#i need to test it in other scenarios like at night or dusk

[thepettymachine]

testing out my reshade preset

#sims #sims 3 #ts3 #the sims 3 #sims 3 gameplay #ts3 gameplay #ts3 reshade #this is only topaz clean edited the rest is reshade #i need to test it in other scenarios like at night or dusk #but sunny side days look great #its called hank

[a-cupof-jo]

Dyspnea

Parings: Potion Master!Jaehyun X Medicinal Herbalist!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Intended Angst, Magic!au

WC: 4.1K

Warnings: magic inaccuracies, food mentioned, tiny bit suggestive

For @ficscafe fic scenario event! 

Summary:  The candle flickered as Jaehyun’s breath caught the flame. The life you two lived together was simple, but he wouldn’t change anything about it, “Happy birthday, Jaehyun. Make a wish.” The flame flickered out. He hadn’t known it then, but he should have used that wish more wisely.

Prompt: 38. When they test out a love potion on their partner.

~~

It wasn’t fair that so many people get to enjoy this day while he is stuck behind the shuttered windows  dark shadows. He doesn’t hate this day. How could he? It was Valentine's day- and his birthday but that never mattered. Not to the everyday people who slip through his door hours before this day begins. He can’t blame them. For they came in search of something only he can provide. 

Love.

Or at least some figment of love. For some it was a way to prove their love. Others used it to try and get their long time crush to like them back. Jaehyun can’t help but laugh every time a young teenager pushes open the door to his shop for the nth time that week saying that they wanted to test this “love potion” on another person. Of course he doesn’t give them a full love potion. Just something diluted down closer to an addictive, like honey. It barely lasts 15 minutes. 

He hears a bell chime from the other room. Whipping his hands on his apron he walks through the separating doorway. “I’m sorry,” he glances toward a cracked window that no longer had sunlight gleaming through it. “I am actually closed.” 

“Oh,” a man just shorter than Jaehyun stood in the middle of the room. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I’ll just come back tomorrow.” He bit his lip lightly glancing around the room.

“Nonsense,” Jaehyun waved his hand. “You are already here. Might as well make good of the trip. Besides. I don’t mind.” He grinned at the man, trying to ease the tension that laced through the newcomers face.

The man sighed before stepping closer, “I still feel bad.”

“Don’t,” Jaehyun gave a light laugh. “Gives me something better to do than stir pots,” he watched the man warily as the sentence left his lips. “Magical beings” were still a wary subject for some people even if they had been able to practice in the open for nearly 50 years now. When the man just gave him a small smile Jaehyun stepped behind the counter that held his potions and elixirs. “What can I help you find today Mr…”

“Oh, Lee. But just call me Taeyong,” he waved his hand around peering through the glass at the display. “Well here’s my situation.” He glanced up at Jaehyun. “I have a date coming up and my date said there is this potion that allowed a person to change their hair color just by drinking it,” Taeyong looked amazed as he stared up at Jaehyun. “I wanted to try it out for our next date. That, and I’m not sure how much more bleaching my scalp can go through.” He combed his hand through his hair giving it a light tug at the bangs afterwards. 

Jaehyun grimaced as he watched the straw like strands fall back into place, “Well you’re where you need to be. I have a lot of potions for that.” He moved down the row to where a shelf full of colorful bottles filled every inch. “There’s all of these, plus I can also create other colors if you don’t see one you like here.”

Taeyong peered back through the glass eyes wide with wonder. He glanced around the box a few times. "What about white?" He rested a hand over a bottle he assumed to hold the potion. 

Jaehyun grinned, "One of my best sellers." Reaching for a little black jar Jaehyun scan the man. He would obviously look good with white hair. He probably looks good with any color of hair. "You just want to try the white?" 

Taeyong hummed a second glancing toward the moonlit window, "Yes, just the white." 

Jaehyun set the bottle is a small leather pouch, "2 shillings." The coins clinked as rested on the counter. "Enjoy! Have a good night." He watched the thin man walk through the door and past the window before latching the door shut. Taeyong had been pleasant and kind but Jaehyun couldn't help but be slightly peeved with the man. Unlatching the door he peeked his head out; he glanced to his left and, yes, there was still the sign with hours stating 'Dawn to Dusk' hanging off the building. 

The moon was bright tonight and he couldn’t help but stare at it. How could it be that a ball of rock could bring him such peace. Maybe it was just the ambiance, but a little part of him wants to believe that there's a little man that lives on that moon and watches over the earth. It might seem ridiculous, but he could brew color changing elixirs and make people fall in love, so it couldn’t be that far fetched. 

“Happy birthday, sweetie,” Jaehyun jumped lightly as arms wrapped around him from behind. He sighed as you placed your chin on his shoulder. “Sorry I wasn’t back earlier. I got stuck talking to Johnny at the market.” Your finger traced little patterns on his stomach as you both stood in the dimly lit doorway. “Come on, I’ll make dinner.” You pulled at his arm. Jaehyun closed his eyes taking a deep breath of clear night air before turning and giving you a soft smile. “I may have something for you. You know, considering it is valentines day.” 

“Only because it’s valentines day,” He raised an eyebrow at you as you glided through the small store. 

You were once an enigma to him. Someone he couldn’t reach, couldn’t touch. Your brother, adoptive brother, Johnny was Jaehyun’s best friend growing up. You were the aloof younger sister that Jaehyun hardly knew about until you made it to your apprenticeship. For as long as Jaehyun had known you, you’d have always been enamored by plants and flowers. So, when he found out you were studying herbal medicine, he wasn’t surprised. 

“Of course, what other day would it be,” you gave him a small smile as you stood near the pot Jaehyun had previously been working at.

Jaehyun's relationship with you had been moments of fleeting looks, paths crossing, and unspoken rules. Two lives bending and swaying, following the same path, but never touching. Until you broke the pattern, you veered off course.

He had just finished his apprenticeship with the, now retired, potions master Kim. Mr. Kim had taken Jaehyun in from a young age, raising him when Jaehyun’s parents decided they didn’t want anything to do with someone containing magical properties. Johnny had planned a small party congratulating Jaehyun on his success. He didn’t know you were going to be there. Even if you were Johnny’s sibling you never showed anything but indifference to Jaehyun. Music had played from a small group of boys too loud for the space they were in. 

You had sauntered over, a small flute of champagne dangling from your fingertips. "Can you do it?" Jaehyun had been surprised by your bluntness. "Take over for Kim. There's gonna be a lot of pressure," you noted, not unkindly. 

"There will be, but Mr. Kim wouldn't let me take over if he didn't have at least some confidence in my abilities," he swiped the glass from your hand and swallowed down the contents. "Besides, he's still going to be around. He hasn't cut me loose yet." 

You grabbed his hand in yours and tugged him towards the outskirts of dancing people, "A dance?" You didn't wait for a response as you twirled him closer to the center of the floor. 

Jaehyun was not surprised at your fluid movements. Johnny had always bragged about how his sister was a natural dancer and the best in their city, perhaps the world. He smiled at you now sharing Johnny's sentiments. You gave him a small grin in return as the music died, "You're going to be great."

A whoop went up from one of the musicians, Donghyuck, Jaehyun's brain supplied. Your grin grew as you raised your voice in a louder whoop. Jaehyun watched as the sentimental atmosphere changed. You grabbed his hands leading him to a lively dance, "Beside, you can't fail, not when I'm just a few doors down." 

"You mean cause Ms. Joy is a few doors down," Jaehyun teasing corrected. 

You shake your head at him, "I'll be a few doors down." 

You were, and a line that you didn't know existed between you both was crossed. Jaehyun wasn't sure who started the late night rendezvous or the unspoken pact of always standing by each other, but turned into late night talks which turned into early morning coffee, and later, shared lunches. 

You guys fell into a rhythm, a three year rhythm that morphed into passing kisses, soft hugs, mornings of gentle coaxing and nights of soft loving. 

Jaehyun wrapped his arms around you glancing into the pot full of a clear liquid, thicker than water and smelled of sweet syrup, "Busy?" 

You spun to face him shaking your head as you fixed the collar of his shirt, "Everyone was too busy being in love to be worried about visiting me.” 

“Ah, the prettiest healer on the street doesn’t have love on this day,” Jaehyun furrowed his brow. “I knew this would happen. You would leave me because I have given love to everyone but you.”

You gave him a light giggle kissing the corner of his mouth, “I would never leave you.” You spin out of his arms walking further towards the house that sat behind the shop. “You are my soulmate,” you gave Jaehyun a look full of adoration and love.

Jaehyun was sure that his face read the same, “My perfect half.” 

You motioned for him to follow you, “Come, I made something for you.”

“Made something for me,” Jaehyun stepped into the small living areas entryway. “What is the occasion?”

“It’s Valentine's Day,” you had shrugged, pulling a large dutch oven out of the convection oven. You turned and furrowed your brows at him, “and I think there’s something else going on today. Any idea what that is?” 

Jaehyun shrugged, “None that I can think of.” 

“Hmm,” you opened the lid letting more of the aroma fill the room. Your mouth popped open in  mock surprise, “Oh, that’s right. It’s your birthday.” You placed vegetables on the table before scooping up some hot soup. You widen your eyes at him, humor dancing through them, “I can’t believe I forgot about it. Especially because I got you something special.” 

“Something special?” Jaehyun placed cups on the small table as you set down the plates. “Where is it?” 

You grinned and leaned in close to his ear, “That’s for me to know and you to find.” You laughed as Jaehyun let out a choked breath and scanned you up and down. “Now, let’s eat. You’re going to need all of your energy.” 

“You are going to be the death of me,” Jaehyun gave an astonished laugh grinning as you sat across from him placing a small cupcake in front of him. 

The candle flickered as Jaehyun’s breath caught the flame. The life you two lived together was simple but he wouldn’t change anything about it, “Happy birthday, Jaehyun. Make a wish.” The flame flickered out. He hadn’t known it then, but he should have used that wish more wisely.

~~

Jaehyun hummed under his breath as the sun shone through his shop's open windows. Spring was just around the corner and Jaehyun’s happy mood couldn’t be dimmed. Warm bright weather brought in more customers. More customers meant that he was busier, and brought in more revenue, but mostly he was busier. That was one reason Jaehyun loved his job. He was working with his hands all day. There was never a moment where he was bored. 

He watched as a little boy walked between the two aisles the shop held. It wasn’t much, but the little trinkets and common potions that lined the shelves made Jaehyun proud of how far he had come. He could still picture the small store from when he was around the young boy's age. Laughter sounded through the store as the boy tried to escape his mother's hands. "Have a good day!" Jaehyun watched the giggling pair walk out the front door. Turning to the backroom he sighed looking at the pot that sat there.

The weeks he had spent trying to develop a new love potion was wasted as he, once again, failed. Since before Valentines day, now nearly 2 weeks ago, he had been cooped up in that backroom, trying to find a better love concoction. You, while fully willing, were starting to become an annoyed test subject. Jaehyun couldn't help but get testy when you complained about the new love potion. If you were gonna tell him it wasn't good or right then maybe you could give some ideas on how to fix it. Maybe he just needs to find a new test subject. Jaehyun looked through the list of love potions and ingredients that he had already used. Too many, he scowled down at the pages and pages of notes he had made on each variety of potion he had made. 

"Hello," he heard the little bell connected to the front door ring and someone walked around the shop, obviously looking for him. 

Jaehyun sighed, rolled his shoulders back and tried to put on his best smile, "Hi, what can I help you with- Oh Taeyong. Hello." Jaehyun scanned the man in front of him. "The white looks good."

Taeyong reached up and ran a hand through his bright white hair, "Thanks. I love it and so did my date." He tapped his index fingers together as he walked back up to the counter full of the colored potions. "I wanted to try more." 

Jaehyun smiled as the man scanned the rows, "We've plenty to choose from." 

Taeyong narrowed his eyes, concentrating on different colors. He eyes flickered up and met Jaehyun's, "I can't decide. What do you think? What would look good?" 

"He looks great in pink," a hand wrapped around his bicep. "He knows it too, but not many can pull it off well. You might be able to," Jaehyun grinned at you. While you were right about pink being a difficult color to pull off, you knew more than that, the pink dye was the hardest one to make. Which is why when Jaehyun glanced down at the box, he saw only 2 pink vials while the others had at least 10. "What about red? Maybe a green?" 

Taeyong watched the two of you share another quick look. Clearing his throat slightly he looked down in the box again.  "Red and green," he nodded his head. "Yes, I think I'll try those. One of each, please." 

Jaehyun grabbed the two vials and placed them both in a leather patch that you held open, "Okay, 4 shillings." Taeyong placed the coins in Jaehyun's hand. "Have a good day!" 

"You too," Taeyong gave a half hearted wave. 

Jaehyun sighed as your arms wrapped fully around him, “What’s up?” Your eyebrows furrowed as you stared at his face, your eyes fluted around looking for an answer. 

“I still can’t get this potion right,” he ran his hands up and down your arms. Jaehyun felt you press closer to you, your hands started running up and down his sides. “I want something different, something that shows who you are supposed to love, but how are you supposed to know that.”

“Soulmates.” Jaehyun startled as the voice rang through the shop. He turned to glare at the man who had made him jump, “Sorry.” Taeyong raised his hands. “I didn’t mean to intrude or overstay my welcome, but I can’t help but be fascinated by all of this. And also you can’t really-”

“It’s fine,” your arms dropped away from Jaehyun. You finger tapped your chin as you considered Taeyong words, “Soulmates… that may work, but, how could you put something like a soulmate indicator in a love potion.”

Jaehyun tapped his hands on the counter. Soulmates, while not nonexistent, hadn’t been thought about in decades. In fact, Jaehyun didn't know the first thing about finding soulmates or even if he believed in them. It’s not not very plausible, he can’t just give someone a potion and tell them that it will give them their soulmate. There's more to it than that. More to love and being in love then just having souls destined to be together, "I can't do that." He shakes his head at the two who had continued to excitedly discuss the topic. He watched as their faces morphed to disbelief and disappointment. 

Your hands came up to rest on your hips, "And why not." 

Jaehyun reached into the glass cabinet rearranging vials and avoiding eye contact, "There's no way I can reveal soulmates. Too many indicators and no defiant way to squeeze all of those into one potion. Soulmates and their indicators have been hidden for years and it's rare that people ever find or want to be with their soulmate. Besides, there are too many variables." 

"Too many variables," you gave a light scoff. 

"What if you didn't give them a way to instantly reveal their soulmate," Taeyong cut in. "What if, instead, you revealed soulmate indicators or made them stronger." 

"What do you mean," Jaehyun sighed. He knew they weren't going to give this up. The hope and excitement in their eyes made Jaehyun more hesitant to even consider creating this potion. 

Taeyong walked closer to the counter where Jaehyun and you stood. “Soulmates, they are predestined, we can’t control or decide who they are or how we get paired. Now, many of us don’t meet our soulmates, the bonds aren’t as strong and people can find people they truly love. What if you strengthen the bonds? Revealed them?” Taeyong lifted his hand wiggling his fingers. “Sometimes I think I feel a tug on my hand, especially when I am at home alone. I can’t help but wonder if, hope, it’s my soulmate.”

You watched him, an unfamiliar look in your eyes. Slowly you turned to Jaehyun and grabbed his right hand in both of yours, “Please Jaehyun, you can do this, we can do this. Help others find their soulmate, their perfect half.” Your eyes pleaded with him.

 It really wasn’t fair. You knew that he would do anything for you, and you used that against him. Jaehyun sighed, “Okay, I’ll try. If you think this will work I’m willing to work on it.” Jaehyun couldn’t help the small smile that graced his face as you gave him a hug cheering along with Taeyong. He watched as you danced around the room bidding goodbye as you ran back to work. Taeyong also raced out of the shop, saying something about a ruby and some fish. As he watched the door swing shut the smile dropped his face. He couldn’t help the dread that filled his stomach and the distinct feeling that this would not end well. 

~~

Jaehyun stirred the sweet smelling syrup again. This was his fifth attempt at this potion. By this point he was frustrated. Nothing was working, all he kept making were diluted love potions, potions that made eyes change colors when they saw their loved ones, and a potion that made your heart glow from inside your chest. Both you and Jaehyun had been disturbed by the last potion. He had spent two weeks trying to figure this out. Both Taeyong and you had been helping when and where you could. You would get herbs and plants of magical origins, guiding and helping with the new ones that Jaehyun hadn’t seen before. Whereas, Taeyong would stir the potions or gather, obscure, ingredients- fairy dust, dwarf warts, pegasus hoof shavings. While impressive, Jaehyun was too scared to ask Taeyong how he got all real, authentic these ingredients or knew about all of these ingredients. As far as Jaehyun knew, Taeyong wasn’t a magic user. Though he wouldn’t be surprised if he descended from fairies or mermaids. 

He sighed as the potion bubbled the mugwort he just dropped in hissed as it blended, “Make a potion, they said. It will help people, they said.” He pulled out another vial. He had it simply labeled “love”. A base potion that he used when creating all his love potions, but this wasn’t a love potion, not truly. People don’t fall in love because of it, they may not even be able to find love because of it. With that thought in mind he set the base potion down and pulled out a different potion. It’s more medicinal, healing than anything else. It was the first potion that you and Jaehyun had made together. A potion that could heal a bond. Chi bonds specifically. Maybe it would work. If he broke it down to its core parts and mixed it with the current love potion or maybe the one that made your heart glow just a few nights ago.

Jaehyun jumped from his seat racing around the room grabbing ingredients and writing down ratios and doses. The smell of linens and irises filled the room. Jaehyun could help but feel comfort from the two smells. It smelled like you. Like a warm day under the sun laying in the little meadow sitting on the outskirts of town. 

“It smells so good here,” Jaehyun looked up as you entered the room. You closed your eyes inhaling a deep breath. “Like just after it rains and…” you took another deep breath, “and roses.”

Jaehyun tilted his head. That was interesting. The scent was different to everyone. Maybe it was a comforting scent or the scent of your beloved. It may have worked this time. Jaehyun stirred the pot a few more times before turning off the heat, “I just need to let it cool now.” 

You walked closer to him peering down into the now pale yellow potion, “You think it worked this time?” 

Jaehyun wrapped an arm around your waist. He shrugged, his chin coming to rest on your shoulder, “Maybe. I tried something different this time. It may do the trick.”

You hummed as he swayed you both back and forth, “That’s good. I’m really glad that you decided to make this. Soulmates were intended to be together, to have each other and we’ve moved so far from that.” You reached up and played with his hair twirling it between your fingers a few times, “I know that it doesn’t really matter, but I’d like to know, to confirm what I know, you’re my soulmate.”

Jaehyun was so in love with you. So ready to spend the rest of his days with you. He took another deep breath, linens and irises, “My better half.” He kissed under your ear before moving to grab a ladle from beside the pot, “Would you like to ladle or hold the bottles.” You grabbed the ladle from him motioning to move closer to the pot. “Would you like to know what I used this time? What the heart of this potion?” He watched you nod your head urging him to continue, “Our first potion.” Your head shot up surprise lighting up every feature. Jaehyun laughed, “I still remember you rushing in here and demanding I help you. You had never had to make a medicinal potion for a chi before. I hadn’t either, but that didn’t stop us from trying. Maybe we were lucky, or maybe it was fate because that day I feel deeply and madly in love with you. You unlocked my ability to love.” 

You stood still. Face slack jawed but eyes full of love, “You’re such a dork.” Jaehyun couldn’t say anything before you were in his arms, lips on his, and arms wrapped around his shoulders. “I love you.” 

“I love you,” Jaehyun grinned at you, pulling further away from you. He looked over at the now empty pot. “Now, rock, paper, scissors for who has to drink the potion.” He held his hand up in a fist.

“Fine,” You rolled your eyes at him. “Rock, paper, scissors.” You sighed as he held up scissors motioning to cut through your paper. “Fine,” you picked up the small vial tilting it in a small cheers before drinking the liquid inside. 

Jaehyun waited, the air tense around the two of you. A bell rang, but he didn’t pay any attention to it. A small red string pulled at your previously bare pinkie, “Hey guys! What’s going on. It smells so good here, like fresh linen and Irises. Are you guys back he- oh.” The string led past Jaehyun and tugged tight where Taeyong stood, his hand lifted in surprise.

~~

Tag List: @qianinterprises @stayctday @infnteen

#ficscafe scenario event #ficscafe #k-dinernet #knet-bakery #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun angst #soulmate au #magic au

[writingfromkitchenator]

Geralt ~ Jealousy And Pining

1,300 Followers Challenge!

Round 2

Masterlist

Requested by Anon

Words: 1,746

Warnings: Neutral Reader, jealousy, pining, suggest mutual pining, teasing, grumpy Geralt

It was normal for you and Jaskier to be hanging back together when you travelled, usually allowing Geralt to lead on, the two of you often talking about ridiculous things.

What wasn't normal, was the hushed, quiet talking that the two of you were now doing.  Geralt wasn’t sure why, but it was setting his teeth on edge. Clearly, you two were up to something, and he hated that he wanted to know what.

He had little doubt it was something to do with him.

Your laughter had Geralt glance back, seeing you shove Jaskier slightly, who was grinning, and he quickly forced his eyes on the road ahead, a new worry curling in his stomach. He did his best to push it away, to drown it back in his suspicions of what the two of you were doing, but the thought was lodged there now, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

Were the two of you together and he just hadn’t noticed?

This was not what he wanted to spend his day worrying about.  You all needed to reach the next town before nightfall and the two of you lagging behind was not helping.

“Hurry up you two,” Geralt grunted.  “Unless you want to be stuck out here at night I suggest upping the pace.”

You and Jaskier paused, before there were a few more hurried, quiet words said to each other, and then you caught up.

Geralt saw your mouth open to say something, and it just soured his mood further.  “Whatever you’re conspiring for, don’t do it.”

You blinked at him. “Conspiring?  We haven’t been conspiring for anything.”

“Right,” Geralt grunted. “Well then concentrate on walking. I don’t need to tell you both again that we don’t want to be stuck out here at nightfall.”

There was no missing the look you gave to Jaskier, who just shrugged, before you looked, a little annoyed back at Geralt.  “I know, but we’re still making good time and should be there well before dusk.  This isn’t my first time out in the wilds around here Geralt, and I doubt it’ll be my last, so why don’t you relax for a moment and actually join us in conversation?”

Geralt gritted his teeth and kept his gaze on the road ahead.  “No thank you.”

You rolled your eyes at his back, he could practically feel it, and it just made his irritation grow. If you and Jaskier were together-

No, he had to push those thoughts aside.  You weren’t his to have those thoughts about.

They continued on in silence for a while, you and Jaskier occasionally casting looks at each other, most of which Geralt missed, but the ones he did see, only got him more frustrated.

“How did I end up travelling with you two?”  He mused to himself.

“Well, I get you jobs,” You said, making Geralt’s shoulders tense, realising he’d spoken out loud. “And Jaskier is here as our friend and musical company.  We’re also probably two of the only people around that can put up with your bad moods.”

Jaskier snorted but quickly looked away as Geralt shot an angry look back.  “That wasn’t a question for answering.”

You shrugged.  “Then you shouldn’t have asked it.”

He growled, and quickened his pace.  The word friend rang in his ears, but he was currently too frustrated to process it properly.

“And before you say anything in anger,” You said, rather cheerfully, in fact, infuriatingly so. “We’re not going anywhere.  Like it or not, you’re stuck with us.”

“Then stop whispering behind my back.”  Geralt snapped.  “Do you have any idea how frustrating it is?”

“Getting paranoid are we Geralt?”  Jaskier asked.  “I promise we only say good things if we do talk about you.”

Geralt just growled again. Why was he bothering?  He honestly had no idea.

You stepped up to him, ignoring his furious glance at you, just looking around at the wilderness around you.  “If you were really that curious, you could’ve just asked us what we were talking about.  We would’ve told you and avoided this all together.”

He decided it was best to ignore you, not trusting himself to say anything, despite the one question that was still consuming him.  You always did as you pleased anyway, so even if he was to voice his thoughts – it was ridiculous.  He had to stop this.

“I’m getting my own room tonight,” He grumbled.  “You two can share for once.”

You shrugged.  “If that’s what you want, I’m not going to stop you.  Jaskier?”

“Nope.”  Jaskier shook his head, sending you a wink.  “Gives us a chance to plan some more.”

Geralt’s jaw clenched, even as you smiled and shook your head.  “We shouldn’t have too far to go down.”

The rest of the way, Geralt remained obstinately silent, but his mind worked quickly, going over things he knew that he shouldn’t, and he was more than frustrated with himself. You and Jaskier just let him be, deciding it was best not to test him too much, and at least Geralt was grateful for that.

In the emptiness of a room in the town, Geralt finally let out a breath, feeling the tension ease out of his shoulders slightly.  Out of your gaze, he felt he could finally process it all properly.

The jealousy still curled low in his stomach.

He hated that he felt like this, that it seemed to be consuming him more and more as he thought about it.  He had no right to be feeling it as much as he was, the two of you having only ever been friends, and yet, he couldn’t help it.

Geralt wanted you for himself.

Rolling his eyes at himself, he collapsed onto the bed, hands running through his hair and he honestly hoped that sleep would take him quickly.

A knock on his door a few minutes later put any end to that thought.

“What?”  He asked, not caring if it was polite or not.

“May I come in?”  You asked through the door.

Geralt groaned and pulled himself from the bed, his hand hesitating for just a moment on the door handle, before he opened it.  “What?”

You raised an eyebrow at him.  “I’d much rather not have this conversation in the hall, so may I come in?”

You didn’t give him a chance to answer, stepping into his room, making him roll his eyes and close the door.

“Now before I start,” You said.  “Do you have something you want to ask me Geralt?”

A million things raced through his mind, but he kept his expression neutral.  “No.”

You made a noise that said you didn’t believe him, but you didn’t elaborate further.  “Alright then, I guess you can just listen then.”

Geralt said.  “Y/N please, I’m tired and-”

“If you shut up and listen, this won’t take long.”  You said, a slightly amused smile tugging at your lips.  “I know today hasn’t been your best day Geralt, but I’m only asking for a few more minutes of patience.”

He bit his tongue to stop himself from saying, well, anything, and just gave you a single nod.

“Thank you,” Your smile widened, seeming to be unable to help it.  “Now, Jaskier and I, I will admit, were formulating a plan, however, given today’s interactions, I figured this was much better and safer for him.”

Geralt felt his jealously rear its head again, so he forced it down.  “I knew you were up to something.”

“I wasn’t originally,” You said, suddenly breaking away from his gaze, something that was very unlike you. “However, Jaskier has been nagging me for far too long about it, and I finally gave in to him to at least…try something.  In all honestly, I think he was just hoping you’d over hear our conversation, you know how he likes to add these dramatics to his tales.”

It took a moment for your words to register and he couldn’t help but frown at you.  “Why is Jaskier writing songs about us?”

You shot him a slightly abashed look.  “Do you remember the last one he sang?”

Geralt nodded slowly. “I thought it was a bit…sappy, even for him.”

You chuckled and nodded. “Agreed, but, and I hate to say this, that was about us.”

“What?”  Geralt frowned and tried to remember exactly the words that Jaskier had been singing.  “How was that about-”

He remembered the words, remembered feeling confused at the time, but he’d just decided that Jaskier had had too much to drink.  The song had been about two travellers being in love, but neither of them knew that they loved the other, seemingly more determined to avoid it than give in to what they were feeling.

Geralt stared at you. “What were you and Jaskier talking about today?”

“Jaskier called me out,” You said with a shrug, smiling.  “Then nagged me about talking to you about it when I finally admitted the truth about it.  He and I today, were discussing a plan to be able to do that, and trust me, each scenario was as ridiculous as the last.”

“So you and Jaskier aren’t…” He couldn’t finish the question, suddenly feeling incredibly foolish.

“No.”  You chuckled.  “Jaskier and I are just friends.  You and I, however, well, that all depends if you want something more? If this has all been a…bad assumption…”

Geralt stood there for a long moment, too many thoughts once again racing through his mind, and as he held your gaze, the curl of jealousy that had been plaguing him all day finally snapped and his feet carried him forward.

No words mattered anymore in that moment, he always thought people talked too much, so instead he kissed you, taking you a little by surprise, but it was all he could think about.

Finally, it put his racing mind to rest, and he settled solely on you.

You giggled against his lips, pushing him away slightly and meeting his gaze.  “While that was appreciated, don’t you have to hunt tonight?”

Geralt let a low growl rumble through his chest.  “It can wait a night, I have something more important to attend to.”

With that he scooped you up and carried you the bed, your giggles filling the room, and he finally found himself smiling.

“You know you’re going to have thank Jaskier for this.”

“Not a chance.  I’d never live it down if I did.”

#1300 followers challenge #round 2 #the witcher #geralt #geralt x neutral reader #geralt x reader

[damerondala]

Congratulations on 100 followers, Lauren!!

For your lil’ drabble celebration thing, can I get 42 from the sfw list with Poe? I feel like there’s a million potential scenarios, so I can’t wait to see what you do with it!

lovely ima thank you so much for your kind words and your request!! i'm so excited for this, our poe deserves some sweet, sleepy cuddles. i hope you enjoy! sorry for changing it just a bit, i hope that's okay <3

Poe Dameron x GN!Reader + "You can put that on my grave."

Today had been exhausting. Running around every nook and cranny of base, seemingly having a million different tasks to do, one right after the other. At one point, even General Organa herself had you running a quick errand for her. By mid-afternoon, you realized you hadn’t even had a chance to stop and breathe, let alone drink some water. Your absence hadn't gone unnoticed by your loving boyfriend, Poe, your plate of food in the mess hall he grabbed for you growing cold in front of your usual, this time vacant, seat. He would have commed you for your location to come by and check on you, but his day proved to be quite busy as well, a fresh batch of recruits arriving to D’Qar that afternoon who had to see the poster boy of the resistance. It was practically law that he greet them and get them started. 

By dusk, it felt as if you could barely see straight. Stumbling back to your quarters in a haze, desperately needing to get out of this scratchy uniform and nestle into your bed for the night, your duties would probably be full speed ahead again by morning. 

Punching in the access code to your small room, you tossed your bag haphazardly onto the floor while making quick work of the laces on your boots. You were fully aware of the sleepy man sprawled out in your sheets, one arm stretching behind his head full of messy curls and the other rubbing the vacant spot on the bed, enticing you to join him. He didn’t utter a word while watching you trudge through your room, changing into a much more comfortable set of clothes and discarding the musty-feeling ones you had been sweating in all day. Not only until you looked at him did he softly inquire, “Long day, sweetheart?” 

It was rhetorical of course, that man knew you like the palm of his own hand. Your day must have been bad if you were silent while he was in the room, usually when you two found yourselves together after your hectic days you were chatting away about anything and everything that came to mind. Just glad to be in each other’s company. 

All that his question met was more silence, a small frown finding it’s way on your face thinking about how done you were with today. Just wanting to find peace in his welcoming arms, which he happily indulged you in. Crashing down in his side made him chuckle, arms circling around your frame and pulling you on top of his chest. “That bad, huh?”

“Not bad just...tiring. Want you to hold me.” Your body forced out a yawn as you shuffled into a more comfortable cuddling position, your head tucked underneath his chin while his arms soothingly rubbed up and down your sides, back, and shoulders. Despite his long day, that man lived to pamper you and give you all the affection that was deeply rooted in his heart and soul, aching to be gifted to somebody. That somebody turned out to be you.

He would have a hard time admitting this to you, but sometimes when he wondered what it was all for, what kept him going, his brain would flash pictures of you and he’d sigh in content. It was all for you. Your pretty face and your warm hugs and your giggles and your cries were all worth fighting for. All of it. Your slight shuffling brought him back to the present world, craning his head down to place a solid kiss on the top of your head. 

“You’re the best cuddler.” You cooed into his chest, voice muffled by the soft cotton of his t-shirt. Poe lightly kneaded your achy shoulders in his big hands, “Mmmm, that all?” 

If you could have rolled your eyes you would have. This sassy pants of a man took every opportunity in the world to fish for your compliments. It wasn't that he was self-centered and only cared about himself, but with his dream partner laying on his chest, flattering him? Bet your bottom credit he’s going to coax a few more out of his sleepy baby. You couldn't contain the smile that spread across your face while you indulged him, your sleepiness quietly fading in the presence of your lover. “Let’s see,” you propped your head on the back of your hands resting atop each other on his chest, looking into his warm eyes thoughtfully, “you’re the best cuddler,” 

“Ahem. You already said that.” He teased, pinching the exposed skin of your hip, your cotton shirt rode up just a bit when you crashed down on the bed. Poe wasn’t complaining about it one bit.

You scoffed, “Relax. I’m going through the entire list.” 

“I see. Carry on.” 

“Where was I?”

“Fantastic cuddler, baby.” 

“Yes, thank you, okay. Let’s think: cuddler, kisser, commander, pilot...”

“Don't forget a true master at the art of reproduction.” His eyebrows wiggled at you while a shit-eating grin danced across his handsome features. That earned him a swat at his chest, the apples of your cheeks heating up at the thought, he had a point, as much as you hated to admit it. “Quit it.” 

He chuckled, the sound reverberating through his broad chest and lightly shaking you both, “Take all of that and put it on my grave, baby.” His hands swept through the dark, like he was presenting a grand award, “Here lies Poe Dameron. The best commander, pilot, cuddler, kisser, and love maker in the galaxy.” 

You scoffed, pinching the skin of his arm which elicited a soft “ow” from him, ghosting your lips over his stubbly jaw in apology, although you knew he enjoyed your teasing. “Let’s test out if you can be the quietest sleeper, kay?” Further nuzzling your cold nose into his chest, sighing deeply when your second wind from a few moments ago was being swept away like the cool breeze you could hear through the window. Exhaustion returning to your body at an extraordinary rate. 

“Fine, smartass.” You could hear the sleepy smile in his voice, no longer being able to deny his tiredness either. He stretched his back up a bit to get comfortable, your body on top of his gently rocking with the movement, before seemingly melting into the mattress. Your weight on top of him grounding him, making him feel the safest he has in months. The force of another peck at the top of your head followed with a deep, “love you.” set you off into dreamland, Poe’s tenderness surrounding you and filling your heart with pure, real, love. 

#WAAAA I HOPE THIS IS GOOD #i felt like he needed some sleepy time cuddles so ta da #lauren's 100 follower celebration! #poe #lightsinthedistancee

[alittlelurker]

Laying Low (1/2)

Based off a scenario I had floating around in my brain. The characters are mine.

I had intended to post this over a month ago but time got away from me. I finished roughly half of it, so I decided to just post it and maybe I’ll do a follow up later! Hope you all enjoy <3

The king had sent his entire army after him. At least, that was how it seemed to Max.

From his hiding place in a narrow alley, he squinted against the too-bright sunlight and watched the armored men move through the streets in droves. All of them were making their way to the city’s many gates. And all of them were on high alert for any sign of Max.

He couldn’t blame them. After all, catching thieves was their job, particularly thieves brazen enough to steal from the king himself. But unfortunately, that made things rather difficult for him. There was no way he could get out of the city without attracting the attention of at least one of the several hundred soldiers that were hunting him.

At least, not in broad daylight.

When night fell, however, he would have a chance. His light step and hooded cloak would be more of a help than a hindrance, keeping attention away from him instead of attracting it. But dusk was nearly six hours away.

Max only had one option. He had to find a better hiding place and wait out the sunset.

Finding a safe place to lay low had been a slow, painstaking task.

The main streets were flooded with guards, so Max kept to the side streets and alleys, ducking behind buildings and bushes at even the slightest sound of clanking metal armor. He carefully and methodically made his way to the south end of the city, the same direction he’d entered it from. On his way into the city, he’d noted the peasant quarter, which had no shortage of run down shacks. If one was empty, it would make a perfect place to wait.

Luckily, he found one such shack. It was mostly in one piece, but the roof was partly broken and the windows were merely empty holes in the wood. Still, it would do for a few hours.

He reached to open the door, noticing as he did so that his hand was shaking badly. When had that started?

No matter, he thought. It was probably just the rush of adrenaline finally starting to fade. Or maybe he’d overexerted himself.

The second one seemed more likely as Max sank down into a seated position against the wall of the shack. The muscles in his legs were achingly sore, screaming in protest as he tried to get comfortable. He sighed in relief when he was able to relax, and he let his head come to rest on the wall behind him.

Sweat trickled down his temple, and he wiped it away with his palm, annoyed. It was a hot day, and the dark black cloak he wore absorbed the sun’s heat, making it nearly unbearable. Frustrated, he pulled off the garment, letting it fall to the floor beside him. Then he settled back into his not quite comfortable position against the wall.

He tried to stay alert, tried to listen for the sounds of metal boots marching in the streets outside. But Gods, he was tired. The sounds of the city began to blur together into one unintelligible drone of noise.

He blinked slowly. Once, twice.

Then Max finally let his eyes slip shut.

A little rest would be fine. He needed his strength for what was sure to be a long night ahead, after all.

The din outside faded, and faded, and then Max heard nothing.

Max jerked awake with an ache in his chest, which he quickly realized was an urgent need to cough. He pitched forward, buried his face in his arm, and tried to stay as quiet as possible while his chest spasmed with cough after cough. His lungs resisted his attempts to get them under control, and he could only hope he’d muffled the sound enough to avoid drawing any unwanted attention.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the fit died down. Max sucked in a slow, cautious breath, testing whether his body would betray him again. When he was able to exhale without triggering another fit of coughing, he relaxed and started to get his bearings.

The first thing he noticed was that he’d slept much longer than he’d intended. The sun had just begun descending from its peak when he’d drifted off, and now it was setting, painting the sky around him a deep orange.

The second thing he noticed was he was definitely ill.

The coughing had been a warning on its own, but what really made it sink in was how heavy he felt. Several hours of rest had done nothing to alleviate the tiredness that had settled deep in his bones. His muscles ached, and his body trembled as he shivered, freezing cold despite the summer heat outside. It had to be a fever, and a bad one at that. There was no other explanation.

And finally, he realized one final thing. He was completely, utterly fucked.

The sun was setting. It would be dark in under an hour, and he was nowhere close to being ready to move. He’d have to spend the night, ill and alone, in a run down shack while a city’s worth of guards scoured the streets looking for him.

Max squeezed his eyes shut, noting that even they were aching, and let out a long, unsteady breath. He really wished he hadn’t done this alone.

#juno writes things #sickfic #whump #oc max

[jae-canikeepyou]

| bad boy | j.jh | sequel

pairing: jaehyun x fem!reader genre: au t/w: slight violence and blood. a/n: a sequel was requested for this scenario & to be very honest i thought it’s best to leave as it was.. but who am i to turn down my lovely readers? 🥰 as promised, here it is! blame my lazy butt for procrastinating to post it. it’s not proof read too woohoo! 😂 anyway, enjoy! :3 ~j

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“...i’ll be happy to see you again.”

it was the only sentence that stuck into the back of your mind. a similar feeling to when you liked someone and his very existence wouldn’t just leave you alone. you thought you might go insane because every time you think of nothing at all, that dimpled smile of his reappears and your brain immediately sends all kinds of signals that maybe science couldn’t explain, let alone you.

the students who walked pass you and him had questionable stares. you were well aware that jaehyun was fresh from returning back to town; though according to him it only had been two years. even the faces of the neighbourhood gave scoffs and looks of disbelief; unconvinced that he had changed for ‘the better’. honestly people still avoided him— maybe it was due to the fact he wasn’t seen as often by day, only at dusk.. doing stuff that jaehyun himself chose not to remember.

coming out of the university, an annoying tug on the shoulder caused you to turn around to identify the doer, jolting you back to reality from your thoughts. however the tug was too familiar that you already knew who it was, even with eyes closed. he bugged you during training— though it was not in a bad way.

the regretful look on his face made you pinch his cheeks with his dimples as the support. he was one good-looking lad with now good intentions to help people. ever since that encounter with him at the alley, he never really left your side; stuck with you like glue. your parents joked about how he was as loyal as a golden retriever would be to his owner. he followed you everywhere and even if you didn’t mind, you had to remind him about boundaries.

and boundaries meant when he accidentally followed you to the toilet that one time.

leaving that aside, jaehyun smiled and this adorable puppy with chocolate eyes made you snap your fingers. “jaehyun, i told you not to stare at me like that.”

“why can’t i? i already told you you’re pretty.” he smirked, nudging a tease with his brows. “it’s worth staring at, even for a whole day.”

“uh-huh.” you hum in faux agreement. “and you told me that a month ago, which was after your friends broke my door. you’ve been calling me that nonstop.”

“it’ll approximately be thirty two- no, thirty three times i complimented you, today included.” jaehyun took your bag with him. as gentleman as it sounds, your own friends once had to pull your stuff away from him when he did the kind gesture the first time.

“hey, give it.” you attempted to retrieve it back when he raised it higher.

“maybe i’ll consider if you give me a kiss.” he poked his cheek, leaning into your face. you gave him a disgusted look before it turned out to be more so when he pointed his lips instead.

“in your dreams jaehyun.” you rolled your eyes, nudging him to leave the training centre.

you both spent the next two hours chilling at a local coffee shop, doing some recaps of what you learnt earlier. to your surprise, jaehyun was actually quite studious. it was a little difficult to approach him whenever you had questions. who knew that behind the acronym the townspeople gave him, ‘bad boy’, was a very hardworking and intelligent guy. sometimes you would think he was a real-life manhwa character, where he’d ace a test despite worrying over whether he’d flunk it.

on the bright side of jaehyun’s reputation to everyone, some students would arrive in crowds after your training; which was, how you’d call it, fanbase. they’d usually giggle to themselves and ask for a picture, but jaehyun declined their requests.

whilst at the café with chill jazz music playing, and despite feeling uneasy and worried for no reason at all, jaehyun sighed deeply, indirectly asking to call it a day— it was already 10 pm. every friday night, he’d go with you to the orphanage to read books to the children; or go along with them to give medical care with a stethoscope just to satisfy the curiosity of the kids.

jaehyun fumbled his bag to look for his keys. you waited for the lad, skimming through the university’s fountain and statue. you looked at the far distance, and the unease came back just when you thought it went away. “okay i got them. let’s go.” he tapped to us shoulders.

you soon hopped onto his car, fastening your seatbelt as you propped your arm onto the edge of the window rest. “tired? me too.” you heard jaehyun ask, his car keys clashing towards each other before being put onto its place.

“yeah i kinda am.” you lied, still having that uneasiness stuck in your chest. at the night you met jaehyun, you would say that the encounter with the screwed-up man traumatised you; the sound of gunfire rang in your ears, the man’s grip onto your wrists left a bruise, jaehyun’s flirtatious moves to his favourite couple’s daughter.

“well, we can go to the riverside if that’s what you’re looking for. tell your parents we’ll visit the kids next week and that you’re on a date with me.” he started the engine, rubbing your head with the other hand as he began to drive.

“a date with you? i’ve got other priorities.” you eyed him with a grin.

“change it then. put me on your top 5 or something.” his proud giggles put a confused look on your face and his lips flattened quickly at your response. jaehyun hoped you at least felt butterflies, but maybe it hasn’t developed yet. “what? i gotta be on your list somehow.”

“oh wow jaehyun you’re really determined.” you soothed your temples and he just laughed. “fine, uh. top 10?”

“agh man i gotta work nine bars higher to be your top 1.” he faked a hiss, earning an airy scoff from you.

“you’re not gonna be my top 1. my mom and dad are. education’s second.”

“then third?”

“no. that’s my bunny’s place.”

“ugh bunbun’s before me.” he whined. “anyway i’m gonna be part of your top 5.”

the car turned to a much narrower road. jaehyun insisted it was the shortcut and that the longer way was going to take minutes. not like you wanted to assume highly of how he knew some paths, but maybe he had dealings or encounters before at 17 years of age. heck that was him in the past. he was different now.

he reached out to the stereo and made a few taps onto the touch screen, sliding his fingers to the side to maximise the volume. it was a playlist full of jazzy, chilling instrumental tracks to hype up the mood and taking your heads off of studying. you never really heard him sing before, but you knew he was a good one in just humming.

as you listened with the playlist he tuned in, your eyes stayed on the road for a good minute before the car’s side view mirror flickered with lights, catching your attention. to be exact, they were red laser lights.

was something there? or were you just tired?

you brushed it off, telling yourself continuously that it was a result of staying behind the laptop screen too long. jaehyun didn’t seem to notice so maybe it was really just you. the car finally reached a stoplight, you sighed heavily at its disappearance when you looked at the mirror of your side.

but then it flashed again.

as if you both were being followed.

jaehyun spotted your discomposure and the frequent shuffles in positions to find comfort of the seat. “y/n, need a break? wait a little because we’re almost there-”

“i- i think we’re being followed.” you find your palms clenching the sides of the seat, avoiding to look at the mirror again. the feeling you had that night at the dark alley came back; chest pounding and breaths so uneven. you didn’t tell jaehyun what you felt that night and kept it to yourself so of course he wouldn’t know of your situation now.

jaehyun’s brows creased inquisitionly, his pupils shifted to his side of the mirror in an instant. they grew wider at the sight of a familiar vehicle and logo that was overlapping the car brand. he thought he’d never see them once more, but unluckily he did tonight. he cursed in whispers and although he said it softly, those alone made your worries shoot up like rockets. the circular light emitted green. you felt your body being pressed back against the seat at the force and speed jaehyun drove. “we’re gonna have to skip the date and rush home, okay?”

he tapped the stereo’s touchscreen to mute the track that coincidentally matched the tension you both were feeling now. “you’re driving fast~” you said with your sarcastic singing. a hum from him raised a tad more worry. “why are you driving fast~”

he only chuckled.

“jaehyun, the only time you drive fast is when we receive an medical emergency!” you panicked in all high pitches your voice could ever give.

“uh- this is kind of an emergency y/n!” he still gave a giggle despite being in a frenzy.

“it’s not medical! we’re not in the ambo!” you huffed in excessive breaths to attempt to calm yourself.

“i know but-”

gunshot.

it wasn’t once.

it was five times at most.

you gasped then squealed, unsure whether to cover yourself with your forearms or still hold onto the seat. jaehyun pulled over the car to a stop, making you shiver and the feeling went down to your spine then palms while your grip tightened onto the seatbelt. you let the window on your side lower for some air. it might seemed strange to some people passing by, but you were muttering words as if you were enchanting a spell to summon the supernatural; where as in fact you were really, really scared.

at times like these, all you wanted to do was to head home and forget that this ever happened.

“why did you stop?” you asked, sounding panicky and jaehyun didn’t seem to do the same. “we’re being chased and you decide to-”

the scratch of the tire from the vehicle following you hit from behind, plunging both of your torsos to the front and stretched the seatbelts. your eyes blurred for second and as the clear began to come in, jaehyun signalled you to bend low. when you obliged and cowered down, he took off his jacket and placed it above you. “y/n, don’t get off the car. i got this.” you felt that he grabbed something from the drawer in front of him, later putting it in his pockets.

you hitched a breath. “w-why? where are you going?!”

“shhh.. if you did, i won’t forgive you.” he warned and closed the door.

“stop cutting me off!” you gave a little tantrum that you hit your head onto the pull-out drawer. “stupid jaehyun!”

you heard mumbles of exchanged dialogues between jaehyun and two late twenties men. the patience you’ve always had had run out and carefully your fingers pulled the door handle to head out. soon you found yourself tiptoeing and crouching all at the same time; just like how you used to sneak to the kitchen at midnight to grab some snacks. the air was cool, much to your surprise jaehyun and the two men were just, talking.

in the two weeks since knowing jaehyun, you hesitated in asking more of his past. not that you couldn’t tolerate the endless stares and whispers from the public, but you were just curious about the man who evolved to b.a.d boy. 

“jaehyun.” you whisper-yelled but there was no response from him. he had his hands behind him. though relaxed, there was tension shown in them. based on his gestures he knew of your presence. his hands formed to a ‘thumbs up’; turning sideways, telling you to head back into the car.

you had your palms onto the door handle when the conversation became clear to you.

“what're you both doing here?” he asked the two men, later their surnames revealed to be park and jang. “i thought i said i’m resigning.”

“you resigned before boss made his decision. he wants you back in the group.” park said, handing him an envelope. “accept this and you’ll get all you asked for; your own room at the base, the money from-”

jaehyun took the envelope and tore them to pieces. “i’m not going back to that life ever. knowing you lot, pisses me off up until now, you tried luring me into dirty money.”

it wasn’t like you wanted to get involved with jaehyun. it just seemed you were just caught in the wrong time and in the wrong moment. even that night in the dark alley. you mumbled and grumbled to yourself, profanities spoken internally that maybe you shouldn’t have heard something so private-

“then i could just guess you’re now using her for dirty money?” jang caught your collar and pulled you from behind the car. “you really think you could earn money without our help huh.”

“y/n, i told you not to come out.” he turned around so quickly that the scowl from his lips made you regret breaking that order. 

“who do we have here? jaehyun you seem to get yourself a hottie-” park walked closer to where you were.

“let me go.” you spat him, disgusted at their assumption. 

“let y/n go, she has nothing to do with this.” jaehyun grabbed your arm, putting you behind his large, broad frame.

“sure will, jung. but she has something to do with you.” park laughed, his hands reached for his pocket. jaehyun didn’t seem to see that, but you were aware where this might escalate to. you plunged forward that you were in front him, hugging him fully before your friend realized the frightful action.

bang. bang.

the tightness and uneasiness in your chest wasn’t the car chase nor the two men, nor the fired gunshots.

it was the men’s bloodlust for jaehyun.

they cursed and yelled as they left the scene, saying that they meant to shoot him, not you. it took a while for jaehyun to process what had happened. he looked down at your collapsing body, blood dampening his hands as he touched the wound to stop it from bleeding further. “y/n?.. y/n! stay with me, okay? don’t you dare close your eyes on me!”

he saw you attempting to caress his cheek with a pained smile before it turned emotionless. 

“y/n!”

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it had been exactly a week since you were shot, because of that jaehyun avoided you. people looked at ease when they saw you alone and you weren’t used to it. he would always be there every second of the day, either already buying you lunch or carrying your bag. not even your parents heard of him when after jaehyun brought you to your apartment. having parents work in the medical field sure was convenient.

the morning’s sun shone your room and you stood in front of your mirror, still in your pj’s. turning slightly to the side, you lifted the fabric to see the two sets of stitches just below the bra strap line. your mom knocked onto your door, smiling in relief at the sight of recovery. “breakfast’s ready.”

you smiled back, remembering the worries plastered on their faces. in most cases, a patient would want to see their parents once they came into the conscious. for you however, wanted to see jaehyun. “yeah i’ll be down soon.”

the smell of toast and hot chocolate smacked you in the nose and you started walking slowly down the stairs. your groggy eyes caught sight of the one you didn’t want to see. “ah, she’s awake.” your dad nudged the male. jaehyun looked up at the loft, his ears shading from pink to red. 

he gulped, and your dad laughed. “wow that was loud. chill jae, she’s walking down the stairs, not the aisle.”

“i didn’t think of that, sir.”

jaehyun got up from the dinning area to help you. his fingers felt the bandage wrapped around your torso and immediate guilt flushed his body. “y/n i-”

“don’t apologize. it wasn’t your fault.” you smiled and he flattened his lips, surprised that you knew what he was about to say. as you sat down, your parents were all dressed and ready for work. “i just got here and you’re leaving me alone?”

“that’s why we called jaehyun here. he lives just across the street. we’ll see you tonight sweetheart.”

silence consumed the house once the door shut to a close. jaehyun rested comfortably on the chair with his arms behind his head. hungry as you were, you began to eat, cautious and carefully. you told yourself you should be used to having him around. however, it was today that you felt nervous. even his exhales got you on the edge. you tried to look at him, only to avert your eyes immediately when he caught you. “how’s the wound?” he asked.

“well i never thought i’d experience it myself before i’d treat actual patients.” you said, soon grasping the situation that you didn’t mean to put it directly at him. “ah i’m not saying this because i blame you for what happened-”

“i know, but.. you did treat me when i was shot.” jaehyun took a sip of his cup. “so your answer’s invalid.”

“you asked the damned question jaehyun!” you scoffed and slight stood from your chair.

jaehyun saw a brief shade of pale onto your lips and went beside you. you looked up to see him with eyebrows narrowed. “get up, i’m checking your wound.”

“my wounds are perfectly fine! mom just fixed it.” you angrily munched on your toast when he suddenly knelt on the floor, back facing you. “what the heck are doing?”

“i’m giving you a piggyback ride.” his hands gestured you to get on.

“what am i, five?” you ignored his offer.

“what are you, ms. stubborn? if you move now, you’ll widen the already opened incision.” he finally turned around to carry you and when he placed you on the sofa, he grabbed the first aid.

“this is so awkward.” you sat in front of jaehyun as you lifted your shirt. 

“not at all. i’m treating a stubborn patient who apparently is very cranky early in the morning.” he carefully cut the surgical tape and held his breath when he saw the two stitches from gunshot wounds onto your flesh. “look about this..”

you waited for him to speak, but he didn’t continue further and treated the wounds. “why are you blaming yourself?”

“because you got hurt.” he gently dabbed with a cotton. “when it was supposed to be me. i didn’t see that he already got it out and before i know it, blood was spilled.”

“but you didn’t pull the trigger.” you bent your head down.

“but i’m the cause why it triggered, okay?!” he raised his voice, making you flinch at his tone from behind. “i ran away from my past so that i could live a good one! yet it still haunts me and every where i go, i’m always caught in their web! it’s been like this! then when i met you, i was afraid and i knew that i’ll eventually put you in harm’s way. deep inside me, i saw it as a sign that being with you might protect me, that they wouldn’t do anything to me when you’re with me. then when the gun fired, there you were saving me from my mistakes and-”

you felt a heavy weight onto your head, teardrops dampening the nape of your neck. “i’m so sorry y/n..” 

“you really *coughs* are a bad boy.” you said so suddenly that jaehyun shot up. your coughs made him to kneel in front of you, checking if you were alright.

“what?” he asked.

“a baby and dumb boy.” you giggled through breaths and though it got him taken aback, he was assured, somehow. “did i ever blame you for the gunshots? did i say it was you who hurt me? i never thought of you as the guy everyone thought they saw two years ago. so why are you still sticking with the fact that i might change after that night? i know you grabbed a gun too, but you didn’t bring it out. if you ran away from the past that just means you’re willing move forward to the new. if you’re afraid of ever hurting me, i know fully that you’ll never do that.”

he sat onto the carpet waiting for your next words; like a golden retriever, you told yourself. “i was looking for you when i woke up and besides, when i took the bullet.. it’s kind of..” you paused. “..returning the favor for saving me too? if you were shot, it might ease the people who were judgmental of you but.. not me. i wouldn’t be able to sleep if that happened you know? like-”

you saw his torso moving closer to yours. it was brief, but you saw the warmest smile from his lips before he hugged you. his hands caressed your head as if he was doing it to a child. “ah.. so i topped first?” 

“ha?” 

“i was your top 1 after all.” he smiled that his cheeks formed those damned dimples. “you thought of me before your parents and bunbun.”

“n-no! i mean i-it’s normal, right? the last person i saw before fainting was you so i-”

jaehyun rather than listening to your excuses longer, he preferred to hug you before you catch his ear turning redder. when he let go of you, his eyes twinkled as if a shooting star reflected in them.

“y/n, do you know you’re extra pretty when you’re flustered?” he teased, going back to treating your wound.

dumbfounded, you scoffed at his easy-goingness. “do you know you’re extra flirty when you think i like you?”

“you don't like me?” he whimpered how a puppy would do.

“i don’t.” you replied so proudly.

“that’s so mean.” he began to take the scissors to trim off the extra strand of tape. “i compliment you all-” 

you closed the gap in between. “i love you.” you closed your eyes as you said the three words you planned not to tell him. 

jaehyun gasped but he smiled afterwards. “my dream’s granted already?”

“urgh don’t make me more embarrassed than i already am jaehyun! i hate it when you’re always having fun and-”

“i love you too.”

#nct 127 #jung jaehyun #jung yoonoh #nct jaehyun #nct #jaehyun #jaehyun nct #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun writings #nct writings #jaehyun fanfic #jaehyun oneshot

[onlykyloscenes]

Don’t Look for Me: Chapter 6

 Ao3 | Chapter 5 

Summary: A verbose breath left his modulator before he answered, "if you refuse… I'll return you to my Knights, let them decide what to do with you. Ushar will no doubt have a few ideas. Would you like that, little one?"

Word Count: 3.7k

Near the end, Master Luke would often meet you in the meditation temple just after lights out. There were times during training where Luke would work with one Padawan at a time, or accompany a few on a specific mission. He made these excursions for a few different reasons: earning your crystal on Illum, putting your training to the test in real-world scenarios, or needing a new planet- a new environment- to feel the complexities of the Force. In those last few months at the Temple, you found that Luke wanted more from you in training. He could sense you holding back, suppressing something inside you—something you would never consciously allow flow to the surface. None but Ben Solo thought twice about the increased attention.

When Luke realized you wouldn't willingly release yourself during training, he pushed you harder—more time with only him in the meditation temple, more vigorous obstacle courses, more lightsaber training. What was usually a dance through the different forms, to assess which you excelled at, became sparring matches. First one-on-one, then two-on-one, and when that wasn't arduous enough, three-on-one. Two padawans  and  your Master, against you alone. 

It took five more of what should've been considered sparring ambushes for you to let go. Luke had taken one half of your split saber, clipping it onto his own belt. With only one saber, holding off two of your fellow padawans became a challenge. Your Master claimed relying on the two blades was a crutch, and shamed you for not retaining your mastery of a single saber. It was the perfect "lesson" to cover his honest intentions. By putting you at a disadvantage, it forced your mental guard to drop. If you were unable to maintain the upper hand through physical combat, you had to rely on the Force. When your Master saw an opening to join the spar, he leaped for it, for your then exposed left flank. 

You felt the advance before you saw it, and with the Force subduing one Padawan, and your saber locked with the other- Ben, you exploded. 

To slow persons or objects is not an uncommon ability for the Jedi to employ, but what you did that day was something… more.

 In an instant, your Master forcibly took the defensive. You had slowed Ben and his partner, Vos, so much that they seemed frozen in time. The saber you had locked with Ben's moved with your body on instinct, arching down to meet the green saber aimed for your left flank. With a now surfaced place in your mind keeping not just Ben and Vos, but the padawans watching the match in a slowed state of motion, your right hand Forced Luke away from you. 

Not by much, but enough for you to gain the upper hand. You weren't just in a cleverly achieved offensive; you were in a rage. It was quick and sloppy; Luke was easily parrying after catching his footing. Still, you pushed him further back, your limbs recalling the memories from before you earned the split saber. You didn't falter, your haste attacks only becoming more brutal the more ground you gained. It wasn't until you pulled the second half of your blade from Luke's belt, and locked them with his that your mind cleared. It gave you pause, and your Master used the loss of momentum to heave you back. When he did, your arms fell to your side – the last thing he expected. 

You gazed to the setting sun as Luke's advancing swipe met no resistance. He realized a moment too late that your blade had lowered, and the green tip met your jaw. It was there no longer than a second, immediately retracting on contact. 

Ben, Vos, and the others were released. They said nothing, did nothing, but they had seen everything. Luke remained in front of you, trying to draw your attention, but you just looked over his shoulder at the sun. Watched it dip lower and lower and wished you too could slip beneath the horizon for a time.

The others shuffled away from the sparring circle, having been silently dismissed by their Master. 

"Forgive me, young one. I- that was too much. We will meditate in the morning," your Master placed a gentle hand on your shoulder before excusing himself. 

Then alone, you sat crossed-legged on the stone ground, eyes still studying the painted colors of the sunset. A second presence joined you at your side. You didn't need to turn to know it was Ben. He said nothing, only mimicked your body's position. He sat with you, your minds open to each other as they often were when words escaped either of you. He listened as your feelings echoed to him, and in return, he caressed them. His pain met yours; seeing your anger and fear that eclipsed all reason  pained him . Where you felt guilt for the outburst, he felt remorse for not having the strength to reach you. 

Ben let you see through his eyes, a way of communicating that confused you the first night it happened. You could see yourself through him, he had let you become him through his mind. You could see his hands trying too hard to push against the Force, holding him suspended. His signature stretched, trying to touch the part of you concealed by your anger and frustrations. His thoughts screamed for you, but no matter how much louder he tried to be, you couldn't hear him. The words floated around, laid upon an invisible shield you had unknowingly thrown up, and dissipated into nothing. 

  "You're safe." "I'm here." "I see you."  

They were the same words you often used to soothe him.

When you had both felt what comfort you could, your minds fleeted back, and you simply sat. Ben's hand rest on your knee as you meditated, a wordless assurance that he was there and would stay. You remained there as a pair, until the sun sank below the horizon, not taking you with it.  

~

The walk from the ship hanger was silent, the emptiness giving way to the painful memory. Kylo led you with a hand on your left arm, daring glances down at you every few steps. There was no sign of him lurking in your mind, though at that point you weren't sure if you'd even notice him there. Your head hung, eyes trained on the ground, glazed and bare. When his head wouldn't cease from turning in your direction, you almost wished he would just take the answers he clearly sought. 

Your accusations before had sparked a rage in him that you had never seen, and it burned through him behind that helmet. He had released you soon after revealing that he knew you didn't  choose  to leave the Temple. Your eyes had glassed over, your lips parting from shock. The black visor, ever so consistent, gave away nothing from Kylo. He released his grip on you when your eyes found the ground, and the tears stopped falling. 

Kylo was true to what he said earlier; you weren't taken back to the room with the post. You did not go back to the detention level. The cowl he had placed over your head then now wrapped around his shoulders. A process, you noted, that he was very meticulous about. When the cowl didn't sit properly, you averted your eyes as he took it off and tried again. 

It was clear you were now in the residential wing of the facility. You walked through a rather spacious area, an alcove with furnishings, and a large window was to your left. To your right, a table stood just before a practical kitchenette. It was oddly… domestic. Complete with all the comforts a sadistic, sexually inactive group of Knights could need. Before Kylo could skirt you to gods knows where your pace slowed. The viewport was circular. Beyond it, a forest unlike any you'd seen, which was saying something considering you'd been to more planets than you could count. It wasn't green and luscious, full of singing birds and babbling brooks; it was dark, desolate. The trees not bare had few branches and little pigment. A slight mist hung in the air; it was near dusk. 

Not phased by your hesitation, Kylo continued forward. From the room with the ominous view, you entered another hallway identical to every other in the compound. The amount of space between each door told you they were the Knight's chambers. It was clear they used this place, this planet, as a home base. They were  ghouls , and the thought of them having anything as sentimental as a 'home' seemed outlandish. Ushar only ever spoke of one home, the one from before Ren. You had told him of yours in return.

Kylo often spoke of home with you, of the many places he considered to be it. Chandrilla, Hosnian Prime, The Falcon… the Temple. There was a time when the Temple felt like home to him, to both of you. During those first formative years, when there were so few rules and even fewer padawans. It didn't feel like home forever. After all, things rarely work out the way you expect.

You turned left at the end of the hallway and stopped at the second blast door. Kylo opened it and led you into what you assumed would be your new quarters, should you continue to entertain your captors.

The room was unnecessarily spacious. A considerable upgrade from the cell aboard the Knight's ship. Certainly more comfortable than your previous post. A bed sat centered along the far wall, a viewport above the head, giving you a view of that forest of despair beyond the compound. A cushioned chair sat in the corner, a second door a few feet away. No doubt, it led to a refresher. 

Kylo remained just inside the room as you ventured further. 

"Can - I – I'd like to bathe," you didn't turn to face him as you alluded to your request. 

 He is not your Master.  

 Isn't he?  

The door to the refresher opened, a silent approval of your request. 

He spoke before you could take a step, "you have until I return to make your decision." 

To find the Holocron for him. With him. To hear the message, Luke left you, and then hand him the key to finding Luke himself. 

"Going somewhere?" You countered.

"Until I return," he would give you no more than that. 

You faced him as he made to leave the room, your movement halting him in place, "what happens if I refuse." 

Kylo let out an amused huff, "what do you think will happen, young one?" 

Your head cocked to the side, surveying his response. 

"Something more creative than dropping me and my ship off a thousand parsecs away, I imagine." 

He was upon you in a few long strides, but you kept your position, only raising your head to meet his mask as he towered over you. The glare on your face couldn't be helped as he dared to reach a hand to your cheek. His knuckles brushed the skin up and down and up again.

A verbose breath left his modulator before he answered, "if you refuse… I'll return you to my Knights, let them decide what to do with you. Ushar will no doubt have a few ideas. Would you like that, little one?"

His hand traveled to the back of your head, giving the surely matted mess a stroke. Pain flickered through your scalp as he suddenly gripped a large section. The discomfort was hard to conceal, and your wicked gaze bore into his mask. 

"I suggest you not refuse." He released the hold and slowly made his exit, knowing he needn't worry about turning his back to you. 

                                                                             ____________________________ 

A bacta patch was waiting on the bed when you finished in the refresher. No doubt for the bruise left from the fractured rib, along with other damage, the concentrated shot didn't heal. One of the less agreeable patches, applied pressure, would send several minuscule needles into the skin to administer the bacta. 

The droid, to your disappointment, had been right before. In the refresher, which felt like the first genuine shell of privacy you'd had in weeks, you took the time to examine your hands. The spray had done a great deal of repair, but the skin still looked… tight… mangled… and had no sign of fingerprints. You expected as much and hadn't paid heed to the risks when you held your wrists to that blaster. 

It was what else the droid predicted that you hadn't expected. 

And when you reached to turn on the refresher, to grab the closet soap bar to sweep away the stench of captivity, ran your hands through your grown out hair; you noticed. There was no feeling in your right palm when you touched the settings, the soap, your hair. It seems all the bacta could reverse the nerve damage, as the droid warned. You remained in the shower long after the stream felt like ice raining down on you until waves of rose and bergamot eclipsed the smell of musk and sweat.

The bacta patch felt like nothing under your right hand as pressed it into the skin. A quick intake of breath was the only indication of the multitude of pricks entering your skin at once. The patch was unnecessarily large; the smallest of movements had the needles pulling this way or the other uncomfortably. 

You might have stopped to wonder who stayed here before, had a sleep not beckoned you to crawl between the sheets. Foregoing the soiled flight suit, you curled up in nothing but your skin. Any aches remaining from the weeks detained by the syndicate and Kylo's horde diminished, and, despite everything, you fell asleep unafraid of waking up. 

                                                                     __________________________________

Two days went by, now more easily tracked thanks to the window. A platter of food sat on the side table each time you woke. Another was left outside the door when the sun began to set. Kylo hadn't returned, and there was no sign of the Knights. Of course, you hadn't left your quarters, but you doubted any of them would give up the opportunity to torment you unsupervised. It was a welcome reprieve, though you knew it wouldn't last. 

You had visitors midday on the third day. The door hissed open as you stood on the bed, watching the forest outside. Sunlight barely touched the ground, and in the hours you spent gazing out the window, you saw no sign of native life. 

 You had guessed who came into the room before he spoke.

"Three days, and the only thing you want to look at it that damn forest." 

"I happen to know for a fact that the trees won't attack me if I walked by," you turned to face Ushar, not hopping down from the bed. 

He was masked as always, looking all too comfortable in your space. He held a large container in his arms, various tools, and dismembers droid parts hanging over the edge. Familiar droid parts. You awkwardly climbed from the bed as Ushar sat against the wall furthest from you. The familiarity struck you as he unloaded the tools and parts, meticulously arranging them on the floor between you two. Scraps of what looked like a recon droid, smaller than a probe but more substantial than a seeker. But surely it wasn't-

Ushar emptied the bin, "you'll have to make proper introductions when you accept Ren's offer." 

Curiosity had you moving to sit on the other end of the pile, facing Ushar. 

"Because attacking me, detaining me, and forcing me to watch you murder my friend wasn't introduction enough?" 

A quick scan of the array of metal confirmed what you thought. This assortment of droid scraps once fit together perfectly as your droid, ID-1023. IO, to you. It made sense that they would tear him apart, there was no way to siphon any information unless you ripped out his internal processor. 

Ushar tracked your gaze and explained, "managed to sneak back on board your ship before we towed it from the arena. I told them it was pointless; you're too careful with the information the droid stores."

He pulled the thick black gloves off his hands, "we can reassemble him together," Ushar removed his helmet, "if you're going to be Ren's pet, we'll have to get along."

"I have not agreed to be his anything," your voice lacked the usual venom as you turned your attention to the fallen droid, "and I wouldn't have to get along with you if you had left me well alone.  And  Jissani."

You dared a glance at him through your eyelashes. Only a couple years older than Ren, too young to be such a notorious murderer. He keeps his head shaved, never letting it grow more than a few centimeters. His face was washed pale from the lack of sun exposure, the rugged texture doing little to hide the fact that Ushar is, painfully, attractive. His eyes danced like the waves of the deepest oceans—eye, not eyes. 

"I killed her to save myself from Ren's wrath, and it is wrath like you've never seen. You bested me and this time I had an audience. I do not regret what I did, but I regret making you watch. Today is the last I'll speak of it."

You met his stare and took in what was different. His left eye was going, marred only by a scar that stretched from his eyebrow to his cheek. 

 Ren's wrath  

You made sure not to linger on the scar, and show no hint of surprise. Pushing the thought of how it did nothing to make Ushar less beautiful, you began assembling. 

"I'll grant you absolution if you now save me from his wrath," you said, passing him the part he needed. 

Ushar took it, and went to work, "that's not a bargain I can make little Padawan, and you know it. I also know that there's no way you don't want to find the Holocron."

He passed a wrench to you, and you nodded in thanks. "Of course, I want to find it, and I will. I just don't want to lead him to it. Finding Luke… it wouldn't bode well for Ren, no matter what the outcome." 

"Then refuse him," Ushar quickly assembled the legs, "he'll leave you here with me and go off on his search."

The laugh left your lips before you thought to care, "while we do what? Go on our own hunt for it? Stay here so you can find new ways to torment me until I bend to your will? He would kill us both"

"Who says he'll be around," the look on your face told him you caught on.

Ushar was thinking about killing your old friend. For a moment, you considered it, including the utter stupidity. The Ushar you knew was careful, his ideas calculated. If he had a plan, he thought it through five different ways. But, this. This Ushar was desperate, reckless even. He never liked being anyone's lackey, and every Knight is more possessive of the things they deem theirs than the last. It's only an unfortunate coincidence that the thing Ushar and Kylo seem to both want to some capacity is you. But if they were both too focused on each other, you could come out on either side unscathed. 

"Okay, Ushar. I'll play along."

You were silent as he explained, not ceasing from putting IO back together. And when he finished, you nodded a silent agreement and kept going. Ushar didn't press you and worked alongside you until a chime from his commlink sent him on his way. With him gone, you moved what little work you had left to your bed. Another half-hour of rewiring and you finished. 

Io hummed to life, and you didn't stop the victory cry that sent your arms in the air. At the same moment, the door to your quarters opened, and he was back. 

Not Ushar, but Kylo. 

Io was still booting up when you moved to stand at the foot of the bed. To say Kylo was tense would win you the award for understatement of the cycle. His body remained rigid, his breathing hard, but controlled. His fists clenched and unclench from beneath the black layers. The many layers of cloth and armor glistened, and you realized they were wet. A glance at the red trail behind him confirmed that it was blood. He must have come straight from his ship. Kylo scanned you slowly, and then scanned the droid now floating behind you. 

"Where. Did you get that." He growled through the vocoder. 

You sent the thought to the forefront of your mind as you said, "recycling facility."

It might have been where Ushar found it because Kylo accepted the lie without question. 

"I'll help you, and after, you'll let me go. You swear that then swear you'll keep your hounds leashed, and I won't lie, and I won't run."

"Do not make the mistake of seeing this as a negotiation."

Kylo is not gentle, that became clear the first time you saw him In all his masked glory, but there was something about the way he lingered. His hands hovered over your cheek with a vile restraint, as if he was unsure how to make physical contact without damaging you. Stuck between claiming what he deemed his in every vicious manner he could, and keeping a firm, absolute grasp on it. His body yearned to know what it was like to just, reach out and feel your skin, but underneath, you knew there was an iron beast, one only sated when he found violent pleasures, both yours and his.

It was soft, his touch at first before his gloved hand moved to cup your jaw and squeezed until your mouth opened ever so slightly. "I would do horrendous things to each of them if they tried to have you… and when I'm through with them, I'll do even more terrible things to you.

His body bent to press his muzzle to your ear, "and I won't stop until you and your body  scream  for me. When that happens… you won't want to go anywhere."

When he left, Io hovered closer to you and sang a few concerned tones.

"I'm not completely sure what's happened to me," you answered.

It was the truth, you realized. Because all of his threats did nothing to douse the embers slowly flickering to life inside you.

#kylo ren #kylo ren x reader #kylo ren x you #kylo ren fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #onlykyloscenes #kylo ren x rc #kylo ren reader insert

[skznct127treacting]

My Stalker - Bang Chan (1/4)

October. A time for endulging in whimsicals fancies of corporate candies, horror movies, spooks that are camp and creeps that are chilling and for your small town - the Halloween carnival. The carnival had been a tradition for as long as you could remember, coming for the weeks leading up to Hallowe’en, with the main attraction being a haunted house - the likes of which had won numerous TV awards for being one of the scariest attractions in the country, with it being particularly popular amongst your age pool - adolescents and young adults.

You, yourself had never been. Perhaps it just wasn’t something of interest to you, or perhaps you were, like all your friends said - scared. What was there to be scared of? Well a lot. There’s a clown room for one, a maze room with a masked chainsaw man chasing you, a serial killers basement… need I go on? 

Regardless. This year. The year of 2019, was slightly different. Because one of the scare actors had caught your attention. Bang Chan. He had started the year late, but had somehow managed to weasel his way into your classes course. He was reserved and quiet, kept to himself mostly. He sat at the front of the class and was always early, he didn’t volunteer much but got 100% on almost any test he took. When people tried to engage with him he would laugh and be sarcastic and cynical and look at them with such intensity that you could swear he was burning a hole right through their skull - it was a look of superiority and confidence. Most people didn’t see that though, they just took his jokes at face value, but there was something cutting about them, something with an aura of uncomfortable truth to them.

He favoured dark clothes, sportswear mainly, he had an athletic build and was constantly slouching, making him appear shorter than he actually was. 

The first week you didn’t talk to him much, not having a reason to, but then the most peculiar thing happened. A week after he arrived you broke one of your pencils in your bag, it must have been crushed by your lunch, or your water bottle, or the endless notepads and folders you carry. Regardless, you put it on your desk intending to bin it after class but forgot to pick it up. 

The next day however, after class ended Chan pulled you to the side just as you were leaving, as you felt his heavy hand on your shoulder and turned to see he had your pencil - perfectly fixed and glued together, so meticulously that you couldn’t even trace the cracks.

“You should be more careful Y/N,” He teased, in his charming but acidic way as you stood there confused and unable to process why he had done this for you.

“Is this my pencil from yesterday?” You asked rolling it between your fingers, surely he had just bought another one or given you a spare. Which was equally weird, but hey it was a more logical explanation.

“What? No?! I fixed it for you Y/N,” he said - drawing out your name again as though enjoying the way it tasted. “I’ve seen you use that one a lot, it’s a pretty cool pencil with the sparkles and rainbows. It’s cute.”

Now your face had been peppered with a pink blush, the strange compliment leading your wave of confusion to be overlapped with that of fluster. 

“I’m Chan by the way,” He said loudly as though intending for you to hear his name. To remember it. You already knew his name of course, having been curious about him for some time. Your friends had done the whole social media stalk and found his facebook page filled with pictures of nights out with his friends, photos at the beach, his dog, his soccer activities. Your friends Josie and Eve were already in relationships though, and having seen the slight gleam in your eye when looking at his pictures - well, they both tried to push you into speaking to him. 

“Oh well nice to meet you. I saw you moved halfway through September, that must have been tough for you. How are you settling?” You asked putting the pencil in your pocket staring up at him only to look away, as though his bright glare was like that of the sun.

“It’s been alright so far, I’ve managed to catch up with classes,” He shrugged moving restlessly from side to side. “Well some of them…”

“I thought you were doing really well all things considering you seem to be getting full marks.” You smiled at him, and for the first time you saw his smile, as he beamed back at you. It was the type of smile that lit up his face and made him appear less intimidating, it was at this exact moment that you felt your heartbeat jump.

“Yes well from speaking to people everybody says your the best at this module, which isn’t surprising, I mean the only times I’ve seen you outside class you’re always in the library studying,” He said still with that charismatic smile, his movements becoming more animated, it was like as though for the first time you were meeting the real him. Of course this second outburst of compliments only deepened your rouge cheeks to scarlett.

“I mean I know some of it but-”

“Well if I ever get stuck I know who to come to for tutoring. Besides your in my debt now,” He smirked looking down at the pocket you had put your pencil in. “Well I’ll see you round Y/N~”

And as he set off the oddest thought crossed your mind… how did he know your name? I mean you had found his out through him telling it to other people when he introduced himself but he had never witnessed no such interaction on your part. He didn’t even sit near you. And what was with the pencil? Who does that?? Why??? Why does he need help? Why did he arrive late to school? All the while your head felt light, dizzy with the interaction, you had never acknowledged his looks and charm for yourself before, you had never felt like this before, nobody had taken such notice of you before. All the while Chan’s footsteps paced the hallways growing lighter, his smile widening, for he knew all the answers to your questions. 

That had been the first interaction, and after you had told Josie and Eve they brushed off the whole pencil thing as creepy, along with him, he was a creep, and they took back every good word they had ever said about him. The three of you were out that day, rummaging through shops for a decent Hallowe’en costume, it may only be the start of term but everybody’s mind was on the Monsters Bash on the 31st October which your school was running, it was to be an outside ball on the sports field with marquees and fairy lights and bunting, cheap alcohol would be provided along with Hallowe’en candy and students were already planning where they would pre drink and where the after parties would be and the buzz was only intensifying as the event neared.

“Slutty witch, slutty nurse, slutty cat, slutty clown… huh slutty scooby doo,” Josie rattled as she sorted through the outfits on the railings. She was a tall girl with a lithe build, long brown hair, pale skin and with an effortless beauty that you envied, she could make anything look stunning. Even a slutty scooby doo costume. 

“Imagine how many people are going to go as the Joker this year,” Eve said, rolling her eyes as she stood on the opposite side of Josie, she was the shortest of the three of you with dyed red hair that was constantly in some type of complicated braid, with her sweater sleeves always pulled over her hands and her shoes always a worn out pair of black converse. 

“I know! I’ve already had to persuade Jack that we’re are not going as Harley and the Joker, I upset him, and now we’re not doing a couple costume anymore.” Josie pouted.

“Same!! Me and Daniel couldn’t agree, I’ve told him for the millionth year that I’m not dressing up as Sally and Jack. It’s just so unoriginal.” Eve shot back with equal passion.

You stood there unable to contribute to such talk of relationships as your mind swirled to thoughts of Chan, what would he dress as this year? Would he even attend the Bash, did he even have anybody to go with? Like sure he had friends, but he didn’t have friends that he could go with. The thought of inviting him crossed your mind, but that was wayyy too ahead of yourself, but perhaps, if you talked to him more and got closer maybe you could go together. Maybe for once you wouldn’t be the 5th wheel in your friendship group.

“What are you going to go as Y/N?” Josie said pushing all the clothes on the railing to one side in dismay as you left the shop.

“Hm I’m not sure yet,” You said pausing your train of thought on Chan.

“Well I got an idea looking at that scooby doo costume.. how cute would it be if we went as the Hex Girls from that show, we can have our own couple costumes,” Eve piped up as Josie shook her head.

“No way! Who's going to get that reference?” Josie replied.

“Erm.. the intellectuals!” Eve laughed. “And if we don’t win best costume, I’ll literally sue the school.”

“So you’d be Luna, I’d be Thorn and Y/N can be Dusk?” Josie said, slightly coming round to the idea.

“Oh my god it’ll be soooo cute!” Eve gushed as you just nodded your head. 

So that was that on October 31st 2019 you and your 3 friends were going to the Monsters Bash as a 90s goth girl group from Scooby Doo, if that didn’t win round Chan.. what would??

Well after that shopping trip at the weekend Monday rolled around. It was the first day that you’d see Chan again since your class together on Thursday and you had spent the whole weekend playing out scenarios in your head like a bad fanfic. When you arrived to class you were surprised to see he hadn’t arrived yet which was verrry unusual for him so you sat in your usual seat towards the back and began to unpack your stuff. Too focused on this activity you had barely noticed somebody come and pull a seat next to you as you looked up to see Chan.

It may be because you had gotten a crush on him but damn he was looking way more handsome than you  thought he was. His dark eyes glanced at you as his dark brown hair, had been dyed a sludgy green over the weekend which was the first thing you complimented him for, it framed his face differently to his blonde hair, made him seem even more mysterious and alluring, his cheekbones more defined, his jaw sharper, his hair cut shorter slightly as you noticed several ear piercings down his ears. 

“Good morning Y/N,” he said cheerfully, although you could see how tired he was from the shadows under his eyes and a sheepish paleness to him.

“How was your weekend?” You asked, only thinking now that maybe it was a bit forward that he had just sat next to you today, with it being the only day he had been late, but those thoughts were pushed out with concerns for him and thoughts of his looks and your curiosity and- and- and-

“It was decent. I had a lot of practice to do though. I somehow managed to get a job at the ghost house and we’ve been doing rehearsals all weekend,” He said slamming his notebooks onto the table next to yours. You noticed him pull out a little red notebook by accident which he quickly shoved to the bottom of his bag which he kicked to the ground and under the desk. “What about you?”

“Oh that’s so cool. I’ve never been to the ghost house myself but I love the carnival. Well we went costume shopping for the bash but didn’t find anything, but we decided what we wanted to be though,” You said, subconsciously smiling at him.

“Whose we?” He asked raising his eyebrows.

“Oh just my friends Josie and Eve, they’re in different classes to me,” 

“And you’re going as….?”

“We are going as the Hex Girls if you know who that is, I’m going to be Dusk, you know blonde hair, green dress.. The drummer..” 

“That’ll be really cute,” He nodded as you felt that dizzy feeling again from his compliments, you were about to reply but with that class had begun.

#bang chan #chan #stray kids #hyunjin #seungmin #woojin #jeongin #changbin #kpop reactions #kpop scenarios #stray kids reactions #skz

[secretshinigami]

Not Alone

Author: @jam-knife (I’m submitting through my main) For: @misas-biggest-fan Pairings/Characters: LxLight Rating/Warnings: Mature. Major characters’ deaths. Mentions of sex (though nothing too explicit, and I kept curse words to a minimum too). Angst, lots of it. Prompt: Light being tailed by L’s ghost Author’s Notes: heyyyyy first of all I LOVED your prompts! I really enjoyed writing this for you, it was a very interesting scenario to explore. I hope you like it!!! Please let me know what you think of it once you finish reading it. Second of all, this fic begins with a scene that was unfortunately cut from the anime (though it wasn’t canon in the manga as far as I know, so it’s not that bad). I don’t know whether or not you’ve watched it, but I’ll leave the link here just in case! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX1_K-mUH94 Word Count: 12k (approximation)

“You said nothing much to look forward to, Ryuk?”

Light’s words were met only by the rustling sound of leaves being ruffled by a sudden cold breeze, which carried with it the smell of removed earth, moss and death. The dirt stuck to his palms and the fabric of his pants as he stood up. He didn’t even show the empathy it required to rub it off.

“Not really. From now on, I’m going to show you how the new world is built.”

His eyes travelled to the sky, dyed orange and red as dusk fell upon him and his –unusually silent– Shinigami. He didn’t give L’s grave one last glimpse as he turned and left. What was there to see anymore? The rocky cross was nothing more than some artfully carved stone, the body six feet below it just an empty carcass, and the dirt that covered it and clung to his person wasn’t different from any other dirt.

None of it truly represented what L had been. L couldn’t possibly be reduced to or preserved in a graveyard lot. Those symbols were hollow.

L was gone. Forever. Which meant that Light now had green light to do with the world –His world– what he wanted.

That’s when he felt it, for the first time.

A step.

Light froze. That… he must have imagined it. Just in case he glanced over his shoulder, and confirmed there was nobody else there; just Ryuk, hovering half a foot over the paved path. That means he imagined it.

That extra step, as if someone tailing him had synchronized their walking with his own, but their last step was slightly off-key.

No. It was nothing. It had been a long day… a long year actually. But now the war was finally over, and all there was left to do was conquer-

He didn’t manage to conclude that thought before the chilling breeze enveloped him in a personal whirlwind of sorts, seeping into his clothes and attacking his every nerve. It only lasted a moment, but it was more than enough for him to perceive an intention in it. One simple idea. Confrontation.

Light was free. Omnipotent. And L was no more.

That is the plain truth… right?

The second time he noticed it was a few days later. Most of the time he wouldn’t even remember it, but every now and then the extra step would announce itself. Subtle, barely present enough to tickle the back of his head. And it grew worse every time he looked the Task Force members in the eye and manipulated or lied to them.

No, he didn’t feel guilty about L’s death –or about any death that preceded it. To think that the reason why his subconscious invoked a constant sensation of being followed and sneered upon was because of some pathetic remorse was ridiculous. Light Yagami was above all that moral crap humans loved to entertain themselves with. He was the God of a newborn world; he simply did what needed to be done for true justice to prevail.

No matter how many times he told himself this, though, the sensation wouldn’t fade away. But, again, it was just that. A sensation.

Or so it had been, until that night.

He had been working on replicating L’s voice synthesizing program for hours on end. There were no windows on the building’s main room, but he knew it was probably very late by now. Even Ryuk, who didn’t biologically need sleep as the otherworldly being he was, had sprawled himself messily on one of the couches and was snoring to his heart’s content.

Light sighed and went back to work. He remembered how that artificial voice had sounded when L used it against him, and when he lent it to Light so he could contact Namikawa during the Yotsuba period. That’s how he knew he was close to getting it right; going to sleep now would only be a waste of time and concentration.

He tweaked the depth and the vibration here and there, checked it, then went back to correcting it. And finally, he succeeded.

“Hello, one two three, testing…” He spoke into the mic, and beamed when he realized he made it. Yes, this would work.

To make sure it was convincing enough to fool anyone, but mostly just because he was feeling giddy with victory, he tried out some L-ish phrases and worked on his intonation and mood.

“You’re in Japan. And your first victim was… little more than an experiment.”

That was exactly what that man had said… so many months ago. Light could still perfectly recall the smugness dripping off every syllable.

“It won’t be too long now before I am able to sentence you… to death.” He replicated impeccably, the words leaving a sour aftertaste behind as he remembered the rage they had unleashed within him back then.

Light gulped and took a breath before leaning into the mic one more time.

“I am L.”

Are you done playing detective?

Light jumped. The chair rolled beneath him and he landed roughly on the floor, together with the toppled mic and a stack of papers, causing a momentary ruckus. He quickly scrambled to his feet, finding support on the desk behind him as he eyed the room. But there was nothing there.

There was no way. He could have sworn he heard L’s voice –not the digital fake, the real deal– whispering inside his head just now. But it lacked the inconsistency of a memory; it had sounded way too organic. It was nothing like the footstep or the silent vigilance. That… was real.

But it couldn’t be. L was dead –he was absolutely certain of that. He had held his body when it happened. He felt it go numb. Still. He confirmed there was no pulse. Then why… why could he hear him?

Was he going crazy?

Every ounce of rationality in him told him so. But. If that… thing just now was real, then…

“Well… Shinigami exist, don’t they? Literal Gods of Death.” He thought out loud. “So… what would be so weird about ghosts?”

Slowly, as if not to disturb the atmosphere, he picked up the chair and sat back down. Not facing the computer, but the room enveloped in darkness. Nothing happened, but he still raised his knees to his chest and adopted his rival’s trademark position out of instinct.

He was definitely losing it.

“Did I make you mad, L?” Light teased, his lips twisted into a wry smile that lost some of its effect given how shaken he actually felt. Even so, there was no answer. “Nothing to say? Why so shy all of a sudden…”

The room was completely quiet except for Ryuk’s thunderous snores. Light waited for a whole minute, and then two more. There were no words… but that feeling of something lingering remained.

“You said yourself I’d do a great job succeeding you.” He tried out, although he was probably just trailing off. “But we both know you wanted to test me, to see if I gave you a response worthy of Kira. You weren’t expecting to actually see it unfold, were you. Does it irritate you? Do you want to hurt me?”

He was about to give up and go back to work when the quiet, familiar chuckle resonated inside him, sending shivers down his spine.

That’s rich coming from the man responsible for my death.

Light’s heart skipped a beat… and his smile grew darker. So it was really him. He wasn’t crazy, or hallucinating. L was haunting him.

“So what? Have you come to take revenge? Talk about a sore loser.”

That, right there, is where you are wrong, dear. You think you’ve already won, but the war is far from over.

He frowned. Even dead, L continued to be as smug as ever. Had it always been this annoying? Moreover, how come L could say it wasn’t over? What else was there left to do? Who else left to defeat?

“What do you mean? I killed you. Everyone left believes in my innocence and supports me as the new L. I’ve acquired the ultimate power. I can direct the police force as L while enchanting the general public as Kira. There’s nothing and nobody else standing on my way to absolute victory.”

Only silence followed his statements. Even more exasperated, he declared:

“You are already dead, L. You’re dead.”

He waited, but nothing else came from L that night.

That, of course, didn’t mean he was gone for good.

Light continued to hear the extra step following him from room to room. That he learned to ignore over time, since it’s easier for the brain to disregard what it gets used to perceiving –just like not seeing your own nose in front of you all the time unless you actively think about it.

What always caught Light off-guard, even though it had become an everyday thing, was when L spoke to him. Light would normally be able to feel when L was laughing at him, or when something he did made the ghost mad. But every time L spoke actual words, they echoed inside Light’s head and his skin tickled.

It was icky. Plus, talking to L always got Light on his nerves. Even after death, the detective had found a purpose for his existence in unnerving Light. And even that was remarkably ordinary and unsurprising compared to the fact that Light somehow managed to put up with it for over four years.

Four years of snarky remarks over his shoulder. Four years of effort dedicated to ignoring that voice and pretending he didn’t hear it, only for L to slip into his dreams where he couldn’t escape him.

Not all was bad, though. He had already experienced having L study his every move, follow him from room to room… back when they were handcuffed they even had to sleep in the same bed and take showers together. Compared to that, the current situation was not so bad. The lack of chains was an improvement, he no longer had to hide his identity as a mass murderer, and since he already had several years worth of experience with talking to entities nobody else could see, concealing L’s presence to the Task Force wasn’t too hard a task.

Ryuk would sometimes eye him like he had gone insane, but Light had no interest in explaining himself to a Shinigami. He knew what Ryuk thought of death: after passing away, the soul goes to the 無(Mu). The Nothingness. According to that, L’s existence as a ghost should be impossible. But here he was regardless.

L didn’t just talk. Light came to realize he was a great listener too. Maybe ‘realize’ was not the right word; more like… rediscover. Except that back when the man was alive, Light was convinced the only reason why he listened to anything he had to say was because he was desperately trying to blame him for something, even though Light didn’t have memories of being Kira back then.

The fact that L listened to him, now that everything was out in the open and what couldn’t be undone had been done, was… nice? That was not quite it.

Sometimes they’d just debate for hours about justice, life and other philosophical matters; sometimes Light would get engrossed in explaining detail by detail each and every plan he executed against L while the ghost laughed and mockingly praised his ingenuity. Sometimes Light felt so alone he crawled out of the bed he shared with Misa and went to the living room, just to sit down in the dark and talk nonsense to that invisible presence.

Meanwhile, time flew by and the world mutated. Kira had become the universal symbol of justice with little to no opposition from any government or social movement, and the mighty detective that once confronted him had slowly faded away, until people grew to remember him as one of many who rebelled against God and obviously failed.

Ghost L found this hilarious at best, and revolting at worst.

And even though the supernatural factor of their whole relationship also extended to how annoying the ghost could get, Light still got used to him not ever really leaving. Slowly, too gradually to pinpoint when, the rage of an imperfect victory was subdued by the solace of keeping the one person that understood.

Until Sayu was kidnapped by Mello. And that changed everything.

There were more opponents. L would call them ‘successors’. The words that were spoken by the ghost over four years ago began to make sense: the war was far from over. With the rise of Mello and Near, Light felt like he was facing his old rival all over again, except this time everything was messier, and the stakes higher.

They had to give away the Death Note to save Sayu’s life. Light did everything that was at hand to stop them from taking it… but they lost the missile. A defeat of that magnitude… It was something he hadn’t experienced in years. It was even worse than when L publicly humiliated him with his live broadcast.

It reminded him of that time. The rain fell relentlessly. He sat, soaked, and let L massage his feet while those huge, merciless yet peaceful eyes pierced him with the truth that the detective had never, not even for a second, swallowed his bluffs. And it made Light feel stupid and desperate and small. That was how he felt now.

The wrath, the impotence, the absolute disgust it all produced were so intense he did nothing but sit on his chair, staring at the ceiling. Misa approached with a cool drink, probably trying to soothe him, but he lacked the energy and the interest to pretend he gave a fuck, so he simply slapped it off her hands and to the floor.

Why was everyone so useless? Why was he so useless?!

Those two kids… he hated them for getting in his way. And he hated L, for being related to them.

Light stormed out of the room and into the bathroom, the door finding its frame with a bang. He wanted to yell. He wanted to break something. With no means to release his rage, he began briskly ripping his clothes off and turned on the shower. Steam immediately filled the room from floor to ceiling; the heat was suffocating even without exposing himself to the water and that, somehow, was relaxing.

You know, that was a very rude thing to do.

Light growled. Not now. He couldn’t handle L as he was now.

“Nobody asked for your bloody opinion.”

I knew you had some anger management issues, but I never would’ve thought you’d take it out on the only person in your life who’s ever offered you comfort and her unconditional support-

“What do you care, L!” He swirled around, yelling at the empty bathroom. He knew he wouldn’t find the man there when he turned, but screaming at the shapes in the steam was easier. “For someone who isn’t even alive you do have a lot to say. It’s pretty hard to give a shit about what you think when you’re never useful and you’re not even here.”

What do you expect me to do, then?

“I don’t know! How about you face me for once instead of hiding like a coward? Or maybe you could just disappear! Why are you even here?!”

He was being irrational, he knew it. And he could only imagine what Misa or Ryuk would think of all this if they walked in on him, screaming at the air. But he didn’t care if he didn’t make sense; he was too angry, and the only one he wanted to take it out on was L. Because it was his fault that people continued to sabotage his perfect plans. If L hadn’t shown up… everything would have been easier.

Do you really want me to leave?

“Yes.” He answered, without a shade of a doubt. “That’s the only thing I’ve wanted ever since you first threatened to sentence me to death. I thought you picked that up when I held you in my arms and watched you die with a smile on my face. Or didn’t you see me laughing at your grave?”

I did.

“Then what the hell are you waiting for?”

A moment of silence followed. Then, hesitantly…

I can’t.

What?

“Why?” Light asked, reaching the limits of his patience.

You think that if I knew I’d still be here? Don’t flatter yourself. The voice answered dryly. It was irritating, but… somewhere deep inside those words he could identify an edge of frustration and… pain. There is something that draws me towards you. Like there’s something I need to do, and it won’t let me go until I do it. But whatever that is I have no idea.

Light huffed, holding his head in his hands.

“Why couldn’t you just die normally…”

I ask myself the same thing every day.

He breathed out. So there was no way to get rid of L as it was. No chance of freedom in the near future. Well, at least he could vent out a bit. Resigned, he finished stripping and stepped into the shower.

He reached out to take the soap, and froze. The presence… L’s ghost was usually respectful of his personal space but now, it had followed him into the shower.

“What are you doing?” Light asked cautiously, his face beat red and not because of the heat. He didn’t want L in his shower, not even for old times’ sake.

You must hate my guts. Not that I have any anymore.

“Isn’t that obvious?” He retorted, not knowing when the atmosphere got so dense or why he felt uneasy about it.

I guess. Still, I never thought of our altercation as something personal.

“We literally tried to get the other killed for months, L. I’d say it was pretty personal.” Light frowned, earning himself a giggle from L.

Fine, I guess you’re right. However, I don’t think I hate you now. I hate what you did. What you still insist on doing. But I don’t hate you, even though it doesn’t really make any sense.

He didn’t answer. He had no words worth speaking, and even if he did, he wouldn’t know what to do with them.

I’m sorry. I wish I could disappear just as much as you do.

“It’s okay. I… don’t mind having someone to talk to either.” He admitted through gritted teeth.

But, about facing you… I think I might be able to do that much.

What… what was he talking about? Light stayed put as water dripped down his body, feeling the steam behind him shift and change, then settle. His skin tickled with even more intensity than it did before, and for a whole five seconds, he seriously considered running off without turning around to see. But, of course, he didn’t. The temptation was too great to ignore.

When he turned around, every nerve end alert in case he had to fight –even though he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to fight a ghost–, he saw it. A translucent figure, its edges blurring into the steam…

“L…”

The commotion of seeing his face again, his eyes, his knowing expression after so many years was so strong Light stumbled back, and found stability against the dripping tiled wall. L’s pale lips curved into a small smile.

“Better?”

Light gulped. Even his voice sounded more corporeal, now that it was coming out of a mouth and not echoing inside his head. Hesitantly, he raised a hand and reached out to touch him. L, understanding his cautious curiosity, didn’t move.

Light went for the chest, over the point where he felt that last dying throb before L’s heart failed permanently. But when he got close enough to touch, his fingers simply trespassed the specter. Energy tickled like electricity all over his hand and up his forearm. He pulled out in shock, and the steam regrouped around the hole he left behind.

“Could you feel that?” He blurted out before thinking.

“Not at all.” The man answered, calmly even though he was also eyeing his own shape with devouring interest. This was new for him too. It was the first time in over four years that he tried out a physical shape.

Wide translucent eyes beamed when a new idea crossed his mind. L tossed his hand against the shampoo rack, but it didn’t even react. It didn’t show the slightest disturbance. That new discovery had L bedazzled. Meanwhile, Light couldn’t stop staring at him, still not quite grasping that this was real. That he could see L again, just the way he was when he lived. His expressions were even livelier than they were back then, now that he was dead and didn’t need to be cautious with his thoughts.

“Can others see you?”

“I don’t know yet. But given how nobody could hear or perceive me before except for you, I wouldn’t think so.”

“Then, from now on, can you stay like this? Visible I mean.”

L’s eyes narrowed, his features shifting with amusement, and Light looked away, his face flushed with embarrassment.

“Did you miss me that much? I’ve always been here though.” He teased. Light thought he’d die of mortification.

“Shut up. I just hate hearing you speak inside my head. It feels icky.”

“Alright then.” The smirk grew meaner.

“Also, step out of my shower. This is already weird enough as it is.”

L’s laugh in response to that couldn’t have been more annoying.

L had been right… for the most part. No other person or living being could see him hovering around Light; they wouldn’t react at all to the late detective’s presence as long as he avoided being trespassed by them.

But coming to realize Ryuk could see and hear him was amusing. For L at least, who could also now perceive the God of Death and seized the opportunity to suffocate the otherworldly being with questions until Ryuk lay on the floor, exhausted. Ryuk, too, seemed flabbergasted to find out ghosts actually existed, and he even taught L how to perfect his manifestation technique, until the specter managed to muster an almost solid-looking consistency he could acquire or shed at will.

Meanwhile, Light felt like his temper was gradually being gnawed at. Having both entities annoying him separately had been irritating enough, but he simply couldn’t have imagined how much worse it would get when they did so together.

“And then he told me he wouldn’t give me any more apples unless I found all the cameras!” Ryuk whined. “Even though he knew of my terribly painful withdrawal symptoms. And then I am the monster…”

“How awful.” L shook his phantasmagoric head in exaggerated disapproval. “Oh Light dear, what a cruel, terrible Master you are.”

“You said it! Heh-heh.” The Shinigami barked in agreement.

That was it. He wasn’t taking it anymore.

Light groaned, tossed the earphones away, snatched a pencil holder from the desk’s top and unchained a vicious rain of pens and pencils against the source of his irritation. L and Ryuk simply sat, amused, and watched the items as they trespassed their intangible forms.

“For the love of everything good in this world and the next, can you both just shut up for a goddamn minute?!”

“Anger management, remember?”

Exasperated, Light simply growled and went back to work.

“Ryuk, go back to my father before the rest begin wondering where you went. We’ll be ambushing Mello’s headquarters in a few hours. I need you to be there so he’ll do the deal of the eyes with you.”

“Heh-heh. Sending others to accept deals you’d spit on yourself.” Ryuk chuckled grimly, his eyes flashing bright red for a moment. “Alright! Let’s catch up later, L.”

L nodded at the Shinigami before it disappeared through the wall. He then came hovering to where Light was and sat –or rather landed– on the desk, facing him.

“So the reason why you forfeited the ownership of the Death Note is not only passing the trouble of handing over half of your remaining lifespan to someone else, but also avoid your father realizing you are a Note owner yourself when he comes back. Am I right, Light?”

“It was the only way.” Light shrugged it off, not quite grasping why L found that little trick so interesting. “How can I hope to rule the New World if I die young? I’m not going to risk my life on the frontline, let alone give my years away.”

“But your own father’s years are alright to sell.”

Light didn’t answer.

“You don’t care at all, do you. You’re straight up throwing him to the wolves. He could be shot to death in there and even if he does survive, he won’t have much of a life ahead of him, will he?”

“Enough.” He mumbled, but L didn’t stop.

“You know it. You know they wholeheartedly believe in that 13-days rule you made up. You know that lie is the only alibi in your hands that’s keeping Aizawa and the rest at bay. Which means… that even if tonight works out how you want it to and Mello is killed by your dad, then you’ll have to murder him in two weeks for your plan not to crumble-”

“That’s enough.” This time his voice came out firmly, and the ghost fell silent. “I’m just doing what needs to be done, L. I thought you of all people would understand that, after you confined and tortured Misa and me for days and even forced my dad to pretend to shoot me.”

“But I didn’t kill anyone. We are not the same-”

“Don’t give me that bullshit.” Light cut him, every muscle in his body tense. His stare was hard, unyielding, when it locked with L’s. “You were perfectly willing to let a criminal use the Death Note to prove the 13-days rule was false. You admitted yourself that you were expecting me, Kira, to instantly kill my dad if he tried to shoot me, because you knew damn well I’d put my own life before his. His death was no more than a calculated risk to you. In fact, in your head, it was the most probable outcome.”

The detective fretted, and Light grinned maliciously. He hit home.

“See? We both do whatever it takes to get what we want. You’re not different from me. You’re not better than me. So, instead of pretending to be surprised by my methods, how about you leave me alone so I can work on getting my Death Note back?”

The silence that followed was smothering. Painfully so. L was no longer looking back at him, but staring through the window. He looked offended mostly, but also guilty. His expression was so open and so sincerely aching Light blinked. So this was how L truly felt about the decisions he took, back when he was alive.

“Fine.” The ghost muttered finally, as his form dissolved in the air and disappeared.

For a moment that sight filled him with pure dread, but then he realized, as his heartbeat settled down, that he could still feel L’s presence coating him. He wasn’t really gone, he had just temporarily left his visible expression.

Good. Light didn’t feel strong or stable enough to face him right now.

A few hours later, Soichiro Yagami died in a hospital bed, relieved to know his son wasn’t a mass murderer.

After returning the Death Note to its rightful owner –a Shinigami that called itself Sidoh– all the Task Force had left to do was wipe their tears away and wrap it up. The trip back to headquarters was silent. Light appreciated that everyone was too shook and devastated about his dad’s death to talk about it.

Once alone in his room, he was free to be himself again.

He began calmly taking his clothes off and getting ready for bed, but before he could invoke some self control, he was already screaming and punching a pillow while tears rolled down his face.

This had been his father’s fault. If he hadn’t been weak… if he had killed Mello instead of hesitating…!

“Why did you let yourself get killed, idiot?!” Light yelled, his throat aching. His hands, which were clutching the pillow with violence, trembled vehemently as his crying echoed through the room and his tears fell, abundantly and showing no signs of stopping. “You didn’t even get rid of him! Why?! You weren’t supposed to die! Y-You… you weren’t supposed to…”

A sob shook his whole body on its way out, and he collapsed on bed, his face buried in the wet pillow. Only soft whimpering could be heard.

Later, he felt the air shift, and electricity tickled him in the leg.

“I thought you were counting on his death.”

Light’s face was swollen from crying when he lifted it from the pillow to look at L’s figure, sitting next to him in the dark with his hand on Light’s thigh. The touch held no weight or warmth, nothing quite organic; just a tingle.

“He was destined to die.” He mumbled weakly as his gaze wandered to the opposite wall. “It’s as you said. Either tonight or within two weeks, he had to. What’s more pathetic is that he only lived for a few hours after doing the deal… which means… that even if he hadn’t done it, he didn’t have much time left in his clock to begin with. He would’ve passed away naturally by tomorrow morning anyway.”

“Why are you crying, then?” L inquired softly, as his hand caressed up and down Light’s leg. “Because you couldn’t see Mello dead?”

Were other the context Light would’ve found the sparkly sensation bothersome –even embarrassing. He didn’t want to reach the level of feebleness that made him deserve L’s consolations. But that was not the case. The detective’s almost inexistent touch was comforting. Light closed his eyes, trying to remember what the real thing felt like, while fighting the devastating pang L’s question induced in him.

“My father’s death was inevitable. I know I did what I had to do. Still… that doesn’t mean I wanted him dead. In an ideal setting, Aizawa, Ide or even Matsuda would’ve taken it upon themselves to do the deal and kill Mello.”

He sat up, feeling the warmth building behind his eyes as new tears accumulated.

“Then… I could’ve killed any of them easily. But he just had to be… so freaking moral. He had to sacrifice himself… why? Nobody would’ve judged him if he had let someone else do it, then why?! It was that same attitude that got him shot in the end!”

Furious, he wiped the tears away before they overflowed. It was the truth. Even when his father died a somewhat happy death, he would’ve preferred it had been anyone else in his place. Still…

Light’s breathing settled, and he looked L in the eyes with determination.

“However, when he stood with Mello in that room, and when the building exploded and all the cameras went blank… and even as he lay there dying… all I could think of was ‘kill Mello. Kill him for me. Don’t leave without taking him down with you’.”

The pain of actually losing his dad came a while after, and even then it had been tainted with frustration and resentment. He wanted Mello dead. That, together with retrieving the Death Note, had been the whole point of the mission, and he had failed because his father chose the worst possible scenario to be humanitarian.

Light hated the feeling. He lost, even though he did nothing wrong. He hated not having control over his own battles. He hated how his father had chosen to die without revenge. He hated Mello for being alive out there somewhere.

“Even if it had been someone else in his place, I know your methods well enough by now to know you won’t be able to hide your true self forever.” L placed a finger on his chin. Even though the gesture wasn’t useful in practice since he simply trespassed it, Light still raised his head to look at him “Eventually, you’ll be wiping all that is left of the Task Force. And then it won’t matter anymore that your dad died today.”

Yes. L was right. Light… would have killed Soichiro eventually. It was only natural to take that course of action. And Light would bite his tongue and choke on it before letting himself hesitate on that matter. L’s eyes as they regarded him were incredibly sad, but not surprised.

“Do you find me disgusting, L?” He asked, a wry smile taking over his lips even though he was terrified of the answer he’d get. The ghost shook his head.

“No, Light.” An incorporeal hand brushed over his cheekbone. He closed his eyes and leaned into the tingle. “I’m just trying to decipher whether you’re a remorseless psychopath faking the pain you show, or if you’re actually acting remorseless to hide how much you’ve wounded yourself. Either way… I find you pitiful.”

And Light wanted to be angry. He tried his best to feel rage, indignation… even shame. But he couldn’t find it in himself. He was empty.

“Maybe… you’re both.”

“Tell me, Light. Did Misa approve of this plan?”

“Shut up.” He scowled, fixing his tie in front of the mirror.

Of course the answer was no. If Misa ever found out about this then she would gouge out both his and Takada’s guts. Giving up her Death Note and passing it to Mikami didn’t really make her any less lethal.

“I thought so. Especially by the way you whispered sweet nothings into the phone earlier.”

“Look, L.” Light turned around to face the late detective. L had become so good at expressing a physical shape that, if it weren’t for the blur at the edges when he moved, Light could’ve believed he was actually standing there in flesh and bone. “Whatever I choose to do with my love life is not your business, especially if it has something to do with my plans as Kira.”

L narrowed his eyes. Whether or not he was judging Light was hard to say.

“You have no moral structure whatsoever, do you?”

“As previously established, you don’t have much of that either-”

“I know.” The ghost cut him, raising a hand. “And I admit I wouldn’t hesitate to do the exact same thing you’re about to do to gain a benefit, as you already know.” At that, Light looked away. The room was too dark for his blush to be discernible. “Still, your shamelessness continues to amaze me.”

He chuckled ironically, staring the specter down as if it had just dared him to do it.

“Aizawa will come to install the cameras and mics now. Once he begins, I’ll have a perfect excuse to ignore you for the next few hours.” Light opened the box on top of the coffee table and began pulling out wires. He then halted, a meditative twinkle in his eyes, and addressed L. “Actually, could you disappear? I don’t want to see you through the corner of my eye when I-”

“You know that I’ll still be here even if you can’t see me, right?”

“Ah, yes. I forgot you’re a prime voyeur.”

“Trust me; this is about the last place in the world I’d like to be in.” The detective retorted, and for some reason his voice had an irritated edge to it.

“I guess we both have to compromise, then. As long as you stay invisible and keep yourself from talking inside my head until I’m done here, I’ll make sure not to kick your ass in Hell.” Light satirically extended a hand to him. “Deal?”

L simply stared him back, scorn invading his whole expression, before disappearing. Light could feel he was mad –uncharacteristically so. Yes, Light had seen him in a foul mood many times, while they lived chained to each other and they both had to listen to Matsuda speak.

But whatever got him so on edge about tonight, Light had no idea.

In fact, L’s mood grew worse and worse as the night progressed. He didn’t notice it at first; It became a constant buzz in the back of his head after Light looked Takada in the eyes and said ‘I missed you’, so he managed to ignore it quite well. However, by the time all mics and cameras were disconnected, he realized L was on the verge of bursting.

Lately, L’s thoughts had grown more tangible, together with his physical shape. So much so they sometimes became suffocating. When L would forfeit his form and settle back inside his head, Light often had a hard time differentiating their mixed feelings.

In life, L had always been incredibly skilled in the art of preserving a cool semblance. Even when he had been visibly annoyed or angry, the way he carried himself always sold the idea that the matter in hand was no more than just a mild inconvenience for him.

“Listen, Kiyomi. I am the real Kira.”

Light would’ve never expected to come face to face with that bubbling rage.

Takada gasped in surprise.

“That’s right. I’m Kira.” He repeated, mostly to confirm she had heard him right, but also to assure himself against L’s violent, thundering emotions. “That’s what I wanted to tell you.” Takada didn’t respond immediately, so Light took the chance to raise the phone to his ear and wrap up the conversation with Mikami. “Listen. I won’t allow you to ask Kiyomi who I am; you don’t need to know my identity.”

“Yes. I’ll leave the rest to you, God.”

Bastard.

Light shook. It had been a while since he had last heard L’s voice inside his head. Didn’t he explicitly tell him not to do that?! He’d make sure to devote the rest of his life to researching a way to kill a ghost again. He hung up the phone and turned around to address Kiyomi, as he stifled down his irritation.

“Do you understand? I am Kira. The man who was on the phone, is one of my followers who I’ve shared my power with.”

Takada’s eyes lit up.

“I… I can’t believe it’s you!” She whispered in awe. “You are the only man I’ve ever really admired. To be honest… the only man I’ve ever felt a connection with.” L growled. “And now, to find out you’re Kira… it’s incredible.”

As planned, Light had Takada curled around his finger in no time. He would’ve been able to fully enjoy the sweet taste of victory if it weren’t for L’s sour invasion. Oh, but he wasn’t about to let that bloody ghost spoil his mood. Was he pissed off now? Then he was about to become completely infuriated.

Light stepped closer and willfully lowered his voice to a deep whisper as he cupped Takada’s cheek in his hand.

“Please… join me, Kiyomi. And you will be the goddess of the New World.”

“Light…” She immediately pulled him into an embrace he didn’t fail to return.

He smirked over her shoulder –he had her right where he wanted her… and she was about to have him right where she wanted him too.

When Light leaned down to kiss her, L’s wrath pulsed through him.

Two and a half hours later, Light finished doing his tie, put his coat on and exited the room. Takada had already left –it was best for both that they weren’t seen leaving the hotel together.

Everything was working out smoothly. He now had a connection to Mikami through her, which would make everything easier from now on. The annihilation of the whole Task Force, together with the SPK and Near were visible in the horizon. In a matter of days, there would be no one left in his way. He’d be the only, unquestioned God of his own New World.

Confident with his secured victory, Light pulled the phone out.

“Light! Are you okay?” Matsuda exclaimed. Of course they were worried, after losing all connection with him for over two hours.

“Yeah… Kiyomi was able to work things out with Kira. I decided that from now on, I’m gonna pretend to be dating her.” L, who had fallen unusually quiet for a while now, suddenly shifted uncomfortably inside of him. He smirked. “We might be able to find Kira that way.”

“Alright, if you say so…” Matsuda answered, and for the musicality in his voice it was clear to everyone that a) he had serious doubts Light was just pretending and b) he knew Light simply hadn’t spent the last two hours with Takada playing Monopoly.

Right after that, a smack could be heard. Matsuda whined out loud as Aizawa scolded him. Light rolled his eyes and hung up.

So you actually went and did it.

He stopped on his tracks, overwhelmed by how the voice reverberated inside him. He growled in annoyance.

“I told you not to do that!”

As an answer to his protest, L materialized in front of him. All the ire he had felt bubbling inside him left. It shook him to realize that L had turned back to his old –living– habits. The expression in his face was barely a washed-down version of the consuming wrath Light now knew inhabited him.

“Still manipulating women and using sex to get what you want, uh?”

“You say it like that’s the worst thing I’ve done.”

“Oh, no. Of course it isn’t.” L shook his head. When he narrowed his eyes, the gaze he bore was venomous. “When are you gonna kill her, then?”

Light gulped, glaring at him. He wanted to be surprised that L brought that up, but he couldn’t; he knew how vicious he could get. The ghost smiled back at him, even though the gesture held no warmth, sympathy or bliss whatsoever. It was a dry smile, filled to the brim with a wish to hurt.

“That’s what you do, isn’t it? Attachment and intimacy are alright as long as you can get something from it. As soon as the other person becomes a hindrance you dispose of them.” L spat. “So? How long until you murder Takada too?”

“I hate you, you know.” Light hissed. “I hate how you always talk like you know everything about everyone. I hate how hypocritical you are, going around making moral statements about other people when you were just as bad or even worse. And I hate how you are convinced that everything has to be about you!”

The ghost took a step back, and Light seized the opportunity to push further. They had already pulled each other down on the mud; they might as well fight.

“Maybe I just like sleeping with Takada. But… oh? Does that irritate you?” One look at the detective’s face told him he had hit the nail’s head. “Does it drive you crazy, that it’s her and not you?”

“This is nonsense. Stop talking before you humiliate yourself.” L growled, earning himself a barking laugh from the other.

“Come on. I felt it. I felt how your blood boiled when she embraced me. Admit it.” The ghost stood there, and said nothing. Suddenly intoxicated with rage and something close to desperation, Light walked up to him and reached out to grab his arm. He grabbed nothing. “Admit you’re jealous.”

“How…” for the first time ever, the specter’s voice came out so terrifyingly low it sent chills down his spine. “… am I supposed to be jealous, when we both know you’re just using her? We both know she’ll soon be dead meat. She isn’t getting anything I haven’t gotten already.”

Light shivered, unable to talk through the knot in his throat.

 “You can’t fool me, Light. I see everything, remember? Goddess of the New World… How many times have you used that trick on Misa this month?”

“Shut up.” The words were no more than a tremulous whisper. It was mortifying.

“Then how about this very week?” L pressed, and even though Light couldn’t feel a breath meet his face, he still stepped back, looking hurt. When he replied, his words were calm with bitterness.

“So now we’re pretending you’re not the same?”

It happened often during the lapse of time Light had to cope with L cuffed to his wrist and without his memories of the Death Note. He’d constantly be shaken awake by nightmares that didn’t seem his own. Sometimes the startling would be soft enough to simply wake him up, and he could just roll over and go back to sleep without disturbing L. And sometimes, like that time, he’d physically jump on bed and find himself drenched in cold sweat.

He sat up and looked to his left –by his side, L slept soundly, curled into a ball with his knees to his chest, the half of his face that wasn’t buried in the pillow giving off an expression of peace.

Light sighed deeply as he wiped sweat off his face and neck. He wouldn’t mind being able to lock himself up in the toilet, but handcuffs. He directed his energy into staying still and steadying his breath instead.

“Another nightmare?”

Light blinked. So L wasn’t even half as asleep as he pretended to. He looked at him from below, his face still half-buried in his pillow. It was way too adorable –Light looked away.

“Yes.” The detective sat up too, the sheets sliding down his torso.

“What was it about?”

“I… stood on top of a very tall building.” He narrated, his gaze lost somewhere in the shadows that inhabited the room. “Below, at ground level, people were screaming. I wanted to look down to see what was happening to them, but I was too afraid. Then, from behind… a tall massive shadow hovered over me. It’s silhouette wasn’t that of a human. The thing laughed; that wasn’t human either. I tried to look over my shoulder, and was pushed off the building. I fell. The screaming grew closer…. and I woke up.”

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence.

“Is that all?” L inquired quietly. A crease took shape between Light’s brows, and he fixed his stare on his lap.

“I know what you’re thinking. I’m not stupid enough to not be able to deduce what you think my dream represents. But, Ryuzaki…” He formed fists with his fingers to keep them from fidgeting, and raised his eyes to L’s. “I can’t be… I don’t remember ever doing any of that. And I know. I know people can do the unspeakable when pushed to the limit, but I’d never kill on my own free will.”

“Light…” L hesitated, and then crawled across the bed to reach out and grab one of the towels from a nearby hanger. When he crawled back, he pressed it to Light’s face. “There is a chance Kira somehow possessed you during that period. In that case, you wouldn’t have been in control of your own actions.”

His tone was soft, but it wasn’t enough to conceal his real thoughts. Light smiled sadly as L wiped the sweat off his neck.

“But you don’t think I was possessed.” He spoke the truth nobody wanted to acknowledge. L stopped drying him. “You’re certain I was the original Kira. Even now, you must be wondering whether I’ve been bluffing ever since I was inside that cell. You’re probably thinking all this is just part of an act; some greater scheme on my behalf.”

The detective didn’t respond immediately. They looked at each other for several seconds; when he did, his words were grave with the amount of seriousness the statement deserved.

“I am.”

Light nodded. He didn’t really blame L for thinking that. He, too, was slowly getting more and more obsessed with the idea that he might have been, indeed, Kira. Yes, the justice system was flawed. But if he had had Kira’s power, would he had actually used it like Kira did?

“I understand.” He replied. “You’re just doing your job. And I want to help however I want. I want to reach the bottom of this, and cleanse my name. It’s just…” Light sighed and scratched his head. Saying it was much more awkward than he had anticipated. “I really wish it could have been different.”

“What?”

“My relationship with you.”

His heart was beating like crazy, but he had already begun talking. The rest gurgled out and he couldn’t restrain it.

“I wish I could’ve stood on equal ground with you when I met you; with me being a detective, not the prime suspect for the greatest mass murder of the decade. I wish I could’ve gotten to know you, without all the games and the lies. We could’ve held conversations that didn’t feel like interrogations. You’re very smart, and determined.” His face was burning up now, but he kept on talking. “Even though that shouldn’t be good, considering you suspect me… I admire that a lot.”

Their eyes locked, and Light’s stomach turned.

“I admire you.”

For a long while, L didn’t move or react at all; instead of widening eyes or abrupt exclamations, that was how the mighty detective processed shock. It was pretty embarrassing for Light, though. The blush crept to his ears and neck, and he was about to roll over and pretend none of that ever happened, when L cleared his throat. A soft, pink shade took over his pointy cheekbones.

“You admire me.” He reiterated, as if not completely believing it. Light would’ve found it funny had he not been focused in his racing pulse. He nodded… and L gulped. The detective raised a hand and brushed a strand of brunet hair away from his eyes. “Do you only admire me?”

“I…”

“How else do you feel about me?” His finger curled around Light’s ear. His voice was soft, but deep. “Tell me.”

“Not all is good.” He admitted, too distracted by the touch to watch his words. “Sometimes I hate you. So much I want to punch you-”

“Yes, you have done that.” That made him laugh.

“Yeah… it’s because I hate it when you prod me for a confession I can’t give you. And when you say things like ‘it’s pointless to keep on trying’, when my name is in as much of a stake as your title, and when you’ve already done too much to me to just dismiss it like that. I hate being reminded that you only see me as a potential murderer; that you were lying when you said we were friends… And I hate being unable to accept your kindness without thinking you’re playing with me, because I-”

Crap. That was close. He barely managed to bite his tongue before he spurted something dangerous. But L, being L, simply wouldn’t let him off the hook that easily. The detective scooted closer –their legs were touching, and they were breathing the same air. Light’s heart fluttered. L’s fingers on his cheek were cold compared to the flushed skin beneath.

“Because?” L whispered, and Light’s gaze fell on his lips, fascinated by their shape, the cadence with which they moved, their invisible, indescribable allure.

Don’t make me say it if you already know. That was what he would have liked to say, but he couldn’t speak. He barely had a moment to process what was happening and take a breath before L closed the distance between them and delicately sealed their lips together.

Light held his breath and sat, static, as his mind was filled with the subtle, tingling sensation of L’s mouth caressing his. That alone was enough to make his heart pound hard against his ribcage. It was a soft kiss; plush, barely more substantial than the brush of a finger. When the man pulled away –only one inch, just enough to end the contact–, their lips separated with a quiet pop.

Light’s whole body was tingling, and he had to forcefully stifle down the urge to tremble that was building steadily in the pit of his stomach. He breathed out, and in, and out; shallowly. He didn’t want to risk inhaling any more of L’s scent.

He should have backed off. Gone back to sleep and pretended that never happened. It would have been wiser. Instead, he remained still and did not oppose L’s movements when the detective cupped his nape and angled his face into another kiss.

It was a deeper one this time, given how their mouths were briefly open. Moisture quickly built up over his upper lip as he felt L’s lower lip seductively pressing against his teeth. Light closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Swiftly, without letting the chance slip by, the man expertly locked their jaws together and entered Light’s warm mouth with his tongue.

A soft gasp that escaped him and coated L’s lips, and then transformed into a barely audible whine. It was inevitable. He couldn’t fight the trembling anymore. He felt feverish all over. Touch-starved and about to burst. His tongue tingled when L’s caressed it, and it filled him with desire and a deep-rooted desperation. He changed his angle to reciprocate the man’s movements, their lips now moving in unison as they sank deeper into each other.

Nobody had ever… not like this. Misa’s kisses weren’t necessarily bad, but they were always messy and indelicate-

L’s free hand began travelling up his thigh, and the spasm that triggered on the muscles of his leg was so powerful Light jolted backwards, and the trance was broken. Out of breath, he searched the detective’s face, and looked away when he realized he could only focus on the blush in his cheeks, the intensity of his gaze and the moist spot on his lower lip.

“Ryuzaki-”

“What’s wrong, Light?”

He bit his lip. L’s voice was still deep, but it was gradually acquiring a sharp edge. Now more than ever, he knew he shouldn’t have allowed that to happen. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“What about Misa? Even if she never finds out…”

He shyly searched the man’s face again. L held still for a moment, as he considered his words. Slowly, he seemed to assimilate them. He nodded, and cupped Light’s face again.

“Then… you can hold me accountable for it.” L whispered, and dived back in. That time their mouths locked together even more naturally, and although Light’s whole body was brimming with the urge to give in to the kiss, he still couldn’t brush off the feeling that it was wrong.

Disrespecting Misa, playing with her feelings for him… he wasn’t like that. And the fact that he had to instruct himself to feel guilty about it only brought him self-disgust. He turned his face to the side, and L’s lips slid away from his. The detective didn’t waste over a mere second to understand that this –whatever it was– would not drag any longer.

“Could it be that you were pretending to be interested in me?” He inquired.

Light flinched. His words stung more than he could’ve predicted.

“Do you think I’d do that? You know what, don’t answer. Either way, this… it’s not fair on Misa. I told you I would never use a woman’s feelings to my advantage, so don’t make me betray myself-”

“You don’t love her.” Light gulped. “You don’t even know why you are with her, do you.” L’s gaze grew harder as he went from appreciating Light to analyzing him; a shift Light himself was all too familiar with. “You forgot… together with everything else-”

“That’s enough.” He cut him, his voice coming out firmer than he had expected, and brushed L’s hands off his face. “I’m not about to believe I am a murderer. And Misa isn’t either. I’m not what you think I am, Ryuzaki.”

That being said, Light rolled over and pulled the covers over himself, signaling the end of the conversation. What they just did… it was better off forgotten. As things were now, stubbornly trying to follow that path would only bring pain, regardless of Light turning out to be Kira or not, and regardless of his feelings for Misa and the man. Which didn’t necessarily mean that Light wasn’t already aching over it, but he’d never admit to it.

After a good five minutes of complete stillness, L finally tucked himself in bed, he too giving his back to Light, and before drifting to sleep he murmured:

“If it’s worth something, I really hope you weren’t.”

Yes. The memory of that night’s events, no matter how long gone, was very fresh in their minds. Though, just like the nightmares had been back then, the Light from the present didn’t quite feel that it belonged to him.

When he lost the Death Note… it was crazy. He became a completely different person. It wasn’t just about not remembering being Kira; it reached the point where thinking of what Kira had done revolted him to the core. Then he began questioning himself, doubting his own innocence, and came to realize he could understand his actions to some extent. He used to think the world was rotten before Kira entered the picture, and he still did during the Yotsuba period.

However, the retrieval of the Death Note carved a crack in his moral system he didn’t remember ever sealing. He went back to his old ways, used Misa just like the dangerously volatile tool he had always seen her as. He used everyone, including Rem, a God. Thinking back, it made sense L was suspicious of his most tender side; the Light he was now would have definitely tried to seduce L if he had seen some utility in it.

Kira would have never fallen for the detective.

Even so… what he had felt back then had been real. He did fall for him. And he was given a chance to shatter that burden when he got his memories back –his priority went back to being himself, and L was simply an obstacle–, but this was the first time he let himself think about what could have been, and he found out his feelings weren’t shattered at all.

It still ached.

“Didn’t you do that just to test me?” Light said, accusingly. “You thought I was acting it out, didn’t you. You had to see for yourself how far I’d take it.”

L didn’t kiss him because he felt something for him; he did it to see if he would recoil. In fact, the way he rejected the man in the end was probably interpreted as a positive result.

The ghost didn’t need to answer –Light could see the admission in his face.

“I pretty much confessed to you.” He looked away. That was in the past now. It should have been. L was dead. Then why did he still feel so bitter about it? “And you didn’t even care. You were too busy studying me like a bloody scientist.”

“Can you blame me?” He couldn’t. “Besides, that is not entirely true.”

Confused and untrusting, Light locked eyes with the ghost. L sighed.

“I do admit I didn’t believe it at first –it was too convenient. But I never gave you any hints I was romantically interested in you, and I couldn’t have imagined you were. Therefore, I didn’t understand why you resorted to that method if you just wanted to manipulate me. I began to wonder if it had been for real; but before I could question you further on the subject it was too late. We captured Higuchi, and it didn’t take me long to notice that you… changed.”

Light’s stare landed on his feet. He believed L; he was dead and didn’t need to lie. What if the detective had said something before they cornered Higuchi? It was pointless to dwell on it, since Light was certain he would have killed him in the end. The world needed L to die so Kira could reign. In retrospect, it was a good thing he didn’t, since he allowed Light to move forward with his heart unscathed.

Or so he thought, before all the pain he wasn’t even aware existed inside him through the years came back to bite at him. He hated it. Despising L was easier than this.

“Why are you telling me this?” He bit back, arms crossed as he returned L’s gaze, his ache now obvious in his features. “If I had broken into tears back then and told you I still felt the same way for you, would you have let me go? Would you have risked trusting me? No, you wouldn’t have given me a chance-”

“I did give you a chance. That’s how I know Takada is as good as dead now.”

Light’s eyes widened. He couldn’t mean…

“That time…”

It had been the night after Higuchi’s capture. He had his memories back, and L had, according to the Task Force’s wishes, begrudgingly agreed to dispose of the handcuffs that had bound them together for months. Light was allowed to spend the night in his own room, alone, for the first time in what seemed ages. However, he couldn’t sleep.

It must have been because the excitement at seeing his plan work out perfectly had been too great. Or maybe he had grown used to having someone else lie next to him. His bed seemed huge to the eye and cold to the touch, even though it was the same size as the previous one and both rooms’ thermostats shared the same settings.

He was pacing around aimlessly when he heard a knock on the door. It was L. But Light didn’t get to talk to him, for the man immediately raised his dark eyes to Light’s and determinedly jumped him, pulling him into a ravenous kiss. And before nobody could get in the way, the door was slammed shut and they were in bed.

This could work for my advantage, Light had thought as he gave in without a care for the world. He had wanted it for so long, anyway. In the end, it had been a good way to release pent-up frustrations and unnecessary feelings, and no sweet words or pathetic confessions were exchanged.

“I woke up, alone.” He recalled. “You had gone out to the roof, even though it was pouring. That’s where I found you.”

Right now, Ghost L looked just as sad and decidedly hopeless as he had looked back then. Light could even imagine the rain dripping down his face and dampening him whole in between one blink and the next. Later, at the staircase, L had smiled sadly and said ‘It will be lonely, won’t it? You and I will be parting ways soon’.

He couldn’t have predicted that wouldn’t really ever happen. Still…

“Back then… you already knew you’d die, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” L nodded solemnly.

“But why? I… I gave you my consent. We-”

“Exactly. I knew you disposed of people as soon as you stopped finding them a use. By letting me have you the night before, you were clearly trying to manipulate me. If you had been the same Light I’d been handcuffed to for months –if you had felt strongly enough not to kill me– you would have rejected me. But you didn’t resist or hesitate. Not even when I-”

“Enough.” He breathed. He felt like he was choking. So that was why L had called him a liar back at the roof. The detective had seen right through him… the whole time. But… he was missing a vital piece. A thunder resonated in the distance.

“I invited you to use me. And you did.” L concluded, a small smile forming in his lips without reaching his eyes. The first few droplets began falling.

He had to say it. If he didn’t say it now, he never would.

“Yes, I admit it.” Light lowered his head. The rain grew stronger above him. “I wanted to manipulate you, just as much as you wanted to call me out for it.” Then he raised his chin to look straight into the ghost’s eyes, water rolling down his face as he spoke up. His voice came out broken. “But that’s not all it was, and you know it.”

L’s specter froze, his eyes slowly gaining focus. Light, on the other side, let out a long exhalation. The aching deep in the pit of his stomach didn’t really yield, but shifted. A weight had been lifted; one he couldn’t claim back even if he wanted to.

“Are you saying you truly wanted me?” L breathed out, as if worried that raising his voice would disturb the atmosphere. However, he looked more aghast than hopeful.

“No.” He shook his head, his expression softer. “I’m saying we wanted each other.”

There was silence, and rain. L stood there, petrified as the falling drops trespassed him without disturbing his clothing or his black messy hair. And with every second that he spent with his wide, desperate eyes glued on him, Light’s heart beat faster. Harder.

He had to wait until the man was already dead, but he finally did it.

He finally confessed.

“Won’t you… say something?” He whispered.

L opened his mouth… then closed it. Then opened it again.

“I…” The ghost looked away, and Light realized then how utterly devastated he was. His voice quavered. “I can’t.”

And then he disappeared.

…

Wait.

Why… why couldn’t Light feel him… he was always able to feel him when he vanished, then why?

No.

No… No.

“L…” Nobody answered. “L!!!!!” It was useless.

L wasn’t there. All there was, was silence and rain.

Events continued to develop without further disturbance. He met up with Takada several times –with the Task Force listening, so he didn’t try anything–, and passed his instructions to Mikami. The SPK found out about Mikami and tried to tamper with his Note, so a fake Note was crafted. Everything was going according to plan.

Even Mello’s decision to kidnap Takada, though unexpected, worked out perfectly for him, as he managed to dispatch both of them easily. He had been waiting to see Mello dead since the explosion. As for Takada, he was relieved to take that weight off his back. And he would have actually been able to be a hundred percent remorseless about it had he not remembered his conversation with a certain deceased someone.

As for L… he didn’t return. No matter what Light did or how awful he became, L didn’t manifest, talk inside his head, or give any other signal whatsoever of still existing. And Light had expected it to hurt… maybe he wanted to feel hurt. But he was too empty to feel nothing other than rage, and greed. All that occupied his mind was Near, and their encounter at the warehouse. He was too busy with conquering the world to feel lonely.

Still, some nights he’d surprise himself yelling at the top of his lungs at a soul that no longer tailed him. He’d yell stuff like ‘Aren’t you going to show yourself?!’. There never was an answer.

Then the day came. Mikami did his job perfectly, so much so Light physically struggled to avoid bursting into laughter ahead of time. And right when he was feeling giddy with victory, desperate to rub his success in Near’s juvenile face as the boy’s heart failed… everything was gone. It slipped from between his fingers as easily as the seconds ticked away in his watch.

He didn’t go down without a fight. First, he desperately attempted to accuse the SPK of framing him, and when that didn’t work, he used the truth. The mask he had carefully crafted crumpled. In a feverish, delusional moment of revelation that lacked little to reach hysteria, he gave the greatest speech of his whole life; he shared with them the legacy he had tried to leave behind, hoping they would understand. Even so, Near still called him a crazy serial killer, nothing more, and nothing less.

He had his watch with a piece of the Note inside, but he could have never calculated that Matsuda would shoot him; repeatedly. When he fell to a puddle on the floor and Matsuda stood over him, tears streaking down his betrayed face as he glared and aimed his gun at his head… Light realized how badly he had screwed up.

He could have died. That man could have killed him in a mere instant. Even through the multiple layers of tortuous pain his fresh bullet wounds were inflicting on him, he only had the mental capacity to process that gut-deep, swiping fear.

He called for Mikami… but the man was of no use. So he simply lay there in his puddle as it changed its color from transparent to red. He gasped for air, and cried out.

“Where are you, Misa?!” He had used her, and left her at home, deprived of her memories. “Where’s Takada?!” He had killed her. His actions finally settled fully on him, and tears swelled at the corners of his eyes.

Someone… w-what do I do n-now…

…

L…

Mikami stabbed himself, and Light wasn’t about to grow out of old habits. He used his follower one last time, to crawl to his feet and escape while everybody else focused on the bloodshed.

He ran. As fast as he could, with his body bent over in pain and his injured arm hanging like dead weight by his side. Every step was excruciating to take, and every gasping breath was more difficult to inhale than the one that preceded it, but he didn’t stop. He knew his legs would give in soon. The blood loss was taking an exponential toll on his body. He kept on running, even though it was futile.

Every decision he had made up to that point, only now he could see how they had stuck to him like parasites. He had been rotting away ever since he picked the Note. Ryuk… had been right. In Kira’s crimeless world… the only rotten apple left was him.

However, if he had been given the chance to go back to being that seventeen-year-old, naïve boy he once was, he wouldn’t have taken it.

His running slowed down to walking; he had lost Aizawa and the rest long ago. By the time he reached the abandoned building, he could hardly stay on his feet. He sprawled himself on the stairs… and then he felt it.

It coated over him. It felt like coming back home after what seemed forever.

Hello, Light.

Tears overflowed his eyes. He could have never imagined that his voice would bring him such intense joy.

“L…” he whimpered. “Y-You’re back-”

The specter materialized before him… weird. He looked more corporeal than he ever had before. Or was it just that Light had forgotten how he had looked after so long? There was some sort of ethereal blue aura around him, though, which hadn’t been there before. And he was smiling… fondly.

“You don’t look too well.”

Light laughed, which made him cough and wince in pain.

“Missed you too?” He retorted sarcastically, and it lacked most of its usual bite. Everything, even just raising his head to look L in the eyes, felt awful, but he did it all the same. “I thought… you were gone for good.”

“And give you the pleasure?” The detective grinned, his eyes gleaming. “Never.”

“Good.” He replied, relaxing and smiling at last.

It was at that moment that his heart hammered through his chest… once. Burning pain irradiated in all directions from there. He felt the tingle taking over every inch of his body as his vision blurred and his focus faded.

“W-What…” The pain, suddenly, stopped. All at once. He jerked to his feet, utterly confused, only to realize he didn’t feel the pressure of a floor beneath his feet anymore. L was staring at him wide-eyed. Whatever he saw had him flabbergasted. Light looked over his shoulder… at his own limp body, lying on the stairs and with no soul in its eyes. And he understood. “Ryuk…”

He shook at the incorporeal sound of his own voice.

“That makes two of us, I guess.” L mused, walking over to face him. “Welcome to the realm of the dead, Light.”

“I’m…” He stood still, having a hard time processing it. Then, slowly… a sparkling sensation in his stomach bubbled up, and he giggled. The smile he gave to L was radiant, as he reached out to him.

And as if things couldn’t get any more amazing, when his inexistent fingers landed on the man’s chest… there was resistance to oppose them. Solid, and warm.

“L!” He beamed, patting the other repeatedly. “I can touch you… I’m touching you!”

“Yes. Yes you are.” L confirmed, laughing too. He was bedazzled. “I feel you…”

The moment after, they were wrapped in each other’s arms, laughing. It shouldn’t have felt this real, but it did. Light could even perceive a hint of L’s scent when he dug his face into raven hair.

“You’re here…” He squeezed harder. “What happened? Why did you disappear? Where did you go?”

“I was always here. I was just in such conflict with myself I couldn’t reach out to you.” The man murmured against his shoulder. “I get it now… this was my mission all along. I was supposed to be here, to welcome you when you passed away. Everything makes sense now…”

Light pulled away. He needed to look L in the eyes.

“So, a moment ago…” He hesitated for a moment that didn’t last too long. “When you spoke to me. Was I able to hear you because I was agonizing, or-”

“I don’t think that’s the reason.” L shook his head, and smiled. “I finally found an answer to my conflict. To my feelings for you.”

Light blinked, finally understanding. He didn’t think he’d be able to feel butterflies in his stomach given how he no longer had internal organs, but he did.

“What I said that time…”

“You wrecked me.” L joked, and cupped Light’s face in his hands. When their eyes locked, his were full of devotion. “But you were right. I shouldn’t have, you were a mass murderer not to mention my nemesis, but I did want you. More than you can imagine.”

Light reached up, to fondly caress L’s knuckles.

“L, I loved you.” He swallowed, and leaned into the warm touch. “I… still do. Even after everything.”

“Me too.” The man whispered back, and for the first time, Light heard him go weak.“Even after everything.”

He grabbed him by the collar and locked their lips together. He melted into the kiss, trembling feverishly. He had missed this sensation so much he could barely stand it. The plush, wet and enticing brush of their lips soon grew hungrier, starving, even though they were both smiling into it. And it felt, both literally and metaphorically, more real than any other touch they had ever shared, dead or alive.

Then, they slowly began crumbling away. The kiss was broken as they both stared down. It began at their feet –they were dissolving into iridescent specs of dust that caught the light, and then into nothing. Gradually, it crawled up their shins, reaching their knees, and thighs.

But it wasn’t painful, or scary. Neither of them was scared. It was very peaceful. But just in case he didn’t get another chance, Light pressed every part of him that remained to L’s shape.

“L…” He breathed against the man’s mouth. “Are… are you even real? Or have you just been a product of my imagination all this time?”

L looked puzzled for a moment, but then he simply smiled.

“Does it even matter at this point?”

Light looked him in the eyes, as their torsos began to fade, and felt it deep within himself. He took L’s face in his hands, even though the tips of his fingers were disappearing too.

“No.” He concluded, and leaned in for one last loving kiss which L reciprocated.

And after that, nothing.

#Death Note #L Lawliet #fanfiction #submission #jamknife #misasbiggestfan #ratings: mature #L #Light Yagami #lawlight #B's Bitchin Borthday 2k19

[fallen029]

Baby Steps: Never Go Away

He was a brooding man. A brutish, fearful type that most would flee from, just at the sight. He was typically agitated and, even when he wasn't, was prone to outbursts and violence. His attitude was poor in nearly all situations, he hardly even was friendly towards those he would call friends and, even, at times said people would consider themselves better off with him and his sour disposition.

This was not the case for Gaia though. Not in the slightest.

She knew the man's many tempers and proneness to solitude. How much of a jerk he could be at times to others. That it was better, most of the time, to just leave the dragon alone.

She just didn't care.

Most people spying Gajeel sitting all alone in the early dusk hours of a summer night would leave him to whatever it was he was doing, out there on the back porch. Even Pantherlily and Levy found this to be the best scenario for whatever funk he'd come home with. He'd grumbled at all of them a bit before heading out there to sulk.

The sun was still setting in the sky though when Gaia decided to push through the back screen door and headed out there. The five year old had just finished her dinner and, considering her father was home from his job and not out training or something, that meant that she needed him to sing her to sleep. It was part of the deal. If he didn't want to do it then he shouldn't have come home!

He didn't even look away from his longing gaze up at the moon which had already started to show itself in the purple skies above, but at the feeling of soft hands shoving him gently in the back, he did shut his red eyes tightly.

"Ain't you got something else to do, baby?" he grumbled to her without a glance. "I'm busy."

"Liar."

"I ain't no liar. And I'm not gonna take well to being called one."

He got another shove, this time a bit harder. "Daddy, come sing."

"No."

"Please?"

This got him sometimes. She was a pro at drawing paternal responses from the man. Under another circumstance, there would have been a good chance that he'd jumped up and rushed to do whatever stupid thing it was that she wanted.

It was not the case this time, however.

"Gaia," Gajeel complained as, tilting his head back up, he only stared at the sky. "Go away."

Her face crumpled some and she thought about crying. That always did the trick. But, for some reason, instead she only moved to not shove at his back this time, but rather wrap her arms around his neck and rest against his back.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly as he didn't even reach a hand up to pat at where hers were clasped tightly around him. "Daddy?"

Grunting, Gajeel refused to answer. Gaia wasn't so easily done away with though. Not at all. While she was sweet and kind like her mother, she'd definitely inherited his stubbornness. She released her hold on the man (it wasn't no fun to hang from his neck if he wasn't running around at full speed pretending to be a dragon who she was slaying) and moved then to sit beside him on the porch. Tilting her head back, she stared up at the same sky as him, but didn't see anything of interest.

When she glanced at her father's face though, she saw a look that she couldn't quite figure out. He didn't seem angry and he didn't seem disinterested and, well, those were his two main expressions, she was a bit at a lost as to what was going on in his head at the moment.

That wasn't to say that she honestly knew for certain at any point, of course. Rather, she was just pretty good at telling when he was angry or when he couldn't care less about what was going on. Then there were the rare moments when he was actually happy and she liked those a bunch, sure, but didn't expect them too often. At the moment, it seemed like they weren't any in any of the three though and, unsure of what to do, she only continued to stare up at the sky and wait.

Her father never made her wait long.

"You know what I was doing when I was your age?" he asked as the crickets out in the yard started their chirping. "Gaia?"

She shook her head because the question, honestly, made little sense to her.

No way her father wasn't the exact age he was at that moment since the beginning of time.

No way.

"I wasn't sitting around, having other provide for me, that's for sure."

Again, his words were meaningless.

So she only said, "Oh."

Nodding his head a bit, he glanced down at her. "I was all alone. I didn't have a house or a mom or a dad or an Exceed. You get that? Didn't even have one of those, like some of those wannabes up at the hall."

"You got Lily."

"Yeah, a lot later!" Gajeel made a face as he glanced back up at the sky. "I guess the one that was supposed to be with me didn't even wanna stick around."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter," he told her then with a shrug. "I had Metalicana, anyways, eventually, and he looked out for me. He took care of me."

"That's your dragon," she said with confidence and, when he nodded his head, Gaia added, "but he went away."

"Everyone does. It's part of life."

Oh.

Oh.

Now she could tell what her father was experiencing. Or at least a very rudimentary version of it.

He was sad.

Wow.

That one felt pretty new.

Gaia wasn't prone to sadness. In any way. She had probably the happiest life one could, being the child of mages. She enjoyed the tales of their travels, played with Lily when he was home, got to travel with her mother sometimes, and even knew other powerful mages up at her parents work.

But that didn't mean that she didn't get sad sometimes.

There were days that it just didn't make sense to her that they both had to be gone or when Gajeel informed her he'd be gone for awhile, she'd get a bit upset, because that was upsetting. The whole thing was, really. She thought that she was more than ready to go everywhere with him and basically be a mage too, but he just didn't see it that way yet, it seemed. He said in another five years, maybe, but as someone who'd just lived a full five years, this sounded outrageous and unfair.

Her sadness always went away though, eventually. Usually before her parents even returned to her. Even if it didn't though, they always would do that. Return to her. She knew that. Though anecdotal evidence didn't hold up in the courts of science, Gaia was pretty certain she'd tested all the variables and yes, no matter what, they were coming back to her eventually.

It was a foregone conclusion.

This, however, wasn't the case with her father and his dragon, she knew. Or, well, he'd told her before, all that had happened, but none of it made too much sense to her other than the fact that, while he now knew what happened to Metalicana, it had never sat too right with him and that it was a sore subject with the man.

Sometimes, when he'd be telling her stories and she'd request one about when he lived with the dragon (his adventures back then were more relatable to her), he wouldn't be as willing to give it to her. He'd skirt around the idea and talk about something else instead. Or he'd get angry and tell her that they didn't need to hear about some damn dragon when he was right there! Him! Gajeel! Forget anyone else.

She wasn't old enough to understand the relation between her father and the famed dragon, much less the baggage that was ever present in his mind when he thought of him. She just knew that when he did tell her one about the closest thing to a father he'd ever had, he seemed to really enjoy it.

He was almost...happy. Or he sounded happy.

It's part of why she liked those stories the best.

She liked when her father was happy. Not to say that him being angry or disinterested weren't beneficial at other times (he was rarely angry at her and his disinterest in what she was doing typically led to her getting away with things she wouldn't with her mother). Still, his joy, though rare, was infectious and seemed to keep everyone in the house in high spirits.

Mostly though she just loved her father and hoped that he was always happy.

"I'm here," she complained then as she patted at his arm. "And I won't go away."

Gajeel seemed to consider this after she spoke, glancing down at the girl once more. As heavy as his red eyes felt to most people though, they were pretty normal to Gaia and she only stared right back up into them innocently. She was actually a bit perturbed that he would imply that she would eventually go away or that he would and bleh.

Who would even put that thought out into the universe?

He'd been clinching his fists before, but as they stared at one another, the one closest to her fell open and Gaia moved to lay her own hand in it, so that next time be balled it up, hers would be there too. This was striking to Gajeel as some sort of symbolic sign from powers from beyond, but Gaia actually did it because she really wanted to eventually wiggle her way into his lap and thought this was a nice first step.

He gave the best snuggles, her father did.

But you had to con him into giving them out sometimes.

In the moment though, all he could do was let out a bit of a breath before smirking. Then, "Gihi," before turning to look back up at the sky.

Giggling as well, Gaia felt like she was one step closer to get her bedtime singing session...until she heard from inside the house, her mother calling out to her.

"Gaia, where did you go? You're supposed to be getting ready for bed," Levy was complaining from inside and, quickly, the little girl abandoned any sort of devious plan and just climbed right into her father's lap, hoping to hide from the woman.

"What are you doing?" he grumbled though he didn't move her. Yet. "Gaia? Levy's callin' for you so-"

"I don't wanna go," she complained as she snuggled into his chest. Then, peeking up at him from where her head was buried in his shirt, she added, "Until you sing to me."

Making a face, he finally picked her up and sat her back on her own feet. Over the sound of her whining, he said, "Go inside, to your mother. I'll be there soon. To sing to ya."

And that was enough to get her to jump up and rush off to whatever punishment her mother would dole out for going outside when she was told not to bother the man. But he didn't join her immediately. He sat out there for a bit longer, glaring up at the moon.

It was only once, from behind him, he heard the backdoor creak open once more and someone speak softly to him.

"She's waiting for you, you know," he heard his wife tell him as she stood there, not taking a step onto the porch. "She won't go to sleep until you come."

Finally, looking away from the moon, he glared down at his once more empty hands before clinching them tightly and whispering, "I know."

"You actually have someone that tolerates your guitar playing," Levy went on. "I don't think you should squander-"

"I'll be there in a second."

"Gajeel," she whispered then as he started to push up. "She just loves."

"Yeah." As he turned to face the woman, he even nodded a bit. "I know."

Full Series

#Gale #Gajevy #Gajeel #Levy McGarden #Fairy Tail #Fanfiction

[givemesnekboiasap]

Behind the Scene of Mt Hiei

Year, 1571, months before the event......

“...Onii-sama, you cannot go to his aid, especially since the announcement of your death. Let Fate decides on his survival...”

“......as much as it goes against my grain, I will listen to you.....Yuki, you know what to do...”

“I’ll send the Mitsumono and keep updates on their whereabouts, my lord. You need to focus on your health first, let Aoi-chan and myself act in your stead...”

............

......

...

“My lord! The Mitsumono have send news! The Oda army is heading for Mt Hiei...”

“Isn’t where the warrior monks of Enryaku-ji have established their fortress?”

“...the devil have decided to eradicate the monks once and for all, but my concern are the civilians who will be caught in the chaos...”

“Chances are the town of Sakamoto, located at the base of the mountain will be destroyed to ensure all escape routes are blocked. This will cause the villagers to panic and head up the mountain. The monks will have to take the defensive stand instead of an all-out assault on the Oda. Fire will be the fastest and most direct approach to wipe everyone out...”

“...Kenshin nii-sama...... send me to Sakamoto...”

“NO! You cannot go!” “NO! I wouldn’t let you!”

“But I’m the only person that can move about without raising any suspicion. Yukimura-san, who’s heading the army?”

“I heard it’s Akechi...which is as bad as having Oda himself leading the campaign...”

“...So, he entrusts the destruction of Enryakuji to the viper...that can be a good thing or a worse scenario... especially with rumors saying that there’s amorosity brewing between them...”

“I can handle him...please, let me go...before it's too late...”

“......Alright...” “Kenshin!” “Wait! Before you go flying out of the estate, you must make a blood oath to come back, alive. Or Shingen will pay the price of your carelessness...”

“......” “How DARE you threaten my lord?!”

“...Bwahahahahah......” “...Fine, I promise. Cross my heart, or may lightning strike upon me...”

“Aoi!” “Don’t worry, Yukimura. See, even Onii-sama is smiling...I’ll see everyone in a months time...”

Year 1571, September, Sakamoto Town

“......it is as stated in the report, the people here had no idea the horror that’s approaching them......”

Mitsuhide, sitting upon his stead, watches the bustling of the town below as his men are busy with the setting up of camp. Soon the rest of the troops, bearing matchlocks will arrive and once the scouts return, he’ll start the invasion at dusk. Usually, it is not recommended as this will result in the men accidentally striking their allies, but this is not a battlefield, this is an all-out massacre. Using the villagers as distraction, the monks will have to split their forces to protect the innocents and fight against 30,000 armed men of the Oda forces.

“...I’m hesitating on behalf of my lord, despite knowing sacrifices must be made to ensure the monks will not rise to oppose the Oda army again... Is there an alternative method to avoid unnecessary bloodshed...”

“My lord! Important message from our scouts, there is a lone rider coming towards us!”

“...Erh? ...there can only be one person who will dare ride into Oda camp...my camp...Let the person in, and bring the rider to me, unharmed.”

“Sir?” “Do as I tell you, do not worry...but inform the rest of the troops to prepare for a change of plans.”

“Understood, Sir!”

......

“Mitsuhide, thank you for allowing me to see you...” Aoi approaches the lone man clad in sky blue and white light armor, on top of her horse.

“Save the pleasantries for later. I believe your presence before me means you know of Oda’s plan to crush the monks once and for all. Well, do you have another plan other than using the civilians as cannon fodder, Aoi-san?”

“Yes, I do, and the beginning of my plan is already proceeding...look, the farmers are heading out to their fields. It's harvest time after all, everyone needs to be out to help gather up the rice stalks...”

“...and I see children coming out with their mothers to help as well...” Eyes widening, he smirks and gets one of his retainers to send a portion of the troops down to the field, armed with light weapons.

“And look over there, the market is preparing a harvest festival, the merchants are all busy setting up their stalls. They have received permission from the temple to have a celebration for a bountiful harvest...”

“...Excellent, that means everyone will be out of their houses...” With a wave of his hand, Mitsuhide signals another of his retainers to divide a portion of the troops out, disguised as travelling merchants to join in the festive. From their vantage point, they can see the Oda troops slowly replacing the villagers with themselves. Now they need is for the sun to set. Mitsuhide dismiss his men, and once he’s sure they are alone, he asks her an unsuspecting question.

“How is the Tiger holding up?” Aoi blinks at his question, and shook her head. “Bedrest, but going stronger by the day...at least for now...”

“...Ahh, and the dragon allows his precious little hime to leave his side? Has he grown feeble in the head as well as spirit?”

Aoi glares at him, before sighing, “Not the least, both my brothers know that come hell or high water, I will rush here to minimize the slaying of innocent lives. How are you holding up?”

Mitsuhide gives her his signature ambiguous smile, “I’ll doing as fine as I can be...however, a piece of advice. Do not interfere with the campaign at Hongan-ji. My liege, will not be as forgiving as me, as to allow a potential spy waltzes into camp...Promise me.”

Aoi is startled by the harsh tone of her frenemy. Looking up into his eyes, she realizes that he’s been keeping a tight leash on his temper. Her arrival must have cause him additional undue worry; she already notices his slight frown upon her arrival beside him.

“...Are you going to stay to the bitter end?...No, of course you’re staying. You cannot help yourself, being a healer, right?”

“What are you going to do with the villagers?”

Mitsuhide shrugs, “Not my problem, it’s your idea to have the Oda troops to impersonate as civilians. With the darkness of night and the smoke produce by the fire, the monks will not be able to distinguish my men from the villagers. Since you’ve shared the knowledge of lightweight armour with me, it will protects the men’s lives despite its fragile appearance.”

“You tested it? Already? When?

“...It’s a secret... let’s just say, it is one of those few things that surprises me and leave it as that.”

Aoi suspects that Mitsuhide dons the prototype she creates. Without her expressing it explicitly, he knew that she made that for him and she is glad it serves its purpose; to protect this man until...

“Honno-ji...” “Hmm?”

Aoi waves her hand, her mind suddenly starts to ache. Mitsuhide, notices her pallor, moves closer and hoist her onto his horse. She stiffen her body at the sudden contact of his cool body, but after several insisting tugs, Aoi sighs in reply, and rests her body against his as they wait.

............

......

...

Dawn, the aftermath of Enryakuji

Mitsuhide watches as the land before him is engulf by a sea of flames. In his arms, Aoi remain silent, sharing the same view as him. The arm he wraps around her waist is dampen by her tears, he holds her closer into his embrace. Mitsuhide is not sure who is comforting who; her presence with an alternate plan or him with his arm, holding her steady as they listen to the reports his scouts send back. Despite everything, there are some who refuse to listen, causing them to act exactly what the God of War predicts.

“It’s much lesser, comparing to what it could have been, Aoi. Take that as a form of consolation...”

Aoi nods, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hands. Earlier, Mitsuhide refuses to let her get off the horse to help the wounded. According to his words, ‘The lesser my men notices you, the better. Who knows which of them will sing like the cuckoo bird once we return to Gifu.’

“I have send word to an Uesugi affiliated province to let your brothers know of the situation, but I deliberately left out the surviving villagers. Let them think your plan failed...no, quiet and listen. I’ll assist one of my trusted retainers to allocate them to different Oda conquered lands. They cannot be placed together in one location. I’m sure you understand why.”

Aoi huffs out in frustration, inwardly smiling. Despite his aloof words of not helping her relocate the villagers, she knows he’ll do exactly what she hoped after she outlines the plan, though with minor adjustments to the finer details.

Looking at his profile, she should not have shared her origin to him, at least what little she remembers when she arrives here two years ago. They are playing a dangerous game, tampering history while trying to avoid the butterfly effect. She hasn’t mentioned about the possibility of someone accidently stumping into the wormhole from her period, or the potential of a wormhole in this period that will take her to who knows where. She did vaguely remember someone shouting for her to wait as she was being thrown into this timeline .

Wiggling, she signals to him to let her go. Mitsuhide deposits her back onto her horse, and watches her straightening her clothes. Aoi gives a slight shiver as the lingering warmth of his embrace are being swiftly absorbed by the cool morning air.

“...Well, I guess this is goodbye...”

Mitsuhide keeps his silence as Aoi solumnely nods her head and back off before the rest of the troops return from a successful battle. His fists clenched, Mitsuhide sucks in a deep breath of the cold air. Now is not the time to falter, not when close to half of the country is under the Oda flag. She mentions the name of the temple that his lord recently renovated as a retreat in Kyoto.

“...Hmm, I wonder...I guess we’ll have to see if there is anything significant about it. Right, Aoi-chan...”

#ikesen fanfic #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen #ikemen sengoku #original character #finally a name for my oc

[electronicstudentwerewolfstuff]

Loredana Bourceanu, Modex Software Lead – ‘In partnership we trust: our motto regarding the future and necessity for data protection’

Next in the “We are Modex” series of interviews with our tech team is the energetic and high spirited Loredana Bourceanu. An avid traveler, book connoisseur, and amateur baker, Loredana will share with us glimpses from her personal life, highlighting the experiences that helped shape her as a person, hobbies, passions, and of course, her work as Software Lead at Modex.

Tell us a bit about yourself, who is Loredana Bourceanu? Share with us some of the experiences that helped shape you into the person you are today.

I believe that most good things in life were born out of negative experiences. It’s difficult to quantify exactly the range of experiences that help shape us as individuals because we are so different from one another, but for me, it’s when we are taken out of our comfort zone when we are experiencing that sensation of incertitude mixed with a tiny bit of anxiety.

Of course, I’m not actively searching for bad experiences, but when they are unavoidable, I try to manage the situation calmly and tactfully. I am also the type of person that treats people equally. I’m convinced that you can learn something from anyone if you just take a brief moment to listen to what they have to say.

Let’s talk about books. Do you have any particular book or authors that you enjoy reading accompanied by a hot cup of tea on a cold and gloomy autumn day?

I’m very “moody” when it comes to reading, as well as the music I listen to. I lean more towards psychology, personal development books, or financial education books, but this doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy fiction or history. I am currently reading two books in parallel, one of them “When Nietzsche Wept” goes very well with the “hot cup of tea on a cold and gloomy autumn day” scenario. The other one is “The Art of Negotiation” by Chris Voss. As I said, I like to mix things up.

Care to share with us some of your hobbies and passions? What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t developing the next big tech solution?

I really like to travel around the world to discover and experience new places and cultures, alas this year everyone’s plans were turned upside down by the critical global situation we’re in. But I didn’t let this discourage me as I tried to take advantage of the good aspects of working from home so I geared up and relocated a couple of weeks to the mountainside in a pretty remote village. It was a beautiful and interesting experience.

Regarding my hobbies, I’m an active person that likes to do sports, beach volley being my favourite. I could play that game from dawn till dusk. I also enjoy dancing to the rhythm of good music. Oh, and baking all sorts of sweets, especially getting rid of evidence once they’re done.

Was becoming a programmer your first career choice? Also, what sparked your interest in programming?

I’m the type of person that has an analytic way of thinking. Since I can remember, I have always gravitated towards exact sciences like mathematics, chemistry, and physics. During the last years of high school, I already set my mind to attend a college with an engineering profile, and I think I made a wise choice, considering the current context. I enrolled at the Faculty of Automatic Control and Computer Science from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest. It was during my time there that I caught a taste for programming: as results slowly started to accumulate, I delved deeper into the topic, wanting to learn more.

The market demand for programmers has always far exceeded the number of available professionals. Today, a large segment of the workforce is working from the comfort of their homes. Many see this as an opportunity to develop new skills, and programming seems to be a top choice. Do you have any advice for people that want to take their first steps into this domain, but aren’t quite sure where to begin, or what to focus on?

I have a younger sister who has just finished high school. She is not attracted by this field of work, but many of her colleagues want to have a career in IT. Some of them are already passionate, others dream of becoming programmers. This industry offers many opportunities, the demand for specialists is still high, it all depends on the person, how much effort he or she is willing to put. It also depends on their ambition on how much they truly wish to succeed.

For me, it was easier because I had guidance during my time in college, after that, I had time to perfect my craft during the various programming jobs I had over the years. If you wish to be self-taught, I think it’s best to take a moment and do some research, ask yourself what is it you are trying to achieve. You need to test the waters first to find something that matches your abilities and inclinations and more importantly, something you will enjoy doing. There is a lot of information on the Internet, you can find the answer to almost every question or problem you encounter.

Can you describe how the pandemic has reshaped the development process and the general workflow at Modex? What were the biggest challenges posed by moving “the office” to your living room? What is Modex’s strategy regarding working remotely?

I think we have adapted very well to the new way of working, we have daily meetings, and sometimes we also have meetings just for socializing with each other, where we chat, tell jokes and so on. It’s basically what we would do during our lunch breaks back when things were normal. Overall, our daily work was not affected, on the contrary, I think that our work life is progressing very well from home.

I consider social interaction an essential element of our work lives but realistically speaking, currently, there is no other option than to work from home. But once the pandemic situation is over, I believe that organizing a big night out with everyone from work is a must, especially considering the fact that we have new colleagues that I haven’t yet had the pleasure to meet in person.

You have been with Modex since the company’s early days. Can you talk about your experience at Modex, how the company has grown over the years, and how the internal dynamics evolved as the team got bigger and bigger?

True, I have been in the company for quite some time. Now that I look back, there have been a lot of fast-paced changes during my time here. One thing is certain, it’s not going to stop here. Things have evolved remarkably well, considering the fact that the whole team has grown a lot over the past years. This was made possible by our colleagues who have proved themselves as true professionals that quickly adapted to the company’s requirements. I also believe that teamwork is an asset of all our colleagues, we constantly help each other out and collaborate very well when the need arises.

As one of the key members of the development team, you got the opportunity to work on multiple projects. Please describe your favourite project and some of the challenges you needed to overcome during the development process.

That’s a difficult question. I can’t choose a favourite project, I don’t want to upset anyone (laughs slowly). All the projects I worked on were important and I treated them with the utmost care and responsibility. As I have already pointed out, I’m an analytic person, so I always try to successfully complete all my tasks, regardless if they are work-related or personal. Life is full of unexpected challenges, it’s important to have the right attitude and mindset to successfully overcome them.

Blockchain is touted as a game-changing technology that will have deep ramifications across the enterprise and business sectors. How is Modex BCDB going to fit in the current blockchain paradigm?

Modex BCDB is a product with a wide range of features that are beneficial across a wide range of sectors of the business sphere: we can talk about healthcare, legal or governmental institutions and we would only scratch the surface of the areas where our product can be integrated. To an outsider, it may seem that we are overestimating the capabilities of our solution, but the fact of the matter is that the blockchain database layer we provide can complement and enhance the security of applications that utilize database engines. This is because Modex BCDB was designed to empower businesses by guaranteeing data immutability, integrity, and security.

“In partnership we trust” – that is our motto in the tech industry regarding the future and the necessity for data protection in the digital world of tomorrow.

Modex is well known in the tech community for the numerous workshops and tech events it organizes. You have often been an active presence in these events as a mentor. What is it like to attend these large-scale events as a representative of a tech company? Do you often scout for new talent during these workshops?

Indeed, I participated in several workshops; the last one took place during the pandemic. Of course we needed to adapt to the times we are currently living in, so it was an online workshop. My goal at these workshops is to get participants, who are mostly students, to leave with some information at the end: information about blockchain as a technology and its benefits, as well as a general overview of the Modex BCDB product. I enjoy this role, because at one moment I was thinking of becoming a teacher. This way I get to experience a more didactic approach to technology and programming.

The post Loredana Bourceanu, Modex Software Lead – ‘In partnership we trust: our motto regarding the future and necessity for data protection’ appeared first on Modex.

#blockchain #initial coin offering #token sale #crypto #renewable

[ninjazaku]

Windows to the Soul: Chapter 2

There are some discrepancies between this chapter and chapter 1, but just go with whatever this chapter says. Will also be posting Chapter 3 shortly

The flights from Colorado to Japan were long, numerous and tedious. The decision was made by the students taking the UA Entrance exam from Gabbie and Ian’s “Future Heroes of Colorado” (FHC) Club from Aeternus would have to make a stop in California two nights before to allow for time for, not only the flight the next morning, but emotional preparation as well. Furthermore, they would spend the evening after the exam in japan, before flying out the next morning. Thus, making the exam trip a total 4-day, 3-night trip. The students collectively got together with their teachers and all took an integrated test that replaced any projects they would be missing. The condition was made that any students who failed this exam would not be allowed to go. Of the members of the FHC club, 5 passed their tests.

The students departed from the airport mid-morning and arrived in California in the early afternoon of their trip’s first day. The day was made an event full of visiting the beach and a few tourist traps, walking along the shoreline, and buying some merchandise that of course the high schoolers could take home to their families. As the teenagers made the way back to the hotel closest to the airport Ian lingered at the beach, removing his glasses for a moment. He watched the sun set and awed at the colors that only he could see. He stayed there as the dusk set over the horizon, even as his eyes began to ache, eventually placing his glasses back upon his brow and walking back to the hotel were his classmates were staying overnight and hurriedly began preparing themselves the next morning.

[Begin Ambiance Track 1: I See Fire]

The class spent most of their time on the night before the exam secluded from each other, as they would have to the following day. Ian and Gabbie, however, sat together in a nearby park. The two were lit up by one of Ian’s light constructs, shimmering in between them, warming the young siblings on the cold February evening. Gabbie had a pair of protective earplugs in, muffling the sound of the city around them - a common practice ever since a period of overconfidence in her abilities some years back resulted in her cat-like ears carrying into her human form. Her nervous system, unfortunately, did not mutate to match the new auditory input and Gabbie found that her ears could cause auditory overload if she wasn’t careful. In the following years Gabbie and Ian took up sign language in the periods Gabbie needed to rest her ears. They even took up Japanese Sign Language as a third language, supplementing the Japanese language lessons they took to prepare for the UA exam.

-Are you ready for tomorrow?- Gabbie signed to her brother.

-No.- Was Ian’s response. The two shared a minute of laughter, tucking their heads into their chests as they snickered.

-Not gonna lie, even to make me feel better?- Gabbie asked silently

-Never. Honesty is my policy.-

-You’re so boring, little bro.-

-Hey, be nice! I’m allowed to be nervous when we’re hours away from the moment we’ve been preparing for since we were six years old.-

-...It really is hard to believe it’s finally here. Tomorrow we go to UA and take the exam that could determine our entire future.- Gabbie’s hands dropped after she signed the last word and her ears drooped for a moment. Ian tapped the bench they were sitting on to get her attention after a moment passed.

-We’ll be okay. Even if we’re going to have to be tested alone, we’ll still have each other in spirit. Forever, remember? We promised.- Ian offered his extended pinky as he ended his sentence.

Gabbie smiled and locked pinkies with her brother. The two continued their silent conversation for a while longer before retiring to their rooms, hoping to get some quality rest before the exam.

The next morning

The chill of the February morning bit at the skin of the students walking on the pavement as the sun rose on UA High School. Ian and Gabbie had arrived a good length of time before the exam was even set to start, as had their classmates. The two siblings meandered around the area outside the school, their special security badges slung around their necks. Ian’s eyes shifted from one color to the next as he took in the sights around them. Gabbie, still partially asleep, sipped on an energy drink and let out a squeaky, cat-like yawn. The two were caught off guard when two of their own classmates were hurled towards them and promptly hid behind Gabbie.

“Jesus, I knew today was going to be scary but I wasn’t ready for this!” The smaller of the two boys peeped.

“Save us, Gabbie!” whined the larger, rounder of the two.

“Ai, what trouble have you two stumbled into now?” Gabbie groaned, crunching her empty soda can and tossing it into a nearby trash bin.

The two pointed at a small-framed girl wearing mostly dark clothing leaning against a nearby pillar, reading a book and mumbling to herself.

“You two disappoint me in so many ways.” Gabbie sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose to nurse the budding headache her classmates were causing her. “How could that sweet looking girl scare you this badly?”

“She’s a witch, man!” The larger boy stammered “Nobody’s Quirk could be that...weird!”

“Okay” Ian scoffed, rolling his eyes “So we’re going to ignore that the principal of this school is literally a talking animal, then.”

“No, magic is the much more sensible conclusion to this scenario.”  Gabbie snickered. The two boys shoved Gabbie and Ian towards their assailant and the duo began strolling towards her. As Ian looked back, he saw the two approached by a small boy with purple hair, and the three began to socialize and laugh.

The new girl was small framed, but only a few inches shorter than Gabbie. Sharpened teeth poked out from her mouth, and her lips were colored black by lipstick. An observant onlooker could see a small beauty mark dotting her cheek, just shy the bottom right corner of her mouth Her hair was a deep crimson at the roots, but an artificial grey could be seen from a previous coloring, starting at about halfway down the length and stopping at the end of her hair, which was just long enough to extend past her jawline. Five dark horizontal lines scored both her cheeks, starting at the top of the cheekbone and getting fainter as they descended. Her ears were pointed like a creature from fantasy, and they twitched as Gabbie and Ian approached. Her eyes flickered up from the book in her hand, and the two were caught off guard by the brilliant lilac color that shone from the girl’s eyes.

The loud THUMP of the girl’s book closing earned a jump from Ian. She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and turned to face the newcomers. Looking at her outfit - Gabbie could see why her classmates were crying witchcraft, even if it was a stupid idea. She wore some skin-tight grey jeans with the knees torn out, with a pair of knee-high boots pulled over them. The boots had buckles running up the sides, and were black as pitch, but were polished to perfection. She wore a pomegranate-colored top with short sleeves and a jeweled neckline, and over the top was a tailor-fitted silver corset. She had fingerless gloves that ran up to her elbow, which creaked as she balled her fist at the newcomers.

“If you’re coming over here to make me apologize for those two buffoons.” Said the girl, the hint of a Romanian accent in her voice. “I will not.”

“Those two? Oh, they’re idiots. No, we were more excited to shake hands with someone who could make them scream like that.” Ian laughed.

“They said you might be a witch…” Gabbie began as she leaned against the pillar, her voice dropping into what could only be described as an awkward faux baritone. “I’d have to agree. I’m already under your spell.”

The witchy girl raised her eyebrow and flicked her wrist. A rune lit up under Gabbie’s feet and flashed a bright light, knocking the catgirl high into the air. Ian sighed and outstretched his hand, a billowy light construct appearing in the air and catching her just in time.

“Gabriella, you useless lesbian…” he sighed as he dropped her on to the ground.

“If you do not wish to befall the same fate as your promiscuous friend…” growled the gothic girl, her eyes beginning to glow and her voice taking an ethereal tone. “Then you will take your leave of me!”

“Neat trick!” Ian chirped, patting the girl on the shoulder. “I can do that too. Well, not the voice thing. But I can make my eyes glow.”

“Ian! You’re ruining my game, here!” Gabbie groaned as she got to her feet.

“You have as much game as the Puppy Bowl. Stop harassing this poor girl.” Ian countered. “I’m Ian. This is my sister Gabbie. We flew in from America.”

The gothic girl blinked at the two outstretched hands. She looked at their owners, then their hands, then back to the people. She clasped both of their hands gingerly, questioningly, before speaking.

“My name is Nicoleta Damian. I have come from Romania. I... did not expect people to actually seek out my company.”

“Well, once the three of us make it into UA, we can do plenty more socializing.” Ian assured her, giving her a reassuring pat on the back.

“ORIENTATION WILL BEGIN IN TENNNNN MINUTTTEEESSSS!!!!”

As the screeching voice of Present Mic roared over the campus, Gabbie and Nicoleta covered their more sensitive ears, Ian instantly beginning to fuss over his sister and make sure her hearing wasn’t damaged. He frantically began to sign at his sister, much to her chagrin. After a minute of assuring her brother, the three took a deep breath.

“Well, I guess it’s time.” Ian said, nervously. Nicoleta nodded, unsure of his words, and Gabbie simply grinned and gave him the thumbs-up. They began to take their steps inside but--

SMACK!

Silence. Ian knew that sound. That was the unmistakable sound of an open palm hitting flesh. He looked around to see the source of the sound and saw a look of horror on his sister’s face. Several feet behind him were the two boys who had been scared off by Nicoleta, all color drained from their face. He looked down and saw the small boy with purple, grape-like hair ogling his sister, having clearly just done something inappropriate. The sneer on his face was horrendous.

“Hoo! You two were right! She’s got a figure for days! I can’t wait to become a hero so that I can get babes like this!” The small child hooted.

A guttural growl echoed in the air as Gabbie’s form began to change. Her clothing ripped until only her form-fitting gym clothing remained as she shifted into her lycanthropic Hybrid form. Her body sprouted fur, her face shifted into a snout, and her muscles gained much more definition. She easily picked up the 3ft tall boy by his collar and roared in his face as she snatched the security ID from his neck before throwing him into the air like a volleyball and then punching him hard enough that he sailed out of the gate that lead into the campus. As he landed outside, the UA Barrier detected his badge-less presence and the steel wall slammed shut. The growling form of Gabbie marched back over to the two boys and looked down on them.

“I guess I know why Nicoleta wanted to throw you now, huh? If you could make friends with scum like that so easy.” She fumed, hoisting the two up like she did the other. “If I see either of you back at home when we land...you’re mincemeat.”

She dropped the two and watched them scurry into the school, proverbial tails between their legs. Gabbie let out a sigh as she let her human form return. “So. Let’s get inside, shall we? Suddenly, I’m rather chilly.”

The three sat next to each other, finding seats next to a girl who, for all appearances, seemed to be hiding from onlookers by shielding her face with her waist-length hair. As Present Mic rambled on, explaining the rules of the exam, Gabbie continued to converse with Nicoleta. Ian, however, noticed the girl next to them fidgeting with her handout uncomfortably. Her hand movements, the gestures she made towards herself, were familiar, and, on a hunch, Ian tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to him, and Ian began to use sign language.

-Hey. Do you need help?- Ian asked her using American Sign Language. Her eyes immediately lit up.

-I’m surprised to find someone who knows ASL here! I’m sorry I just...I’m still learning Japanese. Plus, Present Mic is so...loud! It’s hard to make out what he’s saying.- The girl signed.

-It’s okay. Here, let me go over everything really quick. I’m Ian.- Ian signed, first spelling out his name, then giving his Sign Name that he had received while learning ASL several years ago.

-I’m Chae-Yeong Moon.- She replied, also spelling out her name and then giving her Sign Name.

Ian took time to explain the point system and warn her of the zero-point “arena traps” in each city. She nodded through his explanation, and just as he was wrapping up, the announcement came over the intercom directing them to the busses that would escort them to their respective cities. Ian and Gabbie shared a brief embrace before taking the busses that would escort them to their battlegrounds. Ian and Chae-Yeong found themselves in Battleground C. Gabbie and Nicoleta found themselves in battleground D. The four each stretched and prepared themselves in their own ways as they prepared for the ten minute battle to come.

Ian stepped aside for a moment and reached into a pocket in his tracksuit. He pulled out a glasses case and opening revealing a steampunk-looking pair of goggles with multiple sets of lenses that could be flipped up or down into the slots on the goggles. Ian took the goggles out and put his glasses into the case instead. He quickly flicked in the lenses that let him see the normal light spectrum and then began testing out the other lenses. One let his eyes see infrared- another, UV. He smiled at this fleeting moment of control over the optic portion of his quirk.

As he flicked back the infrared lenses he saw a flare-up; a hotspot building on a large spot near a person's foot. He returned to his normal vision and saw a girl with dazzling pink hair wearing a strange rig along their midsection, and large metal boots on their feet. She turned in his general direction for a moment and he saw her crosshair-like irises telescope on the things they focused on. As they zoomed on him, his heart skipped a beat.

“Miss!” Ian said as he ran up to her. “I-I don’t want to startle you, but your boot is going to overheat if you don’t do something soon.”

“Nonsense! My babies are hand-crafted, flawless creations...that actually, come to think of it, are getting pretty warm.” The girl muttered. She hopped out of the boots like a rabbit and flipped open their maintenance panels, which was placed wear the tongue would be on a normal shoe. Steam poured out and Ian coughed at the smell.

“I hate to say I told you so…” He sputtered.

“Hush, darling. Failure is just an opportunity to learn and improve upon your skills!” Shouted the girl as her eyes telescoped in on the problem area. “Damn! I can’t fix this without burning my hands!”

A pair of hard-light pliers, a wrench, and a screwdriver floated over to her field of vision. “Just tell me what you need.”

Mei gasped with delight and quickly began calling out for tools, making short work of the problem plaguing her prototype hover boots. “That should do it! My babies are fixed! You saved them! What was your name again, darling?”

“Ian! A-Allistair Ian!” Ian stammered, his hands shooting up, Ian suddenly not sure of where to put them.

“Thank you, Ian darling.” Mei giggled, kissing the boy on the cheek. “You best ace this exam. That way I can pay you back during the school year.”

“BATTLE START!”

Like many of the other competitors, Ian and Chae-Yeong, as well as Gabbie and Nicoleta, stared at the perch of Present Mic in confusion. The loud-mouthed hero beamed down at their confusion, chuckling slightly.

“WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR?! THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL BATTLES! RUN! RUN!!!”

[Begin Battle Track 1 - How Far We’ve Come]

Ian flicked down his infrared vision lens on one side and leapt into the air. He began generating platforms to gain height and vision and spotted his targets. He sprinted on his platforms towards a crowd of robots and began concentrating on the shapes that he needed for the battle ahead.

“Spectrum Shift: Bronze Boxer!” Ian cried as he leaped from his vantage point. The translucent constructs began forming around his hands and forearms, forming into bronze-colored gauntlets with spiked knuckles. Strands of light extended up from the interior of the gauntlet, wrapping around Ian’s arms like an extra layer of muscle. The small boy landed on the head of a 1pt robot with a resounding CRASH as the metal and circuits crumpled beneath the impact of his punch. As some of the nearby 2pt and 3pt robots began to lock onto him, Ian raised his arms up and the constructs on his arms began to swirl and change

“Spectrum Shift: Blue Bowman!” The new construct solidified in the shape of a compound bow and Ian began firing off arrows that dissipated as soon as they finished piercing their target. “4 points. 9 points. 11 points…”

Nearby, Chae-Yeong cleared her throat before slowly starting an eerie tune. As her melody increased in volume and intensity a small cluster of boys turned their attention to her, as did the nearby robots. She raised her hands and started moving them as if conducting an orchestra and suddenly the boys turned on the bots, dismantling them in seconds. Among the crowd was one of the boys that had been earlier bothering Nicoleta, ballooned into the shape of a sphere, bouncing around like an entranced human wrecking ball.

As some of the larger, sturdier three-point robots began to arrive and stand between her and her audience. Noting the interruption, but not giving it much thought, Chae-Yeong increased her pitch more and more, before taking a deep breath and letting out an ear-piercing shriek that blew the robots apart piece by piece. She drew her hands down and did a small motion as if to finish her orchestral performance and then began counting on her fingers.

-20 points- she noted with a sly, satisfied grin.

In the other battle ground, Gabbie, in her large, muscular Hybrid form was leaping from building to building to reach her next victim. She pounced upon a 3pt robot and gripped its head, pulling with all her might before wrenching the steel apart from itself. As the robot began to short circuit and fall, she vaulted from its now-frayed neck and leaped to another nearby robot; as the scorpion-like robot aimed its stinger at her she unsheathed her claws and caught herself on the tip of the stinger. She then began rending her way down the stinger, stripping the steel apart and breaking circuits as she went. As she finally landed on the body she used her claws to tear a hole in the top of the body and rip out the machine’s central processor.

“That’s...23 points? I think?” Gabbie said, trying to mentally note her progress. She suddenly felt her fur stand on end and leaped up into the air, causing two 1pt robots to crash into each other at full speed, destroying each other in the process. “Make that 25.”

Nicoleta stood in the middle of a debris filled clearing, her hands outstretched to either side of her. She began to concentrate and light from her skin began to shine through her top as the color slowly left her eyes. With a sweep of her hand, several mystic-looking runes were placed in a circle around her, extending out several feet. As robots began to close in on her from several ranges, the gothic teen made her move. Several of the ranged 2pt robots began to experience malfunctions as a second rune appeared in the air above their midsections and a portal to another plane of existence opened, pulling half of the robot through it - before quickly snapping shut, severing the machine in two.

As the ranged robots began to drop in numbers, the 1pt robots sped in for close range attacks, but were instantly catapulted into the air by the runes placed ground like landmines - with the amount of energy the runes had been imbued with by their creator, the fall was enough to crumple the fragile 1pt bots. As the larger 3point robots began to menacingly approach, they tripped Nicoleta’s second layer of runes; plumes of flame erupted forth from the ground, and each subsequent explosion took a new victim with it. The small Romanian girl opened a portal near her and retrieved a large mallet from her pocket dimension and proceeded to smash any robotic remnants that had survived her landmines before returning to her mark and setting up a new web of traps and taking out a notebook and taking down tallies.

“That makes 30.”

“TIME UP!!! WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION! PLEASE RETURN TO THE LOCKERS, RETRIEVE YOUR CLOTHES AND DEPART. YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO HOME, BUT YOU CAN’T STAY HERE.”

And just like that, it was over. All the preparation, all the training, led to 10 minutes of sweaty effort and an anticlimactic finish. Though, Gabbie would later note, that’s what one should be expecting in high school. They bid goodbye to Nicoleta and Chae-Yeong, making sure to get their contact information, as they wanted to stay in touch just in case none of them made it into the school. After a rather solemn post-exam outing with their classmates, the teens packed up and got ready for the flight the next morning.

Seven days came and seven days went. Gabbie and Ian were beginning to resign themselves to the idea that they had truly failed the exam. But then, as they arrived home from school one day, Ian began going through the mail as per usual.

“Gabbie…” he muttered

“What?” she sighed through a mouthful of food

“It’s here.”

“What is?”

“Our UA letter is here.”

“Come again?”

“IT’S HERE!!!”

Before Ian could say that they should wait for their family, Gabbie had torn open the envelope and begun to play the message. There, on the holo-screen that appeared before them, was the chiseled visage of the world’s #1 hero - All Might.

“GREETINGS! FORGIVE ME, YOUNG ONES, FOR NOT REACHING OUT TO YOU SOONER! THERE WERE SOME RECENT HOOPS TO JUMP THROUGH, AS IT HAS RECENTLY BEEN DECIDED THAT I WILL BE TEACHING AT UA BEGINNING IMMEDIATELY!”

“All Might is going to be one of the teachers?!” Ian gasped

“Shush!” Gabbie hissed, slapping the back of his head.

“Besides that…” All Might continued, his voice coming down from a shout to a stage whisper “There have been things that needed sorting out here. Several of the students had examinations that needed special tending to. You, young Ian and young Gabriella are two of these students. Let’s take a look…”

“The written exams you submitted were very different. Not uncommon for siblings, but also telling. Young Ian! A PERFECT SCORE! Young Gabriella...a 70%. Good Work.”

“The Practical Exam told a different story…” All Might shuffled through the papers, stifling a cough as he took a breath to continue his speech. The two siblings stiffened as they listened intently. And, unbeknownst to them, their comrades in arms from the exam also tensed at that same moment; Nicoleta and Chae-Yeong listened to All Might’s words on their own exam scores with baited breath.

“Young Ian...you scored a total of 30 points. You failed the exam for the Hero Course. Young Gabriella. With a score of 49 points, you also failed the Hero Course. You will be placed in class 1-C for General Studies.”

“Young Chae-Yeong. 35 points. Fail. General Studies.”

“Young Nicoleta. 40 points. Fail. General Studies.”

All Might’s recorded visage paused, rubbing the back of his head, knowing that he had just shattered the dreams of four children. However, his boisterous laugh soon roared forth from the recording.  

“However, my young stars, if only it were that simple! We were analyzing not only your potential for defeating villains, but we also assigned you rescue points as you went along! This secret value was hidden to encourage you to do truly selfless acts of your own volition!”

All Might turned to a screen behind him and brought up recordings of the four using their powers for acts besides smashing robots during the exam. Ian was holding up barriers to protect other examinees from falling rubble. Gabbie was shown in her full Beast form, leaping in and picking up a scared examinee by the back of their shirt, just narrowly escaping a laser blast. Chae-Yeong was shown conducting her “audience” away from a barrage of missiles and Nicoleta shoved (rather forcefully) several examinees through portals that placed them safely outside her danger zone.

“With this in mind, let’s update those scores, SHALL WE?! Young Ian! Rescue points: 25! Total points: 55! HERO COURSE: PASS! Young Gabriella! Rescue points: 5…! Total points: 54! HERO COURSE: PASS!”

“Young Chae-Yeong! Rescue Points: 20! Total points: 55!”

“Young Nicoleta! Rescue Points: 10! Total Points: 50!”

“Congratulations, HEROES! But wait, there’s more! Normally, these scores would land you in our second-highest class: Class 1-B. But that class is already full up for the semester...however thanks to you, and several other promising students, I, the principal, and the staff of UA have decided to expand the Hero Program to Class 1-C! Let me be the first to congratulate you! Not even your first day and you’re already bending fate to your liking! Get ready young ones! For now UA is your...HERO ACADEMIA!!!!”

#My Hero Academia #boku no hero academia #my hero academia fanfiction #Zaku's Fan Fiction

[smileyjily]

A Series of (In)decent proposals

Chapter 8: The One with the Scare

Summary: Throughout the course of their lives, James would ask Lily to marry him many times. A 13-part series, consisting of 12 no’s and 1 very jubilant yes.

Set in The Bet universe, but works as a canon piece as well.

Word count: 1,984

ao3/ffnet

November 25, 1978

She wasn't going to cry.

She wasn't.

The glass of water shook as she brought it to her lips, and Lily errantly feared that an earthquake had struck, but it was only her quavering hands. Some of the water slopped out onto her chin, and she hastily returned the glass to the table.

While Lily drew deep into herself, James was a hurricane of nervous energy. He hadn't stopped pacing since she told him the news, wearing a visible stripe into the carpet with his heavy tread. At this rate, he was on pace to have pulled all of his beautiful hair out before dusk. She wanted to force him to sit down, to drag him by the ear into a chair, and demand he stop bothering her because if he continued she would lose her battle not to cry. Breaking her silence, however, was sure to come with its own agonies. Better to listen to the solid if ominous ticking of the clock.

"It's just not possible," James muttered under his breath.

Lily didn't deign to respond.

Louder this time, James said, "It's just...we were careful!"

The blatant lie brought all of Lily's stress and fear roaring to life and in a fit of pique she knocked the glass of water over entirely. Three weeks late. She was three weeks late, and they were pregnant, and it was not because they had been so careful and there was a war to fight and oh god, oh god, oh god!

"You've been getting lazy," Lily hissed. "Just last night you didn't cast the spell until you were already inside me, and it's hardly the first time! That's how this happened!"

Wartime bred passion in spades. Never knowing when they might be separated by work or tragedy, they were desperate for each other with a hunger that well exceeded the typical hormones of a young couple in love. Nearly every surface of their hideout had born witness to the times where Lily would tackle James with a kiss that led to more, or the times where James would drop to his knees for her. When Dumbledore had visited their hideout for an Order meeting, Lily had burnt red seeing him at the kitchen table: the scene of so many of her orgasms that she feared the wood would always hum with the secret of it.

Passion didn't exactly breed caution. They could become so wrapped up in each other that they wouldn't remember to cast a birth control spell until Lily was already clenching down tight around him, and then, neither were self-composed enough to cast a perfect spell. While Lily couldn't remember a time they'd foregone the spell entirely, they'd had some close calls, and the spell could have failed them on any number of occasions.

She wasn't going to cry.

She wasn't.

"You can't possibly get pregnant from thirty seconds of contact with a prick," James pleaded, like Lily was somehow the decision-maker in this scenario.

"Clearly, you can," Lily said.

James was seconds away from searching for his exits, like he might be able to outrun their problems. Not that he would. Lily knew that his sense of honor wouldn't allow it, and she supposed she ought to be thankful that she wasn't about to be cast aside in favor of some new, beautiful, decidedly un-pregnant witch. A terrible line of thinking, because all her old anxieties about the way to behave and conduct oneself came roaring back, and she was back on the precipice of tears.

Finally, James said, "Well...are you sure you're actually pregnant?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Three weeks, James. I'm as regular as the setting of the setting sun. I’ve never been three weeks late. I’m pregnant.”

“But you didn’t take the potion to check, right?”

The day before, when Lily had finally faced the grim reality and acknowledged that her period had stayed away far too long to be natural, she’d begun the potion that would confirm her pregnancy. Four hours she’d spent at her cauldron when more important work had called to her. Only at the very end did she realize she was missing the final and vital ingredient: neem oil. Peter was set to resupply their hideout the next day and would presumably restock their neem oil selection, but Lily hadn’t been able to suffer the wait. One look at her drawn face, and James had demanded an explanation. She’d given it.

“I told you. Marlene used up the last of the neem oil when she was brewing the electrolyte supplement for the blood replenishing potion. We’ll be able to tell for sure tomorrow.”

Now she was snapping at him, and Lily knew that she ought to reign in her temper because the last thing she could handle was a fight with James on top of everything else, but he wasn’t helping. And maybe nothing would help, but it didn’t stop her from being angry: angry at him and angry at his goddamn penis.

“We have some fucked up timing,” James said. He finally ended his pacing, dropping into the chair behind her. They both faced forward, not looking at each other.

“I hate your prick,” Lily said, mutinous.

“You love my prick.”

Lily made a noncommittal noise in response. Something broke down inside of her, and when James threw a companionable arm around her shoulders, Lily didn’t shrug him off. She leaned her head against the side of his.

“You know they’re not going to let you fight while you’re pregnant,” James said.

“The Order or you?” Lily questioned.

“Both.”

She’d known the answer all along and sighed.

“We’ll need to get married,” James added. Lily twitched slightly, so James continued, “I know it’s not how you wanted this to go, but it makes sense, and it’s not like you can argue that you don’t want to get married because it’s not the way things are done. We’re knocked up, Lily.”

“I don’t like it,” Lily muttered.

“You’ve made it very clear how disgusted you are by the idea of marrying me. Plus, I can’t imagine it’ll be easy being married to someone with a cock you despise, but it’s best for our girl, boy, whoever,” James said.

Lily’s lips quirked, but she patently refused to smile. He wouldn’t make her.

James stood up, and Lily clung to his hand in protest. For a moment, at his side, she’d felt almost normal. She wanted to kick herself for denying all of his proposals in the past. All those opportunities to be a legitimate wife with a romantic proposal, and she’d elected for the shotgun wedding approach. Petunia was going to have a field day. In fact,…

“Do you think I’ll show at Petunia’s wedding?” Lily asked, horrified.

“That would have to be a fast-growing kid,” James said. Petunia’s wedding was in three weeks and, against the odds, Lily had yet to be thrown from the bridal party. An unmarried pregnancy would guarantee her banishment from all wedding festivities.

“Or twins,” Lily said in a horror-struck whisper.

“Okay, let’s not panic. First thing’s first, we need to confirm that you’re pregnant for sure –” Lily quickly interjected that she was, and James continued, “Muggles have pregnancy tests also, right? So let’s go buy one. I don’t think I can wait for tomorrow. Once that’s done, we can write to my parents about our engagement and see about getting you access to the family healer.”

Sticking her head between her legs, Lily breathed deep for a few seconds. It always seemed to work in the movies, but, nope, panic still very much present.

“Do you still have that ring?” Lily asked. When James said yes, Lily demanded, “Go grab it.”

“What a romantic way to accept a proposal, Evans,” James said. “I don’t know what’s more charming: the hyperventilating or the head in your crotch.”

Lily slipped her watch off her wrist just so she could throw it at him. “I’m not hyperventilating, and I want you to get the ring so that the pharmacist doesn’t know we’re not married. I don’t need to deal with people judging us right now.”

“Pushy, pushy,” James griped before running up the stairs to fetch the ring he’d hidden away.

While he was upstairs, Lily repeated her mantra:

She wasn’t going to cry.

She wasn’t.

Before they left for the drug store, James took both her hands in his and said, “Lily, I’m petrified, so don’t think I’m viewing this as an opportunity. I’m not. It’s a terrible time to bring a child into the world. But…I really couldn’t love someone more than I love you, and I know this is going to work out.”

They apparated to a town in Gloucestershire, hand-in-hand. Before they entered the store, Lily ordered James to pretend that they were overjoyed at the prospect of pregnancy, and they both put on a show for the ten minutes it took them to locate the pregnancy tests and make it through the checkout line. The checkout clerk offered them a smiling congratulations, and James answered with all the right lines about how they’d been trying for months. Artificial as it was, he almost succeeded in convincing Lily that this was a blessing rather than an unmitigated disaster.

Unlike most women, Lily didn’t spend the time waiting for the test to finish filled with anxiety. She already knew in her bones that she was pregnant. Stick in hand, James paced the corridor outside the bathroom, shaking the test periodically like he could agitate the results into reality.

Finally, the stick changed colors and James sank to his knees on hardwood. From her seat on the toilet, Lily stared out at him. His face was hidden as he looked down. All that bluster, and he was every bit as terrified as she was.

Sympathetically, Lily said, “You said it yourself, James. We’re going to be okay.”

Queerly, James said, “You’re right. We are going to be okay –” He exploded to his feet with a whooping cheer that shocked Lily so much she almost slid off the toilet seat. “ – We’re going to be okay because we’re not pregnant! Ha!”

“What?” Lily screamed.

James was already rushing her, picking her up off the toilet and spinning her around. The bathroom was so cramped that she dinged her elbow on the sink and her knee on the towel rack, but she didn’t give it a thought, too focused on the impossible dream.

“Look! Negative!” James screamed, shoving the test directly in front of her so that it was nothing but a blur. Not trusting him – he could need a new prescription for his specs after all – Lily looked at the test. Sure enough, there was a red minus sign.

Joyously, jubilantly, Lily kissed James on the mouth. Short, firm kisses that blended together as they celebrated. All the while, James babbled his thanks against her lips.

“We don’t have to get married!” James cried.

“Whatever, you so want to marry me,” Lily teased, even as she rejoiced in turn.

“Sure, but not like that,” James grinned and then kissed her some more. “You know…I don’t think we’d be remiss to work on that birth control spell right now.” Just to be sure she got his meeting, James looked deliberately down between their bodies and then back up.

“Not a fucking chance,” Lily growled.

Lily craned away, still in his arms, as he began to kiss her neck. The horny insatiable bastard. She was saved by the sound of Sirius singing in the hallway, newly returned from his mission. Their friend would be exhausted, and they’d need to cook him some dinner and settle him down on the couch to give a full report. There was so much to do, and none of it involved planning for a baby.

She wasn’t going to cry.

She wasn’t.

#james potter #lily evans #jily #jily fanfiction #mine

[backseat-imagines]

If the guys (including Cor or Titus pwease

Cor and Drautos are always the sprinkles on top~ So ofc they get included.(Also this is a long one so here we go with the readmore for this mishmash of headcanon and scenario again)

Noctis doesn’t like the idea of hiring an assassin. He feels it’s dirty and underhanded. Someone who kills for just a sum of money isn’t to be trusted.

But there’s been one that keeps finding him along the journey. They’re like a nasty little devil sitting on his shoulder and whispering in his ear, and no matter how many times he swats them off they just don’t go… They keep pestering him, offering their services and it’s like they keep trying to see what it will take for him to finally take the plunge and do it.

But why? What did they want? Was it a test? A question of his morality? For a laugh? He didn’t know and frankly this was annoying.

And then came Altissia… They were here again; why the hell were they following and what were they after he mused in his own mind. And by now Gladio was ready to go in swinging again and Noctis was just about ready to let him. Until…

Here again they so kindly offering their services, for cheap they say. He asks why the hell he should- the assassin mentions that the empire closely follows behind. He knows this, they all do. But a little birdie happened to tell them that a certain Chancellor was coming too, and that was enough to catch his attention. And from there the assassin talks their way on board.

Noctis doesn’t care about their methods, he just wants them to go after him and only him in order to prevent the plans they say he has (He’ll trust their word on it just this once, even if only because Ardyn was a shady man who oozed danger, and no good could come out of him just knowing who it was he worked for; at this point anything was game for the Nifs and Noctis knows that). The only condition he places on them is that they are allowed to kill the MTs and Ardyn, no other living human.

Outside of that, Noctis couldn’t care how they did it, just as long as it is done. Of course… Only time will tell if this one is successful in their endeavor.

Ignis doesn’t relish the idea of employing such a dark force under his command. But sometimes it’s very much a necessary thing.

Assassins were never out in the open. But they weren’t impossible to find; they often would only reveal themselves only if they wanted to. However with that, you needed to be in the know as to where to find them. And he had already been taught that.

Ignis briefly wanders off from the rest of the group. He tells them not to follow him, but gives only the general area of where he would likely be just in case he stated to take too long. This was already odd behavior and Gladio is already pulling him aside and asking him what gives. All he says is to just trust him, and everything will turn out okay. All any of them can do is just nod and put their faith into Ignis.

He returns to the camp just a little while later, and with another trailing just right behind him. He introduces them to the group for what they are; an assassin. A squabble nearly breaks out and not once did they choose to speak of for themselves. They just sit down and start feasting on an onion all while Ignis does all the talking.

It’s not that Ignis has no faith in the group’s abilities, but the next base they’re breaking into, just a little while later, is more heavily guarded than the last. Especially now that they’ve found out Verstael is rumored to have been spotted going in there which would explain as to why it’s security had been amped up. At this point an extra number being added into the group would greatly help.

All Ignis asks of them is the same he asks of the rest of the party- be silent, and don’t get spotted. He couldn’t care any less for how they did their work otherwise. They could nab everything else in whatever way they pleased. And as for Verstal… it did not matter if his throat was slit or if he was stabbed in the back, choked to death or completely gutted. Ignis cared not for their method of doing things, it could be as disgusting and as brutal, or as swift and clean, as they wanted. Just as long as that man was dead before dawn. Certainly would be a great blow to their forces.

A job is a job as far as Gladio is concerned. Though the matter of this one? It was a low and dirty one- as much as he’d like to take the time out to admire the level of skill and strength it takes for such tasks, he still can’t wrap his head around something that he believes lacks in morals and loyalty.

But as long as he wasn’t on the targeted end of things then it’s whatever to him.

However… it’s all not entirely out of the possibility for him to meet with one. Eventually he finds use in trying to get one around.

He’s not sure entirely where to even begin in his search for one, so he calls up the different members of the Crownsguard in order to aid him. Before he knows it, Monica is calling him up and he finally has a lead as where to go and what to look for.

Down in the steamy alleyways of Lestallum, he was told to look for the one with serpent tattoo and speak the password to. The only serpent he found was on someone’s neck- the entire depiction of ouroboros wrapping around- and so he approached, “Lestallum is always as lively at dusk.” As soon as he speaks those words, their head slowly turns and connect their gaze to his. They begin to speak up, “But I hear Vesperpool buzzes louder at this time.” Bingo…

As for the one Gladio has them, and some of their buddies, go after… it’s himself. He figures sooner or later the Nif’s, or someone else, is going to be dirty and underhanded and send an actual one (instead of MT’s) after him or the others. Especially knowing that who they all are defending just so happens to be the Prince of Lucis.

One thing is for sure is he did manage to gain a whole lot from the ordeal. Maybe not so much strength-wise, but it did help him learn how to handle other fighting styles he hadn’t versed against before. And it gave him more knowledge on certain poisons and hallucinogenics that was more common amongst their own to use (which he had been on the butt end of a couple of them). And he had also learned better techniques to… extract information if he ever so needed to. Yeah… he didn’t think he’d need that.

Let’s just say… Prompto doesn’t really want to meet one. They’re cool in stories he reads or in the games he plays but he doesn’t actually want to come face to face with an assassin if he can avoid it.

He’s sure some of them out there are bound to be nice people (well, nice outside of what they do, like he’s sure they can be laid back and pretty cool but in a homely scene, ya know?) but he knows his luck well enough to figure that if he met one it’s because they want him or his loved ones dead.

Prompto doesn’t even know the first thing to contacting one, at least not outside the cliche ways in which he’s seen in the movies(but life isn’t a movie), and he’s not entirely sure that’s something he’d even want. It’d call for a situation so desperate to make him seek one out…

But the strange side of luck is always on his side; he meets one by chance/accident after he gets separated from the group. He’s not sure how he’s going to make it back, just only that he needs to meet back up with the rest of the group before something happens to them too. He goes to the only close by village and hopes to find the others. Unfortunately they are nowhere in sight.

But the night is coming and fast, and daemons find their way in. Though he held his own at first, it didn’t take too long before Prompto got overwhelmed, and suddenly a stranger of a savior hopped in and saved the day.

Their initial quip about how they’re not so used to being so charitable with snuffing things out (because this was their home) was a little odd to the young blond… But he tried to not think too much about it. He just wanted to quickly thank them and go- he was able to do the latter but the former was impossible due to the severe storm kicking up in the middle of the night.

He quickly came to find out they they themselves were a little odd. Now that they had gave him a room of their own to stay in, he got to listen to them more and there was a lot of things that were starting to sound very… peculiar. What ended up being icing on the cake was when they were cutting up some meat for dinner and they had started to go on about cuts and anatomy (specifically human anatomy which was weird given they were preparing an animal) and mentioned something about learning all that from being so hands on with their job. So he finally asked, “What do you do for a living?”… An assassin and mercenary they answered him with a cocky smirk, and he had a feeling instantly that they weren’t lying.

Things sort of get a little awkward- cool, but awkward. He likes hearing about certain stories and techniques; why, it’s like one of his comics! But Prompto… doesn’t ever want to outright hire them for their primary job. If anything he has them escort him and help get him back to where he belongs.

Cor is no stranger to those who follow that path, whether they come after him or somehow finding them on his side, even if it is merely for daemon or monster hunting. It’s a quick pocket of Gil, nothing more.

Anymore he’s used to seeing ones who come from over the seas- not that Lucis doesn’t have them, because they do, but those are the ones who get sent after any number of the Crownsguard the most. That and at this point the Crownsguard have extra eyes all around in these lands, they’re able to take care of any domestic problem like this right as soon as it gets going.

However, the ones that are from his homeland having an eye kept out on them by the Crownsguard(hell even some of the other stragglers from other sectors from within the kingdom that managed to make it out of Insomnia did as well and perhaps more credit should go to them) was a grand thing. It made it easier to track them down for other reasons.

Cor comes in and cuts to the chase. He knows who they are, what it is they do, and already ready to offer them up a fine sum for their services.

He tries to limit on how nefarious this is really going to get. After all he’s not that kind of man in the least. Him and a few others were gearing up to go take down one of the Empire’s bases (it seemed like every time they did that it wasn’t too long before the Nifs were back and with greater forces than before), so when it comes to a matter of MTs he wants them on search and destroy, until either they can’t do it anymore or until the base is cleared, and to leave those like Loqi or Caligo alive. But more importantly they serve as a distraction so him and his crew can come in from behind.

Every force, every kingdom is guilty of hiding some skeletons in their closet. There’s always a piece that never gets mentioned in the history books. Titus knows it, we all do. A lot of the history from his time is the story of that, so why would this be any different?

At this point Drautos is looking to push himself and his agenda forward. And with that you have to do what you got to do, even if it’s a very ugly thing to do. But for Hearth and Home right? Well this was for home…

He finds one of the ones who has nothing left to lose. One with few friends, one with no family left. At this point their as much of a vagabond as they are anything else. And that’s perfect. Their death doesn’t impact too many, and they stand to gain more than anything.

Titus has them bought under his command and into the Glaives just a short while before he starts to get some of his plans up and running. Likely not too much time, but just enough for them to dig around and for them to get under everyone else’s skin without anyone being any of the wiser. Training gives them a slight feel as to what could come in the future. And it allows for them to also adjust to one thing they never had before; warping.

Despite having to keep up a very friendly facade to their fellow “comrades”, Titus expects them to remain at arm’s length at least. The more apathetic they are towards these people on the inside are then the better, because less true attachment for them will spare them in the long run.

When the time comes… He’ll have them slowly turn against some of the other Glaives…

#FFXV #Headcanon #Scenario #thingy #Ignis #Gladiolus #Noctis #Prompto #Cor Leonis #Titus #I might have bad sleep habits #Where the AU at in which I sleep well and can work more?

[africanuniverse]

Psychology, Infant studies which lead from animal studies, Neuroscience, The New Age, New HIstoricism, New Right, New South, New World,  and believe this when I tell you, this is all trying to cover the New Testament; the Book of Revelation. These theories were conducted and brought up in New York City. Each one these will be apart of my next blog, which I will explain to you in detail and create further, deeper knowledge for the curious minds. Read my next article Chopped Peanuts.

Stay connected, but never stay away.

In 1966, A political movement made up of Protestants as opposed to secular humanism and concerned with issues of church, state patriotism, Lassie's Fair, Economics, pornography, and abortion. One word plays the next role in the case,

“Cyberstalking is the use of electronic or online communications technology to stalk, harass or intimidate another person or party. Most frequently it is used in reference to activities on the Internet or via mobile telecommunications networks. Cyberstalking activities may include threats or may just constitute monitoring of another without their knowledge and consent. It may also include defamatory statements or accusations and is frequently a means of a stalker intending to unduly influence, intimidate or control the victim.

Cyberstalking is a criminal offense under various state statutes which can include stalking, slander and harassment laws. Some states have specifically enacted Cyberstalking laws, such as Florida 784.048(d) which defines the term as follows:

“Cyberstalk” means to engage in a course of conduct to communicate, or to cause to be communicated, words, images, or language by or through the use of electronic mail or electronic communication, directed at a specific person, causing substantial emotional distress to that person and serving no legitimate purpose.”  reads from the TheLaw.com

This explains my posting about “The Smell Of Vegetables” furthermore describing each scenario exactly as it is. Who knows what triggers this type of behavior, let alone continue this process in a malicious way as if there isn’t an FBI that takes notice, or even catch the suspect. Let's try social media for example. This is one of the many outlets a cyber bully can “control” their victim by intimidation and feeling satisfied by it.

How does the cyberbully feel about taunting another person?

Maybe I should ask about the victim per se. I doubt that anyone behind the screen has some form of inspiring or motivational message to give to the person who is being insulted, even watched. Quite creepy to everyone else except for the cyber bully. With Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube to name a few, the whole world is under attack with social media schemes and perpetrators who are on every page, reading every message, and even “Catfishing” one another. 

( Appearing as someone else online instead of oneself ) 

Let's just call them “Chopped Peanuts” (Cyberbully; CP). Have you ever thought to yourself, 

Am I being tracked or monitored by an unknown source? What if you are? 

Then come into a realization that you are unsure how to go about it in your busy everyday life.

Did you know: At least half a million young men in Japan have isolated themselves from the public eye? They are known as HIKIKOMORI.

In this case, chopped peanuts could be just like them. Online from dawn to dusk, eat, sleep, and believe it or not monitor their victims. The addiction can be excruciating for them but has evolved into this hobby they have made themselves accustomed to.

Why bother?

It depends on the person obviously. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been recorded, monitored, screenshotted, photographed, and even virtually abused. Mind reading technology, government top secret files through extraterrestrial activities, and flying drones all play a role in these targeted individuals. From audio, lasers, computer teleprompters, and even hidden video cameras located in the sockets of your home walls are being tracked by innocent people every second. Microchips and placed in cooked meals, nurses with significant others that they trust can easily place another hospital patient up for an implant procedure without physical surgery. Video games and then passed through databases for the control set up, to be loaded through a virtual computer and paused for a persons dream sequence. One this person is asleep for over 15 minute wait time, the virtual monitoring visuals begin and that's when the victim is not to awake unless physically or unless the chopped peanuts have disconnected from the device. When the disconnection is done the victim wakes sometimes not remembering what the dream was about. Virtual audio is connected to ear play, unseen but heard naturally at the lowest slightly louder than your thoughts.

How does this work?

Close your eyes and think about two words as loud as your mind can get without your voice interrupting. When you do this you imagine your own voice mimicking yourself. Now imagine you didn't think about anything at all. Then out of the blue, harassing words, bad languages, seducing gestures, judgemental comments about someone right before you give them a compliment ect. This doesn't stop here, unfortunately. The way cybersecurity is set up here as of 2019, there is also a way for the chopped peanuts to view the exact location your pupils do, maybe your peripheral vision as well. ( Though is probably the blurry part of the lens ).

What the hell, are you serious?

Yes, phishing and defamation are real.

Ever wonder when in a classroom preparing for a test, and when your done borrowing paper and a pencil from your neighbor right beside you everyone has faced to the front and not the side? The teacher will not allow this to happen. 

“Sit up straight students, eyes to the front, NO CHEATING!”

I can remember that like the back of my hands. When taking a test, Billy looks over at Venessa who’s marking all of her answers very swiftly. Without her approval or recognition, Billy peaks at 3 of her answers and jot the same exact thing she has on her test. Five minutes later he then peaks over again while the teachers back is turned, jots down 5 more answers that is written exactly like Venessa’s. When Venessa is done she raises her hand and the teacher collects the paper for a grade. Next thing you know Billy is done right after her. There were only 10 questions so they might look familiar. The teacher pauses on Billy’s test, and then backtracks to Vanessa’. She questions both of them calling them to the front. 

Vanessa paper was a graded A+ but why was Billy’s paper just the same? 

The teacher marks both of their papers as a failing grade since she doesn’t know who to believe cheated on who’s test. Vanessa never spoke to Billy again and moved her normal seat at the very front of the classroom so that she didn't see him at all. Also, Vanessa would have made the Valedictorian award which is (an academic title of success used in the United States, Canada, Central America, Singapore, and the Philippines for the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. The chosen valedictorian is often the student with the highest ranking among their graduating class.) at the end of the school year but Billy's eyes were the one thing that caused her to fall in second after a girl she used to be best friends with. She had to force a smile on stage which she didn’t feel in her heart. Deep down she knew that she should have been the one holding the golden trophy, not the silver one. She then went home and cried all day and night, not only that, but she became racist to the race Billy was that next morning and never looked at that same race the same ever again. Which rendered her from the job at the Board of Education, simply because the manager was the same race as Billy. So she ends up working as a home school teacher, denying job postings that were available to her that was the same race as Billy, and only teaching the race that she was.

Her best friend called her a month later to see how she was holding up, she even teased her about being in second place on top of the apology she had told her about breaking their friendship off. Vanessa laughed but deep down her cut was deeper because one F dropped her A+ to a C for the finals. She and her best friend became close again, but every time Vanessa hung out with her best friend who’d got first place, she always stole every piece of gold jewelry she had in a room or had worn in the car. Not knowing that her best friend was healing herself from the wounds of not fulfilling her dream to work at the board let alone talk to boys again and to think it was only from winning first place. All because of Billy, the chopped peanut. Drained her from her positive possibilities because he wanted to be a secret spy that day without any knowledge of hers to begin with. Her life was taking back what was not hers. Billy was a drug addict on the streets, the same corner every Sunday.

The new church in the town where Vanessa best friend always goes. She invited her to join her ministries. Vanessa spotted a familiar face, it was BIlly. She ends up turning back around from the memory of him and how he caused her life to be in shambles. On unexpected wrongdoing came into the light and path of a woman whose mind was in the books. Billy stopped her and told her to join him, and how he wanted to make up for the things he did. She felt a weak spot somewhere in herself. She joined his conversation full of apologies. Unfiirtuanlyey this was all she needed to heal half of her wounds, especially from the person who caused it, which made her feel even better. They end up dating and shortly she ended up on the block just to stay close to her best friend who couldn't contact her phone because of the bill. She couldn't convince her bestfrined to stop hanging with Billy, because he was apart of her life now. Billy and Vanessa’s new spot was on the corner doing volunteer work for the church to have food. And then it was back to the drugs. A wasted mind and a beautiful heart to be swallowed on the corners of a drug addicts territory.

Whether its spying, bashing verbally, fighting physically, never get an abortion with your dreams in life.

Never have a pornographic mindset to get the things you desire

A policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering can be a strategy everyone should take.

More like a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies, detractors or even chopped peanuts.

This is the New Right movement. It's happening today.

“Read my next article Cinnamon Chakras”

“Don’t cause the next world leader to become bitter, He might have a sour taste to destroy it.”

Milz L Mayhorn Tumblr: AfricanUniverse

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