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blog-sliverofjade · 4 years

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Hearth Fires 10: The Meaning of Pack

Pairing: Remi Denier x OFC

Summary: Lorel Maddox just wants to live as a human, run her bakery in peace, and forget. Unfortunately, the alpha of the local leopard pack has very different ideas.

Remi Denier doesn’t know what to make of the female Changeling who wants nothing to do with him or the RainFire pack. He does know that he has a driving need to protect her. Even if it’s from herself.

While they’re embroiled in a battle of wills, there’s a war brewing on the horizon. The outside threat could not only destroy everything they hold dear, but tear apart the fragile new bonds of the Trinity Accord, plunging the world into bloodshed to rival the Territorial Wars of centuries past.

Word count: 3318

Content warning: Contains racial assault on an interracial (human and changeling) gay couple. Singh doesn't mention homophobia iirc in the series, so I left that possible element out because I felt that I couldn't include both adequately. I wrote Stian as submissive because I'd like to see more of them- and a dominant would've pounded the humans into paste- not because he's gay.

Hearth Fires Masterlist

Beta read by the transcendent pandabearer

“Lo’el!” A cheerful cry pulled her from daydreams of apples crisp, tart, and bright green baked into galettes and strudels. She turned from the pie display she was re-stocking in time to catch a tiny whirlwind in her arms.

“Hi, Jojo.” The girl’s deep brown skin was flushed with excitement. Her black hair was pulled back on either side of her head, French braids running along the top, and terminated in two high bobbly buns that looked somewhat like ears. Operating on deep-seated instincts, she hitched the girl on her hip. The warm weight of her little body tucked against her own felt right in a way she’d never experienced before and she allowed herself to take comfort in the sensation. “What’re you doing down here?” she asked.

The small downtown park was bustling with shoppers looking for fall produce, pumpkins, or in the case of the highly organized, holiday gifts. It seemed like the whole town came out to enjoy one of the last open-air markets of the season before moving to a smaller indoor version for the winter.

“Pun’kins!” She flung her arms in the air like gourds were the best thing ever and Lorel quickly put a hand on her back to help steady the girl, but she needn’t have worried. Jojo was a cat and had the requisite balance.

“Are you here to get pumpkins or were you hoping I’d giving you something that looks like a pumpkin?” As she talked, she turned to check on her newest employee, Irena, who was already competently handling the steady stream of customers. Her predecessor, a cousin of the blonde Madison, had quit after the Incident, as Lorel was calling it, in solidarity with her relative. Crows weren’t considered birds of prey and therefore exempt from the rules regarding predators sharing territory.

Jojo’s eyes slid to the sugar cookies cut in the distinctive shape and decorated accordingly. Long, angelic lashes batted beatifically up at her and she had to fight a smile even as her heart melted in the face of such cuteness.

“Careful, if you feed them they’ll never go away.” Angel, the unbelievably handsome man from RainFire, strolled up in Jojo’s wake. A boy not much older than Jojo orbited him, looking like a miniature version of the man in matching jeans and a red flannel shirt. He even had tiny coordinating work boots. The combination of gorgeous man and darling munchkin was too much for one poor bystander. Lorel winced in sympathy when the other woman walked into a pole.

Taking the teasing warning as permission, she gave cookies to all three of them, received unprompted thank yous, and she happily participated in the routine exchange, knowing that consistency was important for cubs. It took her a second to correct her mental wording to the more appropriate “kids.” Hanging out with changelings was giving her bad habits.

“No cookie for you?” An adorable frown from Jojo. Lorel’s poor heart couldn’t take it, she cast about for some excuse that wouldn’t plant the seeds of body image issues in a young psyche.

“I don’t want to spoil my lunch.” That appeared to mollify Jojo, finally taking a bite of the treat, and she jumped out of her arms. Lorel’s heart stopped for a moment. The organ stuttered back to life when the girl landed easily and lightly on her trademark purple boots. She and her friend wandered to investigate the blown glass suncatchers at the booth a few feet over; Angel turned to keep them in sight, his stance relaxed, but she had no doubt that he’d turn lethal in an eyeblink at the sign of any danger.

“Did you come down for the market?” asked Lorel when she could properly breathe again.

“The pack has a booth.” Angel nodded his head towards what she assumed was its general location. “Jojo had to come say hi to you, probably because she’s figured she can scam you out of cookies.” He shot her a smile that would have made any other woman swoon, but Lorel liked her men a little rougher, less pretty and more rugged.

“I’ll have to be careful in case she tells all her friends and they decide to gang up on me for the mother lode,” she laughed. The ocelot, which was sedate to the point of laziness for once, laughed at the idea of being swarmed by cubs nearly as big as it was, and they’d probably love it, too. “What do ya’ll sell?”

“Pumpkins, mushrooms, leafy green stuff, things people have made. You focus on local vendors?” She followed his gaze to the sign on the table that proclaimed as much. “If you’re looking for a supplier, we have berries, too: blue, black, elder, currants... I’m sure we could cut you a deal.”

Damn cats were worming their way into her life.

The boy wandered back and tugged on Angel’s pant leg, who crouched to hear what he had to say. A man across the way stared at what must have been an exquisite derriere because he spilled the sample of apple cider he was pouring for a potential customer.

“Can we go play in the water?” The boy twisted his body back and forth the way that kids do when they need to lay the cute on thick to get what they want.

“I suppose it’s the quickest way to clean you cookie monsters up. Or I could just toss you in the river.” Using his thumb, he wiped an orange crumb off the boy’s chin, who giggled at the teasing

“Can Lo’el come, too?” asked Jojo.

“Oh honey, I have to stay here and help Irena,” she began, gesturing at the crow who was refilling a sample plate

Twin pairs of innocent eyes stared up at her in appeal. Seriously, they should be considered deadly weapons and she was looking down a double barrel. Looking to Angel for help did no good, he just tucked his hands under his armpits and shook his head with a grin. It looked like she was on her own.

“And who are these cuties?” Having come over at the sound of her name, Irena eyed the trio of cats, stopping on Angel and then coming back for seconds. Apparently, she preferred her men pretty.

“Irena, meet troublemakers one, two, and three. Known aliases are Jojo, Angel, and peeshwank,” Lorel pointed at each of them in turn. She didn’t know the boy’s name, but she’d overheard Remi call him that the other night. Sometimes having acute hearing was actually useful.

“I’m Darin! Only Remi calls me peeshwank,” he giggled and revealed a missing front tooth.

“They’re trying to get me to play hooky.” Hands on her hips, she mock scowled. None of them appeared the least bit fazed. If anything, the kids turned the charm factor up a notch, something she wouldn’t have thought possible.

“Go play with the cublets, I’ll be fine here. Like you said, the breakfast crowd’s already come through so I won’t have to beat off the ravening hordes,” the traitor smiled reassuringly and made shooing motions with both hands, then leaned in close to whisper, “As long as you get me his phone number.” The slender brunette pulled away with a wink.

Lorel sighed in feigned resignation and held out her hands like she was about to be handcuffed. Two soft, little hands took each of hers and dragged her into the throng of shoppers, Angel close on her heels.

“Don’t worry, I won’t give her anything without your say so,” she said to him over her shoulder. Bumping into someone, she had to return her attention to where she was going.

“Thank you,” came the quiet response.

Where the kids’ smaller size allowed them to dodge easily, she was pulled into obstacles, but she didn’t let go for fear of losing them. The thought that they might get lost or hurt had her tightening her grip and bracing herself against the jostling.

While she was just over five feet tall, she was far from slender and never would be, to her grandmother’s chagrin. She was acutely conscious of her ample hips knocking into people and she did her best to make herself as small as possible. Each bump, no matter how brief, had her ocelot snarling in irritation and it took all of her concentration to remain in control. The crowd pressed in around her until all she could see was Darin and Jojo in front of her. Her palms grew clammy, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. A dull roar filled her ears, allowing only the loudest sounds through, and those were sharp and intense. Throat tightening, she fought for each breath.

The ocelot pressed hard against its cage, sandwiching her between it and the pressure of the crowd. How she managed to arrive at the splash pad, even though it was only fifty meters away, without going clawed, she had no idea. More than anything, she was glad that her tiny guides didn’t have so much as a scratch on them. Angel probably would have torn her to pieces for harming them. And she’d let him.

The kids stripped down to swimsuits underneath their clothing. Darin was so eager he forgot to unbutton his flannel shirt and ended up stuck with it around his nose.

“Help!” he pleaded, turning to Lorel, his arms above his head and his face obscured by red-plaid.

Moving automatically despite the strange sensation of not feeling fully present in her body, she crouched and carefully helped free the boy. Once released, he beamed and wrapped his soft arms around her neck. She froze with one hand tentatively curving around his back. A wet kiss against her cheek and he was off to run through the water spraying from colourful flowers sculpted from metal. Some of his packmates were already there and greeted him with shrieks of welcome, their happiness no longer piercing to her senses.

A large, warm hand settled on her shoulder. It felt strange and soothing all at once and she couldn’t bring herself to shrug it off. Angel helped her to her feet and opened his arms wide in an offer of a hug.

The leopards were so relaxed and comfortable with one another, sharing platonic hugs and kisses, casually holding hands. It hurt to look at them like they were a blazing fire and she was stuck out in the cold darkness, looking in. And now one was extending that comfort to her.

Although she wasn’t raised to accept casual physical contact, even platonically, from men, she stepped into his arms. It was like a long, cool drink of water after working for hours in the hot sun without a break. The sudden absence of a deep-seated pain she’d learned to deal with long ago made her nearly sag in relief.

This had nothing to do sex. She didn’t feel any attraction either to or from him, yet she needed the chaste affection and she soaked it up as long as he would allow her.

“We aren’t meant to be alone. Sure, some of us are more solitary than others, but we’re not meant to be cut off from our kind entirely. I can’t think of a worse life for a changeling.” He rubbed large circles on her back and she fought back a purr.

“Maybe it’s a nature vs. nurture thing. If you’re raised in a pack, of course you wouldn’t do well on your own.” Even she didn’t believe her own words.

“And how do you know you won’t be better off in a pack?”

A knot of packmates moved out of Remi’s way as he burst into the emergency room. The triage nurse took one look, recognized him, and hit the button that unlocked the security door that led into the depths of the department. The door shut behind him with a metallic click as he strode down the sterile, off-white hallway to where Theo stood guard outside of a cubicle.

A lean blonde man lay on a narrow bed, his normally bronzed skin was ashen and spattered with carmine. Catching sight of Remi in the doorway, he gave a crooked smile around a split in his lip and raised his hand in greeting.

“What the fuck happened?” Remi growled at the sentinel. The bad-tempered demand earned him a sharp look of reproach from Finn as he worked on the injured male in the treatment room; the wounded non-dominant didn’t need any more stress, least of all from his fucking alpha.

It seemed like his vocal chords were stuck in a semi-shift for the past two weeks and everything came out a snarl. That was part of the reason why he’d been running along the eastern border, channelling excess energy and inspecting the new security precautions, instead of sleeping.

Taking a deep, calming breath, he forced his voice into a more normal register. “What happened?” There, that sounded a little less like he was about to go on a murderous rampage.

“Stian and Leandro were leaving Acapella when they got jumped.” The lounge was popular with most segments of the population, even the psy who were exploring life outside of the emotionless discipline of Silence. While the telepathic race couldn’t drink since alcohol wreaked havoc on their abilities, Acapella was known for their extensive mocktail menu. The trendy venue was hardly known for drunken brawls. As far as Remi knew, the most violent incident that had occurred there was a spat two years before between a couple of drag queens over stealing someone’s routine.

“There were four or five human guys.” All RainFire members were trained in at least basic hand-to-hand combat. Five human men shouldn’t have been able to take a leopard, even a non-dominant. And Leandro, while human and untrained, was bigger than Stian.

“First one jumped out of the alley and hit him in the face with a baseball bat, breaking his nose. The wind was blowing the wrong way for him to catch a scent.” Claws pricked at Remi’s fingertips, the urge to hunt boiling to the surface.

“This was planned.” That time he didn’t bother to keep the cat out of his voice. “A group of drunks looking for a fight don’t use tactics designed to circumvent our sense of smell.”

“And they weren’t playing baseball at one in the morning, either,” agreed Theo. The man who was gentle with their most vulnerable and loved to play with the cubs was gone; only the lethal predator remained. A passing nurse started to admire him until they caught the dangerous aura he emanated, then quickly scuttled past even though his eyes hadn’t even flashed cat. The hindbrain of every creature knew how to recognize a predator no matter what skin they wore. “They took him down while he was stunned. One kicked him, possibly with steel-toes, while the other used the bat, and the rest went after Leandro.”

“Leandro, he ok?” The human male wasn’t one of his, but he was important to Stian. Finn did something that eased the grimace on Stian’s wan face and Remi’s urge to kill something eased down a tick.

“A little beat up, but he’s ok.” Theo blew out a breath and scrubbed an eyebrow with a thumbnail, then his quiet bass dropped to barely a whisper too quiet for Stian to hear. “You know his family wasn’t thrilled he was dating a changeling? This was too much on top of that, apparently.”

Remi turned the air blue. “Any witnesses?”

“No descriptions, either,” Theo shook his head. “Dark, non-descriptive clothing and hoodies obscured their faces on CCTV footage.”

More cursing.

“Thanks.” He clapped the sentinel on the shoulder. “We’ll talk later, this shit ain’t your fault. Go, be with the others before they storm the place for an update.”

“It’s not your fault either.” He fixed Remi with a firm look and then strode down the hallway, pressed the button that released the door for those exiting, and went to give an update to the waiting packmates.

Maybe not, but he could’ve at least fucking been there when Enforcement was getting his statement instead of brooding in the woods in the middle of the night like a fucking wolf. Next thing he knew, he’d be howling at the goddamn moon.

Cell reception could be spotty in the mountains, texts were the best method of communication once he was within range. Theo’s message had come in when he was on his way back, which meant Remi made it to the hospital soon after Stian’s statement had been taken. The distance, the adrenaline, and the fact that there wasn’t a bloodbond between the two of them combined meant Remi hadn’t felt the assault. Although he definitely felt it when Finn pulled energy from him to heal the worst of Stian’s wounds.

An alpha was supposed to be there for everyone in his pack.

Comforting others didn’t come easily to him; it was difficult to give something he didn’t have much experience receiving. With the cubs it was easy since they were easy to love and care for, the same way he’d been loved and petted when his mother was still alive. Steeling himself, Remi rapped on the door frame of the cubicle as he entered.

“How ya feeling?” he placed a hand on Stian’s shoulder, grounding him with the touch of pack, of his alpha, while Finn continued stitching up a cut on the other man’s side.

“Like hell.” A faint smile that didn’t disturb the deep purpling bruises that mottled his face.

“You look like it.” Yeah, it was definite: when it came to compassion, he definitely was the worst. “But you’ll be back to your pretty surfer boy looks in no time.”

Snorting, Stian scratched at his close-trimmed beard where a patch of dried blood stained the blonde hair rust red. Pale, almost colourless, eyes dropped to the blanket tucked around him.

“I’m sorry about Leandro.”

“Yeah, well, other fish in the sea,” he shrugged, then winced when his body protested the movement. “I can’t really blame him, the garbage they were spewing…” He shook his head. “Those assholes called him an ‘animal fucker’ and ‘race traitor’ like it’s 1982 and not 2082! But I can blame him for breaking up with me in a text message.”

Remi placed his other hand over the male’s, which was fisted in the blanket; small nicks, scrapes, and more bruises from defending himself marked his lightly tanned skin.

“I can’t even tell you what they looked or smelled like. I’m s-sorry.” Big fat tears that he’d been holding back spilled over to roll down his face and soak into his beard. The salt in his split lip had to hurt like a sonuvabitch, yet he didn’t wince. “T-they were wearing d-dark hoodies.”

“Hey, look at me.” Keeping his tone gentle, Remi moved his hand from Stian’s shoulder to the side of his neck. Those icy blue eyes filled with anguish turned to him. “They used tactics to avoid identification, they were prepared. You survived, that’s all you had to do.”

“I c-couldn’t protect him.”

“That bastard didn’t deserve it anyway.” A laugh that was part sob. “At least, tell me they messed up his face, too. Lark’s coming to keep you company. I told Angel to stay home, having him around right now would be adding insult to injury.” More shaky laughter in nervous relief.

“Whatever you need, you ask for it, ya hear me?” Remi clasped Stian in a careful hug and wondered how he was going to hunt down the fuckers who’d done this. He fucking hated feeling helpless, especially when one of his people were hurt, but he could do nothing less because otherwise that meant he couldn’t protect his own.

And an alpha who couldn’t protect was no alpha at all.

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uppastthejelliclemoon · 4 years

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Could you tell us more about your headcanon next gen kittens? I loved their appearances in that older!Munkustrap story you wrote, and I'd love to know more about them!

Absolutely!!

Anthea and Charon: Hestia and Tumblebrutus’ kittens

- Charon’s older by a year, and he’s very protective over his little sister. Anthea loves her big brother very much, and the two of them are absolutely inseparable.

- Anthea definitely takes after her dad, and loves learning how to do all the acrobatic flips and tumbles that he does, and she’s very bubbly and happy!

- Charon takes more after his mom, and he’s a bit quieter than his sister and is more introverted. He loves his cuddles though, and as a kitten, he would refuse to leave his mother and father’s sides. He’d always have to be carried around, and if it was Hestia or Tumble holding him, it was most likely Tugger, because his mane is ideal for kittens to snuggle into.

- Tumble is absolutely the best dad, and he always takes time for both his kittens, because he loves them both so much and wants to spend as much time as he can with his family. He takes them on adventures around the Junkyard, and Hestia brings them to Bustopher’s clubs to visit their great-uncle.

- Charon and Anthea are very in tune with each other, and since they both have their mom’s magic, they’re able to know each other’s feelings. They’re not as magically in tune as Coricopat and Tantomile, but they know each other well enough without having to talk to each other.

Tate and Ramona: Jemima’s kittens

- Ramona was the first kitten that Jemima found on the street. She was hunting through some garbage, and Jemima brought her back to the Junkyard. Demeter nearly cried because SHE HAS A GRANDDAUGHTER NOW and Jemima became very happy with her little girl.

- Not long after, she found Tate. He was sick, tossed out by his humans once they found out that one of the children had an allergy. Jemima brought him back to the Junkyard, and, with the help of Jenny, helped him get better.

- Ramona really loves her brother, but Tate is a very distrusting cat. After what happened with his humans, he’s hesitant to interact with others, so he really only talks to his mom and sister. He does talk to Charon and Anthea, and occasionally with Evangeline and Felicity, but he prefers to stay quiet.

- Jemima really loves being a mom, and she sings her kittens to sleep every night, which always helps to soothe Ramona’s nightmares. She gets nightmares from being on the streets, so this actually helps her form a bond with her Auntie Jojo! She really likes Jubilee.

- Tate forms a close bond with Hestia, and Hestia loves her nephew very much. Jubilee and Hestia are just the best aunts to the twins (even though they’re not really twins, that’s what everyone calls them!)

Kace, Tallulah, Rhiannon: Tantomile and Rumpleteazer’s kittens

- After the “Seven Kittens in a Hat” event, Mistoffelees realized that he could help Jellicles who couldn’t have kittens of their own.

- He took a bit of Tanto’s fur and a bit of Teazer’s, and put it into his hat. He then pulled out a tom kitten who was a copy of Tanto, a queen kitten who was a copy of Teazer, and a final queen kitten who was a perfect mix of them both.

- Kace, even though he looks identical to Tantomille, actually takes after Teazer the most, and he loves spending time with his Uncle Jerrie. He’s a very chaotic boy, and Tantomile’s the only one who can get him to calm down.

- Tallulah is a mix of both her moms, just like her fur. She’s got Teazer’s chaotic streak, but she’s also got the braincell of the triplets, so she knows when to not make chaos in the Junkyard.

- Of course, Rhiannon takes after Tantomile. She’s the calmest of her siblings and cousins, and prefers to meditate with her mom and Uncle Cori. She loves spending time at the library with her Auntie Jojo.

Jax: George and Etcetera’s kitten

- Jax is a sweet angel baby boy and 10/10 would die for him.

- Etcetera loves her son with all her heart, and George is the proudest dad in the entire world. Jax loves his mom and dad, and he’s just such a sweetheart. He’s the best kitten, and is happy just to have his mom and dad spending time with him.

- Like George, Jax is very excitable, and he is a very friendly boy. He can and will run and hug absolutely anyone who comes into the Junkyard. He gives Munkustrap heart attacks when he just runs off to hug any random cat (or dog).

- He may or may not have a ridiculously massive crush on Zephyr, and he just turns into an absolutely stuttering mess whenever Zephyr looks his way.

- He really loves spending time with his cousins and his Auntie Hestia, but he really, really loves going on adventures with his granddad. Skimble sometimes takes him to the train station, and they ride the railway together. Skimble tells Jax stories, and he absolutely loves hearing about all the adventures he’s gone on.

Zephyr: Cassandra and Alonzo’s kitten

- He looks a lot like Cassandra, with a bit of white mixed into his brown fur.

- He’s very slinky, just like his father, but he has not graduated fully into the Slinky Bastard form. He’s getting there, though.

- He’s very good at controlling his emotions and not letting them get the better of him. He’s very proper, and occasionally can come off as a bit aloof and mean before others get to know him.

- That being said, he’s absolutely HOPELESS when it comes to his feelings for Jax. He’s very stubborn, but as soon as he sees Jax jumping all over the place and just being his usual, excitable, adorable self, he’s a goner. He spends most nights venting to either his mom or his dad about “stupid Jax and his adorable laugh and his funny jokes and his warm hugs and DAD STOP LAUGHING AT ME”

- Zelda also teases him CONSTANTLY about it, but then he gets back at her by teasing her about her crush on Kace so it’s okay.

Zelda and Thalia: Victoria and Plato’s kittens

- Zelda’s older than Thalia by two years, so she and Zephyr are attached at the hip. Both girls see Zephyr as another brother.

- Zelda’s a bit better with her emotions, so she’s at least able to have a civil conversation with Kace, so she’s getting somewhere with her feelings!!

- Thalia is blind. But, to the surprise of her parents, she has magic, inherited from her grandmother on Victoria’s side, the same queen who is the reason for Mistoffelees having magic.

- So, with the help of her magic, Thalia can “see” the auras of other cats, and that’s how she’s able to get around. This just makes Zelda a little extra protective of her, but Thalia knows that her sister loves her.

- Plato is absolutely in love with his girls, and he cried when they were both born because he’s a dork. Victoria teaches them how to dance while Plato just watches proudly because he’s the best dad.

@queencurlycrown PLEASE PUT YOUR HEADCANONS FOR EVA AND FELI!!!

(also whoops looks like I have a large amount of ocs now... did not mean for that to happen but oH WELL)

#liv's writing corner

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psychosistr · 4 years

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The Jojo Support Squad

For Day 4 of @josuyasuweek - CollegeAU/Friends/Summer Job

Summary: Okuyasu’s pleasant afternoon with the rest of the jo-bro’s is interrupted by a surprise stand-user attack! Can he and the other’s fend him off on their own without their Jojo’s around to help?

Notes: So, remember how in the other ones I said that all of these took place in the same modern AU? Well, here’s where it gets more noticeable xD The basic relationship breakdowns are as follows:

Jonathan, Joseph, Johnny, and Jotaro’s grandfathers are all brothers with Jotaro’s grandfather still being Josuke’s dad. Jolyne was found as a toddler by Holly and raised alongside Jotaro as his adopted sister when the Joestar family birthmark was found on her. Jotaro and Jolyne met Josuke when they were all still pretty young and they’ve grown up knowing each other. Giorno’s still part Brando and part Joestar, but at the moment it looks like his father might actually be related to Diego’s father (if not the same person) and his Joestar blood may come from his half-Japanese mother. Gappy (part 8 Josuke) is still a fusion of Josefumi Kujo and a man name Yoshikage Kira, though it’s a different Kira than the one that part 4-Josuke’s group deals with.

Also worth noting is that, in this world, Baron Zeppeli is Caesar’s uncle who is still alive, but that Caesar’s father knew Joseph’s and that’s where part of his grudge originally came from, and Gyro is one of Caesar’s many cousins because the Zeppeli family is just as huge as the Joestars xP Caesar also used to associate with Passione back during his street-thug days and was on good terms with Bucciarati’s group- it’s also where he originally met Speedwagon as their two gangs would travel between England and Italy often and the two have been best friends for years.

Jonathan’s in a poly relationship with Erina and Speedwagon and has been with them for about five years by now following their first fight against DIO. Joseph and Caesar have been “best friends/roommates with benefits” for a couple of years now but only recently started “officially” dating. Jotaro and Kakyoin have been together since their first fight against DIO a year and a half ago. Josuke and Okuyasu just hit their one year anniversary. Giorno and Mista got together shortly after meeting the other Jojo’s. Jolyne is dating both Anasui and Ermes, but the two of them are not dating each other in any way, shape, or form, and often antagonize each other and fight for their equal shares of Jolyne’s attention but she loves them both equally- they’ve been together for a few months by this point. Johnny and Gyro are partners in the local horse-racing challenge league and have also been dating for about half a year by now. Lastly, Gappy and Yasuho just joined the group recently and their relationship is the newest, having only been officially dating for a couple of weeks before meeting the rest of the group.

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“Hey, guys!” Okuyasu waved to the group of people seated at a pair of pushed-together tables outside of a café as he ran up to join them. “Sorry I’m late- got held up at work.”

“You’re always late.” Kakyoin commented while grabbing one of the red macaroons set out on a plate nearby, giving the other Japanese boy a teasing smirk. “At this point, I think we’d be more worried if you were actually on time.”

“ ‘fraid ‘e’s got ya on that one, mate.” Speedwagon chuckled, raising his cup of tea in greeting.

“Yeah, yeah, I know..” Okuyasu sighed and took the empty seat between Mista and Anasui, gratefully taking the plate that Gyro handed him from across the table so he could start grabbing his share of the pastries and finger sandwiches before they were all gone. “So, did I miss anything?”

“Nah, we were just getting started!” Ermes grinned at him from the other side of Anasui. “Caesar spent ten minutes ranting about how Joseph used up all the hot water, again.”

Caesar picked up his espresso cup with an annoyed look on his face. “Well, maybe if that idiot didn’t do it EVERY DAY, I could go a week without complaining about it!”

Everyone at the tables laughed at the look on his face, many of them familiar with this particular rant by now.

After thanking Erina and Yasuho for passing him the French-press and a mug from their end of the tables, Okuyasu fixed himself a cup of coffee. Taking his first sip, he looked from one end of the table to the other at the motley crew seated around him.

On the far left of the table was Speedwagon with Caesar to his right. The two of them were the ones to start this little tradition since they’d known each other the longest, often going out for drinks or meals to hang out. When they both wound up living in the same town again because of Jonathan and Joseph, they made going out a weekly event.

Okuyasu himself was seated one place away from Speedwagon’s left side with Anasui directly to his left, Ermes on the other side of Anasui, and Kakyoin across the table from Anasui. The four of them had been brought into the tradition after winding up in town- Kakyoin and Okuyasu because they were traveling with Jotaro and Josuke respectively, and Anasui and Ermes because they followed Jolyne after being released from the prison ship they’d been transported across the sea on. It had been a casual invitation from Speedwagon, asking if the four of them wanted to tag along for dinner one day at his treat after a particularly rough day.

Directly to Speedwagon’s left on the other side of Okuyasu was Mista, who was busy feeding his stands little bits of a cookie that he broke up for them. They’d run into him one day while on their way to lunch shortly after meeting him and his group. He already knew Caesar and Speedwagon somewhat through Passione, but the rest of them were essentially strangers. After some insistence from his tiny stands and pleading for food, Mista joined them and became a more included member of their little squad.

Directly across the table from Okuyasu, seated between Kakyoin and Caesar, was Caesar’s cousin Gyro. Gyro was one of the newer members of their group, but he’d warmed right up to everyone without much trouble. He was actually the one to insert himself into the group after overhearing that they were going out for drinks one night at Passione’s bar and asking if he could tag along. When he said he was a bit frustrated because of Johnny, they welcomed him into the fold with open arms.

On Kakyoin’s other side seated directly across from Ermes was Yasuho. She had recently overthrown Gyro for the title of newest member, as they’d only met her and Josuke (Gappy, as they tended to call him to avoid confusion with Okuyasu’s own Josuke) a couple of weeks ago. This was actually her first time joining them, having been given the invitation earlier in the week.

Lastly, at the right end of the table between Ermes and Yasuho, was Erina. Erina had been a casual member of their group for a while now, but her schedule was rather hectic and often took her out of town. On the rare occasion that she was in town, however, she was more than happy to join the others and catch up. Seeing as it had been a few weeks since her last opportunity to join them, Erina was the one to choose the venue this time- selecting the quaint café with its wide variety of sweets and drinks.

They were certainly an odd sight, all gathered together outside of the café. A mismatched group of people from different countries, demographics, and social classes, all gathered together for sweets. What was the driving force that compelled these people to come together?

The answer was simple: The Joestars.

Each of them had come to love and cherish a member of the Joestar bloodline with all their heart, ultimately falling in love with them. Their lives had all changed in grand, drastic, and bizarre ways due to their association with the strong and clever Joestars, making their lives even richer and more fulfilling than before.

That being said, the Joestars all had their little quirks that got on their partners’ nerves and they needed a place to vent about it occasionally.

Originally, the get-togethers were just a fun little “we need a break from the Joestar brand of insanity, lets grab a bite to eat” thing the small group did on Sundays (barring any aforementioned insanity popping up). Back when it had just been the six of them, Okuyasu had been the one to joke about how it was like their own marriage-counseling session, with most of the others laughing and agreeing with him (except for Caesar, as he refused to admit that he was actually in love with Joseph for the longest time- thank god that wall finally broke down, the others were getting tired of rolling their eyes all the time). By the time Mista joined the group, the weekly outing had become the unofficial “Jojo-dating-therapy-session” for all of them.

Their group had been nicknamed the J.S.S.- the “Jojo Support Squad”. When asked by their partners and friends whether the name meant they supported their respective Jojo’s or if they needed support for dealing with them, they would all just grin and answer with a vague but emphatic “YES”.

They each still loved their partners, of course- complaining about someone’s more annoying traits doesn’t mean you love them any less. Having an open and understanding environment to jokingly air out your grievances, however, was healthy for all of them. So, to give each of them a break and a way to unwind with others who knew the joy, frustration, and bizarreness that dating a Joestar could bring, each week the group took turns letting someone pick a restaurant or bar for them to meet up in and unwind with good food and/or drinks while they all laughed about their Jojo’s antics.

Finishing off a small tart, Okuyasu tuned back into the conversations around him right as Erina let out a light laugh. “Oh, speaking of birthdays..” She smiled at Speedwagon across the table. “Jonathan got ours confused again.”

Speedwagon rolled his eyes and brought a hand to his head, but the smile on his face was still fond and good-natured. “Is THAT why ‘e suddenly showed up outside the office lookin’ like ‘e’d just run a marathon with a bunch o’ roses in ‘is ‘ands?”

Erina laughed again, bringing one hand to her mouth as she did. “I’m afraid so. He invited me out and said that he had made reservations for a ‘special occasion’. I was confused until I looked at the calendar.” She shook her head with an equally fond smile. “His face turned as red as those roses, but I told him to just make sure he got to see you before midnight!”

“At least ‘e got THAT done right.” Speedwagon chuckled and rolled his eyes. “God, what is that? Three, four years in a row now?”

“Four.” Erina mirrored the action and shook her head again. “You would think he’d remember by now.”

“Are your birthdays close together?” Gyro asked them with a curious raise of his eyebrow.

“Ha!” Speedwagon laughed. “Not even close, mate- got a whole season between us!”

“His is October 16th.” Erina said while gesturing towards Speedwagon with her tea cup before raising it towards herself to take a sip. “Mine is June 10th.”

“Poor Jojo can’t keep the numbers straight in ‘is ‘ead t’ save ‘is life.” Speedwagon grabbed a biscotti from the plate that Caesar passed him before passing it along to Mista. “Says all the ones an’ zeroes get mixed up with the six and ‘e forgets which one’s which.”

“At least he knows the dates.” Ermes frowned, distractedly dunking a donut in her coffee. “We must’ve told Jolyne OUR birthdays a hundred times and she STILL can’t remember them!”

“Oh please,” Anasui sighed in annoyance. “It’s not the end of the world. Jolyne can so many amazing things- overlooking a date here and there isn’t worth getting upset over.”

Ermes gave him a dead-pan look that clearly spoke to her lack of sympathy. “Dude, your birthday’s January 1st. It’s the first day of the year and literally the easiest date to remember. I remember it, and we’re not even dating!”

“……” Anasui hid the fact that he was pouting behind his coffee cup while taking an extra-long avoiding-the-conversation sip.

Okuyasu looked at the pair beside him. “Geez, that must be rough. Can’t relate, though- Josuke knows EVRYONE’S birthdays. It’s like he puts reminders in his phone or something.” He frowned slightly and glanced away. “But he did give me the silent treatment for a week when I forgot his birthday…” He shuddered at the thought of his boyfriend’s “I’m not mad, just disappointed” look that he’d been subjected to the whole time- the punishment only ending when he forcefully dragged the other teen all over town for a make-up date where he treated him to lunch, a movie, and bought him anything he wanted from the stores. His wallet was much lighter after that day, but the forgiving smile and kiss on the cheek he received was well worth it. “I’m never doing that again..” He muttered to himself.

“At least you know when your boyfriend’s birthday is.” Mista sighed while leaning his chin into his hand, an annoyed frown on his face. “I keep asking, but Giorno refuses to tell me- he keeps saying I’d probably break up with him if I found out. What the heck does THAT mean?”

“Maybe it has to do with your superstition.” Caesar suggested after grabbing a finger sandwich from his plate. “And trust me, sometimes it is better NOT to know. Every September, Jojo spends the whole month reminding me as if I’M the one who forgot HIS birthday two years in a row.”

“Good to see you’re not bitter about that one, huh?” Gyro teased his cousin with a cocked brow before shrugging. “Then again, me and Johnny haven’t really been together long enough for that to be a problem yet.”

“I know what you mean..” Yasuho said from her spot on the other end of the table. “We don’t know if Josuke actually has a birthday, and mine hasn’t even happened yet.”

Okuyasu smiled a bit while Erina tried suggesting Yasuho and Gappy pick an official date to celebrate his birthday. It was nice getting to hang out with everyone like this, away from their boyfriends (girlfriend, in Anasui and Ermes’ case) and just unwind for a bit. He still loved spending time with Josuke, of course, but it was nice to have some time apart now and then.

Thinking of the other pompadoured teen gave Okuyasu an idea and he pulled out his phone. After arranging the various little pastries and sweets on his plate to look a bit nicer, Okuyasu snapped a picture of the treats and sent it to Josuke. He didn’t have to wait long to get a reply, grinning and chuckling quietly when he saw the text and replied to it.

Josuke: “Dude, those look SO good! O_O Where’d you guys go today?”

Me: “Café Erina likes called Jo’s Jolt. This stuff s as good as it looks and you cant have any! >:D”

Josuke: “Youre such a jerk lmao XD”

Josuke: “Btw you wanna hit up the arcade later? Heard they just got in that new Treasure Raiders game.”

Me: “Hell yeah! :D That sounds awta;9?;ouz”

Okuyasu’s last text got messed up when Mista suddenly grabbed him and pulled him up out of his chair, his phone briefly falling out of his hands. “Incoming!!” He shouted in warning right before something shot past him and hit the table- its path taking it right through where Okuyasu was just sitting.

The object that hit the table looked like a metal sphere that was blinking with a red light. When the light started blinking faster, rapidly gaining speed and shortening the time between flashes, Caesar’s eyes widened and he quickly jumped up onto the table. “Get down!” He shouted as he swiftly grabbed the sphere, encasing it in a bubble as he moved. “Bubble Barrier!” He then threw the bubble-encased object as high up into the air as he could, where it exploded and burst the bubble around it.

Thanks to his earlier warning, everyone else had ducked down below the table for cover while Caesar himself used another bubble barrier around his own body. Everyone’s respective cover, combined with Caesar’s initial bubble barrier around the explosive, helped to significantly lessen the resulting shockwave.

Okuyasu looked around in alarm after the smoke from the bomb cleared and everyone got to their feet. “What the heck was that?!”

“Ahahahahaha!” A jarring voice laughed from above them, all eyes looking towards the roof of the café beside them. Atop the building was a tall but stocky man whose appearance was hidden by a cloak. “Greetings, comrades of the Joestar family! You picked a bad day to go out on your own!” The man threw off his cloak, revealing a scarred face and buzz-cut black hair on his head and green army fatigues with several medals adorning his body. “I, the Modern Major General, and my stand War Pigs, will put an end to your meddling in Lord Dio’s-!” He ducked just in time to avoid being hit in the head by two separate shots, having to jump to the other side of the roof to avoid one of the shots ricocheting back towards him after abruptly turning mid-air. “Hey! I wasn’t finished yet!”

Down on the ground, Speedwagon and Mista both stood with their guns drawn and aimed at the Modern Major General. Once one of Mista’s stands flew back down to him to join the others floating behind him, he glanced towards Speedwagon while keeping his gun trained on their enemy. “That bomb didn’t come from him- Cinque saw it fired from a few feet behind us. He’s either got back up or his stand’s got a longer range.”

The Modern Major General smirked down at them. “Right on both counts, maggot.” He pulled out a whistle from a pocket on his uniform and blew into it. “Troops! Fall in!”

At his command, nearly every person walking on the streets or in the nearby buildings, minus the café itself, suddenly stopped and fell limp as if they’d had some invisible strings cut from their bodies. Then, all at once, they turned to face the group at the café and marched forward in unison- forming a perimeter around them consisting of a small army’s worth of people. Their eyes were hollow and lifeless and their skin looked waxy and pale, as if they had already passed on from this world and were now nothing more than puppets.

At another blow into his whistle, a stand appeared behind the soldier on the roof. It looked like a humanoid boar creature with one of its tusks broken off, a scarred eye, and was covered in camouflage gear- including a classic green helmet on its head and black war paint under its eyes. The stand raised one of its hands into the air and formed a fist, similar helmets to its own appearing on the people around the group to give them the façade of an actual militarized unit. When it moved its hand into a salute, various weapons ranging from close-quarter combat knives to military-grade firearms appeared in their hands.

Realizing what was about to happen, Yasuho was surprisingly the first one to act. She picked up the chair that she had been seated in a minute ago and threw it right into the nearby window of the café with a shout. “Take cover!!!”

The group quickly did such and rushed into the shop through the busted window since it was closer than the door, getting inside and hitting the floor just in time to avoid the barrage of bullets that would have hit them. While they themselves had been lucky enough to avoid the assault, a few of the café’s employees and indoor-patrons had gotten caught in the cross-fire, resulting in bullet wounds and cuts from the breaking glass that accompanied the blasts.

Speedwagon looked to the injured people with a worried frown. “This isn’t good. They’ve got us pinned AND outnumbered- we need a plan.” He turned to Erina and Yasuho. “Erina, get everyone behind the counter an’ get ‘em patched up. Yasuho, give ‘er some ‘elp.” He looked at Okuyasu, Anasui, Ermes, Gyro, and Caesar. “You lot try t’ find a way up t’ the roof and put that bastard in ‘is place. If ya take ‘im out, the soldiers’ll drop like flies.” Lastly, he turned to Kakyoin and Mista. “You two are with me. We’re gonna lay down some cover fire and make sure those buggers don’t get in. Got it?”

Once everyone gave a nod of understanding, they each rushed to their assigned tasks.

Erina and Yasuho got to work on moving the injured customers and employees behind the register counter and display cases, Yasuho calling out her stand and using it to help drag anyone who was unconscious. After they got everyone to a relatively safe spot, Yasuho pulled out her phone and looked at Paisley Park.

“We’re going to need some help here.” When her stand nodded and held a hand out towards the phone, the screen lit up with two choices. Yasuho looked to Erina, who was busy checking everyone’s injuries. “Which would be better? Alcohol or numbing gel?”

“The alcohol.” Erina answered while using some paper towels from behind the counter to wipe up someone’s blood. “It will hurt more, but we need to keep these wounds from getting infected.”

“Got it.” Yasuho said while tapping the bottle of rubbing alcohol on her screen, the bottle emerging from the phone with the help of her stand and materializing in the real world. She continued to use her stand’s ability to get items for Erina, the latter using the acquired supplies to treat the wounds of the injured civilians to the best of her ability.

As they worked to treat the wounded, Speedwagon, Mista, and Kakyoin each took up a position at one of the windows to fire at the advancing army. Their efforts seemed in vain, though, as the enemy just kept going no matter how they shot their arms or legs.

“Emerald Splash!!” Kakyoin called out the signature attack of his stand as a wide arc of emeralds were launched at the undead soldiers. The sound of a door being kicked open nearby caught his attention, causing him to turn towards the kitchen where a few of the soldiers were trying to get in. “!!”

Before he had a chance to react, a metallic object flew past his eyes and sliced the heads off of the soldiers. With their heads damaged, the helmets fell off to reveal glowing bullet holes and the bodies finally fell limply to the ground.

“The ‘eads!” Speedwagon called to the other two while catching his hat when it spun back around in his direction. “Aim for the ‘eads an’ knock their ‘elmets clean off!”

“On it!” Mista said while doing just that- firing six shots with each bullet guided by one of his stands to hit the green helmets and send them flying off, resulting in each person hit falling to the ground.

Using the hole that the others made for them in the advancing horde, Okuyasu’s group ran out into the fray and started fighting off any of the close-range soldiers that tried to attack with their knives.

“Caesar!” Gyro called after knocking back a pair of enemies with his steel balls. “Diamo a questi bastardi uno speciale per la famiglia Zeppeli!”

Caesar looked at his cousin with a smirk. “Con piacere.”

The shorter haired Zeppeli then took in a deep hamon breath and began to shape a large bubble. Once it was big enough, Gyro reached over and touched the surprisingly strong soapy film of the bubble and moved it, channeling the power of the spin into the bubble’s rotation. Within seconds the bubble was glowing and crackling with two similar yet different wave-lengths of energy from the hamon and spin that were powering it up.

When the bubble was ready, the two Italians launched it forward at the same time. The super bubble proceeded to ricochet around the battlefield like a pinball, bowling over any enemies in its path while always managing to avoid running into anyone from their own group. The chaos it caused help to further clear their path around to the side of the building where they could get to the roof with a bit more ease and be out of the line of fire.

Just before they rounded the corner, though, Okuyasu heard the familiar tune of the song “Great Days” being sung in his boyfriend’s voice and instantly recognized the ringtone. “Oh, shit!” He summoned The Hand and spotted his phone back by the now knocked over tables. As soon as he saw an opening, he used his stand’s powers to swipe away the space between him and his phone, drawing the small object closer and catching it. “Gotcha!” He looked at the screen and, sure enough, there was Josuke’s picture with his caller ID, along with a list of messages and one or two other missed calls on the list. Feeling bad for making the other boy worry about him, Okuyasu quickly answered the call and brought the phone to his ear. “Hey, Josuke.”

“There you are! Dude, you had me freakin’ out over here!” Josuke let out a relieved sigh. “That last text was weird- everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Okuyasu frowned slightly while using The Hand to make the heads of some nearby soldiers that tried to follow them disappear, working in tandem with Gyro and Caesar to keep the enemies from cornering them. “I kinda dropped the phone when Mista grabbed me, and then there was the explosion, and I left my phone at the table when we had to duck inside-”

“Woah, woah, back up!” Josuke interrupted him. “What the heck’s going on over there?!”

“Oh, right.” Okuyasu smacked himself in the forehead for forgetting the important part. “We’re sort of fighting off this weird stand user that works for Dio. He’s got a bunch of zombie people in helmets with guns and junk, so we’re gonna climb up to the roof and kick his ass.”

“What?!” Josuke didn’t sound very relieved after hearing his answer. “Are you okay?! Do you guys need back up?!”

“Uhhh..one sec, lemme check.” Okuyasu held the phone away from his head while looking at Anasui and Ermes. “Hey, Josuke wants to know if we need back up!” He called over to them.

The pair of ex-convicts were busy creating a pathway to the roof by placing Kiss’s stickers on Diver Down’s limbs so that it could phase into the wall of the building and give them multiple points to climb on by leaving its limbs sticking out.

“Nah, we’re good!” Ermes called back to him while using her stand to grab onto one of the limbs and pull herself up.

“Okay!” Okuyasu went to bring the phone back to his head. “Yeah, I think we’re-” Before he could finish his reply, a bullet whizzed past his head and hit his phone. It probably would have hit him as well if Caesar and Gyro didn’t suddenly pull him back. “?!!” Okuyasu looked at the shattered remains of his phone with wide eyes and a slack jaw of disbelief. “Hey, not cool, man!” His expression quickly turned into an angry scowl when he looked around for the source of the gun shot. He eventually spotted the culprit several feet away with a sniper rifle in its hands. “Get over here, you asshole!” He shouted, using The Hand to drag the soldier right up to him so he could punch it in the face and knock its helmet off himself. “Great, now Josuke’s gonna freak out!”

“Sorry, amico mio.” Gyro gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, but the look on his face spoke of mischief. “But I know ONE thing that will make you feel better.” He pointed to the roof where Anasui and Ermes were just climbing over the edge. “Go on- we’ll cover you from down here.”

Okuyasu smirked and headed towards Diver Down while cracking his knuckles. “Yeah, that should help.” Similar to Ermes, he used his stand to grab on to each of Diver Down’s limbs and climb up to the roof.

Joining the others on the roof, he saw them battling against the Modern Major General and War Pigs with the stand putting up a surprisingly effective defense against Kiss’s assault. “Did you think I would be taken down that easily?” He taunted when his stand managed to dodge one of Kiss’s strikes and tossed her aside.

“Woah!” Ermes nearly lost her balance when she felt her stand being thrown, but Anasui steadied her while Okuyasu’s stand caught Kiss. “The guy’s got a decent stand, I’ll give him that..”

“Decent, maybe.” Anasui said once Ermes was on her feet again. “But we’ve dealt with worse.” He looked at the Modern Major General and his own stand rose up through the floor behind him. “Diver Down!” His stand lived up to its name and dove at the enemy, two of its multiplied fists raised as it struck.

The Modern Major General avoided the attack by jumping back out of the way, but the stand still hit the floor where he’d been standing. “Ha! Slow attacks like that are no match for my highly trained, combat-honed reflexes!”

“…….” Instead of responding verbally, Anasui just continued to have Diver Down attempt to strike the general, settling for hitting the roof whenever the stand missed.

Looking at the way the stand kept hitting the roof with its multiplied limbs, Ermes seemed to figure out what was going on. “Oh boy..this is gonna be big!” She backed away to edge of the roof quickly, keeping an eye on the fight happening a few feet away.

Before he could ask what was going on, Okuyasu saw Anasui smirk and got the feeling that he should back up too. “?!” Seeing the smirk increase, Okuyasu jumped back to the edge- apparently doing so just in time.

The Modern Major General avoided another punch and grinned. “Are you even trying? I could do this all da-!” Not being given a chance to finish his taunt, a copy of two of Diver Down’s fists suddenly shot up from the ground he landed on and knocked him into the air. “?!” When he fell onto another part of the roof, a pair of Diver Down’s legs shot up and kicked him back into the air. The pattern continued, a pair of fists or feet rising up out of the roof no matter where he seemed to land- effectively floating him from one side of the roof to the other.

“Did you really think I’d be sloppy enough to miss THAT many times?” Anasui said while watching his enemy get knocked back into the air repeatedly. “I was storing Diver Down’s energy all over this roof, waiting for you to lower your guard at just the right moment.”

As he fell back towards the roof again, the Modern Major General finally got his bearings and his stand appeared in front of him. “War Pigs!” A missile launcher appeared in the stand’s hands and it blasted the area of the roof its users was about to land on, the force driving him to the edge of the roof and clear of the trapped areas. “D..Damn you..I’m not going to fall for a trap like that again..!”

Okuyasu looked at the large amount of space between them and the general with a scowl. He REALLY wanted a piece of the action, too. Then, glancing at Ermes, he got an idea. “Hey, can I borrow a sticker?”

Ermes looked at him curiously. “Huh? For what?”

Okuyasu smirked and summoned The Hand in front of her with its right arm raised. “For THIS.”

Ermes grinned, getting the gist of what he wanted. “Ha! Sure, this oughta be fun!”

On the other side of the roof, the Modern Major General had his stand aim its missile launcher at Anasui. “Your stand has a limit to its range, so all I have to do is blow you away from over here and-!” Once again, he was interrupted- this time by a strong pulling sensation. “What?!” He was yanked forward across the roof, triggering multiple stored-energy points along the way and getting hit by every single fist and leg he came across.

Okuyasu looked down at him when the other stand user stopped right in front of him, cracking his knuckles. His stand stood behind him with two versions of its right hand still extended. “You know..I was having a pretty good day before YOU showed up..now my phone’s trashed, I’m pissed off, and I never even got to finish eating!” He glared at the man while pulling him up to his feet. “But you wanna know what REALLY pissed me off?” He curled his free hand into a fist. “You made me hang up on my boyfriend and freak him out, you asshole!!” He punched the general and sent him flying across the roof, setting off a few more of the stored energy points.

When he tried to get back up, Okuyasu used The Hand’s power to force him back over by deleting the empty space in front of him- the extra limb giving him more control of the area that was affected by his power and allowing him to jerk the general in various directions. At one point he got the general close enough to Ermes that she was able to punch him with Kiss and send him flying over to Anasui, who repeated the motion with Diver Down. The three stand users formed a triangle of punishment, the enemy stand user being pulled and punched across the roof and hitting all sorts of stored points along the way.

Finally, with the enemy barely conscious, Okuyasu punched him clear off the roof with his stand’s other hand, sending him sprawling down on the ground below in an unconscious heap.

With their commanding officer down, the horde of undead soldiers began to lose the unity of their previous attacks and just fired about aimlessly. The trio inside of the building, as well as the pair on the ground outside of it, took advantage of the loss in control and proceeded to thin out the ranks significantly.

Inside of the building, Yasuho looked to the windows with a relieved sigh. “Looks like they got him.”

“That’s a relief.” Erina sighed as well, finishing the last of her emergency first-aid on the civilians.

Yasuho was about to comment about the fight going on around them, when Paisley Park made another choice come up on her phone. “Huh?” Yasuho looked at the two weapons displayed on the screen in confusion. “A gun or a Taser? Why would we need these?”

Erina looked at the phone’s screen with a worried frown. “…….” After a moment, she spoke quietly. “Choose the gun.”

Yasuho looked at the blond woman curiously while tapping the picture. “But, I don’t know how to use it.” She said as she took the revolver produced by her stand’s ability.

“I know..” Erina looked back out the window at their allies fighting off the remnants of the undead army. “But I have a feeling we’ll need it..”

Without War Pigs giving them commands, the rest of the soldiers were dispatched fairly easily after a while- especially after the roof trio joined the fight in earnest on the ground. Finishing off the last of them, Okuyasu looked around for where he’d sent the Modern Major General flying earlier. “Did you guys see where that jerk landed?”

Ermes and Anasui shook their heads as they aided him in his attempt to find their enemy. Speedwagon and the others exited the building to aid in the search, leaving Yasuho and Erina inside to look after the wounded.

Kakyoin looked around with a serious frown on his face. “This isn’t good. I’ll set up a perimeter with Hierophant Green and see if we can spot him.”

Just as the stand was starting to unravel itself, they all heard a startled scream from within the building and turned towards it. “!!!!!”

They saw the Modern Major General standing behind the shattered window, looking bloodied and bruised, with a dark scowl on his face as he held Erina’s arms behind her back. Beside him, his stand had a similar hold on Yasuho with one hand and a desert eagle held against her head with the other hand. The general glared at them as he and his stand stepped out of the building with their hostages. “Alright…none of you move or the ladies here get it.” To show he was serious, he had his stand press the barrel of its gun harder against Yasuho’s head. “Now drop your weapons and call off your stands!”

Not wanting to risk their friends’ lives, everyone did as they were told. The stand users all had their stands retreat for the moment while Mista and Speedwagon set their guns on the ground, Gyro doing the same with his steel balls. At a gesture from the general, they kicked their weapons towards him and out of their reach.

Speedwagon, however, kept his hat on, silently making plans when the general didn’t comment on it. “Alright…ya got what ya wanted, now let ‘em go!” As he spoke, he moved one of his hands behind himself where Kakyoin and Okuyasu, who were standing behind him, could see it. He made two motions with his hand- one grabbing gesture, and one where he brought his fingers together and split them apart slowly.

The boys got the idea and Kakyoin acted first, silently summoning his stand in its unraveled form and spreading the tendrils of it along the ground so that they slowly snaked their way towards the general. As he did so, Okuyasu had The Hand’s right hand super-imposed over his own from where it was hidden behind his back, waiting for his cue.

“Let them go? Ha!” The Modern Major General smirked at them. “Oh no, I’ve got plans for them- for ALL of you.” He looked at his stand with the gun in its hand. “You see, losing a few soldiers here and there means nothing to me. My War Pigs can conscript anyone into my army with a single shot to the head.” He looked back at the others with a malicious grin. “That is why Lord Dio sent ME to get rid of you. Soon, you will all become soldiers for my army- an army that will take down the Joestars! Just imagining the look on their faces when their closest allies come to kill them, being forced to fight those who once fought so hard for them, and then being finished off by those same allies- oh, I can hardly wait to see it!”

Kakyoin spoke calmly, the strands of his stand getting close to the enemy, unseen so far. “A twisted plan, indeed- one we’ve come to expect from Dio and his minions.”

“Not a bad plan, really.” Mista commented, the rest of the group having noticed what was happening by now.

“But you left one thing out, amico.” Gyro said with a quiet chuckle, looking amused.

“Si, something VERY important.” Caesar’s expression matched his cousin’s perfectly.

“Oh yeah?” The Modern Major General asked while eyeing them suspiciously. “And what would that be?”

“US!” Okuyasu said, finally revealing his hand and swiping it through the air.

“!!” War Pigs was about to shoot Yasuho, but the green tendrils of Kakyoin’s own stand rose out of the ground and pried its arms away from her, allowing her to be pulled forward by Okuyasu’s stand.

Once she’d gotten her bearings and stood among the others, Yasuho pulled the gun her stand had given her earlier out from under the hem of her shirt and handed it to Mista. “Here, I think you’ll get more use out of this than I would.”

Mista took the gun and opened it up so his stands could get in alongside the bullets. “Thanks, I’ll put it to good use.”

“Why, you-!” The Modern Major general’s face contorted into an enraged snarl as he gripped Erina tighter. “I warned you! Now-!” This time the one to interrupt him was Erina, who did so by suddenly slamming her head back into her captor’s nose while simultaneously stomping on his foot with her high-heeled shoe. “!!!!”

Erina quickly slipped out of the hold while he was in pain and ducked. “Now, Robert!”

“Right, love!” Speedwagon called back to her while taking his hat and throwing it at their enemy. The deadly clothing easily sailed over Erina’s head and sliced right across her assailant’s eyes before flying back towards him.

“AAAAAH!!! My eyes!!” The general screamed in pain, futilely bringing his hands up to hold his bleeding pupils.

Unable to see them coming, everyone in the group got into position around the general.

“Your plan wasn’t bad, mate.” Speedwagon began, twirling his hat idly on the tip of one finger. “But ya forgot one VERY important thing.” He slashed the backs of the general’s hands with his hat and tripped him, sending him towards Caesar.

“Si, you forgot about US.” Caesar summoned a small volley of his hamon-infused bubbles that crashed into the man and sent him towards Anasui and Ermes.

“We’re not that easy to take down!” Ermes used her stand to hold the general in place.

“And we don’t like people threatening our partners.” Anasui said with a dark, deadly tone to his voice right before Diver Down punched the man- the stand’s fist hitting twice due to the energy it stored in the spot it struck and sending him flying towards Yasuho and Erina.

“So don’t try anything with us around!” Yasuho took the broken chair that Erina handed her and gave it to her stand, Paisley Park smashing the chair over the enemy’s head to send him towards Gyro.

“Actually, don’t try anything AT ALL.” Gyro warned, channeling some spin energy into his fist to knock the general high up into the air.

“That’s right- it’s still a death sentence.” Mista aimed the gun Yasuho gave him at the general and fired every single shot at him, Sex Pistols passing the bullets around to make sure they all hit in the most painful spots possible.

“Because if you want to hurt the Joestars-” Kakyoin began, Hierophant Green sending out a blast of emeralds that battered and pierced the general further.

“Then you gotta go through US!!” Okuyasu finished Kakyoin’s threat, summoning The Hand and using his stand to shorten the space between the general and the ground- causing him to slam right into the group below where every member of their squad had their stand’s and/or their own hands raised into fists to punch him when he landed.

The Modern Major General was soundly knocked out from the force of the impact, his body falling in a bloody heap on the ground- this time being most likely the last for the time being.

When the adrenaline wore off and the metaphorical dust settled, Okuyasu and the others realized that they felt like they were being watched. They turned around to see who was watching them and found their various Jojo’s standing a few feet away. Every single one of them were staring with a look that was, for lack of a better term, star struck.

While their partners’ looks were adorable and endearing, someone had to break the silent trance they were all in. So, Speedwagon took it upon himself to do so, walking over to Jonathan.

“Enjoyin’ the show there, love?” He asked with a teasing smile.

“Huh? O-Oh!” Jonathan snapped out of his fond gazing and a slight flush appeared on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. “My apologies! I-I just, that is, we thought-!”

Erina giggled and joined Speedwagon in front of Jonathan, reaching up to playfully tap the tip of his nose with her finger. “It seems you left him speechless, Robert. Whatever shall we do?”

“Oh, ‘e probably jus’ wants a cute nurse or two t’ take care o’ ‘im!” Speedwagon laughed, winking at Jonathan. “ ‘e’s kinda cute like that, though.”

Jonathan let out an exasperated huff and wrapped his arms around both of his partners. “You may tease me all you want, I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Nearby, Joseph folded his arms and shrugged his shoulders when Caesar walked over to him. “I don’t get why we had to rush over here. I TOLD them you’d be fine.”

Caesar cocked one brow with a knowing smirk, leaning in close to Joseph to unnerve him. “Oh? So you didn’t panic when you heard I was fighting without you again?”

“Oh no, he was screaming about it the whole time.” Johnny commented as he passed by in his wheelchair. He ignored the way Joseph blushed and shouted names like “traitor” at him, as well as Caesar’s following laughter, as he made his way over to Gyro. “I knew you’d be okay, though.”

Gyro chuckled and ruffled Johnny’s hair affectionately. “Good to know you’ve got so much faith in me.” He grinned when he saw the small smile on Johnny’s face that he tried to hide by looking away, prompting him to lean down and give him a kiss on his forehead.

Off beside them, Jolyne smiled at Anasui and Ermes. “That was great- I came in around the end where you beat the heck out of that guy.” She looked between the two of them with a teasing smile. “It’s good to see you two getting along like that for a change.”

Ermes and Anasui looked at each other for a moment before Ermes laughed. “Us? Getting along? Yeah, right!”

Anasui huffed and rolled his eyes. “Unlikely.”

Despite their words, they glanced at each other with an amicable smile- one that Jolyne definitely caught. “Uh huh, suuuuuure.” She said sarcastically before slipping between them and putting one arm around each of their shoulders, giving her boyfriend and her girlfriend each a quick peck on the cheek.

Not too far away behind them, Giorno was being swarmed by Sex Pistols and their barrage of comments “Did you see us, Giorno?!” “We were cool, right?!” “Mista sure got angry!” “It’s because that meanie said he was gonna hurt Giorno..” “Well, we wouldn’t let that happen!” “Yeah! We’d help protect you, Giorno!”

Giorno gave the stands a small, fond smile. “Thank you- I feel safer already.” He gave one of the tiny stands a light pat on the head with the tip of his finger, but his eyes were locked on the stand’s user, giving him a look of gratitude that made Mista blush and avert his gaze elsewhere with an innocent whistle- pretending he didn’t hear what his stands just said (or that he could feel it when Giorno patted them in appreciation).

“So..” Kakyoin began, eyeing Jotaro with a mildly amused smile once he’d made his way over to him nearby. “Were you worried?”

“……” Jotaro looked at him quietly for a moment before pulling his hat down over his eyes. “Hmph, yare yare daze. Figured you’d be fine..Josuke just panicked and made us rush over..”

Kakyoin tilted his head, leaning sideways slightly so he could see under the brim of his boyfriend’s iconic hat. “Oh? You weren’t worried at all?”

“Of course not.” Jotaro turned his head away, but Kakyoin caught the way the corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he spoke. “You wouldn’t be my partner if I thought you couldn’t handle yourself.”

While Kakyoin smiled more at the other teen’s words, Gappy ran past them over to Yasuho and looked her over with a concerned frown on his face. “You’re okay, right? He didn’t hurt you?”

Yasuho laughed lightly and waved off her boyfriend’s concern. “I’m fine, Josuke. It wasn’t anything we couldn’t-” She blushed slightly when her boyfriend suddenly took her hand, holding it with a relieved smile on his face.

“Good…” He looked her in the eyes, smiling more. “I don’t know what I’d do without you..”

“Aw, Josuke..” She smiled back at him, squeezing his hand gently. “You’re getting so sappy- it’s weird.” They both laughed at that one, sharing the sentiment whole-heartedly.

Okuyasu looked through the crowd and spotted his own boyfriend still standing back where the Joestar group had started. Making his way over to him, Okuyasu gave Josuke an apologetic frown and rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. “Hey, Josuke..look, I’m sorry about earlier, but one of those creepy zombie-things shot my phone and I-” He was cut off mid-apology by a pair of lips firmly crashing into his own and strong arms wrapping around his waist. “?!” After taking a moment to regain his senses, Okuyasu returned the kiss as he always did.

He was (pleasantly) surprised by the amount of love and passion he could feel in the heated kiss, gasping slightly when he was dipped backwards for a moment and even feeling Josuke’s tongue slip into his mouth. By the time it was over and he was brought upright again, Okuyasu was (pleasantly) dazed with a huge grin on his face.

“That,” Josuke said, still keeping his arms locked tight around Okuyasu. “Was the hottest thing I have EVER seen.” He peppered Okuyasu’s face with kisses between each word he spoke. “You were so cool, babe. God, I just love you so much..”

Okuyasu grinned more from the praise and affection, wrapping his own arms around Josuke’s shoulders. “Hey, we’re the ‘Jojo Support Squad’, remember? Gotta be ready to support our Jojo’s, right?”

Everyone in the squad agreed, that’s what the Jojo Support Squad was for- supporting each other in airing out their mild complaints, but, ultimately, it was for supporting their beloved Jojo’s whenever they needed them.

End Notes: *collapses after posting this at 2:30 AM* Ugggh, I got over ambitious with this one @_@ It ended up WAY longer than I thought, but I didn’t have the strength of will to cut it. The next two will be shorter because of this, but I’m okay with that right now xP

Also, the Modern Major General is an OC I made together with my cousin. My cousin’s in the army and is a huge Jojo nerd, so one day we talked about what we’d be like as Jojo characters and we created this OC based off of the idea of him being a bad guy. I chose the character name because I’m a musical theater geek, and he came up with the concept for the stand because War Pigs, ironically, has been his favorite song for years (we used to guitar hero battle each other with that one all the time as kids x3). Overall, the idea of the character was to line up with the song War Pigs in that he liked to control others and could talk a big game, but, without his soldiers to send in to battle for him, he becomes pretty useless and death rightfully and swiftly comes for him.

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finnofamerica · 5 years

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Secrets - Racetrack Higgins X Reader

This is my first Race fic so he’s probably OOC

Summary: Race and Y/n are best friends but they both are hiding a secret.

Word Count: 1589

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It was common knowledge that you were Race Higgins’ girl. Except you, y’know, weren’t. You were friends, best friends even, but nothing more than that. However, everyone seemed to think something else. It never affected you that much, aside from the boys teasing you constantly. It was your life, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

As December descended, all anyone found themselves talking about was the Snow Ball. Which of course led to your friends hounding you about going until you finally gave in.

“Y/n/n, what dress ya’ wearing?” Race would ask nearly every day.

“I said I’d go, I never said I’d wear a dress.” You’d tell him every time. That wasn’t a lie, despite the blue lace dress that hung in your closet. If he really wanted to know, Smalls had seen the dress, she could tell him anything he wanted to know.

Finally, the dreaded day of the dance had arrived. Katherine did your hair. You, Kath, and Smalls made your way to the gym where the boys were already waiting. Katherine and Smalls were sure to dazzle the room. Katherine in her sparkly red dress, Smalls in her green long sleeve and black skirt. All eyes were going to be on them for sure.

Your heart thundered as you neared the gym. You could hear the music pounding from twenty feet away before the boys even came into view.

Elmer saw you first, excitedly grabbing JoJo and Romeo’s attention. Romeo hit Henry, Henry hit Tommy Boy, Tommy hit Specs, Specs hit Albert, and so on until all eyes were on you girls. Jack approached first, his eyes trained on Katherine, asking for her arm and led her inside. Smalls just beamed, dragging her boys to the dance floor.

“What are you waiting for?” Albert called to you as you slowly approached him and Race. You gave him a nervous smile.

“I just don’t wear dresses, it feels weird.” You explained, smoothing out the skirt.

“There is only one way to ensure a smile,” Albert extended a hand to you, “Let’s go fuck shit up.”

You gave a laugh as you took his hand letting him lead you inside.

Each of the boys, bless their hearts, took turns dancing with you and Smalls. Except for Jack, who was glued to Katherine’s side. It was exhausting and you were glad for the refreshments that were provided.

You and Race were currently dancing to some ridiculous and awful song blasting through the speakers, doing equally ridiculous and awful dance moves. Laughter bubbling between the two of you. Then you caught something peculiar out of the corner of your eye.

“Race, what color is your tie?” You asked as you were spun back into his arms.

“Blue.” He shrugged.

“You matched my dress!” You beamed.

“Well, I tried. I didn’t know what shade of blue.” He admitted, shrugging again. You pulled him into a tight hug.

“You’re more than I could’ve ever hoped for.” You whispered into his ear as he pulled you tighter.

“Only the best for you.” He whispered back, but it was lost under the thumping of the bass. Then the melody changed. A new slow melody played through the speakers. People around you had begun to pair off; held tight in their lover’s arms.

“May I have this dance?” Race jokingly bowed, extending his hand out to you. Your stomach fluttered as you took his hand.

I need another story Something to get off my chest

“Of course,” You answered, your left hand resting on his shoulder and your right hand was held in his.

Life gets kinda boring Need something that I can confess

His hand was warm against your waist. His tongue poking out from between his teeth as he found a steady rhythm. His fingers tapping against the back of your hand as he adjusted his grip.

Til’ all my sleeves are stained red From all the truth I’ve said Come by it honestly I swear

His eyes trained on your feet for a moment, making sure not to step on you. They were beautiful and blue in the daylight. In the dark they reflected the colors of the flashing lights, changing from blue to red to purple to green to orange in no particular pattern.

Thought you saw me wink, no I’ve been on the brink, so

You reached with your left hand, smoothing out the furrow in his eyebrows. His eyes locked on to yours, pupils were blown wide from the dark of the room.

Tell me what you want to hear Something that will light those ears Sick of all the insincere I’m gonna give all my secrets away

“Relax, Race.” You assured. “I trust you.”

He nodded, taking a breath before spinning you away from him and back.

This time, don’t need another perfect lie Don’t care if critics ever jump in line I’m gonna give all my secrets away

He smelt like that dumb cologne that he got for Christmas last year, courtesy of your dad. You remembered the suit from your cousin’s wedding a few years ago. Was Race always this warm?

My god, amazing how we got this far It’s like we are chasing all those stars

You breathed him in, remembering the nights you would walk down to the docks and just lay there just watching the stars.

Who’s driving all those big black cars And every day I see the news All the problems that we could solve

All the evenings gathered around the television, watching the news with your dad. Arguing about things that are controversial and shouldn’t be.

And when the situation rises Just write it into an album

And the notebook you kept in your desk drawer. An accumulative list of things that make you happy, pictures of your family.

Send it straight to gold I don’t really like my flow, no, so

“You look beautiful tonight,” Race said into your ear as he held you close to him.

Tell me what you want to hear Something that will light those ears Sick of all the insincere I’m gonna give all my secrets away

“Thank you,” You hummed, resting your head on his shoulder. “You look really nice tonight too.”

This time, don’t need another perfect lie Don’t care if the critics ever jump in line I’m gonna give all my secrets away

“I’m so happy your dad decided to coach baseball all those years ago.” He confessed, “I’m so happy you, and all the others, are in my life. I don’t say that enough.”

Oh, got no reason, got no shame Got no family I can’t blame Just don’t let me disappear I’mma tell you everything

“I’m happy we found you too.” You warmed with his words.

So tell me what you want to hear Something that’ll light those ears Sick of all the insincere I’m gonna give all my secrets away

“Don’t tell Al, but you're my favorite.” Race joked in your ear as he swayed with you.

This time, don’t need another perfect lie Don’t care if the critics never jump in line I’m gonna give all my secrets away

“Hey, Race?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“Wanna go home?” You asked, pulling your head off his warm shoulder.

“What about ‘proper protocol’?” He made air quotes around the words without letting you go.

“Fuck protocol, My dad trusts us.” You pointed out.

So tell me what you want to hear Something that will light those ears Sick of all the insincere I’m gonna give all my secrets away

You walked hand in hand across the street lamp light bridge into town. A shiver running down your spine with every breeze that brushed across you. “Y/n/n, take my jacket.” Race offered, letting go of your hand to offer it to you

“Race, no, you’ll get cold.” You turned it down, pushing it back toward him.

“Y/n, please.” He insisted.

“Antonio, I don't want you to get sick.” You persisted.

“I’m not giving up ‘til you take it.” He stared you down. You were damn useless against his puppy eyes.

“Fine,” You too the jacket, sliding it over your shoulders, cursing his eyes under your breath. He just gave you an award-winning victorious smile. He took your hand back in his, twirling you playfully as you continued your walk. Small flakes of snow fluttering around you.

This time, don’t need another perfect line Don’t care if the critics ever jump in line I’m gonna give all my secrets away

The house was warm and empty when you finally arrived. You could hear your father snoring on the couch as you snuck inside to the kitchen.

Two mugs of hot apple cider in hand as you snuck up the stairs to your room.

All my secrets away

Both mugs, now empty, sat on the desk. Your pajamas, an old pair of boxers and one of Al’s old t-shirts, did nothing to block the heat radiating off the boy next to you. You fit perfectly with your head tucked underneath his chin. It was warm and safe next to him as you fought to stay awake. Your hair had been undone and was now splayed out in a mess across the pillow. Race didn’t mind, he just buried his hand in your locks, massaging your scalp, unknowingly aiding in you succumbing to slumber.

“I love you,” He whispered into your hair, pressing a kiss to your forehead, but you were already asleep.

All my secrets away

#racetrack x reader #race higgins x reader #racetrack higgins #race higgins #newsies x reader #antionio higgins #newsies the musical #albert dasilva x reader

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everyonesawhoregrace · 6 years

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Tough Love (5) Michael Gray Fanfic

Please read the first part if you have not already - this is a really fun fanfic fillllled with love and passion and angst!!!!!! And then right under part one I have attached all of the other parts!!!! <3

His eyes, the colour of something so pure and beautiful meet mine as he asks me a simple question.

Do you want Gods love?

Yes, I would respond, feeling his hands against my shoulders. He pushed me away from his face, and like a river that rushes in, someone takes me from behind and he tells me to beg.

My fingers inch over his oak desk as I begin to beg for God to love me. Muffling my tears, as my eyes sting from the pain. I yelp, hearing him begin to moan out loud that I’m doing good. Hughes said he could hear God begin to forgive me.

And then, when he finished he’d zip up his pants and spin me back around. Kissing me lightly on the forehead, he’d run his fingers through my hair and tell me I did good. And just like that, I’d go back to class.

I open my eyes from the memory and see Michael sleeping soundlessly before me. His got his eyes shut, lips plump, the beauty marks on his face look perfect under the sunlight that creeps in.

I lay in my dress, him in his suit. We talked a lot last night, about him, about me, about our lives after the orphanage. Tangled in each other’s arms before sleep overcame us. We didn’t once kiss again, which I couldn’t help but be thankful for. He was still patient.

I drag my thumb over his bottom lip and wonder if I can remember them against mine. I miss his lips against mine. But I keep that to myself. Our legs are entangled, his hand around my back, keeping me from falling off of the small hospital bed. We’re smushed together, our hips, arms, hands innocently drawn to each other.

I’ve never slept consistently through the night before, this was the first time. I usually wake up with the shakes, or that feeling of my heart in my throat and my lungs being squeezed shut. Sometimes I wake up in a panic, a nightmare of one of the fathers in bed with me.

I went to a witch about that, one wintry night. I was drunk and on my usual cocktail of sleeping medication, slurring words to her as tears ran down my heeks because I had freaked my date out. He was this man so sweet and good to me, and I somehow managed to ruin that by screaming into his lips as he tried to get handsy with me. I was convinced I was cursed, or at least was possessed. Now that I think about it, I laugh. But in the moment, I was a total wreck.

She had explained to me that the traumas Hughes and the other Father’s had brought to me will never go away. Told me that every time she looks at me, she sees a smirking man behind me in the shadows. Tall and handsome, disguised as a good man. A man with power who only abuses that fact. She described the man to me, only to detail the man who had hurt me for years. Hughes.

She swore a demon follows me, bound to my chest. And when I asked her how to get rid of it, she looked at me and smiled. “Let go of the past and the demon shall let go of you, my dear.”

Looking at a sleeping Michael, I can’t help but wonder if he’s the same. Has he let go of the past or does he still let Hughes into his everyday life. I run my fingers along the side of his face, noting the imperfections I love most. He’s growing a bit of facial hair, it’s microscopic really. I blush watching as he moans.

His hand that rests around my arms pushes me into him. Our chests press against each others, my breasts almost oozing out of the dress.

“Why are you teasing me?” He asks his voice raspy and sexy. As if to make me understand what he means, his legs, that rest between mine lightly grind into me. I can feel his length brush me through my dress. He bites down on his bottom lip. “I’ve only ever dreamt of waking up beside you, June.”

“And are the dreams just as real?” I beam, his smile makes me smile so hard.

“They ain’t shit compared to reality.” He grins. Hints of yellow, blue, brown, orange dance in his eyes. I could stare into his eyes all day. The most beautiful combination that makes me blush every time he looks at me. I run my fingers through his hair, combing out it out.

“Remember when I used to do this?” I murmur, twisting my fingers around the ends of his hair. “You never let anyone else tough your hair.”

Gazing at me, and watching every move. He moves his head down and kisses the side of my neck. The moment is deliciously slow, and so torturous for me as he begins to lightly suck, using his teeth to glide against my skin.

I close my eyes, my hand no longer running through his hair as he slowly kisses me, leaving a trail of sweet nothings against my skin before meeting my lips. “Oh, I remember.” His hand stops at waist before he pulls back and looks at me. “Did ya sleep alright?”

Unable to even catch my breath, I open my eyes and gaze at the man I feel so much love for. “I did.”

His face softens. “Me too.” He moves his hand to cradle the side of my face, “I love waking up to you.” He plants a gentle kiss on my lips and I blush. “I wouldn't mind waking up to you every morning.”

“One day, you’re going to regret saying that.” I poke my finger into his chest.

He implores, looking deep into my eyes. His face serious. “Why?”

“Because I’ll have a pimple here,” I point in the middle of my forehead, scrunching my face up. “And my eyebrows will be messy, and I’ll have bags under my eyes. Or perhaps one day I’ll have leaked on the bed-”

“Christ.” He shakes his head, smiling that dashing boyish smile. He runs a hand down his face, tugging on his lips. “Is it bad to say I’m ok with that?”

“No.” I giggle, my heart melting. “It’s mortifying.” I say before leaning up and kissing his lips passionately.

A knock or two sound at the door, Michael ignores it, allowing his tongue to explore mine as his hands squeeze my body. I moan into his lips, hearing another chorus of knocks. I whisper her name, but he refuses to listen before the knocks get louder.

“Fuckin’ hell. What!?” He asks, turning away from me. I kiss his cheek, his ears, his neck, his jaw, wrapping my legs around his waist.

“It’s me.” A man, voice raspier than Michael’s says.

I look at the door, as if the mystery man can be seen, but alas, all I see are white curtains. Michael gets on top of me and moves off of the bed. Turning around to face me, I sit up and watch as he moves to the door.

“It’s Tommy,” He tells me, and my heart jumps into my throat.

Tommy. And I’m trapped in this room, Michael looks down and I follow his gaze before realizing that my dress is at my thighs. I stand up, the silk falls to my knees.

The door opens in a click, and a tall man who looks nothing like the big bad, muscular Tommy I had imagined steps in. A man with power and an extremely unimpressed look on his face looks at me. “Good morning.”

I notice the other man that walks in. Tall, skinny, old. One resembles a snake, piercing blue eyes, while the other reminds me a sick puppy. He looks lost and confused. They’re all dressed well though, impeccable fashion, really. I ignore him, watching Jojo move around the room timidly. Poor girls probably hungry.

“You’ve made a home out of this place Michael,” He looks around.

Michael smiles shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, I guess.”

“Want you introduce us to the lady?” He asks.

He turns and looks at me, “June this is Tommy, my cousin,”

Tommy walks over to me and puts out a hand. I take it, shaking it once before the other one approaches me.

“And Arthur, this is June.”

“Beautiful name,” The man named Arthur says as he gives my hand a shake. He flashes a smile, which only eases me.

I blush, he’s not nearly as scary as Tommy.

“Pleasure.”

“Right.” Tommy narrows his eyes at me before turning away. “Michael, the doctor said you’re free to leave so get your stuff ready.”

“How was the funeral? It was today, right?” Michael asks, standing a little taller when speaking to the leader. I notice his demeanour, its as if Michael highly respects Tommy.

“Yeah. It was today.” Tommy gets a cigarette from God knows where and begins to light it. He clears his throat before pointing it at me, he licks his lips. “I hear you’re a registered nurse.”

I keep my mouth shut. He does resemble a snake quite well. His bone structure, the way he talks. Clever but dangerous. Deadly even.

Michael turns and faces me, he wraps his hand around my arm, giving me a squeeze, “Let drop you off at home.” He whispers. His eyes pleading with me for something.

“No-“ I push myself to stand. “It’s ok, I’d rather walk.”

I make my way towards the cat. Scooping her up in my arms. Jojo purrs, and I run my fingers through her white hairs, calming her down. Her and I are alike in that way, we don’t like too many people around us.

I feel a trail of eyes following my every movement. I go for my coat next, which is right under Michael’s. The eyes on me, mixed with my own mental problems only makes me panic. The thought of Arthur and Tommy hurting me brings my hands to a shake as I pull my at coat. I begin to see blotches of black, and tell myself to calm down.

In through the nose, out the through the mouth. In through the nose, out the through the mouth. In through the nose, out the through the mouth.

It doesn’t work until a hand is on my arm, and I turn into his warm green eyes. “You alright?” He asks, searching my eyes before determining that nothing was alright about me. He turns his head slightly and clears his throat. “Do you mind giving us a minute?”

Tommy and Arthur exit the room, but I cannot hear them. The door clicks shut.

He grabs me and pulls me into a hug. I shut my eyes and lick my lips, feeling the air push through me. I breathe deeply, feeling his chest against mine. Poor Jojo endures squished for a moment before yelping out. We pull away and he smiles down at me. “Juney,”

“It gets like that sometimes.” I whisper, my fingers reaching over my lips. I breathe through my fingers, trying to calm myself down. “Like my heart’ll just explode at anytime and my lungs are being squeezed by these hands that won’t budge.” My voice shakes.

“I know.” He nods, “I get like that too sometimes. When I lay awake at night looking at my door, sometimes I still think I’m back at the orphanage, and Hughes will walk into my room and yank me out.”

“Oh Michael,” I lace my arms around his neck, hugging him so tightly. Trying to get the thought of that away from his mind. I peel back, watching as he keeps his eyes shut. His mouth slightly parted as if to say more. Michael leans in, ducking his head down and waiting for me to answer him back by kissing his lips.

I stare at the state he’s in. Watching as his facial features drop down. He’s got a look on his face like he’s about to cry at any moment. I lean in and cover his lips with mine. Our noses brush as he snakes his hand around my waist, resting his fingers on the small of my back. Kissing his soft lips makes me almost dreary, I melt against him, wrapping my hands around his back.

“I hope you at least pulled out of her, Christ knows what happened to the last one.” Polly Shelby’s voice makes its way into my ears.

Michael pulls himself off of me, and I almost stumble as I take a step back. I look at Michael, guilt on his face. Christ knows what happened to the last one.

What the hell does that mean? I look over at Polly, dressed from head to toe in black, her mascaras dragged a bit down, aging her. Not even I can deny how radiant she looks in all black.

“What is she talking about?” I ask, looking back at Michael.

Her heels clack against the floor, she makes her way towards us. “Go on and tell ‘er about Ms. Charlotte who is currently situated at my house waiting for you.” She points a finger at her boy.

“You didn’t tell me you had someone.” I whisper, speaking my mind. My mind races, is he married?

“I don’t.” He looks over to his mother. “Enough Pol.”

“One minute I’m mum, the next Pol.” She scoffs, narrowing her gaze at Michael. “The doctor gave you clearance. Let’s go.”

“I’m not leaving, not without June.”

“Oh for fuck sakes, Michael nows not the time for romance!” Polly spits. “The Italians have targeted you Michael, don’t you get that-“

“I understand!” He shouts, which only seems to shake his mother. “But I’m not going anywhere without June. The last time I did, I never saw her for a decade,” He looks at me, pleading again.

I stand there, still before making up my mind. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you people.”

What was I thinking? I grab my coat, snatching it from the bed. I race towards the door, but his voice slows me down. I’m affected by him.

“June!” Michael calls me.

I turn and look at him, wondering if it’ll be a decade again.

“Please.” He mouths.

“That’s it, sweetheart, you’re leaving?” Polly asks me.

“Fuck off.” I snap, looking directly into those venomous eyes. “It’s nice to see you pretend to I’ve a shit about your son.”

“Pretend!” She laughs, walking up to me. “You better go before I get one of my men to cut ya.”

I stand taller than her, which is so fucking rewarding. Smirking, I look at her and only see a soulless beast, “Have you not got the balls to do that yourself? Yet another responsibility of yours you’ve handed off to another.” I whisper, mentioning the fact that she abandoned her son.

She’s taken back but manages to make my skin crawl by the way she stares at me. Things between us get heated before Michael moves between us, he grabs my hand but I take it back and walk away.

It’s funny how much I see similarities in Polly and Michael. But it also scares me. I make my way down the hall and out the door when I’m stopped by a man who calls my name.

“June!” Tommy says, he’s in a car. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride.”

I begin to shake my head he starts again. “It’ll rain any minute.” He persuaded me, and Jojo hisses into my coat right before letting out a sneeze. I look down at her, desperately wondering if she had done that on purpose before hearing her meow, she wants food. “Okay, Jo.” I whisper, before turning to the man in the car.

Tommy reaches over and pushes the door open for me, I’m reluctant to go inside, and wonder if people see me. Will I be called a whore? Christ. My mind races at the thought of the Charlotte, as I begin to wonder how she looks. The thought and idea of her only hurts me. I hope he isn’t dating her anything, but no, my mind tells me. He’s definitely with her, especially if she’s actually at the family house waiting for him.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

^^^ accurate photo of June and Michael making out in the hospital room*

#michael gray one shot #michael gray imagine #michael gray fanfic #michael gray fanfiction #michael gray #peaky blinder imagine #peaky fookin blinders #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders

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spooky-scary-gremlin · 7 years

Note

prompt: want | the dark tower | Walter and Joey

*rubs hands together* Okay, writing JoJo Girl for the first time. I’m nervous, not gonna lie. Let’s hope I can do a good job. Pray for me, woman. I’m scared. Anyway…. alons y!

Here we go again, Joey thought as her fists clenched in aggravation.

It was becoming an everyday thing now. Walter would come to her, tease her a bit, maybe pull her hair, get far too close. It was becoming a constant. Did he do this to poor Zoey?

❝Why do you two insist on making me wait like this?❞ Walter asked, stepping slowly towards Joey. A grin came to his lips as he eyed the young woman. As much as this game could be… irritating to say the least, there was also something fun and even arousing about how she fought against him. It wasn’t often he got such an aggressive and feisty plaything.

❝Go to Hell, Walter❞ Joey quipped at him, she fought back the shaking that threatened to go through her body. She hated this feeling. It wasn’t fear she felt. No, not at all. It was… excitement. Excitement as he approached her, excitement as she was that wicked grin form on his damnable face.

Walter’s grin never faltered as he caught her by the throat, his eyes flashed with amusement as he caught the look of pleasure that flashed across her face before she quickly replaced it with one of defiance. He chuckled ❝You can’t keep this up forever, Joey❞ he said, bringing her close to him, his hand tightening ❝You want this as much as I do❞

❝I want you to leave me and my cousin the fuck alone❞ she growled at him. Though, honestly? She wasn’t sure how true that really was. Damn this despicable man, and damn him for making her feel this way.

Walter let out a small laugh, a mocking laugh. He knew all too well she was lying to both him and herself ❝You’re both so adorable in denial❞ he told her, his face slowly leaning down to hers ❝Which one of you will accept it first I wonder?❞ he said before pressing his lips to hers. It wasn’t a particularly rough one, but it was hard. He gave her bottom lip a nip.

Joey tried to push him away with one hand but her wrist was caught by his hand, she felt him squeeze, making her moan. Between the hand on her wrist and the light nipping of her lip… she found herself returning the kiss, deepening it as she stood on her tiptoes.

Walter grinned into the kiss ❝See? I told you, you want this as much as I do❞ he released her and watched as she backed away, breathing raggedly.

❝Fuck you, Walter❞ Joey spat

Fuck you for doing this to me, Joey thought.

#my post: answered asks #writing: fanfiction #fandom: the dark tower (film)#couple: walter x joey

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idekwhatthisis · 7 years

Text

Surprise

Summary: You're Romans wife and are in the military. When you finally get the news that you get to go home you keep it a secret and surprise Roman.

Requested by: @thiickreigns

Making your way through the camp you attempted to hide your excitement behind a neutral face. You nodded politely at the people that smiled at you and managed to avoid any conversations. The leader of your group had requested to talk to you, and you were hoping that it was the news you had been waiting for. You finally arrived at the tent after what like hours and quickly slipped in, nodding at your leader. "You wanted to talk to me mam?" You asked with your hands clasped together in front of you. "Yes I did. I just wanted to tell you that you're going home." It took a second for her words to register but when they did your hand flew up to cover your mouth and tears welled in your eyes. A small smile appeared on her usually stern face "Go pack your things." You nodded your head several quick times. "Thank you so much mam." You spoke quickly, eager to go pack your things. She dismissed you with a nod and you exited the tent in a calm fashion but couldn't resist jumping around a bit outside happily. Once you started packing your things you couldn't stop thinking about JoJo and Roman, how happy you'd be when you see them. I should surprise Roman. You thought to yourself with a devious grin.

Roman's P.O.V (point of view)

I couldn't help myself from looking around at all the couples and families that surrounded me. Every woman I saw reminded me of Y/N for some reason and it wasn't making the fact that she wasn't going to be home soon even worse. There was a break around the middle of the signing and I found myself watching a small family of four. The mother had Y/H/C hair that shined like Y/Ns, and the daughter, the oldest girl clearly looked like her father, but the youngest was a younger version of her mom. I had always wanted to have a kid with Y/N, we have JoJo and Y/N loves her just as much as I do. But I've always wanted a little Y/N running around the house, reminding me of her when she's not there. It helped that JoJo was always begging for a little sister to play with. A rough hand landing on my shoulder pulled out of my thoughts and staring. "You're staring at the family and I think they're gonna notice." Ambroses scratchy voice informed me as he sat on the chair next to mine. "I can't help it man." I sighed and looked at him rather than the family. "You miss Y/N, I get it. But you can't go around staring at everyone that reminds you of her, some people might get weirded out." He was half teasing and half serious about the last part. "I know. I just want her to come home, so does JoJo." I admitted and went to go run a hand through my hair only to realize I had tied it up. "I'm sure she'll be back soon." He started confident, almost as if he knew something I didn't. "Just try and think of good memories you had with her. And try to stop staring." He got up and walked away before I could question him about whether or not her knew something. That was weird. I thought to myself before shaking the lunatic fringe out of my mind, focusing on the little boy that was about to approach me.

Your P.O.V

The minute you had entered the airport after getting off the aeroplane you had your phone in hand and was attempting to contact one of the girls. In your time at home you had became close with some of the Divas and they always told you to text them if you ever needed anything. A few seconds after you turned off your phone it buzzed with a reply making you smile widely. You're back! YAY! And of coarse I'll help you with your secret plan, what is it? You chuckled at Naomi's reply and immediately brought her up to speed on your idea. I don't want Roman to know I'm back yet. I want to surprise him and JoJo. You made your way to the exit as you waited anxiously for a reply. YOU SHOULD COME TO RAW TONIGHT! The all capitals text made you smile and shake your head. I remember Roman saying that he was gonna bring JoJo tonight, it'll be perfect! You bit your lip and thought about Naomi’s suggestion before deciding that it would be perfect. You texted her saying it was a great idea and the two of you agreed to meet at the hotel the entire roster was staying at so she could help you sneak your stuff into her and Jimmy’s room until Roman knew you were there. You flagged down a cab once you finished your conversation with Naomi, smiling to yourself as you told the cab driver the address of the hotel.

Once you pulled up to the hotel you payed the driver and stepped out, making sure not to be seen by anyone that knew you. You were looking for Naomi when a hand was placed on your shoulder making you tense and turn around quickly, only to seeing a grinning Naomi. “Naomi!” “Y/N!” You both greeted each excitedly and she pulled you into a tight hug. “As much as I missed you, we have to get you out of here. Someone’s gonna end up seeing you.” She pulled away from the hug and you nodded in agreement, following her as she tip toed towards the doors. There was a pause as she looked through the glass doors to make sure no one on the roster was in the lobby, before she gestured for you to follow her. “No, no, no.” She said urgently as you were both about to enter the hotel. She pushed you backwards so that no one in the hotel could see either of you “Enzo and Cass are in there.” She sighed once you were out of view. “How did you not see Enzo and Cass Enzo doesn’t exactly blend into the crowd and Cass is a giant.” You questioned with a raised brow making Naomi shoot you a look. “Hey, I’m tired.” You shook your head and laughed at her excuse. She then moved to see if the two men were leaving and when she saw them head towards the door she looked back to you. “Okay, this is our opening.” Nodding at her, you followed closely behind as she inched closer to the entrance. Enzo and Cass walked out the door and turned in the opposite direction that you were which gave you and Naomi and chance to slip through the doors. You could hear Naomi humming the Mission Impossible song to herself as you both rushed towards the elevator. You both rushed to the elevator, you pressing the button to call the elevator multiple times as Naomi made sure no one was coming. Once the doors opened Naomi shoved you in before her and then quickly stepped in, pressing the button that shut the elevator doors. “I feel like a spy.” Naomi giggled as she pressed the button for the floor she was on before she turned and immediately tripped over one of your bags. You attempted to hold in your laughter but ultimately failed when she looked up at you with a shocked facial expression. A few minutes later the doors opened and Naomi, still desperate to be a spy, summersaulted out of the elevator making you laugh as you simply walked out. “Okay hurry, Jimmy went to grab a coffee with Jey, but he’s gonna be back soon.” Naomi said as she opened the door to her room before ushering you in. “Where should we hide these?” You asked looking at your bags making Naomi think for a second. “I got it.” She snapped her fingers and led you to the closet. “Just throw them in the bottom of here. Jimmy has all the stuff he needs for tonight in there.” She pointed to a bag that sat on the bed. There was a noise from the hallway that made you both freeze “You sure Naomi won’t mind?” “Nah she’ll be fine with it man, come on.” Naomi and you shared a panicked loom at the sound of the twins voices. She motioned you to head into the bathroom as she threw your bags into the closet and shut the door. “Get in the tub.” She whisper yelled to you making you nod and shut the door before sitting in the bath, making sure the shower curtain was closed all the way. “Hey babe.” You heard Jimmy greet Naomi as the door opened. “Hey.” Naomi answered before she greeted Jey. “Jey just has to use the washroom and then we’ll head out.” You squeaked quietly at what Jimmy said. “Don’t you have to get your stuff from your room, why don’t you just use your bathroom?” You heard Naomi try to keep Jey out of the bathroom. “Calm down girl, I’ll be a minute.” Jey laughed. “His stuff is already in the car babe. Don’t worry.” Jimmy chuckled and you heard someone approach the door before it swung open. You heard it shut and then heard Jey humming a song you didn’t recognize to himself. You slowly peeked your head out from behind the curtain only to quickly pull back when you saw your husbands cousin go to undo his belt. You tried desperately to ignore the fact that on the other side of the shower curtain your cousin by marriage was using the washroom. It felt like forever until Jey left the room when in reality it was only a couple minutes.”I’ll meet you two down there. I just have to grab something.” Naomi made up an excuse as to why she couldn’t walk down with the twins. You slowly tried to make your way out of the tub, hearing the twins accept her excuse. As soon as you heard the door closed the bathroom door was flung open and Naomi looked at you with a wide eyes. “Did he see you?” You shook your head “No, the shower curtain stopped that.” Naomi let out a sigh of relief. “I have to go now but you change, do your hair, and your makeup and then take a cab to the arena. Text me when you’re on the way and I’ll meet you at the back entrance.” Naomi instructed you with a very serious look on her face. “Okay I got it.” You laughed and she smiled. “It’s good to have you back Y/N/N. Stay a little this time.” She hugged you and referred to the last time you had been home, and you could only stay for a week. “I will, don’t worry. Now get out of here, you can’t keep the boys waiting.” After you pushed Naomi out of the room you dug your bags out of the closet and pulled out your makeup, hair straightener, and Romans favourite dress on you.

Applying the last of your lipstick you checked the time on your phone and realized that you should be leaving. Grabbing your phone and stepping into your favourite pair of heels, you quickly left the room. You hailed a cab and texted Naomi to let her know you were on the way. You couldn’t stop smiling on the ride to the arena and you also couldn’t stop watching the WWE snapchat after you saw that JoJo was with Renee. The drive seemed to take hours but you could’ve peed yourself when you arrived, you were that excited. “Thanks.” You mumbled and payed the driver before getting out and walking towards the door Naomi was meeting you at. You slipped through the door and immediately saw Naomi waiting for you with a wide smile on her face. “Damn, you clean up nice Y/N.” She winked once you approached each other. “Thanks, it’s not like I had some motivation or anything.” You smirked at her making her raise a brow and laugh. “Romans match just started so let’s go find your JoJo.” You let Naomi drag you around backstage until you saw some of the Divas standing around while watching the monitor. “Let’s go say hi.” You insisted, taking a pause from your mission to find your step daughter. You two stood behind them until Roman Superman punched Seth Rollins,knocking him to the ground. “That’s my baby.” You said making all the girls whip around and freeze once they saw you. “Well are you gonna hug her or not?” Naomi sassed with a smile making them all surge forward and pull you into a tight group hug. “What are you doing here?” “How long are you staying?” “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were coming?” They were all throwing questions at you. “Wait, slow dow.” You laughed and pulled yourself out of the hug. “I got to come home for a while, I don’t know long I’m staying, and Naomi knew I was coming. I wanted to surprise everyone.” You managed to answer everyones questions in one breath. “Oh my god. JoJo and Roman are gonna freak out.” Nattie smiled and all the girls agreed and awed at the thought. “Yeah, go find JoJo.” Brie pushed you a bit. “She’s with Renee, in catering.” Fox grinned and they all sent you on your way, Naomi insisting on staying with them.

You watched from around a corner as Renee played with JoJo with a bunch of junk food on the table in front of them. You then casually walked into the room and decided to walk past their tables and grab a bag of chips as you did. You heard JoJo gasp in annoyance and then you heard Renee clear her throat. “Excuse me-” Renee was cut off by JoJo’s annoyed tone. “Those were mine!” You smiled and then started to speak, turning around after a few words. “What? Mommy can’t have any chips?” You saw Renees jaw drop and JoJo screamed. “Mommy!” She yelled out and slid off her chair, running straight towards you. You bent down and picked her up with a grunt of effort, bringing her closer to you she clung onto you tightly while you buried your face into her curly hair. “I missed you sweetie.” You held her tighter and your eyes were watering with unshed tears. “I love you mommy.” You heard her sniffle into your shoulder. Finally putting her down you pulled an eager Renee into a lingering hug, answering all her eager questions while playing with JoJo’s wild hair.

“Come on babe.” You muttered to yourself as you watched the monitor with the other Divas and JoJo, who was sitting on your shoulders. You held your breath as Roman went for the three count and let out a cheer along with everyone else when he won the match. You felt JoJo being removed from your shoulders, you turned to see Nikki holding her. “Go get your man.” The rest of the girls cheered as you smiled and jogged away. You paused at the black curtain and waited for Romans theme to hit, waiting a few seconds until you walked off. Your husbands face went from confused to shocked and then ecstatic. You waved at him from the top of the ramp with a smirk on your face and he quickly slid out of the ring and ran to you. You barrelled into you, lifting you up into his arms and holding you close and inhaling your sweet scent. “I missed you so much.” You smiled into his hair and let a few tears fall. You could hear him mumbling sweet nothings into your chest as you felt your dress dampening slightly from his tears. He pulled away and set you down on the ground, letting you reach up and place a hand on his jaw as he rested his big hands on your hips. “I love you.” You smiled as you stared him in the eyes before you pulled him in for an intense kiss. If you were in any other situation, kissing in front of a sold out arena and all the people watching live would have made you cringe but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. After a blissful moment he pulled away to mumble something against your mouth that made you pull away and stare at him. “What did you say?” Your eyes were wide and you hoped he had said what you thought you heard. “I wanna have a baby with you. A little girl for JoJo to play with.” You could feel the tears sliding down your face again as you nodded, slowly at first before they became frantic. “I want that too.” You smiled through your tears making Roman smile back at you before pulling you backstage once again. Once you were out of view of the cameras and audience he didn’t waste anytime bringing your lips to his in a fierce kiss. Your hands tangled in his wet hair as his hands gripped tightly at your hips. “Woah guys, there’s a kid present.” You heard Dean chuckle from behind you making you pull away and turn to face him, and Renee who was covering JoJo’s eyes with a smirk. You stepped out of your husbands grasp and Renee uncovered JoJo’s eyes, effectively letting her run into Roman’s arms. He held her close and pulled you into his side as you brought a hand up to ruffle JoJo’s hair. “Daddy can we go to bed now?” JoJo asked with a yawn making you smile affectionately while Roman nodded at her. “You coming?” He asked before he started walking towards his locker room to grab his bags. “No, I’ll meet you in the car.” You smiled and kissed his cheek before kissing JoJo’s as well. Roman nodded before walking away while you stayed and chatted with Renee and Dean until you heard JoJo’s familiar laugh from the hall. “We’ll take her tomorrow night.” Renee leaned in close with a smirk on her face. “We will?” Dean whined making you laugh while Renee shot him a look. “Yes we will. They need some alone time” Renee smiled triumphantly when Dean nodded with a grunt. “Can’t deny that, he’s been going through a dry spell for almost a year.” You and Renee were laughing when Roman and JoJo finally made their way back to you. He shot you a confused look until you spoke to JoJo “JoJo, do you want to have a sleepover tomorrow night with Aunt Renee and Uncle Dean?” JoJo looked a bit unsure which made you worry a little, because even though you’d never admit it you were desperate for a night alone with Roman. “C’mon kid, it’ll be fun.” Dean messed up her long hair affectionately which seemed to make her mind because the next thing you knew she was nodding and blabbering about everything they were going to do. “Alright, we have to go now Jo. It’s past your bedtime, you’ll see Aunt Renee and Uncle Dean tomorrow.” You told her to say goodbye which she quickly did and then started to skip ahead of you and Roman. “Score.” Roman whispered to you with a smirk. “Counting the seconds until tomorrow night.” You grinned back as you turned around a corner, telling JoJo to wait by the door. “I missed you Y/N.” “I missed you too Roman.”

#roman reigns #roman reigns imagine #roman reigns one shot #wwe imagine #wwe one shot #wwe #imagine #oneshot #request

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duhragonball · 3 years

Text

Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch. 88-93

Hey, guess what this post is all about? Here’s a hint:

In St. Moriz, Switzerland, the gang have tracked down the address to which Esidisi had tried to mail the Red Stone of Aja. Turns out it’s some spooky abandoned mansion with all the windows boarded up. It’s the perfect hideout for a supervillain who doesn’t want to be bothered by nosy neighbors or pesky sunlight.

Actually, now that I think about it, I’m not sure why Esidisi expected the mailman to deliver his package to an empty building. Maybe he figured Kars could just barge into the St. Moriz post office and find it.

Another weird thing: Joseph opens this chapter with a monologue about the setting, then teases a cat, then provides exposition about the poison ring on his heart, and then Lisa Lisa calls him over to check out the mansion they’ve found. It seems kind of strange that he was just monologueing the whole time, unless that’s supposed to be the joke.

Anyway, now they have to figure out their next move. Caesar wants to go to the manion at once to attack Kars before sundown. They know he’s in there, and he’s alone, because he said Wammu was away during their last encounter. So it’ll be four on one, and they’ll have the advantage because the sun’s out. But Joseph disagrees. Kars has lived like this for thousands of years. He would be expecting his enemies to attack him during the day, and it’s a safe bet that he’s laid all sorts of traps and precautions to protect himself. So why play into his hands? Joseph wants to wait, although I’m not sure attacking at night would be any easier. Maybe he wants the Pillar Men to come to them?

Actually, that makes a lot of sense. Joseph has to fight Wammu in about five days, in order to get the antidote to the poison ring. They have the Aja Stone, so maybe it makes sense to play keep-away until the big Joseph/Wammu fight. Joseph can kill Wammu (hopefully), and that leaves Kars isolated. From there on, they can stick together, and wait for Kars to come to them, confident that their combined power can defeat him. There’s a lot that could go wrong with such a strategy, but it minimizes the risks.

But Caesar is adamant about going after Kars immediately. They know where he is, so how can they wait another moment? He speaks of the curse of the Stone Mask, that got their grandfathers killed, but Joseph finds that talk dumb. Family legacies don’t mean anything against your own life in the here and now. It’s stupid to get killed over something like that, he says, and that pisses Caesar off.

He fights with Joseph, then angrily goes off to storm Kars’ lair alone. I could show the part where he fights Joseph, but I think this panel is a lot more powerful, because Lisa Lisa orders him to stay, and he defies her. Caesar’s always held Lisa Lisa in such high regard, but this time, he just can’t respect her wishes. She orders Messina to follow him and stop him before he can go inside the mansion, then explains to Joseph why this is so important to Caesar.

Okay, to this whole Caesar Fights Alone arc is extremely full of “rhymes” with other JoJo parts. Let me just get a couple out of the way before we get down to business. The Part 1 references in Battle Tendency should be obvious, but in this case, Will Zeppeli has everything to do with Caesar’s determination to kill Kars. Also, when discussing an attack on the mansion, Joseph likens a daylight assault to “a butterly landing on a spider’s web”, which is Jolyne Kujo’s entire wardrobe in prose. So that’s Part 6.

But, more importantly, this flashback of Caesar’s origin story might as well be the blueprint for all of the flashback origins we see in Part 5. The story of Caesar doesn’t exactly line up with any of the Vento Aureo cast, but it has an extremely similar feel. A young boy loses his family, goes down a dark path, and then has a revelatory experience. And Caesar’s from Naples, just like Giorno Giovanna and most of Bruno’s team.

The story is this: Caesar’s father, Mario Zeppeli, was a widower and a good parent, until one day he just ghosted all his kids. He left them plenty of money, but a wicked cousin swindled it away. Neighbors and friends took care of the Zeppeli kids, but Caesar himself became embittered and eventually ended up in an orphanage, and then later he became a street tough in Rome, not unlike a young Speedwagon in London. Caesar resented his father for abandoning the family, and assumed that Mario had left them to pursue some pleasurable life with a woman. He resolved to hunt down Mario and kill him for this, sort of like “A Boy Named Sue”, but when he finally found Mario Zeppeli, he saw him going down into the basement of the Roman Colosseum instead of some brothel.

And we already know what’s down under the Colesseum: The three Pillar Men. While following Mario, Caesar discovered the Pillar Men in the wall, and noticed a diamond in Kars’ hand. This was a trap, though, and Mario had to shove Caesar out of the way and get pulled in himself. As Mario explained, the Pillar Men use those precious objects to get humans to take a closer look, and then all these hooks come out to pull them in to be absorbed. This is how the Pillar Men feed during their “hibernation” in the stone.

As he died, Mario pleaded with Caesar to inform a woman named Lisa Lisa in Venice, and to warn her that the Pillar Men would awaken soon. But Mario had no idea that he was speaking to his own son, and it finally dawned on Caesar that Mario had left the family because he knew how dangerous this whole business was, and he had wanted to keep his kids out of it. Awestruck, Caesar suddenly gained a new appreciation for his father, and ended up taking up Mario’s cause.

Which is... a whole lot like the dynamic between Jotaro and Jolyne in Stone Ocean. So there’s some more Part 6 for you. And Mario’s sacrifice resembles Joseph Joestar’s rescue of the Invisible Baby in Part 4. Josuke observed that no one would go so far to save someone they didn’t even know, but Mario Zeppeli did.

The flashback ends with Mario’s death, but it’s not hard to work out the rest of Caesar’s backstory. He went to Venice as instructed, but he must have also told Lisa Lisa that he was Mario’s son, and she must have recognized his nascent Ripple abilities. Eager for help against the Pillar Men threat, she took him on as her student, and trained him through the late 1930′s. And she must have filled him in on how Mario became a Ripple warrior, following in the footsteps of Caesar’s grandfather, Will.

Then Speedwagon and Joseph came to Italy to join forces with Caesar, and it makes some sense why Caesar didn’t respect Joseph very much. The Caesar we see in the flashback looks a lot like Joseph in the early chapters of Part 2: A tough guy, with natural Hamon talents, but no formal training, and no understanding of all the lore surrounding it. Caesar saw Joseph as a reflection of himself at 16, and he must not have liked it at all. Also, this must have made Caesar resentful, because he knew his grandfather died to save Jonathan Joestar, but seeing Joseph probably made him question if that sacrifice was justified.

What confuses me is how all of this European lore gels with the North American lore we saw at the beginning of Part 2. I mean, Speedwagon discovered a Pillar Man in Mexico, and the first thing he did was to call in Straizo. Meanwhile, Lisa Lisa and the Zeppelis had been aware of the other Pillar Men in Rome this whole time. It just seems a bit weird, although Straizo’s sudden betrayal might explain the communication breakdown.

Oh, I should probably also mention something I forgot to bring up earlier: The Pillar Men can’t be destroyed by the Ripple while they’re in their stone forms. Caesar told Speedwagon that he had tried it before, and I’m sure Mario must have done the same.

Anyway, now that Joseph knows the whole story of Caesar, he changes his tune and wants to join Caesar on this daring daylight raid on the mansion. He figures that a man like Caesar must have a solid plan to deal with any traps inside the building. And maybe he does, except Caesar can’t even get to the door, because someone’s attacking him in the front yard. Turns out it’s Wammu, not Kars, and his “Wind Mode” allows him to refract sunlight around himself for a short time, making him nearly invisible and also letting him land a surprise attack on the good guys. When Messina catches up to Caesar, Wammu manages to lop off one of his arms.

So the situation is a lot more perilous than anyone expected. If Caesar even had a plan, it didn’t involve fighting Wammu outdoors. Undaunted, he releases a volley of soap bubbles charged with Hamon energy. This is a jacked-up variation of his Bubble Launcher technique, but this time the bubbles won’t burst because of all the Ripple power he put into them, and they also spin rapidly like little blades. Wammu’s “wind suit” works against him in this case, because the air currents just drag the “soap cutters” even closer to his body.

So yeah, shades of Part 7 and 8 here. I mean, Gyro Zeppeli’s real name is “Julius Caesar Zeppeli”, so it’s not hard to imagine anything Caesar says and does in Part 2 as a foreshadowing of Steel Ball Run. But he’s even using centrifugal force to strengthen his attacks, a precursor to the “Spin” techniques used by the Zeppelis in the SBR-verse.

I think the soap bubble thing speaks for itself. The “Soft and Wet” Stand in JoJolion uses soap bubbles too. But more than that, I think the Pillar Men have a great resemblance to the villain group in JoJolion. It’s like Araki was trying to come up with ideas for Part 8, and he looked at the Caesar/Wammu fight and decided he wanted More of That. Which is kind of amazing to me, because I always saw Battle Tendency as this “orphaned” JoJo arc, kind of isolated from the rest of the series, but now I’m starting to see that it’s more like a miniature model of the later parts.

Needless to say, this “Soap Cutter vs. Wind Mode” battle looks a lot like the Stand Battles featured in Part 3 and onward. Caesar expected to get to the mansion, only to find an “impossible” scenario: a warrior ambushing him outside. How can this be, when the Pillar Men can’t go out in the daylight? It’s because Wammu’s power lets him do this for short times, but until Caesar figures that out, it gives Wammu the advantage. Then Caesar responds with his own special ability, and uses Wammu’s own technique against him.

Speaking of Part 3, here’s a shot of Caesar following Wammu into the mansion, and confronting him at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Is Polnareff a secret Zeppeli? Who knows?

Wammu had to withdraw into the mansion to escape Caesar’s Soap Cutters, and he figures he has a chance to respond with his own big move, but Caesar’s not done coming after him. To get into the mansion, Wammu had to smash a hole in the wall, so Caesar uses the light coming in from that hole to his advantage. He surrounds Wammu with more soap bubbles, but this time they refract and reflect and focus the sunlight onto Wammu’s body.

To be honest, I forgot how much this fight kicks ass. The Pillar Men started out like big bad news, but Joseph crushed Esidisi, and now Caesar is really eating Wammu’s lunch here. Imagine how well the boys would have done if they had ganged up on a Pillar Man.

So Caesar’s got Wammu cornered, so he leaps in to finish him off with a Hamon attack...

And that turns out to be a huge mistake, because Caesar’s body provides just enough of a shadow for Wammu to recover and fire back with his own windstorm move. This is kind of like how Wammu first appeared. He made that hole, and when the German guy leaned in for a better look, he impaled him with his horn, then spun the horn around to spray blood on all the UV lamps.

Which says a lot about Wammu. Everyone talked about Kars setting up traps in this mansion to foil any daytime attacks, but we never actually saw any traps. Wammu is the trap. All he needs is a shadow and a moment to capitalize on it.

And that’s the fight. Caesar survived the Wind Storm, but he’s too badly hurt to continue. Wammu praises him for giving him the best fight he’s had in millennia, and he even worries about what might have happened if Kars had faced Caesar instead. Wammu thinks Kars still would have won, but he would have gotten hurt worse in the process. That’s saying something, because Wammu got pretty badly hurt himself, so how badly would Kars have fared against Caesar?

One thing that occurred to me while reading the manga for this is that Kars might actually be the weakest Pillar Man in the trio. He’s far above Santana, of course, but it seems pretty clear that Wammu’s the best fighter, and Esidisi’s death was a huge blow to Kars. As soon as he found out, he immediately resolved to kill Joseph because he was too dangerous a threat. This isn’t like when Vegeta loses a subordinate. If you beat Nappa, he’s only mildly impressed, because he’s so much stronger than Nappa that he still doesn’t see you as a threat.

I’d say the Pillar Men are much closer together in terms of power, but it feels like the pecking order is Wammu, then Esidisi, then Kars. Those blades of his are pretty cool-looking, but Wammu’s Wind Mode is much more versatile in a fight. Wammu practically said as much here, but his devotion to Kars prevents him from admitting that Kars would have gotten his ass kicked against Caesar.

So why is Kars in charge? Because he’s the brains of the outfit, naturally. Kars is the one who does all the R&D on these Stone Masks, and Esidisi basically admitted that he has no idea how the Red Stone of Aja will improve the Masks further. Kars understands the Stone Mask technology in ways they can’t even fathom, and his research promises to give them ultimate power, so they’ve been following his orders ever since.

Anyway, Caesar’s beaten, but he still won’t give up. He climbs up the stairs again to keep attacking Wammu, who just sort of stands there looking confused. Then Caesar grabs the piercing from Wammu’s lip, the one that contains the antidote Joseph needs. Wammu doesn’t understand this gesture either, so he just stands there and lets it happen.

This is kind of like when Joseph managed to land a decent blow on Wammu back in Rome, and then he started punching Wammu, only for Wammu to reveal that he allowed himself to be punched to punish himself for taking the hit earlier. I’m wondering if Caesar was counting on Wammu to do the same thing here.

Wammu asks why he would bother with this, and Caesar explains that this is his family’s true heritage. All along, Caesar has been planning to defeat the Pillar Men himself, to avenge his father and grandfather, and to break the curse on their family line. But now he realizes that he’s going to die too, just like they did. His fate is not to succeed where they failed, but instead it’s to carry on their tradition of rescuing others to carry on where they fell. Just as Will Zeppeli passed on his Hamon to Jonathan, Caesar uses the last of his own Ripple to deliver the antidote to Joseph.

So Caesar makes another soap bubble with his own blood, and puts his headband and the ring inside of it. Wammu considers interfering with this final gesture, but decides against it, because he respects Caesar as a warrior. So he just turns and leaves.

Then Joseph and Lisa Lisa show up. There’s no sign of Caesar or Wammu, but the blood bubble tells the whole story. Joseph is all emotional over this, but Lisa orders him to stay focused. They’re deep in enemy territory, and they can’t afford to grieve. Joseph is upset at first, but then he coolly observes that Lisa’s cigarette is backwards, a sign that she’s not as dispassionate about this as she would like to be. I love this scene. The wiggly lines on Lisa’s hands make the comic version better than the anime.

Then they finally notice blood trickling out from beneath a cross-shaped piece of wall. Well, I guess it’s from the wall, but it’s kind of hard to tell what this place looked like before. It fell on Caesar as he died, and now that Joseph and Lisa realize where he is, they both break down in tears.

I’m not a big fan of Caesar. He’s kind of a dick, and most of his more admirable qualities end up getting overshadowed by Joseph’s personal growth. For example, Joseph realizes in this part of the arc that he’s learned to read and empathize with Lisa’s feelings, something Caesar thought he couldn’t do earlier on. On the other hand, this fight marked the end of Caesar’s character arc, and it only happened because he brazenly wandered into a trap. Joseph might regret calling Caesar an idiot, but I think he had the right idea. It didn’t have to go down like this. They could have taken Wammu’s antidote ring some other time. As it is, Joseph still has to fight Wammu anyway, because Caesar’s no longer available to to do it.

However, I think of Caesar when I think about Part 3, because I see Stardust Crusaders as this final chapter of the curse of the Stone Masks, with Joseph coming back to wrap up the last loose end of that whole terrible business. Dio and the Pillar Men killed a lot of people, but Caesar’s the one Joseph actually knew personally. So when I see the Stardust Crusaders heading off to Egypt to wreck Dio’s shit, I tend to think of Caesar as one of the people Joseph is fighting for. I mean, his daughter’s life is on the line in Part 3, so that’s got to be much more important to him, but Caesar was the first friend he lost over these stupid masks, and that’s probably in the back of his mind throughout Part 3. All this trouble, because buttholes like Dio and Kars want to be bigger than everyone else. But their dreams are pathetic compared to the noble sacrifices made by men like Caesar Zeppeli.

Anyway, play the slow, sad part of Roundabout for Caesar.

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#jojo's bizarre adventure #battle tendency #joseph joestar #caesar zeppeli #lisa lisa #wammu #mario zeppeli #will a zeppeli #messina

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