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ddarker-dreams · 3 years

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Epiphany. Yan Albedo x Reader

Warnings: General yandere themes, implied unhappy previous relationship, and spoilers for Albedo’s story. Word count: 2k.

It wasn’t fair.

A snowstorm, unlike anything you’ve ever seen rages outside, shards of lustrous ice falling from the sky with the intent to kill. The Dragonspine’s traditionally somber ambiance contorts into something far more sinister. Numerous hues of grays and dark blues blur together, obscuring your view of the mountainous region. It’s difficult to see anything outside Albedo’s workshop save for the storm.

“Your shaking won’t stop unless you sit by the fire.”

His matter-of-fact declaration startles you. Albedo hadn’t spoken in some time, his attention devoted to a specimen he had discovered prior to the storm. You would’ve shared in his enthusiasm if not for the overall situation and company. Sighing reluctantly, you stand from your spot, hugging yourself to stave off the biting cold. It’s impossible to settle on which is worse: staring at the blizzard or staring at him.

Albedo’s fair skin glows from the light of the crackling fire, sandy blonde hair tousled around his face without care. As he studies the new specimen, his lips purse, eyes focusing on nothing but the work before him, like nothing else mattered. This is how you’ve always known him to be. Even if the world was falling apart around him, Albedo would never falter from what catches his interest until he felt sated.

Sensing how you’re fixating on him, his attention flickers briefly to you, an unidentifiable emotion gleaming in his eyes. You’re the one to avert your gaze first. Sucrose is going to owe you majorly for this one, why did you even accept her request in the first place? Thinking about it now and cursing your past self does nothing yet you still occupy the time by doing just that. She had come to you panicked, pleading that you take this letter to Albedo in the Dragonspine, claiming it’s urgent. In the heat of the moment, your judgment lapsed and you caved. She spoke of needing to continue her research in Mondstadt or else she would’ve done it herself.

Look where your goodwill has gotten you now, you think. She owes me a week’s worth of dinner.

You lament giving credence to his advice, but your stubbornness concedes, the cold too miserable to withstand any longer. The fire is right by his side to add insult to injury. Did he do that on purpose to spite you? It’s unlikely, yet your mind wanders to the worst-case scenario. If any other citizen of Mondstadt were privy to your suspicious thoughts, they’d think you unreasonable, as Albedo has established his reputation well. He’s a known eccentric, sure, but a genius one. A few quirks on his behalf that anyone else could overlook.

Quirks that you used to overlook yourself.

“Would you please grab my bag,” he doesn’t look away from his prized sample but motions to the general area it’s in. “I need to write down my observations.”

You follow through with what he asks. There was a time you’d have been over the moon to participate in his process, you used to practically trip over yourself to do anything he needed. That enthusiasm has long died off and been replaced by apathy. It’s when he reaches out to take the bag from you that you snap from your trance-like reverie. Whatever remnants of obedience that lingered in your subconscious are brushed away, as you decide to finally challenge him.

Inhaling sharply, you hold the bag just out of his reach, finally earning his recognition for more than a millisecond.

“I’m not your assistant anymore.” Among other things, you think.

The words come out more childish than you intended. What you had meant to communicate was your new, critical view on him — he’s a person just the same as anyone else — who held no authority over you. You hold your breath awaiting his response. Albedo doesn’t have an intimidating presence, not in the traditional sense. It’s his mind that you’re wary of. There’s no guessing what sentiments run through his head, yet that’s never stopped you from trying to unravel the mystery that is his thought process.

He gives you a long, hard stare. “I’m aware of that.”

Where were you going with this again? Albedo doesn’t need to point out your needlessly spiteful behavior with words, his mildly irate facial expression says it just fine. His thin eyebrows threaten to furrow together and the corners of his lips curl down into a frown. You’re unsure of what bothers him more. What you pointed out, or that his work is being interrupted for even the slightest moment.

The budding confidence you had is all but crushed beneath the weight of his unblinking gaze. Clearing your throat, you decide to take a new approach, straightening your posture in an attempt to be taken more seriously.

“Then tell me, why do you still act like I am?” Your question comes from a genuine place of confusion. Ever since your arrival, you’ve begrudgingly done the odds and ends he’s asked of you, almost like clockwork. You had fallen back into the rhythm that was your life up until a month ago. There was just something about the silent authority he carries that makes it impossible to say no.

That is, until now. You’re determined to clear up the problems that have plagued your mind. Albedo’s had his time to be nonchalant like nothing happened between you two, but you’re not having it anymore.

“Force of habit,” he nods his head towards your hand that holds his possessions captive. “Now, would you please…?”

Your grip tightens and you shake your head defiantly. “No. Or at least, not until you give me a better explanation. Not just about that. How you act in general… none of it makes sense to me.”

It wouldn’t take much effort from his half to wrangle his bag from you, you’ve seen him in action before after all, so it comes as a surprise when he instead gives in. You blink, gaping when he takes a seat by the roaring fire, and motions for you to do the same. An opportunity like this is hard to come by. The past few weeks, it’s been your code of conduct to avoid any interaction with Albedo, but your frustration can no longer be repressed.

You take a seat by his side but intentionally leave some distance.

There’s so much you want to say. Insults, questions, demands, anything. Anything that could give just a hint of closure that he refused to offer himself. It doesn’t help that this familiar area brings memories with it — good and bad alike — painful nostalgia eating away at your heart from the inside out. While you battle with your inner thoughts, he observes you in silence. For a time you hear nothing but the crackling of the fire and wind howling outside.

Finding the courage to speak up, your throat tightens as you force a question out. “Did I… mean so little to you?”

It’s rare that Albedo ever looks taken aback, but your inquiry managed to do just that. His eyes widen ever so slightly, confusion etching onto his face before he manages to compose himself. Lots of intimate discussions had gone this way. You’d spend hours prepping yourself, meticulously going over what it was you wanted to say, only for the words to die on your tongue when you saw him.

“I don’t understand what you mean.” He appears genuinely perplexed and you can’t help but feel silly. It may have served you better to think long about this, you realize, but now it’s too late. You rush to explain yourself in hopes of making better sense.

“When I said I wanted to, er, part ways,” you can’t help but cringe at not knowing the proper label for ending whatever was going on between you two, “You just seemed, I don’t know, indifferent…?”

In your head, this went down in such a different way.

Your cheeks are set ablaze by the humiliation his silence brings. It’s not the first time you’ve felt this exact way when bringing up your feelings to Albedo, yet it’s just as awful. Archons, does he always have to look at you like you have three heads?

When he finally gives you an answer, you wish you had never asked.

“I knew you would come back to me eventually.”

Now it’s your turn to give him an incredulous look. He says it without an ounce of hesitation, never once breaking eye contact, his resolve holding firm. Sensing a need to clarify, he attempts to do just that.

“I considered a variety of variables,” he raises his hand and brushes his knuckles over your face, the unexpected tenderness making you shiver. “I know how your mind works very well. When you told me that’s what you wanted, your physical mannerisms didn’t line up with what you were saying.”

Your heart drops but he doesn’t stop there.

“Biological responses never lie. It wasn’t anxiety that kept you from looking me in the eye then, it was reasonable doubt. You know it as well as I do. There’s something about me that you can’t place, and the natural human response to the unknown is caution.”

He stops caressing your cheek. “So, tell me [First], and maybe then you’ll reach the conclusion you’ve been searching for. Why are you afraid of me?”

Everything feels wrong. How he’s whispering such horrifying ideas into your mind, leading the conversation with expertise. Is it charisma? You don’t think that’s the proper word. No, it’s how damn certain he is, how he never once leaves room for argument.

Albedo appraises your silence coldly.

“See? You’re not sure yourself. Thus why I knew you’d return to me,” he retracts his hand and leans back, but the ghost of his touch leaves your face tingling. “When you don’t understand something, you study it. That’s who you are. It’s why I picked you to be my assistant, that quality of exhausting curiosity, much like the one I have myself.”

He’s hypnotizing you with his words, his even tone, his silent authority. You’re drawn in like a moth to a flame and trapped in a verbal standoff. Whether it was a result of your Vision flickering subconsciously resulting in the fire diminishing or some other cause, you realize what little warmth in the cave is disappearing, your breath materializing in front of you as a result.

But it’s only yours.

That’s when it clicks deep inside the recesses of your mind. Apart of what always bothered you about Albedo was this sense of uncanniness. Whenever you thought you were understanding him better, new mysteries would arise, leaving you worse off than when you started. This combined with his workload and the emotional distance you felt between the two of you is what led to your separation.

Albedo’s face is but a few inches away from yours. He’s patiently awaiting a response or anything you could muster to challenge him with, though both of you are aware that no such thing exists.

You manage to surprise him again by asking another question. “Why… why are you not breathing?”

And how could you never have noticed until now?

His long eyelashes flutter shut. “Relationships truly are troublesome. There are unspoken rules and expectations, both of which take effort to satisfy. I hadn’t mind trying to do so to keep you happy, but that approach didn’t work as intended.”

Had it not been for the hammering of your heart and how lighthearted you feel, you’d challenge him on his definition of trying. Instead, you watch without so much as moving an inch, too in awe to utter a single word.

“You always asked me to be more romantic, but I guess the phrase you take my breath away won’t suffice here,” he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I’ll tell you, but once you know… well, I don’t think I can ever let you leave my side.”

“I hope you won’t mind keeping me company a bit longer than you intended to.”

#albedo #albedo x reader #yandere albedo x reader #genshin impact #albedo genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagine #yandere genshin impact #yandere #yandere x reader #my stuff

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joonie-beanie · 4 years

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Stress Relief

Pairing: Barbatos x Reader x Diavolo

Word Count: 10,061

Preview: The Royals have been bogged down with a busy workload, so you decided to help relieve some of their stress in whatever way you can.

Read as: Barbatos has a thing for rope bondage, and Diavolo is just happy to be involved.

This chapter is also being posted as a part of my “Devil Doms” series on AO3.

Also! This is a follow-up to Bath Time, and Helping Hands, so if you haven’t read those, I would recommend doing that first!

For as long as you’ve known Barbatos, you’ve assumed that the butler is perfect in every sense of the word. He’s skilled, and handles his tasks without complaint, and in a timely manner. He addresses his duties with a kind smile—never wavering.

Despite his busy schedule, he never shows signs of cracking.

…until today.

You walk into RAD that fateful Friday morning, and discover Barbatos in the student council room—frowning. Now, seeing Barbatos frown is not entirely out of character. You’ve seen him frown in worry, and in concentration. He does have emotions, after all, but…today he just looks stressed.

There are dark circles under his eyes. The way he’s hurriedly searching through papers—a few slipping off the table and onto the floor—is a sign of his current out-of-character state.

Without second thought, you stride into the room and begin picking up the papers on the floor. Barbatos startles ever so slightly when he notices you at his feet—too absorbed in his current task to have heard you approach.

He sighs.

“Thank you, Y/N.”

“Are you okay?” you respond to his quiet, tired words. There’s genuine concern in your eyes as you press to your full height, and hand the small stack of papers back to him. “I’ve never seen you like this before…”

“It’s been quite a hectic week…or two,” he admits, exhaling in relief as he finally uncovers the report he’d been looking for. “Typically, like students, Lord Diavolo and I are able to rest on the weekends—only dealing with a few, small meetings here or there. But the last two weeks, every day is busy from dawn to dusk.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” you say sincerely. You reach out and give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Barbatos smiles at the gesture. Then, in an uncharacteristic turn of events, he sets the paper in his hand back on the desk, and turns to fully face you. He envelops you in a tender hug—one of his hands wrapping around your waist while the other moves to cradle against the back of your head.

“You’ll have to forgive me for this sudden display of affection,” he mumbles, his breath tickling your ear as his cheek nuzzles against your hair. “I didn’t realize how much being unable to see you on Sunday would affect me during the week.”

His admission has your cheeks heating up ever so slightly, and you lift your arms—wrapping them tightly around his middle.

Due to Barbatos and Diavolo’s lack of free time, the two had been forced to cancel their tea time with you the previous weekend. You’d been disappointed, considering you’d gotten so used to ending your week in the company of the two, but there was nothing you could do about it. If they were busy, you’d have to suck it up.

“Will you be free this weekend?” you ask him, pulling back to look into his green eyes. He can see the concern, and longing in your gaze. Apparently, you’ve missed him and his Lord as well.

“I can work around your schedule, since I don’t have much to do. Of course, if you’re both too busy, I’ll understand, but—”

He cuts you off with a kiss to your forehead.

“I will double check the schedule and contact you later.” He reaches over and grabs the stack of papers—topped with the report he’d been looking for. As he takes the neat stack into his arms, he turns and flashes you one last smile.

“Thank you for the brief moment of peace. It is greatly appreciated.”

With that, he makes his way out of the student council room with the normal poise and grace he always exhibits. Once alone, you take a deep breath, and hold a hand to your cheek. It’s warm—painted with a light blush.

Really, it’s rare that Barbatos is the one to initiate a show of affection with you. Typically, you’re the one hugging him (although he always reciprocates).

The last time he had initiated skinship was weeks ago, after he’d paid you a visit at the House of Lamentation due to your ailing back.

Memories of that night attempt to push to the forefront of your mind, and you desperately try to shove them away. It’s the middle of the day—you don’t need to be thinking about Barbatos’ hands on your skin, or the way his fingers had felt inside of you…the way he’d looked while his dick was in your mouth…his cute post-orgasm face…

Shaking your head, you smack your red cheeks. You don’t need to be thinking about those types of things during school hours.

Yes, it’s been a few weeks since that fateful day with the royal butler, and you’d be lying if you said he hadn’t crossed your mind sexually every so often since then. However, you’d gotten bogged down with school work—any of your scarce free time going to the brothers—so despite your longing, and Barbatos’ offer of another massage if you wished, you hadn’t gotten a chance to ask.

Then, of course, once your schedule had opened up, Barbatos’ had narrowed. His duties piled up—filling his days with work—and you’d have felt far too guilty asking him for anything on top of his already busy schedule.

Aside from last Sunday, you’d still managed to maintain your weekly appointment of Sunday evening tea with the butler and Demon Prince, but bringing up sexual favors while sipping on Earl Grey and eating tiny sandwiches hardly seemed appropriate.

So, you’ve accepted that maybe it will be a while until you’re able to inquire about Barbatos’ services again. And while it’s a little disappointing, you don’t intend to push the matter. Barbatos already works so hard, and you don’t want to burden him with your sexual need.

Taking a deep breath, you grab the straps of your backpack, and nod to yourself. While you long for another massage experience from the royal butler, you can live without one. Right now, you just want his schedule to clear up, so you can resume your regular Sunday tea with him and Diavolo. And if that’s all you’re able to receive, at the moment, then you’ll still be satisfied.

Smiling, you finally step out of the student council room and make your way to your next class.

Hours later—as you’re heading back to your room following dinner with the brothers—you feel your DDD vibrate. Curious, you pull out the device and look at the notification lingering on the screen.

[New Text from Barbatos]

Your heart skips a beat—nervous to see the contents. There’s a big possibility that the royals are still busy this weekend, and that they won’t be able to squeeze you in anywhere.

You take a moment to calm yourself before clicking into the message.

Barbatos: I apologize for my late follow-up. It seems that Lord Diavolo and I will not be available for our normal Sunday Tea time again.

Barbatos: However, I am free starting at 7pm on Saturday evening, if you would like to come over. Lord Diavolo will be tied up with a meeting until a bit later, but he expressed interest in joining should the meeting adjourn at an acceptable hour.

Barbatos: I understand if you already have plans, but please let me know if I should expect you.

You’d already promised to have a self-care night with Asmo on Saturday, but honestly—you’re sure that he’ll understand.

You: That works just fine for me! I will be over at 7 tomorrow.

Barbatos responds with a happy sticker, and you find yourself smiling. You can’t wait to see them.

The hours tick by slower than you think possible the following day as you wait for evening to come.

Due to the addition into your schedule, you and Asmo change your self-care night to a self-care afternoon. Thankfully, Gossiping with the Avatar of Lust--while doing face masks, and sipping on mimosas--definitely helps to pass the time quicker.

The two of you finish up just before dinner, and head down to the dining hall together. You eat merrily with the 7 brothers—making conversation, and listening to their banter. By the time the table is cleared, and everyone’s bellies are full of food, it’s already nearing 6:30.

Hurrying back to your room, you make sure you look presentable. You mess with your hair—trading your shorts and tank top for a knee-length sundress. Not only has the Devildom been heating up lately, but you always try to dress a bit nicer in front of the royals. So, a sundress should be perfect for the occasion.

Throwing your DDD into a small purse Satan had gifted you some time ago, you sling the bag over your shoulder and make your way from your room. You run into Lucifer by the front door, and he surveys you with a knowing look.

“You’re headed to the Demon Lord’s Castle, correct? I’ll walk you part way. I’m leaving to meet someone in town.”

“Thanks,” you smile, stepping through the front door when he holds it open for you. The two of you then start away from the House of Lamentation, comfortably at each other’s sides.

“How did you know that I’m heading to the Castle?” you ask him as you walk. You don’t recall sharing your plans for the night with any of the brothers. Even when you’d changed the time of your plans with Asmo, and he had inquired, you’d just said that something had come up. (He had begrudgingly accepted that response—too curious for his own good).

“I had a meeting with Barbatos and Diavolo this morning,” he tells you, eyes ahead as he guides you through the crowded streets. “Diavolo was whining about how he hopes his meeting with the planning committee tonight won’t drag on too long, so he can join you and Barbatos before it’s time for you to leave.”

“I mean…how late can the meeting possibly drag?” you question, blinking innocently. There’s no way a meeting will last beyond…10…11pm, right?

“Depending on the matters that need to be discussed, I’ve witnessed the meeting last until 2 in the morning,” he informs you with a shake of his head. “Diavolo hates speaking with the committee more than anything, so I hope he’ll be able to wrap things up in a timely manner.”

“That would be nice,” you say honestly. “It seems like they’ve both been running rampant... Speaking of, how is your workload?”

You grin up at him, a knowing look in your eyes. Lucifer sighs, smoothing a hand through his dark hair.

“My time to sleep is limited, but for once, it seems that I’m not fairing the worst among the three of us. I hope your visit with Barbatos and Diavolo will help them relax a little.”

“I don’t know if I have that type of power, but I hope so too,” you laugh, pausing when Lucifer places his hand atop your hair. He regards you fondly—the two of you standing in the middle of the city street.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he says, and then steps away. “This is where I leave you. I believe you know the rest of the way, yes?”

You nod, and he raises a hand—bidding you farewell.

“Don’t stay too late. If you need an escort home, text the group chat and one of us will come get you.”

“Will do, Lucifer~,” you drawl, tempted to roll your eyes. They’re always so overprotective of you—it’s not like you always need an escort.

Lucifer flashes you the slightest of glares—lips tugging into a smirk—before he turns and disappears up a side street. Now on your own, you continue up the wide road—taking the familiar path to the castle. You arrive a few minutes later, and when you knock on the grand front door, it only takes a few seconds for Barbatos to pull it open.

“I’m glad you could make it,” he says, eyes creasing pleasantly as he smiles. You can see the exhaustion beginning to settle into the small lines of his face.

“Of course. I was looking forward to seeing you,” you respond honestly. As he guides you into the castle, you can hear the chatter of distant voices, and assume that Diavolo’s meeting with the committee must have already started.

“Would you mind accompanying me to the kitchen? I’m afraid I haven’t had the chance to prepare the tea yet.”

“No worries!” you say immediately, flashing him a reassuring smile. “I’ll help out if I can, too!”

Barbatos chuckles. “I’d appreciate that.”

Engulfed in a comfortable silence, the two of you make your way to the kitchen. Once there, Barbatos pulls out a kettle, and then moves to fetch the tea. However, when he pulls open the wooden cupboard, he pauses.

Curious, you step up behind him, peeking over his shoulder.

The cupboard is entirely empty.

Barbatos places his gloved palms on the counter, his head hanging in defeat, and an annoyed sigh leaving his lips. You stare at him, shocked to see the crack in his professional demeanor.

“The other servants must have grabbed the last of it to serve the guests at the meeting…”

“It’s okay, Barb!!” You say immediately, jumping back and throwing your arms into the air. “We don’t need tea!! It’s not Sunday anyway!”

The butler turns to look at you, and can’t help but laugh at your dorky position.

“I suppose you’re right,” he admits, raising a hand to cover his face as he releases a few more chuckles. Your cheeks heat up a little, realizing you must look silly, and you drop your arms.

“Besides, I don’t want you to feel obligated to serve me while I’m here! This is supposed to be a break for you, since you’ve been so busy!”

“But if we’re not having tea, then what shall we do?” he questions, tilting his head to the side innocently. You blink, lifting a hand to your chin as you ponder the thought.

“Well…is there anything I can do to help you relax?” you smile at him kindly as you speak. “You’ve been working hard, so if there’s anything I can do to ease some of the stress off your shoulders, I’d love to help.”

Barbatos regards you curiously at the offer—like there’s an idea that immediately comes to mind, but he’s not sure if he wants to say it. You assume that perhaps he’ll ask you to help with a chore, or will ask for something like a foot rub. Oh! Or maybe to play a board game.

Instead, he ends up flashing you a small smile. He extends his hand, holding it out to you, and you take it without a second thought. Fingers slotting through your own, he then tugs you from the kitchen and back into the hall—leading you somewhere else.

“There is a hobby I have that helps me to relieve stress. It’s a bit…unorthodox, so if you’re not comfortable with it, then—”

“I’m sure it’s fine, Barb!” you interrupt him, a pout on your lips. “I want to help you unwind, so whatever it is, I’m sure I can handle it.”

He gives your hand a squeeze, an amused look in his eyes. He doesn’t bother with a rebuttal—simply letting you think what you wish.

Silently, he guides you through the long halls. At some point, you pass the entrance to the magnificent bathroom you’d once discovered Diavolo bathing in. Your experience with the aphrodisiac, and Diavolo helping you out on that night feels like a fever dream. The thought of his stupidly large cock, and his hands on your body has you getting warm all over, and you shake your head to try and rid yourself of the sinful imagery.

The event had happened months ago, at this point. Since then, you and Diavolo have never spoken on it, and you wonder if he regrets his actions—feeling like perhaps he had overstepped his boundaries with a guest in the heat of the moment.

However, considering he acts friendly and kind to you as always—still offering hugs, and other simple shows of affections—you haven’t bothered confronting him about it. As long as the two of you are on good terms, that’s what matters to you. (Even if you have occasionally fantasized about fitting his cock inside you since then).

“Are you thinking of Lord Diavolo?” Barbatos’ voice drags you out of your thoughts, a knowing look in his eyes as he regards you. You blush, embarrassed at having been read so easily.

“I…I just…I wonder, sometimes, if he solely helped me out of a sense of obligation, or if he enjoyed it as much as I did,” you admit quietly. Barbatos gives your hand a comforting squeeze. “We’ve never talked about what happened, so…Agh, I’m sorry—is it weird that I’m talking about this with you? I don’t—”

“It’s not strange, Y/N,” he interrupts you with a shake of his head. “Lord Diavolo and I are quite close. Not to mention, I was there the night you were affected by the bath, remember?”

In that moment, you suddenly recall that yes—Barbatos had been there to see you in all of your needy glory—and you heat up more. If he notices, he chooses not to comment.

“While Lord Diavolo may have acted as he did to stop the effects of the aphrodisiac, I assure you he received just as much enjoyment out of your predicament as you did.”

Curious to the meaning of his words, you furrow your brow and stare at him. Barbatos just smiles—giving nothing away. Not until you start angrily pouting, at least. Then, he loosens his lips with a quiet sigh.

“I went to check on My Lord after I saw you return to your room, and when I approached his chambers, I could tell he was…preoccupied with the affliction you had given him.”

Meaning, he had overhead Diavolo jacking off to the thought of you after he’d left you alone in the bathing area to clean yourself up.

Ah.

“Okay, can we stop talking about this before I combust, and die?” you ask, a hint of a whine slipping into your tone. You tug your hand from Barb’s grip to cover your blushing face. He chuckles.

“For someone so lewd, you certainly do get embarrassed easily by your own actions.”

“I’m gonna request that you STOP calling me out like this, thanks,” you shoot back, glaring at him through spread fingers. He breathes a laugh, and you pause in your stride as he suddenly stops in front of a closed door.

Looking around, you realize that you’ve never been to this part of the castle before.

Twisting the handle to the door, Barbatos pushes it open and then ushers you inside. You regard the sizable room curiously.

It looks similar to any other lounge in the castle. The walls are lined with bookshelves and paintings. There are four couches—all placed in large square formation around where a coffee table would typically be. However, there is no coffee table.

Instead, about 8 feet from the ground, there’s a long, thick strip of bamboo. The bamboo is held up by tan colored rope—thick, professional knots secured to either end of the wood, and leading back up to hooks on the ceiling.

In fact, when you look closer. You can see that there are hooks mounted to the ceiling in multiple areas around the room. Not to mention the dozen spirals of rope hanging off hooks near the fireplace.

You swallow the saliva that has pooled in your mouth.

“You…use rope bondage to relieve stress?”

“Oh? You’re familiar with it?” he questions, stepping across the threshold of the room. He reaches up to grab one of the perfectly kept bundles of rope—trailing his fingers across the soft, red fibers.

You hold your arms shyly in front of you. This is a turn of events which you hadn’t been expecting tonight.

“I’ve always found it to be interesting, and beautiful, in a way,” you admit, purposely leaving out how you find it entirely too arousing as well. Just the thought of Barbatos tying you up has wetness already beginning to gather between your thighs. But, you don’t want to make it awkward—fearing that perhaps Barb doesn’t get any sexual gratification from the activity—so you stay silent about how much it turns you on.

“So, you wouldn’t be opposed to helping me relieve some of my stress, if this is what is involved?”

Your gaze shifts from the handsome butler, to the rope in his grasp, to the bamboo anchor in the center of the room. You wet your lips, and then smile at him.

“Of course. I’d be more than happy to.”

At your words, Barbatos steps forward—stalking over to where you’re standing just within the ring of couches. His mossy eyes regard you softly. You feel your heart hammering away within your ribs.

“Do you promise you’re saying that sincerely? I don’t want to hurt you, nor push you beyond what you’re comfortable with.”

“I know, Barb,” you tell him softly. You reach your hand out—fingertips skimming over slightly rough fibers of the rope. You’re sure you’ll feel a slight bite when he ties you up, but the thought only serves to heighten your arousal. “I wouldn’t agree if I didn’t want to help. And I trust you. Please don’t worry—this is what I want.”

A pleased look settling on his face, he leans down and presses the briefest of kisses to your forehead.

“I’m glad to hear so.”

Taking a step back, the butler regards you contemplatively.

“I would hate to ruin your dress. And it’s easier to tie with less clothing in the way. Would you mind removing it?”

Your face heats up at the request, but you nod—moving to slip the straps off your shoulders. After all, he’d massaged you all those weeks ago. It’s not like seeing your body is anything new to him.

“Just the dress?”

It’s an innocent question. You want to make his job as easy as possible.

“You—”

“Hey, isn’t this basically just more work for you?” you interrupt him as you shimmy your dress down your torso to the swell of your hips. He chuckles, gaze flitting down to look at your sheer-lace bra. The black color matches your underwear—although the panties aren’t lace, nor see through. (You hadn’t accidentally wanted to flash a demon (or at least, reveal too much) in town if the wind decided to flip your dress up on your journey over).

“It does take effort on my part, but I don’t consider it to be “work”,” he tells you. “And yes, just your dress is fine. Your undergarments won’t get in the way.”

“Okay,” you nod, voice soft. You finish stepping out of your dress—discarding it onto one of the nearby couches. Barb looks over your form appreciatively, and you seriously wish you could learn how to control your blushes.

“It’s important that you stretch, first. I don’t want you hurting your back again.”

“What? Not interested in giving me any more massages?” you tease, eyes sparkling at him. He breathes a laugh.

“I never said that.”

As you bend over—touching your toes, and stretching out your tight muscles, Barbatos moves across the room to grab more spools of rope. The entire time, his gaze lingers on you—taking note of your level of flexibility.

He’s pleasantly surprised by what he sees. The cogs in his brain start turning as he silently debates which position he should tie you in.

After a few minutes of stretching, it seems that Barbatos is finally satisfied to begin.

“This may take some time to tie. If you’re ever uncomfortable, or the rope feels too tight—please let me know.”

“I will, Barb.”

With that, the demon butler is quick to get to work. He instructs you to lift your arms, and you do so obediently—watching him as he wraps the rope around your torso, just beneath your bust. He stops every so often to check the firmness of his ties—making sure that he can slip a finger between the rope and your skin. He wants it to be loose enough that it won’t impede your blood flow, but tight enough that you’ll stay bound once he attempts to suspend you.

Before long, Barbatos has dressed you with a chess harness—your clothed tits pressing against the lacy fabric of your bra as the ties above, below, and between your breasts squeeze your mounds and push them outwards.

Satisfied with his work, he nods his head and takes a step away.

“Could you please sit on the floor, and spread your legs?”

His request reminds you of the growing pool of arousal in your nether region, but you comply nonetheless.

Sitting on the hardwood floor, you drop your arms to your sides and spread your legs. As you do so, the butler walks over to the fireplace. Just above the mantle is a hook—a strand of rope securely weaved around it. As Barbatos works on loosening the thick, hemp rope, you trace it’s path across the ceiling, and realize it’s the rope currently controlling the height of the bamboo anchor above you.

As the demon unfurls the rope from around the hook, the solid strip of bamboo moves closer to the ground. Soon, it’s only a few feet from the floor.

Satisfied with its new height—at least for the time being—Barbatos loosely wraps the rope back around the hook and then returns to your side. He kneels behind you, and you gasp when his fingers tug at the knot of rope between your shoulder blades.

“Too tight?” he questions, reaching to snag another bundle of red rope from the couch. You shake your head.

“Nope, just right.”

He hums considerately at your comment, sounding a little amused.

You remain silent as he drags more rope against your back—threading it through the bulk of your chest harness. Each pass of the soft fabric has goosebumps rising on your skin, and your gaze glances down between your still spread legs.

Hopefully since your panties are black, he won’t be able to see the wet spot that has formed…

You breathe shakily when Barbatos hefts the rope over the bamboo bar—giving it a tug. You feel the chest harness hug your tits ever tighter at the action, and you bite your lip to hold back from groaning. Honestly, if he touched your clit right now, you’re sure he could bring you to climax with little effort…

However, since you’re still attempting to be considerate of the fact that this is his stress relief, you don’t say anything. You remain carefully silent as he secures you to the anchor via the chest harness—an additional length of rope winding around your waist. He ties it to the bamboo as well—hoping to take some of the pressure off of your chest, seeing as he doesn’t want to bruise your ribs.

Once that’s taken care of, he moves in front of you. There are two more lengths of rope in his grasp.

For the first time in a while, Barbatos takes a moment to regard you. He’s been so caught up in his work, that aside from little inquiries as to your comfort, he hasn’t gotten a chance to really check in on you.

What he finds before him is a little startling.

Your cheeks are painted red—eyes blown wide, and lips slightly swollen from how much you’ve been biting them in order to try and control your reactions. As his gaze rakes down, glossing over your chest, he notes that your breathing is quick--your nipples taut against the thin cups of your bra. A tell-tale sign of your arousal.

A handsome grin tugs at his lips.

Reaching down, he squeezes the meat of your inner thigh with one hand, stretching your leg open wider. He lifts his other hand to his mouth—effortlessly tugging the white glove off with his teeth—before he’s dragging two of his digits gently up the crotch of your panties.

“My, I guess I shouldn’t have worried about being selfish with my request,” he chuckles. You pout at him angrily, eyes glancing away.

“Don’t tease me…I was trying to be polite…”

The pout on your lips fades away the moment his naked palm cups your cheek. Gently, he guides you to look at him—his face just inches from yours.

“I apologize for teasing,” he says. “I’m pleased to know you’re enjoying yourself beyond what I expected.”

To emphasize his words, he leans in and presses a tender kiss to your lips. Immediately you’re moaning, hands reaching forward to fist in his shirt—keeping him close to you. Your mouths slot together—slow, languid kisses being exchanged between you.

“Would you like to continue?” he eventually mumbles, and when your eyelashes flutter open, you find him staring at you—a heat in his gaze that hadn’t been present before.

“Yes, please.”

Sitting back, Barbatos tugs off his other glove and immediately resumes his work.

He starts at your ankles—wrapping the rope around you a few times, before tossing it over the bamboo--this time on the outside of the sturdy hemp, which is keeping the light-weight wood anchored to the ceiling. He repeats the action on your other leg, mirroring his previous actions, and then moves to make a tie just above your knee with a new spool.

This time, there’s an additional command.

“Lift your arms up.”

You do so, watching him with bated breath as he once again threads the rope across the slab of wood above you. This time, however, he pulls the rope tight—hiking your leg as high as it will go in combination with the ankle ties keeping your legs spread wide.

Once the rope is taut, he ties it around your wrists—letting you keep your arms bent. Your hand instinctively moves to hold onto the rope once the knot is finished, and you give it an experimental tug downward. The additional tension causes your legs to part even more—revealing all you have to offer.

“Are you, ah, fond of having girls spread wide like this for you?” you ask, a little breathless as you watch him grab one final coil of the rope. This time he moves to secure it around your upper thighs, right near your pelvis. He threads it beneath the rope around your waist—tugging it tight, and truly making sure your legs are spread as much as possible. You actually start to feel a dull strain as he makes the final tie—mirroring it on your other leg, per usual.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he responds, smiling as he pulls on the rope in a few places—making small adjustments to the tension in certain ties in order to ensure that your weight will be evenly distributed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do this, and I can confidently say that you’re making it far more entertaining than I expected.”

“Well, you’re welcome for that.”

Chuckling, he presses to his feet and moves past you. The butler makes his way to the fireplace, once more taking hold of the rope tied above it.

“I’m going to suspend you now,” he informs you, and your pussy clenches at his words. “If you feel pain, tell me and we will stop immediately.”

“Okay,” you breathe, licking your lips. In the next moment, you feel the rope around you dig into your skin ever so slightly—your ass inching off of the ground as Barbatos effortlessly moves the bamboo anchor higher into the air.

Within seconds—you're fully suspended, your body about 3 feet from the floor. The rope bites at your flesh, but not painfully. Just enough to remind you that you’re tied up, in the air, and at Barbatos’ mercy.

Since you don’t express any discontent, Barbatos re-secures the rope around the hook, and then makes his way to the center of the room. He takes his time walking around you—surveying his work. His fingers trail across your sensitive skin, making you gasp. Your legs jump against the bindings in reaction to his touches, but your limbs barely move--his skillful ties keeping you obediently held in the position he has chosen for you.

“Barb…,” you whine, not knowing how much more of this you can take. You’ve been horny since the moment you’d stepped foot into the room, and you’re sure at least an hour has passed since he began tying you—if not more. Your panties are practically soaked. You need some type of relief, and soon, or you honestly think you’ll explode.

Barbatos steps in front of you, two fingers hooking beneath your chin and angling your head up to look at him. He smiles.

“Is there a problem?”

There’s a mirthful glint in his eye. It’s clear he’s feeling more playful now that he’s in his element.

“I…please touch me.”

“I thought earlier you expressed worry in me doing “extra work”? It certainly sounds like you’re asking me to exert myself with that request.”

“Barb, please,” you whine, struggling against the rope as you attempt to lean up and kiss him. There’s no way he can deny you after all of this—not when you’re in such a state. “Please. I need you.”

Your begging sounds like music to his ears, and he gives in a little—leaning down to kiss you. You melt into the sensation.

“How would you like me to touch you, Y/N?”

“I…I want your cock, this time,” you say honestly, mumbling the words embarrassedly against him. You feel bad asking. After your previous escapade, you’d gotten the feeling that Barbatos was more comfortable in pleasing others, rather than focusing on himself. After all, despite having gotten hard, he had never asked to have sex with you. He’d been content with getting you off on his fingers, and likely would have let himself remain hard without solace if you hadn’t offered to help him in return.

Barbatos pauses at your request.

“It’s okay, if you’re not comfortable,” you quickly say, understanding painted in your eyes as you regard him. “I just…have been thinking about the possibility of having you inside of me, since last time, so—”

“If I am what you want, then I shall give you what you ask,” he interrupts, leaning in to steal another tender kiss. A quiet moan escapes you.

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t be offering otherwise.”

He cups your cheeks, peppering you with kisses, and then steps back. You watch him with rapt attention as he fiddles with his belt—working to free his cock from it’s confines. You hadn’t noticed before, but he’s already hard—straining against the zipper of his slacks.

Luckily, he’s skilled with his hands. It only takes a few seconds until his length is free—his slacks and the boxer briefs beneath them resting just below his pelvis.

“We should have taken these off, if you desired this outcome,” he comments, finger looping beneath the crotch of your panties. You pout at him, but don’t bother retorting. Right now, the only thing on your mind is Barbatos putting his cock inside of you and fucking you until you cum.

Noting your hungry stare, Barbatos doesn’t bother asking permission before he moves your panties to the side, revealing your slick womanhood. Grasping his length, he guides the tip of his cock between your folds—wetting himself with your arousal. When he catches your clit, you openly moan—body flexing against the ropes holding you in place.

Barbatos can’t help but smile.

“Always so needy.”

You open your mouth to respond, but all that comes out is a heated groan—the demon butler sheathing himself into your heat without warning. Your sopping walls allow him to glide in easily, and the sudden stretch has your eyes rolling back.

“Fuck, Barb,” you breathe his name, fixing him with the most pitiful face you can manage. You need him to move—now.

He’s more than happy to comply.

Barbatos rocks his hips back and forth gently, fucking in and out of you with care as he assures that you’re okay for him to move despite the abrupt intrusion. He feels your walls clench around him—seeking more—and he takes a deep breath at the sensation. You feel so good.

Gripping your waist, he thrusts into you with fervor. His speed increases, a blush dusting his cheeks as his gaze shifts between your blissful face, and your greedy pussy. In all his years, he’s never seen someone take his cock so beautifully.

Quick pants slipping past your lips, you instinctively tug at the rope wrapped around your wrists—accidentally spreading your legs wider as he fucks you. You can feel the strain on your thigh muscles, but right now, it’s the least of your worries. You’re too preoccupied with the way Barbatos’ cock is dragging inside of you—hitting you in all the right places.

“Please touch my clit,” you gasp, sensing your impending orgasm. You feel bad, being so close already, but you can’t help it. Barbatos’ cock throbs as he realizes how quickly you’re coming unraveled thanks to him. At this rate, he won’t last very long either.

Always happy to serve, the butler removes one hand from your waist and presses his thumb into your clit. The swift, side to side motion against the sensitive bundle of nerves has you choking on a moan—your head lolling backwards.

“Oh fuck,” you bite, the muscles in your torso tensing. Barbatos can feel your pussy tightening around him, and he clenches his jaw. Keeping his rhythm, it’s only another minute until you’re crying out his name—body spasming against the bindings as you reach the apex of your pleasure. Your pussy milks around his cock, constricting so tightly that a curse actually falls from the demon’s lips.

With a strained groan, he pulls himself from inside of you—his seed spurting against your used pussy, with a few stray droplets painting your thighs.

You’re just about to whine at the sudden loss of him when the door to the room creaks open. Immediately, you’re ejected from the bliss of your orgasm—heart hammering against your ribs and eyes flying open as you turn to see who has discovered you and Barbatos in such a compromising state.

“I actually managed to get the committee to end the meeting early, and went in search of the two of you,” the Demon Prince himself speaks, stepping inside. “When I discovered our typical spot empty, and then noticed the lack of tea in the kitchen cupboards, I thought I’d better check here. Seems I was right to.”

Diavolo chuckles as the door clicks closed behind him. He reaches up to loosen his tie, his infamous red coat nowhere to be found.

“My Lord,” Barbatos speaks, bowing. You glance down and notice that the butler has already tucked himself back into his pants—looking perfect as usual. The only hint of his recently experienced bliss is a few stray hairs sticking to his forehead, and a dust of blush on his cheeks.

Oh, and the cum that’s leaking down your skin.

The Demon Prince smiles pleasantly at his butler before his heavy golden gaze shifts to you. Instantly, you’re feeling warm all over—embarrassed beyond belief to be seen by Diavolo in such a lewd state.

Your little fling in the bath with him is one thing, but being hoisted mid-air, legs spread wide, with nowhere to hide yourself is another.

“Diav—”

“Impeccable work, as always, Barbatos,” Diavolo interrupts you. He steps into the center of the room, reaching forward to grip the strands of rope parting your breasts. He gives the harness an appreciative tug, eliciting a gasp from you. His eyes sparkle at the sound.

“Thank you, my Lord.”

“I see you were a little zealous today,” he continues, eyes falling to your used pussy. Your breath catches—gaze widening in surprise as Diavolo drags his finger through a stripe of Barbatos’ cum. Behind the Prince, the butler dips his head.

“Y/N requested it of me. I would be a fool to have said no.”

“Indeed,” Diavolo chuckles, his attention never leaving you. His large hands roam across your legs—skimming over the rope where it digs into the soft flesh of your thighs. There’s an appreciative glint in his gaze as he surveys your body—beautiful and helpless thanks to Barbatos’ rope work.

“You know, Y/N,” he begins after a minute, his fingertips trailing up the length of your arms, and making you shiver. He leans down to your eye level, smiling at you handsomely. “I was a little worried, following the incident with the aphrodisiac, that perhaps I had overstepped my boundaries. However, following recent events, I’m wondering if it’s not that a line was crossed, but perhaps that it’s me you’re not interested in.”

You shift your gaze to Barbatos, wondering if he had told Diavolo the outcome of the massage he’d given you a few weeks prior, but his face reveals nothing. He’s back to being the perfect butler in the presence of his Lord.

“Lord Diavolo, t-that’s—,” you swallow the lump in your throat, arousal flaring in your gut when Diavolo presses a finger beneath your chin, turning your attention back to him. “That’s not it at all. I promise.”

He cocks a curious eyebrow, waiting for you to explain. You take a shaky breath, muscles flexing beneath the bindings as your post-orgasm high begins to fade, making the bite of the rope more obvious.

“I…have wanted you—to have you, ever since that night. I just…didn’t have the guts to inquire about the possibility…I was hoping maybe you would approach me instead, and when it didn’t happen, I assumed the window of opportunity had closed.”

“Oh, Y/N,” he moves his hands to cup your cheeks, gently skimming his thumb across the warm flesh. “You are more than welcome to ask anything of me.”

“I want you, then. Now,” you breath, a fresh wave of arousal pooling in your belly as you stare at him. Your words have his golden eyes darkening with hunger.

The months worth of unspoken desire fills the space between your bodies--igniting a flame in Diavolo’s blood.

“Say it again,” he commands. You strain against the bindings, wishing you could touch him.

“I want you, Lord Diavolo. Please fuck me.”

In the next beat, Diavolo is on your lips. He licks into your mouth, swallowing all of your needy little whines and moans. One of his hands moves to tangle in your hair—trapping your lips against his own—while the other finds purchase on your breast.

He slips a finger beneath the lace cup, and tugs it down without hesitation—freeing the previously covered mound. You gasp around his tongue, thighs flexing. You can feel arousal beginning to dribble down your cunt, pussy once again aching to be used and filled.

“Barbatos,” Diavolo rumbles, finally pulling back to give you air. The butler appears at the edge of your vision as you struggle to breathe. He places a hand over his heart.

“Adjust the height of the suspension, and then come here. It’s not fair of me to make you watch. Come and join.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Barbatos disappears from your field of vision, and a few moments later, you squirm as you feel yourself being hoisted higher into the air. The sensation stops when your pussy is at the same height as Diavolo’s growing bulge.

“I can’t be mad at the two of you for enjoying yourselves without me, when it acts as such good preparation,” Diavolo chuckles, two of his fingers slipping between your glistening folds. They push into your heat with little resistance, so the Prince adds a third. You feel a stretch, but it’s far from painful—a quiet moan sneaking past your lips.

He watches you with arousal swimming in his golden irises.

Leaning in to lap against the unmarred skin of your neck, Diavolo pumps his fingers in and out of you. Wet sounds fill the room along with your breathy whines, and the minute Barbatos steps up behind you—moving his hands to fondle your breasts—you let go of any remaining decency.

You throw your head back, body shaking as the two pleasure you. Groans fall from your lips, hips bucking against Diavolo’s hand. You crave him, desperate to feel your pussy stretched around his monstrous cock.

“Please,” you beg, barely able to get the word out. Diavolo shushes you with a hot breath against your neck—canines nipping at your flesh.

“Be patient,” he tells you. “One more.”

He momentarily removes his fingers from inside you before pushing back in—a fourth joining the others this time. The sensation steals your breath away—body thrashing against the bindings. You’re so stupidly horny that you don’t even care if it hurts. You need Diavolo inside of you.

“You must trust Lord Diavolo, Y/N,” Barbatos pipes up. You can feel his breath on your ear—his mouth moving to rest on the side of your neck that Diavolo isn’t currently assaulting with his lips, teeth and tongue. To accentuate his words, he rolls your hardened nipples between his fingers. Your pussy clenches around the Demon Prince’s digits.

“He’s only doing this so not to hurt you.”

“I know, but—,” Diavolo cuts off your whining with a rough bite against the junction of your shoulder. You gasp at the pain, writhing, and once more he’s rewarded with your pussy gripping his fingers so deliciously. The Demon Prince’s cock throbs at the sensation, craving to be inside of you, but he knows he can’t take you as easily as others might. The last thing he wants is to break you.

…as fun as that idea may be.

“You’re doing so well,” he praises you, tongue lapping over the indentation of his teeth. A bit of blood pools in the shallow divots—the tangy red liquid making him groan deep within his chest. He pumps his fingers in and out of you for what feels like ages, continuing until there’s no resistance.

Then, finally, his digits leave you with an embarrassing squelch. You mourn the loss with a needy whine, eyes peeling open to stare at him. However, when you see Diavolo messing with his slacks—his cock springing free and standing tall against his abdomen just as you had remembered it—your protest ceases.

Instead, you’re left swallowing the saliva that pools in your mouth—cunt throbbing as Diavolo presses himself back between your legs. Barbatos is by no means small with regard to dick size, but Diavolo makes taking the butler seem like child’s play.

“Remember to breathe,” The Prince tells you, tracing his length between your folds. The head of his cock pushes against your entrance, and despite his warning, you feel your breath catch. Even four fingers are barely enough to prepare you to take him.

“Breathe,” Barbatos whispers against your neck, his hands moving to settle just beneath your breasts. He gives you a reassuring squeeze, and you finally suck in a shaky breath of air. Diavolo allows you a moment to ground yourself before he moves once more—managing to fully slide the head of his dick in, along with a few inches of shaft.

You see stars.

“Fuck!” your entire body shakes, pain and arousal mingling in a dangerous combination. Your chest heaves, knuckles turning white with how tightly you’re gripping the rope binding your wrists. And yet, you can’t take your eyes off the sight of Diavolo’s cock, and the way it disappears inside of you. You don’t dare look away.

Hands gripping your waist, Diavolo takes a deep breath in through his nose, and then cants his hips forward. The rest of his length stuffs inside of you—stomach bulging ever so slightly from his girth—and your mind goes white.

Hot tears stream down your cheeks.

For a frightening second, Diavolo worries that he has injured you.

“Y/N—”

“Please please please please move!” you cry, chest heaving. You struggle against the bindings, breaking off into a desperate sob. The Demon Prince and his butler share a surprised look. Then, Diavolo is grinning, ever so slowly rocking his hips into you. Each movement assaults you with a new wave of pleasure.

“You didn’t tell me that she gets like this,” Diavolo remarks, glancing to his long-time friend. Barbatos shakes his head, his hands once more settling on your breasts. When the butler flicks his thumbs against your nipples, a muscle clenches in Diavolo’s jaw—your pussy constricting around him.

“I had no idea it was possible,” Barbatos responds, but you don’t hear their conversation. You can’t tear your gaze from the spot where Diavolo’s cock vanishes between your walls. You’ve never been so full before—so stretched--right at your breaking point.

It feels so good.

“Y/N,” Diavolo speaks your name tenderly, drawing you from your state of desperation. Your blown-out eyes turn up to him. He cups your cheek, brushing over the damp tear tracks on your skin. “What are your safe words?”

“S…Stoplight colors,” you tell him, and he nods. Leaning in, he presses a sweet kiss to your forehead.

“Use them if you need to.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Feeling better about your safety, Diavolo once more grips your waist, and begins fucking into your pussy with quick, smooth strokes. Each drag of his cock inside of you has you moaning—arousal rapidly building in the pit of your stomach. A part of you hopes that you’ll last long enough to cum with the Demon Prince, but when Barbatos settles his mouth against your neck—sucking at a particularly sensitive patch of flesh—you reach your climax without warning.

A cry tears from your throat. Your body spasms, pussy milking around Diavolo’s cock and hugging him so firmly that he actually snarls at the sensation. However, he doesn’t bother reprimanding you for the unprompted orgasm. No, instead he waits just long enough to allow the height of your pleasure to subside, before he begins snapping his hips into you with abandon.

Your lips part in a silent scream, Diavolo fucking you hard enough to make your tits bounce despite the upright position. As you struggle to maintain any sense of coherency, Barbatos hugs you tightly from behind, whispering quiet praises against your skin. It’s truly the only thing keeping you ground, at the moment.

“I can feel you getting tight again,” Diavolo remarks, the slightest growl in his voice, even as he chuckles. “Are you going to cum with me, Y/N?”

You shake your head violently. “I-I can’t. I can’t.”

You’re convinced that another orgasm will kill you.

Diavolo glances past your shoulder, to Barbatos. The butler nods his head. Without speaking a word, Barbatos knows his Lord’s request.

Pressing an apologetic kiss to your shoulder, Barbatos lowers one of his hands between your spread legs. Two of his fingers find your clit, and you choke down a sob. You desperately attempt to convince the royals that you’re unable to cum a third time, but the way your walls continue to contract around Diavolo’s cock says otherwise.

“Cum with me, and then you can rest,” Diavolo speaks, leaning in to capture your lips. He can taste your salty tears through the kiss.

“P-please,” you struggle to breathe, blurry eyes settling on the Demon Prince as he sits back—snapping his cock inside of you particularly hard. “Please.”

“Please what?” Diavolo asks, golden eyes soaking in the sight of you absolutely falling apart for him.

“Please…,” you repeat, voice trailing off. You’ve been so adamant about your inability to orgasm again, but now—with Diavolo thrusting into you, and Barbatos’ fingers working at your clit—you’re once again on the edge of release. You sob, the sound broken.

“Please let me cum.”

Diavolo grins handsomely.

“Cum for me, Y/N.”

And you’re helpless to obey, your body spasming as your third and final orgasm of the night tears through you. Your chest heaves—struggling to take in air as Diavolo fucks you through your pleasure—chasing his own bliss.

Thankfully, he comes only a few seconds behind you—seating his length fully inside of you, and stuffing you to the brim as he spills his seed between your sopping walls. The sound of ragged breathing fills the room.

You fade out of consciousness for a moment.

“You did so well, taking Lord Diavolo,” Barbatos whispers into your hair, bringing you back into reality. He presses a soft kiss to your head. You whimper at his words, exhausted, and craving more praise and comfort.

Knowing that you need to be released from the suspension, Diavolo finally pulls his softening cock from inside of you. Immediately, his cum is slipping from your used heat—dripping down your pussy, and even onto the floor at your feet.

“Barbatos,” Diavolo speaks, taking a step back. The butler nods, swiftly moving to unravel the spool of rope secured above the mantle. Soon, you find yourself on the floor, both Diavolo and Barbatos working to undo the many intricate knots and ties.

It takes a few minutes—you whining and begging for affection the entire time—but finally the two free you from your bindings. As you move your limbs around, you can feel blood rushing back into certain areas of your body.

You’re definitely going to be sore tomorrow. For many reasons.

“You did beautifully,” Diavolo whispers as he scoops you into his arms. He moves to settle on the couch, cradling you in his lap. He brushes a few stray hands of hair out of your face, smiling when you reach up and cup his cheeks—tugging him into a kiss.

“I’m seeing many new sides of you today,” he remarks with a chuckle. You lean back, tiredly pouting at him.

“Well, this is the first time I’ve been fully tied up, suspended, and fucked by both a Demon Prince, and his butler, so.”

“That would explain it.”

He grins wider, a fond look in his eyes as he dips down to press a kiss to your forehead. As he does so Barbatos kneels at your side. There’s a pleasant smile on his face, his now-gloved hands gingerly trailing against your legs—dipping into the shallow marks left by the rope.

“How are you feeling?” he questions. His voice is tender, full of concern.

“I’m okay,” you say. “Sore, and tired, but…I feel good.” You extend your arm—fingertips trailing against his jaw. Barbatos leans into the feeling, cupping your hand with his own. “Thank you both for taking such good care of me. Even though you may have exerted yourselves more, rather than relaxing tonight, like I was hoping you would do…”

“I can’t speak for Barbatos, but personally, I feel much better now,” Diavolo pipes up. The butler nods in agreement, turning his head to press a kiss to your palm.

“Yes, I agree. I feel quite relaxed.”

You roll your eyes at them, breathing a laugh.

“If you say so.”

The royals share a laugh as well.

“You need to rehydrate. Shall I fetch us some beverages?”

“If you wouldn’t mind, Barbatos. It’s unfortunate we’re out of tea.”

The butler presses to his feet, bowing minutely. “It is. I will be sure to restock the pantry soon.”

He turns, heading towards the door, but your voice stops him.

“Wait--,” you speak, noting a clock on the wall nearby. It’s already past 11. “—It’s getting late. I don’t want to take more of your time. I know you still have a busy schedule tomorrow.”

“I would think that Lucifer and his brothers will be concerned, should you return home in your current state,” Barbatos comments, and you pause, glancing down at yourself. You’re covered in rope markings all over your body, not to mention the hickies and bite marks now littering your neck. On top of that, you’re still not even sure if you can properly move on your own, let alone walk.

“I…”

“I was going to ask you to stay with us,” Diavolo pipes up, smiling at you. “If you don’t mind sharing the bed, I’d prefer to have you close tonight.”

Your cheeks heat up at his words, but you can’t deny how appealing it sounds—spending the night in Diavolo’s arms. Especially considering how he’d just ruined you.

“Okay,” you concede.

“Good!”

You gasp as Diavolo presses to his feet, still securely holding you in his arms. “In that case, please bring the beverages to my chambers, Barbatos.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

The butler then disappears from the room. Diavolo follows him out, but not before tossing a handily available blanket atop your naked form. Your grip at the soft fabric, pouting as you watch your cute dress get left behind on the messy, rope covered floor.

“My dress…”

“Barbatos will likely return and clean up before the night ends. I’m sure it will be returned to you by morning,” Diavolo reassures you. You curl your hand into the dark fabric of his shirt, glancing up at him.

“That’s still more work for him…”

“You need to stop worrying about us,” he scolds you, giving you a light squeeze. You knock your forehead against his chest.

“It’s hard. I want you both to stop being so busy.”

“Soon,” he reassures you with a chuckle, and you feel his lips press into the crown of your hair. “Then we’ll go back to having Sunday tea.”

Perfect.

That night, you pass out tucked against Diavolo’s broad chest, before Barbatos ever appears with the drinks. At some point, a wet cloth drags between your legs, and a straw is placed between your lips, but you’re too exhausted to remember anything more than that. All you know is that when you wake up the next morning, Diavolo is gone, your bladder is full, and there’s a note on the nightstand addressed to you.

It’s Barbatos’ handwriting.

Y/N,

Lord Diavolo would like to apologize for being unable to keep you company this morning. We promise to make it up to you at a later time.

Your dress, along with vitamins, and other health supplements that will help you should you be ailing from the excitement of last night, are at the foot of the bed.

Blinking, you look down and realize that indeed your dress is folded neatly at your feet--a small gift bag beside it. But there’s no way you’ll need such medicine, right?

Slowly, you press to your feet, and immediately groan. Yep, everything is sore. You’ve never felt so achy all over.

Lucifer is here for a meeting. He will walk you home at 9am, once it is finished. Please meet him at the front doors.

If there’s anything else you need, please let myself, or Lord Diavolo know.

- Barbatos

You note that your DDD has been conveniently placed on the nightstand beside the note.

Clicking the phone screen to life—you pause.

It’s already 8:50.

“Shit!”

You rush to prepare yourself—dressing haphazardly, and running through the halls of the castle in order to meet Lucifer on time. You arrive at the front doors to find him waiting for you. He cocks an eyebrow, gaze falling to your current outfit. You’re adorning the dress you’d worn the day before, but beneath it, you’re also wearing a white turtleneck.

How curious.

“…did you enjoy your stay?”

There’s an amused look on his face—one that tells you he won’t be fooled by whatever excuse you decide to try and come up with. So, you settle for giving him an honest response.

“I did.”

And you can’t wait until your next one.

#if u liked plz come yell at me uwu #om!#obey me #barbatos #diavolo #obey me smut #obey me fic #barbatos smut #diavolo smut #obey me swd #diavolo fic #barbatos fic #diavolo x reader #barbatos x reader

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alyasgf · 3 years

Text

Everything Is Gonna Be Okay

mlb fic master list || part 2

Summary- Adrien has known Ladybug’s identity since kwamibuster, but she worked so hard who was he to ruin it?

Or alternatively kwamibuster but Adrien isn’t fooled, realizes who Ladybug is but doesn’t say anything. He helps her by becoming her close friend. He may have also accidentally fallen in love with her. Oops? Ft. Ladynoir, Adrinette, and Marichat (mostly Adrinette )

Notes- Getting to all the prompts I have building up that I haven’t had time for so enjoy! I might come back to this for another chapter with Ladrien and possibly a full reveal we’ll see.

Word Count- 1660

AO3

Begin

Adrien knew it was Marinette. Common sense was that if she had all the miraculous on, she’d probably have the fox. She would’ve gotten away with it, but Chat Noir could clearly the difference. After the Volpina scandal he’d noticed how flat the illusions could look, so when the tiny Multimouse seemed just a bit lackluster, he simply connected the dots.

Still, she’d put so much effort into the whole thing, so who was he to ruin it for her? He’d simply play along.

Ever since he found out Ladybug’s identity, he tried to get closer to Marinette, but she always seemed to be uncomfortable around Adrien. It disappointed him, but he understood. Adrien came with high expectations, while Chat Noir was free of these standards.

He’d visit Marinette as Chat Noir every chance he got. At first, he was worried Ladybug might reprimand him, but Marinette seemed to enjoy the company.

Unlike Ladybug, sometimes Marinette would entertain Chat’s antics (probably because they weren’t in the middle of battling an akuma.)

They’d play video games, watch anime on her terrace, and eat goodies he wasn’t allowed at home. He considered her his best friend, in and out of the suit.

Unfortunately, he let this slip while hanging out with Alya, Nino and Marinette.

“Surely your friend Marinette will help you with the notes you missed.” Alya said, raising her eyebrows and directing a look towards Marinette.

“You mean best friend Marinette.” Adrien replied lightheartedly.

Marinette turned bright red, while Nino gasped in offense.

“Well who am I then? I thought you and I were closer!” Nino pouted.

“I- uh,” Adrien was at a loss, before deciding to play it off. “I can have more than one best friend Nino don’t get too jealous.” He laughed.

Marinette was still red as she handed Adrien her notes to take a picture of. They were all in the park after school, as they did sometimes when Adrien’s schedule would allow it.

Alya whispered something into Marinette’s ear that made her blush harder. Adrien couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked. He couldn’t believe the girl that threw herself at akumas with no fear could hardly look him in the eye without stuttering. He couldn’t help but tease her.

“Everything ok Marinette?” He leaned closer and put his hand on her forehead. She froze and looked up, cross eyed at his hand. “You look like you’re heating up.”

She practically fell backwards trying to scoot away from his hand. “Yeah yeah! You feel great.” She said in a daze. “I mean I feel great!”

Adrien let out a laugh, and everyone joined in. Marinette even seemed to giggle a little. Adrien took that as a win.

————————————

He kept up this rouse for months, visiting her at nights after patrols or whenever he missed her. As he did this, he began to fall in love with her as Marinette. It wasn’t all at once though. At first when he’d discovered her identity he had trouble seeing the two as one person. But as he spent more time with Marinette he could see all of Ladybug’s characteristics in her, and in turn, Marinette characteristics in Ladybug.

Anytime Ladybug would doubt her plans, she’d get the same face Marinette would make when she proposed something to Adrien. The determination Marinette had when it came to her friends was the same attitude Ladybug had toward all Parisians.

And with that Adrien was hopelessly in love with her. Still, there was Luka.

She mentioned there was an other guy as Ladybug, and before he knew who she was he assumed she and Luka already had a thing. Before, he could accept this, but after knowing everything it hurt a little more.

He put this all aside though, because Marinette was his friend and partner first (and romantic interest second.)

But as he got lost in her eyes one night while talking and sharing snacks he had to ask, had to hope maybe he was wrong.

“So I hear a certain boy has caught your heart Marinette, care to share?” He asked casually, looking away after a particularly vulnerable moment.

“Yeah he has.” Marinette said with a sigh as she started off into the distance, lovestruck.

Adrien couldn’t help but feel disappointed. “What’s he like?”

“God Chat, he’s just perfect. He cares so much about everyone, and despite everything the world had thrown at him, he’s still so kind.” Marinette gushed.

Adrien had heard about how Luka’s father had abandoned him and Juleka when they were younger. He knew how it felt to feel like there was a piece of your family missing, but not ever knowing them must be unbearable. He could tell Marinette thought the world of Luka.

“How do you feel about Ladybug?” Marinette ventured.

Adrien laughed, knowing who she was, it was funny when Marinette asked about herself. She did it often, as though she couldn’t believe anyone could think so highly of her.

“Well, what can I say that isn’t already obvious? She’s determined, kind, funny, and a bit of a klutz.”

Marinette pouted. “No one calls Ladybug a klutz.”

“Well no one else spends as much time with her as I do. At least in costume anyway.”

Marinette begrudgingly agreed.

“Although she could entertain my amazing puns.” Chat teased.

Marinette laughed. “In your dreams kitty.”

If Chat hadn’t already known she was Ladybug, the way she delivered that line would’ve gave it away. There was a certain fondness to it that only his partner could use with him.

————————————

At some point after Marinette became the guardian, something changed.

They communicated if he could come over by her leaving out a cup of milk or her sitting outside around 9. Lately that came less and less.

Ladybug started to miss more and more patrols. She said she was busy, and with the way Marinette no longer had time to hang out with her friends he could tell that was true.

He tried to distract himself and change targets, but that blew up in his face. Kagami was starting to believe his excuses less and less. It was no suprise when she broke off whatever they had.

What was surprising however, was when he heard from Nino, who heard from Alya, who heard from Juleka, that Marinette and Luka had broken up.

She was always tired, and this was evident through her red eyes with dark bags beneath them. Adrien felt so helpless. He wasn’t sure how he could help without telling her what he knew.

He started with little things, like giving her notes she missed without her asking, letting her know it was really okay if she had to miss a patrol here and there, and leaving her little treats on her terrace to find whenever she went up.

One night as he passed by her room to leave a gift, he found the trapdoor cracked open and could hear her crying in her bed. He could hear the kwamis trying to comfort her, but it wasn’t working.

He made a show of dropping down so she’d have time to hide the kwamis before he knocked on the edge of the open trapdoor.

“You ok Marinette?”

When she lifted the trapdoor fully open a minute later he could tell she had tried to make herself look better. Her eyes looked freshly wiped and she had a forced smile on her face.

“Hey Chat. I’m fine just a little busy. Sorry we haven’t hung out in a while.”

Chat could still hear the sobs in his head that had been coming from her not even 5 minutes ago.

He threw his arms around her and she pulled herself into the ledge before crumbling into him.

She sobbed so hard, he was worried she’d break.

They stayed like that for at least half an hour. Chat rubbed her back and whispered affirmations into her ear.

“Shhh, it’ll be okay. You’re okay. You’re doing great.”

He didn’t know how she hadn’t been akumatized, but with him there, there was no way he’d let that happen.

When she finally calmed down, she pulled from him to look him in the eyes.

Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, there was a bit of snot coming from her nose. Still, she looked beautiful in the moonlight.

“I’m sorry Chat. Sometimes it’s just too hard to hold it in.” She said with a hiccup.

Chat pulled her back in. “Everyone needs to let it out every once in a while Marinette. There’s nothing to be sorry for, I’m just glad you chose me to be here for you. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Marinette shook her head. Chat sighed. He wouldn’t push her to say anything, no matter how much he wished she’d tell him.

“What can I do?” He asked.

“Stay with me until I fall asleep?” She whispered into his shoulder.

Chat nodded and she got up and climbed into her bed. Chat followed and left the trapdoor open.

There he laid, her head on his chest until her breathing evened out. He really didn’t want to leave. She was so warm and vulnerable. He was so in love with her.

But he knew he couldn’t stay, so ever so reluctantly, he lifted her from him softly and he left.

————————————

The next day when he saw her, he could see for the first time in what felt like forever she looked like she got some rest.

He ran up to her and hugged her tightly. She stiffened before relaxing into his touch.

“Marinette, I know if I ask you’re gonna tell me you’re okay, but I want you to know I can tell you aren’t. I’m here for you. We’re all here for you. Please don’t push us away.” He said into her hair. It smelled like strawberries and sweets, like always. It was comforting.

“O-okay.” She stuttered out. “Thank you Adrien.” She said softly. He felt her hold on a little tighter.

End Notes- Feel free to send in prompts! Also I wanna write more reveals where only one of them knows so look out for that. Reply your favorite part and leave a like and reblog if you liked this it makes my day ;)

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remmyswritings · 4 years

Text

adored by regulus headcannon// potter cousin! reader

@kashishwrites, I absolutely loved loved loved writing this headcannon. I really hope I did him justice in this one.

It might be insanely long because my brain just wouldn’t stop but I have a feeling you’ll like it :)

taglist: @willowbleedsonpaper @summer-writes @obsessedwithrandomthings @firewhisky-kisses @potterverseimagine @in-slytherin-we-trust @masterofthedarkness @imboredandneedalife @lila-lilakk @strawberriesonsummer @kalimagik @62442-am @nebulablakemurphy @pcseidcnsvoid @curious-curios @jenniweaslee @cherrycolakxsses @peeves-a-legend @booksmusicteaandanimals @heart-of-tempered-steel

*Not my GIF*

While you happened to be related to James Potter it was soon discovered by your fellow Hogwarts students that the two of you were nothing alike

Where as he pranked students and caused mischief, you were typically the student that people went to when they needed help or comfort, it was part of your Hufflepuff nature

Nonetheless you were known for having a pretty big bite and for standing up for younger students, using your sass to get back at the bullies

Of course you were still close to your cousin and as such met his friends and surprisingly became increasingly close to Sirius

To him, you were the only one who he felt comfortable with sharing his home life with and be completely vulnerable in front of

So when you met Regulus one day in the library, it was no shock to Sirius that you would reach out to him

But poor Regulus he had no idea what to do… I mean here was this beautiful, sweet Hufflepuff who happened to be best friends with his older brother and now here she is sitting with him in the library, of course Regulus did the one thing he could think of, be completely quiet

You on the other hand recognized his anxiousness and decided that you would just be there for him without pushing, waiting for when he would make the first move

It was about a month later when that happened, “Y/N?” “Yes Regulus?” “Why do you sit with me?”

The sadness in his voice broke you, “Because I want to be your friend Regulus... Is that okay?”

You looked up from your book to see him staring back at you with such awe. He couldn’t wrap his head around the face that you wanted to be his friend, but he could tell that your intentions were pure so he agreed

He definitely saw you as this pure little thing in his life so he swore to never involve you in anything regarding his family

It took him close to a year to admit to himself that you had wiggled your way past his walls and into his heart… by then you had gotten Sirius and Regulus to make up and help Regulus find a place to stay after he ran away from home

Now the one problem he had was trying to figure out if you felt the same way, which you did, but our boy doesn’t want to lose you and he’s way to oblivious to how you automatically smile whenever you see him and how your eyes always search for him whenever you enter a room

The only person who sees all of this is Sirius and since you were the one who brought the two brothers together he decides to meddle to get the two of you together

James is all protective of you and at first refuses to help Sirius but then Sirius forces him to observe you and Regulus one day instead of focusing on Lily and that’s when he realizes his best friend is right

One night, he convinces Regulus to help you brew Amortentia and while he is sitting there with the two of you he asks you what you smell

Being so consumes by the fumes, you momentarily forget who is with you and reply, “I smell expensive cologne, parchment paper, the forest after it rains, and mint.”

Regulus can only stare when he realizes that you feel the same way, that is until Sirius clears his throat and reminds him that he hasn’t answered the question, “Oh… I smell parchment paper, sunflowers, lemons, and vanilla perfume.”

When he got to the last smell he had practically mumbled it but you were close enough to him to hear it.

A blush grows on both of your faces and as the two of you become stuttering messes, Sirius slowly leaves the room to give you some privacy.

The next day the two of you show up to the Great Hall hand-in-hand and both Slughorn and Sprout begrudgingly hand over a couple galleons to McGonagall because out of all the teachers she was the only one that had bet correctly that you hadn’t been dating beforehand

Your relationship with Reg is filled with a lot of love and adoration, he happened to be touch-starved and doubted that he would ever find someone to love, so he always makes sure to have a hand on you at all times

When his anxiety flares up, he tends to go into himself and it does result in tiny arguments, but its mostly his anxiety speaking for him so you’ve learned how to calm him down and make him feel safe

Around the time that he would have joined the Death Eaters he is instead given the possibility to join the Order and he takes it, and you being you also join

Of course not only do you end up being surrounded by a protective boyfriend, but also a protective cousin and a protective friend

Now that does end up with you and Reg fighting because you feel like he’s straining himself with all this work just because he feels like he has to prove himself when he doesn’t need to do anything like that

One night words are said and you two really hurt one another so you go and stay with Alice and Frank for the night knowing that if you went to Lily, James would get all mad, and if you went to Marlene then Sirius would get all mad

Nobody else knows about your fight until you two show up separately to an Order meeting and although you are still hurt by what was said you still find yourself standing next to Reg and holding his hand

Thankfully, he realizes why you had gotten so frustrated with him and doesn’t volunteer himself for the next mission that is brought up

The meeting ends and he still hasn’t let go of your hand, “Can we talk, sweetheart?”

You nod and pull him towards one of the corners to give you a bit more privacy

When you finally look him in the eye, you can see all the hurt and pain he is carrying, “I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have said anything like that to you. You’re right, you are so right. Please forgive me.” Your heart breaks when he practically begs for forgiveness.

“Of course I forgive you Reg,” you cup his face in your hands and gently bring it down so he looks at you, “Hey, it is okay. We are okay. Let’s head home darling”

You knew it would take a couple of days for Reg to forgive himself so you made sure to treat him with extra love. You made his favorite food, cuddled him every day and night, and made sure to remind him just how much you loved him.

Then one day you woke up to find Reg already in the kitchen and this is pretty rare so you try to steal a little bit of what he was making, “You know if you wanted to try you should have just asked sweetheart. It’s very rude to steal food from the chef.”

After that you knew everything would be more than okay

#remmys writings #regulus black headcannon #regulus black x reader #regulus black #regulus black x y/n #regulus x reader #regulus headcannon

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phis-corner · 4 years

Text

demon’s daughter

I decided to re-open the taglist for this fic because I am sometimes a pushover, so now you can either ask or comment to be on the fic’s taglist or the permanent taglist!

Additionally, I have no consistent update schedule. My first draft is written by hand- I always like to stay two chapters ahead, so I posted this chapter when I finished copying chapter 5 into a Google Doc and proofreading.

Also, fun fact: I hate chocolate. My senses just do not like it at all. I also have a very sensitive tongue and can taste the barest hint of spiciness in foods, which also means I have zero spice tolerance whatsoever. As a Chinese-American with family in Sichuan, this means I get force-fed a lot of extremely spicy foods anyway.

Masterlist Chapter 1 Chapter 2 [Chapter 3] Chapter 4

“Why are you letting them stay? He tried to kill Dick!” Timothy points at Damian, who glowers at him from across the cave as Alfred stitches Richard’s cuts.

Marinette sighs. “Akhi was not trying to murder Richard. If you paid more attention, you would notice that all of Richard’s wounds are carefully placed in non-lethal areas meant to slow him down instead of severely injuring him.”

Batman does not say a word. He hasn’t spoken since Richard called him to verify their claims.

“They were raised as assassins, Timmy. It’s normal that they’d feel threatened a lot, and act accordingly. They’re family now. Give them a chance.” Richard replies, and Marinette blinks. She did not expect to have Richard defend them so easily.

“Pardon me,” She pipes up. “But ‘they’ are currently present.”

“Right. Sorry.” Richard has the sense to look guilty. Timothy just glares.

Damian squeezes her hand three times, their signal for I would like to leave. Marinette sighs as she exits the Batcave. Being accepted into the family is… a work in progress.

.o0o.

Slade is put into Blackgate not long after with the information Ubu gave after being interrogated by the Bats. Damian and Marinette were not allowed to go.

Too young, Richard had said. They had interpreted that as You cannot be trusted to keep him alive. He did make the right call though. Damian would have tried extremely hard had he gotten the chance.

Of course, the League did dispose of him not long after anyway, but it was the thought that counted.

Damian and Marinette spent their days in the Manor sparring, reading, or practicing their instruments. Richard, who seemed determined to bond with them, bought them both new sketchbooks, for Damian’s drawings and Marinette’s designs. She had discovered an affinity for clothing design while undercover on a mission, and had been designing ever since.

Cass (she insisted that they call her that instead of Cassandra,) was always happy to spar when asked, and although nobody ever defeated her, it was a welcomed challenge to fight someone who knew your every move, sometimes even before you did. Damian grudgingly admits she is a worthy sister, which makes Marinette smile and Cass beam.

Jason had his own home and only visited every once in a while, and Timothy was rarely seen. It didn’t help that Damian continued to make snarky comments whenever they did see him, but if Timothy was scarce, Father was practically nonexistent.

Since they came to the Manor, their father has said a total of two words to the both of them, and that was just their names when he exited his study as they passed by.

Marinette is determined to make her new family work, and so when she finds Timothy completely by accident, typing away on a laptop in one of the less-used rooms in the Manor, she takes a chance.

“You do know we are not trying to replace you, right?” She asks softly, sitting down in an armchair and deliberately not making eye contact with him.

Timothy snorts. “But is that not what you’re doing? Bruce chose to take in everyone else. I had to blackmail him into letting me be Robin. And then the biological kids show up, born and raised like fucking royalty, so who would care about Tim Drake? The little kid whose parents didn’t even want him and his neighbor only adopted him because he knew his most well-kept secret.”

“We have more in common than you think.” Marinette says quietly.

“Yeah, right.” Timothy laughs bitterly. “The Princess of the League-”

“I wasn’t.” Marinette interrupts.

“Huh? But-”

“I wasn’t the Princess.” Marinette keeps her voice calm with considerable effort. “As soon as I was born, Ra’s gave me over to Lady Shiva. He declared me unworthy because I was a girl, and I was raised as the lowest-ranked assassin. I may have been Shiva’s protege, but that just meant she went even harder on me. I did not know even my last name until after my first death when I was five. I did not properly meet my brother until last year. Ra’s decided that I could be acknowledged, but maintained his stance on feminine inferiority.”

She chuckles hollowly. “You fear being replaced by your father figure’s biological children, Timothy. But your fear is unwarranted. Bruce Wayne chose to adopt you, because he is a good man with copious amounts of generosity. However, it evidently does not extend to his biological children. Talia dumped us at Batman’s feet and left without another word, without looking back. And Father? We may have been a complete surprise, but he has said two words in total to us since that first night- our names. You need not worry, Timothy. You shall not be replaced.”

Marinette stands, her message conveyed, and pauses in the doorway of the room.

“Have a good afternoon, Timothy.”

The next day, Marinette and Damian watch on live television as their father is killed by Darkseid.

.o0o.

The funeral for Batman is somber. Everyone cries except for Marinette and Damian.

She thinks they should be crying, but Marinette simply didn’t know her father well enough to really mourn him. Damian squeezes her hand, and she squeezes back. The twins stand, faces carefully blank, shoulders straight and unmoving, like rocks in an ocean of tears.

Crime in Gotham runs rampant when they think Batman is gone, and so Richard becomes Batman out of necessity- and chooses her twin brother as his Robin.

Nobody else sees how it crushes Timothy, because Cass has left for Hong Kong, abandoning Batgirl and making her own identity as Black Bat. Jason is holed up in a safehouse somewhere, Richard and Damian are in their own little world as they prepare for their first patrol together, and Alfred needs time to mourn too.

So she finds herself knocking on the door to Timothy’s room, one hand holding a plate of sandwiches and a freshly brewed coffee because he hasn’t left his room since the funeral. Marinette quietly enters upon his muffled “Come in” and sets the plate down next to Timothy, whose eyes are red-rimmed and have even larger bags than normal, and yet he continues to work.

“I… noticed you have not come out to eat, so I brought some food and fresh coffee. Black.” She adds, after a moment of hesitation.

“Thanks.” Timothy mumbles, immediately going for the coffee. “Why are you doing this?”

Marinette shrugs. “Everyone else was caught up in their own situation and had issues to work through too. I am relatively unaffected by the circumstances and therefore my observation skills have not declined.” She says simply. “You should also eat. I will not stop you from drinking the coffee, but you cannot work on an empty stomach, either.”

He begrudgingly eats a sandwich, still typing away at his laptop all the while. Marinette notes the tension in his frame.

“Would you like to talk about it? I have read that venting is significantly better for one’s mental health than keeping it bottled up.” She offers.

Timothy suddenly slams the laptop shut, hard, but Marinette doesn’t flinch. The reaction was trained out of her a long time ago.

“It’s not- it’s- my entire life, I’ve been trying to prove myself. Robin was- Robin was special. I wasn’t the first Robin, but it was a reminder that I was worth something to someone, that I could do good and be useful. And then Bruce dies, Dick becomes Batman, and he just names Damian as his Robin like my opinion on the matter meant nothing, booting me out of the position, without any semblance of an explanation and-” He breaks off into sobs.

The sight of somebody crying makes Marinette more than a little awkward, because what is she doing? She doesn’t know how to comfort a crying person, but she does know that Timothy was touch-starved as a child. However, she isn’t the most touchy-feely person on the planet either, so she just settles for rubbing his back as he lets it all out.

Once he’s run out of tears, she silently hands him the tissue box she plucked from his desk.

“Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, you are not worthless.” Marinette says sternly. “Nobody is worthless, and you are far from being anywhere near so. You are the cleverest and most intelligent of us all, a capable, quick-thinking strategist, and you have detective skills that rivaled Father’s. I believe Richard chose Damian as Robin because Robin is always supposed to be Batman’s sidekick. He is always taken under Batman’s wing because there are things he hasn’t learned, that Batman can teach him. Richard sees you as an equal, and therefore cannot keep you as his Robin because you have graduated the mantle. It is time you created a new identity and moved on. Do you have anything in mind?”

Timothy sniffs once. “Thank you. I really needed that. And as for the ideas,” He reaches over and pulls out a sketchbook, a smile spreading across his face. “I’ve got a few.”

.o0o.

They brainstorm ideas for almost three hours before Timothy falls asleep. Marinette easily carries his light frame to his bed and drapes a blanket over his shoulders before quietly exiting his room.

Thankfully, she managed to convince Timothy that the cowl was a terrible idea. Marinette returns to her own room for her sketchbook. Batman and Robin will have each other’s backs. But Red Hood works alone, leaving Red Robin with nobody to watch his back.

Timothy is Marinette’s brother too, and everyone else is headed into the field anyway. She, like Damian, also had the phrase ‘justice, not vengeance’ drilled into her head, and Richard had made sure to remind them daily to aim for non-lethal spots. Not that she planned on taking a life ever again anyway.

Marinette flips open her sketchbook to a bookmarked page and smiles. It seems that Starling would be making an appearance very soon.

.o0o.

It is almost time for Richard and Damian’s first patrol as Batman and Robin. Marinette heads downstairs to wish them well, but freezes at the sight of her twin in Timothy’s old suit.

“This is unacceptable!” She screeches, hurrying forward and looking pleadingly at Richard. “You cannot let akhi out into Gotham looking like a traffic light!”

Richard frowns, as does Damian. “But you never had a problem with Tim wearing it.”

“Tt. Timothy had little to no prior experience in combat before being trained as Robin. Damian has been trained to utilize the shadows in combat since birth. Wearing those bright colors will make him stand out and put him at a disadvantage.” Marinette tuts, already scribbling out a new design in her sketchbook.

“Then what do you suggest, ukhti?” Damian asks.

“I have a design in mind. The colors will stay, but the yellow and green will have to be significantly darker, and the red should be dulled as well. Sadly, you will have to wear that monstrosity tonight, but I can have the suit finished in time for patrol tomorrow, as will mine and Timothy’s new suits.” She replies, not glancing up from her book.

“What do you mean, Marinette?” Richard questions, and Marinette feels a tiny twinge of annoyance at how he handled telling Timothy about Robin.

“I mean that Timothy and I have crafted new identities as well. You did not expect him to just stop fighting crime, or for me to just sit at home while everyone else carried out Father’s mission, did you?”

Damian nods, a small smile pulling at his lips. “It will be nice to see you in the field too, ukhti.”

“What will your names be?” Richard prods curiously.

“I will not tell you just yet.” Marinette smirks. She shows her twin the finished design. “Does this look alright, akhi?”

“It looks wonderful, ukhti.” Damian replies. “Thank you.”

She sniffs. “Well, somebody had to fix the lack of fashion sense in this household eventually.”

.o0o.

Everyone else in the family may use capes, but Marinette decided that Richard’s Nightwing suit was by far the best because of its lack of one. Capes were long, heavy, a waste of fabric, and overall useless.

The Starling suit was primarily black, with a dark emerald mask covering the lower half of her face (because why carry a gas mask and rebreather when it can be built in?) with gloves and boots in the same color. A single silver star with curved sides was splayed on her chest, and a dark green utility belt rested on her waist. Her steel war fans had holsters strapped to her thighs.

All in all, the suit was built for the shadows. Marinette had learned to master slipping through the dark, unseen, and Gotham was the perfect place to utilize that. Starling would be nothing more than a ghost, a legend, if she had her way. After all, the less citizens knew, the less likely the information would hit the underworld, and that way, the vigilantes wouldn’t have all their cards out in the open.

Damian looks much better in his new suit as well, and Timothy is also grinning when he steps out of the male’s changing room. (A/N: the new 52 suit. I’m not letting him out of the Cave with that ugly cowl, or the traffic light costume with an extra R. Don’t even get me started on the Drake one.)

Richard, cowl still down, smiles as bright as the sun itself. “Good to see you, Robin. Tim, Marinette, can I ask your names?”

Timothy fastens his domino. “Red Robin.”

Marinette pulls her face mask up and curtsies with perfect posture. “Starling. I wish to work in the shadows, if that is alright.”

Richard puts on the cowl and becomes Batman. “You guys all look amazing.” He grins, and it is unsettling to see Batman smile. Oracle logs into the comms from the Clocktower.

“You all ready?”

They split the city in half. Red Robin and Starling take the North while Batman & Robin will cover the South.

Starling trails Red Robin from afar, leaping from building to building and only using her grappling hook when the distance is too great to close by foot. They stop four muggings and two attempted assaults, all without Starling being spotted. The criminals think they hit their head on the alley walls or each other instead of her fist from behind.

It’s almost three in the morning when Batman calls it quits and they return to the Cave, changing out of their suits and showering. They are somehow all unharmed, so Alfred sends them up to bed.

Damian and Marinette brush their teeth before climbing into bed and flipping off the lights.

“Tonight was actually quite enjoyable.” Marinette remarks. “It is a nice feeling, to know that you are helping people.”

Damian hums sleepily. “It is good to know that we are continuing Father’s legacy.”

Marinette smiles. “Yes, I suppose so.” She burrows deeper into her blankets. “Sleep well, akhi.”

“The same goes for you, ukhti.”

For once, Marinette doesn’t have a nightmare.

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a-crimson-lion · 4 years

Text

“It Makes Me Wanna Keep Him At Arm’s Length” An Overview On Katsuki Bakugo’s Development

[I should by no means be the one writing this analysis, but here we are. Obviously it’s an overview on Katsuki’s character development, but there’s a bit more to it than that. Keep reading if you want the details.]

Table of Contents

i) Prologue

I) A Brief Explanation

II) The “What The F*** Is Your Existence” Phase

II.A) Breaking The Barriers

III) The “I Can’t Let You Get Ahead Of Me” Phase

IV) The “Why Don’t You Care About Yourself” Phase

V) Final Address+Conclusion

Word Count: 4415

[Warning: Contains manga spoilers up to Ch. 284. Will also include spoilers for the movies and OVAs, as well as the special Deku & Bakugo: Rising two-shot manga. Reader’s discretion is advised. Not scared off yet? Good. Let’s do this.]

i) Prologue

Alright, no beating around the bush, I guess.

We all know this has to deal with Ch. 284, and the milestone that came with it. We got a rare look inside Katsuki’s perspective, and we saw firsthand how much his perspective has changed from the start of the story. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten such an in-depth look into Katsuki’s psyche since Deku vs Kacchan 2. It’s honestly impressive.

...which is why I’m so confused by a certain kind of response to it.

When you look past the swarms of tumblr posts absolutely losing their s*** over Katsuki getting further character development, you come across an… admittedly troubling response. The idea that “Katsuki always cared.” The idea that as early as the Battle Trial, if not middle school, Katsuki was secretly keeping an eye out for Izuku in their tumultuous relationship.

...no. Just-. No, what the-

I’ll get to why this particular response pisses me off in a bit, but before that, I wanna give a run down of Katsuki’s development, according to the narrative. Anyone who’s been around my blog long enough knows that I don’t exactly hold Katsuki in good graces. (Pretty much the opposite, actually.) However, in light of recent developments, that’s not what this post is gonna be focusing on. And as such, I’ll keep the snark and branch conversations to a minimum… to the best of my abilities.

So… how are we gonna do this?

I) A Brief Explanation

After we finish this brief “tutorial” section, the next three segments of the post will cover the various time frames of Katsuki’s development. I’ll be going through a general rundown of Katsuki’s perspective and the various evidence points that lead me to my conclusions. It’s essentially a glorified retelling. Sound good? Alrighty then!

II) The “What The F*** Is Your Existence” Phase

Time Frame: Ch. 1-Ch. 116 [Sludge Villain Arc-Late Provisional Hero License Exam Arc]

In case the Prologue didn’t make things clear, let me spell it out: Katsuki didn’t always care.

At least, he didn’t “always care” in the positive sense.

To clarify, this isn’t just 3rd Year Middle School Katsuki to UA Katsuki. This is all the way back to the River Incident. Katsuki has had this mentality for that long and then some when you shift out of backstory territory. We’re talking about the same kid who nearly murdered Izuku in the Battle Trial, blasted Izuku to kingdom come in the Training of the Dead OVA, and decked Izuku during the Final Exams. So…

The following hinges majorly on the line Katsuki stated in Chapter 284, and the title of this analysis: “It makes me wanna keep him at arm’s length.” Contrary to popular belief, this does not just apply to the idea that Katsuki wants to stick around Izuku to keep him from destroying himself.

...it’s also a major contributor to the reason Katsuki bullied Izuku in the past.

So let’s backtrack to the River incident. Katsuki takes one wrong step on a log, slips, and falls down into the river below. Izuku is the only one that goes down to help him. This infuriates Katsuki because he was fine, as was said by him and everyone but Izuku that was present that day. This is also the first time Katsuki becomes aware of something he echoes in the Ch. 284 flashback:

“He just… Deep down, he doesn’t take himself into account, y’know?”

This is Katsuki’s first run in with Izuku’s inherent selflessness. Initially, he takes it as pity; in his words, Izuku is “looking down on him.” And this bothers him a great deal. Then when it comes to Quirks, Katsuki gets one and Izuku doesn’t. This assures Katsuki of something he shortly discovered previously: Izuku isn’t all that special.

It’s a brief comfort. Because Izuku hasn’t taken the damn hint and stopped hanging out with him and his friends. The Quirked kids. The normal kids.

And worst still, he’s willing to get in Katsuki’s way just because someone else is in his line of fire. In the back of his mind, it’s the River Incident all over again, though he’s not being feared for; he’s being feared of. It’s all wrong. Deku isn’t strong like the rest of them. Deku can’t be a hero. Deku knows that.

...he knows that he doesn’t stand a chance, right? He knows how the world really works. Is he… is he putting on an act?

One of the few remarkable traits Katsuki has right from the get-go is his disdain against dishonesty. So, when he sees Izuku putting on a brave face and acting like a hero, and Katsuki decides that Izuku’s just “pretending,” Katsuki takes the matter into his own hands. He’ll get Izuku to show his true colors in due time. That’s what heroes do, right? Take down the bad guys? And Izuku faking about caring for others when everyone else clearly puts themselves first and foremost sounds pretty bad guy-like, at least at the time.

So, Izuku keeps on trucking, occasionally trying to join back up with Katsuki’s group on a near frequent basis. Even when that fails, he tries his damnedest to catch up.

But what many people forget is that at some point, Izuku stopped following, at least actively.

By Chapter 1, he’s making sure to keep from drawing attention to himself. He’s not as enthusiastic as everyone else in the class, he tries backing away from Katsuki and shrinking down on himself, tries defusing the situation. That doesn’t sound like Izuku’s still trying to keep up. Even in the special two-shot manga dedicated to Heroes: Rising, Izuku isn’t the one to draw attention to Katsuki’s presence. And even when he does go after Katsuki and the villain, his attention is more so focused on the villain, thoughts of staying out of Katsuki’s way to not offend him likely somewhere in his mind.

So then why does Katsuki keep antagonizing him in the first chapter of canon proper? And even before that, most likely?

“It makes me wanna keep him at arm’s length.”

...Izuku didn’t stop being Izuku. Izuku didn’t stop being selfless.

And his selflessness is what pisses Katsuki off to no end. So, he keeps pursuing Izuku, keeps trying to get him to “drop the act.” Makes him a “punching bag,” as Izuku states in Chapter 8. Because the way things work, Izuku should not be trying to be a hero. He should not be trying to put on a brave face when he’s scared s***less. He should not be sticking his neck out for others when he doesn’t (or rather, didn’t) have anything to stick up for himself.

Katsuki was born with something that made everyone consider him prime hero material. Izuku was born without that, and was considered the opposite… and yet, he still tries.

And this character trait, this selflessness, it drives Katsuki insane. And it continues to do so well beyond the Battle Trial Arc. Even when Katsuki is able to begrudgingly accept that Quirkless Deku has a Quirk now, somehow, his selflessness continues to bring Katsuki grief. While it’s never inherently brought up, this is the dividing factor between Izuku’s fight against Shoto in the Sport’s Festival and Katsuki’s fight with Shoto in the Sport’s Festival.

Izuku was willing to go all out at the cost of himself just so Shoto could accept what was his. Katsuki just wanted a good brawl, to be the undisputed first place.

This even continues well into the Final Exams, though the fact that Katsuki is running high on arrogance and anger does nothing to soothe matters. It takes a deck to face and later an explosive kabedon wall smash to get Izuku and Katsuki working together, and let’s not forget that when Izuku was trying to get Katsuki to realize they were still fighting All Might, regardless of whatever handicaps he may or may not have, he gets decked in the nose for his efforts. While it’s technically a subtler play on Izuku’s selflessness and concern for others, Katsuki likely took it as further mockery, another attempt for Deku to try and get under his skin and throw him off.

In any case, throughout this time period, Katsuki cares f*** all for Izuku or his philosophy, opting to brute force things up until the very end of the time frame. But what causes the eventual shift?

II.A) Breaking The Barriers

A number of things, actually.

None of the proceeding events ever do a clean cut on Katsuki’s worldview. It’s more like chiseling through a wall than breaking it down with a hammer.

The Sludge Villain is the first hint that Izuku might not be faking and Katsuki might not be at the top. While many claim that Katsuki leaves Izuku alone because he feels indebted to him but doesn’t want to admit it, it’s more than likely that he’s more focused on his own self-loathing. This incident is what defines him for a good chunk of the series, to his chagrin.

The Battle Trial is just another nail in the eventual coffin. Katsuki thinks he’s finally got Izuku right where he wants him, only for Izuku to pull a 500 IQ play and prioritize the exercise over his and Katsuki’s squabbles, taking the brunt of Katsuki’s attack and attention while giving Ochako the opportunity to capture the bomb. That look of frustration is Katsuki realizing that not only did Izuku get ahead, he got ahead with the very thing Katsuki despises. Needless to say, it f***s with him well until the aftermath outside of UA’s gate.

Shoto refusing to use his flames is another chip off the marble that is Katsuki’s pride. It reinforces the idea that Izuku is doing something that Katsuki isn’t, something that Izuku shouldn’t have in the first place, beyond a Quirk at least. So, Katsuki rages, because he can’t understand why it’s such a big deal, in both Izuku’s and Shoto’s cases.

The Final Exams just hammer the point home further. Katsuki’s one-track minded attempts to bring down All Might are met with no results. He would have failed that exam if it wasn’t for Izuku’s selflessness or Katsuki “lowering himself” to cooperate with him. Had Katsuki not gotten decked in the face and dragged off or got saved at the last minute while he was knocked out, he definitely would have failed on account of becoming a liability.

The Training Camp attack is an odd mix of Katsuki’s current philosophy and the next stage in it. He knows Izuku’s gonna go and save his ass, and he wants no part of that because hasn’t he made him suffer enough already? Hasn’t he already proved time and time again that he’s getting better, despite the fact that Katsuki doesn’t want or believe it? Despite the fact that it shouldn’t even be happening if things were right in the world? Izuku does recognize Katsuki’s wounded pride, however, which is instrumental in getting him out of All For One’s clutches during Kamino.

If we briefly direct our attention to the Make It! Do-Or-Die Survival Training! OVA, Katsuki is pretty adamant on claiming he only got the power back on in the underground mall to complete the exercise. And I don’t think that’s Katsuki’s “tsundere” talking, either: I genuinely believe that Katsuki’s only thoughts at the moment was getting the exercise done. Everyone else was just secondary. And remember, Katsuki hates dishonesty, which is probably why he doesn’t take credit for “saving” Izuku and Shoto. While his actions did save the two of them and everyone else in the mall, that wasn’t his intention, which is an interesting flip on Izuku’s performance back in the Battle Trial. Couple that with the fact that Katsuki is injured (and therefore weak, and in need of help), and it’s no wonder he’s in a sour mood towards the end of it all.

And this sour mood carries over to the final nail in his coffin: the Provisional License Exam. He only gets by the first half because other people had the sense to tag along, but the second half regards his undoing because he still doesn’t get the whole selfless aspect of saving people in the second half of the exam. This was also foreshadowed back in the aforementioned OVA with Katsuki’s excessive animosity towards the victim dummy. Whether they be real or fake, Katsuki’s disregard of either victim doesn’t grant him his hero license.

This is the straw that breaks the camel's back for Katsuki. And ultimately, this sparks the start in his shift to the second phase of his development.

III) The “I Can’t Let You Get Ahead Of Me” Phase

Time Frame: Ch. 117-~Ch. 257 [Late Provisional Hero License Exam Arc-Early Paranormal Liberation War Arc]

Since this is only the second phase of Katsuki’s development (and given that this is Katsuki we’re talking about), don’t expect to get much of an upgrade with this shift.

Essentially, it boils down to two things: Katsuki stops viewing Izuku as an annoyance, and starts viewing him as an obstacle. Simultaneously, he starts seeing the viability of saving, at least as a tool in a hero’s kit.

Let me explain.

While Deku vs Kacchan 2 is the first time Izuku and Katsuki have attempted to talk out their issues… not much gets addressed. Sure, Katsuki becomes aware of Izuku not looking down on him, but Izuku is never made aware of the deeper issues regarding Katsuki’s loathing beyond that. It primarily serves as a half-barebones narrative checkpoint, a segway for Katsuki to get in on the secret of One For All.

...let’s also talk about that, shall we?

So Izuku’s been getting better as a hero and with his Quirk. Then Katsuki finds out after he gets kidnapped and rescued that Izuku is the successor to their mutual idol. And that’s after essentially being told he can’t be a hero in his current state due to the PLE. And what is his usual response to adversity? He decides to get ahead of it.

He’ll surpass Class 1-A so there won’t be another Battle Trial. He’ll surpass Izuku and One For All so he can truly claim that he’s the best of the best.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see more of this development until the Joint Training Arc. However, keep in mind that this is only the second stage. Katsuki wants to prove that he’s the best, so of course he’s gonna step up his game. That means taking advice from the LITERAL (former) #1 HERO, and making the victory as flawless as possible. After all, Katsuki himself said in Chapter 208:

“I’ve decided! We’re gonna win this match with a perfect victory! 4-0, with everyone unscathed! That’s the kind of victory there is for the strongest guys out there!”

...it might be a slight exaggeration when he says he’s hardly changed at the end of that chapter, but then again it is a stretch to even call it an exaggeration.

That aside, Katsuki also makes it part of his agenda to keep tabs on OFA. This would fit into the “Katsuki secretly cares” agenda, but we haven’t reached that point. Right now, in these moments, Katsuki figures that if One For All starts getting freaky, he wants to know about it so he can get a leg up. And maybe part of him still wants to call Izuku out.

He was minorly ticked when Izuku allowed himself to make a mistake during their unauthorized fight. And he constantly reminds Izuku to not forget that he’s supposed to surpass him (or the other way around).

Taking off the rose-colored glasses for a moment, it does make sense for Katsuki to say this beyond the context of positive motivation. We are talking about the same Katsuki who lashed out at Shoto for holding back. It’s reasonable to assume that he doesn’t want Izuku to do the same, and lagging behind more or less equates to holding back.

And Katsuki still isn’t completely invested in Izuku’s training for Izuku’s sake. After the Joint Training, Katsuki tries getting Izuku to manifest Black Whip again, and nopes out shortly afterwards when nothing comes of their sparring sessions in Chapter 217. This still isn’t the Katsuki we see in the 284 flashback. He’s still got a ways to go.

Yes, this even rings true for Katsuki during Heroes: Rising. While the film might be the ultimate Bakudeku dream come true, there really isn’t… much depth in regards to Izuku and Katsuki’s past. Y’know, the thing that most people are hoping gets resolved? It only gets referenced a few times in the film, but doesn’t overall factor into anything meaningful. Most of the time when Izuku and Katsuki team up, Katsuki only gets to the fight because he wants to throw hands with villains on an island where (if the status quo had remained unchanged) was likely selected because it had little to no serious villain activity. It just so happens that protecting and working with Izuku is an unintended byproduct of these fights. Katsuki even drops the infamous “lowering myself to work with Deku” line just before the big climax. And even with the transfer of OFA to Katsuki, it strikes less as overcoming a longstanding obstacle and more as plot convenience, especially since by the end of the fight OFA nopes back into Izuku so hard that Katsuki gets mind wiped about the whole thing.

Even during the Endeavor Arc, we don’t see much growth beyond the Ending fight, where Katsuki prioritizes saving Natsuo over throwing hands like he usually would, learning to take saving as more than a tool. This is significant considering it’s Katsuki, but unfortunately, there’s not much else thereafter. The entire arc won’t get referenced as an overall stepping stone until Ch. 284.

And thus, we head to the final phase.

IV) The “Why Don’t You Care About Yourself” Phase

Time Frame: ~Ch. 257-Ch. 284 [Early Paranormal Liberation War Arc-Paranormal Liberation War Arc (Present)]

So here’s an interesting tidbit: Katsuki can’t handle nonphysical confrontation.

Leave him with the fact that his kidnapping could have gotten most of the class expelled because they decided to go rescue him or avoided such while knowing of the operation? He’ll pay back Eijiro for the expensive night vision goggles and make Denki suffer Quirk overuse so he doesn’t need to be reminded.

Get stuck in the middle of a Todoroki Family Drama scene? He’ll try bragging about how he did better than the current #1 Hero to attempt curbing off the situation.

Put him in a discussion with Izuku where they address his additional Quirk manifestations and the full weight of his potential/legacy? Katsuki will brag about having a skill already in his toolkit to ignore the fact that he has the potential to fall behind.

This defines the earlier days of this phase. We don’t see what happens in the timeframe between that and the start of the War Arc until the Chapter 284 flashback. I believe that during the gap between 257 and this flashback, Katsuki allowed himself to process the full weight of what he and Izuku were told during that meeting.

And this marks one of his biggest revelations to date.

Izuku’s selflessness is no longer something annoying. It’s a potential fatal flaw.

For the first time, it’s hitting Katsuki that Izuku is no longer an obstacle, or just an obstacle. Izuku is a person who is working himself to the bone and past that, who would die at the drop of the hat if he thought the payoff was well worth it. He’s finally starting to see that what Izuku is doing to himself is dangerous, and he wants to know what he can do to prevent the serious ramifications.

This is a big phase in his development, no doubt, but um… it’s not the last phase.

If I’m being honest, we’re nowhere close. Why? Well, two reasons:

A) Katsuki still has yet to properly take a loss.

Any and all of Katsuki’s losses are either in his head or narratively negated. And his disproportionate win/loss ratio doesn’t do him any favors either. He’s culminated a philosophy that he can’t and shouldn’t lose, but losing is a crucial aspect of improvement and being human in general. In the case of the story, Chapter 275 suggests that Katsuki wants to face off against Tomura as payback for Kamino. He essentially wants to extend the narrative and treat that loss like a delayed win, as if the loss hadn’t happened yet. Many people claim that this is a bluff he used to cover his true intentions of keeping an eye on Izuku, but I don’t think that’s the case. While sticking by Izuku is a contributing factor, getting a win is equally so, because Katsuki hasn’t properly adjusted to a loss. His strategy for dealing with any kind of loss is just to bulldoze through it like nothing happened, instead of taking the time to understand why he lost and to apply that knowledge for future encounters.

Be aware of your surroundings during the Sludge Villain.

Focus on your priorities and communicate with others during the Battle Trial.

Don’t ignore the situation just to focus on your own intentions during the Training Camp attack.

HELP PEOPLE during the Provisional License Exam.

There are so many lessons Katsuki could have learned sooner if he had taken the time to properly digest his losses. But he didn’t. He still doesn’t. He might have learned some of them eventually, but the fact remains that he nearly ran head first into a suicide mission just because he couldn’t take the loss and was dead set on getting even.

And keep in mind, Katsuki was lamenting on struggling to keep up with Izuku earlier before their encounter with Tomura, and how he couldn’t afford to stay a loser, so this is likely less far-fetched than you think.

Okay, so then what’s the second reason Katsuki’s development is far from over?

B) He hasn’t fully connected the dots on what he did to Izuku.

So far, Katsuki has recognized that he was off-put by Izuku’s selflessness, and that he bullied him over that.

What he hasn’t recognized is how much of a role he played personally in that part of Izuku’s personality, or at least it’s present day incarnation.

Let me clarify a bit. Katsuki is aware that he was distrubed by Izuku’s selflessness. He is aware that bullied him and that, at some degree, was wrong. But I don’t think he’s quite connected the dots on how his intervention has led to Izuku’s current brand of martyrdom.

At the start of the series, Izuku just cares about others. After making sure he gets down to the river safely, he’s willing to lend a hand to Katsuki, who fell from a pretty concerning height ig we’re being honest.

But this unnerves Katsuki. And it leads to his physical altercations with Izuku from time to time.

Remember, Izuku followed Katsuki at the time, but somewhere down the line he stopped. But he never stopped being Izuku, so Katsuki continued to pursue him. Izuku had already been willing to give up in some degree on ever keeping up with Katsuki the way he used to. He knew, at some level, that he wasn’t accepted.

That he wasn’t worth as much as everyone else.

Katsuki bullied Izuku because he was selfless. But Katsuki’s bullying, coupled with the rest of society’s ostracization, twisted and warped that selflessness with low self-esteem, low self-worth, and self-destructive tendencies. Katsuki wasn’t the sole bully of Izuku, but he was a primary perpetrator. And his actions only made the very thing he despised so, so much worse.

...and until he can recognize THAT aspect of his relationship with Izuku, his journey is far from over.

So yeah, Katsuki’s making progress, but we’re still not out of the woods yet.

V) Final Address+Conclusion

So now for the obvious question: why did I write all of this?

I said it at the beginning, about how some people claimed that Katsuki cared all along. I brought up a bit about how it pissed me off. Why, exactly?

Because when people insist that Katsuki threatening Izuku to not go to UA comes from a place of concern, they disregard Chapter 1 Katsuki’s gigantic ego and utter disregard for others, much less so for Izuku.

Because when people insist that Katsuki’s shocked face at the end of the Battle Trial was because he was upset with how he hurt Izuku, they disregard the fact that Katsuki was willing to almost murder Izuku, and if not that then brutalize him, and that at this point Katsuki absolutely loathes getting shown up, which is what Izuku inadvertently did.

Because when people insist that Katsuki always cared from the very beginning, they (un)intentionally undermine one of the few things that draw people to Katsuki’s character: his character development.

On his own, Katsuki is an prodigious, antisocial and angry teen looking for fame and fortune in the industry who grows into a dedicated source of confidence and understanding as he finally allows himself to branch beyond his initial handicaps. If you insist that Katsuki always had the awareness and concern he displayed in 284’s flashback, what do you get instead?

A selfish, self-centered, fickle, emotionally-constipated asshole whose growth is more comparable to a ramp instead of a mountain.

...not as impressive, is it?

While I’m pretty sure this is just a minor trend, that doesn’t excuse the lack of care it demonstrates. If you aren’t willing to admit and live with the fact that Day 1 Katsuki is the worst of the worst and that he did progressively get better through trials and tribulation, why bother? When you insist a character like Katsuki was fine from the start, you take away part of what makes that character so endearing. If they were never an ass to begin with, then what the hell was their problem at the start, or even now? Why the hell would we condone that? It’s important to recognize character flaws and to give them their due, because seeing a character grown out of them is far more self-fulfilling and relatable than insisting that they were always in the right place from the start.

...but then again, that’s just me. Thanks for reading.

-Crimson Lion (20 September 2020)

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misssophiachase · 4 years

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For @klarolinefallbingo - “Slutty Halloween Costume”

This is more sexy Halloween costume to me. Caroline is heading out for Halloween with her friends but Klaus has other ideas after seeing her chosen costume.

The Cat’s Meow

31 October, Atlanta GA

“So, I’m going to head out,” Caroline called from the hallway, grabbing her keys and purse in the process after a brief glance in the mirror.

An exorbitant amount of leopard print. Check.

Ears. Check.

Tail. Check.

An abundance of bare skin. Check.

Perfect.

But she was still running late and the last thing she needed was a barrage of texts and calls from her two best friends about her delayed ETA. They were doing the group costume thing this year and if she wasn’t there it wouldn’t have the optimal effect as Bonnie insisted.

Truth be told, if Klaus hadn’t hijacked her mid-shower she would have been ready much sooner. Her boyfriend had the ability to make time stand still in the best possible way. Plus, he had a mouth and accompanying tongue that could perform miracles.

Multiple times over.

Luckily their neighbours didn’t live too close and the glass shower screen could sustain some extra force. Unfortunately, the hot water running out was out of their control.

They’d met nine months earlier. She’d begrudgingly accepted Katherine’s invite to an art gallery opening. Not because she wanted to but because her friend had the ability to nag her senseless if she’d declined.

Caroline wasn’t an art aficionado but on arrival she immediately loved what she saw. She even bought one piece until the artist in question backed out of the sale. Apparently he couldn’t part with it and that had led to a war of words over email.

Then, he appeared unannounced to make his case in person. Turns out the emails were just foreplay and his extra curricular talents more than lived up to his professional ones.

What Caroline didn’t expect months later was that her live-in boyfriend would be so against Halloween. He was an artist so she assumed it was already deeply ingrained in his psyche. But he complained he was British and didn’t do dress-up.

Caroline celebrated every holiday, most would say to the extreme, but she maintained that was just her over abundance of enthusiasm. Then she came up with a secret plan to make her boyfriend realise just how good Halloween could be.

“Aren’t you going to come say goodbye first?” He asked, his low drawl causing a few places to stir even after their prolonged workout.

She made her way towards his art studio, the fluttering in her stomach not lost on Caroline. She didn’t think there’d ever be a time when he didn’t cause those feelings.

Her black, high heels clicked on the floorboards as she rounded the corner.

For a guy who wasn’t partaking in Halloween festivities, he certainly looked the part of the tortured artist. Denim jeans riding low on his hips and a bare chest marred with a few stray paint splatters.

Why was she going out again?

“Holy,” he cursed, his dark, blue eyes devouring every single inch of her ensemble. There was no mistaking his views on her costume. Caroline was trying to work out where exactly the tingling feeling was emanating from but couldn’t pinpoint given her current state.

Not that she’d admit that to him. This was her plan after all.

“You like?” She asked, a knowing smirk crossing her face. She even executed a pirouette to further accentuate every single arsenal she possessed. “I know you don’t really get into Halloween but Kat, Bonnie and I decided to go as Josie and the Pussycats.”

“Well, I mean,” he stammered, his paintbrush clattering to the ground. His palette only saved with a delayed catch by the artist. “It’s, uh, it’s..”

“I’m playing…”

“Melody Valentine,” he replied, his husky tone not lost on Caroline. The crimson lips she knew so well had taken on a life of their own or was that her imagination?

“I didn’t know you were a fan,” she lied.

She’d ‘accidentally’ seen his sketches from high school that he kept in a box in the closet. Every adolescent male had a comic book crush and she’d discovered his last month. Now, she was the living, breathing version of it.

“I better get going.”

“You can’t go out like that,” he insisted, ditching his art supplies and walking purposefully towards her.

“Oh, really? And why not?” He stopped briefly, shoving his hands in his pocket, clearly trying to work out a plausible response. He knew just how much she hated those kinds of overbearing men.

“It’s, uh, cold out, I wouldn’t want you to catch something, love. Maybe a jacket might help?”

“Oh, I checked and it’s going to be a mild 73 degrees,” she offered. “I should go, the girls are waiting and we are a trio.”

“Maybe I should come along,” he blurted out.

Now, that she didn’t expect so soon.

“Really?” She squealed excitedly. “I did get you a leopard loincloth just in case you changed your mind.”

“Loincloth,” he gulped.

“Well, I figured Tarzan might be a good addition to the pussycats. You can never have enough leopard print especially on Halloween.”

“I’m,” he stumbled. She could see the confusion in his eyes and suddenly felt bad. Apparently her charms had worked too well.

Plus, it wasn’t his fault he didn’t get into Halloween like she did. She figured this was the compromise step couples talked about.

“How about,” she smiled, moving closer and looping her arms around his neck. “I go to this party with my friends as promised and then, when I get home, we celebrate together?”

“Well, every artist needs their muse, love,” he smirked, pulling her closer and nuzzling into her neck. She could feel his arousal rubbing against her teasingly and was willing herself to behave. “So, I want you to pose for me later.”

“Only if you wear the loincloth while doing it,” she grinned knowingly.

“I think that could be arranged, love.”

#klaroline fall bingo #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline drabbles #klaroline #josie and the pussycats #halloween #hope you like it #misssophiachase

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angstsfordays · 4 years

Text

I Miss You, I Love You

Summary: Ever since Bucky woke up from his cryogenic sleep in Wakanda, you decided to let him have space to recover despite your eagerness to see him. While your relationship is undefined thus far, you tried to find ways to let him know he is being loved.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Fluff all around. A hangry and aggressive goat.

Word count: 5k-ish

Notes: Hi, I’m back with a Bucky story! This one has nothing to do with the universe I created for my other Bucky/ Steve AU stories. If you haven’t checked it out, I written A Lot Like Love not long ago. Check out my masterlist too! 😘

Leave a like, reblog or comment to let me know what you think! 💖

———————————————————————

It had been almost five months after the civil war between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. You were one of the enhanced individuals that came out to help Steve but mainly, Bucky to clear his name.

Before the fight, you had kept your powers on the down low even while you were an agent with SHIELD. You still remember when you were kidnapped by HYDRA, specifically Brock Rumlow, a fellow agent that you thought was your ally and friend.

Brock and you had trained in the academy together and were even partners for awhile before Fury pulled you out to support Phil Coulson. Brock always had his suspicions about you when you had to managed to survive life-threatening situations.

Once, you managed to save him from the impact of an explosion only a few feet away. Both of you would not have survived it but the two of you survived unscathed. When Brock tried to search for your information on SHIELD database, it was mysteriously kept confidential and only accessible by Director Fury.

Brock relayed this to HYDRA who seemed to keep an eye on you. During the fall of SHIELD, you had been brought to their base forcefully and that’s when you met Bucky for the first time.

You recognised him immediately but you were forced to kept silence by Alexander Pierce who was hell bent on making sure Bucky had no recollection of who he was. You would have been silenced on the spot when you called out his name but Pierce kept you alive for your value as an enhanced.

Long story short, Bucky came back for you when HYDRA was momentarily defeated by Steve Rogers and his group. After pulling Steve out of the water, Bucky killed everyone remaining in the base and freed you. The both of you made plans to escape the country together.

In the two years he tried to hide from the world and regain understanding of himself, you were there by his side. The two of you developed a close bond that was hard to be placed into a specific category.

You were the only one he trusted and he was the one you wanted to protect. For those two years, the two of you enjoyed each other’s company and fell into domestic bliss. At first, you two lived off the savings that you had while living a simple life in Romania

Soon, he tried to earn a living by doing laborious work while you worked at a local café. The two of you were happy and even though nothing special had happened between the two of you, you were still content.

It’s hard to say if you two were even toeing the lines of relationship but you knew you were at least friends.

Then one day, news of the UN bombing happened. Bucky was on his day off and went to the market to buy groceries for the two of you. He then discovered himself in deep waters when he was framed for a crime he did not commit.

You were still working at the café at the moment it happened. You took your apron off and dashed out of the café when you saw the news on TV. However, by the time you reached, you had arrived at a bust-up home.

Grabbing your passport, you hopped on the next available flight to Germany. Your heart was racing wildly when you saw that Bucky escaped from CIA custody and you wondered where he could have gone.

Once you landed, you received a call on your burner phone and heaved a sigh of relief when you realised Bucky was on the other line. He told you of his plans and asked you to stay low.

“I can’t drag you into this, Y/N. Not after all you have done for me.” He reasoned, almost pleading as he really didn’t want to involve you into his mess. You uprooted your whole life back home and abandoned it so that you could help him.

Bucky didn’t want to take anything more from you. You deserved to live a carefree life without constantly worrying about watching your back all the time.

“I don’t want to leave you, Bucky.” Your voice came out shaking at his request. Several times had he brought up the idea of leaving so that you can return to your previous life, but you pleaded for him to stay.

The two of you had gone through so much together, how could he easily thought of leaving you?

Your ears perked up when you heard the faint sound of an announcement that sounded similar to where you were at. You then realised he was here at the airport.

The airport staff asked for mass evacuation and you made to escape from the crowd. As you hid in a spot trying to figure your next move, you then heard the sound of crashing and explosion. You let your feet bring you to the runway where the fight happened.

Your appearance was one of the many surprises when you came between Bucky and someone who you came to know as the Black Panther. Bucky was shocked to see you while you chided him if he really thought you would abandon him.

Bucky allowed himself to have a feel-good moment amidst the chaos as he thought of how lucky he was to have you by his side. You persuaded Bucky to leave you and continue his plans of going after Zemo. He begrudgingly obliged when he saw how you had fiercely fought to protect him.

Along with the rest, you were brought into a maximum centre in the middle of the ocean for your war crimes. Added that you are an unregistered enhanced individual that popped up from nowhere and aided in the fugitive escape of Steve and Bucky, you were considered a criminal too.

Everything seemed like it was going downhill until Steve Rogers broke you out and had everyone brought to Wakanda to seek refuge. You barely reunited with Bucky when he told you that he wants to go into cryogenic sleep.

He didn’t believe he was safe until that was a solution to the brainwashing that HYDRA had subjected him to. Bucky regretted the decision the moment he saw the tears welling up in your eyes.

Even with only one arm left, he made sure to hold you tight in his arms to comfort you.

“Wait for me, Y/N. I want to come back as better man.” He spoke while he rested his chin on the crook of your neck.

“You’re already the best man to me, Bucky.”

Your words made Bucky’s heart soar and swore you were the best thing that could have happened to him after 70 years of pain and suffering. As he pulled away to take in your face for one last look, he then leaned in to place a gentle kiss on your forehead.

After you got over your emotions, you reassured him that you will be fine. You wanted the best for him even if it means he could not be with you for awhile. In the two years you spent together, Bucky had confided in you that he was most afraid of not being in control of himself ever again. HYDRA robbed him of his own person and Zemo took advantage of that too.

You wanted Bucky to have the chance to be free again so you let him go. As he walked over to the machine, he threw you one last longing look and a nod to Steve before he stepped in.

Once the machine closed around him and reality sunk in, you let yourself fall to the ground and let out a deep exhale. Steve Rogers had learnt about you as Bucky talked about you while they were on the jet to Siberia.

Steve was grateful that his pal had found someone like you. Steve bent down to your level and patted your back to soothe your pain. You returned a smile to Steve in kindred spirit, knowing that you weren’t the only one who was affected.

Before he decided to leave, Steve had asked you to stay in Wakanda as he wished that you do not join his group on the run as fugitives. He did not say this to you but he also hoped that you will be here once Bucky wakes up too.

You gladly accepted his request and soon found yourself enjoying Wakandan hospitality.

———————————————————————

As a guest, King T’Challa welcomed you like a friend and you had grown to learn more about the beautiful country and its culture.

You had alternated your time in between hanging out with Shuri in the labs and teaching in the villages. You had the honour to become an assistant teacher and grown to love your newfound life.

Shuri had been giving you updates on her progress with Bucky and you had made several trips to see him while he was in a state of sleep. However, it only served to pain you and those trips had lessened once you found yourself busy with your students.

When Shuri finally informed you she had managed to fix Bucky, you were thrilled. She told you of her plans to move him out of the lab and into one of the villages to recuperate for his own mental well-being.

She asked if you wanted to visit him but you suddenly found yourself hesitant to do so. You thought that perhaps, it is best for Bucky to have time to himself. After all, he deserved it after all he has been through.

Maybe, you should keep out of his way for now.

“I seriously don’t understand, why would you avoid him if you like him?” Shuri shook her head when she heard your explanation.

“Boyfriends are so complicated, I am never getting one.” She added on while fiddling with her tech.

“He’s not my boyfriend! He’s just a friend.” The pitch in your voice increased in response to her statement. Bucky was not your boyfriend at all, although you wished-

Shuri stopped what she was doing and looked at you like she did not believe a word you had said. “Sure and I am not a genius then.” Rolling her eyes, Shuri shook her head in disbelief before going back to her screen.

As you made to leave, Shuri stopped you to tell you that Bucky was currently residing in a village twenty minutes from you. He was given his own hut and asked to live a simple life of farming.

You couldn’t have imagine Bucky and farming together. Gathering your courage, you made your way to the village.

You were surprised to see two of your students, learning that this was where they lived. Trying to be discreet, you thought of a way to ask for directions to Bucky’s hut without making it obvious.

As one of your students stared at you fumbling to come up with right words, one of them took you by the hand and dragged you to follow him. The other one fell in steps behind you and soon, a single hut located on a low-lying field came into view.

There was a large space next to the hut dedicated for a fencing space for what seemed like farm animals. You spotted a few chickens, several goats and recognised another one of students from your class sitting casually on a branch of a big tree.

Your brows when you realised there was no one else until you felt your student patting your arm for your attention. You could feel your breath hitched when someone came into your line of sight from the corner of the hut.

Eyes blinking fast and heart racing wildly, you realised who it was. Taking long heavy strides, you could him leaning his weight on his right side as carried a heavy sack.

At a moment’s glance, you could see that his hair had grown longer and his beard had grown thicker. He had a brown scarf tied around his shoulder to his neck to cover where his metal arm once was.

He looks slightly tired but he no longer bore a shadow over his face. Even while standing far away, you could tell he looked happy and your heart warmed at the sight of a smile forming on his face when a small goat came over to him.

The goat was prodding at the sack that Bucky was carrying as if to tell him he was hungry and Bucky chuckled at how impatient the goat was acting like a small child.

How could he even have looked more beautiful than he already was?

“White Wolf! White Wolf!” Your two students started exclaiming as they ran down to where he was. During your time in Wakanda, you managed to pick up a bit of their language. You wondered why were they calling him that?

Your students gathered in front of him excitedly and Bucky’s face formed a confused look at their sudden enthusiasm. When you saw one of your students pointed in your direction, you panicked and started backing up.

You quickly turned your back and made a run for it, hoping Bucky have not spotted you. You were not ready to see him yet. What would you even say? How would you even react?

Quickly making you way back to your own hut, you threw yourself on your bed and groaned with frustration. You felt like an absolute idiot.

The next school day when you entered class, your students asked why you left early and you came up with an excuse that something came up at home.

Kids being kids, they didn’t think much of it and continued talking to you. As you listened, you learnt that Bucky had moved to their village for nearly two months and described him as a quiet but kind man who lets them hang out at his place whenever they want.

Given the two of you are the only ‘foreigners’ that they knew, they had hoped to introduce you two. You chuckled at their sweet intentions, not knowing the two of you already knew each other.

After school session was over, you had made your way to the nearby marketplace and spotted something that caught your eyes.

As a guest, you were not required to pay but you insisted on paying the merchant with the allowance you were provided by the royal family. Grabbing the paper bag, you made your way back to the village where Bucky lived.

Your students hopped in joy when they saw you coming and ran up to you. Giving them hugs, you said your hellos. You then asked them if they could do something for you.

The eight-year olds nodded enthusiastically and you took out some plums you had gotten. You gave them one each and then shook the bag with the remaining ones before speaking.

“White Wolf.” You recalled their nickname for Bucky and tried to enunciate their native language to the best of your abilities. Before they sprinted off, you held their shoulders and brought a finger to your lips, making a shush sound.

You tried to explain to them that you did not want Bucky to know the plums came from you. Nodding their heads, you took it as sign as they understood before letting them go.

You hoped that it would have made him happy. When you meet your students again, they told you of how Bucky was happy with the plums. They claimed he finished one in two bites and mimicked how large he opened his mouth like a wolf.

You laughed at their dramatics and felt pleased with yourself. You then asked them if they knew Bucky goes to the market and they shook their heads. They then explain he does farm work most of the time and he cooks food that their mums or neighbours send him.

You processed the information and you came up with a plan. Requesting for an oven from Shuri (to which she threw a strange look your way upon the request), you decided to make and send Bucky some baked goods with the aid of your trusted little helpers.

It was your way of showing your care for him and you hoped he finds comfort in them. You always made sure to have your students come up with excuses to pass them to him, explaining that they learnt this during school and wanted to share with him some.

Yes, that should sound believable enough to not rouse suspicions.

You had your students sending food over twice a week for three weeks now. They helped you on the account that they adored you as their teacher and that they could help themselves to your treats.

You always looked forward to the next day when they would tell you how Bucky reacted and grinned foolishly when they told you Bucky always received your gifts with a smile.

You were simply content with this fact.

———————————————————————

Bucky Barnes had ever felt more at peace in a long time. He was eternally grateful to Princess Shuri who had ingeniously came up with a way to deprogram the brainwashing that HYDRA had ingrained in him.

When he first woke up, he was met with the wide smiles of Shuri and T’Challa who eagerly awaited his recovery. Following a few more tests, he was then cleared medically and T’Challa discussed with him on his next plans.

With Shuri and several Wakandan medical professionals’ input, they decided Bucky should have some time to unwind in a quieter village. He was accepting of the idea. When Shuri caught Bucky often looking around for something, she asked what’s wrong.

He asked for you. Shuri told him that what you were doing and he felt pleased at what you had been doing. He was glad you were safe and happy. When Bucky asked if you were coming to visit, Shuri had said that you wished Bucky would have some time to himself first.

Hearing Shuri said that, Bucky’s disappointed face mirror that of a wounded puppy. Bucky didn’t press on further. He knew you wanted the best for him and took it with an open-mind.

Shuri was bewildered at the entire situation. Aren’t the two of you suppose to run back into each other’s arms in some grand romantic gesture? Why were the two for you even acting this way?

Love was confusing and she was glad her love was only for science as it would not make her act all weird like the two of you.

When Bucky slowly settled into his new life, he asked for some farming supplies so that he focus his energy and attention into something productive.

His day revolved around the mundane tasks of tending of his animals, chopping wood for the local villagers and growing his own food produce. However, Bucky could say that he was finally happy.

Although there was something that would make him happier…. Bucky sometimes wondered what you were doing from time to time.

He could imagine you with your infectious smiles and energy, you were doing good with children. You deserved to be happy while he believed he shouldn’t. Although gradually lesser, Bucky sometimes still woke up to the horrors of his past actions. Bucky felt that he was not deserving of you.

As Bucky tried to distract himself of such thoughts, the sounds of children’s laughter and feet running made him looked up. In their excitement, the village children’s words came out as gibberish and he was having a hard time to understand what they were saying.

When one of them stretched their hand to point towards the slope, he saw a wave of dress fabric whisk by. Bucky was still trying to pick up the language and learn what the children were trying to say.

All he heard was a single word that he had yet to learnt.

“Teacher! Teacher!” The children kept on repeating while jumping up and down.

The next following day, Bucky was trying to brush off a nosy goat (who was the brunt of its litter) that kept on bothering as he went on to do his chores. He had named the goat Steve after it reminded him of his long-time pal.

His ears perked up when he heard the nickname that the village children had gave him. White Wolf, he learned from Shuri.

All of them had a fruit in one of their hands while one had carried an extra paper bag. The child pushed it towards his hands and he opened it up to see- plums.

The fruits brought him back to his memory of that very day. While it was a sad memory, he got over it and thanked the children. Bucky went on to ask where they got it from.

The children looked at him for a moment before shrugging their shoulders and running off to play. He brushed it off as a small kind gesture and took a big bite into the fruit. He didn’t know how a simple plum could have made his day.

The following days and weeks, the children returned back to his home bearing gifts. He was surprised to see familiar food from home such as bread, brownie and cookies.

His curiosity was peaked as these foods were not normally part of Wakanda’s culture and he wondered where the children had gotten it from. He tried to question the children the first few times and they had only returned sheepish grins before going off to play.

After the third time, one of the children said school and Bucky grew an even more confused. They got this from school? Or did they learn how to make this from school? There was something familiar about the baked goods that he received and he wondered when he had seen them.

———————————————————————

You woke up this morning with another plan. You had decided to bake bread loaves and have them delivered to Bucky. You were in your kitchens since this morning and the bread had been ready well after lunch time.

Wrapping them up, you made your way to the village and greeted several people you knew. One of your students immediately ran towards you when he saw what you carried in your hand.

You passed him the bread you made which he delightfully passed onto his mother who gave you a grateful smile. When you passed him a second bag, he immediately knew what you wanted him to do and headed off.

Normally, you would have turned and walked back home. However, curiosity had gotten the better of you. After hearing from your students how Bucky was delighted with your gifts, you were eager to see him in person.

Your eyes caught your student walking not far from you and you decided to follow behind. Soon, you saw him making his way down the gentle slope leading towards Bucky’s hut.

Bucky’s head tilted when he heard your student calling for him. You made sure to hide behind a nearby tree and peeked cautiously to take a look at Bucky.

Bucky can be seen with a toothy grin as he accepted the bag and patted their student’s head affectionately in thanks. Your heart leaped at the sight and a sense of satisfaction overcame you, leaving you in absolute glee.

What you did not expect while you were in self-bliss was a certain animal creeping up on you from behind. You jerked when a tug was felt from your side and you turned to see a small white goat nibbling at your bag. It must want the bread that you made but you could not it have it. Were goats even allowed to eat bread?

You tried to tug it from his bite but you realised he was very persistent and that you were having a hard time. It’s like it could do this all day as it became an apparent tug of war.

“Hey!” You involuntarily let out a scream as the animal start bleating aggressively. Weren’t goats supposed to be cute and friendly?

When you managed to have the final tug out of the goat’s mouth, you could not even rest for a moment as you saw the goat heading towards for you.

You instinctively ran in circles to throw the goat off your trail but it was pretty persistent. Boy, did it ran really fast too?

You wished you had super speed instead and start flailing as the goat bleated angrily while chasing you.

Your screams attracted the attention of Bucky who wondered what had happened. A woman’s scream was rarely heard in his part of the area and Bucky went to find the source of the sound.

Of all the scenarios that he could have imagined, Bucky had least expected you to see you running and screaming for what it seemed like your dear life. His eyes moved to see that Steve, his annoying runt of a goat was chasing you vehemently with a passion.

Bucky wanted to stop and laugh out loud at how terrified you look of Steve who barely stood at your waist level. When your eyes finally meet, you sped up and jumped onto Bucky who luckily was able to hold you steady even with one arm.

Circling your legs around his waist so that the goat would not be able to reach you, you made sure you wouldn’t fall by securing your arms around Bucky’s neck.

“Save me from this demon, Bucky!” You pouted and pleaded. Hearing the goat’s bleating coming nearer, you tightened your grip onto Bucky and looked over Bucky’s shoulder to see its beady eyes staring intently at the bag in your hands.

Bucky did not want to make of the situation as his senses first alerted him of how close you were to him. The two of you were chest to chest and he could your heart beating fast. Bucky breathed in your familiar scent that he didn’t knew he missed until now.

When he heard your whine once more, he was brought back to reality and started to catch up with how funny the scene was.

“You mean Steve?” Bucky chuckled in response to your previous statement.

“You name him, Steve?! Why would you do that? Steve is so sweet-” Pulling your face away from the crook of his neck, you came face to face with Bucky. You were nearly shocked by the little distance that lied between your faces and you recalled how much you missed his beautiful cerulean eyes.

Taking a nervous gulp, you also started blinking fast when you realise you were so close to Bucky that you could feel each other’s breath. Bucky locked you in hard stare as he didn’t speak, only using his eyes to communicate.

Your eyes broke contact with his and fleet to his pink lips for a moment. What were you doing? Bucky caught what you were doing and gulped nervously on his own. The tension between the two of you could be cut with a knife.

Your staring match was then cut off once again by Steve’s excessive bleating.

“Can he eat bread?” You asked him but Bucky was not out of his reverie of you and you had to ask once more to get his attention.

“Does Goat Steve eat bread?!”

“He eats anything-” Before Bucky could finish, you removed the hand that held the bag and threw it far from where you were. Goat Steve’s gaze followed to where the bag landed and he ran for it. With ease, he managed to prod his head into the bag and dragged the loaf of bread out. To start digging in

Seeing that your near-death crisis was over, you hesitantly push away from Bucky and he reluctantly let you down onto the ground. There was a moment of silence between the two of you as neither one of you knew what to say.

Standing awkwardly and looking anyway at each other, the both of you were frantically trying to come up with something to say.

“How are you?” The both of you spoke up at the same time. Your impeccable timing caused the both of you to laugh awkwardly before looking back at each other.

“I’m good.” The two of you answered at the same time once more and you two laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. Bucky nodded towards you to signal you to speak first.

“I see you are a farmer now.” Mentally slapping yourself, you couldn’t believe that was the first thing you had said to Bucky after he woke up from his cryogenic sleep.

“And I heard you are a teacher now.” Bucky followed in response before widening his eyes in a sudden realization.

“The bread, the other baked stuff, it’s you. The children say they brought it from school. You’re a teacher so-” Putting the pieces together, Bucky realised you were the one who has been sending food to him.

“Were the plums from you too?“

You looked down sheepishly in embarrassment, hand reaching to rub the back of your neck as you tried to come up with an explanation.

“Well, I just want to give you something and they say giving food is an act of love- I mean well not love but you know I want to make you happy so-”

“Why didn’t you give it to me yourself?” Bucky cut into your nervous rambling. You raised your head up to look at him and you swore you caught both hints of anticipation and disappointment lingering on his face.

“I didn’t want to disturb you. You should have some space to recuperate and I didn’t want to intrude-”

“Y/N, I don’t need space! I need you! You have no idea how much I wanted to see you after I woke up.” Bucky laughed at your explanation and stalked closer to you till you were chest to chest again.

You couldn’t believe what Bucky had said. You fidgeted nervously as you asked for confirmation once more. “You do?”

“Of course, doll. You are my everything.” Bucky raised his hand to caress the side of your face tenderly as he spoke.

A mix of emotions started to overwhelm you. You were moved by Bucky’s words but you suddenly felt immense guilt for making him think you abandoned him. A single tear cascaded down your cheeks as you willed yourself to look at him.

“I’m sorry, I never wanted you to feel that way. I missed you so much, I’m glad you’re back.” A smile formed on Bucky’s face when he heard your words. There had been so much longing between the two of you, so much unspoken feelings.

Now or never, you were ready to cross the line of this. Bringing both your hands up to cradle Bucky’s face gently, you smiled lovingly before you pushed your feet up to meet his lips.

Bucky suddenly wished he had his other arm back so that he can engulf you entirely; holding you so close that you would never leave. You took the kiss slow and gently, you wanted to savour this moment to the fullest after holding back for so long.

You pulled back from Bucky reluctantly and you steadied your heart before letting the words out.

“I love you, Bucky.”

The corner of his lips curved up at your confession. You loved him, you really did.

“I love you too, doll.” He spoke with such gentleness and sincerity that it had you smiling in equal enthusiasm. Bucky leaned in to kiss you once more, this time with longing and insatiable hunger.

You returned his fervour as your hands found their way from his chest to his neck and then to the sides of his face. The two of you pulled away to catch your breath and leaned your foreheads against each other’s.

Both of you mirrored each other with beaming wide smiles.

“Blehhhhhhh.” The two of you turned to see Goat Steve looking at the both of you with what it seems like a happy expression.

“Is he actually smiling?” You laughed as Goat Steve let out a happy sounding bleat.

“He’s a punk.” Bucky remarked with a laugh before turning back to looking at your laughing face fondly.

He was happy to have found you, his love.

———————————————————————

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes #white wolf #marvel fanfiction #angstsfordays

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satoshi-mochida · 4 years

Link

Rabbit & Bear Studios, a Tokyo-based studio formed by key creators of the Suikoden series, has announced Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, an ambitious new RPG planned for release in fall 2022. A Kickstarter campaign seeking $500,000 USD in funding for a PC release—with a single stretch goal to unlock PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Switch versions (or next-gen Switch, if one is available)—will run from July 27 at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET to August 28. A trailer will also debut when the campaign launches.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is led by Suikoden I and II veteran scenario writer Yoshitaka Murayama, alongside series veterans Junko Kawano, Osamu Komuta, and Junichi Murakami. The project marks the first time these four creators have worked on a game together, as well as the first time Murayama and Kawano have collaborated in 25 years.

“The first thing we decided when our members came together was, ‘It’s about time we made a really interesting game that we ourselves want to make,'” project lead Murayama said in a press release. “We chose Kickstarter in order to make an interesting game with the players in mind, hold the rights to the planning, world, and story of the game, all while keeping the fun of the project. Please lend us your support in this new challenge of ours! We promise to create something that heeds the call of your voices.”

Speaking to Gematsu, Murayama shared more information on the game’s similarities to Suikoden and what elements of the series will carry over.

“Eiyuden Chronicle is about war, or more importantly, the intention and feelings of the 100 heroes who fight that war from a variety of perspectives and for a variety of different reasons,” Murayama told Gematsu. “And of course the drama that can only occur when a group of different people from different walks of life come together and must wage a war of life and death.”

Murayama continued, “And the many characters that participate in this war aren’t just pawns added in as ‘war fodder,’ they have a living breathing soul and begrudgingly must fight to protect the things they believe in. Additionally, there are non-combat specialists, researchers, and other ‘heroes’ on the periphery that can help win battles or lose them. Each and every one of them is a living breathing character that the player gives life to through their choices.”

Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses that can be leveraged to help the player form a balanced team.

“Some characters are good are some things and bad at others,” Murayama explained. “But if you combine them with other characters that can strengthen their weaknesses, you can end up with a really balanced team. And based on that delicate balance your team make be more apt at mining or adventuring which will affect the overall game progression loop. One of the core game loops in Eiyuden is to experience the wide variety of different characters and personalities in your 100 person army.

“With each new character your ‘fortress town’ grows in size and ability. It is a key system in the game. As you increase your teammates, some members will be blacksmiths, some chefs and whether on the battlefield or not, each character will play a role in strengthening your resolve as an army. There are guilds that you can join which will largely change the visual make-up of your fortress town and grant different abilities. The more people you recruit, the stronger the snowball effect. As you level up, new trade options appear along with enemies and thieves that randomly attack your town in an effort to impede your progress. You need to make choices whether to strengthen your walls or hasten your progress. Each choice will make every play session feel different and have its own consequences.”

According to Murayama, all of this is “just the tip of the iceberg,” meaning that fans can expect much more to come.

Here is an overview of the game, via Rabbit & Bear Studios:

■ About

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is an ode to the classic Japanese RPG genre from the PlayStation era that will feature classic Japanese RPG exploration and battles in high-resolution 2.5D graphics, pixel-based characters, a story of war and friendship, a diverse cast of 100 unique heroes to join the protagonist’s endeavor, and a fortress building system to grow their army.

The game will feature a guild system that allows players to change their fortress attributes based on the guild they join. Battles will be turn-based with parties of up to six members and feature dynamic boss battles that change camera angle and rotate depending on the environment.

■ Studio and Staff

Rabbit & Bear Studios

Founded March 26th, 2020 by Yoshitaka Murayama, Rabbit & Bear Studios asks the age old question, what do gamers really want? It’s something we must never forget as creators. To continually focus on giving the fans the experience they really want.

We have created Rabbit & Bear Studios as the first step in realizing that dream and to have the responsibility that comes with it. That’s our core philosophy and we plan to lead by our actions.

Staff

Story: Yoshitaka Murayama (Suikoden, Suikoden II, The Alliance Alive)

Character Design: Junko Kawano (Suikoden, Suikoden IV, Arca Last)

System Design and Direction: Osamu Komuta (Suikoden Tierkreis, Suikoden Tactics, Arca Last)

Art Direction and Production: Junichi Murakami (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, OZ)

Composers: Michiko Naruke (Wild Arms series), Motoi Sakuraba (Tales of series), and more.

■ Story

Welcome to the Continent of Allraan

“Our story begins in one corner of Allraan, a tapestry of nations with diverse cultures and values.

By dint of sword, and by way of magical objects known as “rune-lenses,” the land’s history has been shaped by the alliances and aggressions of the humans, beastmen, elves, and desert people who live there.

The Galdean Empire has edged out other nations and discovered a technology that amplifies the rune-lenses’ magic. Now, the Empire is scouring the continent for an artefact that will expand their power even further.

It is on one such expedition that Seign Kesling, a young and gifted imperial officer, and Nowa, a boy from a remote village, meet each other and become friends.

However, a twist of fate will soon drag them into the fires of war, and force them both to reexamine everything they believe to be right and true.”

■ Characters

Nowa (Default Name)

Sex: Male

Age: 17 years old

Home: A remote village in the League of Nations

Favorite Food: Anything with meat in it

“That’s who I am. A meddler. Always will be—just ask Leene. So don’t tell me to do nothing. I may not be able to help them, but I have to at least try.”

When the League of Nations recruits warriors to assist in a joint expedition with the Galdean Empire, our protagonist answers the call and leaves his remote village to test his skills. On the mission, he finds an ancient rune-lens, unaware that the discovery will spark a war between the League and the Empire. After the conflict begins, he joins a unit in the League’s border guard.

The protagonist is the “leap before you look” type. He doesn’t always weigh the pros and cons before springing to action, and while his constant need to involve himself in other people’s problems sometimes creates headaches for his companions, they like him for it and know his heart is in the right place. After all, if they ever got into trouble, he’d be the first person there.

Seign Kesling

Sex: Male

Age: 18 years old

Home: A noble house in the Galdean Empire

Favorite Food: Poached eggs

“I can dream all I want, but it won’t change a thing. The world is not that kind. So if the only way to achieve my ideals is to betray them first, then I will do that—unflinchingly. You have my word.”

The second-born son to House Kesling, a powerful imperial family. His older brother died on the battlefield. Seign is exceptionally gifted; after achieving outstanding grades at military academy, he was placed in command of a company of his peers and sent on the expedition to find the ancient rune-lens. During the mission, he meets the protagonist. The two warm to each other as they overcome adversity, and they learn of one another’s ambitions.

Seign’s strategic mind allows him to analyze things from a broad perspective and make sound decisions. People often confuse his clear mind for a cold heart, but he is guided by strong ideals and a deep passion to fulfill them.

After his brother’s death during a border rebellion, Seign began to think long and hard about what it means to fight.

Marisa

Sex: Female

Age: 16 years old

Profession: One of the Guardians who watches over the forest

Favorite Food: Herbed chicken

“You just leave the forest to me. I know where the water springs, where the rabbits burrow—and most importantly, where your enemies will try to hide.”

A young member of the Guardians, a clan that hallows and protects the forest. Since Marisa was very little, her family has instilled their ways and traditions in her. She has a warm, affable smile—except on the battlefield, where she wears the countenance of a warrior.

Although the Guardians live as one with the forest, they have respect for the outside world’s culture and technology, and they are not against integrating the parts of it that make sense to them. Marisa is particularly forward-thinking in this regard, and loves new things—especially cute things.

Over the generations, the Guardians have developed a unique method of wielding the rune-lenses. For that reason, both the Empire and the protagonist try to win them over to their camp. Whom the Guardians choose will prove to be a major turning point in history.

Melridge

Sex: Male

Age: 27 years old

Profession: A scholar of natural history

Favorite Food: Duck soup

“You should lay down arms and surrender. That’s the quickest way to end this… No? Very well. Then I suppose I’ll provide you with the next best thing: a winning strategy.”

A young scholar who specializes in natural history. He yearns to know of every last thing in the world, and exactly how it got there. He also happens to be a genius tactician, and will be a valuable asset to the protagonist.

That said, he views warfare as the most pointless of all human endeavors, and any personal contributions to it as a complete waste of time.

Garr

Sex: Male

Age: 32 years old

Profession: Warrior in a clan of mercenaries

Favorite Food: Pancakes slathered with whipped cream

“Only a soft-brained leader runs headlong into danger. Anyone who knows what’s good for him will tell you you’ve lost it, kid. But not me. If blaze-of-glory’s your thing, count me in. We all die in the end. Might as well make it interesting.”

A veteran beastman warrior. He and his clan make their living as mercenaries, and their vast experience and sheer brutality put them in high demand. War is all Garr has known, and to him life is one battlefield after the other until you die.

When a conflict breaks out, every army wants as many beastmen as they can afford. Because mercenary contracts are made with individuals and not the entire clan, it is not uncommon for Garr and his fellow beastmen to face each other as enemies in the field.

Lian

Sex: Female

Age: 16 years old

Home: A martial arts dojo

Favorite Food: Super-spicy ramen

“Uhh, maybe I’m dumbing this down a little, but—like—if a bunch of arrogant swine strut into YOUR home and started acting like they owned the place, what would YOU do? ‘Cause there’s your answer.”

After the Empire’s forces invade League lands, Lian is infuriated and runs away from home…without even the slightest semblance of a plan. She decides the first thing to do is hoof it to the biggest town she can find, and luckily that’s where she meets the protagonist and his companions.

Lian was born in a dojo, and her father wasted no time in teaching her. She was doing roundhouse kicks before she even learned to walk properly.

Mio

Sex: Female

Age: 27 years old

Home: The Far East

Favorite Food: Bamboo-wrapped sasa dumplings

“The road you walk is one, and yet its endpoints are myriad. You can still choose where the road takes you.”

A swordswoman who is journeying to perfect the way of the blade. She has a stoic personality and rarely speaks, unless it’s to challenge someone she views as a worthy opponent.

When she does open her mouth to say something, it’s straight to the point and usually dripping with wisdom, so the people around her have taken to calling her “sensei.” However, even the greatest of senseis do have the occasional brain fart…

■ World

The Waterstead of Quinja

The Seaside Cavern

Watch a gameplay teaser video below. View the first screenshots and artwork at the gallery.

youtube

#Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes #Eiyuden Chronicle #Rabbit & Bear Studios #RPG #PS5 #Xbox Series X #Nintendo Switch #Steam #Gematsu #long post

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summerstardust · 4 years

Text

Scheming Timers

Dhawan!Doctor x Reader

Summary: The reader wants to bake after a stressful adventure, but all of the cooking timers have seemingly vanished into thin air. Sequel to Baking Hijinks.

Warnings: slightly suggestive

Word Count: 1773

You hadn’t been able to relax in the kitchen for a couple of weeks now. You and The Doctor had been busy chasing The Master around the Universe thanks to her latest scheme. Everything erupted on an alien planet The Master was planning to sacrifice as slaves to her unknown partner in her plan. Unfortunately, you and The Doctor were unable to capture The Master or discover her scheme partner, but the pair of you were able to save the planet and its inhabitants. You insisted on making something to celebrate your victory, but The Doctor didn’t seem keen.

After much convincing, The Doctor eventually added a personal kitchen to your room schematic. He was very reluctant in doing this, he quite enjoyed watching you roam around the main kitchen when he was meant to be helping you. No matter what you were making, you would float around the space like you owned it, dancing from cabinet to cabinet, waving spatulas and wooden spoons like magic wands. To him, you liked an angel when you commanded that space so naturally. He could watch you all day. That is, until you yelled at him to help you with whatever you were planning. The Doctor feared that if you had a private kitchen, you would no longer ask him to help you, meaning he would lose getting to see you so at ease. Seeing you like this, calmed him in return. Thankfully for The Doctor, you did not exclude him in your post adventure relaxation in the kitchen, but then he remembered what he did after your last kitchen excursion.

“Ugh! Where is that bloody timer! I know that I have one!” You yelled as you rummaged through every cabinet and pantry and shelf in your kitchen.

“Are you sure you have one?” The Doctor glared, looking onto the mess you were creating with disdain while leaning up against the wall that connected your kitchen to your bedroom.

“Yes! My aunt, that I don’t particularly like because of her politics, gave it to me! I used to keep it in the main kitchen -” you cut yourself off, quickly jumping up and turning to face The Doctor, making the noise you always made when a lightbulb went off in your head “Maybe I left it in there! Be right back!!!” When you ran past him toward the main kitchen, you poked his side a couple of times, trying to make him, at least, crack a smile. He only folded in on himself, blocking your pokes with crossed arms.

He had been unusually grumpy for the past couple of weeks, you assumed that it was because of The Master’s antics. Part of your brain ventured into thinking that it could possibly have to do with the kiss the two of you almost shared, but you elected to ignore that thought. You thought yourself foolish in thinking that an alien as old as The Doctor could ever care for you. All of the lingering touches and longing glances were just The Doctor’s misunderstanding of Human customs. He was just being a friend, a very kind and close friend. To you this conclusion was easier to swallow than the idea of growing old without him.

“It’s not in there either!” The Doctor heard you yell from the main kitchen. He couldn’t take this much longer. He hated lying to you, he hated keeping secrets from you. With most people, he was used to it. He was so old that it was easy to skip over or change a few details and no one could possibly catch him in the act. When he did this to you; however, it broke his hearts. He could picture your hurt and disappointed face when you discovered the truth, so he vowed to tell you the truth whenever possible. Now, knowing that he was breaking his vow, made his skin crawl with disgust over his lie. You returned to your room, drawing The Doctor out of his self deprecating thoughts. He loved the cute little look you made when you were puzzled by something. You stood with one hip out, both of your hands placed on your lower back and your mouth agape, your tongue resting on the back of your top row of teeth.

He stared at you, with glowing eyes and a warm smile you didn’t see, too busy thinking until you jumped up again, a new possibility entering your mind. “Wait, there was a timer in your private kitchen, right?! We can use that one!”

‘Oh that thing,’ The Doctor thought, his face darkening when he remembered that day, ‘the reason why all of this started. That blasted, scheming timer ruining my chances with you.’ He dragged his feet begrudgingly as you pulled him by the arm to his private kitchen. The TARDIS purposefully making the trip between the two rooms last longer, giving The Doctor ample time to think about what he had done.

“It’s not here either!” You whined as you ended your search through all of the cabinets and cupboards in the room.

“Y/n there’s something I need to tell you.” The Doctor's voice was serious, he tapped his foot anxiously, chewing on his thumb nail while avoiding your eyes. Seeing him in state immediately worried you, you ran over to him and began rattling off a series of questions to get to the bottom of why he was so upset.

“What?! What is it? Are you okay? Is it The Master? Are your cuts not healing properly? Are they infected? Are you dying?”

“Woah, woah, woah, it’s nothing like that at all!” The Doctor shifted himself into a more carefree position, placing his hands on your shoulders to ground you. You were relieved that it was nothing serious, but you questioned him again about what was going on and why he had been acting so strange as of late.

“I know what happened to the timers.” The Doctor’s voice was quiet and filled with guilt. Even though his hands were still placed on your shoulders, he could not maintain eye contact, resolving to stare at your shoes. You weren’t suspecting that to be the subject of his anxiety, but you pressed further, seeing in his guilty mannerisms that he wasn’t finished confessing. He turned away from you, and folded into himself again, a hand placed over his mouth as if he were trying to prevent the words from spilling out.

“I threw them all into a supernova.”

“You did what?” You marched up to him, forcing him to face you, turning him strongly and abruptly with a strength The Doctor was not suspecting. His eyes were wide in a pleading fashion, and his right hand covered most of his face, in shock that he actually told you what he did.

“But my aunt bought me that timer, Doctor!”

“One,” he tried to reason his way out of this situation, accompanied with hand movements, even though he could tell by your face that you were not in the mood for whatever explanation he managed to come up with, “you said that you disagree with her politics and two: that’s not the timer that annoyed me. I just threw that one, and every other timer in this ship, into the supernova for precautionary reasons.”

“It was still a gift, Doctor! What am I going to do when she asks” you halted your yelling once the final part of The Doctor’s sentence registered in your brain, “What do you mean by the timer that annoyed you? And what precautionary reasons would have to exist for you to throw all of the timers we own into a supernova!” His face lit up slightly when you said “we” when talking about the timers that were formerly housed in the TARDIS. But now was not the time to fantasize about the future the two of you could have together, you were upset and The Doctor would have to fix that.

“Ummm … no reason at all …” Admittedly, once those words slipped out of his mouth, he knew that that would not satisfy your curiosity. So he decided to do what any sane person would do when being glared at by a determined curious person who he couldn’t say no to, he ran away.

“Doctor!” You yelled at him, rounding the corner in pursuit. “You tell me what’s going on right now!” The TARDIS decided to aid you in the chase, looping the corridor The Doctor was running down until it crossed your path, causing you to run right into him, toppling him over. The TARDIS let out a series of joyous beeps when you caught the Timelord.

“Ow! Oi! What are you helping them for?! I’m your pilot!” The Doctor retaliated toward the ceiling of his ship.

“Oh please,” The Doctor hadn’t noticed that you moved to straddle his torso, keeping him in place beneath you, until you spoke, “We all know that the TARDIS does all of the piloting.” His eyes grew wide and a blush started to form on his cheeks but The Doctor tried to focus on a response to your accusation which he was unable to form because the TARDIS beeped again. You couldn’t understand her, but The Doctor heard her snarky comment loud and clear, “Just like how Y/N has full control over your hearts, Doctor” His blush grew to an embarrassing level, if he wasn’t still trapped beneath you, he would attempt to run away again.

Eventually he was able to utter more than just a string of ‘umms’ and gasps “I don’t see the need for both of you to gang up against me!”

“So the TARDIS is on my side! Good ol’Sexy! I knew she liked me!” The TARDIS let out a reassuring set of beeps even you could understand. She did like you and there was no way The Doctor was getting away from this situation without an explanation. You continued, “So, Timelord, do you want to tell me why you threw all of the timers into a supernova or am I going to have to force the truth out of you?” While speaking, you leaned over The Doctor, one hand on either side of his face as you stared deeply into his ever widening eyes.

The Doctor visibly gulped before stuttering out a hushed and breathy question, “How - how are you going to do that?” You smirked, leaning down closer to his face until your noses were touching.

“I’m going to leave you alone.” Before The Doctor could protest, you were already off of him and walking down the hall.

#dhawan!doctor #dhawan!doctor x reader #sacha dhawan #doctor who #doctor who x reader #doctor who imagine #the doctor imagine #the doctor x reader #fanfiction #personal post

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mhafiction · 4 years

Text

Out & About (Pt. 2)

Read Pt. 1 Pt 3 Pt. 4

Pairing: Bakugo x Reader

Fluff/ Friends to Lovers (?), lots of pining and !!some swearing!!

Synopsis: Reader is very close friends with the Bakusquad, except for the aloof and mysterious Bakugo. He still intrigues them however, and a night out with the group might actually be the the push they need to really get the ball rolling on transitioning their awkward comradery into something a little- more.

Note:Whhhhewww. Let’s get into it, I’m sorry that the dialogues’ very stilted -K (and again, I apologize for formatting)

XSero had scouted out a charming little restaurant in the heart of the city. Small, cozy, and family owned, the ambiance was perfect and the food was even better. You kept your eyes down for the most part, trying not to glance at Bakugo, but you couldn’t help but notice his order. An extra spicy dish that didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest. You wished you had that sort of tolerance and picked at your food, trying to calm your nerves. The interaction on the train still lingered in your mind. He was so, so close. Absentmindedly, you went to shovel a large helping of noodles into your mouth, instead feeling a caulloused hand brush against your cheek. You look up, eyes meeting Bakugo, looking just as surprised as you. Tugging his hand away, he glared back down at his food, pouting in his aloof manner. A thick silence hung between the two of you. Bakugo finally broke it, refusing to look up at all. “Tie back your hair or something. You looked like you were gonna swallow some strands with your food, idiot,” he mumbled, begrudgingly. You thanked the gods above that the others were occupied with their own dishes, because if they saw that interaction and they way you reacted, you’d never hear the end of it.

Wait. Could Bakugo like you back? You gave him a subtle side eye. No. Not possible with how he’s acting. Even if he did have some feelings for you, and this was all some tsundere situation, he clearly didn’t want to like you. And maybe that was for the best. Bakugo wanted to focus on being the number one hero, and so did you. A relationship would get in the way.

A relationship?!? Why were you thinking about that? You blushed deeply, sinking into yourself at the thought of dating Bakugo. Holding his hand, cuddling with him, kissing hi- “Hey Y/N, you alright?” You peered up at Kiri, who was sitting across from you. His voracious appetite was almost impressive, but even more so was the fact that he had managed to tear himself away from his fifth bowl of katsudon. “H-huh?? I’m fine, yep. 100% a-okay!!” You cringed. That came off as WAY too emphatic. Kirishima pushed aside his stack of empty bowls to see you. “Are you sure? You’re really red. Are you feeling okay?”

“I-“

“Wow, Y/N, you’re burning up!” Mina had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and had placed her hand on your forehead. She wiped a bit of rice away from her cheek and let loose a ferocious burp. You smacked away her hand, mostly out of suprise. “Mina!”

“What? I’m just worried about you. You’re the color of Kiri’s hair.”

Sero laughed. “Y/N, if you’re not feeling well, we should head back.” For once, you wished your friends were less doting.

“I’m fine! Just a little warm, haha.” None of them seemed very convinced. Even Denki gave you a skeptical glance. He smirked. “We’re you imagining something hot? I mean that waiter was pretty attr-” Sero flicked him, scolding. “Y/N’s not gross like you, Denki.” He turned to you, concerned. “But seriously Y/N, you’re up for tonight?”

“Yep! I’m okay.” You tried to grin, but it felt forced and false. The others were still skeptical, but decided to shrug it off. No point in wasting a perfectly good evening, and they were pretty sure you were responsible enough to know your limits. Mina wrapped an arm around you. “Alright!!! Let’s get shitfaced-“

“No Mina, we’re minors.”

Your group opted to walk around the city to see if they’d discover anything new. The moon hung high in the night sky and it was colder than usual- late fall was leading into winter. The neon signs filled you with contentment as you chatted with your friends, cocoas in hand. You lagged behind them for a bit when crossing a bridge, trying to take everything in. Everything but the...well, the Bakugo issue. Everything was fine then he had to smile at you and fuck everything up. “Y/N?” You snapped out of your stupor, looking at Kiri. “Yeah?” Kiri looked ahead at the group, oddly wary. You knew Kiri to be a trusting and kindhearted sort of guy- the embodiment of a paragon hero. Cheerful and humorous, and always willing to have some fun. But he could be serious when he needed to be. “Is something wrong, Eij?” Kiri laughed softly. “No, no it’s nothing serious!” He looked at you, cocking his head to the side. “I just want to make sure they’re not listening,” he pointed at the cacophonous trio dashing ahead, and you giggle as the three idiots directed their attention towards annoying Bakugo.

“Why’s that?”

Kiri rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a bit of a personal question and I don’t want you to be embarrassed.”

“Ha! Like I could be embarrassed in front of them. Shoot.”

Kiri hesitated. “Well, I’m hoping this doesn’t make you uncomfortable or weird or anything, I don’t to be rude or assum-“

“Eij just spit it out!”

“Do you like Bakugo?” He asked it earnestly, eyes shining with a quiet anticipation. You choked on air.

“Wh-what makes you think that?”

Kiri leaned back, crossing his arms against his chest and looking up to think. “Well, at dinner, your eyes kept darting back to Bakugo, and I thought that maybe that’s why you were so red! And when we went to get cocoa, when he went to grab the drink tray from you, you flinched at his touch. And also that one time in class when you guys were sparring and you looked super flustered when he pinned you even though you weren’t really going all in! Or when he taught you how to cut produce at camp and you got so nervous that you cut yourself! And-“

“Okay, I get it Kiri!” You covered your mouth, trying to hide your blushing face. You felt like you were about to hurl. “Am I really that transparent?” Kiri let out an quiet squee of excitement. “Oh my god I was right?? Really? Oh my god, my best friend is in love with my other best friend!! Ahhhhh!”

You sighed. “Well, you were half right, Eij. I only started liking Bakugo today.” Kirishima paused. “Wait really? Huh.”

“Wha- What do you mean by ‘Huh’??”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seems like you’ve always been this way around him.”

You’re quiet, trying to chew on that. Always? Looking back, you thought that the nervousness was fueled by the intimidation factor Bakugo had.

But the truth was, you weren’t afraid of Bakugo. You never were.

You were in love with him.

You tried to shake that thought from your head: No! Back then, Bakugo was just someone you respected! Not a crush, just a colleague you thought was intelligent, brave, talented, fiery, attractive-

“Oh shit.” Kiri nodded.

“But why are you acting like this is a bad thing, Y/N? Love is great! And the fact you like Bakugo is even better! I mean-“

“He doesn’t like me back, Kiri.”

“What?”

“He doesn’t like me back.” You clenched your fists. “It’s that, or he doesn’t want to like me.”

“Why would you think that, Y/N?” Kiri said softly.

“He’s Bakugo, Kiri! Even if he did like me, it’s not as if he’d want a relationship. His ambition wouldn’t allow it, and you know that, you’re his best friend!” You hissed through your teeth with bitterness. Kirishima only looked sad.

“YO! Eij!!! C’mere, win this crane game for meeeee,” Denki whined. His pockets were turned inside out, and he clung pathetically to the machine. Kirishima turned to you. “I think he likes you, Y/N. Bakugo is the type of guy who stubborn and would never admit it, but I think he does.” He pats your shoulder. “And don’t give up on him.” Kiri winks, then goes to join Denki at the game. Sero and Mina dispersed on their own arcade escapade, but you decided to stay outside in the brisk autumn air. You didn’t have the appetite for games after that conversation. You sighed, rubbing your shoulders. It was cold. If only you brought a coat with you. You watched the night crowd going about their evening, looking at bright storefronts and multicolored signs, all with a serenity you couldn’t quite place. But it was lonely, to be sitting there on the curb with nobody to enjoy this with. Lonely and cold. You try to shrink yourself, burying your head into your knees. Were you lonely? Yes. But this was still a nice little scene , and you’d hate to squander it on self pity. As you’re about to lift yourself up, something soft and warm comes down on your head. An article of clothing that smells faintly of caramel.

You find a way out from under the expanse of cloth, and look up at Bakugo’s face. He quickly whipped his head away, watching the moon instead. In his hand was some hot beverage from a vending machine. He must have gone off on his own, just to escape Mina, Denki, and Sero. You lazily drape his jacket over your shoulders fixing your eyes on him. Just what is he thinking right now? If only you knew. You felt a quiet distaste for him in the pit of your stomach when recalling the train ride. It sickened you how attractive he was there and even now, when the moonlight hit him at a truly beautiful angle. “You shouldn’t have forgotten your coat. Did you even check the weather? You could have gotten a cold or something.” Bakugo only said things when it was too late, huh? You were reminded of the 5 o’clock rush hour crowd that you had been tormented by. Would have been real handy if he spoke up about that, escpecially since he seemed to be fully aware of it. You looked down at your feet. “Sorry,” you whispered in a half-there voice laced with a hint of resentment. It came off crueler than you intended.

Bakugo, a little taken aback , cast you an odd glance. “What?” You were always so cheerful. Always so peppy and excitable, especially with your friends. On a night like this, you should be celebrating and laughing with everyone else. Not apologizing. Not to him. What could have brought this on?

“I’m sorry, okay Bakugo?! I know-“ you choked back tears. Why were you crying?! Why did you have to care so much?! “I know I’m not as smart as you, or as talented.” You looked him in they eyes, anger clouding your face. Why did it have to be him, of all people. Why couldn’t it have been a nice boy like Midoriya or Kirishima? Why did it have to be the boy who demeaned you or refused to help you until after the fact. Why did it have to be a boy you’d never be good enough for, even if he liked you back? A boy you’d never be an equal to, in talent or looks or intelligence.

“But couldn’t you stand to be a little more considerate?!” You rise, throwing his jacket back at him. You’re screaming now, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. “You could have bothered to tell me about the fact that we left too close to rush hour. Or that I should have worn a coat before we went out.” Bakugo was silent. His jaw hung slightly open, uncertainty in his eyes. “But of course, you’re not going to say anything.” You cross your arms, turning to leave.

“Wait.”

He grabs your shoulder, turning you towards him. You expect a scathing comeback or some sort of equally rude outburst.

But instead, he envelops you in a hug.

He rubs your head, whispering to you in a low, pained voice. “You shouldn’t be the one apologizing. It’s me.” He releases you, hands still on your shoulders and eyes scanning you like he’s afraid you’ll disappear into thin air. “I-“ he grits his teeth, as if holding back words. “I think you’re okay, all right? And I don’t have the heart to tell you anything when you seem so happy. But, I guess that backfired. ” He seems to retreat within his shell again, shoving his hands into his pockets. “So. I’m sorry. I don’t really have an excuse other than that.” He attempts to avert his gaze, but it’s hard when you’re staring him down like that. It starts to snow.

“Well?! Are you gonna say something?!” He finally yells. It’s a little bit weaker than usual. His voice shakes and his hands tremble and he feels scared thinking about all the things you could possibly say. But he tries and tries not to show it. He’s Bakugo Katsuki; he’s not supposed to worry about anyone else. So why was he so hung up on you?

You’re heart skips a beat. He’s still attractive, even yelling like mad and frothing at the mouth. You debated whether or not to tell him the truth.

You began. Tentatively, cautiously proceeding with your words. “Bakugo, I-“ you froze. What if you were misreading him and he didn’t have feelings like that? What would happen to being friends? And furthermore, your friend group? What if you held him back from his dreams? What if...

You weren’t good enough, you weren’t good enough, you weren’t good enough-

You smile, all with a trace of melancholy. “I forgive you Bakugo. But next time, please tell me when I’m being ridiculous.”

Bakugo sneered, but you caught a glimpse of relief in his eye. You might have a long way to go to see that same soft-hearted boy on the train car, but it was nice to know he was still in there. You give him another grin, and he turns to hide his face behind the back of his hand. Odd behavior. You laugh. And after a bit of suprise, he does, too. It died quickly though, dissolving into an awkward silence.

Bakugo hesitated, fiddling with his spiky hair. His words come out in barks. “You too, Y/N. Let me know when I’m being dumb. Not telling you stuff.” He turned away, but not before tossing you his jacket. “Wear it.”

And you obliged.

Little did you know, seeing you in his jacket almost made him explode. It was too much for him, and as you two scanned the arcade for your friends he screamed at himself internally every time he inadvertently sneaked a glimpse at you. Before you spotted Denki crying over some rhythm game you offhandedly commented to him with one of your bright beams:

“It smells like caramel!”

And he died on the spot. Full catatonic shock, and it took him around 15 full minutes to fully recover.

Once Kirishima had been found, he watched Bakugo usher you away from some creep that’d been eyeing you. He smiled. Something had changed between the two of you, and he couldn’t quite place it, but he knew it was a change for the better. But still, he sighed with exasperation.

“Those two really are clueless, aren’t they??”

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kyber-heart · 3 years

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Feeling a touch nostalgic today...

So I’m gonna self indulgently prattle on about my very first Legacy of SWTOR OCs

I first started playing the game in earnest in mid 2015 after I graduated High School. I had been feeling very depressed and unsure of my path going forward. Thus I reverted back on things that made me happy as a child and preteen. Most prominently, Star Wars. I had known about the existance of SWTOR for years even prior to it’s release as I followed it’s development because of it’s connection to KOTOR. I was very skeptical of it being an Online game at the time, and when I first tried it in 2012, I wasn’t impressed. In 2015 though, I dared to give it another shot and I’m glad I did. It spawned perhaps some of my favourite moments of the last 5 years, introduced me to some amazing friends, and even this year allowed me to make new friends here on tumblr dot hell

So cookbook recipe anecdote out of the way, let’s discuss the OCs. My very first Legacy was called The Furcifer Legacy. Furcifer meaning “Rogue” in Latin, I don’t speak Latin, I’m just a try-hard. Being F2P at the time, I only had two characters for most of 2015, and they were these two:

Reyal Bradack

Reyal came first. He was a Gunslinger Smuggler and admittedly a somewhat self insert. His name came from a “What is your star wars name” meme (you know the ones that are like “The first two letters of your surname + first three of your forename”) He was a child slave after his father ran out on his mom shortly after Rey’s birth, his mom sold him to the Hutts on Nal Hutta to repay a drugs debt. As a teen he managed to escape on to a Smuggling freighter. The smuggler captain took pity on the teen and took him as an adoptive son. The Smugglers were members of The Black Sun and Rey was introduced to a life of crime. He met his future Husband who was one of the Crew Members, a Chiss named Nalin. His life got thrown into disarray in 10 ATC when The Hero of Tython and Coruscant Security Force raided The Black Sun headquarters and began killing and making arrests. His husband and adopted Mother died from an explosion, he and the other member of the crew, Zoee, were taken into custody and given a choice, serve the Republic or life imprisonment. Both chose the former and were made to help with the ground work for the liberation of Balmorra. It was here on Balmorra that Rey would make a shocking discovery...

Atzethel “Zeth” Rist

My second ever character, and for a long time, my main character. A Jedi Shadow Consular, he has gone through many iterations (which I may share someday). Zeth is the younger half-brother to Reyal. Both share the same father. At some point, the “Furcifer” patriarch found himself on Alderaan, in the employment of The Rist family. Despite dying under mysterious circumstances, he conceived a child with Lady Tharra Rist. Zeth was born with an unusually volatile connection to The Force, he was taken only days after The Treaty of Coruscant to be trained on board a Jedi Praxeum ship. The boy excelled due to his strange connect, however it caused him to be irrationally dangerous and as such, was ostracized by his peers and a topic of contention for his masters. He was taken under the wing of a Jedi Master, Nede Vaa, a togruta who sought to teach him patience and direct his urges. She was successful and trained him in the arts of The Jedi Shadows, hunting down and destroying The Sith from within. He and his Master were assigned to help lay the foundations for the Liberation of Balmorra. He discovered his brother Reyal on Balmorra, and after their mission was completed, requested to join his brother, though he kept his relationship to Reyal a secret. Begrudgingly accepting his request, Zeth worked with Reyal in uncovering several other Imperial threats and securing alliances with The Republic and certain criminal syndicates. During the Battle of Corellia, Zeth met another member of his family that surprised even Reyal to see.

Drrunn’al’inrokini “Nalin Bradack”

The first extra character I made upon subscribing, was a Chiss bounty hunter. He became a member of the smuggling crew, and Rey’s husband. While it was suspected that he was killed on Coruscant, he narrowly escaped with his life. He wandered the Underworld for a couple years after his ‘death’ believing that Rey and the rest of the crew had died. He eventually came across a mercenary, Loyabe Lealta, who claimed to have met a Reyal Bradack on Balmorra. The pair began searching for Reyal, eventually tracking him to Corellia. What should have been a joyous reunion was cut short when Reyal was hit with a poison dart by Loyabe intended for Zeth. Loyabe revealed her true self as an Imperial spy that had tried to hunt down the brothers for their involvement in the liberation of Balmorra. Before they could get another info out of her, Loyabe died from a posion capsule encased in her teeth. After racing to save Rey’s life, the family decided to return to Alderaan to rest and meet Tharra Rist, Rey’s step mother. The intent to reunite the family once and for all. But the peace wasn’t to be found.

Rhia Kriari

A Dark Jedi, was waiting for them on Alderaan. She revealed herself to Zeth during a party at the Rist estate for the homecoming of Lord Atzethel Rist. She revealed to him that Loyabe was only one of a number of Imperial spies and assassins that were sent after people like them. Rhia revealed that she and him were born with the same midichlorian anomaly and that another of the children like them, was a Darth by the name of Attroxus who sought to convert or kill the others. She explained that the midichlorian anomaly was the result of a Sith experiment on infusing non-force sensitives with force imbued DNA in the hopes of creating Sith Soldiers. The experiment was discovered by The Dark Council and was shut down, however some of the test subjects managed to escape, including her mother and Zeth and Rey’s father. The experiment did not succeed however, as the altered DNA became unstable, mutating within it’s hosts and killing them violently with explosive bursts of force energy. Exactly the type of mysterious circumstances that Zeth’s father had died under. She convinced Zeth to help her find the other children before Attroxus could. Reyal, Zoee and Nalin agreed to help as well. The five found the other two children, Blanna Gira and Jaysen Karn. During their search, she and Zeth became closer and inevitably began an affair.

Jaysen Karn

A plucky and optimistic Jedi Knight Ace, he was the first child to be tracked down. Found on Corellia as the last skirmishes of the battle raged. Zeth found him engaged with a Sith Lord named Lord Neystaa. Having been found by this Sith Pureblood assassin and offered to join Darth Attroxus or die. Jaysen, Zeth and Rhia were able to drive Neystaa away. Concerned by what he had heard, Jaysen requested permission to aid the Jedi Shadow Zeth in his mission to uncover the truth behind this new cult. Now with back up from another Jedi Knight, the search became slightly easier as it allowed them to quickly reach their next destination, Alpheridies.

Blanna Gira

A Miraluka from Alpheridies, is another of the children from the experiment. Zeth and Rhia found her on Alpheridies where see lived and served among The Luka Sene, a group of cultural teachers and guides, acting as a seer and healer. The Sene’s devotees obey only the light side of the force. These teachings helped Blanna to keep her underlying darker urges at bay, though she wouldn’t confess to it, she struggled with this greatly. As she was not a fighter and had taken an oath of pacifism, she had no experience with weaponry and combat, thus Zeth began to train her in lightsaber combat, enough to defend herself if needs be. Though hesitant to go, she had received a vision of Attroxus and knew the danger he presented. She also received a vision of Zeth’s master, Nede Vaa in danger on The Fourth Moon of Yavin. Concerned, Gira informed Zeth, and the group headed for Yavin 4, right into a trap.

Lord Neystaa

Darth Attroxus’s personal assassin, more machine than flesh. She was one of a pair of twins. She and her brother, Greveron were stationed on Balmorra at the end of the cold war. Zeth had killed Greveron during a battle to disable the planet’s early warning systems. The Brothers had teamed up to take Neystaa out of the fight as well with Zeth pushing her into an adjacent hallway, while Reyal tossed a grenade at her. Badly injured and barely holding on to life, Neystaa was recovered and outfitted with cybernetic replacements for her lost limbs and organs. She was made to be the perfect killing machine. Attroxus offered her a chance at revenge for herself and her brother and she jumped at the chance. After an unsuccessful duel on Corellia, Neystaa set a trap for Zeth’s Master, Nede Vaa, on Yavin 4. The Force User group arrived in time to see Neystaa slay Master Vaa, sending Zeth into a fit of rage. Uncoordinated and less adept in some cases (such as Blanna), Neystaa was able to hold her own. She succeeded in destroying Zeth’s double-bladed lightsaber and toss aside Jaysen, Blanna and Rhia. Seeing Rhia get injured was the final straw for Zeth who managed to take one of Neystaa’s twin sabers and over powered her with heavy crushing blows. Zeth was victorious in defeating her but rather than show mercy, he violently killed her instead. The group used Neystaa’s ship to track the co-ordinates of Attroxus’s ship. Though Zeth was disgusted with himself, they still had a mission to do.

Darth Attroxus

Born a slave of The Empire, Attroxus demonstrated a strong affinity for the Force at a young age. He was taken to the Academy on Korriban at age 7 where he faced extraordinary hard ship due to his race. In spite of the torment, Attroxus was able to rise to become one of the most promising students. He knew within himself that he was more powerful that the other acolytes and considered him better than them. He rationalized that they picked upon his race because it was the only way to put him down. If he was human, he thought, he would have been on the fast track to a lord. Upon completing his final trial, Attroxus returned to the Academy to discover that he had been passed over for the opportunity to become an apprentice. Enraged, he murdered the overseer and his fellow acolyte. The Lord whom wished to take the student, found Attroxus amusing and took him as an apprentice in place of the murdered on. Eventually, Attroxus began to eclipse his master in power and killed him, at which point, he assumed the title of Lord of The Sith for himself. Attroxus became interested in his power. He knew he was more powerful than the average Sith, and began delving into his parentage. He came across information about the experiments and became obsessed with them. However, power comes with a price. From giving into the Dark Side of The Force for so long, his mutated DNA became stronger and threatened to consume his body just as the original experiment subjects. It instilled in him a goal, to find the others like him. To perfect the experiment process, and rise to his rightful place as Emperor. His plans would not come to fruition. The Furcifer strike team was able to land on his Ship and while the force users set out to find Attroxus, Reyal, Nalin and Zoee began to disable the ship and plant explosives at key areas. All The Force Users engaged in a duel however Attroxus quickly realized that he was outmatched and began to feed his power-hungry cells for more power. It gave him the advantage however, in trying, he lost control of his power as his body began to deteriorate rapidly. The Furcifers managed to escape as the bridge exploded in a blast of energy, killing Attroxus.

#long post #anto's ramblings #the furcifer legacy #if you made it to the end #i commend you #i will probably do a part two just to show off a couple of the supporting characters #but these were my main toons #i hope you enjoyed this self indulgent ramble #oc: reyal bradack #oc: zeth rist #oc: nalin bradack #oc: rhia kriari #oc: jaysen karn #oc: blanna gira #oc: lord neystaa #oc: darth attroxus

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fiction-in-my-blood · 3 years

Text

Switching Sides: Part 2 (HLITF)

Aaaannndddd once again I would LOVE to thank my girl @theshove for being my editor in chief and making my writing reach a HIGHER level I could never reach without your help. Thank you so much for making sense of my poorly grammar-ed sentences haha.

Also, if anyone possibly wants to get on a tag list I’d be happy to make one

👉👈

If you wanna catch up, Part 1 is right here! Happy reading :)

Premise: Growing up in a life of crime in a Japanese mafia, Atsuko Motomori has seen enough injustice to last her a lifetime. To try and give back to the universe her family has taken so much from, she dreams of being a detective from a young age. Her twin, sharing her disgust for her father and many uncles, just wants an ordinary life away from the crime, paing and suffering. Instead, she wants to be in the spotlight with the soft notes she makes with her cello. In their escape of 2015, on their coming of age birthday, they must split ways, never to be together ever again. If one was found, they didn’t want the other dragged down with them. Atsuko, having changed her name and appearance as best she can without a scalpel, sets off to start her life of car chases and arrests.

Four years in a seemingly dead-end police station in the middle of nowhere, being passed over time after time for promotion, Atsuko finally gets a shot at her dream, having been sent to an academy for the best candidates in the country by her boss who had always kept an eye out for her. After discovering her boss may have made her bite off more than she could chew, Atsuko must become the slave of a dominating instructor!? Who so just happens to be the captain of the most famous police unit in Japan? Not to mention a total knockout! Will Atsuko finally achieve her dream? Or will her new instructor put her through the wringer?

Warnings: Language, reference to sexual activity/forceful nature.

~~~~~~

‘A servant? Did he confuse that with a full-time aid?’ I tried to reason with his wording of my job title. As the room was lit by the setting sun and filters out into the corridor, I stood there in silence, thinking about what I'd just gotten myself into.

"Motomori, who will you partner with?" Ishigami closed the book of names and held it under his arm, keeping a close eye on how I was reacting. Letting my eyes meet each one of the detectives' before me, I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"Instructor Kaga, please," I announced. Although he seemed the most stern out of all the men, I took that as a sign of someone worn away by his experience. Which only meant there was more to learn from him. Right?

The announcement of my choice of instructor led Shinonome to laugh at my bravado. "Now that's something. Choosing Hyogo is pretty fitting for our little overachiever." The youngest instructor couldn't help but sound amused as the man I had chosen showed a concerned expression. As he looked me up and down, I stood with more confidence than I really had.

After the Captain's silent review of me, Ishigami progressed through the other pairings. I glanced at Kaga and saw him taking a phone call. "Yeah... I'll take care of it." With his back turned to me, I only heard a minuscule amount of the conversation.

"Kaga, you'll be going after this person." When the other Captain tried to hand over a folder, which I was sure had the case we should be working on inside, Kaga continued his conversation while pointing in my direction. He told Ishigami to give me the folder holding the information we'd need for the undercover assignment.

"These are documents for the instructor." Ishigami frowned, obviously tired of Kaga's dismissiveness. Kaga begrudgingly took the folder before thrusting it into my chest.

"Read it." He demanded and then finished his phone call.

"I'm sure you understand, but-" Ishigami was cut off by Kaga crossing his arms.

"I understand perfectly well." His mood seemed to worsen as the two talked. They continued to bicker as the rest of the instructors watched. I'm sure it was difficult to butt in on the Captains' discussions.

"Squad leaders should get along..." Shinonome frowned as we watched, me not knowing what else to do except just stand there.

"These two will go as far as a fistfight." Instructor Soma's comment made me worry that all the expensive equipment in this room would be damaged if someone didn't intervene soon enough. When Soma directed a question to Goto to see if he agreed, the messy-haired man just stood there in silence.

"I can hear all of you." Kaga scowled as he took a cigarette out of his suit pocket. I knew smoking wasn't allowed in the building, having seen the signs next to most of the doorways, however I decided it best not to make him aware. ‘I mean, he has worked here longer than me.’

‘He is the freaking instructor, Atsuko.’ The voice in my head made me want to metaphorically face-palm. It was clear just by the way the instructor stood he didn’t care much for rules or regulations.

"Don't get in my way." As he walked towards the door, Kaga made what sounded like a threat to me.

"Didn't even think about it." I forced a smile, knowing full well he would likely trample over me if I took even a step out of line. If I was going to learn from this man, I would have to watch what he did instead of asking questions.

"What're you standing around for? Come." Turning back to where I had been standing, I woke myself up from the pit of despair I had thrown myself into.

‘What did you think was going to happen?’ I quickly followed as he gestured me over with a jerk of his head.

~~~~~~

Sitting in the Captain's car, I couldn't help but feel anxious with the silence that thickened the air. According to the file given to us by Ishigami, we had to infiltrate a beach bar... But we were heading in the opposite direction from the sea. We were driving downtown.

"Umm, sir, the file says the destination is-" Kaga, once again, cutting somebody off mid sentence.

"Shut up," he spat, taking me aback with how rude he was.

‘I guess that ‘scum’ comment wasn't too out of character for him, then’ I thought, stricken into silence but sighing on the inside. I turned to gaze out the window, praying that I could get through the day without being caught out for being inferior to what my file suggested.

~~~~~~

When we stopped, I found myself inside a love hotel. My heart raced with worry, recognising the name as a brand my father ran when I was still living at home. He was a gang leader. With a strong mafia at that. He had his dirty little fingers in every industry that had some form of shady business going on. It's what made me hate him so much. The things he did, the things he made me watch, it's what made me want to become a detective. I wanted to pay the universe back for all the bad stuff he had done, and maybe one day find the evidence to arrest him. God knows, the police he had under his claws and henchmen doing his dirty work had delayed that for long enough.

We made our way to the room booked for us, or, more aptly, for Kaga. Meanwhile, I tried to hide my face from the receptionist as discreetly as I could, not wanting them to somehow recognise me. Even though I did my makeup differently from when I was younger, had dyed my hair black from its original brown, dressed differently and even held myself differently, there wasn't much else I could do to change my appearance without making it trackable. I couldn't get surgery because then I would be in the government system; I know, somehow, they'd be able to track me, even if the profile I had now was completely different.

"Hey, um... What're we doing here?" I asked as I closed the door behind me, the eeriness of the red room making my eyes dart around for any hidden cameras or listening devices. I remembered my father telling me about all the politicians he had on tape and all the people he’d bribed with that information.

"I'm pretty sure I said shut up." Kaga spat, also inspecting the room. I frowned at his rudeness and flipped the switch that turned on the electricity for the room. All the lights went out, causing Kaga to spin around and glare at me in the darkness.

"Don't you know what your position is? Don't interfere." His frown deepened as he stormed back to where I was standing. He was obviously offended I had turned off the lights.

"Love hotels are famous for secret cameras. They're turned on when the electricity switch is flipped. I thought you wouldn't want to risk getting caught." I smiled up to him with a spiteful thought hidden behind it. ‘This guy…’

Probably annoyed with how much sense my statement made, Kaga turned back to the centre of the room. ‘Is he really that easily annoyed?’ I chuckled to myself, not wanting to be reprimanded for intentionally frustrating my instructor.

The two of us were now alone in a dark room with nothing but a bed and mirrors on the ceiling. Not to mention a love hotel. I was painfully aware of what the room represented and everything that had ever happened in it due to the stillness in the air with the air-con off. Memories of what my father encouraged my sister and I to do in our youth flashed back, causing me to shake them out of my head.

"Why're you so nervous?" Sitting on the large bed, Kaga raised his brow at me while I stood awkwardly away from him. I could see a concerned look on the Captain's face as he brought me back to earth. I could tell he wasn't concerned about my feelings, but rather about how naive and stupid I must seem. I didn't want to walk any further into the establishment than I had to, so I stuck my ground.

"N-No reason." I grew shy, knowing I had no connection to my past life on my file and not wanting him to have a clue to think I would.

"Oh?" A mischievous grin grew on my instructor's face and my senses heightened. With that, Kaga grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down onto the bed aggressively. Even though he was only holding my wrist, I struggled to move. My heart began to race in fear of what he was trying to do. Growing up with the most erratic people as guardians, I didn't want to guess what his plan was.

"This morning was totally screwed up, thanks to you." He frowned down at me, that same demeaning look conveyed on his surprisingly handsome face. You would never guess his personality was as cruel as he was if it wasn't for the eternal crease between his brows. Feeling the anxiousness of an expected punishment, my breath gets caught in my throat.

"How do you plan on making it up to me?" His grin returned as he held my wrists harder than necessary. Despite the smirk, his eyes were cold and expressionless. There was no way I was going to allow what he was insinuating to happen, so I pushed against his hands with all my might while somehow snaking my foot high enough to push on his stomach.

However, before I could attempt to catapult him off, he covered my mouth with his hand. I looked at him like he was crazy, but because I hadn’t done much training lately, I couldn’t push him off me.

"Don't talk." He hissed, rising up from being inches away from my face. Then, I saw him pull something from my ear. It was an earpiece, making me wonder when he was able to put it there, not to mention without my knowing it was there. "This will make for a huge amount of evidence." He explained to himself. My mind, already in disarray, went into a confusion like no other. "It was worth the effort of getting it on." He looked at me suggestively as I sat up with unsure thoughts.

‘So... He didn't lead me here for something worse?’ My brows furrowed as I thought back to the moments leading up to this, embarrassed and angry that I thought it would come to that. It was concerning to see his demeanour change from what I just saw to the victorious look on his face. He looked down at me, still sitting on the bed with a dejected expression, seemingly noticing my staring.

"What're you just sitting there for?" He laughed at my appearance, my apprehension rising due to how laid back he was. Maybe it was because of where I was, but I was more sensitive to the casual restriction he just put me in. I looked away, not wanting to say something I'd regret.

Then, I felt him leaning over me and I quickly turned my gaze back to him. I panicked. His face was nearer than I expected it to be as he jerked forward. I jumped back, the memories of intimidation tactics used on me before resurfacing from my past.

"Did you really think I was being serious earlier?" He almost laughed at the notion. "Unfortunately for you, I don't have any problems with women." He inched closer again and it took everything in my being to not smack that pretty face of his. If I assaulted a detective, I would be expelled from the academy and likely arrested. Not to mention the scene it would cause being dragged out of here. "I'm not so desperate that I'd go after some inexperienced brat." He smirked before getting up from the bed, talking to me like I was the idiot.

"What did you bring me here for..." Having had the time to understand that I would be safe and de-escalate my anger, I quickly regathered myself and straightened my back. "...If not for my training?" Looking at his suited back, I started to think back to why I was actually here.

"I've got more important things to do than that useless nonsense." He explained spitefully.

‘Then why become an instructor?’ I scowled to myself, knowing full well this man had no intention of teaching anyone anything.

"Well, thanks to you so boldly choosing me, I pulled off some undercover work." He turned with another victorious smile. I was frozen silent, not knowing what would come out of this intimidating man's mouth next. Then, he pulled out his cellphone.

"It's me. Yeah... the bug was a success. I've got enough evidence, so I'm withdrawing. You keep on going, sneak in and stay on the guy's tail." When he ended the call with his subordinate, the Captain quickly headed for the door. I was still frozen, trying to calm my racing heart from the panic I was in before.

"What're you doing?" Kaga turned back to me. "Staying?" My gaze darted up at the horrifying idea.

"If you are, go search the room next door. Make sure you come back here." At the mere notion of real detective work,. Before I could say a thing, the frowning returned.

"Too bad. You're not ready." The curt response was a deep cut to my confidence. Searching a room for anything fishy was probably one of the only things I came to the academy being able to do. But, before I could speak my piece, Kaga turned and left.

~~~~~~

By that night, the long, rigorous day had completely worn me out; I'm sure my classmates also fared the same. I arrived at the dorms the academy made us stay in and threw myself onto my couch. ‘Could Kaga's mission possibly be for an investigation on my father?’ I thought back to where the excursion took place and the idea made my heart flutter. For years I had wished and prayed for retribution for all the wrong-doings my father and his goons had accomplished. The thought of his vicious crimes being aired out like dirty laundry brought a smile to my weary face.

Getting off the comfortable couch, I retrieved a box from under my bed. It was small and light; there wasn't much in it. I opened it to find loads of old photographs. Some of them were heartwarming: my twin sister and I playing around or hugging each other.

But, I’d only put them in there to hide what I was really storing: Pictures of crime scenes my father had left out in our living room or secluded garden. I once caught him in the act; that photo was in there too. I had an old tie with blood on it. A passport with a different identity than I had registered into the academy with. My mother's ring was knocking around in there somewhere.

I hardly knew my mother. There are no pictures of us together and no one talked about her after she left us. The ‘family’. She couldn't take what my father and his ‘brothers’ did any longer and ran away, leaving her two daughters behind. I'm pretty sure she's dead now. Otherwise my father would have found her at some point.

I came to realise that soon before my 18th birthday that my father didn't really care about us; he just wanted a lineage. So, I somehow convinced my sister to run with me. I assured her that I had a plan that would get us the lives we wanted for a little while. I had trained to go on the run; my father taught me all the techniques the cops used to track fugitives. That, along with a little help from a friend from my youth judo club, was all I needed to get us new identities and places to live. It wasn't easy at first, having to split from the person you had literally been with since birth. But, it was the only way to ensure one of us would be safe if the other was caught.

It was also difficult to work up a good enough resume to get myself into the police force. The name Atsuko Motomori had never existed before four years ago. It was risky to lie about the qualifications I had when, in my past life, I never gained any. I was homeschooled to ensure I wouldn't be coaxed away by true, lawful policemen investigating my father or my ‘uncles’.

Looking through these memories and reliving my awful excuse for a childhood, I happily remembered why I was condemning myself to this place and people like Captain Kaga. I wanted to make sure my sister and I would be safe. And the only way I could do that was by locking them all up for the rest of their lives.

As I mulled over the bloody scenes within the box, I heard a knock at my door. I jumped, not used to company, and knocked the box off my lap.

"Crap!" I whispered to myself, trying to clear everything away as quickly as possible.

"Who is it?" I called out after collecting most of the contents, having double-checked the area for any compromising pictures.

"Atsuko~! I come with food!" The cheery voice of my only female ally chimsed from the other side of the door.

"Naruko, what're you doing here?" I questioned while opening the door. The food she was trying to bribe me with was a pack of potato chips and a soda from the vending machines downstairs.

"I'm pooped, so I thought you might be even more worse off." The bubbly attitude helped her push herself into my dorm room.

"You're not wrong there." Happy to have some form of womanly friendship after so many years of trying to keep to myself, I lazily followed her to the couch.

"So how was it with the Satan reincarnate?" She giggled to herself, lowering her voice at the insulting part of her question. Maybe she feared he would hear her. I wouldn't be surprised if they had us under surveillance to see what we did after hours. Or if the Captain had supersonic, selective hearing.

"It was... an experience." Trying to keep up my half of the deal I made with my instructor, I put on a tired smile. Kaga promised to pass me if I didn't tell anyone he had bunked the undercover training.

"You want a drink? I think I've got some tea somewhere." Quickly attempting to change the subject, I wandered off to the small kitchenette in the corner of my room.

As I prepared the beverages, Naruko spoke up out of nowhere.

"Oh, Atsuko, what's this?" She called out and my blood ran cold. ‘Did I miss a picture? Was it something possibly incriminating?’ Wild thoughts circulated my brain at the possibility of getting caught. Having gory images of dead men stored away in my room wouldn't be easily explained.

Hesitantly, I turned with a questioning smile, just waiting for her to let out some form of horror or disgust. Instead, though, I found her looking at an old polaroid photo with a loving smile.

"You didn't tell me you had a sister!" She asked and I cocked my head, glancing at the image she waved at me. It was of my sister and I, building sandcastles on a beach when we were kids. My heart stopped as I remembered the scene.

That picture was of the day before my mother left. She had somehow convinced my father to let her take us out- which was a strange occurrence. Even if my father wasn't overbearing, which he definitely was, she didn't like going out much. It was summer and hot, and we would only annoy him, being locked in the house. I'm pretty sure I remembered at least three bodyguards surrounding our section of the sand, though.

I smiled at the painful memory, a happy one buried underneath so much hurt, and looked at the brown-haired girl with two short pigtails, dressed in a pink bathing suit. I don't think I've had a smile that big on my face in a long time.

"Well, I, uh..." Not knowing how to respond, I just made noises.

"She must be so proud of you for making it into this academy." She laughed and the statement only hurt me.

"She's not really in my life anymore." I smiled sadly sitting next to her so I could look at the picture more in-depth. I could see a sliver of a man in a suit to the left of the picture's edge, closest to where I was, and something was slightly poking out of his waistband. To Naruko, it probably looked like a shadow of a tree or something less sinister than what it was, but it was likely one of the bodyguards with a gun hidden away.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, Atsuko." Naruko sounded so sad to hear I wasn't in contact with my sister anymore. We did look really happy in that picture.

"Nah, it's alright. That's just how life goes." I took the picture from her and looked at it for a bit longer, concentrating more on my sister's face, even though it was an exact replica of mine, before slipping it through the crack between the lid of the box and the box itself. I didn't want my new friend catching a glimpse of anything in there.

"You sound so wise," Naruko giggled, maybe trying to help me feel happier again and lighten the mood.

"You make me sound like an old man," I laughed, jokingly hitting her arm like I was offended.

"You shouldn't say such wistful things then." She laughed back as I headed back to the kettle to pour us some tea.

We chatted for a little longer, mainly about what her training had consisted of, before Naruko went back to her room. Once she was gone, I sighed, glad that the picture she had found underneath my coffee table wasn't anything more frightening. Sliding the small box back under my bed, I began getting ready for a good night's rest.

~~~~~~

Waking up the next day was... rough. Staying up later, thanks to Naruko, and the subconscious worry I’d because of what happened at the love hotel, I’d probably only got a few hours of sleep.

‘Right, I have to get today right, at least’, I told myself, throwing my legs over the side of my bed. Ishigami already had it in for me because of the train situation - I'm sure all of the special instructors did - but I wasn't going to let that stop me from doing my best. ‘For us.’ Thinking back to the picture that had been found on my floor, I used that as encouragement to continue my life as though nothing had happened.

~~~~~~

In my first class, I could see Naruko already sitting down. She commented on how she hadn't seen me in the cafeteria for breakfast. "I wonder whose fault that is?" I playfully blamed her for making me wake up late. As we continued to chat mindlessly, I couldn’t help but think back to the limited facilities the academy had for women. ‘Well, at least the food and living quarters are good.’

"The real lectures are finally going to start today." Likely having it easier than I had yesterday, Naruko had a fire of ambition in her eyes. Luckily, our first class was in the classroom and not martial arts training, otherwise her passion might hurt someone. Our lectures consisted of a wide range of expert topics ranging from using tracking equipment to how to de-escalate a situation to undercover work.

As we discussed what we would be studying here, the memory of how I was handled yesterday manifested on my wrists. I rubbed them, trying to get rid of the feeling of Kaga's hands.

"Something wrong?" Noticing my anxiousness, Naruko peered into my face. As I told her “I’m fine”, she remembered how we never talked about my experiences yesterday.

"I'm pretty sure I passed. If not, I don't think I'd still be here." I laughed off the subject, knowing how strict the instructors seemed to my friend.

"Did you hear? Students who failed were severely punished." An uneasy expression laid itself on Naruko's face and I also started to feel sympathy for those that weren't as lucky as us. As we wondered about what the punishments were, Naruko got that grin she’d had during the ceremony yesterday.

"I wonder what kind of punishment I would have gotten." The excited aura she was giving off only made a chill run down my back thinking about how much worse the Captain could be.

Intruding on my thoughts, the instructor delivering our lecture walked in and started the lesson. When it was over, I rushed to change into the attire I would need for our next bout of training on the grounds.

~~~~~~

As Naruko and I arrived on the pitch, everyone was lined up in front of Instructor Soma. He frowned at us, stating how late we were. "Sorry about that, Instructor. We took too long in the shower room." Maybe too casual with the man because of his usual laid back aura, we both bowed deeply.

"Yes, there's no women's locker room, is there?" A small smile finally returned to his face as we rose again. "It's the first time, so I'll go easy on you. But, I won't go easy on you next time." Even though he looked kind, anyone could tell he didn't give any leeway.

"There won't be a next time, sir," I replied rather confidently and the instructor almost seemed amused.

Naruko and I went to line up in the very back. The girl who couldn't seem to keep her feelings to herself whispered to me about how nice he seemed and how good looking he was. Thinking back to how Kaga treated me, I couldn't help but quietly agree. ‘There would definitely be no such leniency with him.’ I thought about all the awful punishments or torture methods the Captain could know as we continued our training.

Soma had us perform a fitness exam. We hadn't had a break since the class started when he called out my name to be tested. I stretched the pain out of my legs quickly, not wanting to cramp up.

"Woah, Atsuko! You have a scary look in your eye!" Naruko, as tired out as I was, laughed nervously. You might say I was competitive. I would say I was trying to prove my worth to the classes of men who didn't think I belonged here.

"Just tryna keep my head in the game." I jumped on my toes as the instructor called out my name again. "Coming!"

Jogging over to him, I noticed that even the guys were looking visibly tired due to our endless training. I, on the other hand, although exhausted, had trained like this since I could walk. I was used to being able to hide the physical pain in order to not get shouted at for being weak.

~~~~~~

For our last lecture of the day, feeling like I had been brought through the wringer, we all filtered into the Monitor Room. Maybe too nervous yesterday to get a good look at the room, I overheard my classmates gossiping about the surveillance equipment surrounding us. Not only were there cameras of the school grounds, but some screens showed destinations all over the country.

"Don't you think just using this room would make for an easy investigation?" Overhearing one student comment, I couldn't help but agree. Knowing how much the pictures under my bed were worth, who knows how vital a video of a crime would be to an investigation. You just needed to be able to prove they weren't doctored.

As the instructor lectured, I noticed Naruko resting on my shoulder. "Come on, Naruko. Just a bit longer." I shook her while keeping an eye out for anyone that might rat her out.

"You can talk. You're a machine, Atsuko," she whined under her breath.

Suddenly, before I could laugh at her comment, another voice spoke up behind us.

"Sasaki, go to the medical office if you're drowsy." Instructor Shinonome piped up and we both jumped to attention, having not felt anyone around us. Even though the man was grinning, there was something evil behind that childish face of his.

"Ah! S-Sorry! I'm okay!" Naruko instantly woke up at the prospect of getting punished.

"If anyone else wants to sleep, you can tell me. They put you through it on the first day, so I expect you're all tired." Shinonome's offer almost sounded like a chance to get us expelled. Or, it did to me anyway. Everyone else looked relieved at the kind sentiment.

"Okay, that's all for today's class then. Great work everyone." A cheerful smile returned to his face as I eyed him suspiciously. The man I saw in the shower room on my first day was hidden under that friendly persona he had on.

"Oh, right. Can those who I call stay after class for a moment?" And there it was! The not so innocent catch to his kind offer. Those who would be called were definitely being thrown to the wolves in order to save the rest of us.

As Shinonome began to read out the list, he directed his gaze to the monitor. He called out a few names before looking directly at me. "Lastly, Atsuko Motomori." His face had no note of malicious intent, however, I couldn't help but not trust it. As I gasped to myself, he dismissed our classmates.

"Atsuko, what did you do?" Naruko whispered as our free classmates shuffled out around us.

"I-I don't think I did anything?" I panicked, thinking back over the day, trying to find anything that could warrant me being reprimanded. Looking over to those also called, I could see they were just as nervous. Why were we the one's held back?

‘Maybe... Kaga's mission was discovered?’ I couldn't help but wonder if we’d been caught as Naruko left me sitting where I was.

"Don't be so nervous. I'm not going to get angry." The happy smile on Shinonome's face helped calm the others in the room. Even I was somewhat relieved by his words. "How were they? The lectures?" Directing his question at me, Shinonome looked over.

"Educational! It's wonderful how good the facilities are." Trying to get on his good side, I didn't want to let myself look withered as I kept my voice light.

"Well, the class seemed sleepy. Sasaki looked like she was nearly asleep." The comment didn't sit right with me, this being an elite academy and all.

"Well, as you said, they put us through it," I laughed, trying not to put Naruko in any deep water.

"So, are you going to fall asleep on us as well? I'd have to punish you then." Shinonome cast me a look that probably didn't seem like anything to the other men in the room. But, to me, it seemed as untrustworthy as the rest of him.

"Don't count on it." Not wanting to divulge my past of intense training, I just showed a soft smile. To be honest, I wouldn't mind a nap right now, but I wasn't going to admit that. The thought of any kind of punishment, which would likely be some form of harassment from him, had me on edge.

"Too bad. I wonder if any students who I can have fun with will turn up soon?" His mischievous appearance reminded me of the look Kaga gave me yesterday and my eyes darted away. Even though Shinonome seemed actually happy and there was no emotion in Kaga's eyes, the concept of teasing made me uneasy.

‘It's scary how he can talk like that and still smile.’ I thought about how his words didn't match the expression as the doors of the Monitor Room opened again.

Throwing my gaze to the door, I watched Ishigami, Goto and Soma make their way inside. "You're all immediately going to be assigned as student aides to the instructors." Ishigami didn't miss a beat as all attention landed on him.

"Simply put, you'll help the instructors file documents, prepare lectures and such," Soma added, helping the confused students out. I was shocked. I hadn't done anything special to get me a close position to any of the instructors, let alone have to deal with their grunt work. "Since we must continue our normal duties as Public Safety officers while we teach, we won't always have the time." With that comment, I finally understood why Kaga would agree to become an instructor- so he wouldn't have to do any of the work if he had a capable enough aide. I pitied the person that would have to undertake that role.

"This is good experience, so although it will be difficult, we ask that you try." The encouraging words from Soma were much more trustworthy to me than Shinonome's slightly eerie ones.

"Each instructor will get a full-time aide. Following the instructors will be an important role." Goto, as blunt as he had been at the introduction ceremony, crossed his arms as he stared down at all of us. Somehow, the silence that followed was more anxiety invoking than anything Shinonome could say. Soma was right, though. Being so close to an instructor all the time would be a perfect learning opportunity.

"We will now announce the aides," Ishigami announced, retrieving his clipboard once again. "Instructor Kaga's aide will be Atsuko Motomori." The Captain was as stoic as ever as he read out the list. I, on the other hand, couldn't be more shocked. ‘Kaga seemed so annoyed by even my mere presence yesterday, why would he want me as an aide? He already thinks I'm a screw up because of the train incident.’

"What?" Ishigami glared at me as he heard my wordless gasp.

"Nothing, sir. Sorry." I bowed my head in embarrassment of drawing attention to myself as I pondered over the events in the love hotel that could get me the chance to become an aide. ‘Is it because I chose him yesterday?’ I panicked, thinking back to the misplaced bravery I’d had when picking an instructor.

"Isn't this a good thing? You're one of the few to come back with him safely." Ayumu smirked at my worrisome state. ‘The only reason I was safe is because he didn't actually train me. There was no chance to get in harm's way. Except for the possible fallout of someone recognising me.’

"Shinonome, refrain from talking." Ishigami quickly progressed through the list of aides. Once he finished, he turned to me once again. He explained that Kaga was on an investigation mission and that I should go see him when he gets back. I hesitantly agreed, glad to have the time to prepare myself while he was out working. Unlike our permanent instructors, the guys from Public Safety weren't always around, which is probably why they need the help.

As we were dismissed, I tried to remind myself what a good learning opportunity this could be.

~~~~~~

When the time came to see Instructor Kaga, as Shinonome had told me back in the Monitor Room, I headed to their staff room.

"Excuse me." I knocked on the door before opening it to find an office-like space. Kaga was sitting at one of the many chairs at the large table in the centre of the room. I stood in front of him in order to introduce myself.

"I'm Motomori. Starting today I will be serving as your full-time aide." Straight-backed and trying to not look uncomfortable under his discerning gaze, I explained why I dared talk to him.

"Oh?" His brows frowned, once again judging me for all I was worth.

"I just came to let you know Instru-." However, before I could blame Ishigami for sending me here, I was interrupted.

"A full time aide?" He even seemed to ponder the idea before flat out rejecting me. "Useless, I have no need for an aide, so go." His blunt response threw me off a little. To be honest, I was surprised he didn't unenthusiastically jump at the idea for someone else to do his work. Losing the optimistic view of this assignment, I tried to explain that it had already been decided.

"Don't need it." He quickly interrupted me again before turning his back on me. "Tell Ishigami for me," was the final thing he said before expelling my presence from the room.

~~~~~~

‘That was rougher than I thought it was going to be,’ I thought as I stood in the hallway, looking at the door signed 'Staff Room'. ‘But, I can't afford to back down here.’ More afraid of what Ishigami would say than what Kaga could do, I raised my fist to knock on the door.

After hearing no reply, I began to get desperate. "Instructor, please!" I call out, not wanting to go back to Ishigami empty-handed.

"Shut up." The door flew open and there's Kaga, glaring down at me. The sudden action made me jump out of my skin in the silent corridor. "Let me spell this out for you since you don't seem to get it." The oncoming lecture was apparent when I felt like he was going to start insulting me for being so persistent.

"I have no need for some useless piece."

I won't lie, that statement struck home. The whole 'chessboard' way of thinking about people lower than you was exactly how my father treated us. I once confronted him about my mother's disappearance and all he could say was "she didn't know how to play the game. She's useless to us if she doesn't want to compete." That wording was something I never understood. How were you supposed to lead anyone if you didn't think anyone less than you was capable enough?

As I thought about Kaga's statement, I tried to ignore the relation to the man who raised me. "If you give me a chance, I'm sure it'll get Ishigami off your back. He'll only complain to you if I go back to him now." I tried to reason with the side of him that hated his Captain counterpart and a wave of irritation flashed through his face. "I can do anything! I can file for you. I'll even do chores. Please!" I begged, hoping I was getting through to him. Maybe the idea of a maid would make him reflect on the idea. Then, he finally looked at me without that concerned expression.

"Anything, you say?" He looked me up and down as I agreed, not thinking about the consequences of those words. Then, he narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.

"You can be my servant." The growing smirk on his face made me a little uneasy. It was that same grin of victory he’d showed when he’d collected the evidence from the love hotel.

"Excuse me?" Was all I could utter out to ensure I’d heard him right.

"You can be my full-time servant. How many times do I have to say it?" The disconcerting frown returned as his eyebrows creased together again.

#HLITF #hlitf ayumu #hlitf kaga #hlitf goto #hlitf ishigami #hlitf soma #hlitf shinonome #hlitf fanfic #voltage games #voltage fanfic #oc #ooc #her love in the force #crime #mafia #mob #police #detectives

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littlemisssquiggles · 4 years

Text

Pinehead Headcanons: Oscar’s Humanity

You know, I've been thinking about the whole "friendship bracelets for Team RWBY" idea that the CRWBY Writers revealed was scrapped for RWBY V7.

For context, you guys remember the scene at the start of V6 where Ruby had a little gift shop bag that she was grinning and skinning about all happy Ruby-like, promising an impatient Yang that she’d have to wait till they got to Atlas to see exactly what her little sister had bought.

Remember that bit that wasn’t followed up in V7? Well according to one of the CRWBY Writers over on Twitter (can’t remember which one of them it was), apparently what Ruby had bought was supposed to be friendship bracelets for herself and the members of Team RWBY. Y’know something to symbolize their bond as a team that was originally meant to play a part in their final fight against the Ace Ops finale. I say “originally” since as I said, it got scrapped.

In more ways than one, this squiggle meister is actually kind of glad that the CRWBY decided to not go with that idea for the time being. If I'm being completely honest here, when I first heard that that was what the CRWBY Writers were planning to do with that bit, I didn't really like the thought that Ruby only purchased friendship bracelets for her team to commemorate their bond.

Listen. I get that Weiss, Yang and Blake are Ruby’s teammates and her supposed sisters in arms and while I understand that this would’ve been a cute idea to highlight the strength of the bond between RWBY…I’m sorry but in a way; I can’t help but feel like doing that could’ve unintentionally underplayed the importance of Ruby's friendship with JN(P)R especially coming off the events of V4-V5.

While Weiss, Blake and Yang are Ruby’s team---Jaune, Nora and Ren have also been there for Ruby too and have always had her back just as much as her teammates did with V4 andV5 highlighting that case for me prior to Ruby being reunited with her girls by the end of V5.

It’s why when I first saw the Gift Bag scene in V6, I was more open to the theory of the bag containing something that Ruby bought for everyone; not just her teammates. To me, it would've been sweeter if Ruby bought friendship bracelets for all of her friends---not just as token of appreciation for all the times they’ve ALL supported and been there for her when she needed it most in their own respective ways but also as a symbol of linking both teams together as our core hero group whose shared journey we’re following.

With this in mind, I like the concept of Ruby fashioning her whole group matching friendship bracelets with beats comprised of colours to represent everyone within their circle of friends---y’know red for Ruby, white for Weiss, black for Blake, yellow for Yang, perhaps a darker more golden yellow for Jaune while Ren and Nora both share the colour pink. I also like the idea of the beads being marked with letter of everyone’s first name with Ruby being thoughtful enough to even include two extra marked beads to represent the friends they had lost---meaning Pyrhha and originally Penny before they revived her for V7. Y’know something like this, for example:

In a way, this idea makes me think back to that moment from the original Yugioh series where Tea took a marker and drew symbols on her and her friends’ hands as a sign of their strong friendship and support of Yugi before he went off to dual Kaiba for the first time (at least, I think it was Kaiba. Correct me if I’m wrong).

And something like that could’ve also been used to highlight Oscar’s inclusion in the group as well with a bead in his signature colour---pine green branded with the letter ‘O’ for ‘Oscar’ being included in the bracelet design.

Think about it. Imagine…a tender moment where Ruby is giving out the friendship bracelets to everyone only for her to surprise Oscar with one too. I understand that the bracelet idea was scrapped for now but imagine if the CRWBY Writers decided to bring it back for V8 under the new notion that it’s something used to represent and strengthen the bond within the whole hero team rather than just RWBY alone.

With that thought in mind, as a way to work that idea into the established canon of the show, let’s say…instead of Ruby’s gift bag containing bracelets, what if…the bag only contained only the materials that Ruby was planning to use to make the bracelets.

This helps tie into her line to Yang about her having to wait to see what it was since Ruby hadn’t crafted the bracelets herself. I’m kind of digging this small little red headcanon I have here of Ruby using what little spare time she had between missions and training while in Atlas to craft the groups’ friendship bracelets in secret. I dig this concept just as much as the dig the thought of Ruby originally planning to surprise all of friends with the finished bracelets (inclusive of the newly reformed Penny) at some point during their stay in Atlas however she never got the chance given everything that happened while in the kingdom (preparing for Amity, the elections, the attack at the rally, etc).

I know the idea of having the bracelets now might sound weird however the reason I brought it up was because of this one thought. If the bracelet concept was meant to be something to bond the hero team together, then imagine…how depressing it would be if Ruby never got the chance to gift Oscar’s his own as her way of saying he was now officially a part of their team because she late discovered that Oscar was "dead"?

Imagine…how depressing it would be for Ruby to look back and realize that the very thing she had planned to be something to bind her and her friends together became a reminder that Oscar was now “gone” and that Ruby would never see him again.

Imagine…how depressing it would be for Ruby for her to realize that, much like her mother, Oscar had “gone away” and she never got a chance to say goodbye to him.

And…imagine how especially depressing it would be if Ruby had to hear that news from Qrow upon the team basically busting him and Robyn out of prison when they were hoping to rescue Oscar too. Crows are harbingers of death after all. So for me it would be fitting if Qrow is the one to begrudgingly deliver the news of Oscar’s “murder” to the team after Ironwood confessed to him while imprisonment under the guise of a threat on his life (or something like that).

I like this idea since it could lead into a potential parallel between Oscar and Summer Rose since I’d still like to stand by the assumption that Qrow was the one who broke the news about Summer’s death to her family. For that instance, I’m imagining a scene where a young Ruby and Yang are hiding in the stairway of their house on Patch, secretly eavesdropping on a private conversation between their father and Qrow who had suddenly shown up at their doorstep to tell Tai what happened.

I’m picturing a miserable-looking Qrow needing to prop up a now emotionally distraught Tai Yang who had just fallen apart at the news. Meanwhile in the background, young Yang is doing her best to hold back her own tears at the news; tightly hugging and doing her best to comfort a toddler Ruby who was just frozen at the whole thing.

In V2, Yang mentioned that due to her age, Ruby didn’t take the news of Summer’s death the best since for the most part she believed she was more confused at the whole thing; unsure of how to really process it.

This is why I’m imagining something like that happening similarly for Ruby with the news of Oscar’s “death”. With Qrow revealing to truth and Ruby just becoming completely frozen by everything---moving in a somewhat detached manner from the whole ordeal which was forcing all her repressed feelings regarding her mother to resurface in the process.

I’m even thinking of a scene where as Ruby is absorbing the news of Oscar’s death, she suffers a moment where while processing the news, she’s bombarded with the same flashes of her mother standing alone on the hill with her graveside, only this time Summer is joined by Oscar standing on the hill with his back turned to Ruby and the apparition of her forming her friend refusing to look her in the eye or something cryptically dark like that.

I just would like for the Writers to use Oscar’s “death” as a means to reveal more details about Summer and her death since in a sense, the way how Oscar “died” is kind of similar to Summer.

As a matter of fact, the way Oscar “died” is similar to how Pyrhha was killed. For me, I’m picturing Jaune being the most affected by Oscar’s “unfortunate passing”. In fact, I’m thinking Jaune would be livid over Oscar's "death".

For me, I’m envisioning a scene where a distraught Jaune is just angrily punching the wall so hard that it was slowly starting to bruise his fingers with small flecks of blood starting to trickle from underneath the armour giving the force of his punches.

I’m picturing Jaune bawling his eyes out and practically screaming how much nothing has changed for him. In spite of his training, in spite of how hard he had worked to grow stronger as a huntsman, in spite of the promises he had made and the things he had said, here was another example of him failing yet another friend he let walk off to “handle things on their own”.

Oscar was a part of Jaune’s team. He was placed in his care and had his trust and protection and I can picture Jaune believing that he had failed Oscar just as he had failed Pyrhha.

It would actually be kind of sad how just as Jaune and essentially Ren and Nora were starting to slowly come to peace with Pyrhha and move on with Oscar looking to join them, he too suffered the same fate as Pyrhha and it’s a fate that I can see all of them taking responsibility in some way.

Heck I can even picture Jaune and Ren probably having an argument over this with poor Nora being forced to come between them. I’m thinking Jaune might get angry at Ren holding him responsible for making Oscar think he had to do something to help given his statement following the loss of the relic. That could be something but then again, these are only ideas.

Nevertheless, the similarities between the circumstances in which Pyrhha and Oscar were both “murdered” are too present that I can’t see it not being brought up for V8 as part of JNR’s side of things. Moreover, this is another opportunity for Oscar’s whole humanity and the way in which the whole group perceived his presence within their team to come into focus here. Think about it.

Imagine a moment where…upon learning the dark news, someone---maybe Nora--- brings up the fact about reincarnation clinging to the hope that perhaps Oscar could “return” somehow in some shape or form…only for Qrow to more or less burst their bubble.

According to my understanding of the whole Ozma Cycle, I’d like to believe that the way in which the reincarnation works is that Oscar would’ve only been able to return as a secondary soul inside the body of another is if he and Oz had already merged into one soul with Oscar becoming the dominating personality.

However if Oscar was killed before him and Oz could become one, I’d imagine that Oz---as the last version of Ozma’s soul---would’ve just moved onto another chosen vessel and have to redo the same induction process he had done with Oscar all over again. However Oscar would not be so fortunate. Basically what I’m saying is that Oz would be fine but Oscar on the other hand would be gone for good.

I just want the thought of Oscar---the soul that was Oscar----The part of him that was still the cute 14-year-old former farmhand that had shown up to RNJR in Mistral was now gone. I want that very thought to hit the whole hero team like a ton of bricks and to just see the reactions from everyone on the team at that profound realization. Especially the members of Oscar’s Inner Circle meaning RNJR.

For me, RWBY as a show has a weird habit of kind of doing a not-so-good job of proving how much the hero team actually value Oscar as their teammate. So I’m hoping that the news of his alleged “death” can spark this level of angst. It’s why I loved that V7 ended with Oscar being separated from the others with only Oz as his companion. It’s why I’m hoping that the CRWBY Writers allow for Oscar and Oz to finally have their own “journey” story away from the others.

As I’ve mentioned previously; not only is it a chance to develop and strengthen the relationship between Oscar and Oz that’s been strained so much since their first union but it’s also a way to highlight the importance of both souls’ existence to the people who knew them.

For Oscar, it’s a chance to see how he impacted the group in spite of his “short time” with them. Especially for RNJR since they technically knew him the longest having met him first and being comprised of the people who Oscar are closest to: Ruby as Oscar’s true rose (and potential love interest) and JNR as his team and surrogate family.

And for Ozpin, it’s a chance for the show to finally touch base on his ties to Qrow, Ironwood and maybe the whole STRQ group particularly Summer Rose. There is so much potential in this for Oscar’s character and his respective relationships with his closest confidants that as a Pinehead, I honestly hope it will be taken. Finger crossed to that for V8.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

#rwby #oscar pine #professor ozpin #oscar and oz #ruby rose #jaune arc #lie ren #nora valkyrie #rwby theories #rwby volume 8 theories #pinehead headcanons #squiggles pinehead headcanons

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