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bellofthemeadow · 8 months

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Blended Heart and Bitter Brews | part 1/?

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Summary: Your life was boring, hoping for your big break, you were stuck at Starbucks for what felt like forever. The hot metalhead that just came through your door might just be the amount of shit-stirring fun you've been looking for. (2.4K)

A/N: Hey everyone, first time venturing into the Stranger Things fandom. I know I am late to the party lol, but I was off TUMBLR when the show came out and I've just recently started rewatching it and I had the need to write a series on everyone's favourite metalhead! Hope you all enjoy it and lmy what you think 😊

Warning: Swearing, suggestive language, reference to bratting and brat taming (18+)

Working at Starbucks isn’t the most glamorous job in the world. It wouldn’t even make the top 500 hundred in your opinion. The hours were long, the pay was mediocre at best, and you didn’t even want to think about the tips.

After 3 years on the job, you came to the very scientific conclusion that there was a direct correlation between your empty tip jar and the ungodly amount of Frappuccino you’d have to do on a given day. To the point: right now it was just shy of 2 pm, and you had been making so many of those blended abominations that the front of your apron looked like a unicorn and a leprechaun had an orgy on it. And your tip jar was empty. Go figure.

Starbucks was supposed to be a temporary gig, something to keep the cash flowing between college and your big break. Unfortunately, there was no big break in sight, no producers had called you back because, your sound was “too 80s, but like the wrong 80s” so you were still there serving tweens their daily fix of sugar. You wanted to ram your head on the counter, maybe you should dye your hair platinum and get into pop. Maybe then someone would sign you since the whole metal vibe just wasn’t doing it for anyone. You sighed, just 1 hour and then you’d be free. At least for today, until you’d have to do it all again tomorrow. To avoid having a mental breakdown in the middle of the coffee shop, you distracted yourself by mentally running through the list of things you had to do when you got home:

Go grocery shopping. Nah you were positive you still had fruit loops; Grocery could wait.

Go over your demo. AGAIN

Therapy Oh yeah you couldn’t afford that. Maybe a good crying session to end the night.

Go grocery shopping. Nah you were positive you still had fruit loops; Grocery could wait. GET BEN & JERRY

Yeah, that should do it.

As you were mentally ticking things off, you heard the shrill voice of a girl at the counter order, “I wanna Venti Caramel Frappuccino with extra whip and a blended cake pop inside. Oh, and with Skim milk!” Of course. Fuck that!

You groaned and pushed your way to the till where the newly hired 19-year-old was taking the order, “Swap with me.” You made sure that your tone left no place for arguments. “Ehhh, I’m taking an order.” Looks like new girl didn’t get the tone memo, “I’ll take the orders from now on, you go work the bar.”

“But I am in the middle of tak…” “Ok look, that’s great, hard-worker is such a good look for you. But I think I’m not making myself clear here; You are going to swap the bar with Me because if I have to make another fucking Frappuccino, I will set this place on fire with everyone inside! Capish?”

Silence.

Suddenly a loud guffaw reverberated from somewhere towards the end of the already long line. Your coworker and the girl at the till looked horrified. But your monumental side-eye was the last nail into the proverbial coffin because Emma didn’t try to argue with you and instead, scurried over to the coffee bar.

Victory.

You turned toward the girl and plastered the fakest smile you could on your face “And what did you say you wanted?” The girl looked like she was going to puke on your counter “… I’ll have a grande latte… Is iced, ok?”

You smiled broadly “One grande ice latte coming right up, did you want skim milk with that?” “Oh no, no. Just regular is fine,” She stuttered.

“Great just gonna need to add your name and that’ll be 4.00 $.” “… Its Josie.” Sacharine smile plastered on your face, “Great Josie, you can go and wait by the bar over there.” You dismissively pointed in the general direction of the farthest end of the bar, “I can take whoever’s next!”

For the next couple of minutes, your other customers were rather accommodating, ordering black coffees and lattes with no mod for once. “All right next!” You passed down the cup for a “Grande Americano for Josh” toward Emma who was still doing her best to avoid any form of eye contact. You snorted a bit, to say that Emma might be a bit oversensitive was an understatement, maybe you’d apologized after your shift… Maybe.

You turned your eyes to the new customer in line and you couldn’t help but raise a brow at the yummy stud that just stepped up to your till. You licked your lips appreciatively; the guy must be around your age, with shaggy brown hair, big brown puppy eyes and plush lips you wanted to snap between your teeth. The guy was totally your type too, you spotted how his slightly ripped 1991 “Wherever We May Roam” Metallica tour t-shirt was hiking up his belly revealing a toned stomach. But what really made you salivate was the sight of his numerous tats that decorated both his arms. You could also peek at some hiding under his collar. Yummy.

You gave him your best sultry smile, leaned forward, showcasing the unfortunate non-existence of your cleavage as it was all covered by your apron, and coyly purred, "And what can I get you today, handsome?"

Hot dude seemed happy with your flirting as he responded with a reciprocating smile before leaning forward. You were so close that you could almost trace the tattoos (were those bats?!) decorating his forearms. He hummed as though contemplating it, then offered you a sultry smile. You were more than happy to respond with your best fuck-me eyes.

Suddenly his sexy smile transformed into a wide shit-eating grin before he boomed loudly, “I’ll have a Venti Caramel Frappuccino, extra drizzle, extra caramel and extra whipped cream.”

Time stopped. Crickets chirping. Jaw Dropped

What in the actual fuck?!

You jerked your head back and grumbled. Displeasure etched on your face. Hot dude wasn’t so hot anymore as you reluctantly entered the order into the cash register. "Whatshisface" still wore that irritating grin as he leaned forward even further, granting you a clear view of his sharp collarbones. He began to toy with some of the chocolate-covered coffee beans next to your cash register. "You touch it, you buy it," you grumbled.

His Cheshire cat-like grin grew even larger, if that was even possible, and he let out a loud tut. “Aw sweetheart, you don’t have to get all bratty on me. Come on, I know under that little metal act you got goin’ on, you wanna be a good girl for me.” He finished with a little wink that made you want to shove the napkin holder on his stupid handsome face.

“That’ll be 9.85 $” Grin gone. Whatshisface looked completely flabbergasted, “9.85$?!? In what world do you live in that you think its ok to charge so much for a cup of coffee!?” He loudly gasped, affronted.

You flashed your most charming smile and fluttered your eyelashes innocently, much to your delight, you noticed the tips of his ears beginning to blush. In a syrupy tone, you purred “Well sir the caramel, the extra drizzle AND the extra whipped are all extra charges. But I understand if that’s too expensive for you, perhaps you could move over and explore other parts of the menu that are more… within your means.”

Hook, line, and sinker

Hot dude turned an even deeper shade of red and began to rummage through the bag he was carrying, all the while muttering less-than-flattering expletives under his breath. You were fairly certain you heard him mutter a rather pointed “disrespectful little brat,” which senta delicious shiver straight to your core.

You were feeling quite triumphant and began tapping your manicured finger on the counter, a gesture that seemed to further irritate him. After a minute, he forcefully slid a crumpled $20 bill your way, bringing a smug grin to your face. After making a show of counting his change, you grabbed the venti cup and the black Sharpie. “And can I have your name for that?”

“…Eddie.” You slowly captured the cap of the Sharpie between your teeth and started writing his name on the side of the plastic cup. You added a wide smiley next to it for good measure. You triumphantly noticed that Eddie gaze hadn't wavered from your mouth, as if entranced by the sight of the cap being gripped by your teeth. Maybe he was imagining something else between your lips, you snicker to yourself.

After sliding the cup over to Emma, who appeared as though she had just witnessed a car crash, before hurrying over to start his drink, you coquettishly cooed at him, “Well Eddie,” you made sure to enunciate every word as you tasted how his name felt in your mouth. “I hope you enjoy your… expensive drink, Tip jar is right here.” You gestured with your impeccably black manicured nail towards the nearly empty box "Don't you think I deserve it? After all, I’ve been such a gooood girl for you and did everything you wanted?" You batted your eyelashes, ensuring to add ample emphasis to drive your point home.

As for Eddie, well he looked like he was about to suffocate. Red and blotchy all over, you could also spot some sweat gathering on his forehead. You almost started to pity the poor guy when he tried to stutter out a response to your teasing. Almost.

In the end, Eddie dropped a couple of ones in the small glass before making his way toward the end of the bar. You also noticed how he had a slightly slouched gait—probably because you'd turn his attempt at embarrassing you on him. He finally stopped in front of where Emma was making his sugared monstrosity. As you were taking the next order, you could feel Eddie’s gaze burning your body. So, you made sure to give him a good show, laughing extra hard at the lame jokes from the college boy you were serving. Bending down a bit too low to grab an extra roll of receipt paper giving him a good view of your shapely ass, drawing large hearts on every cup and flirtatiously referring to every guy in your line with endearments like "sugar" or "handsome."

“A VENTI CARAMEL FRAPPUCINNO WITH EXTRA CARAMEL, EXTRA DRIZZLE AND EXTRA WHIP FOR EATDICK!!!”

“Jesus Christ, no need to scream in my ears like that.” Eddie, looking mortified, snatched his drink before sitting down at one of the empty tables. One of the only ones with a perfect view of the counter. You gleefully observed how Eddie nearly spat out his drink after taking the first sip, probably dying a little bit inside at the taste of the artificial sweeteners that must invaded his mouth. Quite the smooth move, jackass.

You looked at the time, as your other coworker Jenson joined you behind the bar to relieve you of your minimum wage duties, “I’ll just make myself a drink and then I’m outta here!” You whoop, Jenson acquiesced with a shrugging smile before taking over the till. You shuffle toward the bar area and snicker as you start to make yourself an extra special drink.

“Hey Jenson, can you do something for me real quick after I leave?”

Eddie is grudgingly drinking the caramel monstrosity he ordered. His own fault really, he’s always been a black coffee kind of guy. When he was younger, he started to order it black because it fitted his whole metal vibe; “Black like my soul,” he’d ordered with a wink to the old-timey dinner waitress back in Hawkins. But now that he moved to Indianapolis to chase his music dreams, he realized that he couldn't enjoy coffee unless it was as bitter as the disappointment that people had in him.

While he wasn't usually a Starbucks person, he had stayed up until 4 am this morning after playing a gig downtown. And to top it off, he had to be at work on the dock by 6 am, leaving him with barely any time to sleep in between. At this point, he would have traded his soul for a coffee. So, when he spotted the Starbucks on his way home, he just had to stop. Mindlessly scrolling on his phone for any notifications of Corroded Coffin, you took him right out of his zombie-like trance when you shrieked about setting the place on fire. He hadn’t been able to stifle his laughter at your words. To top it off, you were hot, as fiery as the arson you threatened everyone with. So, when he reached the till and saw that his attraction was completely reciprocated, he couldn't help but tease you a bit.

He just hadn’t banked on you being such a brat. Now he was sitting alone with an almost inedible caramel concoction of his own making, swimming in the bitter disappointment of having made a fool of himself in front of you. As he was simmering in his annoyance, a cup of steaming Americano was placed in front of him. He raised his head fast and looked at the sheepish expression of a lanky guy with a freckled face, “I didn’t order that…”

“Eh, well she made it for you. Told me to give it to you after she left.”

Eddie’s head snapped back to the bar where you had disappeared. A bitter taste of disappointment coated his mouth as he realized he hadn’t even gotten your number, “Thanks, man.” The guy gave him a sharp nod in response before making his way back to the till where a line was slowly forming again.

Eddie took a deep breath, inhaling the tangy smell of the black coffee. Exactly what he needed. As he was about to take a sip, black writing on the side of the cup got his attention.

Hey hot stuff, You looked like you wanted to put me back in my place back there 😉 I’d like to see you try, call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx -Little brat

A huge grin broke out on Eddie’s face as he took a sip of his coffee, letting the bitter liquid burn down his throat.

Today turned out to be pretty metal after all.

Part 2: The Phone Call

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x female reader #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x reader #eddie x y/n #eddie x you #rockstar eddie munson #brat taming #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fandom #fanfiction #fanfic

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wisteriashouse · 16 days

Text

fortuitous

pairing: kaveh x jeanne de la roche (oc)

genre: romance; commission

word count: 10521

a/n: had to go rewatch kaveh's story quest for this ayy @hinokami-s

If Kaveh has to interact with just one more person on his way home, he thinks that he might have a breakdown right outside Puspa’s Cafe that is going to be everybody’s problem.

He isn’t going to, of course — Kaveh is far too much of a people pleaser for that — but archons is he close to his breaking point. He’s been up even before the sun today, bouncing between what had felt like an endless amount of meetings with increasingly unbearable clients. Now that the day is over, however, Kaveh can barely feel any relief. Instead, all he can think about is face first into his bed the second he gets through the front door.

He stops in front of one of the houses along Treasures Street, fumbling with the bag on his shoulder. Please, please, don’t let this be yet another of those times where he has to ask Al-Haitham to open the door… He rifles more desperately through its jumbled contents once more, hears a familiar jangle of metal muffled at the bottom. “There you are!”

So he hadn’t forgotten his keys after all, which might be the first thing that has gone well for him today. The key turns smoothly in the lock and Kaveh steps into the house, embarrassingly proud of himself, until he sees Al-Haitham sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in his hand and a book open on his lap.

A completely normal sight, considering that this is his house. What isn’t normal is that the miserly stickler appears to be doing work. Outside of his regular working hours? Impossible!

Kaveh sticks his head back outside to check the sky situation. The sun is setting over the Avidya Forest, the sky is clear with small patches of clouds drifting by and… hmm, no flying pigs. Very, very odd.

“Al-Haitham,” Kaveh says as he toes off his slippers at the door and turns around, “did those Spantamed researchers you were talking about slip a potion into your food or something? Because there is something seriously wrong with you today— woah!”

A pair of aquamarine blue eyes blink up at him from the couch, and Kaveh nearly falls over his own feet as he stumbles backwards in surprise. Not his best moment, he knows. Seated next to Al-Haitham (and conveniently blocked off from his line of sight by the door) is a young woman, a few papers in her gloved hands. Her clothes are clearly foreign, bearing the sharp yet flamboyant silhouettes characteristic of Fontainian couture. Her features too, look foreign. Most likely not a Sumerian.

An overseas Akademiya associate, perhaps? No, no, the man sitting in front of him would rather dance stark naked for the Zubayr Theatre than bring Akademiya work home. Logically, that only leaves one possibility… that she is Al-Haitham’s friend.

A highly unlikely possibility, since Al-Haitham doesn’t have any friends. Kaveh would know. Besides, why would anyone, much less a beautiful lady like her, put up with that acerbic tongue of his?

But all that is irrelevant to Kaveh’s current predicament. Someone has seen him entering Al-Haitham’s house, and if they have even one brain cell, will surely put two and two together and realise that Kaveh has been forced to take up residence with Al-Haitham. It might be just one person, but that is already one person too many. He needs to think of a solution, and fast!

“Hi! Good, amazing evening.” Kaveh is all too painfully aware of just how nervous he sounds right now, fumbling at his bag desperately as though hoping to magic out some sort of assistance from its depths. “Hey, Al-Haitham. Didn’t see you there. Amazing house. Never been here in my life, ever. I just stopped by on my way to the tavern to hand you this…” he pulls out a miniature model of the Alcazarzaray Palace from his bag. Fuck. “Well, I hope you like it. Here you go.”

The woman stares at him as he plants the model on the coffee table and glances over at Al-Haitham, but not before he catches the brief flash of recognition in her eyes. Oh, it’s over. Oh, it’s so over — his reputation, his dignity — all gone like a puff of smoke in the wind.

“Come in before you make a fool of yourself — more than you already have, at least,” the Acting Grand Sage mutters from his couch, blocking out Kaveh’s indignant expression with a well timed sip of tea. “Jeanne here is a business associate of mine from Fontaine. I assure you, she hasn’t the slightest interest in your living arrangements. There’s no need to think too highly of yourself.”

Kaveh opens his mouth to protest, but manages to rein in his tongue at the last moment. No, he’s not going to sink down to Al-Haitham’s level.

Instead, he grudgingly shuts the door behind him and steps into the house, glances at Jeanne as he does. So she’s Fontainian, just as he’d guessed. Kaveh is still a little wary, but Al-Haitham isn’t the type to lie for the sake of something as pointless as petty entertainment. And he seems to be right, because the lady’s attention has already returned to the papers in her hands.

He tries not to stare too much as he moves to set his things down in the kitchenette. Al-Haitham and the woman seem to be deep in discussion about something that Kaveh can’t quite make out. Listening in to other people’s conversation is in poor taste, but Kaveh can’t shake the nagging feeling that they might be talking about him. He knows that it’s paranoia, but it doesn’t stop him from loitering around the kitchen area, keeping an ear out for the conversation.

“... but it depends on which area he was arrested in…”

“... oh? The laws change depending on that?”

“... Akademiya might be the official governing body of Sumeru, but the desert… Eremites…”

From what he’s able to gather, the two seem to be talking about a criminal — a Fontainian noble who’d fled to Sumeru after being convicted of a crime back in his homeland. And this lady, Jeanne, is the one responsible for hunting him down and bringing him back to Fontaine to stand trial. She hands him another sheet of paper. “And this would be enough for the Akademiya to release him back into our custody?”

“Were you expecting something more convoluted?” Al-Haitham shrugs, bringing his cup back to his lips. “We don’t want him here in Sumeru, what can I say? The quicker he leaves our borders, the better it is for us. Why, is there going to be a problem with that?”

Jeanne shakes her head. “No. I much prefer it this way. Legal proceedings tend to be… needlessly complicated in Fontaine. I’m just glad to hear that things are far more efficient here.” She reaches into the heavy bag by her feet, and pulls out what is frankly a terrifying stack of papers. “Unfortunately, since you are the one approving his extradition, the court of Fontaine will require you to fill in these forms for the different legal offices.”

The look Al-Haitham aims at those papers could probably curdle milk in a matter of seconds. Jeanne glances at him out of the corner of her eye, before she wordlessly takes half of them back. “Although I am not familiar with Sumeru’s laws, I can try to fill in some of the more mundane questions. Apologies for troubling you, Al-Haitham.”

The Acting Grand Sage eyes the papers with no small amount of disgust, but he eventually sighs and reaches over to take the papers from her. “No worries. I can do it.”

Kaveh has to remind himself not to stare too conspicuously at his roommate. Al-Haitham? Agreeing to take on unnecessary work? The man sitting in front of him must be some sort of Kshahrewar doppelganger, because Kaveh doesn’t recognise him at all.

Jeanne frowns. “But—”

“I was a scribe before my current… inconvenience.” That is no way to speak about the coveted position of the Akademiya Grand Sage! “I’m quick with a pen.” His roommate looks at her. “Besides, I think I finish things more efficiently alone.”

Kaveh’s mouth drops open with no small amount of horror. That’s not how you speak to a lady, you idiot!

But Jeanne only nods, an expression of relief on her face. “You have my gratitude, Al-Haitham.” Its recipient only waves it off.

“Come back tomorrow and I should have everything done by then. And please, enough with the formalities. Pointless courtesies tire me out.”

“Hm. If you say so.”

The two stand up, and Kaveh hurries back to minding his own business. He reaches for a cup, but ends up knocking it over. The wooden mug lands on the floor with a loud clack.

Kaveh closes his eyes, glances back to see Al-Haitham and the woman looking at him, and immediately averts his gaze to pick the cup up. Well, as if today hasn’t been embarrassing enough for him already. This is just salt on an open wound, now.

He chances another glance over his shoulder and very nearly drops the cup again when he sees Jeanne still staring at him. Not that he’s not flattered, but it does make him a little uncomfortable. Why, does he still have paint on his face? Or worse, does she recognise him somehow?

Before he can beat a hasty retreat to his room, Jeanne turns to Al-Haitham. What leaves her mouth next shocks him. “Could I take your roommate out for a quick conversation?”

Kaveh stares at her, stunned. He’s standing right here, you know! In earshot and everything! Al-Haitham frowns at him — why! — before waving Kaveh over — double why!

“Kaveh,” Al-Haitham announces, matter-of-factly, before Kaveh can get a word in. “Jeanne wants to have a word with you.” What, that’s it? No elaboration and no explanation? The two of them have never met before — what business does she have with him?

And if he’s being honest, Kaveh is a little terrified by the idea. Not just because she hadn’t told him why she suddenly wants to speak with him, but she is a rather intimidating lady with that large scar over the bridge of her nose, the glass-splinter hardness to her eyes. Eyes that are, oh, looking at him again.

“If you would be so kind, Monsieur Kaveh,” Jeanne adds. Kaveh likes to think that he is good at reading people — a fun effect of overthinking and all that — but her expression is even more indecipherable than Al-Haitham’s.

He stares intently at his roommate, trying to convey his reluctance with his eyes. “Well, I’m kind of tired today, so…”

“She isn’t going to eat you,” Kaveh yelps as Al-Haitham begins to push him in the direction of the door. Maybe he is the one who’s too easy to read? “Now, get out of here so that I can finish this paperwork in some peace and quiet.”

“I am a very considerate person!” Jeanne follows the two of them as Kaveh protests. “I am the very epitome of peace and quiet!”

“Your voice is shrill. And it hurts my ears.”

“My voice isn’t shrill. You’re just…”

Despite his vigorous protesting, Kaveh is escorted out of the living room and through the front door. Jeanne steps out of the doorway elegantly, adjusting the collar of her coat as Kaveh stumbles to catch his balance.

“Don’t let him drink too much,” is all Kaveh hears in Al-Haitham’s usual bland tone, before the door swings shut in front of him.

Kaveh stares blankly at the closed door for a few seconds in disbelief before he shakes his fist at it. “May the gods bring a plague upon you and your…” he pauses, hesitates, “upon just you, you rude bastard…”

“I apologise for my rudeness.” Kaveh spins around to see Jeanne still standing there, and right, he’d quite forgotten that she is the reason he’s out here in the first place. He’s never met her before, or at least he doesn’t think he has — he’s quite sure that he would remember someone as striking as her if he had.

“Ah, no. It’s fine.” He licks his lips awkwardly, looks over his shoulder for an exit route. The door is still shut. “Umm… you said that you wanted to speak to me—”

“Ah. I realise that I have failed to properly introduce myself.” Jeanne shakes her head and takes a step forward, holds out a gloved hand. Kaveh takes it, trying not to show too much awkwardness on his face.

Instead of shaking it, however, Jeanne grasped it lightly before leaning down to press her lips to the back of it. An action that, most understandably, turns Kvaeh into a flushed, flustered mess almost right away. “Greetings. I am Jeanne Éscarlate de la Roche, first daughter of the de la Roches family and an enforcer with the Maison Gardiennage.” The de la Roches… Kaveh has never heard of this family, but they sound important. “It is a pleasure to meet you at last, Architect Kaveh, Light of Kshahrewar. I have heard many good things about you.”

Kaveh nearly chokes at that obnoxious title, shaking his head at once. “Please, please, don’t call me that. I’m just Kaveh.”

Jeanne’s grip on his hand falters, her expression turning mildly confused. “Apologies… have I mistaken your identity? Al-Haitham is the one who introduced you as such… Are you not the illustrious architect of Kshahrewar who designed the Palace of Alcazarzaray, Kaveh?”

Kaveh can scarcely believe his ears. Al-Haitham said that? Is he going to burst into song next? Surely she is being polite — there is no way his roommate would ever speak a single, positive word about him. Squeezing water from a rock would be a more plausible feat. “I… Well, I am an architect.”

“Do you mean to say there is another architect named Kaveh who designed the Palace of Alcazarzaray in Sumeru?”

Each question feels like a bullet round being fired point blank at him. Please… he doesn’t want to have to say it out loud. “I… was the architect who designed that, yes.”

“Ah.” It’s hard to see, because her expression remains almost completely unchanged, but he notices the way that her eyes briefly light up — and his stomach drops at once. Is she somehow familiar with one of his acquaintances in Sumeru? One that is unaware of his current living arrangements? If word gets out, it’ll definitely spread like wildfire, and Kaveh’s reputation as a reliable architect and businessman will be in ruins and tatters!

Before Kaveh can come up with a way to minimise the damage already caused, Jeanne continues to speak. “Then, you must be familiar with my younger sister, Arabella, I presume?”

Who? The name is completely foreign to him. Arabella… a Fontainian… someone’s younger sister… dark hair and a feathered hat similar to the one on Jeanne’s head come to mind. “Do you mean Aria?”

“That is the name she often goes by when travelling, yes.” Jeanne nods very seriously at that, seemingly oblivious to Kaveh’s surprise. The Aria that he’d met at Lambad’s Tavern by chance a couple of years ago had been a bubbly, excitable and expressive lady with a rare flair for the arts. Nothing at all like the stoic, impassive woman standing in front of him right now.

Still, Aria — or Arabella now, he assumes — has mentioned her siblings multiple times over drinks. An overly responsible older sister who doesn’t know how to express herself but is as sweet as sugar underneath… Well, Kaveh can definitely see Jeanne fitting the first half of the description to the letter.

“Yeah, I know Ari— Arabella,” Kaveh nods, trying not to sound too taken aback. “Is she what you wanted to speak to me about?”

Jeanne nods solemnly. There is a grave expression on her face. From the way that Aria had spoken about her siblings, Kaveh doesn’t think that the woman in front of him has any malicious intentions. Still… there must be some sort of reason that she’s here, instead of speaking to her sister directly, isn’t she? “I’d just like to say… if you’re expecting me to divulge any secrets of hers, then I think we should end this conversation here. I wouldn’t want to waste your time.”

Jeanne blinks at him, a look of surprise briefly crossing her face, before a quiet noise escapes her mouth. It takes Kaveh approximately five seconds to realise that it was a laugh.

“You are a person of honourable character,” she tells him, and although her expression seems to have barely changed, there is definitely a glint of approval to her eyes that wasn’t there earlier. Kaveh feels like he’s just passed a test of some sort. “I didn’t doubt my sister’s judgement, but now I see for myself why she speaks so highly of you.”

Aria does? Kaveh isn’t sure if the two of them are particularly close. They run into each other whenever Aria decides to travel to Sumeru. They drink together, exchange their ideas about the arts, and occasionally their woes. To know that she thinks well of him… it’s surprising, but also strangely pleasant.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Perhaps, I should have phrased my words more accurately.” Jeanne nods, grasping her cane with one white gloved hand. “I wish to speak to you about my sister, but I assure you that I do not intend to pry out of you anything that she wishes to keep hidden.”

She sounds genuine enough. Kaveh nods slowly. “Go on…”

“I am here for… advice, I suppose.” Jeanne’s expression is thoughtful as she speaks, as though contemplating each word very carefully. “I am untalented at discerning the emotions of others, but even I can tell that my sister has become troubled as of late. She has been sneaking off to other nations more regularly for trips, but does not seem any happier when she returns. It is quite unlike her.” She looks at Kaveh, and he sees her brows slightly furrowed with concern. “Hence, I wish to ask you if you might have any insights on this matter.”

Kaveh purses his lips. This was unexpected, but not surprising. He might not see Arabella very often, but the two of them can be considered drinking buddies. Alcohol has a tendency to loosen people’s lips, bringing more of their true thoughts to the surface.

And he has noticed Arabella’s sudden bouts of sullenness. It would be harder not to, with how excitable and happy-go-lucky she usually is. He thinks back to the most recent conversation that the two of them had.

“Why don’t you tell your siblings about this?” Kaveh had suggested, when Arabella had brought this up. The two of them might be on friendly terms, but Kaveh doesn’t think that they are close enough for him to advise her on such a complicated issue. Cultural and societal norms differ between Fontaine and Sumeru, too.

Arabella had stared into her empty tankard for a long while. “I don’t want them to have to worry about me…” she’d confessed after a moment of silence. “I’ve taken care of these kids since they were… kids. It’s strange to talk to them about my own problems, y’know?”

He actually doesn’t, because Kaveh has never had siblings in his life. But he does understand locking up all his emotions and throwing away the key so as not to bother others. He’d never met any of Arabella’s siblings before, so he’d refrained from commenting further, but now…

Well, not that he knows Jeanne very well. But she seems to be someone who genuinely cares for Arabella, and Kaveh can get behind that.

“I don’t know everything,” he admits slowly. The intensity of Jeanne’s gaze makes him sweat a little, but Kaveh presses on bravely. “It’s a little… complicated, though, and might take a while to explain…”

Jeanne blinks, before taking a step back. Kaveh lets out an unconscious sigh of relief. “Apologies. I hadn’t considered that.” She glances at the street over her shoulder. “I suppose that this is indeed a poor place to have a serious conversation. How about we go to Lambad’s Tavern to discuss this over some drinks?”

Kaveh brightens up instantly at the sound of alcohol, realises that, and then immediately attempts to tone down his excitement. He’s been trying to cut back on drinking for a while now, to a low degree of success, but… come on, it’s been a stressful day. And it’s not like he was the one who initiated it, was he? “Well, if you’re insisting…”

“Oh. Do not worry, I am not. If you are uncomfortable with drinking—”

“No! I mean, no, I’m— ah, well. I’m not against drinking as long as it is done in moderation, of course.” Jeanne nods very seriously in response to his half-hearted words.

“That is a good mindset to have. All things must be enjoyed in moderation, else it becomes too easy for one to succumb to indulgence.” Kaveh feels like he wants to wilt in embarrassment. “Then, shall we get going?”

“Alright, then…” Kaveh glances back at the locked door for a second. He feels as though he’s forgotten something important, but he can’t quite remember what it is. “Oh. Wait, umm…” He fidgets with the hem of his shirt, feeling suddenly awkward. “Could I ask you for a favour?”

Jeanne looks at him, completely serious. “If it is reasonable and within my power, of course.”

“That is great.” Kaveh gestures back at the house, where Al-Haitham is undoubtedly enjoying his quiet and alone time. “Could I trouble you to keep my current, uhm, living arrangements a secret?”

“You mean the fact that you live with Al-Haitham?”

Kaveh cringes instinctively at the sound of it. “Yes, that.”

Jeanne’s brows lift slightly, a near imperceptible movement. “Is there any reason you do not wish for others to know that you are living with Al-Haitham? I noticed that you were acting oddly earlier, when you first returned to the house, but I could not figure out why.”

Fuck, had he really been that obvious? “I just…” He hesitates for a moment. It’s too difficult to put everything into just words. How is Kaveh supposed to explain why he’s worried about his reputation without sounding like a complete and total snob? And if he tells her about his financial struggles… she’d definitely laugh at him because of the whole Palace of Alcazarzaray fiasco. “It’s just embarrassing,” he says at last, putting his hands together in a show of supplication. “So… don’t tell anyone. Please?”

Jeanne nods solemnly. “Of course. I shall respect your wishes. I am not familiar with many people in Fontaine, so rest assured that I have no reason to tell anyone.”

That’s a relief to hear. “Then, shall we go?”

“Oh, yes. This way, please…”

>>>

Although he had initially been excited for some drinks, his enthusiasm is at rock bottom by the time they reach the tavern. The reason? The walk down Treasures Street might have been the most awkward experience that Kaveh has ever had to suffer through in all the years of his life. Not because the conversation went poorly, but because there had been no conversation at all.

Surely it is socially polite to… make small talk while in the presence of another person, yes? But Jeanne hadn’t said a single word since leaving the house, leaving Kaveh to stew in awkward silence all the way until the tavern. Part of him is seriously starting to regret coming out in the first place.

Fortunately, there is a fair crowd at Lambad’s Tavern tonight, the air filled with the hum of idle chatter. The two of them find seats at the edge of the tavern, and Kaveh, unable to endure the silence any longer, finally speaks up. “So… is there anything that you’d like?”

Jeanne looks down at the menu in her hands, before she pushes it over to him. “I’m not very familiar with alcohol,” she tells him bluntly. “I just tend to drink whatever others order. Get anything you’d like.”

Kaveh glances up from the menu, momentarily thrown off. “So… you’re not actually a drinker? I don’t want to accidentally get you hammered…”

“Oh, don’t worry. That won’t be an issue,” Jeanne reassures him. “I might not have any inclination towards alcohol, but it doesn’t mean that I am inexperienced. My work tends to put me in positions where I have to drink, so my alcohol tolerance is extraordinarily high.”

That doesn’t sound very good… Kaveh resolves not to order anything too high in alcohol percentage tonight. All for Jeanne’s sake, and not because he’s a complete and utter lightweight, of course. “Any preferences…?”

“I usually find the overpowering bitterness of coffee very refreshing.”

Kaveh stares for a second too long before he looks down at the menu once more. “I’ll just order something simple then.”

“Sounds good.”

He puts down his order, and Lambad quickly comes around to their table. He raises an eyebrow when he sees Kaveh and Jeanne together. “With a different gal this month, eh? You sure are popular with the Fontainian ladies, Kaveh!”

Kaveh’s entire face goes red. “What? I’m not—” Lambad sets the bottle of anise and date wine between the two of them, before he grins at an unsmiling Jeanne. “Have a fun night, the two of you.”

He’s gone before Kaveh can say anything else. “He doesn’t mean anything by it,” Kaveh turns to Jeanne at once. “He’s just, uh, trying to be funny. Ignore him.”

“I can appreciate his sense of humour and his efforts to put me at ease,” Jeanne replies seriously, as she reaches out to pour them both a cup. “But speaking about my sister… When was the last time that the two of you met? I would like confirmation about the timeframe that I have in mind.”

Kaveh swills the milky white alcohol in his cup. The slight scent of licorice rises up to his nose. “Hmm… maybe a month or so? She mentioned having some trouble back in Fontaine that she couldn’t put off any longer.”

“Trouble. Hmm…” Jeanne stares at the table for a few seconds, before she knocks back the entire cup. Kaveh stares at her, open mouthed in shock, but she doesn’t seem to notice. “Did my sister mention what kind of trouble?”

He takes a much more modest sip of wine from his cup and instantly makes a face at the burn in his throat. No, Lambad didn’t serve them a watered down bottle of alcohol. How did Jeanne even… nevermind. “Something related to romance? She didn’t talk about it explicitly, but she did ask me for advice about how to approach a man… not that I’m very helpful in that regard, I think.”

“I’m sure that you were very helpful,” Jeanne offers, completely sincere.

“No, I definitely wasn’t.” Kaveh shakes his head, takes another sip. “But, uh, I suppose she has a lover… or maybe a potential lover of sorts in Fontaine? One that she doesn’t quite know how to approach?”

“Hmm. Up till now, I thought that lover might have been you. But I suppose that I was wrong.”

Kaveh chokes on his cup instantly. What did she just say? “What!?”

Jeanne hands him a clean white kerchief in alarm. “I apologise for causing you such agitation,” she tells him, her expression genuinely apologetic. “I should have known better. You are not my sister’s type.”

Kaveh coughs one last time and dabs at the corner of his mouth with the kerchief — luxurious, thick Silk Flower silk with no creases. It almost feels too expensive to be putting his mouth on. “... thank you?”

“You’re welcome.” Jeanne sits back down and downs yet another cup of the wine. That’s like her, what, third cup now? And she still looks stone cold sober. Terrifying… “Do you have any idea as to who this potential lover might be? I already have an idea of this person’s identity, but I would like to make sure.”

“Uhmm…” Kaveh takes another sip of wine to cover up his embarrassment. “Someone who’s in a… unique position of power? Complicated social standing? Yeah, that’s how she described him.”

“Hm. That does confirm my suspicions.” Jeanne leans back in her seat and crosses her arms over her chest thoughtfully. She seems to have relaxed a bit now, which is good. Or so Kaveh had thought, because she spends the next few minutes pondering this all on her own, leaving Kaveh to the sad, melancholy tune of silence once more.

Not wanting to disturb her, Kaveh turns to the only thing left to do — the bottle of wine on the table. He pours himself a cup, and then another, and then another. Lambad doesn’t skimp on quality — sailors know the value of good alcohol, and this wine is some of the best that Kaveh has ever tasted. Which, eventually, leads to another problem: the bottle has run dry.

Kaveh upturns the bottle, shakes it vigorously and sets it back down with a sigh. Seems like that’s it for the night, he thinks, but Jeanne notices, to his surprise. “Let us order another bottle.”

That won’t be healthy for his wallet. But how is he supposed to turn her down nicely? “I don’t think we really need another drink… we won’t be here for much longer, will we?”

Jeanne blinks at him. “We won’t? Oh, am I unpleasant company to be around?”

“No!” Kaveh rushes to correct her. “I just… I just thought that you didn’t have anything else to ask me, so…”

“I would like to know more about my sister’s friend in Sumeru,” Jeanne corrects, and flags down one of the staff members serving drinks. “Order without hesitation. Since you have done me a great favour today, the drinks are on me.”

Really? “No! Really, there’s no need.” The staff member who had come up next to their table is starting to look a little annoyed now. “I don’t need any more drinks.”

“We’ll have whichever alcohol you recommend, thank you” Jeanne tells the staff member, who huffs and disappears back to the main building. Kaveh winces, awkward. “You didn’t have to…”

“As I said, you have done me a great favour today. I dislike leaving favours unpaid.”

“This can barely be considered a favour.”

“It might seem insignificant to you, but the weight that it has taken off my mind is immeasurable.” She says this so seriously that Kaveh cannot bring himself to argue against it. The server soon returns with a jar of snake wine, something that Kaveh has never been able to convince himself to order for his own enjoyment, and sets it on the table in front of him. He can already feel himself salivating.

Jeanne cracks off the top of the jar and pours them both a cup, before pushing Kaveh’s over to him. “I hope you enjoy it.”

“Thank you.” Kaveh knocks back the cup before he can hesitate any longer, and very nearly faints with how good it tastes. It must be good, having money. “So… what do you do for a living?”

“Me?” Jeanne pauses, swirling the cup in her hand. “Well, as I mentioned earlier, I am an enforcer with the Maison Gardiennage. We are responsible for Fontaine’s public order and safety.”

Right, Al-Haitham had mentioned that. So that’s why she was discussing criminal matters with him. “I thought that most Gardes wear those blue uniforms.”

“I’m part of the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol, to be more specific. We do not follow the Gardes dress code to move more inconspicuously, although that is rarely helpful in my case.” She gestures at the scar across her face. Kaveh holds back a sympathetic wince. He’d seen it earlier, but now that he’s seated closer, he can see the jagged edges of the scar, the old but healed skin tissue.

It must have been a painful wound. Jeanne, however, doesn’t seem to be very self-conscious about it. That only gives Kaveh more respect for her.

“And what does the Special Security do?”

She shakes her head. “That is classified. I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.”

Kaveh laughs, but then it trails off awkwardly. Jeanne said that with such a straight face — it doesn’t seem like a joke. He would like to keep his head right where it is — on his shoulders — thank you very much.

“Some of the criminals that you’re dealing with?”

“Classified, I’m afraid.”

“Colleagues?”

“Also classified. I can’t go into too much detail about my work — non-disclosure agreement.” Kaveh sighs and takes another sip from his cup. As much as he’d wanted to clear the awkwardness, part of him had also wanted to find out more about this intriguing Fontainian lady in front of him. This is a little disappointing. “Instead, how about you tell me about what you do for work?”

“Me?” Kaveh isn’t too sure why she’d want to hear about his work. Sketching buildings and making mini models sound pretty boring, especially compared to the kind of work that Jeanne probably does on a daily basis. “It’s nothing interesting, really…”

“But my sister always speaks very highly of what you do. She says that you are daring, and have many original ideas that you see through to fruition.” Jeanne counters. “I am someone who lacks originality, so I must admit that I was very intrigued when I heard about that.”

Originality… All Kaveh can remember is the Palace of Alcazarzaray. It’s not that he regrets creating it, it is his magnum opus after all, but pursuing originality does have its cost.

“Why do you think that you lack originality?”

Jeanne purses her lips thoughtfully at that. “After I was adopted into nobility, I was made to go for a number of classes in the classical arts. I picked most of them up rather quickly, but I can only emulate others. For example, I could paint what someone told me to, but I wouldn’t be able to think of what to paint on my own. I memorised many concertos, but could never come up with an original piece. That is why I admire creatives such as you and my sister.”

Oh. The only topic that he and Al-Haitham agree on, probably, is how the rigorous schooling and immense pressure to graduate in the Akademiya tends to stifle original thought. It’s sad to hear the same thing occurring in other nations as well.

“Besides, my sister has praised many of your works in the past. Since I do not have the time to visit all the buildings that you have designed myself, I hope to hear about them from you instead.”

How can he not feel flattered by that? The last person who’d been so interested in hearing about his works had been Arabella herself. Suddenly feeling a little too pleased, Kaveh takes a big gulp of the snake wine and begins to speak. “Then, I can start with telling you about the lighthouse at Port Ormos…”

>>>

“And those stupid old fogeys have no idea what’s possible or not! They wanted a stairway without rails — let me repeat, without rails! Are they idiots? Do they think they can fly? If someone slips off those stairs, that’ll be the end of it for them. But no, they said. Aesthetics are not meant to be practical, they said!”

Jeanne nods and very subtly slides Kaveh’s cup away from him. She now understands why Al-Haitham had told her not to let Kaveh drink too much — the man is a lightweight, and a terrifically noisy drunk to boot. Still, many of his complaints are valid, and he seems to be someone without much of an outlet for his frustrations. Jeanne might get along with Al-Haitham, but she is aware that the man isn’t the best listening ear.

“You should bring them up to a similarly high place and threaten to push them off,” Jeanne suggests. “There are few motivations more potent than fear.”

Kaveh stops his ranting to stare at her. His cheeks are flushed, eyes hazy and a little unfocused — all symptoms of alcohol overconsumption. Then suddenly, he starts laughing, loudly and almost without abandon. “You’re so funny, you know!” He grins, resting his cheek on an upturned palm as he looks at her. His words are slurring together a little. “As a law enforcer, shouldn’t you know that something like that would be illegal?”

Well, Jeanne is a law enforcer, yes, but she tends to work with… less than legal means. She can’t tell him that, though, so she shakes her head. “Perhaps, you could just covertly hire a few men to beat them up instead? I have the necessary contacts, should you need them.”

The man sitting opposite her coughs. “That’s assault.”

“It’s actually solicitation of assault,” Jeanne corrects him. “Besides, no one will be able to find out that you were the one who hired them as long as you know how to keep things off the record.”

“You know, for a supposed law enforcer, you don’t seem to have a lot of lawful solutions.”

“I apologise for my poor suggestions. I will strive to think of something more practical for you.”

He lets out a snort at that. “Pfft… I’m alright without the hired thugs, thanks…” Kaveh slowly leans forward to put his face down on the table. He seems… tired, for a lack of a better word. Not just the tiredness that comes with insufficient rest, but the bone deep exhaustion of having endured something for too long. “This is quite enough for me. I can’t remember the last time I just ranted to someone like this.”

Jeanne is surprised to hear that. “Not even to my sister?” She thought that the two of them had been close.

“Oh, not because we aren’t friendly or anything.” Kaveh shakes his head against the table top. His cheek is squished as he looks up at Jeanne. “But she has her own troubles sometimes, and I don’t want to make her feel as though she can’t share things with me. A bit hypocritical, I know. Still can’t help it.” He lets out a loud sigh. “I feel kinda guilty, speaking to you too. I don’t want you to think that I’m treating you as an emotional punching bag!”

He’s a funny one. And someone who clearly cares too much about how he affects others, and how others perceive him. As much as he and Al-Haitham fail at getting along harmoniously, she must admit that the Acting Grand Sage is probably the person that truly sees Kaveh as the person that he is.

“I don’t feel that way at all,” Jeanne reassures him, subtly waving the proprietor over to bring the bill. “I’m honoured that you are willing to share with me your troubles, even though we have just met.”

“Well, you make it a little too easy to…” Kaveh grumbles incoherently into his hands. “You… definitely have your own troubles, but you don’t really show it, you know… makes me feel as though I can speak to you without guilt. Ah, but that makes me feel guilty too… I can’t listen to your troubles in return…”

He sounds so suddenly despondent that Jeanne has to shake her head firmly. “As I said, I see it as an honour. There is no debt between us.”

“Hmm…” Kaveh doesn’t seem to be listening anymore, searching the table for something. “Hmm…? Where did my cup go…”

“Here,” Jeanne pushes a cup of plain water in his direction. “Drink up.”

The proprietor glances at Kaveh when he comes over to their table with the bill. “He’s completely smashed again, huh? Not doing so great again.” He gives Jeanne a curious look. “You a new friend of his? Haven’t seen you around these parts.”

“I…” Jeanne pauses for a moment as she drops the required mora into his hand. “I suppose I am.”

“Hmm.” Lambad looks at her again, before he hands her a small glass bottle that fits easily within her palm. Jeanne can smell the pungent odour even without uncorking the bottle. Poison of some sort? Does this man have a grudge against Kaveh? “Hangover cure. Give it to him when he wakes up — he’ll need it.”

So not poison, then. “Thank you.”

“No worries.” Lambad waves it off. “Kaveh’s a good kid — helped me remodel some of the seating areas inside the tavern for a discounted price when we were running out of sitting space. Sometimes he helps people out at too high of a cost, and far too little of a benefit to himself. But it’s hard not to like a man like that.”

His words describe what she knows of Kaveh accurately enough. “I agree.”

“Well then, take care of him for me. And get him back home — I’ll need to be closing up shop soon.” Lambad raises a hand and turns around to leave. Jeanne glances back at the man half sprawled out on the table, his styled blonde hair now a mussed mess. But it’s not a bad look on him, Jeanne thinks to herself as she gets to her feet.

She grasps him by the shoulder and shakes him lightly. “Kaveh.” He mumbles under his breath. “Kaveh. We need to go. They’re closing up the tavern.”

“I’m — hng — sleepy.”

“That’s why we need to get you back to your house.”

“Right…” Kaveh slowly pushes himself off the chair, very nearly stumbles over his own feet. Jeanne catches him by the elbow before he can fall over.

“Steady, now. I’ll support you.”

The two of them slowly make their way out of the tavern and along the street, Jeanne with her hand on his elbow to support him. Kaveh squints at her as the two of them walk. “You’re not swaying at all,” he suddenly observes, very loudly. Jeanne nods, keeping her focus on Kaveh’s feet. He looks like he’s about to trip again at any moment.

“I’m not.”

“How’s that possible? You look like you didn’t even have a sip. Did I,” he coughs, shakes his head in confusion, “did I drink both bottles entirely on my own?”

“No. I drank more than half of the amount that we ordered.”

“Oh. So we drank the same amount, then.” Not quite, but Jeanne lets it slide without any argument. “How are you so sober, then? You’re not even,” Kaveh hiccups, squints at her some more, “a little bit drunk.”

“I have a high tolerance.”

“That’s not fair.”

The conversation lasts the two of them all the way back to Al-Haitham’s house. She glances at the windows, but they are shut and no light is coming around the edges. He’s probably asleep already.

She shakes Kaveh, who is now just completely leaning against her to stay upright. “Do you have your keys?”

“My kiss?”

“No, keys.”

“Oh, keys… so that’s what I forgot when I left earlier…” He mumbles a few more incoherent things under his breath, before sagging entirely against her like a sack of potatoes gone limp. Only Jeanne’s lightning fast reflexes allow her to catch him before he can send the both of them crashing to the ground.

“Kaveh?” She shakes him again, but the man is out like a light. He really is a lightweight… Jeanne glances at the door again, and gives it a hopeful knock. No one comes to open it, unfortunately. Al-Haitham must have worn his noise cancelling headphones to sleep again.

Jeanne looks at Kaveh, tilting her head as she thinks about her next steps. She’s in a bit of a bind now. She could bring Kaveh to one of the inns and get a room for him, but it would be rude and inconvenient to wake up an innkeeper at this time of the night. That only leaves her with one option.

Sighing, Jeanne walks over to Kaveh, bends down and lifts him over her shoulder. He’s as light as she’d guessed, and of no trouble to her.

“Let us be off, then,” she says aloud to no one, before setting off down the empty street.

>>>

Kaveh wakes up the next morning to sunshine pouring into his room… and directly onto his face. He tries to open his eyes, but feels his retinas drying instantly, and turns away at once. Why is it so bright already? What time did he sleep in until?

Grumbling under his breath — gods, his tongue feels so dry and heavy in his mouth — Kaveh reaches for his bedside table and fumbles for the alarm clock. Not here, not here, not there either? Where is it?

He sits up in the bed and lets out a loud yawn, running his fingers through messy hair, and cracks open his eyes a smidge. To his confusion, his alarm clock is not on his bedside table. As a matter of fact, that’s not his bedside table at all.

His alertness finally makes a belated return. Kaveh glances to the left — a messy workbench on the table, no miniature cardboard model of the Avidya Forest’s watchtowers. To his right is a simple closet, filled with clothes that he doesn’t recognise. This isn’t his room. This isn’t even his house.

Finally, Kaveh looks down at himself. He’s almost relieved when he sees that he’s still dressed, at least, but then immediately starts to panic when he realises that the shirt he is currently dressed in isn’t his.

So, he does the most logical thing that he can think of — he screams.

A few seconds pass before the door suddenly bursts open with a bang to reveal Jeanne standing in the doorway with a wooden spatula in one hand and a fucking revolver in the other. Kaveh very nearly screams again, this time in terror, but manages to swallow it down. “Where’s the assassin?” she asks bluntly, eyes rapidly scanning over the room.

“What? No, there’s no assassin.” Kaveh cowers back into the covers, staring at the barrel of the gun. “Why is that the first thing that you thought of?”

Jeanne blinks, giving the room one last cursory glance before she holsters the pistol at her belt. She’s dressed in a simple pair of black pants and a simple ruffled blouse — different from the clothes that she’d been wearing yesterday. “It has happened before,” she tells him matter-of-factly, as though she is talking about a morning coffee or a stray cat coming by her door. Kaveh gapes at her in disbelief. “If there is no assassin, what were you screaming about?”

Right, he’d forgotten about that — which isn’t really a surprise, with how much his head is pounding. He feels as though someone is playing whack a mole with his skull. “I, um, didn’t recognise where I was and panicked for a moment.”

“Oh.” Jeanne gestures at the room that he’s in. “This is my house in Sumeru. I often travel back and forth between the two countries for work matters, which makes it more convenient for me to have my own residence here.”

That does explain where he is, but just… how did he get here in the first place? Kaveh tries to recall the events of the previous night. He’d gotten kicked out of the house by Al-Haitham, and the two of them had gone to Lambad’s Tavern to get drinks and discuss Arabella. The anise wine had run out, Jeanne had called for another drink, and then…

He can’t remember much after that, which can only mean one thing — he’d gotten very, very drunk. There are vague flashes — of seeing Lambad’s face and then staggering up Treasures Street, but aside from that, Kaveh has no recollection as to what had happened.

And he’s wearing a different shirt, one that isn’t his. It isn’t hard to put two and two together, a foregone conclusion. Oh. Oh. Dear Archons, did something happen last night? Did he do something last night?

“Jeanne,” Kaveh says with deliberate slowness, in an attempt to quell the rising panic in his chest. “Did anything happen last night that I’ve forgotten about?”

She’s checking behind the curtains of the room — is she still looking for the ‘assassin’? “Do you not recall what happened last night?” Yes! “We went out for drinks after we met.”

He remembers that part with perfect clarity. It’s what happened after that he wants to know about. Did he… “No, I’m asking if I did something… inappropriate.”

Jeanne shakes her head at him and Kaveh sags with relief. “You do not need to worry,” she reassures him. “You didn’t get sick on me or my clothes.” The panic comes back immediately. That’s not what he was talking about!

Kaveh gestures at the shirt that he’s wearing, hands flapping like the wings of a mad bird. “No, I was talking about this.”

“Oh… you mean how you got into that shirt. Apologies, I’m a little slow on the uptake.” That’s not what he meant either! “You spilled some of the snake wine on your shirt. My brother, Otho, stays in this room occasionally when he passes through, so I changed you into one of his spare shirts since the two of you are of similar height and build. I’m sorry if it’s uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to let you sleep in a stained shirt.”

Archons above… Kaveh feels as though he’s the only one losing his mind over here. Not just that, he sounds insane! Finally, he gathers the courage to take a quick glance beneath the covers and nearly faints with relief when he sees his pants still on. And aside from his raging headache, nothing else feels amiss… So maybe nothing really did happen?

Jeanne looks at him for a moment longer, trying to figure out if she properly answered him, before she gives up and gestures to the low table next to the bed. “There is water and a hangover cure that Lambad told me to give to you. Do you think you can stomach some food?”

It takes Kaveh a moment to process that question. “Oh… yes.”

“That’s good. I’ve made enough breakfast for us both in the kitchen — I hope you like shakshuka. When you’re feeling ready to get up, there is an en-suite bathroom—” she gestures to an inconspicuous door worked into the wall on his right, “and a change of clothes inside which you can use. I also just got your shirt laundered this morning, so you could wear that too, if you’d like.”

This is a bit too much information for Kaveh to take in at once. All he manages is a single, awkward, “why?”

Jeanne just seems a little confused by his question. “Why? Oh, because the laundromat wasn’t open until earlier this morning. It would have been better to bring the shirt as quickly as possible, but fortunately they still managed to remove the stain.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He feels as though he has said that sentence too many times today. “I meant… Why did you do all that for me? We’ve only just met, after all.”

People rarely go out of their way for others unless there is some sort of benefit that they stand to gain from it. Kaveh wonders if Jeanne is expecting something in return for it. There is nothing that he can offer her, he’s sure of it. Which is why he is so hesitant to simply accept her hospitality.

But Jeanne’s answer surprises him. “Is this not the natural thing to do?” she asks, looking even more confused now. “When I brought you back to the house, Al-Haitham was already asleep and you didn’t have your keys on you,” — so that’s what he forgot! — “not to mention that it was already long past midnight. I didn’t want to trouble the innkeepers, so this was the most convenient place to bring you.”

All that sounds logical and all, but Kaveh still can’t imagine that someone would do all that for him. The only other person whose intentions have confused him so thoroughly is Al-Haitham, who until now refuses to tell Kaveh why he let him stay in his house. But unlike his roommate, Jeanne seems genuinely… oblivious to it. As though she really doesn’t have a hidden agenda to her kindness, and this is simply natural for her to do.

Still, this doesn’t make Kaveh feel any more comfortable about receiving her goodwill. He’s adding up the costs for the laundering in his head — it must have been expensive, if she received the clothes back on the same day — when Jeanne holds out a hand. “There is no need to pay me back,” she tells him firmly.

“But—”

“I insist. Consider it a favour, for being friends with my sister and listening to her woes.” Jeanne nods decisively, as if that has concluded the conversation, and moves to leave the room. “I give you some privacy to wash up and get changed. Come out for some breakfast once you’re done.”

The door shuts behind her with a click and Kaveh is left staring at it, a little lost and stupefied. So… nothing is expected of him. She doesn’t expect anything back from him. Huh. It’s an uncomfortable thought, but an unexpectedly… pleasant sort of discomfort.

So he does what she told him to. Goes into the en-suite bathroom, sees the clean set of clothes laid out for him to wear. He takes a quick shower, splashes his face with cold water to wake himself up. After dressing in the clothes that Jeanne had left out for him, he heads back into the room and downs the hangover cure, chasing it down with water. A wooden cup instead of a glass one, he notices.

A small detail, but Kaveh is an observant man. Despite being so stoic and difficult to read, Jeanne seems to be a surprisingly warm and considerate person. Another lesson to Kaveh, he supposes, in learning not to judge others by their looks.

He glances about the room. Jeanne had mentioned something about her brother staying there occasionally, and he sees bits and pieces of that. A man’s styling comb, a pair of cufflinks on the table. And for a place that is supposedly so unused, he can see little knick knacks and ornaments that Jeanne has chosen to decorate the space with that give it a cosy, almost homely kind of warmth.

Framed Kamera photos sit on the nightstand, and Kaveh recognises Jeanne in some of them. Most of them appear to be of Jeanne, Arabella and their siblings — another man, who Kaveh presumes to be their brother, Otho, and a younger, seemingly fiery woman. Kaveh doesn’t seem to spot either of her parents.

Arabella is giving her biggest and brightest smile to the Kamera, but Jeanne is wearing her typical unsmiling, serious expression in all of the photos but one. The last photograph is a little less formal, a bit more candid, where all of Jeanne’s siblings are giving her a hug. From the looks of it, photograph-Jeanne is trying her best to maintain her usual expression, but there’s a distinctly pleased yet embarrassed look on her face.

It’s rather endearing, to be able to see this side of Jeanne. Kaveh finds himself staring at the photos for a while longer, thinking that it must be nice to have such a large family, when he hears Jeanne calling for him from outside.

When he emerges from the room, he sees Jeanna standing outside next to the table, dressed in the Fontainian suit that he’d seen the day before and her hair pinned up neatly underneath her hat. “Here is the shakshuka. I’ve never really cooked this dish for anyone else other than myself, but I hope you like it.” She removes the… clutch?... from an iron skillet to reveal a perfect dish underneath. Four perfectly poached eggs sit inside in a delicious mess of tomatoes and peppers. “I’ll need to be heading off for work soon.”

That’s very early. “It looks great,” Kaveh says as he moves to sit at the table. “Law enforcement?”

“Mm. I have some business with the matra today — now that Al-Haitham has approved the paperwork, I can finally collect the runaway noble and escort him back to Fontaine.”

“That’s great.” Kaveh is a little surprised by how disappointed he is to hear that she’ll be heading back so soon.

“Al-Haitham was very prompt with the paperwork,” Jeanne nods, before placing a key with a familiar lion keychain on the table in front of him. Is that his… “While collecting the paperwork, I also picked up your key so you may return home whenever you wish. Treasures Street is relatively close, so you’ll be able to walk back easily after breakfast.” She takes a step back and nods. “Then, I hope to see you around soon, Kaveh. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Oh.” Kaveh glances up at Jeanne, surprised. “The shakshuka is a little too big for me to finish on my own… are you not going to eat with me?”

Jeanne pauses with one hand on the doorknob. In truth, she is already running a little late — bringing Kaveh’s keys back here and then cooking the shakshuka had caused her to run quite a bit behind schedule. If it had just been her, she would have just boiled some eggs or bought something from Puspa Cafe on the way to the Akademiya.

Still, the hopeful look on Kaveh’s face is surprisingly difficult to reject. It’s like trying to convince herself to kick a puppy.

Eventually, she finds herself relenting — surprising even herself — and she takes a seat opposite Kaveh. “I’ll need to eat quickly.”

“That’s alright. Still, you should eat your fill to get ready for the day ahead.” Kaveh scoops out a good portion of the shakshuka and places it onto her plate. “Here you go.”

“Oh, let me get some for you too.”

“It’s alright, I can do it on my own.”

“I insist, really…”

Surprisingly, the conversation over breakfast flows easily — more easily than it did last night, at least. Kaveh asks Jeanne about the photographs that he’d seen in the spare room, and Jeanne had paused between bites to tell him more about her siblings. She had been adopted into the Fontainian noble family de la Roches while still a young girl, and had gotten three new siblings to live with. Arabella, the oldest, followed by Otho and Vivienne.

Kaveh is already familiar with Arabella, so Jeanne tells him about her other siblings. “Otho is the next head of the de la Roches,” she says. “He’s a bit of a handful at the moment, but I can see why he’s acting out — anyone would with so much pressure placed on their shoulders. As for Vivienne…” Jeanne sighs at the thought of her younger sister. “She’s the fiery sort, but gets into trouble a little too often. Arabella often runs herself worrying over her. Still, she’s got a good heart.”

Kaveh, in return, tells Jeanne some of his anecdotes living with Al-Haitham — some of which make Jeanne crack what seems to be her version of a smile. “I think that I have heard some of these before,” she tells him. Kaveh stops mid-rant, surprised. “The Mahamatra — Cyno — has regaled me with humorous tales of a certain friend living with another acquaintance. He did not mention them by name, but now that I have met you, I am quite sure that he was speaking about you and Al-Haitham.”

The conversation flows smoothly, and it’s not long before the shakshuka has run out. After they put the dishes away, Jeanne picks up her bag once more. “I must really go now,” she says, but she doesn’t look upset, which makes Kaveh feel relieved. “I will not return for a while, so I wanted to tell you this… I’m not sure if it will make you uncomfortable, but you may stay here whenever you like.”

Kaveh stares at Jeanne again, this time even more shocked. To just offer access to your house to someone you’ve just met the night prior… surely things are moving too fast here?

“This house doesn’t see much use otherwise. Besides, my sister trusts you, and after meeting you, I also think that you are a person of solid character.” Jeanne nods as she looks at him. “ I might be emotionally oblivious, but I am adept at discerning the hearts of others.”

“But—”

“This way, you could return the clothes I lent you.”

Kaveh hesitates. “If you say so…”

He follows Jeanne to the door, where she shows him where the key to the front door is hidden — underneath a flower pot with a small, fat ball cactus. “A little obvious, don’t you think?”

Jeanne shrugs, seemingly unbothered. “The key is enchanted with a locking mechanism by an astrologist from Mondstadt. If someone without my approval tries to touch it, it dissolves into water instantly.”

“That’s… wow.” Imagine being able to use such magic and technology for designing parts of buildings! Stairs that could hold their shape but dissolve into water when no one is using them, doors that could turn to water instead of having to physically open them. “I’ll have to visit Mondstadt some day…”

Jeanne looks at him. “Then, I’ll be going now.” And just as she did the first time she had introduced herself to him, she takes his hand and presses a light kiss to the back of it. “I’ll see you around, Kaveh.”

And Kaveh’s heart still skips a beat, unsurprisingly. While the feelings that had spiked through him previously had been more of awkwardness and shock, now there is something… a little more shy and flustered in its place. Now that is something that takes him by surprise.

You’ve just met her, Kaveh scolds himself, horrified. Don’t be so easy, Kaveh!

But that doesn’t stop his cheeks from heating when her eyes meet his. Her eyes really are like aquamarine stones, clear and polished with honesty. “I hope we meet again soon, Jeanne.”

“We definitely will.” With that, Jeanne releases his hand and turns around. Kaveh watches as she disappears down the street and off into one of the many tunnels among the roots of the Divine Tree. Only when she has completely vanished from sight does Kaveh turn around and go back into the house.

>>>

Kaveh returns the next day with the clothes that Jeanne had loaned him, clean and laundered, but is disappointed to see that she has truly left. When he sets the clothes down, however, he sees something on the table that wasn’t there yesterday — a jar of snake wine with a handwritten note pinned underneath it.

Headed back to Fontaine. Enjoy, but in moderation, of course — Jeanne de la Roche

Despite himself, Kaveh finds himself smiling. The next time she visits Sumeru, he’ll make sure that he has something to share with her in return as well.

#genshin #genshin oc #commission #kaveh

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m-jelly · 2 years

Note

hi! sorry if this prompt is too specific but i was rewatching season 3 so this plot came to me. could you write something with levi x y/n where reader sacrifices her life to save her captain. they manage to survive but by that time the scouts have left the city. they recover and stay back to fight the crimes in trost. then some years later, scouts come back for a mission and they reunite. it would be fun to know how levi would react. probably with shock, relief but also gratitude and respect.

Sure, no problem. Going to change it up a tiny bit where the reader sends a letter to let the scouts know they're all better. There's also no hint of romance in the ask, so this will not be romantic and the reader will be GN.

@kenkopanda-art thank you for the wonderful banner

Helping

Pairing: None. Levi, GN!reader

Genre and tags: Canon world, season 3 inspired, healing, injured reader recovering, reuniting.

Concept: When you wake up in the rubble of shiganshina, you remember the last thing you saw was saving the Captain. When your sense come to you, you realise you're all alone, your skin is burned and you might have a broken leg. You heal up in the broken homes and camp there until you're well enough to move out. You travel to Trost and help those living there by stopping crime. You send a letter to the scouts and hope it gets to them so you can let them know you are alive and well. Due to the breakdown of systems, your letter gets to the scouts a year later.

You winced when your skin tingled on your left side. You gasped at the ringing sensation in your ears. You finally pried your eyes open as the pain throbbed through you from your leg. You looked around to see broken buildings and burn marks. You welled up a little when you remembered the last thing you saw was the Captain.

You lost track of time, of how long you lay there, you just knew you couldn't move. You eventually mustered up the strength to sit up. You stared at your burned clothes to see your raw skin under them. You leaned against a slab of a building. You looked up when you felt a tap of a raindrop on your skin. You closed your eyes and let the rain pour down on you.

You got to your feet after a few hours and dragged your left leg behind you as you walked. You moved to a home that seemed to be standing the best. You raided the cupboards and tended to your wounds as best as you could. You gathered food and made a bed for yourself.

You were in the home for months as you healed up and made sure your broken leg was set enough. You walked with a limp through Shiganshina to the doors to see they were open. You slipped through and felt happy knowing people weren't afraid anymore. You kept walking for days until you reached Trost.

You found yourself a doctor and allowed them to tend to you. You recovered a little longer and by the time you were well enough, it'd been a year since the taking back of Shiganshina. You wrote a letter to the scouts, just a generic one before composing one for the Captain.

You turned to look at the doorway when your name was called. "Yes?"

A man walked in and smiled. "I heard you're a scout. I was wondering if you would help us. We're like a community police and we need someone like you. Look, we're really struggling. Please, help us."

You limped over to him. "Happily. Let me send these letters off and I'm all yours."

"I appreciate it. This means the world to us."

You smiled softly and walked to the messaging office. You handed your letters over and walked with the man. "So, where's you base of operations?"

He led you to a home with clear repairs done to it. "Right here."

You walked around as he gave you a rundown. You nodded and took it all in. You stared at the map on the wall and hummed. You ripped it off and placed it on the table. "We need patrols. I also need someone to compile data for me. Where are the main crimes concentrated? When we find that out, we can put most of our presence there but still have a small gathering in other areas. You also need a second outpost like this around about here. Therefore, people don't have to travel far for this one."

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah we'll do that. Thank you."

You smiled softly. "We got a lot of work to do, but we can do it if we work together. We also need holding cells, so can we start construction as soon as possible?"

"Got it." He laughed a little. "This is amazing, thank you."

"Thank you for including me."

"It's an honour."

You started implementing your changes and handed over any serious criminals to the military police. You'd turn Trost into a highly functioning area. You even formed a small police group that was separate from the military. You were proud of your team and felt like you were making a difference still even after the titans had been pushed away.

"Boss?"

You turned to your right-hand man. "Yeah?"

He smiled. "There's someone here to see you, he's a scout."

You put your things down and limped out of your office to the welcoming area to see Captain Levi in his long coat. "Captain?"

Levi turned to you and called your name. "You're really here."

You nodded. "I'm guessing the letter finally got to you. I sent it a few months ago."

Levi walked over to you. "You should have sent something sooner."

"I know, but it took about a year for me to heal."

He looked you over. "Burns and?"

"I broke my leg." You patted your left leg. "Better now, but I have a limp. It's hard to set a leg correctly when you are living in rubble."

"You lived in shiganshina?"

"Until I could walk, yes."

He hummed and bowed his head. "I just want to say, thank you. If it were not for your actions, I may not be alive."

You smiled a little. "I just wanted to help. You're a valuable asset to the scouts."

"Well, thank you anyway. I appreciate what you did for me." He looked around. "So, you've been working really hard I see."

You nodded and walked with him slowly. "I started up a form of police that is separate from the military. People trust us a lot more and it's working well. It took some time, but Trost is changing for the better."

Levi offered his hand. "Congratulations."

You shook his hand. "Thank you."

"I am proud of you, I am. Do you think you'll ever come back to the scouts?"

You shook your head. "No. My leg injury would be too much trouble, plus the skin burns are sensitive and the gear would irritate them. I'm sorry, but it's not possible."

Levi stopped walking and hummed. "Well, that is a great loss to the scouts. You're a good soldier."

You smiled a little. "I appreciate that."

"It's been...odd without you."

You turned to Levi and smiled. "Well, I am always here if you need me. I would visit the base, but I'm needed a lot here. I will make the time to visit."

Levi nodded. "I think that'd be good. Hange would like to see you again, along with the young scouts you trained."

"I'll make the time."

"Great."

You waved him close. "Come on, I'll show you the base of operations."

Levi smiled a little. "I'd like that."

#aot levi #levi #levi ackerman #snk levi #fanfic #aot fanfiction #levi fanfiction #levi x you #levi x y/n #aot x you #captain levi #levi attack on titan #snk #shingeki no kyojin #aot #jelly fanfics #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi ackerman x you

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starscreativity101 · 1 year

Text

Welcome to part four of breaking down the new Murder Drones Seasone One trailer!

So had to cut my last post short by like two images cause, all the images for the next part needed to stay together.

Major spoilers under the cut, also be warned there's lots of robot gore in this one, so if you can't handle it I do not suggest reading!

I'm very worried but also excited to learn about this part.

It's a crime scene, why is there a crime scene? I don't think they do that for disassembly drones, so I'm so curious and terrified of what this means.

An unknown murderer. Is it the thing that caused the goop? Or is it something else that's much worse?

The line across these scenes, is "I don't know what you're talking about, cause you won't tell me!" Shouted by N, is it at Uzi?

There's even more murder, this time has a knife.

Is this done by the same person, or is it something else?

I don't know this person, but I've heard their name is Lizzie. Correct me if Im wrong on that one. But with how many times I've rewatched the trailer, I'd say Lizzie is probably going to be more involved in this season.

It seems like Lizzie is either investigating here or knows something the others don't. Is it possible that Lizzie is doing the murders? Or does Lizzie know who is doing them?

A continuation of the line from before plays "What are you so afraid of?!" Still N shouting. Is Uzi afraid to tell N about the glitch she has?

This scene has Uzi retracting from N, after he tried to touch her shoulder, possible as a way to comfort. But she retracts like she's terrified.

Did the glitch mess with her before this, and she doesn't want N to know?

Alrighty, that's end of part four! And we're only 36 seconds into a 1:27 minute trailer, honestly it's a lot of content to theorize about so I'm not complaining. I hope to finish this before season one airs on November 18th, so that's why I made this one the same day as part three.

Please comment and theorize about any details in these scenes I might have missed, reblogging them works too!

Edit: Part five linked below here! Enjoy!

Double edit: Part six linked below here!

Triple edit: Part seven linked below!

#murder drones #murder drones spoilers #murder drones theories #md n #md uzi #md spoilers #serial designation n #uzi murder drones #serial designation n murder drones #robot gore #tw robot gore

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beyscape · 4 years

Text

Secrets - 2

Ransom Drysdale x Reader

Summary: You hid your pregnancy form your ex-boyfriend, Ransom, and managed to keep your secret hidden for six years. What you didn’t know was, how secrets have a way of revealing themselves.

Word Count: 3564

Warnings: just some swearing

A/N: I really just used this chapter as an excuse to rewatch Knives Out huh

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Your “little” secret, the one you had tried your very best to keep hidden, was out. There was no running away now, no amount of lying would save you out of the confrontation that was headed your way. And believe me, you had tried to come up with something, fabricate a lie that would give you enough time to pack up and leave with your little girl. You cursed yourself for believing the bullshit of hiding in plain sight. The only lie you had come up with was maybe tell Ransom you cheated on him, but there was no way he would believe that after you nearly had a full breakdown upon running into him. That, and of course the little matter of Mary looking near identical to Ransom.

You paced back and forth all around the living room, careful as to not step on any of the toys scattered around. Or the damn Legos. Your eyes drifted towards the clock on the wall, obsessively checking the time every few minutes. Knowing the whole ordeal wouldn’t be okay for a little child to witness, you had remembered to text Ransom to meet some time after ten, when Mary was safely tucked away in her bed. You just prayed he would be able to keep his voice down enough for her to stay that way, but you were that most likely wouldn’t be the case with Ransom. After all, he had a flair for the dramatic. The sound of a car door snapped you out of trance, you ran to open the door before he had a chance to ring the bell.

Throwing open the door with your heart just about beating in your throat, you saw him. He looked the same more or less, aside from the slight creases you spotted forming on his forehead. He still was the man you once had loved despite everything and everyone. Loved, as in past tense. Because you totally were over him and had been for a while now. You had more important things to consider, a daughter to think of. You were a fool for falling in love with Ransom Drysdale, but those days were gone. You gestured for him to come in, unable to meet his eyes properly.

He looked around the living room, it was small by his standards of being raised in fortune. His gaze drifting from the toys all around to the pictures on the walls, there were plenty of Mary’s baby photos that Ransom remained focused for a full minute. You exhaled slowly, the bundle of nerves knotting in the pit of your stomach. He finally looked at you. You raised a hand.

“Before we begin this… discussion, Mary’s sleeping upstairs so I’m asking you to keep your voice down.” You sat on the loveseat, motioning for him to take the armchair across you. Ransom’s eyes flicked towards the stairs for a split second. He sat down, not even bothering to take off his coat.

“I can’t believe you.” The words came out of his mouth slowly, accusingly. Maybe you deserved it.

“I’m sorry.”

“You can’t just say you’re sorry. How could you hide this from me? I get why you hate me and I don’t care but how could you keep my daughter away from me, all these years? What if I hadn’t decided to stop at a random grocery store, then what? Were you ever planning to tell me?” Ransom spitted out, a kind of fire that you never saw before flicked in his eyes. You were too familiar with angry Ransom, but not this one. Not like this.

“Ransom, I don’t hate you but you have to understand, you’re not exactly cut out to be a father. And we didn’t exactly part on good terms. I wasn’t about to put my child through that.” You felt bad, for not allowing Mary to meet her dad, for not allowing Ransom to bond with his daughter, but at the end f the day you had made a decision. You had made your bed, now might as well lie in it.

A dark chuckle escaped his lips. “You don’t know that.” You noted the slight falter of his voice. “Just because my parents fucked me up doesn’t mean that I would be a bad father. Hell, Y/N, you never even gave me the option.” He shook his head, his disheveled hair swaying along.

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying that.”

You opened your mouth to apologize again almost instinctively, but stopped. Straining your ears, you recognized the familiar pitter patter of a pair of small feet coming down the stairs. Mary stood on the last step of the stairs; her bunny clutched between her arms. She looked between you and Ransom through her long lashes, yet another thing she inherited from her dad. Ransom shot to his feet.

“Hey honey, what’s wrong? Let’s get you tucked back in.” You rose form where you sat and headed towards the little figure after sending Ransom a warning look. It would have to wait.

You picked up Mary with no protest on her part, the mop of tangled blonde hair resting against your shoulder as you carried her upstairs. You saw Ransom follow you quietly from the corner of your eye, his thin coat now left discarded on the couch. Entering the small room that matched the state of the living room with the toy situation, you turned on the nightlamp, casting soft purple hues on your faces. Mary was already practically asleep as you gently placed her down, pulling the covers over her small frame. You placed a small kiss on her forehead.

Ransom watched this whole scene unfold in front of him from the doorway as he leaned on it, eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. There was this weird sensation, this warmth in his chest that sent every part of his mind into a confused and slightly panicked state. He had never in a million years thought he would have a child, let alone feel whatever he was feeling towards that child. In a way, he knew you were right. He wasn’t made for being a father, and he originally had no desire of ever staring a family when the one he grew up in was such a hot mess. But now, this child had appeared out of pure luck in his life and he felt a tug towards her. To give her what he never got from his parents.

If someone had told Ransom the feelings he would have as he watched the woman he loved tuck in their daughter, he would have told them to fuck off. That it wasn’t funny. Indeed, it wasn’t, Ransom couldn’t even make fun of this dumbfounded state he was in.

After you were sure Mary was completely asleep, you got up as slowly as you could to not disturb her. Ransom followed you back to the living room. You took your previous positions, the tense air almost giving you a headache.

“I’m in.” He spoke after a while, breaking the silence with soft words. His blue eyes rose to yours.

You shook your head. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I-”

“No, listen to me,” you cut off, “this isn’t something you just get to decide on a whim. This is an actual human child, who has feelings and all, not some toy that piques your interest. Once you are in you’re in for life. No take backs.” You whisper-shouted, not trusting that Ransom was aware of all the responsibility parenthood brings.

“You listen to me.” He pointed a finger at you. “It was you who broke up with me, and it was you who couldn’t even be bothered with a call to let me know you were pregnant with our child, Y/N. I fucking know that there are no take backs. But you should have given me the choice of whether I wanted to be a father or not.” He sighed, rubbing his temples. “I would have been in from the very start.”

You leaned back, his words hitting you like a ton of bricks. “Didn’t seem like you cared much about me, you were seen with that model barely two weeks after we broke up.” You shot back weakly, the hurt feelings of that time washing over you.

He clicked his tongue, annoyed. “Believe it or not, nothing happened with her. It was just a show. I have a reputation, dear Y/N.” A cruel smirk appeared on his face for a quick second before disappearing. “In fact, nothing happened with anyone since you dumped me. Sure, sex here and there but,” he shrugged, “I cared.” Ransom tried his best to act nonchalant, to keep up his image, but couldn’t help the words that slipped out. He was surprised at himself, how easily he was talking about his feelings, but a distant part of him still remembered how simple it was for him to talk to you.

Doubt still lingered in your eyes, finding it hard to believe his words. Ransom always had a way with words. This was the man who never even could bring himself to utter the words ‘I love you’ and yet here he was, talking about how he cared and all. You shook your head.

“Now I know you had my number, you could have called if you cared.”

“Seriously, Y/N?” I’m sorry for honoring your wish of,” he mused, tapping his chin in mock thought, “what was it? Ah yes, never wanting to see my jerk face again.” His lips smiled but his eyes remained cold as ice.

“Ransom.” You pleaded, the heartbreak from over six years ago felt as if it was just yesterday, you felt your chest tighten. He watched your face intently.

“You wanna know I never called? Or tried to get back together?” He got up, pacing along the room. “Fuck, Y/N, I’m not stupid. I always knew you deserved much better than me. It didn’t matter how I felt or whether I missed you or not, I knew you would be better off.” He stopped in front of the biggest picture on the wall. It was a picture taken on Mary’s first birthday, showed her trying to blow off the candles while you held her on your lap, smiles on everyone in the picture. His jaw tightened.

He tilted his head. “Now you know.” He muttered, quiet. Almost… sad.

“Can you, from the bottom of your heart, promise me? That you’ll be here.” The lump formed in your throat made it hard to get the words out, you couldn’t believe this was happening. In the hours you spent pacing and imagining how the conversation would go, this turn of events was the last thing you thought was possible. You thought you knew Ransom, you probably knew him the best, but you couldn’t recognize the man standing just a few feet in front of you, his eyes still fixed on the frame.

“I know I was a dick and hell, I still am. But,” he finally looked at you, “I promise. I promise to be here and do my damn best for Mary… and for you.” His voice trembled ever so slightly, never could you remember seeing Ransom like this. Not once in those two years you knew him. You stood up; shoulders slumped and tears prickling your eyes, threating to spill at any moment. You stopped barely a step before him.

Neither of you dared to move as you stared into each other’s eyes, a silent conversation taking place and making up for the lost years. You never realized how much you had missed him. You reached up to stroke his face, your fingers aching to touch him, to feel him. Your fingertips glided over his clean-shaven jaw; Ransom closed his eyes at your touch. You gulped, dropping your hand to rest on his chest, not daring to do more. His hand came to rest above yours, his thumb gently rubbing the back of your hand.

“I’m here, Y/N. I swear.” His words heavy on his whispering lips, he gently tilted your face to meet your eyes. He chuckled softly upon seeing the tears welling up in your eyes. “Why the tears?”

“Shut up.” You sniffled. “I… I wanted to tell you Ransom. But I wasn’t sure if— if you’d want this. Or if you would end up hating me more. And honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could handle that.”

“I understand.”

“And with your family too, even the thought of dealing with them just gives me a headache. Though I guess it’s unavoidable now.”

He groaned, a deep sound of annoyance from the back of his throat. “Those people can eat shit, they’re not coming remotely close to Mary.”

“Your mom wouldn’t be happy if you didn’t tell her. Or Harlan.” You mused; he knew you were right. He still hated the thought.

“Let’s not think about them right now.” You were suddenly too aware of the closeness, of the placement of his hands, the familiar touch sending tingles down your spine.

“Yeah? What should we think of then?”

He just gave you a look before leaning in and kissing you. Maybe thousands of times he had kissed you before, you would think you would be used to it by now, yet it felt so new, so unfamiliar due to the time apart. Your heart leapt out of your chest, beating wildly, your whole body cursing you for not reaching out sooner. The feelings you had done your best to tame snapped out of their cages at that moment, never to be trapped again. You deepened the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“I missed you, angel.” He pulled back; his words barely audible.

“We have a lot to talk about, Ransom.” You met his gaze, reluctant. You lead him by the hand towards the loveseat. You both sat, holding each other close, not ready to let go yet.

“First, there is the matter of introducing you to Mary. Properly, I mean.” You sighed.

“Has she ever asked about me?”

You bit your lip at the memory. “Once. A couple of months ago, we were watching some Disney movie when she asked me why she didn’t have dad. I just told her you were away. She never asked again.” You remembered the shake of your hands when Mary asked you that question, looking at you with wide blue eyes. You remembered the whirl of your mind as you quickly tried to figure out what to say. You remembered sobbing quietly into your pillow when Mary was finally asleep that night.

You looked at Ransom. “It was so, so hard.”

“If you had only told me.”

“I know.” Your eyes fell on one of the dolls laying on the floor. “Should we talk to a therapist?”

Ransom scoffed. You rolled your eyes at him. “I’m just wondering out loud. No need for the attitude.”

“I should just meet her. I don’t know, play with her. I wanna get to know her, Y/N.”

“She’s a great kid. She’s… a lot like you, and not just the looks. Wicked smart, and has the sweetest heart. Her current favorite animal is bunnies, she is very excited to start school next semester and she will talk about that for hours.” You laughed. “She hates carrots, and is allergic to strawberries. You can pretty much bribe her to do anything with chocolate chip cookies. You’ll love her.”

“I already love her. She’s my kid.” A genuine grin spread on his handsome face.

You talked for hours on that couch, with mostly you doing the talking. Ransom wanted to know everything he could, from her first words to her entire list of likes and disliked. Your heart swelled at his interest and the way he kept asking you questions.

It was a little after the clock struck one and a million yawns from you, Ransom got up.

“You should sleep.” He grabbed his coat.

“Would you… like to stay over?” You pressed your lips together.

Ransom smirked. “Day one and you’re already trying to get me into your bed? Wow, Y/N.”

“Not like that,” you huffed, “we don’t have a guestroom but the couch’s pretty comfortable.”

He flashed you a smile. “Where are the sheets?”

------------

After a night filled with tossing and turning brought by the fact that Ransom freaking Drysdale was sleeping on your couch downstairs, you opened your eyes to the sun filtering through your window. It wasn’t the sun, however, that woke you from your dreamless sleep, it was the smell. You followed it down and into the kitchen, confused, and came to a halt at the scene in front of you.

The cabinets were open, and the sweet smell was stronger, but the strangest thing bay far was how Ransom was standing in front of the stove.

“Are you cooking?” You rubbed your eyes, making sure you weren’t still asleep.

“Pancakes,” he showed you the box, “you said it’s Mary’s favourite breakfast.” Ransom flashed you a smile. “Cute PJs.”

“How come I never once saw you cook before? Fatherhood really changes a man.” He chuckled as he flipped the pancake. You could get used to this. Ransom turned to you to say something before his attention turned to a spot behind you, eyes slightly wide. You turned to look, and saw Mary to no surprise.

The little girl focused on Ransom, striding towards him with determination.

“Are you my dad?” She looked up to him, her words sending Ransom into a coughing fit.

“What? Mary, honey, what makes you say that?” You gulped, rushing to her side before kneeling down.

“He looks like me.” She shrugged at you and turned back to Ransom. “Are you?” her eyebrows raised; she crossed her arms. Ransom kneeled as well; every move uncertain. Nervous. He looked at you. You gave him a slight nod, might as well tell her.

“Yes.” He nodded. Mary squinted her eyes at him, before nodding back. Her serious face broke into a smile before she leapt forward, her small arms tightening around Ransom’s neck. He swayed back at the surprising force, his wide eyes snapping to yours. After a moment of shock, he hesitantly hugged her back, his hands ever so gentle on her back. Pulling yourself up, you moved towards the window, not wanting for either of them to see the tears in your eyes.

Six years, you had secretly let yourself imagine this exact moment. In those rare instances you allowed your mind to wander over the possible scenarios, one question would repeat in your mind. How would Mary react? Would she be distant, angry? Would she cry? Be disappointed? Hate you for not telling her sooner? Would she even want to meet her dad? You would agonize over these unanswered questions time and time, the whole thing feeling too far away sometimes. Yet here it was, right in front of you, all of your questions answered. The smell of burning snapped you out of the moment.

“Shi—shoot.” Ransom pulled back, mad at the pancake for breaking the moment. Mary gasped.

“Pancakes! I’ll go get Mr. Chuckles!” She darted out, leaving a bewildered Ransom behind. He turned to you.

“That went better than I thought.” He shook his head, swallowing, he was slightly ashamed of the tears in his eyes.

“Yeah,” you nodded, your voice quiet, your smile small.

Mary was back in a second, excitedly babbling about how much she loved pancakes and how waffles were a close second. Ransom flashed her a smile, his eyes twinkling with pride. You grabbed plates and set the table, stealing glances at Mary’s happy face and the identical look on Ransom’s. Your family.

“But daddy,” she turned to Ransom, whose heart skipped a beat at the word, “where were you?”

Your mouth fell open. “Honey—”

“I was away.” Ransom cut you. “But I’m here now, princess. And I swear I’m not going anywhere.” She grinned at his gentle but reassuring words, satisfied.

“Okay. Oh! You have to meet my toys!” She rose up, ready to take him up to her room and make sure he memories all the names of her toys.

“How about you finish your breakfast first?” You motioned at the untouched stack of pancakes sitting in front of her.

Rest of the breakfast was filled with Mary talking to Ransom between bites of pancakes, asking him a ton of questions and grinning. Ransom’s gaze never faltered away, he listened to all of her ramblings and answered every question. You watched the two of them, unsure whether to be amazed at Mary’s excitement or this shift in Ransom’s character. Where was the man who drove you up the walls? Where was the cocky, selfish jerk everyone knew him to be? He turned his gaze to you upon feeling you stare, winking you before turning back to your daughter.

All the baggage, all the worry you carried within you melted away, leaving no trace behind. For the first time in six years, you felt yourself completely relax.

--------------------------------------------------

Sorry for any mistakes, I was super excited to post this so I might have missed some stuff. A thrid part might come if you guys are interested 👀

SECRETS TAGLIST @helenaeisenhower @the-best-third-wheel-ever @jeremyrennermakesmesmile @buckyshattergirl @lover1307 @selluequestrian @run-through-wa11s @monotoneaudio @cap-just-said-language

CHRIS EVANS TAGLIST @marvelouspottering @kelbabyblue

#ransom drysdale #ransom thrombey x reader #ransom drysdale x reader #ransom thrombey #ransom x reader #secrets #knives out #Chris Evans #chris evans x reader #chris evans imagine #ransom drysdale fanfiction #ransom drysdale imagine

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true-autistic-tales · 2 years

Text

welcommee back to my review and ranking of my forever slowly dying hyperfixation, ive left a link on the top to the previous post incase this is your first time seeing this, but anyhooo onto the first half of season 3 under da cut >:D

forced family fun part 1

the hecks go camping, hijinks ensue while also being partly a flashback episode. i enjoy brick and mike bonding while fishing, it's cute. even ray romano makes an appearance at the end and almost entirely throughout the next part. also i found an error with the subtitles, when brick and mike go fishing, brick says:

"my pole is all bendy."

but the subtitles put it as:

"m pole is all bendy."

forced family fun part 2

i love how they make jokes of nicky, ray romano, and frankie, patricia heaton, cuz they were also on everybody loves raymond together, also playing as a married couple with two sons and one daughter. when i first watched this though i was very confused why this nicky dude was in it but now since im cultured, aka watched 2 seasons of everybody loves raymond, i understand. i love how axl angrily trots off to his tent, it's hilarious. i kinda love nicky, he's a funnyman, also ive noticed how many depressing characters are in this show like they all got problems. good episode, above the first half.

hecking order

after countless annoyances by sue, axl decides to get his revenge by suggesting sue should try out for swimming which is on the other side of their campus, while brick has issues with his new teacher even though his teacher is really cool. the ending was very sweet, good episode, above forced family fun part 2. off topic but i just want to note while in writing this one of my besties is explaining chuck e cheese lore to me.

"may i be excused to go step in front of a moving train?"

"it's a family dinner, stuff with the rest of us."

major changes

after frankie accidentally eats axl's toenails while trying to watch wheel of fortune, frankie leaves the hecks, never to be seen again. this episode foreshadows pam staggs, who we seem later in... season 9. see? this is how you do a somewhat funny mental breakdown, especially when it shows frankie in the car, even more of a reason to hate the royal wedding. good episode, above forced family fun part 2.

the test

brick gets harassed by a bully, sue tries out to be a cheerleader, and axl attempts to do his psats. brick "getting out" of the trash is hilarious. i love how they forshadow really weird things like axl's dragon dream being his collage's mascot later. brick is such a smart kid, i love when he explains why bullies bully and how mike starts actually thinking about it, he's a smartass. good episode, above hecking order.

"oh, the bully might be winning right now, but my time will come. [whispering] time will come."

bad choices

axl fakes being sick so he doesn't have to do a test, sue and brad start a play and brick quotes shakespeare. my bobby apears for a bit to suggest frankie to hickory arms, a place he also lives in... with his mom, and is it only me or does his outfit in this episode reminds me a lot of shaggy? frankie being impressed by the most basic of shit at hickory arms is funny but also kinda depressing. i adore the don't text and drive song from sue and brad, it's always amazing even after countless rewatches. i love this episode, it's so good, the top of the list.

"that's democracy in action, jackson!"

halloween 2

sue grows up for a halloween party, brick and frankie got trick-or-treating with his support group, while axl, sean and darrin also go trick-or-treating for a money scam. i adore the ax-men in this episode, they're literally ed, edd n eddy with their level of scams. i also really love the scenes with brick's support group, it's fun as hell. i absolutely love how mike still isn't ready for sue to grow up, and tries to tell her how he feels but fails constantly. another really great halloween episode, top of the list.

heck's best thing

a recuiter for east Indiana state comes to interview axl while sue and brick accidentally gets aunt edie's phone. this weird obsession sue and brick get over this one jesus lighter is humorous. also bob randomly apears again for frankie to vent to while he's trying to put something up for ehlert which just shows how smol he is, i love my short boy. good episode, above hecking order.

"what would jesus lighter say?"

the play

mike grounds axl for being an idiot, brick and rusty bond after rusty stood him up, while frankie, sue and bob try out for a wizard of oz play. i adore all scenes at the play, maybe only because of bob but still- i love the scene where rusty just lets brick drive his automobile, dude, i love rusty, he's absolutely hilarious. great episode, above the test.

"dad let us drive, we turned out okay."

"you wanna rephrase that?"

"okay, uh, dad let we drive, us turned out okay."

thanksgiving 3

the hecks stay over to frankie's family side's place for thanksgiving. axl basically faceplants when it comes to flirting with the registrar girl and it's hilarious, i love it, especially when mike tries to teach axl how to flirt only to look like such a creep. i don't personally like the scene with frankie and janet fighting, it's a bit too realistic for my taste but other than that, good episode, below major changes.

a christmas gift

after frankie sends out an drunken invitation, the hecks with a bunch of other random people celebrate christmas eve while brick becomes an atheist after finally reading the bible and sue tries to stop him. i really really enjoy all the scenes with reverend timtom, he's so unbelievably cool. i absolutely love loVE LOVE all the scenes with axl and bob, how bob processes the fact that axl calls him bro once and then thinks that they're besties, i love him so much, i love him so so unbelievably much, i would say more but then this would turn into a fictional other gushing post instead of a somewhat in depth ranking post. great episode, above the play.

"[screams quietly]"

year of the hecks

for the new year frankie suggests that everyone should make a new year resolution for each other. i love brad becoming a wrestler, im not even surprised because wrestling is probably the most gayest sport i can imagine, that's not an insult. also in this the wrestlerettes become a thing, i love how they just completely block the view of the actual wrestling. mike trying to smile reminds me of those "cursed images" of weird cats smiling. rereading this i realize how much of a boomer i sounded, i am 15 im not out of touch yet- i love ashley wyman, she's a phineas and ferb stan. axl handing in his late homework thingy and being asked to spell "there" is very hilarious. i absolutely love when frankie and brick hang out at ehlert motors and actually start to bond, it's very nice even if frankie accidentally leaves him at work. another really great episode, above the play.

ranks so far

this season so far has been good, not much else to say, just hopefully the stream will keep on going for this like it has done for the past two.

12. forced family fun part 1

11. forced family fun part 2

10. thanksgiving 3

9. major changes

8. hecking order

7. heck's best thing

6. the test

5. the play

4. year of the hecks

3. a christmas gift

2. bad choices

1. halloween 2

#the middle #ranking

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sothischickshe · 3 years

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not last line tag

i was tagged by some ppl to do the last line tag recently @sdktrs12 @inyoursheets @pynkhues @missmaxime probs someone else idk this thing is unusable.

anyway, that was obvi v foolish and mean of them, so instead im going to have a what-write-next-breakdown which i think is def a better meme

so like ok on the one hand: i would quite like to write the incentive fic next cos ive been wanting to write it for ages & im very excited abt it.

BUT it’s presumably set in s3 & i’d need to go rewatch a bunch of s3 n im not sure i def wanna do that in the midst of s4 airing so maybe i’d rather wait till that’s done?? ALTHOUGH...how long is this hiatus when is the show back do we know?!

SO i thought maybe i actually wanna write the rio pov sequel to dirty dirty game next rather cos that doesn’t really require me to rewatch anything!

BUT it’s gonna be rio pov (duh) & probs longish & probs a bit angsty, and i just wrote something that was rio pov & longishish & angsty, SO like...if i do this next, am I gonna wanna write a long angsty rio pov incentive fic?! or will i just be putting that off forever??! *i* at least believe in flippage yknow?

SO! i thought maybe actually what i want to write next is the (hero) dean pov crackfic?! cos that’s gonna be short so fucking help me & only really involves rewatching a bit of the s1 finale/s2 opening probs. BUT that’s 3 crackfics in a row n i might need some variety in my life haha PLUS if it IS short (which it god damn will be grr), then im back to the same problem shortly?! ALTHOUGH i have no real idea what dean’s voice is like so maybe i can just write something like 600 words long n then fiddle with it for the rest of time hmmm

AND i do have a title idea i like for the dean pov fic, AND one i like ok for the dirty game follow up (& i guess an acceptable series title), whereas i dont have a great title idea for the incentive fic?! ugh. (maybe i should chop it into chapters or a series? hmm.)

IN CONCLUSION... yea does anyone know when this hiatus is over?! (i guess the beauty of a s3 setting is that i can ignore s4 canon if i wish hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmm.)

i guess the OTHER thing is: some of the stuff from the 5 times rio asked beth to hit him again + 1 time he didnt fic was snipped from the incentive fic, n canon is making writing abt masochist rio less fun (though probs more accurate lol) n im not sure if i maybe wanna re-absorb them back into the incentive fic w/ less slapping n give up on the idea...? (BUT also jfc it’d probs end up so long i’d weep oof)

ALSO i think i know roughly how all 3 of them start but also.... i need the one documentary for rio to watch n then think he’s an expert for the 2 rio pov ones sooooooooooooo maybe i should go watch a bunch of docs n not write? yea sounds like a decent shout actually, thanks guys!

anyway, i tag all these ppl back to have a breakdown back bc i maintain it’s a much better meme plus @septiembrre @bourbon-ontherocks @riosnecktattoo n @mego42 who im pretty sure tagged me for a line at some point but wot is time, n also if you can read this n wanna screech, I TAG THEE!

#writing #fanfiction #i deffo think this is a better meme #im trying to catch up with tags n such n apparently i drafted this this morning so idk u can just deal with this ha #i do have a title source idea for the incentive fic i guess #hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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hecohansen31 · 4 years

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The Perks Of Quarantine:

Modern! Ivar+Tinder Date! Reader

(A/N): Hello there, lovelies!

This is a ‘thank you’ fic for @youbloodymadgenius, who donated to my Ko-Fi.

I obviously understand that this is an hard time for everyone, so I just wanted to thank you everyon who has been donating something to help me continue my passion of writing.

Please don’t feel pressured in any way in buying me a ko-fi; it isn’t the only way to support a writer (you can always reblog, comment and let people know how much you liked their stuff).

Thank you for everyone who has been supporting me!

I truly apprecciate it!

And as always: feedback is food for our writers’ minds, so please don’t forget to leave your own feedback!

WARNINGS: Mention of Sex, Quarantine, Covid-19, Disability.

Hey guys!

Have you been wondering what our two favorite idiots have been doing in quarantine?

Well, now get ready to figure it out!

And let’s start from a few questions that might arise:

THE FIGHTS:

As you might know Ivar and Tinder Date (which we’ll call TD from now on, because it is easier) they have recently moved in together and two months after that… COVID-19 hit and they were forced to discover further their compatibility and problematics.

Which might have been a pretty difficult situation.

Living with people other than yourself is already hard… think with somebody who is your lover but yet you don’t know as well as your family, all incased in an almost apocalyptic world, where anxiety is at its maximum levels,

The situation certainly wasn’t the best.

But I think that Ivar and TD would try their best to handle it, mostly through setting up two different routines, in order not to be constantly in each other’s presence, alongside setting up ‘time outs’ moments for fights.

Any fight with Ivar has the promise of being explosive, but whereas previously TD had the possibility to avoid him through going to work or taking a breather outside, this is now denied.

So, they try to avoid any fight from getting too aggressive with ‘time outs’.

Basically if either of them is dealing badly with something and TD can see that they are coming to the breaking point, they push themselves away, removing them from the situation, either moving to another room or doing something to calm themselves, in order to break the outburst from growing too big and explosive, confronting the other when they both feel calmer.

It doesn’t always work, mostly during the first times, but they are both determined to make this work out and no matter what you won’t run out or give up easily.

BOREDOM:

They deal with boredom quite well, honestly.

It’d certainly help that they both work, probably remotely, even more for Ivar, who is actually used to it, because before the entire COVID-19 many times when the pain to his legs was pretty debilitating, he tended to work from home and not go in the office with the other brothers.

I do think that he’d also be pretty nice in helping TD settling in, although she would soon know better than to invade his own ‘private office’ (like not to annoy you, but I feel like he’d be the type to have a psychotic breakdown if she accidentally brushed his elbow against his).

But he’d try his best to be helpful.

I also think that he’d drown in his work to avoid boredom, and probably the most fun he’d have (other than you know… the kinky stuff) would be rewatching his favorite movie sagas, probably wrestling with TD which movie to watch each night, although she’d probably give up, because he is the cutest geek as he does the Dark Vather’s voice.

I personally think that TD would try her best to learn new skills (me before quarantine: ‘OH LOT OF TIME TO LEARN THINGS’, me right now ‘the only thing I learned is that I can’t respect good thoughts’) and involve a rather annoyed Ivar in them, which would undoubtedly result in him learning some obscure and cool skills (such as his magical tricks or fucking origami, he’d just be so happy and calm doing origami).

And he’d hate it when TD accidentally sat on his perfect swan.

As two rather active young people, they’d also do your best to properly exercise, even more Ivar since he kind of need physical therapy so he does some small exercises on videochat with his physical therapist, unless his legs hurt pretty badly and she has to come home to him.

He’d have the time of his life, instead, watching TD train.

All those flexes and squats… he very much gets distracted every time she set up her own training moment, hence he does his best to avoid having truly busy evenings when he knows you’ll train (also because, although TD might call him a pervert, they always do a different kind of ‘exercise’, before the shower, if this one isn’t shared).

INTIMACY:

Their sex drive hasn’t in the slightest accelerated.

(I mean not that it wasn’t pretty high already).

As much as they might have more time at hands together, they aren’t that free from things to do that they can spend the entire day in bed just learning the newest aerobic moves (you spend the entire morning in bed still) (… what can you do when Ivar rolls over with those pretty pleading eyes).

It certainly does help that they can both tease each other meanwhile, working next to each other.

Although it lowers their work efficiency and Hvitserk does have a few ideas on why Ivar sometimes fakes that his connection doesn’t work.

It certainly does help instead with the intimacy part, because Ivar tends to be quite more affectionate at home, because he feels more at ease, so it is something that certainly has grown, mostly in his own willingness to start it.

Like it isn’t unusual for TD to hug him from behind if he is checking some documents and doesn’t have the webcam on, but it is certainly unusual for him to just simply grab her hand over the table, and maybe play a bit with her fingers or hair or to try to convince her to cuddle, together during one pause from work..

It certainly does help with making the dork lovey-dovey.

GOING OUT:

Exiting the house for the basic necessity is actually the most common source of fights between them, mostly at the start of the entire quarantine.

TD prefers to avoid Ivar going out of home, not because she doubt his integrity and attentiveness about all the matter (he is a clean freak so you have nothing to worry) but you are more worried by the thought that he might end up breaking a bone and might need some help, something that not many people in this time of need and rush might not be able to give him.

And to Ivar this is slightly humiliating, because he is the man of the house and he shouldn’t be afraid of anything or show any kind of weakness.

He should protect you.

Alongside this, he is truly concerned about TD’s wellbeing.

Like the only people he’d truly worry for in this pandemic would be her and his mother, because they are the sole ones that loves him freely, so he would be devastated to know one of the two sick because of him.

It’d just destroy him.

But at the same time, he just can’t fight her for ever, even more when he knows that she doesn’t mean to insult him, but she is simply stating the truth that sadly going out for him wouldn’t be as easy as for you.

He’d try to avoid this through online shopping and avoiding any problematics, but it’d scare him like hell to see you go out and he’d just hold you a bit tighter when you came back.

FAMILY:

As previously stated, Ivar misses his mother extremely.

He honestly is worried sick for her and as the complete momma’s boy he is, he’d absolutely call her daily, maybe more, although I do admit that Aslaug would do the exact same, so Td has set up a routine with the daily calls.

The fact that Aslaug always makes sure to suggest her how to care for Ivar, is a bit too noisy, but she is also very sweet in thanking TD for taking care of her ‘babyboy’ (and TD has now enough backmail material for a lifetime, with all the stories Aslaug has told her about child! Ivar).

He also low key misses his brothers, mostly Hvitserk, since they were both used to live with each other, but he deals with it better, mostly because they still work together, hence it doesn’t trouble him too much so they see daily although through a computer screens, instead I do think that some of his interactions might be healthier.

It is nice when you can’t stab your brother through the computer.

About TD, she misses her family dearly and Ivar can see it sadly, knowing when he has to cuddle her a bit closer that night, because she misses her mom’s sweet words or her father’s boisterous laugh.

Although he might not seem it, he is every inch the attentive lover she needs in these harsh times of need.

THE END OF IT:

Ivar wouldn’t believe it, truly.

He’d have the hardest time going back to reality, mostly because he is worried that the quick lift of some regulations might push people to act recklessly, so he’d be on his best behavior and would absolutely make sure TD did the same.

He’d be quite severe (constantly carrying extra-masks and hand sanitizer in every bag) but he’d also lift all his own ‘regulations’ to meet his mother and family, although he’d try his best to do it safely, being sure to avoid physical contact, although he’d wish nothing more.

He’d also keep the visits short and make sure to set up most of his work still at home, coming to the office solely if extremely needed, coming to the nearest one.

It’d take him quite some time to calm himself, but eventually he’d be happy (I hope).

@youbloodymadgenius @alexhandersenx @peaceisadirtyword @madamholmes @flowers-in-your-hayr @ justananotherlazzyperson @ thespottedcreature @ amy8220 @peakygroupie @ where-are-you-everywhere @emmyrosee @crys-1029 @avengers-fixation @ bagpipes606 @mac5323 @ serafina21 @lost-soul-was-taken @maggiescarborough @a-mess-of-fandoms @lonewolf471 @ fuckindiva

#Ivar #Ivar The Boneless #Ivar Reader #Ivar x Reader #Ivar Imagine #Ivar Fic #Ivar The Boneless Fic #Ivar Moodboard #Ivar The Boneless Moodboard #modern! ivar #modern au #Ivar Lothbrock #Vikings #History Vikings #Ivar Lothbrock Imagine #Vikings Imagine

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sapphicomenn · 3 years

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WELCOME TO MY THOUGHTS WHILE REWATCHING THE MCU IN TIMELINE ORDER: THOR

it was a dark and stormy night when padme, an old man, and a beautiful nerd named darcy a find bright light in the sky with thunder and s giant tornado in it. AND CHRIS HEMSWORTH HOLY SHIT

STORYTELLING WITH ODIN ABOUT A FIGHT WITH ICE CREAM TROLLS. frosty the snow man is angry about it

GLOWY CUBE

agard. sounds like ass guard. baby thor and loki are adorable. story telling ended up being fairytail for children. WINGED HELMET

LOKI LOKI LOKI LOKI LOKI LOKI

ah yes. the hammer named MILJinoNOR made in the heart of a star. ohshit walls got frosty. AMBUSH

“i swear, i swear, i sWEAR!” SHUSH IT AND GET TO FIGHTING. YALL GOT FROSTY BOYS INVADING ASS GUARD- oh fuck eye beam giant is OP.

thor is bloodthirsty, thats how you get the plot of the movie when you get turned mortal :/

loki is lovely i love him. he will never ever ever do anything wrong- oh hes starting drama between thor and frosty boys

WHOMST THE FUCK ARE THESE PEOPLE??

“and who proved wrong that a young maiden could be one of the fiercesr warriors.” “i did” “true, but i supported you, sif.” JSHSKHSKSJSKSJSJ

HORSES ON THE GLITTER GLASS BRIDGE. this is all beautiful wtf i love asgard. HEIMDALL- thor stfu dont shut loki down ya fucker. yall are bullying loki and then get shocked he turns evil?

MAGIC SWORD IS THE KEY TO ALL THE REALMS. HAHA ROUND THINGY GO SPINNY SPINNY. heimdall tells em the bridge to frosty realm might fuck em over and leave em to die.

“we shouldnt be here.” MAYBE BRING THAT UP AT THE PLANNING BIT, NOT THE ‘WE’RE HERE LETS GO EXPLORE’ BIT. DEEP VOICE IS SMEXY AS FUCK

“You’re nothing but a boy. who came to prove hinself a man.”

“know your place. brother.” STOP BEING MEAN TO LOKI, THOR :(

HAMMER GO B O N K ON FROSTY BOYS SKSNSKSKSK

LOKIS MAGIC IS AMAZING YOU’RE DOING GREAT BBY- laughing during a sword fight because fuck every other emotion righ- OHSHIT NVM HE GOT IMPALED ON A SPIKE OF ICE

GIANT SNOW BEAST GO BRRRR. THUNDER ON THESE FROST COVERED ASSES- whY is he still laughing he got a spike through his chest what the hell dude you good?

HOLYSHIT THOR JUST CHUCKED MILNNOR THROUGH THE BEASTS FUCKING HEAD LIKE A KNIFE THROUGH BUTTER

ODIN TO SAVE THE DAY AND GET HIS CHILDS ASS OUT OF TROUBLE. thor started a fucking war because of this fightboner jesus christ this child. SHOUTING MATCHES

daddys angry with his child- thor is unworthy this, unworthy that. AND BANISHED TO EARTH LIKE A FUCKING LOSER SKSHSKSJSJ

and back to padme’s modern time wE GO

HA HE GOT MERKED BY A TAZER

DARCY YOU ADORABLE CHILD

“How dArE YOu aTtAcK tHE SoN oF oDIN😡😡😡” hes like an angry puppy

body in a photo?? pog info??? WHY HAS HE BEEN HIT BY A CAR TWICE ALREADY

STAN LEE

COULSON

THOR IS FUCKING RIPPED. meanwhile is ass guard. loki snitched for a good reason. but nOoOoO thors, friends, blame loki.WHY ARE THEY BLAMING LOKI FOR BRING IN THE FROSTY BOYS- oh shit he can controll the snow cube. backstory for loki? mayhaps?- HOLYSHIT HES A SMURF

“the casket wasnt the only thing you took from jotunheim that day, was it?” HES ONTO YOU ODIN. odin literally kidnapped- oh no nvm loki as a baby was left for dead. I WANNA HUG LOKI SO BAD HES IN EMOTINAL DISSTRESS :(

“because i-i-i’m the monster, parents tell their children about at night?” LOKI BABY EVERYTHINGS GONNA BE OKAY

holyshit loki’s breakdown killed odin wtf. my man collasped onto the staircase

“this drink. i like it.” “i know its gre-“ “ANOTHER! *SHATTERING GLASS*”

“myeu muh? whats a myeu muh?” DARCY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH SKSHSKHSKS

man coulson thats a dick move to snatch up all of padmes shit- AND DARCYS IPOD???

loki do be looking snazzy on the throne👀 good for him. look at these fucker friends of thor tryna make him inbanish thor :/

BOOKS- on norse myth.? yeah norse myth

padme is sus of thor, and almost got em into a car crash. “god i hope you’re not crazy.” oh wait till you aee what happens

ODINS TAKING A NAP FOR THOUSNDS OF YEARS OR SUMSHIT

frigga is tryna convice loki they meant well. kinda hard too ngl. damn shield has beefed up security around this fucking hammer

oh shit electrical thunder is fucking with the shield tech once thor showed up. RAIN AND MAGIC HUMMING- thor is kicking shield’s ass- COULSON- who the fuck chooses a bow and arrow to shoot a target when they had sniper rifle- barton- HAWKEYE NVM BADASS ARROW GUY IS AMAZING

oh shit thor found miljjnor. mudfight but make it less smexy. epic momentt pogg.. its totally gonna fail him so fucking bad its gonna be funny

told you so.

now hes yelling at the sky like an insane person

AND got arrested :I

poor heimdall having to watch this all like a sad sitcom. OLDMAN STFU

“look its myeu-muh!” darcy needs to be protected at ALL COST. ohmygod they think thor is a solider from enemy lines aIshsksjskks

LOKIII- oh shit hes telling thor everything went wrong bc him and that a truce was- NVM LOKI IS TRYING THE HAMMER. YOU GOT IT LOKI

old man go save thors stupid ass. redeem yourself. bar talk is somehow wholesome. oh shit thors gotta dip outta town bc oldman said so. he didint listen to odin and ended up starting a war- OH CRAP LOKI DID LET THE FROSTY BOYS INTO ASGARD.

heimdall knows loki is causing trouble. good for loki. HA RHE OLDMAN GOT FUCKING WASTED BY THE BOOZE LIKE A COWARD.

padme is so awkward around thor. shes in looovvveee. awh thor snatched up her genius book from shield. YIGHDRISLE is such an amazing name for a tree filled with planets and worlds

DUDE DONT SHAME THE MAN FOR STRESS EATING

LOKI KNOWS HEIMDALL SNITCHED AND LET FUCKER FRIENDS THROUGH. HOLYSHIT THEY FOUND THOR SLJSOSJSKSKS

thor knows loki lied- heimdall knows loki let in the frosty boys, and is currently frozen soild by that blue cube thingy. AND NOW THE OP METAL LAZERBEAM BASTARD IS ON EARTH

OH GOD A SPEAR THROUGH THE THROAT MUST HURT LIKE A MF- SIF DONT DIE

LAZERBEAM STOP BLOWING UP BUILDINGS

dude things were getting blown up left and right but suddenly thor’s plot armor engaged and a car just flips over him and instead of going boom. standoff between lazerface and thor- whomst shall win? find out next week on: HOLYSHIT THE NORSE GODS EXIST

loki just watched thor try to give up his life and now lazerface is leav- FUCK NVM IT BITCH SLAPPED THOR SKSHSJSJSJSKKSKSJ. oH now it leaves

hammer go brrr soon? HAMMER GO BRRRRRR

PADME SAVE YOURSELF THOR JUST GOT POWERED THE FUCK UP

“oh my god” YOU JUST SAW A METAL MECH SHOOT A LAZER OUT ITS FACE AND FOUR PEOPLE IN VIKING ARMOR FIGHT. ARE YOU STILL SHOCKED???

LAZERFACE GO BOOM. THORS BACK BABYY

oh shit the frosty boys are on asgard- HEIMDALL NEEDS TO UNFREEZE AND WORK ITS MAGIC LIKE NOW

oh god the animation for some dead frosty boys got so noticable that was horrible.

TIME TO GO KICK LOKI’S ASS SKSKSJS- OHFUCK FRIGGA NOO. OHSHIT LOKI JUST MURDERED LAUGHY THE FROST KING.

lokis “ohshit thors back” face is amazing

loki hun what the fuck are you doing- stop tryna destory shit like a hero.

“I NEVER WANTED THE THRONE. I WANTED TO BE YOUR EQUAL!” my heart is torn :((

brothers fighting while a energy tree builds around him? sure why not. ohfuck loki got his ass handed to him- THOR WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE HAMMER ON HIM LIKE THAT SKSHSKSJSJSK

THOR WOKE ODIN UP BY VREAKING THE FUCKING RAINBOW BRIDGE

ODINS AWAKE AND SAVE EM AGAIN

IM CRYING LOKI JUST WANTED TO MAKE ODIN PROUD AND HE SHUT EM DOWN LIKE THAT. ODIN YOU FUCKING SUCK

awh this is making me sad i dont like this sad ending this sucks so much. loki deserved better then to die knowing odin hated him :(

heimdall is out of a job now that the bifrost is broken haha loser.

NEXT MOVIE: THE AVENGERS

ignore the misspells and the bad grammar its almost two AM by the time i finished watching and writing this up

#thor #thor movie #the mcu #marvel #marvel movies #marvel cinematic universe #LOKI WILL NEVER DO ANTHING WRONG #frosty boys #STOP BULLYING LOKI 2021 #artemis rants #PROTECT DARCY AT ALL COSTS #look its myeu-muh!#padme kissed thor #LOKI DESERVES BETTER THEN TO DIE KNOWING ODIN HATED HIM

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holy-anxiety-batman · 3 years

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You know what.

*Un-magicals your girl*

*long rant under the cut that is completely unrelated*

I went on basically the same rant on my tiktok but here I’m not restricted to a minute so here comes ari’s rage!!!

Guess what! The UK had to shut down theatre again! And I’m pissed!

THEATRE WAS BACK. THEATRE WAS THRIVING. CAST AND CREW WERE GETTING REGULARLY TESTED AND DISTANCING AND E V E R Y T H I N G.

And then some FUCKERS decided to have some PARTIES.

AND THE ARTS ARE PAYING THE GODDAMN PRICE AGAIN.

This being AFTER the UK government told actors and other arts workers to RETRAIN for OTHER JOBS because the arts are NO LONGER VIABLE.

WHAT KIND OF BULL FUCKERY

Hi, I’m Ari, your local goth bi blogger. You may know me from such hits as: that one post about a guy spinning me in the rain, or: consistently geeking out about Sanders Sides.

What you may not know about me (because I share very little identifying information on this site) is that I am actively planning to move to London and attend drama school! And then perform on the West End! That’s right, batman is a musical theatre actor!

So you might be able to imagine how unspeakably heartbreaking and demoralizing it is to see the residents of the country I plan on living in treat the industry and lifestyle I love with such disrespect.

You might be able to grasp even the tiniest bit how terrifying it is to watch the government that I will be asking for citizenship repeatedly slap the words Non Viable in my face while I chase my dreams. I have nightmares about being stuck in an office. Days where I can barely keep tears hidden because I’ve seen another show has to close, another actor is evicted because they can’t pay rent, another politician say “I’m sorry, but the arts just aren’t necessary/sustainable/useful/viable”.

If you had any clue just how much the arts contribute I swear to all things holy you would take that back in a heartbeat. Not necessary? I’m sorry, what do you do when you’re sad? You read a book? You rewatch your favorite movie? You listen to some sad music and pretend you’re a protagonist? Guess what, those are art. Don’t sit there and pretend like you didn’t take your wife to see a show for your anniversary. Like your son doesn’t sit in his room sketching. Like your sibling didn’t risk everything to move to LA and get their record deal. 15% of all tourists in London go to at least one show. That is 2,863,500 people. That is tourism alone, millions of dollars to your economy, not including the millions of theatre-goers who aren’t tourists. Look me in my eyes and tell me you would still be alive if the arts never existed.

What, Mr. Johnson, you think you weren’t fucking conceived to the sounds of Aretha Franklin or Led Zeppelin? You’re lying to yourself. You never had a single breakdown in secondary school, crying to your Beatles record? You’re lying to yourself. You never went to a show with your parents? Never danced to music at a school function? Fuck off and come back to me when you’re ready to treat the arts with the respect they deserve, and have been so viciously denied.

I’ll be here, getting my degree, being a young queer radical, throwing balled up sheet music at you on the tv. And I will outlive you. And my name will be in books read more frequently than yours, read by people who are interested in the subject matter, not middle schoolers falling asleep in class. And I will touch people and change their lives for the better. Because the arts are more than viable. And the reason I still exist is to prove that.

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themattress · 4 years

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Rewatch: My Bride is a Mermaid Ep 23 - 24

Two episodes that are absolutely hilarious...and then sucker-punch you HARD with Feels.

Episode 23: The Man Without a Past

The episode opens up with a Masa Today, which launches us right into the main conflict: Masa is revealed to have no memories of his past beyond when he began working for the Seto Gang 10 years ago. At the same time, Akeno reveals that she is searching for her older brother, who disappeared 10 years ago while on government business to the Seto Inland Sea, and she wants to kill him for bringing shame upon the Shiranui family...and on a more personal level, for abandoning her. Yeah, anyone can see where this is going: Masa is Akeno’s brother who got amnesia after being struck in the head by a drunk Gozaburo. Desperate to save Masa’s life, Nagasumi and Gozaburo team up to stop him from recovering his memories, but their crazy attempts only end up causing that very thing to happen.

There is a lot that is funny in this episode: Gozaburo and Nagasumi actually needing to work together for a common goal, Sun constantly addressing Akeno as “Aki” which she never did before and never will again as though she just randomly decided she’d give Akeno a pet name for that day and that day only, Akeno briefly losing her memory and reverting back to her 4 year old state of mind, and the ultimate pay-off to Nagasumi’s homoerotic feelings for Masa with him pretending to be outright in love with him in order to keep his memories suppressed...a choice that he is seriously, hysterically regretting by the end of the episode.

But when Masa actually recovers his memories, the episode takes a shocking turn into true emotional sincerity. Masa has a mental encounter with his past self and expresses shame and disappointment in his whole existence being nothing but a lie, and he is willing to fade away to give the original persona his body back. His past self, however, makes him see all of the friends - family, really - that he made in the 10 years he’s been around, telling him that he can’t just disappear from their lives. And so it’s his past self that fades away, with parting words asking Masa to be there for his sister. Akeno, in 4 year old mode, is crying for her big brother and it’s legitimately heart-wrenching: for all her teenage self’s declarations of hatred and a desire for fatal vengeance, deep down all she really wants is to have him back. Masa goes over and hugs her tight, saying that even if he’s not the brother that she remembers, he wants to be the brother that she has now. And at the end, he even tells the guilt-stricken Gozaburo that he bears no grudges toward him for accidentally causing him amnesia, and that he loves him, Sun and the whole Seto Gang. It’s beautiful, and it actually got to me.

Can the show possibly top it? Yes. Yes, it can.

Episode 24: Farewell, My Friend

Kai Mikawa and Hideyoshi “Chimp” Sarutobi have consistently been two of the most unlikable characters on this show, but this episode pulls off one of the best redemptions for jerks that I have ever seen, up there with Eddy from Ed, Edd n’ Eddy and Lars from Steven Universe. And it must be noted that it’s the other episode in this anime that has no basis in the manga, which means this show’s writers must be applauded for pulling such a fantastic turnaround.

It starts when Kai, in a typical narcissistic mindset, is trying to hide the fact that he was visiting a hospital because he’s developed a boil on his butt. While the rest of his classmates actually guess that this was the case, Chimp refuses to believe it because he’s grown to care for Kai as a true friend and doesn’t think he would keep information from him unless it was something serious. This leads to Chimp staking out the hospital and overhearing part of a conversation that makes it sound like Kai has something terminal. He confronts Kai about it and Kai, thinking Chimp knows the truth about his “ass acne”, swears him to secrecy, which Chimp takes as Kai being so noble that he doesn’t want everyone else distraught and worried over him. However, Chimp is unable to keep this promise as he has to tell his classmates what’s going on so that they won’t act antagonistic toward Kai even when he’s being a jerk. This info then spreads to the rest of the class, and to the teachers, and to the whole freaking town, with absolutely everyone pitching in to pamper Kai and celebrate his existence in order to make his “last days” the best possible for him. What a wacky misunderstanding, eh?

But even amidst the natural humor in this situation, legitimate character insight is being given to Kai. As an agoraphobic who grew up around a bunch of yes-men, Kai has developed the belief that nobody loves him naturally and that he can only get love through flaunting his money, his good looks, his material goods, etc. And from this he developed an entitlement complex when he feels he isn’t being given his rightful due from others. So when everyone starts showering him with love and kindness, he can’t recognize it for what it truly is and instead thinks that everyone has just “come to their senses” and are treating him the way he “deserves” to be treated. Even when he learns of his “terminal illness” from a TV report, he can’t connect the dots between it, the way people have been treating him, and how they feel about him - he’s too consumed by the horror of believing himself to be dying. The fear turns to sadness, and then to anger and hatred toward one target: Nagasumi Michishio. Kai decides that if he’s dying, then he wants to take his rival whom he is so envious of with him.

A showdown at high noon ensues, with Kai even taking off his protective space helmet and suddenly having white hair for...reasons. But Nagasumi’s improved reflexes from all the time he’s spent dodging attacks across the series combined with the emotional breakdown Kai is having leads to Nagasumi being victorious. The scene transitions into a huge tear-jerker once Kai begins sobbing and admitting what his real problem is: he genuinely thinks he has no real friends and no-one that truly loves him, whereas Nagasumi does and he’s jealous of that, and the thought that he’s now going to die without that being rectified while Nagasumi gets to live a Happily Ever After with Sun is more than he can bear. “SOMEONE LOVE ME BEFORE I DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!” he screams up toward the sky, all onlookers choked up with pity.

With Sun and Nagasumi leading the way, all of Kai’s classmates gently protest his claims: they’re his friends and they love him, they wouldn’t have done all that they’ve done for him if that wasn’t the case. And Kai never needed to ask for love from them, or buy it from them, because otherwise that isn’t really love. Sun may not love him romantically, but she still loves him all the same, and so does his rival Nagasumi which is the whole reason why he even accepted his potentially fatal challenge. And then the episode delivers the biggest gut-punch when Chimp, fucking CHIMP, rushes to Kai’s side, crying his eyes out as he declares that he loves him more than anything in the world and that if he could he’d gladly take his place and die instead of him. In-universe, this is what fully breaks Nagasumi, who has to turn away as he begins sobbing uncontrollably (MAJOR props to Eric Vale and Anthony Bowling’s voice-acting; they sell their emotional lines in this episode and especially in this scene perfectly.)

Kai flashes back to the various times he’s hung out with his classmates and realizes that he was never alone, he never lacked love and friendship. He was just too self-absorbed to recognize what was right in front of him the whole time. As he lays down to die, he sums it up by saying “All of you have shown me how big your hearts can be...but me, all I did was show you how small mine was.” He apologizes to Chimp for taking him for granted, saying that he’s the best friend a guy could have, and then he thanks Sun and Nagasumi and tells them to be happy together. And then...he passes on. OK, not really, but the scene plays it totally straight and does it so well that for a moment you might actually forget that his terminal illness isn’t real and was just a misunderstanding. Naturally, this creates a huge mood whiplash when we suddenly get the final scene where the status quo reasserts itself at school, with everyone hilariously reacting to the fact that they went through all that emotional turmoil for nothing.

But as we’ll see in the two-part series finale, Kai and Chimp have come out of this experience somewhat changed: they aren’t the complete pricks they were before and even play a major heroic role, with Kai especially showing how much both Sun and Nagasumi mean to him. While Chimp on his own still isn’t a particularly good character, he is an excellent accessory to Kai, whom this anime has made one of the strongest characters in the cast over the course of just this single episode. Kai, you definitely have my love. (And Kai/Chimp OTP 4evah!)

#My Bride is a Mermaid #Opinion #Analysis

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bartsugsy · 5 years

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anyway here’s my opinion on litetally everything. no one asked but i still answered bc i’m bored:

me and kate @snowbasttien rewatched wedding - present last weekend and had a great time, it was great, would encourage everyone to rewatch and bask in robron going on some insane emotional journeys and being in love - on rewatch we both agreed that the story felt pretty balanced to us, likely because we didn’t have to deal with the hiatuses in between, but i suppose that differs person to person

but it reminded me how much good potential the ellis/billy stuff has when it’s interweaved with robron and that’s exciting

i’m enjoying it sm rip

re yesterday’s ep:

robert has this big habit of trying to play god with the people around him in order to get his way. it’s not a good thing and there’s a reason why aaron would be pissed about it. they’re married, yes, but robert once again took the decision to act on something affecting aaron without talking to aaron first

although frankly he wasn’t even that mad and f r a n k l y it was 90% foreplay prove me wrong

aaron inviting ellis to move in on the cheap just to spite his husband (but in a sexy way)? iconic

foreplay at its finest

they boned about that later that night

aaron spent a solid 2 hours telling rob he might not ever get to touch his dick again

rob: :(

aaron, already pouncing on robert: fine ily

circling back to robert’s literal god complex

rmr when robert destroyed gordon’s letter and aaron was so upset, because rob made a decision for aaron that honestly was aaron’s to make. rob thought he was doing the right thing but mostly he was just taking aaron’s agency away.

which is exactly what he’s doing here. aaron is telling robert he’s fine and is going to work on finding a way to accept billy living in the village and even if that’s a fucking bold faced lie, it’s still not robert’s place to take aaron’s decision out of his hands

and again, i feel monumentally bad for robert, because aaron historically has had issues with not talking about his feelings - and this has almost always led to aaron doing something dangerously reckless, or making horrible choices. like, i too would be concerned and want to encourage him to open up more.

but maybe instead encouraging therapy would be a better way to go lmao

rather than just deciding to slap a “quick fix” on the problem (that relies on people acting the way you want them to) (oh robert) (a little puppet master boy) (he just loves aaron and wants to protect him :( my sons)

so anyways i feel bad for them both

and i don’t think aaron is quite as a ok as he keeps saying lmao

maybe he’ll be fine forever

maybe i’ll just write some fic about it

that i will never finish

maybe productivity will take over my body we don’t know

maybe aaron will flip and do something terrible who knows

also i mentioned this earlier but so rarely do i feel compelled to root for robert’s schemes to actually work bc it’s much funnier to watch him scramble around for increasingly insane solutions

but graham.... bleh

like i genuinely think if joe was here rather than replacement-joe i might at least enjoy the home farm scenes slightly more bc all i can think at the moment is

how much of a 180 graham’s character took as soon as joe left lmao

it’s so silly and inconsistent and i don’t care enough about graham to fix it with meta lol

robert is a moron but no one can say he’s not pretty fuckin tough to go up against when he wants to be

he used homophobia accusations to get off of a murder charge he’s a fuckin icon

graham doesn’t know him though so maybe he doesn’t really know this

idk i guess i support robert crushing graham to pieces, joe rolling over in his grave and graham being so embarrassed that he disappears forever

bye g-dog

it’s much more fun to watch robert go up against people i care about lmao

where’s lachlan

having said this, i would be down with watching things get worse for robert before ultimately getting better? depends on how long they wanna string this out for i guess?

i’ve just realised how long this post is but i have MORE THINGS TO SAY

i think people were talking yesterday about how aaron isn’t contributing to the surrogacy fund and bc i missed the discourse i didn’t get to put my opinion forward on that

which is that one might assume that if you’re discussing a big and costly life decision, the natural reaction a couple might have would be to sit down, make a little savings plan, talk finances etc

aaron got as far as “it’s expensive” and robert was immediately like FEAR NOT MY LOVE I AM GOING TO GET US MONEY VIA CRIME

to which aaron was like sigh this is the man i have married

yes it is aaron you knew this about him going in

rob was determined and aaron does trust robert, for whatever reason, so he’s letting rob do this shit (on the caveat that aaron gets veto power on the stunts robert wants to pull)

i don’t really think that aaron contributing via crime makes sense for the character - yes he’s a dodgy little shit but historically, aaron committing crime has always been tied to aaron having some sort of breakdown lmao. he’s done a lot of work to like... not do that lmao. he’s morally grey in a different (and lesser) way than robert and always has been since day one. i just... idk i suppose i don’t understand the need for him to be an entirely different character lmao. i like that he’s marginally objectively better as a person than robert - but still not quite good enough that he actively opposes robert doing crime things

it’s an interesting point of growth in their relationship since 2016 when aaron really was just

not ok with any of rob’s litany of insnae schemes lmao at any point lmao

which resulted in a lot of break ups lolol

now they’re so much more comfortable in their relationship and in each other and aksjskjdjdjd beautiful it’s beautiful

no one even tried 2 divorce the other 😭 2016 ROBRON ARE SHAKING

THEY COULD NEVER

but honestly i just don’t see where robert gave aaron space to contribute outside of doing crime which aaron isn’t running to do

thankfully

particularly given how boldly arrogant and poorly hidden robert and nicola’s plans were lmao

that shit isn’t aaron’s forte anyway is it

he’s more about

stealing things

except he gets caught doing that a lot lmao

maybe he shouldn’t crime

having said this i love that he’s getting involved this week now that things have gotten to a point of genuine crisis

that’s when i think it makes sense for him to join in

or like... minor things, reluctantly and out of love for robbo

not because he just enjoys fucking people over when he sees the opportunity to lmao

i’m into it

this post is so long and i’m not even sorry

i have more feelings but i’m gonna stop here

in conclusion the secret to a long relationship is inviting ur sister in law’s boyfriend to live next door and pay cheap rent just to make ur husband mad as sexy foreplay

tyfyt

#robron #long post #lmao this is excessive but i had some FREE TIME OK #(....not at all true im neglecting so many things to write this)

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starscreativity101 · 1 year

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Welcome to part six of breaking down the new Murder Drones Season One Trailer!

Spoilers under the cut!

So the next scene we see in the trailer, is Uzi contemplating life and likely having an extensenials crisis.

The line here, said by V I think. "Better to stay distant though, don't you think?"

Uzi is probably worried about the glitch in this one, and possibly that V can sense it in some way.

I would have zoomed in closer to the corner, but I had a limited ability to do so without blurring the image a lot. So I can't tell exactly whats on the notes and paper, if someone has a proper close up that's readable please share, cause I'd like to know what's on the notes.

Okay so I purposefully took a bunch of shots of this one just for N and Uzi content of them being badass. Also because the next one requires all of the images together and not separate.

Also because N looks so confused holding onto Uzi's gun when she does the anime kick.

The most theory note I have on this scene is the location is indoors and looks like the same place where the murders happened.

Yay! Thad's back! Also happy we get to see all three of them interacting more in this season.

Y'know this would be a perfect meme image.

Uzi does not look amused in the slightest at the line "Haha, I'm very concerned, but also pretty frightened a lil bit."

Looks like this happened when the two were exploring the hole. Cause flashlight and gun are positioned in roughly the same place.

That's all for now, please let me know of any details I might have missed!

This one is a more chill theory post, cause there's not much to point out and I figured a chiller one is a good break from the last one, which had a bunch of lore all in one go.

I figured out how many more posts this is gonna be, and it's gonna end on part ten. Which means this is close to the last post I post about this, and hopefully by then with my schedule of uploading, the new Murder Drones episode will be out as I finish this series.

The reason why this series isn't finished right now, is mainly I generally am swamped with a lot of things during weekdays, so I do this on the weekends cause I have time to properly edit, rewatch, and formulate the post.

With that all said I hope you all enjoyed this breakdown, I will be posting part seven tomorrow!

Edit: Posted part seven, here's the link!

#murder drones #md n #md uzi #serial designation n #uzi murder drones #serial designation n murder drones #murder drones spoilers #murder drones theories #thad murder drones #murder drones trailer

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iwannafuckyexiu · 5 years

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A TEASE A DAY BRINGS YOU CLOSER TO YOUR DEATH 005

FACEPALM-KUN AND THE ABANDONED RAMEN between the yandere, sunshine boy, tsundere, shy boy, kuudere, which one would you choose?

Y/N stretches his arms, yawning as he makes his way towards the school gate in a drowsy approach. He ended up getting home by eleven thirty at night and stowed into the arms of Morpheus at two in the morning, scrubbing off the filth on his body before he went to sleep - which took the most time, even more than the time used to scroll through his phone.

The mob before the school invades Y/N's sight as he walks along the sidewalks towards the gate. "Damn what's with that crowd, is like a celebrity coming to our school or something?" he mumbles, nearing the horde, he recognises them as reporters from all the biggest news platforms in Japan, "oh wait, our school is filled with celebrities."

Spotting a familiar person whilst he attempts to wedge his way towards the entrance, he taps the guy's shoulder, "Hey, blonde guy it's you again."

"Heyyy! "

"What?!" the blonde guy yells through the rowdy flock of reporters, head yanking in Y/N's direction, his brows crumpled up and his eyelids tapered as he tries not to get squeezed to the side by the others.

"You know what's going on?" Y/N squints his eyelids as he gestures towards the mass of people in front of the school gate with his chin.

"I don't know, look yourself!"

The blonde guy tweaks his head back and thrust himself through the reporters with brute force, Y/N closely tracking behind his back, hand suspended mid-air throughout the entire fatiguing process of mashing into people and making an attempt to enter the school grounds without letting any reporters in.

"Wow, intense exercise early in the morning," Y/N comments as he walks along the corridor to his class with the blonde guy beside him, not minding that his uniform is wholly crinkled up and hair coiled with strands poking out, an untroubled grin stretches his cheeks.

"Oh, here's my stop, I'll see you later!" they pass by the class 1a door and Y/N bids his farewell to the blonde guy with a blow kiss - in which the latter clicks his tongue then turns his head away to (his scarlet neck rats him out).

Katsuki sits in his seat, his head lowered whilst he passes time with his phone in his palms on his table blatantly when a book is flung into his vision. He curls his hand into a fist and bashes the table, clacking his tongue in crossness.

"Who the fu-"

"Yep!" a radiant voice inserts before he can finish his sentence, even without looking up, Katsuki can pretty much guess who it is from the tonality and 'harmonious' book on the table.

"Midnight's lookin' hot on the cover there, don't ya think? " Y/N says as he bends over to flash a teasing smirk at Katsuki, crooking his head to the side, a brow raised at him.

Katsuki 'hmph'ed at the remark, ruby eyes never veering to look at Y/N, mumbling so tacitly that Y/N can barely hear it, "Fucking pervert." That's something new from the usual 'asshole' and 'fucker', Katsuki's updating his vocabulary too, damn.

To his unfriendly words, Y/N only lets out a faint chuckle, he sparingly flicks the side of Katsuki's head, "I heard that." Katsuki doesn't yell or shout at him for the action but he scowls and responds Y/N with a middle finger - which the latter gives a classic wink to.

"Aye Izuku," he greets as he strides towards his next target he is going to scourge. Y/N ruffles through Izuku's fluffy broccoli curls with one hand and the other chucks a long cardboard tube at the boy. "Here's an All Might poster since I couldn't bring the ice cream," he answers when he sees Izuku's puzzled cast on his features.

"Thanks!" Izuku says, dipping his head to convey himself, the corners of his eyes curving into arcs as wells as his pinkish lips.

"Also," Y/N begins while he tows a seat from the currently empty desk beside, straddling the chair with his arms tending on the top rail, "did you speak to that hedgehog there after school or something yesterday?"

"...how did you know?" Izuku first nods his head then twists his head and questions Y/N, green pupils peering agape at him.

"Saw it when I was running to work."

"Ah ... yeah, he said he's going to be number one from now on."

"Ahahahah, sounds like him," Y/N quenches a howl as he peeps at Katsuki from the side, visualising him shouting at Izuku like a tsundere schoolgirl: 'I-I-I'm going to be number one from now on, don't you bastard underestimate me!!'. The imagination of Katsuki doing that is too wicked, too wicked - Y/N heaves a sigh to himself at the overly whimsical thought.

"Also-oh, Aizawa's here I'm gonna go back."

As Y/N's words died down, he inches his way to his seat at the back of the room to prevent that yellow condom from calling him out for not being in his seat again, he's not one for attention you know.

"Good work on yesterday's combat training, I saw the video and results," Aizawa heaps slight praise to his students, his hand setting down his stack of papers on the desk at the front. "Bakugou, you're talented so don't act like a kid," his sagging eyes slothfully roves to Katsuki as he speaks of him briefly, gaze full of disdain.

"I know," Katsuki shifts his gaze to his left whilst he says with an overt frown, leaving the rest of the class dumbfounded at his unexpectedly composed temper.

"Hey slap me."

"Ow-oh my god, it's real."

"And Midoriya," Izuku instantly straightens up and tucks his arms atop his lap at the mention of his name from Aizawa, "you settled it by breaking your arm again, huh? You can't keep making the excuse that you can't control your quirk. I don't like saying the same thing over and over again. But as long as you fix that issue, you'll have a lot of things you'll be able to do."

"Feel a sense of urgency, Midoriya," Aizawa winds up his remarks on Izuku, in which the boy replies him with a firm 'hai! ', gushing with a youth's determination.

"Now let's get down to homeroom business, I'm sorry I didn't warn you beforehand but today I'll have you ..." letting his voice dwindle off, Aizawa has everyone put their heart in their mouths.

"Is he gonna say that he's resigning?"

"...Decide on a class representative."

Everyone sets about hoisting their arm up and screeching for Aizawa to pick them, almost sounding like a certain 101's theme song: "pick me! ". To all the ruckus going on in the classroom, Y/N just huddles his head between his weaved arms on the desk and sinks into sleep's deadly arms.

"Silence!"

The class quietens down at once straight after Iida's shout, and all eyes are bonded to his now-standing figure. Iida clinches an arm high up in the air but interposes to his classmates, "This is not something that just anybody could do! This is a job that requires leadership skills! Everyone's trust in you is required in order to be a good leader ... so we should vote! "

"Why did you suggest that?"

"We even don't know each other very well yet, how are we supposed to trust?" ribbit ribbit queries, stoking up the other students' pertinent comments.

"Everybody's gonna vote for themselves anyway."

"That's exactly why the person with most votes should become class president," Iida prods up his glasses with his fingers, the lens glistening in the artificial light, he turns to Aizawa (who's nearly asleep), "don't you agree, sensei?"

"Tsk whatever, just choose one before class ends," Aizawa says moodily and zips his yellow sleeping bag up to return to his slumber, making sure it's soundproof.

So everyone agrees to use the method Iida suggested. One after another, they walk to the front to vote for the most suitable person to be class president, including Y/N who awoken when Iida silenced the class. And too waspish from his interrupted nap, he scratches his mark beside the first name he sees on the blackboard and walks back to his seat as if a zombie.

Bypassing to when they reveal the final results of the mini-referendum, Izuku got three votes, sealing his class representative position, and Yaoyorozu got two votes, making her vice president.

"Deku? Who voted for him?!"

And Katsuki is back to his regular self, brimming with rage. The class now think that maybe a calm Katsuki isn't that bad, they want that him back.

、、、

"That took too fucking long!" Y/N grumbles to the mustard and ketchup duo as he cautiously rambles towards the table they're on, balancing a warm (and heavy, Y/N doesn't forget to mention) bowl of noodles on his tray.

"You could've chosen something else to eat you know ramen's one of the most popular choices between students," Denki pokes fun at him with a suppressed smile by his lips, then giggling at the boy's strange posture while he settles the tray onto the table.

"I was just craving it too much, after rewatching Naruto and Shippuden over last night."

"Ai ..." Y/N emits a lasting and theatrical sigh, he sways his head at Denki. "You won't get it, bro," he says perplexingly, acting profound and inscrutable to the two.

"But I get you," the ketchup of the duo who has been silent for the past conversation finally speaks, giving the male opposite him a 'yes I get you bro' expression which Y/N responds with his hand pounding on his chest lightly.

Y/N lifts his chopsticks up, dredging up a clump of noodles from the soup, ready to eat it all up when a resonant toll sets off within the canteen.

"Just as I was gonna take a sip," he snarls and tosses his chopsticks in the bowl, pressing his lips together as he gets up from his seat, "Shitting hell, in the single moment I just blank out a bit they all run out."

Y/N ventures out the canteen and around the hallways, he attempts to pinpoint where exactly the others are but he only ends up astray from his destination. And on the fourth time of laying his eyes on the same wall after roaming around, again and again, his mentality snaps.

"AHHHH, DENKI YOU FORGOT TO BRING ME ALONG!" Y/N howls in the hallway to his heart's content, off-track in his breakdown, not noticing the presence nearby, "first I don't get to eat my ramen, then I get lost." He leans against a wall and slouches down to perch himself on the ground slowly, the lesions from the day before twinging as his skin smears against the solid surface.

"What fucking sorcery is this?!"

Finally quelling down, Y/N turns his head to skim his surroundings when a dim figure by a wall grasps his eyes, he shrinks his eyelids at the direction, "Hold on, is that a person there?"

"H-"

"You better shut your fucking mouth up or I'll disintegrate you," before he even speaks the silhouette lashes out at him and shows himself from the shadows.

His voice is husky, coarse and guttural, but tone simmering through into Y/N soul with spite and malice. Giving a hasten glimpse at his appearance - slender yet fit figurine, unkempt but appealing ultramarine locks - Y/N supposes the face behind those slightly greyed but dainty and slim fingers is not bad too.

"Okay, okay," Y/N says in a reposeful manner, taciturnly distancing himself from the clearly perilous man just close by, his features malformed into a grovelling cast.

"Tsk tsk tsk, looks good but seems too yandere," Y/N mutters in a low tone, darting a sidelong glance at facepalm-kun, his tongue pricking out to moisten his chapped lips.

"What?"

"Nothing." Y/N works towards a canon ball shape, burrowing his head further into his knees to minimise his existence to the brink.

The man hums shortly then reaches his hand towards Y/N direction, he intimidates him, "Don't tell anyone about me, or else ..." His single veined eye pops in Y/N direction menacingly, sending the latter's hair and goosebumps raising in cold blood.

Even when Y/N sets back to his class, he can still recollect the blood-curdling aura the man dispersed from a single stare. Worn out from the taut tension with the man before, Y/N drapes himself across his desk as he gapes at one place blankly until Denki calls him.

"Y/N! Y/N!"

"Where did you go just now?" Denki asks, eyes enlarged at Y/N's figure without the slightest cut since he didn't find him beside him during the drill, which gave him a great shock.

"Oh, uh ... the bathroom you know, I had to pee real quick," tilting his head to the side to act above suspicion, he gives Denki an answer full of faults.

But Denki doesn't uncover him, he plaits his fingers through Y/N's hair, tousling his curls, he says to him with fondness. "You're lucky it's just a fraud or you might just get in trouble with the villains."

Hahhahhahahhahaahhahaa.

He did.

"But it's a fraud this time, so I'm fine!" Y/N draws a viscid grin to show, he lifts his brows at Denki and provokes, "see, you can pinch me to test!" Denki hoists a hand up and harshly nips at Y/N's waist, muting his laugh as he sees the boy's twisted expression from the force of it.

"Ow ow ow! Not that hard!" yelling at him whilst also smacking his hand away repeatedly, Y/N gnaws on his bottom lip as the mark throbs for a few seconds, his E/C irises blazing holes through Denki.

"Hm, just as noisy as always," Denki jokes with him, stroking his chin with two fingers in a pondering position.

"Tsk."

"Oh, there comes Aizawa, I gotta go back to my seat."

"Talk to you later, see you~"

"Can I say something?" Izuku steps up all of a sudden, fists clasped by his sides, chin tipped upwards with determination. "I think-I think that Iida is more capable for the position of the class president! He managed to calm the crowd down during the drill, so I think he's the most suited for this job," the poor boy's body quavers slightly as he announces to the class, eyes meandering everywhere.

"I agree with Midoriya."

"Me too, Iida was kinda a good leader just now."

"Like everyone literally just stopped talking when he flew up and said his thing."

"Same."

"Alright, if you're all done with that, then listen to me." Everyone hush down at the din of Aizawa's sluggish voice.

"We'll be participating in a rescue simulation for your basic hero training class," Aizawa starts lazily, ignoring everyone's roars at how excited they are for the event and resumes to speak, "this time you can decide whether you will wear your hero costume or not, because for some people it may be restricting."

"We're going there by bus since the training is going to be outside of the school grounds," he explains whilst he removes his hands that were propping himself up from the desk.

"That's all, now get ready."

TO NOTE

soooo updates are gonna be slower after this chapter because my holiday's ending! yayyyyyyy

but yeah updates will be slower and most likely too slow.

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