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eliciana · 1 month

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Reverse SAGAU: The Weird Door At My Café

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2(here) | ...

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Tw: Reverse!Isekai!Sagau, Normal Au, Café Au, a bit of cussing like this bit 🤏.

Reader: Gn!Reader, Adult!Reader, Café Owner!Reader

Characters: Reader, Paimon, Traveler

Note: Restaurant to Another World animanga inspired au. You can slide into my dms if you ever want to be tagged in my works just tell me what series you want to be tagged in or all of them. thank you <3. Also, I may say that the characters other than the reader may be a bit OOC cause it's been a long time since I played genshin and I'm just finishing all of my works with my knowledge left from playing the game. So sorry about it 🙏🙏.

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You stood, motionless, your eyes fixed in disbelief upon the distant scene before you. As the wind cut through the air, a shiver ran down your spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake. The purity of the air surrounded you, carrying with it an intoxicating scent that smelled pure. The warm touch of the sun's rays caressing your skin affirmed that this experience couldn't possibly be a figment of your imagination. A fleeting thought of doubt crept in, but you quickly dismissed it; after all, you had never dabbled in any kind of drugs. This moment, as unbelievable as it seems, had to be undeniably real.

With careful fingers, you gently retrieved your fallen shoe/heel/slipper from the bed of plush, emerald-green grass. As you slipped it back onto your foot, your eyes instinctively wandered upward, transfixed by the expansive stretch of blue sky above you. It was quite unlike the very bright pixelated one you see on your screen. Everything that you see within the door was real and not a nightmare.

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After composing yourself, you went inside your cafe, close the door, drag a chair nearest to the door, took a seat on the chair you placed infront of the door, and contemplated life. A deep heavy sigh got out your mouth as you continue looking the the strange thing infront of you. "What now? What do I do? Should I just lock it?" you asked yourself and looked at the door. Welp, well, there goes your master plan. Suprise suprise there's no keyhole and having a key would not make any difference. "Ugh."

You sat up and opened the door again, only to be baffled to see a different scenery other than the distant City of Mondstadt. The door was now currently in the Liyue Harbor. You closed the door and opened it again, you were now in Inazuma. Close, open, and now in Sumeru. Once again, you are now in Fontaine.

"Yeah bye." you closed the door again and returned the chair from where it once was. Contemplating what you should do next, your feet carried you around the whole café. You went to the counter and decided to make yourself something to help with calming yourself first in order to think clearly. It was a good thing that you had brought all of the materials and ingredients you needed in the café because you had thought of opening the café tomorrow. But with how things are now, you don't know what to do.

Teyvat is filled with many dangerous beings such as hilichurls, slimes, etc. You are but a normal human being with no experience in fighting and fighting your baby cousins was not enough of an experience to be able to fight toe to toe with monsters you have only seen through a screen. Yes, a gun would probably best to use but you don't have a permit for that and you don't want to be in jail when you have just barely open your dream café. But nobody had to know, right? What if-

A deep sigh fell from your lips once again. The stress is really getting in to you, huh? The bitter/sweet aroma of (coffee/tea/juice) filled your sense of smell. You were making your favorite, (your choice of coffee/tea/juice). After some time of finishing your drink, you took it along with a (pastry of your choice) that you had in your car, in which you had thought of eating to celebrate the opening, and sat in a chair facing the door. Taking your time in eating/drinking, many thoughts come and go in your head to solve the predicament you are in now. You had even thought of postponing the opening of the café until you had thought of a way on what to do with the door.

Of course you read the fanfics circulating all around the genshin fandom and one of the those that you have read was SAGAU where you might be the imposter or the creator of teyvat or you become a villain or anything in between. The most common of them was being an imposter. What if you were to become the said imposter if one day a person will open the door to your café? What if they kill you? What if-

*creak......*

Your rambling came to a stop as you looked at the door horrified. Oh no no no no no no NO NO NO! YOU JINXED YOURSELF DIDN'T YOU?! THIS DAMNED FATE-

'Oh dear God, Buddha, Allah, Deities, whoever higher being there is, pls help me...' you thought as you clasp your hands, praying to higher beings. Before you could even feel it, tears cascaded down you face to the table. "I'm nOt ReAdy tO dIE yeT... Ughhhhhhhh" you sobbed into your hands loudly like a child lost in a mall.

"Hello?" a person peaked from behind the door.

Fuck.

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The Traveler, along with Paimon, was doing their daily quests until they saw something shining in the far distance. Their curiousity made them want to investigate it.

"Hm. Why is a door in the middle of the forest with no support or whatsoever?" Paimon mumbled as the door came into their view. The Traveler also had the same thought.

"Is it perhaps a magic door of some kind? I think w-"

*creak*

The Traveler stopped speaking as the door opened but from where they are right now, they couldn't see who opened the door and couldn't get to ask since the door closed with a loud bang when they were going to get closer.

"Well... that was something..." Paimon looked at the Traveler. "Traveler? What's wrong? BREATHE! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE AT THIS RATE!" Paimon brought tons of fried egg out of the Traveler's bag and smacked it into the Traveler's mouth and forced them to chew the egg.

After confirming the Traveler is back into top condition, Paimon asked them what the hell happened to them.

"I-I don't know. I suddenly felt something when whoever opened that door and the air around me became heavy that it became hard to breathe..." The Traveler shooked their head gently and sighed. "I also felt something strange. The energy of whoever is beyond that door, excluded an aura that is very familiar to me, but I don't know who or what it is."

"Hm. Paimon thinks that we should open that door and see whoever that and see if they truly are familiar to you or maybe perhaps this connection that you feel is related to your sibling!" Paimon twirled around the air, exaggerating her words with her actions.

For once, Traveler thought it was a good idea at first but there is also a flaw in that idea. A flaw that might cause their life if whoever is beyond that door is hostile and will kill them. It is better to be cautious then to be 6ft underground before finding their sibling.

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Taglist:

@udretlnea

#genshin impact #genshin impact traveler #sagau #genshin sagau #genshin impact sagau #sagau genshin #self aware genshin #genshin reverse sagau #genshin reverse isekai #cafe owner! reader au #gender neutral reader #gn!reader #sagau x reader #genshin x reader #•works[🍡]•#genshin series

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del-thetiredwriter · 9 months

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Mafia au/Good luck while running away from mafia

intro , part 0.5 , part 1 , part 3

Notes: Hello its been a while . First of all its little longer ususal but I hope you like it. And because of some health issues and some personal stuff I couldnt post anything. I'll try to post whever I have time.

Tags: @morokumi , @hrhqueenfox , @hasty-desert , @oceanside-pixie , @lianreine ,@h3apm3ch4n151m, @cecilebutcher, @ayachansan

Warning: my poor English, gn reader, fight scenes , running away from yandere ...

As you did the paperwork that Leona should have done but didn't, your eye fell on Leona's phone. Someone has been texting nonstop for the last 15 minutes. Whoever texted finally called. It was Vil. You took the phone to Leona. Disturbed by his sleep interruption, the executive of Savanaclaw answered the call and gestured for you to leave. You thought 'weird'. Meeting of executives who don't like each other to death.

"Leona-san, is there a problem sir? May I ask why Vil-san called you?" you asked. "It's not a big deal. You don't need to know."

"Is that so."

You gripped the steering wheel tightly. Your hands were shaking with adrenaline because of that fight at the restaurant an hour ago. They found you. Of course they did, but you were so used to your life in this last 1 month that you were taken by surprise for a moment. You should have cleared your mind now. Heartslabyul had already attacked. You could be attacked at any time. You should have been on the alert.

"Well, Y/N pack yourself up. You know them, they know you. There must be a way out. They probably have their men stationed at all the entrances and exits of the city. So it's almost impossible to get out of here without getting caught." you thought.

You opened the glove box. The situation was dire. Since you came to work with Alex this morning, you forgot that you 'cleaned' the car. "Damn" you cursed. All you had now were 3 bullets, a gun , an electroshock device, two morning sandwiches and some cash.It didn't seem like enough for an escape at all. 'I could have gone home and stocked up on some supplies and ammo, but since they found my work place, they probably found the house too. ' you thought. Your thoughts were interrupted by the vibration from your phone. The alarm of the security system you installed in your house was going on. When you looked at the cameras you saw 3 familiar face. You'll recognize those green predatory eyes wherever you see them. "Leona-san."

"Looks like the little herbivore has put some little toys in here, huh. Ruggie, turn those alarms off, they're too loud." said Leona as he surveyed the house.

"Leona-san, I told you to sneak in. It was obvious that someone like Y/N-shii was going to install a security system in the house. Now we've cleared our spot." Ruggie whined as he searched for the shutdown system. "Leona-san, what are you trying to do, sir?" ' Jack asked the reclining department manager. " Don't worry , They will come." said Leona lazily. "After all, they have no choice ."

"I don't have a better option than this." you sighed.

According to the cameras around the house, there were no men around. You did not know the position of the other executives. But looking at all your years in the mafia, one of the things you knew was that departments weren't going to work together to catch you. Leona was trying to get you on your feet by knowing your current situation, and it seemed like it was the best choice.

You checked inside the cameras one last time. Ruggie and Leona were in the Hall at the entrance, while Jack stood guard in the garage. "Damn, I wish I had a secret passage to the house." you said. Getting Jack first seemed like the best option to get in. "I'm on my really unlucky day… against two different departments in one night, huh."

Jack was lost in thought. He was thinking of you as he paced the garage. A month and a half ago, he suddenly couldn't reach you, then found out that you had left the mafia. Why did you leave, what was your reason? Why didn't you say anything to him? Jack felt betrayed. He paused with a small click. The garage door was slightly ajar. You jumped on him before he knew what was going on. You attacked him before he could come to him because of the blow he received and you used the electroshock device. "Sorry Jack." you said while tying it. "But while hunting, always pay attention to the hunt, otherwise you will be the hunted while you are the hunter." you said. Those were the words he said to you when you first went on a mission with Leona. You took the remaining strings and took one last look at Jack and locked the door on him.

"Ah~ all the hustle and bustle made me pretty hungry." said Ruggie, taking a bite of the donut he found in the fridge. "But you have to give it credit. Y/N-shii really tried hard. Security systems, cameras. soundproof walls… Who knows what else is in here , right Leona-san?" ' Ruggie asked the man lying in the armchair a few feet away. But the only response that came was a vague grunt. "Oh really, I'm going to Jack's. Call me if you need anything."

Ruggie began muttering to himself as he made his way down the hall. "This soundproofing thing really sucks. I feel like I'm in a horror movie." When he finally reached the garage door, he paused. There was something amiss. The door was locked. "Jack?" 'Oh no!' and with a sharp blow his vision darkened.

'I am indebted to the awful assassination training I received in Pormefiore.' you thought as you tied Ruggie. If Rook saw you in this state, he would surely utter some French nonsense and cry out of delight.

'last hunt' you thought. You had no chance to surprise attack this time, the fight was inevitable.

"You came." said Leona, his back to you as he sat on the sofa. He slowly turned his face towards you and grinned like a hunter playing with his prey. You pointed your gun at him. "Ah~ really, how cold you are. But I wouldn't do that if I were you." he said You looked at the table in the middle of the sofa set, Leona had found all your ammo. Then suddenly he stood up. "Don't you dare do anything wrong, otherwise-" "What," he interrupted. "Are you going to shoot me?" You didn't reply. "You know, I've been thinking a lot about why you left the mafia." He took a step towards you. "After all, you suddenly disappeared without any of us knowing. It was okay, we were very close." He took two more steps. "Don't Approach!" you warned. "Then why? You either wanted a normal life or -" "I said don't Approach !" and you pulled the trigger. Leona fell to the ground with the blow. First a few seconds of deep silence, then a chilling laugh. "Do you really think I'm not prepared for such situations?" he said. Before you could take your guard on, he made a move towards your gun and your gun fell to the ground. "Things might be more comfortable for you if you surrendered easily." said Leona, like a parent scolding his child. You grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter, but Leona grabbed you by the wrists and prevented you from attacking.

"You were supposed to behave yourself when you realized everything. Not running away stupidly." he said, tightening his grip.

You grit your teeth, You hit him in the face with your head. With this unexpected blow, Leona staggered backwards. With your freed hands, you took a handful of black pepper from the Black Pepper jar on the table and punched him in the face with your black pepper-filled fist. Roaring with pain from the dust in his eyes, Leona tried to attack you, but you got ahead of him and activated the booby traps. and Leona suddenly found himself in a ditch.

"You underestimated me, Leona-san. Remember, this is my territory. Even lions can be prey in the territory of the ridges when they are alone."

Without wasting any time, you started filling a bag with supplies and ammo. Meanwhile, Leona's phone started ringing. You picked up the phone on the table and saw the calling number,it was Boss.

"Hello Y/N, how are you?"

You didn't answer. Your old boss, Dire Crowley, was talking as usual as if nothing had happened.

"First of all, congratulations, defeating two of my managers in one night is not easy for everyone." You locked the door of the house while he was talking.

"You know, I'm a very generous person. That's why I wanted to let you know that the arrest warrant has been taken against you and that the whole mafia is after you." '

Oh, what a generosity. Like I didn't know this." you thought.

"But remember, I'm on your side. If you can escape from all, I'll give you your freedom."

"What if I Lose?"

"Then we both know what will happen." And the phone has turned off.

"Agh! I was so sure the Kingscholar would catch them." groaned former Savanaclaw manager Ashton Vargas. "But he didn't catch them. You've lost the bet so please let me demand the money." Sam smiled. "It was unexpected even for Y/N." said Trein, taking a sip of his tea. "Would you like to change your bets on who will win?" Sam offered. He grinned mischievously as he pocketed the check from Vargas. "The rightfully of what we're doing is debatable, but it looks like it'll be fun. A little fun never hurt anyone." said Crowley. While looking at Crewel, who is silently watching outside. "Okay, then let me take your bets."

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softspiderling · 9 months

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how you get the girl | d.h.

summary: it's been six months since derek stopped replying to your texts, so why was he suddenly standing in front of your door?

pairing: derek hale x reader, nickname "brooklyn"

word count: 3,2k

warnings: cursing

author's note: hello hello and welcome to the first fic of series inspired by taylor swift's 1989! we're starting off strong with how you get the girl. all the fics a part of this series are connected, but it's not necessary to read all of them to understand the plot though it is recommended by me. also i think you should know that i have adopted a way of avoiding the use of Y/N by giving my readers a nickname (courtesy of the top gun fandom) which is brooklyn/b. hope it's okay!! tagging @stilinskiderek bc i know she's been waiting for this. title is from taylor swift's how you get the girl

You had almost missed the tentative knocks on your front door with the endless rain pelting against your roof and all your windows, until the knocks became louder and more incessant. “I’m coming!” you shouted, wrapping your cardigan tighter around your frame as you padded to the front door. As you swung it open, you had to stop yourself from slamming the door shut again when you saw who was standing on your front porch. Derek lifted his head, his hair wet and stuck against his skin. If you hadn’t known that werewolves were basically a walking furnace, you’d guess he was shaking from the cold rain and invite him in. But alas, he probably wasn’t even cold and there was also the thing where you were super mad at him.

“Are you insane?”

Derek blinked at you and then had the audacity to give you a small smile. “Hey. It’s been a while, huh?”

Really? Six months of radio silence and that was the thing he decided to open with? You let out a sigh of disbelief and moved to shut the door in his face, before Derek put his foot in the gap, his hand pushing it back open.

“Wait, wait! I’m sorry!”

Reluctantly, you slowly pulled the door open again, glaring at him.

“What do you want?”

Derek gestured inside your house, small rain droplets flinging from his sleeve.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Can you give me a reason to?”

Your eyes were hard and Derek realized how serious you were being. He sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I can explain, okay? Can you just let me in? Please?”

Contemplating, you were quiet for a second before you opened the door wider for him to come in.

“Stay. I’ll get you a towel, don’t need you to track your muddy paws into my house,” you said, heading to your closet to grab him a towel. You knew the dog jokes were a low blow but you didn’t really care. Grabbing a spare towel from the shelf, you returned to Derek who apparently had taken his shoes off. His jacket was hanging off a coat rack and he was standing by the dresser, holding a picture frame. You knew exactly what picture it was. Instead of trying to find an excuse you tossed the towel at him, fully intending to sock him in the face with it, but he was still a werewolf, catching it easily with one hand. He put the picture back and dried himself off.

“Thanks.”

You forwent an answer and instead picked up the picture frame, putting it in the back; the image of you kissing Derek on the cheek being obscured by pictures of Isaac, Kira and Stiles. You could feel Derek’s eyes on you, but when you turned back to him, he was hanging his jacket on the coat rack, the towel around his neck.

Giving him a brief once over, you noticed that he looked good. Well-nourished and healthy. At least he wasn’t being held in some rotten basement. But that meant he didn’t really have an excuse for why he ghosted you.

“How long have you been in town?”

“Just got in. I just checked into the loft before I came here,” Derek said, toweling his hair dry with a frown.

“What, didn’t you have to announce your presence to the Alpha for breaching his territory?” you said, somewhat mockingly and Derek gave you a look. You just rolled your eyes at him, growing impatient.

“You said you were going to explain.”

Derek nodded, but it was clear that he was struggling to find his words. So much for that explanation.

“If you don’t have anything to say Derek, you can just leave,” you sighed, exhausted and disappointed at the same time. “That’s what you’re best at, right?”

Without waiting for an answer, you walked over to the couch, sitting down, but Derek was hot on your heels, clearly agitated.

“You knew I was trying to get Cora out of here, I was trying to keep her safe!”

“Yeah, but that was before you completely went AWOL and stopped returning my texts,” you interjected, glaring at him. “Six months, Derek. I didn’t even know if you were alive or not.”

Derek scoffed, glaring at the floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t-” he broke off with a frustrated huff, dropping down on the arm chair across from you. “I’m sorry I made you worry. That wasn’t my intention… I wanted to text you. I did, but I didn’t now what to say or how to explain myself… When I dropped Cora off with her old pack I envied her that she was able to start new after everything that happened. And I guess seeing her so happy and burden free… It made me wonder what I wanted out of my life.”

And it apparently wasn’t you?

You crossed your arms, burrowing deeper into the couch, not really liking his explanation so far. Did he just come here to insult you and make everything worse?

“Would you let me finish explaining before you plan my demise?” Derek asked dryly and your eyes snapped up at him, realizing that he could smell the anger coming off of you. You jerked your chin, telling him to continue.

“At first I stayed with Cora for a while, thought I could settle with a new pack but I didn’t feel right. Not really.” Derek rubbed the back of his neck. “I flew back here and picked up my car, started driving. I guess I just felt free for the first time, which I didn’t mind, but I really missed you so that’s when I started writing you letters.”

Wait, what?

“Hold up,” you said, waving your hands around for good measure. “Letters? What letters? I didn’t get any letters.”

Derek stared at you for a good minute, the tips of his ears turning pink honest to god. With a small exhaled stood up, disappearing into the hallway. For a split second, you were actually scared that he’d leave again, as you scooted to the edge of the couch, ready to jump up and follow him as soon as you heard the front door shut but Derek returned, a small brown package in his hand. You allowed yourself to sink back into the couch and Derek pretended not to notice as he unwrapped the paper wrapper slowly, revealing a stack of letters. He put the stack on the coffee table, pushing it in your direction as you stared at it. It had to be about 20 letters, all addressed to you, stamped and everything, just not mailed.

Mouth agape, you looked at Derek, who was resolutely staring at the floor.

“At first I felt stupid. But then I just thought about what I would tell you if this letter was addressed to you and then it just got so much easier writing it all down.” Derek glanced at you, face guarded. “You don’t have to read them. It’s not an excuse for not texting or calling, but-”

“I’m gonna read them.”

Derek raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I mean, I don’t forgive you.” Not yet, at least. “But I will read them.”

Derek huffed out dry laugh, sounding amused. “That’s fair, I guess.” He took another deep breath. “About two months after I left, something started changing in me. I felt like I was losing my abilities, my strength. I felt weaker.”

“What? What happened?”

“I don’t know. I met up with an old pack that my mother used to know. They helped me figure out what was going on,” Derek explained and you narrowed your eyes at him.

“And? Don’t leave me hanging, what happened?”

Derek grimaced. “I think it’s better if show you.”

You had no idea what he meant, watching him intently as he got up. When he started taking off his shirt, your mouth flew open. “What the hell are you doing? Stop taking your clothes off!”

Derek glared at you, tossing his shirt on the arm chair before he disappeared behind the book shelf. You heard his belt hitting the floor and there were about a hundred thoughts racing through your head, trying to find a logical explanation for his behavior when a huge black wolf came out into the living room. Your eyes widened and instinctively you backed up against the couch, even as the wolf somehow gave you a look.

“Derek?”

The wolf flashed his eyes, a brilliant blue, the ones you loved so much on Derek, and you covered your mouth with your hand.

“Holy shit!”

The wolf, Derek, came around the couch and padded towards you, nosing his snout on your knee. You patted his head gently, fingers diving into the black fur, that was surprisingly soft. For some reason you had expected it to be hard and coarse. He let out a soft whine, pushing his head closer into your hands.

“Who’s a good doggy?”

You knew the dog jokes were so old but Stiles would’ve never forgiven you for not using this opportunity. Derek growled, snapping his teeth at you playfully before retreating behind the couch. For a second he stayed still then somehow shifted back into his human form. Wincing, you kept your eyes on his face as he walked back behind the book shelf, presumably to put his clothes back on.

“That’s insane, Derek,” you told him when he came back around, pants back on. “Your mother and Laura could turn into a wolf, too right? So, is it like a Hale gene thing, or?”

Derek shrugged, picking his shirt back up to put it on. “I don’t know. There’s not really a record of werewolves that can fully shift, but there are others who can do it. It’s unclear as to what triggers the transformation, though.” He sat back down on the arm chair, somewhat uncomfortable. Clearly he was much more open with his emotions as a wolf.

“Does it hurt?”

“Not really. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but it’s not like I can actually feel my bones changing.. I’ve always felt like I was… Incomplete. But when I fully shifted for the first time, it was so freeing. Like I finally achieved what I’ve been working towards my whole life.

“So, you finally got your life in order, huh? Got everything you want?”

Derek shifted nervously on the chair and you knew what he was struggling with. You didn’t know yet if you were going to make it easy on him.

“I called you every day.”

“I know and it took everything in me not to pick up.”

“You’ve got a lot of amends to make.”

And he did. Not only with you, there were people he hurt even before he left and you didn’t even have to say a name for Derek to know who you were talking about. He must have known as soon as he stepped into the house.

“Yeah. That is mostly also why I didn’t want to let him down again, I wanted to be able to protect him before I came back.”

Even if you could forgive Derek and take him back, you couldn’t promise it would help salvage Derek’s relationship with Isaac. Their bond was different and you didn’t want to intervene in it. It was Isaac’s decision to whether he would forgive Derek or not. You knew Derek cared a lot for Isaac, but he hurt him. It wasn’t something that Isaac could easily get past.

“I know I hurt you,” Derek started. “And I know it’s going to take a lot of work for you to trust me again not to leave. But I promise, I won’t leave again. Ever. You’re it for me, Brooklyn.”

You startled at the use of the old nickname. It has been a while since he called you that.

“I’ll wait for as long as it takes for you to trust me again. And even if we only stay friends, that’s fine with me. I’ll take you in any way you’ll have me.”

Your mouth was open, but you couldn’t find the words. While you’ve know how Derek felt for you, he had never actively said it, like you said, Derek was a man of little words.

“Are you seeing someone else?” Derek’s tone was mostly neutral, but you could tell there was an edge to it. Wolves have always been kind of jealous, and Derek wasn’t really an exception.

“Didn’t you just say you’d be fine with being friends?” You asked sharply and Derek clenched his jaw, lowering his head. You let him simmer in disappointment for a while before you sighed.

“Okay.”

Derek lifted his head, frowning at you. “Okay?”

“Okay, I’ll give you another chance.”

The smile that appeared on Derek’s face was almost worth all the pain he’d put you through for the past six months. Almost. He stood up and walked over to you, slowly, as if he was scared you’d change your mind. Lowering himself in front you, he took his hands into your, holding them tightly, but not so much that it hurt.

“If you’re gonna leave again, that’s it, Derek, you hear me?” you warned him and he nodded quickly, intently.

“I’m never leaving again.”

You huffed. annoyed, but appeased. You knew it took a lot for a born wolf to be kneeling in front of a human like this. Not that he had a higher rank than you. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I’m not,” Derek insisted. “Didn’t you hear what I said? You’re it for me. I love you.”

Rolling your eyes, you flushed. “Shut up.”

Derek opened his mouth to say something, but he tensed, stopping. You were about to ask what was wrong, when you heard the door open.

“Hey, I’m home!” Isaac called, shutting the door behind him. That explained Derek’s tense shoulders. “Shit, it’s crazy out there.”

You could hear him shaking his jacket out, cluttering in the hallway.

“Hey, why does it smell like-” Isaac’s footsteps came closer, until they stopped and you looked at him, frozen in the door way.

“Derek.”

Isaac's presence was a comfort to you, and you appreciated the way he didn't make things awkward between you and Derek. But you also knew that Isaac was hurt by Derek kicking him out, of the pack and his loft.

"You smell like wet dog," you teased Isaac, trying to lighten the mood.

Isaac grinned, "Yeah, it's been raining cats and dogs outside."

Derek cleared his throat. He squeezed your hand before he got up, walking over to his first beta. Isaac’s eyes flickered to you, but you shrugged your shoulders. It was his choice.

“I’m sorry for the way I handled things with you after- after Boyd died. I was trying to protect you and I know I went at it the wrong way. Im not sorry for trying to protect you, you’re pack. I care about you. But I should’ve done it differently,” Derek said, grimacing. He looked like he about hit his word limit of the day.

Isaac didn’t reply and you could tell he was conflicted as his hands curled into fists. You held your breath, knowing this could go either way, with Isaac being loyal to a fault and Derek was the first person gave him the chance to get away from his father.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Isaac then said, gently, and you exhaled slowly. He didn’t really acknowledge Derek’s apology, but you knew that was going to take time. This was a good start. He gave Derek a small smile, it was guarded, but it was a smile. Isaac’s eyes flitted over to you and he pointed towards his bedroom. “I'm gonna go change. I'm soaked. Can we do pizza for dinner?"

”Sure,” you agreed and Isaac bobbed his head twice, before going towards his room. When you heard his door shut, you turned to Derek, lifting a brow. “You’re lucky. Isaac has a big heart.”

Derek breathed a sigh of relief, looking at you with gratitude. "Yeah… I know I still got a long way ahead of me, but I’m glad he’s giving me another chance.”

As the rain continued to pound outside, the three of you settled in for a quiet evening of pizza and movies. Even though the three of you acted like this was just like before, it was obvious that everyone was walking on egg shells around each other. It was going to take longer before things would really get back to the way it was before.

“Hey, did you just pick the pepperoni off my pizza?!”

Or maybe not that long.

Dear Brooklyn,

I miss you more than words can express. It's been three months since I left and I still can't shake the feeling that I made a mistake. I am sorry for not responding to your texts and calls, but at the time, I just couldn't bring myself to talk to you. I was going through something, something that I didn't understand and I didn't want to burden you with it. But now, I realize that I should have at least told you what was going on. I'm sorry for shutting you out.

Something's happening to me, Brooklyn. I don't know what it is, but it feels like I am losing my strength. I wonder if it’s punishment from the universe for leaving you. I'm trying to figure it out, but it's difficult. I feel like I'm running out of time. I know you and Stiles would hit the books as soon as you find out about it, but I don't want to trouble you. I'm trying to get in contact with my mother's old allies to see if they can help me. That's why I'm in New York.

Being back here without you or Laura is hard. Everything reminds me of you both. I miss you so much, Brooklyn. You were always there for me, even when I didn't deserve it. And I'm sorry for hurting you. I know I have a lot of making up to do. But I promise you this, I will make it up to you. I will never leave you again.

I hope you're well and happy. How's Isaac? I know he's probably still mad at me, and I don't blame him. I messed up. But I'm glad you two have each other. Maybe you can both be mad at me together. I hope I can fix things when I come home. But even if you don't want to take me back, I'll understand. I just want to be in your life, Brooklyn.

Please take care of yourself.

Derek.

#derek hale #derek hale x reader #derek hale fanfiction #derek hale fanfic #derek hale fic #teen wolf #teen wolf fanfiction

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mistypsych · 9 months

Text

ANATOMY OF A CRIMINAL - CHAPTER 7

/ yoongi / suga / agust d

summary: as a doctor you never expected to be dragged into “the criminal life”, nothing and no one seems to be true anymore, your whole world turns upside down after you save him.

pairings: yoongi mob boss x f.reader x non idol bts members.

warnings: smut, guns, knives, stabbings, blood, gore, murders, drugs, criminals, gang life, medical emergency, illness, abuse, swearing, angst, dubcon, gang violence, corruption, manipulation, lies, cheating - 18+ minors dni.

Note: Hi! This is an attempt of writing a fanfic long after not writing anything at all. Please keep in mind English is no longer my first language and it might be a bit rusty at times. Comments and thoughts are well appreciated. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, state your thoughts for me to post up and have me add you to the tag list!

You blinked very fast. Your thoughts were all over the place. Keeping your gaze on the KCIA badge you took a deep breath and mumbled “Yea… it does look like we need to talk…” trying to gather yourself, you turned to face the kind eyed man.

This was the moment he should start explaining, because you sure as hell had no idea what the actual fuck was going on.

He let out a long, quiet sigh, keeping his eyes on the road. “So… I am well aware you normally would not have anything to do with a gang, if it wasn’t for your reckless friend…” he started. “But… our target isn’t really the whole group. I mean yea, they are dangerous, cause some havoc but… they are also a well know danger… they keep the product they sell clean and such… yes it is bad, but how to say it? A evil you know is better than anything unknown and out of control right?”.

You tried to follow his logic, one questing popping into your head - then why was he even there? As if reading your mind he explained “We are fishing for the police… we have known the department has gotten very dirty in the recent years… and we are collecting enough evidence to be sure to take that scum down…” he turned his eyes to the road again waiting for you to slowly take in the information he has dropped on you.

You shake your head a bit and then look up as if asking the universe why the fuck this is all happening. “So… let me guess… my fiancé happens to be on the list…”. Jimin sighed and slowly nodded his head, clicking his tongue he looked at you for a second. “Listen… I know this is all a lot to take in… especially that your fiancé is an absolute dick… but… I assume you’d have nothing against putting his ass behind bars right?”.

You look at the man sitting next to you and try to think of an answer. In all honesty you would gladly have Hobi suffer since you found out not only is he dirty but also a cheater. The fact you slept with Agust-D did not seem like proper justice for the fact that asshole ruined all those years of your life. But having him locked up seemed like some kind of karma.

“Yea… I would not mind that at all…” you paused for a while and then asked “So… let me take a guess. You would love to have a spy in me huh?”. Jimin cleared his throat quietly, clearly not expecting you to be this blunt. “I won’t lie… it would probably make things easier… I believe you could fish out some important intel for us…”

Without much hesitation you say “Ok. Count me in then, as long as me and my friend Jungkook are not dragged into whatever consequences this shitshow brings…” the hazy eyed man slightly looks at you and nods “Of course… you will be my informant so I will make sure your demands are met…” you roll your eyes a bit not enjoying the fact once again you have been put in a peculiar spot.

You asked to be dropped off a couple of blocks before your building. Your neighborhood was safe enough for you to walk back and you sure as hell would not wan’t Hoseok seeing you get dropped off by Jimin.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

You will have to lie, pretend and play games with Hobi. It was not something you ever would see yourself doing but given the circumstances, you did not have many options in order to receive some sort of justice for yourself. The worst part being that you had to pretend you have no idea about what he did and that you are still oh so blindly in love with him, when in reality all you wanted is to beat him into a pulp for wasting all those important years of your life.

Walking in slowly into your apartment you gently closed the doors hoping that if your fiancé was there you would not wake him up. Looking around you saw his jacket and sighed. Luck was not on your side. It seemed that you were gonna have to deal with his company sooner then later.

You made your way passed the opened bedroom doors, making sure to be quiet and to get you the chance to sleep on the couch, but no, you had to be shit outta luck. “Y/N? Hun? That you?” you swore in your head and barely controlled your impulse to punch the wall. Silently clearing your throat you said “Yea… it’s me… I went out with Kookie and some other coworkers… since you said you would be home late again…” you lied threw your teeth.

A sound of the bed covers rustling hit your ears. You knew he was getting up, so you put your best pretend happy tipsy face on. Right then you saw him stand in the door and lean on the frame with a slightly sleepy face. He smiled at you and came up taking your hand in his. “Mmm… I’m sorry I am having to work so much lately babe…” you nodded your head afraid that if you spoke that moment he would pick up your pure rage.

After a second you gathered yourself “It’s fine, we both have jobs that can occupy us at times…” wrapping his arms around you he kissed your shoulder “What did I do to deserve such a woman?” you forced a giggle. “Can I make it up to you Y/N? Hmmm?” he hummed in a low voice pulling at your waistband. You laughed lightly and gave him a peck in the nose saying “we can discuss that after I take a shower and you make breakfast.”

He mumbled slightly disappointed but made his way to the kitchen, you on the other hand got into the bathroom. You stood there looking at your reflection in the big mirror questioning all your life decisions and if you should have ever moved to Korea. You turned on the water for it to warm up. You needed a hot shower to was off all the strain from your muscles.

Suddenly your phone rang causing you to jump up. Looking at the screen you could see a no caller ID show up. Normally you would ignore such a call but something in you gave you a hunch. Picking up the phone you quietly answered. “Hello?” you heard a deep sigh on the other side of the line and then the well know gravely voice “Didn’t take you would be the type to sneak out at dawn?” your heart clenched and then started beating like crazy. You could feel your body getting tense.

“And I wouldn’t think you’d be the type to be bothered by such a thing… I would think you’d appreciate it…” he chuckled, you could almost see him shaking his head in amusement “Nah… I was thinking of round two for breakfast…” you sigh grabbing the tip of your nose. This was all one big mess. “I have a fiancé…” you muttered hoping this would salve it and make him cancel the call, but instead he laughed loudly “Oh… I know you do and I ain’t bothered babe, because I know now when he fucks you, you’ll be thinking of me and all I can do to you”. His words rendered you speechless “Mmm just what I thought. You’ll be coming back for more Y/N and oh I will give it to you…” and at that he ended the call.

Standing there and looking at your cellphone you were trying collect yourself. This fucking cocky bastard was so sure you’d be coming back to him. “You wish… we will see who’s left begging…”

tags: @wobblewobble822 @nansasa @nochook @kootieful @kooslilhoe @yoongisducky @xjiminsthighsx @danielle143 @llallaaa @idkjustlovingbts @darcyw16 @missusally-blog @honsoolgloss @nochuel @kaitieskidmore1 @starrlo0ver @geek-lara-nerd @jwnghyuns @xyahrinx @acquiescence804

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f1gments · 1 year

Text

The Moon and His Sun - Hayakawa Aki

You come to him like a breath of fresh air, cleansing his soul, his entire existence. You fill the once empty void in his chest. He finds solace in every part of you. You're his sun, and he’s your moon. Home is not a place, but where you are, waiting for him with open arms.

author’s note: added a photo of aki in ep 6 because it’s how I actually imagined him. 🥰

Thinking about how you and Aki are sitting at the balcony, just sitting in one another's embrace one late night while you remember the day when you two first meet and speak of the possible future you might or might not have with each other. Also I feel like "Bouquet" by Ichiko Aoba goes really well with this imagine.

tags/content warnings: fluff, slight mutual pining, slight angst, slight mentions of sex but it's not that detailed.

word count: 3.5k words (not proofread btw)

Judging by the angle of the moonlight illuminating the apartment, it is clear that it is currently a time that both you and Aki should most definitely, be completely dead asleep. But going to bed early is a foreign concept for the two of you. On most nights like this, when Denji and Power have long gone to bed, you and Aki spend time together after a tiring day of work – huddled up on the balcony, just enjoying each other's presence with cigarette smoke filling the air.

“Hey Aki.” you say, breaking the comfortable silence as your head lays on his shoulder, staring straight ahead at the view of the urban area in front of you.

“Hmm?”

“Have you ever thought about what you wanted to be if we didn’t have devils and weren’t in Public Safety?”

Aki remains silent in thought. There were many times he’d think about what he could’ve been if those damn devils didn’t exist. If the sole thought of a person’s fear didn’t lead them to appear out of nowhere.

“Well, I’ve always enjoyed watching people play baseball, so maybe a baseball player. Or a detective.”

You raise an eyebrow at him. “Detective, huh?”

“Yeah. I used to watch tons of crime documentaries and I always thought the investigations and the process of it all was interesting.”

“Now that you mention it, I kinda see you as detective. I think it would suit you well.” you grin. His lips tug up slightly to give you a small smile in return.

Aki then mentions his younger brother Taiyo when you ask him what makes him want to be a baseball player.

“You remember him, right?” he asks before taking a long inhale from the menthol flavored cigarette.

You tilt your head up to look at the doleful look on his face while he stares out towards the other buildings facing you. You nod slowly, recalling the few times he’d share his memories about him and his deceased sibling, and the tragedy that happened to him along with his parents when the gun devil showed up in Japan – killing 57,912 people in its wake.

Aki gazes at you softly, exhaling a puff of smoke from the menthol stick held between his fingers. “How about you,y/n? What did you want to be?”

You hum in thought. Frankly, there were many things that you wanted to be. Many things you wanted to accomplish if you were given a chance to live a normal life.

“I’d probably be a lawyer, or a teacher.”

He tells you that you would suit either of those. He admires the way you’re passionate about standing up for others and seeking justice - how you have a big heart and give out kindness to those who don’t even deserve it. He loves that you complete him, like a puzzle piece that was made to fit exactly into the once empty slot of his chest. You were the bright and vivid colors that painted his once dull and grey world. He loves how you instantly make his day better with your smile and sounds of laughter on days when memories of his haunting past weigh on his mind. Sometimes he feels like you weren’t real. That you were an ethereal being with the most prettiest face. You’re an anchor that keeps him grounded.

“And what if we hadn’t crossed paths? Do you think we’d be as happy as we are now?” you ask him this time.

“I know I wouldn’t be. You’re the reason I look forward to getting up everyday.”

“I used to think that life was meaningless and being happy wasn’t maybe isn’t meant for everyone.” he tells you while looking you in the eyes genuinely.

“But you changed that for me. I’m grateful that the universe was kind enough to turn my lonely days into happy ones by gifting me with you.” he murmurs, taking the back of your hand to his lips to give it a gentle peck before he rests it on his lap to gently caress it with his thumb.

Your giggle shyly at his confession, fingers fiddling with the metal black promise ring that’s sitting on your other hand that Aki had given you on your second year of being together. You tell him you’d probably be out there somewhere living a miserable single life since chivalry is dead with most men nowadays.

He tells you that would be impossible since someone as pretty as you would have many admirers and sooner or later you’d let one of them sweep you off your feet. To which you deny and it makes you think back to how you and Aki ended up dating in the first place.

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

He lets out a chuckle, reminiscing the nostalgic moments of your first meeting.

"Always."

Flashback

There's someone I'd like you to meet." says Makima to you and during that moment the door opens and in strides a tall young man who looked about two or three years older than you were. A katana sits on on the back of the neat black suit he wears. Dark and inky blue locks from his wispy bangs frame the rather emotionless look on his face. The man keeps his gaze straight ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, head held high. Despite the stoic expression on him, you find that he looks very handsome.

"Hayakawa. This is Y/N. She'll be joining us from now on and she'll be your new partner." Said Makima.

"What about Himeno, ma'am?" he questions. His voice is deep and although it comes out monotonous you can’t help but find it rather attractive.

"She'll be Kishibe's partner as of now." Makima responds shortly before scribbling away at a document on her desk.

You turn to look at Aki, whose midnight blue irises are already staring at you with an unreadable look - though it almost seems as if he’s examining you. From the way his eyes flicker to yours, down to your lips then briefly at your figure before he completely breaks off eye contact with you and turns his head to look ahead once again.

"I'm Aki. Nice to meet you."

"Hello, Aki. Likewise. I'm y/n."'

He doesn't know what it is, but something about the mere way you say his name in a honeyed tone has him fighting back a blush.

You follow Aki from behind onto the bustling street of city slickers and business suits out on your first time of patrolling. Aki doesn't say more than a few sentences of explaining what usually happens during a patrol should the both of you encounter any devils. There isn’t much of any devil activity that day so you both head back to the headquarters.

You don't ask many questions and you only speak unless you're spoken to and Aki prefers it that way since he really can't be bothered to explain the whole works of everything.

Thankfully the both of you work well together and you there was this one time you managed to surprise Aki when you deal with decapitating a medium level devil all by yourself.

Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and after being promoted by Makima, you're now in the same ranking as he is. And within that period of time, the both of you can't help but notice the mutual attraction that's blossoming between you. It starts of as shy glances from one another across the office, to the brief bumping on one another’s elbow or brushes of fingers whenever the both of you are next to each other. But you're both not sure whether to let it turn into something more from there or even address the subject matter.

On top of that, you notice the way Himeno eyes Aki on the few missions you all go on together along with her Kishibe, who's another senior in the division. You can tell that she has a thing for him and as much as you would like to pursue your feelings for Aki, you decide that beefing with another girl to win the mans heart is something you can't be bothered with. So you idly watch them through the window of your office when you see her link arms with him in the hallway, asking him if he wants to join her for lunch. It’s only normal to feel a tad bit of jealousy when you see your crush (you know it sounds childish) get touched by someone else. Especially if that someone else shares the same feelings for him as you do.

Surprisingly though, Aki moves her arm off him to turn down her invitation, telling her that has to meet up with Makima during that time. You know that he's lying because he's avoiding eye contact and you're his partner - if Makima actually wanted to see him, you’d be the first to know.

While Aki's just plain awkward when it comes to women and relationships, you on the other hand can't remember the last time you even kissed a guy.

Speaking of kissing, your first kiss with Aki happens on a nondescript Friday evening after work - everyone has left and it's just you and Aki in the office packing up your bags to head home. For the first time ever since the day you joined Public Safety, Aki takes the initiative to walk over to your desk, hands in his pockets as he struggles to find the proper words to ask if you wanted to join him for a few drinks without embarrassing himself.

"So um," He clears his throat as he feels his cheeks slowly begin to heat up. "I was wondering if you were free to join me after this, for drinks."

You slowly turn your head to look up while you blink at him silently at the sudden invitation, but then you smile and give him a nod.

“I’d like that.”

Aki takes a deep breath and his eyes slightly light up while he tries contain the excitement from your response which makes you laugh. Your grin grows wider when you notice the tips of his ears becoming red.

You're both now sat next to each other at a hidden bar Aki frequently comes to on days where he feels like he needs a glass or two to allow him to relax a little after an exhausting day of work. There aren't many people in the bar - just the both of you along with two other patrons siting at the far corner of the place and the young bartender whose occupied with a clean towel in hand to wipe a shot glass.

Smooth jazz plays in the background at a low volume as Aki motions over to him with an upward nod. "I'll have the usual."

The bartender flashes him a smile before he turns to you. "Got it. And what'll your pretty friend be having?"

"I'll have a whiskey sour." You smile.

A few hours and about five or six glasses later, you start to feel a little buzzed from the alcohol in your system. Thankfully you're not completely drunk so you're still able to hold a proper conversation or two. The same goes for Aki who is able to hold his liquor well, but there had been some nights where he would pass out cold in the bar to have the bartender wake him during up closing time.

Tonight was probably the most you and Aki speak compared to the times you both are at work where only a few sentences are shared between you both and they have nothing to do with your personal lives.

A couple clicks sound from a lighter going off makes you turn to see Aki lighting up a cigarette. The light from the flame of the lighter reflects onto his face, forming a shadow on his handsome features. He has his usual hairstyle down in its natural state and you can't help but to stare at him.

His eyes shift to yours, blowing out the smoke from his lips away from your direction. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You're pretty." You tell him, grinning lazily. Maybe it was the alcohol that gave you the courage to say that.

Aki's eyes widen and he inhales sharply, letting out an shy gasp as his cheeks turn an even more rosy colour than the one that’s already staining his cheeks due to the alcohol he’d been drinking.

The bartender witnesses all of this and he lets out an amused chuckle. Aki gives him an annoyed side eye to which the bartender raises his arms up in surrender. Aki slides him a few bills and tells you that maybe it's time to get you home before you end up getting even more drunk.

You're now walking side by side at a comfortable distance next to each other, on the way to your place. You shiver slightly at the cool night breeze that swirls around the both of you. It's late but thankfully there are a few cars driving pass the both of you and although most of the shops in the area are closed, there are still lights illuminating your surroundings.

"Hey Aki. Are you seeing anyone right now?" you ask out of nowhere.

Aki shakes his head. "No. Why?"

You shrug. "No reason. Just wonder why a handsome guy like you doesn't have a girl waiting for you at home."

You hear him chuckle for the first time ever because usually Aki only ever lets out so much as an amused exhale from his nose during your conversations - barely even smiles to anyone at work. He isn't one to show that many emotions from what you experience in being his partner.

"First you call me pretty and now you think I'm handsome?"

"Just telling the truth." you shrug with a grin this time.

The mood seems to shift, the amused expression falling off his face once he sees realizes that this is the chance for him to finally confess his feelings to you. You're both currently stranding underneath a non functioning street light.

"There is someone I like though." he murmurs as he stands a little closer in front of you.

You don't want to get your hopes up but you feel like you already get feeling of who it is. Nevertheless you ask who it could be.

"I'm looking right at her." he tells you. It isn’t a second later that he initiates the kiss by leaning forward to press his lips firmly against your soft ones. The kiss itself tastes like a mix between a minty taste of the cigarettes Aki had been smoking and the drinks you had earlier.

It's an innocent kiss. No movement - no tongue. Just the both of you feeling the sensation of each other's lips and how they feel pressed against one another. But Aki lets out a soft groan when he tastes the minty cherry flavor from what's left of your lip-gloss. That's when he decides to pull away so that he doesn't end up being greedy to deepen the kiss.

Aki watches as there's a shade of vivid coral dusting your cheeks - and he feels that his cheeks are doing the same. He clears his throat, nervously stumbling over his words to apologize to you before he regains his posture. Aki takes a deep breath before he gazes at you with one of his serious expressions.

"I like you."

You grin shyly at him. "I like you too."

The first few months of dating after that is a learning process for the both of you since you’re both not at all that experienced in relationships. But Aki does his research on finding out what girls like and dislike. What makes them happy and sad. (He also hesitantly went up to Kishibe one day for a few tips from since the older male seems to have experience when it comes to women) He puts all the effort into anytime time he takes you out on dates and you notice that Aki slowly cracks open his hard-outer shell for you. He smiles more when he’s with you – he’s gentler when speaking to you, and he makes sure to stay attentive to all the things you have to say.

Aki loves hearing you speak. He could fall asleep to the soft and gentle tone of your voice.

The relationship progresses with stolen kisses from him in the empty hallways or office. The journey back home after work consists of holding each other’s hands and the sharing of one another’s life stories.

Most of your colleagues at work have become aware of your discreet relationship with Aki – even Himeno. She was with Kishibe then, when they catch you and Aki making out at his desk. You're straddling your boyfriend when the two of them walk in with an astonished expression on their faces. They were about to invite the both of you for lunch, but it seems apparently you were both already busy with eating each others faces off.

Himeno chuckles dryly at the scene. "Geez, just get a room already." she mutters as she pushes past Kishibe to walk back out the room.

The blonde haired male on the other hand finds this somewhat amusing and he throws a wink at the two of you telling Aki to make sure he puts a wrapper on it, before he exits the room with his hands in his pockets. Aki's covering his face in embarrassment while you only giggle at his reaction.

You were both each other’s first. It was a rainy afternoon filled with giddy laughter, trembling hands and hungry kisses. Although he was big, it didn’t hurt like you expected it to but the first few moments after he pushes himself into you feels a little strange but soon that turns into pleasure and Aki thinks that he can never get enough of the way you’re begging for more under him, crying out his name.

“I love you.” He tells you once you both come down from the euphoric high of your orgasms. The rain is pitter pattering against the windows, and the room is filled with the smell of sex, cigarettes along with the scent of your warm vanilla perfume that Aki loves so much. You lay your bare chest on his, pecking him on the cheek, making him blush even after was buried deep inside you a few moments earlier.

“I love you too, Aki.”

End of flashback

The sun begins to slowly peek from the horizon, a light shade of tangerine and coral lining the sky.

Thankfully you didn’t have work in the few hours to come so the both of you remain sat at the balcony, sitting comfortably with cigarette smoke surrounding you, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Aki then begins grumbling how your lives were more peaceful before those two rascals came to ruin it. You let out an airy laugh telling him that they were nothing but individuals who found comfort in the solace of you and Aki’s home. (Somewhere along the way, you decide to move in with Aki since he had given you a spare key to his apartment during your ninth month of being together.)

Aki glances at you. Taking in your breath-taking beauty. He considers himself lucky to have someone as understanding and loving as you by his side. Someone who’s able to accept the deepest, darkest parts of him. Someone who’s also independent when you needed to be, and strong when you face any devils together. A sudden sadness washes over him when he thinks of the days he has left on his life. He wonders how you’ll be able to deal with his loss one day. He can’t help but feel a little jealous if you were to find someone else other than him to share intimate moments with.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” you hum, interrupting him from his deep thoughts.

“Our future.”

“What about it?”

“Just about who’s going to take care of you when I’m gone.” He says, pulling you onto his lap, burying his face into your neck to inhale the soft florally scent of your shampoo. You’re aware of his decreasing life span from the contract he made with the devils he’d come across.

You caress his hair gently, giving him a loving kiss on the forehead. “Aki, look at me.”

The man looks up at you with an unreadable expression. You cup both his cheeks, stroking your them with your thumb. “You don’t have to worry about a thing. If anything happens, I can handle it by myself. You know that, don’t you?”

He nods wordlessly.

“And if you’re worried about me finding someone else, you don’t have to worry about that either. My heart and soul belong to you. I am yours, as you are mine. Right?” You tell him. Aki gives you a boyish smile, something you see often now but it never ceases to give you butterflies in your stomach.

“I am yours.” He replies before capturing your chin with his thumb and index finger, kissing you passionately on the lips. He groans when you bite down on his bottom lip, making you smirk. He pulls away to give you a look.

“Careful. Don’t start what you can’t finish.” He warns. But his words only make you smirk even wider.

You make a joke how you’re both practically in a contract with one another just like with the contract he makes with the devils he’s come across. You then say that he would probably be the love devil with the way you’re madly in love with him.

Aki rolls his eyes with a scoff. “That’s so cheesy. That’s not even how it works,y/n.”

You snicker. “I know but one of us has to be the comedian in this relationship.” You tell him to which he rolls his eyes again. Then, you notice the mischievous glint swimming in his eyes as he asks you. “You know what devil you’d be?”

You shake your head. Aki smirks as he reaches up to whisper in your ear. “You’d be the sex fiend.”

You slap him on the chest playfully, making him laugh before gently cups your face as he kisses you on the lips once more.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Aki.”

©️ don’t repost or claim my work as yours that’s all i ask.

this was something very random. just got inspired by the song i mentioned at the top. big fan of ichko aoba's music :)

#aki x reader #aki hayakawa #aki fluff #aki chainsaw man #aki hayakawa imagine #hayakawa aki #hayakawa aki headcanon #csm aki #csm imagine #chainsaw man #csm #aki hayakawa x reader #aki smut #hayakawa aki x reader #i love him much he makes me soft #aki hayakawa headcanons #csm headcanons #chainsaw man aki

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yetanothergreyjedi · 1 year

Text

Ghosts of Our Pasts: 9

DP x DC Crossover

Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne Siblings AU

Ao3

Masterpost Previous Next

Dani: Yo, what's with the massive group chat I just got dropped into?

Dani: I'm assuming you guys have to do with this

Tucker: ....did... did we forget to send you Danny’s new number?

Dani: he has a NEW one? I just swapped his contact information like 2 weeks ago

Tucker: it's actually the same number just backwards... present from the Backwards Day Ghost

Dani: WOW

Tucker: it was miserable

Dani: I'm sure

Dani: so about the group chat?

Tucker: Danny met his bio-sibling and he had a fraid too, so idk its like fraid inlaws or something?

Dani: Bio-sibling? Danny's adopted?

Tucker:Shouldn't you know this?

Dani: Why would I?

Tucker: You're his cousin....

Dani: Oh... I forgot I told you guys that...

Tucker: ?

Dani: I'm his clone

Tucker: this is gonna be a wild story isn't it

* Dani started a call that lasted 31 minutes *

---

Jazz: Danny why did you just put me in a group chat with like 25 people in it?

Danny: Sibling groupchat

Jazz: What?

Jazz: Danny, I'm going to need a bit more explanation than that.

Jazz: you didn't get cloned again?

Jazz: Did you???

Jazz: Danny?

* 1 missed call from Jazz *

* 2 missed calls from Jazz *

* 3 missed calls from Jazz *

---

Jazz: please tell me Danny lost his phone again and isn't in some kind of trouble.

Tucker: Oh, it's in his bag... he's out rn...

Jazz: out where?

Jazz: I thought this was supposed to be a 'laying low' vacation?

Sam: that was before he met his brother

Jazz: his brother?

Tucker: yeah! Apparently he's related to the Batman!

Jazz: you left him alone with his brother

Sam: Yeah...?

Jazz: the brother that killed him?

* multiple people are typing *

---

So yeah, Danny was officially tasting emotions now. He realized as Damian looked him over. The flour-y taste of concern was replaced with a salty-savory pride as he confirmed that, no, Danny hadn't been shot. (Well, he would've been, if he hadn't decided to not be tangible.) Then Bio-dad dropped down, mugger dude gave off another milk-sour wave of fear. Then Bio-dad saw the gun and huh, he didn't think describe how disappointment tasted with human words. But maybe he should be focusing less on what flavors most accurately described his stupid new empath ability and focus more on the situation at hand.

Together Dami and Bio-dad explained the normal process of cuffing criminals in obvious places so the police can find them. It was simple, didn't really require Danny to do anything, so he disassembled the weapon while he listened. Which he probably shouldn't have done, because now he was being asked to hand it over as evidence...

"Uh..." Danny fished the larger pieces back out of his pocket, but their was a lot of little ones, because he might've phased the screws out to take apart the fun little inner bits and he ended up dropping tiny metal parts all over the sidewalk.

There was a beat of silence, then Damian clicked his tongue with a little "Tt," and Danny flushed.

"Sorry..." Danny started.

"It's fine," the Bat said. Amusement, it turned out, tasted like raspberries.

Notes

Danny, holding a deadly weapon: "is this a fidget toy?"

Somebody told me once that they didn't see any Canon evidence that Sam and Tucker knew Dani was a clone. And like, their lives are so crazy that peice of information falling into a crack, sure. Where did Danny's concerned about vlad cloning people came from. Like they didn't question it, vlad is weird. They could see him doing it... oh... he did do it? That makes more sense than a sudden semi rational fear.

Also Batman has absolutely noticed some weird things about Danny. But he also knows that Danny has "a weird conglomeration" of Lazarus put side effects, and that Danny said "mood" about being in other dimensions. It might be ooc for him to be patient with answers, but he's in my story so he's gotta play by my rules.

Tag list

@spectralstardustandphantomnights @avelnfear @idfk-man10 @blackroserelina @candeartist422 @mur-ururu @luer-mirin @insufferablecatenthusiast @skulld3mort-1fan @alonedustspeck @voidbornposts @meira-3919 @marshmello @aethernorwood @mimilikey @undead-essence @cloudminder @markus209 @everything163 @latheevening226 @roman4517 @moobloomrights @battybatbat @lumosfeather18581 @werv @ahyesanerd @pyramaniac @lexdamo @princessbelix @bun-fish @deeannthepan @edgyboi10000 @thatrandomsarahchick @busterkeel @aconitewolfsbane @spoopyspoony @bright-shade @spidey29phangirl @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @keimiwolf @u-a-wizard-jamie @gay-puff @bicerise @itshype @blackfoxsposts @icanneverdecide @lolottes @chubbypotato @jovialherringtacoghost @saltyladynightmare

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am-i-interrupting · 11 months

Note

I really REALLY need a fic where Caitlyns daiting fem!Zaun!reader and now reader always sneek into Caitlyns room to see her(this takes before vander died) and one say cassandra caught them and pointed her gun at reader,who got flashbacks from the battle on the bridge and she has a panic attack where cait comes in and shields her and trys to comfort her at the same time.

You dont need to do this request its just stuck in my mind currently.

Safety In Home

Tags: 2k words, young!caitlyn, young!reader, fluff & angst, PTSD flashbacks, guns, death mention

You met Caitlyn while she was out with a man she called Jayce. She was hovering around him, picking things up and examining them. She asked questions about why he would need certain things while he gave her half answers, probably because of your obvious company.

Eventually she got tired of his not completely honest answers and turned to you. She started asking questions and you answered, asked some of your own. You quickly got on and eventually she started coming in to hang around the shop and occasionally buy things to take home. Then one night it was late and dark and you, used to the dangers of the Undercity, offered to walk her home and she said yes.

It was raining and you were both soaked by the time you arrived at the gated house. Your breath was taken away just by the sight of it. It was huge. All the houses in the era were larger and more fancy than you’d ever seen in your life.

“Well, this is me,” Caitlyn said, tugging at the bottom of her shirt.

“You’ve got a nice house,” you said.

“Yeah, maybe someday you can come inside,” she said, bumping her shoulder with yours. “I should go, my mom’s probably worried.”

“Yeah,” you said, a jealousy prickling your insides.

Caitlyn grabbed your hand and squeezed it. “I actually wanted to ask you a question,” she said. “Do you want to go on a date? You can say no! But I really like you and not in a platonic way but I really also wanna stay friends so you can say no if you think it’s too much or you don’t want to or—“

“I’d love to,” you told her and she smiled.

She brushed some of the hair stuck to her forehead away from it and squeezed your hand. “How about this weekend? Meet me at the bridge?”

“Sounds perfect,” you said.

You went back to the Last Drop with the smallest skip in your step.

“You look happy,” Vander said as you sat down at the counter. “What happened?”

You sat back in your seat. “Can I just be happy?” you asked.

“No, no, of course you can,” he said, moving to grab you a cup and make you a nonalcoholic drink. “Just wondering what made you come in with such a big smile on your face is all.”

You shrugged and looked off to the side. It wasn’t busy tonight. It normally wasn’t when rain was on the forecast, except for the occasional few who came in trying to escape it.

Vander handed you your cup and you took it before you went downstairs to find Vi, Powder, Claggor, and Mylo all sitting, sprawled out over the couches.

“You’re late,” Vi said.

You took a long sip of your drink and spun around as you debated whether or not to tell them before you just blurted it out, “I’ve got a date this weekend.”

Powder was the first to react, sitting straight where she was hunched over the table, a screwdriver and whatever she was working on once in hand now on the table. “What?!” she asked, no anger, simply excitement in her tone.

“You? You got a date?” Mylo asked.

“Congratulations,” Claggor said, “who is it?”

Powder stood up and grabbed your hand. “Can I help you pick out an outfit?” she asked, tugging on your hand once with every word.

“Huh,” Vi said as she relaxed in her chair.

Together, with all their help (Mylo being the least helpful and Ekko heard from Powder and coming in to help), you picked out an outfit. It was your only pair of pants that weren’t covered in patchwork or holes paired with a cropped, sleeveless shirt with frog buttons in a color Claggor and Ekko swore matched your skin tone perfectly and shoes that Vi helped you clean and try to shine. You also let Powder do your hair.

You met Caitlyn at the bridge and she looked at you with eyebrows high, eyes wide, and mouth low as a blush started to fork over her cheeks. She held out her hand and led you into the woods.

“I found this place while I was doing some target practice,” she said.

Eventually you got to a small pond. Caitlyn spread out the blanket she got while you squatted near the water. You put your hand under it and watched it drip off your fingers when you brought it out. You’d never seen water this clean, especially water that hadn’t been run through some piping system.

“This place is beautiful,” you said.

“I know, right?” Caitlyn replied as she started taking foods and drink out of a basket she’d brought. “It’s nice to get away from the cities, all the mechanical stuff and just bask in nature.”

“Yeah,” you said, agreeing absentmindedly as you looked up. You could see the sky, blue and clear, through the small clearing in the trees above you. “It really is.”

Caitlyn stood beside you for a moment. Then she hesitantly grabbed your hand. When you squeezed it, still taking in the sights more than you were processing what was happening, she leaned against you.

“Are you hungry? I brought food.”

You ate the best meal you’d ever had that day in company you enjoyed more than you enjoyed most. You laughed a lot. You smiled so much your cheeks hurt. You felt safe. You’d never felt that before but here, with Caitlyn, you truly, fully felt safe. It was a nice feeling to have.

You went back that night with your head in the clouds and recounted everything to Powder who hung onto your every word and Vi who scoffed and acted like she didn’t care but you could tell she did. You were, after all, the first of the group to go on a real date with someone you liked and who liked you, for now they’d have to live vicariously through you.

It didn’t take long into your tentative relationship for Caitlyn to start sneaking you into her room. It was large. A bed bigger than any you’d seen pressed against the middle of the wall, a dresser beside it, a desk in a different corner, a storage box parallel to it. It was huge.

Eventually though, you got into a habit of sneaking into her room after you were finished working and she’d bring you some of the high quality food prepared for a council member and her family for your own dinner. Occasionally you’d save any sweets she may have brought to give to the others. That was when Mylo finally admitted that maybe you having a girlfriend wasn’t a completely awful thing.

You were sneaking in one night when your foot caught the window and you fell. You muffled your own grunt and stayed still for a moment. You couldn’t hear anything, no footsteps, no talking. Maybe no one heard you.

You righted yourself and brushed off your clothes. You’d been trying to keep your clothes cleaned these past few weeks, if purely because you didn’t want to get Caitlyn’s pretty, expensive things dirty. Maybe it didn’t matter as much to her but just a couple things from her room alone could feed you and your friends for over a month in the Lanes.

You sat down on Caitlyn’s footstool and retied your shoe. It was stupid of you to not have done so earlier. You should know better by now. You did, actually. You should do better. Just because Caitlyn was your girlfriend and an alley didn’t mean everyone in Piltover was.

You shook your head as you finished your retying. Then you stood up.

You rocked back and forth on your heels as you debated what to do with your time spent waiting on Caitlyn. Obviously, it couldn’t be something that would draw attention. It couldn’t be loud or cause a lot of movement.

You sighed.

Then suddenly the door opened and a woman holding a rifle was in your face. You immediately stumbled backward.

Powder running for Vi. An enforcer with a rifle. You ran for her. Tackled her down just as a gunshot rang out. Losing sight of Vi in the process.

“Mom! Wait!” Caitlyn’s voice said as you fell to the ground.

Yelling voices drowned out by the sounds of fighting. Fire everywhere. Smoke filled your lungs. Powder’s hand in yours as you continued to search for Vi.

“She’s a friend. She’s my friend,” Caitlyn said as the sound of hurried footsteps drew closer.

Running towards Violet. A bomb sounded in the distance. She grew closer.

A hand gently touched your shoulder.

You grabbed Vi’s hand and yanked her and Powder out of the main thoroughfare of the fighting.

“Hey, are you okay?” Caitlyn asked. “Talk to me. You’re scaring me.”

A body next you. A body far away. Bodies everywhere. Your parents’ bodies. A broken cry for them to be okay, to wake up, they were scaring you.

Caitlyn called your name and ran her hands up and down your arms.

Your name being said, distant, so distant. A hand on your arm guiding you away.

Caitlyn’s hands cradled your face, wiping away tears you hadn’t processed fall. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe, I promise. You're with me.”

“You’re safe here with me, kid. It’s all over now. I promise.”

Caitlyn’s hand grabbed your own and held it to her chest. Your fingers twitched as you could feel her heartbeat, her chest rise and fall.

“Breathe with me,” she said before doing an over exaggerated breath.

“Breathe, kid. Breathe.”

You copied her best you could.

Slowly but surely you calmed down and she held you close. “It’s okay, you’re safe with me,” she said and you believed her. Surrounded by stuffy Piltover things, you believed her.

You slowly wrapped your arms around her and held her just as close. You breathed in the smell of pine trees and nuzzled your head against soft fabric.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” she asked.

“Please,” you said, voice broken.

She helped you up and you almost numbly suggest that she change, don’t want people to know that a Pilty is down in the Lanes. She dressed down as best as she could and dragged you through her front door, past her mom who she glared at and her dad who looked at you with sympathy you didn’t care to see.

For the first time, you led her to your home. Down the mineshaft and through the streets until you got to the Last Drop. You held her hand tightly the entire time and no one gave you trouble, recognizing you as one of Vander’s kids or not seeing you as prime mugging targets.

You opened the door to the Drop and Vander looked up immediately. His brows furrowed with worry and he stepped out from behind the counter.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, pulling you aside and letting you drag Caitlyn along with you.

You didn’t say anything, just used your free arm to hug him. He hugged you back hesitantly, carefully, so gently. Caitlyn squeezed your hand.

“I should probably go,” she said when you pulled away.

“Nonsense,” Vander said. “It’s dangerous at the best of times. Wait until morning at least. Come on, let’s get you downstairs.”

Vander didn’t go back up until he saw you in the care of Vi and Powder who you immediately drew into hugs. You pulled Caitlyn into your bed with the duo of sisters and cuddled up to her while Powder and Vi settled next to you. Powder with her head laying on your thigh and Vi with her hand on your ankle.

Caitlyn gingerly wrapped her arms around your torso and rested her head against yours.

“I love you,” she said in a quiet voice. “You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”

You hugged her back tighter and fell asleep with her in your arms and the tight feeling in your heart just a little bit looser.

#caitlyn x reader #caitlyn kiramman x you #caitlyn x you #caitlyn kiramman x reader

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gimmethosedaddymilkers · 1 year

Text

Together We’re Insecure

Ok, this is for @longer-than-i-should-admit I’d like to Super Apologize for taking so long to do this! I’ve been busy and super distracted so I hope that you enjoy this! If not I’ll happily rewrite it, and it will be put up far faster than this one!

Everyone else! Don’t worry! Today is a writing day, I just woke up a little early, but I will be up a little later tonight, so I should be able to pump out quite a few requests so be on the lookout!

This request was for a reader helping Arthur out with his Insecurities only for him to realize that the reader has some of their own, and he needs to offer some help himself!

Warnings: Fluff, Arthur being insecure, reader being insecure, lil angsty y’all, that should be about it

Tags: @kieropal @mrsarthurmorgan7 @6kaja9 @cantchoosejust1 @photo1030 @pcotarelo

Let’s get into it!

You smiled as you cupped Arthur’s face in your left hand, taking a pair of clean barber scissors gently to his beard with the right hand.

He offered you a weak smile as he held onto your waist with the lightest of touches.

“Come on Arthur,” You kiss his forehead before continuing to trim his beard. “I can see that look in your eyes, what’s going on inside that head of yours?”

He closes his eyes and lets out a deep sigh, you could see him grinding his teeth, no matter how hard he tried to keep it subtle.

“That’s not really an answer.” You chuckle.

“It ain’t nothin’.” He finally answers you, his voice is quiet, not a whisper, but it’s not his normal volume.

“Come on big man, you know I’ll always listen to you.”

Again he sighs, but finally he looks you in the eye.

“There’s those beautiful eyes of yours.” You mutter.

You watch as a red haze covers his face, and you chuckle.

“I jus’...I been thinkin’. That’s all. You know how I get.”

“I know, why do you think I offered to shave you this morning huh?” You kiss the tip of his nose, and listen to him huff, though it sounds a bit more playful than anything. “So, tell me what you’re thinking about.”

He’s silent for a moment, but then finally lets out a small sigh.

“Jus’...You know how I think, you know I got...them issues...I jus’...” He pauses, but only for a second. “Last night, you were cuddled up to me, ya jus’...looked so sweet, damn near perfect, and I just....I feel like...Y/N I ain’t good enough for you. Just look at me.”

“I am looking at you.” You smile again, and sigh as you continue to trim. “I see a handsome man, maybe he’s a little scraggly, but that’s what I’m here for, take care of that rats nest he calls a beard.”

He snorts, but you can tell he isn’t convinced.

“I also see a kind, and caring man, who claims to be a horrible monster, even though everything he does is to take care of his family.”

“That don’t excuse-”

“You’re right, killing is never a good thing, never, and neither is robbing, or conning, you’re probably gonna go to hell, if it’s real.” You laugh a little as he slumps his shoulders and grumbles under his breath. “But, everything you’re doing is keeping all of us at camp alive.”

You hum quietly as you place the scissors down, switching to the razor blade.

“You’re taking care of all the women in camp, providing food for everyone, keeping us safe with your guns, you’re strong, and you have a good head on your shoulders. You’re doing things that are regrettable, I’ll admit that. You aren’t a perfect man by any means, but Arthur, you are a good man, you’re just in circumstances that require you to do these things.”

You let go of his face for a moment, just to kiss him properly, placing your lips against his gently, happy when he returns it.

You pull back and look him in the eyes.

“Now, try to tell me that you aren’t good enough for me one more time Mister.”

“Just cause you say all that shit don’t make it true.” He sighs, and reaches for your hand where you’d rested it against his shoulder. He kisses the back of it, and looks up at you, that familiar sadness resting in his eyes.

“I’m waitin’ for the day I wake up and you ain’t in my cot no more. Waitin’ to wake up and see a letter from you on my table tellin’ me that you’ve had enough of my shit. Darlin’...I just....I care about you so much, and ya make me so happy, I can’t help but think about it. I want you to be happy, to get what’s best for ya, and I just...I feel like I ain’t doin’ it.”

“Stop that.” You kiss his forehead again. “You do plenty for me. You bring me gifts all the time, tell me how much you love me, you do everything and more that I could ever wish for.”

If anyone should be nervous it should be me.

“You’re handsome, you’re smart, and don’t say you aren’t, you pretend you aren’t but I know that you are, you’re sweet, you can be sensitive when you need to be, and you’ve defended me more times than I can count. You’re more than good enough for me.”

He lets another deep sigh escape, and simply grabs your waist a little tighter, watching as you go to finish shaving his face.

“I love you.” He mumbles.

“I love you too Arthur Morgan. Now, let’s try to be a little more positive, okay? Today is a good day, the sun is out, we’re out of the mountains, you don’t have any jobs to go on right at the moment, today it’s just me and you, remember?”

“You’re right, you’re right, you always are. ‘M sorry. How about you an’ me go out to the saloon, get somethin’ warm to eat and then we can go to the hotel and get cleaned up a little, okay?”

“Sounds good, as long as I’m with you.” He smiles at you finally, and you can’t help but smile back, it’s nearly contagious, that little grin of his. You love it when he smirks, when he’s confident. It’s so handsome to you. He’s handsome always, you know that, but to see him believe in himself, to see him be confident in the way he is, it was something different.

You continue to shave his beard, leaving that stubble of his that you love so much, and then quietly you place the razor down, on the table.

“Okay cowboy, let’s get into town, okay?”

You stare into the full length mirror settled in the corner of the Strawberry hotel. You hadn’t thought he would have taken you this far out of camp, but here you were, in a beautiful hotel room, with the man you love so much, yet you can’t stop thinking about the way you look in that mirror.

If anyone had anything to worry about in this relationship it wasn’t Arthur.

It was you.

You worried everyday that you weren’t going to be good enough for him, that you weren’t beautiful enough, that you weren’t the right size, the right shape.

You worried that you weren’t strong enough.

He did all these things, every day, he did these things that took so much strength, both mentally and physically, and you, you weren’t anything in comparison.

He meant the world to you, and the thought of him leaving you, dying, hating you, deciding that you weren’t good enough, anything like that....it just made your heart sink, it made your stomach knot.

He was such a good man, who did these fantastic feats, and what were you?

Someone who was plain. Who simply couldn’t compare to him, at least not fairly.

The door opened and you forced a smile on your face as Arthur came in.

He was in much higher spirits now, grinning as he looked at you.

“C’mon Darlin’ lets go take a bath, I got it paid for us.”

You simply nod and walk towards him, taking his hand as he sticks it out.

Your stomach bubbles, like you’ve eaten something that doesn’t agree with you, but you try to ignore it, looking at Arthur.

For a moment it helps, his presence.

As you enter the bathroom he closes the door and locks it quietly.

He kisses the back of your head and then moves to undress, placing his clothes on the chair sitting off to the side of the bath.

You try not to stare, but you find yourself staring anyway. It’s nearly impossible not to, he’s absolutely stunning, the way the light from the window falls across his skin.

His back muscles look tense from where you stand, and in general you’re sure he’ll be happy to settle in the hot water for a while.

You watch as he climbs into the tub and settles, in the water, letting out a long relieved groan. He places his arms along the side of the tub and leans his head against the back.

“C’mon Y/n, there’s space here for ya, jus’ lay against me.”

You swallow, and look to the floor.

“I...I think I’ll be okay Arthur, I’ll just sit here and talk to you, okay?”

He furrows his brow and leans his head back up, looking at you with a confused sort of stare.

“Darlin’ what are you talkin’ about? You were just sayin’ how you needed a bath just yesterday.”

“I...I changed my mind.”

He blinks and shuffles in the tub, sloshing the water as he sits up.

“Darlin’, what...I...What’s goin’ on, is it me? You jus’ don’t wanna bathe with me, or somethin’?”

“No, no! It’s not you at all!” You sigh and swallow as you move a little closer to the bath. Quietly you reach your hand down and take his from the side of the tub, rubbing your thumb back and forth over it.

“It isn’t you at all,” You admit. “I just...I...it’s me Arthur.”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about.”

You sigh and look up.

“I...Arthur I try not to talk about it, because I know...I know you have your own things going on, and I care about you so much, too much to burden you with what’s going on with me-”

“Sweetheart, if somethin’s botherin’ you tell me, please.” He looks up to you, nearly with puppy dog eyes, and it’s almost impossible to ignore him.

“Arthur, I just....This morning? Comforting you, I love to do it, I don’t have an issue telling you how much I love you, how much I care about you, how important you are, I have no problem with that at all...but Arthur, I....I feel the same way you do about myself, all the time.”

“Darlin’-”

“Arthur I can’t compare to you, there's no way for me to. You’re so...you’re handsome, you’re strong, you’re everything I tell you all the time, look at me, there’s nothing I have to compare to you.”

“Now that ain’t-”

“I’m not strong, not physically, not mentally, not like you. I’m not nearly as beautiful enough to be yours, you deserve someone on your arm who can compare with the way you look. You deserve someone who doesn’t look like me.”

“Hey now-”

“You’re absolutely...just...you’re stunning, you’re handsome, there’s so many words I can’t get out that would describe you right. I’m...If anything I’m average Arthur. Every time we get anywhere close to me having to take off my clothes in front of you I panic.”

“Y/N-”

“Arthur if anyone in this relationship should be worried it’s me-”

“Stop that!” Finally Arthur huffs, his brows knitted together as he stares up at you.

He grabs your forearm and pulls you down so your face is closer to his.

“You are the absolute most gorgeous person I’ve ever met in my entire life. I tell you that all the time, you know I do, it’s why I’m always so worried about us, I feel inferior because you’re so much better than me. I never want to hear you speak to me like that about yourself ever again.”

“Arthur-”

“No, you listen to me now.”

He pauses and takes a deep breath.

“You know that I think you’re gorgeous, you know I think you’re beautiful, and if I could I’d give you the world. I don’t care if you ain’t strong, that’s why I’m here. I’m here to keep you safe, that’s all that matters. As long as you are safe, safe and alive. I love you. I will always love you, and no matter what I’m gonna be here.”

He closes his eyes and lowers his voice to a quieter tone.

“I love all of ya, and if you ain’t comfortable enough to get undressed around me then that ain’t somethin’ wrong with you that’s somethin’ wrong with me, cause I should be makin’ you comfortable.”

You pull your hand away from him, feeling a little bit of warmth flood through you.

He really was the perfect man.

You swallow and try to push your insecurities away.

He made you comfortable, not once did he ever say something to you that would make you feel as though he didn’t care for you, or not love you, nor did he ever make you feel as though you weren’t beautiful. It was other people who made you feel that way.

You undress yourself quietly, and avoid looking at yourself as you make your way to the bath.

Arthur’s hand finds your thigh as you go to step in the water and he gives you a comforting pat as you climb in.

You let the hot water come over your skin as you settle in between Arthur’s legs, and lean your head against his chest.

His arms find their way under the water and around your waist, slow and gentle as they settle there.

“You’re my world Darlin’, I don’t want you to think otherwise ever.”

“It isn’t because of you.” You sigh and close your eyes, letting the smallest of smiles cross your face as he kisses the top of your head. “It’s the other people around, not you at all. You’ve never done anything to make me feel less than human. I just...I guess other people’s opinions just stuck with me.”

“Well, I’ll always be here to tell you otherwise, I hope you know that. I ain’t ever gonna leave ya.”

“It’s the same for you Arthur, I’ll always be for you. Always.”

“I guess together we’re pretty insecure huh?”

“Mhm...”You sigh and lean to kiss a part of his chest that you’re able to reach. “I’ll work on it Arthur, I promise. I’ll do my best.”

“You already do your best...I feel bad I ain’t....I never...I didn’t know.”

“Don’t feel bad about it.”

“No promises.” He chuckles, and for what feels like the first time that day you laugh with him, and suddenly you feel a little lighter.

You know eventually those feelings will return, but you also know as long as Arthur is with you he’ll make you feel better.

You did it for him, every time he had one of his moments you were there for him, and you knew that he’d do the same.

Things would be okay, as long as the two of you were insecure together.

Okok, I hope you like this! If you don’t let me know and I’ll be happy to take another stab at it! Our poor boy, he just needs a little love, but so do you, and he’ll always be there to make sure you get it.

#rdr2 #red ded redemption 2 #red dead redemption 2 drabble #rdr2 community #arthur morgan #arthur morgan fluff #angst #arthur morgan angst

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falseroar · 1 month

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Murder on the Warfstache Express

Part 8: What the Engineer Didn't Hear

((Abe's investigation hits a new hitch when it turns out there's been a theft on the train.

Link to the previous chapter, Part 7: Incriminating Investigating here if you need it, plus one for the whole series.))

Abe led the way into the luggage car, briefly pausing in the space between the two train cars to cast a look out the locked doors to either side. The sight of the billowing snow confirming the blizzard was still going strong out there, and the chill in the air encouraged him to get a move on already (or maybe that was one of the others behind him).

Inside the luggage car he held his lantern high so that it would cast its light as far as possible—which wasn’t very far at all, not when it caught on the narrow racks of metal shelves to either side of the walkway and left deep shadows between them that only disappeared as he passed by just to take their place again soon after.

Without the noise of the engine or the rumble and rattle of the wheels below, it was quiet enough to hear the creak of their footsteps, the groan of metal cooling beneath the onslaught of snow, and a dozen other small, insignificant sounds suddenly magnified in the stillness.

And yet Abe didn’t feel the same creeping sense of being watched as he had the first time he walked through here in the darkness with Benjamin. Maybe it was the difference of having his lantern and Illinois’s behind him, bringing up the rear of the group, instead of just a small lighter. Maybe it was having been here before, or knowing what he was dealing with this time around, although it seemed like knowing a murderer was on the train should have been worse than trying to work out why the train had suddenly stopped without warning.

Or maybe, that small voice in the back of Abe’s mind that always waited until moments like this to speak up, there was something there then that isn’t here now.

Abe slowed, taking more time to scan each row of shelves as he passed, like he could somehow spot a difference among the luggage and packages stowed here and there, and asked over his shoulder, “Where’s this thing you wanted to check, Professor?”

“Up near the front of the car,” she said. “I didn’t really want it stored that close to the engine, but it wouldn’t exactly fit on the shelves.”

Oh, right, now that Abe thought about it he did vaguely remember the conductor/engineer Peter pointing out the huge crate to him earlier, the one covered in chains and locks. As much as Abe wanted to take a peek at what she had stashed in there, he figured it would take her some time to get it open, time he could make use of while he was here.

“You two mind going ahead?” Abe asked, stepping aside in the narrow space between two racks of metal shelving. “I’ll be right there, I just need to check something real quick.”

“Looking for that weapons safe, huh?” Illinois asked.

The detective shrugged without a word, but they both gave him a knowing look before continuing on toward the front of the car, the professor wondering aloud where she put her keys.

It wasn’t a bad guess, and if Abe thought he could get the thing open and finally get his gun back without the conductor’s help he probably would have been at it already. Instead, he quickly doubled back to the first occupied shelf and checked the name tag on the suitcase there before moving on to the next.

“Haven’t had your fill of going through folks’ underwear yet?” Wilford asked, Abe hating himself for how much the man’s voice made him jump. Somehow, impossibly, Abe had almost forgotten he was there, which seemed to be Wilford’s cue to try and give him a heart attack. “I don’t know, it gets kind of old after a while, doesn’t it, when everyone packs the same kind of stuff?”

“Not everyone,” Abe said. “All those rooms we checked, and there was one without any luggage at all. Well, two—why didn’t you bring anything on this trip?”

“I brought myself, that seems like enough to me,” Wilford said with a shrug. “Everything else will sort itself out when it needs to, I’m sure.”

“…Sure. But why would a normal person not bring at least a change of clothes or something on an overnight trip?” Abe asked, before realizing he was asking the wrong person that kind of question. “Even if you’re not planning on staying at your destination long, you’d bring a toothbrush or hairbrush or change of underwear or something, right? More than just an ID, a letter, and a gun is what I’m saying.”

“Unless you left in a hurry and didn’t have time to pack,” Wilford said.

“Okay, maybe—”

“Or you go back and forth between two places so much you have what you need at both.”

“Okay, sure, that might be possible, but—”

“Or you’re a spy, and everything you bring with you is an extra risk of blowing your cover!”

Abe opened his mouth to shoot down that idea and then paused, realizing that with as little as he knew about Agent Harold Apless, that one might actually be true. Actually, all of Wilford’s suggestions were plausible enough, which both annoyed and disturbed Abe equally.

Since when did Wilford make sense?

“All the time!” Wilford protested. “I don’t know where people get the idea that I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“Stop doing that,” Abe hissed through gritted teeth, and Wilford shrugged and turned away, the detective’s flask going to his mouth again. “And stop stealing my stuff!”

Abe tried to snatch his flask back, but Wilford evaded him and moved further down the car. The detective almost followed him when he heard the professor’s voice from the front of the car, a cry of dismay and horror.

“Everything okay up there?” he called, like he didn’t already know the answer.

“No, it is not okay!” the professor shouted, and he swore he heard her stamp her foot before starting a rant of some kind whose words he couldn’t quite hear.

Abe hesitated, and against his better judgement decided to delegate.

“You,” he said, pointing at Wilford. “Check the tags for everything here while I see what’s going on up there. Look for a Harold Apless—actually, look for any names that don’t match anyone we’ve seen on board this train. Could be he used an alias. Think you can handle that?”

“I don’t see why not,” Wilford drawled, raising his stolen flask as he did so.

Abe sighed, but he needed to go and see what had riled up the professor in case it turned out to be important.

Or in case it turned out to be another dead body.

The thought made Abe pick up the pace, and so he was just in time to see the door at the front of the car open and engineer/conductor Peter poke his head in, oversized wrench at the ready as he asked, “What’s going on in here?”

“What’s going on is someone’s been tampering with this crate!” Professor Beauregard pointed a finger at what at first glance appeared to be dark stains in the wooden panels, but as Abe approached, they became deep, long scorch marks, at least one on the side longer than his forearm. “What could even do this? A flamethrower, maybe? But the angles are all wrong, and if someone was trying to get inside they would go for the locks or just burn a hole through the wood, which would be a disaster of epic proportions—”

“Holes like that one, you mean?” Illinois asked, pointing out a perfectly round hole with charred edges, just about big enough to stick a finger in.

“Oh no, oh no oh no oh no,” Professor Beauregard moaned as she fumbled with her keys, only to drop them when the first lock gave way before she even put the key in. “This can’t be happening!”

“Someone picked the locks?” Abe said, but the professor answered by just yanking on one lock after the other, each one in turn proving to be open as the chains around the crate gave way and crashed to the floor. He looked at Peter, who was watching all of this with wide eyes, and asked, “Did you hear anyone in here at any point last night?”

“Uh…well, you and Benjamin came by,” Peter said slowly, wincing as another chain hit the floor.

“But did anyone else—”

Abe was distracted by the professor’s cry of relief as the very last lock, the one holding a chain around the center of the standing crate in place, proved to still be unlocked.

“They didn’t get in,” she said.

“Why stop at the last lock?” Illinois asked, and Professor Beauregard gave him a frantic look before snatching up her key ring and undoing the lock herself.

The professor pulled open the door and the three men leaned in behind her, all four sagging backwards when the contents of the box were revealed—Beauregard with relief, and the other three with disappointment.

Abe, Illinois, and Peter could all easily see over the professor’s head, but after that buildup there was only one thing in what now seemed to be a comically oversized crate, just a single, palm-sized crystal. Just some jewel like you would use for decoration, held in place by a series of supports to keep it from being bumped or knocked around during transit. Those supports and cushioning around the sides were the only explanation for the size of the crate, but it hardly looked like it was worth all the effort.

It was just a rock.

Just a single crystal that emitted a soft blue light which the longer they stared at it, the more it seemed to draw the rest of the light of the train car in, their lanterns dimming by comparison with that beautiful, mesmerizing sight.

And then the professor closed the crate, breaking the spell and driving back the strange darkness that flickered in the corner of the eye like dust motes until it was like it had never been there at all.

“Seems like a lot of effort to go through for just a shiny rock,” Abe commented, already forgetting how it had seemed to pull at him, pull at the occupied hole in his heart.

“Oh, believe me, it’s never ‘just’ a rock,” Illinois said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth at some thought.

“What, are you a geologist too?” Abe asked.

“This hole,” Professor Beauregard muttered, ignoring both of them while she tapped on the hole that Illinois had pointed out. “Based on the angle and penetration, it must have…Oh! Oh, sugar!”

“Sugar?” Abe repeated.

“It hit the crystal! Whatever ‘it’ was, a flame or a bullet or some other projectile, there must have been some kind of transfer of kinetic energy that reacted with the already overexcited particles already contained within the crystalline structure, leading to a massive discharge,” the professor said in a burst and looked around, only to be disappointed when those around her failed to realize the gravity of her words. “Right, of course, none of you know—well, of course you wouldn’t know, you absolutely shouldn’t know, but—oh, what am I allowed to say…”

“If it has something to do with the murder or the other things going on, then I’d say all of it,” Abe said.

The engineer started and stared at him. “Hold up, did you say ‘murder’? We haven’t even been stopped in the snow an hour yet, what are you people doing back there?!”

“About that stopping in the snow thing…” Professor Beauregard hissed and, coming to some kind of decision, said, “This stone might have knocked out all the power on the train and caused the blackout that got us stuck in the snow.”

In the ensuing silence, she shrugged and said, “My bad?”

Abe considered the overabundance of ways he could respond to something like that, then with what felt like a heroic effort of will, managed to narrow it down to one he thought might actually be helpful. “Does that mean you might know how to fix the blackout then?”

“Oh! Hm…” The professor paused to regard the idea. “Well, I mean how hard could it be? It’s got to be easier than jury-rigging a blaster from an esoteric and little understood source of energy of unknown origin.”

“See, you would think that,” the engineer said, “but some of the wiring and whatnot on this train can be a bit fiddly, if you know what I mean.”

“That’s my favorite kind!” The professor beamed in the lantern light without a trace of sarcasm, leaving Abe to suspect that she was just the sort to enjoy a challenge.

Not that he had much room to comment there himself, but he still felt the need to stop the engineer before she could pull him back up front toward the engine compartment.

“Hold on a second, whatever your name is.”

“Peter Pilotsson,” the engineer offered, pointing at the name tag on his shirt.

“Yeah, like I’m going to remember that,” Abe scoffed. “Before you get to playing with your fiddly bits, I have some questions for you. Starting with how the hell you didn’t hear any of this happening.”

He gestured toward the obvious burn marks and holes on and around the crate.

“Hard to hear anything over the sound of the train engine going,” Peter pointed out. “Well, you know, when it’s actually going.”

“You were literally one car away, just on the other side of this wall!” Abe struck said wall as he spoke and was rewarded with a satisfying thump and a numbness in his hand that more or less went away when he shook it. “You were in the engine car when the power went out, weren’t you?”

“Of course I was,” Peter answered quickly, shifting his grip back and forth on the oversized wrench in his hands as he did so for lack of anything else to do with his hands. “That’s the only reason I was able to stop the train before we plowed right into the snowbank, remember? I was so busy with that, and over the screech of the brakes anything could have been going on behind me for all I knew.”

“And yet we could hear the gunshots on our end of the train,” Abe mused, before stopping himself. Had they, though? Even if the gunshots he heard weren’t just a figment of his fevered dreams, there certainly hadn’t been enough of them to account for all of the damage visible just in this one area.

He raised the lantern a little higher, the better to take in the strange burns.

No, if these were the result of someone shooting, then it was with a gun Abe didn’t know. Maybe something like the blaster the professor had stowed back in her room, or…

Abe reached toward his coat pocket with his free hand, but froze before he could touch Happy’s gun as the lantern’s light caught something else he had failed to notice until now with the crate taking all of the attention.

“What the hell?!” Abe rushed over to the safe in the wall, the very same safe that the engineer/conductor had stowed the detective’s gun while spouting all of that nonsense about protocol and safety and standard operating procedures, that safe.

That very open, very empty, safe.

Abe sputtered, gesturing at the useless hunk of metal with both hands so that the lantern swung around wildly, sending the lighting and shadows in the car into absolute chaos. “Where. The Hell. Is my gun?!”

“Well, that’s not good,” Peter said slowly, Abe’s hands flexing with the urge to wrap themselves around the man’s neck. “How’d that happen, do you think?”

“’How’d that’…what do you think happened?! Someone broke into the safe you promised me was the most secure thing on this train—”

“Which it definitely is,” Peter interrupted. “What with being the only safe on the train and all.”

This was it. Abe was finally going to be the one to commit a murder.

“Did you even lock the damn thing?!”

“Of course I locked it,” the engineer protested. “Someone must have cracked it, somehow. You know, put a listening thing to the tumblers and heard them roll into place, I hear thieves can do that.”

“And you somehow didn’t notice this happening? You somehow didn’t notice the safe standing wide open for who knows how long?” Abe growled.

“Well, it’s dark enough you didn’t notice it either when you were here earlier,” Peter pointed out. “And how was I supposed to hear someone cracking the safe over the train engine and all the shooting, anyway?”

“So you did hear the shooting,” Illinois said and the engineer quickly shook his head.

“Nope, so how was I supposed to hear someone opening a safe if I couldn’t even hear all that happening?” Peter asked, gesturing at the marks all around the crate feet away from the door.

Said gesture was done with his wrench, which for a moment seemed to glisten wetly in the light of the lantern, its edges given a rusty hue by the glow of the fire.

Abe blinked and narrowed his eyes, but as far as he could tell from where he stood it was just a trick of the light.

The same couldn’t be said for the splatter on the floor, once it finally caught the detective’s eye. The lanternlight gave the small drops between the crate and the safe an oily sheen, but when Abe knelt down and brought his finger to his nose after touching the stuff there was no mistaking that scent.

“Blood,” Abe announced, standing up again.

“Not a whole lot of it,” Illinois said. While Peter and the professor had taken a step back at the word, the adventurer was scanning his surroundings in search of more and, like Abe, finding none of it. “Of course, it’s hard to judge if the wounded person was able to staunch the bleeding quickly, but you would expect a major hit to an artery or a gunshot wound to leave more of a trace.”

“Not entirely sure I would expect anything like that,” Peter admitted.

“Depends on where you're hit,” Abe muttered, the familiar pain in his chest sensing the opportunity to make itself known again. He rubbed the blood between his fingers, thinking to himself that the blood couldn’t have been here that long. Combine that with the empty safe and the damaged crate, and it was easy enough to draw the connection. He glanced at Peter and asked, "What else was in that safe, besides my gun?"

"Nothing," Peter said, shrugging at Abe's noise of disbelief. "What can I tell you? No one else had anything that needed to be put away."

"No one—are you kidding me?!" Abe sputtered. "Sure, I wasn't exactly hiding my gun holster, but did you even check anyone else? Hell, Warfstache will pull a gun or a knife if he gets a little bored, did you even try to take his weapons?"

Not that he thought the conductor would have been successful (or even alive) if he tried, but it was the principle of the thing, damn it.

"Who?" Peter asked.

"Wilford!" Abe looked around and realized that the man was still in the back of the car checking tags, or more likely had gotten bored and wandered off again. "Guy about yay high, mustache, pink and yellow, obviously trouble and not all there..."

Peter mimicked the motions Abe made while he was describing Wilford before recognition flashed in his eyes. "Oh yeah, that guy! No, I don't remember him having a gun or anything like that back at the station."

"Are you sure you're thinking of the right guy?" Abe prompted.

"I just remember he didn't really get the whole ticket thing. Tried to give me everything but one near every time I asked, but I told him, 'teddy bears and bottles of wine are nice and all, but you gotta have a ticket if you want to board my train.' Not like it's hard to get one these days, right?" Peter deflated a little as he added, "That's when he threw a snowball at me."

Yeah, that sounded like Warfstache.

“Point is, someone was hit with something—whether a bullet, a knife, a blunt object, or a badly timed nosebleed, we don’t know—and could still walk away, or else they’d still be here,” Abe said.

“They could have been carried away,” the professor said, but Abe shook his head.

“Whatever happened here likely went down just before the train stopped, right? You said it yourself, your rock over there getting damaged probably knocked out the power, and Peter hit the brakes when that happened,” Abe ticked off the order of events on his fingers as he spoke. “Train stops, we all wake up and are looking out in the hall, meaning one of us would have noticed someone carrying a dead or incapacitated body out of this car even without the lights. With Peter in the engine car, the only other place they could have taken the body is outside, and we would have noticed tracks when we went out earlier. Plus, we’ve only got one body accounted for, and I saw Happy go into his room after the lights went out, so he can’t have been dead then. Whoever’s blood this is, losing it didn’t stop them from getting the hell out of this car before Benjamin and I came through earlier.”

“That’s…actually a pretty reasonable line of logic,” Professor Beauregard said, her surprise putting a bit of a damper on the compliment but not stopping Abe from taking it anyway. “But you’re sure you saw the man?”

“I’m as sure as—” Abe hesitated, and not just because he realized he didn’t exactly have a lot of comparisons to make in that department these days.

It had been so dark, with just his lighter at the time. He had seen the door of the neighboring compartment slide shut, but had he actually seen Happy in that moment? Or had someone else entered his room?

Had he been inches away from the murderer without realizing it?

“Everyone was shouting and looking out of their rooms when the train stopped, someone else had to have seen or heard him too,” Abe said, his confidence fading when Illinois and the professor shared a look. He thought for a moment and snapped his fingers. “Mack! He was right across the hall, and I had my lighter out—if anyone else saw Happy at the same time, it would have been him.”

“Not entirely sure you want to go around pinning your hopes on that guy,” Illinois noted before shrugging. “But you do you. I take it you’re going to go question him next then?”

Abe hesitated. He did need to question the others, and Mack did make a logical next choice, but before that…

“You,” Abe said, pointing at the conductor/engineer. “Are you really going to stick with the story that you didn’t hear any of what went on in this car?”

“…Yes, I think I will,” Peter said, after a long and obvious pause to consider his options. “Don’t see why I shouldn’t, because I didn’t.”

“I’ll tell you why,” Abe said, closing the distance between them so his finger was prodding the man’s chest and their noses were nearly touching. “Because I don’t believe it for even a second. I’ve been at this long enough that I’ve got plenty of experience sniffing out bullshit, not that it takes much to smell the stuff all over you.”

In fact, the man reeked of grease and oil from the engine, but for a split-second Abe caught that familiar copper tang and his eyes went to the oversized wrench resting uneasily on Peter’s shoulder.

This close, there was no mistaking anything for tricks of light or his imagination.

“If you decide you want to tell me the truth, you come and find me—and you better hope you do before I find it for myself,” Abe said, stepping back and leaving the engineer shaking in his boots.

Maybe the threat would be enough to loosen the man’s tongue in time, but for now the professor stepped in and reminded them that she needed to get to work if they wanted to get this train up and running again anytime soon.

“Think I’ll stay with them, if that’s alright,” Illinois said, as easy and unbothered as someone commenting on the weather and not a person contemplating staying behind to keep an eye on a potential murderer. “Safety in numbers and all that. Speaking of, will that be a problem for you?”

“I prefer to work alone,” Abe lied, eye twitching at the sound of humming coming from the other end of the car. “…But I’ll make do with what I’ve got. Too many witnesses to question and too many leads to find to wait around until the prof’s got the lights back on. Let me know if you three find anything else up here.”

Illinois nodded, his trailing, “Will do,” following Abe as he once again made their way through the baggage car, back toward the source of the humming and the others.

Abe stopped on the way though, roughly halfway down the car, to hold his lantern closer to a nick in the side of one of the metal luggage racks. He’d seen enough bullets and the paths they’d taken to recognize the marking, to be able to turn and guess where it might have been fired from: right around the dark opening of the safe where his gun was last seen.

"Oh, someone's being clever," Wilford said, leaning against the nicked shelf only for Abe to grab him and move him out of the way. "What, not even a thank you?"

“You find any luggage that might have belonged to Happy?” Abe asked as he followed the line in the other direction and began to study the boxes and trunks on the shelves.

“Nope,” Wilford answered. “Did find this, though.”

Abe glanced at the postcard Wilford held up with a proud smile, and read aloud, “Missing you more every day, XOXO Herr Ring?”

“Addressed to a Norbert Moses,” Wilford added, before glancing at the postcard himself with a little wince. “Might be a little late on that one, buddy. But there you go, not one but two names that don’t belong to anyone else on this train!...I think. I’m going to be honest, I’ve already forgotten who half these people are.”

“Where did you find that?” Abe asked.

Wilford shrugged. “On the floor, right after you told me to look for stuff. Someone went and stepped on it, see?”

He flipped the postcard around to show both an image of a red fish leaping up into the stars and the very obvious shoeprint on top of it, Wilford giving the detective a very meaning stare.

“Could be anyone’s shoeprint,” Abe said, getting a scoff out of Wilford as he went back to examining the area around the nicked shelf. “And that doesn’t really help us. It’s just a kitschy postcard that anyone could have dropped.”

“I don’t know, seems like a really important clue that deserves a, ‘good job Wilford’ or a ‘you really saved this investigation, Warfstache,’” Wilford said, imitating the detective’s voice. When Abe failed to respond, he sighed and tucked the postcard into his back pocket, muttering under his breath as he did so before he asked, “And what are you looking for that’s oh so important? Looking to steal some better clothes, maybe?”

“No, I—what’s wrong with my clothes?” Abe asked and Wilford made a face that suggested even he realized there was no good place to start there. “Look, if someone fired a gun from there, and it grazed this shelf here, then it should have hit somewhere around…”

Abe trailed off, because the longer he looked the more obvious it became that there was no endpoint here. Either his line of sight was off, or…

Or, he realized as he looked down at the blood underfoot, someone took it with them, the hard way.

And he didn’t have to think long and hard to guess who that might have been.

Wilford followed his gaze downward and said, “Not me to judge, but you really need to stop stepping on all these clues, detective.”

((End of Part 8. Thanks for reading!

On the names here: Herr Ring (and other variations) appeared on the USA website, and as for Norbert Moses, well...Memento mori.

Link to Part 9: Misplaced Motives.

Tag list: @silver-owl413 @asteriuszenith @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @95fangirl @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-star-eyes @shyinspiredartist @avispate @autumnrambles @authorracheljoy @liafoxyfox@hidinginmybochard))

#markiplier #fanfiction #wkm detective #professor beauregard #ahwm illinois #peter pilotsson #wilford warfstache #murder on the warfstache express #it's never just a rock #that looks like it belongs in a museum

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haunted-headset · 5 months

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Not-so-silly quotes from my OCs (part 1?)

“Do you want to know why I’m named Persephone, dear friend? It’s because I am destruction, I am death, I am hell. I’m a pyromaniac, seduced by the flame, drawn to it, clinging to it, needing it. I am a slow-burning fuse, a long, painfully slow-burning fuse, each spark on me creeping & creeping closer to the explosion that it craves. I am an anti-hero mistaken for the antagonist, the villain, the monster in your story, dear friend. I am a ticking time bomb, ticking, ticking, ticking, ticking, until BAM! I explode. I destroy everything & everyone in proximity of me until there’s nothing left, not even a single particle of dust. I am the deceiving Chekhov’s gun, I am the plot twist in this tragedy, or comedy, or whatever you want to fucking call it. I am an unfinished symphony, forever unfinished, never to be played fully nor correctly, for I shall always be misunderstood. I am the sociopath in your story, the one who needs to have a ball gag shoved down their throat & a straightjacket to make sure you aren't poisoned by my painful yet oh-so-very factual screams. I am fire. I am hell. I am the plague that infects each & every one of you & causes your slow, painful deaths. I am Armageddon.” -Persephone (Wilbur's daughter in my unreleased fanfic) (This is probably my favorite OC quote ever!)

“Some relationships are like glass, Mazarine. Sometimes it’s better to leave it broken instead of hurting yourself while trying to put it back together.” -Carnation (OC from my story Sanborn View)

“You really wanna be a hero, huh? Then fucking die like one. Die like one, motherfucker." -Caverna (OC from my story Sanborn View [may or may not be inspired by Technoblade])

“It’s OK if you don’t like me. Not everyone has good taste.” -Lumen (OC from my story Sanborn View)

tags: @somebody-v @zuuriell @ogelizasoot @vibestillaxxx @joviepog @r0ckstardr3amgal @crows-death @themonsterunderurmom

Should I do a part two?

#oc quotes #my ocs #my oc stuff

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distant-velleity · 4 months

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Daring Escape

Summary: Santiago and Yu escape Scarabia during the winter break training camp.

Word count: 3.9k

Warnings: none, I think

A/N: Basically, it’s Book 4 chapters 19-22 but my version. Lots of dialogue taken from the game. Alsoooo it’s been a hot second since I wrote this and I barely revised it so. Yeah :)

Tagging: @thehollowwriter since I believe you may be interested :))

“Man,” Santiago whines, arms behind his head, “I’m beat. And to think we still gotta go on patrol now? I was born to fly, not this!”

His roommate sighs. “It can’t be helped. Housewarden’s orders.” He fiddles with the whistle around his neck. “There’s probably gonna be another escape tonight, so keep your eyes peeled… We don’t wanna get chewed out for missing someone.”

“Uh-huh.”

Just then, Santiago’s eyes catch on the door of a normally-vacant room—the one currently home to the alchemy TA. One hand falls to the keyring around his belt almost subconsciously.

Tonight’s the perfect night to hopefully get him on board and get the hell out of here.

“Hey,” Santiago says suddenly, smiling innocently. “I just had this idea—we should probably split up for now, since our patrol extends down this entire wing of the dorm. How about you go ahead to the other side while I keep an eye out here so we can catch any escapees more quickly?”

“But if it turns into a fight, we won’t have each other to fight with. We’ll just be on our own,” points out his roommate.

Santiago scoffs. “I mean, that’s what all the magic training has been for, right? I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“But…” His roommate hesitates, then finally acquiesces with a reluctant “If you say so” before walking away.

Once he’s out of sight, Santiago smirks to himself.

That was way too easy. Santiago 1, dormmates 0.

Yu is lying in bed, staring vacantly up at the ceiling, when he hears it. The synchronized mental ping of a system notification and something being inserted into the keyhole of his door.

[ NEW OBJECTIVE: SANTIAGO wants to talk. Hear him out and make your choice. ]

What?

But before Yu can question it, the door is already silently hinging open and he has to quickly swipe away the notification pop-up.

Santiago slips in and quickly closes the door behind him. “Hey,” he says quietly, with a sheepish grin; for some reason, much more bearable than his usual one.

“What do you want?” asks Yu coldly, arms crossed.

“Whoa!” Santiago holds up his hands. “No need to get hostile with me. Listen, I heard about your escape attempt from the other day. I can help you actually get out of here.”

Yu stares at him in disbelief. “...Are you kidding me? Aren’t you the one who’s been sucking up to Jamil and Kalim the whole time?” A pause. “Unless this whole time you were doing it to make your life more bearable…”

“See, you get me,” whisper-exclaims Santiago, aiming finger guns at the TA. “Between that and the desire for freedom, I can already tell we’re birds of a feather.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m being serious!” Santiago insists. His arms fall back to his sides, one hand playing with the keyring attached to his belt. “If that’s not enough to convince you… well, uh… I’m a Scarabia student. I know the layout of this place way better than you do, and I have a vague plan in mind, so escaping will be a walk in the park. Plus, all the guys I room with have been strugglin’, and…” He trails off, looking more and more uncomfortable.

“So you’ve got a guilty side,” Yu says bluntly.

“Nothing like that! I just don’t wanna live like this anymore.” Santiago detaches the keyring and dangles it at Yu. “Listen, we don’t have much time, so what’ll it be? Freedom or more pain until the end of winter break?”

Yu hesitates.

On one hand, this could go super wrong… and we’ll receive an even worse punishment if we’re caught. On the other…

A certain bespectacled sophomore in Yu’s debt comes to mind. Slowly, the corners of his mouth tug upwards in a small smirk.

“On second thought, I’ll take your offer,” replies Yu, standing up and straightening his clothes. “So long as you let me choose our destination. After all, if you need help, I know just the person to go to.”

Santiago shrugs. “Sounds fair enough. Anywhere’s better than here right now, so let’s go.”

They step out into the hallway as quietly as they can, abandoned and desolate as it is at this time of night. Santiago locks the door behind him and turns to Yu.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” he whispers. “We’re gonna head to one of the storerooms, and from there—”

“Santiago?”

At the end of the hallway stands someone Yu recognizes as one of Santiago’s friends, staring at them and looking thoroughly betrayed. Santiago and Yu flinch in unison.

“Are you trying to help him escape?” asks the roommate. “You kidding me?! You just said you’d keep an eye out for escape attempts!”

“Listen,” Santiago attempts, “there’s a perfectly rational explanation for thi—”

FWEEEET!

His roommate takes the whistle around his neck and blows like his life depends on it, creating an ear-piercingly high-pitched noise that has footsteps approaching in seconds.

Santiago curses under his breath. “Yu, you’d better be clear for running now, ‘cause we’re gonna need to do a lot of it. And make a whole lotta detours.”

“I’ll try my best,” Yu mutters nervously.

“Great. So let’s SCRAM!” Santiago grabs Yu and dashes in the direction opposite of his roommate and the approaching stampede.

They wind around corners and decorations, stumbling on carpets and whatnot. There’s a lot of scrambling to lose the mob. Occasionally, Santiago has to pull Yu into a duck or vice versa to avoid a stray shot of magic trying to paralyze them.

“Almost there!” Santiago whisper-shouts as they make a sharp turn into a less well-lit hallway. “They haven’t made the corner yet; let’s hide and let ‘em pass us by!”

Right after saying that, he quickly pulls Yu past the grand doors of what seems to be a storeroom. They work together to quickly push the doors shut just in time. From outside comes the roar of rapid footsteps and shouts—

“Where’d they go? Split up and find them!”

“Show yourselves, street rats!”

After a few moments of being pressed up against the door, Yu hears the footsteps fade away.

“Phew,” he breathes, slumping against the ornate doorframe. “I think they’re gone.”

“Yeah, we’re pretty much golden from here on out,” Santiago agrees, panting heavily. “Coulda been struck by magic at any point back there… I thought you’d be meeker, but thanks for having my back.”

“Yeah, well… you’re not as bad as I thought you were,” Yu admits. “Anyway, let’s focus on that once we get outta here. They could always come back. What’s the plan from this point on?”

“Right.” Santiago flicks his magic pen and a soft, auburn light emits from the magestone at its end. “We’re in Kalim’s treasury—he’s taken me here a few times, hehe. What I’m looking for should be somewhere around here—ah!” He points at the carpet hopping over to them on its tassels. “There. Our ticket out of here.”

“Is that a… flying carpet?” Yu wonders. “Kalim really is rich…”

“Which is why this dorm is one of the best,” boasts Santiago. “I get to see stuff like this almost every day.”

“Mhm. I don’t think I could cope with it, to be honest, but that’s not what we’re here for.”

“Yeah.” Santiago kneels and pats the carpet. “Hey, buddy. You must be going stir-crazy too, huh? Why don’t we get outta here together?”

The carpet hops eagerly. It adjusts so it’s flat, hovering and ready to be boarded. Yu and Santiago share a grin in the dim light.

“Let’s blow this joint,” Santiago exclaims, sitting on the carpet and extending a hand to help Yu on. The TA settles down, holding onto the edge securely. He leans over to whisper something to the carpet, and they’re zipping off within seconds.

Maybe it’s the adrenaline of fleeing that keeps him from fearing this height.

“I see our pursuers down there,” Yu points out as they leave the main Scarabia building, hearing the shouts of indignant students on patrol.

“Heh.” Santiago leans over the edge of the carpet to shout, “Maybe you all oughta learn how to fly first if you wanna catch us!”

Yu huffs out a laugh before turning away and keeping his eyes trained forward. The carpet is headed straight for the entrance/exit mirror, perfectly according to his request.

“Soooo… I forgot to ask, but where are we headed?” Santiago asks, turning back around. “I saw you whisper something to the carpet just now...”

They pass through the mirror and into the Hall

Yu smiles cryptically. “I hope you’re okay with a change of scenery. I’d argue it’s the most drastic from what Scarabia has to offer.”

Santiago stares at him for a few moments, then sputters. “Wait, don’t tell me—”

The magic carpet crosses the hall and passes straight through into the Octavinelle mirror.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Santiago squawks as they zoom through the underwater hallways. “When you said to let you choose the destination, I didn’t think it’d be, y’know, Octavinelle!”

“Who else would that person who could help us be?” Yu questions him, snickering. “It’s fine. Anyway, calm down. You gotta look your best when seeking an audience at the Lounge.”

They burst through the double doors of the Mostro Lounge then. It comes as quite a surprise to the eel twins standing at the bar, both dressed to the nines in their dorm uniforms.

“Well, well, well.” Jade recovers remarkably quickly, smiling and clasping his hands together as Yu and Santiago hop off the magic carpet. “What have we here? Patrons in need of a midnight snack?”

“Aww. I was hoping I’d get to squeeze a burglar or two, but it’s just Koi and Parrotfish,” whines Floyd. “Now I can’t squeeze anyone.”

“Hello to you, too,” grumbles Yu before elbowing Santiago, who has just been staring fearfully at the twins.

“What are you doing here?” is all the bird beastman manages. “Also, where’s Chrysos?”

“You’d think he’d be in the loop by now,” Floyd mutters. “We can’t go home right now. Coral Sea’s frozen over.”

“Chrysos has been… unable to return home either, so he’s here with us,” adds Jade.

Santiago’s shoulders relax. “Oh, thank the Seven! I thought I was gonna go straight from one prison to the next, but at least there’s some kind of familiarity still here…”

I’m pretty sure Chrysos would not say the same about you were he in your shoes right now, Yu thinks.

Jade’s eyes widen with unabashed interest. “Prison? Would you care to elaborate, perhaps?”

“Also…” Floyd circles around the partner-in-crime duo to poke at the magic carpet. “What’s this rectangular flounder-lookin’ thingy?”

“Ah. Come to think of it, it looks a lot like Kalim’s magic carpet,” Jade remarks. “Could it be…”

Their conversation is rudely halted in its tracks with the sound of imminent footfalls. The doors to the Mostro Lounge burst open once more, passed through by none other than two Scarabia students.

“There’s no escape for you now, thieves!” shouts one.

“Surrender quietly!” exclaims the other, pointing his magic pen at Santiago and Yu.

“Ghk—” Yu steps back and accidentally bumps into Floyd (he somehow half-circled around him again??), who puts a hand on his shoulder to stop both of them from tripping. “They followed us all the way here?!”

“How stubborn can you get?” groans Santiago.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Everyone falls silent when polished shoes clack against the ground, an undeniable and recognizable noise. Azul himself emerges from the employee doors, adjusting his gloves with a disdainfully neutral expression. Chrysos follows not far behind him.

“What’s all the commotion at this late hour?” Azul implores.

The second Scarabia student gapes. “You’re—you’re the housewarden of Octavinelle…!”

“That, I am.” Azul glances down at them with his chin held high. “Since you have your pens drawn, would you care to explain just what’s going on here?”

“It’s none of Octavinelle’s business,” states the other Scarabia student. “Just quietly hand over those two”—he jerks his head at Santiago and Yu—“and we’ll leave as quickly as we came.”

Azul’s calculating gaze shifts to the escapees, who are looking back at him with varying levels of nervousness and determination.

Come on, Azul, Yu mentally pleads. Don’t fail me now.

The housewarden hums to himself thoughtfully.

“If you refuse to hand them over, you’ll be an accessory to their wrongdoing as well,” continues the more confident Scarabia student.

“Is that so?” Azul challenges.

Floyd huffs. “Seriously, are you small fry tryin’ to yank our tails here? Who do you even think you’re talking to?”

The Scarabia students bristle. “You—”

“Ah, ah, ah.” Elegantly, with an air of refined confidence, Azul holds up a hand. “There will be no fighting in the Mostro Lounge. This is a place for gentlemen.”

His eyes flit towards the intruders.

“That being said… I believe there is plenty of room for ‘delivering.’ Jade, Floyd. Show these ill-mannered patrons the door. Chrysos, lend them a hand.”

“As you wish,” Jade replies, all too happily, at the same time that Floyd delightfully says, “On it.”

The twins advance on the two Scarabia students, pulling out their magical pens while smiling all the while. Chrysos, rolling up his sleeves, is quick to follow.

“I’ll help them out. It’ll be good stress relief,” decides Santiago, marching straight into the fray.

“In that case…” Azul adjusts his glasses and turns to Yu. “Why don’t we find a quieter spot to discuss what’s brought you here, Yu?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Yu answers dryly, gesturing Azul on with a flourish. “Lead the way.”

“So, there’s been Scarabian infighting recently, you say? On top of a ridiculous training regimen set by their housewarden?” When Yu nods, Azul brings a hand to his own chin in thought. “Interesting. I didn’t think Kalim had it in him…”

“Well, neither did I, and I literally see him every single day,” Santiago says. “I mean, people don’t just change that abruptly, right? There’s gotta be some kind of gradual shift first!”

Jade sets down a tray of tea for Azul. “I find myself compelled to agree. In the past year, Kalim has never once failed to be his authentic, happy self—such a drastic change is concerning.”

“S’hard to imagine Sea Otter being all tyrant-like,” Floyd agrees with a lazy smile.

“And Vice Housewarden Jamil has his hands full trying to deal with it all,” adds Yu. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe we can’t even reach out to Crowley right now, so people like him have to do this all on their own…”

“Right?!” Santiago sighs, leaning back on the couch. “Jamil’s cool and competent, I meant it when I said that, but leaving all this on him is a bit much… Especially when it’s hard to find guys like him here.”

That’s when they notice the sophomores have fallen silent and are sharing a certain, unreadable look. Yu glances over at Chrysos, who shrugs—clearly not in the loop either.

That’s odd…

“By chance, is there something we don’t know about Jamil?” Yu asks cautiously, uncertainly.

Azul frowns, propping his elbows up on his desk and lacing his fingers together. “What we know is little more than what you have just provided us. Not only am I in his class, but I share a number of electives with Jamil, so our paths cross frequently.” His eyes narrow, upper lip pressed to his tented hands in thought. “Santiago’s right, in that Jamil… well, Yu, I’m sure you’ve noticed this whenever our class has alchemy. He’s demure and poised, never ventures any opinions of his own.”

“Yeah… Yeah. You’re right. He never raises his hand or anything,” recalls Yu. “I mean, not that that’s uncommon, but it feels weird for someone competent enough to be a vice housewarden to never reveal their hand in intellect.”

Floyd nods slowly. “And he plays like a goody-goody in the Basketball Club, too. I had no clue he was Scarabia’s vice, though, ‘cause I don’t pay much attention to other dorms.”

“And now he’s struggling within his own dorm?” Azul relaxes his hands and leans back in his chair, crossing his legs. “This looks like the perfect chance for me to offer him my aid.”

“Wait, what?” Santiago leaps from his seat. “What about us? Y’know, Yu and me? Are you gonna help us?”

Chrysos kicks him in the shin, drawing out a pained yelp.

“Don’t get your feathers in a twist, jeez,” says Floyd.

“Yeah. We came here for his help, and Azul wouldn’t go back on his word,” Yu claims. He looks over at the housewarden. “Right, Azul?”

Their eyes meet for a moment, neutral yellow on deep-sea blue, and a sense of understanding passes between them.

“Of course. I’ll have you know that the last few incidents have left me a changed man,” declares Azul. “I sincerely want to help as many as I can, so does it not stand to reason that I’d also want to assist Jamil and Scarabia as a whole as well?”

“…Okay,” Santiago replies, relenting. “Fine.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page. Now—” Azul beckons Jade and Floyd closer with a hand. “Floyd, see our Scarabian guest to his temporary room for the night. Jade, prepare some gifts for tomorrow. As for Chrysos and Yu…”

He smiles as the other three exit the VIP lounge, glasses glinting in the low light.

“Why don’t we briefly discuss what we’ll bring to the proverbial table tomorrow?”

“Are you seriously trusting them?” whispers Santiago as they head to the Hall of Mirrors the next morning. His eyes dart from Jade, to Floyd, to Azul, and then to Chrysos. “I mean…”

“It’s fine,” Yu assures him. “Azul owes me. Besides, don’t you want to help those guys out? This is basically our only shot.”

“Ugh…” Santiago crosses his arms. “It’s more about my own freedom, but…”

Yu just smiles at him. “Sure, that’s what it is.”

Suddenly, hands come to clamp down on both of their shoulders—Jade’s on Santiago’s and Floyd’s on Yu’s. Although it’s just for show, it really gives off the impression that they’re prisoners being herded to their executions.

“Look sharp, boys,” Azul commands, stepping in front to lead while Chrysos picks up the rear. “We have a whole dorm in need of our benevolence.”

He twirls his scepter and walks through the Scarabia mirror with long, confident strides.

“Well, Li’l Koi?” Floyd cheerfully taps his fingers against Yu’s shoulders.

“Let’s do this,” Yu says firmly with a nod, letting Floyd take and guide him through to the other side.

“I still can’t believe Santiago took Crewel’s TA and fled to Octavinelle,” mutters one of the Scarabia students from the previous night, standing in the shade of the entrance pillars.

“And they stole the magic carpet,” points out the other. “If the housewarden finds out about this…” He groans and buries his face in his hands. “What are we gonna do?”

“I think we should take it to Vice Housewarden Jamil, for starters—”

“Hello, gentlemen.” Azul, with a pleasant smile, steps in between the two students. “Mind if we pop by?”

“Sheesh, it’s hot here,” Floyd drawls, he and Jade herding Yu and Santiago in. “Feels like the middle of summer.”

“It’s a rather pleasant place to be during winter break,” Jade remarks. Chrysos nods in agreement.

“Y-You…!” The Scarabia students stammer. “You’re the Octavinelle guys who gave us a thrashing last night!”

“What do you want from Scarabia?” demands the more confident one.

“Allow me to apologize,” Azul begins, tipping his hat and adding a level of dramatic remorse to his tone. “At first glance, it appeared that you were bullying these defenseless young men. I stood up for them on the spot out of the kindness of my heart…” He side-eyes Yu. “…but upon hearing their story from the TA, it became more apparent to me that these two were thieves who had made off with Scarabia’s treasured magic carpet. Thus, I’ve decided to take personal responsibility for my mistake by apprehending the two criminals and returning your precious magical artifact to its rightful owner.”

He’s still really good at twisting situations to his advantage.

On cue, the carpet flies past Azul and loops around to hop eagerly by the Scarabia students.

“Rgh…” Santiago shifts uncomfortably until Jade’s hold, looking every bit the part of a guilty thief caught red-handed.

The first student looks to be at a loss for words. “W-Well, uh…”

“Thank you for the… help…” continues the second one awkwardly.

That’s when Jamil, crossing the long path to the entrance mirror area, shows up. “Guys, it’s about time for morning training. If you’re late, the housewarden will…” He notices the whole Octavinelle party, then, and his eyes widen considerably. “Gh—?!”

“Why, Jamil!” Azul walks forward to positively beam at the vice housewarden. “Hello, there. How have you been?”

“Azul Ashengrotto… as well as the Leech twins and Chrysos Pendentif,” Jamil notes, squinting a bit. “What are you doing here?”

Jade nods respectfully to him. “Our home is hardly hospitable during the wintertime—”

“—so we spend our holidays in the dorm!” Floyd finishes, sharing a smile with his twin.

“Wh…” Jamil tries to keep his composure, despite his obvious floundering. “What?”

Azul chuckles before tapping his scepter against the ground. “By the way, where might Kalim be? I’m here to return his magic carpet to him.”

“Er, ah… If you need to deliver something, I’ll take it,” Jamil replies, answering and dodging the question in one move.

“I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that,” insists Azul. “This magic carpet is on par with national treasures. If it were discovered to be damaged later, Octavinelle would be held liable—and we can’t have that, can we? I would prefer to hand it to Kalim in person as a show of goodwill and have him assess its condition first-hand.”

“Kalim wouldn’t care even if it was damaged,” mutters Jamil under his breath, before trying his best to put on a casual smile. “Let me take it off your hands, okay?”

“Worry not!” Azul places a hand over his heart, looking as sincere as he possibly could. “I won’t even ask for my standard twenty-percent finder’s fee.”

“Please,” adds Jade. “Consider it our way of apologizing for our uncouth treatment towards Scarabia last night.”

Floyd continues to add insult to injury—“We even brought seafood pizza as a present. It’d be such a shame if it went cold, right?”

“And the more there to help watch the escapees the better,” argues Chrysos as well.

“The point is,” Azul says, “I would much prefer to deliver it in person. Kalim’s awake by now, I trust?”

Jamil shakes his head furiously. “No, really, he’s not up for any—”

Azul walks right by him and descends the steps to Scarabia’s long, carpeted walkway.

“—hey! You can’t just barge in, Azul!”

As Jamil chases after the Octavinelle housewarden, the eel twins turn to their quarry.

“Shall we?” Jade ventures, ever-polite.

“You’d better keep up,” sing-songs Floyd.

Yu nods with forced confidence. “I’ll do my best.”

As they’re herded to follow Jamil and Azul in, Santiago mumbles, “These Octavinelle guys are so pushy when they wanna be…”

“It’s nice to not be on the receiving end of it, for once,” Yu admits.

Santiago nods reluctantly, clearly not entirely in agreement but not having the time to argue either.

After all, the doors of Scarabia and the execution of their plan await them.

#kai’s writing #twisted wonderland #twst #twst oc #yuusona #santiago parro #chrysos pendentif #jade leech #floyd leech #azul ashengrotto #jamil viper #the whole gang is here!#canon rewrite #i just… got a little silly haha #not much happens here but i just wanted to post it #mobile post so formatting weird

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ashadowcalledkei · 6 months

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So ... QSMP Purgatory huh ...

I had too many thoughts last night to fit in the tags of other people's posts, so I just chucked it all into a draft and polished it up today. Who knows how it'll go from here, everything could change in an instant, but as it stood at the end of yesterday, well ...

It was interesting, because the challenge they were given can be overcome in a way that doesn't follow the eye's wishes. 'Can', being the key word. They've clearly been set up to turn on each other with intent to break the bonds that made them strong. Especially with couples and close friends being split apart like that. They've made it hard for teams to cooperate. However, compromises, workarounds, and cooperation could ensure that the chance of ultimate failure and losing the eggs is minimized. Sharing information, making unified plans, trying to find the cursed team, or find the exit, or find the eggs.

The team I thought most likely to think that way and try new things to get around the system was team red. After all, they did think outside the box with how to get resources and overcome their built in limitations. Why not take that further and think their way out of the situation as a whole? But being hunted for sport while your competition mostly leaves each other alone doesn't exactly allow for that kind of lateral thinking.

So they broke. Understandable.

It was actually so demoralizing watching that happen before it spiraled so far that it twisted around on itself and became utterly hilarious instead. Screaming and singing and dancing around the death pit and the ashes of their own bodies? Fascinating. The surprise lore drops around the 'house' which is only a floor? Fantastic. Funny and oddly touching as they started spilling secrets, no judgements just shocked laughs and a numbed acceptance, to each other in the ruin of what they once tried to build. They 1000% deserve to just go crazy. Do it kings, build that village, become npcs.

(Quick side-bar ... guys, don't you find it odd that our three confirmed avians, Baghera, Jaiden, and Phil, are all on this one team? And two of the three 'odd' tickets, with the only other one being Q himself? It's just strange, it seems significant in a way I can't put my finger on.)

But also. The admin team has done a great job placing clues that all point to blue being the cursed team which Must Not Lose. Great job there, it's a fun little puzzle and just because it looks like people have solved it already doesn't take away from that. We might even be wrong about it, but I hope not, because a good puzzle should be solvable. So ... it's probably team blue. And with certain members of team blue going murder mode and terrorizing team red till they shattered, giving up on points or standings or winning ... that potentially locks it in for them for the rest of the event.

If team red isn't playing by those rules anymore they aren't a threat. And team blue only needs to not be last for the eggs to be saved. Right? Well, done deal. Blue and green can go at it for clout unbothered by red and the threat of true failure. The event might has well have been 1 day. The rest of these two weeks won't matter beyond the lingering effects of personal actions if we truly are going with this format being the majority of the event (and if red truly has been beaten into a pulp).

And honestly ... I'm glad. I'm glad they locked it in. I'm glad team red was so crushed and demoralized that they broke down into madness. Because this is more fun.

Now it's possible that after some sleep red will decide to actually try again .... out-skilled and out-gunned with half their team perma-mia ... or that they'll end up getting member shifted over to make them an actual threat ... but I hope not!

I watch this roleplay server for the stories and drama and comedy. And for the truly beautiful way it has woven together people from different countries and cultures into a close knit group of friends. For the bond forged through joy and terror and loss that made some of these strangers into family. I don't want two whole weeks of sweaty pvp and grinding! Sounds boring. (To say nothing of the jarring tone shift and how it'll change character dynamics after as the memories and guilt and knowledge of how quickly and brutally some of them turned on each other linger.) But you'd best believe I'll tune in to see what these already traumatized people who cracked to pieces do next!

So don't re-balance it admins. Let it ride and let team red do whatever the fuck they want. They earned it. They put in their time being tryhards and it didn't work so fuck it all let's just have fun. Let's go npc madness village! Or whatever new chaos comes next, I'm sure they'll come up with something sufficiently scuffed. Few things are as intriguing and mildly-terrifying as Charlie Slimecicle with 'a plan'.

Go team blue to win the event. Go team red to keep the server fun.

And just as a quick addition ... Charlie summed it all up best. "We were put here to tear each other and ourselves apart ... " "When you guys finally come to your senses ... maybe it'll take a day, maybe it'll take two, but it won't take two weeks. And when you realize what this place is taking from you, you come find us."

#qsmp #ramblings about qsmp Purgatory event #this event's a fascinating look into how jarring change to the system made so many of them give up what makes them truly strong in a second #and you know ... breaking and giving in to madness might actually be better in the end (at least for us viewers)#quick edit bc I was rewatching from Charlie's pov and had mis-remembered where the lore drop happened #also had to add in that quote. wow man. he has a way with words when he wants to

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