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lumi077 · 7 months

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jealous jealous girls and boys~

You’re gorgeous, everyone knows this. Your partner, bless their heart, are very crudely aware of just how jaw dropping you are when their insecurities mingle with their protectiveness when they see, or hear, you get hit on. It wasn’t something you were unused to, and they know you love and want only them, but can they really help it if they…overreact?

Warnings; Unwanted advances, , possessive themes, hotd/got canon incest, infidelity (Loba), potential ooc.

Characters (multifandom): Walden Darling (WH), Astarion (BG3), Daemon and Rhaenyra targaryen (HOTD), Scaramouche/Wanderer (Genshin), Leliana (DA; I), Loba (Apex)

A/N: Take this as a peace offering till I can get the next chapter of Winters’ Servants out T^T I’ve been busy, I got a new job and my dog died bc of my other dog and my mom is crazy :( Also, Baldur’s Gate 3 y’all I’m getting it and I’m so excited! I mayhaps rushed Loba’s part so sorry not sorry 😛

Rainbow Factory Wally (Walden) | (Welcome Home AU)

It was a normal day in the factory for all intents and purposes, making your daily rounds and supplying your husband with your infamous coffee whenever you needed to. And that’s why you found yourself in the breakroom, making a fresh pot of coffee for your caffeine addict of a spouse.

Your name was spoken softly from behind and you blinked, moving your head to peek over your shoulder to see the owner of the voice smile sweetly at you. Jeremy was an infamous flirt in the office, but you were spared due to the fact your husband very much owned this factory. “You look gorgeous today, you know.” He hummed, eyes raking over your body.

You raised an eyebrow. You were wearing a black turtleneck, a lab coat with your name, and leggings. You looked exactly like you always do, and it’s not like any curves you possessed could be seen over the baggy lab coat. Deciding to just play it off, you laughed. “I look how I always do.” You point out good naturedly, shooting him a rather amused look as you turned your body to look at him.

“Exactly.” He almost purred out the words, slinking closer to you with a sly smile. You have to admit the new found proximity did nothing but amuse you more. Jeremy was 5’5, rather bland, and wasn’t even the brightest. You found it absolutely amusing to think that he believes he can compete with your husband in anything.

“I see. Then thank you for the compliment.” You mused, turning back to pour the coffee into the “world’s most decent boss” mug you got him as a gag gift last christmas. Mixing in just the right amount of sweeteners, you turned. “Now, is there something I can do for you Jeremy?” you asked as you began to walk out, hearing his awkward footsteps signaling that he was following you.

“I know about you and the boss…” He trailed off, and you hoped for his sake that he wouldn’t say what you knew the next few words were. “But me and you could still happen.” Seemed he was dumber than you thought.

You were now outside Wally’s office, an amused smile painting your lips. “Oh, is that so?”

Jeremy must have been oblivious as to where you were, because he gently put his hand on your shoulder and proclaimed rather boldly “I’ve been in love with you, for a very long time now. Dare I say, longer than that man you call your husband.”

You sputtered then. He basically yelled that! Right outside Wally’s office. “I-”

A loud bang resonated as the door to the office swung open, effectively interrupting you, the hinges almost breaking at the sheer force he used to open the door. “What. Did. You. Just. Say.” Wide angry eyes met scared downcasted ones.

Jeremy looked like he regrets his decision very much right now, and you very dully felt a small tinge of sympathy but it was gone faster than it came.

“Nothing! I was just say-” Jeremey sputtered, trying to find a defense only to be interrupted crudely.

“Get your goddamn hand off my wife, and I’ll consider this as your letter of resignation.” He growled, grabbing his forearm and forcefully yanking the arm you weren’t even aware was still touching you off.

Jeremy, upon getting his arm released from a death grip that was sure to leave him bruised, ran away.

You couldn’t help but let laughter bubble out from your throat before clearing it. “Oh, that was something.”

Wally turned to you and growled again, grasping your jaw softly but roughly at the same time, angled your head up, and kissed you. The kiss left you breathless, your hand squeezing the coffee mug in surprise as he pulled away.

“You’re mine, dollface. And only mine.”

Astarion (BG3)

The tavern was bustling with life, music, and song as they normally do, and happiness threatened to suffocate you and your party as soon as you all stepped foot into the establishment. Mead, wine, and an assortment of other alcoholic beverages were held tightly in almost every person’s hand. You shrugged when your party gave you a questioning look, looking back over the tavern with a keen eye.

“Have fun?” Was all you supplied before walking to the barkeep for the first time of what would be many.

Karlach wasted no time in going to mingle with the other patrons, eager to relieve the stress of battle by telling tales of them to strangers who watched with eager eyes and ears.

Gale was never one for all this merriment, so he politely claimed a table in one of the few secluded corners as he normally does. That table would soon be taken up by Astarion as well, who was content to just watch you mingle with the people of the tavern.

Time flew by rather quickly, the drinks making it hard for you to truly grasp just how much had gone away from you. Astarion was readying himself to get up and cross the tavern to get to you, tell you that you and your party had spent a sufficient amount of time here, and that it was time to head back to camp for some rest.

But he was quickly blocked from you by two drows. Tall, dark, imposing, yet handsome in their own right. Nothing that compared to Astarion, not even your alcohol muddled mind thought so.

“Hello gorgeous.” The woman spoke, tone smooth with lust and desire. This weirded you out, as you did nothing to suggest you were wanting *that* kind of relief. You really just sat at the bar, talking with the barkeep and the man next to you.

“What’s a delicate flower like you doing with no company at a place like this?” She asked, hand moving to rest on top of your own that was laying on the solid surface of the bar.

You wrinkled your nose at the unwanted touch, but the female drow seemed to not notice or simply not care. You’re unsure which one was the truth, it could even be both for all you know at this point. Alcohol made it hard to discern anything really, and you found yourself craving the presence of your beloved.

The male spoke this time, his tone gruff despite him trying to sound sensual. “Perhaps we could keep you company for the night?”

Astarion’s blood boiled as he heard what those two heathens were saying to you. It took him months of carefully crafted flirts for you to even get comfortable with HIM flirting with you. And he was someone you had trusted enough to be a traveling companion and to watch your back. He knows that surely, when he sees your face it will be riddled with tell tale signs of uncomfort.

You cleared your throat, hoping to rid it of the bile that crept up it the more and more they talked and crudely flirted with you. “Ah, no.” You mumbled, eyes searching for your sanguine lover. “I’m taken.” you managed to slur.

The female drow cooed “That doesn’t have to mean anything, not for tonight at least.”

Astarion finally emerged right next to you, red eyes boring into the female drows. “Excuse me.” His voice, normally smooth and flirtatious, was anything but now. “I see you met my partner, exquisite aren’t they?” his tone softened as his hand went up to caress your cheek, cherishing the way you leaned into the touch immediately.

The female and male drow looked to each other before looking back at Astarion and smiling. “Why yes, yes they are.”

Astarion hummed, rubbing his thumb on your cheek absent of mind, before remembering these people dared to flirt with what was his. “How unfortunate for you that this masterpiece is all mine, yes?” He sounded calm and almost teasing, but his eyes showed just how much he wanted to murder them.

Deciding that words weren’t enough he delicately moved your head up so he could plant the sweetest kiss on your lips, which you eagerly returned with drunken enthusiasm that made his heart swell with love.

“See how eager they are for me?” He cooed, rubbing your cheek after pulling away. “That’s something you couldn’t even dream of receiving.” Picking you up bridal style for fear you drunk yourself into a stupor, he turned and left.

“That’s enough tavern for tonight my sweet.” He hummed softly as you laid your head on his shoulder

“Astar-” You mumbled sleepily, nuzzling your face into his neck “I love you- so so much.”

He chuckled, placing the softest kiss to your cheek “I know my darling, I love you too.”

Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen (HOTD)

Your family, the true Targaryens, were visiting the red keep for the first time in so many years. The difference of it all from the red keep you grew up in startled you to your core. It makes your mind ill to think this was only allowed to happen because of a usurper of your family’s rightful throne.

Really the entire castle makes you ill, absolutely sick to your stomach truthfully. So you were trying to find comfort in the place where you resided most of your innocent years. The garden. But even that was different now, the flowers you used to pride yourself on had all wilted and been changed. The color green makes you sick now.

While you were preoccupied in your musings of sadness and trepidation, a man had slinked his way beside you and broke the silence you relished in. “Good morrow, sister.”

You blinked and looked to your right, being met with Aemond. He was only your half brother, sharing your father’s genetics while looking all Hightower. His last name should have been hightower, yet you cannot claim to hate or even dislike him. Just a faint feeling of mistrust that had been planted since the night his mother had left a scar on your arm. “Aemond.” You greeted slowly, almost defensively. “Good morrow.”

His one eye scanned the garden ahead before going back to focus on you, a delicate and almost faux looking smile on his face. Or perhaps it was just too real. “How are you? It has been many moons since I last saw your beautiful face.”

You blushed despite yourself, compliments always left your cheeks the faintest of reds, even if you mistrusted the person who spoke them. “Kirimvose” You muttered, changing to High Valyrian. You don’t know why, it just felt too right in this situation. And instinctual gut feeling that you have long since learned you should heed.

“You are welcome.” He hummed, eye suddenly showing keen interest “Do you normally use High Valyrian interchangeably like that? What a smart lady you are, Mandia”

It was your turn to be surprised, he knows of the language of your family? Even being half bred like he is? “Yes, mostly for my children to pick it up better.” You stressed the word children to him, as if he could forget. One of your sons did give him that painful affliction afterall.

“Ah yes, my nephews.” He mused, not looking at you anymore but through you. “How are they doing these days?”

You smiled, your first genuine one not born of needing to be respectful to a lord or lady. Aemond thought it looked beautiful on you, like the finest dress. “Wonderful. My boys Luke and Jace are bonding excellently with their dragons.” You hummed, motherly love oozing from your tone. “And little Joffery is quite taken with the babies.” you put a hand on your stomach “Especially our baby Visenya. I think he likes having a baby sister to protect.”

He was surprised “You were with child?”

You nodded “Maybe she’ll grow up to steal Vhagar from you.” You chuckled, hand over your mouth.

Aemond laughed as well “I’m sure she’ll be a brilliant rider, just like her Muña”

“You flatter me.” Your blush grew a tad bit redder. Aemond felt a pang of affection that he was able to make that happen. You were too good for his sister and uncle, deserving of someone more well read with a dragon to match the size of your own.

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupted his musings of what he could have had with you, had his father stepped up and demanded you wed him. “Is this a small reunion?” Daemon joked, leaning on a wall. His eyes looked anything but full of mirth, annoyance and possessiveness shined brightly in his eyes like dragon fire.

“Uncle.” Aemond scoffed out the word like it meant little to him. And it probably did, you know he was never close with Daemon. Jealousy slithered in his veins like blood did, burning him.

“What are you and my wife talking about, hm?” He asked casually, walking leisurely to you before wrapping his arms around your waist and pressing a soft kiss to your temple, looking down with fondness Aemond could never imagine being gazed at with. “Hello my love.”

“Hello Daemon.” You giggle gleefully, resting your head against his own while your arms go to rest on top of his. Aemond’s veins burned worse.

“Simply catching up, it’s been quite a while since she has been to the red keep.” He spoke, jealousy dripping from his words like venom, eye glaring at his uncle’s arms that was wrapped where he longed his to be. Daemon tightened his grip slightly. “I was just about to offer a tour of the grounds, much has changed.” he smiled twistedly at Daemon, using that as a taunt.

Daemon narrowed his eyes, and somewhere you could hear the roar of Caraxes and Vhagar. You hope that they aren’t fighting because their riders have bad blood. “That won’t be needed. She grew up here just as you did Aemond.”

You soon grew uneasy, eyes shifting to the side, “I have.” You assented.

Daemon smirked unbeknownst to you, smug because it was him who you would always back. Always Daemon, never Aemond.”Of course my lady, apologies.”

You smiled uneasily ��No need for apologies Aemond. It was a kind offer.” That soothed the burn within his veins slightly. You thought he was kind.

You felt yourself almost suffocating before your lovely wife walked into the garden with Alicent “Ah, my beloveds.” Nrya smiled kindly at you two, eyes shining with love before she nodded to Aemond respectfully.

“It is almost time for the feast, you two would be wise to get ready.” She looked at you knowingly and winked.

Daemon let out a hearty groan “yes yes my wife, very well.” he let his arms fall from you and stepped back, offering you his hand.

“Shall I help you get ready, my darling?” He asked teasingly, eyes glinting with lust as you laughed and took his hand. Rhaenyra already has an excuse for both of your tardiness, rest assured. Cannibal will have to take blame for your lack of proper walking.

___

Wanderer (genshin)

Wanderer was stuck wandering, as one does, around the bustling streets on Liyue. It was the lantern rite, something you had continuously told him you had wanted to go to many times and he decided there was no harm in it. How crudely wrong he was, as soon as he entered the city of contracts with you, the crowd had swept you away from him.

So here he was trying to find you like a puppy separated from their owner, and it continuously made him more and more irritated as more time passed that you were not in his eyesight. His hands, that were balled into fists, relaxed immediately upon hearing the soft sound that was your laughter. It was quiet, barely heard above the chattering of these imbeciles that surrounded him, but he was able to follow the sweet sound where he found you with some man.

The man was short, close to Wanderer’s own height, with white hair with a red streak. He looked to hail from Inazuma. Anger boiled deep within his veins, eyes glaring at the man who dared to talk to you.

“Your eyes shine like the lanterns in the sky, your skin as smooth and unbroken as the purest piece of porcelain.” he mused, smiling softly at your red face. Wanderer has never said anything close to that to you, always just quick grumblings about how you looked decent. And it didn’t bother you much anymore, you grew to love him after all. But having this kind of attention on you was thrilling simply because it was new! Kazuha’s eyes bore into yours with a soft intensity that oddly fit in this moment. But he was simply supposed to help you find your beloved, not make poetry about you. No matter how lovely it made you feel.

Wanderer barged over, not sparing the man a glance as he grasped your wrist in his hand and dragged you away. He could barely hear you say your goodbyes to the traveler from Inazuma over just how angry he felt. Were you going to leave him? Go to someone who he just witnessed really could treat you better? No, he won’t allow it. You're his, you’ve been his for centuries now, and if you could remember and love him despite all he has done in his past then you must be his soulmate.

He hissed out your name, stopping in a darkened alley before pushing you against the wall, trapping your head between his arms as he leered at you. “What do you think you were doing, you idiot.” this wasn’t the way he wanted to do this, not at all. He wanted to have a softer approach but for some reason he just can’t. He loves you, he promises he does. He just can’t show it.

“Scara…” you cooed, hands going up to cup his face “I was looking for you.” You assured gently, thumb massaging his cheek as he ever so slightly leaned into your hold. “Kazuha offered to help me find you since I’m so unfamiliar with Liyue Harbor.” You could always see through his brass actions, being able to see the softer side through all the boundaries he put around himself to hide in.

“Is that so?” His words lacked his mocking bite that it would have for anyone else “Then why was he flirting with you?” He asked, pressing a chaste kiss on your thumb.

You giggled, a sound that made him relax more. “Maybe he just thinks I’s pretty. But you're the only one for me.”

He smiled then, liking the concept that you knew you were only “Yes, yes I am.” He hummed, cupping the hand you had on his face with his own.

“You’re mine, not even the gods could take you away from me.” He sighed happily as he felt your lips start pecking around his face, closing his eyes in bliss. “They could try, but I would move the very heavens to keep you by my side. Always.”

“And forever.” You finished as Scara finally connected his lips with yours, savoring the rare softness in which he kissed you with.

___

Leliana (DA; I)

The sky was clear, not a cloud dotted the open sky of Skyhold and the sun beamed down in soft warm rays. You were sitting on the railing of the balcony that belonged to the upper tower that housed your partner Leliana, as well as her ravens and spies. It was a cool day, which wasn’t abnormal seeing as this stronghold was built into the mountains. Construction was going very well, the ramparts were now open to patrol and the rooms were looking better and better.

The inquisitor was running around down on the lower level, and you watched from your vantage point with amusement. You were unsure why they were in such a hurried state, seeing as there wasn’t really anyone rushing them in the least. But you’ll leave them alone about it for now.

Looking up as you heard the door clank open, a scout you had never seen before stepped out and joined you on the terrace. Turning your body to face him, you tilted your head in confusion. Normally Leli’s spies were too busy to do all that much around Skyhold. Perhaps he was just recouping after a tough mission.

“Hello madame, nice evening ain’t it?” He had a strong Fereldan accent, so he was from there and arguably is mostly stationed there because the accent hasn’t faded even a bit.

“Yes, it is.” You spoke skeptically, normally one scout isn’t stationed at one nation for too long, lest they be found out and compromise the entire spy network your lover has spent years perfecting.

“The nightingale wishes me to look after you.” He saluted, before going back to ease and leaning on the wall.

You raised a brow, why would you need to watch over here of all places? Leli was right through that door, and there isn’t many places of entry here that aren’t very loud.

“I see.” You doubt grew, but you would give him the benefit of the doubt. Your Leli was very paranoid, and with good reason you suppose. It must be hard to have all those enemies, those known and unknown that are hiding in the shadows with a dagger or poison.

“You're beautiful, you know.” He broke the silence again, your lack of an answer must not have been deterring at all for the spy. “A true masterpiece.” he mused.

“Thank you.” You were starting to get bored now, eyes lidding due to boredom. Any second now.

With tactful grace the door opened silently, you could hear the faintest of footsteps take 3 steps before pausing. Another minute of the spy not noticing her, she coughed. It was fake and sounded way too smooth and dull for it to be real.

That made the man jump, his attention snapping to your lover. “Lady Nightingale!”

“Charts.” Her smooth voice riddled with Orlesian accent was sour sounding now. Like she ruined her new pair of shoes in the blood of darkspawn. “At ease, were you?”

His eyes looked everywhere but her as his body froze up under her intense scrutiny “Forgive me, lady nightingale.”

“I’ll see what to do with you.” She stated dismissively, waving him away with her hand “Now run along, I’m sure Charter will find some use for you in the meantime.”

He did not need to be told twice, quickly exiting the balcony with a loud slam to the door. “Lousy company, my dearest?” she teased gently with a small, walking next to you and letting you lean on her.

“Somewhat.” You agreed, resting your head on her shoulder and you looked to the mountains. “Seemed tired. Have him running?”

“He’s new.” She shrugged gently as to not disturb you. “Fresh out of redcliff.”

“I could tell he was Fereldan, his accent is very noticeable.” You hummed, hand coming out to trace random little patterns on her arm. “Strong.”

“It is.” She agreed. “We will have to rid him of it before we send him out in the field.”

You raised a brow “He’s that new?”

“Yes. he is training under Charter at the moment, and hopefully she will be able to help.” Leli slowly removed herself from you.

“I have to go my beloved. Work is neverending when you’re trying to save the world.” She hummed and kissed his cheek delicately.

You sighed but nodded “I know my love. I’ll see you tonight?”

She smiled sadly “I’ll see you tonight.”

You sighed again as she walked away.

Loba

It was duos day! A glorious chance to win with whoever you shall get teamed with to achieve glory and fame. On a bigger note then being a legend already grants you.

You were paired with one of the newer Legends. New Castle you think his name was, but you can’t be bothered to remember. He seemed to be quite sweet on you, much to Loba’s irritation. You were hers goddamnit! Why couldn’t he see that.

So here you were, on the dropship talking to your duo as wells as your other friends like Lifeline, Octane, and Bangalore.

“Are you excited, amigo? I mean you are with the newbie, so me and Lifeline will take it easy on you if we find you.” Octane laughed, patting you on the shoulder affectionately.

“I’ll be the one taking it easy on you, tane!” You protested with a giggle.

New Castle clasped his hand onto your other shoulder and laughed deepily. “I promise I won’t be any dead weight to a beauty like them.”

High heels clacked against the iron flooring of the ship, you were approaching your destination and would soon have to prep to get ready to drop and land for the games to begin. You assumed it was Loba, so you two could have your usual good luck kiss but was surprised when it was Wattson. Loba’s partner.

“Hey.” She smiled and waved “Loba wanted to say she’s too busy to see you before the drop, so she’ll be looking extra hard for you on the ground.” She spoke cheerily.

You blinked. This was the first time she’s done something like this. Was she really so jealous that she’s taking it out on you now? Does she think that you’re too receptive about it? Was that the problem.

Wattson frowned “Are you alright?”

You shook your head and offered your best reassuring smile that you possible could. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little disappointed ya know? But you get heading back Wattson, I don’t want you to miss drop.”

She looked at you, calculating and unsure before her frown only deepened. But she nodded “Yeah ok. See you around, yeah?” and with that she left as quick and out of nowhere as she came.

Finally it was time to drop, the arena was Olympus. Easy enough, it was your personal favorite because your abilities served you every well here. You don’t how New castle was going to fare though, so you kept an eye on him. Even if he is part of your relationship problems, he was still your duo and you still wanted to win.

“I’m the jump master.” You called out, laughter bubbling in your throat “Hope you brought an extra pair of pants newbie.”

“Wh-” he was cut off as you unexpectedly jumped, a yell bubbling out from his throat and into the air that you two were descending in.

You chose a little area that you knew has enough supply bins to give you both some weapons and a few syringes. Maybe a better evo shield too, hopefully.

“So.” he started “How do you prefer to fight?” he asked as he picked up a Hemlock Burst AR.

“I’m a sniper.” You spoke quietly and hushed, hoping he’d take the hint and do the same. Enemies can be anywhere, and with Wraith’s abilities you wouldn’t even see her coming till she was here guns blazing. She was smart, and has good hearing.

He hummed “So I’ll need to man the front. Can do.”

You rolled your eyes, picking up a wingman and some sniper ammo. “You better. Though you probably won’t see enough action. I’m a damn good shot.”

“Better be.” he laughed quietly, loading his burst.

“There’s a care package near us.” You reported, looking to where it was going to land. “Let’s head over.”

And so you did, you getting your favorite gun ever the Kraber, and New Castle getting a\\ prowler. With these new found weapons and some new Evoshields after some kills, you two quickly climbed the latter till it was the last 3. Only six other legends at most.

You were kill leader with a stunning 12 kills, and perched high up as you looked through the enhanced scope on your Kraber. You killed Octane and Lifeline before they even knew what happened, same with bloodhound and Fuse. You killed Ash but Revenant got away, and Bangalore and Valkyrie left as soon as they heard a shot from your Kraber, knowing that with your aim it would be a death sentence.

Caustic and Mirage were easy to pick off when they got distracted arguing with one another, and you killed Wattson as well.

So it was probably Loba and Revenant still out there. New Castle was antsy before you heard it. Revenant’s totem and gun shots. He must have found Loba in one of the buildings, and given their history it’s unsurprising he would waste his ult on her.

Clicking a button, a visor was put over your eyes and you could clearly see that Loba was the victor. 1 squad left, it was just her. You felt bad about this, of course. But as soon as she poked her head out, you were the victors.

The follow up party was the usual, and you were looking for Loba and of course you found her. You were the best sniper ever seen, your senses honed completely. So when you heard her and turned the corner to apologize, you saw the last thing you had ever wanted to see.

Loba and Valkyrie were kissing.

#loba apex legends #reader x loba #lumiwritings #scaramouche x reader #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targaryen #rhaenyra x daemon x reader #Welcome home x reader #rainbow factory wally x reader #rf! wally x reader #astarion x reader #leliana x reader #dragon age inquisition #multifandom x reader

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flimflamfandom · 3 months

Text

A Length of Chain

Mitzi rose up out of bed and stretched, cracking every joint she had in her body. The world seemed frozen outside - the rain pattering against the window, the horrible coolness of the morning. Mitzi quickly got dressed, straightened out her hair, and walked downstairs...

right into the parlor of Wick's mansion.

"...which is why I was wondering..." Lacy wrote something on a notepad. She looked at Mitzi. "Morning, Miz May." Lacy poured some coffee for her, already looking out of sorts.

"Morning Lacy. How was your night?"

"It was wonderful." She said, dreamily. "I spent it all with Arthur."

"Guitar boy?" Mitzi smirked, her ears perking a little. "I was meanin' t'ask, how has he been? I never hear much about him these days."

"He's busy." Lacy said. "I'm busy. I want to spend more time with him, and he wants to spend more with me, but...well. Just isn't in the cards." Lacy drooped a bit.

"Oh, well, that's just too bad, isn't it? Won't Wick give you a day off or two? I've got a maid, she could help him a little."

"Does she know much about geology?"

"She-" Mitzi blinked. "Do you have to know about that sort of thing?"

"I have to be able to interrogate claims and business offers and see which ones are worth Mr. Sable's time, yes."

"Ahh." Mitzi nodded. "...she could read a book. mayhaps?"

"...at this point, a warm body would be nice." Lacy said. "I'm getting near the end of my rope."

"I'll bring it up to him."

"Thanks..." Lacy sighed, and looked at the clock. "If you don't mind I have to represent Wick at a meeting."

"Oh? Didn't know you needed to be...pleni...hmm...that word, working as someone, like an ambassad-"

"Plenipotentiary." Lacy said, quickly. "Good morning."

With that, she left.

"...which is why I was wonderinf ig you could give her a day off...or a week. Or a mo-"

"I can't give her a whole month, Mitzi." Wick said, looking out a window in his office. He turned around. "...I'm being so impolite." He said, motioning to a chair. "Please! Have a seat." He said. he smiled warmly.

"Why, thank you, kind sir~" Mitzi teased. "But please, do consider it. She's a sweet girl and all, she deserves some time."

"I can absolutely give her a day...hell, a week sounds doable." Wick started writing something down. "I can manage...yes. I can definitely manage that." He tore the piece of paper he wrote on from his pad and tacked it to his desk, right by his phone. He smiled, and gazed a bit at Mitzi. "I wish I could take a week off with you, though."

"Oh, Wicky, you're too sweet." She cooed, leaning on his desk a little, putting a hand on his. "You could come by the Daisy tonight, hmm? You never seem to wanna come anymore."

"Oh...well, I-" He cleared his throat. "Truth be told, I...feel a little...put off by someone there."

Mitzi sat up. She perked her ears. "I beg your pardon? Someone making you uncomfortable?" She rolled her eyes. "I bet it's Rocky, isn't it?"

"No, no, it-"

"Viktor? He can be a grump but he's harmless."

"It isn't-"

"It couldn't be CALVIN, could it? Sweet little Irishman like that? Why, he'd sooner die than make someone uncomf-"

"It's Zib."

"I-" Mitzi blinked. "...Zib?"

"Dorian, yes. He...I feel like...well...oh, this'll sound emasculating, but-" Wick cleared his throat. "...He sometimes makes me feel like I have to...fight him for you."

Mitzi stifled a laugh. "I..." She tried very hard to hid that laugh. It wasn't working. "Now, I...hmm..." She paused a moment, and feigned a cough.

"...it's pathetic, I know." Wick said.

"No, it...it's not that." She said. "Zib is...well, he and I used to be together, but that ship has sailed, and sunk in a storm." Mitzi explained. "He gets...flirtatious, but I promise you, Wicky, I'm not interested in that kind of man, not anymore." She shivered. "...musicians can be temperamental and hard to work with."

"I suppose."

"...I can talk to him about-"

"NO GOD PLEASE-" He blinked, and stopped himself. "No, I...I'd rather you not."

"If you say so."

"...which is why I was wondering if you're makin' him feel that way on purpose?"

Zib laughed, loudly, at the mere suggestion he was making Wick uncomfortable on purpose. "HAH! You're kiddin' me, right?" Zib rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "...what kinda qwuestion is that?" He scoffed. "OF COURSE I am!"

"And who told you that'd be alright, hmm?" Mitzi looked frustrated and annoyed.

"No one. it's just funny to watch him squirm a bit." Zib said. "Besides, a man's entitled to a bit of fun now and then, right?"

"A bit of fun doesn't mean 'make a man stop coming to his club because you don't like him."

"Yeah, well...if you really, really want me to stop, I'll stop." Zib said.

"I'd appreciate it!" Mitzi grumbled something under her breath.

"...what was that?"

"I said it'd be nice to date a man and not have him put off by you! You know how many times Atlas almost fired you because of your antics?" Mitzi bristled. "We're finished, you and me, and-"

"Alright, alright, take it easy." Zib held up his arms, and shook his head...which, this being an hour with a number in it, caused his inebriated body to nearly take a dive. "Sorry...didn't know you felt that way."

"Hmph." Mitzi sighed, and looked over at the bar. "...Zib, how many coffee mugs are at the bar?"

"I count three."

"Who drank that much coffee?"

"Freckle, I think. Something about Ivy? And a novel? Yes, a novel, that's it."

Mitzi sighed. She nodded. "...is the boy here?"

"Yep. Upstairs."

"...which is why I was wondering who told you it'd be a good idea to drink that much coffee?"

"I dunno." Calvin was a shivering wreck on the couch in Mitzi's office. His head was in Ivy's lap, who was gently stroking his side, trying to calm him down. "It was a bad move. I feel miserable. I don't even like coffee..."

Ivy nervously looked up. "Should I take him to a hospital?"

Mitzi ran some numbers in her head. "...no. He's under the limit, but...only just." She shook her head. "Freckle, how'd this happen?"

"Iwas...I-" He huffed, "I was talking to Rocky, and he said something about how my novel was taking forever, and then something about writing it sooner so I could get rich and marry Ivy, and then for some reason he talked me into drinking a lot of coffee."

Mitzi groaned. "I'll talk to him later, but-"

"I'm sorry about all this." Calvin said, clutching his stomach. "I just...this was a bad move."

"No, no, you're alright." Mitzi said. "...ivy, maybe do take him to a doctor, see to it he doesn't have anything happen to him."

Ivy immediately got nervous. "What!? Something COULD happen to him!?"

"Ivy, please...it's 3 cups of...particularly strong coffee, not gasoline." She shook her head. "I need to go find Rocky and beat him with a stick."

"...Which is why I was wondering if you could help me find a stick to beat you with." Mitzi crossed her arms. Rocky looked horrified.

"Oh, geez...I'll have to apologize to him, I didn't think he'd go through with that!" Rocky shook his head. "He seems more...reasonable."

"Rocky. He gets nervous when his whisker twitches, he's NOT reasonable!" She sighed and sat in a booth. "When he gets back you're going to have a lot of explaining to do..."

"I suppose...I'm sorry, Mitzi, I coulda sworn I told him NOT to drink a ton of coffee and write a whole book in an afternoon!" he blinked. "...oh, wait. I told him explicitly TO do that. Whoops. Silly me, pobody's nerfect." He shrugged, and smiled goofily. Mitzi still looked like she was fuming.

"...I'll stop with the smile."

"Please stop with the smile."

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? I'll do all his jobs for the next week! The next TWO weeks! I'll work the cash register during the day if you're worried about how Ivy's feeling - she's...she's handling this well right?"

"She was on the verge of tears after she called the doctor and they recommended the hospital."

"Oh, god!" Rocky openly wept. "I'm a monster, Mitzi, A MONSTER!"

In his horrible sobbing, he dropped his violin case to the ground, which, of course, caused him to weep even MORE openly. Mitzi, sighing, picked up the violin case. "You're paying whatever bill that boy has, and you're making it up to him. I don't care how."

"If you say so..."

Mitzi looked at the violin. She had an errand to run on that side of town, anyway. "...in the mean time, I'm confiscating this. And making sure it wasn't damaged."

"I deserve this." Rocky said.

"Indeed."

"...which is why I was wondering if you could give it a once over, Mr. Keane?" Mitzi had taken the violin to the only luthier in town - John Boggs. Boggs was a busy man, and had hired on an assistant - Arthur Keane - Lacy's boyfriend.

"I can give it a look." The cinnamon furred cat pushed up his glasses and took the violin out. He peered at it. "...was it in the case as it fell?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Lucky." He slightly adjusted the bridge, and retuned it, playing a few notes. "It should be in order...I'd hardly charge for a bridge adjust-"

The door swung open. In walked a familiar, white furred blonde with a soft smile on her face. She waved a little to Mitzi.

"Hello, Mitzi..."

"Well, if it isn't Lacy Hardt! I just saw you this morning but it feels like it's been ages...how was that meeting?"

"Went well...Mr. Sable gave me some time off." Mitzi sighed with relief - even through all of today's foibles, she at least got to see it come full circle - like a length of chain, linked to itself.

"Which," Lacy put her hand on Arthur's, "is why I was wondering..."

#lackadaisy fanfiction #lackadaisy #lackadaisy cats #mitzi may #lacy hardt #calvin mcmurray #ivy pepper #sedgewick sable #rocky rickaby #lackasona #artlace #self ship

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mixing-bowl-of-stories · 22 days

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For the Academy of Death AU, I have a dialogue prompt mayhaps :)

"Is this some kind of trick?"

Uncertain Trust

So because it’s almost 12:00 when I’m writing this, and I have nothing better to do. Let’s see about writing this.

Qrow was considered to be the worst possible student at the academy. So much so that it was starting to put him out of bad crowds and into good ones, confusingly enough. But alas, the value of a car keeps going down until at some point it’s considered “vintage”, and then the price skyrockets.

He figured it was the same kind of thing.

These kids, and adults, starting hanging around Mr. Worst-student-at-the-academy because he was the only one who actually had the gall to stick up for himself against the staff and not crumble under the pressure and weight.

He wasn’t quite sure why, but it felt like this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened before. Although, he still had yet to regain his memories.

And thus, that’s why he was sat in the armchair opposite to the man of the hour. Headmaster Ozpin. Qrow’s amount of strikes was at maybe 150 at this point. And he could only guess that the man wanted to have words with him about it again.

And so, he sat there, eyeing the other suspiciously as he pulled out a handful of papers.

“So, Mr. Branwen-“

“If you’re going to scold me about my strikes, you can forget it because I’m not stopping what I’m doing.”

“Always to the point. However, I was not talking about that.”

Qrow raises an eyebrow, “Okay…? Then get on with it, I’ve got better places to be than to sit around in your office talking to you.”

Ozpin sighs, keeping his smile but ultimately letting disappointment show through slightly. Well damn, now he kinda felt bad for that comment.

“Anyways, I figured I should be a bit honest with you.”

“About?”

“Your memories. I’m sure you have noticed that the others have gained at least one memory from their past, including Oscar, but you have not.”

Qrow thought for a second as he stared at Oz. He was trying to read him, but he was making it hard. Always keeping that same cheerful smile on his face at all times.

“…Is this some kind of trick?”

“Why would it be?”

“We’re talking about you, headmaster. You basically dropped a bombshell on the entire school when you mentioned that only one of us would be able to go.”

“I changed my mind, no?”

“Even if, doesn’t stop me from having trust issues with you having some kind of ulterior motive.”

Ozpin looks away, “ah… well, my apologies then. I hadn’t realized I had invoked that kind of reaction…”

“Yeah…”

“But that’s besides the point. No, it is not a trick.”

“So then why haven’t you given me them back yet.”

“…consider it a, possibly foolish, attempt to protect you from your own trauma and feelings. Your memories are not happy ones, and the ones that are happy will be soured by the knowledge of how you died.”

“So… you’re trying to spare my feelings basically?”

“Yes. Because I truly would hate to see you in the condition I suspect you’ll be in after I give these to you.”

“You have to give them to me at some point. As much as I appreciate you looking out for me, this is for me to deal with by myself.” He looks away.

“Pushing people away, are we?”

“Huh?”

“You did that a lot in life, I’m not surprised that in death you do the same thing. You should let people help you.”

“Yeah yeah…”

“I will respect your request though, and I will start slowly giving them back.”

“Thanks. Does that mean I can go now?”

“Yes, you may go and cause whatever trouble it is you cause for the teachers” he laughs.

Qrow smiles a little at this, “I’ll see you around, headmaster.” And proceeds to leave the office, shutting the door behind him.

Ozpin thinks for a moment.

“Then get on with it, I’ve got better places to be than to sit around in your office talking to you.”

…Why did that bother him so much?

#bowl mixes #academy of death au #cloqwork #ozqrow #rwby au #qrow branwen #ozpin #writeblr #writing #writers on tumblr

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yolomichaelz95 · 2 months

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Title

Been feeling down lately, no energy to draw. Something along these lines. Me: "I don't know how to talk to people." Inner monologue: "Well do you want to?" Me: "Not really." Im: "Why not?" Me: "It never really goes well. I don't get them and they don't get me." Im: "Who you've been talking to, guys or girls?" Me: "Guys? They said I was one so I though I ought to." Im: "And are you a guy?" Me: "They said I am." Im: "Listen here you little shit. Put a tomboy into a group of hyper-femmes. Does she feel like she belongs?" Me: "No, but-" Im: "Put a sapphic lesbian into a group of gym bros. Does she feel like she belongs?" Me: "I get what you're saying, but what do you expect me to do? I'm like 28 and dysfunctional. Start up a small talk at some metaphorical office water cooler? 'Hello fellow females, mayhaps we could parlor about female things? Boys?? Make up??? Hm????'" Im: "I don't know... You're a woman, what would you like to talk about?" Me: "I poked my eye with mascara, it hurt. Not like physically, but because I wanted to have known how to put it on but didn't. It reminded me of my lost girlhood." Im: "That's too depressing of a topic. Also tad trans-specific." Me: "Well I am depressed and trans, so it ain't wonder those things creep into conversation." Im: "Yeah but you can't just start a convo with a trauma dump. Small talk, small talk." Me: "'The weather sure is today'" Im: "I fucking hate I'm trapped in this head with you sometimes. So, to recap, you can't talk to people because you're a stereotypical fem woman who's been stuck with guys your whole life. And you're transpressed?" Me: "Don't characterize me in simple terms. I'm super unique, my troubles are rare and no-one's ever dealt with them before." Im: "M-hm."

Now loop this conversation dozens of times with some minor variations 'w' I mean it's a mood, it'll pass, but right now I'm stuck at it. Aight stay safe bye~

#trans #add another tag

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volinare · 8 months

Note

hey my guy.

doctors are difficult.

recently my elderly aunt who i live with is going through some severe emotional changes which is a yellow flag for the elderly as early signs of alzheimer's or possibly the start of dementia. I asked her to speak to her physical doctor and you know what they told her? Instead of doing a brief test to make sure my aunt is indeed okay, her physical doctor didnt take our concerns seriously and told her to go talk to her therapist.

I have gotten this sooooooo many times in doctor's offices. But you dont want to go to a primary physician for psych meds. If your doctor was any good, he'd write you a referral for a psychiatrist, getting a referral might be covered under your insurance? i only have experience with Kaiser, Signa, and blue shield. Whatever you do, avoid Kaiser, Signa is alright but typically an HMO, blue shield is a PPO which allows you to get referrals to other doctor's in blue shield's network. So whichever insurance you have if you have insurance, this is something to scope out. Getting referalls.

Next time you go to a physical doctor, see a different doctor, obv. but also when you see your new doctor, I learned very early on not to mention my psychiatric history because they stop taking you seriously when they know you're mentally ill. it's just some weird ass phenomenon that doctor's do, especially to AFAB and POC.

I would go straight into that appointment saying directly "I need a referral to a clinic/therapist/psychiatrist, wherever you want to start, and mayhaps request a referral to PT or a pain clinic for your feet. they can give you a (tw needle mention) .

...

they can give you an injection of cortisone into your feet and knees if you ask, which relieves inflammation of the joints and what not and will overall take some of the pain off of your feet. However I have heard these injections to be a little invasive but goodness it changed my life. every year or so you get another shot. It's an option. you can also try some OTC stuff, L-Theanine is a great supplement for those suffering with psychosis, I take 400 mg twice a day and it genuinely helped me feel more stable. I don't necessarily get psychosis though i have heard accounts that it helps. it's like $20 at a store, could prob buy it for 10 on amazon. and i would recommend biofreeze gel or patch to put on your feet. Or any lidocain patch, i used to use those on my back and goodness they were heavenly lol

sorry to ramble ramble about stuff i dont quite know about you, but i would just straight up ask for a referral to a specific doctor like a psychiatrist who is more geared to help deal and keep track of your progress with psychological medication

i really appreciate you taking the time to type all this out, I read it all and catalogued some stuff for later.

Im sorry to you about your aunt and your experience with doctors. they really do suck.

The doctor I saw was actually a physicians assistant for a psychiatrist office.

i don't have any issues with my feet other than that I have a bit of soreness from being on them all day. I only mentioned it because he asked if id been having nausea and the ibuprofen id been taking was upsetting my stomach a bit.

He asked multiple times to see my feet, so i could point out where the pain was. I dont think he ment anything but im a baby and it was triggering. He asked me to pull a picture up and point on there.

I just kept shaking my head or saying i was okay.

im sure it was just a miscommunication.

#especially with the truman show #im sure this makes heaps of sense to the audience #and its just crystal clear #but i kinda feel like the entire world is split into people who want to hurt me and people who i dont deserve to be around #and im sure i look so silly crying over this but it just doesnt make any sense

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h34rtizuku · 3 years

Text

𝔭𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔶

i hate angst without happy endings, but i’m also self-destructive. therapy is expensive, but ripping your own heart out and bearing your insecurities into a full-fledged story for you and others to read? free.

warnings : angst without a happy ending, insecurities, jealousy, mayhaps toxic behavior?? idk if ur looking for a good time, this isn’t for you bestie <3 also i might misspell uraraka’s name wrong a few times, i’ll fix them later :*

being quirkless had its advantages. with such a small number of us being born without powers, it left a lot of the mundane jobs open.

which is why, as soon as pro-hero deku opened his agency, i came to him with the request to be his assistant.

on the daily, he had people coming up to him asking for internships or to be his sidekick. but he never had anyone ask to be his assistant.

being the number one hero often meant that every day things, things one may take for granted or deem insignificant became just another list of things on the busy man’s to-do list.

therefore the appeal of having someone file his paper work and run to get him coffee in the morning was great enough to hire me.

and i was glad he did.

this is what i have been working for since i was a first year in high school. after watching the freckled boy break limb after limb to defeat his opponent.

yeah, i saw it as irresponsible and stupid that he had to break his own body to save others. but i was willing to overlook it.

my one goal during my remaining years of high school and up to college was that wherever that little green haired boy went, i would follow.

and that reigned true as his assistant. i would shuffle after him like a duckling following it’s mother, wherever he needed me.

if he needed me in a briefing to take notes for him, i was there. if he needed me to put in overtime to help him file the last minute paperwork, i was there. if he wanted a particular pastry from a specific bakery half way across town, i was there.

izuku was never mean, or demanding. always thanking me profusely for anything i ever did for him. leaving me to remind him that this was my job, and any way to make his life easier was good enough for me.

but maybe i should have held onto those blushed cheeks and crinkled eyes as he thanked me for the coffee that he didn’t even know he needed, for a just a little bit longer.

you know how a child will open a new toy on christmas and it quickly becomes their new favorite toy? playing with it non-stop, taking it wherever they go. until one day, they grow bored of it and never touch it again as it grows dusty at the bottom of their toy bin.

i know izuku wasn’t doing it on purpose, he didn’t have an intentionally mean bone in his body. i guess you could say, some other toys came around and took his attention away.

and that toy, was a particularly difficult mission in collaboration with uravity’s agency.

the two spent long hours cooped in his office as they went over notes, plans, intel, etc. until the conversation melted into talk about the old days and the wonderful memories they had together in high school.

i went to work the following days with absolutely no energy to handle whatever would be thrown at me. i hadn’t been able to get much sleep, as when i closed my eyes the only thing i could see was the look in his eyes when he saw her.

my patience was already thin given the events of the most recent week, but when the printer started malfunctioning leaving me unable to fax the papers izuku wanted me send, you could say that was the first domino.

i swatted and kicked and pressed any button on the stupid machine. telling myself i was merely trying to get to stupid thing to work, but deep down i knew that the printer was just my temporary punching bag. an outlet to unleash my anger and emotions onto something instead of letting them fester inside me.

so when one of izuku’s sidekicks came by, giving a snarky comment about my behavior, i was able to brush it off with a roll of my eyes and an equally snippy comment back.

but as the hunk of plastic remained steady in its plan to ruin my day, the lack of sleep and lingering resentment started to bubble within me once more.

i heard footsteps behind me and a joking voice say, “having a bit of trouble are we?”

if it weren’t for the white hot anger buzzing in my ears i may have been able to identify the voice before i lashed out on them. but we already established this was not my day.

so as my hands moved to clutch the machine below me, most likely to restrain my abuse to merely verbal instead of physical. i spit out, “listen i’m fucking trying okay? so how about you get off my ass and do something useful.”

i turned around to face who i thought would be another sidekick sent to push my buttons. but i instead came face-to-face with the green haired man himself.

eyes blown wide, mouth agape in shock, a light blush dusted under his freckles as he fought to handle the situation the best way he could.

but i beat him to it with a deep bow and an endless flow of apologies, opting to only blame my anger on the malfunctioning piece of junk behind me and not the several other reasons i was plotting murder in my head.

with a gentle smile and a soft chuckle he placed his hand to the back of his head, rubbing at the baby jade hairs of his undercut. “i see. bad days happen to the best of us.” he replied, his voice like honey.

i became drunk on the minor interaction he was giving me, bringing me back to the beginning days at this job where we would spend late nights trying to keep each other awake under the only singular yellow light as we finished paperwork. or where sometimes he’d invite me to spend lunch with him as he felt he’d enjoy the company.

i got lost in the intricacies of his face as he tampered with the printer. thin eyebrows furrowed in concentration, bottom lip captured between his thick scarred fingers as he muttered to himself.

i fell in a trance, locked on the slope of his button nose, his gemstone eyes, and chubby caramel cheeks dusted in freckles.

he looked essentially like the same boy i saw on the screen all those years ago, yet matured and hardened by the realities of life.

i wanted nothing more than to reach out and protect him any way my small quirkless body could. to be there for him the same way he was for everyone else.

he eventually got the printer to work with a boyish smile on his face as he told me that despite the good roughing up i gave the machine, he was able to locate and handle the issue. “next time, skip the punching and come find me, yeah? i’ll help with any problems you face.” he joked as he made his way into his office to resume his work.

i didn’t know it was possible to fall harder for that man, but he proved with every day of his existence that the impossible didn’t apply to him.

i was finally able to get some sleep the next few nights as my eyelids filled with the blush on his cheekbones and his gaze of concentration.

but my trip to cloud 9 didn’t last very long as the occasional meeting with uraraka became trips to her agency, and occasional meetings in civilian clothes to civilian places, like coffee shops and corner stores.

to anyone else, those would read as dates. to me, they read as dates. but izuku assured the gossiping sidekicks that it was strictly professional ~ nothing more, nothing less.

i knew that i would end up with more fits of restlessness and sleepless nights as i pictured the two of them laughing over a cup of coffee. so i sought out a replacement.

a moment. a look. a sentence.

anything directed at me that would choke out the ugly thoughts and images my brain would show me of the two of them together.

so that afternoon as i brought him his lunch, i placed the box safely onto the table beside him as he continued skimming through the papers littered across the desk.

he muttered a small ‘thank you’ but it wasn’t enough. as my hand moved to place his drink that i held in my other hand next to his food, a different idea popped in my head.

my hand moved faster than my brain could register what it had just planned to do. squeezing just enough for the lid to pop off and slip from my fingers to tumble into his lap.

as soon as the liquid and ice hit his lap he flew up from his seat and away from his desk.

my hands flew up to my mouth as a string of apologies fell from my lips. eyes watering in guilt as they moved around the room trying to locate something to soak up the mess with.

“i am so sorry, my fingers slipped and before i knew it i had lost control of the cup. i-i can’t tell you how sorry i am.” i rambled as i took my blazer off to wipe at the wet stains starting to form at the bottom of his teal suit.

“hey, hey, hey.” he said softly, taking my tinier hands into his large and battered ones. warmth enveloped my clutched sticky hands as he gently urged me to stand from my crouching position in front of him.

“it was an accident. no harm, no foul.” he said with a soft smile.

i should feel bad, as it wasn’t entirely an accident. but the warm and gentle look in his eyes made what little guilt i felt crumble away.

his thumbs rubbing soft circles to my skin as he worked to get the tears to stop streaming from my eyes was enough to get me to sleep like a baby for a good 2 weeks.

until it became a cycle. he would spend too much time around uraraka, and then i would do something all in the name of garnering his attention back on me.

was it wrong of me to do, to take advantage of his kindness? to take advantage of the fact that he was naive to my true intentions? maybe.

but i felt i deserved it. i felt i deserved to be looked at the same way he looked at her.

i wasn’t any different than she was. with the way she used her big brown eyes to pull him in. or the way her cute behavior made him blush. or the way her sweet way of talking made him laugh.

i can’t be her, or compare to her. so i found my own way around it. and no one could fault me for doing so. they just couldn’t.

at the end of the mission, uravity decided to throw a party in celebration of their win. a nice formal gathering, with everyone she had involved.

when izuku pulled me aside one late night to tell me that he was extending the invitation to me felt akin to a marriage proposal.

i wasn’t involved much in the case, merely being used as the one who provided them their lunch on their long meeting days. or filing and organizing the paperwork and notes that they would compile. i wasn’t out in the field, breaking bones like izuku or saving lives like uraraka.

i didn’t deserve to go, but i didn’t care. izuku had invited me personally and damn it, i was gonna be there.

yet, i shouldn’t have gone.

i shouldn’t have spent the hours on my makeup. i shouldn’t have enlisted the help of my best friend to do my hair as i gushed about how izuku had personally invited me, how he was the most perfect man ever, and how i was undoubtedly in love with him.

i shouldn’t have spent the week leading up to the event going from shop to shop trying to find the prettiest dress that was just the exact color of his eyes. i shouldn’t have spent about half my paycheck on said dress when i found it.

i shouldn’t have decided to face my fears and step out of my comfort zone to join a group of heroes that i knew were old classmates of izuku’s as they whispered about something that clearly was a raving topic.

because then i wouldn’t have heard how izuku was planning on confessing to uraraka. i wouldn’t have heard how this mission caused old high school feelings to rekindle. i should have known my place.

and that was far away from here, from the hero scene. i should have grown up to be an accountant or a chef.

when my father took me to get that checkup when i was 5, to confirm that there truly resides no quirk inside me.

i should have left it at that.

when i was riding my bike that day as a first year and i saw the group of boys huddled around a screen as they tuned into the u-a sports festival, i should have kept riding.

as maybe it would have saved me a lot of pain.

i backed away slowly, heels tapping against the tile floor as i hurried out of the building.

i didn’t realize how suffocated i felt until the chilly autumn hair brushed my face and into my lungs.

my whole body felt hot, i felt numb. i stumbled onto the sidewalk as i looked into the dark azure sky glittered with stars.

the tears finally spilled from my eyes as the stars muddled together into a messy blur. my stomach swirled and tensed as pit of nausea sunk in my stomach.

my chest heaved as it tried to process the crisp cold air into oxygen, but my throat was too tight to let much in.

i gasped and sobbed as my back hit the brick behind me, my legs wobbling unable to carry my weight much longer.

i slid into a crouched position as my tears mixed with the black of my mascara. streaming in pools down my cheeks, neck, and chest.

in the midst of my sobbing and heaving, i called my friend who was still at my apartment awaiting details of that night when i came home.

knowing it was far too early for me to be calling her she picked up the phone with confusion. it didn’t take much words from me, not like i gave her much, to convince her that she needed to come pick me up.

as she hung up the phone, my hand slipped from my ear, falling limp to my side as i placed my head into my other arm resting atop my knees.

this was inevitable and i knew it. no matter how many ways i was able to manipulate a sweet glance from him, it didn’t mean anything.

izuku was nice to everybody. sweet to everyone. kind to anyone.

but with her, it was different. he treated her that way, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

they had years of memories, of laughs. they were perfect for each other, both smart, and kind, and always looking to help others. never acting selfishly or for personal gain.

they shared soft touches like they did old stories. they looked at each other with the same respect and admiration.

i was wrong. uraraka and i are nothing alike. she didn’t have to beg izuku to look at her like she hung the moon, he did so without asking.

unbeknownst to me, as i was manipulating izuku into these fabricated moments of gentle gazes and kind words, i was manipulating myself.

lying to the deepest parts of me that knew that this wasn’t real. that i wasn’t her. that he didn’t think of us the same way.

to him, uraraka is an old friend, who views the world the same way he does, who shares his same passions, who built her quirk to do some good within this world.

to him, i was a coffee-getter, the girl who knew his lunch orders like the back of her hand, the girl who filed his papers. the quirkless little fangirl who practically begged him to give her a job under him.

i heard the metal door open and snap shut announcing that someone was now outside with me. however, i just assumed it was a party-goer stepping outside for a smoke or a phone call so i didn’t bother to look up.

i also wasn’t in the mood for if the person happened to be a drunk girl who was ready to become my therapist as she saw me crouched on the sidewalk wishing to become one with the cement and simply cease to exist.

“there you are, i was wondering where you went?”

i would have taken the amateur therapist over this.

the voice belonged to izuku, dripping with sugar and default kindness.

if i could become one with the bricks just a little bit faster that would be great.

“hey, are you alright?” his tone became worried but i still didn’t dare to look up from my arms.

“do you feel sick? did something happen? do i need to take you home?” there he goes, into hero mode. ready to drop anything to help anyone facing the slightest of inconveniences.

“please just leave me alone.” i mumbled, throat tight and voice wavering as i try to hold the tears that still remain to fall.

“what did you say? i didn’t quite hear you.” he said softly, gently setting his large hands onto my exposed shoulder.

they should feel like welcoming warmth, but instead they felt blistering hot as i shoved them away as quickly as i could.

“i said leave me alone.” i said, slightly louder as i no longer was stuffed in my arms and knees.

he immediately saw the mess my face was in, i could tell by the way he quickly reverted fully into deku.

“hey, what’s wrong? whatever it is, i can help. didn’t i say you could come to me whenever you ne-“

“oh my god just stop! i can’t take it anymore.” i snapped, finally able to look him in the face.

but not for long as i saw the same look on his complexion as the first time i snapped at him.

“you’re too fucking nice. leaving you vulnerable for people to take advantage of you. giving them a reason to be selfish.”

“i dont-“ he tried to start but i cut him off.

“i don’t need a hero, izuku. there are people you just can’t save.”

as he worked to wrap his head around what was happening, my friend pulled up in my getaway car.

i bent down and grabbed my purse, but before i could fully escape this night, izuku grabbed my wrist causing me to stare into his eyes.

now lit aflame with desperation, “please just tell me what’s wrong. let me help you.” he encouraged softly.

but i wasn’t going to fall for it, not again.

i wasn’t gonna be played for the fool as i took the soft look in his eyes for anything but the gaze of a hero hoping to add another save to their statistics.

“god you never know when to quit!” i yelled as i yanked my wrist back. “and i hate that i-“

loved that about you?

no, love that about you.

i shook my head, thankful that for once my brain caught my actions before i spilled and made a mess again.

i walked quickly to the car, opening the passenger door almost as fast in hopes that within its metal sanctuary i could finally escape this hell.

“y/n- i-“

“mr. midoriya.” i just about whispered, my energy long since drained.

he laughed gently and i cursed the way my heart squeezed a little at the sound.

still head over heels for the angelic sound.

“you haven’t called me that in a long-“

“i quit.”

“w-what?” he muttered in disbelief.

i wouldn’t believe it either, not after the way i came to him nearly 4 years ago saying i would even be willing to clean toilets if he asked me to, so long as i got to work for him.

“i quit.” i repeated.

“you don’t mean that.”

he’s right i didn’t, not really.

hot tears started to dribble as my lower lip puckered in a sour quiver.

“no i do, sir.” i shook. “i will send someone to collect my things on monday.”

and with that i closed the door.

“drive.” i whispered to my friend who after a moment of looking at me, trying to read me, silently put the car into drive and started forward.

leaving izuku behind to stumble after the car, mouth muttering, trying to form any sort of sentence or sense.

but i couldn’t see him, knowing not to look at the mirrors situated on the side of the vehicle.

for they too are liars, as objects in the mirror are farther than they appear.

*** my little blue bitch working overtime

🧼 also mayhaps “soap” by melanie martinez fits this story… unintentionally ~ but if i’m wrong it’s cuz i haven’t listened to it in a while

#izuku #izuku midoriya #deku #deku x reader #izuku x reader #my hero academia #mha #bnha #boku no hero academia #izuku angst #deku angst #deku headcanons #deku imagine

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crystalbahamut · 2 years

Text

spendthrift

Summary: The Warrior of Light cannot fathom how Estinien Wyrmblood is so incredibly terrible with money, and runs to Ishgard to get some answers.

Author’s note: This is a very silly thing that would not leave my mind. Warning that I play fast and loose with lore here; I might have even contradicted something for dragoons but it’s been a long time since I’ve done the quests/anything HW, and everything I wrote served the silliness of the story better so if you don’t mind coming along for the ride, I hope you enjoy this fluffy little bit of absurdity. Takes place in some handwavium time after the crew’s arrival to the Great Work in Thavnair.

Tags: Aymeric & WoL, Estinien & WoL, Friendship, Ambiguous Warrior of Light, (light) Endwalker Spoilers

Words: 1,331

---

Lucia was kind enough to let me make my own way to Aymeric’s office. I knocked once, and barely waited for him to say “Come in” before I shoved the door open and then slammed it shut. He jerked his head up and stared at me.

“Do you have a minute?” I said and strode right up to his desk.

“Warrior?” He blinked a few times, like he didn’t believe I was really there.

“No, you’re not hallucinating, and I’m too upset to even scold you about working so much you’d think you are,” I said. That would have to be an entirely separate visit– one with more time allotted.

“Upset?” He set his quill aside. “What is wrong?”

“I– You– Estini–” I took a deep breath. “I am sorry Aymeric but I cannot find Alberic and so I must ask you–” I put my hands on his desk to keep myself steady. “How. How. How can a man grow to be Estinien’s age and not know one single godsdamned thing about coin?!”

Aymeric blinked. And then had the nerve to smile– though he at least had the sense to hide it with his hand when I glared at him. “Ah, my friend, I don’t quite follow.” He cleared his throat and hit some papers on the desk to bring them back into line. “The last letter I received from you said you were going to be in Thavnair with Estinien?”

“I have a moment to spare and I attuned with the aetheryte,” I said. “It is a little pricey, but you know what? I know I can afford it, because I have the most basic budgeting skills known to man! Aymeric.” I slumped onto his desk and turned to pleading. Mayhap that would get me the answers I needed. “I have met people of all sorts; rich and poor and every level in between. I once encountered a man in Ul’dah who gave me one thousand gil because he said he liked my smile and when I told him to fuck off he laughed and gave me one thousand more. Emmanellain once spent an amount of gil that made me lightheaded to look at to buy a coat that was near identical to one he already had.” I stood back up and hit my fist on the desk. “Both of them are better with money than Estinien is. How. How is it possible for a common man turned dragoon turned adventurer–” ‘Mercenary,’ Estinien always corrected; well, Estinien could have that word back when he godsdamned earned it as far as I was concerned, “–to throw money around like he sits on a godsdamned treasure vault?!”

Aymeric stared at me.

And stared at me.

And the only warning I got was the slightest twitch of his lips.

To say Aymeric de Borel ‘burst’ out laughing would have been slightly inaccurate– as with everything he did there was a measure of composure that separated him from anyone else. Raubahn could burst out laughing; Merlwyb could burst out laughing. Aymeric…well, he didn’t normally laugh, so even though he was yet more controlled than anyone else, it was enough of a departure that it stole the wind from my sails.

“You're laughing,” I said and fell back into the chair. “I’m losing my mind and you're laughing.”

He was, and he continued to do so, and I stayed where I was, trying to ease the headache out of me, until most of his amusement was spent and he wiped the corner of one eye. “I–” He cleared his throat and leaned forward on the desk, clasping his hands together. Though he was still smiling, (smiling wide at that) he at least seemed to be taking me seriously. “I am…sorry. This genuinely troubles you, doesn’t it?”

I sat up and pulled out the Hair Tie That Could Launch A Sharlayan Education. “Do you have any idea how much he paid for this?” I asked. “Trick question: no one with a working brain could fathom this cost nearly a thousand gil. Why do I have it? Because I made him a stack of better ones out of piles of scrap from my weaving projects. I intend to find the merchant who sold this to him and strangle them with it.”

“I see,” Aymeric said, still smiling.

“Aymeric, please,” I begged. “You’ve known him for years. There is no possible way dragoons earn that much coin that he can throw so much of it away so long after his employment.”

“Dragoons do earn a fair amount, given the danger of their work,” Aymeric admitted. “But I think I may have an answer for you in that…I do not know how Estinien values coin, because I have never seen him spend it.”

I blinked. Would that I could have been so blessed– but mayhap he was right and the answer lie therein. “Expound.”

“Dragoons do earn steady salary,” Aymeric said. “But while some can live on their own, it is easiest to live in the barracks, and meals are provided at regular times. Estinien lived with Ser Alberic, became a Temple Knight, and then became the Azure Dragoon. To say he has been taken care of feels reductive, but…he has never had to fuss much with daily tasks others take for granted. His life was devoted to his service. Even the rare times I was able to drag him out for a night, I always paid.”

I knew full well Estinien knew how to forage and fend for himself in the wilderness. Civilization, though, was proving tricky. That seemed to line up. And at least the dragoon had a little hoard of his own. Or, had once had. “He never had to pay for anything?”

“He never indulged in anything,” Aymeric said. “He ate what was served in the mess, he stayed in the bunks provided, and he devoted himself to the war.” Aymeric suddenly looked thoughtful. “I am now…slightly concerned about every nameday gift I have ever received from him, however they were all purchased from Ishgardian merchants. I imagine Mistress Elaisse would have the head of anyone caught trying to swindle the Azure Dragoon.”

“Would that everyone had such scruples.” I rubbed my temples.

“Surely it cannot be so bad,” Aymeric said. “He survived on his own in Kugane, and he has been to Thavnair before.”

“The only reason he did not spend a small fortune on three drinks to ease our aether sickness was because Tataru sent a note saying that Estinien was not to be trusted with gil.” And I was willing to risk life, limb, and the contents of my stomach to make sure not to end up on her bad side. “Before coming here I tried to pull him aside to give him some frame of reference, but he huffed about it being a ‘waste of time’ and slipped away.” Let a man be taken into the ungentle hands of overexcited alchemists and he would not find the humor in it, it seemed.

“Hm.” Aymeric said and he tapped his lips. “If he is unwilling to listen, mayhap I can provide some help.”

I stood up. “Please.”

Aymeric smiled. “Tell him I mentioned a spill in the training grounds,” he said. “And that I will continue on if you come to me in such distress again.”

I clasped my hands over my heart. “You are my hero,” I said and gave myself some room to tune back to the aetheryte. “Thank you, Aymeric.”

“No, no, the gratitude is all mine,” he said, and just before I phased out of existence I watched him go back to work, chuckling gently. Well, hopefully Lucia wouldn’t be too mad at me for distracting him. As for me? I had a dragoon to teach some very basic life lessons to.

He was going to beg the alchemists to take him back for experiments by the time I was through with him.

#ffxiv fanfic #warrior of light #aymeric de borel #estinien wyrmblood #fluff and humor #endwalker #aymeric & wol #estinien & wol

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irrlicht-writes · 3 years

Text

of Rex Lapis and the water's embrace

The rock persisted for centuries. Unaffected by the wind and the weather, it was to remain forever. And yet, recently, the tide had been rising and the water hit against the stone. Stubbornly, the stone would endure the fluid form and persist still. But in the battle of adaptability and endurance, adaptability would always win; and the water tore the rock down. The stone would crumble; and the pillar would be no more. The rocks fell deep, deeper than they ever had before and the water caught them gently in their embrace. | "Tell me a story."

Ao3

Please read part 1 here

The tea was too hot to drink.

Childe had seemed distressed when they had talked on the pier, and Zhongli was unsure of how he should proceed. He was aware that after he gave away the gnosis to the eighth harbinger, Childe had been upset. He only wasn’t sure why exactly. Zhongli had simply fulfilled his contract. Childe had no reason to be mad.

Regardless, Zhongli had decided to let him calm down a while before he would attempt a conversation again. Childe had a wild temper at the best of times and it was generally unwise to anger him unnecessarily. The boy would go into the wilds of Liyue and kill things to his heart’s content and then they could have a civilised discussion again.

Although, Zhongli had to admit he missed his dates with the harbinger.

It was hard these days to find someone who’d be willing to listen to him ramble in full.

He checked his tea again. It was still too hot.

As he sat waiting, he pulled the Old Stone out again. He missed Azhdaha. Seeing him again had simply reminded him of how much he was missing his old friend – but on the other hand, it had been wonderful to be able to talk to him again, to maybe even ease his pain.

He wondered if Childe would be interested to hear stories about Azhdaha.

They were so alike, in heart. Big and powerful – and yet they possessed a gentle heart inside of them.

Zhongli smiled at his stone.

He hoped that Childe enjoyed his gift. The sword that never made it into the hands it had been destined for – mayhap this had been fate. Maybe Guizhong had never been meant to hold this sword and perhaps Zhongli had been a fool for keeping it all these years. Childe would put it to good use, he was sure of it.

The boy was one of the most formidable warriors he had met in recent years. He hadn’t been what Zhongli had expected in the slightest.

I shall send you my eleventh, my dearest Tartaglia. The vanguard of my forces shall serve your contract well, Rex Lapis.

The vanguard of the Tsaritsa... Zhongli had expected an old man, rich in battles and weary of heart, much like Zhongli himself.

And instead, he had received a bright-eyed, young boy with a blinding smile.

A joke, he had believed.

~*~

“Hi! My name’s Tartaglia, but you can call me Childe! You’re Zhongli, right?”

There was a young boy standing in the Funeral Parlour. His eyes were a dull blue, and his unkempt hair was orange. He grinned brightly and extended his hand in a greeting.

“Her Majesty said I’d find you here. Are you hungry? Let’s go get some food!”

There was no waste in this young boy. He reached forward and grabbed the stunned Zhongli, pulling him outside into the sun.

“Haha, it’s so hot here in Liyue! It’s going to be hard to get used to that... maybe they have thinner uniforms here. Ah, I shall just get used to it, I guess.”

Hold on.

This was Tartaglia? This young boy was supposed to be the vanguard of the Tsaritsa? No. This must be a joke.

Perhaps... perhaps this boy was the assistant of the harbinger, yes? If the real Tartaglia might not wish to deal with the outside world due to weariness or simply because he wished to remain hidden, then Zhongli could understand.

Yes. Yes, this sounded very plausible. He must have hired this boy to be his public face, to allow him to work in the background undeterred.

He did not like being deceived but he would insist on meeting the real harbinger soon. In the meantime, he shall entertain this young boy.

“How can I serve you?”

Zhongli hadn’t even noticed that they sat down at Wanmin Restaurant.

“Hi! I’m fresh off the boat and I would like some nice Liyuean food. I’m not picky; just give me what’s good! What about you, Zhongli? I didn’t stun you into silence, did I?”

Zhongli blinked. “Ah... no, you did not, I apologise for my lack of manners. Miss Xiangling, I would like a bamboo shot soup and my ah, associate would take the Crystal Shrimp.”

The boy grinned at him.

“Well, I’ll trust you, then!”

Xiangling smiled and wandered off. Now, Zhongli wasn’t sure what to say. This boy truly had come in like a hurricane.

“Sorry for dragging you away like that, but I’ve only just arrived and the bank already wants to drown me in paperwork. I know we were supposed to meet tomorrow, but I just had to get away, you know?”

“The bank? You mean the Northland Bank?”

“Yeah! I’m supposed to supervise it a bit while I’m here. Apparently, the debt collectors have gotten a bit too soft around these parts, so I’m meant to rough them up again. I wasn’t told about the paperwork though, so that’s a bummer.”

A harbinger would not talk like this, correct? This boy couldn’t have seen more than twenty summers.

“You have knowledge about collecting debts?”

“Yeah, I guess. Before I became a harbinger, I’ve been a debt collector for a while. Not very long though, because I kept killing the clients. And, y’know, dead guys don’t pay their debts after all. But I’m a harbinger now, so who cares!”

Tartaglia laughed and Zhongli blinked.

This boy could not be the Tsaritsa’s vanguard in a hundred years.

“Wha – what are those?!”

The boy’s hand was cramping around the chopsticks.

“Those are chopsticks. You use them to eat your foot... no, don’t stab the shrimp.”

“Well, then how... how do you use them?! This is impossible!”

Zhongli chuckled. “They are an important part of Liyuean cuisine, Childe. Please learn how to use them.”

“How do you guys not starve to death?! What’s wrong with forks?!”

~*~

“Yaahoo, your tea is cold, old man.”

Hu Tao’s voice tore Zhongli out of his thoughts. He looked at the Funeral Parlour Director for a second before he confirmed her words. Indeed, his tea has gotten cold. He sighed.

“What’s got your panties in a twist to make you sigh like that?”

Zhongli frowned. “I do not –“, but then he decided to just not indulge her.

“Are there any clients?”

Hu Tao pouted.

“No, there are no customers. It’s so boring. Nobody dies anymore these days. Hey, where’s your Fatui boyfriend? He always brought in good business.”

“I have not seen Childe in a few days. Last I saw him he did not seem to be in the mood for providing business, Director.”

In fact, Childe had seemed very depressed, so unlike the boy he had gotten to know.

Hu Tao started to whine. “Boooring. Go to him and make him kill some people, I’m so booreed.”

Zhongli closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In, and out. In, and out. Just this easy. This child was going to drive him insane. Childe was not a dead-body-factory.

Although, admittedly, he had provided a lot of bodies for Hu Tao during his stay here.

The two of them even got along. Hu Tao had convinced Childe to partake in several pranks and in almost all of them, Zhongli had been the butt-end of the joke.

“If there is nothing to do, I shall take a walk.”

“Go drag your boyfriend’s ass back here! And bring some dead people! I need a booming business!”

Zhongli decided to ignore her as he pocketed the Old Stone and left the Parlour.

Maybe he should check on Childe. At least, he could inquire whether or not the boy liked his new weapon.

The guard at the door barely recognised Zhongli, as he was busy writing a letter.

As usual, the bank was relatively quiet. The local manager, Andrei, and Mister Qi were talking to each other, presumably about the latter taking on a loan. They did not interest him however. Zhongli headed straight to the bank’s teller, Ekaterina. She’s always been his go-to whenever he had been looking for Childe.

“Good day, Miss Ekaterina. I was wondering –“

“Master Childe is not with you?”

Zhongli frowned. “I – no, he is not. Is something wrong?”

Despite the mask, Zhongli could tell how worried she was.

“Master Childe has left early the last evening and when he did not return, I thought he might be with you – please tell me I haven’t lost a Harbinger. Oh, I can’t even imagine what they’ll do to me. Tell me he’s fine. I don’t care if it’s a lie, just tell me he’s making a bad joke and is harassing Vlad outside the door.”

Childe was missing?

“Are you sure he is not just out for a few days?”

She shook her head. “No, he always tells me for how long he’ll be gone, and we have a matter for him to attend to tomorrow morning. In fact, I only know he has left is because I saw him leave. I checked his office for any sort of note but there was nothing which leads me to believe he intended to be back by now. Oh Seven, what if something’s happened to him? The Tsaritsa will lynch me.”

Childe was strong. Nothing could’ve happened to him, right?

“I will find him.”

Without waiting for an answer, he left the bank.

~*~

The young fake harbinger was a friendly sort. Despite Zhongli’s irritation of not meeting the real harbinger, he could not complain about the company of the fake Tartaglia.

“Xiansheng, do you really need to buy these rocks...?”

“They are of a quality made, Childe, you shouldn’t let an opportunity like this pass you by.”

The boy behind him groaned but paid the merchant. Zhongli took the pair of Jade and pocketed them. Some would wonder where he’d put all of these wonders, and he would never tell.

“Shall we eat, then?”

The boy looked up and blinked at the sun.

“Yeah but we gotta hurry. I have a training session right after lunch and it’s hard enough to keep these rat-tags together at the best of circumstances.”

The harbinger Tartaglia, the boy meant. Often, Zhongli had been tempted to sneak after the boy, trying to catch a glimpse of his real contact. But he, perhaps most of all, knew how difficult it could be to maintain their secret identity.

“Is it hard to train new recruits?”

Childe shrugged. “No, not really. It’s more about what they expect, you know? I’m not the boot camp. I’m not evaluating them, they’re already in. They just have no idea how to properly hold their weapon the right way around. I swear, I have held so many rifles in my life that you’d think I’d be replacing my bow. And you know the worst? The Hydro Gunners keep coming to me like I know what they’re doing. Just shoot your bubbles, man! I’ve never had a tank like that before.”

“You hold a hydro vision, though.”

“Yeah, but do I look like a healer to you? I heal my enemies from their pain by ending their misery. But somehow they expect me to know how theirstuff works. Just hit stuff until it works, it’s not that difficult.”

They arrived at Wanmin Restaurant and Chef Mao came to their table. Apparently, Xiangling was out today, gathering ingredients.

“We’ll take the Chicken Tofu Pudding and the Cured Pork Dry Hotpot, please.”

Childe smiled at him. “We should take a walk sometime.”

“Childe, we take walks all the time.”

“Yeah, I know, but I meant outside! Outside the Harbour. I haven’t really been, you know? There’s so much for me to do in the city that I haven’t really gotten a chance to see the landscape. And I figured, since you know everything about Liyue, you’d be a perfect tour guide!”

That was true. Childe had been for about two weeks and he had seldom left the Bank without Zhongli’s company. A young boy like Childe would grow restless in a city like this, especially considering how he’d grown up in a small village surrounded by trees. So he nodded.

“If your training session does not take too long, we may take stroll tonight.”

The training session did indeed not take long and Zhongli presumed that Childe had simply left early since the real harbinger was going to lead the training anyway.

Brash as ever, Childe stormed the Parlour and leaned over the counter, staring expectedly at Zhongli. He was not deterred though and kept going through his papers.

“Yaahoo, who are you?!”

Oh no. He forgot about Director Hu. He would –

“Hi, I’m Childe! Are you the leader here?”

“Before you stands mighty Hu Tao, 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour! Are you the guy who keeps stealing my consultant?”

Childe laughed. “Indeed I am! In fact, I’m here to steal him away again.”

“Hmmm, you have the deadest eyes I’ve ever seen. You’ll be a customer soon, yeah? If you sign up now, I can give you a coupon.”

Childe waved his hand. “Thanks, but I’m not going to die here. If I do, it’ll be in the cold embrace of my home. But I’ll take coupons!”

Hu Tao grinned and shoved them into Childe’s hands. “Effective only if used within three weeks!”

“Well, I’ll be sure to drop some bodies, then.”

Zhongli stood up quickly before this could escalate any further.

“Childe, let us leave lest it gets too late.”

“Oh, right! Bye, Hu Tao! It was nice meeting you!”

Zhongli practically dragged him out of the Parlour before Hu Tao could respond.

“I had no idea the Director was that young!”

“She has taken over at a very young age, indeed. At some times, I think she does not respect the dead enough, but she is surprisingly loyal to the traditions.”

As Zhongli was dragging him away, Childe looked over his shoulder, seemingly deep in thoughts.

“Anyway, where are we going?”

“It’s a place called Yaoguang Shoal. You will like it.”

“Looks peaceful,” Childe commented and Zhongli nodded.

“There is little here for the Treasure Hoarders to find here. This place is not known for its hidden treasures.”

Childe crossed his arms and looked over to the shore.

“My siblings would love to run across here, I bet.”

“Oh?”

Childe grinned. “Yeah, it’s kinda hard to do that back home, you know? They could even run bare-foot here. You know what...”

The boy turned over and got rid of his shoes, wiggling his toes into the sand. He grabbed Zhongli’s hand and pulled them both down onto the ground.

“Let’s watch the sunset, yeah?”

Zhongli complied. There was, after all, no reason not to.

“What are these called?”

Childe had picked up a conch and held it up to Zhongli’s face.

“They are called Starconches. They say if you hold it to your hear, you can hear the longing call of the sea.”

The boy held the starconch up into the sky, looking at it. “I’ve never seen a seashell with a star on it.”

He proceeded to hold it next to his ear, looking at his toes that were still buried in the sand. He seemed to be listening intently. Then, he laughed.

“Oh, what a siren call indeed. It’s like a call from the very deepest depth, from within all the endless void and darkness at the bottom of the world. So enticing, but I’m not going to drown.” A moment of pause. Then: “No use in hiding back there!”

In a flash, Childe was standing upright, a spear made out of hydro in his hands. Zhongli had barely enough time to turn around to see the Treasure Hoarders before Childe ran over to them.

With each of his attacks, Childe’s weapon shifted fluidly between the spear and what seemed to be two daggers. The red scarf on his back was glimmering with pure hydro energy as Childe spun around himself to knock the Treasure Hoarders out.

The boy turned around, shouldering his spear and grinning at Zhongli. “Do you think that there are any Ruin Guards about?”

~*~

Childe was not on the Guili Plains. After hearing the harbinger had gone there just days prior, Zhongli believed he might’ve returned but there were no hydro traces of his friend.

Why are there no Glaze Lilies on Guili Plains?

Zhongli looked at the desolate plains. He still remembered a time in which the Lilies would bloom plenty. In his ears, he could still hear Guizhong’s song to them. He has never been able to sing it, no matter how hard he tried. But right now, she didn’t matter.

Zhongli turned around again to head to Yaoguang Shoal, hoping to find Childe there. Alas, he was disappointed.

Where else could the young harbinger be?

Maybe... the sword. He closed his eyes. He might be able to find the sword. He’s carried it for so long, there were still so many traces of himself left behind. But he couldn’t concentrate. There were too many thoughts in his head. What if the harbinger was dead? No. No, he couldn’t think like that. He wouldn’t die this easily.

Zhongli opened his eyes again and looked down. There was a starconch lying in the sand. He bent down to pick it up. A conch, carried up to the shore from the depths... Childe liked them. They were a lot like him, he had said. Zhongli had never been sure he understood. Geographically, Snezhnaya was not lower than Liyue. But there had always been something about Childe, something that hadn’t seemed quite right. His eyes, of course, but there had also been the general feeling of... of something beyond this world. Like the boy had been claimed by something else, but Zhongli had never been able to put his finger on it – not that it had ever mattered this far.

Why couldn’t this shell lead him to Childe?

Not wanting to crush it, he threw it back into the ocean. The water rippled for a moment, then the surface stilled once again.

But in the battle of adaptability and endurance, adaptability would always win; and the water tore the rock down. The stone would crumble; and the pillar would be no more. The rocks fell deep, deeper than they ever had before and the water caught them gently in their embrace.

Embraced by the deepest depths, the stone would remain forever more, gently floating away, having overseen the world for long enough.

And if the rock would ever tire, the tide would gently carry the stone to the shore.

Zhongli turned, and left the shore behind. The water was gently lapping at the sand, washing the starconch back ashore. The star in the middle of it shimmered in a gentle blue.

Everything inside him called him to Nantianmen. He was not sure why, but he was not one to ignore a feeling like that when he had deliberately been looking for it. There were a lot of monsters and Treasure Hoarders in the area, so that might be why Childe had been heading there. It was worth a try.

The Old Stone in his pocket gave a slight hum, but Zhongli did not have the mind to listen to it.

Nantianmen was eerily quiet. Normally, one could hear the Hillichurls running around, but now there was just dead silence. Something had happened here and Zhongli had the uneasy feeling that Childe might be at the middle of it.

Ever the eye of the storm.

“Not a step closer!”

The voice rung out across the field. It was distorted but Zhongli recognised the voice. It was Childe. He started running.

There was a mass of Ruin Guards and Hunters in front of Azhdaha’s tree. And there was something else. Something twice the size of a human floating in the air, with a cape made out of stars. Zhongli did not recognise the body, but it was Childe’s voice. And judging by the pile of destroyed Ruin Guards, he had been here a while. There were still so many...

“Childe”, he shouted as he ran over.

The boy... turned his head.

“Xianshen –“

He didn’t get to finish as a Ruin Hunter had been charging up his drill to promptly launch forward to attack him with it. Due to Zhongli’s interference, Childe was not able to evade the attack and got thrown back at the tree behind him. Zhongli saw the boy glow and shrink in size before he fell down to the ground, not to move again. He barely saw the jade sword fall next to him.

No.

Childe always got up immediately after being struck down.

Zhongli could only stare for four painfully long seconds before he decided to take revenge. He didn’t know what brought the Ruin Guards here or how Childe was able to transform the way he did or why any of this was happening at all – all he knew was that he wouldn’t let a friend die in vain once again.

Morax was far from dead; and these enemies would know.

Gently carried by the waves, the rock saw more of the world than the pillar ever could have. The tide was careful to not jostle it too much and to carry it great distances before slowing down, allowing the stone to rest.

Countless fish and sea-creatures would come up to the rock but the sea gently carried it away. The rock was thankful and it appreciated the small whales coming with them.

“I am tired,” the rock would say to the waves. “I have overseen it all for too long. But how will they fare without my pillar?”

The water did not answer, but it changed course. It carried the rock back to the start, so that the stone could see: nothing had changed. The pillar was forever gone, and in time, it would be forgotten. Rock would forever endure, until it would ebb away with the tide.

“Take me away,” the stone requested, “show me your beginning. And when you end, I shall end with you. Until that day, let your tide carry me until I erode away.”

As the Ruin Hunters lay dead to his feet, Rex Lapis took a heavy breath. Without a second thought, he spun around and ran up to the boy that was still lying on the ground. He was breathing, right? But there was blood.

“Childe,” he whispered as he gathered his friend into his arms and brushed a strand of hair aside. This couldn’t be like Guizhong all over again, he wouldn’t be able to take it. The boy groaned and shifted a bit.

“Xiansheng...?”

“Yes. Yes, I’m here.”

The boy blinked and slowly his eyes focused on Rex Lapis.

“Oh wow... I didn’t know you had horns.”

Morax didn’t understand, but it also didn’t matter. “Please. Are you in pain? What do I do?”

Childe laughed a bit. “It’s... don’t worry, yeah? It’s nothing a little herbs and bandages can’t fix, right? I’m more exhausted than I am hurt.”

“You are bleeding.”

“Oh believe me, I know. It’s okay though. Still, I... I should probably bandage it, right? I don’t wanna pass out.”

Morax sprang into action. “Don’t worry, baobei, I will take care of it.”

Childe blinked at him hazily as he removed his jacket and started wrapping it around the boy’s torso.

“...that looks kinda ineffective.”

“This is all I have. I will take you to the Harbour immediately.”

Gently, Rex Lapis gathered the boy in his arms to begin the trek back to the Harbour. Childe’s grip on the sword handle was steady.

“They were attacking the tree,” he said after a few minutes of walking. Morax could tell he was about to fall asleep.

“You were protecting it?”

“No, I came here because I heard about the Ruin Guards. But then I saw them attacking the tree and I... I didn’t want to, but I had to. It’s where... it’s where you sealed Azhdaha, right?”

Rex Lapis just nodded.

“I thought I could take them all on, but they just kept coming. Your sword did good damage but I needed something bigger.”

“Which is why you... transformed.”

“Yes,” was all Childe replied.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes.”

Childe pressed his forehead against Morax’ neck.

“I wanna see the shore.”

“Childe, you’re hurt. Baobei, I need to take you to the Pharmacy.”

“Please.”

So Rex Lapis turned and walked to Yaoguang Shoal.

“Tell me a story,” the young boy asked.

“Please, baobei, let me take you to the Harbour,” Rex Lapis pleaded.

“You can. Just one story. Just tell me one story to fall asleep to. I won’t die. The tide’s not gone yet. I won’t go anywhere just yet, alright? Just one story, alright? Please.”

“Once, a long time ago, Rex Lapis encountered a young boy. The boy would never walk beside the god, but the god would always follow. The god was as steady as stone, but the boy was like the tides, ever-changing, ever-evolving and forever coming back.

Rex Lapis would oversee his country for eternity, and always he would watch the waves, wondering just when they would erode him. Perhaps, the god thought, perhaps erosion would not be the worst if it meant flowing like the tides.

After all, the boy would gift him a starconch, telling stories of a far-too-distant shore.”

In his arms, Childe had fallen asleep. The water was gently lapping at their feet and a starconch was washed ashore. Rex Lapis picked it up and put it gently into Childe’s arms. Carefully, he picked the young boy up and made the long walk back to Liyue Harbour.

Behind him, there was a singular rock carried by the waves.

As Zhongli and Childe disappeared from view, so did the rock vanish as if it had never been there.

#genshin impact #zhongchi #genshin childe #genshin zhongli #hurt/comfort #fanfiction #genshin tartagalia #irrlicht writes #tartali

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johannstutt413 · 3 years

Text

(requested by anonymous)

When Lappland woke up that morning, the first thing she noticed was how cold her bed was; the second thing was the Doctor-shaped hole in it; and the third was that it was, in fact, her bed and not his. This series of observations confused her - she’d definitely fallen asleep in his bed last night and had been for the past four months - and so she did what any rational person would do: yell.

“Doctoooor!” The Lupo roamed around her apartment, finding neither hide nor hair of her captive darling...darling captive? He was hers, that was what mattered. “Dooooctooooor! You there, my guy?...No?...Well, shit, where’d he go? I’ll try texting him.”

A rigorous search of her phone told her nothing - or, rather, it told her ALL information related to the Doctor she’d kept on there (contact info, some pictures both safe for work and otherwise, conversations, anything related to him) had been precision-stripped from her device while leaving everything else intact. It was like he’d never existed according to her phone. “Well, fuck. Weird bug, but maybe someone can help me find him. Or fix my phone. One of the two. Seriously, what the fuck happened?”

“Lappland?” A voice at her front door. Since she was wearing pajamas (for some reason), there wasn’t anything to stop her from answering.

“Yeah? Oh, hey, Pipsqueak.” Her ‘affectionate’ name for Sussurro. “What’s up?”

The Vulpo simply gave her a look - not offended, at least not at this hour of the day. “You were calling for a doctor.”

“Huh? No, I was calling for Doctor.”

“The only difference is a definite article in there.” She walked around the Lupo in a tight circle. “Feeling alright?”

Lappland...well, she might as well tell someone what was happening, and Pipsqueak seemed to know something. “You know where The Doctor is?”

“Who are you referring to? Dr. Kal’tsit?” Now Sussurro’s tone was drifting into confusion.

“No, The Doctor.” The Lupo shook her head. “Company hoodie, runs strategy and personal relations, been shacking up with him for the past four months?”

More, deeper confusion. “I’m sorry, Lappland, I don’t know who you’re talking about. Four months, you say?”

“Yeah. Look, he gave me thi- what the fuck?!” There should’ve been a bite mark from the other night on one of her shoulders, but it, too, was gone.

“Calm down, Lappland,” the Vulpo advised. “Would you mind coming with me to my office so we can get this down in writing?”

She certainly did...but she needed her Doctor and she needed him NOW, damnit. At least Pipsqueak wanted to help. “Yeah, sure, whatever brings him back, take me with you.”

“Alright. If you wouldn’t mind stepping in front of me? I’ll tell you when to turn.” With that, the Lupo took the lead, following Sussurro’s directions to Medical, then to a small office near the front.

“Good morning, Dr. Sussurro,” Ptilopsis chirped as they entered the office. “How may we help you?”

The Vulpo gestured to the door. “Close that for us; I’ll be writing a transcript for an exam with Lappland here.”

“An exam? You think I’m lying?”

“Lying, no,” the Medic replied, “but there’s a reason you remember this Doctor person and I don’t- Ptilopsis? Something wrong?”

At the mention of ‘Doctor,’ Tilly had stutter-stepped. “Corrupted database entry found: one file labeled ‘The Doctor.’ Peripheral contamination detected; quarantining affected data...This unit needs to record this infraction.”

“Close the door and record it for the transcript; this is more serious than I thought. Perhaps some kind of cognition hazard...” Sussurro hopped over to where she kept her medical journal, flipped to a fresh page, and began writing furiously.

“You remember him, too, then?” Lappland grabbed the Liberi’s shoulder as she turned away from the now-closed door. “Do you know what happened?! Tell me if you do!”

Ptilopsis shuddered. “This unit apologizes, User Lappland, but this unit’s memory bank has been corrupted. This unit cannot determine the veracity of their data-”

“To hell with that! What. Do. You. Know.” The frenzy was starting to kick in.

“Lappland, control yourself or I will be forced to control you,” Sussurro called from her desk, eyeing her patient with a frown. “Please give us time. We’re working through this together.”

The Lupo growled. “I could throw you across the room and make sure you wouldn’t bounce.”

“I believe that. Ptilopsis, how are you doing?”

“Data recovery complete,” Tilly replied as her eyes changed color. “Assuming direct control.”

Both Vulpo and Vulpo-chucker looked at the Liberi. “Ptilopsis?”

“She realized I was the only one who knew what happened to him, so I’m gonna take over for a minute. Nice to see the outside after all that time cooped up in her head.” She giggled.

“...Ah.” Sussorro reached for her tranquilizer setup. “What happened, then?”

The Other Voice grinned at Lappland. “This is all a dream, lil’ Lappy. Alllll a dream.”

“Then get me the fuck out of it.”

“Oh, I can’t.” ‘Ptilopsis’ opened the door. “Go find Dusk. She’ll get you out.”

The Lupo was gone before the tranq dart landed in the analyst’s neck.

Locating Dusk was actually rather simple: find Saga. “Hey! Saga! Where’s Dusk?”

“Oh! Hail and well met, Miss Lappland!” The Perro gestured to a nearby wall that was curled in on itself - attempted camouflage? Hard to say. “Surely you shall come upon her in here, although she has most graciously asked for a warning-”

“I’ll give her a warning, alright. Thanks.” No further questions; the Lupo charged across the painting’s threshold.

The monk looked on for a moment. “If only I’d spoken more precisely. I meant to give her a warning, not ask her to give one in turn...”

“Ashes to SilverAsh, dust to Dusk!” Lappland called into the inky blackness she’d found waiting for her. “I don’t know why I’m here, but you’d better take me back quickly!”

“Even a facsimile of Saga can’t help but be helpful, it seems. Will you stop shouting so much if I send you back?” The Dusk addressed her without revealing herself.

Her visitor, though, knew exactly where she was. “You’re my world’s Dusk?”

“Obviously.” The artist waited. “So?”

“Take me back, or my shouting will be the least of your problems.” Lappland’s hand was pressed against the back of her neck.

Dusk sighed. “A thousand rivers will dry before a drop of my blood meets the earth. You really think-”

“I don’t.” The Lupo struck the Dusk’s back with her other hand in three very specific places, and her victim fell forward. “I also found the exit while you were replying. You’ll be back on your feet in an hour. The next time you do this, you’re dead.”

“Ah...So this is where she took her?” The Doctor was standing in front of a conspicuous, swirling void made of paint.

Saga nodded. “Verily, I witnessed her in the midst of crossing the threshold. Doctor, thine anger burns brighter than I hath seen.”

“Don’t worry, Saga, I’m not angry.” He cracked his neck. “I’m furious. When I see her-”

“Doctor!!!” Lappland, like a streak of white lightning, bolted across the threshold and sent them both flying into the opposite wall.

Their Perro witness clapped. “Lappland! Thou hast spared Dusk the wrath of thine beloved!”

“Why?” Said beloved’s face was covering her with kisses and secondhand tears at the moment. “Why the fuck did she take you?”

She didn’t have an answer for that, and she didn’t care; much more important was the fact that she was home.

“If I might interject? Lady Dusk oft spoke of Lappland’s cackling having a powerfully distracting effect on her. Mayhaps she found herself incapable of restraining herself and acted out in anger?”

“...Sounds like what she said,” the Lupo muttered in the Doctor’s ear. “Can we go home?”

He squeezed her tightly to his chest before letting her rise to her feet and following suit. “Let’s go home...Saga? Let Dusk know I’ll need to speak with her tomorrow. I see a lot of Orirock in her future, and I’m not talking about her painting a fucking mountain.”

“Um, yes, I shall inform her of thine will post-haste.” Saga took her leave into the ink dimension.

“She’s got another fifty minutes of time-out,” Lappland noted, her entire demeanor muted by relief, both hers and her dearest’s. “Some god...same weak points as a Lung...”

The Doctor squeezed her hand. “Let’s forget about her for the rest of the day, hmm? All that matters right now is that you’re here, and I’m here, and that’s not changing any time soon.”

“Mmm...Yeah. You have my phone on you?”

“Sure do.” He handed it to her, and she opened her photo album. “Everything there?”

The Perro nodded, scrolling until she was satisfactorily reassured that this was the right reality she was in, before putting it away in her pajama pants pocket. Everything was back to the way it should be.

Everything, that is, except for Dusk’s locomotive capabilities, but they’d sort themselves out eventually.

#arknights #arknights fic #lappland (arknights)#this was the 'an Operator dating the Doctor wakes up and the Doctor's been forgotten' prompt #went with Lappland because i am not immune to Lappland attraction #especially after she saved my ASS in the R6S event #silence+ranged arts damage?#woof woof #i am definitely some kind of hypocrite for being attracted to her in spite of her whole personality #but i'm a simp first and logical person second

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feuillytheflorist · 2 years

Text

mayhaps succfest is the time for my to drop a little snippet of my titanic au that will one day exist? or, once again, i am putting tom on a ship bc that man just needs to be on the sea, i can't explain it.

prompt 14: in another time, in another life @succfest ,my beloved

for those in peril on the sea

It is so strange, Tom thinks, glancing up at the night sky, that it is such a beautiful night and the world is ending around him. The flares in the sky are surely the Book of Revelation coming true, the great creaking and moaning of the ship are the Leviathan chewing through steel and iron, to come and swallow them all for their hubris, for daring to claim the ship unsinkable.

He is starting to shiver in his woollen coat and dress slacks. He hadn’t prepared properly to be out this late at night, when he and Greg had been running around avoiding the staff and Logan’s minions, and though he keeps his hands jammed in his pockets, they do little to stop them from shaking. To stop his teeth from chattering in his skull.

It is, of course, women and children first. In the beginning, there were complaints, annoyed comments. No one wanted to be up this late, when they could be in their warm beds with cups of tea or wine, and not forced into lifeboats in the freezing late night air.

But now that the ship has started to tilt distinctly to the right, now that the water has all but taken over the lower floors, now that they all know the ship is sinking even though it is supposed to be unsinkable. For Christ's sake, it supposed to be unsinkable.

Tom secures Logan a place on this lifeboat. Rich men always get what they want.

“You too,” he says. Tom thinks for half a moment that maybe Logan cares about him, but that’s foolish. Logan never cared about him. He shakes the idea away to focus on what’s at hand.

“No sir,” Tom shakes his head. He clenches his fists to try and bring some life back into them. His nose and ears both sting, “I can’t.”

“It’s a fuckin’ spectacle, that’s all.” “Half of the people on this ship are going to die,” Tom muses, glancing up at the sky. Another flare launches, making him jump just a bit, “There’s not enough lifeboats, Thomas Andrews told me so himself. Come morning, half the people here will be dead in the North Atlantic.” “Not the better half,” Logan rolls his eyes and even though Tom is not a good person, has said and done so many nasty things, he’s taken aback by the words, at the blatant disregard for the death of over a thousand people, “Get in the fuckin’ boat. What am I supposed to do? Show up in New York without my daughter’s fiancé? Quit playing the hero.” “Yes, you are,” Tom nods. He takes his scarf off and places it around the old man’s neck. He had promised Shiv her father’s safe return, and regardless of his own plans-- whatever they are now, the idea of running away to St. Paul with a man he met four days ago, who he has fallen so hard for it’s quite frightening is no longer as simple as it was. Now all that matters is staying alive-- he is going to return Shiv’s father to her alive and well, “I can’t come. I have to go downstairs. Stay warm, Logan.” Whatever Logan wants to call him-- and it is probably very nasty, given the man’s temper and views-- he slips away too fast to hear it, pausing only long enough to watch two officers help Logan sit down on one of the lifeboats, to watch it begin to lower into the freezing Atlantic below. He will be fine, and Shiv will have the only person she really loves in the world safe at home by this time tomorrow.

He takes a moment and presses up against one of the walls. It is so loud up here and he has to resist the urge to cover his ears with his hands just to think, just to allow his mind a moment to process things. But he doesn’t want to take them out of his pockets. And he knows it’s going to be worse down below but he has to go, because Greg will die if he stays down there, drowning or freezing to death or something and it will be all his fault.

The stars dare to twinkle, the moon dares to peek from behind the clouds and Tom feels like his heart is going to burst out of his ribcage. He draws a shaky breath, and makes himself stand up off the cold metal.

If all goes well, he will be able to get downstairs, down to Third Class, and collect Greg and then maybe figure something out. Put Greg on a lifeboat. Put them both on a lifeboat. Freeze to death when this ship sinks-- it heaves again, groans, and Tom nearly trips over his own two feet. He’s got to move. Time is running out.

If all goes well, Tom will see the sky again, but he sends a last glance up to the stars, and hopes for the best, before racing down below.

In less than an hour, he will be staring at that inky black night sky, colder than he has ever been in his life, and clinging to a tiny sliver of hope that the lifeboats will come back, and the hand of the man who turned his life upside down.

Funny, how life works out.

#succ fest #tomgreg #tomgreg au #titanic au that lives in my heart

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yoongi-sugaglider · 3 years

Text

Artemis Rising

The story of a Goddess and a Demi God, star crossed lovers whose story was lost to the complexity of history. The truth is they were wronged. All because of the jealousy of a brother. Can they escape their fate in a modern age? Can reincarnation allow her to finally reunite with the ones who loved her?

genre: angst ; reincarnation/Greek mythology au ; werewolf au

pairing: Yoongi x reader; ot7 x reader ; ft: Ateez

warnings: abusive relationship, physical abuse towards reader, vengeful ot7, inaccurate description of Ateez as aggressive (they’re sweet babies I swear! But Eomma needed a bad guy), fighting, character death, of age drinking (more to be added mayhaps?)

Word count: 3197

Chapter 2

Above the moon waned, it’s glorious light barely casting a glow upon the stilled seas that would normally grace sweet Gaia’s shores.

“My child, why do you weep so?” Leto stepped from the shadows. The soothing calm that normally encased the Titan Goddess of motherhood was gone, replaced with a sense of distress and panic at the sight of her precious daughter weeping upon a piece of sea swept driftwood.

“Mother…” Artemis sobbed, reaching out to the tall figure and crumpling into her lap.

“Artemis, my darling. Speak to me. Who is the cause of your tears?”

It took the moon goddess a while to answer, so wrapped up in her grief that her entire body trembled and the moon shed a little more of its light, now barely a sliver in the sky.

“It’s O...Orion. He’s...he’s gone mother. By mine own hand…”

Leto gasped, pulling away to stare down at Artemis with wide eyes.

“The young hunter boy? The one who’d caught your eye and joined you in your hunts?”

“The very same. Oh mother what do I do?”

The night wore on as the goddess of the moon wept, seeking comfort in the arms of Leto who could only stroke her back in comfort and attempt to soothe her broken soul.

The sun began to rise, it’s golden glow muted and pale as Apollo approached.

“Son. Is this your doing?” A hint of anger leached into the benevolent Titan’s voice as she gave her only son a heated stare.

“Mother...I…”

“You knew it was him!” Artemis stood, short sword in hand as she rounded on her once beloved brother. “You knew and you challenged me anyway! All of this born of your stupid misplaced jealousy!”

“Sister, please I just…”

Artemis cut him off, lunging forward with all of the intent of driving the golden steel of the Gods through his chest.

“Artemis no!!”

***

Panic gripped me as I lunged forward, arm outstretched as if attempting to reach...something.

I shook my head in bewilderment, hoping the motion would wake me up enough to remember the dream that had left me with tear stained cheeks and a pillow soaked in my own grief. As with every other dream of mine though, it’d faded too fast. A wisp of a thing fading away in the morning light.

I sighed, finally allowing my hand to fall to the coolness of the bedsheet. A glance beside me let me know that once again Hongjoong had woken long before me...that or he’d never come to bed as the sheets beside me were as cold and empty as always.

I sighed again, letting the loneliness of the early morning caress my cheeks and dry the tears left over from the formless nightmare. Eventually I was able to get myself motivated enough to get up and start the day. It was honestly a perk working from home that I didn’t have a specific time to get up. But I preferred working on my writing early on in the day so that I could have the evenings to myself to relax and do whatever needed to be done before Hongjoong got home.

After a quick shower and change of clothes I made my way down to the kitchen in the hopes of having a quiet breakfast.

"Miss…"

I couldn't help the squeak that left my lips when Yeosang's strong, deep voice echoed through the vast expanse of the kitchen. Eyes wide I stared at his broad back, confused as to how he even knew I was standing in the doorway. Standing at the stove was Seonghwa, cooking away in a world of his own.

At Yeosang’s acknowledgement of my presence Seonghwa glanced over to me. I couldn’t help but wither under his intense stare. A frown formed between his eyebrows as he took in the bruise on my left cheek that I’d failed to cover up with several layers of concealer along with the way I shrunk away from their combined stares.

Neither of them commented though and it came as a relief that they turned back to their respective tasks after a moment more of silence.

“There’s omelet rolls on the way. Meat’s cooked and on the table.” Seonghwa’s words weren’t spoken to anyone but I knew they were aimed at me. Whispering out a quick thank you I scurried over to the dining table, head down and eyes pinned to the small pile of bacon sitting before me.

The rest of the meal was delivered quickly, the imposing men’s silence deafening as usual as they seemed to tiptoe around me. I’d come to expect and accept it at this point as it seemed that each of my bodyguards was absolutely terrified of reaching out to me in any way.

I could have used the comfort. Used some sort of touch or a soothing word to get through the monotony of my days. But I suppose that’s what Yoongi was for…

So I turned to him. Once dishes were done and put away I began texting him, checking in on his day, asking the usual best friend questions and hanging on to every time the phone would vibrate while I worked in the relative quiet of my little writing corner. Before I’d even realized it, the day had moved on without me.

I glanced up out of the window, startling myself at the abrupt darkness that had swallowed the day and cast the world into the deepest recesses of twilight. Somehow I’d missed lunch and dinner, and the hunger gnawed at my stomach in a way that made me nervous just thinking about it.

Hongjoong would be home by now, and the mere thought of facing him after last night set me on edge.

“Have you been holed up in here all day?”

I couldn’t help the squeak of fear that escaped me. Whipping around I stared wide eyed at Hongjoong who’d somehow walked into my office without me hearing and was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Hongjoong...I...I didn’t hear you come in…” I pressed my hand against my chest, struggling to still the rapid beating of my heart.

He smirked, dropping his arms and pushing away from the doorframe. His movements were so smooth, so calculated. My gaze swept his figure as he stalked towards me like a predator, noting he was still in his business suit and tie though the latter was untied and hung loosely from his neck.

“Good. You weren’t supposed to.”

I shrunk down in my chair as he towered over me, shadows cast on his face making it hard to gauge his mood or what he could possibly want with me.

“Your meeting. It went well I hope?” No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t shove the slight quiver in my voice down and I hated myself for it. Hated that his presence alone struck such a level of fear in me even without him having done anything.

“Hmm…” His noncommittal hum echoed through the room and some part of me screamed in disgust at the way my body sagged with relief when he turned away from me and moved back to the bedroom door.

“I met with a few social acquaintances of mine.” Ever so slowly he closed the door, as if shutting the world out of our conversation. It wasn’t really necessary, no one here would ever dare walk in on him without announcing themselves first.

“Oh?” My tongue darted out to wet my lips and his eyes followed the motion almost hungrily. I couldn’t help but suppress the shudder of fear that raced through my bloodstream.

“You’re...acquaintances with that popular boy band...yes?” I couldn’t quite tell what he was after. His tone of voice was flat, almost as if he was already bored with the conversation even though he’d been the one to initiate it.

I turned in my computer chair to face him fully, watching as he leaned heavily on the closed door and folded his arms over his chest.

“I’m friends with them, yeah. Is...there…”

The sly grin that flashed across his face set every alarm bell ringing in my head. He was planning something, and the implications could honestly mean anything but none of it was anything good.

“I want you to invite them to the party tomorrow night. Make sure they come, no exceptions.”

I blinked, head tilting to the side as I followed his every move. He pushed away from the wall, stalking over to me slowly. It took everything in me to sit still instead of retreating back into myself as the predatory threat loomed over me in the form of Hongjoong’s imposing figure.

I stared at his chest for a moment as he pressed his hands on either side of me on the desk, effectively caging me in. When I’d finally found the nerve to look him in the eyes the fire there had me instantly shrinking in on myself.

“I want them there, no exceptions. No excuses.”

“Y...yes, okay Hongjoong…”

He continued staring at me for a long moment, face morphing into various emotions from distaste to mistrust and finally settling on neutral disgust. Grabbing my chin he pulled me close, sealing his lips against mine in some form of possessive dominance that had me melting in to him despite every cell of my being wanting to pull away and protect myself from him.

“That’s my good girl.” Patting my cheek he turned and marched off, leaving me confused and irritated with myself for the display of weakness.

***

“Hyung, remind me why we agreed to this again?” Jungkook coughed, slim fingers curled into the collar of his tie as he struggled to breathe around it.

“Because y/n asked us to, that’s why.” Seokjin growled, grabbing the young boy by the arm and twirling him just enough to reposition the tie accordingly and allow Jungkook to breathe.

“Well, I mean besides that…'' Jungkook blushed, eyes darting through the entryway and into the rest of the massive mansion. It’d taken everything Yoongi had to convince them to take their one day off to support their best friend. They’d been all for it up until he mentioned it’d been to support Kim Hongjoong’s ‘important announcement’. At that point they’d just about all gotten up and walked away until he mentioned she’d begged him specifically.

“Well here’s to hoping the food is at least good…” Taehyung muttered as he shoved his way into the entry hall and tossed his overly long coat at the poor overloaded coat rack in the corner.

“I swear if that fucker tries to make trouble for her tonight I’m going to tear his throat out.” Hoseok growled, eyes narrowed to slits as he’d just spotted the man in question.

Hongjoong strutted across the hall, disappearing through the large glass doors that led out to the lanai and the massive back yard where the main portion of the party was held.

“We’ll do no such thing.” Namjoon said. He placed a calming hand on Hoseok’s shoulder, giving the younger men each a piercing look that set them back to their relaxed state of alert once more.

“At least not until she’s ready to let him go and come home with us.” Yoongi huffed. He nodded for the lanai. “Let’s get out there, our girl needs us.”

The group complied, putting on their idol faces and smiling and waving to the small crowd that gathered as soon as they stepped out into the fairy light lit backyard. Finding her wasn’t hard. She flitted to and fro, handling one disaster or another while keeping a small smile plastered on her face as she played hostess to the hundreds of guests that’d been invited to witness whatever it was Hongjoong had planned to announce.

There even appeared to be several high ranking members of the press hanging around. Most hovering over the buffet style food tables while others interviewed various members of the staff along with guests in the hopes of getting an exclusive on what this party could be about.

“Vultures…” Yoongi muttered as he nursed the cup of punch he’d been handed by some faceless waiter.

“Aye, but they have their use. Keeps the eye on Hongjoong and off of me.” The soft voice that whispered beside him had him instantly grinning.

“Well hi there gorgeous.” He turned to her, eyes darting over her form to take in the sultry green dress she’d donned. The silken material hugged her in places that had him salivating, luckily though he was able to school his features quickly before she or anyone else could notice the hungry look he’d barely been able to control.

“Oh hush Yoongs. You know this is my least favorite dress.” She blushed, turning away from him to subtly fan the heat rising in her cheeks.

“Yeah, that may be. But anyone would be a fool not to appreciate what you’re flaunting.” He snickered half heartedly, hoping she’d take it as a joke and not as the truth he so desperately wanted to scream at her no matter who happened to be watching.

“Thank you for coming, Yoongi…” She whispered, eyes darting over to the grand stage Hongjoong had insisted be set up in the center of the garden.

“Anything for you little moon.” His words went unheard though as Hongjoong chose that moment to clear his throat into the microphone and interrupt any conversation that may have been taking place.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! I’d like to have your attention for a moment if you don’t mind!”

“As you are all aware, my family has been a leading edge to our beautiful city for many a generation. My father swore to uphold the law to the best of his ability, and when he passed several years ago it left a void in so many people’s hearts. His father before him served as well, standing with his fellow citizens to fight against oppression and the government corruption that’d been keeping us all down up until his final breath.” Hongjoong bowed his head as the crowd applauded, cheering his forefathers and shouting various praises as to Hongjoong’s own accomplishments.

He held up a hand, shooting them all a winning smile as they quieted down to allow him to continue.

“Pompous prick…” Yoongi muttered, taking a sip of his punch to hide the movement of his lips.

“Tonight we are gathered here, not only in celebration, but in unity. To come together not as reporters and millionaires and chefs and idols. But as fellow citizens brought together by a single cause, to make this city great again! To make our neighborhoods safer and our children safer. To bring us all together under one unified cause so that we can make Seoul great again!”

The crowd roared to life, cheering Hongjoong’s name and surging forward to crowd the stage as he smiled upon them on like so many obedient children.

“And so!” He spoke over the cheers, somehow making himself heard despite the noise. “I’m officially announcing myself as being in the running for mayor. Rejoice! For change is here!”

The woman beside Yoongi squeaked, her face deathly pale as she seemed to be on the verge of either throwing up or passing out. Yoongi knew that look, knew the impending panic attack that came along with it and began ushering her towards the relative safety of the house.

“Yoongi I…”

“Hush little moon, let’s get you inside and away from this crowd.” His fingers curled around her arm and she seemed to want to lean into the touch, but just before they could reach the door she stopped and turned to him with a wide eyed stare.

“I...I was supposed to make sure we had more sauce for the shrimp cocktail… I...I can’t go in just yet…”

A throat cleared behind them and Yoongi instantly dropped his hand, turning to address the newly announced politician.

“Hongjoong..” Yoongi nodded, barely a jerk of his head in confirmation of the man’s presence really but it was just visible enough as to not seem disrespectful of the man’s status.

“Ah! The famous Min Yoongi!” The politician grinned, pulling his woman close and gripping her hip tightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard many good things about you from my precious fiancé.”

Yoongi grunted in response. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, claws growing and sharpening in response to his growing rage. At the first pinch of pain as they broke the skin he released his fists, forcing his fingers to hang limply at his side.

“Y/n, have you dealt with the catering issues my dear?”Hongjoong turned to her, eyes piercing into her own. It was him dismissing her from the conversation.

She glanced over to Yoongi, eyes filled with apology as she bowed low to the both of them, nearly bent in half as she excused herself from the conversation.

Hongjoong watched her leave, his stare predatory in nature as he watched her disappear into the crowd.

“I heard you’re running for mayor.” Yoongi spoke quietly, knowing the puffed up man would be able to hear him over the noise of the crowd of partygoers.

“Ah, you have?” Hongjoong turned back to Yoongi, that predatory glare still filling his eyes with an insanity that only those born to create chaos and destroy others could possess. “It’s a lofty goal I know. But I feel the need to change things comes with power. And this world could really use a little bit of change don’t you think?”

Yoongi knew he didn’t mean positive change of any kind. This man was far too prone to violence to mean anything more than chaos and destruction.

“How does y/n feel about all this?” Yoongi casually took a sip of his drink. He angled his body away from Hongjoong slightly, eyes darting around the garden. He spotted Jimin and Namjoon heading towards y/n and a small part of him relaxed greatly.

“Y/n? Now why would her opinion matter in the slightest?”

At that Yoongi returned the entirety of his attention to the mad man. “Why...she’s going to be your wife soon. Doesn’t the idea that she’s being thrust into the limelight bother her?”

Hongjoong shrugged, lifting his glass to take a sip of champagne. “Honestly no. She knew my goals before she said yes. If she has anything negative to say about it she’ll tell me and we can address it accordingly.”

The pure menace in his tone let Yoongi know the discussion wouldn’t be very long and would almost surely end up with her gaining a new bruise or two, if not a trip to the hospital.

“For her sake Hongjoong...I really do hope you have her best interests at heart…” Yoongi turned to the man, his drink long forgotten as he fixed the man with a fierce glare.

“Because if anything else happens to her and I find you...you’ll wish you’d stayed in whatever gutter hole you crawled out of to get here.”

#bts x reader #bts soulmate au #bts werewolf au #bts greek god au #bts mythology au #bts angst #ateez angst #ateez greek god au #bts min yoongi x reader

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potassium-pilot · 3 years

Text

Prompt 28: Bow

“So remind me why we’re doing this, if you’d be so kind”, Dia asked.

“You may be an all-powerful warrior with a spellbook in hand, but imagine the utility if you learned something new. Where better to learn than a training ground such as Camp Dragonhead?” Haurchefant reminded her kindly as requested.

“I guess. I don’t necessarily have anything better to do thanks to the Braves, now do I?”

“I hope this might prove sufficiently entertaining during your stay. Here is your weapon.” Haurchefant removed an oaken bow from the wall mount as well as a quiver filled with arrows.

“A bow?”

“Aye. Is aught amiss?” Haurchefant tilted his head at her comment.

“Well, no, I guess…I would have thought you’d recommend something a bit more, er, close combat than that.

“A knight cannot be content with simply one mode of combat. A quick marksman can have just the same impact as the mightiest of swords with the right timing.”

“Yeah, but the sword looks cooler.”

He sighed. “Aesthetics aside, I figured this would be an easier transition. Instead of slinging spells, you would sling arrows.”

“I guess. The bow is definitely a different medium though- easier to aim my hands than this.”

“Who knows? Mayhap you’ll find yourself enjoying it more than you think.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“I’ll try anything once.”

“Attagirl! Now then, here is where you’ll stand.” Haurchefant lead her to a marker about twenty fulms away from a target. “Allow me to give you an example of proper bow handling.” He grabbed his own bow and quiver and prepared at a target next to hers.

“All right, first thing’s first, depending on your dominant hand- based off of what I’ve seen, you appear to be right-handed- you need to place one leg back and another to the front. As a right-handed woman, keep your right leg to the back for support…” Dia listened as he explained form for proper bow handling for about two minutes.

“….and last, but certainly not least, keep your eye on the target. If you’re aligned with your bow, you will hit your mark.” Finally, he demonstrated everything he said in one shot. Carefully, he drew back the bowstring, and fired at the blue and silver target in front of him. It flew skillfully towards the bullseye and landed perfectly, as if he told the arrow to simply go there. “Does this make sense, my friend?”

“I…think so. I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

“Indeed. Show me what you’ve learned.”

The answer was rather little. She fumbled with the quiver for a moment, failing to get an arrow since she failed to attach the quiver to her person properly. She spun in circles a few times as if she had a mi’qote tail she wanted to catch, but she did manage to get one.

“Got it! Now you said something about a nock”, she mumbled, looking for a slice of metal on the string as he pointed out. “Ah-ha!” she exclaimed quietly as she located it and placed the feathers against it. Slowly, she pulled back the bowstring, but found she couldn’t get it very far back, not to mention her slipping grip on the arrow.

Out of nowhere, Dia felt her arms be lifted upward gently. “Don’t let your elbows fall back into your sides or you’ll never get very far”, he spoke softly into her ear in a low tone. He slid his hands up her arm to her hand and corrected the positioning of the arrow, pulling it slightly backward so she didn’t grip the feathers. “Remember, slightly behind the feathers”, he instructed in the same tone.

Please don’t let go of me, she thought to herself, hoping to every god she could think of that he couldn’t tell how she drank up his warmth, that hot breath against her neck, the way he whispered to her just right, and how it made her heart race.

It only made things worse when he gently took her chin and tilted her head towards the front of her, pressing against his own cheek as he put his face parallel to hers.

“Eyes on the target”, he said just as low before turning his head to her ear, and whispering “Fire.”

She didn’t even register her own grip releasing. She just focused on her racing pulse and the shiver being sent down her spine at his whisper.

“Well done!” he exclaimed aloud, snapping Dia out of whatever the hells that was, and bringing her attention to the target. Her arrow pierced through the edge of the circle near the bottom.

“Uh…I-I didn’t even hit the bullseye.”

“‘Tis your first time, my friend. Many a fresh recruit have sent their arrows flying through our windows, so I consider this a rousing success for your first try!”

Now that he said it, it was rather nice to her that he could see a miss in such a way. To that end, she intended to try again. “Hey, so uh, you might want to help me try that again, Haurchefant. Maybe I’ll hit the bullseye this time with your help”, she suggested meekly.

“Nonsense! You’ll never learn with me hanging over your shoulder. Now then, use what you’ve learned, my friend.”

Dammit, she cursed in her head.

Dia picked up what he led her to do pretty quick, and went through the motions: straight arm, just past the feathers, eyes on the target. She waited a few moments as she felt herself practically fighting the bowstring, but the stage was set.

That is, until she took her eyes away from the target to look at Haurchefant, who seemed to stare her down as well, but why?

She would have thought about it more had she not just grazed his arm with an arrow.

“Oh, Twelve help me!” Dia exclaimed as she threw the bow to the ground to run to his side.

“I’m all right, I’m all right”, he tried to reassure her, but kept his arm conveniently covered. She pulled it away from the wound with great force as he attempted to keep the wound out of her sight. “Gah! I’m so sorry, Haurchefant!” she apologized as she began her ministrations on his arrow wound. “I’m an idiot; I got distracted by something at the last second and that arrow just flew in the exact direction I didn’t want it to go.”

He said nothing. He couldn’t; not when she was right there. The way the aether flowed from her into him electrified his senses. Her firm grip on his arms was exactly what he needed. The way she glistened with sweat in such a frozen wasteland; in this moment, she seemed rather…splendid.

“There. Are you all right?” she asked Haurchefant worriedly.

Halone help him, he needed out of there before he did something he’d regret.

“Oh, uh, yes, I’m fine now, thank you”, he answered rapidly and nervously, “Keep, uh, keep practicing with that bow. I just remembered that I have some business-like…business to attend to in my-my office. Excellent work! Keep it up!” He shot out of the shooting range as fast as he could and entered his office with all haste.

Dia, you fucking idiot, you scared him away. Focus! she berated herself in her head. She picked up the bow one last time, doing exactly as she was instructed, and fired the arrow. It hit the wood that held up the target. “Fuck!” she whispered loudly.

********

The evening sun hanged in the horizon of Ishgard. The golden glow of twilight still shone enough light that the garden she managed to keep alive in the courtyard behind Borel Manor could remain visible. She tended to her peppers and kidragora quietly in spite of the cold. None could make a master botanist stop doing botany, climate be damned.

Once weeds were pruned enough, fertilizer was laid down properly, and covers were applied to keep her labor of love warm through the night, she stepped away. Her garden was located in a different spot of the courtyard, separated by a wall, most likely at the former countess’s request. On that other side of the wall was a small area used to practice combat. Neither her nor Aymeric used the other side all that often; Dia had a proper setup for practicing gunbreaker maneuvers with Thancred back in Mor Dhona, while Aymeric preferred to use the mostly defunct Whitebrim front for his training. With that in mind, she was slightly curious about it, and decided to pay it a visit.

Upon reaching the other side, she took a quick look around. It was painfully obvious how unused everything was considering the frozen state of all the equipment. That said, there was one particular item that didn’t seem to share the same level of disrepair: a dark oak bow, complete with metal arrows in a quiver next to it.

It still hurt. After everything she’d seen and done, after everyone she ever met, after all the sacrifices she’d seen, it still hurt. But still, she always remembered how a smile better suited a hero. Dia picked it up off the wall, alongside a quiver that hung next to it, and stood at the line about 30 fulms behind the target.

The quiver was on correctly this time, making it much easier to pick one out of the collection. She found the nock easily, seeming to have been prepared already, and placed the arrow just above the feather. She placed her right leg back, and lifted the bow, ready to aim. “Arms up”, she whispered as she lifted her arms. “Eyes on the target”, she whispered as she focused on the target.

She could still hear him whisper, “Fire”.

In a moment, she let go of the arrow, and felt a small sting of disappointment as she just missed her mark. It landed on the right between the edge of the target and the bullseye. “Dammit”, she whispered.

“Fine form.”

She turned her head to see Aymeric at the doorway, clearly amused by her attempt. “Come to laugh at your girlfriend and her piss-poor aim?” she snarked, still disappointed in her efforts.

“I would never. Your aim is fine, my dear. That in mind, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you lack confidence in something before.”

“You should have met me when I first started adventuring. You’d be floored by how little confidence I’m capable of having.”

He smiled and laughed lightly. Aymeric walked towards her and said, “You look rather dashing with my old bow.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize. I’m sorry.”

“Naught to apologize for, my love. Consider it our bow.” He led her to lift up the bow again. “Your form is quite good, but don’t waver.” He held onto her bow arm to still her arm, and tilted her chin upward, keeping his hand in place. “Align yourself with the bow. Remember, it follows your lead, and you are a natural leader.” She kept her eye on the center of the target.

“Fire”, he ordered in a low tone.

Dia released her grip, and witnessed the glory of her arrow hitting the very center of the bullseye.

She squealed in excitement and hopped in place like a child, making Aymeric laugh in a mixture of pride and amusement. “Congratulations!”

She pounced him and kissed him in her jubilee, and he returned it happily. After a few seconds of enjoyment, she released and told him coyly, “Thank you for being such a great teacher.”

“Where would I be without my star pupil?”

She grinned and returned to kissing him with more passion behind her efforts than the first time, the both of them soaking in each other’s energy and warmth as the evening began to wane.

Thank you too, Haurchefant. I’ll carry your guidance with me always.

#ffxivwrite2021 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv #haurchefant/wol #aymeric/wol #haurchefant greystone #aymeric de borel #female wol #this is the stupidest i’ve ever written #i’m looking forward to writing stupider #just spritz those two with cold water and get them laid and they act normal #ffxiv fanfiction #fanfiction

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dilfbatman · 4 years

Note

mayhaps hc’s about percy as a kid 🥺

i love baby percy he’s the light of my life and reason to be 🥺

—

- baby percy was a force to be reckoned with you can’t tell me that little percy wasn’t an absolute hurricane with legs! he’s bouncing off the walls, running his heart out, and is canon to be strong even as a little tyke - he’s a powerhouse, a cute cuddly one at that, and is the source of sally’s happiness (his bright green eyes, constant messy hair, and blue bandaids are a staple in regards to baby perce!)

- i think little percy was someone who maybe not a lot of people would talk to but who people wanted to be friends with! to some he seemed hyper and funny, to others he seemed cool and protective, and to some they thought they could mess w him but what they didn’t gather was that little percy ALWAYS stands up for himself and others and can pack a mean punch which would then lead him to the principal’s office - sally would chastise percy but he was so earnest in that people were bullying him and a few other kids so he HAD to stand up to them and do something about it! and sally was never mad persay, she was just worried that percy would get really hurt or he’d really hurt someone else (he never truly hurt anyone that bad, he just gave a few warnings and those kids never bothered him or those kids ever again)

- i think sally put percy in a lot of sports as a kid so he could channel his energy and rage into something productive - you name it percy has done it! taekwondo, karate, sambo, ballet, gymnastics, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, track & field, and ofc swimming! somehow he was an ACE in all of these (especially swimming) and he was considered a child prodigy (shout-out to his innate battlefield reflexes and for just being a cool kid tbh)

- as a kid and even now he’d struggle w dyslexia & adhd and teachers thought that he had a very vivid imagination as he’d see monsters and creatures but no one would believe him :��( so he adopted a tough facade and could be a class clown when he wanted so instead of kids and adults thinking he’s “crazy”, they’d think he’d be telling tall tales for the fun of it (but him & sally always knew the truth)

- like i said before, little perce is a powerhouse so it just so happened that during field trips and in class his emotions would get the best of him and sometimes a classroom would flood, a pipe would burst, and the water fountain would spew out water like crazy - most often percy was afraid that it was HIM that did it but then he thought that it’s not like he’s some superhero, these were all just... flukes and coincidences ofc! (note: they were not - he’s just that powerful and unhinged even as a baby boy) and since he could never really control his anger/rage/annoyances i think as a kid it definitely was a frequent occurrence - and i do think that sometimes baby percy created earthquakes and was often the main reason why his school had plenty of earthquake drills

- on a more sweeter note hehe :’) i also think percy as a kid would do his homework at his mama’s sweet shop! he’d take candy and sally would feed him a bunch of sweet treats if he did his homework and went to his tutoring classes (listen all he wanted was some candy and cake and cookies and he cannot be blamed he is absolutely valid and i love him) and sally would make sure he had a glass of water or a water bottle with him at all times bc not only did it provide healing properties, strength, and calm - it’s also important to HYDRATE!

- something i hold near and dear to my heart is that as a kid during valentine’s day baby percy absolutely got tons of valentine’s <3 he’d go home and devour all the candy while sally smiled and kept all his lil cards in a box for safekeeping! baby percy loved the holidays bc there’d be a parade! sally would always make time on halloween to dress percy up as a baby guppy and take pictures of him walking around and making lil fish faces <3 fun fact: sally has kept every single card, project, paper, whatever it may be that percy has made and safely kept in his box because she wants to remember these things and hey he’s a demigod (he may not know it yet, but she NEEDS these things so she can just remember him)

- not to be sappy but i do genuinely think that a lot of percy’s goodness is innate and yes sally has absolutely taught him well and lead by example but i do also think that percy is just genuinely GOOD. he’s kind, empathetic, protective, caring, honest, earnest, trustworthy, respectful, intelligent etc... you name it that’s HIM! all he wants is for him and his mom to be happy and safe and even as a little kid he thought it was his job to protect everyone and it was until sally sat him down and told him that she loves him so much but she wants him to look out for himself too! he’s so caring and sweet and he tilted his head and looked at his mama and sally thought that god he looked so much like his father and he carried the better parts of poseidon’s personality and she was just hit w a burst of love and she hugged percy so tight and cried happy tears and percy did too bc he’s absolutely a mama’s boy and loves her more than anything in the world entire world and he gave her his signature grin/smirk with the most bright eyes and said that he loves her THIS MUCH (he put his hands all the way out) and sally said she loves him THIS MUCH (she put her hands all the way out) and they did their secret special handshake and hugged it out and they’re just the softest more pure and genuine mother/son duo i love them and i love him!

#percy jackson #pjo #GRACE THIS IS SO LONG AND I AM SO SORRY I JUST GOT SUPER SOFT 🥺🥺🥺#baby percy loml my HONEY!#asks #percy jackson headcanons #he’s BABIE FR 😳🥺#grace tag #thank you for indulging me grace 🥺

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unmanageable-day · 3 years

Text

By your side | 09 (end)

MASTERLIST // previous chapter: 08

Summary. For the introvert Song Yeoreum, having an extrovert boyfriend like Johnny Seo was something she never imagined before. Fortunately it turned out pretty good, and the relationship between Yeoreum and Johnny lasted for 4 years. Unfortunately, it reached a point when Johnny started to think everything felt different, that Yeoreum probably has changed.

a/n: after months of having no inspiration for this, I’ve finally come back :") unfortunately i have to make this chapter the last one because i currently have no idea how to go on with the plot, and i mayhaps lost my notes on this story too :") therefore, if anyone used to read this fic, i'm sorry for the abrupt ending. nonetheless i hope you enjoy reading this!

One week had passed, and Johnny was still able to calm himself. She needs time and I will give as much as she needs, he told himself on repeat. In no time, one week had changed into one month. His patience hadn't betrayed him, yet he was getting more anxious. Isn't a month too long? Anything can happen within the past 30 days. By anything he meant the possibility of Jaehyun and you. What stressed him even more was none of his friends now told him about any recent updates about you. The universe worked its magic by never putting you and Johnny in a same project anymore. If anything, your schedule and his never matched that these days he couldn't even see you in the office. Lately Ten and Doyoung was getting closer with Jaehyun as well, but they won't spill anything whenever he tried to seek information about you and Jaehyun.

Johnny started to lose his sanity when it was almost three months without you making any contact with him. He tried to ask you out twice, which successfully getting turned down because you always said to have other stuff to do. Everyday his thumbs had to resist not to text you although all he wanted just to ask casually how you're doing. He already expected you to come up with short answers and wrap up the conversation immediately. But it would be still better than being like this.

One day he happened to see you working overtime. The best idea he had was to wait for you and take you home. Except, Jaehyun seemed to think exactly the same thing and he had made his moves. There he was, sitting beside you, unboxing some food and drinks from a paper bag. Johnny was contemplating whether he would join the two of you or not. With an endless train of thoughts messing with his head and his feelings, approaching you did not seem to be a good idea.

They're friends, John. They are friends. Jung Jaehyun is not more than a friend, just like Jungkook. Jung Jaehyun must be only friends. Johnny won't get tired saying this to himself.

Jung Jaehyun has to be friends.

But it wasn't Johnny if he didn't find himself eventually losing it. So one day, without thinking much further, he decided to confront Jaehyun. When he arrived in front of the broadcasting room where Jaehyun was still on air, that was when his brain started to work.

A sigh escaped Johnny's lips. He felt exhausted even before he did anything. What am I doing here?

As he was about to leave, Jaehyun roughly opened the door, making Johnny startled.

"John?"

"Jaehyun." The taller managed to be as firm and stand tall. He cannot lose like this.

"What are you doing here?"

Although with puzzled face, Johnny maintained his intense eye contact towards Jaehyun. Usually Jaehyun would feel intimidated, but not today. He managed to be calm and asked Johnny to talk in a cafe nearby. He already knew where this conversation would go, and the last thing he wanted was to be watched by the other staff.

Jaehyun spent the first 10 minutes being silent. His hot americano on the table remained full and now it was warm. "I'm gonna be straightforward. I hope you'd understand."

"If it's about Yeoreum—"

"It is." Johnny quickly cut him out. "I'm trying to work things out between us. But with you in the picture..." he shook his head slowly, his eyes looking for sympathy as he continued, "Please, don't take her away from me."

"Wait, I'm in the picture?" Jaehyun repeated his words in disbelief, before screaming internally, 'You are in the picture when she and I are trying to get somewhere to figure things out. Now I am in the picture?'

Johmmy was surprised to see how Jaehyun got worked up a little bit. "Jaehyun, please.."

"Nobody is taking her away from you. If she's thinking what you're thinking, wouldn't she find her way to go back to be by your side?"

"I know I did wrong.."

"I don't want to say this, but admit it, Johnny. She’s not going back," Jaehyun almost raised his voice. On a daily basis, he was never one to speak with high tone, nor with intense emotion.

Johnny can't go on with his words. He was devastated and there was nothing Jaehyun could do to console him. Suddenly Jaehyun got up to pick up a phone call.

"Oh, Yeoreum?" Eyeing Johnny, he talked quite loudly, making sure that Johnny was aware of how things got more seriously between you and him. "Okay, I'll go there. Wait for me."

"Jaehyun, please, I'm begging you," Johnny continued as the younger hung up his call. "Yeoreum just needs more time. I know we can go through this. We can work this out.."

"Johnny, you need help. You're drunk too, I can smell alcohol from your breath."

Johnny wouldn't admit it that he did had a few glasses of liquor although it was not even 9 PM. He spent a little bit too much of time crying over his own acts at a bar. There were a lot of things going on his mind. You, Jaehyun, you and Jaehyun, and the relationship between you and him. Piles of work were not even included yet.

Jaehyun sighed. "I'll tell Doyoung to send somebody to pick you up."

"Please don't." Scolds and nags from either Doyoung or Taeyong was the last thing he would want to hear these days.

"Johnny, you can't drive under influence like this."

"Why would you care?"

"I don't, but Yeoreum? Maybe she still do care about you, Johnny. I just thought, if anything happens—please don't get me wrong, I just don't want Yeoreum to worry too much about you."

—

Driving without destination had been Johnny’s new routine for the past week. He left work earlier, making Doyoung wonder what he did after work. He rarely attended party, making Taeyong amused that he could survive without parties. He barely hung out with Mark, so the younger boy had to play with Lee Donghyuck and his same-age friends instead. He drove mindlessly and the next place he parked was your apartment. Then he found himself standing in front of your door, drowning in his own thoughts. The next second, the door was swung open, you being surprised with Johnny’s presence.

"I love you," was the first thing he said. Not even a ‘hello’, or a ‘how are you?’.

You looked unfazed. "Johnny, you're drunk."

"I'm not. Why would I drunk confess to you?" He let out a breathy laugh, not because something is funny. "I did drink, but only a little. You know I could handle alcohol pretty well."

"Johnny, I'll call a taxi for you, okay?"

"Why can't you let me talk?"

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Us." Johnny bent down, resting his forehead against your shoulder. His arms slowly approached your waist, asking for a hug. But your hands stopped them, tightly gripping his wrists on your sides. He lifted his upper body, his eyes finding yours with confusion.

"Johnny, I told you, don't wait for me."

"What if I am?"

"What if I'm not coming back to you?"

"That's just a 'what if'," he denied.

"Things are not the same between us anymore, Johnny. You have to let go."

‘Things are not the same between us anymore.’ Isn’t that my words when we broke up? Does it hurt this much when I said that?

"Are you with Jaehyun now?"

Squinting your eyes, you almost answer him with a raised tone, "Wha—"

Two guys loudly making a fake cough distracted you and Johnny who immediately turned to see who they were. Standing a few steps away from you and him were Jungkook and Jaehyun with their judging expression.

"Yeoreum, I've bought the soy sauce and sesame oil. Can you please assist Jaehyun cooking? He insists and he won't let me order take-out and I'm starving to death," Jungkook calmly said, once a while glancing and making eye contact to Johnny.

You were hesitating to move from your standing spot. If it wasn't for Jungkook pushing you back in to your apartment, you would have been frozen there and probably still engaged in that never-ending talk with your ex.

Johnny silently watched your back walking away with Jaehyun by your side, disappointment was evident in his face.

"Hyung, please, if you truly love her, let her go," Jungkook said before smoothly signaling gestures to go away to the older guy.

Sure, you did like Johnny. Who wouldn't? He was a good company, he laughed a lot—basically a happy virus, he took a good care of you and other people. But that's it. You never fought? Obviously, since you tended to keep it all to yourself. But this doesn't mean Johnny is a bad guy. He is always kind-hearted and gentle. But again, that's it. You simply accepted him because of that.

At the end of the day, it finally came to your senses. After the break up, it took you months later to realize that you did not like Johnny that way. You felt lighter without him. Still, probably due to all those parties. After all, it was the Johnny Suh. Being his girlfriend was definitely something. While with Jaehyun, everything went in a relatively slow pace. No rushing. And you were just being you, no need to try hard to be as 'superior' as the other. This just made you guilty and regret that you accepted him in the first place.

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