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#i know i stopped watching somewhere in evolution but how did i miss that????
vqlisms · 1 year
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ok but why do all the beyblade openings go hard
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moni-logues · 8 months
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~tag game~
list eight shows for your followers to get to know you
I was tagged by @quarter-life-crisis2 and I am tagging @minttangerines @simp47koreancrackheads @daechwitatamic @jeonqkooks @xjoonchildx @sailoryooons
this got really fucking long so I'm going to put it under a cut but if you want to read me rambling about TV shows then, here you go!
(Spoilers ahead for Roswell, if you care about spoilers for a show that is like, twenty years old lol)
Angel the Series. You might say I should have chosen Buffy because that is where I first saw and fell in love with him, but Angel is the choice because 1) it's his own whole show 2) the theme music is incredible, even after all this time 3) I Will Remember You is one of my favourite episodes of TV of all time 4) the evolution of Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. Is the fourth series some of the worst TV that's ever been written? Yeah, probably. Is it still one of my favourite shows of all time? Yeah, definitely.
Grey's Anatomy. Yes, I am a basic bitch. I am not caught up (I think I got to somewhere around series 15 when I stopped subscribing to any services that streamed it and I did not care enough to do so illegally), but the first eight series of that show are fucking phenomenal (I know some people think it jumped the shark at series five, but idk how you can miss out the Lexie and Mark of it all, so I say series 8). PICK ME, CHOOSE ME, LOVE ME? ICONIC!!!!! SO much so that honestly, writing this now makes me think I'm gonna start re-watching it.
Roswell. (not the reboot they did at some point??? the OG Shiri Appleby, Jason Behr, fucking Katherine Heigl version). I watched this when it first came on TV. I have re-watched it a lot. My sister and I both own the box set. Am I into alien things? No, generally. But am I into forbidden love and secrets and couples against the world? HELL Yes. It gets weird in the third series (WHY does Isobel get MARRIED?!) but WHAT. A. SHOW. The christmas episode where Max heals all the sick kids??? crying. When he shows up from the future and Liz has to break up with him in the present? crying. When he proposes with a lump of coal that he turns into a diamond? crying. When Maria breaks up with MICHAEL, world's most useless but trying puppy??? CRYING.
Parks and Rec/The Office. I'm putting these two together because they are very similar, in vibe, in purpose, in genre etc. I kind of don't even feel like I need to explain because everyone knows, y'know? We all watch and love these shows (generally speaking; you don't need to tell me if you are the exception!). They are fun and comfort.
The Class. Did it run for one series and then disppear completely? Yep. Do I still think about it? Yep. It would probably have ended being lumped in with the two above, as it was a comedy about a guy who proposes to his girlfriend (whom he met in second grade) by organising a second grade reunion, and then she says no lol. But it brings people back together etc. and things ensue. Would honestly pay my own money to have that show back again.
Scrubs. A lot of the jokes have aged badly, ngl, but I love this show. My sister and I still quote it to each other. And yes, I own the box set.
The Great [Insert Craft Here] Show. That includes Bake Off, Sewing Bee, Pottery Showdown and Blown Away. Bake Off has got less good over the years, but generally like, nice competition shows where people do their craft and make amazing things and it's all pretty feel-good and inspiring.
Supernatural. It would be dishonest of me not to include this. I am, as with Grey's, not caught up (I'm somewhere around series 10 or 11? I don't remember because I very much lost interest but I would like to finish it one day). This is probably the first thing my little sister and I truly bonded over? We both went mad insane in 2010-11 when we first discovered this show and the earlier series are still good. Shout out to my friend who made me watch the first episode at her house and got me into it!! Or I'd have still insisted it looked too scary (LMAO). Oh also, What Is and What Shall Never Be is also one of my favourite episodes of TV.
I feel like this list gives you a very clear insight into the shit I like to watch on TV and no, none of it is hard-hitting documentaries or complicated dramas. TV time is brainless time, thank you very much.
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spije · 2 years
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scp omega-k but significantly stupider part 5: crime
“They should have read more yaoi” you say. you then throw your wheelchair out the window and then jump out the window. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING” says june as you wheelchair away at extremely high speeds. “oh my god our platonic daughter casey is going somewhere without supervision when we are supposed to be monitoring her health this is not good nevermind this is fine this is normal I’m proud of her I’m going to go buy an nft” says dave. he then spends 50 hundred thousand million hundred twenty dollars on a monkey nft. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” says june.
you are on your way to the scp headquearters. on your way there you see a bunch of your neighbors who also died and survived from it. it’s pretty epic that this can happen now.
but there’s a problem... you forgot to
you are now dave from homestuck. you just bought an nft. people dont die anymore. this is pretty sick and rad in your opinion considering you’re a god and dont have to worry about your friends dying anymore. yeehaw. (you are also texan.) your friend rose is pestering you.
pesterlog:
rose: dude i just saw your name appear on the blockchain stop buying stupid nfts
dave: i can do what i want with my money. climate change isnt going to kill anyone anymore
rose: ur an idiot *slams face on desk*
dave: omg did it hurt
dave: did your cells die when you did that. did they signal to your nervous system that you died
rose: dave this is serious business calliope is messaging me that the world is in danger
rose: because of the nfts
dave: because of the nfts
rose: buy me a coffee haha we . did the thing where you have the. to buy me a coffee where did that originate from again
dave: rose are you drunk
rose: no
(rose is definitely drunk... on coffee...)
dave: you know you should feel ashamed of yourself. the stupid ape yacht club died for your sins they died for you to have that coffee and what did you do? you desecrated their name. they are out there terraforming thousands of acres of land to farm coffee beans and you denounce them like this
rose: you realize that’s the problem right? that they are terraforming thousands of acres of precious land that fostered life after life after life, thousands of years of wonderful existence, evolution, and people,being bought up and flattened like rice in the name of selling to freaking starbucks. whose side are you on? this joy and wonder existed before the planet even had a name and it is bit by bit being destroyed. before the earth turned 13. are you willing to sacrifice that? will you only care when the life they destroy in the name of coffee next is yours?
dave: why does it matter if the earth turned 13
rose: you are missing my point. the ape yacht club “died for your sins” sure but you know who else did?
dave: nobody because nobody dies anymore
rose: but
dave: no nfts are literally so cool biological sister you have no idea it’s a non fingible token you can store it on the blockchain. what were you doing looking at the blockchain anyway? if you hate nfts?
dave: i am going to bed
[TG stopped pestering TT
it is 3 pm. you’re going to bed because you are so sick and rad and have so much bitcoin. you cry yourself to sleep knowing everyone you care about hates you. it’s their fault they dont see that you only support this stuff ironically. etherium has been crashing lately but hey buy low sell high amirite???? you bought so many stocks in etherium... you’re going to get such a good grade...
you are chloe. you just watched morbius. it’s morbin time. you morb into the scp foundation, and you are going to break the company but first you want to check out the creatures.
you go over to the enclosures and realize how horrible it is that they are trapped in the enclosures with nothing but a laptop with netnanny on it that blocks them from looking at youtube. you free all of the scps. so fricking epic. you and the scps listen to emo together and then you destroy the scp base. that’s one base down. your plan, the total destruction of the scp foundation, is far from over.
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impostoradult · 3 years
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I finally figured out why it feels like Supernatural murdered a unicorn (AKA why you need to STOP telling me to watch Black Sails)
I’ll start by saying, everything everyone else has been saying CERTAINLY bothers me: 
- the queer-baiting - the bury your queers - the undermining of Dean’s character arc  - the wasted opportunity for a certain kind of overall narrative closure - the flat out disrespect to Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles
 All of that bothers me tremendously. 
But there has been something else rather ineffable about this that has left a horrible taste in my mouth that I couldn’t quite pin down until last night. Bear with me, if you will, because this will require some set-up. 
*** This is not the first show to ever disappoint me in a spectacular fashion, nor will it be the last, I suspect. And one of the ways I’ve always coped with that disappointment was to remind myself that there will be other stories, other characters, other chances to get it right. (”It” being any number of things from just pure narrative emotional coherence to not burying your queers to not stringing along your queer audience and then yelling fuck you to them on the way out) 
But somehow that assurance -- that there will be other stories, other characters, other chances to get it right -- has rung particularly hollow in this instance, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why until yesterday. 
I kept asking myself, why do I still have this feeling, deep in the pit of my stomach, like something was lost here that can never be recovered? 
Because something was lost here that I am doubtful can ever be recovered, and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else talking about this aspect of it at all. 
***
A few months ago, TV critic Maureen Ryan did a great interview piece with Mike Schur (of Parks & Rec/The Good Place) discussing the death of long-form TV in the streaming era. They explore how the longer seasons and longer runs of traditional broadcast/cable TV provided an opportunity to tell particular kinds of stories that you simply can’t when seasons are 8-10 episodes and series typically run 2-4 seasons (thanks Netflix).
One key thing we’ve all lost in this new era of highly condensed TV storytelling (and of prestige TV narrative styles)? The traditional (several season’s long) slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance. Not only is there simply no longer the time or space to write such romances, it has also come to be seen as hacky, manipulative, cheap, artistically impoverished, low-brow, a embarrassing vestige of the era before TV became art™. 
Everybody is trying to be Fleabag now. No one wants to be Frasier. (”It’s really more like a 10 hour movie” they all like to brag)
Obviously TV still has romances, even ‘drawn out’ romances. But ‘drawn out’ in 2020 is like 2-3 seasons, maybe. More commonly it’s like half a season. Take Schitt’s Creek. The number of episodes between when David and Patrick first meet and when they first kiss? Seven. Seven episodes. Half a season. If you watched it live, it took less than 2 months for them to move from introducing that dynamic to consummating it. And I’m not bagging on Schitt’s Creek; I think the David/Patrick’s story is very lovely and well-written. 
But Niles & Daphne (Fraiser) had to wait 7 years and over 150 episodes before they finally got there. Josh & Donna (The West Wing) had to wait 6+ years, and 145 episodes. Mulder & Scully (The X-Files) had to wait 7 seasons and 143 episodes. Booth & Bones had to wait...you see where I am going with this. 
And my point is (and I can’t believe I never realized this explicitly until now): there has NEVER been a queer slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance of that type on TV ever. EVER. 
I’m going to say that again, because I think it bares repeating:
There has never been a queer, slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance that fits the 100-150 episode paradigm of delayed gratification on TV. 
Not ever.  
I can’t think of ONE example  Not a single, solitary one. And I know queer TV pretty well. Arguably the closest we’ve ever come is Legend of Korra, and that ran 50 episodes, a THIRD of the length of old school will-they-won’t-theys like Booth & Bones or Josh & Donna. 
Queer people have had a fair number of canonical romances on TV by now, even fairly long running ones. But we never got a primary/front-and-center romance that you had to root for for 100+ episodes before you got any kind of canonical consummation.
That is a particular kind of TV experience that queer people and queer characters were just 100% shut out of until it was too late. And because of how the TV landscape has changed in the last 10 years, I don’t know that that opportunity will ever come back around in our lifetimes. 
***
Dean and Castiel are/were a legacy of an earlier era of TV, an era that still contained the possibility for a will-they-won’t-they of that particular mold. There were other shows that could have also filled this gap at one time - Rizzoli & Isles, OUAT, House MD, etc. But one by one all of them were killed off, their queer romances unrequited, until Supernatural was the only one of its’ generation left standing. 
And they should have acknowledged that they were a species about to become extinct. 
There are plenty of other valid and compelling reasons Supernatural should have gone full Destiel, don’t get me wrong.
A) It would have been the most emotionally satisfying ending to the series and to those characters (and that would have been reason enough). 
B) It would have stopped the manipulative queer-baiting of the (disproportionately queer) fanbase (and that would have been reason enough). 
C) It would have been queer representation of middle-aged men, of bi men, of queers who came to their queerness later in life (and any/all of those would have been reason enough). 
D) It could have been a glorious subversion of the bury your queers trope, considering how often they’ve died and been resurrected (and that would have been reason enough). 
But point E) on this list is the reason this one hurts in a singular way that no one even appears to be acknowledging. 
Almost all of the other wrongs and missed opportunities contained in this Supernatural debacle have the possibility of being rectified (at least to a degree) elsewhere. I can and I likely will get more bi male characters from TV as time goes on. I can and likely will get more middle-aged queer characters. I can and likely will get more queer characters coming to their queerness later in life, and starting queer romances later in life. I can and likely will get more queer characters who aren’t killed cheaply and prematurely. I can and likely will get more genre TV shows with sprawling myth arc plots that are resolved in a coherent, satisfying way. I can and likely will get Misha Collins and Jensen Ackles involved in other projects that value their work and their talents. 
All of those other things are at the very least POSSIBLE, and many are even likely. 
But a queer 100-150 episode slow-burn romance a la Mulder & Scully or Niles & Daphne or Booth & Bones? That is the one baton Supernatural dropped spectacularly that no one else even has the possibility of picking up again for the foreseeable future. (They don’t even write those types of romances for heterosexuals anymore!) 
Seriously. It was a TV unicorn. And rather than letting it run wild and free, they stabbed it with a rusty nail. 
***
Given the monumental shifts in the TV landscape that have occurred in the last decade, I don’t know that TV will ever go back to the slow-burn/will-they-won’t-they romance spanning 100-150 episodes. Today it is a miracle if you can get ANY show to last longer than 50 episodes in the first place. 
And that is the piece of this that makes it feel (to me) like they murdered a unicorn.  
Because queer people have gotten a lot of things from TV, and they will get a lot more as time goes on. But that one? That one could very well be a totally extinct species.
That is the larger missed opportunity here that has left this feeling especially hollow and destructive. That is the thing that makes me balk when people tell me to go watch Black Sails or Pose or whatever other prestige TV show is doing this representation ‘better.’ Because that’s not really the loss I am mourning here. I KNOW there is ‘better’ representation elsewhere.  
But the will-they-won’t-they/slow-burn romance is a qualitatively unique thing that queer people literally just never got. Ever. There is no substitute, no alternate, no other show I can turn to with that kind of build-up and pay-off for a queer couple, and there probably won’t be in my lifetime. Not unless the TV industry undergoes another monumental evolution similar to the streaming revolution that shifts the incentives back to telling those types of stories again. 
All those shows you want me to displace Supernatural with? None of them can give me the one thing I uniquely wanted (and could have gotten) from Supernatural. THAT ALTERNATE SHOW DOESN’T EXIST. It doesn’t exist. And I have no reason to hope it will ever exist in my lifetime. 
So stop telling me to look somewhere else; you don’t understand what made this one a unicorn. 
***
Addendum: The only other possible show that could perhaps fill this gap is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (re: Mac/Dennis). But I’m hesitant to say it exactly meets that criteria, for a number of reasons:
1 - It’s far less serialized relative to Supernatural and (except for a handful of stand-alone episodes) very little of the story is grounded specifically in Dennis/Mac’s romantic dynamic (unlike SPN, where it is absolutely central to much of the narrative)
2 - IASIP is fundamentally satirically in nature/tone which makes it much harder to have genuine romantic pathos (not impossible, but harder) 
3 - All the characters on IASIP are fundamentally crummy people who you aren’t exactly supposed to root for. Which doesn’t mean a romance between two of them can’t have its value/charm/worth but it’s not the same as when it is between characters who unequivocally deserve nice things/happy endings
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artsy-hobbitses · 2 years
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How is it that you create all your characters? I know that they're from transformers but how do you chose ethnicities, backstory, design even down to what cloths they wear? I want to write a book and I'm clueless about how to create a character.
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(Pictured: me brainstorming, my husband both impressed and vaguely horrified)
First and foremost tbh you need a large 'library' to access. I'm talking every narrative you've ever seen or read of, every theme you've come across, every bit of information you think is trivial even! 90s cartoons, music, comics, movies, literature, documentaries all of it. You can't start crafting if you don't have the materials! What's my thought process for say, Megatron? We know he's a miner. In human terms, a miner from where? A place where it was economically relevant, potentially a place where they openly unionized to give him the fire of rebellion early. UK? OK which part of UK? (We interrupt this broadcasted programming to watch 2562344 videos of UK dialects) Yorkshire is a great accent and is one of the major UK coal fields, so Yorkshire it is. Who is he voiced by? (Throws darts at Sean Bean's face) Got him, but what if I also like Charles Dance? That's simple. He starts out as this Yorkshire lad and slowly loses his original warm and lively accent to gain a more icy BBC-style accent the more influential and detached he becomes, because he believes it's necessary to help him orate successfully (accent bias is a thing) to the masses and stop people from looking at him like he's a street ruffian. Character evolution necessitated by surrounding culture! He's working in mines, is very working class in general, so he keeps mainly browns, blacks and greys in his daily proletariat fashion wear (his black and yellow 'hazard' stripes mark him as part of the manual labour community). His looks? MacBeth from Gargoyles---the mullet fits the design for his helm, the beard gives a weight and gravitas missing from his youth. What are his hobbies? Miners don't have a lot to do when it comes to entertainment but music is a big thing! What's a common instrument to play in that situation? The fiddle? Perfect. What else? Reading obviously given that his prose for Towards Peace has to come from somewhere and giving him reading material he has to smuggle because it's illegal for his class gives him great narrative. Also living on the poverty line means he's usually fixing things himself and clothes get damaged often in his line of work, so sewing is also a great hobby to offset his Murderous Warlord air.
What did he want to be if he wasn't a miner? A Medic. Why? Because miners often suffered injuries and died from black lung, and they did not have a dedicated doctor in their community as no doctor wanted to work anywhere near the mines. He wanted to help his community.
What's the most important object to him? A book. Why? It was the first book not tied to his class which he was given freely (unheard of) by Optimus Prime some kid across the fence that both of them hoped to break down one day.
Where does he go to think? A public library. Which library? One Optimus made in the Dead End, the first library he's ever been in and possibly the happiest he'd ever been in the company of a once-brother, who kept a promise to him to break down the barriers between their classes utilizing what was denied to him in his youth---education---to whom this library was also partly a gift.
Get all your ducks in a row and ask the important questions based off the broad strokes you've made for your characters. What's their emotional cornerstone? Why does this cause/thing matter to them? Don't make sweeping generalizations, make it personal to them. Something has happened in your character's past to have them like this thing, hate this thing, do this under stress, go to this place for comfort, etc. Find out why that is. How can you make their lives harder/more interesting based on the world you've created for them (this is important for worldbuilding cause-and-effect as well! If it directly affects a character, the stakes become all the more real for the reader as well)?
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spacedikut · 4 years
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starstruck ; spencer reid
pairing: spencer reid (criminal minds) x f!reader
summary:  “Can I request some age gap Spencer x reader. Maybe he’s nervous about approaching her for a relationship bc she’s younger, but he’s so goofy for her it’s he’s in love obvious. Pretty pls 🥺💕” 5222 words
a/n: i didn’t specify ages cause i wasn’t sure what people would be comfortable with so i just mentioned an age gap and leave the rest up to you!! i would happily date someone twice my age but i also have daddy issues so :)
masterlist
The day has finally arrived.
Mollie can call you a nerd all she wants, but you know the second she lays eyes on Derek Morgan or Emily Prentiss she’ll change her tune.
This event has been in the university’s calendar since the beginning of the semester. At least two members of the FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit were promised to give a talk about their department, even taking you through a solved case like an interactive documentary, to encourage students to consider joining the academy post-graduation. There was whispers they’d even stick around after to answer some questions.
Your other friend, Jen, the one that understands your excitement, wrote your names down for tickets immediately. You’ve had a countdown on your phone ever since.
“They’ve announced a last-minute guest,” She beams, just as giddy as you. You’re wasting time at the coffee house near the auditorium, waiting for Mollie to arrive.
“Oh, really? Who?”
“Doctor Spencer Reid.”
You almost drop your cookie in shock and stare at her, pupils blown.
“You’re a big fan?” She smirks.
As nonchalantly as you can, you lean back in your chair, “I’m a fan of his work, yes.”
“Oh, his work?”
“Don’t start.”
“I bet you love his work.”
“He’s well-versed and his papers are super interesting-“
“His papers are super interesting-“
“You are a child.”
Just then, Mollie appears, checking her watch. You wish you could kiss her in thanks for saving you from the teasing that would likely never end. “We’re gonna be late for your morbid seminar if you two don’t stop bickering.”
Jen downs the rest of her drink, you shove the last of the cookie in your mouth. Mollie watches your excitement in amusement – your heart starts pumping, whole body buzzing, the same nervousness you felt when you were a preteen right before your first ever One Direction concert. It’s the kind of nervousness that makes your palms sweaty.
Is it evolution or devolution to go from sweating over One Direction to sweating over FBI profilers?
+++
The seminar goes on for an hour, including the questions people ask throughout. It’s everything you could’ve asked for, entertaining and so, so informative and although you weren’t considering joining the FBI before, suddenly it’s all you can think about. Guest speakers have that affect, don’t they? They make you wonder if you should drastically change everything you’ve been planning.
Even Mollie, who you had to threaten to tag along, ended up enjoying herself. “Maybe I learnt a thing or two,” She’d said, rolling her eyes playfully.
You and your friends are some of the last to leave. There’s quite the bustling outside, which you assume is just post-seminar chatter, but you and Jen falter in your steps when you see the exact profilers that had been onstage several minutes ago in front of you, happily interacting and talking to fellow students.
“Oh, man,” Jen whispers, her and Mollie making eye contact across you. “I have to see if I can talk to Emily.”
Mollie encourages her with a frantic, “Go! Go!” while you’re rooted in place. Mollie jabs you with a pointed nail, “You in there, Y/N? I’m sure you have loads of questions for them-“
You stutter and shake your head, “N-no. I’m good. You can try and hit on Derek, if you want.”
You give a half-attempt at a smile, barely lifting the corners of your lips. Mollie recognises that look. She wants to stay with you, check you’re not too overwhelmed, but you shoo her away and send her towards Derek. You breathe a sigh of relief – you’ve been friends with her long enough that she knows when you need space.
There’s something about seeing people you admire so abruptly that totally throws you for a loop. All you had prepared for was seeing them from afar and subsequently talking about it forever, but nothing beyond that. In some circumstances, it’d be a pleasant surprise, but for someone that struggles around strangers and especially around people as admirable as profilers, you are not mentally prepared for this and have therefore shut down.
But then you see him.
He’s shuffling in place in the corner of the room, close to a large potted plant like it’s his only friend. He’s nibbling his lip as his eyes flutter around, never staying somewhere for longer than a second, looking increasingly uncomfortable.
Why is no one talking to him? He’s Spencer Reid.
There’s a couple of people surrounding Emily, fully entranced by whatever story she’s relaying, another few people around Derek, chortling at a joke he just made. Spencer glances between them and their audiences, and you can’t help but wonder why he isn’t right next to them, chatting away, too.
Does he not want to talk to anyone?
You should talk to him.
No. He probably wants to be alone.
Or what if he doesn’t and no one else is talking to him which means you can have a one-on-one conversation? What about that?
Are you insane?
You have to talk to him.
Before you can change your mind, you’re approaching him with a tight grip on the handle of your bag, pushing it higher up your shoulder. He spots you and makes eye contact just as you stop in front of him, and you notice he momentarily tightens his grip on his satchel.
Was this a bad idea?
“Hi,” You breathe, “I’m Y/N. A big fan.”
His eyes widen a fraction, which you don’t understand because why else would you be here, but he smiles nonetheless, “Hi, I’m, uh, Spencer Reid.”
“I know.”
“Yes, you know. That makes sense, because you were in the seminar. I saw you.”
Now you’re shocked. For as long as you can remember you never sit in the centre of a room, where most attention seems to go, so how did he-
“I-I always scan the room I’m in its.. it’s not a creepy thing, I swear. I’m not creepy.”
A laugh escapes you at that, making him visibly relax. “I don’t think you’re creepy. There was just.. a lot of people in there, so I’m surprised you remember my face.” You shrug.
I couldn’t forget such a beautiful face.
You don’t know what happens, but Spencer suddenly tenses up. His back straightens and he looks alarm, stiff.
Did he just think that? What.. why did he think that?
You wonder if you’ve said something wrong, so you try to change the topic.
“I-I have a question, if you don’t mind answering.”
Spencer nods with an of course, and when the question rolls off your tongue, his mind is still reeling from subconsciously calling you beautiful in his head. It’s not untrue, but it feels.. inappropriate. He doesn’t know why. But you are beautiful.
As he scans your face, now much closer than in the auditorium, he realises yeah, you are incredibly beautiful.
You wave a hand in front of his face, “Doctor Reid?”
“Sorry, yes, sorry. What are you studying?”
There’s a light in your eyes that Spencer recognises when you say, “Psychology.”
“Thought so.”
“You probably talk to a lot of psychology students. I-um. I almost went to Caltech,” Spencer raises an eyebrow, "After I read your dissertation, it really inspired me to look into it – your dissertation is incredible, by the way.”
Spencer smiles bashfully, a futile attempt to not allow the grin to overtake his face, and thanks you, “I appreciate it. Actually, I was sixteen when I wrote it.”
“Are you kidding me?!” Your eyes widen, “You’re insane! You’re amazing!”
The praise bursts from you, and his blushing face makes you oddly proud. On the other hand, Spencer feels like you’ve set him alight, his blood pumping loudly in his ears, as he’s unable to tear his eyes away from your smile.
He desperately needs to change the topic.
“To answer your question…”
Derek notices you two interacting across the room. Mollie sees him looking and hums, “Oh, that’s Y/N, my best friend. She really likes Spencer.”
Derek raises an eyebrow, “Looks like he really likes her.”
“Don’t tell her that. She’ll collapse.”
They both watch you for a second, Spencer flailing his arms as he explains, you eagerly adding to his rambling, asking a question here and exclaiming some kind of encouragement there. It’s sweet, Derek thinks.
“Hey..” Mollie begins, a scheming look in her eye, “We’re planning to hang out in the campus bar later. It’s open to all and the drinks are cheap. If you and Emily happen to find yourselves looking for something to do and you drag Spencer along.. I’m sure Y/N would like it.”
“I like the way you think,” Derek says, “I’ll see what I can do.���
+++
“She’s getting hit on. Again.” You giggle, gesturing for Jen to turn around and witness Mollie get your drinks paid for by a random guy.
She’s always been a people person – it’s saved you hundreds on nights out.
All Jen does is glance over her shoulder, scoff, then turn her sceptical eyes to you.
“I saw you and Spencer Reid.” She says, twinkling eyes. She’s trying not to look smug.
“I almost proposed to him.” You joke, taking your drink from Mollie with a mumbled thanks.
“Oh, I bet you did,” She laughs, “You two looked sooo good together.”
“Alright,” You slide a shot to each girl, “I know you’re making fun of me, but I’m taking that compliment and cherishing it. Spencer Reid is cute, what of it?!”
You clink the shot glasses with your friends and down them, all wincing at the taste and giggling at Jen when she takes a gulp of her cocktail to wash away the taste of straight vodka.
“How did talking to Derek and Emily go?”
And then Jen starts chattering away.
You miss the bar door opening behind you, But Mollie notices. She’s been watching the door since they got here, conveniently choosing the table with the best view, just in case some profilers decided to stop by.
Derek catches Mollie’s eye and winks.
“Well I never,” Mollie fakes shock, “Look who just walked through the doors.”
You turn and choke on your drink. Emily and Derek look relax, like they’re home, but Spencer?
He looks just like he did earlier: like there’s a million places he’d rather be.
He’s lost the blazer he was wearing earlier, leaving him in a fitted purple shirt with a matching tie. With the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, you can see his firm hands and the silver watch that rests on his wrist – is it possible for a watch to be sexy? Or maybe it’s just cause he’s sexy?
That shot must be getting to you.
“What the hell are they doing here?” You hiss, a sharp whisper piercing the air as you turn and (terribly) try to hide your face.
But Spencer’s seen you. He spotted you the moment they came in – he recognised your clothes and your hair – and the second he did he turned right back around to exit the bar. Derek’s arm stopped him at his chest, like he does to unsubs, forcefully turning him around and laughing when Spencer tensed up.
“What, Reid? Scared of a pretty girl?” Derek teases, much like he’d been doing since he spoke to you earlier.
“I am scared of college girls, yes. Last time I was in a college bar I was twelve and downed shots of apple juice.”
“What?!” Both Emily and Derek stop short, looks of disbelief at the revelation. “You’ve never mentioned that.”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“We,” Derek places his hands on Spencer’s shoulders, directing him to your table, “Are just gonna have a few drinks and talk to a few people, and then you’re gonna explain that apple juice story in explicit detail- hey ladies!”
Jen and Mollie look overjoyed at the new company, while you stare rigidly with distinctive what the fuck eyes.
“Would you mind if we joined you?” Emily asks, with a sparkling grin that no one could say no to.
“Of course not,” Jen grins, like it’s the most obvious answer.
The empty seat next to you is taken by Spencer (Derek discreetly shoves him) but right before he’s firmly placed on the stool, Emily calls out, “Spence, why don’t you get us some drinks? You still owe us after you lost that game of gin..”
“I didn’t lose.” Spencer huffs indignantly, “You cheated.”
Despite his grunts, he stands to make his way to the bar, but not before-
“Y/N!” Mollie beams, “It’s your turn to get the round, if you’d be so kind.”
You know that look on her face. You hate her, you realise, but you also love her because being alone with Spencer sends a thrill through you.
Alone with Spencer. What the hell are you supposed to say to him?
You follow him to the bar. He leans against it with an awkward smile.
“Hey, Y/N.”
“Hey.”
“It’s uh.. it’s been a long time since we’ve seen eachother.” It’s a half attempt at a joke, followed by instant regret. But then you giggle and everything feels right in the world, even Spencer’s sucky joke.
“It has been a while, Doctor Reid.” You say. The bartender approaches, takes your orders, then you turn to Spencer, “What brings you to a college bar, of all places?”
“Well,” Spencer glances over your shoulder to your table. He makes eye contact with every single person there, all watching you two interact, and they all sharply turn and try to play it off like they’ve been talking casually. Spencer’s brows furrow a little. “Derek said the drinks are cheap and our hotel is only a couple blocks away. I don’t know, maybe Derek likes college girls.”
You laugh again, and Spencer has to take a second to realise you’re not laughing at him but at what he said about Derek. “Yeah, Derek seems like a real ladies man.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.” Spencer grins, “We once timed him to see how long it would take to get a girls number and he did it in five minutes. And he said he was having a bad day.”
The drinks are placed in front of you. Neither of you notice.
You unconsciously lean closer, saying, “Have you timed it to see how long it takes for a girl to approach him? That’s gotta be, like, maybe ten minutes?”
“Eight minutes and twenty-three seconds.”
“Well damn. Has he always been so…” A hand gestures in the air, looking for the word.
“Promiscuous?”
“I was gonna say free.”
“Free?” Spencer giggles, “That’s very nice of you.”
You shrug, “I don’t judge.” Spencer agrees, and it slips out, “What about you?”
You wish you could shove the words back in your mouth. Even more so when his expression changes. You can’t entirely make out what it is, but even in the dimly lit bar you can see the flush of heat that spreads through his cheeks to his ears.
“Are you asking me if I’m free with the ladies?” He murmurs, suppressing a grin.
You give an awkward laugh, wondering if you’ve overstepped a boundary, “Yeah. But that’s kinda weird to ask, so-“
“I’m so popular with the ladies it puts Derek to shame.”
You can’t hide your surprise. “What? Really?”
Spencer caves. “No. Is it that hard to believe I’m a ladies man?”
“Compared to Derek? Yes.”
Spencer scoffs.
+++
“As adorable as they are, it’s been thirty minutes.” Emily sighs. “I want my drink.”
“They’re bonding,” Jen sends a wistful look, “I’m so proud.”
“I’m guessing Y/N isn’t the most social either?” Derek asks, proudly watching you interact.
“She’s the best, just a little shy sometimes.” She smiles at you, even though you can’t see, “She’s an idiot, but our idiot, you know?”
Both Emily and Derek laugh airily, nodding with a, “Yeah, we know.”
At once, three phones vibrate throughout the bar – Emily, Derek and Spencer. They’re instantly filled with disappointment; Derek can’t watch Spencer attempt to flirt with a girl he’s obviously interested in, Emily still hasn’t got a drink, and Spencer has to leave you and he can’t think of anything worse.
He’s clearly hesitant when he looks at his phone. How does he say goodbye? Does he ask for your number? Would that be weird? That would be weird.
“Uhh…”
You channel every ounce of liquid courage you have in your body and offer, “Would it be weird if I gave you my number? Just.. for anything. Anything at all.”
Spencer nods, a gentle look in his eyes and a smile on his face, “Yeah, I’d like that.”
You mumble an alright, accepting Spencer’s phone and creating a new contact for yourself.
Please text me. You think. Please text me.
+++
He doesn’t text.
It’s been a week. A week. You know how cases are, some take longer than others and some are solved in literal hours, but it’s been a week, Spencer goddamn Reid, so why haven’t you texted me.
That’s when the doubt creeps in. Your friends keep telling you he’ll text, that he’s just busy (“He’s an FBI agent, Y/N. If you start dating you’re gonna have to get used to lapses in contact.” To which you’re too distracted choking at the mention of you two dating), but you can’t help but wonder if he took your number simply so he could leave quicker. He had a case to get to, after all. He had people to save.
Now you feel guilty. You forced your number on him, didn’t you? Oh God, he hates you. He hates you and you forced your number on him and he hasn’t texted you because he’s filing a restraining order against you because he hates you.
Mollie tells you you need a nap.
+++
Spencer spends the time on the jet back from the case staring at your number. He has it memorised, of course, and has had it memorised from the first time he read it, of course, but he can’t bring himself to do anything with it.
All he’s done is change your contact picture from the standard first letter of your name to a cute picture of a frog Garcia sent him. It reminds him of you.
Derek lowers his headphones, “You texted her yet, Pretty Boy?”
“Huh? Uh, no. I don’t think I will.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know,” Spencer shrugs, locking his phone and placing it face down. “I don’t think anything would come from it.”
“Kid,” Derek leans forward, eyebrows furrowed, “You two talked for well over thirty minutes in the middle of a college bar about God knows what. Maybe I’m easy to impress, but that seemed pretty special to me.”
“How is talking in a college bar worth anything?”
“Because you’re Reid, who, most of the time, has to be physically dragged into a bar. You hate talking to strangers about anything other than work. Y/N? A stranger. What did you two talk about?”
“We talked about you a little.”
“Uhuh. About how good I am at my job?”
“God, no,” Spencer scrunches his nose, “We talked about your charm with the ladies.”
Derek falls back in his chair and scoffs, “I’m flattered, but that doesn’t sound like work-talk to me. So you’re comfortable with her. I saw you laughing, so she makes you laugh, too. Sounds pretty great to me.”
Spencer stares. Derek’s right, but..
“So what is it, Reid?”
Spencer licks his lips. “Do you think she’s too young for me?”
Derek rarely looks taken aback, but he does now, “Too young?”
“She’s in college. I’m-I’m-“
“A legal adult. As is she.”
Spencer slumps. “A 2014 Current Population Survey found the average difference for a heterosexual couple is two-point-three years, with the man older than the woman. Even if you double that, that’s still less than me and Y/N-“
“Four years isn’t a lot, Spence,”
“You just.. you don’t think it’s weird?”
“No. Do you?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know.”
Derek’s conviction gives Spencer some reassurance, but he can’t help himself when he thinks that.. maybe.. you’ll find him boring. Most people seem to, with all his statistics and figures and facts, but with the added element of you living it up at college.. how could he compete?
“I think you’re worrying over nothing, Reid. You haven’t even texted her, and you’re already worrying about stuff like age gaps?” Derek crosses his hands and looks at Spencer with determination, “She gave you her number. She initiated it. She knows who you are, so she knows how old you are and it doesn’t seem to make her uncomfortable. So, why should it make you?”
Spencer just grunts.
“Are you worried people will say things?”
“I guess.”
“People always say things. You know that better than anyone. So screw ‘em.”
Spencer feels a smile creep onto his face.
And Derek relaxes. He’s planted the seeds, that Spencer is fretting over nothing, now all he’s got to do is wait for Spencer to let it sink in and allow the flowers to bloom and, next thing you know, Spencer’s gonna have himself the perfect girlfriend.
And Derek will take too much credit for it.
+++
“Heeeeeeeeey my precious Doctor…”
Garcia looks like her hand was caught in the cookie jar.
Spencer’s back straightens. “What did you do?”
She looks embarrassed, fiddling with the fluffy pen in her hand. She smiles awkwardly. “Derek may have told me about a pretty little college student that captured your heart, and then he told me you also haven’t texted her yet, so I did a little digging and…”
“You cyber-stalked Y/N?” Emily asks, casually. JJ seems unphased at the discussion. Does everyone in the office know about you?
“I did. I’m guilty. I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.” She’s speaking a mile a minute.
Emily spares Spencer a glance, “Did you find anything?”
“Well…”
Concern fills Spencer. “Did something happen?”
“I just found some stuff she’d probably only tell a close friend and I feel really bad about it.” Her shoulders are by her ears as she tries to fold in on herself out of guilt, “But other than that she’s a genuinely sweet girl who volunteers at pet shelters and the college library in her free time and we have really similar music tastes so I think we’d make great friends.”
They all look to Spencer, waiting for his reaction. What? Is he supposed to be surprised that you’re the epitome of perfect? He’s not. He studied you the entire time you spoke.
“She’s also written several incredible papers on child development that I think are revolutionary and I totally emailed them to you because I think you should read them. She’s also a genius.”
Spencer’s hand twitches. He ignores the sudden need to check his email.
It’s silent as they just stare at him. He doesn’t say anything and tries not to react, but he does. They notice how his eyes flicker to his phone, how his leg fidgets, the longing in his eyes.
Emily brushes her hair back calmly and asks, “Hey, Pen, when does Y/N work at the college library?”
Penelope doesn’t catch on at first, casually replying, “Oh, basically every day from five pm onwards. They’re a twenty-four hour library and she combines working and studying.” When she sees Emily pointedly look at Spencer, she goes ohhh.
“Good to know,” Emily nods, “Good to know.”
+++
Spencer finds himself at the college library that night.
He wants to say it was an accident, or that he just happens to know there’s a special edition of a specific book here, but he’d be lying. He read your papers between reports, and found himself having a deep appreciation for the way you write – he wants to ready everything you’ve ever written. Every essay, every note, every formal and informal piece of work you’ve ever done.
He’s already fallen in love with the way you write. He doesn’t think he’s far from falling in love with you.
He wanders around the lower floor of the library. It’s impressive, he must admit, and he’s disappointed in himself for not visiting earlier. There’s students everywhere, but he notices some other people mixed in too – professors, businesspeople, as well as parents with their children.
He feels a little less weird for creeping around now.
Not that’s he’s creeping. He’s just.. there. To see a certain someone under the guise of looking for a book.
He moseys for a while, from the fiction section to the non-fiction to comics to autobiographies. You’re nowhere to be found – not between the rows of books, not working on any of the desks, not at the centre reception desk.
Until you’re suddenly behind him.
“Spencer?”
He jumps, looking up from the book he’s reading. Your voice is as calming and smooth as always.
“Y/N. Hi.”
“Hi,” Your brows are furrowed, but you’re not disappointed by the unexpected visitor. “What are you doing here?”
He lifts the book he’s holding, an Arthur Conan Doyle, giving a light lipped smile. “I’m just looking. I didn’t realise the college library was so plentiful – did you know the oldest library in the world dates from the seventh century BC?”
“I do, actually.” You point to a poster behind him, which displays that exact fact, “I thought dotting facts around the library would be interesting for the kids. They seem to like them.”
“Learning in young children is socially mediated, so good quality learning environments outside of their schools is crucial for children’s development. So, in a way, you’re enriching their lives beyond understanding.”
You’re flattered at his somewhat far-fetched attempt at complimenting you. It makes your heart flutter.
Why didn’t you contact me, you dimwit?
You open your mouth to ask another question, ask if there’s something he needs help finding, when he beats you to it.
With a firm grip, he slams the book he’s reading shut and says, “I’m lying.”
“Oh?”
“I didn’t come here to.. look around. I came here to see you.”
“Oh.”
Spencer doesn’t know what to make of that. You haven’t awkwardly looked away, or stepped back to increase the distance between you. That means something good, right?
“You didn’t text me, so I assumed you weren’t interested.” Your brows twitch, and you back-pedal, “Unless you purposely didn’t text me because you actually weren’t interested and you might be here to see me but for something book-related rather than me-related and I’ve totally humiliated myself.”
“No, no. You’re right. You’re right.” He fiddles with the book in shame, “I should’ve texted you. I just didn’t know what to say and.. Well, it’s stupid.”
Your head jerks a little to the side, something he’s noticed you do a lot, looking patient and too pretty for him to handle. “I’m sure it’s not stupid.”
Spencer thinks back to his conversation with Derek, specifically the reminder that you gave him your number which means you initiated this so yes, you are interested in him.
It’s just.. when he looks at you, he struggles to believe it a little. You’re breath-taking.  
“I’m worried I’ll bore you.” He starts light, easing you into what’s been troubling him. He’s emboldened by the fact you’re clearly frustrated he didn’t text you.
You give him a look of horror, “The first time we met I told you I loved your dissertation on geographic regression. I definitely do not think you’re anything anywhere near boring.”
“Okay,” He nods, “What about our ages?”
You’re confused. “What about it?”
Spencer mirrors your expression. “It doesn’t.. bother you?”
“Does it.. bother you?”
Usually, answering a question with a question is a sign of deflection, a sign of hiding something. However he doesn’t know why, but Spencer trusts you with his life. Maybe not his life. Maybe his heart.
“Does that silence mean yes?”
He shakes his head, “No. It doesn’t bother me. I just worry that, you know, college years are the so-called best years of your life and I don’t want you to regret being with me, someone older than you, and resent me for it, or something-“
“I think you’re getting way in your head, Spence.” You laugh a little, “We haven’t gone on a single date and you’ve convinced yourself of so much already. For the record, no, your age doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It never has and I doubt it ever will. I think you’re the most fascinating and interesting person on this planet, and if anyone is getting bored with anyone I’m pretty confident it’ll be you getting sick of me. And,” You take a breath, “I think I’m old enough to know what I want, who I want, and what I want is you. If you want me, too.”
Spencer shoves the book back into the bookshelf with a satisfying sound, then turns and quickly places a kiss onto your cheek. It’s completely unexpected and, quite frankly, not something you’d expect from Doctor Reid, but you blush and there’s a definite red colour to Spencer’s cheeks, too.
“I will never, ever, get sick of you.” He says, voice small but firm. “But I don’t want you to regret being with me. Promise me you won’t.”
You give him a look that tells him you think he’s ridiculous. “I promise that I won’t regret being with you. I’d like us to last as long as possible, if I can be picky.”
“I’d like that, too.” He murmurs. The thought of you wanting him for as long as possible almost sends him into a frenzy. He wants to kiss you all over.
You stand close and talk quietly for a while, a little more discussion on a possible date that weekend and a constant stream of compliments from you to Spencer and vice versa, before you realise the time.
“I should probably go. I have a paper to finish.” You smile sadly, a tiny pout forming.
“I understand. Do you think I could read it? When you’re done?”
Your eyebrows shoot up, “Do you know how terrifying the idea of the Spencer Reid reading my work is? But yes, anything for you.”
Anything for you. Are you trying to kill him?
You turn to leave, refusing to admit how sad leaving Spencer makes you feel, when you stop, “One more thing.”
Spencer hums. He’s not fully paying attention, praying to whatever Gods exist that killers take a break on the weekend so he can take you out on the sweetest date.
“If age is a sore area for you,” There’s mirth in your eyes and Spencer prepares himself, “Does that mean the nickname old man is off the table?”
His lips purse and move towards his nose as he narrows his eyes, giving you a look of faux annoyance, “I am not an old man.”
“Sounds like you’re sensitive, old man.”
As you walk away, you jokingly blow him a kiss to add insult to injury. His pretend glare lasts until your back is turned and he feels his gaze softening to something akin to love.
Spencer thins if the rest of his life is this, you teasing him with that twinkle in your eye and smile on your face, then life is truly the most beautiful thing.
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the-bau-quinjet · 3 years
Text
the evolution of breaking up
Peter x Stark!reader
Summary: Snippets of you moving on from a bad breakup, frequently turning to your best friend, Peter.
Warnings: it's sad Taylor Swift hours, some choice words,
Word Count: 3252
a/n: inspired by a playlist called the evolution of breaking up that only has TS songs on it lol. Bold is direct or paraphrased lyrics
Masterlist
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Peter is 90% sure he fell in love with you the day he met you.
He's 100% sure he fell in love with you within a week of knowing you.
Hell, he's so sure about it, he would tell you if not for one glaringly obvious problem: Jared.
Your boyfriend.
Your started dating Jared a few weeks before you met Peter. That is to say, a few weeks before Tony recruited Peter to join the Avengers.
Peter didn't have any problems with Jared, and he would never wish for you to get your heart broken, but he was definitely jealous.
It wasn't hard for him to love you. The two of you became fast friends. You always worked in the lab together, improving upon tech Tony already had or developing all new creations.
You also patrolled together. Peter had always enjoyed patrolling, but now that you went with him, time seemed to fly.
It was currently about 10:30 on a Friday about two and a half years after you and Peter met. You and Peter were supposed to patrol, but Tony said to take the night off for once.
You took the impromptu free time as the perfect opportunity to surprise Jared.
You left the tower around 5:30 and Peter hasn't heard from you since. Not that he expected to since you were going on a date. He was bored though.
Tony refused to let him tinker around in the lab, saying he needed a better work/life balance. He would've found the statement funny if it didn't feel so true.
He tried calling Ned, but he was out with Betty. MJ was busy with Brad, the two going to some horror movie marathon.
The only other person he really hung out with was you, and you were also on a date.
He wondered the various floors of the tower, looking for anything to do that would take his mind of you.
Eventually, he just set up camp in the shared living area, putting Star Wars on the massive TV and eating more popcorn than should be legal.
He was nearly asleep during Episode V when the ding of the elevator jolted him awake. Someone ran through the halls, quickly opening and closing the door to their room.
He sat up, intrigued by the behavior. As he walked down the hallway, he listened for any indication of someone else being there. Obviously whoever it was didn't want to talk, but that didn't mean he wasn't concerned.
He stopped outside your door, bringing his hand up to knock when he heard music softly playing through the door.
You told me you loved me, so why did you go away?
He froze with his fist raised, uneasy with the why you would put on such a sad song. His hand fell back to his side when he heard you sing along to the chorus.
"Never thought we'd have a last kiss. Never imagined we'd end like this."
The sound of you crying grew louder than the music, urging Peter to knock. He just wanted to make sure you knew he was there for you.
Hyping himself up, he knocked lightly. A few seconds later the music stopped. He listened as you shuffled toward the door, slowly pulling it open.
His heart broke at the sight of your puffy cheeks, red and tear stained.
"Hey Pete." You managed a small smile, happy to see your friend despite the less than stellar evening you had.
"Hey, I... you probably don't want to talk about it right now, but I'm here for when you do." He matched your small smile, trying not to make you feel any worse.
Apparently, he said the right thing because you pulled him into a bone crushing hug, burying your head in his chest as you cried.
He spent the next half hour rubbing your back as you cried, having moved to sit on the bed rather than stand in the doorway.
When your tears ended, he risked talking to you again.
"Did you want to talk about it tonight?" Peter was clearly unsure of himself in this situation.
You shook your head, wiping your face with the sleeves of your sweatshirt.
"No, I... He just..." Tears pooled again, but you blinked them away. "He said forever and always, but I guess he didn't mean it."
Peter held you as you cried again, eventually falling asleep. He tucked you into your bed, placing a water bottle on your nightstand and shutting off the lights as he left.
-
The next few days, you spent mostly holed up in your room. You had a playlist of sad Taylor Swift songs on repeat, letting yourself wallow.
Peter was worried. Tony was worried. Nat, Steve, Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Pepper, and Vision were worried.
"What'd she say when you talked to her?" The group questioned, all wanting nothing more than to cheer you up.
Peter sighed, wishing he had more information. "She just cried for like, 2 hours. Somewhere in the middle I asked if she wanted to talk, she said something about him not really meaning forever, and then she cried again."
They were all contemplating what to do when you walked in the room. Every pair of eyes were on you in an instant.
You sighed heavily, kind of glad you could address everyone at once. They've been like a family to you since you were born, so it only makes sense they would all be worried.
"Jared and I broke up." You felt like it was 2 and a half years wasted. You could feel the tightness in your throat threatening more tears, but you refused to cry over this boy any longer. "I'll be okay, I just... I remember it all too well right now."
You turned to your dad, eyes welling up again. "I'm sorry I ignored when you said to run as fast as I can from all the boys I ever met." You chuckled, trying to relieve the tension.
Tony pulled you into a tight hug. "You'll be okay again, princess." You nodded, leaning into the hug. Everyone ended up piling on, offering you words of comfort through the group hug.
-
A couple weeks later, and you honestly felt better. Not all the way, but enough to want to go out with friends again. You went roller skating with Peter, MJ, and Ned.
It was the next logical step, going out with friends. It made sense. It was working.
Until you saw him. Jared was there with some other girl, skating without a care in the world. Of course, he saw you. He had the audacity to smile and wave, as if he didn't just break your heart.
When he walked up to you, you knew you had enough.
"Don't you smile at me and ask me how I've been. Don't you say you've missed me if you don't want me again." You spit the words at him, trying to hide how much it hurt. You turned away from him, nearly running from the rink before you even put the skates on.
You friends followed you out, profusely denying the need for your abundant apologies.
Ned and MJ hugged you before leaving, figuring less people would be better for you. Peter took you back to the tower, trying to help soothe the lingering ache.
"I just don't understand." You whispered from the passenger side of the car. "Why would he want to break a perfectly good heart?"
Peter struggled to come up with an answer, knowing nothing he said would really fix it.
"You'll find someone else. Someone who won't break your heart." He settled on a vague nod toward the future, knowing anything else could lead to him potentially ruining your friendship.
Unbeknownst to Peter, his words broke your heart just a little more. You always had a soft spot for Peter, and the few weeks you've been broken up from Jared have made you see him in a new light.
Of course, you wouldn't make a move though. Not yet. You didn't want him to think he was just a rebound. He's your best friend. It's too important to mess up with feelings.
-
You woke up the next morning with a slew of messages from Jared.
This is me swallowing my pride... telling you I'm sorry for that night.
I go back to December all the time.
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you.
I'm wishing I realized what I had when you were mine.
You deleted them immediately, not wanting to fall back into his trap. Ultimately though, you decided to respond. You wanted to lay it all out that he missed his chance. You were over him, even if it still hurt.
I've lived, and I've learned. Had you, got burned. I'm over it, Jared. Leave me alone.
Then you deleted his contact and blocked the number. He couldn't just say those hurtful things to you and then pretend like it was a mistake. He meant every word he said that night, even if he doesn't believe it now.
-
Another week went by without incident. You were all smiles all the time, really moving on from him and the pain he put you through.
Then you got a letter. It looked like a card, so you figured it was an early Valentine's card.
Opening it up proved it to be just that.
The inside read:
"I don't wanna miss you like this. I don't wanna need you this way. Come back. Be here."
Signed from Jared with hearts.
Of course you chose to open the card as soon as you got it, with everyone watching.
Your expression fell as the words sank in, knowing he was still trying did weird things to your heart. It made you question everything. Did he really care about you? Was he just bored?
You stared at the card for what felt like an eternity before ripping it up and rolling your eyes.
Of course he doesn't care. Nobody who says to your face that they never loved you cares.
"What was that?" Wanda asked, curious about the mixture of emotions present on your face.
"A load of utter horse shit." You huffed a laugh as you threw away the pieces.
"Language!" Tony called, always taking the opportunity to tease Steve.
"Well it was!" You defended, eager to move on from the conversation. They all stared at you expectantly, clearly waiting for an explanation. "It was from Jared." You were glad Peter was sitting next to you. Just the mention of his name had him rubbing your back, trying to make it easier for you.
"You know, now that I'm sitting here thinking it through. I've never been anywhere cold as him."
You felt another group hug coming on, so you quickly excused yourself to shower, reassuring everyone that you were fine.
-
You were laying on the floor, feet up against the wall, just staring at the ceiling when Bucky and Peter walked into the gym to train with you.
"Hey, Y/N." Bucky called, a questioning look in his eyes.
"What's going on in your head?" Peter added, spelling out the question for you.
"I knew he was trouble when I met him." You answered him honestly. "And yet, I still said yes when he asked me out." You shook your head, still staring at the ceiling.
"Hey, hindsight is 20/20. Don't beat yourself up about it." Bucky chimed in, knowing how it feels to blame yourself for things that weren't your fault.
"Are you offering then?" You stood up, accepting Peter's hand to aid you. You brushed any lingering dirt from your clothes, laughing at Bucky's confused expression. "For me to beat you up instead?"
The three of you had a good laugh before you got to work training.
-
Three months post breakup and you're feeling great. At least, you're feeling great most of the time.
"Hey Y/N! What are you doing tonight?" Peter questioned as he walked up beside you in the lab, pulling out the tools he'll need.
"I don't know, nothing specific I guess." You try to remember any plans you had, but nothing comes to mind.
"Perfect. MJ, Ned, and I are going to go roller skating again. I thought maybe you'd wanna come?" He's clearly nervous, unsure if this would help or hinder your progress.
You nod your head, thinking it over. "You know what, I'm in." The determination in your voice catches Peter off guard.
"Cool, um, great. I guess you're doing better then?" He's still nervous, but eager to finally get you to fully open up to someone about everything.
"Yep. Anytime I get sad, I think of something shitty he did to remind me I'm better off." You smile, knowing he was going to ask for examples.
"Really? Like what?" You can't help but laugh lightly, enjoying how well you know Peter.
"Some vague things, like how he would look at me when he was annoyed. Like those eyes add insult to injury, you know?" He nods, but doesn't really understand.
"Or more specific examples, like that birthday party where you all kept asking me about him, and I made excuses, but truth is he just blew me off. That one honestly should've been the moment I knew."
"He did what?" Peter was livid, but trying to contain the rage to that of a concerned friend rather than jealous crush.
"Eh, I'm over it. It's pretty easy to focus on the bad aspects of the relationship when it ended so badly." You shrug, turning back to the circuit board you were working on.
"How, um, how exactly did it end?" He wondered aloud, knowing you hadn't fully told anyone yet. He watched as you tensed slightly before shaking it off.
"That's a story for another time Pete." You managed a tight smile, not wanting to delve into that conversation just yet.
-
"You have got to be fucking kidding me." You mumbled under your breath.
You had been skating with Peter, Ned, and MJ for about an hour when he walked in.
Peter followed your line of sight, trying to understand your mumbling. When his eyes caught sight of Jared, he panicked.
"Y/N, I'm so sorry! I really thought this would help you this time." He rubbed his hands down his face, silently cursing himself for putting you in this position again.
"Don't worry about it Pete. I'm more prepared to handle it this time around." You laughed, watching out of the corner of your eye as Jared approached you.
"Y/N... I, uh, I've been trying to talk to you." He started boldy, not really caring that you weren't even looking at him.
You did your best to ignore him, but he grabbed your arm to stop you from skating away.
"Y/N, come on-"
"No." You spit at him, not letting him get under your skin. "People like you always want back the love they pushed aside, but people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye."
You yanked your arm out of his hand, turning back to your friends. "Let's keep skating. I have no reason to run away."
Peter watched, bewildered as you confidently skated across the rink.
-
The morning of what would be your three year anniversary with Jared felt weird. You weren't upset anymore, but the lingering nostalgia of celebrating an anniversary clung to you.
You deleted the email reminding you of the plans you were supposed to have that evening.
You sighed heavily as you walked into the kitchen, still trying to clear your head.
"You good?" Peter questioned, easily spotting that something was off.
"Yeah, it's just... I don't miss him. At all. I'm over it, but today would've been our anniversary..."
Peter nodded, trying to understand what you were feeling.
"It's strange to think the songs we used to sing, the smiles, the flowers, everything... is gone." You told him the truth, trying not to hide your feelings.
Maybe you should be over it by now, but you spent the majority of your high school career with that guy. It sucks to think it was all a waste.
He pulled you into a hug, rubbing your back to comfort you.
"I mean, not to state the obvious, but I didn't get my perfect fantasy with Jared." You huffed, rolling your eyes.
"You'll find your perfect someone." He smiled, unaware of the fluttering in your stomach telling you that maybe you already had.
"Yeah, someone who won't say to my face that he never really loved me." You muttered, feeling the rage burn inside you again.
"He's an ass." You hugged him tighter, enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms.
-
Peter slowed as he walked past your door, listening as the songs changed. He recognized the intro as a song from folklore, but he wasn't sure exactly which one.
"I'm doing good. I'm on some new shit." You sang loudly unaware of listening ears outside the door.
Peter smiled, walking away so as not to interrupt your healing process again.
Meanwhile, you floated around your room, nearly screaming the along to the breakup songs as you finally rid yourself of any lingering items relating to Jared.
"But it's wonderful to see that it never phased you!" You grinned as you threw it all away, ready to fully move on.
-
When the elevator doors opened, Peter was assaulted with the blaring sounds of none other than Taylor Swift.
Apparently, you moved your dance party from your room to the living room, thinking you had the space to yourself for a little while.
He watched as you danced around the room, singing and smiling to your heart's content.
"So he calls me up, and he's like 'I still love you' and I'm like, "I'm just, this is exhausting you know, like..." You caught Peter's smile out of the corner of your eye, fully turning to look at him as you belted out the next line. "We are never getting back together. Like ever. Noooo."
You grab his hands, forcing him to dance and twirl around with you as the song comes to an end.
"I take it your really feeling better." Peter smiles, overjoyed to see you looking so exuberant.
"I am." You nod, keeping it simple.
"No more thoughts about Jared?" He questioned, smiling when you didn't even flinch at his name.
"Nope. I forgot that he existed." You smiled cheekily, still dancing although you turned the music down.
"That's good, then." Peter smiled, suddenly nervous. If you truly had moved on, maybe now was his chance.
"Hey Pete?" You questioned, smiling shyly.
"Yeah?" He stood in front of you, unsure of where this was going.
"I realized something this morning." You whispered, nervous for his response, but dying to tell him the truth.
"Yeah?" He waited, eager to know what you were hiding.
You pressed a quick kiss to his lips before pulling back, watching as he slowly grinned.
"Why'd you do that?" He asked, stunned but grinning like an idiot.
"'Cause, I like you," you smiled, but quickly added 'but I know that it's delicate."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that." He stated, wrapping his arms around your waist.
"No?" You leaned into his touch, feeling like you were on cloud nine.
"Nope. Cause I like you too."
He pulled you in for a deeper kiss, celebrating the beginning of this new stage of your relationship.
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@averyhotchner @jesuswasnotawhiteman
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sorry-i-ship-drarry · 3 years
Note
massaging them , bandaging injury in healer draco / auror Harry one shot please thank you ❤️
This one is new!! Btw sorry for delaying it. Here ya go, hope you like it. @flakeyakey
Single healers
" come on, get him in here" although it was deafening. He was probably losing his senses, his eyes opening and closing, blurring his vision. He couldn't really see the speaker but unconsciously sensed the urgency in their voice.
" and you're sure he wasn't bitten ?" The same voice asked again. Harry tried very hard to open his eyes and see who it was, but exhaustion was pulling him under and he was ready to sleep. Long sleep.
His breath was cutting short, his vision blackening, he was relaxed finally until someone started to lightly pat his cheeks.
" keep breathing, potter... Don't you dare give up right now " and that was the last thing he heard, only getting a slight peek of someone oddly familiar and with a nod, harry closed his eyes.
It was really exhausting to be where harry was right now but all he did really felt was the uncomfortable pillow, hurting his neck. In attempts to fix his pillow, he tried to move his arm until he realised they weren't exactly in a spectacular shape and he grimaced with pain.
" welcome back sweetie" he heard a sweet voice. Okay, there isn't any woman at Harry's home, so he opened his eyes.
" ouch " harry immediately shielded his eyes because of the intense light
" shut that light Karen, it's hurting his visuals" Someone said as they must've shut the door behind him.
Once the light was turned off, harry relaxed and opened his eyes again.
" wow, this is definitely not home " harry groaned
" well not if your home is a hospital potter" the guy in the white coat said. Harry couldn't see whoever it was, mostly because his back was turned to harry but also because he was very much leaned over onto the table that you couldn't see anything but his white coat, his black pants and nice black shoes, shining, and if harry wasn't wrong they were vintage, oh!!
" so how do you feel ?" The guy finally turned around
" I knew it, only you say my name that way " harry fisted his palm in a small victory.
"yeah, yeah very great achievement potter, now how do you feel ?" He asked
" well, for one, I can't feel my ass because of this bed, second, my arm is really sore, third my pillow isn't put right so it definitely is craning my neck too much that it hurts. And lastly my question how did I wound up here ?" Harry goes
" Karen please do the honours of adjusting thy majesty's pillow or he'd cry over it" the other man said as he poured some liquid carefull in a vial.
" now, to answer your question, I am not even slightly interested in how you wound up here, all I know is that you are here and I have to take care of you. Next, the beds are a bit uncomfortable, you'll get used to it in a bit and if not, I'll cast a cushioning spell and lastly, can you tell me exactly where your arm feels most sore ? And do the honours of actually telling me how you feel ?" He said as he walked towards harry, analysing the morning reports he received.
" still keeping the I am a prat attitude Malfoy, suits you " harry rolled his eyes, pointing above his elbow on the dorsal side.
" well the sodding insolent prat attitude suits you too potter " draco rolled his eyes as he lightly dabbed Harry's arm recieving a flinch.
" there's no such external injury here so I think that's a bruise. Think massage would do it " draco frowned to himself
" I feel a little dizzy by the way. Also there's a portion on my neck that is itching quite badly, can I scratch ?" Harry asked innocently.
Draco furrowed his eyebrows before helping harry sit upright and taking a look at the point of his itch.
" those are deep scratches. So no you can't scratch Over. Karen I thought all wounds were cleaned up "
" I did. It must've been because it's on his back I might've missed it. I'm sorry " she hurriedly Apologized
" that wouldn't really qualify you as a healer would It, now, next time don't make the same mistakes. Ms. Adelman across the room needs you by the way " draco said as he dipped some cotton in antiseptic potion and cleansed Harry's wound.
" it's burns ? " Draco asked
" a little " harry grimaced.
" I think you got that from the werewolf " draco whispered as he carefully studied for any bites.
" when will I be free ?" Harry asked impatiently.
" well at this pace not for another two weeks" draco replied as he pushed down his reading glasses and kept the files over the side table.
" no way. I'm not staying for 2 weeks. That's 14 days off work, I can't do that. I'm in the Middle of an important case and-"
" okay save it potter. You have to stay for 2 weeks and it ends there. Your friend Weasley will come by and explain you everything but under my watch, even if you're free you're not allowed to work"
" and who gives you the right?" Harry rolled his eyes frustratingly
" me. As your healer, it is my responsibility to make sure that you only resume when you're wounds are all healed up " draco huffed, annoyed by Harry's childish behaviour to just break free.
" and you think I'd listen to you ?" Harry narrowed his eyes in a glare at Draco.
Draco clenched his jaw before closing his eyes and continuing speaking " you are not going anywhere and that is it, you get me! And if you do try to get away, I will tie you up with shackles without a wand. Now if you're a chain eater or something like that then you'd be successful to break free otherwise not "
" whatever " harry rolled his eyes, again. If draco had one pet peeve, it was people rolling their eyes necessarily on his face and potter seemed to have a death wish.
" look " draco pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed " you don't understand the severity of your injuries. I understand your passion for work and all but not at the risk of health. If you must know you were attacked by a werewolf, the problem however is that we're not sure if you were bitten or not.. it might've been someone who bit you before full moon, basically not a werewolf then but there is a possibility that you're not bitten, the more likely one -"
" but if there's a bite, you should be able to see right ?"
" yes and no. The evolution of werewolves is allowing them to leave very little traces of bites these days which of course does not benefit them nor potentially harm the one bitten. The real reason why we can't figure whether you're bitten or not is because your back Is covered in scratches and if you can't feel them it's because of the numbing potion. And we're done talking. Drink this up quietly"
Harry looked at Draco strangely for a moment before taking the vial from his hand and bottomed up " can I work from here ?"
" no " and draco walked out.
And then it became a thing, harry constantly asking if he could work and draco constantly denying and threatening him that this time he'd definitely put him in shackles. And by the by, interactions between them did get pretty interesting every once in a while when Draco used to check him up late at night before leaving from work.
And one of these days harry shoot his shot "you pretty much always leave late, come early and stay here all day, so I should by now just assume that you're single "
" not that it's any of your business potter " draco absent-mindedly replied as he changed the bandages on Harry's back.
" ha- you didn't deny it. So you are single " harry exclaimed
" sit still "
" sorry "
" why do you care if I date or not ? My personal life Potter " draco said as he changed the bandages on the bottom right of Harry's back, amused for a moment of what he saw something going under his pants. It seemed like a mark, he didn't question it.
"I don't. Just curious " harry shrugged.
" well dearest curious George, I must assume that you're single too since nobody special visited you " draco said as he got up and lightly massaged Harry's sore arm from before. Harry relaxed in his touch before he continued the conversation
" I don't do Dating. Even if I do date someone, it's never about us or the dating in itself, it's just mostly to get into witch weekly or daily prophet under the chosen one's new beau sort of thing "
Draco almost pitied harry for never having found something but decided not to, since he obviously didn't need the pity.
"that sucks " draco hummed " does it hurt still ?" He pressed a little more firmly over the spot
" not much anymore " harry replied " what's your not dating excuse ?"
Draco etched a small smile especially for harry before he told him the truth " it's a bitter world for me out there. I think it's the same as you, you know just the opposite end. It's almost as if i- I'm still a death Eater and people still hate me for that "
Harry pressed his lips in a thin line, never having thought of it. He always thought it must've been easy for Draco to find Someone, with being attractive and working somewhere you're basically helping people all day but it came as a mild shock as it was opposite.
" whoever ends up with would be one lucky person though " harry complimented just in time draco stopped massaging and picked up the vials to give to harry.
" really ? What makes you say that ?" Draco smiled
" because I know you'd do anything to keep that person in your life no matter the cost. And I've seen the good in you, you're not all bad " and with that harry gulped the vial, missing out draco's blushing.
" I think whoever ends up with you would be a lucky one too then " draco said as he finished up aligning the empty vial bottles on a tray to take them away.
" and why's that ?" Harry smiled
" because- it's just you. You're different and you're nice.. think you'd always keep them happy and safe if it were your life on stake. That's just you " draco complimented smiling at harry.
Not as capable as draco, harry turned pink from the compliment " that's nice of you "
Draco should not have been mesmerized but unfortunately he was and it should've been a mistake, but he liked it. And he knew harry enjoyed gazing at him too but the moment Only lasted so long and draco broke free before he could've lost control.
" I should go. Goodnight. Take care " and he left the room.
The next morning draco returned to his room, the first thing he saw was an empty bed until he harry walked in, shirtless.
" y- you can walk " draco said
" yeah. I can " harry smiled.
Gaining his composure back, Draco resumed " and you cleaned up nice, with all the Shaving "
" I figured I'll be leaving in 3 days so better get used to it again " harry replied
Draco stared at harry dumb folded " oh, right, yeah, 3 days "
" so " draco pouted " does it hurt anywhere? Need of change in bandages ? Or anything else?"
" no, I think I'm fine " harry placed his hand over his hips, frowning.
" well, alright then. I'll be going. I'll be checking in on you at the end of the day like a normal healer. Goodbye potter " and he practically ran before his heart might've fell out of his chest, metaphorically ofcourse.
The rest of the day draco got so busy that when the night came, he couldn't visit harry again even if he desperately wanted to but he was so exhausted that he could Barely walk and so by the recommendation of the work counsellor, he got sent off.
The first he did next day was visit harry, who to his surprise was sleeping. So like a normal healer, he checked his bottled of vial, his normal medicines and the bruises and left. When the night came, harry was swamped with his friends that draco couldn't had stayed for more than professional purpose. The next day again when he visited harry, he was tiredly sleeping. Defeated, draco worked all day until again at the end of the night he visited harry to see him sitting with all the files.
" working?" Draco asked as he place his files over the side table and started checking Harry's injuries, which were now almost healed.
" yeah. Filling in for what I missed while being here " harry sighed.
Draco scrunched his eyebrows looking at Harry he retrieved his hands and asked him " do you really enjoy your work though? Like putting your life on line and working immensely over something so exhausting ?"
" do you enjoy your work ?" Harry huffed
" I do. I very much do. It's tiring sometimes yes but I like what I do. It makes me feel nice About myself. Is it the same for you ?"
Harry huffed pushing away the files before Pouring our reality " to tell you the truth, I don't enjoy work. It was all fun in the beginning, the chase and run but now it just seems as if that's all I've been doing my whole life. Running after the bad guys but then that's exactly what everyone expects of me and I can't let them down. So I do exactly what I've been doing, the right thing "
Draco amusingly watched him, as if it was fun story, only it wasn't " my mom always used to say, much before anyone else's you're your own. There's no point in living your life the way people expects. I think they must've have had enough of that already. There's nothing new in the potter magazine you know, the chosen one after the bad guy. Life's too short for the same title harry "
" hey, you called me harry " harry pointed out grinning
" don't I deserve to at least call you by your name after taking care of your lame ass for 2 weeks " draco chuckled.
Harry chuckled " you deserve it, draco "
And draco smiled.
The next morning when harry was finally ready to depart with no ill effects or presence of lycanthropy, he waited until he see'd off draco..
" and I thought I'd almost miss your departure " draco heaved, breathing in harshly..
" nah, I wouldn't had let that happen " harry chuckled..
When Draco finally had his air back he leaned upright looking at harry " it was nice having you here "
" it was nice being here " harry smiled
" so, I guess, I'll see you around then ?" Draco asked awkwardly.
" right, yeah, of course " harry rambled.
" cool then " draco pressed his lips in a thin line, pushing his hands in his coat pocket.
" alright then. Bye " harry hesitated
" oh. Yeah..bye. see you again probably " draco replied
" yeah, might. Bye then "
" bye " and then finally harry stepped back one by one until he reached the door handle and turned around to walk out.
" fuck it " harry whispered under his breath and walked back to draco
" something wrong ?" Draco asked
" you. I don't care how stupid I might sound, but I like you, like I really really like you and I haven't felt his way for someone in a long time and I don't want to blow this away. So draco malfoy would you maybe want to go out with me someday even if I'm a complete insolent prat-"
" okay, yeah "draco grinned
" and I've got attitude problem and you possibly don't feel the same- wait- you said yes?" Harry rambled
" yep. I said yes " draco chuckled.
" oh. Then I'll definitely see you. Outside leaky cauldron, at 7 "
" you definitely will " draco smiled
" okay then" harry grinned as he started walking back again.
" okay "
" okay " harry bit his lip.
" I like you too by the way " draco chuckled
" I really have to go.. but it's good to know " harry chuckled..
" okay " and then harry finally left, after dancing in victory of course.
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smortbokuto · 3 years
Text
Paper love.
warnings: utter and absolute tooth rotting fluff crack.
pairings: Bokuto x Akaashi.
a/n: here to bless you with soft bokuaka <3 AKAASHI HAD HIS HANDS ON HIS THIGHS JSOIWDEDW BYE
summary: if asked "how did you both meet?" it was simple for them to smile and say "i left my notes in a library and he left a note for me." that's all.
word count: 3.3k
Late afternoon of autumn season. a weather just as the liking of the ravenette who shuffled through the busy streets of the Tokyo with a fixed motto to reach the city library before the dusk paints the already orange yellow tinted sky. his gunmetal eyes landing on every moving figure, every breathing soul, every sign board all through the way till they bored holes into the brown, heavy gates of the library.
a breathy sigh left escaped past his lips at the contact with the antique handles stuck on the wooden doors as he pushed open the doors. thick cool gust of heavy temperature air conditioner fell over his, leaving his tousled hair to fall over his winter evening eyes.
pushing his hair back, slender, calloused fingers carding through the hair as he squinted taking a while to adjust to the dimness of the library which he was not acquainted with after being under the blood- orange sun.
two receptionist sat there behind a huge table, a glass wall over the table that reached the ceiling. to the opposite was huge tables, all dark brown with lit candles and lanterns in the middle of them, were standing on all fours side to side with equal distance. the shelves behind the tables. books and books, sea of books were stacked in a proper order. step stools randomly near every shelves. people balancing themselves on those stools to reach the destined choice of books. level two of the library was just the same, a curvy staircase going from either side of the receptionist table.
the blue and ocher yellow tinted windows all over the huge huge walls allowed the drowning sunlight let into the dim place. walls, painted in a pleasing aesthetic colors, paintings of ancient wars and other artefacts from different places hanging around them with their circa and details.
a perfect place for his anthropology studies.
walking towards the reception table he took the pen that rested between the crease of the entry book which already had listed numerous numbers of visitors.
'#762 Akaashi Keiji.'
padding his way towards a table of his liking, a table just beside the window with tinted shades on the upper level of the library. sitting down he allowed all his required material to spill out from his bag on the table. his journal, pointers already jotted down before hand, different loose sheets from his classes stacked under the journal, written in his pristine sharp writing. books open in front of him allowing him to soak in all the words of knowledge while he took notes and pointers in a fresh page. writing staying constant and neat even with the speed of writing them down.
slowly the minutes slipped into hours and he didn't realize when the already drowning sun had been reigned over by the full moon and stars hanging all around it.
sighing he looked at the analog watch wrapped around his lean wrist.
08:47 pm
picking up all his material he bolted out from the library, not before bowing slightly in front of the already leaving receptionist who returned his gratitude with a humble smile.
--
walk to the college next day was as monotonous as ever. reaching the class felt like slow drags of tired legs but alas, it all about the attendance. a must. ought to be done.
god, he hates it. but it can't be helped.
settling in his seat on the front row of the class he sipped on his warm coffee. the warmth seeping down his throat and heat blooming into the pits of stomach. a tired sigh left his throat.
all the chatters from the students nearby him felt distant as he closed his eyes to take in the reality and prepare mentally for all the upcoming long and slow classes.
"hey, Akaashi." a low voice, a little hesitant, came up from behind him making him open his eyes to turn around and face the owner of the voice. a blond, lean man stood in front of me.
'god, his eye bags can hold water without a miss...'
the male looked in distress.
"what is it?" the ravenette cringed internally at how deep his voice came out and how much sleep was still mixed with it.
"do you, perhaps, have the sub- headings for Human Evolution? i can't really figure them out.." his words turned into a whisper to himself by the end of the sentence. his hands scratching nape in anxiety and his eyes boring holes into everything and everyone but akaashi.
after a silence of fraction of seconds akaashi nodded reaching out to his bag as he felt the gloomy aura tune into a flowery pink aura of gratitude for the helping male.
a life saver, indeed.
for a second, Akaashi thought he had his life in control, his homework and notes on him but to his dismay it wasn't.
what a fucking joke.
disappointed with the lemons life kept giving him he retracted back his hands and rested it on his thighs as he turned back to face the confused male.
"uhh Akinori- san? looks like i have left it in the library i visited yesterday." he apologized telling the blond that he would click the picture of the lone sheet and send it to the male.
--
the whole day continued in a constant restlessness. he left an important somewhere in a public place. questions flooded his brain to the brim and no one could answer them but him.
no way in the living hell he is ready to make those sub- headings again. he felt like he would loose his last straw of humanity and sanity if he didn't find the page.
cursing internally he ran like a mad dog was let loose after him, ready to pounce and tear him apart. skidding slightly he stopped at the library entry. a chill went down his spine as he opened the door, dread settling in the pits of his stomach at the thought of him loosing the sheet.
oh, he really didn't want that.
writing his name on the entry book hastily he ran upstairs, skipping 3 steps at a time in a thought to reach fast. his lungs and calves burned to give them a rest from all the running without to which he ignored, too determined to find the sheet.
reaching the seat he had been siting yesterday he felt his heart pang within the captive of his ribs.
the sheet was still there. safe and sound.
but?
his eyes squinted at the small sticky note sticking on the sheet that's dear to his life. walking towards the page he collected it into his hands. reading the note a smile creeped up on his lips.
//hey! your name is really pretty. i found this sheet today and i kinda took notes from it. thanks for it!!//
thanking the person for the nth time he took out a sticky note from his bag and wrote a small thanks.
//hello, thanks for leaving the note. this sheet is important to me. and it's fine if you took notes, haha. what's your name?//
if he was honesty, he was not expecting any reply from the said person who had left the note.
but when the next day he came with Akinori to issue some books for the upcoming projects.
//oh!! my bad, sorry i thought i really did mention my name in the end. it's Bokuto Koutarou!! 22, going professional in volleyball and i have to study history as a side subject...
oh!! you seem nice. here: #xxxx xxx xxx. you can text me if you feel comfortable!!//
carefully folding the piece of yellow sticky note he kept it in his jean pocket.
later that day he sat there on his comforters of his bed, conflicted between texting the number or not.
what if it's a sick prank? someone else's number? perhaps a random number?? should he even take the risk?? scam??
ignoring all the thoughts he decided to take the risk. something about the name and the way the chits were written made this said man 'Bokuto Koutarou' very magnetic in nature.
texting a simple 'hello' and his name he threw his phone on the other end of the bed, groaning. he seemed desperate about this.
but he can't help! this guy Bokuto seemed really nice and he could be more, he guessed????
after what felt like godly slow centuries he felt his phone buzz, muffled by the covers around it. reaching the phone he checked the time, eyes widening.
03:05 am
he saw the text from a contact name from 'Bokuto?'. wasting not a single minute he saw the reply as smile tugging over his soft pink lips.
[oh! hey hey hey!!]
[i didn't expect you to reply.]
why was he even awake? well he was being a hypocrite to think like that when he was wide awake too knowing he has to reach college for classes. he was sure he would look dead.
but anyways he didn't mind the time and texted back the number. texts going back and forth. getting to know each other. it was basically Bokuto telling jokes, bitching about his teachers and everything he had experienced till now while Akaashi went along with the conversation, laughing at his antics and his bubbly nature.
ah, it felt nice. refreshing. even though he barely had slept in days.
god knows when the foggy night dipped low for the new autumn morning. the sunrays bleeding into his room from the partially open blinds, falling onto his study table. the clock reflecting the light onto the wall that fell on its cover glass.
he was still wide awake. fingers still typing continuously the keys of the keyboard of his phone. smiling every now and then at the replies he got from the other male.
fun indeed.
--
weeks passed with the continuous talking and sharing everyday stuff with each other and soon the autumn took its exit letting winters slide in for next few months.
chits were occasionally exchanged. the secluded corner of the second level of the chit exchange without showing themselves to each other became a habit they adjusted it into their busy schedule.
//ooo i came here today and i thought of leaving a chit for you to read. we should meet someday!!!!//
few days.
//we should, indeed. lets find a right time to meet.//
it was so comfortable.
Akaashi would be lying if he said he haven't sneaked to Bokuto's game.
oh god, it was a mess.
not only this man is fun to talk to and so polite and all but how can he be this good looking?!
"what the actual fuck." akaashi had muttered under his breath as he saw bokuto walk into the arena, chest puffing with pride. the ravenette felt his cheeks burn with a red tint paint purely over his cheekbones.
he could only think of one thing as he watched the pepper salt haired man play the whole match and win it.
'am i gay??????' god it sounded so scandalous.
but looking at him play. his muscles ripple with each moment he took. the way he ruffled his hair to wipe out the sweat, hair messy. the way his jersey rode up as he went in for a powerful spike. everything.
'god, i am so gay. what the fuck.'
akaashi decided he would never tell this to the other male. about him going to his matches only to fall more and more for him with every passing moment. the conversation, the antics, the looks, the nature. everything.
he won't admit that he practically got hard as the first thing in the morning when Bokuto had sent him a voice message of him saying a simple 'good morning'. the problem was not the good morning message but his fucking deep, heavy sleep laced voice.
god, he was down bad for the man.
the early winters slowly turned into mid winters with the call of snow. November slowly turned December and new year approached. a day where they both decided to meet. well for akaashi, he would see him for the nth time now. for bokuto.... first time.
akaashi decided to not tell this to bokuto. jesus, he felt like a damn stalker.
tapping on the shoulder of the man with pepper salt hair, who had his god sculptured back faced to the ravenette.
'i don't mind watching his back for the rest of my lif- jesus christ, shut the fuck up please. don't mess this up.' he mentally cursed as he saw the said man turn to face his gunmetal eyes. his grey eyebrows cocking up in a questioning look.
"how can i help you?"
"i am akaashi keiji..." he mumbled. lips parting slightly as he saw the other man grin ear to ear at the slip of the name.
the night went smoothly. they indulged in all the games that were available in the fair. ate every possible dish not having mercy on their hurting pockets.
ending the night at the river bank side, sitting comfortably on the mats that were set up for the viewers to witness the fireworks for the arrival of the new year.
but something for bokuto made it hard to look at the sky. he couldn't help but watch the man beside him from the corner of his eyes. he just looked so ethereal. skin so clear and pristine, basically reflecting all the colors painting the sky by the crackers. his eyes, blue, but shining so bright even under the dark sky.
he made sure to ask Akaashi for a pic together before he dropped him off. setting it as his lockscreen and homescreen.
'god have mercy, i am so gay.' he screamed in his head. mind not moving on from the burned image he he had drawn in his head of Akaashi. how can someone be this beautiful??
he has to keep it low- key. but, can he?
after the new year meet up. they met frequently. akaashi watching his matches while bokuto used to study, more like complain, with him at the library.
they were down bad for each other. but won't speak about it. just because.
time passes quick. seasons changes. winters came to an end. all the dried up trees showing a sign of life again. pink petals decorating every second tree so beautifully. the snow had melted away from the pleasant warmth of spring painting the whole land in fresh green and spots of pink from all the blossom leaves leaving the home of the trees.
feelings that were supposed to stay small and bottled up, filled up to the brim. it wasn't just a crush anymore. the seasons had changed but feelings remained the same within themselves for each other. and it kept building up till it was over flowing.
each glance, each action, each word and each conversation made them fall deeper into the suffocating feeling of love.
the thing is, akaashi is patient and he knows how to showcase his emotions. he knows what to show and what to not. but bokuto? oh honey no. he doesn't think twice before doing or saying something. he is... impatient.
an impatient person in love? disastrous.
he didn't think twice as he wrote a letter on a pale page. a letter on how much beautiful he finds Akaashi. he didn't think twice as he made his way to the library. he didn't think twice as he kept the letter there on their secluded seat of conversation.
he didn't think about the rejection that could come.
he just wished for the best. like he always does.
he waits. patiently, for once.
but again, for how long?
three days had passed but it seemed like akaashi hadn't even visited the awaited library. he had told bokuto about his upcoming project for the end of the semester. he had already issued books for the project a day before bokuto had kept the letter.
so close.
he decided: he can't wait anymore. he jolt up from his bed, hair hanging low over his forehead. he picked his phone typing away to the person he is so desperate for.
[hey!! can we meet at the library real quick?? its urgent.]
he wrote as he threw on a sweatshirt over his shirtless body. reaching the porch of his house his phone buzzed.
[its pretty late rn??? but sure.]
god, at last. but then the dread he had been ignoring settled in. what if he rejects? what if i ruin what we have? no no, he doesn't want this.
panicking he put on his shoes, sprinting out from his apartment. not wanting to wait for the elevator he took the stairs. 12 floors down from stairs... he ran, not giving his lungs the needed break from one block to another. the roads empty with only few passer by walking back home maybe and the light lamps only illuminating the empty sidewalk and roads.
he just wished for akaashi to not have reached before him as he stood on front of the library doors. he pushed them open taking a deep breath as he padded slowly up the stairs.
taking a turn to the place he had to reach his eyes widened at the figure he wanted to see after he reached but no. he was tad bit late.
akaashi stood there, teal sweatshirt hanging over his lean figure. letter, open and probably read by now, between his slender fingers. his head whipped up to see bokuto, mouth gapped, wanting to say something but nothing came out.
"i- i can explain." bokuto never thought his voice could come out so small. "its okay if you will reject me. i mean it will hurt like a bitch but its fair... you have your own choices and i was selfish to write it i guess... i don't wanna ruin what we both have!! i cherish it a lot."
he was rambling at this point trying his best to explain his emotions that where all over the place. he was so messed with his words he didn't hear the multiple times akaashi had uttered his name. it was until akaashi had to practically yelp out his name in a dead silent library.
"Bokuto!! what the hell??"
"wha- what?" oh god, he sounds so upset...
"can you let me speak now? there is nothing for you to explain. the letter did its job already." the shorter man commented.
there was a heavy silence between them as akaashi busied himself in folding the letter back and putting it in the envelop. bokuto couldn't hear the paper rustling as it was being folded but his heart shattering at the due rejection.
the taller man didn't look up from the ground. he didn't have the balls to look into those gunmetal eyes. he figured it would be filled with anger and hatred.
he was so ready to hear the rejection now.
but nothing came.
slowly he lifted his head, taking the risk to look at the man in front of him. he took a step back when he saw akaashi smiling, face flushed in shades of pink and red under the light of lanterns that were lit all around the library for the starry night.
"won't you speak anything now?" he whispered. "aren't you going to reject me?"
"no? why would i?" akaashi answered with a question. smile never faltering.
huh?
"wait- you like me??" his words came out chocked at the realization. maybe it was mutual. maybe it wasn't as scandalous as it looked like. i was a new bloom of love.
"no, i like you too." he drawled out walking towards Bokuto. "like a lot. pretty desperate you can say. i just thought that it would never be mutual so i kept it in."
to say that bokuto was happy was an understatement. all these months together with him as friends was all something he always had wished but now? lovers? yes. how can he ask for anything more than this?
his hands reached out to the male walking towards him, pulling him into a hug he craved to give him so desperately.
"i love you so much."
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canyouhearthelight · 3 years
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The Miys, Ch. 122
Annnnd WE’RE BACK!
Thank you so much for your patience during the hiatus. Work is still crazy, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel there *crosses fingers*. And I was able to build back up my cushion of chapters, so that was a huge win for me.
As a reminder, this is a skip forward roughly 4 years from chapter 121. So, if you read a bit and start to wonder “wait, did I miss something?”, you probably didn’t and it’s most likely something I am going to circle back to.  Don’t be a afraid to shoot me an ask, however, if you are just really thrown off by something! I’ll gladly clarify unless it’s something plot-specific.
Thanks, as always, go to @baelpenrose, @raven-fae, and @charlylimph-blog.  By the way, Raven is working on a podcast of The Miys, which I am incredibly stoked about. Please follow @glimmeringfeatherspodcast for updates!
I carefully adjusted my glasses as I suppressed a giggle at Noah, who was swarmed with small yellow puffs of fuzz.  In the last seven years since their discovery, Else’s hyper-fast evolution hadn’t slowed down much, although Grey did promise that it had slowed down. Noah buzzed at the puff resting on one of its vomu, eliciting a purr. “I believe they learned this behavior from Mac.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” I admitted. “I caught him playing with several of them a couple days ago.”
“I have observed them together on frequent occasions.” Reaching up, it plucked another puff from the top of its head. “I cannot hear if you sit on my sensory organs, podling.”  Soon after Else evolved to the point they could live outside of a habitat tank, Miys had developed a tendency to treat them like its own young, and generally had several of them perched somewhere.
“How many of them are there now?” I asked, reaching out slightly before stopping myself from petting the closest canary-sized fluff. “Else, can I pick you up?”
In response, it bounced onto my hand.  I’d noticed how little they spoke now, but Miys had assured us it was a normal stage in hive-being evolution - once Else became too large to actually fit in our bodies, it wasn’t able to communicate through the translator chip.  At this stage, it could still hear us, but communicating back was a work in process.  Mostly, they just trilled and chirped.
“Currently, there are five hundred and seven thousand, six hundred and twenty-three.”
“They’re very adaptable,” I observed.
With the one free vomu it had, Noah made a nodding gesture. “Most species that reach sentience are. We are able to observe Else’s evolution on a much shorter time scale than most, as well. Consider humanity’s evolution, and imagine seeing it take place in years rather than over the course of millenia.”
“I know,” I laughed. “But seeing it is way more incredible than imagining it.” I adjusted my glasses again, eliciting the buzz that usually meant Noah was exasperated with me.
“Why do humans insist on using those instead of having their eyes repaired?”
“My eyes aren’t damaged,” I reminded it. “And you did repair my eyes. I’m wearing these because my eyes are working right. You know this.”
“In principle, not in practice.”
It was my turn to sigh. “Our eyes evolved to work in a specific kind of light. Earth’s sun is yellow, I think? But Von’s sun is more blue.” I gestured at the light emitters in the corridor. “When the light is in the twilight cycle like this, some humans can’t see as well as we could in Earth-twilight. Hence the glasses.”
“Sight is so inefficient.”
I just shook my head. I couldn’t exactly argue. “Between the light and the gravity, it’s been a huge adjustment.”
“You have all adjusted in quite - innovative ways,” Noah replied. “My kind have done many of these relocations. Not all species adapt well.”
“What was it you called it?” I squinted, both from trying to see what was ahead of me and from thinking. I’m going to have to talk to someone about some flashlights, I swear… “We ‘persist’?”
“Humans are remarkably stubborn, yes,” it confirmed. “As Arthur Farro seems to prefer explaining it, your species began space travel by attaching chemical ignition drives to your posteriors.”
Even after so long, some things just did not translate. “Yep, we very much strapped a rocket to our asses to achieve spaceflight,” I laughed. “Everything on Earth kind of evolved and adapted like that. We learned what wouldn’t poison us by watching others die from eating it, that kind of thing. Even our superstitions, and later our laws, were basically ‘hey, let’s not do this, it kills people’.” A liw made its way into my line of sight, rocking to mimic a confused head-tilt. “You rescued us for our sight, not because we are a particularly bright species.”
“I understand that the polite thing to do, according to your customs, is to object to that statement, however I have been told on several occasions that I lack any skill in falsehoods.”
“We bombed ourselves back to the Stone Age the second we hit our highest peak in technology.” I reached out and patted what would have been a shoulder on a human. “You don’t have to lie about that. Arthur has studied an absurd percentage of human history. Even from a scholarly perspective, I am assured we are a singularly idiotic race. Besides, we’d already ruined an entire planet at that point...”
“It has evidenced itself to be a lesson well-learned.” It returned the pat, gently. “For a species historically inclined to warfare, those on the Yjq have demonstrated a profound proclivity toward peace.”
“Trying to keep it that way, bud,” I admitted.
Removing yet another puff from its sensory organs, Noah continued. “Please be assured, also, that Terrans are far from ‘singularly’ idiotic.  There are many species in the Galactic Community that are demonstrably lacking in what you refer to as ‘common sense’.”
Noah was still a terrible gossip. “Do tell,” I asked, crossing my mental fingers that we weren’t the worst out there.
“Preeyar,” it listed immediately.
“The rift-valley avians?”
“The same. They experience terrible reactions to liquid water, and yet they are fascinated by fountains and insist upon touching them!” Startled chirps erupted as all six appendages on Noah’s upper body flung out in frustration. “Any vessel transporting Preeyar has specific instructions on how to treat the resulting burns.”
I had to admit, that was pretty bad. “Terrans at least learn not to touch things that will burn us by the time we can speak, usually.” My nose tickled as several little Else-puffs migrated over to me, upset by the grand gesture from my friend.  I was almost glad it was so difficult for humans to see in the corridor, because I probably looked absurd.
“Shalt’krii are somehow just as difficult,” Noah confessed. “As a species that have what you term an ‘allergy’ to sonic waves - they develop painful rashes and can have seizures when exposed. Yet, it is entirely inevitable when transporting a large group that several will have forgotten or neglected to bring dampeners.”
“Oh my gosh,” I gasped, trying not to laugh and upset Else again. “How?”
“It has eluded the Galactic Council since they joined. The dampeners are far less barbaric than what the So-K’nor do to resolve a similar concern, but I must privately admit that the So-K’nor are at least more consistent and effective.”
Well, yeah, deliberately deafening yourself permanently when you go off-world tends to be that way, I thought to myself. I knew I didn’t need to say it out loud, but I also knew that Noah would not address my thoughts out loud. “Okay, maybe we aren’t that bad,” I granted. “I think the worst we do is ingest mild poisons.”
“On an alarmingly frequent basis, yes. Including plants native to your world that actually attempt to digest you as you eat them.”
I shook my head. “Not this girl. I don’t like pineapple.”
“And the number of humans on the ship who willingly consume lactic acid, knowing it will cause them digestive distress?” If it had eyebrows, they would be arching, I just knew it.
“You have pointed out several times over the years that you can’t taste,” I pointed out. “So you have no idea how tempting cheese can be.”
Noah shook one vomu like a head. “Incorrect. Having witnessed the sheer amount of it that Tyche consumed once she realized that you were not lactose intolerant, there is empirical evidence to support your claim.”
Unconsciously, my hand jumped to touch my left ear before I could force it down. “I remember the spicy food,” I said carefully, stroking one of the fluffs on my arms. “But I didn’t know about the cheese. Come to think of it - “ I stopped in my tracks and turned to face Noah directly, “Why weren’t the consoles just adjusted to make all the food… I dunno, lactose-free, I guess?”
Two liw reached to pluck several yellow beings from my arms and head as Noah used one vomu to start ticking reasons. “One, because I was specifically asked not to by Grey Hodenson and Xiomara Kalloe, the consensus being that bovines are, in fact, in the genetic database. Two, because that was attempted several weeks before you were brought on board, and I was tempted to damage my sensory organs to block out the sheer number of complaints regarding how everything tasted.”  Thankfully, its vomu was still empty when it flung outward. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to accommodate requests regarding something you do not experience?”
I felt slightly ashamed. “Not entirely, no.” Trying to lighten the mood slightly, I felt the need to point out “Besides, I really like goat cheese.”
“Something about chetter and mootsareeleh,” Noah grumbled.
“Ohhhhh,” I whispered. “Eyeah… do not mess with Italians’ mozzarella, I have learned. And cheddar does have a very specific flavor. I can see those being very loud complaints.”
“In eight Terran years, I am still confused why the color of the chetter is a determining factor, as well as how something so soft can be compared to an edged weapon.”
I felt like I was going to explode from suppressed laughter. I had to stop, tears streaming down my face, and catch my breath. “Oh, Noah… I honestly don’t know if I can explain that, but I can try…”
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fizzingwizard · 3 years
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Episode 45, aka that time they let the intern make a story pitch x’D
However! It’s a fun episode. And I loooooved Gabumon in it.
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I mean, how can you not love that face!
More below!
So this week has three concepts:
1) MetalGarurumon’s debut
2) Showcasing what friendship means to Yamato and Gabumon
3) MOTORCYCLE DEATH RACE
I think they did a good job of number 2. But this setup feels like a strange pick for MetalGarurumon’s entrance. I guess I just can’t get used to the way the kids in this series achieve new levels without much tension at all. Maybe it’s a metaphor - we don’t need BIG things in life to grow, in fact, we grow a lot more from all the little small things. Something like that, maybe. Still... every single Perfect-level evolution in 99 Adventure had a lot of tension behind it, so it’s just a bit of a new world for me when that’s not the case even for Ultimate level in the reboot.
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We get a pretty awesome opening sequence of this guy, Machmon, at the start of the episode. Then Our Heroes arrive on the scene and witness Machmon shooting around a pretty crazy track. Gabumon takes one look and decides he has to race too.
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Gabumon: That’s just what I want to be when I grow up!
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Yamato: I’ll indulge you, but honestly I was hoping you’d go to college.
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I think this is somewhat new - this emphasis on Garurumon’s speed. But what’s great about it is the way we see that Garurumon loves racing. Yet again, rather than focus solely on the kids’ feelings, the Digimon’s motivations are what matter. It makes sense that this is particularly the case in Yamato episodes, because it gives plenty of opportunity to show their bond of friendship.
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As Garurumon and Yamato join the race with Machmon, Koushirou gets the aerial view x’D lmao COME ON that CANNOT be safe
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Garurumon adorably coaxes Machmon into a race, though Machmon seems hesitant. Then he suddenly starts to attack! Tailmon tells the others who are watching that this course must be the Digimon Grand Prix death race where anything goes. However, Machmon does not seem to be completely in his own mind, and Garurumon winds up having to save him from himself.
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As a result, he is injured. He even has bandages! But he immediately demands a rematch lol. Machmon hesitates even more but on learning that he’s the last racer here and has been racing all alone for some time, Gabumon just can’t give up. At least Tailmon interjects to make Machmon promise not to hurt him this time. Tailmon is very much Team Mom in this episode. (Which is another example of Digimon driving the show as much as the human partners.)
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I really thought Yamato wouldn’t want to do something he knows is dangerous for Gabumon. Koushirou and Taichi ask Yamato what’s up and he admits he’s noticed that Machmon doesn’t seem all that stable, and he’s not sure what to expect in the race. At the same time, he doesn’t want to disappoint Gabumon, and he doesn’t seem interested in abandoning Machmon either. Pretty much he’s got a lot of plates to balance. He asks Gabumon to leave the strategy to him.
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The new race starts! Jou is the race caller along with Koushirou, who, uh, doesn’t show up.
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Three cheerleaders emerge! Where did they find those outfits x’D
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Wait... I mean four cheerleaders ahahahaha
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Taichi is in charge of the countdown and that’s all he does the entire episode x’D I figured he’d be out watching for danger like Koushirou but nope. Well, we had so much Taichi for so long that it’s been a breath of fresh air to focus on the others, but I’m now starting to miss my favorite sunshine boy
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And they’re off!
Mimi: Wow so fast!
Sora: Feel that wind in your hair!
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Taichi: Ugghhh I didn’t use enough hair gel for this!
Of course it’s not long before Machmon starts playing dirty again. But between Koushirou’s recon and Yamato’s up-close view, they are able to figure out that Machmon is being controlled by Parasimon, the aptly named parasite Digimon. I liked the teamwork between Yamato and Koushirou here a lot.
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Tailmon: Whoooa that guy is fugly
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Machmon then reveals that he took Parasimon on by his own free will, in order to become the best racer ever. As a result, he lost all his friends and wound up alone. He’s decided this is his last race and intends to DIE afterward. Like, he literally says “let me DIE.” that’s frickin dark
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Our Heroes will not have that, of course, so we get MetalGarurumon. His transformation sequence is a lot cooler than the actual episode.
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His big plan for saving Machmon from jumping off the cliff? BITE HIM OUT OF THE SKY
also he looks HUUUGE I was like whyyyy is he so big? and then thirty seconds later he’s back to a more normal size... but like Yamato is like a PEA on his back here bahahaha
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Just a cutie!
So yeah, it was a fun episode, if rather - ok, VERY - predictable. It’s not really the Yamato episode I always dreamed of, but eh. We’ve had a series of lighter episodes going on which has been very nice after all the non-stop action, so I’m hesitant to be too picky. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more meat to this episode. But to be fair - it wasn’t that long ago that we did get a much meatier Yamato episode, the one with Mephistomon or whatever. That’s when MetalGarurumon should have emerged imo. But maybe I’ll change my mind later... idk.
I think things are about to heat up though. The preview for episode 46:
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Takeru appears captured somewhere and Angemon has to fight a bunch of baddies, who may or may not really be there. But it’s got something to do with Devimon and there seemed to be a hint that Angemon and Devimon might have a similar relationship to Tailmon and SkullKnightmon. Which we’d already guessed a while ago, but since Devimon was defeated it seemed shelved. But no more! This is really exciting. It seems likely we’ll see MagnaAngemon next week too!
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Chronicles of Galar - Chapter 1: New friends & A Cliffhanger
This is the first real chapter of the fic. Here you are introduced to Raihan and Taiko, when you explore Hammerlocke with Sonia. Something with Leon is up to, can you help him?
It had been two weeks since you had met Leon and during these two weeks you saw each other again in person when you were visiting Professor Magnolia to begin your official start through the Galar region with your family. You met the elderly lady, the professor herself, her granddaughter Sonia and Hop, the younger brother of Leon. Back then in the Slumbering Weald you had only seen Hop briefly, but when you met again in the laboratory you got to know each other properly. Mamoru was currently away with President Rose, to whom he wanted to demonstrate a newly developed technology that would make it possible to teleport people over a very long distance. This process should be environmentally friendly and affordable, which is why the prospective professor even invited your father, Professor [L/n] from Amila, to Galar to win Rose as a financial sponsor. After all, Rose was also concerned about the environment and energy supply and with these arguments, Mamoru wanted to convince with his invention.
You, on the other hand, were in Hammerlocke with Sonia. This city was known for the fact that the mythology about the creation of the Galar region by two unknown kings originated there. Every historian visits the old "castle" in Hammerlocke for his research and of course you were also interested in finding out more about this region.
“And here you can see another mosaic. It shows a sword and a shield. These are said to have been the weapons with which the kings saved this land from disaster. Unfortunately I couldn't decipher all the cryptic letters yet, but I think the disaster had something to do with dynamaxing .. ", Sonia explained and crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Why do you think that?", You wanted to know and looked at the mosaic for a while. You couldn't figure it all out. "This shimmering reddish light, in front of the kings .. That could be a Dynamax light column, don't you think so?", the orange-haired woman asked. "Mhm. I've already heard about it, but to be honest, I haven't seen any of these pillars of light in person, so ... I have no idea. ", You answered. "You didn't? Oh, that's easy to change. The Wild Area borders on this city. We can ask Raihan to give you a little demonstration in a wild dynamax fight. " "Raihan?"
“The gym leader of this city. And a childhood friend of Leon and me. ", Sonia said and saw you stiffen for a moment. "..Is everything alright?", She spoke irritated and blinked perplexed. "Huh? Yes of course..!! Haha. I didn't even know that you knew Leon that well. ", You smiled somewhat troubled and waved her off. "And .. Raihan, Leon and you .. you were really good friends?",You asked. Sonia blinked even more and tilted her head slightly. "Err ... we are still good friends?", She said and noticed how you were getting a little tense. "And .. is there .. somehow more between you? So .. I mean .. uhm .. boyfriend-girlfriend like ..? ", you mumbled. "No, Raihan and I are not lovers.", Sonia laughed and you sighed softly, because you didn't mean Raihan at all. Now the assistant professor suddenly became aware of something.  “Oh. No, there is absolutely nothing going on between Leon and me, if that worries you. ", She giggled and winked. "Uh .. Uhm why should that worry me? Haha. I've only known him for two weeks. "
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I'm not blushing at all ..!"
"..."
Sonia shook her head in amusement and cleared her throat. “No, really now. Leon and I are just friends. No more and no less. I have no romantic interest in him. And he has none in me. ", She assured you. "..."
You didn't wanted to admit it, but this confirmation calmed you down a bit and you could have slapped yourself for feeling that way ..
So after that was resolved, the two of you went to the gym to find Raihan. Though you only found the young talented trainers that Raihan had in his gym. They were practicing on the court with their Dragon Pokemon and they looked so motivated and happy. However, there seemed to be no trace of the gym leader himself, which surprised Sonia a little. “Wait here, I'll take a look around the gym. He's probably sitting around, being lazy again somewhere and playing on his smartphone .. “, the orange-haired sighed, making you laughing uncertainly. "How did someone like that become a gym leader?"
“By losing to Leon in the final cup. He scored as second and has been defending this place for 10 years while trying to take Leon's championship title. ", Sonia explained and then apologized to leave you there and look around for the idler.
Just standing around in the stands bored you after a few minutes, so you decided to explore the gym on your own. To compete against the young talents of the final gym in the Galar Challenge would certainly be an exciting experience. You didn't take part in this challenge yourself, but you definitely didn't shy away from fights.
You walked a little through the corridors and rooms, watched the trainers fight and raise their dragons with interest, and you even learned a little about Dragapult, a dragon pokemon from this region. And which, according to the information on the information sheet above the life-size statue in the 'gift shop' of the gym, was also a team Pokemon of Leon. Why does a gym need a gift shop at all, was something you preferred not to question. This Raihan guy seemed like a very weird dude, but maybe that was what made him likeable? Just as you were about to go back to the stands and left the gift shop, you saw a leg-length, green creature scurrying past. It looked like a .. Fraxure? The first evolution of the Pokemon Axew, you noticed, before a female voice got your attention. “Aaaaah don't walk into the shop again! Raihan is going to get mad ..! Hey you over there, can you please help me to catch this Pokemon? ”a red-haired young woman, around 17-19 years old, called after you. She waved her hands in panic and tripped over one of her open shoelaces while running. As a result, she fell on her bum and sighed in annoyance. "Today sucks ..!" She muttered and pouted. You blinked and saw the Fraxure curiously sniffing at one of the souvenirs, a Flapple music box, and picking it up. “Noooo, put that back! It's fragile!!! Argh, why doesn't it obey? ", The red-haired woman shouted in frustration and ruffled her own hair as if she wanted to pull it out.
You smiled and then ran to Fraxure to gently take the music box out of it's claws and pat the Pokemon over it's head. "Well, well. That doesn't belong to you.", You rebuked and the red-haired woman used the moment to run to you and pull the Fraxure into her arms. "Gotcha, you runaway !!! Thank you for your help, miss. ", The redhead thanked you, relieved. "Oh, I actually didn't do anything. And no need for formalities. We're about the same age, ”you waved off. “My name is [Y/n]. “, You introduced yourself and held out your hand to the stranger for a greeting. The girl smiled broadly and tried to adjust Fraxure between her arms to accept this gesture and shake your hand. "I'm Taiko! And this cheeky little guy here is a Pokemon from Raihan, our gym leader. But he entrusted it to me today so that I could learn how to tame dragon pokemon. ”Taiko then explained. "... It doesn't work so well, huh?", You smirked and Taiko blinked before you pointed with your finger at Taiko's stomach area. The redhead looked down and now she also saw that the dragon pokemon had already made itself independent again and tried to run straight out of the gym. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Taiko shouted and ran after the Pokemon, but then the door suddenly opened and Taiko fell into the strong arms of a suntanned man. You blinked and looked at the man. He wore an orange-red headband, which covered his hair except for a dark braid. In addition, he partly wore the jersey of the gym trainers and over it a thick sweatshirt, which vaguely resembled a dragon. He grinned and looked down at the redhead, whose nose was now buried in his chest. A pointed fang-like tooth protruded from this grin and he smacked the younger one on the back in amusement. "I actually thought you were training the Fraxure and not the other way around." He teased her and when Taiko looked up pouting, he pinched her cheeks and pulled them apart slightly, as if he was talking to a child. "Stop it, Raihan .."
Ah, so that was Raihan. You smiled, because that's exactly how you had imagined him after Sonia's stories. Raihan laughed and then looked at you. "A friend of yours?" He wanted to know. "Uh .. you could say so.", Taiko laughed, which made you blink. "Uhm not really. We just got to know each other because the Fraxure almost ran into my arms. ", you clarified. “Well, then we got to know each other better. Because I always make friends with everyone I get to know! So that's a warning. ", Taiko winked and you smiled. That was an extremely lively girl. Through and through sympathetic and a nice change from the other redheads you knew (Aki was a redhead) .. Not that you didn't appreciate your sister-in-law, but she was sometimes a little too serious and grown up for the jokes that you and your brother liked to hatch. With Taiko, you felt like she was a massive mood cannon. "Understood. I have no objection to that. ", You laughed then and Raihan grinned wider as he casually called the Fraxure back into the Pokeball. “Well, then I would like to introduce myself officially. My name is Raihan and I'm the gym leader of the Hammerlocke gym. ", He flirty-winked, which reminded you a bit that he tried to hit on you. "Errr .."
Taiko poked him lightly in the side, then turned to her new self-proclaimed friend, aka you. “Raihan is a playful idiot. If he tries to flirt with you, just don't take it seriously. Because he never means it seriously. ", She warned. Raihan twisted the corner of his mouth and crossed his arms behind his head. “You don't need to get jealous, Taiko. You know that you are my number 1 girl. ", He then spoke teasingly, whereupon a shoe flew in his direction. Taiko's blushing face showed anger and embarassment and she hobbled over to pick up her shoe. "Idiot.", She said and you briefly hesitated until you saw that they were both laughing with each other. That calmed you. It was just mutual teasing. These two seemed really close, you thought with a smile.
Sonia was finally back and Raihan was allowed to listen to a lecture about the obligations of a gym leader, because apparently nobody in the gym knew that the dragon tamer was simply absent for hours because he - Quote from Raihan: an important event of one of his mobile games where you had to find hidden clues in different parts of Hammerlocke. (Something like a mix of Pokemon GO and the Harry Potter mobile game that use real locations)
After that, of course, he was more than happy to show you a Dynamax raid fight in the wild area. If the wild area had not been partially closed due to a strong storm. Well then that had to be postponed. You used the time, to learn more about the history of Galar, with Sonia and also with Taiko's help and you got to know each other better. “So you come from Johto? And your mother works at Ho-Oh's temple in Ecruteak City? Then you surely have an Eevee development too, right? ", You wanted to know with interest when Sonia and Raihan got some books from the library. "Yes, exactly. I was supposed to work as a geisha, too, but .. That just wasn't my thing. I need some action. That's why I came here to Galar. You know, my family took a vacation here 10 years ago and Raihan saved me in the Wild Area. We've been in touch ever since, and when I was finally old enough to travel I came here straight away! .. Well, almost immediately. Haha. I came here when I was 14 after starting my journey in Johto. Mother said that I should first really get to know my home region before I set off for foreign regions. "
"And it took you 4 years for it?", You interrupted her with a smile. "... Well, you can count 2 years less of secret trips to Galar to hang out with Raihan. Yes. ", Taiko mumbled and nudged her index fingers together. You had to laugh gently. "Wow and you're not married yet, after all the meetings and teasing each other?" You asked. Taiko went bright red in the face and gestured with her hands in panic. "Huuh? Why do we should be married? We .. we're not a couple .. ”, the tomboy defended herself vigorously. Your smirk went wider. “You like each other alot. A blind man can see that. I was watching Raihan when you ran into his arms. That affected look he gave you. He would probably never admit it. And you also have butterfrees in your stomach when he's with you. ",You stated. “Ahahaha, you have a blooming imagination. Raihan and I are just friends. Who wants such an idiot as a boyfriend! He's always on his cell phone. And he has absolutely no sense of responsibility. He leaves the trainers under my supervision all the time and then disappears for hours .. ", Taiko sighed. "But doesn't that mean how much trust he has in you when he entrusts his students to you?" You then asked. Taiko blinked and crossed her arms. “I haven't seen it that way yet .. But .. he always shifts his work on to others. And then has fun in some nightclubs .. He's probably also dragging every chick he meets in his bedroom .. ", the redhead spoke lowly, gritting her teeth and clenching her hand into a fist. You smiled. "I don't know Raihan that well yet, and of course I don't know you either, but .. I don't think he's the kind of guy who is like that and sleeps with many women. Of course, he has a certain .. charm about himself and he also seems to like to flirt, but .. Mhm no, I wouldn't trust him to have flings. My knowledge of human nature has never disappointed me ”, you assured her. "Do you think so?" Taiko asked and her face showed traces of relief. Now you had to giggle again. “And now you've definitely given yourself away. You're ... totally in love with Raihan. "
"I'm not.."
"Who's in love with whom?" a male voice asked behind you and Taiko winced because it was Raihan's voice. You turned around and saw Raihan with a mountain of books in his arms. Next to him was Sonia, who also carried some books and eyed both of you curiously. "Ah. [Y/n] has a crush on… uh .. the Slowpoke-Guy * from the new sitcom. ”Taiko quickly made up and saw how your facial features derailed. Raihan blinked and laughed, which made him drop the books. "Really? This guy's such a troll. He's running around in a Slowpoke costume and looks totally retarded. ", Raihan laughed and was hit with a book by Sonia for dropping the books. "Err .. That was just a joke of her. We actually talked about Hop getting along pretty well with his neighbor Gloria. And we have the feeling that they are in love with each other. ", You said then and saw Taiko smile gratefully. You could have whipped your red-haired new acquaintance over, especially after this thing with the Slowpoke Dude.
"I see? Well, the two of them are cute together. But still a little too young for a serious relationship for my taste. ", Raihan thought. "Define 'serious relationship'.", Sonia interfered and Raihan looked at her with a slight grin. "Sex."
"..."
You cleared your throat and also Taiko seemed a little embarrassed by the directness of her crush. “Sex isn't the most important thing in a relationship. At that age, it's perfectly normal to have your first boyfriend or girlfriend. Apart from kissing and holding hands, nothing happens. ", You considered. "How boring.", Raihan just said and crossed his arms behind his back. “Have you ever been in a committed relationship, Raihan? As far as I know, every woman turns you down because of your stupid pick-up lines .. ", Sonia sighed, shaking her head. Raihan looked at her and looked briefly offended. “Hey, they're not stupid! My pick-up lines are great. ”, The dark-skinned man then protested. "Oh yes? Then let me hear them. ", You suggested and smiled. Admittedly, these Galar acquaintances were sometimes really crazy people, but that's exactly what you loved. You had the feeling that you will be very good friends with these people ..
"Are there any other sights in town, besides you?" Raihan grinned with a sexy wink and a finger pistol gesture. "...Seriously?"
"Wait, I have another one! When God created you, he sure wanted to show off. ", Raihan tried again. But all in response from the three women was a mutual giggle. “Oh god, the pick-up-lines are so bad. Hahaha, my little brother Kaito can do them better. ", You giggled and shook your head amused. Sonia laughed too and Taiko smiled too, but you could tell that she was slightly uncomfortable about the subject. "Okay okay. That was really bad. But maybe I'll wait for the right one for the best lines. ", Raihan countered and looked slightly to the side. You stopped laughing and then looked at him in amazement. "That hardly sounded like you at all.", Sonia stated. "Can we just change the subject?" Taiko sighed, slightly annoyed. "Sorry.", You smirked and then helped Sonia to pick up the books that Raihan had dropped.
You sat down together in a cozy cafe in a sitting area and you let the three of them explain a little about Galar's history. At least what was known to some extent.
You were very curious and inquisitive about Galar's history. You liked this region more and more  and you couldn't even say exactly why. But at some point a slight commotion outside the cafe caught your attention. It seemed as if a large television team was gathered there and the flashing lights flashed through the window of the cafe like a thunderstorm.
Sonia stopped talking and followed your gaze to the window. “Oh, this is just an interview with Leon. I just checked my messaging app and it seems like he single-handedly stopped a runaway Gigantamax Toxtricity. Which is remarkable, because Toxtricity is already a serious opponent against Charizard with its G-Max Stun Shock. ", the orange-haired woman explained. “So many reporters and so much hectic pace? Leon certainly doesn't have an easy time being that popular. He can't go anywhere without being surrounded by curious fans or journalists, ” you said softly. “Yes, those are the downsides of his title. But don't worry, Leon enjoys the spotlight that's falling on him. He enjoys the fame and the many public appearances. ", Raihan said. He knew his rival and best friend well enough by now. You fell silent and got up to walk to the window and get a better look at the man at the center of this interview. Your look became a little worried, because although Leon had put on his usual smile, he looked pretty exhausted. He looked quite pale, despite his darker skin color and it seemed as if he had hardly slept recently. At least you could see his dark circles under his eyes. On this occasion you also remembered that his last message was a few days ago with the excuse that he had so much to do and at the moment didn't really know where his head was. At first you thought it was an excuse not to have to answer, but now that you saw him, he was really overwhelmed at the moment.
You were torn from your thoughts when you noticed a hand on your shoulder. You blinked and looked beside you when you saw Taiko's slightly grinning face. “Seems like our champion is very important to you. You're worried about his health, aren't you? ”The redhead asked mischievously. You knew why she was grinning like this. Now was Taiko's chance to strike back, for earlier. Because you would have to lie if you didn't think a little bit about the handsome purple-haired man since you met ..
"Nonsense. But I am a little tired. Let's move on to the history lesson tomorrow. By the way, my brother probably already misses me. After the appointment with Rose, he wanted to wait for me at the hotel to tell me how the conversation went. In any case, it was very nice to have made your acquaintance, Taiko and Raihan too. I have the feeling that we will meet a few more times. ", you smiled and then bowed politely as a farewell. Taiko grinned and gave you a thumbs up. "You can bet on it! Come safely to the hotel. Not that it's unsafe here in the city, but when it gets dark there could be strange figures walking around outside. ", The redhead warned. “Of course, I'll be careful. Anyway, I left my number for you Taiko. Just call me. See you! And thank you for the insight into Galar's history. Really interesting. ”With these words you said goodbye to your new friends. "Mmm, I wonder why she lied to us.", Sonia began after you had left the cafe. "Huh?" Raihan and Taiko looked questioningly at the orange-haired woman. Sonia then folded her arms. “[Y/n]s brother is at a long conference in Amila with Rose. Grandmother told me that, she knows every professor very well, including her father. And that means her brother isn't expecting her, you see? Why did she say that? ”She wondered then. "Mhmm .. Raihan pissed her off with his stupidity." Taiko said teasingly and Raihan then playfully put her in a headlock. "More like you shooshed her away with your intrusiveness!", He countered and the two laughed while they wrestled a little. Sonia just watched them with a sigh and then looked outside, where Leon was being questioned by reporters. "Is ... he the reason?"
To be continued..
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scruffyssketchbook · 3 years
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I decided to write a quick little fanfiction based partly on a prediction that @alterofnoone posted, credit to them for the original idea.
Eve was having a confrontation with the girls from Greenpaw in the forest.
“Okay then, Eve, I’m going to ask you a question. If you give me an acceptable answer, I’ll let you be on your merry way, and I’ll even give you your bow back! However, if you give me an answer I don’t like, well… You’ll just have to see for yourself,” explained Bow.
“A-Alright, that sounds simple enough… What’s your question?” asked Eve.
“Where is Clef?”
There was silence for a few seconds.
“...What? How on earth do you think I know that?”
“The last time I saw him was right before he went missing, and if I remember correctly, he was going to see you.”
“That doesn’t mean I know where he is, he wasn’t even with me at the time. I have no idea how he went missing!”
“I know you’re lying, Eve, I know you know where he is, so tell me!”
“I don’t know!”
“Eve, this is your last chance. Tell me where Clef is or I’m going to have to use force.”
“Bow, I told you, I have no idea.”
“Alright then, I guess I have no choice. Lilly, get her.”
“Yes ma’am!” Lilly said obediently.
Lilly punched Eve right in the face to disorientate her, then grabbed her tightly by the arms.
“W-what are you doing!? Let me go!!” yelled the extremely frightened Eve.
“I told you I was going to use force, didn’t I? Now, I have a little surprise for you,” said Bow.
Eve could just barely make out a faint orange glow coming from somewhere.
“A surprise? W-wait, you don’t mean…?”
Bow pulled out a Fire Stone, while suspiciously still keeping one paw behind her back.
“The girls and I have been quietly watching you, and we’ve figured out that Flareon is the Eeveelution you least want to evolve into. So then, this is truly your last chance to tell me where Clef is, or you can say goodbye to life as an Eevee.”
“I really, really have no clue where he is! Let me go, please, I’m begging you! I don’t want to be a Flareon!!”
“Heh, oh well, I gave you as many chances as I could, but it seems like that just wasn’t enough. Now, evolve!!”
Bow pushed the Fire Stone into Eve’s chest, and sure enough, her body started glowing. After a few seconds, the glowing stopped, revealing bright orange fur, a tuft of fluff on her forehead, a fluffier mane and a much fluffier tail. Eve’s evolution was complete. She had a look of horror on her face as she looked at her new body.
Lilly let go of Eve, and the Greenpaw girls started walking away.
“Enjoy your new life as a Flareon~!” Bow said mockingly. “Oh, and have your stupid bow back, we don’t need it anymore.”
Eve collapsed onto her knees, her eyes filling up with tears, and she let out a crying scream of sadness and despair.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”
  (This next part wasn’t one of the predictions but I just wanted to add it for fun)
  Meanwhile, in the Icedrop house, Blizz was napping on the couch when he heard the very same scream.
“Wha, what was that… Hold on, that sounded like Eve!”
Blizz ran out of the house as fast as he could so that he could get to the source of the scream. When he got to the entrance of the forest, he stopped to think for a second.
“The scream came from, um… That way!”
He ran in the approximate direction where he heard the scream, and he stopped when he came across… a seemingly random Flareon who was knelt crying. He thought for a minute until he figured out who it was.
“Could it be? No way, Eve, is-is that you?”
“H-huh? *hic* Blizz?”
Still not completely sure, Blizz slowly walked around to face the front of the Flareon, and sure enough, to his disbelief, saw those unmistakable hot-pink eyes.
“Oh my Arceus, Eve!”
Blizz knelt so he could be at Eve’s eye level.
“Who did this to you?” he asked her, but she kept quiet.
Figuring she wouldn’t just tell him straight-up, Blizz hugged her in an embrace.
“Please, tell me who did this to you.”
“It *hic*... It was… G-green… paw…”
“Greenpaw? You mean those girls who constantly bully you?”
Eve nodded in response.
“Grrr… I’ll make them pay… How dare those sickos force you to evolve,” he said angrily. “For now though, let’s get you home.”
Blizz helped Eve up and had his arm around her while they walked.
“This is gonna be really hard to explain to the others in Icedrop, but I’ll make sure to tell them everything.”
“Mm, *sniff* Okay.”
“Oh, and I could call Oliver over so you two can be together for a while if you’d like. I know he’s in Greenpaw, but I can find a way to reach him.”
“Yeah, that would be nice. Thanks, Blizz,” Eve said, managing a smile.
With that, Blizz and Eve walked the rest of the way to the Icedrop house.
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Thanks for reading my fanfiction, I hope you enjoyed it!
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Survey #425
“evolution repressed by our backwards contest  /  breeding our torrential demise as we come to this edge”
Serious question, peanut butter or nutella? I think Nutella is a godsend, but I use peanut butter waaaaay more often. We don't even really buy Nutella because I will destroy the jar. Do you prefer baked potatoes or mashed potatoes? Baked. What is your oldest sibling’s middle name? Kathryn. I think. Do you like breadsticks? I just like bread, man. What are your favorite things to spend money on? Tattoos, uuuuugggghhhhh <3 Which would you rather have a new puppy or kitten? Neither, really. Most puppies drive me insane (even though they're cute as everliving fuck), and I don't want another cat. Mom actually talked about getting another, but I really just want my one boy. Roman would get SO jealous, anyway. I enjoy just having my baby. How old will you be on your next birthday? 26. Yikes. Do you ever feel self-conscious when you eat around other people? As "the fat one," I can be sometimes. I would say though that more often than not, it's sort of whatever to me because I'm a human that has to eat. When you opened your eyes this morning, what were your first thoughts? I thought I slept way later than I actually did. What is one thing in the room you’re in that reminds you of somebody? My stuffed meerkat Rebel. Jason got it for me for my first birthday that we were together. Could you ever be friends with somebody who was homophobic? Never again. I was once able to think "agree to disagree," but sometimes by doing so, you're siding with evil by not enforcing what is more than just a belief. It should come with being a human. Also given my own sexuality, it would be a slap in the face to me. Would you ever want to be a supermodel, or date one? Hell no. I'd date one though, if they were modest about their position. Honestly, have you ever made fun of somebody so bad they cried? Wow, no. Honestly, would you rather be complimented on your looks or intelligence? Quite frankly, nowadays, my appearance. I need it. My self-confidence is so far below "shit." Have you ever purchased a pregnancy test, for yourself or otherwise? Nope. You can get one thing, anything, for free right now. What do you pick? Why? Hm. I know I talk about it a lot, but it would still probably be a 40 gallon terrarium for Venus. She needs - and deserves - it. Honestly, have you ever danced naked? NOOOOOOOO. What was the first illegal thing that you did? Did you get caught? Downloaded music. My mom eventually found out, but didn't care much. What is the home page on the computer you’re on? Google. Do you like to write poetry? I do, but I haven't done it in a while. :/ Are your ears pierced? Yes. If so, were they pierced with a piercing gun, or with a sterile needle? Piercing gun. Which, by the way, do not do. There are many more risks with a piercing gun versus a needle by a professional. Do you wear makeup regularly? I never do. Did you eat cereal for breakfast today? No. I've been on a bagel kick lately. When was the last time you tripped over something? Last night, actually. The rug in the living room was slightly turned up, and I tripped in the dark. I didn't actually fall, thankfully. Any obsessive-compulsive tendencies? I'm diagnosed with OCD. I experience more ruminations and intrusive thoughts more than obsessive behaviors, though. Who was the last person you yelled at? Probably Mom. Why did you yell at them? I don't remember. Favorite type of apple? I like pink lady apples. I really enjoy any, so long as they're crisp. Ever seen live horse racing? No. To be totally honest, I don't really like the concept of it. Motivating a horse to run by hurting it doesn't exactly seem moral... How about live greyhound racing? No. What’s one thing, besides the obvious, that you couldn’t live without? The Internet, haha. Have you ever touched a giraffe? No. What does your mom call you? Britt. What stresses you out the most in life? I really don't think I could pick a top one. There are so many. Do you play any PC games? What is your favorite? Yeah. Y'all probably know WoW is my favorite. If you were pregnant, how would you tell the father? Well, that would depend on the circumstances. Did we want a baby? Was it a bad surprise, a happy surprise? I can't answer this with just one idea. What’s the hardest level you can play on Guitar Hero? I used to be able to slam out Expert easily with only very few songs I had to play on Hard, but now it's been YEARS. I've played less than once in a blue moon, and my skill's definitely faded some. It really depends on the song. What ever happened with you and your first boyfriend? He couldn't handle my depression anymore. What’s your favorite country song? "When The Stars Go Blue" by Tim McGraw, probably. What is the worst thing a former boyfriend/girlfriend has done to you? Fail to communicate what he was feeling with me and then make a dashing break for it very, very abruptly after three and a half years. It put me past a state of shock, but trauma with how no less than obsessed I was with him. What were you for Halloween last year? I didn't dress up. :/ I wish I had the money and motivation alike to. Are you feeling guilty for something? I always will. Are you usually quiet or loud? Quiet. How many hours do you spend on the computer a day? Like... uh... all of them, oof. What is the show that you watched when you were little, and you still do? Meerkat Manor. Do your siblings text you? Not really. Do you want a small or big wedding? Small. Have you ever searched for your own house on Google Earth? Not the house I currently live in, but I have before. Who is your ex dating/talking to? I don't know. Ever kissed someone who smokes? No. Does it take a lot for someone to annoy you? Frankly, no. Do you own your own computer? This laptop, anyway. Did you ever have to share a room with one of your siblings? Yes, with my younger sister as a kid and pre-teen. What noises in the room you’re in, do you hear at the moment? I hear the video I'm watching, as well as my fan. Have you ever dated someone with longer hair than yours? Yes. What’s the biggest upcoming event for you? Nothing. Not like that's a surprise. What do you typically order from Wendy’s? Son of the Baconator. @_@ Have you ever been given a lapdance by an actual stripper? No. Those are so awkward to me. What do you love most about yourself? I don't know these days. Have you ever received a hickey from the last person you kissed? No. What are you doing right now? This survey and re-watching John Wolfe play Outlast 2. What’s bothering you right now? I'm immensely nervous about tomorrow. I have my first (and I pray the fuck to God not only) session with my new personal trainer then, and I'm terrified by how my body and my mental fortitude is going to react. Y'all have no fucking idea JUST how out of shape I am, and the muscles in my legs seem basically non-existent by now. I have to do something about my health, though, and I'm determined to make this shit work. More than determined. I know the first day is going to be hard, but I need to do this more than I can explain. What was the last thing you drank? ... What great fucking timing, I have a can of Mountain Dew, lol... That's another thing that needs to change. I've gotta stop the emotional and boredom-eating and chill the fuck out with soda. Be honest, do you like people in general? Quite frankly, no. There are plenty of people I love and think are amazing, of course, but I think I lean towards humanity being too shitty to like "in general." Do you want your tongue pierced? I miss my snake eyes. :/ That was suuuuch a cute piercing. I just had to take it out for the safety of my teeth. I kept accidentally clamping down on one of the balls when eating, and it would cause tiny fractures. Do you change your phone background a lot? No. Have you ever made someone so mad that they broke something? No. Have you ever been strip searched? No. Do you have a funny last name? Does anyone make fun of it? It's not funny-sounding, no, I just think it's too manly for me to enjoy as part of my name. Ever have a drug overdose? What did you OD on exactly? Yes. Oddly enough, I don't remember what I OD'd on now... You'd think I would, given how extreme the situation was. It was some cold medicine. Do you get sick of people who call themselves bipolar all the time? I absolutely do. It's extremely insensitive to people like myself who legitimately suffer - and I do mean "suffer" - from the disorder. Describe your day so far in three words: Dull. Lazy. Anxious. What was the most stressful project you had so far/while in school? Probably my senior project and the presentation I had to do for it. I taught about the fallacies and misconceptions of snakes, and I made a PowerPoint and some drawings to color and crosswords for the special ed children. I was so, so very nervous, but I got through it fine and the kids seemed to enjoy it. I actually still have the recording. Choose one- Butterfinger, Milky Way, Snickers: MILKY WAY. FUCK I love those. Have you ever stepped in dog poop? UGH yes. What was the last thing you spent money on? My niece's birthday present. Have you ever slept in the same bed with the last person you kissed? Yeah. Is there a guy that knows a lot about you? I almost said "yes," but then I realized he doesn't know me at all anymore. I've changed so much, hopefully mostly for the better. He hasn't "known" me in many years. Is there someone you just can’t imagine your life without? It's terrifying to imagine my life without Mom; Sara, too. Do you prefer Starbucks coffee or small cafe coffee? I prefer no coffee. Would you ever consider getting a piercing in your septum? Nah. Do you enjoy being outdoors? If it's cool outside and I have somewhere to sit that's not the ground, yes. Do people tell you that you have an accent? Sometimes. Do you enjoy watching fireworks on the 4th of July? They're pretty, but I don't support their usage by this point in my life. They're a fire hazard, triggering to some vets with PTSD, and beyond terrifying for animals. What’re some unspeakable subjects for you? I get most heated about child molestation. You do not fucking touch a child like that. I don't even write any of my bajillion evil guys committing it in RP because I just can't stomach it. Even when my little sister (a children's social worker) is telling Mom about some stuff she sees at work, I have to not be present, 'cuz that shit isn't rare. It's nauseating. Is there anyone you would take a bullet for? A good number of people, honestly. Do you enjoy tanning? Hell no, I avoid the sun and heat at like all costs. Are you a virgin? This is going to sound weird, but I actually don't know, but I lean towards no. Who’s your celebrity crush? mARK EDWARD FISCHFUCK Did or do you get good grades in English class? I was always excellent in English. What part of your body are you self-conscious about? My stomach. But I'm self-conscious about everything else, too. Are you expected to help fix Thanksgiving dinner? No. Everyone knows I can't cook worth a damn. Have you ever lost anyone close to cancer? Truly close, no. Unless you include pets, actually. Then a few. :/ Do you personally know anyone who is transgender? Yep. When was the last time you got a shot? Earlier this year for Covid. Get your fucking vaccine, btw. :^)
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buckleysjareau · 4 years
Text
you feel like the sun on my face
Buck has a way of doing things and saying things that even in Eddie’s worst moods, he still can’t fight his smile.
or
Eddie's view on Buck's Wikipedia spirals and the beginning of the brilliant idea it inspires.
part 1/3 in my series ‘cause i’m not too far and you’re my favorite place on ao3
cw; non-graphic description of anxiety, scary facts about tsunamis (they’re freaky so this is just to be safe)
-
One thing Eddie noticed about Buck in the time they’d become friends was that Buck loved to research. He was full of obscure knowledge and useless academic insight and he never let people forget that. 
The longer they were friends, the more Eddie realized it was used as a coping mechanism. After bad calls, he’d sit on his laptop and fall down a Wikipedia rabbit hole that, according to Buck, is extremely difficult to get out of. 
After the train derailment, and as Buck put it ever so dramatically, the derailment of his sanity, he’d taken Buck back to his house. After the exhausting night they had, he figured Buck would fall right to sleep as soon as he hit the couch. He offered his bed, they were two adults, they didn’t have to make sharing a bed weird; but no, Buck insisted he sleep on the couch. 
Which would have been fine with Eddie if Buck had actually slept. 
“How did you know my laptop password?” He snorts when he realizes Buck is using his laptop. 
When Buck turns to look at him with a smirk, Eddie’s eyes widen as he notices Buck’s bloodshot eyes and the bags under them. “Chris’ birthday, dude? Really?” 
“Have you slept a wink?” He leans up against the wall, arms crossed, eyebrows raised. 
“Probably not.” He shrugs. “Too busy reading about the evolution of cameras.”
“The what?” Eddie’s mouth drops. “Why would you need to know about the evolution of cameras? And why my laptop? Don’t you have a phone?”
“Why wouldn’t I need to know about the evolution of cameras? The history of the camera began even before the introduction of photography. It evolved from the camera obscura through so many generations of photographic technology like daguerreotypes, calotypes, dry plates, and film. Now we’ve got cameras on our phones, and not to mention cameras and phones didn’t used to exist, which is crazy.” Buck sounded exhausted but enthused at the same time and Eddie curses himself for finding his coping mechanism adorable. “Speaking of phones, to answer your question, it died somewhere around three.”
Eddie nods. “So that’s why Maddie’s called me six times.”
Buck looks at him sheepishly. “Sorry?”
The next time Eddie catches him during one of his Wikipedia binges, it happens a month after they get together. 
During family dinner at the station, Bobby mentioned that Harry begged to have a beach day and proceeded to invite the rest of the one-eighteen on their next day off. Eddie looked over to his boyfriend at the mention of it but Buck wasn’t showing any signs that he wasn’t okay with going. 
But he was always good at putting on a mask. Spectacularly good at it.
When he wakes up on the day they’re supposed to go, he sends Buck a quick text before he goes about his usual routine. He gets Chris up, brushes his teeth, attempts to make a nice breakfast for them, and gets Christopher ready for the day. 
When Buck doesn’t text him back by the time he checks his phone again, he starts to worry. He feels foolish for worrying about not getting a text back, especially when it’s possible that Buck could be going through his morning routine as well, but his reason for worrying is justified. 
He gives it another hour before he stops torturing himself waiting for Buck to call or text just to let him know he is on his way.
“Chris, buddy, change of plans! We’re gonna pick up Buck on the way.” 
“I thought he was picking us up?” 
Eddie smiles through his worry. “I think he overslept, bud. We’re gonna go wake him up.”
Christopher grins. “Surprise attack?”
Eddie snorts. “Surprise attack.” 
He lets himself in with his key after knocking fails to work. He automatically sees Buck slumped over the island in his kitchen, just barely sitting on the white stool. His laptop is open and next to it, Buck is dozed off. 
Eddie squints to see where Buck landed in his Wikipedia spiral and when he sees what it is, his heart squeezes in his chest.
The tsunami with the highest runup was the 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami, which had a record height of 524 m (1,719 ft).
He skims through enough of the page to know he’s looking through Wikipedia’s page on tsunamis. He looks at the top to see the tabs he has open which only makes him feel worse.
How To Survive a Tsunami, According to Science
2019 Santa Monica Tsunami
Tsunamis In History
Dealing with Aquaphobia
There’s a lot of tabs open and all of them have to do with tsunamis. He knew this would be upsetting for him, he knew Buck was pushing his limits by even saying yes to going. He should have seen this coming.
“Hey, buddy, I’m gonna wake up Buck and we’re gonna have a little talk. Do you mind going to the couch? I’ll put the T.V. on once he’s awake, yeah?” 
“Is Bucky okay?”
 “Do you remember how nervous you were to go back to the beach after the tsunami? I think he’s going through the same thing right now, but he’ll be just fine. You know why?”
“Because he has us?” 
“Because he has us.” Eddie smiles softly. 
Once he gets Chris set up on the couch, he quietly walks over to where Buck is still drooling onto the island. He can’t stop the snort that escapes him. He reaches over to his shoulder and shakes gently, realizing how deep in sleep he is when that doesn’t wake up. He shakes his shoulder a little harder.
“Buck, hey, honey… wake up.” 
That does the trick. Buck bolts upright too fast, falling completely off of the island stool and just misses completely hitting the floor when Eddie catches him with two arms. 
Buck’s eyes widen at the sight of Eddie. “Eddie? Shit, what time is it?”
“Hey, it’s okay! It’s just passed twelve.”
“Shit, Eds, we’re late! I’m so sorry, dude. Give me-”
Eddie stops him from frantically running to get ready by tightening his grip on Buck’s shoulders. “Slow your roll, babe.  I think we should talk first.” 
He feels Buck’s entire body tense at those words. “Talk about what?”
Eddie ducks down to get Buck to meet his eyes, smiling softly when he does to hopefully ease whatever spiraling thoughts going through his head. “Have you been anywhere near the beach since the tsunami?”
Buck looked unsettled, almost embarrassed as he closed his eyes and shook his head.
Eddie sucks in a breath. “Buck, it’s been over a year…” 
“I know, I know, I’m pathetic. It’s just-”
“You’re not pathetic, babe. After what you went through out there, no one could ever blame you for not wanting to go. Clearly this whole day out has you on edge if your searches have anything to say, so why did you say yes?”
“I can’t avoid it forever, Eds.” Eddie’s heart cracks along with Buck’s voice.
“No, you can’t. But you have me, Buck, you didn’t have to deal with all of this anxiety alone…”
“I just… hate that I’m a grown man that cowers at even the thought of going near open water. This is something that I should just be able to do without someone holding my hand.” He swallows. “I said yes because I thought I would be ready. I guess there really is no ready, though, is there? I’m always just going to be like this.”
Eddie frowns. “Trauma knows no age, you know that. You went through a trauma and being scared does not make you less of an adult, doesn’t make you a coward. Let me tell you this. I wasn’t ready in any way, shape, or form to be a dad when Christopher was born, but the second I got over the initial terror that I’d fuck it all up, being that wonderful kid’s dad in end of that fear was pretty damn rewarding. So, what I’m trying to say is, we don’t have to go, we can just sit here the whole day and play video games and stuff our faces. But, really the only way to conquer a fear is to face it, right? I’ll be right by your side the entire time, we only have to go as far as you can make yourself.”
“And I’ll be there!” Christopher shouts from the couch and Buck’s face lights up as his eyes fill with new tears. 
“Superman!” 
Eddie can’t stop the enormous grin that comes from the sight of his son and his boyfriend meeting for a hug in the middle for a room. Buck is kneeling down to Christopher’s height and has his arms tightly wrapped around him. 
“I was scared the first time at the beach too, but I was okay because I had my dad. You’ll have both of us, Bucky. It’s going to be okay, kid.” Eddie watches through his own tears as Buck’s shoulders shake with sobs. 
“You’re such a good kid, buddy, you know that?” Buck is gleaming and though filled with tears, his eyes are full of love. 
“Please don’t leave my side,” Buck’s plea is desperate but Eddie wants to laugh.
“Never.”
Buck never stops shaking the entire drive to the beach. 
“A tsunami can travel at 500 miles an hour, a wall of water can travel at you full force until it hits.” He’s whispering so he can’t scare Christopher but it does nothing to help himself. 
“Buck…”
“If a large magnitude earthquake hit Alaska, it could trigger a tsunami in California. An earthquake can happen 2,000 miles away and cause 700 million dollars worth of property damage, not to mention the death toll that would cause.”
Eddie tries to stop him another time, but only gets cut off by another fact about tsunamis. 
“A smaller tsunami could be triggered by an offshore earthquake and we’d only have ten minutes to evacuate and that’s if we even knew we had to evacuate-”
“Evan, stop. You’re only freaking yourself out more, okay? It’s going to be okay whatever happens. I’m by your side, I have you, baby.” 
Eddie feels like he’s in Heaven just watching Buck blush and look down at the pet name, but then the tiny smile drops and he looks away.
He’s quiet after that but Eddie can feel the car vibrate even after it’s turned off with the force of Buck’s shaking. “You ready?”
Buck’s eyes squeeze shut the second his eyes see the ocean. “As I’ll ever be.”
The grip Buck has on Eddie’s hand is bordering too tight but he’s walking on the sand and towards where everyone was set up, closer to the water, and he finds himself emotional that Buck has gotten this far. 
“Just keep swimming, Bucky.” Christopher cheers on from next to Eddie. “Just like Dory.”
He’s almost certain he hears a whimper from Buck at the expression. 
“Just like Dory.” Buck repeats. 
The second they reach everyone, Buck spins to face Eddie and quickly pulls him into arms, seeking comfort. He wastes no time in returning the hug, cradles the back of Buck’s head in his hand and uses the other to rub his back. 
“You made it, babe. You did so fucking good, I’m so proud of you.” 
He knows their family is watching, he hears Maddie distantly explain that this is the first time he’s stepped foot on a beach in a year and a half. His only focus is telling his boyfriend how damned proud he is. 
“I love you,” is muffled by Eddie’s shirt but he doesn’t need it to be comprehensible because he feels it loud and clear. 
“Forever.” 
The next time he really thinks of Buck’s obscure knowledge and his coping mechanism, it really comes in handy. 
Eddie felt as though he was vibrating out of his own skin the entire shift. His hands were shaking by the time he finally got home. He finds Christopher asleep in Buck’s arms on the couch. The sight of his favorite people lessens the tightness in his chest in the slightest. 
“Hey, how was work?” Buck whispers when he lays his eyes on him. 
“Nothing too crazy happened, so I guess good.” He shrugs. “Thanks for watching him today, seriously.”
“You okay?” Buck shoots him a look when Eddie goes to lie. “Eds, your hands are shaking. What’s wrong?” 
Eddie sighs. “I just feel… weird.”
“Let me get him to bed seeing as we both fell asleep here and then we can talk, okay? Sit down, take a breath.”
He tears up at the sight of Buck carrying Christopher to bed. He couldn’t believe he found someone that loved his son like their own and he couldn’t believe that person was Buck. His best friend. 
“Talk to me, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” 
“You seem to be in a good mood,” He tries to get the attention away from himself, even though he knows it’s pointless. After the lawsuit, before they even got together, they both promised to communicate better. They both definitely failed at that far more than they should have, but no one should have expected any less. They were trying, that’s all that mattered.
If they brought a call home with them, they talked it out. 
“What can I say, your kid is a ray of sunshine.” He grins. “Nice try though, Eds. You didn’t let me get away with it last week and your shaking is kind of scaring me. Come sit.”
Buck has a way of doing things and saying things that even in Eddie’s worst moods, he still can’t fight his smile. Eddie lazily threw himself onto the couch next to Buck. 
“What do you want me to even say? It’s not like I brought a call home with me. Nothing bad happened. I’m just, uh, in a mood.” He doesn’t realize he’s crying until Buck is cupping his face in his hand. The soft concern behind his blue eyes makes more tears build behind his own. 
“Come here,” Buck whispers, guiding Eddie’s head down to where it’s laying just above his heart. “Anxiety?” 
He doesn’t know why that word draws a reaction as strong as sobbing but Buck pointing out it’s not just a weird mood has him breathless and emotional. 
Buck tightens his arms around him. “Hey, take a deep breath with me alright?” 
He nods and takes in a breath just after Buck and to know that he can breathe is enough to calm some of his bubbling anxiety. 
“You hear my heartbeat?” Buck is so unbelievably good at taking care of him when he feels this way. God, how did he get so lucky?
When Eddie nods he feels Buck’s chest rise just a little with quiet laughter. “Did you know you can hear a blue whale’s heartbeat from two miles away?” 
Eddie laughs wetly. “Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah! And even though they’re the biggest animal that’s ever lived on Earth, blue whales feed on krill, they’re like tiny shrimp. They can eat up to 36,000 kilograms of krill a day. Lucky animals.”
This statement has a laugh erupting from him without time to muffle it, a smile spread from ear to ear as he looks up at his boyfriend. 
“There he is!” He smiles down at him before he pecks his lips. “Anyone ever told you how dazzling your smile is, Diaz?”
“Dazzling?” He snorts. 
“It’s one of the many words I would use to describe your smile. Dazzling, shiny, gleaming, beautiful, life ruining, you know.”
The anxiety is slowly leaving his body and it’s filling with love and warmth in its place. He snuggles closer in Buck’s arms and revels in the safety and comfort. 
“You know? I never get to be the little spoon. This is nice.” 
“Now you know how I feel in your arms.”
“Safe? Happy? Warm?”
Buck lips quiver with emotion. His eyes give away love, peace, light. “Yeah, exactly.”
It’s quiet for a few minutes before Eddie’s curiosity gets the better of him. “Hey, Buck?”
“Mm?” 
“Can I ask you something? It’s not a big deal, but my curiosity is getting the better of me.” He continues when Buck hums his response. “The Wikipedia spirals? The random knowledge about blue whales, the evolution of cameras, winning us trivia night at Frisco’s like it’s nothing every week with answers to questions Bobby didn’t even know. You just have a lot of knowledge in that smart brain of yours. Something I adore about you, don’t worry.”
He feels Buck let out a sigh before he snuggles Eddie closer to him, resting his head on top of Eddie’s. 
“It’s just a thing, I guess. Random facts always, uh ground me, when you know-”
“I know.” He assures him.
“Yeah. It’s always been something to cope with anxiety, but it’s also just something that I just do. I like to learn, I like to read about things I didn’t know about before. I like learning for the sake of learning, I guess?”
“You’re so smart, you know? Don’t let anyone make you think differently.”
“You’re so much better than I deserve, please let anyone make you think differently.” 
“Does anyone include you? Because babe? You’re so much better than I deserve but there’s no time for an argument right now.”
Buck yawns loudly. “Says who?”
“Says your sleep schedule. Close your eyes, use me as a pillow, I don’t care. Go to sleep.”
“Will you be here when I wake up?”
“Not like I have a choice here, seeing as you’re holding onto me for dear life, but I’ll always be here when you wake up. Now, and every day in the future, okay? Now sleep.”
Buck snorts and mumbles sleepily, “Love you, Eds.”
Jesus, Eddie really wants to marry him. 
“I love you, too, Evan.”
To Hen;
Help me propose to Buck? I need a bunch of Wikipedia knowledge on proposals, marriage, all that good and sappy stuff. I’d ask the Wikipedia king himself, but you know…
From Hen;
WHATYSHDDJKSKJAHDKJDSKFKLK:LDK:K:DKSLDKEIWDJJSKDSKDKSJKDJSJDS
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i-believe-in-soriku · 4 years
Text
Essay Part 1: Riku’s Journey
Riku is undeniably the character who has experienced the greatest evolution throughout the series.
His journey begins in Destiny Islands, when he was just a little kid who wanted to live adventures with his best friend, Sora.
Riku: When we grow up, let's get off this island. We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!
That's that will of discovering the world, and the fact that he was really close to his friend Sora, that lead him to make a promise:
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Terra: Is there some reason you're interested in the outside world?
Riku: Yeah. I wanna be strong one day. Like that kid who left. He went to the outside world - I bet he's really strong now. I know it's out there somewhere - the strength that I need.
Terra: Strength for what?
Riku: To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends.
Riku had a very strong friendship with Sora. The two of them used to fight with wooden swords, explore the islands, and watch the stars together. But then, Kairi came to the Islands and became part of their life. Years passed and their friendship became stronger - but somehow something was missing.
That's when Kingdom Hearts happens. At this time, Riku wanted to explore the other worlds, feeling trapped on Destiny Islands - will he had already expressed ten years before. Riku was jealous of Sora, and probably of Kairi and Sora's growing proximity. Riku felt lonely, as we can see during the game. These dark feelings caused him to be manipulated by Maleficent, and to turn to darkness.
There are also other reasons: he wanted to see the world - which he already wanted as a five years old kid-, he wanted to become stronger in order to protect his friends - even if he did it the wrong way, he didn't forget that goal, as proved by this scene:
Riku: So, Kairi's like a lifeless puppet now?
Maleficent: Precisely.
Riku: And her heart was...
Maleficent: Taken by the Heartless, no doubt.
Riku: Tell me! What can I do?
Maleficent, as the evil witch she is, manipulated him strengthening his feelings of loneliness, jealousy and betrayal.
Maleficent: You see? It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, he values them far more than he does you. You're better off without that wretched boy. Now, think no more of him, and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for.
Ansem, on his side, pretended he knew the way to make him stronger, as Riku was jealous of Sora's strength...
Ansem: The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade.
Riku: What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?
Ansem: For that instant, it was. However, you can become stronger. You should not fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunger deeper into the darkness and your heart will grow even stronger.
Riku: What should I do?
Ansem: It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself.
... but he used him as a puppet to achieve his goals. The way he asked advices to bad people shows how lost that boy was. However, Riku finished by regain control of himself, and at the end of the game, decided to help Mickey close the Door to Darkness, even if it meant being somehow left behind - a beautiful act of redemption.
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But that's only the begining of his story. In Chain of Memories, we follow Riku who has to fight his own darkness, embodied by Ansem (and also Repliku who mocks his fear of darkness). At first, Riku totaly rejects the darkness inside of him, afraid that it might overpower him once again.
Riku: All you have been talking about is the darkness. I can only assume you wanna pull me back in... so you can play Puppet Master.
And he doesn't want to hurt people like he did.
But we can see that he's becoming more and more mature, because this game is also about how Riku began to accept the part of darkness inside him as a strength (and I think Mickey helped him to do that). That's what makes him choose the way to Dawn.
Riku: What are you making me choose now?
DiZ: Between the road to light - and the road to darkness.
Riku: Neither suits me. I'm taking the middle road.
DiZ: Do you mean the twilight road to nightfall?
Riku: No. It's the road to dawn.
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During 358/2 Days, Riku's will is to make sure that his best friend sleeps in peace - actually, he wants him to recover his memories and wake up. He teams up with Mickey and DiZ/Ansem the Wise to do so. In this game, Riku embraces the darkness in his heart while fighting Roxas...
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Riku: I have to release the power in my heart- the dark power that I've been holding back. Even... if it changes me forever.
...a sacrifice made even though he's aware he may not find his own body anymore - which illustrates how Riku has finally accepted that darkness isn't 100% evil. We can also see that he's no longer bitter towards others: he's not even angry against Sora's Nobodies for keeping him away from his friend - just sad.
Xion: So, do you hate me for taking your friend away?
Riku: Nah. I guess... I'm just sad.
Still, in KH2, Riku is ashamed by his appearence and hides himself from Sora, even though he keeps on protecting him at distance. When they finally meet again, he tells this shame calling himself "a castaway from the darkness":
Riku: I'm no one---just a castaway from the darkness.
But he recovers his true self.
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KH2 insists on the fact that despite a clear maturation, Riku still has doubts and still feel a little bit lonely. Sora points at:
Sora: Riku... C'mon, man! Why did you try to do so much on your own?You got friends...like us!
He still needs his friends to reassure him and accept him, and still thinks he can't get rid of his own darkness - his shame is still here:
Sora: You're coming back with us, right?
Riku: I had given in to the darkness.
Sora: Riku!
Riku: How'm I gonna face everyone?
Dream Drop Distance is a turning point to Riku's character. During the game, it is underlined that Riku is holding back some stuff inside of him, by four characters including himself.
Riku (to Quasi): Are you sure that's what's stopping you? Because I think something else is holding you back. Ask your heart, Quasimodo. [...] Wish I could take my own advice.
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And:
Quasimodo: Master Frollo--he made me live inside the bell tower, but the real walls were the ones I built around my heart. You helped me see that, Riku.
Riku: I was...speaking from...personal experience.
Phoebus: I'd say you still keep a lot locked inside.
He also admits that he feels like his darkness will always follow him:
Riku: I gave in to the darkness once. And ever since, it's chased me around in one form or another.
But the end of the game proves that Riku has achieved a balance (a confidence that we can see in KH3).
Indeed, during the last parts of 3D, Riku is shown as a being of exception, whom heart has light and darkness in balance...
YMX: I don't know how you did it, but you really have found a way to trap darkness inside your heart
...balance which enables him to protect Sora, becoming his Dream Eater - he is able to change his very NATURE and didn't even noticed it.
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Riku finally obtains the title of Keyblade Master showing that he is worthy of wielding a Keyblade - which he seemed to doubt at the beginning of the game:
Riku: My Keyblade--it just sort of...popped into my hand when I needed it most.
He has learned how to open his heart throughout his adventures, which can be seen in KH3.
In KH3 his new goals are to save Aqua and, with the others, fight the Seekers of Darkness. During the road, Mickey helps him to realize that he finally has the strenght he was aiming at since the very beginning: to protect the one person that matters.
Riku: I'm in control now. Maybe it's because you're with me this time.
Mickey: It's not me. I think it's because you've finally found inside you that special strength to protect what matters.
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And the game lets no doubt: this person is Sora. He sacrifices himself to protect his friend against the Demon Tide in the Keyblade Graveyard.
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This is a very brief summary of everything Riku did, but that's enought to come to a conclusion. If you have read carefully, you should have noticed that I didn't spoke about Sora that much. Because, even if Sora is actually what matters the most to Riku, the main reason why he did all those things, Sora is not what defines Riku.
Riku has a developpement that shows that he has to fight his own demons, overcomes his doubts and searches the strenght to protect who he cares about. He has other relationships than his (wonderful) relationship with Sora: for example, his friendship with Mickey.
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He faced many things with the King and they share a special bond, just as Sora's with Donald and Goofy. He also shares a link with Terra and somehow Aqua, even though it's not developped that much.
Regarding of those elements, it is completely unfair to say that Riku isn't well written or too much written around Sora. Riku is interesting, relatable and touching, and I hope that he's going to have a good treatment in the future of the series. Watching the end of KH3 and Re:Mind, there's no doubt about the fact that he has an important role to play.
I want to close this part saying that Riku also has a personality. He's determined, selfless, mature, of good advice, a little bit sassy. Riku, even if he has doubts, can be now considered as confident. He is empathetic, cares about others, knows how to confort his friends, especially Sora. There are other important points - like the fact he's smart ~ but I think those are the main elements.
Intro • Part 2
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