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#otherwise i’ll get too into it and forget what i’m supposed to be doing lmao
lincolndjarin · 5 months
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Best Kept Secret
chapter twenty six : crucifixion
ao3 link ✿ series masterlist ✩ main masterlist ✧
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pairing : bodyguard!Din Djarin x afab!princess!reader
rating : 18+ mdni
word count : 12.7k
summary : judgement day.
warnings: major character death, above canon typical violence, very brief references to suicide, torture, body horror (briefly), feelings of despair, blood, wounds, general kodo grossness, vomit (reader vomits several times, it is never described in detail), language, angst, brief smut, pregnancy, death, reader is not doing well in this like she's at a breaking point, i may have missed some so feel free to let me know.
a/n: please read the warnings on this chap! it's the most serious of the bks updates, definitely a bit more intense than the rest. gonna work on getting 27 out within the next few day. i've been terrified of releasing this chapter since i started writing it so once i post this i'm going to dig a hole and sit in it and hide for a while lmao.
i changed my editing style so if there's spelling errors lmk!! apologies in advance!!
“My room is too big.” 
He bursts into genuine peals of laughter and you gently smack his arm.
“Don’t laugh, it’s a serious issue! My room is enormous.” You’re giggling along with him now, it’s the hardest you’ve ever heard him laugh. You both just laugh for a few minutes, as if each other's company is the most amusing thing in the world. 
Once your giggles fizzle out you wait another moment before breaking the silence. 
“Where did you grow up?” You can’t see him but you can sense where he sits in the darkness, you crawl forward so you’re sitting between his legs, your own legs wrap around his waist. “I’m just curious.” 
“Aq Vetina.” You can’t recall anything about the planet. You aren’t even sure you’ve heard of it. 
“Do you remember your parents well? You don’t talk about them very much.” You put your hands on his shoulders, ever so slowly moving them up to his neck until you’re cupping his face. 
“I’ll never forget them.” He whispers. 
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We can’t change the past.” You rub your nose against his, bumping them together as you hum and nod. “My mother loved ships. We didn’t travel, we never had a reason to, but she would take me outside and we’d watch ships fly past. I could never comprehend how she knew the name for all of them, it blew my mind.” You wrap your arms around his neck, staying silent in hopes that he’ll continue, he so rarely speaks so much. “My father worked a lot but he always made time for us, he was always home in time to say goodnight to me. He was always around when I needed him, he always provided for us. On his day off he’d spend the whole day cooking, I’d sit on the kitchen counter and tell him what my mother and I had done that week. When she’d come home we’d all eat dinner together.” 
“You sound like you were a happy child.” You can’t help but smile. 
“I never had reason to be otherwise.” He says it so matter of factly that you don’t doubt it for a second. He was loved. It only makes you smile wider.         
“What were you like, as a child?”
“Well behaved.” You immediately begin laughing once more. 
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe it. My mother homeschooled me, she always made sure I had manners. I wasn’t particularly athletic or talkative so I didn’t play with other kids a lot. It was just me and mama.” He sounds far away, it makes you want to hold him close and never let him go.
“So what did you do all day?” Your tone has softened significantly. 
“I would sew.” 
“Be serious.” He’s the one who laughs now at the disbelief in your voice.
“I am! I would sit with my mother after my lessons and we’d sew.” His fingertips dance along the back of your neck as he reminisces. 
“What kinds of things?” You don’t tease. When you really think about it you suppose such a hobby is fitting for him. A task that requires precision and care. 
“I would help her make clothes and blankets that she would sell most days. On the weekends she’d let me do whatever I wanted so I would practice my embroidery.” 
“My heart is actually about to explode out of my chest, you’re so cute.” You put on a mocking tone but the thought of such a thing really does make your heart clench. “Little Din Djarin stitching his name into his clothes.”
“You’re a cruel woman.” He leans forward, knocking his forehead against yours, almost as if he were reprimanding you. 
“What sorts of things would you embroider?” Your tone goes back to genuine, you could listen to him talk about himself for days and you’d never get bored. 
“Whatever my mother wanted. I would ask her what I should do and then I’d stitch it onto her blanket or the hem of her skirt. Mostly flowers, she loved daisies.” You’re pretty sure one of your ovaries literally popped at the thought of a little boy with dark curls and big brown eyes sitting beside his mother and embroidering a daisy onto her skirt. Your heart flutters a bit as you think of the necklace he got you. The silver outline of a flower you now realize is a daisy. “If he was ever gone for more than one night for work my father would bring her daisies, one for each day he was away.”
“Do you still know how?”
“I used to fix Grogu’s clothes when he ripped them but I haven’t done much else since I was a boy. He says it with finality but you carry on, not wanting him to stop talking. 
“What were their names? Your parents?”
“Clara and Arin Djarin.”  
“Those are pretty names.”
“What was it like for you? You said you had seven siblings right?”
“Eight actually.” You think of them now. There were eight of you and your parents' love for all of you combined wasn’t even a tenth of how much Din’s parents loved him. 
“Do you like having a big family?” He lifts you off of his lap, laying you back down as he crawls on top of you, laying against your chest. 
“I love it. I miss my siblings everyday, do you think we’ll be able to visit them someday?”
“If it’s safe to, of course we will.” He tilts his head, if you weren’t in darkness he’d be looking at you. 
“I wish they had visited here. They would have loved you.”
“You think?”
“Are you kidding me? The younger ones would adore you.” You tangle your finger in his hair, scratching his scalp. “Kids just naturally like you.” 
“They just haven’t learned to fear me.” You frown when he says it like a fact.
“I think it’s more than that.”
“Yeah?” The hopeful tilt to his voice has you leaning down to press a kiss into his hair. 
“Kids are intuitive, they can sense that you’re a good person.” He tenses up as you tell him he’s a good person. You know exactly what he’s thinking about now, how he punched your husband and then refused to leave. 
Neither one of you wants to talk about that though, not today. 
“What kind of room would you want? Since your current room isn’t to your liking.” He’s quick to change the subject and you let him.
“In all honesty, I like the cabin, I wish we could just live there.” You run your fingers through his curls as you think about it, gently pulling through any tangles.
“My cabin?” His voice is full of uncertainty as he pulls back a bit.
“It’s nice.” You feel a bit defensive, you consider the cabin to be the closest thing you have to a home. “Can you imagine getting to stay on Naboo? We could spend our mornings walking the market.” You rest your hand on the back of his neck now. “We could get jobs in the city, and then at night we’d come home.” 
“To the cabin?” He still sounds rather skeptical of your hypothetical future. 
“I’d cook dinner, you’d do the chores.”
“The cabin’s a bit small for us.” 
“We’d make it a bit bigger, add a few bedrooms, we don’t need that much space.” 
“A few?” He turns his head, his lips brush against your collar briefly as he kisses you there, freezing up when you speak again. 
“At least two, one for us and then some for any little Djarin’s who might need space.” With that he sits up entirely, his legs straddle your stomach.
“Little Djarin’s?”
“And Grogu, he would come live with us as well.” 
“You’d want him to live with us?”
“Of course, he’s a little Djarin.” Your hands rest on his thighs now as he seemingly ponders above you. He hums to himself in silence for a moment and you can’t help but grin at how seriously he’s taking all of this. 
“How many?” He finally speaks again and you laugh at the bluntness of his question. 
“Kids?”
“How many would you want?”
“You go first.” You haven’t ever talked about this sort of thing so you want to gauge his answer first so you don’t scare him too much with all the kids talk. 
“Maybe five? Or six.”
“Six?” Your voice pitches up immediately and you feel a rumble in his chest as he laughs. 
“Or five.”
“How about two, counting Grogu.” Turns out you didn’t need to worry about scaring him off. 
“How about three?” Three is manageable. 
“Counting Grogu?” 
“Counting Grogu.” He seems satisfied with that. 
“I suppose we could have three, you’re the one who has to build all the extra bedrooms.” 
“I don’t mind.”
“I’d work at the library and you’d work in a shipyard, we’d take turns staying home with the kids.” You pull him back to you, taking his hands and dragging him to lay his head on your chest once more.
“I’ve got enough savings, neither one of us has to work if you’d like.” It sends a twinge of pain to your heart how real this conversation has become, knowing that this exact dream isn’t possible. 
You could always make parts of it real.
Someday. 
“I’d want to work, to get out of the house, but you could stay home if you’d like.”
“When they’re still ik’aad, at least for the first few years I’d want to be with them.” He’s going to be a wonderful father. 
“Then I’d work, not long hours, just enough to get me out of the house, when I come home I’d give you a break, you could do the shopping and I’d watch the little’s.” 
“We’d go as a family, I wouldn’t want ‘a break.’” 
“You’d want to wrangle three kids in the markets?” You scoff in disbelief but he continues to sound completely serious. 
“They’d be well behaved.” You seriously doubt that. 
“What about either one of us makes you think our children will be well behaved? Is Grogu well behaved?” 
“We’ll manage.”
“They’ll be wild.” They will, not they would. 
“And smart.” He sits up again, hovering above you to give you a quick kiss. 
“And happy.” There isn’t a doubt in your mind that your children would be happy with Din as their father. 
“You’d really want to live here? I could build us a house anywhere.”
“I like Naboo, at least everything outside of the castle. I don’t even mind the castle, I just don’t care for the people inside it.” It’s true, somewhere along the way this place grew on you immensely. You love the city and the people in it. “And they’d get to play in the garden.” 
“I would build you a cabin anywhere you wanted, and I’d plant you a new garden.” He kisses along your cheeks and forehead as he speaks. 
“You wouldn’t need to plant me a garden if we lived here.” You insist. 
“We can’t live here, mesh’la.” He rubs a small circle with his thumb against your cheek. “This is too serious now, we’re supposed to be relaxed today.”
“When did we agree on that?” You muster up a weak laugh. 
“It was a silent mutual agreement.”
“I’m plenty relaxed.” You mumble. He buries his face in the crook of your neck, his stubble tickling you as you let out an airy giggle. 
“I’m actually very tense and I think we should take a break from all this talking and take care of that.” He mumbles against your shoulder.
“Oh?”
“Mhmm.” He emphasizes his point by pressing his erection against your hip, you hadn’t even realized that this is where he was going with that. 
“How long have you been waiting to jump me?”
“When we started talking about the five kids I was gonna put in you.” He continues to nip at your neck and shoulders as he speaks. 
“Skipping the agreed upon three and going straight to five already? You’re not even going to attempt to negotiate for four?” 
“So you’re open to four?” He pulls back and you can hear his smile. 
“Let’s start with one and go from there.”
“Right now?” His hips stutter down a bit against yours. 
“Maker, you’re insatiable.” You both burst into another fit of laughter. 
“What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
“I could get pregnant, and considering the lack of sex I’ve had with my husband I’m sure that might raise a few eyebrows.” 
“It would never get to that point, when we’re in the clear with this whole Kodo mess I’m getting you out of here.”
“Like… actually leaving Naboo?” 
“Exactly like that. I’m gonna take you far away from here when this is over, gonna keep you all for myself.” His hands move down, giving your hips a squeeze. 
“I’m already yours.” You laughed, rolling over to be on top of him. He’s right, if you’re going to leave anyway then what’s the worst thing that could happen? 
You never talked about that night after that. 
When everything sorted itself out you realized how crazy your fear had made you. You couldn’t just leave. At least that’s what you’d told yourself, now you feel like an idiot for not holding him to his words. It wasn’t realistic, you both knew actually leaving would take so much more preparation than a few whispered ideas during a time where neither one of you was in any position to be making such promises. 
It was just talk.
Lysa came to get you from the dining room. 
After everyone left you had no motivation to move, you just stood there, frozen in time. After a few hours she found you, she had taken your hand and walked you back to your chambers. She held your hand, she kept you upright when you threatened to crumble. And when you felt a wave of nausea ripple through you she rushed you to the fresher, a hand on your back as you threw up all over again. 
You sat breathlessly on the tile, Lysa rubbing your back.
“Gods, I’ve been nauseous since the wedding. Even before everything fell apart.” It’s the first words you’ve spoken since they took Din, your stomach is still churning. “This has never happened before.” You groan, you’ve had many moments of upset throughout your life, but none that made you physically ill. Lysa looks almost painfully worried. 
“Ma’am… is there a chance you might be…” 
Kriff.
You never talked about that night after that. 
Maybe you should have. 
You both did a lot of things during those days. You had been so angry, and he had done everything in his power to ease that anger, to keep both of you as happy as someone could be in your situation. 
You shouldn’t have used that as an excuse to be reckless. 
“I’d like to go to bed.” 
“Of course.” She helps you to your feet, walking you back to your room, you turn to her one last time before you close the door. 
“I’m sorry. Elaine never should have gotten involved in all this.” You’d trade places with her in a heartbeat if you could. 
“It’s not your fault.” She truly seems to believe that. 
Except it is. Elaine never would have found herself in this situation if she hadn’t so often been helping the two of you keep your secret. 
“Goodnight, Lysa.” 
“Goodnight, princess.” 
You lay on the bed, unable to bring yourself to sleep in the closet. 
It’s cold. Colder than Hoth, as you stare at the ceiling in your far too big bed in your far too big room. Even bigger now that it’s just you. 
You let your hand roam down your torso to rest on your stomach.
Just you, hopefully. 
You’re now having nightly dinners with Kodo. 
You don’t get any respite from him, you just want to stay in bed. You’re nauseous and tired and your head hasn’t stopped spinning since that night. A million thoughts a minute. 
Where is he?
Is he okay?
What the fuck can I do about it?
Mostly that. 
The worst part is your lack of a plan. If the roles were reversed Din would have already rescued you and you’d be living happily ever after. 
But that isn’t how your story is going. Instead you are alone, with no scheme on how to get to him. It’s only been three days but it’s driving you insane, you have never known such hopelessness, it’s maddening. To sit alone in your room all day, staring at the ceiling until Lysa comes to dress you for dinner. Neither one of you ever speaks, afterall, what would you say to each other?
“I’m sorry the love of your life had been sentenced to die?”
How morbid. 
Not that you’re above being morbid. 
You think about it often. How easy it would be to drive your dinner knife into Kodo’s throat. You’re seated beside him now at dinner, both of you at the head of the table, joined by the rest of his family. 
The thought of killing him is the only thing that brings you peace these days. You’ve never once in your life been violent until now. Din is good. He’s a good man. In every way he is the opposite of your husband yet Din is the one locked away, Maker knows where, while Kodo is being rewarded. 
It doesn’t make you mad, it makes you furious. 
It makes you want to poison his wine. 
But you don’t have poison. 
And you can’t put yourself in danger. Because you feel fundamentally different, and even if you refuse to think that such a thing is possible you know you wouldn’t just be putting yourself in danger. There’s more at stake now. 
That’s what you tell yourself to stay calm, a feat that is getting harder by the minute as you’re sat beside Kodo who is currently bragging about how he defeated a Mandalorian. 
“They aren’t as strong as you think they are. Under the armor they’re weak, pathetic.” 
It took six battle droids to keep him down. You didn’t even get near him. 
“Some people just need to be taught a lesson, don’t touch what isn’t yours.” He sneers and the rest of the table erupts into laughter. “I certainly taught that horned bitch a lesson as well, you all should have seen what they brought me last night.” 
You perk up, this is the only thing they’ve said in days that truly matters to you. You’ve heard nothing about the current state of either of them until now. 
“What did they do to Elaine?” Everyone’s head turns to you, all their expressions look as if you’ve announced something treasonous but Kodo smiles as if he were explaining something to a child. 
“She was properly punished, the way someone who observed such a crime with no intervention should be.” He puts his hand over yours when he says it. 
You don’t ask for any follow up. 
You don’t think you could stomach it, so you stay silent for the rest of your meal. When you’re finished you stand, the rest of the table is starting to pour more drinks but you simply lean down, mumbling something about being tired before giving Kodo a quick kiss on the cheek and dismissing yourself. 
You’re waiting for the night where he joins you in your chambers, after all his father is dead, but it has yet to happen. He had told you that once he was king he would be in need of heirs but he seems happy enough with his pleasure houses and you’re more than grateful for the women you entertain him so you don’t have to. 
So you return to your chambers alone, peeling off your gown before burying yourself under the covers. 
Sleep evades you as you toss and turn. You aren’t even tired, there’s too much going on in your mind, there’s no room for exhaustion. After about an hour you manage to drift in and out of unconsciousness, earning a brief reprieve from your anxieties until a sharp knocking has you jolting upright. 
You don your robe, rubbing sleep from your eyes as you rush to the door, you’re too tired to wonder who might even be bothering you at such an hour as you pull the door open. 
Lysa?
“We have to hurry, ma’am.” She grabs your arm, frantically tugging you into the hall. 
“Lysa? What are you doing? Are you okay?” 
“I am fine, but we don’t have much time.”
“Surely you have enough to tell me where we are going.” 
“Do you want to see him or not?” 
Din.
You nod, taking her hand as he rushes onward, stopping at each hall to peer around the corners until you make your way to a servants stairwell, skipping several steps in your descent until you run out of stairs. You’ve never been down here, you didn’t even know there were dungeons until recently. 
It makes your stomach twist in knots the moment you stare into the darkness. 
“Are there no guards?” You whisper, squeezing her hand.
“Not for the next hour, I’ve made sure of it.” She begins walking down the poorly lit corridor, pulling you along behind her. 
The stone floor is damp and it smells of mildew. Your bare feet are already freezing after just a few steps.
Every cell you pass is lit from the outside with a hanging lantern, they’re mostly empty, but you catch glimpses of movement out of the corner of your eye every now and then. In all honesty you’re doing your best to take in as little as possible, you don’t want to think about Din being down here in such a place, but there’s one element you can’t ignore. 
The wailing. 
Someone is weeping, a low, sorrowful song filling the vast maze of halls and you realize quickly you’re heading in its direction, Lysa tenses beside you as you continue on. You’re about to turn one more corner when she abruptly stops, turning to face you.
“He needs to eat.” She removes a fistful of rations from her apron pocket, shoving them into your hands. 
“He hasn’t?” He’s been down here for three days. 
“He won’t… let me.” You pause, cocking your head to the side and she gives you an apologetic look when she turns. “He won’t let me uncover his face.”
Oh. 
“I’ll feed him.” You nod slowly, tucking them into your own pockets before turning the corner. The contents of the cell immediately on your right have you stumbling backwards but Lysa is not swayed, pulling a key from her pocket, unlocking the door quickly before handing it to you. 
“He’s two cells down, on your right.” She doesn’t look at you as she rushes in, pulling a roll of bandages from her dress. “Shh… it’s okay, I’m here.” Her voice goes soft as she kneels beside Elaine. You can’t help it as you step into the entryway of the cell. 
Well, you’ve found the source of the wailing. 
She’s sat on a cot, curled in on herself as Lysa carefully peels back a series of soiled bandages from her face. 
“I’ve got you, it’s just me.” She continues to make an attempt to sooth a rather hysterical Elaine as she peels back the final layer of bandages and your stomach flips. “You’re okay, love, I need to change these.” You don’t know how Lysa is so calm, even in the darkness you can see the extent of her wounds. Now you know what they brought Kodo last night.  
Both eyes. 
“She was properly punished, the way someone who observed such a crime with no intervention should be.” 
Oh gods. 
You’re worried you may collapse as you watch Lysa tend to her with no hesitation, cleaning them with a careful hand before she begins to redress them. You can’t bear to watch any longer as Elaine begins sobbing once more. You try desperately to force the sight of your mutilated friend from your mind as you count down two more cells before quickly fumbling for the lock, letting it hit the floor as you take the lantern outside the door off its hook, bringing it into the dark room. 
It isn’t like Elaine’s cell. 
There’s no bed or interior light, it’s terribly dark and fetid, his cell running deeper than her’s. It takes a few steps for you to finally illuminate the room enough to see him. 
Maker. 
What have they done to your Din? 
You don’t hear Elaine anymore, there isn't a single thing that could distract you from the scene in front of you. There is nothing but the sight of your kar’ta. There’s too much for you to worry about, you don’t even know where to start, you’re frozen in place, a small part of your brain refuses to recognize the man before you as Din at all. He shouldn’t look like this. 
Armorless. 
They’ve stripped him of any clothing you recognize, the thought alone makes you nearly lose your dinner. 
They took his helmet, replacing it with a linen sack.  
Did they see his face?
You briefly have to shut your eyes, taking a deep breath as you take in the rest of him. His clothes are too thin, he must be freezing, they’ve dressed him in a cotton tunic and trousers that end just below the knee. You can see just how beaten and bruised he is. Unlike Elaine he’s in chains, kneeling on the floor with his hands shackled, taut above his head. You swallow the lump in your throat and finally crouch down in front of him, setting the lantern down beside you as you reach out to place a hand on his chest.
“Din…” Your voice cracks and the moment you come in contact with him he flinches back. Suddenly you know how Lysa held it together so well with Elaine, she just had to. You can’t fall apart, who would care for him now if you did? “It’s me, just me. Just me.” You whisper and place a hand over his heart but withdraw it quickly when he trembles under your touch. You ache at the sight of it but more than anything you’re confused, it only takes a moment for you to realize the issue. 
He doesn’t have his helmet. They’ve not only left him here blind, but deaf, of course any touch would frighten him. 
He assumes you're here to harm him. 
You lean in, careful not to come in contact with him as you speak clearly and loudly. 
“Din?” His trembling stops instantly. You find it a bit troublesome how much worse his hearing seems to have gotten in such a short time, you’re half tempted to reach under the bag to make sure he still has his ears. 
“Sarad?” Oh, Din. His voice is terribly small and it sends you forward, wrapping your arms around him as you pull him into an unreciprocated embrace. 
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” You make sure to speak loud enough for him before pulling back, placing your hands against the fabric covering his face. 
“Are you okay?” He coughs a bit as he asks and you almost laugh at how ridiculous the question is considering the state he’s in. Are you okay? 
Technically no. 
But far better than he’s doing. 
“I’m perfectly fine, what can I do for you? Are you hurting?” You feel his face through the bag as you look down across his body. It doesn’t look like there’s been any permanent damage outside of a pretty nasty cut on one of his legs. 
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Now’s not the time to play the hero, Din.” He flinches a little and you calm your tone immediately. What the hell did they do to him? “Just let me help.”
“How’d you get down here?” 
“Lysa, she says you aren’t eating.” 
“She’d have to lift my- the bag to do it.” He sounds apologetic, as if you could ever fault him for following his creed. 
“It’s okay… may I?” You bring your hands to the hem of the bag but his head turns sharply.
“I- I don’t want you to look.” 
You have no response. He’s always wanted you to look. 
“I just, I don’t think you wanna see the condition I’m in. I don’t want your only memories of my face to be this.” He whispers when you don’t respond.
You should have looked when he asked you to. You should have done a lot of things differently. 
You shouldn’t have waited so long to look. 
You shouldn't have waited so long to tell him you loved him. 
You should have just let yourself love him. Why did you fight it for so long? It seems silly now. If you could do it all again you would have just taken his helmet off the first night you met him and you would have married him right then and there. You would have left Naboo that night.
And you would never keep any of it from him. You would tell him how important he is and how loved he is, you wouldn’t make him wait. 
Even now you can’t help it though, censoring yourself out of fear. Do you tell him about how nauseous you get every morning? About the way Lysa stares at your belly when she does your makeup? 
No. 
It wouldn’t do either of you any good, not when he’s in this situation. 
You take hold of the edges of the bag once more, gentler this time. 
“I’ll close my eyes.” You lift the fabric completely off of him, setting it in your lap as you simultaneously shut your eyes. You keep one hand on his face, using your thumb to find the corner of his mouth as your other hand fumbles to open a ration bar. You feel him part his lips as you feed him. He’s barely chewing, eating quickly and swallowing most of it whole. “Have they fed you at all?” You whisper as he finishes the first bar in a matter of seconds, his teeth lightly scraping against your fingers before you withdraw them, tearing open another bar.
“No.” His voice is still soft as you go to feed him once more, opening each package until he’s eaten them all. 
“Are you still hungry? I could see if Lysa has more.” 
“I’m okay.” You let your head fall forward, resting your forehead on his. 
“What else can I do for you?” 
“Nothing. Being here is enough.” 
If you had felt helpless before it was nothing compared to this. This is more than helplessness, it’s despair. 
“I’m sorry.” You pull yourself further into his lap, wrapping your arms around him in the process. 
“Hey… none of this is your fault.” It certainly feels like it is. Why does he keep comforting you when he’s the one shivering and alone down here? 
“Please, there has to be something I can do to help you.” 
“There is one thing.” You almost open your eyes, you're so relieved, you just want to ease his pain. 
“Anything. I’ll do anything.” 
“I need you to promise me you won’t look.”
“Won’t look?” Your eyes are already closed, you couldn’t look any less if you tried. 
“When they do it. I don’t want you to see it- it won’t be pretty.”
When they separate his head from his body. 
“I won’t.” You can’t deny him this, you’ll give him anything he wants. “Do you know how much I love you?” You whisper before leaning forward another inch to kiss him. 
The question is genuine. It terrifies you to your core to think that he may not know just how much you love him. 
“Of course sarad.” He murmurs against your lips until you let your head rest on his shoulder, fighting back tears. 
What do you say now?
What do you say to a man condemned to death? 
“I love you.” You mumble into the thin fabric of his tunic. 
“I love you too.” After a moment more with him you hear metal jingling as Lysa locks Elaine's cell once more. You quickly pull back from him, pulling the bag back over his head, once you know he can’t see you anymore the tears flow freely. Lysa steps into the cell and you remove your robe, wrapping it around him, immediately he begins to protest. 
“Mesh’la, you can’t leave this here.” His voice is strained and it makes you sick to think he started crying once he was out of sight as well. 
“Please, y-you’re gonna freeze.”
“They’ll know you were here, sarad’ika.” 
“Din…” You’re practically babbling as Lysa removes your robe from his shoulders, an apologetic look on her face as she grabs your arm. 
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we need to go.” Tears sting your eyes as Lysa urges you to hurry but you don’t want to leave him, you want to stay, no matter the consequence. You pull away from her, wrapping your arms around his torso. 
“You need to go.” His voice is urgent through the fabric as you cling to him tighter. 
Would it be easier to just stay? Get caught and join him at the executioners? You’re genuinely considering it when you feel your stomach churn once more and you’re reminded of the exact reason why you can’t stay. Before you lose your nerve and shatter completely you lift the bag, just enough to give you an eyeful of his split lip and bruised jaw as you gently lean in and kiss him one more time. 
Doing everything in your power to remember exactly what it feels like.
The curve of his lips and the shape of his chin, the overgrown stubble brushing against your skin as you press your face harder against his, desperation taking over as you taste salt on his lips. You hold him as long as you can, until you hear Lysa urging you to make haste once more. 
“I love you.” You press your forehead to his through the fabric, feeling the familiar shape of his face against yours. 
“I’ll always be yours.” 
That was the last thing he was able to say before you let Lysa drag you out of the dungeons. 
It’s like everythings suddenly back to the beginning. 
You wake up alone, you go to bed alone, and you wander the castle alone.
There is no plotting or scheming to free Din. 
Even if you were a trained killer or bounty hunter, it would be more than difficult to get him out of the dungeon and on a ship off Naboo. It would be even harder to do so when you’re one of the most recognizable people on the planet. 
He is buried deep beneath the ground and there is nothing you can do about it. 
After all, you're just a doll. 
You don’t know when it happened but all your clothes are blue again. Every dress Lysa fetches from the closet is a different shade of blue and all your nightgowns are the color of the sky. A personal brand put on you by Kodo. It’s clearly more than just a preference now, it’s a reminder to you and everyone else that you’re his. 
And time blends. 
You know a date was set right around the time you visited him. One week until Kodo’s coronation and two until the execution. His first public event after being crowned king will be a death sentence, how fitting. 
So you wake. 
And you sleep. 
And you walk. 
Kodo never replaces Din and you haven’t seen Leo since that night, so you’re completely alone. It’s like he’s rubbing in the fact that you’re powerless. There’s no need for you to have a guard, you can’t leave. If you tried you’d be escorted back in an instant. 
You tried to convince Lysa to let you see him again last night. 
“Please, just a few minutes-“
“I’m sorry ma’am, it’s just not possible. The only reason I was able to get you down there the first time was because the guard that usually lets me in was working nights, he won’t be working nights again until next month.”
Din won’t live to see next month. 
“Is he eating?”
“He won’t let me-“
“You need to insist. Tell him I insist, and tell him you’ll close your eyes.” 
She pins back a bit of your hair, leaving half up and half down. You both bask in the silence for a moment.
“I’ll make sure he eats.”
“Thank you.”
That had been the last conversation you had with Lysa. 
She doesn’t come to dress you in the morning. You think nothing of it and dress yourself in the gown she’d laid out last night. It’s a bit difficult, putting your coronation gown on on your own but eventually you manage, when you’re fully dressed in the obscenely decadent blue fabric you begin to worry. 
You have no reason to assume that everything is fine. It would actually make sense for this to be a worst case scenario situation, everything else in your life is right now. 
You’re about to leave in search of her but you decide against it. Sitting at the vanity and doing your makeup as quickly as possible, the last thing you need to do right now is give Kodo a reason to be upset with you, you have to be presentable. You smear the shimmering blue eyeshadow across your lids before rushing out of your room. 
The halls are full. Servants move quickly from room to room, cleaning every inch as you carefully push through the crowds, making a beeline towards the dining room. 
Kodo is seething when you push open the large doors. 
He stands at the end of the table, shoving an armored guard as the veins in his neck jut out in his rage. 
“Where could she have possibly gone? She’s blind. You’re telling me some blind bitch outsmarted my entire guard?” 
Your heart flutters at the thought.
They escaped.
Your hope is shattered the moment Kodo begins speaking again.
“At least we still have the Mandalorian… I want security tripled, guards stationed outside his cell at all times.” He continues grumbling for a moment until he realizes you’re there. “Happy coronation day dear wife! I’m afraid we’ve had a rough morning here, somehow in the night the Togruta girl escaped, do not fret, we’ll find her.” 
God's you hope not.
Even if things are worse than ever regarding Din there is one flicker of light in that darkness. Lysa got Elaine out. Knowing that almost puts you at ease.
“Happy coronation day.” You actually manage a smile when you look at your husband, it’s weak but it’s genuine. You want to be mad that they didn’t help Din escape but you just can’t be. You know they most likely tried but if the roles had been reversed and you could only get one of them out you wouldn’t hesitate. 
So there is no animosity. Just a flicker of happiness for them.
They got out.
You were under the impression that a coronation was a happy event. Yet when you step out onto the castle steps it seems to be quite the opposite. 
They look miserable. 
All of their faces are sullen and dejected. How shocking, no one is excited about Kodo being crowned king. He didn’t have any of the outside of the castle decorated or made presentable in any way. No one reacts when Kodo reads from an ancient looking book until a crown is placed on his head. 
A moment afterwards you’re instructed to kneel and a tiara is placed onto your head. 
The audience is silent and you feel shame when you stare out at them.
Even if you don’t have very much power you still feel as if you’ve failed them. The feeling follows you when you’re directed to the dining hall with Kodo.
“I have a couple gifts for you, wife.” His twisted smile makes your stomach turn as you enter the dining hall, now decorated with blue and gray banners.  
“A gift? You shouldn’t have, my king, I- I didn’t get you anything.” You feign remorse as you take a sip of the wine in front of you on instinct before spitting it back up into the cup. 
“That’s more than okay, you’re my gift, sweet wife, all mine.” The thought of such a thing makes you sick, you smile despite yourself. 
“That’s very kind.” You’ll only ever be Din’s. No amount of blue fabric and faux smiles can change that. He snaps his fingers and a large box is brought to you by a servant, they set it directly in front of you on the table. You look at Kodo who nods, sitting back in his chair as you stand, the box is wrapped in checkered blue paper, a large bow adorning the top. Your hands tremble a bit as you take hold of the edges of the ribbon, tugging on them until the bow slips free, much to your surprise the entire box falls open, the sides collapsing giving you an immediate view of the contents. 
The silver, shimmering contents. 
Din’s helmet. 
Polished like new, it sits before you, and the room suddenly empties. It’s as if you are completely alone, despite all the eyes that are most definitely pinned on you right now. Your hands continue to shake as your fingers wrap around the beskar steel, like you would when you held Din’s face, lifting it to glare into the visor. 
Empty. 
You can’t help but stare at your own emptiness reflected back at you. 
You want to hold it close, press it to your forehead but you’re snapped back to reality by the grating sound of Kodo’s voice breaking you from your focus on the helm between your hands. 
“That’s only one of your presents, open the next one.” He hisses gleefully. 
You set the helmet down, realizing there was another, much smaller box underneath it. Silently you scoop it up and cradle it in your hands. It’s a larger than a ring box, it just barely fits in your palm as you ever so gently open it, swinging the top open as if it were a tiny treasure chest.              
Huh.
It takes a moment.
You aren’t exactly sure what it is you’re looking at at first but when it registers your entire body tenses up, your grip tightening on the gift box. 
Bloody and pink, a tongue. 
Of course you know better than to assume Kodo would give you any old tongue. This is a special someone’s tongue. 
No, no, no, no, no. 
You had loved his tongue before anything else.
He can’t do this, he cannot do this to you.
You had fallen for his sharp wit first, it was what drew you into him. His sweet words had won you back, his declaration of devotion.
Now you hold all of that in the palm of your hand. 
“What do we say?” His nasally voice breaks through your mental anguish. 
No.
“Come on, where are your manners?”
Please. 
“Thank you.” Your whisper is nearly silent as you struggle to keep down the scream bubbling in your throat.
“What was that?” 
You clear your throat. 
“Thank you.” 
He makes you take it with you. You don’t bother telling him you won’t be attending the coronation ball in a few minutes, it’s not like you’ll be missed. 
In one arm you’re cradling his helmet, in the other the little blue box. 
You set each one down carefully onto the bed, even if it’s a bit demented these are the only parts of him you have left. You stare at the little box. 
You have never been hateful. 
Kodo made you into this. You are full of hate, for most things at this point. You hate your husband, you hate your room, and most of all you hate the little blue box on the bed. 
And the music starts. 
It must be deafening in the hall for you to hear it from your room but it’s there, loud and demanding of your attention. 
You’re moving before you even have a chance to think about it, in a few quick strides you’re standing beside the vanity, your hands gripping the top of the mirror as you pull it down in one swift motion, the contents spill everywhere and the glass shatters in an instant, shards splattering the floor but you take no time to process it. 
You move on to the next thing.
You yank each drawer from the dresser, throwing them to the floor, clothes strewn about until it’s light enough for you to push the entire dresser over. In your frenzy you go about the room toppling every stupid fucking table over. So many fucking end tables in  one room, and you throw everyone to the floor, trinkets and vases clattering to the ground as you destroy the room. You get a rush of adrenaline as you lift one of your nightstands and throw it against the wall leaving a small dent but more importantly the force of it makes anything hanging on the wall tumble to the floor, glass frames shatter. 
Your chest heaves as you stare at the carnage.  
And it isn’t enough.
Your face is wet with tears and your hands with blood from cuts you didn’t feel upon your skin as you tear open the closet door, the pile of blankets mock you from the floor, you grab them, your vision now blurry with tears as you pull them out of the closet, throwing them onto your bedroom floor. When you return to the closet you’re in a frenzy, you tear at the fabric before you, yanking each and every dress off their hangers, ripping what you can.
There is nothing else for you to do, so you destroy everything you can get your hands on until the only thing left untouched is your bed, left in pristine condition as you let out a small sob. 
Maybe you are a hateful person now. 
You feel as though you have every right to be at this point. 
You step over the shard of glass, giving your bloody hands a glance before wiping them on your gown.
Happy coronation day. 
You sit on the bed, your trembling fingers wrap around the helmet, now that you’re alone you waste no time to hold it against you face, until your body just gives up, too tired to stay awake anymore.
A guard wakes you in the morning, knocking on your door, when you answer it they tell you Kodo requires your presence in his chambers.
You dress in a blue gown that you don’t look too closely at. Stopping at the fresher on the way, rinsing the dried gore from your palms, wincing as you clean your wounds. None of which seem too deep. 
You want to cut Kodo’s tongue out, to make him feel it. But you know that sort of thing would be an impossible task. So you daydream about it as you walk. You’re more than displeased when you open the door and are greeted by Leodall. You hadn’t seen him since that night and from the looks of it he wasn’t expecting you. He swallows loudly when you step inside Kodo’s room.
Normally you’d be curious, you’d probably take a look around but your eyes refuse to focus on anything but Leo as you scowl at him. 
“Why’d you do it?” You don’t hesitate to ask, you have no idea how quickly Kodo will be joining you. 
He simply stares at you, shame apparent on his face.
“You owe me an explanation at the very least.” You cross your arms in front of your chest as he clears his throat. 
“I thought he’d reward me.”
You laugh. A harsh dry sound 
“What could he have possibly given you that you couldn’t have just asked me for?” Your gaze never softens and you’re practically seeing red as you stare at him.
“I thought he’d give me a lordship.” 
You can’t help it as another crisp and pained laugh slips past your lips. 
“You thought Kodo would raise your status? I thought you were supposed to be smart.” Is he an idiot? “He doesn’t see servants as people, if you wanted such a thing you could have asked me, maybe I could have done something.” 
A glimmer of something similar to hope flashes through his eyes. 
“Would you- would you consider doing so now?”
“You cannot be serious-” Your expression goes from fury to disbelief as you stand. 
“It seemed worth asking.” He puts his hands up defensively as you storm up to him, poking a finger into his face. 
“You slimy little weasel, it should be you on the chopping block, not him. If it were up to me I’d have them put your head on a spike.” The words pour out of you like venom. 
“I would be nicer to me if I were you.” He sneers and your incredulity only grows. You can’t help it, you scoff in his face. 
“I would rather die.” A part of you really means it. 
“You might if you aren’t careful, I saved your life by letting Elaine and your Mandalorian take the fall, I could have told the king that you were a willing participant. I saw the two of you together, I read your little rules. He never forced himself on you. I wonder what Kodo might think about that.” You aren’t a fighter, you’ve never so much as thrown a punch in your life but you grab him by the collar of his shirt and slam him into the wall, the back of his head hits the stone and you don’t feel an ounce of remorse as you do so. 
“Do it.” You tilt your head to the side, almost as if you’re taunting him. “Tell him.” Any of the confidence he briefly had is gone in an instant. “The moment you do I’ll tell him that you’re covering your tracks, and that you made a pass at me. I wonder how Kodo would reward you for trying to touch what’s his?” Leo’s head turns as you both hear Kodo’s piercing voice in the hall. You release your grip on his shirt, brushing off your gown as you turn towards the door. Kodo and three others make their way into the room as Leo coughs behind you. 
“Dear wife, I have another gift for you.” He takes a step to the side, gesturing at a line of three people you don’t give so much as a glance. He doesn’t even seem to notice the obvious tension in the room. “A new staff!”
“I don’t need a new staff, I’m fine on my own.” You abandon the pleasantries. You’re in such a state of upset right now, what's the point? 
“You’re the queen now, staff is required. These three will replace the ones you've lost in a week, until then Leodall will be training them intensively to tend to your every need. Two guards will also be assigned to you but I promise they will be much less loathsome than your Mandalorian.”
All five of them will be trained to keep an eye on you. To report back to Kodo, after everything with Din you should have known he’d keep you on a shorter leash. 
You barely look at them. 
You hate them. 
You shouldn’t, they’ve done nothing wrong, but you hate them. 
You give each one a quick up and down, naming them in your mind. 
A BD-3000 droid commands the most authority just based on how she stands so you mentally note her as Elaine's replacement. You’ll call her new Elaine. 
New Lysa is a pasty young blonde woman with rosy cheeks. You truly wonder how well informed she has been on your circumstance. She’s smiling from ear to ear and seemingly couldn’t be happier to be here. 
And new Leo is somehow even more nervous looking than actual Leo, practically shaking like a leaf at the sight of you. The bags under his eyes are worse than your own. A lanky thing with messy brown hair. 
There’s no reason for you to fight this, Kodo always gets his way so why bother. So you nod. You don’t pretend to be grateful this time, instead you shove your way past all of them, content to return to your room and never leave. 
The morning of the execution comes before you’re ready for it. 
Of course you didn’t sleep last night, how could you?
You dress yourself, apparently your new staff isn’t starting until tomorrow, not that you mind another day to yourself. You manage to find something that isn’t blue, a gray dress trimmed with gold, the closest thing you’ll find to funeral attire. No one else will dress with any respect for him but they can’t stop you. Your vanity is destroyed so you don’t bother with your hair or your makeup, you simply don’t care enough. 
For the most part you feel nothing when you open the door, only emptiness until you look down. 
Someone left you a small vase of flowers. 
You pick them up, taking a closer look but your heart skips a beat when you do so.
Daisies. 
After a few short breaths you throw the vase into the wall across from your door, tiny shards of porcelain fly everywhere as two servants at the end of the hall give you a look of horror. Your shoes crunch over the remains of it as you make your way down the hall and to the entryway of the castle. 
Kodo insists that the two of you get to see him first. 
You’re sweating wildly out on the steps as you wait.
Long before you’re ready for it they bring him out. 
A shivering skeleton of a man with a linen bag over his head, immediately bile rises in your throat. Kodo is grinning ear to ear when his legs are kicked out from under him and he’s forced to kneel.
Kodo himself reaches forward and tears the bag off, too excited for any decorum or finesse. 
You gasp as you stare down at the broken man before you.
In all honesty he isn’t at all what you envisioned. 
His eyes verge on being hazel; they're such a light brown. You’d always pictured them to be nearly black. It doesn’t matter what color they are though, when you see the tears forming in his lash line you flinch, clutching the ring on your necklace to silently let him know silently just how much he means to you. 
He’s a mess. 
You don’t like looking at what those weeks in the dungeons did to him and the last thing you need to do right now is empty your stomach on the palace steps. 
He’s too thin. Far, far, too thin, it’s like his entire being has shrunk down. He’s hollow.
Your breath hitches when Kodo grabs a fistful of his dark hair, forcing him to turn and stare at the crowd. They must have cut it while he was down there it’s a mess, jagged edges and shorter than you’re used to. 
“This man has committed an act of treason against the crown.” His voice is loud and booming as the city goes quiet. “For such a crime he shall face the proper punishment.” He yanks him downawards, you watch in horror as Din’s head hits the stone, an incoherent mess of sounds pour from his bloody mouth and you have to look away. 
He didn’t want you to look.
You remind yourself to try and calm your breathing. You can hear the scuffle as they drag him to the guillotine, placing his neck into the wooden divot, your heart threatening to beat out of your chest as you turn to look. His eyes are everywhere but on you as he looks at the people around him, desperately pleading for his life. Not a single person so much as glances at him, afterall, it’s just nonsense, no one can understand him without a tongue. 
You can’t stand it, you almost cover your ears but you manage to resist as Kodo puts an arm around your waist, pulling you close to him. 
“You’re welcome, sweet wife.” He whispers, his breath hot and wet against your ear. 
Fuck it. 
You don’t suppress the shudder in your spine as you shoot him a look of disgust. In a matter of moments everything you care about will be gone, why pretend any longer.
A bellowing chime plays from a nearby clock tower and you know it’s time, you straighten up as you stare at the guillotine in abject horror. 
This is it. 
Your chest rises and falls in sharp short bursts as everyone prepares themselves, a hush forming among the crowd on the street. 
And it begins, a chain reaction that you cannot stop now that the executioner has his ax raised above his head.
You had expected more. More time.
A part of you thought that time would slow, that you’d have a chance to stop it. 
But no. 
There is no epic fairy tale moment where the sun glimmers off of the blade and the executioner raises his ax, giving you this perfect moment to run to him, to shield him from the inevitable, to beg them to take you with him. 
That moment never comes. 
You barely have enough time to close your eyes like you promised him. In one unbroken motion the rope is cut, the blade falls and boom. 
Just like that, he’s gone. 
When you hear the metal slicing through the air you squeeze your eyes shut, hearing only the wet crunch as it cuts through flesh and bone. A soft, squishy thud when his head hits the stone. 
In fashion with your decision to no longer hide your disgust from Kodo you vomit. Bending down you puke onto the stones, spraying your own, and Kodo’s feet. The triumphant smile on his face vanishes as he realizes what’s happened. You wipe your mouth on the back of your hand, refusing to look at Din’s limp body as you give Kodo one last look of detestation before turning around and running back into the castle, not caring what anyone thinks anymore.
The moment you’re inside the reality of it all settles in as you feel tears falling wildly as you run up the steps to your room.
You have been good, and kind, and in return the maker rewarded you by killing the love of your life. 
So when you stand in the center of your demolished room you do the only thing your body can do at this point. 
You scream. 
From deep within your stomach, you scream, loud and raw. 
If anything was left unbroken in your room you’d be throwing it at the wall. But there’s nothing so you scream. 
You shriek.
You howl. 
And you wail.
You scream until there is no more noise. Your voice, like the rest of you, gives up. 
You aren’t sure how late it is when you finally stop. You’re tired and it’s dark outside and your throat is raw. 
And you lay on the floor. Because the bed is too big, and too cold, and the closet is so empty. So the only place left to sleep is there. You lay on the floor with no more tears to cry and no more sounds to scream as you stare at your bed, only from this angle can you see a rectangular shape under your bed frame. 
You wipe your nose with a stray piece of fabric before slowly crawling over to it, you sit on the floor and when you retrieve the item a brand new lump forms in your throat as you stare down at the box Din had bought all those days ago at the market. 
Your failsafe. 
With quivering hands you open it, staring into the small space containing a mess of items but what catches your eye is a piece of folded paper with your name on it. You take it between your fingers, opening it, careful to not let your tears fall onto it. 
Sarad’ika,
If you’re reading this then I’m afraid things aren’t going all that well for me. There are plenty of possible reasons as to why I’m no longer with you, but what’s important is that I plan on doing everything in my power to get back to you. There is only one thing in the galaxy that could keep me from your side, and if that is my fate then this box will ensure you’re taken care of. 
The most important thing is for you to get off this planet. I have included a few possible plans for you, do what you have to to survive. Elaine will help you escape. 
You can seek out Greef Karga on Nevarro. Tell him Din Djarin sent you, tell him what’s happened and he will see to it that you are cared for. Explain our circumstances and I am certain he will provide you with safe lodging. 
Tatooine is also an option. You’ll find a Mandalorian there by the name of Boba Fett, he will not turn you away. You will be protected there, if you need to relocate for some reason after that he will help you locate the Mandalorian convert. Show the Mandalorians your ring and you will be cared for the rest of your life, the convert will protect you. 
As an absolute last resort there is a planet located in the Outer Ring called Ossus. There is a school there, taught by a man named Luke Skywalker. I doubt he would be eager to take you in but you must insist. Bring the chainmail, they’ll know who sent you. Take care of each other. 
In this box you will find enough credits to get you off planet and take care of you for several months, a year if you’re frugal, I suggest you take a few jewelry pieces to pawn off for extra credits as well. You will find a small chainmail shirt, and a necklace of mine. 
And lastly you will find your vibroblade. 
Protect yourself. You’re strong, and more than capable of doing so.
I have one request for you, please, I will only ask this one thing of you. 
Be smart. 
You are the smartest and kindest person I have ever had the honor of knowing. Be smart, take care of yourself. If the roles were reversed I know that I would go to extremes to either get you back, or find justice for you. And all I can do is ask that you do not attempt any such thing, the only thing I would ever want for you is safety and happiness. 
So seek those things out. 
Be safe. Be happy.   
I was lucky to know you, and even luckier to be yours. 
an ner kar'taylir darasuum, 
Din
All my love. 
You flip the paper over, desperate for more, more Din, but all you find is scrawled coordinates to each location. Your fingers sift through the items, everything he promised is found inside but you latch onto the blade. Laying back down on the floor you clutch it between your fingers as you think of Din.
Din, who was yours.
Din, who they took from you.
Who Kodo, took from you. 
And your grip on the knife tightens. 
Two guards stand outside your door round the clock now. 
They never follow you or come into your room but they’re there, silently watching as you direct all your anger at your new staff. As promised Leo trained them to be as persistent and infuriating as he was. 
When the two new girls come to fetch you in the morning you can’t help it when you scream at them to leave you alone and to stop trying to clean the ever growing mess of things. 
It doesn’t matter that it isn’t their fault, you can’t stand the sight of anyone. 
All three of them try. New Elaine and Lysa show up three times a day, trying to dress you and squeeze their way past you into the room but after enough shrieking they always leave you be. 
New Leo usually tries once or twice a day, you don’t even look at him. You always stare at the floor, when he tries to speak you give him the same treatment as the girls, screaming at him and slamming the door. 
Why should you let them in? You know what they are. They’re here to spy on you, to be Kodo’s eyes while he’s busy being king. They’re easy to evade. When you leave to fetch yourself food or a book from the library you easily outrun them. The two girls are worse at navigating the castle than you were when you first arrived and new Leo has a bad leg, sometimes he’ll make attempts to limp after you but they’re always unsuccessful. 
You think of nothing, day after day because there is nothing to think about. 
Except for the fact that Kodo took your future away from you. He took everything from you. 
If you thought time was blending before Din’s death nothing could have prepared you for now. You don’t track the days as well, you keep your curtains drawn and only leave when you get hungry or start to think of Din. The last thing you need to do is have another screaming fit so you keep him locked away in your heart, an ache that’s always there that you don’t address. 
One day, in a fit of tears you took your knife and decided on a whim to kill Kodo. You didn’t care about the repercussions at that point you just wanted him to suffer but the moment you opened the door you nearly tripped, stumbling backwards the guards didn’t so much as glance at you. 
Another vase of flowers.
You’re tempted to just kick them down the hall but you can’t help yourself when you lean down to pick them up. 
A bouquet of blue lilies. Your nose twitches at the sight of them, out of the corner of your eye you see new Lysa and new Elaine approaching so you take the opportunity to slam the little glass vase into the stone floor. Glaring at them when you do before returning to your room. 
Maybe it’s been three days since Din died. 
Maybe it’s been three months. 
You aren’t sure.
You aren’t sure when you made plans to kill Kodo either but suddenly you have them. A fool proof way to get him alone. 
And suddenly you’re dressed for the first time in, well, however long it’s been. In a baby blue nightie with a robe you march out into the hall. The guards watch in silence as you walk away, your bare feet scampering down the stairs until you find yourself watching the main entrance. Waiting for your loving husband to make his nightly trip to a pleasure house, a trip that is typically accompanied by guards. 
You grip the handle of the knife in your pocket as you wait until you finally hear footsteps approaching. 
“Kodo, honey?” You step out from behind the stone column, holding your robe closed as you bat your eyelashes at him. He stumbles around drunkenly until his eyes focus on you. 
You’ve only used your voice for screaming for so long you sound meek, exactly as you want to right now. 
“Wife?”
“I thought maybe you’d like to join me tonight…” You hold a hand out towards him, putting on a sickly sweet tone of innocence. His mouth twists into a grin. 
“I knew you’d come around eventually.”
He doesn’t question where you’re taking him, he simply follows.
What a joke. 
You pull him up the stairs, you know from hide and seek where to find an empty room so you guide him there in calculated silence until he trips a bit, laughing to himself as he stutters.
“I knew if I got rid of the Mandalorian you’d realize how much better I am than him.” The statement doesn’t sit right with you and he can see it on your face, even in his drunken state he can sense your confusion. 
You both stop, you’re above him on the stairs as you turn and stare into his eyes.
“You- you knew?”
He simply nods, that sickening smile of his is plastered on his face. His icy blue eyes shimmer with delight. 
“How long?”
“When Leo told me I remembered everything. That little altercation in the hall when your boy knocked me out came right back to me, from there it wasn’t hard to figure out.” Your eye twitches as he speaks.
He knew you loved him and he took him from you anyway.
Any hesitations you had are gone as you nod, pulling him onward until you reach the large vacant tower room. He’s so drunk you decide to just drop the voice, pointing at a spot on the floor. 
“Lay down.” You mumble, reaching into your pocket once more.
He eagerly does as he’s told, laying down on the cold stone, you take a deep breath, in one swift motion you grab your knife, holding it behind your back as you toss your robe aside. He gives you a toothy grin as you ever so slowly walk to him, standing above him before sitting, straddling his waist. 
You look him up and down, one last time. 
Your loving husband. 
One of his hands plays with the blue lace of your nightie as you collect yourself. You look up at the ceiling briefly. 
I’m sorry. 
Not for Kodo, but for Din. This is exactly what he didn’t want you to do. 
You aren’t a killer. And you aren’t hateful, but a person can only be pushed so far before something breaks. 
Be smart. 
You think of Din’s note one last time before you bring the blade out in front of you and slam the blade into Kodo’s chest. 
He makes a sickly wet sound, coughing as he stares at you in shock.
You remove the knife, the hot steel cauterizes his wounds, there isn’t so much as a drop of blood as your face twists with fury and you bring it down again into his stomach now. 
How dare he look surprised by any of this. 
After what he took from you? He deserves galaxies worse. 
So you remove the knife. 
And you stab him again.
And again,
and again,
and again,
and again,
and again.
Until there is no more shocked look on his face. You don’t have a snarky remark or a statement to commemorate your revenge, you’re all used up at this point, all you have is this, this stabbing motion. 
He didn’t even have a chance to fight back.
You crawl off of his body, sitting on the stones as you toss the knife to the side, waiting for a rush of euphoria. 
But it never comes. 
It doesn’t feel as good as you thought it would. 
Staring down at Kodo’s lifeless body. You let yourself crumble. Collapsing down onto the floor, gasping for air as you sob. 
This was never going to bring him back. 
You lay there on your hands and knees for quite some time, just wailing, because what else are you supposed to do right now? You realize far too late that this was never an act of malice, some demented and shattered part of you thought that this would somehow bring him back, that it would give you peace. 
They won’t execute you. 
You planned this exactly so they wouldn’t.
Kodo didn’t tell anyone about your relationship with Din in much detail, not enough for them to assume that you could be with child. Everyone will assume that it’s Kodo’s. They won’t kill you, they can’t. 
Not if they think you’re carrying Kodo’s child. Now that Kodo’s dead, there’s no one to tell the royal family that you never consummated your marriage, your child is the most well protected person on the planet. The future monarch. It’s almost funny, you haven’t permitted yourself to think about the stirring within you as a child until just now, in this moment of weakness. A child, your child. 
Who will most likely grow up without a mother because of the decisions you've made today.
You bite your fist, swallowing a scream as you sit back on your heels. 
Your child will never know how loved they were. Your little one will never get to sit beside their mother while their father teaches them to sew. You put your head in your hands as you wail, no longer caring who hears. Your fate is sealed, what does it matter? 
You don’t turn when you hear someone coming up the stairs. When they pull you into their arms you try uselessly to shove them away. Your vision is blurry and filled with tears as you stare up at the unfamiliar figure now holding you. They rub your back, drawing swirls and stars against your spine as they pull you closer. 
“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” They mumble into your hair. You dry your eyes hastily on your sleeve, confused by the voice you’re hearing, it’s painfully familiar, on instinct you wrap your arms around their torso, pulling yourself into their lap as you both sit on the floor beside Kodo’s body. “You’re okay, I’m here.”
“I’m- I’m sorry.” You whisper against the stranger's shirt. You knew you weren’t hateful. You’re certain of it now because even though he took quite literally everything from you, you still feel bad when you look at Kodo. 
A large hand cups your face, pulling you back to their chest so you can’t see the corpse anymore. 
“I didn’t mean it- I- I didn’t mean to kill him. Well I did but I just-” You begin to ramble as a fresh flood of tears begin sliding down your cheeks. 
“Hey- hey it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it. We gotta get you cleaned up, okay? I’ll take care of this, I’ll fix it.” Their arms tighten around you, giving you a reassuring squeeze. You finally find the courage to look at your companion and it takes a moment for you to even realize who you’re looking at. 
New Leo. 
Why would he help you? You treat him like shit. When you look at him he looks like he’s about to cry and for the first time since Din was taken from you drop the walls you’ve put up and you let yourself feel bad for him. You show an ounce of kindness to him because in all honesty he’s the first person to make you feel safe since the night Din was taken from you. 
A lighthouse while you sail through a storm.
So you hug him. 
You pull yourself closer to him and you offer him a comfort you haven’t known for days.
“I’m sorry… for all of it, but especially the flowers, I should have told you, I just- you wouldn’t let me and the guards wouldn’t let me in without your permission and you just wouldn’t look at me.” He begins to mumble his own apologies, sending a surge of confusion through you. 
You furrow your brows, pulling back once more giving him a perplexed look as you search his nearly black eyes for some kind of answer. 
And it clicks. 
All at once it snaps into place and you want to say his name, so desperately, but you’re terribly afraid of being wrong. 
And then he smiles. A soft smile that makes you feel okay and you don’t even care if you’re wrong and you don’t care if it doesn’t make sense you just have to ask.
“Din?”
a/n : yeah so uhhhhh yeah uhhhh this is the first chapter i've ever written where im actually very fond of the writing and nervous about the plot stuff so im gonna go hide?? and just vanish for a while lol
//
I don't have a tag list anymore !! follow @lincolndjarinnotifs for updates!!
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clambucket · 2 years
Text
Watching Third Life from Grian’s perspective,,, I’ve had thoughts
Yeah Grian led the creeper over, but literally everyone was like “well yeah I saw him do it and I saw the intent but I didn’t think he’d do it”
And no one accepted any fault for it? And then Grian wouldn’t accept full fault. K.
Scar not quite getting the servant thing until ep. 2, and then forcing Grian to not interrupt
but then manipulating the shit out of everyone to get full enchanted iron armor and a diamond sword
“I will murder them”
THE RAVINE TOOK HIM OUT LMAOOO
“I didn’t mind the gap”
Scar and Grian really did start the unhinged thing with the greyed out skin huh
Grian still plays the “helpless servant” even in ep. 3 despite coming up with the most of the bloodshed
Grian claims that Scar is the ruthless one that will do anything and even gaslights Scar into thinking it too
He’s even playing into it and perpetuating it by “warning” others that Scar will kill everyone and not to listen to him
Grian pushes Scar into the murder idea in ep. 4, Scar just wanted to steal the giant cookie and Grian goes “scar, you’re name is red. You’re meant to kill people”
((I’m talking about character Grian pls not irl Grian))
Has to remind him to put clothes on but come on, let him show off the muscles
The bomb enchanter jump scared me even tho I knew exactly what happened and who set it off
The fact that he set it up in minutes and it didn’t work, but then it did
The nudge on the mountainside wow
“You didn’t bring the loaded gun”
Damn Scott drop that analogy
Apply to creeper in ep. 1? Maybe?
Absolutely hilarious the first three reds are the least fearsome. JIMMY WAS SULKING IN HIS BASE
Grian still claiming he’s “only doing what Scar says” but builds the creeper farm and gets the pufferfish without anyone there? K.
GRIAN IS HIS A HUNDRED AND TWENTY T H O U S A N D DOLLAR WHORE
Manipulates him into going into the nether. K.
Damn the lava feels very metaphorical for something, I’ll find out in the next perspective watch
Grian did a very “leading the witness” with the change of plans with the bubble elevator
Traps only work the second time, wonderful innit
The flower husband desert duo alliance (fhdda) is really wonderful
Also knowing that while the alliance is being made, there’s a villager hidden in the hill just to the right
“The second I lose this life, I’m out. You know that right?”
The pufferish of peace :^)
Also knowing that Scott wasn’t like. Super happy about the alliance but was ok bc Jimmy took charge is nice
Grian casually sets fire just in case, on no one’s orders Simple’s because he can
“We have banner at home”
Scar and Grian just watched and noted that Dogwarts were aiming for Pizza but did nothing about it. And then when Pizza was at 2 hearts did they suddenly care. K.
“I don’t want to be responsible for ending Scar’s series”
Scar makes friends while Grian is gone? K.
They’re giggling while shooting Etho lmao
“Did you forget the name for friends?” K.
Literally caused a war with Dogwarts, had Scott, Jimmy, and Cleo to follow to take Dogwarts base, the bailed on them lmao
Very much appreciate Grian explaining the tnt trap and why it didn’t go off. I would not have understood otherwise
Grian “I’m out when I’m yellow” Minecraft doing a suicide mission to keep Scar alive? It feels very Rick and Morty dynamic ya know?
I’m told I’m supposed to love you?” “I love you”
“Leftover Pizza :^D”
The entire desert is rigged to explode, and only Grian, Jimmy, and Scott died
Somehow Scar lived
Scott wants to avenge his husband, love that
Still appreciating the lesson on tnt bc I still wouldn’t get it
“Moral obligation” K.
There’s been a talk tower fortress each season, as well as a dog army so idk. We got some continuity
I’m still unsure of who Impulse was sided with. But to be fair, I don’t think I would side with anyone permanently so he had a good strategy until he didn’t
I appreciate Scar putting music on at all times
The moment Grian went to his red life, he suddenly let go of his attachment to Scar. Interesting
Or, until Scar lets him
Then he can’t.
“No matter what happens, we can count this as a double victory. Right?”
“I don’t feel good”
“Goodbye”
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kkodzvken · 3 years
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luuuune can u give music recs? the songs your fics are named after are all so good
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grouping these all together bc most of my inspiration does come from music!! usually, my ideas start w a general vibe or “spark”, and then i flesh it out from there. the spark normally comes from music, but sometimes it’s a book i’m reading, or a conversation i had, or just random things (for example, i saw some flowers earlier this week that gave me an idea for a dabi fic KDHFJSK). i usually pick one song and loop it while i’m writing bc otherwise the variety gets too distracting lol
recs under the cut!! i went pop -> kpop -> punk/emo/alt
to start out w, everyone and their mom recommends chase atlantic lmao but they r just SO GOOD !! and the vibes r so sexy and give me so much angst inspo skfjdkskw
songs: slide, like a rockstar, lust, consume, i never existed. the don’t try this ep is my favorite, and i’m writing a dabihawks punk band au inspired by it!!
i also listen to the weeknd (trilogy), khalid, sza and kehlani (their latest album, it was good until it wasn’t, is a fucking masterpiece) a lot while writing!! 
one of my faves is shinee, specifically jonghyun and taemin’s solo albums (ot5 until i die, but their solo music is sexy and sets the ~mood~ for writing smut lmao). i gave some jjong rec’s in the tags of this post!!
taemin songs: heaven, love and pansy hurt my heart. thirsty, criminal, famous, and sexuality are hoe songs lmao
speaking of shinee, i like other kpop as well!! bts are forever my number #1 (hyyh is one of my favorite albums ever — so bittersweet, makes me painfully nostalgic). also looove monsta x !! tomorrow x together, stray kids and ateez are also great. mamamoo r the only girl group that i like, i just can’t vibe w a lot of gg concepts skfjfjsj (although i do like a few soloists)
a lot of people stan kpop just for the idols but i do like the music a lot!!
txt: ghosting, blue hour, drama (the japanese music video is haikyuu concept lmao), our summer
monsta x: middle of the night, nobody else, gasoline (the title is in hangul so you can’t look it up specifically on streaming services, but it’s the second song on the fatal love album), last carnival, blind, my beast, turbulence (again, hangul title, but it’s track 7 on take.2 we are here)
i also recommend solo albums/mixtapes of the monsta x members!! joohoney’s psyche, i.m’s duality, and wonho’s two eps!!
and speaking of solo work, all of the bts rapline have amazing solo mixtapes. i love their group music that’s hype w heavy concepts/production/choreo (ot7 always), but the mixtapes hold a special place in my heart because they feel so ...intimate, almost? like a piece of their hearts that they’re sharing with the world. rm’s mono is the definition of comfort. j-hope’s hope world is lots of fun, but he just released the extended version of blue side, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking (and reminds me a lot of touya lol). and agust d... listen, i love him more than words can say, so his mixtapes d-2 and self-titled, along w the other song’s he’s solo produced like eight by iu, are very special to me.
i’m not majorly into skz/ateez/mamamoo like i am w the other groups, but they’re all amazing performers so i recommend checking out their comeback + awards show stages!!
i also really love eAeon, he’s a korean indie artist, and his music is breathtaking. he just dropped an album called fragile that’s i adore, the lead single don’t features rm of bts and is unbelievably beautiful.
okay that’s all good and fun but the majority of what i listen to is emo shit lmfaoo i’m definitely more into alt + punk music, here are some of my fave bands and fave songs from them!!
blood command: they are unreal i love them SO MUCH!! they’re a norwegian punk rock band w a female singer, return of the arsonist ep is when i got into them and it’s golden. no thank you i’m more into fake grindcore, saturday city, white skin/tanned teeth, and alarm all assassins are some of their best songs imo
dance gavin dance: listen... their music scratches a certain itch in my brain that makes me go insane akdjfjsk they’ve had a bunch of different lineups but the more recent albums with tillian and jon on vocals are my favorites (jonny craig can suck my dick, fuck that dude). lost, son of robot, bloodsucker, young robot, inspire the liars, jesus h. macy are all great. acceptance speech, man of the year, and evaporate make me cry/lose my mind
mannequin pussy: *chefs kiss* drunk ii is a masterpiece, i cried to that shit every day after a break up, so cathartic. cream and kiss are more upbeat, and their latest song perfect is also vv good!!! patience is a beautiful, emotional album, whereas romantic and self titled have more classic alt bops
G.L.O.S.S.: listen, theyre so fucking cool, and i respect the hell out of them. they only released a few songs before disbanding but i’ll cherish those songs until i die. they perfectly embody what punk should be. demo 2015 is on streaming services, and their second and final ep trans day of revenge can easily be found online!!
wow this is getting fucking LONG so i’ll just quickly list a few more, but this was so fun, i love talking ab music!! pls don’t be shy, i’m always down to give more recs or hear about the stuff that u like!!
movements, yonaka, shiny wet machine, real friends, skating polly, nova twins, the japanese house, bratmobile, yours truly. and, ofc, the pop punk staples: jimmy eat world, paramore, waterparks, stand atlantic, neck deep, the story so far, etc etc !!
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bunny-xoxo · 3 years
Text
Modern!Eren Jeager Relationship Headcannons
Modern!Eren Jeager x reader
a/n: I love this little shithead. These are just some headcannons of how I think it would be being in a relationship with modern!eren. Just to clarify, the characters are always aged up and in unversity if it’s a modern!au unless otherwise stated!! Please enjoy and feel free to come in my inbox and share your Himbo!Eren thoughts😩
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gif not mine, credit to owner
Ok, for starters, Himbo Eren Supremacy!
Eren might not be the uhm smartest, he’s kind of a big cuddly idiot, and he is big and respects women -> Himbo!Eren
Anyways
Being with Eren means having a box full of ridiculous hand made gifts from Eren that he insists on you keeping for sentimental reasons, no matter how senseless they are
They’re usually really stupid and cheesy letters he writes on a torn piece of notebook paper while he’s in class when it’s especially boring him
They’re not even coherent thoughts on the paper sometimes
“Hi :) I’m sitting here feeling like I’m going to pass out from how boring this class is, and we’re supposed to be taking notes but I think I’ll just copy them from you or Mikasa later though hahahaha don’t! Tell Arma Armin! He’ll just yell at me :( unless I tell him I like his new haircut maybe which i actually do by the way it’s funny my hairs long now and his is short 1. Oreos 2. Milk 3. Shampoo 4. Hand sanitzer sorry I need this stuff and I would forget if i didn’t write it down. I bet you look really pretty right now :) in my head I’m kissing you teehee”
And every other part of the paper that isn’t filled up with his rambling is stick figure doodles of you two kissing and holding hands and one of him and jean arm wrestling but don’t ask him about it, he lost in his head this time so he’s gonna work out more later sdfnarfn
You have hair ties littered all over your place it’s ridiculous
You find them literally everywhere - probably cause he likes to fling them across the room and see how far he can get them when he takes them out of his hair, he will be stealing most of yours if you use them
He love love loves when you run your hands through his hair and massage his scalp after he takes his ponytail out
He almost immediately lays face down in your lap and groans while he moves around to get comfortable
If you don’t immediately start he’ll just look up at you with a little pout and move one of your hands to his hair and raise his eyebrows at you, waiting for you to pamper him
Loves being pampered and will definitely let you do his nails just to feel your soft hands on his - and cause he likes the way you always rub lotion into them after
Very touchy boy, I HC his love language being Physical Touch, hence how bad he loves being pampered
He loves when he comes out of the shower and comes to lay down with you, all sore from practice - it’s Eren, we know he play’s SOME kind of sport - and your hands start working all the knots out of his back and neck, working their way to the top of his shoulders and squeezing while they drag down his biceps all the way to his hands
Kiss his knuckles and he WILL melt
He never feels more loved than when you’re taking care of him like that, and let’s be honest you don’t mind running your hands over his toned body either
He loves pampering you as much as he loves receiving it, too
Loves rubbing your legs while he lays between them with his head resting on your midsection
His hands are rough due to years of abuse from playing sports, and they feel so good when he’s squeezing the muscles in your calf life that
Sometimes if you’re feeling sore, he’ll help you stretch your legs out
He’ll be sitting back on his knees by your feet, your legs spread in front of him. He grabs your left leg by your calf while he inches forward to lean above and bring your leg up with him, stretching your knee to your ear. The hand that’s not locked on your calf is resting by your head with his face mere inches from yours, his hair tickling your cheeks. You’re like that for a few moments before he leans in and ghosts his lips over yours, abruptly shifting up and kissing your nose instead. “Other leg!” jackass
He would love giving you back massages too oh god, and I mean like proper back rubs.
He’d have you laid out on your bed while hes straddling your from behind and pressing his fingers deep into the sore tissue there - sometimes you fall asleep and drool a little and he finds it so cute
He just loves loving up on you, period
On another note, he wouldn’t just steal your hair ties if you had any, he’d steal everything LMAO
Your hand lotion? He pockets it cause it just smells so good and always had his hands feeling soft whenever you let him use some. And why would he go and buy it if you have some?
Firm believer that y’all share everything
He’s stolen lotion, gum, socks that barely fit him, chapstick, lip scrub, pens, highlighters, literally anything.
And once you start to notice he’s all, “What? We’re in a relationship, partners are supposed to share everything. I mean, you steal my hoodies!”
“Eren, you give those to me cause you said it makes our relationship more ‘official.’”
“Ok, well that’s beside the point. All I’m saying is I don’t see the big deal. You’re more than welcome to take any of my stuff you like!”
Which is a nice thought except for the fact everything he has at this point just seems like more shit he’s stolen from you
More on his hoodies, he goes absolutely bananas seeing you wear his hoodie
He seriously gets so giddy and feels like his hearts gonna explode
He always smiles all big and wraps his arms around and lifts you into the air - it does not matter how big you are he’s going to do it
“Hiiii cutie.” He always says this and then buries his face into the crook of your neck and places sweet kisses there. Then he stands up straight and pulls the hood onto your face and tightens the strings, making it all scrunch up, sadly no he doesn’t care if your hair is done or if you wear glasses, he will do it regardless
One time you were a little grumpy with him from playing games with “the boys” for too long and neglecting you of some attention, so to apologize he just brought you a hoodie with some of his cologne sprayed on it -i just know he smells great- and put it on you and held you and pressed just so many kisses to your face and said sorry over and over again until you were giggling and gave in
He loves when you sit in his room with him while he plays games on his pc with his buddies definitely a PC gamer cmon
However, he will get more embarrassed than frustrated if you hear Jean teasing him cause he’s lowkey trying hard to impress you akfergirgu
“D’ya see that babe? I got first place with the highest kill count and the least amount of respawns 😏”
“Yeah I did Eren, that’s awesome buddy.”
He’d just smile and spin back around in his chair feeling all prideful pls protect him
If you join in teasing him he WILL pout after and you WILL have to make him a grilled cheese as your form of an apology
He will eat it in silence, look at you and try not to smile and just roll over and sigh SO loud
“I guess I can forgive you.”
Please he’s such a brat, but he’s your brat
———————
he’s such an idiot and I jus wanna hug from him and to wear his stupid hoodies 😪 I hope y’all enjoyed! Feel free to browse my blog or pop into my inbox! Love u cutie
-🐇out
taglist: @plutowrites
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leviiattacks · 3 years
Note
Lmao Levi being irritated because reader, his roomate, who he still hasn't confessed to yet, gets a cat.
The cat hates Levi but loves reader and reader loves the cat too and it's basically Levi vs the cat someone help
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note :: very rushed and not proofread i only wrote for fun because once again i am bed ridden with sickness ha ha the perks of always being sick i suppose T__T
lord, does levi despise the way you act without thinking sometimes
he’s legitimately appalled at how you can manage to always do shit like this
even more appalled at how he lets you get away with it every time
now, what is the shit you have done this time?
brought a cat home a CAT
first things first, you are allergic to cats so he does not understand how that predicament will fix itself
secondly, cats shed EVERYWHERE
as much as he enjoys cleaning he is not going to clean that up every day
thirdly, cats will ruin furniture and claw at it
as well as the curtains!!!!
and levi loves the curtains in the living room because the both of you picked them out together
though it was a struggle to get you interested enough to pick a pair you liked.
maybe that’s why he’s looking at you irked by this all
you’re holding the kitten in your arms playing around with her
“peek... a... boo!”
playing fucking peek-a-boo with a cat? he questions himself in his head
“y/n. we are not keeping the cat.”
at this you innocently look up at him through your lashes
god, there you go again doing that
he doesn’t know if you’re aware of the impact you have on him when you do that
he’s good at holding his composure but that look ignites something in him
but he always has to push that something down his throat
“c’mon, you’d be the best roomie ever if you let me keep her!”
his eyes narrow at the word roomie
is that all he is to you?? a roomie???
you’re holding the cat up alongside your face and are fake pouting
“you. are. allergic. to. cats.” he punctuates every word clearly
“how do you know that?” you ask reasonably shocked he knows something that obscure and random about you
“you like talking about yourself when you’re drunk.”
a memory of him helping you throw up whilst he carefully holds your hair out of your face flashes past
if it were anyone else he wouldn’t have got anywhere near them if they were throwing up
but it was you,
it was always you.
“you rambled on and on and on about wanting a cat as a kid but not getting one because of your allergies.”
“so you would also know-” the cat tries to scratch your arm and you retract giggling
“that i really want a cat!”
“does that change your allergies? poof oh wow y/n you’re no longer allergic to shitty cats because you want one.”
you roll your eyes at his deadpan expression and pessimism
“if you knew anything about cats you would know this is a cornish rex” you now rebuttal
“a fucking what?”
“hypoallergenic cat breed! my allergies to cats are mild so it’s the perfect cat for me”
the crease between his eyebrow deepens.
“do you forget that we live in this apartment together?”
you scrunch your nose looking at your little buddy who has now settled in your lap “how could i forget that?”
he knows you see him as nothing more than a roommate
levi loves you he does but you don’t know that
but part of him thinks you do because you always give him that look when you want something
you’re doing it again.
the look.
“fuck. fine but if that thing coughs up a hair ball she’s out.”
“AAAHH THANK YOU I LOVE YOU LEVI!!!!” you’re ecstatic
his breath traps itself in his throat when he hears that
how can you carelessly say i love you??
you’re happily looking between him and the cat and hand her over to levi
“hold her you’re the dad”
“so you’re the...?” he asks
“i’m the...???” you’re clueless
he shakes his head waving it off
it takes you a moment to understand what he’s asking then your eyes widen
“ohhh the mum? yeah that would be me”
it’s so stupid, so stupid, so so so stupid he repeats it in his head the whole scenario is stupid
but it doesn't stop him from smiling like an idiot
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in recent days you’ve given her the names diana, garfield and casper
sadly, none of then seem to stick because you’re too indecisive
it’s got to the point where you barge into levi’s room without asking
you’re in your pyjamas he looks at you confused as to why you’ve walked in with no permission at 2am
in a cucumber face mask...?
“name the cat please, name the cat i can’t stick to a name i’m going to rip my hair out“ you’re gripping at your hair groaning in frustration.
“edgar’
first suggestion, too ugly.
you shake your head
“candy“
second suggestion, no, just no.
you shake your head again in refusal
“zero?“
yeah, no.
another shake of the head
levi ponders and thinks hard “...angel?’
you blush, jump back and look more than startled
fumbling with your fingers awkwardly you edge closer towards the door
he just eyes you weirdly wondering what causes that reaction
well, you must like the name
“is it good enough?” he asks
you’re speechless not knowing what to actually say
“y/n...????”
you snap out of it
“isn’t that something you’d call a significant other not a cat?”
and for once in your life you actually seem kinda annoyed at him
“your cat is an angel in your eyes that’s the point” he’s explaining his point but you aren’t listening
you don’t know why levi saying that word makes your heart race
that’s why you’re annoyed right now
in fact it’s not that you’re annoyed. you’re scared that it triggers this response because this is levi.
levi, your roommate the same roommate who argues about pizza toppings with you. he’s nothing more than that.
but your cheeks continue to flush behind the cucumber face mask
“i’ll ask someone else what to name him just call him salad for now” without letting him get a word in you leave but somehow you forget the cat
salad turns to levi and gives him what can only be described as a menacing look.
“you happy you annoying shit? y/n’s annoyed because i can’t name you”
your cat jumps at him and tries to scratch at a piece of flesh but is held off easily
one cold look from levi and she stops.
“get out my room you pest.” he says as he places the cat on the floor
salad scurries away and levi rolls his eyes
he hates that cat he really does
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a few hours pass levi is still up he’s always found it hard to sleep
it’s been a long day he’s just finished a thesis for his physics degree and stretches out contently
to say he’s tired is an understatement but his throat is dry and he needs to DESPERATELY hydrate
he gets to his feet and ventures into the kitchen to retrieve some water then he’ll knock out like a log and fall asleep.
the pitch of your snoring can be heard and he smiles to himself silently.
it’s all good, he’s sure you’re getting all the sleep you need.
“GRRRE”
there it is,
the little fucker, your cat is still up.
“what is it little shit?” levi asks leaned up against the surface of the counter.
salad is only staring at him blankly before turning to look over at the living room.
it’s dim the lights are switched off but levi feels something is feels off
“the hell did you do?” he asks
but salad shows no signs of breaking and revealing what it is she’s done
levi’s going to have to investigate
stepping towards the living room he flicks the lights open.
eyes survey the entire area everything looks good until he sees the way the drapes have been ripped apart
salad is picked up in one swoop she sees how levi is about to throw her out the front door and panics
meowing and struggling just in the nick of time she jumps before running away and slipping into the safety of your bedroom
groaning levi goes back to the living room to see if he’s missed anything.
well, god damn him.
scratches litter the leather furniture, it almost looks like a crossword.
salad has also conveniently taken a shit behind the sofa,
and to top it all off she’s left a dead mouse in the middle of the living room floor
levi. is. infuriated.
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“you should thank her for catching the mouse”
you’re hurriedly eating some toast levi has made for you as you brush your hair out and gather it into a low ponytail
“look at the drapes y/n??” he’s exasperated and trying to make sense of your logic
“i didn’t like the drapes anyway we needed new ones.”
you aren’t taking this seriously at all and it’s getting on his nerves now
he runs a hand through his hair and glares at you “i told you taking the cat in was a bad idea”
your hair tie snaps and so do you
all the doubts from yesterday are eating you away. the question still lingers in your mind - how do you really feel about levi?
“do you have to have an opinion on everything i do? you’re my roommate not my boyfriend.”
it’s your fault for letting your anger and stress get the better of you. to be frank you have no clue why you’ve gone and said that.
if you’re honest with yourself you know he’s not a roommate. he’s not a friend either but at the same time he’s definitely not a boyfriend.
he’s more than a friend to you but you don’t think he sees you similarly.
oh how wrong you are
“roommate?”
levi’s question is filled with not an ounce of humour, the both of you know that.
oddly, he sounds displeased,
but you can’t take it back now.
and you hate backing down
“what?” you scoff
he shakes his head and makes his way to the front door not turning to look at you.
“get a grip on that cat otherwise i’m throwing it out”
SLAM!
you’ve done it, you’ve messed it up.
salad jumps up on the counter and licks your toast
maybe, he is right about the cat.
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the rest of the week is incredibly busy you have an important economics presentation due today and you’ve done everything you need to prepare for it.
at least that’s what you think,
you’re stood in front of the class introducing yourself and everything seems to be going smoothly
price determination within the economic market might as well be advertised as a sleeping pill because you don’t know how you can get anyone interested enough to keep their eyes open.
but putting your best foot forward an attempt is still made.
“the buyers and sellers accept this price, and buy and sell accordin-”
you’re abruptly cut off by your professor who coughs and then proceeds to leer at you in disgust.
a few moments of silence pass and you can feel your heart hammer in your chest.
suddenly he points at the door,
he’s known for being harsh, strict and a stingy marker but it’s not as if you’ve shown up with nothing done...?
in fact this is the largest amount of effort you’ve put into your economics course since you’ve started it.
being in your usual seasonal slump has held you back but now you’re actually trying he’s saying it’s not good enough?
“your presentation. it’s awful. not enough effort put into it, leave for today.” his voice is rumbling and intimidating.
you’re stunned, you’ve worked tirelessly day and night to finish this off.
you’ve even had to cry over not knowing or understanding how to make pie charts.
interpreting data has never been your strong suit.
too embarrassed to ask for help you had to spend hours figuring out how to make it all work alongside your excel chart and spreadsheet
sighing heavily you speak up “professor i’ve spent a lot of time on this?”
“i looked through the slides. dog shit.” his response is fiery and you shudder at the boiling frustration he’s shooting right at you.
arguing in front of the lecture hall is not what you wish to do and you’re sure you aren’t going to be the only person sent out this way.
just retreat y/n 
you do.
the professor is clearly in a bad mood and taking it out on you, there’s nothing you can do about it.
wordlessly you gather your belongings and leave.
as you trudge back home the feeling of not being good enough sinks in your stomach like a heavy anchor at sea.
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entering through the front door is a task and a half through your glossed over eyes but somehow you manage
you’ve kept salad in your room for most of the time after your argument and she seems to actually miss levi’s presence.
so when the first thing you see as soon as you enter is salad clawing at his bedroom door begging to be let in you aren’t surprised.
thankfully for you he’s yet to return from class and hasn’t been disturbed by the sounds.
at least that’s what you assume.
you look at salad and start sobbing
you wish you were a cat.
cats don’t get shit on for fucking up economics presentations that’s for sure.
shaking you try to hold yourself up against one of the walls
frankly, school stress is getting to you.
you tried hard on that presentation only for it to fail when it was worth a quarter of your grade.
A QUARTER...
TWENTY FIVE PERCENT...
salad nuzzles herself against your leg and you lean over to pick her up
she licks at your ear, it tickles and you laugh in between sobs
“you sure are good at comforting people huh?” you’re so worn out your laugh sounds half dead.
it’s all so pathetic. you standing in your living room wailing as you hold your pet cat like a baby.
but she doesn’t mind and let’s you cry to your hearts content.
“MEOW” salad loudly squeaks and you stroke her back but she only keeps at it “MEOWWWW.”
sensing that she’s bringing something to your attention you turn around
there stands levi awkwardly waving at you and you instinctually cover your face with your arm.
the smudged mascara is none of his business.
“wanna order pizza and talk about it?”
pursing your lips at the proposition you slowly lower your arm and scratch at the sleeve of your shirt.
"yeah, i’d love that.”
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“KICKED YOU OUT THE LECTURE HALL?? YOU WORKED ON THAT FOR DAYS Y/N, DAYS??”
levi is beyond pissed he hasn’t even touched the second slice of his pizza after hearing how your presentation played out.
“it’s okay, it was probably going to go bad i can’t do anything right.”
levi’s silver eyes fog up in annoyance and you shut yourself up.
“you are the most able person i have met.”
head rocking up in surprise the confession is news to you.
“really?“
“you’re great at making pad thai, somehow you convinced me to keep that cat, i remember that other time you convinced a first year to bungee jump off a building for last years charity fundraiser.”
it truly is endearing how he doesn’t call you smart or witty or hard-working. none of that basic nonsense you’ve heard time and time again from everyone else.
the fact he’s naming the most random things makes your heart swell.
you burst into laughter remembering the first year’s quivering form and you wonder why levi even remembers that.
“if salad bothers you that much i could find a friend to look after her.”
levi looks at you like he’s just come face to face with a ghost.
“no? i like her, she might frustrate me and get in the way when i want to-” he stops himself fumbling over his sentence.
“when you want to?“ you’re leaning in closer intrigued what the rest of the sentence is.
shock flashes over his face but the next second it disappears.
taking a gulp of his water seemingly in preparation he looks you right in the eye.
“when i want to kiss you.”
and that’s all it takes for you to tug him by the shirt and slam his lips against yours, you giggle into the kiss as you situate yourself in his lap. hands ghosting over your hips he’s disoriented not sure where to place his palms but you don’t care. you’ve been waiting for this and despite his sloppy response the fact you’re finally doing what you’ve been fearing the most these past few weeks is only filling you with adrenaline.
“settle down.” he’s panting heavy and ragged. “i was meant to initiate it and look cool what the fuck??” he’s not mad, he’s just playing with you but that doesn’t stop you from getting into the role.
“and if i don’t settle?” you mischievously ask, levi’s hands are cupping your jaw he pushes your hair out of your face and simply gazes in awe.
he makes you feel so beautiful, it’s unreal.
“meow...” salad’s dissatisfied whining can be heard and then out of nowhere in one fluid motion she jumps onto levi’s chest.
“salad if you don’t mind i’m trying to make out with your dad.” you explain with a frown.
she doesn’t budge and instead a trickling sound can be heard, then a foul smell floats into the room and levi screams.
“Y/N THE LITTLE SHIT IS PEEING ON ME???”
541 notes · View notes
supernovafics · 3 years
Text
𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑𝐒, 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒
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pairing: chris evans x fem!reader
summary: in which you were about to get married to the guy you thought was the one for you, but a conversation with your longtime friend, chris, makes you question everything you thought was right
warnings: angst, angst, angst, explicit language, minor fluff at the end
word count: 3.8k words
author’s note: this started out as a very minor idea and then it turned into something bigger lmao anyway hope you enjoy!
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
This day should’ve been perfect, and everything should’ve felt right, but instead, it all was beginning to feel like a nightmare.
Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but how else would you describe locking yourself in the bathroom of the hotel you were staying at, and being on the verge of a breakdown, two hours before your wedding was supposed to happen.
You paced around in the small space and tried your hardest to avoid looking in the mirror, not wanting to see yourself in the stunning white dress that your mom and bridesmaids helped you pick out on a day that now felt like a lifetime ago.
As vain as it may sound, you knew that you looked great in your dress, and the way that your makeup and hair had been styled only aided in your beauty. But, at that moment, you felt the farthest from great.
Your fiancé Tyler was perhaps one of the best people you had ever met, and from the moment he proposed to you, you truly felt like you wanted to spend the rest of your life with him. But now you were doubting absolutely everything.
All because of Chris.
An abrupt knock on the bathroom door slightly startled you.
“Y/N, please come out. We have to go take pictures soon.”
The simultaneous worried and confused voice on the other side of the door belonged to your good friend and maid of honor, Maria. She was amazing at reading almost any situation, one of the reasons why you liked her so much, at times it almost felt like she could read you like a book. However, this was one situation that had transpired so quickly, and she had no idea how to read it.
Everything started out fine that morning. You, her, and your other bridesmaids drove to the hotel in Connecticut that your wedding was happening at, you ordered breakfast room service to the room, and then you all started getting ready, laughing and smiling as you did so. You seemed happy, and you definitely seemed okay. But, then all of a sudden, things took a turn, and the next thing Maria knew, you were hiding out in the bathroom. And your wedding was starting in less than two hours.
Even though you knew your friend was waiting for some sort of a response to her previous statement, you stayed completely quiet. You really didn’t want to leave the bathroom anytime soon, especially not to take pictures. You knew that the doubt and uncertainty you were currently feeling would be clearly recognized in all of the photos.
“Y/N?” Maria said, speaking a bit louder to make sure you could hear her through the locked door.
An awkward silence began to linger, and you sighed, taking a seat on the closed toilet.
“Chris,” You finally said, responding in a way that only confused the girl on the other side of the door even more. “I need to see him.”
“Okay,” Maria answered tentatively, a curious tone in her voice. “Okay, I’ll go get him.”
You knew that your friend wanted to question you about what was happening, but she wasn’t going to at that moment. Not when time was of the essence and every minute mattered. Because each minute counted down to the time you would need to walk down the aisle and profess your love for your fiancé. It was something you were unsure if you wanted to do anymore.
If you weren’t about to bawl your eyes out, you think you would’ve laughed at how quickly everything managed to change. Before your conversation with Chris last night, everything was on the right path; it was almost like you could see your life with Tyler laid out in front of you. Marry him, travel for a bit before starting a family, start said family, etc., etc.
Now it was the first step that you were struggling with, and with that struggle, everything else slowly fell apart too.
What did it mean that a five-minute conversation with one of your best friends managed to completely change the trajectory of your entire life?
• • •
You were laughing, and it was a moment that you knew you’d remember forever. Not the exact thing you were laughing about, but instead, you would remember how you felt, which, in your opinion, was what mattered more.
“Glad to know I’m such a comedian,” Chris said, smiling at how happy you looked at that moment. The two of you were sitting on opposite ends of the couch in the living room of his Boston home, sharing a large throw blanket that was draped over you guys’ legs which were entangled in the middle. Chris could feel the blanket move with how much your body shook with happy laughter.  
“I swear I haven’t laughed this hard in forever.” Your statement was only partially a lie because you actually did remember the last time you laughed this hard, and it was with Chris three weeks ago.
It never surprised you how easily you could fall into some sort of happy comfort with Chris. The two of you had been friends since what now felt like forever; you couldn’t remember a time where you weren’t friends with him. In almost all of your fondest memories, he was always right there with you.
“Are you excited for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I think so,” You answered Chris’s question after a brief moment of contemplation. Your mouth then turned upward in a smile. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”
“Excited to be a groomsman for a guy I barely know? Not really. But, I’m doing this for you, and that's all that really matters to me.”
Having Chris be one of Tyler’s groomsmen was one of your biggest and most important requests for the wedding. He was your best friend, and you wanted him to play some sort of part in the wedding that wasn’t just being a guest.
“You’re the best; you know that, right?” You were still smiling as you spoke, feeling nothing but honesty drip from your words.
In your mind, that was the wholehearted truth, but to Chris, it was nothing but a lie. Because if he really were “the best,” he would have been completely honest with you a long time ago. Honest about the fact that he didn’t think Tyler was the one for you. And he was unsure if he thought this for selfish reasons or because he knew that it was a thousand percent true.
“I don’t know if I am anymore,” Chris finally responded to your previous words. Your brows furrowed in confusion at what he meant by his statement, and you were quiet, silently signaling him to continue.
In the many years you had known Chris, you’d rarely ever seen him nervous around you; you both had always felt completely comfortable around each other, always.
However, apparently, there was a first time for everything because a look that you could only deem as nervous was taking over his features. He was quiet for what felt like forever, and now you were worried because you genuinely had no idea what he was going to say to you.
“You can’t marry Tyler.”
And there it was. He finally uttered the words that he had wanted to say right when you told him that you and Tyler were engaged. He knew, at that moment, it was the selfish part of him that had wanted to say that to you. However, now after carefully noticing some things about you over the past year as you planned the wedding, and even in some small moments from tonight, he finally realized how right he actually was.
Because if Tyler was the love of your life, the last time you laughed so hard shouldn’t have felt like forever ago; it should have been happening every day with him. And if he was truly the love of your life, when asked if you were excited for your wedding day, you wouldn’t have answered with a passive, “Yeah, I think so.”
“Chris…” Your voice trailed off because you had no idea what to say. You had no idea what to think. Actually, it wasn’t that you didn’t know what to think; it was that you didn’t want to think about what he just said, not at all. “Don’t, please.”
Chris barreled past your soft-spoken words. “I know you, Y/N. I know you so well, and I know that you’re not truly happy with him.”
You shook your head, trying your hardest not to fully think about what he was saying. You were afraid of what can of worms would open up if you did so. Instead, you fully committed to the fact that what Chris was saying was not the truth. So, you said, “You’re wrong. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You said you hadn’t laughed hard in forever. He should be making you laugh hard all the fucking time.” Suddenly, Chris wondered if Tyler had ever made you really laugh because if he had, he would know how beautiful you looked when you did, and he would definitely want to do it all the time.
“Stop, Chris, really,” You mumbled as you pushed the blanket off of you and detangled your legs from his, sitting up straight on the couch.
You needed to leave. The faster you did so, the quicker you could start attempting to make yourself forget everything that happened in the past five minutes. Because fucking hell Chris was right, and you really needed to forget that.
“I have to go. I can’t be here right now,” You stood up from the couch and started making your way toward the front door; you could feel Chris following right behind you.
“I’m sorry that I decided to tell you like this. But, I’m not sorry that I said it. It’s all the truth, and deep down, you know it, Y/N.”
You didn’t respond to him as you put your shoes on because there was nothing you could really say. Yes, he was right, but you were going to convince yourself otherwise. It was the only thing that you could do.
Before opening the door, you finally looked at Chris. He looked worried and confused, and you wondered how you looked in his eyes at that moment. As fucked up as you knew you were? “I hope I’ll still see you tomorrow.”
You closed the door behind you, but you didn’t move for a long moment. You sighed and shut your eyes and willed yourself not to cry. It was almost as if Chris could sense your presence still lingering outside the door because you could hear him start speaking again, and you knew his words were directed at you.
“I could love you more than he does. I already do love you more. So much more.”
As much as you wanted to say something in response, you didn’t. Instead of acknowledging his confession, you finally walked toward your car. His heartfelt statement was just another thing that you convinced yourself you would need to forget before tomorrow.
You couldn’t stop your tears once you were sitting in the driver’s seat.
• • •
Forgetting everything was actually pretty easy to do. Until it wasn’t.
You buried everything deep down inside and locked it all away in a small box that you knew would never be opened.
Everything was fine, and all morning, you kept convincing yourself of that fact. But then you put on your wedding dress, and suddenly you realized how wrong this all truly was.
The box was opened, and you couldn’t close it.
Chris’s words were true; you couldn’t marry Tyler. And not only was it that you couldn’t marry Tyler, but you also didn’t want to marry him.
It should have felt like a relief, realizing something that you’d eventually come to regret before you did the action. But, what you felt was the opposite of relief. Instead, it was intense dread weighing heavily on your chest, almost making it feel as if you couldn’t breathe.
That was what led you to the bathroom and kept you in there for as long as you had been.
Your family’s opinions and approval had always meant so much to you, and suddenly, you realized that you were doing all of this for them. They were the ones that had pushed you and Tyler together, your two families already having been close for many years. And you were happy with him, but not as happy as you could be. You hated that you were just now recognizing all of this.
And finally, you realized how distant and passive to the whole wedding planning process you had been. Case in point, your wedding was in fucking Connecticut, and you hated Connecticut.
The sounds of voices on the other side of the door pulled you out of your scattered thoughts.
“She’s in here,” Maria’s slightly muffled words were what you heard first, but you knew they weren’t directed at you. “Please try to talk her out of there. The rest of us are gonna go down and start with the pictures. I’ll try to stall the photographer for as long as I can.”
“Okay.” You heard Chris’s voice and your heart sped up a bit. It should not have felt like a surprise hearing him right then because you were the one that told Maria to get him, but you still felt startled. Now you weren’t even sure if you wanted to talk to him anymore.  
A soft knock was what you heard next, followed by Chris saying, “Y/N, it’s me.”
You didn’t respond. You were completely and utterly silent as fresh tears brimmed in your eyes for reasons you couldn’t even fully decipher anymore.
“Are you okay in there?” Chris asked after waiting a few moments to hear you say something, but you didn’t. There was a hint of worry in his tone.
You let out a small sigh. “No.”
“Do you wanna open the door?”
“Not really,” You told him as you began absentmindedly playing with the fabric of your dress. “I’m kinda spiraling in here, and I think it would be best if I kept it contained.”
“What happened?”
“What happened?” You scoffed out an incredulous laugh and blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill. “Last night is what fucking happened, Chris. You ruined everything, and I can’t stop thinking about it. My mind is a fucking mess because of what you said, and all I wanna do is bawl my eyes out right now. But, I can’t because that would ruin my makeup and I’m supposed to get married in, what is it, an hour now? God, I’m supposed to get married in an hour.”
You were rambling, and your voice was cracking because of the apple-sized lump forming in your throat. But, you had yet to start crying.
This time Chris was silent, and for a moment, you were sure that he had left, but then you heard his voice. “Please unlock the door.”
You were reluctant at first, but ultimately you stood from where you were sat on the closed toilet and went to unlock the door. Chris opened it a second later and entered the small space, a worried look was written across his features.
Seeing his face broke the dam, and all of a sudden, you were crying, no longer able to hold back your tears. Chris almost immediately circled his arms around you, and you accepted the embrace without a second thought.
“You’re right, and I hate it, but you’re right. I can’t marry him,” You spoke as tears streamed down your cheeks and onto Chris’s suit jacket that your face was pressed against. Your makeup was definitely a complete mess at that point, but right then, that became the least of your worries.  
“It’s okay. You don’t have to,” Chris told you, and that was when that intense dread hit you again like a wave.
“No, I do. I have to marry him,” You said, heart hammering hard in your chest as you realized it all. “Our families; they’re so close, and they’ve been expecting this for years. My family really wants this for me. I can’t ruin everything, not like this.”
“No offense, I know how much you love your family, and they’re great most of the time, but fuck what they want right now,” Chris said, and you were only mildly startled by his bluntness. “This is about you and the rest of your life. Do not do this if you don’t want to.”
You pulled away from the embrace the two of you were still in and then shook your head. “I really don’t want to.”
“Then don’t, please don’t. Your family will understand eventually.”
You considered his words and wondered how true they were. Maybe the first year would be pretty hard, you definitely wouldn’t be able to show face at any family barbeques or other events, but eventually, this would blow over; it had to. At least that was what you sincerely hoped.
You were silent for a beat longer and then finally said, “I won’t do it.”
The small smile that broke out on Chris’s face made your heart squeeze a bit; it let you know that what you were doing was the right thing. You gave him a small smile back.
• • •
“The first thing I wanna say is sorry. I’m really, really sorry, Ty,” Your voice sounded slightly nervous as you spoke into your phone, leaving Tyler a voicemail that you hoped he’d listen to later rather than sooner because you had no idea what his reaction would be.
You anxiously looked around the hotel parking lot, worried that someone you knew would notice you in the hotel parking lot, standing next to Chris’s car, and about to flee your own wedding. You looked normal now since you were changed out of your dress and back into the simple t-shirt and leggings combination you had arrived in at the hotel early that morning, but you were still on high alert. Honestly, that morning now felt like years ago to you.
“This is wrong,” You continued on, your voice still nervous, but at least you knew you were telling the truth. You really didn’t want to leave the voicemail, it all felt so embarrassing, but you knew that you owed Tyler at least some sort of explanation. And since you couldn’t muster up the courage to actually face him, you decided that a voicemail would suffice for now.
“And it took me so long to realize that, but I think deep down you know how wrong this is too. We’re good together, but we’re not great, and now that I really think about it, I realized that we’ve never been great.  And I think we both deserve to find that “great” person. If that makes sense. God, none of this probably makes sense, and I’m sorry for that too. I should probably stop rambling. I know you hate me, and that’s okay, but I do hope that one day you can understand why I had to do this.”
And with that final soft-spoken statement, you hung up the phone. You hesitated for a brief moment before taking a final breath and look at the hotel, and then you opened the passenger door of Chris’s car and sat in the empty seat; Chris was already sitting in the driver’s side.
He reached over and placed his hand atop yours and gave it a light squeeze. “You still okay?”
You took a moment to really think about his question. “I think I’m in that phase between freaking the fuck out and being completely okay with everything.”
Chris looked over at you for a brief moment. “I’m not entirely sure how to respond to that.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything,” You told him honestly. The fact that he was with you at that moment truly said enough.
His hand was still on top of yours, and you shifted your hand so that it was laced with his instead. It was quiet in the car. Quiet, but it also felt like a million things were being said in that silence.
“It should be you.” You muttered out the words that you had never verbalized but they had almost always lingered in the back of your mind. “It always should’ve been you.”
Chris gave your hand another tight squeeze.
You turned to look at him, and he looked right back at you. His eyes were saying something that you couldn’t decipher, but the look made your heartbeat quicken all the same.
“It’ll always be you too,” Chris said softly as he pulled his hand away from yours and rested it on your cheek instead; you easily leaned into his touch. Those five words and his small action managed to melt you from the inside out.
Before you could respond or even fully process what was happening, Chris was leaning in, and you were following suit, and suddenly you were kissing.
It was uncomfortable, the turned position you were in with the center console pressed hard against your torso, but you wouldn’t change anything. Because with the way his lips pressed against yours, you knew exactly how right this all was. There wasn’t a hint of regret beginning to linger.
It was the first time in your long friendship that you two had kissed each other, but for some reason, his lips felt so familiar. They felt like home. You silently wondered if Chris was feeling the same thing, a part of you knew that he did.
“We should’ve done that sooner. We should’ve done that so much sooner,” Chris said when you both pulled back from the kiss. Your faces were still dangerously close to one another because neither of you wanted to part too far from one another.
You smiled at his statement and nodded your head, not verbally saying anything because you couldn’t form any cohesive sentences at that moment. Your brain was only full of thoughts of Chris and the fact that this all had been so obvious, but both of you had been so nervous and scared to pull the trigger.
“I love you.” The words were soft and quiet, barely above a whisper, but Chris heard them.
“I love you too,” He told you and smiled before pressing another kiss on your lips.
After lingering for a few more moments, he then put the car in drive and finally drove out of the hotel parking lot. You didn't know where exactly you were going, but you did know that it would be away from Connecticut.
No longer were you feeling dread, but instead, there was a small inkling of hope and excitement for the future starting to spread within you.
.· .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
let me know your thoughts<3
220 notes · View notes
bastillewolf · 3 years
Note
Hey I know you probably have like a billion requests already but maybe you could do something where the reader is good friends with corpse (maybe with some unspoken feelings) and they ask him to visit their country side home lmao-
I'm really embarrassed about asking this and I know it sounds strange but being out in the country side can be really good for mental health and I just want this boi to heal--
I'm so sorry hahah
Thanks
That’s not strange at all, darling!! I love this ask! I’m so sorry it took me so long to answer this, my mental health hasn’t been very good lately. I suppose I found this ask rather appropriate and I guess that’s why I liked writing it so much. Hope you enjoy!
Sunrise, Sunset - Oneshot
Pairings: Corpse Husband / Reader.
“Yo,” is the first thing you hear as you open your Discord. It’s not his regular greeting, and he sounds more tired than usual.
“What’s up?” you asked curiously. “Everything okay? Haven’t talked to you in a while.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I got really busy.”
“I can tell from your voice,” you chuckled. It had more of a rasp to it- if that was even possible.
“Yea, I can’t do too much for too long. I love that I’m able to work on music now, but it exhausts my voice so much that I can’t even stream sometimes.”
“Maybe you should take a break,” you comment.
“Probably. It’s almost done, so then I can stream more,” he replies.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Hm?”
“I’m talking about an actual break, from everything.”
You hear him exhale deeply as if he’d already been considering it himself. “That does sound very nice.”
“I know, I always have the best ideas.”
“You do, except you forgot about the fact that I can’t really go anywhere. I mean, I’d love to take a break, but if I just sit here at home, I’m gonna either end up doing nothing or start working anyways. I don’t see me relaxing that way.”
“I didn’t forget about anything; I just hadn’t gotten to that part yet.”
“Oh?”
You’d be lying if you said that noise didn’t make you blush. “Remember how I said I live in the countryside? You know, it’s quite cosy here, and I have a guest bedroom to spare. If you want, but only if you’re comfortable with it, you could come over.”
It was quiet for a moment and your poor nerves were wondering if you’d said something completely wrong. You knew how he was about his privacy, but you’d figured that having known each other for a more than a few months now, you’d be at a point where you’d become actual friends, especially considering you always talked over Discord. At least, when he wasn’t busy.
“I... You wouldn’t mind?” he asked softly.
“Of course not!” You immediately replied, trying your best to make him feel as welcome as possible. “It’ll be so much fun! I was just worried you wouldn’t feel comfortable with it, otherwise, I would’ve invited you over a lot sooner.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yes! I’m always looking for people to take care of my chickens.”
“You have chickens?” he sputtered.
“Sure do. And that was a joke, by the way.”
He didn’t really give you much time to prepare. He’d instantly asked if he could come over in two days, which meant you had to clean, do the groceries, and have another mental breakdown within that short time.
When he did arrive at your relatively small but homely cottage, you knew that even if you’d had more time, you still wouldn’t have felt like you’d prepared enough. You were incredibly nervous, especially as the cab slowed to a nerve-wracking speed until it finally stopped in front of your little wooden fence that really couldn’t keep anyone out of your garden because it was so ramshackle.
You nod your head to the driver politely, who got out of the car to unload a bag from the trunk. Then, the door opened, ringed fingers sliding across the yellow polish on the metal framing. He pulled himself up and out, finally allowing you to take a good look at his face.
His hair was dark and curly, as to be expected from what you’d seen in the pictures, though you could barely see it underneath the hood he’d pulled up. His dark brown eyes immediately found yours, and a shy smile graced his lips, which you bashfully returned with a small wave. It made you want to hit yourself multiple times. He paid the cabby and thanked him, allowing you to take a good look at his attire, at his frame, at his whole being. He was wearing a black hoodie with some chains around it, along with dark baggy trousers and, go figure, black sneakers. He was slightly slouching, probably so the driver wouldn’t be able to make out his face in its entirety, but overall he looked lean, even while his face was more pale and tired, with dark circles surrounding his eyes.
He locked the creaky wooden fence behind him, quickly closing the distance between you two with only a few strides. He dropped his backpack on the floor, saying, “hi.” “Hey,” you replied with that stupid smile still on your face and now quite possibly a hint of red dusting your cheeks. He just chuckled at the slight awkwardness of the situation, before wrapping his arms around you in a warm hug. He smelled like nice cologne, and he gave really good hugs. It said a lot that you could tell that from just the one. “Thanks for letting me come over,” he muttered, finally allowing himself to sound as exhausted as he looked.
“I told you, it’s nothing.”
When you met his eyes again as he pulled back, you knew he was quietly telling you that it meant more to him than that. Feeling shy under his dark gaze, you shook your head, saying, “Come on, let me show you around.”
It wasn’t that big of a tour, but it was home and it was comfortable, so you never felt embarrassed about it. You made enough money, to be fair, from your career through YouTube, but you’d never really had the heart to leave the house. At least you had a guest bedroom, and the garden was something to dream of. To trade that in for a bit more storage space would be such a pity.
“-and this is going to be your room, for however long you wish to stay,” you finish with a flourish of your hand. He set his suitcase down on the freshly made bed and nodded, glancing around for a bit before his eyes landed back on you. “Did I tell you how much I appreciate you doing this for me?”
You huff, “Once or twice now.”
“I’ll be off your back in a few days, don’t worry. I think I just needed to get out of my stuffy apartment for a bit.”
“Stay as long as you’d like,” you told him assuredly, “I know how stressful it can be and I haven’t even been through what you have. I can’t imagine what it must be like.”
He shrugs, “I have my ups and downs. It’s mostly my health issues and anxiety holding me back.”
“Well, I hope you can relax a bit here, then. People seem to feel more at ease without a bustling city around them,” you said.
He glanced out the window and nodded. “Yeah, I immediately noticed it as I got out of the car. It’s so... quiet here. And the air, of course. It’s so much nicer.”
“I usually take walks in the early mornings. You should come along sometime if you’d like. The sunrise is always really pretty when you get up on the hill.”
The corners of his lips quirked up. “I’d like that.”
“Great,” you replied, clapping your hands together, “I’ll let you get settled and start dinner. The uh- the bathroom is shared, I left a stack of towels on the rack so you can use those.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
You nodded shyly, silently closing the door behind you as you stepped into the hall. You let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the wall, pressing the backs of your hands against your cheek in a vain attempt to cool down the heat and tone down the redness. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d reacted this way but the times you’d spend talking about everything and nothing with Corpse through Discord calls that lasted until the early mornings. You knew you shouldn’t be feeling this way. You didn’t want to risk the friendship you had with him, but the tingling that had sprouted in your gut the moment he’d gotten out of that car told you that this was going to be hard.
 You knocked on his door quietly, afraid you were accidentally going to wake him when he didn’t want to be awoken. You didn’t know what kind of morning person he’d be, but he told you yesterday that he wanted to join you for your walk today. And while you were going to leave half an hour later than usual because it took you that long to work up the courage to knock on his door, meaning you were going to have to hurry a bit to catch the sun rising, you were still scared he was going to react grouchily. But when he opened the door, already dressed and ready to go, you realized you’d foolishly forgotten that this wasn’t just anyone, but that this was one of your friends; someone you already knew, even if it hadn’t been physically. Of course, he’d open the door with a smile, even though he looked more tired than the day before, which worried you.
“How did you sleep?” You made it evident in your tone that you were rather scared to ask the question, but it made him chuckle.
“I think you already know the answer to that. I don’t sleep well in general, so don’t worry. It has nothing to do with the bed or your hospitality.”
“Well, if there’s anything I can do for you, I don’t mind being woken up.”
He shook his head as he followed you downstairs and out the front door. “To be fair, I slept more than I usually would, but your rooster woke me up.”
You laughed, “Yea, I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything about that.” You held the wooden fence gate open for him, following him to the grass field until you were walking next to him. You silently picked up your pace a bit, worrying that you might miss the sunrise when you had promised it to him.
“I know, I know,” he replied amusedly, “Can we go see them later? The chickens?”
“Sure,” you smiled, “I also have a few ducks. You’ll love them, they’ll try to rip the shoelaces from your feet.”
“Sounds great.”
The walk to the hill wasn’t too far, but the hill was quite steep, which was always an exercise for people who walked with you for the first time, so you’d figured he’d start trailing behind you after some time. Thing is, he started trailing behind relatively earlier than you had expected him to.
Glancing back over your shoulder, you called out, “you good? We’re almost there.”
He nodded, though you could see him slightly panting, and you turned around to jog up the last bit until you reached the top. You could see a sliver of light start to peek over the horizon, making you glance back to see how far away he was.
But instead of having moved forward, he was now sort of slouched over, holding his stomach as he panted loudly. “Shit,” you cursed yourself as you sprinted back down until you skidded to a stop in front of him. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I should have slowed down-“
“It’s fine,” he waved you off, slowly catching his breath. “I can do it, I just take a bit longer.”
“I’ll carry you if I have to. I got us into this mess.”
He chuckled, but it sounded a bit hoarse.
“Come on,” you said. He furrowed his brow in confusion but followed you anyway. Walking along the side of the hill was tricky, but you made it around without any issues. He was able to keep up this time and gratefully plopped down on the grass beside you, just in time to watch the sun fully appear from behind the horizon.
“Holy shit,” he breathed.
“Yea, it never really gets old.” You laid down, feeling twigs of grass tickle the bareback of your neck.
He joined you, scooting a bit closer until your arms were brushing against each other. You couldn’t tell if he’d done it on purpose, so you acted like it hadn’t affected you, keeping your eyes fixed on the sky above you. At least, you tried. They flickered when you felt fingertips graze across your lower arm until they reached your palm, where his nails slowly dragged along your skin until his warm digits intertwined with yours. His rings felt cool against the heat and tingling you were suddenly feeling in your hand. He didn’t let go of you, not as you laid there for what seemed like hours, nor during the entire walk back.
‘Is this what friends do?’ you were silently asking yourself, watching the ducks try to free his shoes from its laces, ‘is this what friends do when they need support? Is this his way of coping, or is it-‘ You quickly shook the thought away. Of course, he wouldn’t think of you that way. He probably did stuff like this with all his friends. You knew how playful he could get, his guy friends included.
Yeah, it was just that. It had to be.
You were both laid back on the couch that night, stuffed to the brink with the famous lasagne you’d put together. The TV was on, but it sounded more like static noise in the background. “I think I can just fall asleep right here,” you hummed. The glass of red wine you’d shared – because neither of you could handle liquor – had created a pleasant buzz between the two of you.
“That seems a lot less comfortable than your bed.”
“You don’t know a thing about my bed,” you huffed indignantly.
It was quiet for a moment then, a sliver of tension seeping through the warmth of your home. “I think it’s probably about as comfortable as mine, otherwise you’re treating your guests too much,” he replied.
“I don’t know,” you admitted, “I’ve actually never slept in the guest bedroom. I might just be treating my guests too much and I’d never even know about it.”
He suddenly sat up and turned the TV off. “Come on,” he said and was already up the stairs by the time you’d made an attempt to move.
When finally reached the upstairs and were about to round the corner, you were suddenly picked up and slung over his shoulder, causing you to let out a loud shriek. “Corpse!” you laughed, “Please put me down!”
“You were taking too long,” he grumbled, dropping you down on the bed unceremoniously. He shuffled over until he was laying down next to you and lifted the covers up until it reached your neck.
“So?” he asked.
You had your eyes closed. “I might be treating my guests too much.”
He snorted. “Fucking knew it,” which made you laugh.
You laid there for quite a while, not really caring if either of you fell asleep with your regular clothes still on. “Hey Corpse?”
He hummed.
“I’m really glad you came. It gets lonely over here sometimes.”
He shifted, but because it was so dark you couldn’t really see what he was doing. Suddenly though, you felt him hovering over you, his elbows resting on either side of your face as his hand reached across to move a strand of hair to the side. He leaned down and hesitantly, his lips barely touched yours, a silent question if this was okay. You moved back against him, your hand finding his cheek in the darkness. His kisses were gentle, but passionate, which made your breaths heavier and deeper. When you pulled apart, you were both breathing heavily, mostly from the tension that had arisen.
“I really like you,” you admitted.
“Good,” he replied, wrapping his arms around you until you were tucked against his chest. You hit his arm playfully, “Cocky bastard.”
You hear the smirk in his voice as he said goodnight.
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butwhyduh · 3 years
Text
The Farm
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Damian Wayne x Jon Kent
Summary: just 2 boys in love but won’t admit it. I have the attention span of a butterfly so this is as close as I get to a slow burn lmao. I just think they are adorable and I headcanon Damian as demisexual. I did actually age them above 18 but this is sfw. Only a little kissing. There’s a bigot but he gets punched.
“I heard about the farm,” Damian said as they sat on a rooftop in New York. “Sorry.” They were drinking milkshakes after saving the city. Well Jon was as Damian had a vegan smoothie instead.
“Yeah, they foreclosed,” Jon said, his bright blue eyes uncharacteristically stony. “Thanks. Just wasn’t expecting it is all.”
“You know I could help you.. financially. If you need,” Damian offered carefully. Jon shifted in his seat and took a drink of his shake.
“It’s not your job. I’ll figure out how to keep it. Don’t worry,” Jon said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Congrats on vet school. Not that it’s a surprise. You were top of your class.”
“Oh thanks. But seriously, I have no problem writing a check right now, Jon,” Damian emphasized. Jon stared at him silently. It was so tempting to let Damian solve his problems but that wasn’t the Kent way.
“I don’t know,” Jon said shifting uncomfortably. Damian noted that it wasn’t a no.
“I will be going to school in Metropolis in the fall. The farm in Smallville is a lot closer to the university than my place in Gotham,” Damian said hoping to come off as casual. Apparently not as Jon almost fell off the roof in shock.
“Live- with me,” he asked, his eyebrows rose quickly.
“Oh, I suppose. Yes, that is what I would be proposing,” Damian answered. Jon looked at him with wide eyes before clearing his throat and softening the look on his face to more neutral. Damian definitely wasn’t meaning ‘moving in’ moving in. He was just being practical. He wasn’t in love with Jon the same way Jon was head over heels for Damian since he was like 13.
“It would be practical for us both,” he said and Jon relaxed. Yep, normal Damian not thinking of the social meaning of his words.
“I don’t have a butler,” Jon warned. “And I sometimes forget to do laundry or dishes.”
“Then I will make a chore chart,” Damian answered and Jon’s heart soared a little at the domestics of it all. Jon nodded with a grin.
“So when do I get my roommate?” Jon asked lightly. Or what he hoped was lightly. His farm was saved and Damian was moving in. He was surprised he wasn’t levitating yet.
“I need to sell my apartment first. And pack,” Damian contemplated. “Also I need to buy the farm. I’ll need 4 days.”
“4?!? I mean- that’s fine,” Jon answered. He began immediately imagining all the work he needed to do before Damian could move in. “You work fast.”
“Yes, money talks,” Damian answered as if it was normal for a 20 year old to say. Jon nodded and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
True to his words, a moving truck showed up 4 days later. Jon had cleaned and organized everything, even scrubbing the walls and sweeping the barn. The workers quickly set up everything in the spare room just as Damian arrived.
Damian arriving was a sight Jon would never forget. Damian wore a black turtleneck with the sleeves rolled up and a tan pair of dress pants over shiny black leather shoes as he carried in a large paper bag of produce. Damian had grown so much from the tiny 13 year old Jon had first known. He was now a full inch taller than Jon and probably 10 lbs heavier. It was funny since Jon was the one currently running around as Superman.
Damian sat his bag on the kitchen counter and wiped sweat from his brow. Jon was much more casually dressed in old blue jeans and a white t shirt with a rolled up and open red plaid button down over it. An old blue baseball cap was thrown over backwards on his head and little curls stuck out.
“You brought food. You know this is a farm, right?” Jon said with a smile. “We’re kinda known for having food.”
“I brought food to cook tonight,” Damian said trying to be casual. He had actually taken far too long deciding on the perfect food for him and Jon to eat their first night as roommates.
“Are you cooking for me?” Jon said with a pleased smile. The moving company was leaving and it was just the two of them.
“Yes, I thought it would be a good start,” Damian said formally. “No need to be so happy. It’s just dinner.”
“Of course,” Jon said trying to straighten his face. But how could he when Damian was living with him and cooking for him? Impossible task.
Damian busied himself in the small kitchen, looking in every drawer and cabinet. He noted that in the dying evening light, it perfectly captured the sunset. That was something that people paid huge amounts to even glimpse from their place in Gotham and Jon got a 360 view everyday.
“Well I have to feed the animals but I’ll be back soon. Do you need anything before I go?” Jon said in the doorway to the kitchen. He had thrown on a pair of rubber boots.
“Tt, you dare care for animals without me?” Damian said with a frown.
“Well I just thought- I mean you can- but you’re cooking,” Jon sputtered and Damian smiled.
“I’m playing with you. I’ll see them tomorrow. Otherwise the meal will be ruined,” Damian said. Jon laughed and shook his head as he left.
Damian looked at the photos that lined the hallway, smiling as he saw pictures of Jon as a child. Jon holding a fish he caught. Jon swinging a baseball bat. Jon holding up one end of a tractor. Right above it was a young Clark Kent doing the same. Damian shook his head with a little smile. He would never admit it but he was head over heels for Jon. Had been for a few years now.
“That’s the first time I lifted a tractor,” Jon said beside him. “Dad was so proud.”
“I imagine,” Damian answered. Clark was such a sore subject for Jon. His father had only been presumed dead the year before. Jon took it hard. He didn’t speak but watched Jon from the corner of his eyes.
“He never wanted to force me to be Superboy. I practically begged him. He was scared it was too dangerous,” Jon said with a sad smile. They both walked in the kitchen and Damian finished the food. Damian brought it to the table just as Jon shyly brought out a bottle of wine.
“Mr Kent, where did you get that?” Damian said with a little smile.
“Actually there’s an entire wine cellar full of the good stuff. Your father is quite fond of giving wine as a gift and Dad never liked to drink. So he stored it here,” Jon said pulling out a wine opener. “I thought we could drink it for him.”
“That’s very illegal,” Damian said expertly opening the bottle. “We’re both technically underage.”
“Anything is legal with enough money,” Jon said with a little grin and Damian laughed.
I’m an awful influence,” Damian replied. They spend the rest of the night eating and drinking wine before both crashing in their separate rooms in the early morning.
Jon crawled out of bed only a few hours later to feed the animals and get started on his day. He thanked his Kryptonian DNA for the lack of hang over he worried Damian would have. He crept quietly past his roommate’s door on his way out.
Jon returned a few hours later, still rather early, and was surprised by the smell of coffee. Damian was cooking breakfast for him. For them, Jon reminded himself. Damian was just his roommate. Damian nodded and poured Jon a cup of coffee.
“I thought you would still be asleep,” Jon admitted.
“I don’t require much sleep. Plus I want a tour of the property,” he said. Practical Damian as always, Jon thought.
“Sure, I’ll take you around. The farm and then town,” Jon added taking a huge plate of scrambled tofu and fried tomatoes. Damian had anticipated that.
“That’s a good plan. I don’t want to stand out in town. Should I wear a plaid shirt,” Damian asked.
“Uh, yeah. If you want. T shirts and jeans are fine too,” Jon said.
“May i borough these clothing from you? Mine are not appropriate for a farm,” Damian said casually and Jon willed himself to not have any emotion that Damian was going to wear his clothing.
Damian was extremely handsome in Jon’s plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. His bright green eyes and tan skin popped in the shirt and he had brushed his black hair neatly back as it had gotten long enough to fall in his eyes. Jon couldn’t help but stare at his Damian in his clothing. Logic be damned.
“What?” Damian asked looking at himself. “Does it look bad? I don’t want to appear foolish,” he said about to pull off the plaid shirt.
“No! No you look good. Nice,” Jon said and Damian’s lip twitched towards a smile.
“Thank you. Would you like to show me town first? Before we get muddy,” Damian said.
“Sure, that sounds good. I need to pick up feed anyways,” Jon said. They loaded into Jon’s old pickup. Krypto hopped into Damian’s lap as if he always had done it and they set off to town a few miles away.
“Here’s the library and the best Waffle House in Kansas. Second only to Ma Kent’s,” Jon said as they drove around. He showed Damian all the important sights in town. Damian had a hard time believing that everything was so compact and so small. Even the diner that Jon said they would eat lunch because they had the best pie short of Ma Kent.
They both, and Krypto, got out at the feed store and they treated Jon like old friends. He grabbed a basket and pushed it to the back as he chatted about all the interesting animals people owned to Damian. The Ferguson’s owned a pair of alpacas and old Skipper Smith had a parrot and monkey as pets.
Jon didn’t pay any attention as he easily lifted 4 50 lb bags of feed and casually put 200 lbs of feed in the basket. Damian looked around to see no one near. Jon did it again.
“Should get us through the week,” he said with a grin.
“You do know that most people don’t pick up 4 at once?” Damian told him quietly as they moved to the register. Jon stopped before nodded and laughing.
“You know I’ve never thought about it. Let’s get going before the diner gets a lunch rush,” he said. Jon tried to act more normal putting up the feed bags but tossing them one handed like bags of bread into the bed of a pick up truck was far from normal. Damian couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
The diner had about 12 booths and a row across the counter like old times. It probably was an older restaurant with the light blue tile and actual jukebox. Damian didn’t know what rush hour could possibly look like with all 7 people he’d seen since entering town but Jon seemed pleased to be earlier than them.
An older lady laid down a menu between them both and offered them coffee with a big grin. Jon ordered a chicken fried steak and Damian ended up getting the waffles. It was the only thing probably vegetarian on the menu.
“Oh shoot, I forgot you don’t eat meat. Sorry. Should I change my order,” Jon said raising his hand.
“No,” Damian said grasping Jon’s hand and pulling it down to the table. Jon’s heart just about beat out of his chest. “It’s fine. You don’t have to change what you eat for me.”
“Okay,” Jon said and the waitress came back to the table with drinks and eyed Damian’s hand on Jon’s.
“This your new partner, Kent,” she asked and Jon noted the judge tone to her voice as she sat down their glasses. Homophobia was still alive in the country. Damian didn’t notice.
“Yes, I just moved in last night,” Damian answered and Jon was frozen in time. Damian doesn’t understand what he means, Jon thought. He can’t.
“Oh, is that right? Took off to the city and brought back a city slicker. Well, each to their own,” she said with a passive aggressive smile. Jon sighed as she walked away. He didn’t know how to explain that to Damian. Was Damian even gay? Too late now. The whole town thought he was.
After eating their meal, Jon asked the waitress for pie to go. The diner had filled up and far too many people were glancing at the pair. Damian assumed it was because he was new in town or possibly they recognized him as a Wayne. Jon knew it was that he had brought home a man. Damian also didn’t quite pass as white with his tan skin and Arabic features so probably a dash of racism too.
Jon drive down to the park at the edge of town and parked by the pond. He put on a nice face but worried that Damian wouldn’t have as easy time in Smallville as Jon hoped.
“Something on your mind, Kent,” Damian said, sitting on the back hatch of the truck watching, the ducks swim.
“Nothing. Maybe I’m a little tired. Should have gone to bed earlier last night,” he said with a laugh. Damian looked at him out the corner of his eye but said nothing and continued eating his pie.
“This pie is made with quality,” Damian said and Jon smiled.
“Better than Alfred’s?”
“Different. Alfred makes amazing meat pies but he never quite understood American pies,” Damian answered. Jon nodded.
“I have to work the rest of the week,” he warned Damian.
“I have plenty of paperwork to keep me busy,” Damian answered. Jon knew he never had to worry about Damian that way. He always kept busy. This was probably his longest break.
The next 3 weeks consisted of getting up early to care for the animals before Jon left to work at the local paper. Damian would jog 3 miles down the dirt road that the Kent farm sat at the end of. By the end of the first week, a few of the neighbors would even wave at him. Jon counted himself as having the will of a Green Lantern to leave before Damian returned every morning. Damian was a sight to behold in his post workout glow pre-shower. He would come home and most of the time Damian was cooking dinner for him. Jon was really falling for the domestics of it all.
“Don’t get used to it, Kent,” Damian warned after Jon complimented an amazing dish Damian made. “Once school starts I can not act as a housewife to you.”
“You aren’t- Dami, you’re far from a housewife,” Jon sputtered. “I know that Flamebird has been seen in metropolis a few times this week alone.”
“Well, I needed to keep busy,” Damian said with a shrug. “Eat your eggplant.”
“I’ve probably eaten more vegetables this week than I have since I would summer with Ma,” Jon said. “But this is pretty good.”
“You’re welcome,” Damian said with a pleased smile. After dinner they sat on the swing on the porch and swung as they watched the sunset like an old married couple. Damian looked at Jon more often than he needed to as they talked about nothing. Jon was so pretty in the golden light. His bright blue eye and freckles looked adorable to Damian.
“And then in August we harvest-“ Jon had been saying before Damian cupped his face and pushed his lips against Jon’s. It was rough and their teeth clanged together and Jon pulled back with an “ow.”
“Shit,” Damian said, moving to get up. “I shouldn’t have- forget I-“
“Wait,” Jon said and Damian froze. He looked so uncertain and Jon had never seen that before. “Can we- can we try again?”
“You don’t have to pity me,” Damian said curtly, getting up. “Forget I did that. I apologize,” he said going inside.
Jon sat for a minute in shock. He had been in love with Damian forever and Damian finally kissed him and he couldn’t even enjoy it. Jon went inside and stood in front of Damian’s door. His hand tentatively considered knocking but Jon couldn’t do it. Just as he turned to walk away, Damian opened his door.
“I have to go to Gotham,” he said suddenly.
“What? If it’s me, you don’t have to leave,” Jon said quickly.
“No. My brothers need me,” Damian said and Jon noticed he had his suit on under his clothing.
“Do I need to come?”
“No. It’s okay. I’ll be back later this week hopefully,” Damian said dashing outside. The screen door swung and slapped the doorframe loudly. Jon ran on the porch.
“Week?” He called as Damian’s car pulled out the drive.
Jon fretted and obsessively watched the news everyday. Krypto was getting anxious without his 3 mile jog every morning. Late on the fourth day after Damian left, Jon heard the front door open. He raced to the door. Damian looked weary and had a slight limp.
“Hi,” Jon said looking Damian over and Damian offered a tired smile. Nothing broken. “Do you need help?”
“No. I need to sleep and I will be fine,” Damian said stubbornly. Jon rolled his eyes and helped him to his bed.
“Do you need anything?”
“No thank you. I will probably sleep late tomorrow,” Damian warned.
“Sure. Of course,” Jon said slowly closing the door as Damian fell asleep. Jon barely slept that night and got up early and called out of work for the day. Damian got up uncharacteristically late around 10 am.
“How are you?” Jon asked, offering him coffee. Damian took the drink before sitting next to Jon. He had a black eye and that limp was still around. The sun shone in bright in the kitchen and Damian was once again reminded the vast difference between smallville and Gotham.
“I’m fine. Thanks,” he said quietly. Jon didn’t want to pounce Damian the first second he got home but it was very hard to not want to talk about the kiss.
“You got mail,” Jon said, handing Damian a big Manila envelope that had come in the day before. Damian wordlessly opened it as he sipped coffee.
“Oh it’s yours,” he handed it over to Jon. Jon opened it with a confused look.
It was a deed. The Kent farm deed. The Kent farm deed in Jon’s name. He looked up at Damian who had a tired half smile.
“It’s in my name. You put it in my name,” he said. “W-why?”
“It’s the Kent farm. There’s too many things with the Wayne name on it,” he shrugged. “Plus I’m far from a farmer. It should be yours.”
“God Damian,” Jon said with tears in his eyes. He pulled Damian into a hug who squawked a protest that Jon ignored. “Thank you. I can’t- thank you,” he said wetly. Damian ignored how Jon was quietly crying on him. His grandma and dad passing had affected him hard and Damian knew he was crying over more than a house and land.
“You’re welcome,” Damian finally whispered and Jon cried even harder. Damian softly pat his back awkwardly. Jon leaned back but didn’t let Damian go. He gazed at Damian with the softest look.
“God Damian,” Jon repeated. “Do you even know how much I love you?”
Damian froze and just blinked at Jon who had pulled back but not out of the hug. “What?” He simply said and Jon’s face started to contort in pain. “Hold on,” Damian said and Jon warily looked at him. Damian knew he had to lean in or Jon would take it back and Damian would be too scared to do anything until Jon did this again. And he wasn’t sure how long Jon would wait.
Damian gently cupped Jon’s face in his hands and Jon breathed in quickly. Damian was clearly nervous. Damian noted how his face was soft and his skin warm. This time he gently bent over and softly pressed his lips against Jon’s. Jon quickly reacted by leaning in toward Damian. Jon could feel the rough pads of Damian’s fingers and taste the coffee Damian had been drinking. After a short while, Damian pulled back but not away.
“I truly care for you too,” he said softly and Jon grinned. “I’ve cared for you for a long time.”
“Same,” Jon said before leaning in to kiss Damian again. Damian kissed for another few seconds before pulling back again. This time Jon tried to follow his lips before stopping. Jon’s breath was erratic and fast. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“No. It’s okay. I’ve just never- I’ve never“ Damian started a bit lost for words. Jon understood what he meant.
“You’ve never been with a man,” Jon said gently.
“I’ve never taken the time for relationships with anyone. I’ve always been too busy,” Damian admitted. He played with the edge of a napkin nervously. He would never openly admit to being worried that his lack of experience was a flaw.
“We can go slow. Whatever you want,” Jon said and he finally looked at Damian the way he had never let himself before: like he was in love with him. Damian nodded.
“I’ve just never found anyone that interesting. I mean, beside you. After a while. I wanted to throw you off a bridge at first,” Damian said and Jon smiled.
“I know. You told me,” Jon said. “We should go out to eat. There’s a place downtown that has vegan options.”
“I didn’t even know there was a downtown here,” Damian admitted and Jon laughed.
“It’s a small town. Not a hut in the woods.”
The place wasn’t ‘rush hour’ packed but had plenty of tables with patrons. Damian and Jon sat at a booth and Damian almost couldn’t handle the lovey way Jon was looking at him. Jon was staring at Damian like he was the moon, even though Damian stood out like a sore thumb in the rural town in his turtleneck and dress slacks. But that was his comfort clothing and he had given up on fitting in long ago.
“I’m going to the restroom. Order for me?” Damian asked and Jon nodded. As Damian walked towards the back of the restaurant, a man in a brown jacket and rubber boots purposefully shoved Damian with his shoulder as he walked by. Damian turned to glare at him.
“Sorry, didn’t see any fruitcakes around here,” the guy said and Damian bristled. Before he could make a scene, Jon moved over to them.
“Hi Tyler. Do we have a problem here?” Jon said uncharacteristically cold. That guy didn’t realize that he picked the worst pair to insult. Tyler looked between Damian and Jon before deciding the fight wasn’t worth it.
“Nothing worth it,” Tyler said turning around. “Bad enough to bring a fruitcake to town, it had to a brown one too,” he muttered and Damian stiffened. He knew that he got looks when he went into town. He was probably the only person that spoke more than English or Spanish in town and certainly the only one to speak Arabic.
But before Damian could do anything else but feel disgust, Jon had punched the guy in the face. Well it was more of a flick with his fist but the guy went down like a rock. Damian hid his smile as him and Jon were hurried out of the restaurant with their food to go by a worried waitress who apologized to the pair.
As they walked back to the pickup truck, Damian reached out and grabbed Jon’s hand who lit up almost instantly. Damian ignored the butterflies in his stomach as he walked. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Jon either.
“You know, it’s not everyday that a guy gets Superman to defend his honor,” Damian said quietly but playfully and Jon laughed.
“Can’t handle bigots. I’ll let you punch the next one,” Jon said with a shrug.
“I would have punched that one,” Damian answered. He turned and pulled Jon to face him before taking his free hand that wasn’t carrying a bag. Damian gently cupped Jon’s face to place a kiss on Jon’s lips before going back to walking. Jon had a stupid smile all the way back home.
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miss-1ng · 3 years
Note
Dimiclaude kiss prompt no. 55?
this turned out... longer than i intended lmao
also hope you're okay with a soulmate au, because this is the only idea i had for this lol! thanks for requesting <3 <3
(also a warning for spoilers about claude's backstory and maybe dimitri's a little bit but otherwise i'm pretty sure everything is spoiler-free!!)
--
His name is Khalid, is what Dimitri’s mind - wide awake from the searing sting of finally gaining his soulmark - says, barely a whisper while when Ingrid got hers, she screamed with joy the moment she found out her soulmate was Glenn.
That was a year ago, on the fourth of the Guardian Moon, precisely the day of her birth, which was celebrated with her family and friends.
It’s legend that you become of age to receive a soulmark from the day you turn twelve to the day you turn sixteen. Sylvain, two years older, had, unsurprisingly received his two years prior to Ingrid and Felix who both received theirs when they officially became of age.
Dimitri however, while not exactly a rare case, though not a complete normality, had received his a year later than which his childhood friends did, at age 13.
Her mark glistens a glittering gold on the inside of her left wrist, corresponding with Glenn’s which is on the inside of his right one. Dimitri remembers her gushing how when the first time they held hands, their marks shone when they touched.
He also remembers Felix gagging and glaring at the two lovebirds for the rest of the day, completely enraptured with one another and nothing else.
As of that day, their betrothal was made official, now that Ingrid had her mark to confirm the one Glenn owned.
That was a while back now, and today, an exact year later, is Dimitri’s birthday. The mark on his arm stings, but as his eyes really take in the word in beautiful script on his wrist, he begins to ignore the pain.
Exactly three hours later, he’s at the Felix and Glenn’s home, sitting outside on the grass with the two of them, having recently abandoned the wooden training swords. Glenn is a full four years older than all of them, except Sylvain, who is only two years older. Yet despite his age Glenn still treats them the same.
When Dimitri finally shows the two his soulmark after lots of nagging, he notices the way Felix bites his lip and averts his gaze.
But before he can question it, Felix teases “You’re going to have a boyfriend!” before bursting out into laughter.
Dimitri hadn’t even thought of that, fully focused on the fact that he has a soulmark and not on the fact that his soulmate has the name of a boy.
He… isn’t too sure what to feel about that.
“And you are too,” Glenn calls in a sing-song voice to his younger brother, only to get fiercely elbowed in the stomach. A scowl has found its way onto the bright-eyed boy’s face.
Dimitri doesn’t say a word. Felix has been oddly secretive about his soulmark ever since he got it a month after Ingrid’s, while she had been flouncing it around whenever she got the chance and wasn’t with Glenn. Though at the same time, even at thirteen, Felix has been secretive, spending more time by himself than with the group unless he was absolutely forced too.
“Shut up!” he snaps, folding his arms and pouting. “I hate you.”
“So kind, Fe,” Glenn teases with a grin, ruffling his younger brother’s hair.
Silently Dimitri wonders what it would be like if he was in Glenn’s shoes, and he had a little brother of his own.
The silence Dimitri’s indulged in gets broken with a familiar call, and Dimitri turns to see Sylvain, even taller than the last time he saw his friend, standing alongside Ingrid who immediately rushes to greet Dimitri with a hug before running over to Glenn.
“Happy birthday, Dimitri!” Sylvain hollers the second he closes the door, separating the kids from the adults indoors. He joins the group. “How does it feel to no longer be the only soulmate-less one?” He adds a wink as if the very phrase itself wasn’t terrible enough.
A collective group of groans reverberate around the circle they’ve formed.
“You’re an idiot,” Felix grumbles to the older teen, averting all eye contact and instead vouching for a heated glare at the grass. Oh, if looks could kill.
“Aww, I love you too, Fe,” Sylvain teases, still grinning merrily as if he nothing is wrong with the world.
Felix’s face flushes. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
Ingrid laughs. “I can say it too, if you’d like.” She clears her throat, as if beginning some long and important speech. “Aww, I love you too, Felix.”
“Now that’s left is Dimitri,” Glenn notes, looking at him.
The younger Fraldarius looks just about ready to bolt as Dimitri says “Aww, I love you too, Felix.”
Instead, he just mutters “It’s your birthday so I’ll take it. Just this once though.”
Sylvain leans close to Dimitri and whispers in a not-so-quiet voice “A little birdy told me you received your soulmark!” Bold black cursive writing stares up at him with non-existent eyes and he feels his heart start to thud.
Thump. Thump-thump. Thump. Thump-thump.
He doesn’t reply, instead peeling his sleeve a little higher above and shows Ingrid and Sylvain his soulmark.
The taller of the two squints at it, as if it’s hard to see. Ingrid’s reaction is more surprised, by the way her eyes widen, and her jaw goes a little slack. She fixes it when she sees his eyes on her with a small smile. “That’s great, Dimitri! It’s so pretty,” she gushes in a very un-Ingrid manner, but the twinkle in her eyes is all the same. “I wonder when you’ll meet your soulmate…”
“Khalid’s not a Fódlan name,” Sylvain offhandedly comments. Dimitri frowns at him, and he hastily continues. “I mean it’s not a Fódlan name I’ve heard. Who knows? You could get some hottie from Duscur or Brigid.”
“Of course, someone from Duscur or Brigid would come all the way over for our Prince,” Glenn drily says, pecking Ingrid on the cheek at her wide-eyed smile. “We’re not getting rid of him that easily.”
--
His soulmark was something Dimitri was very focused on for a while.
Then Duscur happened and everything seemed to fall apart.
His family, his friends… everything changed. The mark on Ingrid’s wrist faded to a black splotch, and the golden writing had completely disappeared.
Felix had shut himself off completely, not leaving his room unless he was training and not talking to anyone unless he was yelling at them.
Sylvain… seemed more closed off – more subdued. Dimitri saw him less and less as the months ebbed on.
And Dimitri… Dimitri couldn’t sleep, couldn’t focus, couldn’t even think. His dreams being haunted by the dead, his father begging for revenge, Glenn hissing in his ear, taunting him, his mother, crying at his feet.
“You should’ve saved us,” they hiss. “Kill them for us. Kill them all!”
It’s not the first time he wakes to a cold sweat, a scream hanging on the edge of his lips.
He’s sent to live, along with the Duscur boy he met, Dedue, at Rodrigue’s place, and there Dimitri finds it frequent where he gets the full brunt of Felix’s verbal abuse. He wants to talk back, to say it wasn’t his fault, but he can’t find the words, can’t even find the motivation to speak. Instead, he just nods, silent, and Dedue finds him, concern lingering in his gaze.
It’s like that for a while.
Then the rebellion happens, and Felix seems to hate him even more.
--
It’s almost a relief when he arrives to the Officers Academy.
There he meets Edelgard von Hresvelg (or reunites, perhaps, if his hunch is in fact correct), heir to the Empire, and Claude von Riegan, heir to House Riegan.
Claude is… well… Claude is a lot of things.
In their audience with Rhea, he is stiff and stoic-faced, though the second they’re released from the chamber, he introduces himself properly to Dimitri. “So, you’re the prince,” he says with a wink. “Nice to meet you.”
“It is good to meet you too,” says Dimitri in return, dipping his head. He offers a small smile.
It’s not the only time they talk. As the year ebbs on, Dimitri gets to know Claude, should it be through sparring together, or even tea times Claude has insisted on. Claude is… well, first of all he’s nice and he’s kind, and he’s also very funny. He seems to bring a smile to Dimitri’s face whenever he’s around, and not only that but he’s…
…he’s beautiful.
Maybe it’s his smile, Dimitri supposes, his genuine one, or maybe those piercing green eyes. He’s also been good looking.
Sometimes when they train, Dimitri catches himself staring, and Claude’s caught him too, offering a wink and a teasing comment without any heat.
Not only that but Dimitri’s heart flutters whenever he’s around Claude, and he has to remind himself constantly that this isn’t okay because Claude is not his soulmate. The mark on his wrist proves just that much.
“You’re staring, your Highness.”
Dimitri flinches, almost forgetting that Sylvain is opposite him, lazily twirling his lance. He smirks at his childhood friend. “Got your eyes on someone?”
It would be great if he was immune to Sylvain’s teasing, but he is only human, and heat rises to his cheeks. “No!” His voice sounds a few pitches higher than it usually is. He clears his throat, averting his gaze from Claude who turns away from Hilda who he’s sparring with (how he got her to do so remains a mystery to the school) to offer a questioning brow. “I mean, uh, no. Of course not.”
“Sure, sure.”
Sylvain doesn’t sound at all convinced. He leans closer, whispering in Dimitri’s ear, “I mean Riegan is pretty hot. I don’t think even your soulmate would blame you for checking him out.”
Dimitri splutters, “W-what?”
“I have to go,” Sylvain says. “Pick up some of the ladies- oh, hey, Fe!” He runs off towards the direction of Felix who enters the training ground, and Dimitri doesn’t stop him, staring into the distance as his cheeks turn redder and redder as the seconds pass.
--
Nevertheless, Dimitri still goes out of his way to spend his time with Claude, pointedly ignoring his soulmark whenever he does.
“Your princliness!” Claude calls, waving in greeting as he runs over to him. Dimitri tries not to blush when he yet again winks.
“Claude!” He tries his hardest not to sound too surprised. “What-what are you doing here?”
He looks amazing. Dressed in a sharp suit he’s seen many of the other students wearing, his hair tousled and falling in front of his eyes. “I think the proper question is what are you doing here? Dedue’s worried about you. Says you haven’t even showed up to the ball and-”
Dimitri’s brain seems to shut off, his mind not listening as he surges forwards, closing the distance between them with a kiss.
It lasts two seconds. Maybe three.
Because immediately after their lips touch Dimitri lets go, eyes wide. “I- that was out of line,” he rushes. “I’m sorry, Claude, I shouldn’t have done that-”
But Claude pulls him back in, and Dimitri feels the mark on his wrist burn and-
He stares down at it, watching the white handwriting shimmer to gold. “What…?”
“I have been waiting so long to do that,” Claude breathes, oblivious to Dimitri’s confusion. He raises an eyebrow, clutching his hands. “Hey, what’s wrong…?”
“Khalid,” Dimitri breathes. Claude’s eyes widen. “That’s your name?”
“I-” Claude pauses, before nodding. “Yes. It is.”
Dimitri pulls him close, arms wrapping around him. He kisses Claude – or is it Khalid? – again, and again, and again. “It’s a beautiful name.”
“Mmhm.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Their night ends not in the ballroom, but outside under the moonlight, the memory of soft kisses and warm embraces never to leave Dimitri’s mind.
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pascalpanic · 3 years
Text
Caffeine Rush: Chapter Four / Irish Coffee
Pairing: Javier Peña x f!Reader
W/C: 3k
Warnings: alcohol, language, sexual harassment, physical fighting, Javi is a legend for this chapter/next lmao, reader wears makeup and heels but clothing is otherwise not described
A/N: HI I’m gonna forgo summaries for this series from now on, if anyone has an issue with that pls lmk and we can go back to it, I’m just sick of using like the same summary lmao! Hope you guys like it, idk when chapter 5 will come but somewhat soon!
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Irish coffee: a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred, and topped with cream. The coffee is drunk through the cream.
Four nights after you first kissed Javier, and now many kisses later, Javier insists he take you to the one place he knows in D.C.: a nice bar in the downtown area. You’d spent the days visiting museums and monuments, giving him a tour of the Georgetown campus too. He’d hum along to the radio in your shitty car while you drove place to place. He surprised you with how much modern music he knew.
If the past four days have been getting to know Javier, privately becoming acquainted with each other’s minds and lips, tonight is some kind of grand exposition. Your brief whirlwind of a romance has been contained to your coffee shop and small restaurants off the beaten path. Javier is a well-connected man; he’s sure to know people downtown. From what he’s explained to you, he’s somewhat of a powerhouse in the DEA. Everyone downtown knows a version of the man, who goes by Agent Peña, but all you know is your Javi, your Javi who kisses you goodnight after buying you cupcakes, who drinks your peppermint mochas like it’s the nectar of the gods.
So, it’s safe to say you’re nervous. If he’s bringing you somewhere where he will know people, which he offhandedly told you, you’re going to be the living legend’s date for the night. As you stare into the mirror, your brow furrows in concentration, drawing a line across your eyelid with a pencil of kohl, your phone rings on the vanity in front of you. It makes you jump and the eye pencil drag upwards across your eyelid- most definitely not where you intended it to go. “Fuck!” you shout in annoyance and toss the pencil down. When you pick up, your voice shows your frustration. “Hello?” You ask sharply.
“Hey, abejita,” a smooth voice answers: who else but Javier. 
“Hi, Javi,” you sigh as you press the button, moving the call to the speakerphone. “You made me fuck up my eyeliner.”
“Sorry. Just calling to talk.”
His words make you smile and your ears feel warm as they rush with blood. You aren’t picking him up for another hour. “What, you couldn’t wait that long to talk?” You ask him, biting down on your painted lips with a smile. 
“No. I’m bored and I miss you.” It’s true, he thinks to himself. He hasn’t seen you all day. After spending the last three days in nearly 24-hour contact, he misses the sound of your laughter and the way your soft lips feel pressed against his stubbled cheek. 
“Well, I suppose it’s been…” you trail off as you calculate, “about 20 hours since I’ve seen you. I”m practically going through withdrawals,” you laugh, and it makes Javier’s chest warm to hear that beautiful sound, even through the tinny receiver of the hotel’s phone. “You know, if you have a cute nickname for me, I need to have something equally cute for you.”
“There’s a difference, abejita,” Javier teases, opening the hotel window to smoke out of. “You’re cute. I’m not.”
“Yes you are.”
“I am many things, little bee, but I am not cute,” Javier chuckles as he sticks the cigarette between his lips and lights it up.
“Well, I think you are,” you refute in a stubborn tone. “You bought me cupcakes on our first date. That’s cute. You come to my work and bring me treats and kiss me in front of my coworkers. That’s cute too.”
Javier shakes his head. Sure, the things could be classified as cute, he supposes, but they’re not the normal Javier. Sexy, rude, intelligent, any of those words could describe him. He’s a playboy, a heartbreaker, and all in all is, by principle, a lone wolf. Well, he was. He’s been chasing Escobar for years and years… and now he’s dead. Maybe he can allow himself to start anew, and this new beginning has to have you in it.
He takes a slow drag from the cigarette, getting lost in his own thoughts and forgetting to answer. The silence makes you suspicious. “Javi? Did I lose you?”
The words snap him back to reality. “No, I’m here. I’m sorry, I… zoned out there.”
“Good,” you smile as you wipe off the messy eyeliner and apply a new, perfectly winged layer of the dark makeup. “I suppose I’ll just have to see what comes. Nicknames have to be earned, not given. Did you ever have any nicknames when you were little?” You ask as you brush a sparkling powder over your eyes.
Javier thinks for a second, almost to the point where you have to ask again if he’s there. That seems to be Javier’s biggest flaw so far. “No, not really. Sometimes the other kids would call me Peñita. Didn’t like that one,” he chuckles, and you can hear air rush past the microphone as he exhales the smoke into the ever-darkening D.C. sky. “My mom had all kinds of names for me, but they were the things you’d call a little kid.”
You nod, then realize he can’t see you and you need to speak. “That’s cute. Tell me about your parents,” you ask him as you continue to brush various makeup products across your face.
Javier shakes his head. “That’s more of an over-drinks topic, I think.”
“When have you ever held back information from me?” You scoff lightly, as if you’ve known him a thousand years. It hits you as you say it, the whirlwind this entire thing has been. You’ve known Javier for five days, and he’s already everything to you. And he’s going back to Colombia in 3 weeks. It makes your heart sink in your chest, and anxiety creeps in, the realization that he might not be falling as quickly as you are. Maybe it’s time to pull back a little, you tell yourself. He won’t be here long.
“Ha,” he says dryly and takes another drag from his cigarette. “Well, I’m ready when you are, if you want to come get me a little earlier.”
His emotionless tone makes you panic. You wonder if you just went somewhere you shouldn’t have by asking about his parents, if you’ve just crossed some line you didn’t know existed. You desperately want to ask him, to reassure yourself and get rid of the worry slowly collecting in your gut, but you don’t. You can’t. You shouldn’t. “I’m still getting ready,” you tell him, and it’s truthful. “I’ll be there at 7, like we said. Is that alright?” you ask. 
Javier blows a breath of smoke into the night, the cloud of smoke mingling with the heat puff of his breath. “Sounds good to me. I’ll leave you alone to get ready,” he tells you with a small smile.
“Alright. I’ll see you then. You’re wearing something nice, right?” You clarify one last time. 
“Whatever you wear will be beautiful on you. Don’t worry about it.” Javier, ever the king of flattery, looks down and appraises his own outfit. “But yes, I’m wearing something nice.”
You smile at the reassurance, looking down at the swirling colors of your makeup palette. “Well, thank you. I’ll see you in a bit.” -
You have to say you’re surprised at the level of refinement of the hotel. You’d expected the DEA would’ve put Javier at some shitty little hotel, but it’s surprisingly nice. You remember a few days ago, the sheer terror masked behind a stoic face, but you chuckle as you consider that this famed agent had very few context clue skills. This hotel is nice, a couple of stars at least. Why would they put him here if they were firing him?
Javier stubs out his cigarette in an ashtray when he sees your car approaching, straightening his sport coat. You hold back a grin as he walks over, but the fighting ends when you see him smile as he opens the door and slides in. 
“Hi,” you beam at him, and he leans across the center console, stealing a kiss.
“Hey.” He sneaks one more kiss, one that lasts a little longer and dares to use a bit of tongue. He only breaks away when you do with a laugh. 
“My foot is on the brake right now; be careful but kiss me one more time,” you ask of him with a grin, and he happily complies, cupping your face and kissing you. When he breaks away, your eyes open slowly and you can’t hold in your happiness. “Alright, now we’re going. You’ll have to guide me,” you tell him, and he nods. 
“Sure. You’re just going to go out of here and onto that street to the right,” he says and points the way for you.
Your car follows the path, nodding along to Javier’s instructions. “Jesus, that’s a fancy place. How much does that hotel cost a night?” You marvel as you stare at the gorgeous building in your rearview mirror.  
Javier shrugs. “I’m about to find out. They’re only paying for a few nights for me, then I’m on my own. I’m guessing it isn’t cheap,” he chuckles as he looks over his shoulder. “Or I might switch hotels. Don’t know yet.”
Frowning, you take a turn he’d earlier instructed you to follow. The hotel fades from sight, the dark blue of the December night filling your rearview instead. “Well, I know of a place you could stay for way cheaper.”
“Oh yeah?” He asks, adjusting in his seat to face toward you more. “What is that, pretty thing?” He asks, a hand resting on your thigh. 
“Stop,” you giggle and rest one hand atop of his. His fingers are much larger than yours, a fact that makes you shudder as his fingertips find bare skin there. “Pretty thing? That’s weak,” you tease, and Javier just rolls his eyes. “I was going to say you could stay with me, but now I’m not sure,” you say teasingly, eyes locked on the road and most certainly off of Javier. 
His brow furrows. “Well, I can pay you then.”
You shake your head. “Javi. We’re dating… aren’t we?” You ask, the hesitancy creeping into your voice. Now that you say it aloud, you’re not entirely sure that you are. “I mean, I don’t know, I just kind of thought,” you stumble over your speech, word-vomiting out whatever you can to backtrack. 
The man next to you tilts his head, but he nods. “I… I haven’t dated anyone in a long time,” he admits, his fingers starting to slowly grip your thigh rather than rest atop it. “Is this what dating is like to you?”
You nod too, knowing he’s watching you, staring down at the steering wheel. “I… yeah?”
A small smile cracks on his face, making the mustache there twitch softly. “Then I guess I’d say we’re dating. But that doesn’t matter, I don’t want to live in your place rent-free for three weeks.”
“It’s an extended vacation,” you chuckle and bring your hand back to the steering wheel to have two hands for a turn. “Don’t worry about it. I’d like having you around. We’ve already been together nonstop for a couple of days. What’s a little more?” You ask as you look over at him, seeing his eyes soften and his forehead relax from its tightened state. “And besides, any hotel is going to be painfully expensive right now. D.C. during the holidays makes the hotel rates skyrocket.”
He nods as you speak, processing the idea. “Well, do you have a guest room? I don’t want to invade your space, I can sleep on the couch if you don’t, or I can stay in a hotel.”
“Javier,” you chuckle, putting your own hand on his thigh to reassure him. “We’re not moving in together permanently. You’ll stay with me until you need to go back to Colombia, and that’s that.” Your mind has been made up. He can’t argue it, and he knows it from the firmness in your grip on his leg, in the way your body goes rigid as if the words are some formal deal that requires a handshake.
“How do you know I’m not some serial killer who does exactly this to lure you to your death?” Javier asks dryly as he looks over at you, lifting a hand to trace the side of your face slowly.
“Because you’re Javier Peña. Your name was in the newspaper next to Steve’s. You work for the DEA.”
“Some of the guys I work with could definitely be serial killers, that doesn’t discount anything,” Javier grumbles, which makes you laugh and makes him even grumpier. 
“The fact that you said that to me in the first place is my proof, Javi,” you chuckle and pat his thigh softly. “I’m an excellent judge of character. I just graduated from 7 straight years of studying psychology. Remember that?” Javier’s quiet and you know you’ve won. “Then tonight we’ll get your stuff after dinner and get you settled in my place. How does that sound?”
He’s quiet again, studying your face and the way your cheeks move with your lips, the way your brows rise and fall when he’s being ridiculous. He’s just as trained as you are, with 10+ years on you to prove his competence. You like him. You might even love him already, he thinks to himself. Your pretty lips purse at his silence and he finally cracks. “That sounds great, abejita.” Javier leans across the console to kiss your cheek, which makes you shiver softly, like any touch from the man does. “Thank you.”
“Thank me by buying me some drinks, huh?” You tease, turning back to focus on the road. 
-
The bar was nice. Really nice, you learned as you walked in. It projected the essence of Javier to you; naturally, you loved it from the moment you looked around. The room had a low ceiling and wood paneling around the walls, a floor that your short heels clacked upon as you walked to the only open stools- well, only one stool, you realized as you walked. Javier walked behind you, a hand on the small of your back, admiring your legs in the outfit you wore. 
When you finally found the available spot, where you’re now sipping a drink, you’d found that there was only one stool. 
“Do you want to go sit in the restaurant?” You asked Javier as you nodded with your head to the side of the establishment with tables and booths.
He shook his head and pulled out the stool. “You sit. I’ll stand.”
“Javi-”
“Just sit, abejita. I’ve been sitting all day. I can handle a little standing,” he chuckles and kisses your head, gesturing to the stool. When you sit, he smiles down at you and wraps his arms around you loosely from behind. You lean back against his strong chest.
Over the past few days, you and Javier have made infrequent contact, a hug in greeting or in goodbye and plenty of shared kisses. This, however, speaks directly to your touch-starved soul, the way his body practically encompasses you. He orders himself a whiskey and the drink you’d ordered on the first night you met him for you, then continues to stand there.
You crane your head around to look at him, smiling. “I love this place already,” you say, admiring the way you can hear over the hum of the other patrons and the quiet music playing. You’re much more accustomed to places your friends would drag you, where it was more for the cheap drinks than the atmosphere. 
The crow’s feet by his eyes are more pronounced as he smiles at you, but he looks even younger as his lips curve up softly. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Shit, is that Peña?” A loud voice calls from somewhere else in the building, and Javier turns, his face falling flat then smiling as he sees the voice behind it. 
“Be right back,” he murmurs and presses a kiss into the top of your head. 
It’s someone he recognizes, that’s for sure, as the man and Javier wrap their arms around each other and firmly pat the other’s back. “No shit! When did you get back to D.C., man?” The other guy asks. “Escobar just died and they’re already sending you back?”
The bartender delivers your drink, and you turn your back to Javier, thanking them and sipping at your liquor. Over your shoulder, you can hear the man and Javier talk shop, about Colombia and their days as DEA trainees, about Escobar’s recent death and Javi’s recent promotion. You glance over your shoulder at him, smiling as he easily talks with the group. You’ve not had the privilege of seeing Javier with his friends- or what seem to be his friends- yet, and he seems fairly social but humble. You appreciate that.
The talking goes on for a while, and you sip at your drink and look around the bar, appreciating the wood that makes a nice noise as your fingernails tap against it rhythmically. 
When your drink is about half-drained, the bartender sets another in front of you. It’s different from what you were drinking, a fluorescent neon color surely made by a mix of ridiculously fruity liqueurs. You look at the bartender with confusion and they nod to a man at the end of the bar. He’s not looking at you, which makes it all the easier to stare at the drink in confusion and disgust rather than drink it. His tie is absolutely egregious, boldly patterned in bright colors. There’s not an ounce of taste about this man.
The drink goes untouched, sitting in front of you as you study it. There seems to be layers, maybe, or maybe the mixed alcohols just congealed awkwardly. You sip your drink and then Javier’s whiskey, refusing to drink whatever fucking concotion sits in front of you.
Five or ten more minutes pass of Javier talking with his friends. You don’t mind- you know the feeling of catching up with people you haven’t seen in a long time. In that time, the drink remains untouched, and you ask the bartender for a refill of your go-to drink.
Not long after the second one arrives, you feel a hand on the curve of your back. You turn, hoping it’s Javier, and instead find it to be the man at the end of the bar who ordered you the drink: Tie Guy. Panic sets in immediately and you arch your back to dodge the hand, which only follows your spine. “Hey. Thought you’d like this drink. You tried it yet?” The man asks, voice clearly showing that he knows you haven’t. 
“No,” you say with a swallow, turning away from him. “Not exactly my style.”
“I thought it was such a pretty drink for such a pretty thing.”
Pretty thing. When Javier called you that earlier, even though the name wasn’t one you liked, it was at least endearing. To hear it again, dripping with sleaze and ill intentions, you shiver and push it further away. “I’m sorry, sir, it’s not my type of drink. My boyfriend will be right back, and-” you try, hating the defense you try to pull.
“He drinks whiskey,” Tie Guy says and gestures to Javier’s ¾ full glass. “No fun. Boring. Too manly, pretentious. Real men can drink something fun like these and not need to worry about someone thinking they don’t have a set of balls,” he says and his fingers trace the rim of the martini glass the concoction sits in. Now you’re definitely not drinking it, now that he’s touched it. 
“Please, I’m not interested,” you try, turning around to face the man that towers over your seated body. “I’d appreciate it if-”
“Hey,” a familiar voice- thank fuck, it’s Javier- calls from behind you. “Excuse me,” he says and pushes Tie Guy out of the way, his arm wrapping around you. It’s a relief, a grip meant entirely for comfort and not for the coercion the man across from you had tried. You melt into it instantly. “She said to back the fuck off, or could you not fucking tell?” He hisses at the man. Javier pulls away from you, stepping towards the man who instinctively steps back.
“Whiskey drinker,” the man snorts and rolls his eyes. “So manly, so over the top. Gotta let everyone know that you’re the alpha, the dominant male, huh?” He asks, getting in Javier’s face. He’s taller than your Javier, but lankier. The fact that Javier could take him crosses your mind, though you hope desperately that it doesn’t come to that.
“What I drink doesn’t fucking matter,” Javier says and shoves his chest. “What matters is that you’re fucking harassing my girlfriend. Back the fuck off,” he says and turns from the man, back to you, his hand on your upper arm. “You okay?” he asks quietly, and you respond with a nod and a forced, close-lipped smile.
“Yep, go ahead, go back to your little prude,” the man laughs drunkenly, his voice full of vitriol. “Oh, no, I bet she loves to act all shy, but then she’s a kinky little thing in bed, isn’t she?” He asks, taunting Javier. “Ties your ass up and whips you, with that sass. I wonder if she-”
The sentence isn’t finished. Javier’s fist flies through the air and connects with the man’s face, followed by a loud, ringing thud as the taller body hits the floor.
-
caffeine rush taglist:
@remmysbounty @mishasminion360 @blo0dangel @binarydanvvers  @sleep-tight1 @apascalrascal @randomness501 @spideysimpossiblegirl @notabotiswear @pedro-pastel @sanchosammy @lv7867 @greeneyedblondie44 @hunnambabe @astoryisaloveaffair @emesispo @pedritobalmando @magikfanatic @yooforia @oceanablue @sara-alonso @pedrosmustache @feelingmadclever @hnt-escape @radiowallet @obsessivelysearching @sugarontherims @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan @linnie0119 @1800-fight-me @autumnleaves1991-blog @toilet-keeper @evelynseventyr @metalarmsandmanbuns @shannababyy @sambucky21 @princess76179 @starless-eyes-remain @theorganasolo @jagi-yaaa @mrsparknuts @tacticalsparkles
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teyvattherapist · 3 years
Note
A-Z for the oc asks (:
Help okay this is going to be so long it is under a cut.
A. Annoying: What is your OC’s most annoying trait?
Sandrone
Always monotone. Which, as his creator, I'm legally obligated to say I speak exactly like him about 80% of the time. Very dull, monotone, steady at all times. It's annoying! Or at least, I've been told. So, yeah. That.
Ohm
Puts his work first always. Those who know him only know a small smidge of the work he does and it would seem like there's no way in hell he has SO much work regarding that one section. But yeah, he's a workaholic who does just.. a lot.. behind the scenes.
B. Best: What is your OC’s best personality trait?
Sandrone
He's very observant! He can be dense regarding romantic stuff of course, but other things he's hella in the know. Sulien remembers or notices everything somebody he cares about says or does regarding things they like. So yes, he will always have your favourite takeout and snack ready before you even realise how sad you actually are. He knows.
Ohm
Like youngest like eldest I suppose. Ohm is also incredibly observant. Ohm is a bit more annoying with it because he will know you're injured even if you try to hide it. But beyond that, he's like a dog. You're sad? Cool let's go do something! Literally contradicts his above annoying trait but I mean, Ohm is weird as hell, he manages too many two faced traits. Anyways have a lollipop.
C. Child: Your OC encounters a crying, lost child. How do they react?
Sandrone
Ooh.. He's confused.. Sulien doesn't do well with people crying in general, let alone kids. He's had some practice with Tartaglia's little siblings, but that's not very much. He's kind of a yk criminal, so he'll probably bring the kid to the nearest location that looks like it'll be able to help them find their parents. He won't stick around for all that long, he's so awkward.
Ohm
He is on a fucking mission. Ohm is a doctor, he's a very good doctor, he's crouched down talking calmly within seconds. Always has lollipops on hand for this, and for himself, but mostly this. The kid's hand is in his while they're chewing away happily within moments. Then he'll find the parents, and they WILL get scolded on losing their child. Captain Ohm is not pleased ):<
D. Desire: Your OC has the opportunity to get the thing they desire most, but it means betraying a friend. Do they do it?
Sandrone
Yes. He does. A natural infiltrator, Sulien is known as a betrayer for a reason. Merely a job for the most part, a business transaction if you will. All relationships can be sacrificed in exchange of Freedom. He doesn't care. Sulien is tired, he has few friends as is, sometimes people need to go.
Ohm
No. Because betraying a friend for what he desires means to throw away everything he's ever signed his own life away for. Ohm can't do that, no matter how much he craves Death or Peace. One is obtainable if he makes a mistake and the other is unobtainable. He'll get there in the end without betraying somebody.
E. Excellent: Which of your OCs is the most virtuous?
This one will surprise people who don't as intimately know their stories. I mean come on, you have the Medical Captain of the Knights of Favonius vs a Fatui Harbinger, right? And yet, Sandrone is the more virtuous. Curious, isn't it?
F. Forgive: How good is your OC at apologizing? Do they own up to it when they’ve made a mistake? How easily does your OC forgive other people?
Sandrone
He's so condescending without meaning to be.. Mostly because the times he's apologised, it's been while arresting or killing somebody and he's saying sorry for betraying them. He makes an effort once he's realised he's hurt somebody he cares about, stumbles over his words, but he'll try. He always owns up to mistakes though, especially since he makes so few and he needs to be a good impression to his subordinates so THEY don't make any mistakes. It would depend on what they've done to him. He doesn't forgive nor does he forget sometimes.
Ohm
Very good! He's a fantastic liar :D! Ohm knows that sometimes to appease people, you have to do what you must, and he's a king with words for a reason. Another one who leads people and needs to show up as a good leader, Ohm always owns up to his mistakes. There are though.. Some things... In his personal life that he's only ever told two.. maybe three people.. Those mistakes.. They run so deep. Hurt too much. Ohm may be a very forgiving person, but he never forgets. Never.
G. Guilt: Does your OC often regret their decisions? If so, describe a decision they regret.
Sandrone
Conditioned to not feel, he ignores things like regret or guilt. He isn't programmed to feel them. He can't afford to. So it isn't often that he'll regret a decision. But when he does, he thinks about it forever. What he could have done better, what would have changed the outcome, he's supposed to be the best in his field at analyzing any given situation and yet.. Sulien just thinks too much sometimes.
Ohm
A lot of the things he has done he regrets, even if he deems them necessary to choices to make. I suppose Ohm is interesting like that, outwardly, he keeps going, keeps pushing forwards. Inwardly, it's a constant blizzard of guilt. I've always likened Ohm to a man damned, so his feelings about his decisions and the guilt he feels when he makes a bad one definitely fits into that.
H. Honesty: How often does your OC lie? Do they believe lying is ever justified? Describe a time your OC told a lie, or told the truth even when it was difficult.
Sandrone
His job is to lie. Head of Reconnaissance for the Tsaritsa, the puppet's function is to infiltrate what he needs to in order to gain the information he needs. Always adaptable, moldable, he's a liar at any given time. Even if he'd rather tell the truth, he never does, in Her name everything was justified. To tell a time he lied would be just looking at his work history. To tell a time he told the truth even when it hurt, would be more interesting. To compromise; in /almost/ all of his voicelines, he's actually telling the truth. Try and figure which are actually the lies..
Ohm
Ohm is clever, cunning, his personality handcrafted, perfectly put together piece by piece. Unlike his younger brother, Ohm is a natural liar. It comes easy to him, every honeyed word spoken from a tongue of silver. He has sins to hide and karma to beat back, if that means lying? Well. So be it. His most obvious lie that's revealed throughout his story quests would be that he's almost never on expedition to a nation for medicinal supplies, but rather he was infiltrating Snezhnaya to try and find his brother. A lie very few people knew the truth of, most notable being Varka, who gave his approval. Some hard truths are better off buried for Ohm Ambros.
I. Individuality: Is your OC’s morality more influenced by the society they live in, or their own critical thinking?
Sandrone
I mean... I'll just be honest, Sulien got tortured into utter compliance by way of forcing him to forget everything he ever knew. He's smart as hell, but if he has no frame of reference, then yeah... It's influenced by the people around him, his environment. Sulien is getting better about it though.
Ohm
His moral code is a roulette wheel and he's not sure where the bullet is. But hey, it's fine. Literally, I have nothing else to add. Ohm kills people, like, straight up disposes. But he's also a very nice man, so..
J. Jealousy: How often does your OC get jealous of other people? Do they keep their jealousy in check, or does it influence their behavior?
Both of them aren't very jealous people, one because Sandrone doesn't even fucking know he's jealous. And two, Ohm is just kinda dense unless someone is like.. uncomfortable, then he'll notice.
K. Knack: What is something your OC is skilled at?
Sandrone
Sulien's skill that I like to talk about the most is the fact he personally repairs his mask(and other things) with Kintsugi! It requires a lot of patience and technique and he is very good at it. Takes him forever though ngl.
Ohm
He loves his origami. He's very talented with it and can make pretty much anything. A lot of stuff he can do either one handed or without looking, but the more complex stuff he actually needs to concentrate on. He has a nasty habit of folding his briefing papers into cool little pieces.
L. Loathe: What qualities does your OC loathe in other people? Do they tend to be judgmental of others, even when it isn’t warranted?
Sandrone
He doesn't like super whiny people. It's just a personal pet peeve of his, he'd rather not. Like the whole high pitch "hmf!' kind of whiny? Yeah. Despises it. Otherwise Sulien isn't very judgemental! He's pretty respectful in general.
Ohm
Lmao Ohm is a hypocrite. He dislikes people who are reckless and put others in danger. He'll willingly put himself in danger, but not his team, which is the only real difference. It's weird, he's best friends with Kaeya and yet- ahem anyways. Call it the Doctor Vibe or w/e.
M. Mistake: Describe a time your OC did something bad, or was wrong about something.
Sandrone
War Criminal! Congratulations! He was behind the scenes making sure the sigils of permission were done correctly. I mean, he's a war criminal in general though. Personally, good dude. His work? Mm.. He's done things!
Ohm
I can't even be like "this dude killed two people when he was fourteen! that's bad!!" cause it was sort of warranted. I think, to Ohm, his biggest mistake would be "failing his parents' one task to him" which was to protect Sulien. And he failed to do that and lost Sulien for pretty much eleven years. It haunts him constantly.
N. Negative: What does your OC believe is their worst flaw?
Sandrone
Sulien has a bit of a thing where he hates how emotional he can get. He's been equated to machine so often that when he feels, he doesn't feel real. He dissociates and he hates that feeling. To him, it is his worst flaw. The puppet being emotional? What's the point? But he also doesn't know how to express his emotions in a healthy way, and I think it makes it all that much worse when he feels so strongly sometimes.
Ohm
Somebody who has a low outlook on themselves, there is very little Ohm likes. Though his inability to feel like he belongs or perhaps the karma attached to him would be the worst ones. To be haunted by demons, among other things, it is utterly ridiculous to him. And yet, here he is. How one can find comfort in somebody like him is just, beyond him.
O. Outlook: Is your OC more optimistic, pessimistic, or realistic? How likely are they to believe a bad person can change?
They are both Realists. To take a situation upfront and deal accordingly is who they both are at their core. Sandrone is more likely to believe somebody bad can become good, because /he/ wants to be good. Ohm is less likely to believe this, no matter how much he may want it to be true. But at the end of the day, products of environments that were so truly unkind, they are both realistic of the grim world around them.
P. Positive: What does your OC believe is their best personality trait?
Sandrone
For some odd reason, Sulien thinks how blunt he is at times is a good personality trait. I mean, like, I guess? He believes it at least. Sulien just thinks that being blunt is a good way of dealing with things without any communication problems or misunderstandings, and that's true to an extent.
Ohm
A man bound by contracts, it'd be how dutiful he is. Diligence is the name of his game, ultimately. He's been doing this since he was a child, he better be good at what he does, and he is. He always fulfills his duties, always does his role, always plays his part. His work is who he is.
Q. Quirk: Does your OC have any (minor) bad habits? If so, what? (Biting their nails, sleeping in, procrastinating, etc.)
Sandrone
Honestly most of his work takes place at night or the evenings, so he usually sleeps the day away. It isn't the best for a person, but he does what he must.
Ohm
Due to his insane alcohol tolerance, he definitely drinks way too much. But it never really hits him...? So he just kinda drinks those lil fruity drinks of his cause he likes the taste haha
R. Respect: What qualities does your OC admire in other people?
Sandrone
Honesty. He admires honesty the most. Sulien has been lied to a lot, had things taken away from him that nobody should ever have taken away. He just wants somebody who will tell him the truth, even if it hurts.
Ohm
Surprisingly, Ohm likes people who are resourceful, a little bit cunning maybe. He likes people who are useful to him, and being useful means being able to think fast on your feet.
S. Success: Describe a time your OC did something good, or was right when others were wrong.
Sandrone
Most of the time LMAO bye. Sulien functions on one perfected line of code. "Analyse the situation, filter what is appropriate, narrow the results, speak." He tells Pierro straight to his face that he's a better information gatherer because "the difference between your recruits and me lies within step three." He's not often wrong, the other Harbingers hate him for it.
Ohm
He does his best to do good things to make up for all of his bad karma. A doctor, a captain, an adeptus. He sacrifices his own vitality to heal others. I mean the list goes on. He tries, very hard, to make up for the things he's done.
T. Troubled: Which of your OCs is the most flawed?
They're both flawed in their own ways that I can't really compare them.
Sandrone was broken down into bits, had literally every sense of self or shred of dignity stolen from him, and then he was turned into a tool and used time and time again. That trauma will never go away, nor the problems or flaws that arise from it. Then you have Ohm, who was forced onto a path of bloodshed and slaughter in the name of Celestia. A pawn that has lost everything, everyone. Who failed, time and time again, and has to live with that, with himself. That also doesn't ever go away.
And I think to compare them would be unfair. Especially when the more they learn of each other's pain in their separation, the further they fall into that guilt and pain for their twin. They always blame themselves for what happened to the other.
U. Upgrade: Does your OC strive for self-improvement, or are they less concerned about becoming a better person?
Sandrone
He does what he can with the circumstances he's in, if that makes sense. There isn't a lot that Sulien can do to change himself or the things around him. But he tries to learn better life skills(like cooking) or pick up new hobbies and stuff like that. He really does try though.
Ohm
I don't think that Ohm sees the value of self-improvement. He knows he isn't a good person, and I think he knows, deep down, that he can't really change that.
V. Value: Is your OC more selfish or selfless? What would they sacrifice for a loved one? What would they sacrifice for a stranger?
Ooh they're so similar haha.
Sandrone
Selfless, he is always doing what other people want. His opinion always comes second. For a loved one? He will lay his life down. For a stranger? Well he'll do his very damn best if the situation calls for it.
Ohm
Selfless, following a set path laid out in the stars before him, he has no choice. Fate has called and he has answered, what he wants does not matter. But put his loved ones in the firing line? He'll die before they do, he can guarantee that, and he has the power to ensure that. An innocent stranger will receive very close to the same treatment, too.
W. Worst: What is your OC’s worst flaw?
Sandrone
He accidentally gaslights people a lot.. Like he lies to lie at times because he's so used to it? And if you've never been gaslit you are so lucky, its such an awful feeling. A lot of the time when he does it to people he cares about, he really doesn't even notice. And I think that's pretty much his worst one. I mean and he kills people but w/e.
Ohm
He's self destructive. It's such a big part of his character and just who he is and it shows a lot about who he actually is. Ohm can't stand what he's been pushed into doing and yet he continues to do it. He'd do anything to wash himself of these feelings and it leads to incredible self destructive behaviour. He also kills people but w/e.
X. X-ray: Does your OC believe that they’re a good person? Would you consider them a good person?
Sandrone
No, he doesn't believe he's a good person. I, as his creator, know that he's a genuinely good person put into a bad situation and forced to make bad choices to survive. He just doesn't see it that way, he can't, he's been conditioned to believe whatever they need him to believe to get him complacent.
Ohm
Also doesn't believe he's a good person. And I, as his creator, know that he's bad at his core, but he tries so hard to do good things. He wasn't given a chance, not really. He tries to make up for it, tries to cleanse his sins, but that blood never washes off..
Y. Young: How has your OC been influenced by their past? Are they a better person because of their past, or a worse one?
-looks into the camera-
The answer is the same for both of them. Heirs to a clan favoured by Celestia, paths set in fate, destinies controlled by stars. They are influenced by things even further than their own pasts. Sandrone was allowed to forget his past, forget who he is, and what he means. Is that good? Is that bad? Who knows. But when he did remember as a child, he was very much influenced by it. Then Ohm, well.. Past mistakes and failures are who he is, right? The last thing he remembers is his father's words too him regarding destiny and given how ingrained that is in their family line. Well..
The past means everything to them.
Z. Zealous: Does your OC have any guilty pleasures? If so, what? (Watching reality TV, drinking soda, reading cheesy romance novels, etc.)
Answered here
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leahseclipse · 3 years
Text
Confessions, surprises and joyful events
Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!reader
Summary: What worse thing could happen other than calm and nice coffee dates when the genius resident happens to forget items when suddenly called in, causing their secret to come out?
Warnings: Mentions of losing someone, death (not concerning any of the characters); usual cm stuff, but otherwise, its just fluff
Category: Fluff
Word count: 13.5k
A/N: And here’s the last fic of this ‘kinda’ series!!! yesh I know the summary sucks LMAO, but- I hope you guys will like it, I apologize if some moments are ehhh, especially towards the end, I’ve been working on it for a while and as the total is 25k, I really had no other idea, I really drained them all into that massive one- 
And that one is still attached to the prevs fics I had wrote for the fic swap for @sunlight-moonrise​ :)
 Continuation of Dear diary, and Souvenirs, secrets and coffee dates
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This night went better than expected. We didn’t go to bed at 2 -for once-, but around 11:30 PM, so even if it’s still late, it’s better than nothing.
Considering all of the stuff we have to do today, and probably in the next few days, we couldn’t allow ourselves to go to bed at the hour people usually get up for work, such as 6AM...or more.
And it would also be a lie to say that we didn’t go to bed at this hour once.
Nonetheless, we both were excited about the activities of the day, and if I’m not wrong, we’re at our fourth coffee mission-date. 
Yeah, none of us figured out a proper and official title for it, so we’ve just been altering between dates and mission. 
At the same time, it’s a date, it’s been a while since we haven’t got to have a moment to ourselves, and it’s also -as said- a mission. We like to set small challenges, especially when we happen to have time like this week.
Talking about this week, I have to admit that not receiving a call has stayed quite surprising, even now. Before we had the idea of doing our coffee dates, I had just come back from almost two weeks of work. 
I had been away for a week, had just three days of ‘vacation time’, and had been called back for another week. So, I think that it's not weird at all to be surprised, all of us probably are.
I just hope they won’t decide to have a party or something, because I can never find myself to refuse and find a proper excuse that doesn’t raise suspicions, now that I have a girlfriend.
I can’t believe that I almost used Ethan as an excuse to not attend once, and the idiot I am forgot he happened to be in New Orleans at this time.
Basically all planes were cancelled because of the weather, and if I had happened to let his name slip, as they probably know that I know him, they would have wanted to know more...especially Penelope. 
And the idiot I still am would have tried to find another excuse, that -of course- would have miserably failed as well.
I just hope we’ll get to have a few more days before I eventually get called back, it’d be nice. 
It’d also be nice if I would stop to think about a possible call, because if y/n would hear me she’d complain about me bringing bad luck. 
Normally as it is only some superstitions, it doesn’t happen, but again -as expected-, last time when I had said that a possible call was coming, I received one just two days later.
So, I think that I’m gonna pass on this subject.
I also wish I didn’t have to be the one responsible for waking her up; she’s...quite difficult when it comes to that, and most of the time, we’ll either end up being 30 minutes late, or just not go where we had to at all.
But since what we were supposed to do was important, she really had to get up, even if I had to drag her out of the bed.
“Y/N, come on, I’ve been trying to get you out of the bed since nine, and even gave you twenty minutes more.”
“Jus’ a bit more…”
“Alright, I’ll go to the library all day then.”
“No, you’re stayin’ with me.” She said, as she sat up and grabbed my sleeve. 
“You want me to help you get ready?”
“Mhm.”
“Okay, give me your hand.” I extended mine, as she lazily took it. “There you go sleepy head.” 
“I’m not a sleepy head. It’s my morning head, that’s all.”
“Your morning head is a sleepy one.”
“No, it’s a well-rested one.”
“Okay, you won the fight.”
“I always win arguments.” She proudly announced, while she got up, stretching up a bit. “So...are we going to the one we saw on internet yesterday, it really had good reviews, and a nice website, which is...a good sign usually.”
“Yeah, it is. It really sounded nice, plus I think I’ve heard about it from other people, and they’ve had pretty good experiences. I say we go for it, might as well enjoy it before...work calls again.”
“You’re going to bring us bad luck, stop with that.”
“It counts for you as well. You mentioned it yesterday.”
“...I didn’t.”
“You did.”
“No, I’m sure your brain is tricking you.”
“Once again, I am sure it’s not. I know my brain well, and it never lies.”
“Pff, you know your brain? I’ve never heard such a ridiculous thing.”
“Says the-girl-who-forgets-her-stuff.”
“Hey! Don’t use that nickname, the diary story was an accident.”
“You didn’t trust yourself enough that you had to give me your number.”
“No, it wasn’t for that, I just wanted to chat.”
“Even years later, you still lie.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Mhm.”
“Okay, one more remark, and instead of going out, I’m making you clean my whole apartment for a week.”
“...I’m going to get ready.”
“That’s what I thought genius.”
“Why am I being called ‘genius’ when I’m not supposed to call you ‘the-girl-who-forgets-her-stuff?’, hm?” I joked.
“Everyone calls you genius at work, see it as a third name.”
“Then if what I call you is your name, it’s kind of long. Y/N, Y/M/N, the-girl-who-forgets-her-stuff, Y/L/N.”
“Okay, if I stop using genius, will you stop with that?”
“...maybe.” I answered, as she hit me with her shirt. “Okay, okay! I’ll stop!”
“You’re really nice when you want, see?”
“I’m not a puppy either.”
“You have puppy eyes, same stuff.” She briefly said.
“Who says?”
“Me.” 
“Only you is not enough to be convincing.”
“Who says?” She repeats.
“Do you want me to get the excuse I took at the library?”
“Which?” Y/N asked, visibly confused.
“That you had to be more polite, else, I won’t listen.”
“I’m going to warm up the car.” She grabs the keys, changing the subject.
“I love to mess with you.”
“Shut up.” She says before leaving, earning a sneaky laugh from me.
++
When I had gotten out of the building after a few minutes, I swore that Y/N could have left without me if I would have tried to mess with her again.
She didn’t though, but she warned me (jokingly, she had said…), that she wouldn’t have hesitated a bit.
In most cases, she really isn’t kidding, and wasn’t at all this time.
The only thing I got when I had gotten in the car was a hit on the arm, that...kinda still hurt for a bit even after a few minutes. 
But, we both know it wasn’t serious. We often do that, and we usually make jokes like ‘I’m going to murder you and pretend someone killed you in the night’, ‘I’m gonna have Hotch yell at you by making you late’, or even, her favorite one, ‘I’m gonna steal your phone and announce our relationship.’.
Which….when it was told after a few months we began dating, would stop the teasing from me, and end in a fit of laughter, as we would discuss it; and jump to other subjects.
That joke is less...uncomfortable, or the kind to stop the conversation, as we really talked about it, and kind of planned to say it before we’d end up married with two kids.
I know that they’ll be happy whether I announce it while she’s my girlfriend, or my wife, and mother of my kids, but still, it’s been a while, and I think that they deserve to know, they’re like family to me. 
Even my mother, who had just met them a few times, appreciates them a lot.
But once they’ll know, Y/N will have to prepare herself; because she’s gonna receive a lot of questions from Garcia, who’s probably going to get her to come as often as possible; some messages from the team, a lot of invitations, because to be honest, they’ll all be really surprised that I got a girlfriend, and as it’s been a while, they’ll have a lot to ask and tell.
I just hope that they won’t...mention what happened in my early days.
Some stories are kind of embarrassing, and not really nice to recall to me.
Knowing Morgan’s, he’s either going to mention what happened with Lila Archer, or the gun qualification that I failed (but, that I got, after I shot between a guy’s eyes in one shot, so this story will only be half bad). 
...he could also tell both.
But, I know for sure that they’ll welcome her with open arms. They’ll really appreciate her.
She’s done a lot for me, and I can really say that she...somehow made my life better, in a way (She says that I’m cheesy, when I say that).
I honestly have no idea what would have happened if she took her diary back before I even got to see it, I would have never paid attention to the shop on my way as usual, I would only go to the library for the usual reason, my life wouldn’t have changed even a bit. 
I like to say that fate has reunited us, but in another way, I like that she happened to be so distracted to the point of forgetting it.
I can’t really imagine having to not see her anymore; we’ve been so used to each other that we constantly have to see each other, and at least hear the other’s voice if I’m at work.
Literally, all of the free time that we have, it’s spent with the other.
We also happen to hang out with our friends, but most of the time; we’re always together.
I noticed that we don’t tend to go outside often, we both prefer to stay outside, and once, we even cancelled plans at the restaurant at the last minute as we were both too lazy to even get ready.
That also happened in the morning; none of us had work, and we decided to spend most of the day in bed, and we didn't do even anything till a few hours, we just talked and cuddled.
So, these coffee dates are kind of a miracle; because knowing our shared laziness, we wouldn’t have done that at all.
It’s our fourth one today, and it's going pretty well.
I’ve thrown facts the whole time, and she didn’t mind.
She actually asked for others, at each of them.
Y/N was totally into it.
And that kind of made me laugh, I even said that she looked like a nerd, or even a teacher’s pet.
That’s why we enjoyed it, we laughed a lot during those, and actually planned to go outside more, which is...totally crazy.
I don’t know what is happening to us, but, some miracle fought off our laziness, and now, we’re going outside a lot.
Our coffee dates also made y/n drive more.
She would never touch the wheel, unless if it was at 1am for emergency snacks, and now, she insists every time.
I think I’ve only driven at the first, but not fully, as she took over on the way back.
We’ve also discovered a lot of coffee shops, I’ve walked in front of some, but never actually went inside. 
I guess our coffee dates are mainly us, testing out what they have, and when we’ll run out of shops; we’ll basically try to choose the best.
She even purchased a notebook for us to put our ratings in.
I really never saw her taking something so seriously.
She also created another folder on her phones, with a lot of pics. The majority of them have my face, and she took most of them when I was looking away.
Y/N mentioned that she really likes my side profile, which at the moment was...kind of weird, but, I got used to it, and even looked on the side on purpose as I knew she’d taken a picture without fail.
I think that she has one where I’m turning around; she didn’t get to take my side profile before I turned, it was kind of blurry, but I insisted on keeping it.
We might print the pictures and make a scrapbook at this point; it would be fun.
I know she’ll like the idea.
“Okay, so...are we ordering one of the basics, or are we going a bit fancy today?” Y/N asked.
“Go for the fancy option, that’ll change.”
“Alright, you go get settled, and I’ll be right back.” She said, kissing my nose at “right”. I always like that.
She knows every single thing that makes me happy. It’s kind of crazy, she almost knows me better than I do.
I’m also pretty sure she knows that I hate when she goes away, even if she’s two meters away, and is going to come back in just a bit.
I just really like to be with her, and this might be childish or something, but I almost got her late once because I didn’t want her to go yet once.
At least I won’t have to do that this week. None of us have work, and I just have to hope I won’t be called in.
I’m the only one that could completely cancel our plans, and even though I know she won’t be angry as we managed to get five days without a call disturbing us, it’ll still somehow leave a bitter feeling.
She told me to stop worrying, and just, enjoy the moment, but I just can’t help but think about it, and even though she’s not a profiler, she can tell when I’m worrying about something.
So, might as well quit worrying, and just enjoy our dates, because always thinking about the calls might end up bringing us bad luck as she constantly says.
Y/N even has a sticky note on her desk counting how many times I’ve either worried about it, and brought up the subject.
So far...I’ve said it about seven times, and it’ll probably turn to eight if she notices.
“You know, you can say it if there’s something wrong.” 
There goes the possible eighth time.
“Oh, sorry, what did you say?”
“I see it that something is bothering you. Did you prefer us to stay home today?”
“No, no, not at all! I really wanted to go out with you. It’s not the problem.”
“So, what’s the actual problem?”
“You know it.”
“Oh, quit that cellphone. Just smash it on the ground and wait for them to come.”
“You know that’s not how it works.”
“That’s the only wait for you to stop worrying. That’s the eighth time.”
“It’s not even the eighth at this point, it’s the fortieth.”
“Or the hundredth.”
“Yeah, I got it. I worry a lot.”
“I’m not even a profiler and I can just tell like that. Quit your job and let me take your spot, I’m gonna impress them all.”
“Are you going to enjoy the ‘waking up at 4am’, ‘being away for a week’, ‘risking getting killed’ parts though?”
“...not the ‘4am’ one, no.”
“Try applying as a secretary, maybe. It’s calm.”
“If I have enough of my job at the craft job, okay. I’ll make sure to be in the same section. I’m gonna be the best secretary they’ll ever see.”
“You’re going to make us late though. When I’ll have to leave you’re gonna try to get a few more seconds to talk with me.”
“I may.”
“Hotch’s not going to like this.”
“Eh, he won’t say anything. We’re two young people in love, so, if he doesn’t have a rock heart as...you always tell me how strict he’s...he’ll be okay with it.”
“Not if it happens a lot. I tell you. Hotch isn’t kidding when it comes to that. He may accept some occasional late reports, but not a late arrival when we have to immediately go on the field.”
“Okay, then I won’t do it.”
“...one or two times won’t hurt. If we do one a week, and the other two weeks and...a half later, maybe it’ll pass. Who knows?” I suggested.
“I don’t want you to get fired. This job is important.”
“...yeah, kind of.”
“Plus, we have to tell them, at least before you get fired.” She joked.
“If I get fired, I won’t have to tell them as I won’t see them as often as I want. I’ll have another job and we’ll all be busy.”
“It’s kind of smart but...don’t you dare do that. That’s not genius.”
“You suggested something, and I went along with it. You started it, not me.”
“A suggestion isn’t an obligation, or a serious thing. I never forced you to do it. It was only “if”, never said anything serious.”
“You know that I always take you seriously.”
“Too seriously that you couldn’t catch jokes.”
“I understood it, I just played along with you.”
“If I hadn’t interrupted you, it looked like you would have almost done it.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Mhm.”
“Did you really think I’d do it?”
“Knowing you...there was a chance you would have done it. A slim one.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” She honestly answered, taking a sip of her coffee as she kept her glance on me.
“I wouldn’t do it, it was only a joke, nothing more. Even if it’s...full of pretty big risks, I still enjoy it.”
“It’s scary as hell, yeah. And even though I’m not with you, I still feel the stress.”
“I have to admit that I scared you...a lot.”
“You bet. The ‘out of battery’ days really scared me.”
“Yeah, sorry for that.”
“It’s okay, I’m not mad. You’re still there, and now we’re on...I still didn’t find a name for it.”
“What was the original name already?” I asked.
“Coffee mission slash dates. Not amazing.”
“We can’t really settle on only one at the same time.”
“We can’t. But at the same moment, we kind of have to choose one.”
“Coffee mission slash dates isn’t the best, but it’s the only thing we could think about, it’s better than not having one.”
“You’re kinda right. It’s okay if we keep that one.”
“I guess so.”
“By the way, as...I see we’re basically done. What are we saying for this one? Do you want to try something else before we write our review?” She asked.
“We can have another one. Only roughly 80 to 100 cups of coffee would turn into a lethal dose, so...it should be okay.”
“It’s kind of morbid, and creepy.”
“It’s still useful to know it.”
“I didn’t need to know that my source of energy can kill me. Now I think that I may have to slow down.”
“It can kill me too. I drink way too much when I’m at work then at home.”
“Imagine that the autopsy guy has to say to your family that you died because of a caffeine overdose. That’d be...either dumb, or embarassing. Gosh, it’s not funny.”
“Yeah, sorry. That fact was just stuck in my head.”
“Choose less morbid ones next time.”
“Don’t worry-”
“Yeah. So, uh, didn’t you say you wanted to try that one too? It sounds cool.”
“Why not, okay.”
“Okay, I’m going. You stay there.”
“But- You don’t have to.”
“I’m going, it’s okay.”
“Pff, ok. You can go.”
“I’ll be right back anyway. Don’t be sad.”
“I’m not sad.”
“Is that so? You should have seen your face.”
“I wasn’t sad.”
“If you say so.” She said, before leaving as she headed to the counter again.
We’re really little kids sometimes.
Maybe that’s why we get along.
We’re more childish than serious most of the time.
On that, we’re kind of equal I’d say, but...it depends.
I’m the childish one these days.
I still haven’t found a way to announce her to them, because...even if I really like them, I still don’t really want to.
It’s mostly for security reasons, with all that happened during my years, I’m kind of afraid.
I’ll have to tell them one day, eventually though.
They’re gonna bug me even more if I wait too much.
“Stop overthinking.” Y/N interrupted, as she set the two cups on the table.
“I can’t.”
“You have to, eventually. If this is about the cellphone, or not having enough dates, or even, that we have to tell them, you have to stop. We already had four, it’s a miracle.”
“To be honest, yeah. I wouldn’t hope we’ll have more.”
“What about we tell them if we get another one?”
“I’m gonna receive a call before.”
“No, we won’t. I’m the one between the two of us that bring us luck. So, we’ll have our fifth one.”
“Okay, we’ll see. Even if I’m not really sure. But, I hope we do though.”
“I can guarantee we’ll have it. Now drink your coffee before it gets cold.”
“Cold coffee isn’t bad.”
“Yes it is! That one isn’t meant to be drunk cold. If it had ice, then yeah.”
“Stop criticizing my choices, it’s not nice!”
“Your choices are so bad that I have to be on your back.”
“You’re not my mom.”
“...you sure about that? I’ve acted as your mom a lot of times because of some of your choices. I don’t even remember them all, there’s so many.”
“Not a lot. That’s why you don’t remember.”
“I don’t have your brain, but I remember some.”
“I’m not that immature, and...irresponsible.”
“Okay, you’re not that immature. I exaggerated.”
“It’s nice of you to admit your mistake.” I joked.
“I’m gonna take my words back, be careful. I might not even wake you up if you get a call. That way you’ll have Hotch yell at you.”
“You’ll make coffee for yourself, that’ll wake me up.”
“How?”
“The smell of coffee can help you wake up in the morning.”
“Hm. Guess we don’t need alarms then. You’ll build us a machine that automatically starts the machine and we’ll be up in no time.”
“At this rate, we could also install a webcam in front of it, if we do it every morning, at each nap, and all day.
“A webcam?”
“I saw somewhere that people working at the University of Cambridge knew the feeling of finding an empty coffee pot so well, that they invented the first ever webcam with the sole purpose of checking the status of the coffee pot.”
“That’s actually kinda smart.”
“I know, right? That way we don’t have to check, but the one that’ll have to fill it back up will receive tons of notifications, so it'll kind of be annoying.”
“...yeah. I don’t want it anymore.”
“You’ll probably be the one receiving the notifications more often since you’ll be home.”
“That’s why I changed my mind. I don’t want you to see how often I drink, because...trust me it’s a lot.”
“...I do the same at work.”
“That’s why we get along. We get each other, basically have the same habits. We’re the perfect couple.”
“You kind of sound drunk when you say that, I don’t know. It sounds like something you’d say while being drunk.” 
“Kind of, yeah.” She agreed, laughing. “Throw another fact, we’ll continue in the car.”
“Let me think...oh, I got one. From statistics, the average American spends around $20 a week on coffee, which is around...$1.092 per year. Yikes.”
“What keeps us awake when we’re running on two hours of sleep makes us broke. Cool.”
“That’s where our salaries go.” 
“...yep. That’s where. Surprise.”
“I don’t think they’ll really be surprised. Look how many hours we sleep. My sleep schedule is already buried.”
“Yeah, it is. Remember all the days where we went to bed at 1am and you got woken up at 4am? The next days were hell to stay awake.”
“...I remember. I hate those days. if I get a phone call, let me have five or six hours at least.”
“I’m starting to wonder if they’re not spying on us to see at which hour we go to bed.”
“Same. It happened way too many times. It’s getting quite...annoying.”
“Not really for me, I’d wake up because of the phone one time out of two. It was more annoying when I’d wake up to see I was alone.”
“You’d have a note, at least.”
“Yep, but....wasn’t amazing.”
“You would have been angry either way if I would have woken you up.”
“I would have gone straight back, yeah. You’re not wrong.”
“I’m always right. I’m not the best in the whole FBI building for nothing.”
“Quit showing off. We know you’re smart.”
“It was just in case you forgot.”
“How could I forget? You tell me that you have an 187 IQ without telling it every time you speak. It’s kind of obvious that you’re not an idiot to me.”
“You’re smart too, you could figure out that I was.”
“Is there a meaning behind that or…?”
“Why would there be one y/n?”
“I don’t know. You sound...narcissistic, and it was kind of like...you told I was dumb, Reid.”
“No, you’re not! I was kidding.”
“Mhm.”
“Okay, I’m sorry if I sounded ‘narcissistic’, it wasn’t my intention, I was just kidding.”
“I just have trouble knowing if you’re joking or not sometimes. But, you are forgiven, doctor.”
“It’s weird hearing you say that. Why don’t you just say ‘Spencer’?”
“Doctor, and Reid are more...fancy.”
“Okay, if you like it.”
“I do like it.”
“Then I don’t have anything to say on it.”
“Indeed.” She proudly replied.
“You know that I really like you?"
"I do." She answered, her shy smile breaking into a bigger one.
"Are you okay with uh...cheesy stuff? Because like, it kind of is."
"I've always had a liking for these, so I don't mind at all."
"Oh- okay, I was afraid you wouldn't uh…."
"...like it? Of course I do. I always like it when you say that you love me."
"I can't say otherwise, or even refrain myself from saying it. When I see you smile, I just...you know. I really like to see you happy."
"You're gonna make me cry Spencer- I spent a while doing my makeup." She joked.
"Okay, I'll wait until we're at home then."
"Okay."
++
"It's kinda good that we came in early. Coffee is better when it's taken between 9:30 to 11:30AM from what I saw."
"...really? There's a 'good timing' for it to be more effective? It's weird."
"Kind of. If you're tired at 11pm and decide to drink it, it's only gonna work at 50%."
"For real...it's annoying. Especially for you, your shifts are long as hell. I'm sorry for all the times I yelled at you over the phone."
"You had your reasons, I'm the best at getting people worried to death." He said, as he got his eyes back on the road after briefly shaking his head at her.
"Can't deny." 
"No one can't."
"The number of times when you only had a battery problem, gosh. I wanted to kill you because of these." 
"You didn't kill me, I'm still here."
"I can still kill you, if you want. I might have a pocket knife somewhere."
"No- I take it back, it's ok. I'm good." I said, "panicking".
"Hm. Too bad. It was a new one, 'wanted to try it on." 
"...that's not really reassuring y/n."
"At least you'll be even more careful." She said, throwing me a sneaky smile.
"...will do."
"Good to know."
"I was going to say that you were going to be the death of me, but I'm already doing that to you with my job. Guess I'll have to find something else."
"You're gonna have to think hard. Because from what you said, your job is superior to everything in terms of scaring the death out of people."
"The #1."
"Premium #1. It's a better term." She corrected.
"...do you still love me though?"
"Of course, that's why I haven't killed you yet."
"I'm gonna have to sleep with one eye tonight."
"It's gonna be creepy man. I won't kill you, so, don't do that...please"
"I love how it's easy to make you change your mind with things you hate."
"I can still change my mind, even if I hate it."
"...sorry." I apologized with a tiny voice, which caused us to break into laughter for a minute, before I stopped before y/n, who still had a bit of trouble to stop laughing. "Do I need to call 911 or is everything okay?"
"It's just- your tiny voice is always fun as hell- gosh, I really had a good laugh."
"We don't need much to laugh apparently.' I pointed out.
"How can anybody not laugh at that? The way you said it was amazing."
"I'm gonna be offended if you keep laughing at me."
"I can't promise you I won't laugh again ah that."
"If you laugh at my voice, I'm allowed to laugh at you when you fall out of bed then."
"Okay, deal. You're allowed." 
"At least it's even. But- you can't go back on that, you said you agreed on it."
"I promise, I'm not going back on it." She confirmed.
“Okay, just so it’s clear.”
“It is. I granted you permission to laugh at me.”
“I never granted you permission and you did it a lot of times, that’s not fair.”
“I’m allowed to laugh at you, it’s not the same. I have a special “nice girlfriend” pass.”
“...okay you have a point.”
“I’ve always had it. I’m smart, maybe smarter than you. The FBI should seriously hire me, they’re missing out without me.”
“We’re never going to be able to focus if we work together.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to present me.”
“Prepare yourself in advance. Once they’ll get your number, you’re gonna be overwhelmed with texts. They’re gonna want to know about the secret I kept.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I may have to go there myself if you chicken out.”
“Hey, that’s not nice. I’m hurt.”
“Okay- I may have to go there myself if you don’t resolve yourself to do it- oh, it’s the same. Even if I word it differently, it’s the same.”
“I’m mad at you.”
“No, you’re not. You love me too much to be mad at me.”
“...how do you know everything about me? I’m scared.”
“I hacked into your brain.”
“Clearly.” I said; nervously laughing. “What do you think would be the password of my brain?”
“Um...either a doctor who or star trek related thing.”
“Hm. Maybe. It’s kinda difficult though; I like a lot of things. I’d probably end up putting your name if I can’t decide.”
“Yeah, same. There’s so much stuff.”
“If I take all of the books, tv shows, writers….yeah. Your name.”
“I’d probably struggle too. Your name.” She repeated.
“Isn’t it risky to let the other know our passwords?”
“I mean...we share the same brain cells sometimes, we’re 24/7 together, we’re interested in the same stuff so...eh. Not really.”
“That’s fair enough to be honest. I still remember last time; when we forgot to take the pasta out of the water because a video on twitter distracted us.”
“...I remember that. We had to order takeout after.”
“And the takeout wasn’t that good. I would have prefered the over-boiled pasta.”
“Same...these $35 weren’t that worth it.”
“$5 dollar over boiled pasta would have been better.”
“Yeah, it would have. But, let’s not try to forget it tonight. Over-boiled pasta isn’t my favorite thing.”
“Then we’ll have to turn off all of our devices.”
“...yeah. Let’s hope the clock won’t fail on us.”
“I’m not even sure if we have batteries left, and the store is closed.”
“Guess it’s gonna be one hell of a night.” She pointed out, as the car came to a stop.
“You said it.” I answered, as we both exited the car.
++
“Spencer, hey, wake up.”
“What’s...going on?”
“ ‘thing’s ringing.”
“What the…?” He mumbled as he took his phone from his nightstand, rubbing his eyes. “Oh, come on.”
“Guess we’re not having our fifth date.”
“...guess not. This sucks, I’m sorry.”
“ ‘s not your fault. At least let me have a quick hug before you go for god knows how long.”
“Just one, I really have to go.” I precised, wrapping my arms around her waist, as she put her head in the crook of my neck. 
“I’m gonna miss you Spence.”
“Me too. I promise it won’t be too long.”
“Mhm. Oh, at least it’s not 4AM.”
“Yeah, it kind of surprised me to see that it was 9AM.”
“Same. Are you directly going on the jet or are you gonna uh...what’s the thing, briefing at the office?”
“Uh, yeah, Morgan told me to go to the office first.”
“Okay, call me before you go then.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll call.” I reassured, kissing her on the cheek as I sprinted through the hall. “Have a good day!”
“Same!” She yelled, as I closed the door.
What a great week ahead of us.
I annoyedly sighed as I got out of the building, taking the car as she had mentioned that she wouldn’t need it today.
I kind of felt bad, we had taken a small break on coffee mission-dates as we didn’t feel like it, and in the meantime, she also went to work for a day as a coworker needed someone to replace her, and after that, just when we planned to go out again...my phone rang, which was nothing but good.
I’ll make sure to call her as often as I can, that’s the least I can do till I come back.
++
As he left, I kind of ‘slept’ for at least ten minutes before I even found the motivation to get out of bed, which was kind of hard.
I’m really attached to my bed, and it’s really complicated for me to get up in the morning, Spencer helps me out usually.
It’s a miracle I managed to get out before falling back asleep and waking up at 12, especially on my own.
It’s kind of a great achievement to be honest, I should call him later to…
I paused, as I saw what seemed like his phone on the table.
...guess I’m not gonna call him.
What the hell am I going to do?
I can’t go there, no one even knows me.
Why did he have to forget his damn phone? 
He doesn’t even have another one, how the hell am I going to do to get it to him?
I just...know his code, he randomly told it to me, and he knows mine too, so...yeah.
For god’s sake, I’m gonna have to call in, ‘I’m a cousin, friend, whatever’ excuse is gonna have to be the one I’m gonna throw.
Now or never I guess.
I turned on the phone, entering the password as I opened the contacts app, not really knowing who to call.
He had mentioned that Hotch was his superior, but I would be a stressed mess the second he’d begin taking, and it wouldn’t do anything but waste time.
What about Penelope? She seemed quite nice from his sayings, I could possibly reach out to her.
Let’s give it a try, I guess.
I clicked on the contact, pressing the call button as I brought the phone to my ear.
“Spencer, why are you calling? Aren’t you with Luke in the conference room?”
“It’s not Reid, I’m...a friend. He forgot his phone...and his badge thingy at my place, I saw the second thing as I called. I uh...didn't know he was working so I went to his place, and I guess he’s at work now.”
“Huh, he never forgets it. That’s weird. But, I never heard about you, are you like...a school pal or whatever person he met at a library or other?”
“Uh...We knew each other at school, yeah- anyway, is there a way for me to take it to him? I’ve...never been to his place, you know.”
“Oh uh...I can go see him, he’s right there. You could come here, but...I don’t know if you’re cleared to go here. Let me...oh, is your name y/n...y/l/n?”
“Yeah- did he put me in his emergency contacts or…?”
“Well, you’re in the visitor lists, so, I guess so, in a way, yeah. You must be an important friend then.”
“Yeah- we know...each other for a while- yeah.”
“That’s weird, he never mentioned you. I’ll have to ask about you later, I’m kind of interested.”
“Yeah- uh, he’s working at the FBI building, right? What floor is it even?”
“Yes, it’s that. It’s the sixth, you’ll have to hurry though, they should be going soon.”
“I’ll be right there. See you...I guess.”
“See you there!”
Oh god, that was the most stressful situation- how did I not panic? Did she find the fact that I’m able to enter his apartment weird and suspect I’m his partner? Am I supposed to be panicked or chill about it?
Shit.
**
As the briefing who lasted a bit more than planned came to his end, as I briefly checked my bag to see if everything was in it, my phone and badge were missing.
How did I forget them? I swore that I had taken it before leaving.
How can I even do? 
I could possibly attempt a quick trip to my apartment, but that'd only be a waste of time.
I sighed as I climbed down the stairs, suddenly getting interrupted by the sound of a nearby elevator when I happened to walk in that direction before.
I...regret not thinking in advance about my words, as...people were behind me.
“Oh, hey babe- what’s...” I said as soon as she appeared, as I was coming to the realization that I had...messed up when the expressions around me changed. “...up.”
“...hey.” Y/N quietly said after noticing the look on everyone’s faces. 
“Did he- is she?” Luke asked, confused.
“I- You forgot this- these.” She informed, taking the two items in her hand as she handed them to me.
‘What are we supposed to do?’ I inclined my head to the side, frowning my eyebrows.
‘I don’t know!’ She shrugged.
“Oh- are you his friend I had on the phone?” A blonde chirped, walking in.
“It’s ‘girlfriend’, apparently.” Luke corrected.
“But- So-”
“She’s my girlfriend, yeah. I didn’t tell you for..reasons, and-”
“You guys should go- We’ll talk all about this when we get back.” Y/N interrupted.
“Reid's been hiding you, and you don’t think I want to know about that?” Penelope asked.
“But- you’re working on a case, I’m not supposed to-”
“If it’s FBI shit, you’ll just put your hands over your ears and close your eyes, it’s okay.” She waved it off, pulling her aside as they went in the elevator.
“I’ll see you later Spence.”
“Okay, see you-” I said, as the door closed. “No- No questions. Not know.”
“We didn’t set anything.” JJ answered.
“...yet.” Emily continued.
++
“So, what happened? We didn’t see anything, I mean- I kind of suspected...sometimes but-”
“It’s...kind of long. I mean you have work and-”
“I can do two things at the same time.”
“Well uh...we didn’t know each other at first.”
“So like- it’s a fate thing or-”
“Maybe? I mean- I lost my diary at the library, I forgot it when I went to work, and he told me that he found it, didn’t want it to get lost, and so, he asked around where I could be found and, we met.”
“It sounds like cinderella.”
“...kind of. Never thought about that.”
“It really is, like- if you had never lost it, he’d just be a guy sitting with his book.”
“I wouldn’t have the courage to talk to him, because...I think I would have found him interesting.”
“You can thank your brain for making you forget about it. You got a nice boyfriend because of it- wait, I didn’t ask if you were-”
“We’re not engaged yet-”
“I’m gonna tell him to hurry as soon as I get a call with him- How did he not already propose to you?”
“It’s okay- It’s only been one year and a few months, we have-”
“Please let me plan the wedding.”
“It can wait I’m-”
“I have to plan it.”
“Okay but-”
“You’re gonna have to get used to here, you’re gonna come...quite often. Maybe with my apartment too, and Rossi’s. He organizes amazing game nights, it’s always fun.”
“...that’s why Spencer told me to prepare myself-”
“We’re not gonna let you go for a while. I bet they’re harassing him with questions right now.”
“I don’t have anything else today so- guess I’ll be staying for a bit. I’ll have to go later, though. For like- sleeping and all.”
“Will you come back tomorrow?”
“I have work...the craft shop I told you about.”
“Oh- then keep going with the story then-”
“You sure- you-”
“They’re not calling yet. Keep going.”
“Okay- so, he went to the shop…asked where he could find me, as he had something belonging to me- I was in the storage room and my coworker came saying someone had a thing that was mine, and recognized the thing as she saw me with it before. I went to the front- where he was, she left and uh...he gave it back to me. We briefly talked and, as he left I asked him his name- as he knew mine, and...he left.”
“That idiot didn’t ask for your number?”
“He could have come back, I don’t know. He knew where to find me, and...same for me. Next uh...we both had work, I suppose for him, too. And as I got a day off, I went back to the library to also thank the employee that had told him where to find me...and he came again.”
“What happened next? I need to know-”
“Uh- I think we uh...stayed there, for a while, actually. Until we were told that it’d close, and...hung out together till...almost 2AM.”
“Did you-”
“No- just talking. We barely met, we wouldn’t- We were going to go out on a date...later. I asked him first.”
“You did? Oh my god that’s so cute!”
"That was kind of stressful. You don't get to ask guys out pretty often."
"Was Reid your first boyfriend?"
"As a serious relationship, yeah. All of the others were in high school but...they were all idiots. Spencer's the first that...cares about me."
"He's always been very nice in general, I can guarantee that you'll never regret letting him enter in your life, he's gonna treat you like a princess."
"He's already gone through that, he's always supporting me, I...really feel safe, and loved, all the time."
"I'm glad everything's going well for you two. You could have come sooner, we've been asking him quite often if he'd ever present his partner as we were his parents."
"Yeah we- waited a while. We were actually planning on telling it, soon." 
"Well, the 'soon' arrived."
"It was kinda…"
"Unexpected? Yeah, I know."
"It really was but...it's not as stressful as I thought. I...really like it here."
"You're gonna feel home with us, too. You're already there with our genius boy. I can tell you guys really love each other."
"We do, a lot."
"I'm glad for that. You're gonna have a lot to tell every time you come here though."
"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything there is to tell, and let you plan whatever thing there would be to celebrate. Even my wedding."
"Do I really have to wait to plan it?" Penelope asked.
"We could get married in five years, who knows. Are you gonna plan it already?"
"...probably."
"Do I get to help?"
"If you have good taste, yeah."
"It shouldn't be a problem."
"So- Oh, here they are."
"And...back to work." I said.
"Wish I didn't have to now." She sighed, answering. "You've reached the office of knowledge, what can I do for you?" 
++
“So? How did it go with the team?”
“Chaotic. I wish I had taken a car or something instead of the jet who lasted way too long for just three hours.”
“Penelope already wants to plan our wedding here.”
“She did?”
“Yeah. If I didn’t stop her, she would have probably purchased dresses and called Rossi.”
“They also asked me about the wedding here.”
“What can I say? They’re really like a real family.”
“Yeah, they are. You’re gonna like them a lot.”
“I feel like it. Penelope already told me to get used to here because of how often she’ll call. I’m probably going to end up working here.”
“You don’t need to work here to see me, they know now. You’re cleared to come whenever you want.”
“If only you hadn’t- no, I would have probably jumped at your arms if I hadn’t seen them.”
“At least we don’t have to think about it for weeks, just to not say it at the end. It’s done.”
“Just a week ago, you said that you wanted for it to be special, it wasn’t very special to me.”
“It’s kind of...special. No one did that here.”
“Not the kind of ‘special’ you described.”
“It was a...surprising ‘kind of special’.”
“Did you just make that up?”
“I only had that in mind.”
“I thought that you were intelligent enough to just say ‘surprising’.”
“You asked which kind of special it was.”
“Unexpected would have been good too.”
“...yeah. I wanted to spice it up.”
“I’m giving a 7/10 to your spice.”
“That’s the average at least.”
“But- it was fine. I’m being a bit mean.”
“Are you mad it went like that though?”
“Not really. I know you wouldn’t have resolved yourself to say it, so...it’s said. They know, and...I really like them. You could have done it sooner, I missed out. They’re really like you described them to me.”
“Yeah, I would have waited...even more. Let’s hope you’ll get to pass by often, they’re gonna want to see you all the time. I’m pretty sure you have pre-invites to all of the parties they’ll ever organize.”
“At least we’ll be with other people and...do other stuff than staying all day at home, you know.”
“You’re right, yeah. I’ll diversify our days-off.”
 “Heard Rossi knows how to cook pretty good pasta; that’ll change from our failed ones.”
“...definitely. He also makes us cook with him sometimes, but...I think I’ll pass for the ‘boil the pasta’ part.”
“Same for me. I prefer not to ruin the entire thing.”
“If he teaches us, we could get better.”
“Nah...I prefer not to. I’ll stick to the ‘make the pasta’ part.”
“It’s hard to say no to Rossi in general, good luck with that.”
“Is he like everyone’s grandpa or what?”
“Uh...I guess I’d say so. You could kind of see him as that, but I don’t know if he ever allowed anyone in the team to call him like that, except for Hotch, JJ and Matt’s kids.”
“Thanks for the warning, it’s noted.”
“He’s gonna have a bunch of nicknames for you though. He likes to do that with...pretty much everyone he knows.”
“I’m okay with that, he sounds nice from what I heard from you...and Penelope. I’m gonna stay a bit more, she wants...more information about what she doesn’t know yet about us.”
“Send me a text to confirm you’re alive, you’re gonna be staying for a while.”
“Will do, don’t worry. You might receive pictures too, she proposed and I agreed as I always like to take pictures of yours. I...also sent some of you to her, and...she might have sent them to the others.”
“They’re looking at me so...I think they got them.”
“At this point they’re gonna make a scrapbook out of it.”
“They might.”
“They don’t mean to be annoying, I’m sure. They’re just…”
“...really invested. They’re gonna want to know everything there is to say and know. Especially for you as they don’t know you as well as they know me.”
“I guess I’ll be spending my days-offs at another workplace. I’m okay with it.”
“People are gonna wonder if you’re not working there after seeing you that often, you’ll have to correct a lot of people.”
 “I look smart, of course they’re gonna think I’m working there. They should have hired me by now, they’re missing out a lot.”
“You’re right, they should.”
“I can’t guarantee I’ll be with the profilers though, my talent has its limits. I can only read your face.”
“You’re only a profiler with me then.”
“Yeah, I’m a special one. I’m not risking my life doing it.”
“And not scaring people?”
“Mhm. I’m not.”
“I can tell you’re smiling without seeing you. We got a special talent in common.”
“Oh, come on, you’re the one with 187 IQ, you got the bigger talent here.”
“No, mine is smaller. You lose things all the time, that’s the real talent I don’t have.”
“I’m not doing it on purpose- And be glad I have that ‘talent’, because without it you wouldn’t even be speaking to me right now.”
“I never said it was a bad one, it’s a good one. I met you thanks to it.”
“I guess I can believe that.”
“Believe it! It’s the truth.”
"I love teasing you, I get to hear the squeaky voice.”
“Hey- no teasing about it, I always do it, I can’t help but not have another pitch, it’s like that.”
“I also have one, we’re quit. But- yours is more high-pitched to me.”
“It’s not, I always have a deep and masculine voice- please don’t tell me you’re on speaker.”
“...I’m not on speaker but...she may have- she heard it.”
“Let’s hope she won’t say it to someone else.”
“I can’t guarantee that, but...it’s not the end of the world though.”
“Yeah, it’s not. I’m sorry I...I have to go, in a bit.”
“It’s alright, we got to chat for like...five minutes, it’s a good one.”
“It is. I’ll try to call, or shoot a text if I can.”
“Okay. Love you. Go catch bad guys- and hang up first before we stay another ten minutes.”
“Got it. Love you too. Good luck with Penelope.”
“You’re still on the line.”
“I know- can you do it? I feel bad hanging up at you.”
“Fine. Have a good day-”
I wish we’d have all day to ourselves right now, it’s a bit hard to not have her with me all of a sudden.
Let’s hope I get to be home soon.
++
I wish I didn’t have to witness what happened there.
It...did something to me.
I didn’t know anything about her, except the same things as everyone, such as her name, personal information and their job, but...when we went there, and saw that she had already died, I felt...weird.
As if they were someone I knew, it hit way too close to home for me, as if they were the feelings I would have for y/n if anything would ever happen.
It may be weird to think about that...out of the blue, and it also may be a bit soon, or sudden but, I thought a lot about when she told me that Garcia was already planning our wedding as soon as they began talking.
It really got me thinking again, as it definitely wasn’t the first time that occured. 
A lot of the people we dealt with in cases lost their lost ones suddenly, didn’t get a proper goodbye, regretted their last words before they last saw them, and...even if that’s not the case with her, I always leave, leaving her to wonder whether I’m gonna come back in one piece or at the hospital.
I’m aware of how bad I’m scaring her every time; she’s always waiting for a text to know if I’m alive to stop her from worrying, and even though I know she won’t have risks of getting hurt in most cases, I can’t stop but get scared for her, especially when I’m so far from her.
I’ve seen what happened with other loved ones in my team, and that’s not what I want to happen to her.
It’s only been...almost two years, it’s not enough at all, but...we never really talked about the future, getting married and all that stuff, we’ve been fine staying as boyfriend and girlfriend, it didn’t really matter, and we had all the time to talk about it.
So...I don’t really know if that’d be sudden.
But, at the same moment...I do want to do that; y/n means a lot to me, and that would be...mainly stressful but, it’s something that means a lot.
I want to do this, really, but...I don’t want it to be like a few days ago, it wasn’t planned, and again, I would have wanted for it to go differently.
But, after that case, and many more that happened, what if something happens before I come back? What if I get other cases, more work? 
It could, and could not happen, I can’t know in advance.
That’s why I hate it when I don’t know things I actually need information about, it freaks me out.
I have no way to plan what could happen, and it’s even worse for y/n, from what I can imagine.
If something does happen, she won’t be the first to know, but due to the possible lack of calls, or anything else, she could first think of something bad, but won’t know it it’s quite bad, if nothing happened, or if she’s gonna have a call she never wished for.
I know it’s weird to think about all of that, but my job isn’t made of riskless things, I’m aware of it.
I wouldn’t be thinking about that if it was any less calm.
All that my brain can think of is that the rest of my life has to be spent with her, I can’t do it with anyone else, if she’s not there. 
A simple diary made us meet each other, without it, my life wouldn’t have changed much from what I can say.
It really is fun to think that we met because of an object.
It’s quite weird to go back to when she wasn’t here, I’ve been so used to being with her.
It’s probably cliché, but I can’t imagine not having her around now that I’ve met her.
She’s sort of a part of me if I had to describe it.
She’s the reason why I look even more forward to the end of a case, going home, doing simple things as walking around the neighborhood, grocery shopping, or even getting ready for bed.
The last is the best moment of the day along with waking up having her next to me; I’m often awake first in the morning, so I get to look at her a bit more in advance before she wakes up on her own.
She always smiles first thing when she wakes up, even if she’s really tired.
That’s one of the things I prefer.
I always end up staying longer as she had trouble getting out of bed, I’d even get her out of bed by carrying her for a bit as if she was a child.
But, it makes her feel happy and loved, so, I don’t mind doing it.
When we get ready for bed, I’m usually the last to sleep as I watch her until she falls asleep. 
I can’t help but do that every time, even if I’m a bit tired.
She yells at me a bit when she hears I do that instead of enjoying all of the hours I have, but, I just tell her the only excuse I had and always have.
I still haven’t found another, really.
Probably because the one I always tell her is the only that has ever existed to me, I don’t think it will change.
It probably won’t, I like that excuse.
I really don’t want anything to change, I really like the way everything is.
How she is, how she looks, when we’re together, I just can’t imagine something better.
That’s why I just...with all I’ve seen around me, what happened, of all the losses I’ve experienced, I can’t stand thinking about that ever changing, I have to tell her how I love her for the millionth time, hold her as much as I can, memorize all of the details of her face once again, and again.
I always do them more than we can recall, but...I want to do that once again, even if she tells me I’ve done these enough.
I want to express how much I love her, even if she knows it as that’s the first thing she gets to know in the morning, when we go to bed, when I leave for work, at the end of a call, or even at random moments when I look at her for a while, and end up randomly saying: “you know that I love you so bad, right?” 
She smiles at it, every time.
After that, she often ends up telling me how cheesy I can be sometimes before kissing my lips and laying close to me if she wasn’t already with me.
I don’t want that to stop, I have to feel it again, think about it after it happens for hours, it can’t stop.
I also hope I won’t have to have her go through all of that fear when I leave every time.
I always feel bad about it to this day, and I know it won’t change until I decide to quit it, but...as much as she hates the risks and all of the stuff coming with it, she’ll kill me if I decide to quit, she knows how much that job is important.
So...I have to tell her, again.
I want to be able to be with her, go through whatever problem could happen, agreements we might have, I want to do all of this.
I’m willing to do all of this, no matter how tough it gets.
Y/N’s the only one I ever cared so much about, I don’t think I’ve ever done that with anyone else other than my mother.
I’m not also saying that I don’t care about my team who could pass as my own family, but, y/n’s the one.
The one that makes me feel special, that I always want to see, that pulls me through the day even if I’m having a bad case, the one that is always willing to talk even if it’s 2 in the morning, she never gave up on me, I don’t remember one moment when I wouldn’t hear about her.
I don’t want to hesitate about anything else.
I’m sure about this.
I will tell her exactly what I thought about, what I’ll think, what I thought from the beginning, whether she already knows some details by heart.
And I’ll tell her anyway for the only and one reason that it’s because I’ve always been so cheesy and hopelessly in love with her.
That is the only thing that will never change.
++
I don’t think I’ve even ran so fast after having to pass to the office for just some papers.
I’ve barely said goodbye to the team, and they kind of were surprised to see me rushing so bad.
They’ve probably figured out that it was because I was excited to see y/n now that they know about her, and, that is the case, but I don’t think that any of them even know what I’m about to do.
I really can’t believe it’s actually happening myself.
I’m about to do something that usually takes a while to figure out, think about, plan, and that isn’t that easy to do as it’s not something that’s to be taken lightly.
But I’m really sure, I’m aware of all of the possible reasons why I’m doing it.
I’m aware of why I’m about to marry her.
I’m not doing this as a joke, or anything else that wouldn’t make it serious.
I want to wake up knowing she’s the person I’ll be with my whole life, that I’ll be able to love even more, brag about more, think again when I’m not doing well.
I want her to know all of that.
I just can’t wait.
It’s...really crazy and sudden, and I’ve thought that it was stupid at first because of these reasons, but I don’t think it quite is.
I’m doing this for a reason, and I’ve never been so sure and confident even if that is the most stressful thing I could ever do in my life.
I just hope I won’t collapse...even if that’s a bit exaggerated to me, but, I guess it’s the whole tension, stress that’s talking.
She has no idea that I planned to do that, the only thing she knows is that I’m on my way as I told her before driving home.
If there wasn’t other vehicles, or a speed limit, I think that I would have already been there.
When I pulled out of the parking lot as no places were available nearby, I bounced my feet on the floor of the elevator all the way.
I’m kind of surprised that it didn’t crash because of that.
I’m also glad that I managed to make it to my front door, still alive.
When I took out my keys out of my pocket, missing the lock once before getting it right as I took a large breath, I already heard the sound of the bedroom door opening in a hurry when she heard the front door.
After hearing a short fumbling once I had closed the door; she had jumped in my arms as soon as I turned back to her.
The first thing that really came to mind was that she had immediately felt like home; as she always did.
She hugged me, without a word for whatever time was enough to her, until she pulled back to probably give me air.
“Welcome back. Sorry for the...sudden jump. I hope you-”
“I didn’t.” I replied, planting a short kiss on her lips. “I’ll never mind, never.”
“I know. Do you want me to uh...cook something for you? I don’t think we have much left except some eggs, I forgot to go to the store after work.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’m fine with it. I’ll help you with it so you don’t burn the apartment down. It’ll be a bit...bad to have to deal with a fire now.”
“You’re not wrong, yeah. Let’s avoid that, but- don’t criticize my possible talents! The only thing I’ll burn is the food itself. I’ll be turning the gas off as soon as I’ll see the food burning.”
“Okay- I trust you. Do you want me to let you cook on your own?”
“I like being independent, but…no, stay.”
“Alright, I’ll make sure we don’t eat burned food. We both deserve nice food after the long day we’ve had.”
“Too bad we don’t have a heart pan...you know I would have wanted to do that.”
“We’ll buy one tomorrow, don’t worry. Look, just so we don’t forget…” I took my phone from the couch, walking back next to her. “Okay, it’s on the reminder app.”
“You won’t forget it, each stuff you read stays in your memory. ‘Can’t guarantee for me.” Y/N admitted, lightly chuckling.
“You won’t forget, don’t worry. Don’t overestimate your brain.”
“I forget stuff all the time, I don’t trust him too much.”
“Don’t call yourself dumb, you’re certainly not. You’re very smart, and- you wouldn’t be even awake without your brain.”
“Oh, yeah, forgot the science thingy part. I kind of figured out that you’d  be telling me that, you’re really predictable.”
“I can’t argue on that one.”
“You, not arguing? You always have an explanation that’s as long as an essay. You’re lucky that I’m interested in it.”
“I’m quite surprised that you manage to stay interested all long. Not all of the people I work with make it through the whole thing.”
“It’ll never be boring to me.”
“You sure about that? I may deliver a talk worth a four page essay.”
“Not so late, tomorrow, I promise.”
“Okay, tomorrow. Let’s cook before we get too tired.”
“Can you go first? I’m always afraid of getting burned by that.”
“I was going to do it, I was kind of afraid for you.”
“Oh- thanks, I guess.”
“Anything for you.”
++
Just as if I didn’t have everything planned in my head for hours, once we did the eggs, talked a bit, and layed on the bed without bothering to get rid of our outside clothes;
I still didn’t know.
I was beyond stressed.
Would it be going well?
Would she react well?
If I suddenly don’t know what to say, what do I even do next?
Of course, I was still very sure of it, more than anything, but turns out that the stress just didn’t want me to do that apparently.
I still don’t get why it had to get in the way just now.
I just have to overcome it, it’ll be...totally okay.
It’s going to be okay.
I just have to somehow get to talk and manage to know what I want to say...I guess?
“Are you okay? You didn’t say anything for a while.”
“Oh, sorry I...I was thinking about something.”
“Is it a bad or good thing?”
“It’s a good one, not bad...at all. I just don’t know if...I can say it. It’s a stressful one.”
“I’m not sleeping for a bit more, you can go ahead. If it’s stressful, I guess it must be an important thing.”
“It’s an important one, yeah.”
“Go ahead then, I’ll be listening to every word, won’t miss a bit. You got all of my attention.” Y/N said, sitting up on the side of the bed.
“Okay, okay. Um...I don’t really know where to start, and how to, but...I think I’ll be saying everything at one moment or another.” I explained, as I sat up next to her. “I’ve been thinking about it for a bit, and slightly hesitated at the beginning as I told myself that it’d be a stupid decision, but I know that it’s something I’m sure of, it’s not something I thought of for a minute before deciding that I’d be doing it. I have to say that I haven’t been thinking about it deeply since months, but the time I thought about it was enough to decide that it was what I wanted.”
“You’re starting to worry me right now...I thought it was a good thing, and- you know I freak out easily…”
“It’s definitely a good thing, I just...there’s a lot to say. It might be an essay long, I just want to say everything that’s important.”
“Okay, I’m listening. You can keep going, sorry.” She apologized, as I put my hand on hers to reassure her.
“I...I’ve had a while to think about all of this. Barely two years, but...I never really thought about it to the point of having a whole essay to say. There’s just so many things to say about how I feel about you that I can’t select which ones to put so it could be shorter. I know we’ve talked about it a lot of times, but thanks for purchasing that diary in the first place, it’s what started our story, basically. I could also thank the one that made it but...I have no idea.” I admitted, pulling a short laugh from her. “And thanks for forgetting it, too. Your forgiveness came in handy, and we’re here now. It may be all cliché and all, but that’s what changed me. A simple book, that lead me to you. I can’t thank you enough for talking to me, and not letting go.
I really thought that I was nothing but a stranger that found something for you, and that you’d end up moving on. I didn’t move on after that, you kept staying in my head. I was persuaded that you had forgotten me and that I should...leave it there. We only knew each other’s names, that didn’t mean that I could talk to you more to me. Now, I kind of want to punch my past self for that.
I turned out to be more than wrong. When I stepped in that day, I was going to find some excuse to talk to you, and pretend I didn’t see you, but I couldn’t do that. You were all I could see in that place. Pretending that I didn’t see you would have been rude.”
“You could have done it, I wouldn’t have been mad. I probably would have done the same.” She admitted.
“I couldn’t have, really. You were all I could think about, so, not looking at you after not being able to see you? That wasn’t possible. I can’t even do that now. When I look at you, I can allow myself to basically let go of whatever stresses me in my work. I know I shouldn’t be talking about it too much, but thank you for supporting me, even after all of the scares I gave you. I won’t be talking about quitting as you said that you’d kill me if I’d do it.”
“The offer is still up. I won’t let you quit until you’re at least 60.”
“I’m not planning on dying yet, I won’t quit. But, I’m sorry for all of the stress that I put you through. I wish I could make it less stressful. You’re so strong for that, I really don’t know how you manage to not have a heart attack, you’re truly amazing.
You can be proud of that though. I want you to be.
You’ve made me feel stronger because of this too. Your strength, your support, your love, all of that allows me to pull through.
I can’t imagine having to go through that without you. You became such an important part of my life, that I just...can’t imagine not having you here by my side. You matter so much to me, I really want you to know that. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I can’t do that with anyone else now that I’ve met you. You make me feel so loved, so happy, everyday, and...I want to feel like this forever. I don’t want that to change ever.” 
Don’t screw this up.
You got this.
“Since I’ve met you, you’ve given me a reason to be better, to do better. Something changed when you came into my life, I’m not the doctor Reid from two years ago anymore. I would constantly overthink, I was never sure of anything, I was a mess. But now, you’ve pushed me to say what I have in mind, you’ve made me more confident, and I’ve never been sure of something my entire life. My old self wouldn’t have done that at all. 
I've realized that I can't live without you anymore. I've lost too many things, and I definitely can't lose you. You're the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. And before you say anything, not even books, TV shows, or whatever else is better. You're the one that I love the most, and that I'll also love for many and many years. 
I've...also realized that I've said the entirety of a monologue, and you're probably wondering what that was for so, I'll get to the point." I explained, briefly leaving her side to take something from my pocket, a gasp leaving her lips as I suddenly put a knee on the floor, pulling the box open.
"It would be an immeasurable pleasure to be able to share my life with you, as long as we both shall live. So...I, Spencer Reid, would like to know if the wonderful woman in front of my eyes would accord me the pleasure of marrying me?" 
"Of course I will, you idiot!" Y/N exclaimed, pressing her lips against mine.
"Is that a yes though?" I asked, still against her lips.
"It's a yes." She answered, as we both pulled back from the other when I took her left hand, slightly struggling to take the ring out of the box.
After a few seconds, and a few laughs, I nervously slid the ring on her finger, looking at her when I was done.
"...I understand the stress you had now. I...I really don't have the words right now. I kind of feel bad about not having anything to say. I just...want you to know that I also love you, so much. Thank you for being here with me, and...marrying me. This is...the best thing, ever." She said, her eyes watering.
"I would marry you every day if it was possible."
"If only. We have to plan a whole wedding now. I think we're gonna need a lot of help."
"That depends when you want it to happen."
"That also depends how fast it can be organized. Because if it can be done in one week, that would be...amazing. I can't wait another year."
"It's as it was already done babe. I bet Penelope already planned everything from the moment she met you."
"I wouldn't be surprised. Gosh, I can't wait to be able to call you my husband." She admitted.
"And I can't wait to be able to call you my wife." 
++
"Can you...frickin' believe that? We met her just a bit ago, and like...one month after I get to organize their wedding? This is totally crazy. She even let me help choose her dress, her damn dress!" 
"Of course she'd let you help Penelope. She couldn't have even said no to you, and as she didn't say no, she asked for your help as none of them knew how to do all this." Luke answered.
"I could literally drop out of the FBI and become a wedding planner at this point. Don't yell at me in calls, because you know what I'm gonna do next."
"We won't, don't worry about it. Just enjoy the wedding, you literally help plan the best day of their lives, they're not gonna be doing that every day." He reassured.
"That's too bad that it's only gonna last for a day. It's a shame we'll have to take everything down though."
"Just enjoy. Calm down for a bit."
Penelope took a deep breath, tapping Luke’s shoulder as she began leaving, but stopped for a second. "I'm gonna see if she's even ready. Someone go check on the boy wonder." 
“Yes, ma’am.”
++
“Y/N? Can I enter? It’s Pen.” Garcia asked, knocking a few times.
“As long as you’re not Spencer with a voice changer or something, yeah.” I said, as the lock of the door made itself heard signaling that the door was open, before she closed it on her way in.
“I thought you weren’t ready yet! Spencer’s gonna be downstairs soon.”
“I’m ready physically, not mentally. This is the part when I stress down.”
“What are you stressed about? Here, sit for a bit.” She motioned, putting her hand on mine when we had sat down.
“I don’t know...I, it’s the whole wedding thing. It’s not about Spencer or anything, I do still want to marry him, but...I’m just stressing about it. It didn’t hit me until today.”
“I get it. Lots of people, the big event, and mostly, marrying someone who matters. Don’t tell me one of your worries is that he’s not gonna find you beautiful or regret. There’s no way. Because, I know...we weren’t supposed to send messages to the boys before today, but, he spoke about you practically all night. He couldn’t believe that it was happening, I mean- who wouldn’t be stressed about marrying such a beautiful girl? So, stop that. All of the people here are only friends you know and family. There’s nothing else to stress about, I listed everything, and none of them is something you should overstress about, it’s going to be okay.”
“I know, I...I just stressed all of a sudden. And, I know he doesn’t think that, I just had the stress bringing all of those...stressful thoughts. Am I the only one who stresses at their wedding or is it normal? I don’t want to ruin anything because I’ll end up stressing, not knowing what to say-”
“You will be okay. You’ll know what to say the minute you’ll see him. Come here-” She rushed forward, taking my hand to put me on my feet as she directed me in front of the mirror. “Do you think Spencer isn’t stressed too when he thinks that he’s gonna marry you? You’re beautiful, amazing, strong, extremely kind, dedicated, I mean- he’s so lucky to have you. Anyone else would be stressed, it’s normal, you don’t have to think that you’re ruining anything, at all. Because that’s all I see when I look at that mirror. There’s not enough adjectives to describe your beauty right now, I think we’re gonna have to invent new ones at this point. I mean- look at you!” She exclaims, putting her head on my shoulder as she smiles.
“I’m probably also stressed because of how handsome he is too. I mean…wow. I’m marrying Spencer fucking Reid. It’s not anyone, he’s a literal god and a total genius.”
“And he is going to marry y/n fucking y/l/n. You’re not anyone as well, you’re a smokin’ hot bomb, a goddess and a strong, independent woman.”
“Okay, I am smokin’ hot.”
“Bet you are. So, now that everything is okay, you wait here. Don’t worry, Hotch’s gonna come soon, he’s probably finishing off a talk with our boy wonder. I’ll see you in a bit!” Penelope hurried out, leaving the room.
I’m marrying...fucking Spencer Reid.
Someone pinch me. I feel like this is a dream.
Ow- it’s not one.
It’s...really happening.
++
“I now declare you husband, and wife. You can kiss your wife, kid.” Rossi announces, as I advanced towards y/n, covering both sides of her face with my hands as the embrace deepens afterwards.
Soon enough, whoops and hollers echo through the backyard, as we pull back with smiles on both on our faces, maintaining our gaze on the other.
It’s official.
We’re finally both able to call the other our spouse, from now on, and forever.
Just two years ago, I never would have thought that this would happen.
I was just Spencer Reid, a guy that would always overthink, think he wasn’t good enough for anyone, didn’t think about ever going on dates, I was a total mess...until that diary.
It’s a bit ridiculous to say that I’ve overcome what would have refrained me from ever being with someone thanks to an object, but...that’s really what happened.
Who in the hell would have even thought that a person that I barely knew with only a few words would slowly become a familiar person, then a friend, a partner, and as I totally didn’t expect...my wife.
It all seems unreal, even now.
But it really is, believe it or not. I heard the words well, slid her ring on her hand; after that, she slid my ring on mine, Rossi announced it...and we kissed.
I pinched myself while she wasn’t looking, and it still wasn’t a dream.
I was married to her.
Even when we talked to our friends, we never let go of the other.
We were probably afraid that one of us was going to disappear if we ever let go of their hand.
I have no idea if some found it weird, I didn’t even care.
I was with her, she was with me, and we were both married.
That’s the only thing that mattered.
And...now that I think about what sealed our fates and lives forever as I looked at y/n;
It’s a good thing that I paid attention to my surroundings that day.
++
Let me know if you liked this fic here!
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durotoswrites · 3 years
Note
For the writing meme thingy: 🍄how do you get yourself in the mood to write? 🍑 do you/would you write smut? 📒 any fics planned?
🍄 How do you get yourself in the mood to write?
Getting in the mood to write and actually wanting to sit down and start writing are two very different things, but they're connected, so I'll explain both.
To set into “creative mode” it helps me to do these things:
Listen to music that makes me think of a character/situation in my story/stories. I've got playlists separated by character and pairing. Sometimes I also just work on curating those playlists for fun and get my brain going.
Bounce overall ideas off of my friends and husband/editor (but he's my best friend, too 💗)
Reread old chapters or recent ones and future snippets based on what I want to do.
Once I actually want to put words down, I get a little more strict with myself. I get distracted verrrry easily sometimes and I have to fight the urge to open a million more tabs when researching a small detail.
I move to instrumental music (I have playlists for different moods like “emotional”, “soft”, “sad”, etc. I usually listen to “soft” as a general soothing background sound, as I can get pretty dang emotional when I write, especially with the stuff I've been churning out lately.
So, yeah, I need tissues within reach if I get upset. (Wow, I'm not making this sound fun at all, lmao)
After sound has been established, I like to eat a snack (something with protein) because I can be under for hours, lol. Eat it and finish it. Otherwise, I get distracted.
I also like to have drinks available. I always have a bottle of water, but I also like having a hot cup of tea. I think it's the time of year for me to switch to cold barley tea.
I write while seated on a recliner with my feet up. I have my laptop on a lap desk and it's a pretty cozy setup.
I basically try to remove any excuse I have to get up once I start writing, because I am the worst procrastinator I know.
🍑Do you/would you write smut?
Heheh... heck yeah, I do. Waaaaay more than most people realize. Stuff I've actually posted? It's pretty limited. I posted a couple pieces (Let Me Love You and You're Like the Sunshine) a few years ago, but I've been practicing ever since. One of my planned stories literally has what I refer to as a “smut dump” in the draft where I've been experimenting with writing different moods. I like the intimate scenes to play a role in the overall plot or have it be a bonding experience.
Despite that, I do have a shameless Gray x Mary story I should just get out there that has zero plot, just two cuties in love. In my mind it's so naughty and kinky and I get flustered thinking about it (Mary is hot, okay?), but it's probably hella vanilla, lmao. I really am grateful that people have been really supportive about my writing smut despite what I usually write, and they've been so encouraging, too! I honestly feel like the smut I've posted is really stilted because I was so self-conscious about it. I don't feel like they are terrible for first attempts, but I have definitely grown more comfortable writing it.
Will The Shy Newcomer become explicit? I kinda really want it to, but I might separate the chapters for those who don't care for that content. Overall, I'd like to write more and post more, and I want to write more than just male x female smut as well. I have some of those in my planned pieces (more about them later).
📒 Any Fics Planned?
Firstly, I'm super tickled more than one person was interested in this. I copied the answer I wrote earlier.
Short answer: Yes. I also plan to bring more of my stories over from ffn to Ao3.
Long answer under the cut, heheh. I rambled quite a bit.
Ask me about my writing processes and stories!
I have so many WIPs that haven’t been touched in years that I’d like to finish, so new planned fics aren’t posted yet. Some of them have more adult themes than most of the stuff I’ve been writing, so I get flustered sharing them. I’ve been at a crossroads, as I feel that you can’t have growth without changing things up. On the other hand, I feel like a lot of my readers associate my works with a specific “wholesome” feel-good mood. It’s kinda nice to be known for something, although that might just be my ego talking, thinking that people recognize my work as a “type”.
Regardless, in the end, I feel growth is necessary.
I don’t want to leave a lot of unfinished WIPs waiting because they stress me out and I have too many of them already, so I’d like to have a bulk of my new stories with a good chunk written before I decide to post them.
Among those include:
A longfic featuring Pete’s farm in Forget-Me-Not Valley (A blend of HMDS with the FoMT plugin and AWL). It takes place in the same universe as The Shy Newcomer (Claire in Mineral Town) and there are a few overlapping moments, although Pete’s story starts first. Pete’s personality is verrry different from Claire’s, and his story was kind of supposed to be the yang to TSN’s yin. Pete’s best friends in his story are Ruby (not sure if I’m adding Tim yet), Nami, and Rock. Readers will be treated to a poorly-socialized pre-Mineral Town Cliff (if you think he was bad at the beginning of TSN, well… heh… he’s a wreck here).
Another planned unpublished story is a crossover of Harvest Moon and the movie “In This Corner of the World”, based on a manga of the same name by Fumiyo Kouno. It was written as a gift for a friend. I have the entire outline figured out and have slowly been filling it in. My friend asked for an AU where Claire and Cliff have an arranged marriage and live with his family in Akiyama, the hometown I had created for Cliff in The Shy Newcomer. I took the opportunity to expand the characters in his family. I have it written during the same time period and society as “In This Corner of the World”, but had decided to write a spreading disease as an allegory for war, but then COVID happened and some parts of it just got really hard to write. There are also a lot of sexually explicit content as Claire slowly grows and learns from her spouse that it’s okay to express what she wants despite sex being a taboo issue. If there’s enough interest in the story, I’ll post it, but I worry it’s a little too niche for there to be many people into it.
Pastor Carter and Doctor Trent are one of my favorite rare pair ships. I’ve had a partial draft for a story about them for a few years now, especially focusing on Trent growing up and acknowledging that he has an unhealthy addiction for things that he knows he can’t have. There are some more adult/sexual themes in this piece, too, including the main character lusting after a married woman (who also happens to be his patient) and some lemons. (Does anyone call it that anymore or is it just referred to as “smut” nowadays? Haha) I always feel so bad for neglecting the folks at the clinic in-game and wanted to write a piece that focused more on them, Trent specifically. It’s a multi-chap fic, but I don’t think I’m going to let it get as long as some of my other pieces.
I also really want to write a short romantic oneshot for every marriage candidate in Mineral Town, around 1,000 words each. So far, I have one for Cliff and one for Gray. I want to write Claire with everyone, because I think it would be fun to explore all the different personalities.
I have more installments planned for A Single Day, including a day in the life of the following characters, all with drafts in varying degrees of progress:
Anna
Doug
Nora (yes, I’m writing from the point of view of the cat living at the inn)
More to come – I think Lillia and Thomas would be especially interesting to explore
I do still have that Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask piece I’ve been pondering where Link befriends the soul of the deku scrub child while possessed by the mask. I don’t have much written about it, but I really love the world of Majora’s Mask. Such a fun game.
I also think about the lead carpenter’s son in Ocarina of Time and that weird side quest involving the blue chicken and the son being lost to the forest. Then that unique-looking kokiri girl explaining that all who get taken in the lost woods become stalfos. Like, did the guy die? Was he sick? Did he want to die? There’s just so much going on there that would be fun to explore.
I also have played OMORI recently and have like… A LOT of feelings about it. I don’t know what I’d write, but I’m still damn impressed at how well the characters are developed in such a short game.
Other games I’ve had vague ideas about writing for include the following:
The Flame in the Flood: I’m thinking a survivalist/action story fleshing out Scout’s backstory a bit more and her thoughts as she’s traveling. I feel like she’s a very lonely person, but isn’t given the chance to really dwell on it.
Night In the Woods: I’d love to write more about Mae’s dreams and what they mean to her. She doesn’t really talk to anyone about them openly, so it’s really hard to tell her feelings about them in some regards. We know that she’s distressed about them, but I’d like to dive a little deeper. Do the nightmares end after the games does? What about Bea’s new nightmares?
Hades (Supergiant Games): I think it would be fun to write more about the events that take place before the game starts, like Zagreus’s duties in the house of Hades, and expand on the strained relationship with his father.
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teeswrites · 3 years
Text
Safe haven
hellooo everyone, are you good? I finally decided to post this Dele one, it's just a small thing I wrote when Spurs were in that terrible phase back when Jose still was the coach and Dele was remaining on the bench almost every game. Is a fluff (I guess) and I hope everyone enjoy :) lemme know your thoughts about it!! good reading ❤
//
Safe heaven- Dele
"Hey, had you saw him?" she asked the Asian guy walking from out of the tunnel "hi... yeah, he's still in the shower, I guess" "oh" she was waiting for what she would call an eternity "do you think he will take too long in there?" he passed his fingertips on his hair before sighing and answer "no idea" she nodded in agreement but she was frustrated "hey" he touched her arm "hum?" "Has only two or three lads left... want me to take you in there?" "you're sure that it's a good idea?" "is not a good idea at all, but... is cold here outside" he winked to her "thanks" she mumbled and followed him to the lockers room. He stepped inside first, only Hugo and Serge in there "hi guys" "Sonny! Thought you already were leaving" "hum, I am... Look, I know it will sound weird, but are just you two here, right?" "hum... is us, Moussa and Dele, if I am not mistaken" Hugo said hesitating "I think that's correct" "why?" he looked to his feet and sighed before answering Hugo "is better show to you" he stepped to the side where a giggly, closed eyes her, put her face inside "is everyone dressed?" "Oh!" the guys laughed with her "yes, yes, don't worry" she opened her eyes "wow! Is very big here" "if someone asks how you get here, you don't know me" she smiled and hugged him "thanks, sonny. You rock" he hugged her back and said goodbye to his teammates "just to make it clear, I would not be worried if I found you guys undressed" they chuckled "your wives otherwise..." she grinned while walked towards the duo, to greet them "so... only the French squad here, huh" she stood on her toes and kissed the men's faces, Serge wrapping an arm around her to keep her close "How you guys are doing?" "You know when something bad becomes usual for you?" "Yeah..." "I think that's the feeling we have been struggling with lately" she could feel how sad the team's captain was "yeah" Serge nodded sadly "cette putain de merde ! Tu ne le mérites pas. J'ai vu ce club aller en finale de la Ligue des Champions, vous deux, Dele, Harry, Sonny, Lucas... (sorry for freaking out in French lmao :p/ translation here: this fucking shit! You don't deserve it. I saw this club go to the Champions League final, you two, Dele, Harry, Sonny, Lucas...) Fuck! You don't deserve that!" "I totally agree with you!" "me too. We went to the final, fuck!" "Is just disappointing..." "You have good French, by the way" "thanks! Lived in Paris for 2 months already" "really?" "Yeah. Didn't speak a shit of French" "you clearly got over that" "yes, absolutely" "the best part of being around a lot of foreigners is that you can speak your mother language and most part of them will not understand" Serge laughed "true" "but a lot of people speak French here" "like right now, everyone in this room speaks French" "I don't think Dele speaks French" Serge questioned "you're right". She froze. His voice always made her chill a little, she turned around just like the other two men to see Dele with some water drops on his hair, half-dried, and with a towel wrapped around his hips, his v cut line showing up "hi" he said accompanied with a small smile that was not very honest "hey" Serge and Hugo noticed the tension in the air, so they swapped some glances and decided to leave them alone "I must be going" "me too, don't want anyone worried at home" "okay" they said goodbye and she walked towards him "what are you doing here?" he said while looked for a t-shirt "Training my French?" she smiled but he just gave her a flashing grin, she sighed "am worried about you" "you shouldn't" she leaned her hips on a big block that she believed was a counter "of course I should" "you're not my girlfriend nor my mom" "thank God" she mumbled and he looked to her "I mean, if I was your mother, I couldn't be your girlfriend and if I was your girlfriend..." her voice failed as he approached her, closing a coop around her with his arms "just shut up" she smiled "how are you?" "I am... not good" "that means bad" "yes, Smart cookie" he poked her nose tip with his fingertip lightly, she giggled. "Talk with me. Just like you
usually did before" he sighed "it feels like everything is going down" he buried his face on her neck, she kept in silence, but still listening "first Champions League and Mauricio being sacked, then when Jose arrived it was okay at first, then lockdown... and bench. and I was robbed, they took my stuff, my face was punched, Maradona died, Levy didn't let me go to Paris, Ruby left, more bench... things weren't supposed to be like that!" he wasn't crying but she could feel how much he wanted to. "Come here,” she pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around him, “I’m so sorry, love.” It was so clear he had a hard time dealing with everything “it was supposed to be like that yes, you know why?" "No" "because God knows how much strong you're" “Yeah” Dele mumbled, bitter. He was about to say something else, but his voice broke and was followed by an audible sob. He buried his face in her neck even deeper than before “It’ll be okay,” she rubbed gently his back, frame shaking. “I don’t like it” he grumbled “I know,” she soothed, “just stay right here for now, with me. Let's forget about that all for a minute” he sniffed "yeah" he looked at her, how could he be so blind. She was right there in front of him. Always had been "it’s the only place I want to be right now.” he let it scape, she smiled shyly and felt his hands on her waist, moving her eyes to where those beautiful, tattooed hands were holding firmly. And that was the only thing she could see before move her gaze up again, and be surprised by a kiss. A kiss from him. "Owww" they parted quickly "sorry to interrupt the lovebirds, but you looked so cute" she giggled and Dele rolled his eyes at Moussa's comment before look to her again "you kissed me" "yeah..." he blushed, she rubbed a hand on his bare chest, he looked to her "if you don't mind, I would like to be kissed again" he smiled, now fully and sincere, before hold her face and pull his best friend to another kiss. Soon his hands reached her hips, lifting her and placing gently at the counter, deepening the kiss. That time they were interrupted by a cough "hum... guys" they parted, breathless, his gaze on the floor and hers on Moussa "what?" "Is not cute anymore" she laughed and he did the same, even angry with his teammate "I still want to get dressed without getting traumatized here" she smiled and jumped off the block to leave. He wrapped an arm around her "stay" "I'll let you guys put on some clothes" "wait for me, then" she smiled and touched his face "you know I was going to wait anyways" he half smiled and nodded, of course she would, she always did. They lost in each other's eyes for a few seconds before she stood on her tiptoes and leave a brief kiss on his lips before disappearing into the tunnel "bye, Moussa" "bye! And thank you" she giggled and made her way to the parking lot with a smile on her face 'he kissed me' she thought.
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clearsky · 3 years
Text
My Top Comfort Characters/Kins and My Main HCs For Them
(Note, not all my kins/comfort characters are on here, just the ones I have more than 5 hcs for)
CW: Korekiyo Shinguji (DRV3), Himiko Yumeno (DRV3), Shinsou Hitoshi (BNHA), Kyoko Kirigiri (THH), Tsuyu Asui (BNHA), Entrapta (Spop), Ibuki Mioda (SDR2), Celestia Ludenberg (THH), Funtime Foxy (FNAF), Peril (WOF)
Korekiyo Shinguji (DRV3)
Nonbinary
He/They pronouns
Autistic
Chains and loose accessories are for stimming
Likes the feeling of silk and cotton
Can't stand the feeling of anything rough or bumpy
He likes collecting small trinkets and the bones of small mammals
Can't stand anything salty. He'll eat it but he certainly won't enjoy it
Dating Rantaro
Can flirt, but only if he doesn't try
Petnames are a hell yea
Gets sunburnt really easily
Group dates with Celesnaegiri and Ikuzono
Can't cook for s h i t
Had a scene kid phase in middle school
Went to the same middle school as Celeste and Maki
Knew them when Celeste went through her "I'm not like other girls" phase and Maki was a Band Kid™
Himiko Yumeno (DRV3)
Female
She/Her pronouns
Lesbian
Can force herself to fall asleep within seconds regardless of where she is
100% forces herself to fall asleep when she doesn't wanna listen/talk to someone
Himiko/Angie/Tenko relationship. I'm calling them the Traffic Light Trio
She likes taking naps in the forest
She prefers enclosed/tight spaces more than open ones
Has several hundred stress balls and squishies laying around
She overheats easy
Shinsou Hitoshi (BNHA)
Questioning his gender, but goes by any pronouns
Knows he's Asexual, at least
Has no clue what his romantic orientation is though
The kind of person to carry treats in his pocket just in case he runs into a cat
Will stop to pet literally every cat he comes across
Great at reading people
Doesn't talk unless it's 100% needed
Hangs with Tokoyami, Jirou, and Denki most often
Aizawa has 100% unofficially adopted him
Fosters kittens
Not a big fan of physical touch
He is 100% in the bakusquad. Anyone who says he's in the Dekusquad is a c o w a r d
He and Tsuyu vibe
Knows a bunch of random facts
Dark humour? Dark humour
*skates backwards into his therapist's room slowly sipping from an absurdly huge cup of coffee* Candice you're not gonna BELIEVE the shit I just went through
In case I forgot to mention it, he skates
Kyoko Kirigiri (THH)
Mtf
She/Her
Bi with female preference
Burns go up to her shoulders/collarbone/chest
Prefers to just listen as opposed to saying anything
Knows a ton of random trivia about everyone else in her class
She keeps a notebook she fills with all the trivia
Doesn't celebrate her birthday. She just doesn't see the point of it
Doesn't hate sugar/sweets, but if given the choice she would choose literally everything else
Cuts her own hair
A cat person
Permanent dark circles
T-Tall 😳
Like,,, 6'1 at LEAST
Only person taller than her is Yasuhiro (6'3)
Canon no longer exist
Ahahaha healthy life habits? What are those?
Can't handle horror games
She's the kind of person you'd go to if you needed to rant but didn't want any advice
Polyamourous yo
Celeste/Kyoko/Makoto
She's a dom yall are just scared to admit it
Tsuyu Asui (BNHA)
They go by They/Them
Lesbian
They and Ochaco are dating
They like to hang with Shinsou
Which mainly just means the two sitting in one of their dorms in near total silence doing whatever
Can speak English and French as well as Japanese
Learned English from cartoons
Picked up French bc they thought it'd be fun
Prefers to stay neutral in the whole Bakusquad / Dekusquad thing
They're invited to all outings/events by/for both squads
They like puns
They're a dumbass but willingly, and for fun
Like "someone says they like dark humour and they'll turn off the lights before telling a joke" kind dumbass for fun
Great at poker
Likes Disney Movies
Very touchy once you get close enough
Not in a sexual way, just likes physical contact
Especially fond of piggyback rides and cuddles
Extreme fear of needles
Entrapta (She-Ra)
She/Her or It/Its
Doesn't bother trying to figure out whether she's cis, trans, nonbinary, or what
Was AMAB though
Short as fuck (4'7)
Strong as fuck though
Cuddle game strong
Physical touch is a fuck yes
Cuddles
Piggyback rides
Hugs
Anything where she's touching someone is wonderful in her book
As long as she's the one that initiates it
Anyone else touching her without her permission makes her freak
Prefers being high up
Makes it harder for anyone to sneak up on her
An ace at video games
When it comes to sexuality she just says she's Questioning
Ibuki Mioda (SDR2)
Any pronouns + Pup/Pupself + It/Its
No idea what their gender is otherwise
Biromantic Asexual
Just likes sexual jokes
Gets distracted easily
Has severe hearing problems
She's plays her instruments as loud as possible, with the amp right next to her, without ANY ear protection
It's caused some damage
She talks so loud bc she has no idea how loud is considered acceptable
Wears hearings aids most of the time
Several piercings and tattoos
Likes hearing things jingle
She has a bracelet with a few bells hanging from it
She'll shake it whenever she's bored
LOVES hair accessories
Ribbons are a particular favourite
Occasionally she'll hang little charms from her hair "horns"
The kind of person who never takes any pills/medicine bc she keeps forgetting she has to
Frequently uses emojis
Skates everywhere but she isn't very good at it
She keeps crashing into everything
Has broken every bone in her body at least 3 times
Most of which was bc she keeps trying to kick in doors and skating down the stairs
Celestia Ludenberg (THH)
Nonbinary
Any pronouns, mainly goes by She/They
Bi, 70:30
Collects mini hand sanitizers and can tabs
Has single handedly gotten Mario Kart, Mario Party, Monopoly, Uno, and Clue banned a grand total of 17 times (and counting)
The kind of person to purposefully target someone regardless of what game was being played
Favourite victim is Byakuya (bc he gets so upset about it and she finds that hilarious)
Mains Waluigi
Celeste/Kyoko/Makoto
Has several banned Twitter accounts bc whenever she's bored she'll start discourse on purpose
Hangs with Korekiyo, Ibuki, Byakuya, Yasuhiro, and Leon most often
It's a weird friend group but everyone's sorta gotten used to it
She and Byakuya gamble together occasionally
She tries to avoid it bc he'll willingly blow his entire fortune in an attempt to beat her
Autustic
Can't stand the feeling of water
Mainly bc she can't swim for shit
Horror movies? Hates them
Gets flustered super easily
Taka is her twin brother
Kotoko, Kokichi, and Gundham are their half siblings (Same father)
Peko and Toko are their cousins
She sucks ass at go fish
Fuck canon she's 4'11 now
C h u b b y
Freckles
Once she gets comfortable enough with herself she dyes her hair in the peekaboo style
Either black and red or black and blonde
Haven't decided yet
I'll be doing Celesnaegiri hcs as a seperate post but I just feel it's important for you to know that she expresses her affection verbally and is a very touchy person
Went to middle school with Maki and Korekiyo
Has horrible eyesight
She wears contacts most of the time but she always puts off buying more
After the 5th or so time she ended up blindly stumbling around a week after her contacts ran out Kyoko convinced her to buy glasses as well
Religious accessories yo
Like chokers and dangly earrings with crosses and pentagrams and shit
Likes wearing wacky earrings
Can run and do all sorts of tricks in heels
She and Mukuro are exes yo
Keeps her hair short so it's easier to manage
Hair never gets longer than her shoulders if she can help it
She seems like the kind of person who'd keep her bangs grown past her eyes regardless of how frustrating or inconvenient it is
She's a sub yall just don't wanna admit it
Funtime Foxy (FNAF)
I'm going on the record to say this
Funtime Foxy is genderfluid and that is that
Goes by Funtime
Any pronouns, They/Them most commonly
Plays music (keyboard and guitar mainly)
They and Funtime Freddy (Freds) mainly play with the kids
Freds mainly tells stories with Bonbon while Funtime more so plays one-on-one
Has nicknames for everyone
Circus Baby - Ringleader
Ballora - Bells
Funtime Freddy - Partner
Bon Bon - Bun
Peril (WOF)
I like both Nonbinary She/They Peril and Mtf She/Her Peril
They're both such good concepts
She's a lesbian, Harold
She only had a crush on Clay bc he was pretty much everything she was supposed to like in a guy
Gimme a moment while I force all my mental disorders onto this poor child
Autistic, Anxiety (Social anxiety, mainly, but she has most types), Adhd, PTSD
I'd like to reiterate yet again that She's a lesbian
Sunny and Glory were her gay awakening
Peril in Book 1: Damn, Sunny and Glory sure are pretty. Anyone would be lucky to date them. Clay would probably go for them over me. He would be stupid if he didn't. I myself would willingly date them over someone like me. They're just so pretty :(
Peril waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of arc 2: WAIT-
Rarepair alert but Peril/Sora
Peril meeting Sora: "Hmmm She's attractive. I would love to date her. Too bad I'm straight and in love with her brother lmao :P"
Peril, a mere month later, waiting for Ruby to leave Jade Mountain, pacing in her cave, running face first into a wall: WAIT-
I remember reading this one amazing story where Sora taught Peril to read/write and Peril found out she set off the bomb and comforted her/convinced her her run so that's canon now
Btw if anyone can remember what that story was called/what platform it was on and could tell me I'd appreciate it very much
I'd even be willing to draw a character of your's or make you an icon or something
I usually don't accept requests bc I get burnt out easy but this is a special case
She runs into Sora again sometime between the beginning of TOP and the end
I like to imagine she just goes wandering around
Anyway she confesses like a mere few minutes after running into her again bc Peril is just subtle like that
The actual confession takes 15 minutes and the entire time Sora is just sitting here like "👁👄👁 sure"
Bam Peril/Sora
Peril plans to keep it a secret for a little while longer but she spends 3 seconds around Clay and pretty much blurts it out
Clay, who wasn't even aware that Peril was a lesbian, is just "👁👄👁"
I wanna say Clay doesn't know what a lesbian is but in my canon Sunny is a lesbian so Starflight has already told him
Anyway he's super supportive
From that point Peril is sorta open about her sexuality?
Like, she gives Clay permission to tell the rest of the D.O.D bc she isn't about to risk being in front of them when they hear the news
(When Sunny starts actively seeking her out as a hang out buddy and Tsunami, Glory, and Starflight appear to tolerate her presence just a bit more afterwards she pretends she isn't confused by the change)
She's pink, white, and blue bc I said so
If you look at a certain angle in the right lighting her eyes, mouth, fire, and under her scales all look purple
But her fire is normally white and blue bc I said so
Also she pale as fuck bc in my canon their fire just sorta burns their colour away
You know how you leave something outside for too long and it gets sunbleached? Where it gets all washed out?
Like that but more extreme
By the age of 10-12 firescale dragons are just white with pale eyes
That's right not even the eyes are safe
Ram horns :P
I'm also fond of Peril/Sunny
Or maybe Peril/Sora/Sunny
But Peril/Sora is the main thing
On the topic of that bringing in my hc that if one sib in a sib group is fire resistant all of them are
She,,, She can change her scale colour
But only slightly and only if her emotions are strong enough
Bc I don't give a fuck about Darkstalker's scroll we were robbed of hybrid Peril
Unfortunately all of Peril's emotions are strong
Rainwing ruff along her head and neck
It's like a hood
It's mainly smoothed to her sides but when she's startled it flares out
RAINWING PUPILS
Y'all will know what those look like as soon as I get off my ass :P
She,,, She can mimic bird cries
Hates the summer
She has more than enough body heat already and the outside is just hot enough to add on and make her feel sick
She can somewhat control her heat but most of the time it's based on her emotions
It can go from standing-in-the-middle-of-a-burning-building-cant-see-your-nose-smoke-is-so-thick heat (Strong emotion) to Hey-thats-a-nice-cozy-campfire heat (Calm/"weak" emotion/Sleeping)
I'm just gonna make a different post with all my Peril hcs cuz there isnt enough room for all of them here
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rpbetter · 3 years
Note
I often see multis post that they want to make a new muse, at the same time as they're backed up on threads and asks, and they get their followers to "enable" them to make that muse in the post replies. What is your take on this? Is it a they-can-do-what-they-want situation, or is it reasonable to be annoyed when I see this? Or both?
Hey, Anon!
Both.
I mean, as usual, this is my opinion of an opinion-based matter. This isn't an equation that has an objectively right to wrong scale, it isn't actually hurting any living person or thing. But...it is incredibly annoying and can be hurtful.
They can totally do what they want, and much of the nature of genuine creativity is exactly that - the allowance of doing whatever you so desire. It's something I support rather adamantly, but it's also something I support trying our best to do responsibly and without being hurtful to anyone in a hobby that involves more than ourselves.
This isn't deciding to write another fic when you've not finished the previous four or five that others were interested in, or never finishing any of your original fiction, but continually starting new projects. While others might be enjoying those things as well, you didn't agree to interact with them. They're audience members, not participants.
When others are participants in a hobby that has to work both ways, it's different. Your actions do affect other, real human beings.
So, I totally feel like you've a right to be annoyed every time you see that happening. I do. I tend to unfollow people who do that repeatedly, as we're not pursuing the hobby in the same way. I'll argue all day that someone has a right to their, sometimes literally, eighty-plus muses they never develop or stick to, but that doesn't mean I want to engage with them as a writing partner.
For those of us who want long-term writing partners with the same, well-developed muses, this kind of thing just is annoying. As is everything else that comes with it.
As in...
They're constantly posting "talk me out of adding x" as code for "talk me into writing x."
No one actually wants to be talked out of it, which was probably more obvious to everyone else here than it was me for a little while lmao I tend to take things rather literally. This was, as one can imagine, not appreciated! Telling someone in total earnestness, "I really don't think that's a good choice. You're always saying how overwhelmed you are and just dropped multiple threads yesterday, so adding another muse is going to make you feel worse eventually. Don't do it! :)" is so not what they were looking for. As was evident by the return meltdown over how they could do what they wanted, like I said they couldn't or had any authority over what they're doing with their time.
It's an obnoxious bit of pandering for a foregone conclusion.
Have you ever seen anyone who posts that sort of thing not pick up that muse? I haven't. I've only seen muns who are legitimately on the fence about it asking others in private conversations or testing out the muse decide against it. The thing that makes this incredibly irritating is the attention-seeking and need to validate something they must know isn't a great choice, otherwise, they'd just do it. They're aware that they're behind on drafts, asks, and other things - aware that this is maybe a dick move when they owe everyone already. So, they're seeking "permission" with full knowledge that multiple mutuals are going to hop on that post with encouragement, even some of the ones being messed over by this choice.
It puts people in a bad situation.
Some of those people genuinely don't care, they just want to interact with any muse, and I'm going to be awful and say it - they don't care about totally interchangeable muses and have them themselves. That's fine, this isn't a problem for them. It is for the mutuals who are hoping that maybe if their writing partner gets into this new muse, they'll get a reply to their threads with that energy, or that they'll stick to this one and they can have consistent interactions with them. It is for the mutuals who feel pressured to respond positively because they fear not responding at all will make them seem like bad rpers.
One more thing playing into the counter logic excuse for shitty behavior of "it's just a hobby" is one more thing too many, and it does exactly that.
No one wants to be accused of being remotely too invested in RP anymore, of taking it too seriously, or having any emotional investment in muses, stories, or muns. Not accepting every choice someone makes that negatively impacts you with a grin on your face while you dump confetti on them for it just isn't a comfortable option for a lot of muns anymore. Honesty isn't a comfortable option. While the other option isn't either, it seems better than that mutual noticing you're the only writing partner who didn't hop onto that post with support any of the multiple times they reblogged it. It's only a hobby in which everyone can do what they want until what one wants clashes. Then, you're getting a callout for being addicted to RP.
And the way it tends to clash most is in having expectations of others. Ones that would be totally normal in any other hobby requiring interaction with other people.
Like not overburdening yourself at the expense not only of yourself but those on your "team." That's what is being done when someone knows they cannot keep up with themselves, but continues to add to the situation with new muses.
Not only are you no longer getting responses already while they're intending to add even more to their overflowing plate, you'll be dropped again when they have to "fresh start" their blog because they're burned out.
I have to put that in quotations because I don't know how it's a fresh start when you keep everything but the blog layout the same. All the muses and all the behaviors, including adding a new one despite not having the time or interest necessary to do so, is inevitably maintaining the problems that led to burnout. Dropping every thread, changing the URL, a new blog layout, new aesthetics, isn't fixing the issue even if it temporarily reinvigorates the mun.
The mun is definitely doing things that are not helpful to them, it's stressful and upsetting to experience burnout, but it's at least that mun's choice. Both to do it and to become defensive over fixing it, thus, never fixing it. It isn't anyone else's choice to be repeatedly dropped or ignored, though...unless they just keep sticking around for it.
Again, we're supposed to respect everyone's choices. That's fine when it really works that way, when it is truly everyone. But it's not an acceptable decision to see a multimuse of twenty or more muses and say that's your limit, that you've experienced too many muns who are serial muse-adders not being able to keep up with themselves, so you don't interact with these blogs. If one feels that way, they had better not put it in their rules or ever be upfront about this as a reason, when one is demanded, for not following back or interacting.
It's not acceptable to see a writing partner adding another muse after they've owed you for months, just wiped their inbox, and keep expressing being overwhelmed/behind and become annoyed. Let alone dropping them or explaining to them why you are doing so.
The only "acceptable" course of action is hoping that they totally forget you exist so you can quietly slip away.
I don't feel like that's especially fair or mature. It certainly isn't helping the communication problem we absolutely do have here in the RPC when only one party is allowed to communicate without fear of being labeled, rather ironically, as a bad RP partner.
While this problem seems to be most prevalent in more casual RPers, it's certainly not isolated there. I feel like it's necessary to say that I've had muns I both interacted with and were simply on my dash alike who were not on that more casual side who went from being multis to being muse collectors. Once they hit over fifteen of them or so, they stopped even bothering to try to refrain from picking up at least one muse from every new piece of media they consumed or were inspired by.
It was more annoying because they had been capable of writing truly unique characters they stuck to, and even if they were, with full and upfront admission before interaction, slower to respond, those responses were well worth any wait for the quality of writing and storytelling going on. That's so much worse than someone who was always at a lower skill level as a writer, didn't have a good grasp on characterization, and wasn't especially dedicated to anything. It's depressing and disappointing, but it's also not what you think you're getting into when trying to carefully pick who to write with. Like everyone else, my time to enjoy this hobby is far from twenty-four-seven as well. It's important to me to try to choose muns I'll work out with well so that neither of us is wasting the other's time. And that's what it feels like - the investment of time was a waste because their hobby became adding infinite muses, or rather, the idea of muses.
So, yes, while it is fully everyone's right to write what and how they want to (even if it amounts to not writing at all), it'd be nice if we were all as committed to doing so in a way that was adult enough to respect commitments we've made to each other as we are, as a RPC, to losing our minds when someone merely drops the words "commitments" or "respect."
For the inevitable muse-collectors running across this:
Fiction is inspiring! That doesn't mean you needn't be inspired by anything, just that picking up or creating a whole other muse might not be the best way to follow this inspiration.
If you're considering another muse, but you find yourself already behind and/or overwhelmed? Try one of these instead:
create a plot based on it! Write up the idea and put it in your wanted plots/wishlist tag. Bring it up to partners you think might be interested in it as well, or seek out a crossover from that fandom
make it a new verse for an existing muse! This is as close as you get to creating a new muse without actually doing so, and in many ways, it takes even more creativity. How is your muse different in this AU than they are in canon, how are they the same? In the ways that they are the same, what similar events but done in a way that is natural/logical to this universe have happened to maintain that? Get really creative!
for either/both of these, make some moodboards and aesthetics with that energy while you're waiting on someone to take you up on these new things. Answer some HC asks or tag games using your new verse, or write an independent HC for the verse or plot
talk to writing partners who already love that muse about their new verse/your desired plot! No, not pressuring talk, just normal conversation between friends, but maybe they will be interested in starting a thread
simply be inspired to include some aspect of what you liked in an existent thread. A particular scene you could pull ideas from, the overall mood of a film, or the way something was written in a book - include that in your replies somehow! RP is creative writing, be creative
There are so many, honestly more organic, directions to take inspiration than bluntly adding a new muse. Especially when you're already overburdened, not holding up your end of replies, and/or not able to portray each muse as their own character properly.
Sometimes, it's not just not a great idea to add a whole new muse, and that's alright. There seems to be a serious problem with fomo going on with this whole issue, too. You're not going to miss out if you do not immediately add this character to your multi, and you're never going to fully keep up with what is trending anyway. Do it because you still want to write this muse in four months instead, they're obviously not going anywhere if that's the case, and they'll be a better developed, interesting portrayal for that.
And people do have a right to be annoyed when they feel sidelined by you seeing a shiny object and repeatedly pandering for validation in dropping them for it. Particularly if you're a mun who, further, expects everyone to be just as interested in every new muse you make as the last. As in, you're annoyed when you keep creating muses no one is falling over themselves to interact with, guilting, shaming, or outright demanding that this new muse is interacted with before they have access to the previous ones.
They don't have a right to be mean you to, but they have a right to be annoyed and to drop you. They even have a right to politely decline explaining this to you if they feel unsafe, or to politely explain it to you before they move on.
Absolutely everyone's right to pursue RP and every facet of it as they so please, but no one else has to like what you're doing.
If this response grates on some of you out there? Consider the other options you have, how you might be making others feel, and that it's actually completely okay to tell yourself no. You won't perish if you tell yourself no to taking on a new muse when you, honestly, should not! It'll be okay! Maybe, you just need to evaluate if there is another muse, or more than one, you should remove before adding one. Maybe, you just need some time to reorganize how you reply before you add this one. "No" when told to yourself can simply mean "no, not right now, it isn't a good time/situation."
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