a blessing to you both.
- When you run backstage after the performance to congratulate all the boys on the successful performance Yone stands further back. A warm smile on his face as he pulls off his mask to watch you hug and high five everyone else, a mix of feelings as he watches you talk to his bandmate. As the initial greetings pass, you finally walk up to him, everyone leaving to settle their own post performance maintenance. For Yone, that was a little habit of searching for you and reaching out to pull you into a hug. A habit that he once had all those years back, the nostalgia after every performance always hitting him so hard his usually calm and cool demeanor would crack. The lightest tinge of a blush could be seen rising up to his ears as he finally makes eye contact with you. Slowly he walks over, a hand reaching out to beckon you to come over and hold him.
" You were amazing up on stage, I almost forgot how charming you always looked in the DJ booth."
" And I almost forgot how exciting it was to search for you cheering for me in the crowd. Especially when the crowd is that big."
Yone laughs softly. A deep melodic noise that sends shivers down your spine. Oh the way the corners of his lips curl up, his sparkling emerald eyes gaze down at you. His right hand reaching up, the back of his fingers lightly brushing over your cheeks, pushing your hair back behind your ears.
" Just like old times my love?"
" Just like old times Yone."
Carefully, doing his best to make sure his hair doesn't tickle you, the same hand that pushed your hair back now rises to hold his own messy fringe up as he leans down. Gently, just like always. His lips press against yours. Nothing too affectionate, you two were still in public after all, but still you could feel it, the way the softest kiss from your lover fills your chest with such overwhelming love. As you pull back you look up to see a smile so bright that it causes his eyes to close. Ah, you were truly loved.
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flowercrowngods · 9 months
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written for @steddieas-shegoes as a follow-up to this "can you read the letter for me" post-breakup scene (@artaxlivs wrote a wonderful version over here for you to read!) cw: drug mention, OD mention
Steve's body doesn't quite feel like his own as he walks to the playground with his breath lodged firmly in his throat and his heart trying out an old beat that used to be familiar. It's struggling, though, and Steve tries not to think about it. The cold breeze of the night hits his face, making him shiver for more reasons than one.
He hasn't been to the playground for years now. It used to be their spot when they couldn't sleep, kept awake by nightmares and memories and the worst of scenarios. They would come here and sit on the swings, steal glances at each other and talk into the night air, pretending like the other wouldn't hear, and hoping that he would.
He first took Eddie's hand here, swinging as they were, and Eddie had chuckled through his tears, and then his smile hadn't left all night – nor did his hand.
Maybe it's a bad idea, meeting him here. After everything. But some part of him thinks that it might be what they need. If Eddie really is doing as badly as he said, if he really does need a break of several weeks, a tiny part in Steve (the part that would always put himself last as long as it means that the other person gets the tiniest bit of comfort) wants Eddie to have this.
Their little bubble. Or the memory of it at least.
Steve is shaking as he sits down on one of the swings, one of his hands wrapped around the cold chain, the other balled to a fist in the pocket of his jacket. He feels oddly tethered even as the world begins to sway this way and that, even as the breath lodged in his throat solidifies into a lump and he feels as though he's about to cry.
Maybe that, too, comes with the muscle memory of swinging.
He spends an odd second envisioning himself from twenty years ago, laughing and squealing with his friends as they tried to do a looping, and then jump right up into the sky above, see who got farthest.
It brings a smile to his face and a nostalgia to his heart that he hasn't felt in a while.
He feels like he hasn't felt anything in a while. And that he won't until Eddie will apologise. Until he will explain.
The steady squeak–squeak–squeak of the swing is almost eerie in the quiet of the night, but to Steve it brings a certain calm; a safety that he knows is treacherous, but he feels it tingling in his arms, because–
Eddie is there. Slow steps approaching, the gravel crunching underneath his feet that makes Steve want to look up, but, tightening his grip around the chain, he refuses.
I’m sorry for being too much and not enough at the same time.
He knows the letter by heart now, and he wants to see. He wants to see how much space Eddie will be ready to take now, how much he'll let himself be this time. It's unfair, he knows; Eddie's not fine, he should take a step towards him. And he is. He's here. He has agreed to meet with Eddie and hear him out. He has agreed to allow himself a chance at mending his own heart.
Steve feels so torn inside, in more ways than one, that he feels paralysed and petrified and frozen. Part of him wants nothing more than to leap up and take Eddie in his arms, tell him that they'll figure it out, that they can do it, that they can make it work. That second chances are just a thing that happen in life. That it doesn't have to be one and done.
That's another reason he won't look up. There are so many reasons.
"Hey," Eddie's voice cuts through his racing thoughts, though it sounds so gentle and fragile that Steve wonders if it's not Eddie who's been cut.
The steps have stopped, the gravel no longer crunching, and Steve can see a worn pair of Chuck Taylor's in his vision. Not Eddie's usual armour. It throws him off, makes him want to cry, makes him shiver in a way he can't blame on the breeze anymore.
"Thank you," he continues, sounding even more gentle, and Steve squeezes his eyes shut, no longer wanting to hear that voice, not when it sounds like that. So bare. So raw. So vulnerable. "Can I sit with you?"
Steve swallows hard, and doesn't have to consider at all. He nods. Gravel crunches again, then twin chains squeak, the old wood creaking and groaning a little above them, but Steve knows it'll hold. It always does. While Steve is gently swaying, one foot anchored to the ground, Eddie remains impossibly still.
Maybe they're both about to break.
After a while, Eddie speaks up again with the words that Steve has been longing to hear for four years. "I'm sorry."
They're not nearly as satisfying as he always hoped. The world is still broken.
"Okay," he rasps, not really knowing what he's supposed to say. What Eddie wants from this. What he wants from this. If either of them still have the right to want things.
"I had this speech prepared," Eddie continues, still entirely still aside from the way his voice wavers, his laugh a bit breathless and bitter at himself. "But... I didn't... I didn't think you'd come, to be honest."
"Funny," Steve says before he can stop himself, cutting off the rest before it can leave his mouth and make it worse than it is. Coming from the one who left.
"I'm sorry," Eddie says again, and Steve is already tired of it.
So he says nothing, and his silence seems to mute Eddie.
"What does it mean?" he asks eventually, still not daring to look over at the man who used to hold his heart in his hands and then threw it down the quarry before leaving town without another word for four years. But he can feel Eddie's eyes on him. "That you're sorry, what– what does that mean."
"It means that I..." Eddie starts and trails off, considering his words in a way that makes Steve wish he wouldn't.
Just tell me. Take up space. Be enough. Be too much. Just tell me.
"It means that I wish I hadn't left, but that I know I had to in order to find out that living without you is not living at all. It means that I know that I broke your heart and your soul and your future, maybe, for this need of mine to just... find out. To run away. To be someone I could choose to be. And, God, it wasn't worth it. None of it. And still it happened, still I did it, still I know that I just... I had to do it. Being the person I was then, it... I just. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve this. None of it. And if I could, I would turn back time and just tell you. Or sleep it off. Get help, talk with Wayne, anything. Anything that wouldn't lose me the... That wouldn't lose me you. And I'm sorry."
When Eddie finishes, his voice is hoarse, and Steve can't look away any longer. He opens his eyes and prepares to meet Eddie's beside him even in the dark of night, but he finds that Eddie is looking up instead, towards the sky where the moon is busy painting a cloud in silver light as it moves to cover it incrementally, and Steve takes a second to look back down at Eddie and watch him for a second.
His hands are clenched around the swing's chain, and they're shaking a little – so minutely that Steve's not sure if he's imagining it at all, but he feels like he knows Eddie enough to know that he's shaking, too. That they're in this together still. His thick leather boots are replaced with the worn, dark red Chuck Taylor's, and he's wearing a pair of jeans that aren't ripped at the knees. His black denim jacket is plain, no pins, no patches, no rips or tears or any sign of Eddie.
It leaves Steve feeling bereft, untethered once more; and isn't that unfair. It's not fair for Eddie to come here looking like this, looking so open and plain and vulnerable – how is Steve supposed to talk to him now. To talk at him, knowing his words will only meet armour. Armour that will make Eddie leave again.
How is he supposed to say anything when Eddie might not leave again. Or when he never came back in the first place?
"What happened to you?" he asks, the apology forgotten at this need to know. This need to protect, even after all these years. This need to be Steve and Eddie. If only just for the duration of a question.
Beide him, Eddie huffs and looks away from the now covered moon, meeting Steve's gaze with those big brown eyes that look so much bigger now. So much... sadder.
"I've spent all my life knowing who I didn't want to be. Knowing what to be against. Knowing what to hate. And then I– Then I met you. And I got to be someone for myself, you know? You let me be that. And I didn't see, I never... I never quite saw that, Stevie. Because that sad, scared, angry teenager part of me still wanted to hate and rebel and to leave and to be someone. And it didn't matter who, what kinda person, just... Just someone. So I left, and I– God, I lost myself. That self that you brought out. That self that wanted a life full of, like, love, y'know? Not hate. Not anger. Not... Not battle vest, leather armour, sticking it to the Man. But when I realised, it was too late."
"When did you?"
Eddie breathes out heavily. "Last year? Friend of mine OD-ed. Lou. Found her in the hotel, just..."
He breaks off, and Steve can see him blinking away tears just as he blinks away tears of his own.
"I called the band in this, like, full-on panic attack. Told them it was over. Told them I didn't want this anymore. They– They talked me down, because they're great guys. Helped me through it. All of it. Jeff told me to send the letter. Said, 'If you wanna find yourself again, Ed, you gotta start where you last had it, and you gotta start sending the letters.' Best fucking guy I know."
Eddie is smiling through the tears, telling all of this like it's not worth telling at all – like they're not both crying silent tears at it.
Like Steve's not understanding what he's saying. You made me into someone I liked being. and I did write to you, I just never sent them.
"You wrote me letters?"
Eddie nods. "All the fucking time. Wanted you there with me. Stayed sober for you until I... Until I couldn't anymore, because I'd left you, and I left this fucking swing set, and I... God, I'm so sorry, Steve." Eddie is really crying now, hands covering his face, and it's not really a decision at all when Steve gets up to stand between his legs, wrapping his arms around Eddie's shoulders and letting him cry into his chest.
Eddie wraps around him almost instantly, and Steve holds him, running his hands through his hair, shushing him gently, just allowing Eddie to cry for as long as he needs.
And I got to be someone for myself, you know? You let me be that.
You let me be that.
"I'm sorry," Eddie repeats, over and over, and Steve finds himself saying, "It's okay, Eddie, it's okay. I forgive you."
They stay like that for a while. Until Eddie calms down enough to breathe normally again, and even longer still before Steve slowly, gently pulls away – ready to move back in and hold him some more. Even though he shouldn't. Maybe.
"I'm sorry that happened to you," he says at last. "And I'm glad you're taking a break. Glad you sent that letter, too."
"Mm-hmm, me too."
Silence settles between them once more as Steve finds his way back to his swing; and that's when he starts thinking again.
"When you left, I was devastated. And I couldn't even tell anyone, not even Robin. It's like... It's like when you left, you took away that part of me, y'know? I didn't know how to talk about you. The words were gone, or something. And then you... You wrote your songs. And it was double unfair, because not only you get to leave, you also got to talk about it? To, like, thousands of people? I never... I still– it's.... It's like I still don't know how to talk about it. About you. Or to you. There are things I wanna say, but... You said them all, I guess. You got to say them."
"Steve," Eddie breathes, and he sounds just as devastated as Steve feels. "I never meant to– I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"No?"
"No! No, you... No."
Their eyes meet again, and Steve swallows hard again. "Tell me."
"What?"
"What you were gonna say. What you want to say."
Eddie breathes deeply and lets it all out in one long breath. "You didn't deserve that," he says at last. "You deserve someone who treats you right. Someone who lets you be who you want to be, too, and who will bring you flowers, and who will buy you an Winnebago and get you everything you could ever wish for. You deserve someone who's not broken, someone who'll do anything for you because they realise that you're everything they could ever dream of and more."
Steve sighs and feels frustrated again, because Eddie still doesn't get it, Eddie still puts him on that pedestal and made him out of reach for himself to the point where he had to leave because Steve was already gone for him.
"Eddie," he says, and his heart breaks a little when the other man flinches a little at his sharp tone. "I don't ask for that, I would never ask for that, God. I just... I just want a simple, sometimes complicated, sometimes dramatic but ultimately worth it life. I want a– a boyfriend who will say weird shit sometimes because he's a fucking nerd, and who will discover things about himself when he's with me, and go to bed with that smile that tells me he's safe with me. And happy. I don't want anyone throwing away anything, I don't need anyone giving me everything, I just..." I just want you.
But the words don't quite make it past his lips, too much history forcing them shut. It's been four years.
"I don't want to make you into someone. I don't want the weight of that, the responsibility that one wrong look could make someone's entire life fall in on itself. I just..." I just want you.
And that's when he realises what he's always sort of known. That Eddie doesn't even need to ask for a second chance for Steve to hand it to him on a silver platter.
He stands again and comes between Eddie's legs again.
"I forgive you. But I want to talk. About all of this. Not just tonight, but every night. I want to know how I can help you, I want to start over, I want it to be right this time. I don't want you to ever run away again. I want you to talk to me, Eddie. And to take me with you next time you need to run. Because you don't get to run from me, okay? You don't– You don't get to do that, Eddie Munson."
Eddie looks up at him, the moonlight catching on the tears in his eyes, making them look even bigger, and Steve wishes he wouldn't look so small.
"You– But... But I'm so... broken." His hands flail a little, an aborted motion that shows nothing of his usual energy.
Steve's hands find his way to Eddie's cheeks if only to stop him from running away again.
"And I'm not gonna fix you. But I can hold you through it, and stay right where you need me to. That's what people do when–" He cuts himself off before he can say it.
But Eddie understands anyway if the way his eyes widen even more, welling up against the moonlight, is any indication at all.
"Still?"
Steve nods, his thumb stroking Eddie's cheek tenderly, wiping away the fresh tears. "Still. All you had to do was come back."
Eddie falls forward, then, and buries his face in Steve's stomach. It's not running away. It's quite the opposite, actually, and Steve holds him as long as he can.
The night is filled with many more tears as four years of anger and sadness and lostness finally find words to express them.
It's dawn when he says goodbye to Eddie at Wayne's new trailer, waving at the man drinking his coffee on the porch. Eddie holds Steve in a tight embrace for a whole minute before either of them are ready to let go, and only with the promise of Same place, same time tonight.
It's not a new beginning yet, but it's the closure they both need before the new beginning will happen in due time.
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shibuiking · 2 months
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cerealboxlore · 1 year
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Listen to mama here
I might have talked a few times about Billy and his radio show on Whiz Radio before, but I had another idea pop up
Y'all know that one about Billy, secretly Whiz Kid, radio show host beloved by the Justice League for his views on heroism and opinions? Well, what if one day, while he's doing just another regular radio show segment talking about, idk, villains and the levels of redemption possible, and the other heroes are listening in wherever they are. At home, on a flight, in the car, etc. They're just enjoying hearing this kid talk about really profound matters with maturity and respect, honest to good soulful journalism.
Then, out of the blue, a villain crashes through the building of Whiz Radio and holds all of the employees hostage on live air. The whole encounter is heard by the heroes and Billy is made to report on the event as it happens, trying to be brave and holding back the urge to knock out this bozo ruining his show. The villain makes Billy plead for help on the radio, asking for an insane ransom in order to set the hostages and Whiz Kid free.
The internet goes nuts. The heroes are furious. This was Whiz Kid! One of the best kids around, and a darling of Fawcett city whose voice reached thousands. Everyone expected Captain Marvel to come right away to their rescue, to save Whiz Kid and teach this bad guy a lesson. Maybe this would give Captain Marvel a reason to finally be on the show to be interviewed! More listeners listened in to the channel by the second, waiting for what was to happen next.
Only...Captain Marvel never shows up. It's his city to protect, but for some reason Captain Marvel isn't anywhere to be seen or heard?? What the hell???! Is he seriously ignoring Whiz Kid?!?
Billy can feel his JL communicator buzzing like crazy. The other heroes are trying to get into contact with him because they all love Whiz Kid, but little do they know that Captain Marvel wasn't going to be there to save the day....Billy Batson was going to have to save the day
He had no idea how he was going to do it, but he felt the courage of Achilles burn inside of him to stand up for himself and the other employees.
One by one, Billy takes calls live on the radio show from all over the country, and even one from space?! Oh wow. An anonymous caller from Gothom, a reporter from Metropolis, a forensic scientist from Central City, and some ginger in space (Billy didn't like having to acknowledge Guy Gardner). All these callers found a way to help Billy take down the bad guy with hints and hidden advice, and by the end of the night, Billy was hailed a hero for essentially, "Home Alone-ing" the bad guy through the Whiz Radio building. The bad guy was begging to be arrested at that point.
That episode saw the rate of listeners go sky high! Earning Billy a bonus and many other heroes stopping by to congratulate him for doing such a good job!
However, Billy has a tough time explaining to the League as Captain Marvel as to why he couldn't save Whiz Kid, being thoroughly interrogated by his coworkers on the matter of time management and etc.
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nonranghaes · 1 year
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joshua listens when you tell him the hard things.
“shh.. it’s okay, honey,” he says when you start crying, struggling to get your feelings across in full. you’ve told him the hard part, and yet the aftermath feels harder than saying it. he asks if he can hold you, and when you move in to seek refuge, he wraps his arms around you. he presses a gentle kiss into your hair, and he lets you take shelter for as long as you need it.
he knows its harder for you, after all. all he can do is just be there and let you cry.
“i love you,” he says quietly. “thank you for feeling safe enough to share that with me.”
joshua is safe, you decide. even when your cries turn quieter, your tears drying up, you stay there in his arms for a little longer. all you can really do is nestle in closer, burrowing your face into his neck as he shuts his eyes and holds you.
some people are good, you remind yourself. and i will continue to find them because i deserve good.
(it’s a harder truth to swallow, but the feeling of joshua’s heart beating in his chest, and every breath he takes, continues to remind you of it.)
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