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intangibly-here · 3 years

Text

i miss you (more than anything)

zhongli x gn!reader

- scenario; 2.4k words - modern!au - fluff - jealousy

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zhongli isn’t one for jealousy— usually.

title from mitski - francis forever.

requested by anon.

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“an excellent choice, sir.”

again with the nicknames...

slender fingers pick up a considerably stylized box, the smooth white a stark contrast to dark, glove-adorned palms. zhongli turns the box over in his hands, inspecting the various fine print explanations splayed along the edges of the plastic. now this is...

BANG!

clink.

zhongli barely stifles a flinch at the sound of the door slamming, hinges squeaking and metal lock clicking into place with a whirlwind of motion. amber eyes flick up to the doorway, then back down to the polished counter.

five minutes late.

he sets the ice cube he’s handling into a wine glass after a brief pause, beginning to fashion up a flute of apple cider vinegar. the pattering of lively footsteps against tiled flooring rapidly grows nearer, clattering to a halt directly across the bar from where he stands.

“hey there, mister zhongli! looking just about as boring as ever!”

hu tao plops into the cushioned chair, swiveling back and forth on the seat and leaning forward to watch him pour the concoction.

(it’s designated for customers of course— though that’s only usually. she happens to claim, to his exasperation, that she has “owner privileges”; whatever that could possibly mean when the place itself is meant to serve the needs of customers: that would include the spacing and chairs they may potentially desire when they enter the premises. unfortunately, he’s given up on understanding on her whims.)

from his position across the counter, zhongli absentmindedly spies the edge of a bright-red butterfly wing from underneath her outfit’s loose, flowing sleeves, the simple pendant string looped twice around her wrist.

swallowtail.

it’s the name (”like the butterfly, zhongli! the butterfly!”) of the establishment he’s currently employed at and is “run” by the granddaughter of a distant relative (though the bar is legally owned by said relative’s family). due to his— well, rather particular (per say) spending habits and a lack of mindfulness regarding the matter of what they liked to call savings (why would there be a need for these “savings”? he’d like to protest he’s traversed life well enough without them), he’d been pushed into putting the multitude of experience from past jobs into this one.

and well, here he is now.

chop. chop.

two evenly-sliced apple slices tip over from against the blade of the knife and onto the wooden cutting board. fetching a sprig of mint from the small potted plant just below the rack of knives (growing lights and shelving did wonders in the spontaneous lighting of the nightclub), zhongli finished decorating the non-alcoholic drink of choice for the pseudo-proprietress. who knew what havoc she’d cheerfully throw herself into, archons forbid, if it were liquor. she’s already enough of a handful as it is.

he sighs in resignation and slides the beverage over. the ice tinkles in the glass confines. he does have a favor to ask today after all. hu tao gives the drink a sniff, then puffs her cheeks in mock anger.

“no alcohol? booooo, you’re such a rock.”

she takes a generous sip anyway.

“so, what did you call me here for? not very zhongli-like for you to ask something of lil’ ol’ me. archons, have you been replaced?”

she squints at him judgingly, then raises an eyebrow when he hesitates to answer.

“doesn’t look that way, old man.”

zhongli can feel the beginnings of a headache forming between his brows. he waves his hand dismissingly as if flicking away her babbling nonsense.

“i have a favor to ask of you.”

“oh-ho?”

hu tao smirks playfully and pushes the half-finished drink aside, craning her neck forward.

“what can i do for our esteemed mister zhongli, hm? hehe.”

zhongli clenches his fist under the edge of the woodwork in an effort to calm his raging annoyance.

(it doesn’t help.)

he should just ask, shouldn’t he..?

“..i’ve been pondering this for a number of days now, but nothing quite appropriate for the occasion has happened to come to mind... do you happen to have any gift ideas for...”

he looks to the side to avoid eye contact and trails off, but hu tao immediately gets the memo.

“ohhh..” her smile only grows wider, “this is for your daaaate—”

zhongli’s face flushes the slightest tinge of rosy pink and he hisses a sharp “shush!” through gritted teeth. and here he had thought she couldn’t get on his nerves beyond how she’d already acted thus far...

the cheshire grin on her face still continues to climb.

“well, you’ve definitely asked the right person! how about...”

some new polaroid film? is what she had proposed.

“it’s not some fancy-schmancy anniversary gift, no? just a date! a date! don’t worry yourself so much over it— no, don’t look at me like that. if you called me over to ask about it, you’re deeeefinitely losing hair over this— okay, okay, i got it! don’t kick me out! old man... sheesh. why don’t you get some more polaroid film and wrap it up all nice? useful and an excuse to take more pictures together! i know, i know, i’m a genius— mmph!”

he can still hear her voice bouncing around in his head (”can’t believe you’re getting rid of your boss, mister zhongli! didn’t take you for the rebellious type—”). zhongli brings his hand up to his temple and breathes out another sigh. it’s not like her idea was a terrible one; if anything, it were a wonderfully exquisite proposal— not that he would tell her.

“i’d like to purchase this, if you would.”

he hands the box over to the shopkeep, who scans the package and rings up the bill. indiscreetly, he feels up the pocket of his jacket. thank the archons he remembered his wallet today. it would certainly be embarrassing to put this particular item on your tab.

“sure thing, mister zhongli. i’m assuming this is a gift,” they eye him knowingly, “so would you like it wrapped up?”

deja vu, his brain mutters, this is very much deja vu. he shuts it up promptly.

“not this time, but you have my sincerest thanks for the offer. i’d like to wrap it myself.” he can feel his (generally..) expressionless face flaring up the faintest hint of pink and berates his mind once more. only when it comes to you...

acquiring the purchased item, zhongli dips his head in acknowledgement as he heads out. the plants hanging from baskets strung along the ceiling sway their leaves to and fro, nearly catching a wayward lock of his hair. he smooths the stray strand back.

“thank you once again, aether. let lumine know they can drop by for some tea again whenever they’d like for me, please.”

the bell hanging over the doorway tinkles when he pushes it open, and the bustle of the busy harbor seeps into the tranquility of the shop. aether nods and waves a hand at him in return, resting an arm on the cash register.

“come again.”

while he’d imagined many ways your planned outing could play out, this was certainly not one of them.

he’s approaching the meeting spot you two had decided on (right in front of the flowering quince tree near the park; its blooms resemble those of simpler, smaller silk flowers, and it happens to be quite the scenic location to wait) when he spies not only your stature, but another figure residing right besides you.

who...?

as he steps closer, he can hear your laughter, the kind that he knows bubbles out of your chest and escapes your lips unconsciously. your amusement isn’t lost on your companion apparently, because they smirk teasingly, letting out a full-blown laugh of their own.

“oh, zhongli, over here!”

your voice snaps him out of his meandering thoughts, and he stops fiddling with his earring (when did he start doing that?), continuing forward from where he’d paused in his observations of this newcomer. something starts to bloom in his chest, small and bittersweet. he’s not sure what to make of it.

following your beckoning, zhongli finally makes his way to your side, mentally taking note of your.. friend? he doesn’t remember you mentioning anyone like this before though. surely he would remember your friends, no?

his earring sways in the wind, white tassel fluttering cheerfully.

“zhongli, this is my friend kaeya. i met him when i made that trip to mondstadt awhile back, remember that? oh, and kaeya, this is my boyfriend zhongli.”

(the little dragon curled up in his heart preens at your introduction of him, small and sweet.)

ice blue meets molten gold when zhongli’s eyes dart up to make eye contact with this stranger. they squint at him, assessing, then dip into the makings of a playful twinkle. a hand reaches out for a handshake, which he returns in equal measure. interesting...

“he got a little lost touring liyue and i happened to see him here in the park. small world, huh? i know it was our day love, but do you mind if we take him around for today?”

zhongli smiles appeasingly, gentle and assuring as always. he can recognize the slightly nervous look on your face, one that’s a stark contrast to how energetic you’d looked just a few minutes ago. if kaeya’s company makes you happy and you’d like to take him around, then who is he to refuse your request? you two will have more time to spend with just the two of you later, he reasons with himself. accompanying your friend, and in turn his acquaintance, is nothing big.

(and no, it’s certainly not you calling him love that makes him cave.)

“of course we can.”

tugging at the string of his eyepatch, kaeya swiftly ties his hair back and adjusts the collar of his shirt. “so, where to first?”

zhongli takes your hand in his, squeezing softly. you squeeze back.

getting along together should come just fine.

he takes it back.

he takes it all back.

he’d accepted it at first because, well, this was your friend. he shouldn’t be controlling who you interact with nor who befriended you - that’s not up to him. it shouldn’t ever be. however— with every passing moment that kaeya inched closer to you, taking up the entirety of your attention and bringing that bright, bright grin to your face—

(this was supposed to be your date. just the two of you. he hasn’t seen you in a month; surely he can feel a bit selfish, right?)

the three of you turn the corner to an intricately-themed restaurant and pause, where even zhongli looks appreciatively at the beautifully grown bamboo stalks lining the edges of its front walls.

“wanmin restaurant,” kaeya reads, craning his neck up to gaze at the signboard. bold red calligraphy is sprawled across the rough-cut wood. “awfully simple name for such a stunning place, isn’t it?”

if he weren’t stewing in a pot of conflicted emotions, zhongli would surely inform him of how carefully selected this title was, how it represented more than just a name, how it hid at least several decades worth of effort and teachings— but as it is, he (really, of all people) has no patience for that at the moment.

first tugging on the hem of your outfit, zhongli then takes you by the elbow and hastily leads you forward to the glass doors of the establishment. he grasps your hand in his as usual, but something must be off, because you twitch a little and look at him curiously.

he turns his head away, lips pursed just the slightest.

“let us dine here for the time being. it is an appropriate time and place, after all.”

the sun shines brightly in the clear sky as if illuminating his words.

kaeya raises an eyebrow, singular eye looking on inquisitively and arms crossed, then moves further ahead of you both once more. the corner of his mouth dips in a clear show of mirth. bowing with one arm held at the waist, one not unalike a formality from a server, he looks straight into zhongli’s eyes and holds the door open for entrance.

“that sounds like an excellent idea. well, if you would.”

“thanks for the tour around you two.”

kaeya hums his thanks with a cheerful lilt to his voice as you all stand under the porchlight of zhongli’s house.

(it’s not the largest abode, but it’s cozy and sweet, and it’s definitely enough for the both of you whenever you decide to stay over. tonight is one of those nights, and they may as well become more frequent after the trip you took abroad.)

his car keys reflect the glow of the bulb, swinging around his finger in loops. they clink noisily, metal against metal, and he grabs them all at once, halfway through another turn. in his car sits a box of treasure-themed artifacts, likely old and had found its way into your hands somehow. zhongli knows you’d been meaning to give them to someone, but he hadn’t known it were kaeya— either way, the artifacts that’d been laying on his shelves for weeks were now handed off.

ruffling your hair, kaeya pulls you in for a brief hug; although zhongli can feel the bitter pang in his chest, he stays where he stands, keeps it still and small. he can wait.

that said, the moment kaeya drives off, he’s hauling you into the house and curling up on the couch, pulling you onto his lap and tugging you into his arms. the long thought over gift sits patiently on the counter. it’s waited the entirety of today; it can wait another.

right now, he needs you.

your body sinks against his, relaxing from the lively, though exhausting, day. slumped against his chest, he burrows his head in the crook of your shoulder and cuddles you, nuzzling into your neck. finally, you’re home. home with him.

it’s warm...

“..it was our day...”

you shift your head at his mumbling, lifting his chin to presumably look at his expression. your attention is his now. not kaeya’s. not anyone else’s. just his.

(his eyes are soft and droopy, smudged red making them look especially mellow in the dim lighting, and lips pushed into the slightest pout. he knows what you’re seeing when you gaze at him fondly, and you can almost see the puppy eyes he sports. how unusual of him.)

“someone’s a little jealous here, hmmm?”

you drag out the syllables teasingly, and from lips that are pressing kisses against your skin, he responds a little muffled—

“perhaps.”

#zhongli #genshin impact #fluff #jealousy #zhongli x gn!reader #zhongli x reader #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact imagines #request #cecilia

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liviuswrites · 3 years

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Sasuke kind of loves where Naruto lives, though he isn’t quite sure why.

He likes the smell of salt by the sea when they open the window, and he likes how Naruto looks outside on the shoreline, wind in his hair and water at his feet. He likes how Naruto looks at home, even when a storm rages, he’s always right where he belongs. He likes the cozy feeling of the Uzumaki household, it’s just a house on a small island, where Naruto knows all the local shop owner’s, wearing them down with barter, but they still always smile at him when he walks through the door.

Sasuke desperately wants to kiss him.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Naruto jumps onto his bed, where Sasuke is half-laying against his headboard, schoolwork open on his lap.

Sasuke raises his eyebrows, as if he would reveal that information out loud in actual words. He and Naruto were currently caught in something. It felt inevitable, like they’d been caught in things before.

“If you purposely have terrible perminship to cover up your logs,” Sasuke proposes instead.

Naruto squints at him, clearly not buying it.

“I’m not gonna get caught.” Something a little mischievous appears in those ocean blue eyes. “Sweet of you though, to worry about me.”

His gaze turns a little more searching, and Sasuke always feels a particular way, when Naruto looks like that. Sasuke doesn’t personally think his thoughts are all that different from anyone else’s, but sometimes, it feels like Naruto wants to know every single one, like he’s never had access before, like he has to soak up everything he can, before it’s gone. It makes Sasuke’s chest hurt, and if anyone were to ask, he could never justify why.

Naruto asks again. “What were you really thinking about?”

It’s a nudge. Sasuke doesn’t know why Naruto does that — uses that careful, more gentle tone — except that maybe he worries about overstepping. Maybe he’s worried that Sasuke was thinking about his father’s recent death, and just hadn’t wanted to say so out loud.

“I like where you live,” Sasuke gives.

There’s a small release of tension in Naruto, and Sasuke watches it fall away under that hideously patterned orange shirt. Naruto has an attachment to a specific color scheme that must go back lifetimes for how stubbornly he clings to it. Sasuke has tried to sway him from it to no avail, and it’s easier to think about that, rather than what if he gives the answer Naruto is so scared of. He’s not quite sure what it is, or how to prevent it; he’s not sure he could guess it, even if he tried.

“Guess it can be hard, moving around so much,” Naruto offers, by leeway of giving room for Sasuke to expand.

“I don’t mind it,” Sasuke says and he means it. Though, he hesitates, gaze lifting. “I just... like it a little more here.”

It costs him to say these things, sometimes, like a lump caught in his throat, but it’s always worth it when he can manage.

Naruto’s smile is immediate, small and knowing. “Are you trying to say something, Uchiha?”

Sasuke can’t run from that challenge. Naruto is already moving in any case, there’s no time to even consider running, as he shifts over Sasuke to lean down, as Sasuke’s arms curl up and around—

Sasuke freezes. “Naruto,” he says.

Kushina looms over them, tapping a frying pan against her hand like a baseball bat. Naruto pauses at Sasuke’s pause, catching on and following where Sasuke’s eyes are looking, and turns to—

Scramble for his life.

He makes it to the edge of the bed, before Kushina has pulled off his jacket, which Naruto quickly twists and sheds, but unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with grace, as Kushina yanks on the sleeve just in time to offset his balance, sending him to the floor with a yelp. Flat on his back, Naruto holds his hands up in surrender, and laughs the most sheepish, red-handed laugh that Sasuke has ever heard. It threatens a small smile at his lips, but Sasuke isn’t idiotic enough to piss off Naruto’s mother.

“Naruto!” Kushina raises her voice, standing over him. “What did I say about leaving the door open when Sasuke is over!”

“It’s not like that, Ma, really—”

“It’s a little like that,” Sasuke corrects, because what? He values honesty. His job is to make Naruto’s parents like him, not to take the heat.

Naruto throws him a look of betrayal, and his eyes narrow even further when they notice the tiny quirk in Sasuke’s mouth. Sasuke refuses to take the bait, raising his eyebrows with false innocence. Naruto needs to get in trouble once in a while. Otherwise, he’ll get caught for the things he should actually get in trouble for.

“Door open,” Kushina growls. “I won’t allow my son to be a delinquent, yanno!”

Naruto nods with such enthusiastic agreement, a bobblehead would be jealous. Satisfied, she turns to Sasuke and smiles. “Nice to see you again, Sasuke. Say hi to your mom for me when you go home before your curfew. No more sneaking through my obedient’s son’s window, okay?”

Saskue nods, politely. He likes Naruto’s mother. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and all that.

Though, he does appreciate her for what she did for his mom. Since Kushina suggested she come back to her hometown after the funeral, his mom has been doing better. It’s been strange, to see his mom function in a completely different element, where the shopkeepers talk about her and Kushina getting in trouble together as little girls. Before coming to the island, he didn’t even know his mother had friends.

It’s been... nice.

Kushina takes her frying pan and her leave. Naruto groans, sitting back up.

“I hadn’t even kissed you yet,” he complains. “She has some freakish sixth sense.”

“Well, you are a delinquent.” Sasuke plays devil’s advocate. “And I did crawl through your window.”

It’s difficult to find alone time on a small island, especially on a small island where the guy you keep trying to make out with knows everyone, and while his own mom is a little more... laid back than Naruto’s, at least in terms of open doors, Sasuke doesn’t want to cause her any trouble right now. He thinks Naruto inherently understands this, because he never suggests his house.

“Who’s side are you on?” Naruto huffs. “And I dunno what you think you’ve pieced together, but I’m not a delinquent.”

It’s almost a mutter, and Sauke gets the impression that he’s not a delinquent, but he is something. Sasuke watches Naruto stand back up, eyeing the door where his mom left, like he’s seriously considering bolting it shut, while Sasuke contemplates on revealing what he has pieced together. It just seems pointless when he’s relatively certain Naruto won’t tell him the rest, if not to protect whatever he’s involved in, then to protect Sasuke’s deniability if he ever does get caught.

“Smuggling—” That’s all Sasuke gets out before Naruto is tackling him and clamping a hand over his mouth.

The clock ticks as Naruto watches the door like prey waiting in the brush, holding its final breaths. When there’s no sign of either of his parents, he turns back to Sasuke with a firm look of warning, before removing his hand.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Is that it?” Naruto asks. “A stroke, an aneurysm?”

“I was aiming for brain aneurysm, actually, until I remembered you need a brain for that,” Sasuke points out with a smug smirk that he knows will drive Naruto up the wall.

He enjoys watching Naruto’s hackles rise.

“Just because you—Ugh,” Naruto eloquently voices, like he might start pulling on his hair. Sasuke quirks an eyebrow in encouragement, that may or may not be a trap. He wants to know the truth. If he’s reached the correct conclusion about Naruto’s spare time activity. “It’s not something you want to be involved in, okay? Why can’t you just drop it already?”

There’s a desperate note in Naruto’s voice, an askance for Sasuke to stop. Out of worry. Out of concern. But that’s why he can’t drop it. Why the hell does Naruto always sound like that?

“Are you in some sort of trouble?” Sasuke finds himself asking, and the backlash is immediate. Not from Naruto. Naruto just blinks at him, looking vaguely startled at Sasuke’s flinch, and then just confused. The internal backlash strikes with enough ferocity for everyone involved. He’s showing too many cards. He knows he is, and he can see the rigidity of his father’s face, too soft, those eyes said, too emotional, and Itachi’s quiet agreeance, it’s better this way.

Sasuke pushes at Naruto’s chest, telling him to get off without words. “Curfew is in a few—”

“No, Sasuke.” Naruto grabs his wrist, halting movement. Sasuke refuses to look at him, too open, too exposed. “No.”

Words can’t find their way out of his mouth, so he stays silent. The salt in the air suddenly feels far too thick.

“It’s not like that,” Naruto reassures, quickly. He lets go of Sasuke’s wrist, leaning back onto his own thighs to give them room. Sasuke studies a spot on the wall, until Naruto’s apparent distress draws his eyes back over, watching him push a hand through blond hair. Those frustrated blue eyes have taken partial to the wall too. “It’s... complicated.”

Sasuke observes the frown in his mouth. He’s already shown his cards. It’s too late to take it back.

Maybe it’s an argument worth committing to. It’s a foreign concept to Sasuke outside of his family. He hasn’t had many friends in his life, and even those he would consider friends, he’s never found much of a point in fighting. If they want to be stupid, then they can be stupid. Sasuke is hardly domestic enough to start little arguments. He can remove himself if he doesn’t want to be involved. Until now, apparently.

He cares if Naruto is stupid.

“Complicated sounds dangerous,” Sasuke tests. “You’re not denying it’s dangerous.”

Naruto’s mouth thins. His eyes refuse to come back to Sasuke, and Sasuke knows what it means. Naruto isn’t willing to argue.

He’s not willing to talk about it.

Sasuke waits, carefully, for what feels like several stabbing heartbeats. Naruto probably regrets it — the first time he took Sasuke out on his boat, gifted to him on his sixteenth birthday, two years ago. Traveling by boat was the only way to get to the mainland, and Kushina made Naruto his official guide when he and his mom first arrived, to both of their horrors.

He and Naruto incidentally met the day before at school, eleven kids to a grade. It would be hard to miss each other.

Naruto took him out anyway, and they grumbled and bickered for a majority of it, and they’d ended the night with Choji’s famous Kraken Skewers. Sasuke isn’t the biggest fan of squid, but he ate it anyway, after being convinced by Naruto that it was a crime against humanity not to try it.

On their way back, growing comfortable around Naruto at an unusual rate, he started poking around and noticed the logs. His memory has always been pristine, and he knew there were more crates underneath the deck than what it said on his logs. Naruto played it off, I crate over extra goods sometimes, Naruto admitted, caught and rubbing the back of his neck, there’s this girl...

Sasuke completely bought it, he didn’t even question it, in fact he immediately told Naruto he didn’t need to hear it. He’d been around enough guys his own age to know they were annoyingly obsessed with girls and Sasuke had no shared interest.

In hindsight, there’s a good chance Naruto had a hunch and wielded it as a weapon of redirection.

Given, the illusion was shattered when Naruto kissed him.

He probably wasn’t sneaking extra goods to a mainland girl, but it was a decent cover. Especially when the maritime patrol were mostly older men, who liked to reminisce in their testosterone riddled days as a teenager, or whatever the fuck. Sasuke wonders how many times that story worked, and how many different ones Naruto has told.

Sasuke began to notice more, how easily Naruto crawled in and out of his bedroom window, like he’d done it a thousand times, the bags under his eyes, the way he could anchor his boat in the dark, not a single light needed. Sasuke can tell apart Naruto’s real smiles and ones that meant something different, like he was sad, or just a little too tired of something heavier than this island could hold.

But Naruto thinks he can hold it. And he thinks he can do it alone.

Sasuke collects his study books and shoves them into his bag, sliding out from underneath Naruto and off the bed. Naruto still won’t look at him, hands resting on his knees, and mouth pinched.

“You know I’ll figure it out,” Sasuke says. It’s not a threat. It’s just the truth.

He pauses in Naruto’s doorway before leaving. He hesitates. He can’t help that he notices these things. One day, the pieces will fall into place, and it will all click together, whether he or Naruto wants it to or not.

“You should decide how you want that to happen.”

He doesn’t notice Naruto frown at the door when he walks out.

#SNStober2021 #Domestic #Domestic Supernatural Island AU?#Where Naruto smuggles demons and spirits over seas back into their realm #It's dangerous tho!#Doesn't want Sasuke to get hurt #SNS #SasuNaru #NaruSasu #Excited to participate in SNStober #!

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kkaeyva · 3 years

Text

'forever' is for dreamers

𐐪𐑂 summary: xiao learns how to dream.

𐐪𐑂 note: sorry for disappearing for a bit </3 i was working on a few things and now i'm back :) and just in time for xiao's birthday as well <3 happy birthday xiao <3 here's a drabble dedicated to you and THANKS FOR THE CRYSTALFLIES MWA MWAH KISSES XIAO ON THE FOREHEAD

𐐪𐑂 includes: xiao

𐐪𐑂 genre(s): fluff, you could read this as friends to potential lovers but idk, misuse/overuse of the words 'forever' and 'dream' LMAO

𐐪𐑂 word count: 1.5k

xiao does not believe in love.

or, more specifically, he does not believe in mortal emotions.

his arms rest against the railing of the balcony on the top floor of wangshu inn when he senses your presence behind him. your gaze meets his when he turns around to acknowledge you, and a smile appears on your face when he does so.

“xiao!” you call out to him, “so you’re here too, huh?” he moves to the side as to give you room on the railing. he doesn’t respond to you, choosing instead to look out into the horizon. (although, it’s not like he’s ever responded all that often.)

you continue a one-sided conversation, your gaze flickering back and forth between the adeptus beside you and the view before you to watch for a reaction to anything you say.

to anyone else, he certainly seems like he has turned you out or ignored you since your arrival. but you know better— xiao simply isn’t much of a talker. you glance over at him again once you finish up the story you were telling (something about a friend being descended from pirates?) and decide that maybe today he’d appreciate a bit of silence. you catch him as he gives you a look when he realizes you’ve gone quiet (it’s a look of something you can’t discern, unfortunately) but neither of you says anything of it.

a soft smile breaks out on your face as you lean a bit more onto the railing. you don’t know what’s so special about this quiet moment, but the words escape through your mouth faster than you can stop them.

“will we be friends forever, xiao?”

this catches him off guard. you can tell in the way the tips of his fingers twitch just a little, and how he swivels his head to look at you. he simply scoffs and turns back, his words nonchalant and indifferent, “forever is impossible for a mortal like you. you humans should stop romanticizing a concept you will never understand.”

you simply laugh a little at that and gaze out into the scenery once more. “i was thinking you’d say something like that. xiao, the ever-so-predictable adeptus, hm? anyway, i guess i’ll have to keep dreaming.”

he rolls his eyes and you laugh again. the sun is beginning to set and the sky is becoming stained with orange-yellow watercolour hues.

xiao would rather not grasp the concept of human emotions. they get in the way when he is trying to carry out his duties, and so he whisks them away each night as if they are another one of the demons he slays.

but as he sits on the edge of a cliff, staring up at the full moon, his mind wanders to the words you said not long ago. dream? about what? how do you dream about forever, when you’ve only got a bit of time to live?

‘forever’ is not something he could promise to anyone, not even rex lapis.

he’s seen many promises made between the children playing in the streets through the form of hooking pinkies together, and he’s seen promises made between merchants and shopkeepers through the form of paper and pen. above all else, the word ‘forever’ seems to be a common trend with them. what did you mean back then, to keep dreaming about forever? it’s always you that twists and turns his brain into a mess trying to decipher what you mean. why must humans dream about a concept even he can’t put into words yet? would any adeptus be able to describe ‘forever?’ the adepti are immortal, but does that necessarily mean ‘forever?’

he grumbles as he shakes his mind free of those thoughts. it’s not like the moon could give him any answers, anyway.

you’ve gone and done it this time— xiao thinks you’ve infected his mind with your words.

the thing is, xiao does not dream. he tries his hardest not to, he refuses to (weakness like that could spell the end for him.) and what kind of dream would he even have? one of light? one of peace? they are both so, so far out of his reach; he’s better off not thinking about them at all.

he’s pulled out of his trance from the sound of you setting a plate of almond tofu in front of him.

“you’re welcome,” you say as you take a seat across from him. “what’s on your mind? you seemed out of it earlier.”

he shakes his head— a “nothing that a mortal needs to worry about,” leaving his lips— and he digs into his almond tofu. while he would rather eat alone, he supposes he’s come to not mind your presence as much as before. maybe he could get you to explain to him what you meant that day.

he takes a bite of his tofu, relishing in the soft sweetness enveloping his tongue.

it tastes like how he thinks a dream would feel.

oh, and suddenly he understands your words a little more. or so he thinks, of course.

“what do you think this tastes like?” he blurts out, effectively giving you the biggest surprise of your life— how many times had xiao started a conversation before this moment anyway? exactly zero.

“i mean.. it’s sweet? there’s almost in it, so there’s that sort of flavour... what are you trying to ask, xiao?” by this point, you’ve put down your chopsticks, fully invested in this new conversation.

he averts his eyes, seeming to be embarrassed that he’d ask such a thing, but answers you nonetheless (though it was after a few moments of contemplation), “what did you mean that day, when you said you’d continue dreaming about forever? what does ‘forever’ mean?”

he fully expects you to laugh at him— call him foolish for thinking so hard about a throwaway line you gave him— but to his surprise, you answer honestly. (it sends a pang of something unfamiliar to his heart.)

your eyes are soft, and they are understanding. you are a table-width away, but he feels close to you at that moment. he wants to keep this view in his memory until the day he dies.

“‘forever’ has a lot of meanings, y’know? poetry-wise, i mean,” you lean your head against your hand, staring at the adeptus from your side of the table. in this moment, he seems more like a curious boy who simply wonders about the world. “at least for me, my forever is until i’m forgotten. it always has been.”

your forever?

the confusion is evident on his face, causing you to let out a chuckle and continue explaining, “what i mean is that... when i asked you if we’d be friends forever that day, i meant if you would ever forget about me.”

xiao lifts his gaze to meet your eyes, taken aback by your bluntness. how could you say something like that so nonchalantly? weird human.

but perhaps he appreciates this side of you, one that he has never seen in any other mortal he’s met. weird and unpredictable, but always honest and at this point, your voice is comforting enough that he finds himself using it as background noise— a breath of fresh air compared to the malicious thoughts that plague his mind. for a moment, he is allowed to forget about the weight of the bad karma weighing down on his shoulders.

he observes how you simply shrug and start eating your food again, but he senses how on edge you are as you wait for him to answer you. so you were sincerely hoping— no, dreaming— that he would be part of your forever as well. his instincts tell him to say that, unfortunately, he’ll live so long even after you leave and eventually you will be another insignificant memory, but something stops him from doing so. he wants to promise you that ‘forever’ you so dream of. to his own surprise, xiao himself wants to make sure that ‘forever’ rings true, even as he takes his last breath on the battlefield.

“i’ll try not to,” he murmurs, making you let out a questioning “hm?” at his words. and despite the embarrassment bubbling in the pits of his stomach, he clears his throat, “i meant i’ll try not to forget about you. don’t worry.”

he’s met with silence.

he waits with bated breath and finds himself hoping he hasn’t said anything wrong, only to be shocked by how you immediately burst out into laughter.

you look back at him with a wide grin plastered across your face, “thank you, xiao.” it’s a type of smile that he’s never seen you wear before. his body fills with a soft, fuzzy feeling and although it is unfamiliar, he welcomes it fully.

if ‘forever’ is for dreamers, then xiao simply has to dream, no? he’d dream again and again if only he could see that smile of yours over and over. he promises with his entire being to fulfill that dream of yours.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact drabble #genshin x reader #xiao x reader #xiao.txt #kkaeyva.writes

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change-the-world-someday · 4 years

Text

Don’t You Go

@ogmilkis asks:

hey i love your writing b (your last one(all of them really) was *chefs kiss*)💕 would you be willing to do 10 from the John Mulaney promt list?? no specifics i just wanna see what you do with it 😂

A/N: You're very kind about my work, thank you :). Keep sending these requests in, guys, they really help my imagination run.

Prompt: 10. “I am very small and I have no money, so you can imagine the kind of stress that I am under.”

BAU x GN!Teen!Reader (Platonic)

Summary: Your parents are linked with four murders around town. However, things aren’t as rosey as they seem in your house...

⚠️TW⚠️ Child abuse mentioned, General Criminal Minds things, Murder mentioned

Masterlist

—•—

You shift in the uncomfortable seat, your wrists aching from the handcuffs. You play with your hands, fiddling with the ring on your right hand, twirling it and shifting it up and down your middle finger.

You weren't planning on being caught. Hell, you weren't planning on stealing in the first place, but life has a way of twisting things and somehow pulling the worst from every situation. You just needed something to eat and drink.

The door opens and your head snaps up and two people walk in. There's a younger, pale woman with blonde hair and an older man who's more tan with grey, swept-back hair. They take a seat opposite you and the man opens a file.

"So, Y/N L/N, the only child of Sandy and Darren L/N. Do you mind telling us why you were stealing from the store?"

You sit back and sigh. You don't say a word. The woman who asked the question huffs, making the older man place a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay, let's try something else," he starts. "JJ, do you mind leaving us for a few minutes?"

The blonde, JJ, nods and stands, leaving to presumably stand behind the one-way glass you’ve been staring at intently since you were forced into the interrogation room.

"My name's Dave Rossi. Now, why did your parents hide you from us? I mean, surely you know your parents are under investigation..."

Your attention is grabbed by this, and though you try not to show it, Rossi picks up on the subtle shift in body language. "Wait, you don't know?"

You speak up. "N-No. I b-barely see them."

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "Is that why you were in the store, trying to steal some food from the top shelf?" He bites back a smirk as he remembers how you were caught—you were trying to reach the top shelf and fell into it, crashing to the ground and your backpack opening, spilling out stolen food.

"Look, I'm very small and I have no money, so you can imagine the kind of stress that I am under," you scoff out, still playing with your jewellery. Rossi leans forward a little, trying to close the gap between you.

"Don't your parents give you money for food?" Rossi asks. You shrug.

"They spend it...elsewhere," you reply and try to stop fidgeting. "I don't see them, and they don't tell me anything."

Rossi nods and pulls something out of his pocket; a key. "They must hurt." You nod and lean forward, letting Rossi unlock the cuffs. You smile a little, muttering a quiet 'thank you' before you rub your wrists, soothing them. That feels better.

"Are they ever around?" Dave asks. His tone of voice has shifted from slightly harsh to softer, almost fatherly. You shake your head and Rossi sighs. He leans back.

"Is there anywhere you can stay while we investigate your parents?" You shake your head again. "Okay. We can keep you here until the shopkeeper decides if she wants to press charges. We can make sure you're fed, too."

Rossi gets up and walks out, leaving you behind. He bumps into his team in the other room, who was watching through the one-way mirror.

"What are we going to do?" He asks Hotch. The unit chief sighs.

"The shopkeeper doesn't want to press charges. Y/N’s known for stealing small amounts of food from shops around town. They tend to just ignore it since they know what their parents are like. I say we keep them here, make sure they’re comfortable at least, and then we can see what Garcia's pulled up on the parents." Hotch gives the rundown and the team nod.

Suddenly, his phone rings. He picks up. "Garcia? What have you got?"

He puts her on speaker. "Sir, it turns out Y/N’s parents are related to the distribution of heroin around the country and guess what? Three of our four victims were involved in it too," she explains quickly, keyboard clacking in the background.

"And what about the fourth, baby girl?" Morgan asks.

"She knew the mother."

"It did seem that the fourth victim was a more personal attack. She was stabbed fifteen times more than the rest," Spencer pipes up. Hotch nods.

"Okay, thanks, Garcia," Hotch thanks and hangs up, turning back to his team.

"Morgan and Prentiss, I want you to go to the house with a warrant and search top to bottom. Check Y/N’s room, too. JJ, release a statement to the press that we want to find these two. Dave, you're with me. We'll search the town and go over the crime scenes, see if there's anything the police missed. Reid, I want you to stay with Y/N. You're the youngest and they'll probably be less standoffish with you. Try and ask them some questions about their parents and the fourth victim. JJ, join him after."

Everyone goes their separate ways and Reid goes back into the interrogation room. You look up and relax a little, seeing it isn't the local PD.

"Hi Y/N, I'm Spencer," the young man introduces himself. You nod.

"Hi," you mumble.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink? We can get you pretty much anything," Spencer asks. You think for a minute and nod.

"C-Can I have some...ramen, please?" You ask shyly. Spencer gives a bright smile and nods, quickly texting JJ to pick something up.

"Can I ask you some questions please?" The doctor asks. "You don't have to answer any if you don't want to, but it could help us."

You think before nodding, messing with your ring again. "C-Can you..." You trail off.

"Can I?" Spencer asks.

"Do you have...something I can mess with, p-please? The ring's hurting my finger." Spencer nods and digs into his pocket, pulling out a set of keys and handing them over.

"They okay?" You nod. "Okay. Do you know Caitlyn?"

Silence. You’ve stopped messing with the keys. You nod. "How?"

"She...She's my friend. She told me..." You pause. "She told me she'd help me get away."

Spencer nods. "Get away from where?"

"My...my parents," you finish, messing with Spencer's keys again.

"Did your parents ever...come home with blood on them?"

You look down and nod. "When did that start?"

"Erm..." you think, "a-about a month ago. I wasn't allowed t-to ask." Your hands start to shake. "They...they..."

"Hey, Y/N? You're okay. Everything's okay," Spencer starts to reassure you. "They can't get you. You're okay."

You let out a shuddering breath and nod. Suddenly, the door opens and you jump out of his skin. It's the blonde woman from before, and she's holding a cup of ramen, steaming, with a plastic fork sticking up in it.

"Spencer? Hotch wants to talk to you," she says. The young agent nods and leaves, letting JJ take his seat. She hands you the ramen and you give a grateful nod, slurping it.

"S-Sorry," you mutter. JJ gives a soft smile and shakes her head.

"It's alright. I don't mind," she replies. You nod and continue eating, only stopping to take a breath now and then. In five minutes, the food's gone.

"W-Where is everyone?" You ask after a little while. JJ looks up from her phone, pausing the video you’re watching together.

"Well, Spencer's with Hotch, and the other one you've met, Rossi, is talking with the police to see if we can get you a bed set up in here. It would mean you don't have to go to the cells and you don't have to sleep in that chair," she explains.

"Hotch?"

"He's our boss. His name's Aaron, but Hotch is his nickname. Do you have a nickname?"

You shake your head. "N-Not really. My parents call me names, but n-not a nickname."

"How about N/N?" JJ asks. You think about it for a moment, before a small smile breaks out on your face.

"I-I like that," you mutter. "Yeah."

"N/N suits you, kid," a voice says from the door. You look up to see Rossi. He's holding a folding camp bed in his arms. Behind him is a sterner-looking man with a blanket and pillow. "We've got you a bed. None of us want you to go to your parents' house, and CPS can't come until morning."

You nod and lean back, playing with something in your hands.

"What you got there?" The other man asks.

"K-Keys," you reply. His eyes narrow.

"They're mine," someone says; Spencer. "I gave them to them to play with."

"S-Sorry. You c-can have them b-back. I'm s-sorry," you stammer out. Spencer shakes his head and walks over.

"It's okay. I don't need them at the moment," he reassures you. You nod.

Suddenly, radios flare up and almost everyone bolts out the room, leaving behind you and Rossi. Your eyes widen.

"W-What g-going on? D-Did I-"

"No kiddo, you haven't done anything wrong," Dave cuts in as he makes up the bed. "We've just had a hit on your parents..."

—•—

Part two anyone? Let me know if you’d like to see it :). Also, let me know if you want to be on my taglist. Just drop an ask :)

TAGLIST:

@ogmilkis @spideygirl2003 @ssebstann@herecomesthewriterwitch @garcias-batcave

#platonic bau #bau #criminal minds #platonic bau x reader #bau x reader #gender netural reader #gender neutral!reader #male reader #male!reader #female reader #behavioural analysis unit #behavioral analysis unit #behavioural analysis unit x reader #behavioral analysis unit x reader

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moonbeamsung · 3 years

Note

hey! this has been getting popular recently, so pair your moots with an nct fic trope or/and ship them with nct?? i love your works too!! can't wait for the next one :)) heh

(anon, i’m so sorry this took so long! thanks for your patience! this also kinda turned into association instead of ships but i also base ships on similarities? so it works out hehe)

🎄dear moots: think of these ships/mini fics as a small christmas/holiday/end of the year gift from me to you! i sincerely hope you like them, it’s not much but it’s the least i can do to express my gratitude for all the love and happiness you’ve made me feel this year, even if we’ve just recently met! i’m so thankful for all of you and i love you very much!🎄

hi lovely anon!! <3 omg you love my works? that means so much to me, i hope you’re having a wonderful day!! thank you so much for sending me this, i had been hoping to do something like it for a while🥺

for my closer moots, i’m gonna combine these, so i’ll outline a fic trope/idea and the pairing will be who i ship you with! hopefully this won’t become an essay lol. warning: it does

i don’t want to leave anyone out, so for those of you that i’m not quite as close with or have met more recently, i’ll just give you a ship! i hope that’s okay🥺and if i’m still forgetting someone then i’m really really sorry, please let me know and i’ll make sure to add you next time!

read more cut because this is a looooot. open at your own risk and prepare for many many MANY blocks of text... also these are in alphabetical order by url!!

——ships + fics——

@astroboy-lele: a best friends to lovers au with chenle, no doubt about it. furou is one of my closest friends on here and our conversations are almost always chaotic, but when they aren’t, they’re full of love and appreciation for each other because she deserves it! major chenle vibes, they’re both so adorable too. her humor is great, all the jokes we have together make me absolutely wheeze oml. i really don’t know what i would do without her kindness sometimes, when i want to give up at something she’s so quick to reassure me. furou, thanks for encouraging me and for always being such a strong source of happiness🥺also, i hope you never doubt your amazing talents because they are a gift to this world!! but enough with the super deep stuff because this is way too long, so the plot would go something like this: you met one day when you heard him practicing piano in the band room by himself. you’re both shy at first so it’s a blush fest when he notices you’ve been listening to him play the whole time, but one not-so-awkward introduction later, you realize you have some things in common and that you share a class or two. you come over for study sessions & work together on partner projects, conversations lighthearted and full of endless laughter. in addition, you also show your support for each other’s talents and dreams, with him attending your dance performances and clapping louder than anyone else in the audience, and you attending his recitals, heart swelling with more pride and appreciation than you thought was possible. any time that you spend together usually ends with you asleep on his chest while he taps away at a piano app on his phone because he knows it calms you down, humming softly by your ear. as the sunlight streams in from his window and illuminates your face, he takes one look at you and decides that you’ve become so much more than just a best friend to him after everything you’ve been through together in such a short time. but will he ever find the courage to tell you how he feels?

@danishmiilk: i can’t really explain it, but i just picture late nights walking through city streets in a strangers to lovers au with doyoung by your side. xing-yi has a lot of love to give to others and so much to offer the writing community, and also she’s somewhat of a social butterfly, at least i think so! it makes me so happy seeing her interact with her moots and she always looks out for others! i also imagine that she has a cute bunny smile but also maybe not HAHA anyway i just love xing-yi a lot. here’s the fic: doyoung, the one who always seems to know everything, is forced to ask for directions in a foreign city. shamefully standing on the sidewalk, he stops you mid-step with a small hand gesture, because even though he doesn’t know you at all, you look like you probably won’t walk away or dismiss his questions with a shrug. being as friendly and willing to help as you are, you oblige. with an embarrassed scratch to the back of his neck, he admits that he might forget the sequence of lefts and rights you had given him, but you’re unfazed and simply offer to walk him there yourself, since it isn’t terribly far anyway. doyoung, lightly flustered since he’s not quite sure how to thank you for your trouble and feeling bad for taking the time out of your day, fumbles with asking for your number. he’s cute, you think, and before you part you insist on showing him around the city some more before he leaves, glancing at the sheepish but smitten man over your shoulder with a smile as you turn to walk back home, leaving him eager to see you again.

@daybreakx: my first thought was a hogwarts au with kun! ale’s talent in writing is a beautiful hidden gem on this site, and she truly deserves so much more recognition for it. i’m so grateful for how kind she is and i want the best for her and her work always! also, the love letter network that she created to help more writers receive love, feedback, and appreciation from readers is such a generous and selfless thing to do, it shows that she has such a caring heart! all of these qualities make me think of kun, and i chose a hogwarts au because i think she just writes those especially well and hers are some of my favorites! so for the fic: the fates are definitely not on your side today, because all the friends you made on the train ride to the castle have been sorted into different houses than you, not to mention you have almost no classes with any of them. at the same time, you seem to have every class with this one boy, kun. he’s in hufflepuff, the same house as you, and because you’re always paired up as seatmates, you find yourself warming up to him throughout the year. conversations become easier during projects, you start to have study sessions in the common room when exams come around, and as first-year students, you both love experiencing all the new and exciting things that the school and the magical world has to offer together. now, you couldn’t be happier that you were sorted into hufflepuff, because otherwise you might not have become friends (and maybe more..) with him!

@donkey-hyuck: vy is way more hilarious and talented than others give her credit for, and not to mention the way everyone adores her for always being so loving and showering them with her affection and support😭i’m thinking of a sci-fi au with jeno! she’s just so hardworking with her writing and on her collabs, & i think she’s strong-willed because she always pursues her goals no matter what! she has such a bright personality and also, like jeno’s her smile is just the CUTEST thing ever!!!! i will never be over it istg🥺fic: in a world full of new technology and controlled by a government unwilling to remember the past and all its traditions, a band of rebels come together and take it upon themselves to go back in time and discover what their reality used to look like long ago. one fateful day on their quest to uncover the mystery of the past, they stumble upon you, unaware of their cause but eager to join them. you take after one of the boys particularly well, lee jeno. though he’s assigned the role of warrior, he’s well-rounded and could easily succeed at any task the group may need him to complete. extremely passionate about the group’s goal, the two of you share a dedication that only brings you closer with time, working together and just being complete badasses. when you aren’t navigating through streets full of neon signs and angular buildings, you fall into the rhythm of a relationship. though you may not know much about each other’s pasts yet, one thing’s for sure: you can definitely see a future with one another.

@fairvtale: a soulmate au with jisung! i mean, keia is just the peak of cuteness, love, positivity, and everything sweet and nice!! how could i not ship her with the adorable park jisung himself😭she’s so full of compassion for everyone she meets and is so loved and appreciated for not only her great personality but also her talents! now, in this soulmate universe, you and your soulmate share the same preferences! so when you hear someone standing in line ahead of you at the ice cream shop order your favorite flavor, your heart skips a beat. of course, it’s not the first time it’s happened, but something feels different today. when you see who the voice belongs to, you just know that the tall but also shy boy is meant for you, and being brave, you approach the small two-person table he sits down at, making small talk until you both realize that you have a little too much in common for it to be a coincidence... :D <3

@ferie-anon: i’m picturing a bookstore au with shopkeeper!taeil, you just give off really insightful but also curious vibes!! both you and taeil make me think of wisdom(especially with your astrology knowledge! it amazes me so much omg), and also, you both have hearts of gold🥺💝fic: a new book shop opens up in your town, and eager to find a new story to dive into, you enter one day to find taeil behind the counter with a smile on his face that’s so bright you don’t even notice his smaller but adorable stature. he guides you, his first customer, through the rows of books to find one that interests you. since the store has multiple copies, he finds himself reading the same ones that you buy not only to enjoy them for himself, but also because it allows him to discuss them with you when you come in the next time, eager to hear each other’s thoughts and knowledge. your equal love for learning and discovery makes you a perfect match!

@flirtyhyuck: kitty is a literal ray of sunshine into my life, so who else would i ship him with than haechan? (i know i once said jaemin but shh) he is so encouraging, always makes me smile and my heart burst, i’m really thankful for all the times he checks in on me and i just feel very loved talking to him. he deserves all the love in the world, really and truly. for the au, maybe a strangers to lovers with barista!haechan! your favorite cafe has a new worker that’s attracting all the attention lately. haechan makes the funniest jokes and comments at the register, and everyone asks for him to ring them up just so they can laugh at his sarcasm. but he’s also so attentive to each and every customer, making sure the order is nothing short of perfect and exactly what they wanted. you always sit at one of the bar-style seats as you enjoy your favorite drink, legs dangling from the elevated chair as you watch him bustle about behind the cashier station and among the machines & supplies. one day it’s closing time, he’s cleaning up for the night but he lets you stay a few more minutes, something he wouldn’t do for anyone else. leaning over the marble countertop that your cup rests on, he swipes a fingertip through the whipped cream on top of your drink and lightly taps your nose with it, making you giggle endearingly at the ticklish sensation and giving him the courage to ask you out. with a smile, you agree. ‘sure, but let’s go somewhere other than a coffee shop, please.’

@fruityutas: emily (pt 1 HAHA) seriously cracks me up SO MUCH, not to mention she has one the best laughs i’ve heard and it’s super lovable haha. i don’t know what else to call it but i’d give her a wedding date(?) au with hendery! even when i didn’t know her very well and we had just recently met she was super friendly and inviting. for some reason i feel like hendery would also play the sims lol, anyway! onto the fic: when given the opportunity to bring a ‘plus one’ to a friend’s special day, your other friend hendery swoops in with an arm around your shoulder as you reread the invitation out loud, wondering who to ask. not so subtly, he offers to accompany you, and not wanting to be the only one without a guest, you agree to his proposal (no pun intended). dressed in your best formalwear and with stiffly linked arms, you navigate through the ceremony, only loosening up a bit at the reception. hendery is determined to make you smile with his exaggerated dancing, twirling you and making you more than glad you brought him along. you do get a few comments from other guests on what a ‘cute couple’ you are, leading you both to exchange glances before bursting into laughter. it starts to become less and less implausible, though. you catch hendery’s eye right after you find the bride’s flower bouquet in your grasp, suddenly realizing there could be more between you than you realized...

@jenojam: i was totally not influenced by your preschool series at all haha, but a preschool au with teacher!kun comes to mind! vina is always there for me, she’s so caring and attentive to everything i tell her!! i get mom friend vibes i guess, she’s just so sweet and i feel super loved and cared for whenever we interact, i’m really grateful for her endless support🥺for the fic, kun is a coworker of yours at the preschool you teach at. you both have such a strong passion for teaching and it helps you bond, leading to many days spent side-by-side, fondly watching your students play with their friends at recess or do activities and play games in class. even the small children in your class can see how much wider you smile when you’re in the same room. with the sweetest and most innocent of intentions, shenanigans ensue of your well-meaning but slightly mischievous students trying to get kun to confess to you, whether it be by writing a message in sidewalk chalk or making a bracelet out of craft beads for him to give you.

@jisungsmochi: hm, i’m thinking...a high school/college au with theatre kid!xiaojun🥺i ship nat with xiaojun because she’s just the sweetest, she has a hidden chaotic side (imo lol) and just a great sense of humor as well! she’s so fun to talk to and you can’t help but love her🥺picture this: you’re both in english class together, and one day there’s a mix-up. he accidentally grabs your essay and you end up with his script for the school musical. you have no choice but to go to one of his rehearsals to swap them back, but as you’re standing in the doorway, you’re captivated by his performance! little do you know, he’s absolutely in awe of your writing, even in a simple literature paper. your admiration for each other’s talents leads to you sitting in the back of the theater doing your homework every day after school, listening to his voice ring out across the large room, and he gets a confidence boost knowing you’re there watching him act, dance, and sing. he always winks at you from onstage and you’re beyond starstruck every time, your english paper quickly becoming forgotten as soon as he meets your eyes with a charming smile.

@lebrookestore: well, a royal au with prince!/childhood friend!taeyong comes to mind. brooke is a lot like taeyong because she’s so considerate and generous but also can be very professional and calm when she needs to be! (i think i told you already but you have this ~duality~ in a way, like ty haha.) so..you both grow up in the castle, scampering away from the staff in the large hallways and just enjoying the excitement of life. one day when you’re a bit older, you come across a stranger in the forest as you’re exploring. they turn out to be from the next kingdom over, but something about them is familiar: you’re sure you’ve seen a ‘wanted’ poster with their face plastered on it. you manage to warn taeyong in his ear before you hear the stranger’s footsteps speed up, and you both start sprinting as fast as possible. quickly working together since you know each other so well, you devise a plan to get them caught in a tangle of vines you remember seeing on your way into the forest, so you can bring back reinforcements to arrest the dangerous criminal. it works, but instead of turning to give taeyong a high five in celebration, he’s already in front of you and thanking you for your quick thinking with a hug, suddenly realizing that how much he loves you after seeing your brave and clever side emerge, just two of the many traits that made you win his heart.

@navyhyuck: vee’s name has basically become synonymous with happiness at this point, hearing from her in my inbox/messages or seeing a post/work of hers on my dash is so comforting and makes me smile more than she knows. since she’s the epitome of sweetness, i’ll say a bakery au with jaemin! i really appreciate knowing someone like her, and the encouragement she gives me is so heartwarming🥺the way she sends asks in the mornings makes me feel so ridiculously loved and at ease, her presence in itself is a gift to this site. tumblr really doesn’t deserve her!! i’m so happy that we’ve grown close and i don’t know what i would do without her and her kindness in my life. fic: you sign up for a baking class at a quaint, local pastry shop to learn how to make desserts and treats, since baking was a hobby you had enjoyed as a child with your family and now you hoped to learn how to do it on your own. little did you know that your instructor would be even more saccharine than the sugary treats you were making. his flirtatious nature leads to many mishaps in the kitchen as you get distracted while trying to follow along with the simple directions, instead making a mess of the icing and sprinkles and nearly confusing the measurements of ingredients. he finds it adorable, though, and towards the end of the session he sneaks a bite of one of the french macarons you put together, a bright smile lighting up his features as he compliments you on it. he teases you by reminding you to pay more attention next time, and with a comeback so quick that even you’re surprised, you take him up on that offer, implying that you’d be back for another class soon. “good. we’re making crème brûlée next week,” he informs with a wink as you both part ways. boy, was he sweeter than sugar.

@orange-nimon-cross: yunha deserves someone who knows the true her and has always been by her side, so i’d say a neighbor/boy next door au with winwin/sicheng. her personality is unique and complex like sicheng’s, and like him i also admire her for lots of reasons, such as her honesty and the pride she takes in writing as well as her passion for it in general. she’s very sweet, so supportive whenever i need it, and deserves so much more recognition for her beautiful work!!💕fic: your neighborhood holds a classic and oh-so-cliche summer block party every year, the smell of smoke and sounds of laughter moving through the air and into your open window. when a bad day gets you down and you hesitate to join in the festivities, sicheng is the only one who can get through to you, not forcing you to talk about anything and just sitting beside you on your bed in silence, which seems to be the most comforting thing anyone can do at the moment. when you tell him you’re ready(which he asks you to confirm many times, because that’s just how much he cares about you and wants you to be fully comfortable and okay), he takes your hand and leads you outside and onto the burning asphalt of the street with other friends and families, the blissful feeling of summer putting you at ease and the gentle evening breeze carrying away your cares with it. and like a springtime flower, although one season late, your relationship begins to blossom into one full of even more love and consideration for each other than it was before.

@radiorenjun: a doctor au with renjun! angie is slightly (okay, very) chaotic but also very lovable!! i don’t know if she’s an aries but she gives off serious aries energy. she’s confident and optimistic and really approachable! i’m so happy she reached out to me one day and we became friends from there🥺in the fic, renjun is a resident at your hospital studying under you and learning the ropes of being a doctor. when you first met each other, you actually mistook him for a coworker with how professional he seemed, but the confusion made a small, adorable blush rise to his cheeks. shy and timid at first, he takes notes and helps you do your job without complaint. when you offer part of your routine to him, he gratefully accepts and does the task perfectly, growing more comfortable in his position and relationship with you as he receives more opportunities to show his skill. sharing stories and experiences from medical school on your lunch breaks and smiling when you finish each other’s sentences about patients and their prescribed care, you realize that you’ve fallen for the soon-to-be doctor, and that no stethoscope could possibly measure the beating of your heart around him.

@rouiyan: so you know how you said you were excited for my wip that’s a strangers to lovers au with animal shelter worker!jeno? that’s what this is(loosely anyway)!!🥺ree reminds me of jeno in the fact that she’s such a sweetheart in every interaction with anyone, it feels like you’ve been her friend for ages! and then you look at her writing that’s just so damn good and sophisticated and i’m always so amazed with everything she puts out, just like how jeno’s talents amaze me as well! now for the fic: your beloved dog runs off in the park, but luckily a boy walking nearby lunges for the leash as it drags behind the animal. you thank him repeatedly, and he explains that the little puppy might have tried to leave your grasp only because she wants to make a new friend. the park is full of other dogs, after all. he mentions that he works at the shelter nearby and suggests that maybe you should adopt a second one to keep her company. not seeing any reason why you shouldn’t, you meet him the next day and spend time together picking out a new puppy. many more days are spent giving the fluffy little animals lots of pets and scratches behind the ears, and playing with them. you’re not sure what’s cuter: the dogs, or jeno’s eye smile.

@ru-lin: (the fic was kinda inspired by what you told me about your job in our messages the other day hehe) i’d say a christmas au with mark! ruth is so considerate and a pleasure to talk to, we actually have a lot in common! she’s very warm and caring and always looking out for others. i can tell she really values her friends and they’re so lucky to have her, she’s just so sweet all around! talking to her makes my day a lot brighter whenever we interact🥺fic: during the holidays you always work at a christmas market, helping customers pick out pretty much anything they could ever want that’s associated with the chilly month and all its festivities. when a shy boy that’s adorably awkward and clumsy stumbles into the shopping area, you bite back a small laugh at his endearing hesitation to ask for assistance. speaking up first, you ask if there’s anything he needs and he explains that he’s looking for the perfect tree. with a knowing smile, you lead him down the rows of tall pines and firs and any kind of christmas tree you could possibly imagine. when his eyes land on one that he likes, his eyes light up with excitement, and you help him load it into his car. as mark is halfway home he curses, realizing he forgot to pick up a wreath as well. he knows it’ll earn him a playful scolding from his group of friends, but if it means another chance to return to the market and see you, it’s worth it.

@rvse-hvvck: i feel like i ship so many people with jaemin but it’s just because they’re so especially full of kindness and love for others, and ana is no exception! i’d give her a matchmaker au with jaemin! ana is so incredibly selfless and her heart is so compassionate, it’s crazy. i really look up to her in a lot of ways! the first impression she made on me was already a great one because i saw so many writers receiving her beautiful love letters, and from that moment alone i could already tell how much she strives to be kind and generous in everything she says and does. i hope she knows how much everyone truly adores her and is grateful for her, because she really makes the world a better and brighter place. (if you’ve seen the movie clueless i guess this fic is sorta similar!) so, you’re the resident expert on relationships among your school community, always trying to pair up people with similar interests or that have a lot of chemistry together. it brings you joy because you love seeing your friends laughing and smiling with their partners, but you feel a twinge of sadness at the same time. when jaemin, the boy you’ve liked for a while, comes to you for advice, you push down your feelings for him and send him on dates with anyone you can think of. the whole time though, he’s only had his eyes on you. he has always admired your altruism and your dedication to making others happy. it hurts him to see that you’re not even giving yourself a chance, so with a simple but heartfelt confession in the school parking lot at sunset, he helps you realize that you deserve a love like you’ve helped so many others find.

@sly-merlin: talking to simmi is always something very healing (like yuta’s smile hehe) so i’d definitely give her a secret agent/spy au with partner!yuta! she is so friendly to anyone and everyone, she gives off this warm and loving vibe like that of an old friend🥺she’s also extremely dedicated to her studies and works so hard. everyone adores her, and seeing her talk about things that make her happy is just the cutest thing ever! simmi, you truly have everyone’s heart!! now for the fic: you and yuta are both spies, partnered up for a very important and serious mission. only problem is, he’s never been the serious type. he teases you for being so uptight, but you genuinely don’t know any other way to approach a mission. along the way though, he manages to teach you how to have a little fun with your job, even if it means lots of close calls and sticky situations that force you both to begrudgingly (well, you more so than him) pretend you’re an oblivious couple in order to escape suspicious eyes. eventually, you find yourself becoming less and less unwilling to throw a casual arm around his shoulder, even when you aren’t at risk of being caught on your mission. maybe he isn’t so bad after all... :)

@suhpressed: a strangers to lovers au with theatre usher!johnny. so you know how johnny’s like an older brother to mark? i get major comforting and warm big sis vibes from elaida!! i would ship her with johnny because they’re both such selfless and caring people! she’s not afraid to speak her mind, and she always looks out for others with kindness and encouragement! as for the fic: you’re finally attending a broadway show you’ve been dying to see since, well, forever. this really cute usher helps you find your seat, but in a rare stroke of clumsiness, he bumps someone with a glass of wine in their hand that ends up staining your blouse a dark red. like the gentleman johnny (you can see it on his nametag) is, he promises to buy you a new one, and writes his phone number on the show’s program. you enjoy the musical, but the digits scribbled down next to the performers’ names prove to be more distracting than you anticipated. throughout the show you’re really jittery, excited to get back home so you can text him. in addition to replacing your ruined shirt, he also invites you out for coffee over the phone, you agree, and you both hit it off. the rest is history! the way that you met becomes a favorite story among your friends and families, & they never miss a chance to tease you two about spilling drinks.

@tyongxnct: elida, where do i begin🥺right away, i think of an idol au with taeyong. she is just so caring and supportive, she likes or comments on my posts and can make me smile with just a few words!! i remember one time that she said she was lucky to have me as a moot and it really warmed my heart, i’m so so lucky to have her too! i can tell she’s passionate about writing and that it brings her so much joy! i wish her only the best in life always <3 in the fic: during a tour, nct 127 stops in your country for a few nights of concerts, and in the midst of the excitement on the way back from the venue, taeyong gets separated from the rest. in an unfamiliar environment, he begins to panic as he remembers that he left his phone on the tour bus and has no way to contact his manager or fellow members. you, while familiar with and respectful of the group but not an avid follower of their music, catch sight of the lost and more than frazzled man as he frantically paces along the sidewalk, trying to recall his surroundings when he exited the bus hours ago. had it not been for your observant gaze, you may have missed the small group logo on his white shirt, letting you know who he was. determined to ease his obvious nerves by helping him find his way back, you lend a hand by approaching him and asking what he remembers. despite only being given a few details, you know the area he describes, quickly leading him there and reuniting him with the rest of the group. more than grateful, he offers you a ticket to the last show there, and hopes that it won’t be the last time he sees you.

@yo-ddream: a childhood best friends to lovers au with jungwoo! emily (pt 2/granny okay sorry i’m done) also feels like somewhat of an older sister to me, she gives great advice and always seems to have a story to tell from her working adventures lol. she’s very witty and extremely kind!! i guess i get jungwoo vibes because at first she seems quiet, but once you get to know her and she opens up a bit you see her fun personality and humor shine through when you talk to her :) she’s also honest about what she thinks and doesn’t sugarcoat it, something that’s very much needed in a person! okay, onto the fic: you and jungwoo grew up in the same neighborhood, going to the same school, getting your first part-time jobs at same store a few blocks down from your street. your lives have been intertwined from the start, but when a family matter pops up, it threatens his place by your side in almost everything you do and puts your friendship and undisclosed feelings for each other at risk. both working up the courage to confess as time ticks down and it gets closer to the day he’s meant to move away, you spend every moment with each other enjoying life’s little moments, the simple things like watching the sunset on a park bench or taking a walk down the sidewalk of the town shopping center. in an extremely convenient stroke of luck, he gets word that things have been sorted out, and the move is off. in both of your delight at the news, you feel like nothing can stop you. you blurt out the same three words at the same time before launching your arms around one another. if it’s you and jungwoo against the world, so be it, because not even the universe had the heart to separate the bond between you.

@zzzzzcakes: zel🥺she’s always been super supportive of me and my work, i’m happy she left feedback on a fic of mine because i might not have reached out to express my gratitude for her words and gotten to know her otherwise! she’s very kind and positive, and seeing her posts and reblogs make me laugh all the time :D i’d say a grocery store au with sungchan. (hear me out i know you must be going ‘huh?’ but trust me on this one! in that recent post you made you said something about shopping carts, and it made me think...see where this is going? haha ANYWAY!) so sungchan is the newest employee at the supermarket where you work. he’s the go-to person to call when someone can’t reach an item on one of the highest shelves, earning bewildered stares from customers and coworkers alike. he always has a joke up his sleeve or a clever remark to make about the many challenges of working in retail. you take a liking to him for how down-to-earth he is and despite all the occasional sarcasm coming from him when you’re both in the break room, he’s very helpful whenever he’s needed. he also admires how focused you are on the job, ringing up endless items and bagging groceries until your hands hurt. whenever he strides down an aisle near the register you’re working at that day, he doesn’t hesitate to send a wave and an endearing grin your way. it’s the moments like that with him that get you through your shift and keep you going. it’s no surprise when you reveal to the rest of the staff that you’re dating. of course, the perks of being employees mean that you can spend many late nights racing each other in shopping carts at the back of the store near closing time and other mischievous activities of the sort, laughing when your manager scolds you over the loudspeaker system without a care in the world.

——ships——

@badwithten: zoe is someone full of both humor and heart, a combination that immediately reminds me of lucas, so i’d 100% ship her with him! she’s given me really good advice and encouragement to stay true to myself, something i can also see lucas doing, and i’m very grateful for her wise words :) and like i said, her heart is full of love and she’s so kind to everyone!

@bucchinct: i’m not sure if we’ve ever interacted, but i always see your posts on my dash and you reblog so many artistic and pretty things/pictures, which makes me think of jaemin and his hobby of photography! so i would ship you with him ^_^

@du0tine: i’d ship solange with ten, for a number of reasons! one, the fact that she mountain climbs for a living and is so dedicated to/passionate about it is something extremely admirable and amazing, so she comes across as very brave and adventurous! also, she’s not afraid to tell others her opinions and that honesty is really refreshing to see! and her blog themes are super artistic which reminds me of ten as well. she just seems like a great person in general and i hope to get to know her more!

@ethaeriyeol: i haven’t really talked to bea much, but i know she is good friends with a few of my other moots so i think that says something about the kind of person she is! i would ship her with jaehyun, she seems really professional (and lowkey intimidating but you didn’t hear it from me) but also very sweet and welcoming and i imagine they both have the cutest smiles, with or without dimples, hehe.

@euphoricdreamies: i’d ship maddy with chenle! she has such a great sense of humor and it’s so much fun to read about her oc’s, i love keeping up with the plots! i’ve followed her for a while but we just recently started talking, she’s very friendly🥺maddy’s just been nothing but nice to me, and i feel like she has a sarcastic and witty side. also, she deserves so much more recognition for her talent and i think everyone deserves to read her amazing work!

@felixn-recs: it’s been a while since i talked to you, but i’m really thankful that you left some of the first feedback i ever received on my writing! i know for a fact that authors really appreciate you and the kind feedback/support that you show their works. this eagerness to show writers your encouragement and praise makes me think of mark for sure, so i would ship you with him!

@fullsuhnny: angelina seems like the type to be somewhat reserved, but still very generous and selfless towards others, reminding me of kun! when she interacts with people she’s humble and sweet, and i enjoy seeing her reblogs pop up on my dash. i think she’s a wonderful friend to everyone and i hope to become closer with her in the future! also, her blog theme is so cool and aesthetic hehe :D

@gowonhatesyou: renjun all the way, krystal always makes me and others laugh so much with her humor and her entertaining personality. but at the same time, while she can be chaotic and sarcastic, she’s also extremely loving and sociable. i can tell she cares a lot about those around her and wants only the best for them! i really value her friendship🥺

@heartyyjeno: i’d ship alesha with jaemin, she’s so much like him to me. first of all, because she would do anything to make her friends smile or brighten their day! she has a warm personality that makes others feel very loved. she’s also very determined and perseverant, because when things get tough she doesn’t give up and continues to pursue her dreams and do what she loves, even when it may be difficult. i’m positive that everyone she knows appreciates having her and her endless kindness in their life! <3

@injunified: nathalie is really sweet and generous, and i’m really happy that she’s started posting more of her works recently, they definitely deserve all the recognition that they’re getting and more!! i don’t know her super well but she’s a great friend to have, so I’d ship her with winwin/sicheng! i hope she can continue writing because she definitely has a lot of talent for it🥺

@jaeminscoffee: lyra is very warm, friendly, and she was eager to get to know me when we first met, so i would ship her with johnny! i really enjoy talking to her, and she’s also very down-to-earth! she never hesitates to show her appreciation for her friends and followers, and i really look up to her for it🥺

@lovelygalaxy333: lilly is so so lovable and sweet, i would definitely ship her with shotaro! my heart literally threatens to explode whenever i talk to her, and she reblogs the cutest, kindest things! like shotaro, i just wanna protect her because she’s such a special soul and also very positive! even if she just sends a simple ‘hello’ in my inbox from time to time, it puts the biggest smile on my face and i’m so grateful for her!

@meraki-mark: li is very humble and friendly, so i would ship her with xiaojun! she also seems somewhat quiet and calm to me, i was almost intimidated when we first interacted haha. something i admire about her is that i believe she’s the kind of person to truly be dedicated to writing what she wants and not just for the sake of notes! that kind of commitment is really nice to see :)

@minyusa: whenever i see miku on my dash, she always seems to be showing her support for a work or conversing with a friend. she’s there to lend some encouragement and sweet words to those that need it! her good-nature and pure thoughtfulness reminds me of jeno. she’s so nice to talk to and deserves love, no questions asked! you’re a very genuine and warm-hearted person, so i’d ship you with him~ （＾ν＾）

@moonlightjeno: we don’t know each other very well but just from looking at luna’s writing, i think the types of fics and aus she writes are very diverse and unique! her well-rounded work makes me think of haechan, so i’ll ship her with him! i believe we have some of the same moots so she seems very kind and social as well!

@neonun-au: okay, maybe it’s because ‘multitudes’ has been on my mind ever since i read it but my first thought was to ship mads with taeil! her writing is so elegant and beautiful, i’m so glad her work gets all the recognition that it does! as silly as it sounds for me to say, even her sh*tposts seem sophisticated for some reason hahaha. she’s just so sweet, talented and always so gracious!

@peachjaem00: lou comes across as very laidback and charming, two things that remind me of yangyang! she’s a pleasure to interact with, and i feel like she has a lot of friends, i mean, who wouldn’t want someone like her in their life? she’s such a supportive and inviting person by nature, and i can tell she works hard and puts so much effort into her writing because it’s so good!!

@prettyjaems: i believe i said it once before so pardon the repetition, but whenever i interact with mona i feel loved and cared for like nobody’s business😭which immediately makes jaemin come to mind. she doesn’t hesitate to show kindness to anyone and everyone, but also has a quiet and focused side at times, and i think as a person, she has so many great qualities that balance out and make up her considerate personality! she’s also really motivated and organized with her writing, i hope to learn a thing or two from those work habits of hers :)

@rueyins: one fateful day when i was craving some good old interaction, rue reached out to me just to say hello and ask how i was doing, something that makes me think of taeyong! i really love how caring she is towards everyone she knows, and also her music taste is great, which also makes me think of taeyong, haha🥺the way she looks out for others is such a special quality to have, i’m so glad we’ve become friends!!

@vitamarkie: i would ship kay with mark! i see her interact with her moots a lot, and she just seems very loved all around by everyone that knows her! also, she writes the softest, prettiest, fluffiest stories, and for some reason i think of the fact that mark once said he wanted be an author when he grew up. her skills are seriously amazing and, just like i admire mark for his talent, i admire kay a lot for hers!

@whathamelon: hmm you have a good sense of humor and also seem very friendly because we have some of the same moots! you’re also not shy about showing appreciation to your favorite fics and authors, so i would ship you with johnny!

@yunwoo: i feel like anna is on the soft-spoken, quieter side but still very very sweet, so i would ship her with jisung! she’s really lovable and so comforting to talk to, even though we don’t know each other too well yet. just from her blog she seems so adorable and i want to hug her and talk to her more🥺also her aesthetic is the softest thing EVER i love it so much!!😭

#hannah’s end of the year appreciation post!#please feel free to write any of these because there’s no way i’d ever have the time to do so lmao #hannah ships her moots #moonbeamsung’s mutuals #i love you and thank you all!#terrified that since this is so long tumblr’s gonna find a way to mess it up aaaa #nervous to ping everyone as well but here we go! hehe #anon ୭̥⋆*｡#it’s literally going on two weeks since you sent this i am so very sorry omg🥲

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jzixuans · 3 years

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hello tell me about jal if you’d like

okay round two because i accidentally lost the first one mx homie i owe u my soul for indulging me

i was talking abt this earlier w august and i’m gonna try to be more eloquent abt it because i’m being Perceived TM

BUT. tldr jal calling themselves partners in crime is something that can be so personal

their very first interaction in isle of the lost is when jay steals her coffee on the way to school. mal makes him give it back but ultimately just. lets him have it because “you look hungry.”

of course she gives it to him under the pretence of it tasting like utter dogshit but it is absolutely clearly a front to maintain her reputation. jay accepts it with a “‘thanks, mal. i was starving’” and a “‘thanks, you’re a pal,’ he said in all honesty” which i would really like to dissect here because:

1) these kids are so adamant about the fact that they are Evil and Heartless Bastards and Don’t Have Friends

2) jay thanks her TWICE in the span of one breath. for villains who live by the mantra of “if you want it, take it. and if you can’t take it, break it” it totally would’ve been acceptable behaviour if jay just took it and drank it and didn’t say anything, but he DIDN’T.

3) he calls her a pal. mr oh no officer we’re not friends i’ve never seen this girl in my life calls her a PAL. yes i’m losing my mind over this one single word but he literally does in fact call her his friend TO HER FACE and i think that’s beautiful <3

4) he says it HONESTLY. this boy’s whole entire thing at this point is being a liar and a thief who uses deception and charm to rob you blind. the fact that he’s comfortable being open and genuine around the supposed evilest teenager on the entire goddamn island, where mal totally could’ve found a way to get him ridiculed for being a softie (which he totally is), speaks volumes to their relationship

5) mal just. gives it. to him. with hardly any fight. because he “looks hungry.” she can insist all she wants how she’s cold and cruel and uncaring but this moment already sticking her foot in the Goodness door. this establishes her as a leader and a friend who looks out for what’s Hers. of course she still has a ways to go, so we can assume that this is something she wouldn’t do for just anyone. she wouldn’t even do this for evie and carlos, who we know to be her future best friends partners later, so the fact that it’s jay who gets to be on the receiving end of this compassion and companionship already elevates their relationship to something special

jay would clearly follow her to the end of the earth and i think everybody on the isle is at least a little bit of a self-preservationist, so i don’t think this is something he would do if he didn’t have good reason to. he’s also content with letting her lead even though we see him as a perfectly competent leader in d2. conversely, on numerous occasions we see mal trusting jay to hang behind and watch her six.

she leads and lifts them up from the top, he supports them as the foundation and the anchor at the bottom. that’s their dynamic.

second part of me diving into this analysis of one sole page of the book is the fact that they refer to each other as “partner in crime”

again, these kids have been raised on distrust and deceit and sabotage and betrayal. i imagine that to call someone your partner in crime is the most intimate title you could give on the isle of the lost. (which makes jay’s statement of “he and mal weren’t friends, exactly, although they were partners in crime” all the more hilarious because they really just skipped the friend zone and went straight into an intimate relationship)

because i’ve been watching s&b, here’s what i think being partners in crime entails:

trusting each other to carry out whatever task

trusting the other’s process

trusting the other to have your back and help you out of tight situations

maintaining a certain level of communication in some shape or form

spending a lot of goddamn time together

trusting the other to not rat you out

knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses

SPLITTING THE LOOT

so what we see here is that being partners in crime means having an ungodly amount of trust in each other, even if what jay and mal do are largely just petty crimes because this is an island crawling with villains who would not hesitate to do terrible things to those they catch wronging them

it also means that despite “not being friends” they spend SO much time together, whether it’s getting together to plan heists or running from angry shopkeepers or regrouping in their hideout giggling as they compile their score for the day. given the amount of back-and-forth we see between them, they DEFINITELY talk a lot during this time spent together, which means that learning about each other is inevitable

i capitalized splitting the loot because jay’s entire character in iotl is represented by his greed and his need to satiate his father’s greed and how he’s waiting for The Big Score that will get him and his father off the isle and living life like the sultans they wished they were and More Is Better. mal’s whole thing is that she needs to do things By Herself, take all the credit, be the biggest and the baddest on the island, a title that isn’t big enough for two.

yet here they are, splitting the glory, the thrill, and their winnings. (yes i know that they’re in a competition to see who’s the better thief, but i refuse to believe that they don’t split what they have afterwards, especially since we see them trading what they already have)

partner also labels the other as their equal, which is out of character with the roles mal and jay try to play on the isle yet so fitting for who they are as people

not to mention that this title wasn’t given to them by some derogatory or condescending comment. no. these two nerds made the ACTIVE DECISION to call themselves partners in crime. this is something they’re PROUD OF.

thank you for coming to my ted talk :)

#this is all somewhere between the fourth and fifth page of of the first descendants book #*fourth-fifth page of the second chapter #yes i'm losing my mind no i didn't edit this #if this isn't coherent rip i tried lol #long post #homeinabookshelf #ask #descendants

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the-river-person · 3 years

Text

The Alleyway

When Frisk found the alleyway for the first time, it was an accident. The thunder of the falls was deafening out here on the edge of the city. If you were to climb out on the ledge and look down you would see the waterfalls plunging from the city’s canals and down into the dark depths below. Of course, you couldn’t see what lay at the bottom of the colossal towers, nor much further than the cliffs in the distance. What little you could see were rows of blackened dead trees and plants. The corruption. Leaving the city wasn’t an option. It just wasn’t safe. The City’s Ministers and officials did their best to keep the stuff at bay, to keep everyone in the towering cities safe. But if you left, you wouldn’t be allowed to come back even if you survived. Everyone’s safety was at stake, after all. But, as they found, if you sidled out along the narrow edge, away from the last official street on the map, you might find yourself along another opening, a dark street that seemed to be totally blocked off from the main roads. Dark doorways promised sinister watchers from the shadows, and even one or two small shops that looked like they’d never even heard of the guilds had their wares spread out on cloths or in windows.

Frisk, wearing a jacket to keep off the constant dampness of the falls and the chill air, looked around before turning to go back the way they’d come. Madame Toriel was waiting for them and there wasn’t time to explore. Yet there was someone there. Frisk jumped back, alarmed, but the figure didn’t seem to be moving in a threatening way, they were just standing there, looking just as surprised to see Frisk as Frisk was to see them. It was a little difficult to tell what the person looked like, as they had a long brown overcoat on and a hood that hid nearly their entire face in shadow. Only the eyes stood out, peering at them from beneath the hood. Terrible, grey, blank eyes that seemed to want to pull them inward. But when the figure spoke, it was in a quiet voice, one that was… relaxing and smooth, even friendly. “Heya, didn’t mean to frighten you or anything. I was just wondering what you were doing back here, the Warrens aren’t the safest place to go exploring. Don’t want you getting hurt or lost. What’s your name?” “Frisk,” they said, their expression turning ever so slightly towards a frown. What was “The Warrens”? What did he mean not the safest place? The City of Vandfald and its three sister cities of the Claustra Alliance were among the last safe places left in the world! Surely someone would have noticed if there was any real danger. Quiet laughter escaped the figure. “Ah. Frisk. What a cool name. Heh. Alright, I figure you’re not the type to be put off by warnings. Tell you what, I’m staying around here for a little while. If you need my help, look for me here.” And he handed them a small card with an address printed on it. “I might not be able to solve your problems, but I might be able to give you advice, or at least lend an ear.” With that, the figure turned to walk away down the alley street. “Wait!” called Frisk. The figure paused, listening. “You didn’t tell me your name!” There was a little pause. For one moment, Frisk wondered if the person would refuse to tell them. But those brief fears dissipated when the figure spoke again. “Mistral. My name is Mistral. See you round, Frisk.” And as he walked away, it occurred to Frisk that though Mistral was taller than them, he was still quite short. * * *

The next time they came to the alley, they were dragging Azriel with them.

“How did you even know this was here? Frisk? Frisk. This place could be dangerous. Are you listening to me?”

Frisk waved him into silence, “Shush, Azzy. This isn’t the time to chicken out.” “I’m not chickening out,” muttered the goat-monster. But he followed them into the alley nonetheless.

They crossed paths with a few people, but most simply hurried onward,not quite meeting their eyes. One of the shady vendors beckoned them to his little display with a friendly smile and a wink. He appeared to be selling a variety of items that had clearly been repaired. Frisk picked one of the objects up to get a closer look at it. It had some kind of flat glass on the front, like a window, and a strange knob or two on either side of the little window that might have been buttons. Frisk pressed a button, but nothing happened. They looked at Azzy, who shrugged, looking just as confused. The shopkeeper’s wife, who was watching from the doorway, removed her sandal and gave her husband a thwop on the head with it. Her heavily accented voice was quite loud as she continued to thump him with the sandal.

“Children, Aaron! They are little children! You cannot sell scavenged junk to children! What would they do with it? How would they even know what it is? You are stupid! Stupid!”

“Ouch! Ow! Wait!” yelped the shopkeeper as he pleaded with his wife, holding his muscled arms over his head to protect it from her onslaught. “Please! Catty, my love!”

This did not save him from the shoe. “Don’t you ‘My Love' me! You could have been a Rail Cleaner like my cousin! We could be living a decent life on Villias Tower!. But no! You wanted to get a license from the Guilds to sell your trash, as if anyone wants this junk! Now we’re stuck here in the Warrens because you won’t listen to me!”

Other faces had started to poke from doors and windows, monsters and humans watching the scene with amusement. Frisk and Azzy quietly slipped away, not really wanting to be caught up in all the attention. Without realizing it, Frisk had held onto the device they’d picked up from among Aaron’s wares, and had stuck it in their pocket without thinking. It took them a while to find their destination.The streets were winding and branched off or connected all over the place, like a series of cracks spreading out. All of it seemed to somehow be inside the city, but how and where was a mystery, since neither Frisk nor Azzy had ever seen any glimpse of the place in all their time living here. Asking directions was difficult because most people would simply brush past them, refusing to answer, or look around warily before telling them to go home. Finally they managed to get a grudging response from the eighth person they asked, a canine monster who was smoking a dog biscuit and wearing an old, rumpled, tweed suit. He squinted at them, as if trying to see them better, and Frisk wondered if he was partially blind. But he pointed them down the right way before walking off, muttering about children being where they shouldn’t be the entire time. Surprisingly they had actually been quite near the address they’d been searching for, the one on the card Mistral had given Frisk the first time they’d met him. It was a townhouse, squashed between a number of others that were all fairly similar despite different coloring and decor styles, and when they knocked on the door it sprang open right away. There was nobody there who could have opened it, but a voice from somewhere inside greeted them. “Come in! I’m just in the kitchen. First door on the right.” Following the voice they stepped into the kitchen, where a familiar short figure was bending over a pot on the coal burning stove. When he turned to greet them, both Azzy and Frisk gasped.” He was a skeleton, but that wasn’t what was unusual about him, what shocked them was that he could have been an almost exact copy of Minister Sans. Seeing their expressions, Mistral laughed. “No, no.” he said with his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m not the Minister. Don’t worry. I just happen to look a lot like him, lots of us skeletons look alike you know.” Frisk felt doubtful of this as their eyes took in the finer details of the skeleton’s appearance. All across his bones were crystals. Not fine jewels on broaches, rings, and necklaces… but raw crystal actually growing on, or maybe from the bones themselves. Mostly they were small, merely encrusting his arms and neck with tiny beds of silvery-white crystal. But here and there a larger shard grew, jutting out and impossibly sharp. Since he’d removed the long overcoat he’d been wearing, they could see the stuff growing up around his neck and all along his arms. A few crystals were even growing around his face and upper skull. Frisk and Azzy turned to share a look, was this the corruption at work? Or something else? Mistral gave the pair an amused glance, noting their wide-eyed expressions. “I suppose it’s not everyday you meet someone as handsome as me. But didn’t you two come here for a reason?” Frisk shook their head to clear it. Yes, it was true the skeleton did appear similar to the city’s less than approachable Minister of Commerce who oversaw the guilds. But the differences were more than enough to prove his claim that he was not the same person. Besides, they’d come to ask for help. “People have been disappearing. All over the city. Monsters and humans alike, but always someone nobody would notice. Or pay much attention to. We’ve tried to report it to the guards, but they don’t care. And mothe-” They stopped mid word, looking uncomfortable for a moment before correcting themself. “Madame Toriel won’t listen to us.” As Frisk had been talking, Azzy had been rocking back and forth, looking nervous and distressed. Finally he spoke up. “They took Chilldrake! And Suzy! And even that mouse whose dad worked for the Drake family and he came to play with Chilldrake sometimes, what was his name? He had a huge scarf.” When Frisk only shrugged, Azzy continued on anyway. “We don’t know why people are going, but nobody listens to us, or cares. Frisk said they might know someone who could help, or tell us what to do.” Still stirring the bubbling pot on the stove, Mistral had listened calmly and attentively to everything they’d said. Now he moved the pot to a different burner and retrieved three bowls from a cupboard and filled them with stew from his pot. It smelled delicious; like onions, beef, and cooked carrots. Various spices like cumin and rosemary tickled their noses in a tantalizing way that caused their mouths to water. There was also, very faint beneath all the other smells, the scent of something else… something like lightning and rain… like ozone. “Now,” said the skeleton. “From what I’ve learned, the best thing to do in a situation where you’re not sure what to do, is to learn about your surroundings. You live in the city, sure. But how much do you really know about it? And the Warrens? Know anything about them?” Frisk frowned. “I know the City is one of the four great cities of the Claustra Alliance, and that there are bridges and rails that keep us connected with them. The cities protect us from the outside, where it's not safe to live because of the corruption.” Everyone knew about the corruption. Said to have been released from containment centuries ago it had overtaken much of the world. Humans and Monsters had banded together in order to build the cities and protect as many people as they could. “Are you sure?” They stared at him, Azzy’s face scrunched up in bewilderment, and Frisk feeling slightly angry as they asked, “What do you mean?” Mistral grinned. “Are you sure it's not safe to live outside the cities?” “Of course we’re sure!” said Azzy. “Everyone knows that!” The skeleton, looking like he was on the verge of laughing, nodded. “Alright. So how do you explain how I'm living in relative safety here in the Warrens?” They gaped at him. “But,” started Frisk. “I thought…” Mistral actually did laugh now. “You thought they were part of the city. Parts of them are. Back entrances, certain doors, side alleys. There are a ton of ways back and forth. Sort of like… gates that take you to far away places with a single step. So think on this. If it’s safe enough to live in the Warrens without worrying about the corruption, what other things do you think you were lied to about?”

Neither could answer, and Mistral took that as a sign the conversation was over. He urged them to eat their stew, which they did, and then he herded them from the house, saying that he had appointments to keep.

His final words, before he shut the door, were a strange warning. “Don’t mention me to anyone. As far as this and every other one of your great cities is concerned, I don’t exist, and I’d like to keep it that way. If you need my advice again, slip a letter under the door here and I’ll get back to you within a day or two if I can.”

Then he’d closed the door and there was a final click, like a lock being turned. Azzy turned to look at Frisk.

“You have weird friends.”

#one shot fanfic #mistral sans #mistral is visiting other universes #AU showcase #i dunno what to call this AU yet #but if you have suggestions i'd love to hear #feel free to reblog #feel free to ask questions #reblogs welcome #i may do one or two more one shots with this #but ive no intention of doing a full story for it

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friendship-ended-with-pokespe · 3 years

Text

Kirby: Meta Knight and the Strongest Warrior in the Galaxy Chapter 1

Waddle Dee is waddling along the busy main street. He is waddling because he is carrying loads of bundles with both arms. Walking in front of Waddle Dee is King Dedede. The king looked to be in good humor and said.

“Next up, we’ll go to the boutique at the fountain square! Looks like the sparkling sequin suit that went on sale recently is super trendy. I’m not really swayed by trends, you know, but I bet the shopkeeper will be moved if I at least try it on. This too is my responsibility as a king!” “Y-Your Majesty......” Waddle Dee let out a voice in agony. “I can’t hold any more loads......let’s save the suit for next time......” “What? Waddle Dee, are you tired out from that little luggage? How sloppy you are! And you call yourself my underling!?” “I’m sorr......” “I’m bored of shopping! Let’s take a short break!” Kirby was the one to cut Waddle Dee off and shout. Kirby is carrying large loads just like Waddle Dee. Halting, King Dedede turned around and gave Kirby the fish eye. “......Why did you have to cling to me on my delightful day off?” “I’m not clinging! I only came to play!” Kirby became sulky. They’re in a shopping mall that opened recently at only a short distance from Dream Land. Stylish boutiques and cafes are lined up, facing large avenues and plazas. Kirby who happened to came to hang out ended up meeting King Dedede who also happened to do the same. Attending the king is Waddle Dee. Feeling sorry for Waddle Dee who was carrying several large loads, Kirby decided to carry the half for him. Nevertheless, King Dedede tries to continue shopping. “Hmph, what a drag......is what I want to say, but even I’m a bit tired from all the walking.” Looking around, he caught sight of a lovely café with a yellow signboard put up. “Okay, how about we eat some cakes there!” The king began running at once. Kirby’s eyes lit up once he heard cake. “Wha, cake!? I want some, I want some! Next, I want parfait, pancake, macaron, pizza, pasta, Hayashi rice, and, and......” As he pondered, Kirby began running with a force that wouldn’t be overtaken by King Dedede. “Hang on, Kirby!” Waddle Dee waddled after the two as well.

The minute they took a seat, Kirby and Dedede ordered all items on the menu and wolfed them down before ten minutes had passed. “Mmm, that was yummy~! I want seconds for cupcakes!” “More pancakes for me! Bring me ten servings!” “Y-Yes, here you go......” An employee jotted down their orders as he recoiled at the pair’s appetite. Waddle Dee was quietly eating a parfait, but suddenly took notice of a poster pasted on the wall. “The Legendary Strongest in the Galaxy......Galacta Knight sighted......?” King Dedede asked Waddle Dee reading out the words on the poster. “What’d you say? What about Galacta Knight?” “E-Erm, on the poster it says......” He looks at where Waddle Dee was pointing, where a flashy poster is attached indeed.

It’s an illustration of a knight wearing a sparkling mask. A title stating “The Legendary Strongest in the Galaxy, Galacta Knight sighted!” is written in large letters. “What is that?” To King Dedede who was puzzled, the employee explained. “Ah, that’s a movie poster, sir. It's a huge hit right now.” “A movie? Hmph, how lame.” The king turned away, but Kirby showed interest. “A movie? What's the story about?” The employee answered Kirby’s question. “It’s about how that famed Galacta Knight is unsealed and rampages. It’s a blockbuster filled with action and romance, and plenty of big stars make an appearance.” “Hmmm......?” It doesn’t appeal to Kirby. His eyes were blinking, where King Dedede then said. “Kirby, are you telling me that you don’t know Galacta Knight?” “Uh-huh. I don’t......” “Haha! There’s a limit to how ignorant you can be. Galacta Knight is a legendary knight renowned for his absurd strength. He’s incredibly powerful, where destroying a star’s a piece of cake for him.” “Wha......!” Kirby was astonished. It’s uncommon for King Dedede to praise someone this straightforwardly. “Have you met him before, King Dedede?” “Like heck I did. Galacta Knight is gone from this world.” “Huh? What’d you mean?” “He was alive a long, long time ago. He was so powerful that he ended up being sealed.” “He was......sealed?” “Can’t say. I don’t know the details, but he must’ve had powers taken and became unable to move. As of now, no one knows where or how he became sealed......” About to say something, King Dedede suddenly remembered something and corrected himself. “Wait, come to think of it, there is one person that met him before.” “Huh? Who!?” “Meta Knight.” Kirby and Waddle Dee were both wide-eyed from hearing such an unexpected name. “Meta Knight? How? Galacta Knight was sealed a long time ago, wasn’t he?” “I wonder how?” “I don’t know. I only listened in on his lackeys bragging about it. Meta Knight cut them off right away, where it looks like that guy doesn’t want others to know about it. That’s why I don’t know the details.” “He must’ve called Galacta Knight and did something to him, huh.” Kirby and Waddle Dee exchanged looks and thought. “Erm......maybe they had some snacks together......” “Hmm......or he shared stories of long ago......” King Dedede scoffed at them. “You chumps know nothing, eh? I don’t know about y'all, but do you really think he’d be that easygoing?” “Then what do you think, King Dedede?” “He unsealed the strongest warrior in the galaxy on purpose, and called him into this world! Only for one purpose!” King Dedede continued in full confidence. “To get a signature from him!” “......What. You wouldn't say.” Kirby had a doubtful look. Waddle Dee said. “Erm, there’s one thing I’m not sure of, sire......” “What is it? Ask away, I’ll answer it.” “Is Galacta Knight sealed even as of right now? “Of course, duh. That guy’s monstrously powerful, where destroying a star is a child’s play for him. It would mean trouble if he isn’t sealed.” “So that means he restored the seal that he removed, right? Lord Meta Knight sealed him, didn’t he?” “......Hm?” It was a good question. King Dedede cocked his head to one side. “Hmm......it sounds fishy if you think about it. I wouldn’t think that Galacta Knight would sit still and get sealed, and a mayhem would’ve happened instead......” The three pondered, but just then, the ten servings of pancakes that he ordered were brought. The king licked his lips with his large tongue. “Oooh, smells great. Ten servings ain’t enough. Bring me thirty servings next!” Kirby too leaped at the cupcakes that were brought out. “I want thirds as well! I’ll add fifty servings of cupcakes~!” Kirby, King Dedede, and Waddle Dee were all enjoying their dessert and forgot all about Galacta Knight-but,

A customer that was sitting behind the three stood up quietly from his seat. His large hat is pulled over his eyes. His eyes concealed by his hat were shining with greed. “Meta Knight......eh? I see, what a great info.” Chuckling, the customer grabbed his chit and left his seat.

“The Legendary Strongest in the Galaxy, Galacta Knight sighted......” “Sounds interesting. I wanna go and see it!” In the lobby of the Battleship Halberd, all the Meta Knights are surrounding the movie flyer and are chattering. Sword Knight spoke to the excited Meta Knights in an apathetic manner.

“Isn't a movie basically a made-up story? It lacks impressiveness, since it’s not like the real Galacta Knight would appear.” Right as they were getting fired up, the Meta Knights were thrown cold waters on them and became sullen. Trident Knight, one of their member said. “That’s not true. It’s deemed to be a masterpiece that brings the whole galaxy to tears!” “Hmph, no way. Isn’t that just an advertising slogan?” Sword Knight laughed at them. His partner Blade Knight added. “They can’t bring out the real impressiveness no matter what the celebrity is and what special technique he uses. After all, Galacta Knight is the absolute strongest warrior of legends!” Hearing that, Mace Knight talked back. “But he lived way back then! He’s gone now!” “No, he’s not dead. He should still be sealed somewhere even as of now.” The Meta Knights exchanged looks and said in unison. “So you’re saying that......he’s alive somewhere?” “Can you really say that being sealed is being alive?” “No, he’s probably still alive since he was only sealed. He’ll be brought in no time if there’s a way to remove the seal.” “But he was sealed a long time ago, right? There wouldn’t be anyone that knows how to remove it by now......” “Ahem!” A loud cough resounded as if to cut off everyone’s discussion. The combatants of Halberd turned around. Standing and giving himself airs was Captain Vul, the person in charge of this ship. Javelin Knight said. “What is it, sir? Do you want to say something, Captain Vul?” “Not quite......it’s just that I can't stand you fellas being so ignorant of Galacta Knight.” “What do you mean?” “Galacta Knight is indeed a legendary knight who was sealed ages ago. Somehow did unseal him, however. Only one in this world!” Captain Vul threw out his chest with pride. Looking at each other’s faces, the Meta Knights said all at once. “Unsealed him!? He brought back Galacta Knight!?” “But Galacta Knight was sealed due to the dangers of being too powerful. Wouldn’t disaster befall were he to be unsealed......” “Who was it!? Who unsealed him!?” Captain Vul smiled boastfully and said. “You lads know nothing. Don’t be too surprised, the one and only to have unsealed Galacta Knight is......!” However, a voice reverberated, interrupting Captain Vul declaring his name. “It’s an emergency call, sir!” It’s Axe Knight who was left out of everyone’s circle and was at work diligently. Axe Knight is in charge of the Battleship Halberd’s communications. “A small spaceship is approaching us. It’s transmitting messages toward here!” “What? Is it an enemy ship?” “No, it doesn’t look like it. The contents of the message seem to be......“Good day to everyone aboard the Halberd! You can call me Moa. I’m a big fan of Lord Meta Knight. I wish to become his man. I ask of you all.”” “......What?” Captain Vul was bewildered. Various messages from all across the galaxy are sent to Halberd, but something like this is the first time. “You can’t just say that you want to be his man suddenly......we’re not recruiting subordinates right now. Turn him down.” “I’d feel sorry for him, captain.” Blade Knight opposed him. “With how he admires our lord, how about we at least interview him?” “He’s right. We can turn him down once we meet him and see that he’s not fit to be his subordinate.” “That brings me back. The day when I first became his man......” Said Javelin Knight reminiscently. “I rushed out of my birthplace in admiration of Lord Meta Knight. I was so nervous that I forgot even my own name, but my lord said: “Your mastery of javelin can be relied on” to me!” “It was the same case for me.” “Me too!” Said the Meta Knights in unison, and began talking about each of their memories all at once. Captain Vul was the one to stop them. “Quiet down now. You can talk all about your recollections later. Let’s go and meet that subordinate applicant at any rate. Axe Knight, send him a response.” “Roger that!” Turning back to the control panel, Axe Knight sent back a message to the small spaceship standing by closely.

Boarding the Halberd was a boy with a lanky body, a round face, and curly hair.

“ Great to see you, everyone. You can call me Moa!” Moa looked at the Halberd’s crew with his eyes sparkling. Captain Vul said solemnly with a captain-like dignity. “I am Captain Vul, the one in charge of Halberd. I traverse the galaxy as the right-hand man of Lord Meta Knight.” “Y-Yes. It’s an honor to meet you, sir!” Moa’s cheeks turned bright red like he was touched. The Meta Knights exchanged whispers behind Captain Vul. (He’s still a child, isn’t he?) (He's a million years too early to be his subordinate.) (We’ll have to tell him to come back after he’s a bit older) Blade Knight stepped forward. “So you want to be Lord Meta Knight’s subordinate, but,” “Yes! I’ve longed for it all this time!” “If you haven’t noticed, the Halberd’s crew are nothing but the cream of the crops. You can’t be his man only from admiration.” “I know that, sir. I have honed my sword skills as well.” “......Oh?” Hearing that, the Meta Knights were stirred up. (Honed! Isn’t he talking like an adult?) (Maybe he is really strong......) (Nah. He’s such a small kid.) (We can’t say that for sure. Not long ago, I read a manga where a frail-looking kid is actually the master of the sword!) “-Very well.” Captain Vul said. “We’ll carry out your test then. Show me your sword skill, Moa. Is there anyone that would like to be his opponent?” The Meta Knights couldn’t say anything for a moment. It would be a huge shame in the unlikely event that they lose to this child. They would be of no need in the Halberd. Within the silence, Sword Knight who is self-confident stepped up. “Ok, I’ll be your opponent.” “Sword Knight, your opponent is a child. Don’t go too serious on him.” “I know that. I can’t be careless in order to see his capability. I’ll go easy on him, but I won’t take him lightly.” “Good. We’ll then carry out the test match between Sword Knight and Moa. You’ll use swords for practice, not real ones.” The preparations were completed without delay. With their swords for practice in hand, Sword Knight and Moa were facing each other in the center of the wide lobby Everyone who was surrounding them whispered to each other. (That boy’s stance is pretty good, isn’t it?) (He might actually be a prodigy in swordsmanship!) (But there’s no way that Sword Knight would lose.) As everyone watched with their breath held: Sword Knight made the first move. “Haaa!” Together with a sharp cry, he slashes at the boy. “WAHHHHH!” Moa dropped his sword and sank down on the spot. He lowers his face and is trembling. Sword Knight almost swung his sword down on his head, where he pulled his sword back in a hurry. “What’s with that attitude!? This is a match. Act seriously!” “I-I’m sorry. It felt so intense that......” Moa gripped his sword again in shame. Sword Knight slashes at him once again. With his speed quite reduced than before. “Yaa!” He raised his sword slowly, where Moa then readied his sword as he faltered and let out a pathetic voice. “T-T-Taa......!” “Let’s go! Have a taste of this attack!” Sword Knight goes as easy as he can and strikes down gently. His eyes shut, Moa held his sword over his head as he trembled. The sword that Sword Knight struck landed with a low clang. It was a mere light attack, and yet Moa’s sword dropped from his hands. “Ugh......the match has been decided.” Captain Vul said with a displeased look. “It's a shame, Moa, but you simply cannot be a member of Halberd with that skill of yours.” The Meta Knights also said with a slightly relieved look. “What, he’s all bark and no bite. That was such a let-down.” “He still lacks training.” “He should train again and come back ten year later.” Moa rubbed his eyes welling up with tears as he trembled in frustration. “T-That can’t be......but it went much better when I practiced in my house......” “What practice did you do?” “I asked my dad to buy me “Swordsmanship Instruction Set Where Even You Can Become Strong in a Week”......” Hearing him, starting with Captain Vul, the elites all burst into laughter. “What, that’s just a toy!” “You were trying to become strong with a toy swordsmanship set? You can only be so naïve.” “This makes no sense. You should return at once and go to a swordsmanship dojo.” “I don’t want to return, sir!” Insisted Moa, his large eyes full of tears. “I left my house in admiration of Lord Meta Knight! I can’t return like this!” “Even if you say that, you get it, don’t you? In no way can you be his subordinate......” “I know that my own strength is lacking. But I want to become his man. I’ll do anything, clean the floor or wash the dishes. Please let me ride in the Halberd!” Moa rubs his forehead on the floor and pleads. Starting with Captain Vul, everyone became troubled. “Just because you say that......” “I feel pity for him, but......” “The Battleship Halberd is no such pushover.” It was at that moment. The door of the lobby opened quietly and Meta Knight showed up. “Ah, my liege.” Everyone straightened themselves. Moa also rose up in a hurry and saluted like everyone. “What happened? So noisy.” “Yes, sir. You see......” Captain Vul explained. In the meanwhile, Moa became bright red and was fidgeting. “......So we tried testing him, sir. But he’s of no use.” “I see. Then he should leave.” Said Meta Knight shortly, and turning his cape, he was about to go out the door a second time. Moa said with a desperate look. “I beg you, sir. Please let me join as one of your men!” “......” “My strength may be lacking, but I’ll do anything. Sweeping, laundry, anything......” “I have enough hands. I have no intention of having someone with no fighting capability on board.” Meta Knight tried to walk away, but Moa raised his voice more and more. “I beg you sir, please! I want to become strong! I want to become a strong swordsman like you, sir!” “You’re so persistent. Give it up.” Said Blade Knight in a fed up manner, and held Moa up by the scruff of the neck. “Please, sir! I’ll do anything! I beg you......!” Seeing Moa crying and yelling, Captain Vul cleared his throat. “Ah......my lord, this lad may not be of use, but how about we apprentice him?” “......” “We may have enough hands for now, but it’d be troublesome if someone were to catch a cold. We do need someone to fill in for that supposed time.” Meta Knight didn’t answer, his back turned on him. Moa is sobbing, where their hearts were moved by his face.

“Captain Vul is right, sir. We could rest easy if someone can fill in!” “He’s lacking in swordsmanship, but he might amount to something were we to teach him......” They were all overwhelmed with emotion, thinking back to when they were a rookie. Meta Knight said curtly. “......I couldn't care less. Captain Vul, I’ll leave it to you in dealing with this one.” “Aye, aye, sir.” Meta Knight left, and the Meta Knights surrounded Moa. “Good news. You’ll be part of the Halberd from today onward.” “But you’re only an apprentice. Don’t lose focus.” “Yes, sir! Thank you so much!” “We’ll give you sword lessons. The lesson will be harsh, but you better not whine about it.” “Yes, sir! I’ll do my very best!” Overcome with emotion, the boy Moa bowed his head deeply.

Next chapter

Table of contents

#kirby novels #kirby of the stars #light novel #translation #kirby #meta knight #king dedede #waddle dee #galacta knight #captain vul #meta knights #sword knight #blade knight

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writing-the-end · 3 years

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LoL Chapter 39- Periapts

Masterpost

A Wizard Hermits tale (AU, designs, ideas belongs to @theguardiansofredland)

How many hermits does it take to find protection amulets? And not bring home even more junk like a target run? And what do they do when the Guild of Gedeon discovers them?

_________________________________________

“Grian, those shoes are worthless for you- you already have wings!” Iskall waves his arms, exasperated by his shopping buddies. In the midst of the Redland bazaar, the hermits have separated out to find supplies they both need and could use. Iskall tones himself down as two Gedeons walk by, the entire area going quiet and watching as the council guildmembers march on. What are they doing in Redland?

“Yeah, but you don’t. You guys could use it though!” Grian buys the sandals without second thought, and without haggling for the price. Mumbo groans. They have yet to even purchase a protection or repelling item- or any amulet. He’s not sure if Grian understands saving money, and can only look away, across the busy, bustling bazaar to see who else is having better luck.

Hypno can’t help but play with the dowsing rods in his hands, only for xB to grab one rod before the two pieces can cross paths. “Those aren’t a toy, give me those things. Do you want to summon a storm?”

“It could be useful! A big storm to battle off a husk storm!” Hypno grins, before patting his hands against his friend’s shoulder. “It’s alright, man, we can grab some talismans right after this. But this is too cool to pass up!”

Together, with xB’s innate kipling knowledge of enchantments, they pick out a few talismans. Wards against harm and unfortunate thoughts. Removing the law of attraction, or at least easing it. Two of the talismans were mass produced, before xB advised Hypno that unique amulets were likely stronger, picking through boxes and glass cases full of strange, vibrant pieces.

But it doesn’t take long for xB to get distracted on his own. Reeling back when he sees it. “Whoa, I didn’t know these still existed! I thought the last of the moodium ores have died out!”

“But xB, we’re supposed to be looking for amulets.” Hypno mimics xB, but he’s grinning. “What even is it?”

“It’s a mood ring!” xB’s voice rises and falls to make it sound mysterious.

Hypno isn’t much impressed. “You mean the trinkets you get from the candy store as a kid?”

“No! Those were inspired by real mood rings. Watch this.” xB slips the ring on, and covers the pink, round cut gem and closes his eyes. Hypno snickers, watching for the stone to change color just because of xB’s body heat. His snicker fades, lip quivering as he feels globs of hot tears fall from his eyes. What the hell, why is he crying? Why does he feel so sad?

“You…” xB’s grin and a wiggle of his bejeweled finger is all he needs to see to know what’s happened. “Asshole! You changed my emotions!”

“No, I didn’t. You were already sad about something, I just amplified that. I also can smell that you didn’t brush your teeth this morning.” xB covers his nose, pulling off the ring before taking a deep, relieving breath.

Hypno isn’t sure what he’s sad about, but it was obviously there. He wipes away the tears, large droplets and streams down his cheeks. Ruining his cool guy attitude, just crying in some random shop in the middle of a bazaar. He looks around for something to raise his epic points, but becomes distracted when he sees three Gedeons roughing up a shopkeep, demanding some kind of council tax he never heard of. In fact, all of the bazaar is quieter than other times he’s been to Redland. As if a nightmare patrols with Sidero’s henchmen. Perhaps that’s what saddens him. Even here, the Council’s influence is felt.

Further down, nestled in an arcade offshoot, Ren, Jevin, and Cleo are in the middle of an intense battle. Not with swords or magic, but words.

“300 rupees.” Cleo declares, holding up the protection talisman. The sigilized stone dangles in the air, twisting and casting it’s armoring gaze out on the bazaar.

“800, little lady.” The portly merchant reaches out, threading his fingers around the cord and starts to pull it back.

“350, and you get to keep your fingers for calling me a lady.” Cleo lays her other hand on the hilt of her sword, smiling a demure grin, her sickly green skin stretching for him to see.

“Fine.” The merchant untangles himself from the fight and the amulet, grumbling under his breath as he takes the money from Jevin’s outstretched hand. “I dunno why people are suddenly buyin’ up all the protection amulets. There some kinda guild war about to break out?”

“Not exactly.” Ren snickers, before trodding out of the tent and back into the sunlight. If he were on Eremita, he’d stretch out and sunbathe, sunglasses perched just so that he can see the clouds make their own creations in the sky. His daydream is ruined, however, when he feels a rap against his rear, tail tucking between his legs.

“Hey boy, wanna get the stick?” Jevin teases, waving a snarled old staff for Ren.

The mixed-up mage isn’t amused- though, the werewolf in him does make his heart beat in excitement to chase a stick. “My dude, I’m not even a real werewolf. I just know I rock a tail and ears.”

Cleo shakes her head. “This is ridiculous. Who would waste 2000 rupees on some stick? These merchants are out of their mind. Now I see why Scar left his home.”

“That’s not just ‘some stick’ li-” The merchant stops when a flash of metal glints against the sun, backing up until Cleo sheathes her sword again. “I- it’s a shift stick. It’s a one time use, takes the holder back in time a minute. A do over, a chance to fix a mistake. Perhaps even more useful than any stone necklace. One of a kind, and for such… unique customers like you, I’ll lower the price to 1500 rupees.”

Jevin pulls out 5 gold rupees, before Ren and Cleo can say anything, and clutches the stick. “Totally worth it.”

“How do we even know if it works?” Ren isn’t sure if it does exactly what it claims to do. They may have bought the most expensive branch in the world, but Jevin refuses to let it go.

“We can ask Xisuma. He can check or something, he’s a smart guy.” Jevin shrugs. They have enough money, especially with how well Cleo’s haggling has gone. They could buy three shift sticks with the money they’ve been given, and still have enough to buy even more talismans.

The three wander along the bazaar, meeting with other hermits on their way. BDubs and Keralis show off an entire chest of shielding stones, while Scar is laden with more golden amulets than anyone. When Cleo presses him on how he managed to find so many unique and powerful charms, he only smiles. “I know a thing or two about the trade business.”

“Those are the dragon spirits on them.” Cub points out the twisting, dancing dragon. Without wings and the white pearl accents, it’s easy to identify which of the spirits is depicted. Ashtios, the Northern Wind Dragon. Another depicts winged dragons, finned dragons, sheared dragons. Fire, water, and earth. The spirits and sages that aided the gods to create the earth, and who provide median between the two realms. Nothing is more protective than a dragon, and they can feel the strength in the spell of each amulet.

Down the bazaar, the hermits jump at the sound of metal clashing and magic being cast. Followed by yelling, Keralis and Doc are chased from a shop. The shopkeep waves her broom at the two. “What kind of freak eats a bug in the middle of my store! Get back here you cretins!”

Doc’s gruff snicker is only matched by Keralis’s whimper. “But it was gonna help us. It was just a noisy locust.”

The two escape from the bazaar, disappearing into the crowds of Redland. BDubs points in the direction his friends just escaped, blinking away confusion. “Should we be concerned about them?”

“Keralis is with Doc, he’ll be fine.” Xisuma waves. “Besides, their grown men.”

“Looks like we weren’t the only ones who got distracted by other goods.” Cleo nods her head at the books in X’s arms.

Xisuma looks offended by the statement, and stutters over his breath to explain himself. ‘The-these are ancient works! They could have important information about dark magic!” He looks at the stick Jevin’s holding. “What kinda crap are we bringing home now?”

“We have flying shoes.” Iskall holds them aloft, Grian preening the white feathers flat against the golden laces.

“Dowsing rods and a mood ring.” xB keeps the metal rods far away from Hypno, who seems all too keen on starting up a hurricane in the city.

“And what we hope is a stick that can turn back time.” Jevin holds it up. “Otherwise I’m going to use this stick to beat that merchant for lying.”

Lucky for Jevin and the merchant, Xisuma can feel the magic in the whorls of the wood. “I’ll say, these are all pretty impressive. Useless for our cause but… temporal magic is difficult. Were all our rupees wasted on things we didn’t intend to buy?”

“Not the Convex!” Cub grins, hefting the smaller of the duo over his head, blue embers gleaming from their eyes. “We have enough protection amulets to destroy whatever Dolios got!”

Xisuma opens his mouth to answer, but another voice cuts through the air, his own faltering and fading against his mask. “Now what reason could you have to go against Magistrate Dolios?” All of the hermits turn, seeing a squadron of members from the Guild of Gedeon, red tassels that mimic the Council’s golden ones fluttering in the wind. Behind them, the broom wielding merchant sticking her tongue out at the hermits. “Wait a minute- I think I’ve seen these scum before.” The center mage points at Mumbo. “You beat me in the duel!”

Xisuma meets his gaze with TFC, both with their eyes wide. Behind him, Iskall rolls up his sleeves and snaps his gloves tight, ready for a fight. Mumbo’s fraught voice whispers out from beneath his mustache. “No one bought any smoke bombs, did they? Anyone?”

The guildmembers hear his words, and three magic circles rise. Mumbo shrieks and hides behind Grian. “Why did we have to send our two best fighters to Alphasgard?”

Wind blusters against the hermits, tearing flags against their poles and sending the bazaar into chaos. Grian’s wings open, flight feathers brushing against the stone walls on both sides of the bazaar. He beats his wings down, and a gale force wind sends the bucket-headed goons of the Council knocking into one another, rolling down and into the mudcaked gutter. “Alright, I think the shopping spree is over guys. Time to bounce!”

One second, the head mage is on his feet, the next he’s collapsed on the floor, snoring. Hypno’s wild purple magic circle twists in his hand, eyes blank and full of sleep while he searches his own mind. Digging through his dreams. The other two wizards slip their way out from the gutter, sharp spines of one’s spell driving forward like horns of a bull. But a dense fog appears in the midday sun.

It’s also bright blue. Beef turns, taking the sudden cover as his chance to escape. All of the hermits follow suit, though Joe remains a few paces behind to follow Hypno. “Blue fog that smells faintly of cotton candy...I would love to study your psyche and dreams one day, my dear friend Hypno.”

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alpaca-writes · 3 years

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Mystics, Chapter 13

When Arch becomes hired on at Mystics by the strange shopkeeper Lyrem Nomadus, everything seems to be going well- in fact, their life nearly becomes perfection. Soon enough, however, Arch realizes that perhaps not everything is as perfect as it seems….

Read Chapters 1-12: Masterlist

Taglist: @myst-in-the-mirror, @livingforthewhump

CW: swearing, memory whump kind of, not much else actually.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: A WANING CRESCENT

“Say cheese!”

“Cheese!”

There was a flash of light.

Shazia threw her arms around Arch’s neck as Lyrem pulled away to inspect his photo. Their graduation robes weighed them down heavily and it was hot in the upper floor of the theatre, but they both managed a wide grin for the camera regardless. Arch pulled off their graduation cap and ruffled their short feathery hair after the insistent hug. Then, they played with the little green tassel on top, weaving it through a finger as their diploma was held in the same hand.

The idle twitching ceased as Benjamin strode up the stairs to the third level of the building abandoning his parents on the second floor. His freckled face and mess of dark auburn hair cradled his excitable expression about the chartered limos arriving. Arch handed off their cap and diploma to Lyrem, and pulled off the robe with a grateful sigh throwing it over the return desk. Their mauve rhine-stoned romper twinkled in the yellow lighting as well as their short white heels to match.

“Wait,” Lyrem commanded to the three before they were to abandon the rest of the adults for the night.

Arch stood in place. Lyrem wanted another photo.

He took his share of pictures and ushered the graduates off to enjoy their own night. Arch deserved a night of reckless fun. They had been so down lately. Likely because of all the changes they had been going through. Graduating high school was an exciting event, but also one that would mean the end of many friendships, and the end of a regular schedule. For Arch, it would also mean the end of a normal world. The last specks of their innocence would be tossed away like their graduation cap into the crowd. Lyrem held onto it now. He held onto it and would probably put it on display.

“Stay safe and stay out of trouble!” He shouted, seeing the last fluff of hair disappear down the steps as Arch turned the corner. He smiled to himself endearingly and sighed.

“Kids,” a voice tutted behind him. “Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.”

Lyrem straightened to a rigid board at the sound.

“Hekate,” he addressed, slowly, he turned toward the Goddess of the Moon. She watched him like a mother seeing their infant walk for the first time. A pitiful, sweet look it was. He grimaced toward her. “To what, do I owe the pleas”-

His voice cut out. Rude.

She breathed in deeply… and out. In the lighting and dispersing foot traffic, she very nearly glowed in her elegance, though she was wearing only a casual business outfit, striped trousers and a simple button up blouse, it made her beautifully dark complexion pop.

“I do enjoy your silence. Walk with me?”

If Lyrem had the ability to make a sound, Hekate may have heard a grumble from him. But he did as she requested, and followed the Goddess down the wide staircase, causing himself to wince with every third step. His knees were not quite as spry and healthy as they once were, if he were able to, he would have requested the use of the elevator instead. She descended the stairs elegantly beside him, as if she were floating.

“You seem to be happy,” She commented. “I like to see my children happy.”

Lyrem nodded, feigning a smile toward her as he clung to the banister. She wasn’t so easily fooled.

“Unfortunately, the time has come for you to deliver me what you owe.”

“What I owe?” His voice worked again, a single chance from her to provide the correct response. Knowing he failed, he didn’t bother to speak another time.

“Just because the woman you raised from death left you for another man, does not mean that your debt has been forgiven, Lyrem.”

He nodded, understandingly as they met the bottom of the stairs finally. His legs, thankful for the relief.

She smiled warmly. “You are in debt with several other God’s and Great Spirits as well as myself, are you not?”

Lyrem looked off to the glass doors; the last of the limousines drove off into the evening twilight. He refused to answer her, having one God after his literal heart was bad enough, to be reminded that there was yet another, was a kick in the pants.

“Hades demands your life and gained power as well, does he not?”

His head snapped back to her, his eyes wider, his thoughts and reckless nature betraying him. His voice worked again.

“How do you know about that?”

“You really believed you could trap the God of the Underworld in a Labyrinth?”

“Fuck.”

Hekate laughed.

“Do not fret, my child. He cannot reach the surface and so you are safe as long as you can avoid his… chosen emissaries.”

Lyrem nodded. “Well, that I can do.”

“Hm.” Hakate voiced absently. Strolling outside, she stared toward the west, where the sun was sinking behind the city buildings. “You’ve avoided paying your debts with many of us. Whether changing your name to avoid the fae, or substituting the sacrifice of your own life with the lives of others, or by throwing us into your little holes with help from silly little demons…”

Lyrem remained silent, waiting for the Goddess to finish.

“But from you, I have seen neither hide nor hair. I have been waiting for a scheme to arise, I was curious to see what you might come up with to shake me off your tail.”

“I don’t scheme,” he spouted at her, offended. “I plan.”

She smirked, yet again. Nothing ever seemed to upset this one. Nothing ever offended, or caused her to stray from her task at hand. Perhaps that was what disturbed Lyrem about her so. She never seemed to care. And yet she cared.

“There is no plan?” She asked. “Not for me?”

Lyrem fell into silence again. It was so tempting to tell her everything. She drew a calmness out of him that very few were ever capable of. He cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

“You gave me more than anyone else could. I would never trade my years with Maria for anything. I would not try evade what I owe to you for that favour.” He shuddered. Arch wasn’t ready yet. This was an earlier visit than he had been planning for, but Aurelius would tell him to accept his fate and be thankful for it, so, Lyrem tried. “If what you demand from me Hekate, is my life, my power, and essence, then I will go with you tonight and I will not challenge my fate any longer. I respect you too highly for that.”

“That is reassuring, but not what I need from you,” She interrupted him, touched by the gentle mention of his ex-wife. She stared at him expectantly.

“There is a plan.” Lyrem succumbed. “A retirement plan… I knew that eventually, one of my creditors would come to collect. Whether it be you or some other”- he sighed, and shook his head. “It’s Arch.”

“Ah, your latest…” Hekate raised a thick dark brow, “investment.”

“That might be one way of describing them, yes.” Stoically, as he tried, his composure faltered, ever so slightly.

“You care about them?”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Hm.”

Lyrem stopped at the road side, seeing his SUV parked across the street, he pulled his keys from his back pocket.

“Why are you here, Hekate?” he finally managed. “If not to settle my debt, then why have you come?”

She sighed, staring up to the sky above them that was growing different shades. In a couple hours, the world would be plunging into a deep darkness.

“I simply wanted to understand.” She spoke gently, then addressed him with a warmness that nearly made him buckle under her gaze. “I wanted to understand you… I am forgiving your debt.”

Lyrem blinked, taken aback by the sudden generosity.

“Excuse me?” He voiced.

She nodded to him.

“I… I don’t understand.” Lyrem stared at her, suspicious of her words. Disbelieving of her decision. “You gave me Maria back. I cannot ever repay you for that”-

“Exactly.” She said knowingly. “And you think me to take your little friend’s life in replacement of your own? That would be well and truly barbaric- not my style at all. You know this.

And I see now that there was once a time when you made deals to prosper, to control of the world around you; you made agreements to fill your pockets and to bring you pleasure- and that was with all sorts of spirits and demons and demi-gods”- she huffed. “But with me, you asked for your love to be returned to you. You loved another so much that you even allowed her to leave you for another man. I never once thought that you were capable of such a noble deed.

And here you are, trying to live a part of life that you never thought you could have… Do you know what is more valuable to a Goddess than the saintly wishes of a good man?”

Lyrem was confused. She had this effect on him the first time as well.

“… No.”

“The saintly wishes of a bad man.”

“Ah.”

“If there is one thing you can do in return for me, it’s to take care of those that care about you. Pay off your debts with the others, be accountable for what you have done.”

Lyrem tilted his head slightly.

“… But that isn’t all necessary, is it?”

She smirked, and looked into him one final time.

“Goodbye Lyrem, your debt to me is forgiven.”

She melted into the darkness until nothing remained behind, leaving Lyrem to ponder what this change in heart would well and truly mean for himself… and more importantly, Arch.

#mystics by alpaca #mystics #writing #creative writing #original writing #prose #story #whump #whump writing #writeblr #writers of tumblr #tw swearing #hekate #lyrem #alpaca Ocs #ocs #writing blog

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amphtaminedreams · 4 years

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The Women of Euphoria and Personal Style: Lookbook no.8

Hi to anyone reading,

I hope you’re well considering everything going on! It feels weird to want to talk about fashion or TV shows or red carpets or whatever when 90% of my Google searches are COVID-19 related but there you go. It’s all about trying to power through as normal (minus the social interaction) and pretend the world isn’t ending, right? Queue nervous laughter.

And as if things aren't shitty enough, production of season 2 of Euphoria has been postponed until further notice.

Okay, in the grand scheme of things, having to wait a bit longer for a TV show isn’t catastrophic but it does just about sum up the transition from 2019 to 2020 thus far that after HBO redeemed itself by broadcasting Euphoria in the summer following an ending to Game of Thrones that has made the whole series unrewatchable, the glimmer of hope in me reignited by the prospect of series 2 this year has been quickly dashed. 2021, I’m rooting for you, because it doesn’t seem like things are getting better any time soon, and in all seriousness, I think everyone needs a break from the collective suffering of the last few months.

For me (and undoubtedly for many others if the hundreds of makeup looks and styling videos are anything to go by), Euphoria’s effect on the world of fashion and beauty is unprecedented. I really can’t recall a TV show in living memory that has had as much of an impact on the way young people dress. I mean, this might partially be because the style of the characters already kind of caters to and draws from the target audience but also, aside from Blair Waldorf did anybody really give THAT much of a fuck about what anybody in Gossip Girl wore?

The draw of the styling on Euphoria is that it has something for everyone. The style of each of the main girls, Rue, Kat, Maddy, Jules and Cassie, all of whom I’ve attempted (emphasis on attempted!) to base (emphasis on base!) outfits around, is varied and distinctive but still so current and realistic at the same time. It’s also consistent; even if you don’t own the specific pieces worn by any of them, similar shapes and details reoccur enough in different looks throughout the series that it’s not hard to create an outfit which matches your favourite character’s overall vibe without buying anything new. That’s kinda what I have attempted to do here and without further ado, I’m gonna get on with it! First up:

Jules (Played by Hunter Schafer)

When it comes to whose style is the most experimental, Jules is the obvious answer. A lot of her outfits are what I imagine a cartoonist in the near-distant future will envision their cool girl protagonist wearing. Whilst her ensembles are generally whimsical and girly for the most part, there’s usually a few slightly punk-ish finishing touches thrown in there too be it through chunky shoes or bold makeup or that incredible mesh trench coat she wears in the series finale with the trans symbol on the back which, honestly, deserves a moment of silence.

There are definitely nods to current fashion trends sprinkled throughout her wardrobe too. I'm not going to lie, despite someone at work seemingly thinking it was an insult to tell me I look like someone who does (I still don’t know but this person has a Rick and Morty keyring so I don’t give it too much weight), I’ve never watched any anime. BUT, that being said, given the abundance of anime screenshots posted by all these aesthetic oriented Instagram and Tumblr moodboard accounts, I have a vague idea of what some of the more iconic characters look like and a lot of Jules’ looks seem to be very much modelled after or at least inspired by them. In a way, I see a lot of her looks as a blend between modern “e-girl”, Y2K skater chick (yes, I’m thinking early Avril Lavigne), and 2013 Tumblr “hipster” a la 2014 Joanna Kutcha and Charlie Barker, and though on paper that sounds like a nightmare combination, it works. I know-if that sentence were a Depop description I would’ve just gained 30 followers.

When it comes to my own interpretation of Jules’ style, it’s definitely something I like to channel when I’m putting together a proper OUTFIT outfit. Meaning an outfit I actually put effort into and thus will most likely want to get a good photo in, lol. The way her character dresses is almost quite Christopher Kane in that it’s fresh and unusual but still understated enough that I wouldn’t walk into a room wearing any of these feeling like I’m doing a Rick Owens runway.

I’m not TOO far out of my comfort zone but still at the same time, I’d be trying something new and maybe a little bit more zany than I'm used to. As for noting where any of these pieces are from, only a few have been bought in the last 6 months, but from left to right clockwise I have marked out those that have in case they’re still available (though be wary of the fact that it seems a lot of online clothes stores are still forcing warehouse employees to work in close confines at the moment and so perhaps aren’t operating the most ethically):

LOOK 1

Corset-Jaded London

Shoes-TK Maxx

LOOK 2

Dress-Motel Rocks

Boots-Koi Vegan Footwear

LOOK 3

Dress-Jaded London

LOOK 4

Dress-Jaded London

Beret-Ebay

LOOK 5

Beret-Ebay

LOOK 6

Mesh Top-Depop

Hair Clips-Urban Outfitters

Kat (Played by Barbie Ferreira)

Eurgh, Kat.

I LOVE THIS BITCH.

If I had to choose my favourite character in the show, it would be a very close toss-up between her and Rue, and though I think Rue might just about nab the top spot for her relatability factor, Kat is the girl I want to be or wish that I had been when I was at school. I mean, there’s definitely an argument to be made in that a lot of what she’s doing with her cam work could be seen as a means of validation (Sam Levinson has basically said everyone on the show has some kind of an unhealthy coping mechanism and I would guess due to the circumstances in which her cam girl career was borne and the fact she’s underage, this would be hers) but I do think in other ways we really see Kat reclaim her power and recognise herself for the smart, capable, gorgeous woman that she is. Honestly, the definition of divine feminine energy, and I would completely let Barbie Ferreira/basically Kat if she was also actually 23 dominate me.

Plus! Her! Style! Is! The! Bomb! Definitely the easiest character to base looks around because if I’m totally honest Kat’s energy is pretty much just what I want to emulate in every day life.

It’s either pieces that are typically feminine, cutesy, and even slightly preppy at times drenched in everything grunge OR vice versa where you have something semi-gothic and then add a colourful, more playful touch in there that harks back to the beginning of the series before Kat had began to explore her identity and sexuality and dressed slightly more Forever 21.

I’d say, not yet with my whole chest, that on a good day the outfits I put together when making an effort aren’t too far off something Kat would wear, minus the more overtly BDSM touches; if wearing a ring choker in London is enough to get me a creepy comment from a gross middle aged shopkeeper (because I apparently forfeited my right not to be perved on when I decided to buy a bottle of Oasis summer fruits), then you can only imagine the kind of looks wearing a full-on harness would get in my conservative OAP dominated hometown. Not the most doable right now, especially considering the only time I get out is to work and to go for a run. The chafing I could deal with but the horrified glares of pensioners whose M&S prawn mayo sandwiches I’ve ruined by simply being in their eyesight not so much.

LOOK 1-

Corset-Urban Outfitters

LOOK 2-

Bodysuit-Depop

Skirt-Zara

Harness-Ebay

LOOK 3-

Co-ord-Depop

Lace-up Corset-Missguided

LOOK 4-

Dress-Vintage

LOOK 5-

Belt-Ebay

LOOK 6-

Coat-Topshop

Dress-Jaded London

LOOK 7-

Fishnet Top-Ebay

Skirt-Urban Outfitters

Maddy (Played by Alexa Demie)

Not gonna lie, I was kind of scared to do Maddy. I’m scared to be posting this, lol! Alexa Demie has played this character for a single season and she’s already one of the most iconic women to grace our screens in years. This is a huge undertaking and I don’t have the bank balance or the body confidence (lmao) to raid IAmGia.

And this is where I want to stress: THESE ARE NOT OUTFIT RECREATIONS. THESE ARE INSPIRED BY. I HAVE ADDED ELEMENTS OF MY OWN STYLE INTO THEM. PLEASE DON’T DRAG ME. I KNOW, I’M NOT ALEXA DEMIE. I WOULD NEVER ASSUME TO BE ALEXA DEMIE. I’M NOT ABOUT TO TAKE THE LORD’S NAME IN VAIN LIKE THAT. So now we’ve got that out the way (wipes bead of sweat off forehead), let’s continue.

Everything about Maddy Perez is extra. She has very much been established as a centre of attention character, and her outfits are a key part of that. They’re daring, they’re hyper-feminine, and they are always glamorous. We’re told that she competed in beauty pageants when she was younger and it’s clear that level of excess and coordination and glitz and all-round-boujeeness wormed its way into her DNA during that time. Even the “depression” outfit she wears to school following Nate becoming violent at the fair is costume-like, a 2019 Bratz doll Off-White street style collaboration.

Do you know how HARD I had to try to be HOT!? For these photos. Alexa Demie is one of those blessed women who doesn’t have to try at all, and that translates into the character completely. At any given moment, Maddy could add or remove one item or clothing and be let straight into the VIP section of a club, and that, honestly, is inspiring to us all in these dark times.

One thing I tried to keep in mind is that she always looks polished and coordinated, I.E the kind of look I would prepare for a night out is something Maddy would wear on an average day. Co-ords and delicate prints seem to be more subtle wardrobe staples along with mesh and PVC and glitter and feathers and fur and basically anything that toes the line between expensive looking and tacky. Yes, I am aware we may toe different sides of that line but please let me stay delusional and believe that’s not the case for 5 minutes. Much appreciated xoxo

LOOK 1-

Bodysuit-Jaded London

LOOK 2-

Bralette-Depop

LOOK 3-

Co-ord Suit-Boohoo

Bodysuit-Boohoo

LOOK 4-

Dress-Motel Rocks

Shoes-Schuh

LOOK 5-

Bodysuit-Zaful

Trousers-Depop

Coat-Topshop

LOOK 6-

Dress-Zaful

Belt-Zaful

LOOK 7-

Top-Jaded London

Hair Clips-H&M

Rue (Played by Zendaya Coleman)

I have a complicated relationship with Rue as a character. When I started season 1 of Euphoria, I was like “Oh my god, this girl is the worst. Jesus, she’s so negative and draining and willingly self-destructive and-”

Then, oh my god is this what it’s like to live with me!?

I will say, to my own credit, that I don’t think I've ever been quite as hard to deal with as Rue (a lot less smashing stuff up and a lot more moping), and to HER credit, by the end of the season we come to realise she’s been through a fucking lot and so it makes sense, but wow. I don’t think I have ever seen a teen show handle drug abuse and mental illness in such a brutal way. It’s quite a talent to be able to show a character cause so much pain to those closest to them and yet do so through a sympathetic lens. And issues aside, whether it’s her occasional social awkwardness or her relationship with her family or watching bloody Love Island (still quite surreal to see Zendaya Coleman witnessing the Amy/Curtis drama unfold), Rue is just my favourite character to follow.

Her style, though. AH. The thing is, I can hardly drag it, because it’s pretty much what I wear when I’m moping about the house-or just any time I can get away with it to be honest-to a T. I want to stay true to character, but that being said, creating a “Seth Rogen”-esque outfit that’s worth posting on here is difficult. So, with the same kind of artistic license that had me wearing berets whilst cosplaying Maddy Perez, here is the best I could do:

I know, I know, it’s probably too much colour and jewellery for Rue but this is as toned down as I could do and I tried to stick with the key silhouettes we see from her throughout the season; I mean, I can’t see her wearing leopard print but the structure of the coat in outfit 1 is very similar to the one seen in Shook Ones pt.II. I think the bottom line when it comes to her character is keeping things effortless and not overly-feminine; you want to mix street style, athleisure and your dad’s wardrobe favourites like your life depends on it. Plus messy hair and smudged makeup, both of which I’ve already got down according to the completely inappropriate number of customers who’ve asked if I'm tired at work so thanks for that guys, and glitter tears. Lots and lots of glitter tears.

OUTFIT 1-

Dungarees-Vintage

OUTFIT 2-

Trousers-Depop

Cardigan-Urban Outfitters

OUTFIT 5-

Beanie-Depop

OUTFIT 6-

Shirt-Boohoo Man

Sports Bra-TK Maxx

Trousers-Urban Outfitters

OUTFIT 7-

Shirt-Jaded London

Cassie (Played by Sydney Sweeney)

Style-wise, Cassie is a hard one. When putting outfits for her character together, I found myself gravitating towards a direction that’s probably a bit too bohemian for her character, under the guidance of loose terms like “girl-next-door”, “floaty”, “delicate”, you get the idea. She definitely feels the least fully-realised in terms of all the main girls and I think it’s fair to say she’s probably got a bit of self-discovery to do. Most of her storylines in the season are dictated by her relationships to other people: McKay, Maddy, Lexie, her parents and so on.

Nevertheless, I tried to stick to the airier, more traditionally “pretty” pieces whilst still channelling the confidence and ease with which Cassie pulls them off. Sydney Sweeney has the most incredible figure and I feel like whilst the clothes the on-set stylists put her in flatter that and don’t hide anything, they’re still the focus. It doesn’t feel like there’s anything more inherently sexual about her character than any of the other main female characters despite the way the men within the narrative view her, and I think it’s a testament to the the wardrobe department that to me she still gives off big modern Disney princess energy and a certain innocence even whilst we hear her being continuously sexualised by her male peers.

If anything, Cassie probably dresses the most like an actual teenage girl, and her style, whilst less distinctive than the other girls, still does a good job of capturing the youth and romanticism of her character.

The colour palette of her wardrobe tends to be quite neutral, with a couple of pastels thrown in there, and if there are any details, they’re usually quite dainty. Similarly, Cassie is probably the least experimental when it comes to her makeup; we don’t really see her wearing the bold eyeshadows or liners or gems like the other girls at any point.

OUTFIT 1-

Bodysuit-Motel Rocks

Hair Clips-Bershka

OUTFIT 2-

Dress-Jaded London

OUTFIT 3-

Trousers-Urban Outfitters

OUTFIT 4-

Top-Urban Outfitters

Hairband-H&M

`OUTFIT 5-

Top-Urban Outfitters

Jeans-Zaful

Headband-Primark

OUTFIT 6-

Top-Urban Outfitters

OUTFIT 7-

Dress-Urban Outfitters

Hair Clips-Boohoo

SO, I guess that’s it for my Euphoria lookbook! As always, let me know what you think (nicely pls, my ego is fragile lol) and I’d love to hear your opinions on the show too! I really haven’t got this excited over a new TV show in ages and I just think that it does everything so excellently-from the writing to the cinematography to the soundtrack, you can tell each element is so carefully and purposefully constructed. It immerses you into the dramatic highs and lows of being a teenager in a way I haven’t seen since UK Skins and I never thought I’d watch a show which held a candle to that.

In terms of what I’m doing next, I’ve got a very delayed fashion week masterpost in the works as well as something to fill the Met Gala shaped hole in our lives, which I hope to get up over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you read to the end, THANK YOU! And I hope you’re staying safe and AT HOME where possible. I know this self-isolation feels never-ending and if I’m honest, it is having a hugely negative effect on my mental health, but NHS staff are doing their very best with the shitty recourses they have and whilst it seems that our government have thrown workers under the bus once again, we can all do our bit to combat that by slowing the spread of the virus. Also thank you to anybody who’s out working now in such a scary and uncertain time! I work at a grocery store and can say from experience that the best way to show this thanks is just through kindness and following employee’s instructions without giving them grief for it. Everyone’s scared right now and the best we can do is pull together and look out for each other, as difficult as that might seem at times.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble, and like I said, stay safe! Thanks once again if you read til the end or even if you’re just here for the photos. Appreciate it more than you know either way!

Lauren x

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the-angst-chronicles-fanworks · 3 years

Text

DRACO’S WISH [PT 3/14]

<< | < | > | >>

WORD COUNT: 3985

PAIRING: Drarry

TAGS:

hidden identity

Down and Out Draco Malfoy

Pretty Draco Malfoy

Talented Draco Malfoy

Auror Harry Potter

Smitten Harry Potter

Harry Potter Being an Asshole (just for a while)

Angst

Fluff

Angst with a Happy Ending

Falling In Love

Torture

Skipping Meals/Hunger

Cold Weather

Libraries

Hot Chocolate

SUMMARY: Draco does a good deed and is granted a wish - 12 days of anonymity in a world that hates him CHAPTER SUMMARY: Draco exercises his new found freedom a little

on FF.net

on AO3

STORY:

December 10th , 2007

Draco wakes to the morning sun streaming through his useless curtains and throwing bright spots across his face. He curses thoroughly but, as that does nothing to dissuade it, fumbles his way to a sitting position and opens his eyes to find himself fully clothed on his bed. He’s not under the covers either, so he assumes that he’d exhausted himself with heating charms the night prior and passed out without meaning to.

He sits up with a groan, the beginnings of an exhaustion headache drumming lightly at his temples. A moment bemoaning his lack of tea, before he drags himself over to the sink and pours himself a glass of water.

It’s ice cold, and Draco shudders as he sets the glass back down. His stomach chooses that moment to emit a sharp pang of hunger, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten the day before. His kitchen remains frustratingly devoid of food, though, which means he’ll have to make a grocery run.

Draco likes grocery runs, all things considered – it’s something to do other than wasting away in his apartment, and the store will be heated at least. That thought puts him in a pleasant mood as he takes the few steps across the room to the crate at his bedside, where he picks up his money sack and fishes out the measly remainder of his food budget for this period. Just four Sickles. With a dejected sigh, he drops them into the pocket of his coat, where they clink against something.

Confused, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out considerably more coin than he’s just put in. It takes a moment for it to click, but then the events of yesterday come rushing back.

Draco nearly drops the money in his haste to turn and take another look at the crate – and yes, there are the two extinguishers, fresh from Ugbert’s. Merlin, all that wish-magic babble hadn’t been a dream! It is almost unbelievable, but Draco can’t deny what’s right in front of him.

Taking a shaky breath, he pockets his money again and steps out into the hallway. It’s just past eight in the morning, and he can hear people moving around their apartments through the thin walls. Next-door is still muffled behind the Imperturbable Charm.

The mail room is empty when he enters it. It’s a little room, barely large enough for two people to stand in, and luckily the owl is in. Draco retrieves a parchment form from the fourth bin – a Gringotts currency exchange form – and jots in his name and the amount of money requested. He folds it into an envelope with his coins; normally one would just fill in the form and have the money taken from their Gringotts account, but Draco no longer keeps one. Neither his job nor his housing is on record and are thus paid in Sickles and Galleons, of which he has little to spare. He probably can’t even afford the cost of maintaining an account.

He smooths over the envelope, frowning at the thought. How his father must be turning in his grave to see Draco now – his only son, the heir to the proud Malfoy family. Draco snorts and shakes his head, sealing the envelope and tying it to the owl’s leg. That’s old news. There is no use dwelling in the past.

He drops a Knut into the pouch on the owl’s other leg. “Gringotts, Department of Exchanges please,” he instructs. The owl hoots a soft affirmative, allowing him to gently stroke its head, before it takes off through the open window. Draco smiles wanly. He likes this owl. It’s one of the few living things around that doesn’t look at him like dung underfoot.

Gringotts will take some time – either the goblins dislike him, or else they are simply very busy, he has no way to know – so he returns to his room and strips off his clothes. Shivering against the cold air, he quickly starts up a shower and steps into the hot water with a grateful sigh. He cleans himself quickly, and then, after a moment’s consideration, lathers soap through his hair. His younger self would surely have died at the very idea, and Draco inanely mourns the silky perfection his hair used to be. He shakes himself of the sentiment and dries off roughly with his scratchy towel before dressing in yesterday’s clothes. Another nail for the coffin of his past life.

It’s still cold, and his wet hair makes him even colder, but he has two extinguishers and he’s feeling optimistic, so he tentatively holds his hand to his head and concentrates. The Hot Air Charm is never strong when he manages to cast it, but it’s not as though he wants to blast steaming hot air directly at his head anyhow. Still, he’s more worried trying to dry his hair like this than he is trying to warm his apartment – if his magic escapes his control, he’s at risk of setting his own hair on fire. Just another reason to hate this season as far as he’s concerned. Draco isn’t about to go through the whole of winter without washing his hair, however – even he has limits. So, he risks self-combusting every now and again.

His magic reacts well today, leaping to his command. It tries to expand out of his control, but he clamps down on it firmly and directs it in a warm stream that heats his face and ruffles the fine strands of his hair.

He emerges from his bathroom just as a knocking sounds from his little window. Draco looks over to see a Gringotts owl hovering outside, a little pouch tied to its leg. He hurries over, not wanting the poor creature out in the cold for longer than necessary, and struggles to prise the sticky window open.

The owl swoops in immediately, offering him its leg while darting looks around his shabby little apartment. “Sorry, I don’t have any treats for you,” Draco apologizes as he unties the satchel. The owl hoots disapprovingly, but thankfully it’s too well-trained to peck at him. Raptor beaks are sharp, and he doesn’t fancy having bloodied fingers.

The owl turns its back on him as soon as he has the pouch, flaring its wings and tail in a dramatic display of disdain, that Draco amusedly appreciates, before it flies out the window. He wrestles it shut again, shivering slightly from the cold wind.

Peering into the bag reveals the familiar shape of Muggle paper and coins, and a little card on which the goblins will have written a summary of the exchange. The goblins have yet to miscalculate the exchange, but Draco can’t find it in himself to trust anyone these days so he tugs out the little card and the money, counting to ensure that it’s correct.

Satisfied, he tosses the card into his little bin and tucks the money back into the pouch, pocketing the lot before heading out of the rundown apartment complex. He stops on the street just outside, taking a deep breath before deliberately lowering his hood. He waits there a moment, tensed, but nobody pays him any mind.

Draco is so giddy at the realisation that he laughs out loud. He does attract a few suspicious looks then, but he can’t bring himself to be bothered by it. For the first time in years, he can walk down the street without fear.

He’s so thrilled that he doesn’t pull his hood back up, even as the wind batters his face and chills his ears, all the way down Knockturn to the dead-end wall that takes him to Muggle London. He practically down the familiar street to the little corner shop.

Draco likes this shop. It’s warm, and nobody looks at him askance here so long as he actually buys something. Even the strange buzzing that always seemed to accompany Muggle lights and the humming from the iceboxes brings a strange comfort.

He makes his way to a familiar isle, picking out a loaf of bread from the many available. Then he turns and surveys the store, pondering what he should spend the extra bit of money he’d left Ugbert’s with yesterday on. It’s not a lot more money, but it’s enough for him to pick up a small square of cheese that he can use for sandwiches and, on a whim, a packet of those flavoured noodles that can be boiled.

He carries the items up to the counter, where a bored-looking teenager grunts “Hi there,” at him. It’s barely anything, but it’s neither aggressive nor flirtatious and Draco craves these small moments of human interaction.

“Hello,” he replies. He maybe sounds a bit too eager to talk to her, because the girl gives him a strange look as she takes his items and begins ringing them up. Draco doesn’t say any more, just watches curiously as she enters his purchases into her glowing till. From somewhere up in the ceiling, a wireless plays a Muggle tune that he doesn’t recognize.

“What do I care if icicles form,” croons a male voice, “I’ve got my love to keep me warm.” It tugs a bit at Draco’s mood. He hates winter, and he hates Christmas.

The girl must catch his frown, as she rolls her eyes and shares a conspiratorial look with him. “Christmas music is the worst right?” She asks. Draco shrugs.

“Christmas is the worst,” he replies.

She glances up at him, a smile twitching at her lips. “Don’t like your in-laws?” She asks. Draco couldn’t think of anything further from the truth, but he somehow doesn’t want to explain quite how pathetic he is to this girl.

“Something like that,” he says instead.

“Ooh, mysterious,” the girl laughs, leaning against the counter. “That’ll be £2.27”. Draco counts out the amount painfully slowly, still not fully used to Muggle currency, while the shopkeep watches with a raised eyebrow. He hands over his money to her, only leaving one coin behind, and she returns another three with a flash of a smile and a “Thanks luv.”

“Have a good day,” he wishes her. She returns the sentiment and Draco heads out back into the rundown Muggle street with the noisy, flimsy Muggle sack hanging from his arm.

He makes his way all the way back to his apartment with his hood still down and the watery winter sunlight lighting his bright hair like a beacon, and nobody says anything to him at all. Once back in his apartment, he draws open the curtain and allows the sun to fall across his bed unimpeded.

Hunger is urging his stomach into revolt by now, so he quickly fixes himself a plain cheese sandwich and sits in his lone chair to eat it. It’s not a lot, but it sates the worst of the pangs in his stomach and he’s not about to use up more food than he needs to.

Finished eating, Draco sits back and contemplates what to do with his evening. He really doesn’t have much to occupy his time in this apartment and, if it weren’t for the terrible cold, it would be the boredom that irritated him most about having time off work. At least at the shop, he has Forsythe’s potion books to keep him occupied in the odd occasion that he runs out of things to do.

In the summer, he sometimes uses his limited spare time to get a wank off, but he can never quite manage to get into the mood when it’s so cold. He’d love to though. Merlin knew how long it had been since he’d gotten off. Maybe with a heating charm…

Draco goes through the familiar motions of wandlessly casting – closing his eyes, focusing, reaching for his magic. But it slips out of his grasp, and the magic fizzles out with his incantation, lost to the cool air of the room. Frowning, he tries a couple more times, but it doesn’t produce even a spark of warmth.

He lets out a disgruntled groan. His magic is restless at the moment, likely a result of having spent too much time around the elektrisity that Muggles used to power their lights. It tends to work magic up, and vice versa.

It’s not much of a problem in small doses, except for when Draco is trying to perform wandless magic untrained and every minor change in his magic is magnified to the extreme. He doesn’t know how to wrangle his magic when it’s like this, which means he has to sit here in the cold until it calms somewhat.

Disheartened, Draco bundles himself as much as he can in his ragged little blanket and climbs into bed. It doesn’t provide much warmth, and he sits there miserably as the shivers keep coming.

He looks longingly at his little noodle packet, wishing he could boil it now and have a warm meal. He’s just eaten though, and he could never eat more so soon. Even if his stomach is still growling hungrily. There’s no guarantee that the stove will turn on anyhow. It’s less likely to work in the cold, and it’s very cold right now. Draco can’t stop himself from trembling under his threadbare blanket.

He needs a distraction, something to keep his mind off it. The only thing he really has is the bloody romance novel, though. Draco reaches a shaking hand for it and flips it open listlessly, not really able to focus on any words through his shivering, but also not needing too. He’s read this book cover to cover countless times, and he knows its contents by heart. What he really needs is a nice new book, and a nice warm place to read it.

Draco stills, mentally slapping himself. Of course, he’s being a bloody idiot! It hasn’t even occurred to him but… nobody recognizes him any longer. He doesn’t have to sit alone in this freezing apartment. He can go anywhere! There is the little issue of him not having any money to contend with, but not every place he can go will need him to buy something.

Draco scrambles out of bed, tripping over his blanket in his haste to scramble out of his apartment and out into Knockturn. He strikes a fast clip up the Alley, anticipation and apprehension swirling in his gut in a stomach-turning mix.

He hasn’t been to Diagon in years, nearly a decade by this point. If Knockturn is unkind to him, Diagon is downright bloodthirsty. Draco doesn’t exactly blame them – it’s not as though he hasn’t brought it on with his own actions – but he also feels perfectly justified in avoiding the place.

It’s with great trepidation that he pauses at the entrance to Diagon. He knows, logically – or illogically, as the case may be – that he won’t be hurt there. That nobody will recognize him if he steps out of Knockturn’s shadow into the bright street of Diagon. It’s one thing to know this, however, and another to believe it, and Draco can’t stop the fear that curls icy fingers up his spine.

But Draco hasn’t come this far to turn back now, so he draws in a steadying breath, steels his nerves, and steps out of Knockturn and onto the snow-covered cobblestone of Diagon Alley. And, in the grand scheme of things, very little changes. He steps from one street to another. But to Draco, the moment feels weighty, monumental. He takes another step, then a third, looking around in delight.

The street is bustling in a way that Knockturn never quite imitates. Families, children, walk and laugh freely. There are no furtive glances here, no shady characters sneering at anyone who gave them too much attention. Vendors hawk in the streets, surrounded by powerful warming charms. The sound of laughter, chatter, life is all around.

Diagon is festooned for the season, magical decorations adorning every sign and lamppost, twinkling from the windows of shops he’d frequented as a child and climbing their storefronts. Draco spends a moment taking in the sigh, a nostalgic ache taking place in his heart at the memories of winters he’d once loved. He closes his eyes, inhaling deeply and taking in the familiar smells and sounds.

And then something collides hard with him, knocking him down into the snowy street.

Draco yelps, completely unprepared for the fall, and lands painfully on his arse with an extremely solid body above him. The other person lifts off him a moment later, but the heat of their body doesn’t leave. He opens his eyes and looks up and there, hovering just above him and clad in bright red Auror robes, is none other than Harry Potter.

Draco’s eyes go wide, panic flooding him at the thought of Potter, his rival, finding him in like this – wandless and far too skinny, dressed in tattered, day-old clothes, with his hair sad and limp. He automatically scrabbling backwards to get away from him, cheeks warming in embarrassment… but no light of recognition appears in Potter’s shockingly green eyes.

Instead, those eyes go wide behind his glasses and an embarrassed flush of his own takes Potter’s face. He scrambles to his feet, stuttering out apologies as he reaches out a hand to Draco. Draco hesitates, but Potter doesn’t wait for his acceptance, seizing his wrist and pulling Draco off the ground with beguiling ease.

“Oh my god, are you alright? I’m so sorry!” Says Potter in that voice that has never failed to make Draco shiver. Hearing it now in person is even more spine-tingling. Large, strong hands come up to brush away the snow now covering Draco’s coat and hair, and Draco’s entire body heats with entwined desire and mortification.

“No, it’s perfectly alright, don’t worry about it all,” He babbles embarrassingly, and then wrenches his wrist away from Potter and all but sprints down the Alley. Merlin, but he’s a sodding halfwit. Acting like a first-year Hufflepuff with a crush in front of Harry bloody Potter.

Thankfully the street is busy enough that when Draco glances over his shoulder, he catches no sight of Potter. He slows to a more reasonable place, letting out a relieved sigh. Inappropriate crush aside, it’s best that he not get too close to Potter. Certainly, Potter won’t recognize him on sight alone. But the wish was frustratingly vague, and Draco has closer history with Potter than most. What if he were to say something that caused the other man to recognize him? No, it’s undoubtedly better to stay far, far away.

He continues retreating up the street until he’s about thirty paces away from Gringotts, where he takes an abrupt left into a tiny, cramped side alley that contains a couple of little storefronts. One of them bears an old, chipped sign, with fading paint proclaiming it a library. Draco smiles at the sight of it.

He hadn’t been sure that this place would still be open – it’s been over ten years since his last visit after all – but he’d dearly hoped it was. He has fond memories of this place, of coming hear with his mother while his father had conducted business in Gringotts, and whiling away afternoon surrounded by warm light and the smell of books. When he was older, he and his mother simply sit near one another to read and enjoy one another’s company, but during his younger years she had sat him on her lap and stroked his hair while she’d read to him in her calming voice.

Draco shakes his head, forcing the memory away before his suspiciously wet eyes spill over. He can’t think of his parents – not in public at least, where anyone can see his tears. Instead he pushes his way into the library, a wave of warm air rising to meet him and bringing with it the smell of parchment, leather, and wax.

He lets in a deep breath, allowing the comforting scent to wash over him, thick with memories. He steps further into the library, and the wizened old librarian shelving books nearby notices him and looks up. “Hello there,” she says, her hands pausing in her task. “Can I help you find anything?”

“No, thank you,” Draco replies politely. He has no plans here, just the wish of a warm refuge and something to read to pass the time. He walks through the library, running his eyes along the shelves and taking his time.

The plethora of choice now, after years, is thrilling, and he finds himself in no hurry to decide on reading material. That is, until he is in the learning section and the spartan lettering on the straight-backed spine of an utterly unremarkable book catches his eye. The Fundamentals of Wandless Casting. Draco’s breath catches. Of course. He could spend his anonymity reading for pleasure, but this is a much better use of his time. He’s always loved learning, and this is practically useful as well. Plus, he can continue practicing any theory he learns once he’s home in his apartment.

He lifts the heavy volume from the shelf, carrying it over to a nearby armchair and side-table pair, setting the book down on the side-table before quickly divesting himself of his coat and gloves and draping them over the back of the chair. He settles himself into the armchair, letting out a little groan as even the comfortable plush makes his already sore arse twinge. Stupid Potter, running over innocent passersby in the street.

He thinks back to the incident with a frown, his mind drawing, with loving detail, the solid form that had bowled him over. Merlin, but he’d looked good. Draco’s heard his voice often over the years – Potter is, to this day, a darling of the media and is often featured on the wireless – but he hasn’t seen him since the end of the war. Clearly, time has treated Potter as well as it’s treated Draco badly. He’d already been arresting in school, a wild magnetism to him that had always drawn Draco’s attention – and now he’s grown into it, wearing that pull with an innate ease. Auror work has filled out his frame, his muscles just discernable under his robes and certainly felt when he was barrelling into Draco, and he’s lost the general air of confusion he’d had as a boy. During their brief interaction he’d seemed capable, powerful...

It brings all sorts of longing thoughts to Draco’s mind, and he banishes them furiously. There’s nothing there, not for him– although, perhaps he should go to a bar one of these days while nobody recognizes him, pull a cute somebody he’ll never see again, and get a good dicking down. Merlin knows it’s been long enough. Although – Draco grimaces – it might not be as easy as it once was to turn someone’s head. Draco had been attractive in school, he has no illusion otherwise, but little sleep and less food is not a good look on him.

Slightly disheartened and determined to cast this line of thought from his mind, Draco picks up the textbook from the sidetable and opens it. He kicks off his boots and tucks his feet under him as he settles in. He’s missed this, losing himself in the study and theory of magic – he’d always been a good student, and the pursuit of knowledge is a challenge that he likes.

He spends the rest of the day there, warm and cozy, curled in a squishy armchair in a homey library, pouring over a tome on wandless magic, and it’s the best afternoon he’s had in recent memory. He only leaves when the library closes, walking slowly Diagon and enjoying the way the festive lights sparkle against the night dark.

When he falls asleep that night, he dreams of warm winters past and stunning green eyes.

#drarry #draco malfoy #harry potter #drarry fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #writing #draco #harry #angst #fluff #draco's wish

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victoria-daydreams · 3 years

Text

Lost in the Stars - Part V

Part IV

AN: With the being election over my anxiety has gone down considerably which means I can write freely without the feeling existential dread hovering over me. Hope you enjoy!

Summary: When Sarela Reyes accepted a bounty to find some missing child it should have been a simple job. What she got instead was a chance meeting with a certain Mandalorian, and her world was never the same.

"I can't believe you extorted the Mayor to find his daughter," the Mandalorian commented.

Sarela looked over to her side, "I didn't extort Vullen," she replied, shaking her head. "I simply renegotiated our terms," she corrected, and the Mandalorian let out a scoff. "Hey! I didn't see you object to my renegotiation back there," she pointed out, and the Mandalorian remained silent. “That’s what I thought,” she retorted smugly.

Sarela looked around her surroundings, the market in this part of the city was filled with a lot more shadier characters than the markets she usually shops at. The farther you traveled from the city center, the deeper you went into the slums of this place. Not to mention the more unlawful things became. Even slave trafficking was starting to boom again. And with a Mandalorian who's covered in shiny beskar armor and armed to the teeth, standing next to her, Sarela realized they were attracting the stares of more than a few locals.

"Maker, you stand out like a sore thumb," Sarela remarked in exasperation. "Keep your coin purse close to you Mando, we're surrounded by scoundrels, thieves, and criminals," she warned, her eyes scanning over the locals.

"You should fit right in then,"

Sarela breathed out a laugh, "You know Mando, I think we're going to get along just fine," she said, bringing her attention back to the Mandalorian.

"Hey, you!" someone shouted from behind them.

Sarela turned around lazily, setting her eyes on a tall man. He looked malnourished due to the fact that his face held no baby fat on it at all, the baggy clothes also added to the theory. He had long black hair that stopped at his shoulders, it was tied back in a low ponytail, but a few pieces still fell out to frame his face. His eyes were narrow, snake-like in appearance, the dark brown of them only added to their sinister look as well. He had a medium-sized nose that was well defined, pale thin lips only set right below them, along with a low-set chin.

"Yes? We don't have all day," she answered impatiently.

It was annoying that she actually had to look up in order to talk to him, what a nuisance.

"You don't remember me? It's me, Tye!" he said with enthusiasm.

Sarela rolled her eyes, "I don't know you," she responded, clearly annoyed.

She knew of no one with that name, not to mention she had never seen the man in front of her before. And the man knew that as well.

"But-"

"Beat it!" Sarela interjected, waving her hand dismissively and turned back around. "Come on Mando," she called, starting to walk away, yawning in the process.

She didn't turn back around even when she heard the man mumble something.

"Like I said before, you gotta watch out for vagrants like him," Sarela stated, digging out her holoprojector and turning it on. "According to Vullen, the kids of interest live in this part of the city," she said, as the projector displayed an image of Jazen.

"Those kids could be anywhere," the Mandalorian remarked.

"Agreed," Sarela said, moving her eyes from the hologram in front of her. "That's why we're going to ask the shopkeepers around here, they see more than they let on," she informed, before making her way over to the closet stall that was selling trinkets.

For the twenty minutes, Sarela and the Mandalorian found themselves going from stall to stall, unsuccessfully uncovering any information on the mysterious street kids that Lora befriended. In fact, Sarela was convinced most of the vendors that they had spoken to probably didn't listen to a word that came from their mouths. She would barely finish her sentence about the children before the vendors instantly tried to convince them to purchase something from their stall.

Sarela sighed heavily, "This is the last stall I'm asking," she stated, running a hand over her hair. "Everyone here has proven to be useless," she commented, as they approached a butcher stall. "Good afternoon-" she began, instantly putting on a pleasant smile.

"Cut the pleasantries Imp," the red skinned Togruta cut in, slamming his cleaver down into the meat he was cutting. "What do you want?" he questioned, looking up from his work.

Sarela laughed lightly, "Straight to the point, I like it," she commented, before turning the projector back on. "Have you seen any of these faces before?" she asked, slowly scrolling the images.

The butcher's eyes flitted from the hologram to Sarela, "I might have," he answered vaguely. "What's it to you?' he questioned, sticking the cleaver into the table.

"We need their help finding someone,"

"Hmmm," the Togruta hummed, scratching his chin. "You know, my memory is suddenly fading about these urchins. If only there was a way to stimulate it," he hinted.

Sarela felt her temple throb in annoyance and impatience.

"What's your price?" the Mandalorian asked, finally speaking up.

"Thirty credits,"

"Twenty!" Sarela shot back. "And don't get greedier because I will make sure that you'll never be able to hold credits in your hands again," she threatened. "Or that cleaver," she added, flicking her chin out to where the blade rested in the table.

"Fine," he grunted, and Sarela threw the credits onto the table.

"Now talk," the Mandalorian demanded.

"Yeah I've seen the little rascals," he admitted, collecting his credits. "They like to hang around in the entrance next to Lev's Cantina," he informed, pointing down the down the street and moving his finger to the left.

"Thank you for not being completely useless," Sarela said, giving him an insincere smile before walking away.

"You sure have a way with people," the Mandalorian commented, not far behind her.

"It's my specialty,"

~~~x~~~

"There they are up ahead," the Mandalorian announced quietly, making their way to the group of huddled children who were playing, what Sarela assumed was a game of some sort.

Sarela arched her brow, "I see Jazen, but not Cassir, Darra, or Tobias," she noted, as they approached him.

"They can't be far," he reasoned, just as they stopped behind the boy.

The shadows of Sarela and the Mandalorian blocked out the sun that beamed down on the kids. A young Nautolan and Rodian slowly lifted their heads from the dice in their hands and to the two mercenaries staring down at them. Immediately, they dropped the cubes and stood up, backing away from them.

"Guys? What's wrong?" Jazen asked in confusion.

"Jazen Sekel," Sarela addressed, and the Nautolan and Rodian turned on their heels and ran away at the sound of her accent, while the human boy's body froze. "My acquaintance and I have some questions for you," she said, and Jazen sprung to his feet and attempted to run away, but Sarela was quicker and grabbed the back of his collar. "Whoa! Where's the fire, Jazen?" Sarela questioned, with a laugh as she tightened her grip on his shirt.

Jazen raised his hands in surrender, "I don't have the credits!" he shouted. "But I swear, I'll have them by tomorrow!" he pleaded, and a frown formed on Sarela's face.

"This isn't about credits," the Mandalorian stated, as Sarela let go of Jazen's collar and he turned around to face them.

"We're here about your friend Lora," Sarela said, and Jazen's eyes darted off to the side. "If you try to make a run for it again, I will shoot you with an electro-dart and I really don't want to do that," she stated, and the boy visibly gulped.

"She's not going to hurt you," the Mandalorian assured, looking over at her and what Sarela could only imagine was a pointed look. "Neither of us are," he reassured, staring back down at the boy.

"You promise?" the boy asked, his eyes bouncing between the two of them.

"Yes, we promise," Sarela promised, now studying the boy's frame, he was thinner than usual for a boy his age. It probably didn't help that he lived on the streets. "Tell you what," she began, squatting down to be at eye level with Jazen. "You tell us everything you know about Lora's whereabouts and the Mandalorian behind me will buy you a meal from the cantina behind you," she proposed, watching the boy's brown orbs light up.

"Okay!" Jazen agreed readily, nodding his head up down before jogging over to the cantina.

"I'm not paying for the kid's food, this was your idea Reyes," he argued quietly.

Sarela pushed herself up and turned around, "I already coughed up credits of my own to that butcher," she countered. "It's your turn now Mando," she said, not waiting for his reply and walked into the cantina, not before hearing the Mandalorian release an annoyed sigh.

The music reverberated in the small cantina, while the lights made it difficult to properly recognize anyone. Sarela maneuvered around the crowded cantina, knowing that the Mandalorian was not that far behind her. As she moved through the crowd she overheard two men arguing politics and brushed past them without a word.

"Why did he have to choose the most inconvenient spot," Sarela grumbled, spotting Jazen sitting in the back of the building.

Finally arriving to the table, she slid in the seat across from Jazen while the Mandalorian occupied next to him. Just as Sarela went to her open her mouth, a waitress came over to the table with a bowl of soup and placed it down in front of Jazen. The waitress stuck her hand out expectantly in the Mandalorian's direction and Sarela let out a snicker.

"Go ahead and pay the hardworking woman Mando," she ushered, her face cracking into a smirk. He huffed before digging his credits and placing them into the waitress' hand and she forced a typical smile on her face before turning away. "Now Jazen, tell us what you know about Lora and her whereabouts," Sarela encouraged, watching the boy shove a spoonful of broth into his mouth.

Her nose turned up slightly, the broth was a grayish color with mystery chunks of meat sprinkled through it.

"You two are working for the Mayor aren't you? Jazen asked back, raising his brow. "We already told him we don't know where she is," he added, scooping out more soup.

"Well aren't you a smart one," Sarela responded sarcastically. "And its clear he doesn't fully believe you," she added, removing her sniper rifle and laying it down on the chair next to her.

"Reyes," the Mandalorian called, and Sarela just raised her hands. "Answer her question," he instructed, staring down at the young boy.

"We met Lora a month ago, she stumbled upon us playing a game and wanted to join. We let her play with us until the city guards found her," Jazen explained, placing his spoon down. "The rest is history," he finished, shrugging his shoulders

"Speaking of 'we', where's the rest of your little friends?" Sarela asked, pointing her finger and rotating it around.

"Why?" Jazen asked, becoming guarded.

"Why are you getting so defensive?" the Mandalorian questioned back.

Jazen picked up his spoon and went to scoop more soup from his bowl, but Sarela was quicker and dragged the dish in her direction, broth spilling over the rim.

"Answer his question," she said, echoing the Mandalorian's words.

Jazen's eyes shifted from Sarela to the warrior next to him, sighing he put his spoon back on the table.

"Darra's sick, Cassir has been caring for her in an abandon apartment where live in," Jazen answered. "As for Tobias, I don't know where he's gone," he continued.

"Now was that so hard to say," Sarela said, pushing the bowl back in front of him. "And now tell us about Lora," she prompted.

"When the guards found her last month and took her back home, we didn't see her for about two weeks. She was grounded," Jazen recalled, swirling his soup around. "But after her punishment was over, she managed to sneak out to play with us from time to time," he went on, grinning slightly. "Lora said she felt freer playing with than being stuck in mansion," he informed, and Sarela had to force herself not to roll her eyes at the statement. "She wanted to explore the galaxy, it’s what she dreamed of," he finished, before lifting the bowl to his lips.

"And did you see her yesterday before she ran away?" the Mandalorian inquired.

"Um...about...that..." Jazen trailed off, now squirming in his seat.

A slight frown lined Sarela's forehead, "Yes?" she asked, leaning forward.

"We...might of...helped her,"

"You what!?" she questioned, anger clear in her voice.

"It wasn't my idea!" Jazen disputed, lifting his arms up again. "Tobias came up with it," he stated, looking between the two bounty hunters. "Tobias said he knew somebody that would be willing to take Lora off this planet and that we would get paid for helping," he explained naively, and Sarela's eyes snapped to the dark visor of the Mandalorian. "He said all we had to do was keep our stories straight and we all come out of this happy," he described, not understanding why Sarela was visibly frustrated.

"Everyone except Lora," the Mandalorian remarked, with a sigh.

"What?"

"You little shit, you didn't help Lora," Sarela stated, slamming her hand down onto the table, startling the boy. "You assisted in trafficking her to slavers," she corrected, running both of her hands over her hair. "We have to tell Vullen," she said, looking at the Mandalorian again. "He may never see his daughter again," she reasoned, and he nodded in agreement.

"No! Don't!" Jazen exclaimed, a fearful look in his eyes. "The Mayor, he'll have me hanged!" he fretted, his brown orbs widening.

"I'll tell him to be lenient on you and your friends, seeing how you were duped," Sarela suggested, digging for her holoprojector. "A full pardon is out of the question, not unless they find Tobias and have you all testify against him," she guessed.

Jazen abruptly stood up, the legs of his chair screeching loudly against the floor. Sarela's hand shot out, catching him by the wrist in a semi-tight grip.

"Listen to me Jazen and listen well," she began, her voice low. "You do not want to take your chances with Mayor Vullen by yourself, he already holds a low opinion of you and your friends," she informed. "You run, and I swear to the Maker I will call the city guards to capture you," she threatened, no sign of her usual playful demeanor.

Jazen's eyes narrowed, "You promised me that you two wouldn't hurt me," he reminded.

"Yes, I did," Sarela agreed, nodding her head. "But what I didn't promise is that the city guards wouldn't," she pointed out, a ghost of a smirk on her face.

"Is there a problem here?" a new, male voice asked.

"None that concerns you," Sarela replied, not bothering to look at the newcomer.

"Ah, so you must be the Imp everyone's been murmuring about," he remarked, appraising her.

Craning her neck slowly, Sarela looked towards the stranger, meeting the eyes of a dark haired man. She noticed he was surrounded by what looked like his crew and that he had a blaster hoisted on his belt.

"Is this woman here harassing you son?" he asked casually, focusing his attention towards Jazen.

Jazen glanced at her, "No," he answered, and Sarela relinquished her grip on his wrist.

"Can I help you?" Sarela inquired, attempting to sound polite, but she could tell by the man's amused reaction, he knew she wasn't interested in speaking with him.

"Perhaps you don't know who I am," he began, chuckling at her.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed the Mandalorian discreetly lower his hand to his hip where she knew his blaster rested. Sarela lightly kicked his shin under the table as sign to stop. The man hadn't done anything besides interrupt their "conversation".

"Can't say that I do," Sarela replied snidely, crossing her arms

"Then you haven't been on the planet long, have you?" he inquired.

"I've been on this planet long enough to know the people who are worth knowing," Sarela said, titling her head up slightly. "And you weren't one of them," she added.

Sarela watched as his jaw clenched, "Let me introduce myself," he began, keeping his eyes trained on her, and she couldn't tell if he was toying with her in hopes she would flirt back, or if he was sizing her up.

She was still a "wanted woman" after all.

"I'm Crix, the man in charge of Dargus Bain's protection. You do know who Dargus Bain is, don't you?" His condescending tone was beginning to annoy her. She raised her eyebrows at Crix in reply.

"Is there a point to this conversation?" the Mandalorian finally asked, his voice crackling through his vocoder. He was clearly irked by this man as well. Crix finally looked at him, as if noticing his presence for the first time.

"What are you, her lap dog?" he asked, and the two aliens next to him laughed. "You two are quite the pair aren't ya? An Imp and a Mando," he commented. "Aren't you two supposed to hate each other?" he questioned, motioning his finger between the two of them.

"You know what," Sarela began, rubbing her chin. "Your name does ring a bell after all," she said, pointing at him. "If you hadn't mentioned lapdog, I almost wouldn't have recognized you," she explained, and the smug expression on Crix's face vanished. "That's what you're known for right? Dargus says 'jump' and you'll say, 'how high'," Sarela remarked, her lips slightly curving into a grin.

"I don't like your attitude, girl," Crix spat.

"And I don't like the way you smell," Sarela retorted, rising from her seat, Crix towered over her but she wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Scum," she added, causing Crix to growl. "So it looks like we're at an impasse," she continued, tilting her head. "Now, I don't want to fight you, so why don't you be a good boy and scurry back to your master. While we carry on with the conversation we were having," she suggested, managing to to get in the last verbal punch.

Crix let out a snarl, barring his yellow teeth and his lackeys flanked him. By now, the entire cantina was watching the confrontation

Sarela noticed that Crix's fist near his side had slowly balled itself into a fist and was winding up for a punch. But before he could connect, Sarela jabbed her fist out into his throat.

And all hell broke loose.

"Jazen run!"

Crix was temporarily stunned, placing his had his hand to his throat, coughing hard and rubbing it at the same time. While his henchmen sprung into action, Sarela ducked under a punch that was flying towards her by one of Crix's men. She grinned as she reached behind her and grabbed the bowl of soup behind her and tossed the hot broth onto the man's face. Screams of agony escaped the man's mouth as he lifted his hands up to his face, taking advantage of his blindness, Sarela gave the henchmen a hard kick to the gut before slamming the bowl down onto his skull and he crumpled to the ground.

Two arms suddenly wrapped around Sarela's arms, trapping her against her attacker chest while Crix approached her with a vibroblade out. She writhed around in the man's grip trying to escape and just as Crix got close enough her, she shot her legs out and connected with Crix's chest, sending him stumbling back and onto the ground. Instantly, Sarela threw her head back, hearing a cracking sound in her ears before landing back on her feet. She picked up a glass bottle from a nearby table and smashed it across the man's face, knocking him out cold.

A loud yelp of pain came from Sarela as she felt a sharp, stinging pain on her bicep before feeling a warm liquid trickle down her arm. A whizzing sound passed her ear and she spun around to see a throwing knife traveling back into Crix's hand. He angled his knife again to launch it at her again, but never got the chance as a blue glowing arc struck his body and sent him to the floor in a heap.

Sarela's head snapped in the direction of where the stun bolt was fired from.

Lo and behold, it was from the one and only Mandalorian with his blaster aimed at the unconscious form of Crix.

He turned and looked in her direction, "Are you going to attract this much attention where ever we go?" he asked.

Breathing heavily, Sarela let a smirk grow on her face.

“The day is still young Mando,” she panted, grasping her arm. “Anything’s possible,”

Part VI

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #the mandalorian #the mandalorian fanfiction #dyn jarren #dyn jarren fanfiction #din djarin #din djarin fanfiction #star wars oc #dyn jarren imagine #din djarin imagine #black fanfiction #star wars imagine #baby yoda #the child #black!oc #black oc #black original character

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innittowinit · 4 years

Text

Abandoned amusement parks are the best place for young children (chapter 7)

AO3

Fic summary:

Techno, Tommy, Wilbur and Phil have been hanging out at the abandoned amusement park in the woods since they moved in. Techno likes knowing he's definitely alone with his brothers Tommy likes climbing on the old rides Wilbur likes having a place to play his music Phil likes spending time with his younger brothers

That is, until a group of brothers calling themselves the 'dream team' move in down the road. Will the sleepy boys give in and share the park or will they succeed in scaring the new kids off?

Chapter summary

Dream recounts what happened today to Bad and their mom Wilbur comforts Techno

chapter word count: 1704 (sorry its another inbetween chapter)

Dream snickered as he leaned back in his chair, a half eaten ham and cheese sandwich sitting idly on his plate. He had his mask lifted up so it sat atop his head, showing his freckled cheeks and and reddish cheeks.

“That was a fun game, they were playing along this time”

He reached for a packet crisps, only to drop his hand and pick the sandwich back up when Bad gave him a disapproving look; they all wanted to make Bad proud, he wasn’t around often anymore but when he was here it was great.

It didn’t really feel like home when he was off at school.

Playing with the sleepy boys had been fun though, he mulled over the events of the day as he chewed on the childish meal, the sun was still high in the sky and he doubted it was past 2pm at all.

Phil didn’t seem like he wanted to play, for a moment Dream wondered if Phil just didn’t like playing anymore, he was the oldest afterall, but he quickly shook the thought from his mind. Why else would he still turn up to L’manburg with his brothers?

No, Phil definitely enjoyed it, he was probably just tired today, sometimes even his own brothers didn’t like playing Manhunt if they had had a long day.

He remembered buying the fun snaps, it had been a little nerve wracking but he needed them for the plan to work! He had had to lie about how old he was for the shopkeeper to give them to him, he didn’t ask for ID though so he guessed the old man running the place also didn’t see the point in having an age limit to buy a toy. While they were going through their plan first, Sapnap had said he wanted to blow it up.

Obviously they couldn't do that.

And so they decided on fun snaps and their ‘weapons’. At least this way they’d still get shocked by the noise of the snaps going off anyway, it wasn’t like they wanted to cause any real harm, he didn’t want to lose any more potential friends because of the ways he had fun.

“We actually got into L’manburg today” Sap laughed, hair dusted with sandy dirt from when he had been pushed to the floor.

His sandwich had been toasted to make the cheese melty and he was dipping it in a Tomato cup-a-soup. As far as Dream was concerned, that was single handedly the worst food combination ever made and he deserved to be pushed over for eating like that.

“I hope you guys aren’t playing too rough out there, those Reid kids have a littl’un right?”

Nodding, Dream shoved the rest of his lunch into his mouth, chewing it as much as he could before giving up and just speaking with his mouth full anyways.

“Yeah Tommys like really small, we aren’t playing too rough though Ma, they’re cool with it, I promise! Even Sap and George like them”

Once she had finished preparing her own lunch, she sat with her kids; they were so rowdy, it would be a straight lie if she said she didn’t worry about their safety sometimes but she supposed boys would just be boys, no amount of sports clubs or extracurricular activities had ever quenched their need to run about and hit each other with sticks.

What was fun about hitting each other, she had no idea, but hopefully they’d grow out of it before they seriously hurt themselves or someone else

“That’s nice to hear then, I’m glad you boys are making new friends, I know it can be difficult adapting to new places-”

“Nah mum it’s easy!” Sapnap had cut her off, hand in a bag of crisps since he had finished his meal, despite how much Bad tried to influence healthy eating decisions.

“That’s nice sweetheart, some people find it hard though! Hey! You know what could be cute? If you take Bad down to meet your buddies, you said they had an older brother around his age too right?”

Dream groaned, feigning annoyance as he glanced over to his brother, while like Phil, Bad still cared about them a whole lot, they didn’t really have the almost-replacement-parent kind of dynamic that the sleepy bois had with their older sibling. He didn’t really understand that, Bad was two years older than him and the way they thought and rationalised things was about the same level, so why did his new friends seem to treat their older brother like a grown up?

Even though they were a bit weird, they were nice and they were fun to play with, so eventually he nodded, it would be so much fun having Bad there to fight with them. It felt like it had been ages since they all played together.

“I think they’re playing something else now, we can all go tomorrow after school if you want”

With a shrug and a flippant smile, Bad had at last agreed to go meet his mischievous brother’s new friends. If the scar on George’s cheek was anything to go off though, it seemed like they were a lot more ill-disciplined than his boys were.

Or at least that’s what he liked to think.

--------

“Phil didn’t mean to hurt you” Wilbur mumbled as they walked hand-in-hand to the old pool where they spent so much of their time together, gently lowering himself in and then helping Techno in afterwards.

The two sat idly against the curved wall, sitting in comfortable silence as Wilbur waited for Techno to sort his thoughts out.

“It still hurts” With a voice as quiet and weak as his was right now, anyone who had bothered to stay around long enough to hear his voice, absolutely wouldn't think this was him.

The assertive, confident way he normally would speak to his brothers long forgotten as he gingerly swallowed the lump in his throat.

He felt invalidated, ignored, humiliated.

Why did Phil have to bring up the one thing he couldn’t argue with him on? He had got hit harder than Tommy! Why did he only care about Tommy?

With a heavy chest and an aching arm, he rested his head on his brother’s shoulder, just wanting some comfort but not really knowing how to put his feelings into words. Thankfully, Wilbur seemed to recognise this rare moment and gently wrapped an arm around him.

“Do you think….” He trailed off into a murmur after that, prompting Wilbur to remind him he needed to use his words

“Do you think that deep down...maybe Phil thinks I’m weird too? It’s weird to be this shy isn’t it? I’m supposed to have grown out of it by now right?”

His voice sounded frantic and panicked, breaths punctuated his sentences as he spilled his emotions into the empty pool. Gentle hands pulled him into a hug and he was tight against Wilbur’s chest, being reminded once again that even if he felt bad himself, his family would always save the day.

“...well I think objectively it is a bit weird that we’re both this attached, and we should be able to be able to do these things that other kids our age can but just because what we have is a little funky doesn’t mean you're weird. If it was normal we wouldn’t have a speech therapist but I don't think it's bad, the other kids in our classes always talk about hating their siblings and stuff. I’m glad none of us are like that.” Wilbur tried his very best to articulate how he felt, a lot of the feelings he wanted to explain, he didn’t have the words to describe, and so he was left with small comparisons and metaphors.

He didn’t bother saying them, if he was struggling with saying them he might accidentally say something that could hurt his brother more.

“I don't think Phil thinks you're weird either. I think he’s frustrated, he works so hard to make sure we’re all okay and we don’t always show him that we appreciate it. I think maybe he’s scared for you, he knows it’s hard for you to talk and with him getting mad it probably came out wrong. He probably wants you to get better really bad and I bet it’s hard for him to watch you struggle and not be able to help. That doesn’t make what he said okay but I do think you should talk to him and try to find out why he said what he said”

Techno nodded, he felt a bit guilty for being so mad at Phil now, he cared so much about them and he had got his little brother hurt.

Even though he felt guilty, he still felt hurt though and maybe it was childish but he didn't care. He wanted to strop and huff and ignore everyone.

Before today he didn’t even realise it was possible to want to fall out of the earth and want to be cuddled by all his favourite people, simultaneously.

“I think you’ll feel better if you talk to Phil though, you wont need to make up theories on why he said it anymore than you already have.”

Another nod, he knew confrontation was inevitable but he wanted to sit here a bit longer, with the shade from the trees and low hanging vines, to the roaring hot sun, it just felt so much better to try and think through his feelings here rather than having to think it all out while he was actually having the conversation with Phil.

“It’s hard” An almost exasperated sigh left his lips “I know Tommy’s just the priority because he’s the youngest. I love him too, so so much, but he didn’t even check to see if I got hurt though. He saw I wasn’t able to protect Tommy and he got mad.

“Today, Phil was tired and stressed and he said some really stupid things but Tech’ I can’t tell you what he meant by them, I’m telling you all these questions would be solved so much faster if we just went and spoke to him.”

“..okay let's go”

#techno #wilbur #technoblade #wilbur soot #dream #sapnap #georgenotfound #badboyhalo #fanfic #hurt/ comfort

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