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#some people might probably think I'm being too harsh
penny00dreadful · 2 months
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And They Were Roommates! - Part 2
Part 1 Part 3 AO3
Eddie had called out of work the next day. Steve could hear him making his apologies to Mrs. Henderson who'd taken over the running of the shop when her husband passed.
Steve knew she'd probably tell him to stay home for the rest of the week, probably longer if she could get away with it, but Eddie loved every second he spent working there. Adored Dustin. Adored the other kids, Steve's kids, who used the back room for their dice game after closing on Thursday evenings.
Eddie would have to be beaten away from the premises with a bat. A bat with nails.
Steve might just have to give it a try if the idiot refused to rest properly.
He wasn't mothering him.
He was like… distant cousining him.
When he heard Eddie retreat back to his room after the call and when a light rumbling of snores came through the wall maybe a half an hour later, Steve finally made his exit from his room.
He hadn’t wanted Eddie to think he needed to put on a brave face or act like he was okay if Steve was out in the public spaces while he made the call. 
Not because he cared.
Just so Eddie wouldn’t have to pretend.
And so he himself didn’t have to deal with the tension.
Yeah, right.
Also, it was the least he could do to complete Eddie's designated chores off the whiteboard that there had been war over. 
Robin and Eddie’s friend Chrissy had been forced to come in and mediate the whiteboard before one of them set the other's hair on fire. Though by the end of the day the two best friends had been too busy making eyes at each other to be of any help.
Steve was taking a risk; messing with the delicate whiteboard balance that stayed the same, week in, week out, lest another war start. But if Eddie wasn’t up for going to work, he certainly wouldn’t be up for sweeping, mopping, countertops and garbage.
And like, Steve could hardly blame him, he’d been through a lot yesterday, he’d been betrayed by the guy he’d cared most about. He was attacked and had his heart broken all in one night.
So it was whatever.
Just a few chores. 
Whatever.
At least he didn’t have to worry about keeping the noise down. Eddie could sleep through the apartment being ripped up by a cyclone then dropped into Oz.
He’d probably sleep through any and all musical numbers to follow, too.
Though he’d be bummed about missing them.
A few hours had passed by that point and Steve was just about to sit his lovely bottom on the couch to enjoy some good old fashioned thoughtless tv when there was a knock at the door.
He half expected Mrs. Henderson to be on the other side with half a hospital in tow behind her as well as, like, fifteen gallons of her famous chicken noodle soup. Which Steve would not turn down for love nor money and would steal a minimum 50% share.
As was his right.
But it wasn’t Claudia.
It was some guy. 
Some guy who had a bandage over his nose, a harsh purple colour blooming underneath, sitting a little off as though broken. Some guy who had cuts and scratch marks all over his face and neck.
Some guy who seemed to be affronted at the very sight of him.
But as he stood there Steve could see the clogged up gears working in his brain before the guy opened his mouth and said "You're Steve, the roommate."
Steve pursed his lips. 
Well, this interaction was off to a great start. 
Though if this was who Steve thought he was, he couldn’t give less of a fuck.
"I'm Steve. Eddie's the roommate.” He said with a raised eyebrow. “What was with the look?"
The guy blinked at him. "What look?"
"The look you gave me, when I opened the door. Like I'd shit on your shoe." He answered with a cocked eyebrow and a cocked hip.
"Oh, uh… I just thought Eddie had shacked up with someone already.” The guy laughed. “Bit soon.” He shrugged and smiled at Steve as though looking for some kind of commiseration for a good joke, two men giving each other nudges about how silly their wives were or whatever other shit straight people did.
But Steve had no commiseration to give.
So this was definitely the shithead, then. Rick.
Steve leaned against the doorframe, practically acting like a barricade, blocking off access to the apartment with his arms crossed. "Don’t like the idea of him having someone at home?” He asked in a light tone. “Bit hypocritical if you ask me.”
Rick’s face immediately soured. "That wasn't his business to tell."
“I think you lose the privilege to that kind of privacy when you fuck around on people you’re supposed to love.” Steve shrugged. “Or just people in general.”
“Who the hell are you to judge me?” Rick puffed his chest out. “You don’t know me.”
“And thank god for that. I don’t need to know you. I know you’re a cheater, that’s enough.”
Rick scoffed. “Whatever, man. I’m not here to debate morality or some shit with you. I’m here to see Eddie.”
“No.” Steve answered as simply as he could. 
The guy seemed to need things to be concise.
Rick looked bewildered. “Ex- excuse me?”
“You got cotton in your ears or something? I said no.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are? His keeper? You know he hates you right?”
Steve pulled his mouth down into a mocking pout. “Oh no.” He sighed, deadpan. “I’m so heartbroken.”
“Listen, I’m not getting into it with you right now, man. So call Eddie out or move.”
“Or what?” Steve leaned forward a little, feeling his blood light on fire. 
There would be nothing more he’d love at this moment than Rick trying to square up to fight. 
The guy was a little taller than him, but Steve was much broader, much stronger and though it wasn’t something he liked to do, he knew he could throw a decent punch if it was for someone else.
That much was obvious. 
Thinking back on the things Eddie had said last night, the things Rick had tried, the way he’d cried into Steve’s shoulder, Steve would break Rick’s nose all over again if given half a chance.
“Steve.”
Eddie appeared next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him away from the door.
Rick looked between the two of them before his eyes landed back on Steve, snapping at him “You can fuck off now.”
Steve raised his eyebrows as if to say ‘oh, can I?’, but even so, he looked at Eddie, waiting for some sign of what he wanted, whether he wanted him to stay or go.
But Eddie gave no indication of what he wanted, wedging himself in between the two and pulling the door tighter to himself, his expression thunderous through the blooming bruises and angry cuts.
“The fuck are you doing here?”
Steve took that as his cue to go. Even through all the bluster and posturing and how much the two of them still didn’t like each other-
We barely tolerate each other, Steve insisted to himself, we don’t like each other. I don’t like him.
-he wasn’t going to force himself into this drama and if Eddie needed to tear this guy to shreds on his own, Steve would let him.
But he had barely taken a step back before Eddie’s hand shot out, grasping at what he could until he had a fistful of Steve’s shirt, white knuckling it and stopping him in his tracks.
The movement was hidden by the door, Rick wouldn’t have been able to see it and Eddie didn’t acknowledge that he’d done anything, still staring his ex down.
Steve stopped dead where he was and when Eddie seemed to realise that he wouldn’t be moving, his hand loosened, coming back up to rest against the door.
“I’m here to sort things out between us. Try to fix it.” Rick said, his voice going soft.
Eddie exhaled a derisive laugh through his nose. “Why don’t you go and ‘fix’ your wife?”
Steve crossed his arms, standing guard in the back but still mostly out of sight.
“C’mon babe…” Rick reached out, attempting to grasp at Eddie’s fingers but Eddie snatched his hand back. “I think you’re just… making a big deal out of this when you don’t need to.”
“A big deal?” Eddie snapped, leaning forward. “Not only have you been cheating on your wife but you’ve been cheating on me too.”
“You?” Rick sputtered, incredulous.
He exhaled with an eye roll and only then noticed that Steve was still standing there.
“Are you serious?” Rick almost shrieked. “What the hell are you still here for? Show’s over, normie!” He waved his hand in Steve’s direction as though dismissing him.
Steve raised his eyebrows and smiled back, not moving an inch.
Rick looked back to Eddie. “Are you not going to do anything about him? We’re in the middle-”
“Oh my god.” Steve injected as much sarcasm as he could. “Is this a private conversation? I had no idea.”
Rick’s face was turning red with frustration. “You got a real attitude problem, man.”
Steve turned his mouth down in a pout. “Oh no.”
“That’s it.” Rick slammed against the door all of a sudden, wrenching it from Eddie’s grip and almost blowing it open if it wasn’t for Steve’s hands stopping it in its tracks.
The sudden stop jostled Rick, sending him slightly off balance and Eddie took the opportunity to kick out hard, swinging his leg up until it landed in between Rick’s legs. 
Eddie retracted his foot for just a second as Rick crumpled with a scream of pain before kicking out again, catching him in the hip and shoving him back into the hallway, sending him sprawling.
“Lose my fucking number, asshole.” 
Eddie spat down at Rick before turning back inside and slamming the door behind him.
His eyes were still narrowed and furious as he glared at Steve who could do nothing but stand there.
The sound of Rick’s groans were still echoing beyond the door as the two of them looked at each other.
The silence stretched on as Eddie heaved heavy breaths in and out and Steve stared dumbfounded.
There was a glossy sheen to Eddie’s eyes by the time Steve opened his mouth, not sure of what he was going to say.
But it didn’t matter.
Eddie stormed past him without a backwards glance, his hair just disappearing behind the door before he slammed it closed and the wailing of a guitar and the crashing of drums started to scream out of the speakers in his room.
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He didn’t see Eddie for the rest of the day. Didn’t knock on his door to try to pull him out and didn’t try to get him to talk.
Steve was only just waking up the day after when he heard Eddie’s bedroom door open and shuffling coming down the hall towards the phone.
He twiddled his thumbs, waiting in his room while he heard Eddie’s muttered conversation. 
He didn’t want to interrupt, didn’t want to have to force his presence on Eddie before it was necessary but he really had to pee and he’d have to walk past the phone to get to the bathroom.
Thankfully the conversation didn’t last long but then Eddie shuffled away from his own room towards the bathroom and Steve had to take some very deep breaths.
He couldn’t really be mad at him for it, the guy hadn’t come out of his room at all yesterday after the confrontation, he deserved to pee but Steve felt like his kidneys were gonna start failing at any second.
When he heard Eddie shuffle back into his room Steve nearly cracked the wall with how hard he threw the door open, rushing down the hallway and into the bathroom before he exploded.
Eddie hadn’t made another appearance by the time Steve was grabbing his keys for work and as much as it irritated him, he was feeling a little wary about leaving him all alone for most of the day.
Turned out he didn’t really need to worry about it.
Just as he had turned back towards Eddie’s room, there was a knock on the front door.
He swung it open to find bouncing blonde curls and a bright perky smile.
“Hi Steve.”
“Oh, hey Chrissy.” He stepped aside, allowing her to sweep inside. Her sweater was very unusual. Dark blue and baggy and tucked into her light wash jeans. Steve could have sworn he’d seen it before. There was a large plastic bag in her hand that a glance inside told him was filled with every tooth rottingly sweet thing she could have scooped off the shelves at their local store.
She placed the bag on the kitchen counter with a light clink of glass against glass coming from inside.
Maybe it was also a day-drunk type of visit.
“How is he?” Chrissy asked, blinking up at him with her big earnest eyes.
“I’m… not sure?” Steve shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck a little embarrassed. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”
She nodded. “Okay. That’s okay.”
“I think I’m probably going to call over to Robin’s after work.” He muttered, trying to keep his burning blush down. “Hang out for a little bit.”
He didn’t think he needed to say he was doing it to give Chrissy and Eddie their space, to do their ice-cream and chocolate and alcohol and talk about how terrible men were without him hovering. But thankfully she got it, smiling at him so bright it almost hurt to look at.
“Could you…?” She hesitated, pulling the sleeves of her sweater over her fingers. “Could you ask Robin- never mind.”
Steve opened his mouth to assure her it was okay to continue but she barrelled on.
“The boys are coming over later too. Is that okay?”
“The boys?” Did she mean the kids?
“From the band.”
“Oh! Yeah I mean why wouldn’t that be okay? Eddie lives here too.”
“Yeah. I just wanted to check in case-”
“In case I complained about it later?” He tried to ask in his kindest tone. Maybe he’d been guilty of bitching about them in the past but he would never deny Eddie his support system, not at s time like this.
Even if he did… dislike him?
Did he still dislike him?
What was he talking about, of course he did.
“I’m sorry.” Chrissy looked incredibly guilty and Steve couldn’t stand it.
“No, you were right to ask. I haven’t- I’ve been a bit rude in the past.”
She looked like she wanted to apologise again so he shot her a warm smile and patted her on the shoulder. “I have to get to work, but take care of him, yeah?”
She gave him a curious look but nodded, sending him out the door with a wave of her hand, her sleeve following loosely where it was still pulled over her fingers.
Steve was halfway through his shift by the time Robin came in. She worked shorter hours ever since she’d taken that part time internship as a translator.
They’d just gotten past their mid-day coffee rush by the time they had a chance to talk.
“Are you doing anything after this?” He asked her, leaning back against the counter.
“Is this your way of asking me out?” Robin was rifling through the under counter refrigerator next to him, throwing out any old stock that had gone out of date.
“Yes.” Steve nodded. “I’ve been hopelessly in love with you for years and I thought now was the best time to confess.”
“You could have picked a more romantic location.” She sniffed at a container of strawberries, considering before shaking her head and dumping them.
“But my heart told me it had to be now, Birdie.”
Robin just rolled her eyes at him.
“So?” He nudged her with his foot, very nearly sending her off balance. “You, me, two of the best subs this city has and your couch. It’s my best offer.”
She shut the refrigerator door, pushing herself to stand, using the counter for balance. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Steve absentmindedly snapped his fingers at her, remembering.
“Oh! You have a date tonight, right?” 
“I did have a date tonight but sh- he cancelled.”
“He cancelled, did he?” Steve smirked, trying not to enjoy the poorly masked revulsion on Robin’s face at having to pretend to be dating a man.
“Yes. He did. Rain check for another time.”
“Bummer.” 
Robin hadn’t told him much about the girl she was seeing and Steve hadn’t pushed for any more information than she was willing to give. When she wanted him to know, he’d know.
“But-” he continued “-that leaves your schedule wide open for a date with me.” He spread his arms wide open and smiled at her.
“Well, aren't I just the luckiest girl in the world?” She batted her eyelashes at him.
“The luckiest. Any reason for the rain check?”
Robin nodded. “Friend emergency.”
“Oh. That’s sweet.”
“Yeah.” She smiled. “He’s a very sweet…” her nose scrunched up, “boy.”
“Very sweet boy.” He repeated with a smile. “So can I steal your keys? Have everything all spread out for you when you get home?” He dragged his hand down his chest, wiggling his hips.
“God, Steven.” Robin shuddered. “You’re repulsive.”
“Wrong. I am a dish.”
“Ugh. Gag.”
Steve pouted at her. “I’ll get you a milkshake too, how about that?”
She crossed her arms and stuck her nose up. “Fine.”
She could only hold for so long before she started to break, cracking a smile.
“If you two don’t mind,” a voice next to them said and they both jumped, seeing Mark their manager standing there, “could you stop flirting and get back to work?”
Neither of them even bothered arguing that they were not flirting anymore. They both knew the rest of the staff had a betting pool going on when they would get together.
They would be waiting a very long time.
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By the time Robin got home, Steve had himself swaddled in her blankets and had stolen her best hot water bottle.
Why did she live somewhere so cold?
His toasty warmth didn’t last very long, however. 
She wrestled the hot water bottle from his grip by resorting to dirty tactics, pulling at his hair until he let it go. 
“How many times have I told you the hair is off limits?” He hissed at her, trying to fix it. His hair was his fucking signature, how could she be so rude?
“That is exactly why I go for it every time. It’s your weak spot.” She grinned, smug in her win and attempting to pull the throw off of him as well.
“Go get one of my sweaters if you’re gonna be such a big bitch baby about it. I just got off work.” She pouted, batting her eyelashes at him. “I’m tired.”
“I brought you subs and milkshakes!”
Robin heaved out a heavy, put upon sigh. “Fine.” She heaved herself up from the couch, still clutching at the hot water bottle and disappeared inside her room.
Steve took the opportunity to swaddle himself again, just getting cosy when he heard Robin call out, “Evie, did you steal my sweater?”
“Which one?” He shouted back. He probably had five or more of hers at home and he wasn’t even sure if all of those had started out as hers or his.
“The blue one!”
“Which blue one?”
“The new blue one!”
“What does it look like?”
“What do you think it looks like, it’s fucking blue!”
Steve rolled his eyes and tried to remember any blue sweaters that existed within his own apartment. 
“I’m pretty sure I don’t have it. I don’t even remember you getting a new blue sweater.”
“Well where the hell is it then?”
“How am I supposed to know? I didn’t even know it existed!”
“You’re supposed to know these things!”
“Maybe the sweater fairy stole it.” He snickered to himself until a dark red sweater that had definitely belonged to him first hit him in the face.
“You are the sweater fairy.” She pouted, sitting back down and stealing the throw from his lap.
“Don’t hate crime me. It’s rude.” He tugged the throw back over his legs, leaving her enough slack to cover herself as well.
Robin reached over to snatch her sub from the coffee table. “So.”
“So.”
“Something’s going on with Eddie.”
“What?” Steve ran through the entire day in his head. He didn’t think he’d mentioned Eddie once. “When did I say there was something going on with Eddie?”
“You didn’t.” Robin’s mouth went slack in the way it usually did whenever she was hiding something but she covered it up with a large bite, speaking through a full mouth. “But you’re here and not at home so…”
“That’s not that unusual.”
“No, but what is unusual is that you asked if you could steal my keys instead of just taking them.”
“Oh.” Yeah. That was not the norm. “Um, well it’s not really my place to say-”
“Who am I going to tell?”
“That’s besides the point.”
“Tell me.” She jabbed him with a sharp elbow.
“I don’t know if I can.” He said, running his hand through his hair.
“I mean, nothing too personal, if you don’t wanna.” She backtracked with a shrug.
“Doesn’t matter what I want. The thing is it’s not my business, it’s Eddie’s.” He shrugged. “But there was some… relationship drama the other night.”
“Ooh. Juicy drama?”
Steve winced. “Not exactly. More like… red flag drama.”
“Oh shit. Chr- I didn’t know that.”
Steve looked at her, bewildered. “I wouldn’t expect you to, how would you know?”
Robin just shrugged, shoving another large bite into her mouth. 
“I don’t really… I’m not comfortable talking about the things Eddie and I talked about but I do need you to help me… figure myself out.”
“Okay, that I can do. I’m an expert at it. I helped you find your sexuality.”
“Find it? It wasn’t fucking lost Birdie.”
“Yeah, but I brought it out into the sunlight.”
“Jesus, you’re acting like you released it from captivity. I knew. I’ve always known. Just because you didn’t know that I know, doesn’t mean I didn’t know.”
She shoved his arm. “I unlocked it.”
He shoved her back. “You didn’t unlock shit.”
She shoved him again. “I unlocked it. You’re welcome.” 
He gave her a final shove with a huff to go right along with it. “Whatever.”
“Okay, no more side tracking. Tell me your scrambly brain thoughts.”
“Alright. Um. Okay. So.” Shit. How much could he tell her without either breaking Eddie’s trust or revealing too much. “So there was drama the other night, between Eddie and the boyfriend, you know that much. I won’t say what happened but he didn’t get home until like four in the morning and he called out of work yesterday and today-”
“He called out?!” Robin shrieked, open mouthed. She’d lived with Eddie long enough and been through enough of Steve’s bitching to know just how much Eddie loved that job.
Steve nodded. “Yeah. It was… it wasn’t good, Birdie, what happened. It was actually really fucking fucked up.”
She nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“So then yesterday he’s trying to sleep it off pretty much and there’s a knock at the door.”
“Oh no.”
“Yeah and I go get it because I had assumed it would be Mrs. Henderson with some chicken noodle soup and you know I’d kill my own mother for some of that soup-”
“-I’d kill your mother for some too, yes.”
“-yeah. But it wasn’t Mrs. Henderson, it was Rick, the boyfriend. Or ex-boyfriend, I don’t know and he was trying to like, bully his way into the apartment to see Eddie and I don’t know what happened with me but-”
“-you went full guard dog protector mode didn’t you?”
“I…” Steve sighed, looking down at his hands. “Yeah, I did. Why did I do that? It’s none of my business. I don’t even like the guy. Why would I care?”
“Because you always care, Evie. You saw someone who needed help and you helped, it’s what you do.”
Steve scoffed. “Hardly. It’s not like I’m some fucking selfless hero for doing it.”
“Nah, you kinda are.”
“It was just some guy!”
“And you’re just some guy too!”
Steve glared at her, offended. “You take that back.”
Robin looked at him for a moment. “Okay, fair, retracted.”
He gave her a small grin and dragged the sleeves of the sweater over his fingers.
“Hey! Stop, you’ll stretch it!”
“What does it matter if I stretch it, it’s mine.”
“It is not.”
“It is too!”
“Is not!”
“Is too!” He jabbed her in the side, knowing full well that if they continued the way they were this could go on all night. It had gone on all night more than once.
Robin squawked and immediately lunged, her hands grabbing at the top of his head. 
“No, no! I told you not the hair!”
“And I told you it’s your weakness.” She hissed, her eyes flashing as he scrambled at her wrists before she could get her fingers buried deep enough.
“Boobies!” He shouted, as loud as possible. The effect was immediate, Robin tried to cringe away from him with a look of disgust. “Boobies, boobies, boobies!”
“Oh my god are you five fucking years old? Can you not say tits or breasts or fucking mammary glands or something like a damn adult?” She wrenched her wrists away from him. “I’m so embarrassed for you.”
“I’m embarrassed of your face.”
“I’m embarrassed of your weird man hair.” She scowled, patting at his chest. 
“You shouldn’t be. Everyone loves the chest hair. Even the lesbians. It’s like a respect thing.”
Robin rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Steve pouted to himself.
He just wanted to help. He wanted to make sure Eddie was okay, that he would continue to be okay and there was this horrible little part in the back of his head that also wanted to make sure that no one would put their hands on Eddie ever like that again.
It was weird and possessive in a way he really shouldn’t have been feeling about his irritating as shit roommate who didn’t even have the courtesy to play guitar with headphones on half the time.
No matter how good his playing was.
“I can smell your hair burning.”
“What do I do now, Birdie?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like… I want to help, I guess. But I don’t know how. We don’t even like each other, why would he accept my help?”
“Well… how did he react when you did what you did?”
“He… I guess he… I was going to leave when Rick came to the door and he stopped me. He didn’t say anything to me, he didn’t even look at me but he grabbed onto me and… I think he was scared, Rob. I’ve never seen him scared.”
“Well Steve, I think you’re gonna do what you always do. Help. Whether you know you’re doing it or not, whether you even really mean to, you always help.”
"You're making me out to be some sort of saint."
“I’m really not.” She shook her head. “You’re just… you.”
“Wow, incredible observation there, Birdie.”
“Oh, fuck off and finish this for me.” She shoved the rest of her sub into his hands.
Part 1 Part 3 AO3
@augustjustice @geekymagicalpotato @wormdebut @eddielives1986 @releasethexbarakat @a-little-unsteddie @steddietogo @steddiehyperfixation
Big thanks as always to @hbyrde36 for her magnificent beta work and to the @strangerthingswritersguild for their motivation.
Divider by firefly-graphics
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venusoracle · 5 months
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pac: winter wishes from your future spouse
this winter, what message does your future spouse have for you? pick a card for a message and chanelled christmas song from your future spouse <3
take only what resonates, this is a general reading
reblogs and likes would be really appreciated! :) i would love to hear which one you picked!
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PILE 1
♫₊˚.🎧 ✩。 come out and play - billie eilish
hi, my love. how are you? i wanted to let you know -  i wish you could see your full potential. your shyness is cute and i love that you’re introverted because we get along so well (and i actually keep imagining us going on dates and your cheeks being all flushed... so cute) but i wanna encourage you to be more confident sometimes. you are beautiful and strong and i love you. i understand that when you were younger, people were harsh to you when they spoke to you, but i want you to know that it’s okay to stand up for yourself. i’m proud of you and i’m proud of you for wanting to heal your inner child. i know it’s scary and it feels difficult to face your fears… but i promise that your life will change for the better. don’t be intimidated and don’t listen to other people, you’re stronger than you think. i love you, you’ve got this, hang in there, the cold will be over soon.
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PILE 2
♫₊˚.🎧 ✩。 santa tell me - ariana grande
hey darling!! you’ve been working so hard recently and been so focused, i really admire it. but baby, please don’t get too obsessive with academic / work validation - you are so much more than that, especially to me. i feel like you’re my soulmate and i know that it’s part of my destiny to meet you, do i sound cheesy? anyways, you inspire me to keep working on my goals and to be resilient when i want to give up. your kindness and loving heart already support me during tough times. i can’t wait to meet you, i’ve been waiting so long and i’m so excited to build a future together with you.
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PILE 3
♫₊˚.🎧 ✩。 love to keep me warm - laufey and dodie
oh baby, i’m sorry that people have betrayed you in the past. you don’t deserve that at all. you’ve been manifesting me and i’m glad that i’ve been helping you in a way… when we meet, i'm gonna feel complete because i know we’ll accept each other for who we are. have you been shutting yourself off from meeting people, love? i feel like you are for some reason :( i know it’s daunting to think that you might get treated badly again but you are a beautiful person who deserves to make meaningful connections. don’t hide away, you’ve got this. also this is hella random but you remind me of a princess :) do i sound creepy? possibly but whatever, don't forget to wear your scarf.
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PILE 4
♫₊˚.🎧 ✩。 christmas tree farm - taylor swift
i feel kinda shy tbh… hello, i hope you’re doing well. i’m normally not an emotional person but i’m learning how to communicate better recently. i want to change myself for the better cuz firstly, i wanna be successful and also cuz i’m probably gonna have to fight for you lol. anyways, i’m not giving up. take care and stay warm, don't get sick and i'll see you around.
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Together we fill gaps
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Pairing: König x Reader
Summary: You’re determined to find out why everyone thinks König is so scary, afterall he’s just some guy that’s taller than most people right? He’s probably harmless! Well, he’s a little scary, but you still like him anyway.
(No use of y/n or mention of gender/race)
Warning: Angst, Drinking
AN: You've all been treating me so much with your feedback with this series and I'm so happy to get another part out for you guys! Hope you enjoy 💕 Also, as it's come up a couple times, if you read this series and want to make something inspired by it then PLEASE go ahead, I'll be excited to see what you guys make!
Part 4 of A Rocky Start - Full Masterlist Here
-☠️-
You waited outside the dark double doors of the meeting room like a sinner before confession, hands wringing at your sides and eyes full and wide, ready to plead for mercy. You’d even managed to bite your tongue a couple times because you were trying so hard not to look like you’d done something wrong; mind practically melting with the cold hard fact that you had. 
Even after being told to stay away from König in the heat of an ongoing operation, after being told exactly who he is on numerous occasions in fact, you’d still gone against their word and your better judgement. You’d kissed him.
You felt like a walking TV disaster, the kind of person in the movie that you watch and you yell ‘why the hell would you do that?’ to the screen while they throw their lives away on bad decisions. And now you were being called into some meeting that Price had arranged - without telling you its purpose - you could almost hear the Jaws theme flaring behind your ears. It made your mouth dry up. 
You were your own worst enemy, trapped in your mind as the rickety scaffolding collapsed around you. You’d clawed onto thoughts of how the meeting was going to go while losing yourself to the memory of König’s possessive grip around your waist and the phantom feeling of tingles swelling on your lips. 
You were going to end up buried in the fallout and there’d be no one to blame but yourself. 
“You’re early,” Price rumbled behind you.
You snapped your head around to the sound of his voice and pursed your lips, already feeling a cold flash race down your spine. You’d been more excited to rush into firefights than you were to go into that meeting, and that went double when you noticed Ghost following behind the Captain.
“Figured it’d help,” you said breathlessly, hoping he’d recognise your good intentions. 
Price grunted and Ghost said nothing. They brushed past you and walked into the depths of the meeting room, turning on the light as if they were about to start an investigator routine. You doubted either of them would play the good cop, that much was obvious. However you did wonder what they knew, what they’d found out since you’d come back from the mission.
Did either of them know about the kiss? 
You sighed and walked forward, feeling impossibly heavy and gut wrenchingly anxious. Every step was another closer to your telling off - something you rarely had to face up to. And before too long you were standing over a seat they’d pulled out for you and begrudgingly lowered yourself into it, facing the steely eyed men situated across from you. 
It didn’t help that the chair felt like a torture device. Hard pieces of ripped leather dug into your skin from the back and the lumpy cushion had you shifting in place, making you look even guiltier. Just great, as if you needed to look any worse in front of them. 
“So,” Price began, leaning forward over his chair, “Ghost filled me in on the op yesterday - in private.”
He’d neglected to take his seat, opting instead to lean over it like he might lunge at you at any given time. His eyes were harsh, swirling with the warning of an oncoming storm. 
You swallowed a hard lump in your throat - trying not to think about the way it felt like ingesting a bowling ball. It sounded almost as loud, the room was deadly silent save for the stuttering clock on the wall and the sound of your collective breathing. You’d sat down in a horror set of your own creation. 
“I’m sure you know why that was,” Ghost said, staring across at you with an almost piteous look.
His eyes were stony behind his skull mask, shadowed and layered thickly with a seriousness you’d never known before, not even during your work with him. He wasn’t ready to pounce on you like Price, but he certainly wasn’t going to save you from him either.
“Because I went against your orders,” you murmured.
“Speak up,” Price growled, going as far as to use your real name.
Well that wasn’t good.
“I went against your orders,” you said again, voice clear and unwavering. 
Even despite the looney tunes levels of fear you felt, you knew not to disobey the Captain when he shouted at you like that. You spoke like you were on stage, addressing the nation. 
“You did,” Ghost confirmed, straightening up. “Can you tell us what your orders were?”
You bit your lip, wrangling it between your teeth like tasting blood might dose you up in some way. The skin felt fit to burst like a honeydew, already worn from the night before’s activities. Perhaps the physical pain would distract you from the way Price and Ghost were looking at you as if they were ready to string you up like a war criminal, distract you from thinking about König even while they did so. 
“My orders were to wait downstairs with Gaz and Soap and keep watch for any stragglers,” you finally said, recalling the exact words he’d barked at you before you were tossed downstairs to the corpse pile. 
“And what did you do?”
“I…I lost it when I realised what was going on upstairs and I- I disobeyed the order and tried to go into the room we’d located the hostage.”
“And why was that?” Price asked this time, his eyes boring into yours.
“I- I don’t know,” you faltered, digging your nails hard into your palms.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” He sneered.
“I- I-...Captain, I don’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t like what we were doing, what we were enabling, and I acted before I thought. I-”
“Acted before you thought,” Price interrupted, coming around from his chair and advancing toward you. “You act before you think again and next time it’s not Ghost reprimanding you, next time you could end up with a bullet in the head, or who knows? Maybe you walk out onto a landmine because you wanted to skip off and smell the fucking roses!”
You breathed in and backed up in your chair, leather carving into your back as you did so, heartbeat wrenching upwards into an absurd chorus. You could barely focus on Price as he walked toward you and snarled like a wounded animal, ready to take you down himself before let any stray bullet pierce you.
“It won’t happen again, Captain,” you quavered, trying to hold onto what little of your strength you could. “It was stupid and reckless. It’s not the kind of person I am, and I- I let myself down. I don’t ever want to do that again.”
“You’re damn right you let yourself down,” Price muttered. “Let yourself down all in the name of some crush you have as well, because don’t think that i don’t know exactly why you wanted into that room - exactly who you were trying to get at! I trusted that after our little talk you’d be able to keep a safe distance from König and keep things professional, but clearly I overestimated you…So, because of your actions, and in the interest of getting the 141 back alive and safe in future without worrying about what you might unthinkingly do, you’re not to speak to him again, do I make myself clear?”
Every fibre in your being wanted to scream and lash out. You wanted to stand up and face Price and tell him he couldn’t order you to do that, that König wasn’t on the team so he couldn’t stop you from seeing him. Though, you knew if you did it was a one way ticket to getting booted back home and god knows if it would be a permanent trip or just a stint to sort you out. 
You stamped out the thought of disagreeing immediately, and you nodded, feeling as if your head were on an automated hinge. Self preservation had kicked in at last and for a few minutes your head was clear from hazy starry thoughts and focused solely on your career, on the hard work you’d done to achieve your position. You couldn’t throw it all away. 
“Yes, Captain. You’re clear.”
You didn’t stutter or stumble, you looked him in the eye and hardened your jaw. A small smile seemed to cross his lips at last. It didn’t remain there for long, but he looked less like he was ready to strangle you till you were cold and blue, and that at the very least was something. 
“Good,” he said simply, drawing back from your chair and heading toward the heavy doorway. “Don’t ever disappoint me like this again.”
He disappeared from the room, trailing out like the smoke cloud that usually lingered with him, and left you without another word. You’d mistakenly thought you were alone for a second, feeling the tension drain out from the door and released a breath, planting your face into your palms. 
You weren’t alone though, Ghost was still there, perched over the chair that he dwarfed like a statue. It was normally a comical sight, but you weren’t ready to see the funny side of anything at that point. You weren’t ready to see much at all as you silently hoped the darkness would swallow you, remaining hunched into your hands.
“He was really worried when I told him,” Ghost finally said, huffing a little as he thought back, “He couldn’t believe you of all people went against an order - especially on an operation like this, when we had to keep ourselves clean. He didn’t like the thought of you on another mission with könig and getting yourself hurt chasing after the cunt either.” 
You stiffened when you heard him speak and slowly lowered your hands, chancing a look up at him. He didn’t look nearly as menacing as Price had, he looked contemplative. His eyes glanced up at the ceiling and his thick arms were wrapped around each other, he leaned back in his chair a little as he continued to think deeply. 
“I got that,” you snorted, biting your lip. “Is it time for you to give me a bollocking now too?”
He chuckled and shook his head. It was a welcome sound, rough and rich like velvet.
“I told you off already, remember? Besides, I don’t think I could top that.”
“Then what are you still doing hanging round? You making sure I don’t run to witness protection?”
Ghost shook his head again and stood up, sighing as he walked toward you. He stopped just short of your chair and raised his hand, letting it awkwardly hang in the air a second. 
“I just wanted to make sure you were going to be ok,” he said, resting his big mitt on your shoulder. “And…I wanted you to know that we’re off to the pub later. The guys were asking after you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Price isn’t going, Sneaky. You’ll only be stuck with us,” he assured.
“And if I say I want to sit and feel sorry for myself for a little while?”
“I’d say that you’re not locking yourself up in your room like a little princess, sweetheart. You can either come with us or I can find something for you to do around the base. Your choice,” he said, the glint of a smile appearing in his eyes.
He wasn’t giving you much of a choice at all. 
-💀-
“Sneaky! Over here.”
You cast your eyes over the crowded pub, straining to hear over the low din of everyone's voices, and looked for the source of the callout, finally finding Soaps waving arms amongst the masses. It was a busy night, but still they’d managed to find a free booth somewhere off in the corner. You had no doubt there’d be a drink there waiting there for you too. 
Given the pub was one of the few closest to the base, it was pleasant enough to pass your time in. It was a little dim, the faint yellow lights not enough to combat the low ceilings and lack of windows, but it was cosy. The old wooden bar top and well worn blue floors felt homey in that familiar sort of way and you liked that it always smelt like hops and aged varnish. It was a proper old man pub, but nevertheless served as a tradition.
“Thought you were going to bail on us,” Ghost said, watching as you finally drew up to the table.
“And miss out on all the action?” You laughed dryly, tilting your head at the three men who sat comfortably against the sagging cushioned seats. “Never.”
“You tryin to say we’re no fun?” Soap asked, clutching his chest in mock alarm. 
“Mm, depends if that pint’s for me or not.”
“It was, but if you’re gonna be cheeky then-“
Soap made a play to grab the tall bubbling glass next to him, but you beat him to it. You were tipping your head up and gulping it down before he could register that you’d stolen it from his reach. 
“Fuckin hell, slow down,” Gaz laughed.
You lowered your glass to Gaz’s protest and watched as the golden liquid sloshed and levelled to around halfway. You hadn’t realised how much you’d needed that. With an eyebrow raise and a swipe of your tongue over your lips, you finally took your seat next to Soap. The men watched you and you watched them in some kind of cowboy style standoff. 
“I take it everyone knows about my verbal beat down then?” 
Soap and Gaz looked away, but Ghost's eyes remained trained on you. They were completely unashamed, unbothered that you knew he’d been gossiping again. 
“Is anything sacred round here,” you muttered, taking only a bitter sip of your beer this time. 
“They were on the mission too, not like it’s news to em’,” Ghost sniffed. 
“Price was chain smokin’ a belter today too, it was obvious something happened,” Soap muttered from behind his glass. “Garrick asked about it but he wouldn’t say-“
Gaz shoved at him, knocking his teeth against his glass.
“Oi!” 
“Don’t drag me into it!” Gaz groused.
“Well…regardless, Price wouldn’t tell us what was up, but Ghost said he’d spoken to you about what happened and that was why he had a face like a slapped arse.”
You snorted and shook your head. Soap was ever the eloquent storyteller.
“And he didn’t tell you anything else?” You asked, surprised he hadn’t mentioned the ultimatum.
“Almost like I’m a professional or something,” Ghost chuckled, leaving back in his corner. 
You raised your eyebrows and took a breath to ease your relief. In fairness to him, he loved to rile you up and tease you, but when it came to work he genuinely was strict about these things. Things like private meetings where you were told you couldn’t continue to pursue a certain masked Austrian. Surprisingly enough.
However, with that thought, you were sent spiralling back to the dilemma that had been torturing you all day. Thinking about König made your heart sink with heaviness. It dropped like an anchor. That kiss from the night before had been the last time you’d seen him, the last time you’d be able to speak to him. You had so many things you’d wanted to talk through and clear up. Now - you had to ignore him at the cost of your job and you felt even worse about all that hadn’t been said. It made you feel like you’d used him, you worried he’d see it that way too. 
“What happened then?” Gaz asked, noticing you disappear into yourself. 
You shook yourself out of your stupor, poorly trying to cover it up.
“What?” You asked innocently. 
“At the meeting?” He prodded. “What’d Price say?”
“Almost sounds like you’re excited,” you bit out, deflecting as much as possible. “Someone’s enjoying being the sole favourite again, hmm?”
“Don’t be a dick, Sneak. Remember that time I fumbled the breach on that door in France - I almost blew us all to hell, you remember how bad that was? Price was fucking livid with me, and even then he was able to let that go eventually. And then after it happened, after he almost killed me for it, you told me to talk about it all so I wouldn’t have it trapped in my head, so just tell us. What’d he say?”
A deep shuddering breath left your lungs like a gale. Suddenly the pint in your hand was much more interesting than you’d ever found a drink. The way the liquid sloshed and foamed white, the bubbles fizzing in your ears like static, it drew your eye for a few moments until you risked a glance up to Ghost, watching his eyes roam your face. He was interested to see if you’d keep deflecting or come out with it, expression stony.
“He said I couldn’t talk to König again, and I’m assuming you won’t see me round base for much longer if I decide to go against him.” You sighed.
Soap and Gaz raised their eyebrows, but they didn’t look too shocked. However, they did risk a look at each other and something seemed to ring through their expressions. A little bright bulb of knowledge, wordless but obvious. What was it they were thinking about, what had happened?
“Spill,” you growled. 
Ghost looked equally as intrigued, sitting up from his slump in the corner. That was interesting too. Soap knew something that Ghost didn’t - for once. 
“Well me n’ Gaz were comin’ out the gym together and we were gonna go to the kitchen quickly before the showers and eh…the Captian was in there having a word with the big guy.”
“A word? What do you mean?” You asked, nails digging into the sticky wood of the table. 
“Couldn’t hear, but it was obvious they weren’t agreeing,” Gaz shrugged. “König looked like he was going to strangle Price.”
“Price just stood there as well, shoulders back, relaxed as anything. König was all over the place, shouting in German and smashing his fist on the counter before he stormed out. We left before he reached us - as you can imagine,” Soap laughed nervously, clearly still affected by the sight. 
Shouting in German? It wasn’t like him to slip into his native language when he was around the base. You’d heard him start to speak it once or twice when he got the occasional phone call from his family, but he rarely strayed from English. Only when he was mumbling to himself or surprised or annoyed about something would you hear the odd word or curse outside of speaking on the phone, but he didn’t let those out often. He must’ve been in a horrible mood to be shouting like that at the Captain. 
“Do you know what he said?” You asked curiously. 
“How the fuck should we know,” Soap chuckled. “He was doing that thing where his voice goes all loopy and high pitched. Sounded like a cartoon character, ‘eek meek deek’ somethin’ somethin’ -  he was goin’ bananas.”
“Ich mach dich kalt?” You tried, briefly recognising the sounds of the words from a story König had told once - about an older boy chasing after him with a swiss army knife.
“Yeah sounded just like that actually! What’s it mean?” Gaz said. 
“I’ll make you cold - I’ll kill you, basically,” you said, biting your lip. “Sounds like he was really fucking angry with Price.” 
-💀-
Despite not having wanted to go out that night, you’d had a nice time. After you’d stopped talking about the whole Price debacle, the conversation revolved more around usual topics and for a little while it felt like everything was ok again. 
König lingered ever present in the back of your mind, but the boys provided a good distraction and you were glad that Ghost forced you out of your cave of isolation. He’d known exactly what you needed, as little as you’d like to admit it. 
You’d ended the night on six pints and walked back to base merry, singing along to a nonsense song that Soap was singing, grinning ear to ear and holding onto him like your life depended on it. Your hand was wrapped tightly around his back and he was doing the same to you, forcing you along the street in a wild toppling sway that made your head spin. The stars looking like they were dancing and the trees swayed too and fro below them, like nature's flash mob in your blurry field of vision.
The song carried through the night like a fox call, but neither Gaz nor Ghost could stop you both from singing it. No matter how many times Ghost threatened discipline or Gaz told you there were people sleeping, nothing broke through your happy daze. Life was good, it was you and the 141; it was downing dry crappy beer in your favourite pub and telling stories about the times you all fucked up until you were all laughing along. 
All until you passed by your usual sitting spot and noticed König posted up there, watching you walk along like a sentry. Your heart stopped and you stopped walking with it, sending Soap almost clattering to the ground. He was cursing you out and stumbling to his feet, in complete ignorance of the staring contest you held with your former…whatever he was to you. 
König’s back was stiff, body upright and his eyes unblinking at you, glinting in the dark like precious diamonds - hard, sharp edged and dangerous.
Ghost and Gaz froze, they’d been walking up ahead, and turned back when they realised you and Soap were missing, and as soon as Ghost spotted König you could swear you heard him growl. He marched over, boots thudding like gun blasts, and yanked on your arm, manhandling both you and Soap away. You’d tried to look behind you, tried to silently tell König sorry with your gaze, but even that was stopped as Ghost shoved you forward and barked at you to keep moving. 
“Has anyone ever told you that you’ve got the biggest hands, LT?” Soap hiccuped, simpering up at Ghost like an idiot. 
“Big enough to strangle both of you if you don’t keep moving,” he’d muttered, eyes trained on you. 
“Mm, some people really like big hands. My ex told me once…” Soap babbled, sent mad with the twelve pints he’d gotten through. “The bigger the hands, the bigger the-“
“That’s quite enough Sergeant!” Ghost interrupted, shoving Soap forward this time. “Both of you get inside and go to your rooms before I play conkers with your heads!”
-💀-
It wasn’t until a few days later that you had another run in with König. You were about to go into the kitchen when you noticed him standing by the counter, in his full hood, making a cup of coffee. To make matters worse, Price was about to walk in at the same time. He’d caught you lingering in the limbo of the kitchen and hallway, your hand gripping the doorway like the room might start shaking. 
Price had smiled at you, finally able to look at you with something other than disappointment, and dropped his expression as soon as he noticed why you’d stopped. It wasn’t for his benefit, he must’ve realised, it was indecision about entering a room with König. He paused too, both of you stuck watching the unwilling Austrian zoo exhibition. It was only when Price walked forward and busied himself with looking in the fridge that you assumed you must be allowed in there too. 
It all felt so ridiculous. The reality of the situation finally kicked in and you had to bite your tongue just to stop yourself from laughing. You were reduced to hiding in doorways and ducking round corners all to avoid a boy that you were forbidden from talking to. Next thing you knew you’d be telling Price you’d done your homework while you figured out a way to sneak out of your window. 
You shook your head, trying not to think about it all and stared down at your shoes the minute König finally looked up at you. He grunted something too low for you to hear and moved aside, allowing you space to make your tea.
In turn, you sighed and took the handle of the kettle in your hand, testing the weight of it to see how much water was left and put it down satisfied that you could make your tea and leave. It was heavy, almost full, the slosh of water against metal was one of the few sounds that pervaded the tense atmosphere of the room. 
You could hear your heartbeat inside your ears, it thudded dully like a warning. You opened the cupboard, hoping to escape the sound as soon as you could, drown it out with a movie and maybe a workout afterward. Though you stopped in confusion when you noticed your tea wasn’t there. 
You frowned for a second until you remembered that Ghost had been fucking with you and Soap ever since that night at the pub. He took to petty revenge instead of anything official, and it was that that had you chancing a look on top of the cupboards, remembering when he’d done this before. Sure enough, you’d only just glimpsed a corner of the berry red packaging, but that was enough to tell you it had been put up out of your reach. Fuck sake.
“Fucking Ghost,” you muttered, hands on your hips like an annoyed teacher.
You refused to drink regular tea. It would be giving in to Ghost, and you were never one to do that unless under order and actively working (even then, you’d apparently shown yourself and everyone else you could rebel against him if the motivation was there). 
You raked your hand down your face and sighed, marching over to the table so that you could retrieve a chair. Though, before you could even pull one out from the table König had noticed your situation and reached up wordlessly, retrieving the box of tea and setting it on the counter. He didn’t say anything after either, but he gave you a butter soft look as if to say I still care. 
It broke your heart - even despite the things you knew about him that made you so angry - you missed him like hell. 
You wanted to hug him and tell him just how much you’d missed him. You wanted to tell him how many times something had happened over the days that made your heart wrench because you wouldn't be able to chat to him about it. You missed his dry comments and evil little laugh, you missed when he’d get overly polite because he’d get flustered talking to you, and most of all you missed having that big muscled body pressed against you in some form another; beside you, up against you, an arm around you, a thigh brushing against yours. His heat was missing, your body had never been so cold.
“You hanging around long, König?” Price asked, voice lilting dangerously.
You gulped, your grip on the chair tightening. You watched as König clenched his fists and regarded the Captain, who was glaring daggers at him. Neither man looked ready to back down, but neither made a move forward. You were glad for it, you didn’t want them to fight in front of you. You didn't like the idea of König shouting. 
“I figured I’d sit for a bit,” König finally said, leaning his heavy frame against the counter, “is that alright, Captain?”
“As long as you don’t mess with my team, you can do anything you like, König.”
“Polite of you to allow that,” König replied, distaste dripping from his tone. 
“I’m a reasonable man.”
König sniffed at that, but he didn’t come out with a rebuttal. Instead he picked up his coffee and left, not in the mood to continue bickering back and forth with Price. You doubted he could last much longer either, his body looked fit to burst by the time he’d gone, ready to tear forward and claim Price’s head for his wall. 
“Fucking KorTac,” Price muttered, slamming the fridge and walking out with a brown can. 
-💀-
A few days later, after a couple more awkward encounters filled with longing stares and unspoken words, you’d been lying on your bed when first contact came. 
You squealed like a school kid. You hadn't expected something to go flying across your floor and to the foot of your bed. At first you’d thought  it was some kind of mouse until you calmed down and realised it was just a bit of paper that had gone skittering across the wood. 
“What the fuck?” you mumbled to yourself.
You hesitantly picked up the note and almost dropped it like a hot potato when you saw the neat looping scrawl on the page. It didn’t look like any handwriting you recognised from your team and instinctually you knew exactly who had written it. Apparently he wasn’t as strong willed as you.
Meet me at The Broken Plough at 8.30, I know the 141 don’t go there.
When you read it finally, you found yourself falling back onto your bed, sending the springs groaning underneath you. The Broken Plough was further out than your usual pub, the one that was usually too full of people to get a seat at. It was charming and had a lot more of a modern touch to it, so it was no wonder more people flocked there, and you knew for a fact that König was going to use that to his advantage. More people meant less prying eyes, it meant crowds that could hide even a massive almost seven foot tall Austrian man. 
“I’m not going,” you said out loud to yourself, perhaps as a command, perhaps as a promise. “I could lose my job.”
Nevertheless, whatever you tried to do by manifesting out loud didn’t work - you ended up worming your way out of the base just before eight o’clock. You walked through the cold night, steps crunching on the frosty grass and found yourself at The Broken Plough just before the agreed time, cursing yourself as you filtered through the crowd and toward the bar, blessedly finding a free chair. 
If you were going to face König after all those days of not speaking, then you needed a drink or two first.
The vodka shot you ordered went down hard and bitter on your throat, however it paved the way for your double rum and coke to go down nice and smoothly. If you were going to put your position at risk, then you’d be damned if you were going to do it sober. It was a necessity really, even through the cold your body had been running hot with worry, and then as you sat at the bar you could practically feel your eyes vibrating as you looked down at the dark liquid in the wide glass, swirling it around and distracting yourself from the chatter of all the people around you.  
“You came.”
You froze, registering the voice coming from your right side. It sounded soft, though you still heard it, completely undeniably coming from the man you’d been forbidden to talk to. His shadow cast itself across the bar and darkened your drink from treacle to tar. It was a shock at first, knowing you could speak to him in safety, and then it was a spark, a kick of lightning as if you’d been put under a defibrillator. You were doing something bad - but you’d don’t care.
You could talk to him again, it was safe. 
Not that you could even find the words to say when you came to the realisation. You hadn’t even looked at him yet. You glanced up from your glass and gasped when you came face to face with him, eyes blowing up like supernovas. 
He wasn’t wearing his hood, or his neck warmer, or even the usual uniform you came to expect him to be in. He was wearing roughed up jeans and a black t-shirt that could barely contain his upper arms, the fabric was straining around his muscles and looked fit to burst. Inexplicably your mouth started to fill, and you had to choke down a swallow just to greet him. 
“König!” you squeaked, still running your eyes up and down his frame. 
You were in disbelief. This was what König looked like? He might as well have appeared naked, you wouldn’t have reacted much differently. You caught sight of every detail you could, cataloguing the scars and bruises that ran along his arms like tiger stripes and leopard spots, gouges and slashes scattered carelessly, disrupting the blanket of fine blonde hair that ran across them. His chest was wide even without all the gear and bags normally strapped across it, his legs still thick without the baggy trousers he normally wore. 
When you finally looked up at his face you caught him staring back at you with an expression crossed half with amusement and half with worry. You supposed he must’ve been anxious about how you’d react, and if you were going to show up at all - and now that you’d come and not said anything beyond his name. Did he think you were going to think better of your decision? 
Certainly not now you’ve seen him looking like that, you thought absentmindedly. He’d even brushed his hair, it sat neatly on top of his head, running all in the same direction. He’d put effort in, he wanted to look good. 
“Are you alright?” he asked finally, breathless. 
“Yeah, just- I just can’t believe you’re standing in front of me right now and you look…like that.”
“Like what?” he replied, frowning and looking down at himself as if he’d done something wrong, as if he’d come out with two different shoes or something. 
“Like um- like…” you bit your tongue and looked away from him, taking a sizable drink from your glass. “Good.”
“You think I look good?” he grinned.
König’s face broke out into a full smile, his soft lips and his big eyes making you dizzy. You ached to brush your hand against his jaw and pull him toward you, you wanted to kiss him again. Though you didn’t think you’d get to remain in your refuge for long if you wound up on top of him (or below, you didn’t mind) in public. 
“Yes, you look good,” you said weakly, finishing the rum and coke down to the last sticky sweet drop.
“I figured it’d help if I was less recognisable,” he shrugged, “but if it works for you, then that’s good too.”
“I think people might still have their doubts about the six foot seven Austrian man,” you laughed. 
“What if I lean?” he said conspirtorialy, lowering himself against the bar a little. 
“Oh, much less conspicuous now,” you snorted.
You both chuckled at that, and he straightened up again with a shake of his head. Clearly you’d both missed each other’s company more than you’d realised, and with that realisation you were fighting to keep back a whine and your stomach was filling with butterflies. You were really speaking with König again. He was really there, in the incredibly handsome flesh. 
“I missed you,” you sighed, propping your head against the arm you had leaning on the bar top. 
“I missed you too,” he said quietly. “You have no idea how many times I had to hold myself back from talking to you. It’s been torture.”
“Well I guess I have to thank you for that. I’m only just back in Price’s good books,” you said bitterly. 
“Price,” he grunted. “I still can’t believe it - what happened. He came up to me and told me about your meeting with him, you know, and he said if he caught me talking to you he’d get me kicked off the base for ‘unprofessional’ behaviour. As if that weren’t enough, when I told him to go ahead, he said he’d send you away to another team if you gave in.”
Your mind spun knowing that Price really was serious. If by some miracle Price chanced walking into the pub he swore that he hated, your role in the 141 was going to be dissolved in acid and shut into a barrel. 
“The man knows how to make a threat, I’ll give him that,” you remarked.
“It’s not right!”
You sighed and ran your hand along König’s arm, feeling the hair tickle at your fingertips. He was a spring waiting to release, his muscles corded like he was ready to be unleashed onto the field. They only got tighter as you continued your ministrations, his face was turning unreadable, his breaths labouring in his chest. 
How tightly wound was he? You were just stroking his arm. 
“König, I’m not a fan of the decision either, but…I understand why he asked it of us.”
“What?” he growled, standing away from your reach. 
“I know that what happened wasn’t exactly a live or die situation, but realistically it could’ve been. There could’ve been men we didn’t know about and they could’ve gotten to Soap and Gaz while I was off distracting Ghost. It could’ve been bad. It could-”
“Any situation could turn into anything, it doesn’t mean you should ban people from speaking to each other like you’re some kind of fucking teacher or something, he shouldn’t have that power.”
“He’s the Captain, he has that power for a reason, he has to do what’s best for his team,” you sighed. “Even when what’s best is really shitty.”
König looked like he could go on, but he saw the way that you were staring back at him and dropped it, looking utterly defeated. He clenched his jaw and looked around the bar, catching the faces of the people that milled around and seemed to be deep in thought. His brows had a little knot in the middle, just a little something you picked up, he was concentrating hard. 
“If you agree with his decision then why did you come and meet me?” he asked, finally talking again. 
“Because, I care about you. I couldn’t just never speak to you again - after everything y’know?”
He bit his lip.
“You still care about me even after all those things you said?”
It was your turn to go silent. You suppose you’d been expecting it to come up, but then again you were praying that it wouldn’t. Trying to explain the multitude of crossed wires and screaming signals in your mind was too difficult. You still didn’t like what went down, or the kind of work he did, but given more time to reflect, you were able to distance yourself from the situation and appreciate what he’d said that night before you'd kissed him. The person on the field and the person in front of you were separate although intertwined, they were day and night.
Inexplicably you wanted to stick around for the daytime, despite the darkness he was capable of. 
“I don’t know where I fall on it all, but… I know that I missed you after not getting to speak to you for a week. I know that I thought about that kiss we had and I felt my lips go tingly every fucking time i did, and now that I say it out loud its really cringy, but you know what? It’s what happened. I think about you all the time, whenever I watch dumb videos and see someone out on a hike somewhere or reviewing some completely over portioned food place I think of you. I think about you and your pictures you show me, and the stories you’ve told me and I drive myself insane thinking about dates we could go on and things I wanna tell you about myself and I just…I want you. I want you in spite of it all. I never want to leave the 141, unless I absolutely have to, but I don’t want this to be the last time we ever speak either.”
König listened to you intently, his face grew soft and he drifted ever closer to you with each word that you said. His hands hovered across the bar and over onto you, warming your flesh as they grasped your thighs and they drew up to your shoulders.
As soon as you’d finished speaking he was kissing you again, and you were losing yourself to him, breathing him in, Soap and citrus and spice. You wove your hands through his hair and felt the slicked back strands separating through your fingers like grass in the summer. You held him close and kissed him deep, the burn of spirits that still coated your tongue dying as he replaced them with his own sweet taste.
When you separated, you were both breathing heavily, marathon level gasps were leaving your lungs, but you didn’t think much about it. You could feel how blown out your pupils were, you were sure they looked just like his. You smirked at him, and he smiled back, his eyes crinkling. There was still a little paint left behind in the creases. 
“I don’t think that should be our last kiss,” König murmured. 
“I don’t think so either…”
“Then what do we do?” He sighed.
You paused for a moment, feeling horrified at the thought of what you were about to say. Although, even with your mind racing and your heart thundering, you couldn’t stop yourself. 
“You’re free some weekends right?”
Next Part Here
3K notes · View notes
forever-rogue · 7 months
Note
hello ❤️ i hope you're doing okay!
i have an idea that i'm not sure if you've written it before but here goes
reader has low self-esteem and self-confidence due to parents holding her on a tight leash (literally would isolate in a cave before wearing a dress, will always concede in an argument just to avoid being shouted at, maybe even obsessing over a skincare routine simply because her parents told her she'd never be pretty otherwise) and perhaps our lovely eddie or stevie could help her see her self-worth? 🥺
thank you for taking the time to read, and apologies if you've already written something similar 🙏
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AN | Eddie would absolutely show you just how wonderful and loved you are! Enjoy 🥰
Warnings | Language
Pairing | Eddie x Fem!Reader
Word Count | 3.7k
Masterlist | Main, Eddie 
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
You were meticulous. 
Always polished and nicely put together. Never too loud but not completely shy either. Knew when to chime into conversation and what to add. You always seemed to be perfectly happy, despite the situation. 
These were all things Eddie knew about you. And in a lot of ways those were all things he loved about you. But what he wanted even more was to see everything that you weren’t showing people. He wanted to know all of you, the real you. He knew you had to be in there somewhere - you wouldn’t have started dating him if you weren’t. He doubted someone truly so straight-laced would even cast a second glance at him. 
But here you were, Eddie Munson’s girlfriend. To be fair, you didn’t go out and proclaim to the world that the two of you were dating…your family and co-workers and maybe even some so called friends probably wouldn’t have liked that. But nonetheless, you spent almost all of your time with Eddie. 
And you loved him - you really did. There wasn’t anything that you could think of that you didn’t like about him. You might have appeared to be the polar opposite of him, but you were so much more alike than what appearances might suggest. And you knew that things were going to have to change at some point if you wanted this relationship to blossom and bloom to its full potential. Eddie would have to see the real you at some point. 
You just hoped he would like what he saw. 
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
“Hey sugar,” you could hear Eddie sweetly calling out to you from the bedroom as you tried to keep yourself together in the bathroom. You’d been in there longer than what would be considered normal for simply brushing your teeth and washing your face. You’d started with those intentions but things quickly turned south when you realized you hadn’t brought several of the items you used for your skincare every night, “everything alright?”
The last ten minutes had been spent staring at your face in the mirror, trying to calm yourself. Surely one night of an incomplete skincare routine wouldn't completely destroy your skin, right? 
“‘m alright,” you called back, voice small and broken. You knew that Eddie definitely wouldn’t buy that; you hoped he was distracted and wouldn’t notice. You swiped at your eyes and tried to stop the tears from spilling over, “be out in a moment.”
Before you could say anything else, there came a soft knock on the bathroom door. You inhaled sharply, mind going into a panic almost immediately, “can I come in, sweetheart?”
You wanted to say no, wanted to be harsh back so he might leave you alone and give you some space, but you couldn’t find it in your heart to do so. Not to Eddie - the sweet, loving, gentle soul that he was. You sniffled, using the sleeve of your (his) sweater to wipe away the tears that had run down your face before slowly opening the door. 
When you faced Eddie, his face turned into a huge frown immediately. The worst part was that for a moment you thought that frown might have been directed at you. After opening and closing your mouth a few times and finding it impossible to say anything, you resorted to the only thing you could think of - throwing yourself into his arms and clinging onto him tightly.
“Shh,” he responded in kind, wrapping his arms around and pulling you into his body. He pressed kisses the side of your head, rubbing your back in gentle, soothing circles, “it’s okay - I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
You mumbled out a response, mixed in with your tears, that he didn’t quite catch - but that was okay. Right now all that mattered was that you were okay and that you knew that he was there for you. 
After a few minutes of gently letting you cry into his shoulder, he pulled back and pressed a kiss to your forehead, “c’mon - let’s get you outta the bathroom.”
“Okay,” you let him scoop you up as he carried you the short distance to his bedroom. You set you down gently on the warm blanket, reaching up to rest his hand on your cheek before brushing aways your tears. He crouched down in front of you so he could look up at you, a small smile on his face, “sorry for being such a baby.”
“You’re my baby, but you’re not being a baby,” he rested his hands on your thighs, giving them a gentle and reassuring squeeze, “do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” you admitted softly, dropping your face as your voice almost cracked, “but I do at the same time. I just don’t want you to think I’m stupid or hate me.”
“I would never think you’re stupid or hate you,” he let out an incredulous chuckle, shocked that you would even think it would be possible for him to feel anything but love towards you. He reached up and put a finger under your chin, tilting your face up so he could look into your eyes, “that’s not possible. I love you, yeah? You can tell me anything, so long as you’re comfortable with it.”
“Yeah,” you wrapped your fingers around his wrist and pulled his hand to your lips so you could press a gentle kiss to his knuckles, “I know that. It’s just…hard. I’ve never had anyone like you in my life and I guess it’s taking longer to open up.”
“I’m not surprised you haven’t met someone like me,” he gestured to himself, causing you to giggle softly, “you can have all the time in the world. It’s not always easy for me either.”
“I just meant…someone like you - caring and loving and so open,” you slid off the bed so you could sit next to him, your knees gently knocking into his, “my life has never been like that. And I guess I just always hold everything in and then as soon as one thing goes wrong, I crack.”
“What happened? That caused you to-”
“Have a stupid meltdown?” you interrupted him but he just clicked his tongue to show that he didn’t agree with your assessment, “it’s so silly. Promise not to laugh?”
“Pinky promise,” he held out his hand and extended his pinky towards you. You couldn’t help but laugh at how silly he was being, but gently hooked your pinky around his.
“I forgot some of the stuff I use for my skincare every night,” you admitted softly, avoiding his big, brown eyes. You cleared your throat at his silence, before offering him a small smile, “and that just caused me to spiral and worry that I’ve somehow ruined my entire face and life. See, it sounds so stupid just saying that out loud.”
“Hey,” he gently nudged your knee with this, “it’s okay to feel that way, your feelings are valid.”
“Even if they’re ridiculous?” you felt another wave of emotion wash over you, but this time a small laugh bubbled up as well. Only Eddie could be so reassuring as you felt like the biggest fool in the world, “because they feel ridiculous.”
“They’re valid,” he insisted softly, “why do you think that happened? Your reaction.”
“Oh my love,” you let out a long breath as Eddie’s cheeks turned bubblegum pink from your endearment, “it’s a long story. I don’t want to bore you with it.”
“I’ve got all night,” he shrugged causally, a cheeky little wink thrown your way, “well, I’ve got all the time in the world for you.”
“Okay,” you whispered softly, “okay. Let’s just start with the beginning then, shall we?”
“Lay it all on me. I’m ready for it all,” you could have melted at his kindness and the love you felt flowing from him, “just remember one thing.”
“Which is…”
“I’ll love you always. Regardless of what you tell me.”
“Eddie,” you chewed on your lip as your shoulders shook with silent laughter, “what if I told you I was like a murderer or something?”
“I’d be shocked,” he pulled his hair into a bun at the top of his head, a few curls managing to escape as he hummed thoughtfully, “but also kind of here for it. Kinda sexy in a way.”
“Eddie!”
“But I know that’s not true,” he reached for your hands and gently pulled you forward so you’d crawl into his lap. You took the hint and eagerly crawled onto him, relaxing when you felt his arms wrap around your waist, “so tell me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
Eddie had meant it when he’d said he had all the time in the world for you. The two of you stayed up until the early hours of the morning talking about everything that had been on your mind for so long, everything that weighed so heavily on you for years. 
It all came out so easily and felt so good to finally tell someone. And, thank the stars, Eddie was the right person to listen and offer the right words that you needed to hear. It felt like he was one of the only people that understood you. You had been so worried that once he saw what you were really like, how your mind worked, that he would somehow not like you anymore. 
But it was just the opposite - he fell even more in love with you. Which was a feat that he hadn’t thought was possible. But seeing more of your personality come out over the following days and weeks made him an absolute sucker for you. 
And yet there was still more hanging on that you needed to change. And you knew that this was something that was going to either make or break some things, but you knew what needed to be done. 
“Eddie?” you let yourself into the trailer, finding him in the small dining area, scribbling away in his notebook. He looked up at the sound of your voice, a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. 
“Hello sweetheart,” he set down his pen and closed the notebook before making his way over to you. He didn’t hesitate before taking your face in his hands and kissing you softly, but with so much meaning.
“Hi,” you were beaming up at him, already feeling yourself melting. He looked you up and down and couldn’t contain his smile; ever since your little heart to heart, he’d noticed that you’d started to dress a little differently - more yourself. You finally felt more free to be yourself, to let your imperfections shine through. You had never imagined that it would feel so good and liberating, “I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything.”
“I want you to meet my parents,” his eyes widened as he opened and closed his mouth a few times. He was definitely not expecting you to ask that of him. Not that he didn’t want or wouldn’t do it - he would of course. Eddie was just sure that you’d never even want him to meet them, or vice versa. His silent response caused you to swallow thickly as you shook your head, “never mind - it’s silly.”
“No, sweetheart, stop,” he gently put his hands on your shoulders with a gentle squeeze to try and get you to relax, “I’m just shocked is all. I didn’t think you’d ever want me to meet them. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“I know it seems a bit…odd,” your lips pulled into a sheepish grin that Eddie really wanted to kiss. He refrained and decided that he would do it soon enough, “but I’ve been thinking a lot about it and it seems like the perfect time to do it. If not now, then when?”
“That’s a big step,” he couldn’t put into words how proud he was of you. The steps you had been making lately were leaps and bounds above where you had been. He might have fallen just a little more in love with you then and there, “I like it. Look at you go, sweetheart. Nothing can stop you now.”
“Well, I do have you to thank for that too,” you put your hand on his chest and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “couldn’t have done it without you, love. So, what do you think? Will you consider it?”
“I will more than consider it,” he wrapped his arms around your waist before picking you up and spinning you around until you were breathless from giggles. When he set you back down, you almost stumbled into him. You really loved him, “I’ll do it. Just name the time and place.”
“How about Friday night at seven?” you looked at him expectantly, hoping he wouldn’t back out simply from the fact that you had already set a date. He leaned in and pressed his forehead to yours before nodding gently and brushing his nose against yours, “I love you.”
“I love you,” shivers ran up and down his spine as goosebumps erupted all over his skin. He would never get tired from hearing you say that, “I’ll be there and be on my best behavior.”
“Don’t put on any airs, Eddie,” you whispered, “just be yourself.”
“As long as you’re yourself too,” you closed your eyes and exhaled slowly, knowing it would be difficult. It was going to be hard to break a lifetime of being a certain way around your parents and allowing them to see the real you. But you wanted this, you had to do this.
“I will,” you promised, “I will.”
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
“It’s going to be okay,” you had rung the bell at your parents house, waiting for them to answer and tightly clutching onto Eddie’s hand. You made a small sound in the back of your throat that sounded somewhere between a groan and cry, “I’ve got you. And if you want to leave whenever, we will. We don’t have to stay.”
“I know,” you agreed. After a few moments of tense silence, you heard footsteps coming towards the door. It slowly opened and you suddenly felt like your heart was going to explode. Suddenly your mother was there, staring down at the two of you. Fuck. You cleared your throat, "h-hi mom."
"Darling," she looked you over before shifting her gaze to your boyfriend. You could see her face falling as she studied him, clearly horrified that this was your choice was of partner. She tried to tone down her sneer but it was no use, "and just who is this?"
"This is Eddie. My boyfriend," you had no hesitation and you could practically see the gears turning in her head, "we've been together for a whole so I wanted you to meet him."
"Edward," she didn't bother to extend her hand or give him a hug (not that you expected that in the slightest). You almost laughed at her, "a pleasure…I'm sure."
"It's just Eddie, ma'am," he offered her a charming smile that she didn't return, "thank you for having me."
She remained silent as she turned to head inside. It was typical behavior and you shouldn't have been surprised. Eddie squeezed your hand as you stepped inside. He stole a few glimpses of the house, trying to see if there were any traces of you. But all he could see were tidy spaces that felt cold and impersonal. He had a feeling that this was what he would find. 
"Dinner is just ready," your mother stepped into the kitchen to finish things up as the two of you went into the dining room. Your father was already sitting at the table, the paper held up in front of him as he skimmed the day's news.
"Hello," you held up your hand awkwardly, trying to get his attention. With a grumble he set the paper down and looked up to find you standing there awkwardly, "hello father."
"Who is this?" So much for the formalities, right? You didn't bother to hide your eye roll this time.
"This is my boyfriend Eddie," you gestured between the two of them, "Eddie, this is my father."
"Hello sir," he offered a cheery wave.
"Do you have a job, young man? Do you find it hard to get a job looking like that?" At least he didn't bother to hide his disdain. You opened your mouth to argue back but Eddie gently shook his head.
"I don't sir," Eddie answered confidently, "considering I own my own business - a mechanic shop. And before then it was never an issue either."
Your father's face paled as he kept his gaze turned away. Eddie shot you a quick wink as he pulled out your chair for you. You sat down and tried to keep your expression as neutral as possible. 
A tense silence fell over the room, the only sounds to be heard were from your mother finishing up in the kitchen. Luckily, you and Eddie had managed to perfect silent communication and you both had plenty to say to each other. You almost couldn’t control your laughter. You would have never felt this bold or confident without having Eddie by your side. He was able to bring out the very best of you. You could only hope that you did the same for him.
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
By the time the food was on the table and everyone had a plate, conversation still didn’t really flow. There were stunted comments here and there from your parents, but that was the extent of it. You hoped that Eddie could see what you had meant when you’d told him about your childhood and life; these people were as straightlaced as possible.
“So,” and you knew it - something - was coming. You swallowed the bite in your mouth and looked at her with a hard expression, “you’re dressing…interestingly.”
“What do you mean?” you knew exactly what she meant. You’d been expecting her to ask something of the sort. You looked down at your outfit, which to be fair was still nothing shocking. It was a short black slip dress under which you had a white t-shirt on and a pair of docs on your feet. Hardly edgy but different than what they’d come to expect of you. 
“It’s just so…garish,” she raised an eyebrow as Eddie choked on his bite as he tried not to laugh. You barely managed to hide your own laughter as you patted his back, “what kind of impression are you trying to give off?”
“This is hardly garish,” you snapped back, “I’m covered and this is just…so average. What is the problem? Because it’s black and different from what you’re used to?”
“Honey-”
“Don’t honey me,” you hissed at her, as your father slammed down his fist on the table.
“Do not speak to your mother like that!” you cringed slightly at the sound of his voice but kept yourself mostly in check.
“I’m not doing or anything rude or wrong,” you said softly, “my entire life you both have been this way. You’ve never let me have any freedom or anything, and I’m finally getting to be who I really am. And that’s okay - what is so wrong with me dressing slightly differently or expressing who I am?”
“You’re going to ruin your life like that - giving people the wrong impression by those clothes and this- this boy!” you groaned as Eddie’s eyes widened. He wasn’t quite sure if he should do or say anything. 
“My clothes or how I act isn’t going to do anything or ‘attract the wrong people’ as you seem to think. The right people wouldn’t judge me on something like that," you sat back in your chair and shifted your gaze between your parents, "and just so we're very clear, this is who I've always been. I'm just not hiding it anymore. And you know who helped me with that? Eddie. I love him so much - and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with him. So if you want me to be any part of your lives you'll accept me as I am, and him."
The entire room fell into silence; your parents were clearly horrified and Eddie was looking at you with pure adoration. You blinked a few times; you hadn't planned any of that and weren't quite sure what to say or do next. You swallowed the lump in your throat.
"Well," you hated the tone of her voice. She picked up her napkin and dabbed at the corner of her mouth before practically glaring at you and Eddie. He reached for your hand under the table and laced your fingers together, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze, "I don't know where my little girl went but it's certainly not you. You can see yourself out the door."
"Mom-"
"Get out."
Tears started pricking at the back of your eyes as you stood up, practically pulling Eddie with you. It was silent between the two of you as you grabbed your purse and walked out the door. You didn't even have it in you to try and slam the door. You just left.
Eddie gently took the car keys from you, opening the passenger side for you to get in. He quickly slipped into the driver's side and before he could turn on the car, both of you started to giggle loudly. 
"Jesus Christ," he let out a long sigh as he leaned against the headrest, "that was brutal."
"Yup…and that's not even the worst they've ever been," you looked at him with dreamy eyes before grabbing his hand and pressing a kiss to his palm, "thanks for coming and dealing with that."
"Nothing to thank me for sweetheart," he whispered, "you gonna be okay?"
"Of course," you promised, knowing the memories would sting for a while before they got better, "why wouldn't I be? I've got you, haven't I? You're my family, Eddie. Not them."
"Did you mean it?" He asked so softly that you almost didn't hear his simple question, "when you said we'd be together forever?"
"Duh," you teased and his cheeks turned pink as he bit his lip, "unless that's a problem for you?"
"Not at all," he leaned over the center console and kissed you sweetly, "that's all I've ever wanted."
"Me too, Eddie," you stole a few more kisses from your favorite boy, "I love you so much."
"I love you, brave girl. So much."
508 notes · View notes
berryzxx · 5 months
Note
Could you do a really angsty fic where Matheo's annoyed because reader (he likes her) was getting too close to Theo/Draco/Enzo/Cormac LITERALLY ANYONE at a party and then they have an argument and he confesses. Ty
Perfectly serious
(sorry this took so long but I've been busy not handing in my assignments.) Also angst isn't my strong point but I TRIED. I continued writing the fic and the ending may not be what you wanted but I still hope u like it x)
Summary: Matheo's jealousy and want for you increases after seeing you with Theo to the point where he finally/kind of confesses
Matheo Riddle x reader
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His arm wrapped around my waist, bringing me even closer to him. "Come on, let's get you to bed" Theo murmured. I looked up at him confused "I'm not drunk". My head might feel light and I might feel extremely happy and sad at the same time but I was most definitely not drunk.
"Yes you are" He took my hand and led me away from the groups of people dancing together, taking his time to weave us in and around the drinks being passed around. Everyone gave me a smile as I left, Pansy giving me a wink as we passed "I bet he fucks good. Have fun babe!" She said, her words slurring slightly, her voice loud enough for Theo to hear. Maybe if he heard it he would act on it. I wouldn't mind getting in bed with him.
We soon reached my room, the music faded to a low sound coming from below us and the lights softer than the harsh party lights of before.
"Well...night y/n" Theo said.
"You know" I started, my voice low and sultry. "I wouldn't mind if you joined me, made things more interesting. Hm?" I tilted my head waiting for his answer, his eyes searching my face. For what I didn't know.
He gave me a soft smile "Your drunk. And when drunk, your ideas aren't really your own. So as much as I'd like to follow through with your idea, it's best you get some sleep"
I rolled my eyes at him being who he always was. I wished for once he would push the boundaries. "Fine. Night Theo"
"Sweet dreams" He dropped my hand and waited for me to close the door. I could hear his receding footsteps, probably to go up to his own dorm. I was relieved in a way. Maybe I wasn't actually ready to fuck him and it was just the alcohol making me want something more. We were good friends. I didn't want to ruin that for something that I didn't really want. Chocolate brown eyes crossed my mind. Curly hair that would feel so nice running my hands through-. Something that would never happen.
*Potions the next day*
"I didn't see you yesterday" I said to Matheo referring to the party yesterday. Stirring in the crushed up leaves into the steaming potion, I turned to look at him, his eyes were icy and cold as if I had done some personal wrong against him.
"Of course you didn't. You were too busy trying to estimate your chances with Theo. Heads up, princess. He has higher standards"
I ignored the nickname that would usually make me swoon and instead my mouth opened in shock. How fucking rude of him. Was he ok?
"Are you being serious right now?" I stopped stirring the potion and crossed my arms. I could take a joke but come on. He had taken it too far.
"Perfectly serious. Why? Did you think I was nice?" He stood up to tower over me, his minty scent washing over me. His chocolate brown eyes were like daggers into my soul. It hurt knowing someone I was good friends with could switch up so fast.
"No actually, I didn't. Your just like everyone says you are. You get with a girl for your own pleasure, lead her on and then leave her with a broken heart. Your a rude fucking asshole and nothing more"
His jaw clenched at what I said, waiting for me to say anything else. I didn't actually mean it but I would never let anyone disrespect me and not expect anything back.
I realised soon how close we were. If only he were to move slightly closer, I could have tipped my head upwards and kissed him. The fact that I was thinking about that even though he had insulted me was annoying for me. I shouldn't still like him. Not anymore.
"You really mean that?" His voice came out soft, his jaw no longer clenched. As if he understood what I had said. I hesitated. Of course I didn't. How could I? I liked him for fucks sake.
I sighed "I don't know"
He sat back down as if he were tired of our argument. As if he didn't want to argue with me.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said-"
"Let's just forget about it. Ok?" I didn't want to argue either. Maybe he was angry and took it out on me. Fine. I would give him a pass just this once seen as though we were such good friends. (If only we were more than that)
He nodded his head and we worked in silence for the next few minutes. Until he cleared his throat and looked toward me again "Listen y/n. I don't want us to ruin our...friendship for something I've said so let me treat you. Will you be free to come to (insert Restaurant name bc I can't think of one rn) at eight?"
I paused and raised an eyebrow, smiling slightly "Are you asking me on a date or just as friends?" Confident of me to ask but I wanted to know where we stood.
After a pause he replied with "I'd be happy with either, as long as it's with you"
I thought about my next question "And if I want it to be a date?" I asked quietly.
He smiled "I was hoping you'd say that, princess"
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vnmpior · 10 months
Note
Hi, this is the first time I've asked anyone to write a smut fic or a smut headcanon with Keith and a very shy reader, I don't know if you do smut but if not you don't have to write. Or you can do about how Keith started the relationship with a very shy reader Note: english is not my first language, so sorry if i wrote something wrong
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i do write smut!! plus your english is very good dw about it! i have two other fics on the way right now, but i'm gonna finish this one first because they're hcs and a lot more faster for me to write 😋 this is kinda hard cause i'm personally not very shy but i'll try my best! (think this turned out to be JUST nsfw hcs i swear)
this is afab reader!
idc if minors interact - nsfw under the cut
not proofread
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SUPER brief hcs of how you got together (I WANT SMUT RN!!)
keith has always loved how shy you were, although he never said it out loud
you were almost always silent, behind everyone twiddling your thumbs or always finding something else in the room other than the people interesting
he found it endearing, although sometimes he knows he has to hold back his anger from you
every time he talked to you before you got together, you would blush uncontrollably and hesitate responding to him
so that's why it surprised him when you cornered him in a hallway, looking especially nervous
he saw a crumpled up note in your hands, and for the first time, you were holding eye contact with him
"i-uh, i like you a lot," you blurted out. you might be shy, but you were brave
immediately after that you shut your eyes, believing that he would reject you, or even worse, simply walk away
. . . but the kiss he gave you after was unmistakable.
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nsfw hcs
you would always cover your face whenever it got too good, and keith would always pull you hands away, sometimes even pinning you wrists above your head with one hand
"i want to see you."
GRRABABARBKARBARK
definitely has the strength to overpower you, and if you love that you know what i mean
an example is if he's eating you out and you try closing your thighs around his face
he'd quickly wrap his hands around you legs, and spread them back open, no matter how hard you try to close them
or using his strength from training constantly to fuck you against a wall, if he's feeling particularly rough that day
definitely fucks you if he's stressed about a day in the training room (or stressed in general)
i don't make the rules
has THE best ways to ask for consent
"you want this?/tell me how you want it."
"you want me to make you feel good?"
OR HE'D JUST DESCRIBE WHAT HE'D DO TO YOU
fave position is probably the mating press cause he loves being able to go down and kiss you and see your face
or you riding him because he loves the way you lean onto him and eventually tire out
and when you do, his grip on your waist is harsh enough to cause bruises as he harshly thrusts into you
probably has a thing for restraining you
loves how shy you are when you come to him asking for sex
he'd usually drag it out to tease you even more before finally giving you some relief
fingering god i love to say it
you see the way he works his hands!!!
definitely whimpers here and there, especially when you're giving him a blow job
if you have enough hair, he'll personally make a makeshift ponytail for you
if not, he'll simply run his hand through your hair
praisepraisepraise all day
probably goes feral once he's close to cumming
would start babbling literally any dirty talk that comes to his mind
"you're doing so good for me."
"gonna cum for me, yeah?"
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extra: DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HIM IN HEAT.
idc what anyone says he goes through it since he's half galra
the first time, he'd lock himself in his room and hope that it would eventually pass
but of course, as clueless as you were, you walked in and questionably gazed at all the stranded tissues on the floor
he'd try ushering you out, but after a moment to decide, you wanted to help him
definitely WAY more rough than usual
you'd come out with bruises everywhere and hickeys as far as the eye can see
a lot more vocal during this
he would love the way you would try to speak up but couldn't because it felt too good
you might be shy yourself, but whenever you got into the mood. . . you definitely weren't thinking straight
during heat he wouldn't even have the time to make you beg or tease you, he'd go all in immediately
definitely praises and degrades you a lot more
"being such a perfect little slut for me, hm?"
just know that after you guys finish, you're both too out of it to even speak or move, until eventually keith snaps out of it and helps you get cleaned up
sometimes you would get up first, wanting to return the favor
and he'd repay you with a lot of tired kisses until the two of you fall asleep
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slightly hate this cause im so rusty at writing smut lol
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rotbtd-edits · 10 days
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The similiar struggles of Merida & Hiccup
Just my two cents because I love talking these movies. I find it interesting how both Merida and Hiccup share similiar conflicts/themes in their movies. They both feel pressured to become leader figures by their parents, while also stubbornly sticking to their own ideals. Merida is trained by her strict mom to become the perfect princess, and is also expected to carry out her duties through marriage. Hiccup in HTTYD2 is expected to become the next chief by his dad while Hiccup himself feels it's not for him and he can't meet the expectations. They both have other dreams and yearn to keep their freedoms. Merida wants to live her life like she wants to, and Hiccup wants to keep exploring and spreading his findings about dragons. They also have parents that at some point have refused to listen to them.
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They also act in defiance to their families in order to maintain their own ideals and freedoms, wanting to do things their way instead of traditions. Merida argues against her mom, breaks the clan traditions by shooting for her own hand, and asks the witch for help to "change her mom" to agree to Merida's views. This ends up endangering her mother and the peace between the clans. Hiccup in turn refuses to listen to his parents about Drago, both who know him much better than Hiccup. Because Hiccup keeps believing anyone can change, that if he's just given the chance he can make it happen and everyone else is just hindering him in their warmongering blindness. Hiccup believes so strongly in his position as the pacifist peacemaker that he doesn't budge until it's too late. Neither Merida nor Hiccup really stops to think of the possible consiquences of their actions, they only see the positive outcomes. They feel like they're not being listened to, but they also don't listen to others either.
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So they both try to escape the expectations and restrictions put on them by actively defying and being stubborn about it, that it ends up endangering everyone. The main difference is, that while Merida gets a second change and has everything fixed in the end, Hiccup ends up paying the heavy price for his mistakes.
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Merida's actions get her mom turned into a bear and almost loses her completely. In the end when all seems lost Merida finally admits her fault aloud and to herself, owning up to her mistakes. Before that she also admits her careless actions against the clans and is ready to accept her duties as the princess. Merida finally sees the bigger picture outside her own point of view, that she's in a position where she simply can't think only about herself. She manages to reverse the spell and fix her relationship with her mom, who has also come to see the error in her own ways, thus ending things perfect.
Hiccup's mistakes sadly don't get as happy resolve as his stubborness ultimately ends up getting his dad killed. It's the cruel wake up call to Hiccup, how some people are simply beyond help and fighting them is the only way. It's what his dad had tried to tell him throughout the movie. Had he listened to his parents, things might have ended better, and he has to carry this guilt with him probably his whole life. Drago is the real villain and culprit, but Hiccup did play a part in how everything turned out. His part is more nuanced than Merida's, who is more clearly at fault in Brave along with her mom. After Stoick's death, Hiccup has no choice but to face the reality, own to his mistakes by stopping Drago and accept his duty as the chief. It was a harsh lesson for him, that sometimes you just can't force things to go your way, but maybe it was one he needed before becoming the leader for his tribe. Just like Merida needed to face hers to fix everything around her and correct her ways.
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So yeah, like said I find it interesting how Merida and Hiccup's stories and their character growths follow similiar themes. I'm glad Merida got her happy ending, but damn now I really want to give Hiccup a hug! ;u;
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libraincarnate · 1 year
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astrology notes: 4 🤠
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quick note: i'm absolutely not an astrologer. these are just a collection of some observations, thoughts, theories, and personal experiences. above all this is just for fun.
lastly, these may or may not apply to you but you might find something to be true about your friends, family, or lover. enjoy!
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✦ chiron in aquarius/chiron aquarius with harsh aspects to uranus: you may be bad with technology. might not use electronic devices much or might not know how to really use them. if you do use electronic devices it’s a struggle to use, hard to figure out, or frequent technical issues. probably don’t care for social media much either.
✦ pisces moon/mercury: music is important to these natives. it can be therapeutic or healing. music can make them feel understood, especially since they often feel misunderstood. this is probably because while most people wouldn’t bare their soul, emotions, and honest truth to just anyone they may feel more comfortable doing so through music, so these natives can relate to the artist/musician.
with that being said, they may like emotional music and lyrics matter to them, they pay attention to the words, the meaning. but also the overall feel of the song. the sounds. may like listening to music while bathing/showering as a form of self-care/love, to cope with their emotions, as an emotional outlet, or to simply relax. music & water feels like medicine or food for the soul. could use or benefit from using singing bowls, tuning forks, harps, or other musical tools and they may be an important apart of their spirituality or way of life. it also brings them pleasure, not just healing.
could like reading fantasy, fiction, romance, mythology books which can be just as healing/comforting/pleasing for them.
^ if you are a pisces rising, you may be able to relate to some of this due to having cancer in the 5th house.
✦ speaking of pisces, pisces venus/7th house: you guys probably day dream about love a lot. you love love. you know how some kids have imaginary friends? well these natives probably have an imaginary lover but they only exist in their heads .. hopefully lol. they day dream of them, thinking of different romantic scenarios, and he/she is their dream guy/girl. could apply to pisces mercury in the 7th house too.
✦ 4th house ruler in the 8th house: you might have a curse in your family, there’s a good chance it's on your mom’s side. you may feel the effects of the curse strongly if it’s a generational curse. lots of deaths in the family. could’ve experienced eerie, paranormal, supernatural events as a child growing up. could come from a family involved in esoteric practices like witchcraft, fraternities like freemasonry, etc. you might've been initiated as well.
✦ taurus in the 12th house girlies: aphrodite eating ambrosia & drinking nectar on a cloud, laying on her side like the muse of a sculptor, passing over the sea she was born from, gazing at her reflection in the water, pulling onlookers in with her beauty & the voice of a siren.
you may be a quiet person. probably sleep good. can be over indulgent in the pleasures of life because there can be wealth and abundance. but be careful, you may think you have more than you actually do. a spiritually grounded individual. signs of having talent that’s hidden/unrecognized by themselves and/or others. or if others do see these gifts/talents in you, you don’t or you deny it.
✦ neptune-uranus aspects: not having a sleeping pattern.
✦ while having prominent capricorn/saturn/10th house placements might indicate having issues with your father, if you are sun dominant he might have a big and positive influence in your life. he can be someone you look up to and respect. you could actually have a close relationship with him, especially if your sun is more dominant than your saturn. if your a girl, you may be a daddy’s girl.
those with positive sun-saturn aspects might even be able to relate. synastry matters too. if you have 5th or 11th house synastry with your dad, you guys are probably besties and spend a lot of time together.
the house the sun is located in can show you the themes of your relationship with him and the kind of influence he’ll have on you/your life.
in the 9th house: he could be a very wise and intelligent man. someone you have learned a lot from. he may be a lawyer, a teacher, or a pastor. might be someone you look to for advice or guidance. pushes you towards higher education. going on vacations/traveling with him. introducing you to a variety of things. he might not be a strict dad, lets you be/express yourself, doesn’t try to change you or control your personality. no curfew? or you were allowed to come home later than most. in the same breath, dads who are religious or who have a job that has to do with the law/legal justice system are stereotypically strict so you might not relate to this sense of freedom.
in the 5th house: a natural leader. he is probably talented in someway. you may also inherit these musical/artistic/creative gifts. could have a playful/fun relationship. may play games, music, or sports together, watching tv/movies together, sharing your hobbies with one another. someone you look up to, an inspiration. he brings a lot of joy and happiness to your life but you're also his pride and joy. just an overall indicator of him having a positive influence in your life.
in the 4th house: he might be your favorite family member, could have made your life at home easier. you may be very grateful for him. he might be a family man, someone who works hard and takes care of their family which sets a good example for you. probably hang out with him at home a lot. could be closer to your dad’s side of the family. i feel like sun in the 4th is especially a daddy’s girl placement. he’s proud of you and tends to brag about you. if you have children he’s probably close to them.  
✦ speaking of sun in the 4th house, it sounds like a good placement for a positive relationship with your mom but check your moon sign too. for example, having a sun in the 4th house but a scorpio/capricorn moon can indicate relationship issues with your mom because moon is in fall in scorpio & moon is in detriment in capricorn so both signs and the moon are weakened and uncomfortable here. moon in the 12th/8th is another example. but again, check your synastry with her too.
✦ libras & leos: may be known for being vain & attention-seeking, but they also like hyping people up, complimenting them, and making them feel good about themselves.
✦ fixed/earth signs: immune to peer pressure, gaslighting, and other forms of mind games. geminis are neither a fixed nor earth sign but i had to add them here too cause how are you gunna trick the trickster?
✦ saturn-uranus aspects: can indicate a career in technology, science, engineering, architecture, politics, or math.
✦ moon square/opposite chiron: difficulty expressing/validating your feelings. it can  be hard to comfort yourself emotionally because heavy emotions make you feel uncomfortable or you don't know how to deal with them. on the flip side, you are quick to validate the feelings of others and feel bad for them. still you are empathetic, maybe too much. it can be overwhelming taking on people’s emotions and burdens for yourself. more willing/easier to comfort others instead of yourself and to heal their emotional pain, but if you show yourself that same love, maybe a little extra, you can heal yourself too.
- this post was so damn wordy omg.
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if you read this until the end i hope you enjoyed it & thank you so much for reading. ♥︎♥︎♥︎, those hearts are for you. 
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vagabond-umlaut · 11 days
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synchronise 3.0
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On one end of the line, you've sunny days, mild breezes and not one thing to worry over. On the other end, there are only moonless nights, foul gales and one too many decisions– made and unmade– to repent for. And in the middle of this line segment, is you—
The only means by which the scales can be re-balanced. The equilibrium lost can be re-discovered. The wheels of life thrown off-kilter can be re-synchronised.
[Long story short: Time can be a funny little bitch— Good thing, you know how to be funnier than time itself!]
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gojo satoru x fem!reader; canon divergence; time travel fix-it; no warnings except the characters themselves featuring here; note [dw- this will make sense later on]: Asia is the largest continent on earth, while Europe is the second-smallest continent; reader has two brothers [js mentioned here]
prev chapter // synchronise masterlist // THE masterlist
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chapter three: T-Junction (Ⅰ)
Siblings... are complicated.
You don't really hate them, no. Not at all, honestly speaking.
Your two brothers mean the world to you— okay, maybe not the world. But they do mean a continent to you each. Maybe not Asia... maybe Europe... yeah, Europe sounds apt enough— Anyway, the point is: you love your brothers very much and are willing to punch anyone if that's what makes them happy. Still, you can't help but see siblings as somewhat complicated...
Which is why, your reckon, you feel so conflicted on seeing your probable-sister.
Are you happy? Yes. Of course. You finally have a sister, after all.
But are you really, truly happy?
... No, you aren't.
You're upset, your parents' affection for their kids will now be divided into four instead of three. You're upset, your parents have been hiding such information for so long. You're upset, this woman's abrupt appearance is bound to wreck havoc, in your already far too chaotic world.
You're upset, you're hurt, you're mad—
"I'm not the long-lost sister you might be thinking I am— I'm you, from the future."
You know you should be confused. You should be skeptical, you know this too. You should ask for proof– For all you know, she might be a con artist perfect at impersonation– It's really, really imperative for you to ask her for some form of proof, before engaging in any further interaction...
Yet all you do is take a small step forwards, so as to regard your alleged future self more keenly.
Only to take a step back, a shocked gasp barely stifled on realising– recognising– her presence entirely...
"You're really me," you murmur, voice far too low despite there being no one here to eavesdrop on you or 'the other you'. The latter's lips quirk up in a faint ghost of a smile. "You're much easier to convince than I thought you would be... It's not good to be this believing, y'know. Life won't go easy on you."
Perhaps, it won't. Perhaps, it will. But:
"Life hasn't gone too easy on you either, has it?" The question slips past you into the suffocating staleness of the alleyway... Not that you ever made any effort to stop it whatsoever, however. The smile shot at you fades into something raw, something visibly wounded— Should you care?
No. Maybe you should, but you won't.
You... simply don't want to.
Shifting your weight from one foot to another, you fold your arms across your chest and continue, "You look like absolute shit— Has anyone told you this yet, lady? Well, I'm telling you now: You Do," the words leave you in a sneer, allowing her no space to answer the ask. The latter was rhetoric anyway. "Your hair looks off, your face looks off, even your clothes— Goodness!" you let out a gasp, following it with harsh chuckles. Totally ignoring the flinch you receive in response.
"Did you come straight from a funeral, eh? And please don't even get me started on your cursed energy— mine is so fucking bright, so fucking powerful, people find themselves struggling to to breathe if I ever let the entire potential of mine loose! But yours? Heh," you scoff, smirking at her distressed features, "I know you're me but yours is nothing but a disgrace to mine: dull, weak, broken and fractured—"
CRASH!!!
The thunderous noise cuts you off from speaking.
And you whirl round, eyes the shape of saucers and your heart in your thraot, to find hell-like chaos unfolding in the china shop across the road: the owners screaming, the customers screaming, people pushing and shoving each other in their hurry to run out the cramped shop...
One they definitely believe to be haunted, from the way everything in there is now smashed to pieces...
Your older self is wearing a very stupid, very sheepish smile when you turn back around. She awkwardly scratches her neck then runs a hand through her hair, before sending you a crooked little grin this time.
"Sorry, uh. Silly emotions got the better of me, huh," she says, as if she did not just level a shop full of expensive crockery to the ground. The place is literally reeking of her– no, your– no, her!– cursed energy.  So blinding, so intense, you wonder how the people in there escaped from their organs being crushed by the sheer force of it...
"Anyway," A carefree hum drags you away from your racing thoughts of not-so-mild terror, "what was that you were talking 'bout again? Something related to my attire or my cursed ener–"
"Hey, no. Not at all," you don't waste even a fraction of a beat in denying. The woman's grin simmers down to a sharp shrewd tilt of her lips. "You can just forget whatever I was talking 'bout then. It's all nonsense, trust me. Nothing you got to worry about, haha."
"Okay," she agrees easily, moving to sit down on the box where Satoru and you were sitting before, waving a hand to call you over. You immediately comply with her request. Your older self regards you quietly for a couple beats before slumping back against the wall with a sigh.
You watch her look skywards before returning her focus to you.
"You must be wondering how– more importantly– why I'm here, right?"
Are you?
No, not really. You're actually wondering how on earth she got so powerful that she could cause such destruction despite the significant distance in between, without breaking into a single bead of sweat. You can't even focus enough to crush a dozen soda cans without needing a break in between.
Nevertheless, you don't let that stop you from returning an eager nod.
If the woman notes how forced it seems, she makes no mention of it, continuing, "Well, I'm not here from the future on a picnic, that's the only thing I can tell you for now... or ever, for that matter," she adds after a moment's contemplation.
"Things have gone kind of... let's say, wrong in the future. Yeah, wrong," she repeats after yet another moment's thought, "Like, really, really wrong. More like, disaster-level wrong." Her gaze falls to the purse in her hands, before lifting again to meet yours. "And I seriously need your help to make them right again, kid— considering this is the point where everything went off-track. This is the point where the two of us can ensure everything stays on the track."
"So tell me, kid," she twists to face you, desperation written all over her face— Not that you'll ever comment on it, though. Just because she is easy-going now, it doesn't mean you've to forget what happened not even ten minutes back—
"Do you wanna help me– and via that, yourself– out or not?"
A beat passes. Then another. And another.
You let your back hit the wall, biting back a defeated, already-fatigued groan...
She's acting as if you've got a goddamn choice in this godforsaken matter.
Her future is your future. So, if anything goes to hell in her future, it's doomed to go to hell in yours too. No questions asked, no conditions applied... You decide not to restrain the tinge– no, flood of your resignation in your tone this time.
"I'll help you out, okay," you concede, jumping down from the box and dusting your trousers.
The woman looks extremly delighted at your agreement— so much so that you think she might pull you into a tight hug. To avoid that, you move few steps away, and shoot a stiff smile back.
Her grin widens, if it was even possible at this point... Rising as well, she merrily ambles over to you and plucks out a terribly crumpled, terribly yellowed piece of film from her purse—
It's a family.
It's a photograph of a family—
A very cute, seemingly very happy family of three, if you're being honest.
There's the father, with a grimace-y smile and flattened black hair; and there's the mother, with an equally sweet beam and spiky black hair; then there's the kid– a teeny-tiny infant, to be specific– sucking on their thumb in their mom's arms, with the latter's spiky black hair...
You look up from the photo with a frown. "Am I supposed to find them or something?"
"Yup, you are," Your older version affirms with a hum— Before her cheeriness melts away into something far graver. And you reckon, it becomes her more than those eerie grins she was wearing before...
Clasping you by the shoulder, she bends an inch to look you in the eye. Words morphing into a mere wary whisper as she resumes:
"Then you're supposed to stop Zen'in Toji from going back to being an assassin. Kill him if you must, kid. But make sure, by hook or by crook, the world doesn't witness the return of the Sorcerer Killer."
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nothing much to say, other than hoping this chapter was enjoyable!!! likes, comments & reblogs r vm welcome & appreciated! tysm to everyone who has supported this silly fic of mine till now *mwah mwah* 💗💗💗
header from pinterest; dividers by @benkeibear; jjk isn't mine
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mrs-weasley-reid · 1 year
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Slap Back to Vegas
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platonic Spencer Reid x geniusbau!reader | part 2
part 1 | part 3 | part 4
Summary: Spencer was broken, the most broken he has ever been. As much as bau!reader wants to coddle him with sweet words like the rest of the team does, she can't because she made a promise six years ago.
Warning: mentions of death, self-harm, violence. cursing. short-tempered reader. (tell me if I missed anything)
A/N: this might be a bit heavy, so please be mindful as you read.
— ✿ — ✿— ✿ ✿ ✿
"Reid, answer the damn phone and stop moping." You hung up the phone with a thud, your nostrils flaring.
It has been two weeks. Two weeks since Spencer began grieving over Maeve's death, shutting people out. You were no exception.
And you weren't one to be insensitive or inconsiderate or impassive or uncaring or any other words to paint you out as the inhumane agent, but Spencer needed a wake up call.
No. He needed more than just a wake up call. He needed one hell of a delicious eye opening slap on his face. He needed to stop blaming himself, killing himself with guilt.
It has been six years since you promised to be his one friend who would never hesitate to be real with him. You were true to your word.
You may not fully relate to his grief, but you knew his stupid attempt to wallow in guilt would not do him any good.
"He can take all the time he needs," Hotch announced as his focus remained at the folder on his lap.
You rolled your eyes, "No, he can't."
Hotch gave you a stern look. The look of a disrespected father being questioned for his parenting skills. "Why don't you focus your energy on the case?" He made sure his authority was clear.
"95% of those who loses their partners are at risk of suicide." You stated nonchalantly, flipping through your own copy of file. "I'm just saying. Give him space all you want. Exactly what he needs to hang himself." You shrugged, as if your words weren't horrible. They were. You knew they were.
Rossi was the one to speak your name in a warning tone.
Sometimes you wished you wouldn't be the one to shake some sense into Spencer. You grew frustrated. Genius and empty minded. Just like Spencer, emotion was a difficult area for you to dabble in.
So here you were, the villain in the BAU team's story.
A lot of them grew increasingly annoyed at you. They thought, at first, it was denial. Denial that Spencer was grieving. That your friend was hurt. Then, they were left to think it was jealousy.
You and Spencer have been awfully close for the past six years, but Maeve's existence seemed to surprise you. So, they thought, maybe you were jealous of her. Because Spencer loved her dearly. Because Spencer loved someone else.
And boy were they wrong.
You love Spencer? Correct. You're in love with Spencer? Maybe you should be the one hanging yourself. You cared for him deeply, finding friendship in the midst of tragedies. However, you don't find it in yourself to love him romantically.
As harsh as your words were, you knew sweet nothings wouldn't get through Spencer. It would just make him push people away further, just like what he was doing right now.
You sighed in defeat, obliging to Hotch's advice. You directed your energy to the case, helping them the best you could, probably even better than Spencer. You were a genius, too, after all.
— ✿ — ✿— ✿ ✿ ✿
Voice mail greeted you once again, you closed your eyes in agony. You were losing patience, much less hope.
"Spencer—" It was rare. You never called him by his first name. "How am I supposed to slap you some good ole reality if you're over there acting like you're dead? A simple, 'I'm alive, leave me alone,' would be fine. Spencer, I don't entirely know how you feel, but trust me, I know it's hard. Can you at least respond to the others? Blow on the speaker or something just so they know you're alive. I'm really mad at you. I look like the bad guy here. Just know that once you feel better, I will physically slap you back to Vegas."
A weak smile urged the corner of Spencer's lips as he listened to your irritated voice. That was the first time his lips even moved. He forgot how much he loved to talk.
You sighed, placing the phone's microphone closer to your lips. "You're being stupid, Spencer. You're being unfair to everyone who has been with you for years. They want to help you. Let them help you. Plus, I hate that everyone thinks I'm in love with you. Please tell me that makes you want to puke too." You paused. He could only imagine the grimace on your face, and that made him chuckle. "You must respond to them and tell them how much you love me as your annoying sister. Ugh! Fine. Mope around all you want—"
Spencer quickly played the next voicemail you left him, knowing how persistent you were as a person. He knew you weren't about to cut your speech off.
"This is fucking stupid. Who the hell made the decision to make voicemails three minutes long? Why am I even leaving you a voicemail? I don't even leave my mother a voicemail. Do me a favor, make it easier for me and answer the freaking phone, you son of a bitch!" Spencer couldn't take it anymore. He fell on fits of laughter in the tightness of his apartment. His stomach cramped, his hands cradling it to ease the shortness of his breath.
Spencer collapsed on the floor. Tears glided down his temple. What made the tears bearable was the fact that they weren't of grief. They were of momentary happiness. Would you be glad to know that your demise cheered him up a bit? Probably not.
A groan escaped you. He knew you've grown impatient of him. You didn't have much patience to begin with. "I meant your Dad, by the way. Diana would agree with me." He nodded as if you were in front of him. "Spencer. I wasn't oblivious. I am a genius, too, you know. Why does everyone always forget that I have 184 IQ? I knew there was someone. You always memorized phone booth locations first before working on the geographic profile. You're always smiling after a call from God knows whatever phone booth you wandered to. I knew it was someone who made you happy. If everyone knew about your girlfriend, I knew about the silly little book you're probably holding right now."
You took a well needed pause, your tongue went dry and empty of words, but your mind was running a thousand miles per hour. Spencer heard you shoo someone away and snorted at the shortness of your temper. And at that point, he found anything you did hilarious.
Clearing your throat, you continued. "I would be lying if I said that I wasn't happy for you. And a clown if I said I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for your situation. But guess what? I made a promise. So listen carefully. You, Dr. Spencer Walter Reid, are being excruciatingly stupid. There are people who wants to support you. You deny it? You're not so special, Spencer. You're just a genius. We're geniuses who struggle in life and as far as statistics could go, we shouldn't dumb ourselves down when emotions strike. We're too unapproachable to deny friends. So if there are people who wants to hold your hand, take it. And I'm sure Maeve—"
His fingers shakily played the last voicemail you left him. The mention of her name still ached his chest. If it was JJ who left him the voicemail, he would've turned the player off and cry for about an hour.
Somehow, you saying her name felt serene. As if Maeve was your best friend and you were relaying him a message from her in the meanest way.
You could've texted him a long essay. But no. You knew he needed to hear every word that left your mouth.
"Maeve wanted to meet with you because she didn't want you to feel alone. Don't you think moping by yourself defeats that purpose? I don't know her personally. But in the small time I saw the two of you together? At gun point and tied up, for sure, but I knew she loved you just as much as you love her. She wouldn't want you to be alone right now. No one is asking you to be okay. It's okay to be depressed. It's okay to grieve. But at least have the decency to let people help you. No one is forcing you to go back to work. Well... I am."
Spencer rolled his eyes and shook his head. Of course you were. You hated when he got the luxury of getting more day offs than you did. You hated that there was always something that made him vulnerable. All jokes, but a little bit of it was true.
He would never forget the day you got shot—luckily just grazed by the bullet—and Hotch called you in the middle of getting stitches, whether you remembered the unsub's face and was up to talk to a sketch artist. You glared blood and daggers at Spencer that day as he sat across you, an ice pack on his head to tender his concussion.
"I can handle the case without you, but—" You let three seconds pass. Spencer thought you ended the message there, but you spoke again. "I don't feel comfortable when a friend of mine with 187 IQ is being stupid. It distracts me. I worry. Hear that? I'm worried. That's very concerning. So please, respond to the others. Open the door for Penelope and JJ. Answer Derek's calls. Maybe cry in Hotch's office. Join his widower club. Is it too early to joke about that? I don't know. But I would never know if you keep being a jerk and don't answer me."
Spencer stood up. He has decided. He was going to let you slap him back to Vegas.
— ✿ — ✿— ✿ ✿ ✿
You had no idea whether Spencer was still breathing. And if he ever answered Derek's calls, you weren't aware. The whole team made sure not to mention him when he called Derek, or had a short conversation with Penelope.
It was unfair to you, really. They had no idea how much influence you had on Spencer that he began to work his way around the profile. Even better, ask Penelope to fly him to where everyone was.
Nevertheless, you racked your brain for any reasons why the unsub chose to use blood as his paint. You left the group when the lab report arrived, locking yourself inside the ladies room. You had had enough of them criticizing you and undermining your thoughts because they were still upset over your attitude towards Spencer.
Meanwhile, as you bit your nails in the privacy of the precinct's restroom, one specific curly-haired genius arrived.
"What other reasons would he have for separating the plasma from the blood?" Hotch examined. He was particularly waiting for your answer, but you were too busy rebelling against them in the restroom.
"It's a habit." Spencer interjected, earning everyone's attention.
"Reid," Derek said in suprise.
"Spence," JJ exclaimed simultaneously, relieved at the sight of him. She immediately engulfed him into a tight hug.
"I didn't expect you back this soon. You sure you're ready?" Hotch's usual austere brows softened ever so slightly.
"No, but I think I figured something out." Spencer flashed a tight-lipped smile, allowing everyone to know that he was coping just fine. "And I need someone to slap me back to Vegas." A soft chuckle vibrated out of him.
Everyone's eyebrows knitted. Was he making a joke? If he was, they had no idea what it was about. They couldn't find the humor in it.
"He's a hemophiliac." You announced as you walked back in the bullpen, unaware of Spencer's presence. "Some hemophiliacs inject plasma into their wounds—"
You were cut off by a huge impact on your body. Your arms were stretched out, processing what was happening.
Spencer was hugging you. That was rare. Almost as rare as you calling him by his first name. Not that the two of you had never hugged before, but it was only when one of you almost died, and needed the assurance that both of you were, in fact, alive.
"Thank you," He whispered next to your ear, his embrace tightening for a few seconds before letting you go. You have yet saved him from distress for the nth time, and he didn't know what he would ever do if you decided to stop.
Spencer placed his elbow atop your head, facing everyone. "And she's not in love with me. We would rather shoot each other." He said with a grin, taking everyone by surprise.
You scoffed, swatting his arm off your head. "Do you feel better?"
It was a mistake. He should've not nodded. He should've kept his sullen face, and maybe you wouldn't have glared at him whilst cracking your fingers.
You rubbed your palms together, nodding. "Good, because I wasn't lying when I said I was going to slap you—"
"—back to Vegas." Spencer finished your sentence, the recent sorrow in his eyes replaced by fear for his life.
Rossi turned to the others, "I think we owe our second genius a generous apology."
And they all agreed in silence, watching as you demanded Spencer to stay still whilst he ran around the precinct.
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tossawary · 3 months
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I've been thinking a lot about DCU stuff and Ace Attorney thoughts got mixed in by accident, because it's got a lot of the same themed, colorful character designs and silly pun names. So, of course, I started immediately daydreaming about a DCU-style Superhero AU for Ace Attorney. (I often do not fully control what I think about.)
And then I was like, "I think I just finally have to play Ace Attorney at this point, before I get stuck in a weird daydream loop because I don't know enough about the plot to worldbuild properly. I will let this be the final push to just start these games."
Based on my extremely limited knowledge (I have only actually played 2 episodes of the first game), here are my Superhero AU thoughts so far. I don't like 1-1 character role match-ups in general when I fuse worlds, so none of these AA characters are fully aligned with any particular DCU character.
Phoenix Wright would make a good speedster, I think. This is partially because of the spiky hair, but also because there's a terrible irony to being the fastest man in the world who keeps being too late to stop certain tragedies. It also suits the way he's apparently never properly prepared for anything but also quickly manages to pull through. He's probably still a defense attorney in his civilian identity. (In accordance with later games, he has to stop being a superhero for several years when he's framed for a crime.)
Besides Phoenix's mentor Mia, who is also both a superhero and a lawyer, ordinary civilian Larry Butz is the only person who initially knows that Phoenix has superpowers. He honestly hasn't told anyone Phoenix's secret identity! But Larry also somehow gets into more scrapes and "damsel in distress" situations than Lois Lane and he's not even an investigative reporter.
Mia Fey, Maya Fey, and Pearl Fey have a Shazam situation, I think, in which they transform into a "Mystic Champion" magically empowered by the ghosts of their ancestors. Like a Shazam & Danny Phantom fusion. Mia Fey was the first in her family to become a publicly known superhero. A lot of people don't know that it's not the original Mystic Champion (same face and same superpowered form as Mia, which breaks Phoenix's heart a little every time) until Maya or Pearl transforms back into a regular girl after the fight is over.
I think Miles Edgeworth is a Batman type hero, but one still partially ensnared by Manfred von Karma, who is his Ra's al Ghul. (This makes Franziska into Talia, but there is definitely nothing romantic there.) Maybe he does have superpowers of some kind, maybe not, and he could still potentially be a prosecutor. He doesn't have a Brucie persona, though. Phoenix is not impressed by Edgeworth's harsh and even cruel approach to vigilante work. (Steel Samurai was Miles' Gray Ghost or Zorro hero inspiration, I'm guessing.)
Gumshoe is Miles' Commissioner Gordon figure and doesn't know his secret identity yet. He's either going to learn in the middle of a really bad situation or he's just going to straight-up figure it out himself one day and scare the hell out of Miles.
I'm still thinking about characters like Kristoph and Klavier Gavin, Apollo Justice, and Trucy Wright, but I don't know enough about them to fully flesh these thoughts out yet. I think the Gavins would make good Kryptonian equivalents (a cold and calculating Superman and a rockstar Supergirl), Apollo might make a good Wonder Girl equivalent (his bracelet becomes a Lasso of Truth) as the lost son of an Amazon, and Trucy would obviously be fun as a Zatanna type of hero.
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insertsomthinawesome · 11 months
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Hi! Do you have any TWST friendship headcanons about the dormheads? They are definetely a chaotic friend group!
Also love your art! It's so pretty!!
OH ABSOLUTELY. First of all, Thank you so much!! THat makes me so happy to hear ;;v;; ONTO SHENANIGANS: A LOT if not pretty much all of this falls into non-canon-compliant territory, and I'm only partway through Book 5 so I could either totally guess soimething or completely mess something up, but here are my braincells
Vil and Leona: I LOVE these two. I think they have some of the most fantastic worstie to bestie potential. And in a weird way??? I think Vil is the kind of person Leona needs? Like, Vil can be a little too harsh, and in my personal opinion too much of a perfectionist (Not for the character tho, just if he was a real person xD As a character trait its 10/10 good writing) but the fact that he refuses to stop seeing the potential in Leona??? Thats something that I really think Leona NEEDS. People who are like "What are you talking about? You have the possibility to be so much if you just tried." Like that last part is harsh yeah, but I think Vil really has this... he has this Rook-like ability to believe in the potential of other people in a way that isn't actually as cynical as it comes across. If he learned to work more with Leona than against him, I actually think the two of them would have such a strong power duo potential.
Leona needs to see Vil for the Roses rather than the Thorns. He needs to see more of what Vil is SAYING, where he's coming from rather than just the words themselves. I think if Leona really comprehended how much Vil believed in him, like, ACTUALLY believed in him, i think he would be genuinely moved, genuinely shook and full of wonder that somebody saw so much potential in him, as so much more than being a failure or a freak.
However I think if they actually became friends Epel might have to take a week off for mourning because he could no longer go to Leona to escape the wrath of Vil xD
Idia and Malleus: Okay so starsending started me on this one, I think they would actually really vibe. Idia is an introverted Loner, he has a hard time with high energy people who make a lot of noise. Mallues CAN be a lot, but honestly he tends to... not be. Its more like the A Lot follows him. ei when he interacts with Yuu and essentially just ends up being a nerd. The specific image i've had in my head, is i feel like Idia could play animal crossing with Malleus watching him, and the two of them could vibe for H O U R S. Malleus would make the occasional comment or go on the occasional tangent, but he seems less like he needs people to engage with him sometimes, and sometimes just like he needs people to listen. And Idia isn't actually that bad at engaging with people!! He's got internet friends (lilia lol) which means he does know something about sustaining relationships and talking to people I also think that Malleus would probably find Idia's way of talking fascinating SLDFKJSDLGJSLDJG. As long as he wasn't mocked for not understanding, he'd probably find it downright interesting to listen to Idia explain internet memes from 2010 and talk about the history of Loss. I also think that Idia could really be a safe and quiet spot for malleus when things are hard. I feel like part of Malleus's frustrations, and why we see him run away from Sebek and Silver, despite both of them being family he obviously loves, is that, with the exception of Lilia, Both of them make a BIG DEAL out of things. Silver tends to be quieter and less explosive, but they both do. Sometimes I think Malleus just wants to be alone to process, or not be pestered or questioned. I think Idia could potentially be that safe and quiet spot where he's ready to listen, but not necessarily interested in making a big deal about it. If they became better friends he might not even ask, just offer quiet empathy.
Kalim and Leona: -Spoilers for Leona's Union bday card, since it hasn't released in English yet- OH BOY.... THESE TWO. First of all!!! ANother relationship that I think could do a lot of good for Leona??? Kalim doesn't really need him for anything, but he's a well of low expectation positivity, somebody who I can see dragging Leona out to do things, or even just, once in a while so honestly state the worth he sees in Leona that it causes Leona to stutter and pause. Like, Leona's union bday card mentioning that he'd have Kalim with him on a deserted Island cause people would come ot rescue Kalim....... O U CH??????? There's a running Narrative that Kalim doesn't really see the value in himself, and this would be another person (like Azul) who would contradict that. Leona sees a more cynical version of his value, but its still value all the same. And Leona likes to gripe and groan, but he's adopted like, half the characters who are younger than him, I don't think he's immune to Kalim Al-Asim at ALL. It doesn't help that Leona is already a Tsunderely doting uncle, I can see Kalim triggering the Uncle-Instincts in him sometimes... or a lot. The loud and upbeat disposition Similar to Cheka's wouldn't help. Specifically, because I've thought about these two being friends before, I've always loved this idea of a post book 4 sequence where Kalim like, kind wanders into the greenhouse to find somewhere to cry privately, but he runs into leona napping. Leona doesn't really want to deal with Kalim, so while he's blubbering through his explanation he's just like "Fine you can chill here as long as you're quiet" Kalim accepts... but Leona has beastman hearing, so even what might be considered reasonably quiet is loud to him, and he eventually caves and asks whats up. Just to get Kalim to shut up eventually. I think maybe I had a conclusion or an idea for what advice leona would give kalim, but I don't remember it at the moment, but yeah just. Them :) I think their dynamic could be really interesting.
Malleus and Leona: So ya'll who saw my whumptobers already know I have some bad braincells for these two clowns. I think they are jealous of each other, because they think the other has what they want, they think that they see the other squandering the gifts they've been given, being fools and idiots who don't appreciate what they have. Leona craves being accepted, having the crown, having the power to fix what he sees that is wrong, to actually have and impact in people's lives, to matter and to fit in. Malleus craves normality, he craves to be one of the masses, just another man among many, he doesn't wish for power, and he cares little for the catastrophic effect he can have on other people, he just wants to be invited. He just wants to be included. Leona sees Malleus as having the power to do what matters. Malleus sees Leona as having the gift of Normality and camaraderie. Ultimately they're both miserable where they're at (though not entirely. Leona loves his squad, Malleus loves his family, both of them have things they'd never dare give up.) and they think if they just had what the other had, they would achieve the things they deserve and desire. I think both of them would have to sort through a LOT of emotions if it ever clicked for them just how similar they are. They're of course seeing each other through rose colored glasses. Leona is not an everyman, he's feared by his own family, Malleus is not all powerful, he cannot stop the tick of death. Leona is persecuted for being "less than" his brother, Malleus is held so far above everybody else he can't be reached. This would take some time for both of them to process, but I think once they did there would be a chance for them to become good allies, and potentially even really good friends. THose are my main braincells!! I honestly think that making any of the dorm leaders interact is fantastic food for thought and relationship building. I would love to think over what it'd be like to grow a friendship between Azul and Riddle, or Vil and Malleus. Leona and Azul would be INCREDIBLE and fascinating!!! Like man, there's so much to work with in TWST. I realized this might be a little to the left of your question ^^;; Haha, If you were asking about more like, I guess lighearted headcanons, I'm not sure I have any yet!! But I'm sure with time I totally could :) Writing or playing with TWST characters intimidated me for a bit there, since the quality of the writing of the game was SO GOOD I felt there was no way I could do it justice. Now I feel a lot less intimidated, so i feel like I'm more likely to dig my hands into shenanigans and thoughts.
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wormlette · 2 months
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I do think a LOT about why Chilchuck would join the "save Falin" dungeon dive at all tbh and it makes me feel like eating drywall. Namari is the one who brings up the "I figured you'd be the first one to leave, you never take a job without getting paid" and he's like yeah. I do insist on payment up front. But do you think he was ever going to bring up his motivations on his own? If Namari hadn't? I don't think he would talk about it because I don't think it's really that simple. We find out in the ep that just aired a few things--
1) Chil is paid in advance, and however that works, he's apparently already been contracted for future dungeon dives too ? 2) The adventurer's community is tight-knit and full of gossip, so the things you do will have impact on what kind of work you can do going forward.
There are other things we know about Chil:
1) he's worked for Laios' party for three years. Namari was a member before him (she joined at the same time the husband hunter and some tall man guy joined, iirc) and Shuro was a member after him, but after those two leave, he's the person who's worked with the Toudens for the longest. 2) He's had some really shitty jobs in his past, especially pre-union. He understands very well what kinds of things people will use half-foots for. 3) He is thinking about retiring. He was going to retire before joining Laios' party.
And one thing we learned in the very first episode -- Laios told Marcille and Chilchuck that they should sell their equipment so he could go down on his own to rescue Falin. Chilchuck asks him if he's suicidal and then invites himself along for absolutely everything that goes down after. He's more ride-or-die about eating monsters than anyone other than Senshi. Him breaking his contract is obviously not something Laios would have held against him. Maybe it would have "Changed his clientele" as he says to Marcille about Namari in the latest ep, but also: HE COULD JUST RETIRE.
IDK PERSONALLY I JUST THINK this all adds up to an implication that he is really very fond of the Touden siblings. As Marcille notes when she's making a fanfic of his wife leaving him he's not the type to ever say his feelings out loud so it's not ever really gonna be said in the text of the story and THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. They seem to be a well-renowned party during the events of the story, but when he joined up with them they were just a year out from being bodyguards in a gold-peeling party with a few other no-name adventurers (as far as I know from the extras that have come out so far, the order of main chars joining the party went Laios&Falin->Namari->Chil->Shuro->Marcille.)
Three years AFTER HE WAS ALREADY CONSIDERING RETIRING he is willing to go on a journey that every other character thinks is fucking insane for the chance to rescue Falin, even though he is not an optimistic guy and he probably has a more realistic understanding of how dangerous dungeons are than anybody else in the group. If he started doing dungeon work when he left his home at 14 then he has about 15 years of dungeoneering experience by the time of the story. He would know what he's doing is actually EXTREMELY dangerous in a way resurrection magic doesn't actually eliminate. They are going down into a floor that's so far down the story has expressed "it's really dangerous to go there and most people don't because it will be hard for corpse retrievers and necessary supplies to get to you if you die. if you are eaten you might just be gone beause no one will ever find you."
I think he's harsh on Laios because he really cares about him and Falin. We know he ranks Laios' ability as a party leader as like a 61 or something lmfao but IMHO he is like that stern teacher who is forced by admin to put a 20pt curve on every exam because everybody is fuckin failing. Nobody is doing a good enough job. But he must have faith in the idea that Laios is able to do better if he has the right coaching (kicking and yelling at him). I JUST THINK the Touden party has been the best one he's worked in, or if not the best then his favorite, for him to keep doing it for THIS LONG when he SHOULD absolutely have his pick of contracts, given that "no other half-foots had the expertise necessary to accompany Laios to such a deep floor of the dungeon".
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artemis32 · 1 year
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Jrksnsk Ur yandere erasermic tho!! It's so good haha. Can I ask what do you think are the ways the reader can hurt them back? Because I noticed that your version of them is rougher(? Or maybe harder? I'm sorry I'm not good w/ words) than others (and I love both versions fyi!!)
So I'm just curious what kind of actions the reader can do to kind of get to them or hit them where it hurts, whether emotionally or physically haha. Like they're so shock or hurt that they can't even punish the reader for it- and if they do they're not that focused on what they're doing.
(bsksnsks I forgot but please feel free to ignore this if you're not taking requests rn or something 😭😭💜)
subjugation drabble v
this is such a delicious thought, i will run with it
subjugation masterlist
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So, to truly get to either one of these men, you really have to take some below-the-belt shots. No holding back.
If you're too kind or soft about it, they'll laugh you off as they usually do.
If you're harsh and rough about it, but not enough, they'll just end up annoyed and take it out on you.
You need to stun them to the point of silence, truly shock them.
It's not an easy feat, and if you give them any time to think over what you've done, you'll probably be in more trouble than you'd thought, but if you manage to properly get under their skin, then you've earned yourself some peace and quiet for a while.
And if you do a really good job, you might actually get them to reflect on what they've done - not that they'll ever let you go, they'll just apologise and give you a bit more leniency.
Now, let's get to it.
Verbal
We've already established that calling them perverts or anything along those lines gets them super riled up, though not in the way you want. They become physically aggressive and aren't afraid to put you in your place if they think you've gone too far.
That being said, there are a few verbal jibes that can actually get under their skin, though probably not enough to shock them to a point where they genuinely have no idea how to react.
You could pay special attention to the fact that you were their student - don't outright mention it, but subtly allude to the fact that they were your teachers, people you trusted, long before you caught their eye. That'll give them pause, if only for a moment. After all, you're right.
Their feelings towards you are already wrong on so many levels, but add to that the fact that you were their underage student when they first met you? Regardless of the fact that nothing happened while you were their student, it strikes a nerve.
They, especially Hizashi, feel queasy for a few hours after that.
The best part is they can't even punish you for saying it, because you didn't actually say anything.
Or.
The option which will probably get you the lashing of your life.
You could mention their old friend.
How you found out about Oboro, they'll probably never find out. But regardless, you know about him, and their relationship with him, and you use that to your advantage.
Mention how disappointed your friend would be if he knew that this is what you've resorted to.
They'll be in too much shock to truly retaliate.
"What would he say? If he knew that his two best friends kidnapped a girl nearly half their age because they were just that pathetic?"
You might be expecting a backhand through the face, or a hit hard enough to send you flying, but it never comes.
They just stand there, shocked and appalled by your words, not even able to punish you for tone or your words.
(I'll probably write a separate drabble for this because damn, I love the potential with this piece)
Physical
A good old fashion kick to the groin should do it.
I'm not even kidding - if one day, you reach your limit, eager for even a mere two minutes of peace and quiet, and you decide to go for the nuts - well, whoever you hit will be down for a while.
They'll probably punish you for it, but that means admitting that you managed to pull one over on them, which they won't do. And, they're both well-seasoned pro-heroes. They should know better than to fall victim to a cheap shot like that, so it's completely on them.
Same goes for any head shots that manage to knock them out.
They aren't worried about you getting away, but if you manage to sneak up behind one of them and knock them unconscious - with an object or your own hands - they probably won't punish you, because again, it's on them for not paying more attention. They take it as their own punishment for their lack of awareness.
Plus, they'll never admit it, but the teachers in them are proud of how resourceful and smart you can be when you plan things like that out. It almost warms their hearts.
To them, you're more like a playful kitten than an actual threat.
Months of isolation and inactivity have made sure that any physical advantage you may have had, had melted away. It was difficult to maintain stamina or muscle strength when you were locked up inside for most of the day, and the fact that the two of them watched you like hawks whenever they were around didn't help either.
You couldn't do that much damage to them, at least not physically.
Emotional
The cliché "when you hurt yourself, you hurt us too" is something they'd say (or at least, Hizashi would).
To be completely honest with you, emotionally manipulating the two of them is actually pretty easy.
They truthfully do feel bad about what they've put you through, but they'll never admit it. Yes, they feel bad, so some subtle emotional manipulation would work pretty well on both of them.
Some small mention of the life you used to have; of the longing you feel for what you've lost - it won't really amount to much.
But overtime, it begins to wear on them.
They know how much they've made you suffer. They know, and they feel remorseful. Not enough to grovel and beg, or let you go, but enough for it to weigh heavily on them.
If you hurt yourself to hurt them - emotionally, physically, or otherwise - well, it'll work. Probably better than you'd like it to, honestly.
Immediately after they find out, they'd be stunned, unable to muster any reaction beyond silence. It'd take them a while to process it, but they'd eventually come to terms with it. After that though, they'd hover even more than they already do. They aren’t typically the kind of people who like to coddle you, but they’ll go above and beyond to crowd your space and take up all of your time.
Hurting yourself in any way would definitely get the reaction you want.
That and, if you expressed any emotional ailments you had because of them. That in particular would hurt Shouta - he loves you, and to hear that his actions hurt you - it kills him inside. He does what he does to keep you safe and happy, so it hurts to hear first-hand that it does the opposites.
Like I said, immediately after you’ve expressed your emotional distress, Shouta in particular is the most likely to give you some space.
It’s more to give himself time to think, reflect on himself and his role in everything, but it works out well enough – you’ll get some space from him and his overwhelming presence, and he soaks in the worry and anxiety for a few days before acting on whatever he’s decided.
With Hizashi, it has the opposite effect. He won’t give you any amount of space. Unlike Shouta, who gives you some space for a few days before crowding you, Hizashi immediately overwhelms you.
Of course, in his mind, you feel this way because he hasn’t given you enough love or attention, so clearly the only way to remedy the situation is to overcompensate for what he’s missed.
To emotionally manipulate him, giving him the cold shoulder works surprisingly well. Considering this is a fully grown man, you’d think he’d be able to easily distinguish when you’re trying to manipulate him, but he doesn’t.
If you really want to add insult to injury, give Shouta all of your attention – go above and beyond with your affection. Hizashi will think he’s done something unforgivable.
Cue the begging and pleading.
Be careful with that route though – Shouta is smart enough to see through your antics, and if he sees that you’re trying to manipulate or hurt Hizashi with your games, he’ll shut it down immediately. And then you’ll have a punishment to deal with on top of the usual treatment you receive from them.
Balancing both men while simultaneously manipulating them is a difficult feat, but if you’re smart and patient, you’ll manage. And truly, the results will be worth it.
You’ll have space from the two of them, some much needed peace and quiet, and two mopey men eager for your forgiveness.
Don’t take too long to wrap it up though – their remorse and sadness will very quickly turn to irritation and anger.
After all, they’re in control. You shouldn’t get to dictate your relationship with them, especially not when they’re so generous and take care of your every need without so much as a thank you in return.
But yeah, that's how you can hurt them back.
Their reaction ranges from mild irritation to genuine shock, but no matter what you do, they won't let you go, no matter how sorry they are.
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oks , enough abt michael , what r some of ur raphael hcs ?
Alrighty, enough Mikey spam lol. I'm glad you asked!
I have a couple big headcanons with him- this is probably going to turn into another character analysis post, lol. I'm probably going to separate these into their own posts, too. Here I go:
Raphael was as much of a dick as he was to the brothers because he was jealous.
Raphael heavily admires Lucifer- even after the fall, so imagine how much he must have idolized him before. Meanwhile, Lucifer focused all his attention on his six "favorites". Simeon has confirmed this much, that Lucifer always had a soft spot for the brothers(+Lilith) in a way that other angels couldn't rival.
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So, here Raphael was. He was trying his best to be the model angel, following and enforcing the rules to a T while bending over backwards to not only meet but exceed his older brothers' demands. For christ's sake, he was the youngest angel to ever become a Seraph- which is clearly one hell of an accomplishment. And yet, Lucifer never seemed to notice. Lucifer and Raphael's relationship remained rocky, all the while Lucifer pampered and adored the more "problematic" angels.
Raphael did everything right- and yet he still watched all of Lucifer's affection and attention go to the troublemakers instead of him. Hell, Lucifer would even side with Mammon to go argue with him. That had to hurt.
I think that's about as good a reason as any to resent the brothers. Especially Mammon, Lucifer's favorite and the one Raphael seems most trigger-happy with.
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Now, next one's the really long one. The one that's really several headcanons wrapped in a trenchcoat, much like the condition it addresses. Here we go:
Raphael is autistic.
Now, I could leave it at that and a lot of the other autistic people here would know what I mean. I could even just give you the laundry list of symptoms he displays. But I think this actually means a lot for his character, so I'm going to go in depth with a few points.
Sensory Issues: Hyposensitivity
When it comes to sensory issues, the first thing I have to acknowledge is his sense of taste. Raphael has a hyposensitivity to taste- meaning he perceives taste to a significantly lesser degree to most people. This is clear when he consumes Solomon's food without being disgusted at the taste- as well as several other occurrences of weird taste, like absolutely dousing his sandwich in Hell's hottest hot sauce.
But it isn't just that he doesn't perceive the taste- he actively enjoys it, moreso than other foods. I think this is because, with his dulled sense of taste, "normal" foods taste bland to him. Something to the degree of Solomon's cooking is the only thing powerful enough to give him the kind of sensory feedback most of us get from "normal" food. Which is why he enjoys it.
I don't think it's just taste that he's hyposensitive to, either. He also seems to have a very limited sense of pain. In Season 4, Raphael is seen accidentally catching his hand on fire- and not even noticing until somebody else pointed it out to him, at which point he simply described it as "hot". I'm sorry, having your hand on fire isn't just "hot" like a summer day, it's searing agonizing pain. The fact that he was this nonchalant about it, when we've seen other nonhumans like Mammon respond to pain perfectly normally, says something. I think Raphael's lack of pain perception could also contribute to how violent he is- if he doesn't feel pain the same way we do, he might not fully understand the weight of his harsh punishments. What he'd consider the equivalent of slapping someone's wrist with a ruler could be literally stabbing someone, we don't know.
Sensory Issues: Hypersensitivity
This one is going to be shorter than the others, because I really don't have as much evidence for it nor as much to say about it. But I do suspect Raphael to be hypersensitive to sound. Again in Season 4, when MC was looking for Raphael, the first thing Lucifer told them was to look for the quietest place around. While a lot of people prefer quiet, how on-the-nose Lucifer was with this combined with Raphael's more obvious autistic traits makes me suspect he might be hypersensitive to sound.
Sensory Issues: Visual Processing
Raphael, like many autistic people, seems to be a very visually-oriented person. This was highlighted multiple times in the Devilgram "Raphael's Welcome". The first time it was shown was when Raphael refused to eat food Lucifer recommended due to how it looked. This is the same angel that eats Solomon's cooking with absolutely no issue, and yet gave a hard no to anything Lucifer offered him because it looked a little funny. His priorities are way out of wack. Visuals seem to be a very powerful influence over how Raphael thinks and feels.
The next time Raphael's visual fixation was brought up in the Devilgram was when he entered Majolish. The first thing he did was start looking at all the clothing up close and pointing out details about how they were stitched, the quality of the clothing, etc- to which Lucifer remarked that Raphael has always had an eye for detail. While Raphael is oblivious to or actively avoids other types of sensory input, visuals seem to be very important to him and how he understands the world.
Communication Deficit: Social Cues
You know it's bad when Mammon tells you to read the room.
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Honestly, I feel like that should be all I have to say. But you know what, I'll go on.
Raphael has repeatedly shown that he has very little understanding of social cues. He's somehow made it this far without catching onto the fact that everyone is terrified of Solomon's cooking, for example. He also once compared Satan to Lucifer after literally everyone in the room tried to warn him not to.
Raphael doesn't even seem to be aware of his own social cues and the impressions he gives off. When Diavolo announced that he'd be working with Thirteen, Raphael scowled and shook his head- only to seem genuinely surprised when Thirteen noticed this and took offense to his reaction, telling her that he "didn't say anything".
His understanding of social cues is... not very good. To say the least.
Communication Deficit: Emotional Expression
One of the first things we learn about Raphael is that he's incredibly difficult to read. It's not hard to see why other characters feel this way- the majority of the time, he has a completely blank expression. Hell, one time he flat-out said he was having fun and didn't even smile about it.
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Smiles in general seem to be excessively rare with him, and it's often made a big deal of when he does.
Despite his lack of expression, he doesn't seem as emotionless as people portray him as. According to Simeon, he's actually "pretty intense". Even in the screenshot above, he's clearly feeling something, he just isn't showing it in the way a typical person would expect. He gives all the hallmarks of someone with very strong emotions but an inability to translate them to others- something very strongly associated with autism.
Communication Deficit: Speech
One of the other things we were told about Raphael before we met him is that he's incredibly quiet- to the point where others, including Luke, have difficulty understanding him as a person. Reading through the lessons, he has "..." dialogue significantly more than any other character. It's rare the game goes out of its way to include silent dialogue, and usually when it does it's in a very serious situation where it's meant to be emotionally impactful. This isn't the case with Raphael. He does this regularly, in casual personal interactions, and even to the point where it causes miscommunications with others.
An example I can think of off the top of my head is when he went to clean up a mess Thirteen created with her spiderweb bazooka. He left in the middle of a conversation to go do so, without giving any verbal acknowledgement of what it was he was doing, leading to Lucifer assuming he was goofing off and scolding him. Normally someone would say something along the lines of "we should clean that up", or "let me go clean that up real quick", or "I'm going to go clean that up", etc. Most people would say something like that without even thinking. But Raphael just gave his usual "...", and that socially inappropriate silence lead to a clear misunderstanding with Lucifer.
"Quiet" to the point of impeding on one's ability to connect with and communicate intent to others isn't normal, and it makes me wonder if he may be partially nonverbal.
Communication Deficit: Tact
Raphael is... not tactful. At all. He's incredibly blunt, and even harsh with pretty much everyone. It's so constant and grating that angel Lucifer stated that he actively avoids Raphael.
Given his other very clear social difficulties, I have to wonder just how much of Raphael's rude language is actual harmful intent and how much of it is just that he's awful with tact. I wonder how much he really meant all the dickish things he's said to the brothers.
It certainly puts his character in a different perspective. As does a lot of this. Which is why I wanted to elaborate this far on all of it instead of just throwing out autism symptoms and giving him an "I'm autistic and I think he is too" seal of approval. His character starts making a lot more sense when you look at it through this lens, and it branches off into several different headcanons I have about him.
And now, of course, the obligatory Michael comment of the day. I'm sorry, you know me by now, I couldn't not.
I think Michael is autistic too, and this ties directly into Raphael. It's said in Raphael's introductory video that he's "the only one who truly understands Michael". If Raphael is autistic, and he and Michael are on the same wavelength so to speak, it would make sense that Michael is too. I think they're on opposite sides of the spectrum- Raphael is the cold/distant/withdrawn, deadpan, hyposensitive, partially-nonverbal autistic while Michael will turn out to be the hyperactive, overexpressive, talks-your-ears-off-about-special-interests, way too in-your-face due to lack of social cues, sensory-seeking autistic. Two sides of the same coin. They'd both play into the double-empathy theory, that autism miscommunications are due to a mismatch in autistic-neurotypical communication methods and that two autistic individuals can generally communicate just fine.
Now, if you want some casual, less analysis-heavy headcanons, just lmk. Got plenty of those too, though some of them take the autism headcanon as a base!
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zoobus · 1 year
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I apologize in advance because I'm taking a tag way too seriously and this isn't even YA novel navalgazing, this is literally about a series written for 3rd graders.
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I'm realizing "fucked up that the moral of this story was" is a minor trigger for me. It drives me insane in a way obviously unequal to whatever the original context is. But this is my blog so.
The American Girl series was not a moral-driven set of stories! They weren't Animorphs or anything but they were absolutely a kid's introduction to the intrinsic unfairness of life and a solid chunk of the stories ended with the """"moral"""" of the main character left to uncomfortably ponder why something so clearly not right could be allowed to continue before they clunkily skipped to the next story like the previous didn't happen.
I used to own several sets and I skimmed through a few before selling them some years back. The sudden harsh reality of whatever historical ills going on were part of the appeal! It was fucked up and scary and that's why they were good (to an elementary schooler to be clear, these aren't good books)
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Like the "moral" of Nellie's story was that it was fucked up to be a child factory worker. It was fucked up that her response to "oh your hair is so pretty, you should grow it longer" was to recount the time she witnessed one of her elementary age coworker get scalped by one of the child labor machines. It was fucked up that she's 8 with PTSD. Of course Nellie got a happy end but like... abused little puppies getting cleaned up and spoiled is a popular media trope. It's not a lesson. Even though it works out for her, you're still left with the knowledge that the girl who's hair was ripped off her skull and untold number of fingerless kids were not adopted by Samantha's rich grandpa.
I'm rarely comfortable saying there's one specific point that a story is objectively going for and you're a fool if you don't see it, but I do think the American Girl series was intentional in showcasing period-specific suffering might have looked like in a way a little kid could conceptualize. And it worked! For example:
Molly, the WW2 American Girl (AG). Her family takes in a little Bri'ish girl and Molly's soooo excited wow imagine having a fancy English girl in your own house. She is irritated when the 9yo lass is very quiet and not into being her doll. After weeks of molly snipping at her, British girl goes off like sorry I'm not fucking prancing around you dumb bitch but I'm not here as a foreign exchange student, I'm here because my house got bombed and my friends and family are probably fucking dead
Samantha, the Victorian AG. We already know Nellie who, as explained before, had a very different life than the wealthy Samantha. But Samantha also had a black nanny she adored up until she disappears without warning. After a lot of snooping, she uncovers that nanny had a baby! So of course she sneaks out at night to find the little man for herself🤫
Her mischievous giggling starts to get more nervous as she gets closer to nanny's address. It's getting dirtier and shittier and there's only black people around and they're openly gawking but not approaching. People live here? Nanny lives here? With a baby? She eventually finds her and the baby who is cute but Samantha is left at the end like. Hm. So. I guess my life is not universal? Much to think about. There's no happy resolution to this. Nanny never returns, segregation continues.
Last one, Addy, the escaped slave (apparently a controversial opinion, but I liked Addy). The other stories take a bit to get to wham aspect, but with her? Right from the start we have Overseer catch Addy slacking while picking cotton. She's just not debugging fast enough. This grown adult man, so infuriated an eight year old child isn't picking cotton tobacco fast enough, forces her to eat one of the fat, green worms she missed. They describe Addy holding back tears, the worm bursting in her mouth, the bitter taste, the humiliation. I feel like this was the first time I like...*got* slavery. You learn about it in school, sure, but owning people, beating people, it sounded bad but unconnected to anything I knew. Like maybe it's because at the time of reading, I too was a daydreamy 8yo black girl, making it hit a little too close. How could anyone do that and feel justified? Or feel nothing at all? An adult made a little kid eat a bug and it didn't hurt his conscious? This guy probably goes to church and doesn't even remember this. He doesn't think he needs forgiveness. This is nothing to him. This is normal. He died thinking he did nothing wrong, probably. Those were my thoughts then. Very good.
These aren't morals. Of course you shouldn't expect a refugee to perform for their host family. Of course you shouldn't make a child eat a worm. Child labor is bad. Didactic American Girl was not.
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