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wwinterwitch · 5 months

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cowboy like me — coriolanus snow

summary: it takes one to know one. you and him were exactly alike, which explains why you were inevitably drawn to each other

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

word count: 2k

tags: you can't fix him you're as awful as him, being delusional together, fluff??? (not really but u guys are in love and happy and married), mentions of/implied murder and being bad people, romanticizing everything

notes: idk where i was going with this i just had this idea in my head and taylor inspired me to write it. i'm also absolutely feral for young!snow it's not even funny at this point, i needed to find ways to cope lmao

i'd really appreciate a comment or reblog if you enjoy my work.

masterlists | read on ao3

A smile appears on your face the second you feel a hand on your lower back, turning around to meet your husband's loving gaze.

He stands directly in front of you, staring down at you in a way that to this day makes you feel butterflies in your stomach, like you're nothing but a teenage girl who's unlucky enough to have developed a blinding crush on a guy too charming for his own good— the thought of it makes you feel almost nostalgic, looking back at the early stages of your relationship.

Coriolanus Snow has always been a familiar face. Growing up together, you two have known each other for ages. You might've interacted a few times, but nothing beyond brief conversations between classmates.

You had a boyfriend at the time. A much too sweet and caring guy that made the big mistake of falling irrevocably in love with you. In all fairness, it was hard for him not to trail behind you like a lost puppy all the time when you were so good at making foolish boys believe you were the girl of their dreams.

Love is not a word you would use to describe your relationship. He was tolerable and clearly obsessed with you, so it made sense for you to stay with him. He learned with time that buying you very expensive gifts would get you to pay more attention to him, so that became his way of showing his affection for you.

In his mind this was perfectly reasonable. His girl likes being spoiled, so that's exactly what he did. The adoration for you blinded him enough to ignore the truth: you're just sticking around for the money. Some people warned him you were bad news, but you always managed to find a way to make him worship you all over again. Maybe you could've felt sorry for him at some point...if only he didn't have such good taste to pick things out for you.

But then Coriolanus happened. You started to notice him more and more until you inevitably started having feelings for him. How could you not fall for a guy like him? Especially after he started his quick ascend as one of the best Game makers in history.

Maybe it was the way he so fervently claimed his interest in you, willing to pursue you even when your boyfriend was still in the picture. Or perhaps it had to do with his growing popularity and power. After all, you can't deny how attracted you are to guys with ambition.

And Coriolanus is not exactly sure what made him fall for you either. There's many things he loves about you, that's for sure, but he can't say which came first. Was it your captivating beauty and intelligence, or the news that you recently became the only heir to one of the wealthiest families in the Capitol?

Whatever force pulled the two of you together, it really doesn't matter at this point. What matters is that he loves you with every fiber of his being, willing to do whatever is in his power to make sure you're happy (and what isn't, he'll do anything to get). And you love him too, of course, offering him a companionship he always craved— undying fidelity, the purest honesty and understanding.

You've never once judged him for being who he is. If anything, you seem to admire his strength to do whatever it takes to secure his place in society. No one has ever been this loving and accepting, almost encouraging him to be as determined as ever to get the two of you on top.

Whatever he did or didn't do is already in the past. Why should the past matter? Shouldn't you enjoy the present with your loving and successful husband? Be proud of the work the two of you have done to get where you are?

No, the past is gone. It already happened. There’s no need to look back at things you can't change and decisions you can't take back. It all brought you here. Every tiny little decision led the two of you to this moment; married, in love, happy, powerful. It was meant to be like this.

He didn't seem to mind about your own past either. Any other person would've judged you for the difficult decisions you had to make in order to become the wealthiest woman in all of Panem. You've seen it in the face of ex friends and lovers. They never understood your hunger for what you so rightfully deserve.

Good things don't happen to people because they're good. They happen because you make them happen. You fight, you take, you conquer. It's what life is, and it's something you and Coriolanus understand perfectly. That's why the two of you make sense. Why it feels so right to be together. You understand him and he understands you— understands you like no one else has in your entire life.

It was him the one who held you that night when you just couldn't hold it in anymore, and he sat with you while you cried and cried about your beloved sister, because even after all those years you still missed her and wished things could've been different.

If only your parents made it easier for you. They shouldn't have played favorites from the moment you were born. And they really shouldn't mess with something as important as inheritance. It's your goddamn birthright! How could they be so cruel to you? If they corner you against the wall with no apparent way to escape, it was a matter of time before you decided to stand your ground.

It's a shame your poor sister had to suffer the consequences, though. You really do love her...

Coriolanus couldn't judge you even if he tried. He could see himself in your tear-filled eyes and hear his own inconsolable sobs through your voice. It took him back to a particularly difficult point in his life where he had to make a similar choice.

He pours his heart out to you as he holds you tight against his body, revealing all the unfortunate things he was forced to do because it's all that was left. An act-or-die situation that kept repeating itself until he had no other choice but to do the unspeakable. What else was he supposed to do? What else were you supposed to do?

The regret in his voice is evident, and you know he does regret it because he’s a good person with a heart of gold. One of the best people you’ve ever met in your life. He’s good, and brave, and passionate…enough to sacrifice what he loves if the circumstances require that of him. Not many people have the privilege to claim to be as great as him.

"You did what you had to," your voice came out in a soft whisper, still affected by your sudden outburst with the thought of your sister engraved deep inside your brain. At the time you thought you were trying to ease his conscience, but maybe your statement was falling from your lips in a weak attempt to ease your own inner conflict too. "Life has been so unfair to us, Coriolanus. Is it too bad that we want just a little bit of peace?"

He stays quiet for a bit, stroking your hair in hopes to bring you some comfort as he processes your hopeless, pain-filled statement. That's probably the hardest thing about loving you; caring so much that he cannot possibly function if he knows you're hurting, and cursing himself for not being able to take that pain away.

"We'll have peace," he eventually assures you. His voice is soft, yet fiercely determined. There's no room for discussion. He'll make it happen for the two of you. What's a few more difficult choices when he's so far gone now? When he knows it has worked perfectly before and it made all his dreams come true?

In that moment, snuggled up to his chest with his arms tightly wrapped around you, it was clear. That sense of familiarity you only get when you look back in the mirror, or when you quickly scan a room when someone speaks your name. He has suffered as much as you. He knows what it's like to be mistreated in life, and how difficult it is sometimes to live with the fact that you had to leave people behind to finally taste a drop of happiness.

The guilt comes and goes. Sometimes it's easier to remember you had no choice, but other times all you can think about is what life could've been if you weren't forced to take such drastic measures. Perhaps now that you have someone who truly understands, you'll learn to always remember you deserve all you managed to achieve.

When you move back from him to look up into his welcoming and comforting blue eyes, you knew you'd never be alone again. You'll never get to experience this free-fall, soul-consuming feeling with anyone else. And why would you even want to waste your time like that, when you already found the one person who sees the world exactly like you do?

A love like this is hard to find. Most people spend a lifetime trying to find a love decent enough to make them feel like they're losing their minds. Like the air is missing from their lungs and everything looks much darker when the other is not around. Like they're willing to do anything to make the other happy. Like the fear of being consumed entirely by it is the sweetest of fates.

You thought you could only experience affection in the form of luxurious jewelry, fancy clothing and all that came with the important status your ex boyfriend provided. At one point, you could say you almost needed him. Or least needed his money. He provided a safety net you desperately needed after your stupid parents decided to leave everything to your annoyingly perfect sister.

After becoming the only heir in your family (it really is a shame that your sister was gone so soon, poor thing), your boyfriend was no longer a necessity, but a way of distracting yourself when you needed it. It's not like you're going to refuse his gifts and attention anytime soon, right?

But that was it. The furthest it can get to what being in love should look like. And that was what your relationship with Coriolanus should have been when you decided to make your way into his heart. Never in a million years would you have expected to meet a soul that matches yours in even the tiniest of details, that loves so deeply and cares enough to act like it's required to survive.

With his arms still surrounding your body in a protective and comforting manner, you knew he’d be the guy you’d spend the rest of your life with. You knew it long before the day he got down on one knee, professing his undying love for you and offering the most beautiful engagement ring you have ever seen in your life. You pledged to always be there for him and, in return, he vowed to give you the world— he'd find a way to reach the night sky and collect every single star for you if that's what you ask of him. You kept each other's deepest secrets like they were your own. Two smart and ambitious people joining together in their search for greatness.

The hand on your lower back now rests against your cheek, tracing your skin in such a delicate manner that it almost makes you shiver. The white rose attached to his impeccable burgundy suit is slightly tilted to the right, fixing it with your hands as soon as your eyes notice that detail.

He smiles wider after your gesture, leaning down to capture your lips in an affectionate kiss to show his gratitude. You wish the moment could last longer, but you know it's impossible to stay behind these walls for longer when there's a loud crowd out there chanting your husband's name.

There's the briefest of interactions when he breaks the kiss, the two of you standing in front of each other with a smile of pure conspiracy— a silent recognition of the work individually done to get here, an unspoken ‘thank you’ to one another for the team effort, and the promise of a never-ending companionship that would only take you higher.

He grabs your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours before finally stepping outside to the marble balcony. Before you, a sea of people cheer and welcome the new President and First Lady of Panem.

#coriolanus snow #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus snow x reader #the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games the ballad of songbirds & snakes

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btsmosphere · 21 days

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Supercharged | JJK

Chapter 1: the Light Dies

masterlist | next

🗲summary: It starts with a blow to the chest that changes your life. When your city’s most celebrated hero pays a visit, it turns out the noble Bolt has no trouble tossing lives aside. Lives that won't be missed. Lives like yours. Seven mysterious and powerful men give you another chance – one that starts to feel more like a curse the moment you meet golden boy Jungkook. The boy who wants you as far from his brothers as he can get you. Is it you he hates, or the blue lightning that now runs through your veins? And could it be his golden light that illuminates your heart when darkness threatens? 🗲this chapter: He’s the hero. Unfortunately for you, you’re not the villain.

🗲pairing: jungkook x female reader 🗲word count: 6.6k 🗲genre: angst, action, eventual fluff, enemies to lovers, slow burn, superheroes/villains au, it’s sorta like a mafia au but they have superpowers lmao 🗲rating: pg15 🗲warnings: violence with superpowers, minor character death, attempted murder, injury, loss of consciousness

a/n: I have to say thank you to @casuallyimagining and @bluewhale52 for betaing this chapter, although this might come as a surprise to them since that was maybe 3 years ago now?😅I'm really not sure how much my writing had changed since then, but you guys can be the judge of that as the future chapters unfold! In the meantime, enjoy! If you want more supercharged in your life, you can also search my supercharged tag to find some musings, rambling, gifsets and visuals etc that inspired me and kept me going while I lost my mind over this story!

Lastly, I present the supercharged playlist✨ I had a lot of fun making this – several songs align with plot events, while some of them are there for the title, the vibe, or even a single line! Feel free to guess which are which or come and chat with me about it👀

An ear-splitting roar was barely contained behind shuddering steel doors. Just down the corridor, your fingers still clicked away, unperturbed, at your keyboard.

Tapping your foot, you looked impatiently up at the clock as another thunderous bellow assaulted the air. If the full-length windows weren’t reinforced by your boss, Kuyang’s own design, they would be rattling in their frames.

Blowing to rid your face of a strand of hair, you returned to your work, not even sparing a glance towards the source of the racket. It was only around half an hour until you could leave work for the weekend.

Finishing your task, you turned to filing the correspondence on your desk as a few yells carried through the air, mingled with the monster’s uproar. Bills and business deals the lot of them, you tucked them away in their respective places to be dealt with next week – only to stop on the very last one. How many times had the postman ignored the very clear sign for no newspapers?

You supposed the city felt the need to remind everyone that there was some semblance of central control – not really of much concern in a workplace such as yours, mind. Glancing across the front page, you realised why. You didn’t have a tv at home, but you would have to live under a rock not to recognise your city’s most celebrated superhero. Bolt, the media’s beloved, had claimed another victory against some crazy start-up trying to build their own bombs downtown.

The hero’s blue-masked face grinned confidently up at you from the desk, while police led what looked to be two scruffy teenagers into the back of their van. But Bolt’s vivid presence eclipsed them in his suit that matched his bright eyes.

Not bothering to read further, you pushed the paper into the waste bin at the end of the table.

Just as you were tucking away the final bits of paper, your boss emerged, wiping his brow on a cloth that looked as dirty as his face. Smiling pleasantly despite his ruffled state, you rotated on your chair to face him.

“Frank’s all good and sleepy now,” he said, “if you could get him sent up to the chamber.”

“Sure,” you nodded, already getting up and straightening your jacket.

With nothing more than a weary nod of appreciation, he left for his private laboratory. This was through a series more armoured doors, to which only you and a small number of lab workers knew the codes.

He was a scientist. And you were sure he was unhinged, but the job paid well, so that was all you concerned yourself with.

In fact, you had got very lucky. You had been surprised when such a good position had become available and quickly given to someone as ill-qualified as you, with no references to give. But your lack of connections seemed of no concern, and here you were, finally making ends meet and no longer in fear of being turned out of your run-down apartment at the edge of town.

So you did your job as well as you could, worrying yourself over nothing except pleasing the odd man that was Kuyang.

Even so, it was still a little daunting each time you had to come face-to-face with one of his experiments.

Reaching the steel doors that had not long ago been seriously threatening their hinges, you took a breath. Holding your thumb over a scanner by the door, you plastered a confident smile on your face as you walked inside.

Affectionately dubbed ‘Frank’, a great lump of teeth and dark furry flesh several times bigger than you was sleeping in a pod at the centre of the room. Surrounding this were multitudes of screens showing graphs and readings you couldn’t hope to understand.

At the edges of the room, a smattering of other workers were slumped against the stainless steel lab walls, almost as rumpled as their boss had been.

A hulking guard, Taeyeon, stood near the entrance, and you quietly confirmed with her that Frank was under and secure. Nodding, you gestured to Taeyeon’s team, another man and woman with the same uniform and intimidating stature.

Together, you assembled in front of the tank that held Frank, Taeyeon typing authorisation into one of the computers. The others locked down the external doors, just in case.

Though it was a familiar sight by now, the opening of the pod always prompted you to run through your training. If you hadn’t read it in the documents you dealt with, you would not have known Frank was also known as Necrus X, a new prototype Kuyang was working on, although you could not imagine what for.

Kuyang had been sure to tell you how to knock out the creature if it ever came to it, though. There was a spot behind his ear, which was more of a ridge at the side of his enormous head.

With the pod open, a panel rose from the floor, taking Frank rotating upwards. You caught sight of the patch behind its ear, zeroing in on it. Just in case.

The smooth expanse of ceiling split then, a hole revealing itself as the roof shrunk away into the walls, leaving a clear path for Frank to rise to the next floor, where he was stored.

As effortlessly as the ceiling retreating, a smooth steel staircase emerged from the walls. You and Taeyeon climbed it, spiralling around the edges of the circular space until you drew level with Frank, now snoring on the upper floor. Here, the space was wide open like an empty art gallery, half the walls comprised of expansive windows, no lab equipment to be seen.

The floor closed up beneath you both and you walked around Frank, opening a secret panel in the wall. As before, you raised your thumb to a blank scanner – but got no further.

A deafening smash sent you crouching to the ground in panic. Livid blue painted all the walls in the space as shattered glass skidded across the floor.

You had thought that glass to be unbreakable. At least that was the intention. But when you turned, you were forced to believe your ears: the central panel of glass was completely blown in, all the others down the row cracked from the force.

At the same moment the glass had shattered, you could suddenly hear what before had been hidden behind soundproofing. Outside, there were shouts, screams, car horns and alarms blaring from every angle – and above all, sirens. Sirens wailing through the air like disembodied banshees, descending, apparently, on your building.

Shuffling along the floor, you peered past the sleeping mass that was Frank in front of you. Walking across the room was a man in a tight blue suit, the same hue crackling in the air around his hands.

Bolt.

Mind short-circuiting, you were frozen. What should you do?

What was Bolt doing here? Was there some kind of threat? The image of him should have brought you relief, even though you knew nothing of what the danger was, but you hesitated.

Only having the presence of mind to shrink back silently behind Frank, you looked between the beast and the control panel you had abandoned. But you had no more chance to move before a fearsome crack ripped through the air, another flash of blue, sending the hairs on your arms bolting upright.

Spinning back to face Frank, you were met with a thump. A body, falling onto the floor.

Though she was mostly obscured by Frank’s sleeping form, you stared in unbelieving horror at Taeyeon where she lay, unmoving. Breath accelerating in your throat, you moved at last, scooting yourself back and away. Closer to the wall.

First you lunged to sound the alarm, mounted inside the wall panel, which instantly lit the room up in throbbing red, blaring loud enough to drown out the sirens outside. Then your hand was fumbling across the scanner. You had to get Frank locked away.

The walls of the pod which safely contained Frank overnight began to descend, much too slowly for your liking. Whirling to face the room, your heart seized in your chest when the imposing figure of Bolt, now shaded purple by the red light, met your eyes.

A glance up at the descending walls. They were halfway to the ground by now, but you still had to enter the code to lock them down.

Bolt yelled for you to stop, barely audible over the dizzying noise of the warning siren.

As he strode towards you, you could only watch, pressing yourself desperately against the wall as if it could swallow you up.

Bright light cut through the imposing red as the heavy door at the opposite end of the room was thrown open. Bolt stopped, both of you turning to see Kuyang enter. His hair was still sticking up from earlier, a strange expression on his face that you hadn’t seen before.

Paying no mind to the maniacal smile that had no place on Kuyang’s face, you took the moment of distraction to scramble for the code lock.

Without a sound, the gap between the floor and Frank’s pod closed, and your fingers were already leaping to action, typing the numbers behind your back at lightning speed.

Kuyang was running now, a direct path towards Bolt. But Bolt turned back towards you.

You were nearly done, but his hand was raising towards you…

In a split second, your fingertip met the final key of the code. Almost instantly, it was ripped away as shocking blue light cut through the air. You felt the impact before you could even notice that it was aimed at you.

Hitting you square in the chest, white hot pain scorched through your every nerve as your body was flung backwards, powerless as a ragdoll sailing through the air. The collision with the cracked window behind was almost lost on you. More intense pain was writhing its way down each limb, making you cry out, uncaring about the rain-spattered wind that whipped about your face now.

But you could see shards of glass as they fell along with you, like daggers aimed at the ground.

Biting wind rushed in your ears, the sound crashing over you like waves. And just as a pan sizzles down off the heat, the ferocious attack of pain seemed to reduce just as fast as it had invaded you.

Your heartbeat was the loudest thing, booming over the insistent web of sirens and whistling air.

Breathing choppily, you screwed your eyes nearly closed, suddenly aware of the tempest around you as you fell. Above, the already darkening winter night was illuminated with flashes of that awful blue.

You were falling.

It hit you then, as if you hadn’t been falling all this time. But it was only now that your senses caught up with themselves. You worked on a very high floor of the skyscraper, but as you were tossed around in the air, you saw the ground rapidly approaching.

A horror gripped your chest like nothing you had ever felt before.

Below you, and rushing towards you at terrifying speed, a skip sat surrounded by heaps of trash on the street. Unable to think, you could only shield your face with your hands, stretched out in front of you as if to stop the inevitable collision.

Though your eyes fell closed, you felt the jerk that flung your whole body backwards.

That wasn’t what you had expected.

Eyes snapping open in confusion, you found your vision lit with blue. In front of your face, blue light was shooting from your palms, pushing you up and away from the ground.

Your mouth fell open. Gaping in shock, you did nothing as the light died and you slowed again in the air.

Though you began falling much slower this time, you barely had time to notice your surroundings – much nearer the ground – before you were plummeting again, and this time nothing could stop you.

Your eyes weren’t even open when you felt your body slide off something. Not a second later, you were crumpling onto hard concrete which grazed your cheek.

You groaned.

It was dark. High above, any flashes of light didn’t reach you here, having landed in a thin alley beside the building. And though this shielded you from the commotion on the main streets out front, sirens still pierced the air, each one feeling like a stab to your head.

You clutched it as you maneuvered to sit. It took you a few tries, groping for a wall or something to lean against as you regained your balance.

Eyes cracking open, you waited patiently for the dark splotches to dispel before looking around.

Right next to you was a car which blocked you from view of the road beyond this alley. Evident from the dent that caved in its bonnet, that was what you had landed on.

Turning your head, you had to squint even more as light assaulted your sensitive eyes.

Among a blazing light, you could make out the vague shapes of rubbish bags and an overflowing skip that you recognised. Out of these, a vibrant fire was now burning. The correlation was too strong for you to ignore.

Breath shallow, you turned your horrified gaze to your hands.

They had done this… but how? They looked totally normal now.

Frowning, you brought them up closer to your face, so that your nose was practically buried in your palms.

No difference.

You were sure you hadn’t imagined that blue light which saved you earlier. Was there a way to make it come back?

While you were puzzling, you lowered your hands again, still staring intently as you rotated them in your lap.

Then, quick as a blink, a blue flash darted from them again. So fast, in fact, that you had no time to react before one of the bolts was fired directly into your opposite arm.

Snatching it away reflexively, you hissed in pain as a burning sensation crawled, tingling, over your skin there.

Despite the pain, the blue light didn't cease shooting from your hands. They tingled, a strangely uncomfortable sensation. It was as if something warm was wriggling its way up your veins and spilling from your fingertips.

“Stop! Stop!” you whispered in panic.

You turned them outwards, aiming away from you, but if they kept at it for much longer you were sure to draw attention.

Moving your hands around jerkily, the beams of light shook along with you, but did not go out. With each unsuccessful movement, panic made you more frantic until the glowing rays jerked erratically around the small space.

Straying too far, the light came into contact with a post at the alley’s entrance. You could only watch, helpless, as light like blue snakes skittered up it and latched around the wires it supported.

To your relief, the strange current seemed to have found an outlet, and only remained a second longer before cutting out. You were left blinking in the relative darkness. Panting heavily, you stared down at your hands, although you did not bring them too close anymore.

Once again, they appeared utterly innocent. There was nothing to suggest they had just channelled lightning through them.

Suddenly, the world plunged into darkness. The fire still burned at the other end of the alley, or you would have been left totally blind. In the building behind you, in the street, all the lights had gone out.

Almost instantly following the blackout, screaming rose again in the air.

Gulping, your eyes travelled to the blackened post at the corner, which you had accidentally electrocuted.

This was bad. Your head was spinning, both from your short, hard fall and from the whirlwind of events that had happened in what could only have been minutes. Surrounded by darkness, with the wail of the city and a fire for company, you could only see one course of action.

Run.

You had to get away from here. It wasn’t safe. You had little idea where was safe, but you couldn’t be here anymore.

It wasn’t like you had anyone to call who would care enough to come and pick you up. Nor did you have the money to try a hospital, though you felt as if you may need it.

But especially with electricity shooting from your hands at the drop of a hat, it probably wasn’t best to be anywhere around people.

The dizziness from your unfortunate landing on the car had worn off while you were sitting, but the world swayed anew the moment you made to stand. Pushing determinedly against the wall, you struggled on anyway, brand new dark spots in your vision offset by the brightness of the fire you walked towards.

This end of the alleyway led out through smaller streets, away from the city centre and furore of sirens.

On reaching the opening, you cautiously assessed the road stretching away either side. Empty. And if there was anyone there, they wouldn’t see you in this darkness.

Shoving your hands beneath your armpits on some misguided hope of keeping them from causing problems, you lowered your head and ran. It was more of a jog, considering everything, but you still moved as quickly as you could beneath the dead streetlamps.

Head throbbing more with movement, you stumbled a few times as you went. The pavement tilted around you.

You had made it a few roads before you felt that awful tingling in your arms again. It itched, like something fighting its way out of your skin.

Nausea rolled in the pit of your stomach. This couldn’t be real.

Slowing down and stopping beneath a signpost, you drew your shaking hands out in front of you. The world careened on its axis, revolving around the sight of your palms as a faint blue glow grew in them.

You were going to throw up, you were sure of it.

You wanted it to stop.

A few flickers of blue darted down the veins in your wrist. Towards your fingertips. Sparks leapt from them, small tendrils of lightning crackling between your fingers like webbing.

At last, you gave in to the rising horror mixed with a sick feeling. The floor’s spinning became too much, your hands turning to a bright blur in the centre of your vision.

You passed out on the spot.

Lights were turning on again around the city. Television sets flickering back to life to announce Bolt’s victory against the beast that had attacked earlier that evening.

But not on the street where you still lay.

The return of light only reached neighbouring roads, dim glow snuffed out before it could penetrate the middle of this street. A white-haired young man stepped forwards, but his face was totally obscured in darkness.

“Here,” he spoke to the silence.

The next moment, a deep red glowed in the middle of the road, though it brought little light. The red bounced off a signpost before it was gone, replaced by another man, seemingly from nowhere.

The newest arrival stood there, looking down at your figure, unconscious by the sign. Then he disappeared again, leaving total darkness behind as if he had never been there at all.

A few more moments passed, you and the hidden man the only beings on the dark road.

Not very long after, a car’s engine rumbled and sputtered into earshot. The bright beam of headlights rounded the corner, growing larger and shedding light on your form as it drew closer.

Pulling up next to you, the engine died along with the lights. Two doors opened and slammed shut.

As two pairs of feet stepped nearer to join the one remaining beside you, the streetlamp directly overhead began to glow. The faint glimmer grew until it illuminated the scene. Still no other lights joined it, leaving the small group of you lit up as if by spotlight.

“It’s her?”

The man crouching beside you asked the question without looking up, and the shadowed man answered.

“Pretty sure.”

“She’s breathing?”

“Yes.”

The crouching man hummed. Moving to kneel instead, his eyes roved over your somewhat battered face, dark hair obscuring his own.

“Namjoon?” he asked then, turning to the other man from the car. It was the same man who had momentarily appeared in the street earlier.

Taking his cue, the tall man, Namjoon, walked forwards and bent to lift your hands by the wrists. In just moments he was placing them carefully back, nodding.

“No doubt.”

“Okay then.”

“Can she travel, Jin?”

“Give me a moment.”

Producing a small object, he pressed a button and a small light sprung from the end. Carefully lifting one of your eyelids, he shone the light into it, observing like a doctor.

The first you became aware of was the far away sound of voices being quietly exchanged. But with the cloudiness in your head, identifying them didn’t seem very urgent. You were preoccupied with the swirling feeling that made the world swim around you, even though it was dark.

But as dim awareness was returning to you, the process of regaining your senses was violently accelerated as a blinding light was thrust into your vision.

You flinched, and as Jin pulled away he saw you blink, eyelids screwing shut in protest. His eyebrows raised in slight concern as he watched your first groggy movements.

Blinking around at the dimly lit figures over you, your eyes widened. The nearest man held the illuminated light stick. Was he a doctor?

Next, your eyes darted to the tall man standing behind him. You recognised neither.

Some strange feeling told you someone else was standing there too, but when you looked to your other side you were faced with nothing but empty shadow.

“Can you sit?”

The first man’s question was gentle, his hands ready to support you.

Nodding timidly, you heaved yourself up with his help. It embarrassed you to be panting after just that much movement.

“What happened?” came the next question.

As you replayed the events, you avoided their eyes. You could not let them know what happened, what you had become. They were helping you, and yet you might hurt them-

Fists clenching subconsciously, you stuttered in panic.

“I-I can’t pay,” you told them, but before you could say more a new voice was speaking. The standing man stepped forwards, his voice calm and surprisingly friendly.

“There’s no need to pay. We can help you. Can you tell us what happened?”

“I don’t, uh, I-I-“

His eyes travelled towards your hands, which you were trying to tuck behind you.

“You gained powers, didn’t you?”

You froze.

“I have them too,” he smiled, “I know what it’s like to be scared. But you can work with this and learn to control them. I’m Namjoon, and this is Jin. We’ve been through this before, we can help you.”

At your sides, your hands relaxed. Tension lifted from your tightly hunched shoulders. Wordless, you looked between the men who were watching you, ready to move, but only on your word.

Swallowing, a light frown creased your brow.

“What do you want-”

Namjoon’s smile dimmed into something kinder.

“At least let us check you over.”

Your hands fretted together. It was strange, you couldn’t feel anything there. Surely they should feel different? How would you know if these… powers, Namjoon had said, were to come back?

“You won’t hurt us, don’t worry,” he seemed to anticipate your thoughts as he watched you, “we can protect ourselves.”

“You were unconscious,” Jin spoke, drawing your perplexed gaze back to him, “did you hit your head?”

You blinked, but found yourself answering.

“I think so.”

Nodding, Jin shuffled at your side. He leaned a bit closer.

“I need to shine this light in your eyes again. You may have a concussion.”

Complying, you sat through the eye-watering brightness. He asked you things, like a doctor would, except he was working in the middle of an empty street in the middle of the night.

“Do you feel dizzy?”

“I did. I think still, a little.”

“Any nausea?”

“Yeah… but maybe because of the…” you gestured to your hands.

Jin sat back, taking the light with him. Namjoon shot you a sympathetic smile at that. You supposed he had been through the same thing, from the sounds of it.

Jin looked up at Namjoon.

“It looks pretty rough. Definitely a concussion, and she needs patching up, but in the long run she’ll be fine.”

“I-I’m serious,” you interjected, “I don’t have the money for hospital…”

Your voice faltered. You half thought of asking to just go home, but you were hardly sure of even making it there by yourself. And if you got there, then what? The prospect of burning down the place with these errant powers didn’t fill you with comfort.

“Good thing we’re not going to bring you there, then,” Namjoon said, “but I meant it when I said we could help. We can take you home, if you want… but you can stay with us, too.”

You stared at him wordlessly. Was it crazy that you were considering this?

“Just for a bit, if you need,” Jin added softly, “it’s just… now might not be the smartest time to be alone.”

You chewed your cheek. But your head was pounding too much to think very hard, and this seemed like the most straightforward option. The people in this city kept surprising you, after your first stroke of luck with Kuyang's generosity.

“Sure…” you spoke quietly, not quite able to look them in the eyes, “yes please.”

“Okay,” Namjoon took it in stride, “but let’s get moving.”

“Just one moment – we should wrap that.”

Gesturing towards your arm, Jin stood and went back to the car. On his return, he knelt again and began to secure cling film around the angry red blotch blistering your skin, where you had caught yourself with your own beam.

“We’ll sort it out properly when we get back,” he told you, “but Namjoon’s right, we should be going.”

You followed his gaze which seemed to dart up and down the street. However, nothing was there.

Jin helped you stand, still looking around. Sure enough, the dizziness from before hadn’t quite left you yet. Biting down on your lip, you focussed hard on getting the short distance to the car. You were led to the passenger seat and crumpled gratefully into it.

But just as Jin closed the door, you felt an uncomfortable prickling clutch your forearms again. Namjoon slid into the back seat in time to hear your gasp, noticing the way your fingers flexed in panic. Digging in his pockets, he produced a pair of thin black gloves and held them out to you just as the first trickles of blue appeared in your veins again. He watched with a studious frown as you pushed your hands into the gloves.

“Those will help,” he said, still looking at your wrists, “they can contain the powers. But you shouldn’t keep them on for too long.”

Jin was seating himself in the driver’s side as you frowned over at Namjoon. At first you had been relieved to have a solution to your erratic lightning problem, but that was ripped away at his last addition.

“Why not? It will keep you safe,” you questioned, but kept your voice quiet.

“Don’t worry, we’re more than capable of handling anything you could throw at us,” he laughed, “but you can keep them on in here. Best not to bottle up your powers forever, though.”

Resigned, you turned back to face front. The moment Jin stepped on the gas, all the lights in the road sparked to life at once. Startled, you blinked, looking around. On the pavement you were just pulling away from, a man was walking away, unidentifiable behind a hoodie.

Slumping back in your seat, you breathed a short, dry laugh. This mysterious happening was just the latest in this crazy night. You had no choice but to accept it.

The car ride was fairly short, but you were too tired and distracted to take in exactly where you were going. Streets seemed to blur together, aware only that you were heading out of town.

The itching in your arms had persisted for a while, but as promised, the gloves seemed to work. No fiery blue burst out of your palms, and, eventually, whatever it was decided to give it up, subsiding again by the time the car pulled up.

But no one got out yet. Jin had stopped at the end of a small road, big enough for only one vehicle, directly facing an expanse of crumbling and graffitied brick.

Curiosity woke you up from your daze, and you watched as Jin reached to tap something on his dashboard. Almost instantly, a groaning reached your ears from over the whirring of the engine. The wall ahead shook before shifting, sliding sideways until it tucked itself behind a dented dustbin, unveiling a space beyond.

Leaving you little more time to wonder, Jin started the car again and you rolled downwards through a plain, dark entrance. It reminded you of those multi-storey car parks formed with ugly blocks of concrete. It was considerably smaller than those, however, Jin pullingup into a space alongside about a dozen other vehicles, beyond which the place seemed entirely deserted.

Jin came around to open your door, but you were able to stand by yourself. It was still a bit of a struggle, your limbs sluggish and the world dull around you – although that may have just been the low underground light.

Namjoon led you, Jin staying close by your side. Blinking at the space as you moved through it, your eyes traced over the various car roofs, some cleaner than others. A larger four-by-four was particularly beaten up, with a large crease in one of the metal wheel arches.

Your eyes rested longest on what was probably the most pristine: a motorbike, at first hidden by the cars either side of it.

Soon enough, you were past them. Stopping as Namjoon did, you watched him expectantly. However, he did not turn around, instead standing face-to-face with a plain concrete wall. Except… now a low rumble announced the movement of a panel which slid away, revealing a wide doorway which had previously blended seamlessly with the flat wall.

Your eyebrows raised at the touch that was reminiscent of Kuyang’s lab. Without time for you to dwell on this, your small group moved up a dingy staircase that lay beyond the doorway.

At the top, you emerged into a new space, notably lighter than before. You assumed you were back on ground level, perhaps above. It was hard to be sure, disoriented as you still were in the whirlwind that had overtaken your day.

Bizarrely, the space appeared to be someone’s home. There was a large and coffee-stained table surrounded by mismatching chairs, a kitchen behind it littered with mugs and pot plants. Still, beyond the lived-in array of things lying around, it was big. You imagined it must be miles more expensive than the shoddy apartment you stayed in.

It was open plan, and you followed Namjoon past the dining table towards an area filled with two enormous sofas.

The back of a blond head was visible over the sofa, and now the person turned towards you.

“Guys!” a loud exclamation rang out as he leapt up. A dazzling smile spread across his mouth.

When his eyes fell on you, wincing at his sudden volume, the smile dimmed a little.

“Not so loud, Hope-ah,” Jin spoke gently from behind you.

“Sorry,” he dipped his head, smile remaining on his lips.

Jin’s hands came lightly to your back, steering you over to a sofa. As you sunk into it with relief, the blond man sat across from you, tilting his head to catch your eye.

“I’m Hope,” he smiled, “I’m glad we found you. You’ll be right in no time!”

Frowning, you couldn’t help but notice his eyes flicking over the damage on your face. Averting your gaze, you chewed your lip absently.

What did he mean? I’m glad we found you…

Had they been looking for you? You still weren’t sure if it was a lucky coincidence they found you, but perhaps it was something more.

The lingering ache in your head forced you to push the issue away. You missed Namjoon’s stern look at Hoseok as he hovered behind your seat.

Jin pulled a pack from a cupboard and set it beside you. You let him lift your arm and unwrap the burn, your unfocussed eyes dragging across the room while he applied something cold over it. Next came stinging, scattered over your face as he wiped at the small cuts and grazes with an apologetic grimace you barely saw.

You only forced the world back into focus when someone else entered your sight. Emerging from behind you, a gentle, friendly smile was directed your way from a man with pale pink hair. Swallowing, you never managed to smile back before he was turning away.

The pink-haired man reached a hand out to someone you couldn’t see. Another man appeared, walking towards him, but he never looked at you. Or if he did, it was obscured behind the black hair that fell to his eyes.

The two new people left towards the kitchen, though not without another smile from the pink one.

Who were all these people?

Frowning after them, you were interrupted by a clap on the shoulder from Jin.

“We’ll talk more in the morning. You need to rest.”

Looking around, you had half a mind to protest, but were overruled by the shakiness taking over your frame. Body too fatigued to allow you much say, you meekly followed Jin.

Beyond the living space, a thinner corridor led away, several closed doors along its walls.

Further you went, until a door just ahead opened. Another person walked out.

When he stopped to face you, his posture remained stiff. Tall and muscular, he was clad all in black except for a towel slung over his shoulder. Damp hair fell messily around his head. But you had little time to take this in, as his eyes fixed themselves fiercely on yours, rendering you unable to look away.

Mouth remaining in a hard line, his expression only twitched further into a frown.

Then his gaze flicked abruptly away, travelling to Jin just beyond you.

“Kook-“

Jin never got further than that before the man strode forwards, marching sharply past you and away with a scowl. Turning after him in surprise, you watched his tense shoulders disappear behind Namjoon, who you hadn’t noticed hovering.

Namjoon stared sternly after him, but the man seemed to avoid his gaze.

Jin sighed, sending an apologetic glance at you.

“That’s just Jungkook,” Namjoon spoke, ushering you all further along the hallway, “don’t pay him any attention.”

“Why was…”

You trailed off, unsure of what exactly to ask. Neither of them made an attempt to answer.

You had no idea a wordless encounter could leech so much hostility into the atmosphere. Picturing Jungkook’s glowering face, you blindly followed the others through a different door.

“You can sleep in here.”

“Hm?”

Shaking yourself, you looked around the new room. There wasn’t much to see. Beside a low bed, there was a mirror, a wooden closet and nothing more. Looking up, you didn’t even find a light in the ceiling. The only light leaked through from the hallway.

Clearly reading your gaping mouth and furrowing brow, Namjoon moved in front of you.

“Don’t worry, this is just a place to sleep, nothing more. But since you’re going to have to take those gloves off, we can’t have you in a space with any electricals.”

Stepping back defensively, your fingers pressed tightly together. Having the gloves on had let you almost imagine that nothing life-changing had happened. Like gaining unpredictable powers, for instance.

Namjoon watched patiently, holding out a hand.

“You don’t need them…”

He realised he had never asked your name, and let his sentence trail expectantly. Telling him your name, he relaxed into a smile.

“You don’t need them, Y/N,” he repeated, not that you believed him for a second, “you’ll be perfectly safe. And so will we.”

Only the yearning to collapse onto the bed persuaded you to hand over the gloves. The instant they were in his hand, you swore you could feel a shock go up your arm. Immediately tense again, your breathing became shallower, with no idea how to try and stop power shooting from your hands any moment.

But Namjoon and Jin seemed content. Before you could gather your thoughts, they had left, closing the door and drenching your room in near total darkness.

Stumbling to the bed and virtually falling into it, you wiped sweating palms against the fabric. Your mouth was dry with fear.

This couldn’t have happened.

Alone for the first time since your initial panic, it didn’t take long for your mind to wrap itself in circles again. Only hours ago, you had been sitting happily in your bright office, going through the motions…

One split-second decision from a powerful man had changed that.

You knew full well he had intended for you to die. But he was Bolt...

He had probably forgotten about it already. The guard he sent lifeless to the floor, the secretary he threw from the building.

Itching feeling returning, you swallowed desperately and raised your hands. Sure enough, against the darkness, blue pierced your vision, darting its way up-

Turning your face away, you flinched as the outburst came. Your eyes screwed shut, you pressed your cheek into fabric, not wanting to see the deathly lightning that shot through the room. Shuddering breaths broke into your lungs when at last it subsided.

Letting them fall, limp, to your sides, your hands fisted the covers tightly.

You were almost afraid to open your eyes, knowing it would only show you the empty room, confirmation that this was real. You were dangerous, shut in a safe room where you could hurt no one. Would you ever get out? Succeed in controlling this, like Namjoon had said?

With no idea where you were, barely any idea who the people here were, you wanted to block it out. But even with your eyes closed, you couldn’t escape.

The memory of Jungkook’s suspicious face made your heart sink. Perhaps people should be afraid of you, now. As much as you may want to, there was no getting away from this.

Pushing yourself to sit, you surveyed the room. Eyes accustomed to the blackness a little more, you could make out vague shapes. Your breath fell alone in the silence. This really was the safest place you could be right now, even if it was a nightmare.

As your head turned, you suddenly came level with your eyes in the mirror, and a shock of light.

For an extended moment, you could only stare.

Then all at once you were rushing forwards, tripping from the end of the bed. Bracing your arms against the wall either side of the mirror, you gaped at your reflection.

As you watched, an angular bolt of blue shot across your irises, which were already dimly glowing.

You gulped against the thick feeling crawling up your throat. Faced with this, you could no longer have any hope of denying it.

This was really happening.

Thank you for reading!! Please please let me know your thoughts on this chapter, comments make it all worthwhile!💜💜

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jadeittic · 1 year

Text

HS + Y/I: 2022 (SERIES)

EXTRA (8) -- mb i keep procrastinating i swear its not my fault (it is) LMAO

PREVIOUS. NEXT.

HARRY STYLES + PLATONIC!EX-1D MEMBER!FEM!READER

WARNINGS: will be changing face claims for every post ! hope it won't be a bother.

yourinstagram

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yourinstagram perth, get ready.

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username THE AMOUNT OF HARRY CONTENT IS MAKING ME 😫

username o h my god i get to be the first people to hear hs + y/i as the aoty

username DELETE THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR ME TO HADNLE

harrystyles We praise the people who get drunk the night before anything.

yourinstagram i'm literally going to die from alcohol poisoning because of you

harrystyles Yeah well it's not my fault you keep tagging along with me

yourinstagram SHUT UUUP i only tag along because you cry like a baby if i say no

username the bickering even through texts 😭😭

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username yn can i bring pizza to the show please 🙏

yourinstagram YES PLEASE i deserve a snack from time to time because SOMEONE refuses to let me

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harrystyles WHAT DID I DO?!

username YNRRY IN AUSTRALIAAA EHFSGSEGGSEF

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ynrryupdates

liked by username, and 12,329 others

ynrry YNRRY spotted walking around tourist shops in Perth, Australia just this afternoon. Are we all ready for the show tomorrow night?

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username PARENTS /p

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yourinstagram

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yourinstagram rehearsaaaaals

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username THERES A VIDEO OF YOU GUYS SOUNDCHECKING WOMAN ARE WE GETTING WOMAN TN

yourinstagram huh

username YN

harrystyles NO WONDER WHY YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG

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zendaya i miss youuuu

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username I HAVE THE PIZZA YN

yourinstagram it better be my favorite one

ynrry

liked username, and 6,705 others

ynrry first look at ynrry onstage at perth!

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username WHAT THE FUCK

username i love how they're matching but not matching at all

username ITS SO GOOD TO SEE THEM AGAIN OMG I MISSED THEM SO MUCH

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username SUE AND HIS BESTFRIEND AT PERRRTTTTHHHH

"Okay, so tonight's dinner will be pizza, as I was informed. "Where are you?" Not knowing what she should be looking for other than a pizza box as she makes her way down the catwalk, YN says, "Is there a pizza box I should be looking for, really? — A sudden cheer could be heard from the other side of the stage, where Harry appeared to be pointing down to someone in the audience. Harry said, "C'mere, I think I found her. I'll even check my imaginary watch on my wrist to see how long it'll take her to get here," he said, motioning for YN to come over to his side.

"I actually believed a turtle was with me on stage," Harry jokes with a smirk on his lips, "YN finally made it over, much slower than anyone, actually." By this time, the two are arguing once more and have forgotten that they were looking for the pizza a fan had promised YN she would get at tonight's show.

"Well, I wouldn't really like the opportunity to slip and fall down as I'm running to you, no? - I'm simply being safe, unlike you." YN says with a cheeky grin plastered onto her face, to which Harry replies with a playful, offended look as he dramatically starts crying and places his hands over his eyes to stop his "tears" from falling out.

YN decides to move on, away from the conversation, and approaches the fan, who is holding a pizza box in the air. "Are you the one who promised me dinner?" The fan's head nodding told her everything she needed to know, even though she couldn't really hear what she was saying due to the audience and the earpiece placed in her ears. She then reaches over to the fan, carefully grabbing the box from the fan's hands without falling. As YN holds the box, her excitement quickly builds as she remembers how hungry she was before the show.

"Better hope it's your favorite pizza. If not, the pizza will be mine before you know it!" Harry approaches YN with a sneaky grin on his face. By turning away from the audience to hide the pizza they would be eating on stage, YN and Harry created needless suspense. — The boy standing next to YN laughs as she says, "Don't let me down, please," into her microphone.

It was YN's preferred pizza, which surprised her. As she crouches next to the fan, YN exclaims, "You are now my favorite person ever, I love you so much." — "You certainly made her happy, I suppose. Sincerely, I believed she would eventually cut off my head." Harry says as he squats down next to YN and receives snarling looks in return.

"Harry, I hate you so much." She pushes him in a playful manner until he falls to his back, at which point she turns to face the fan while grinning widely. — "You have my undying love. I adore you. Because of you, dinner is served!"

"Speaking of Adore You," Harry teases into his microphone as he motions for YN to stand, the upbeat instrumental playing through the speakers.

YN was spotted eating pizza while seated close to her and Harry's band.

iuploadtweetsaboutynrryonig

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celebnews

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celebnews "Y'wanna do it with me?" -- "Pass. I don't want to barf out the pizza I just ate. And besides, you're not even drinking it with beer!" -- "Well, this is a family show, is it not?" YN LN and Harry Styles on doing a shoey at their concert at Perth.

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username ITS THE WAY YN'S FACE LOOKED LIKE WHEN HE PUT HIS SHOE BACK ON 💀

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username SOMEONE SEDATE ME RN

username yn just munching on her food in the back while harry does all of these 😭

username "this is one of the most disgusting traditions" -- "THEN DON'T DO IT" I LOVE YN SM LMFAOO

username yn shaking her head in disappointment like a mother for him doing it and him not doing it right 😭

username I JUST WOKE UP HES DOING A SHOEY??

ynrry

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ynrry more of ynrry tonight at perth!

harrystyles

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harrystyles Love On Tour. Perth. February. 2023.

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username WE MISSED YOU BOOOTHH

username had the time of my life im so thankful

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yourinstagram this is the face of someone who DROPPED A SLICE OF MY PIZZA ON THE FLOOR.

harrystyles I SAID I WAS SORRY

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username LOVE LVOE LOVE

username SOMEONE POST A VIDEO OF THE SHOEY PLEASE

yourinstagram

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yourinstagram taught this man how to use a phone once, and he can't let go of it. PERTH I LOVE YOU

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username the thought of yn teaching harry makes me giggle a bit

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thydungeongal · 7 months

Text

D&D is actually pretty good

Unless you're trying to do something that it actually sucks at

This is part 3 of my big post about why D&D, structurally, works for a very specific type of gameplay and actually resists other types of gameplay. As I have pointed out in previous parts, none of this is to say that D&D is a bad game, but that it's a very bad fit for gameplay outside of its specific niche and might not produce meaningful or desirable gameplay when twisted into other types of narratives.

In the first part I discussed the terminology that I'm using, namely the two different playstyles of Challenge Mode and Story Mode, and in the second part I talked about what it is about D&D's structure that makes it a good fit for Challenge Mode. In brief, D&D has many parts that allow for meaningful gameplay to emerge simply from developing system mastery, allowing players to make meaningful assessments of risk and reward. You can find the previous posts here:

Part 1: Terminologie

Part 2: What is it that D&D actually do?

This third part will be covering what it is about D&D's mechanics and structure that make it not great for Story Mode gameplay. Once again I will be tagging this as #the big damn post for easier finding.

Part 3: Mismatched Expectations

D&D is fun as a game. It has a very clear gameplay loop of going into a place where there is danger, overcoming that danger, being rewarded with better abilities, and thus being able to overcome greater dangers, rinse and repeat. That gameplay loop can be in and of itself fun and rewarding.

Problems arise when that gameplay loop is placed on top of an extended narrative with greater stakes. D&D's rules are a great fit for narratives about some fellas going into a dangerous place and engaging with that danger for the sake of reward. It is very good when placed in the hands of players for whom the gameplay loop itself is its own reward and who are thus willing to engage with the gameplay on its own terms.

But okay, what is it specifically about D&D's rules that clashes against Story Mode gameplay?

Firstly, resource management and the adventuring day does not model rising action very well. Rising action refers to the rising narrative tension leading up to a climax when the tension is finally resolved. In a way the D&D adventuring day (which can be variable in length depending on edition but let's be fair even though 5e claims it's supposed to be 6 to 8 encounters long it doesn't actually work out like that in actual play lmao) represents rising action: tension rises throughout the adventuring day as player characters have their resources taxed, and thus the gameplay becomes more risky. However, this rarely leads to a satisfying climax because players will either choose to rest and recover their resources. DM's can of course always arrange for a narrative contrivance to take away the players' ability to rest, but more often than not this won't actually achieve the desired result. It will result in greater tension, yes, but it comes with its own dangers.

But by default, the game expects players to be able to make the meaningful decision to rest and recover their resources, although this often comes with its own opportunity costs as well as the risks inherent in either resting in a dungeon or returning to home base to recover. By default players have access to a method of resolving rising action themselves. This is intentional, which is why I refer to denying players access to this as a contrivance.

As said, the DM can arbitrarily deny access to recovery to amp up the tension until the last encounter of the adventuring day, a type of "boss fight" if you will. Here once again D&D's structure butts heads with the desires of the narrative: while a boss fight that resolves the tension can be narratively satisfying, it is a very risky proposition for a group that has been denied access to rest and recovery. This easily risks a total party kill due to the inherent swinginess of D&D's resolution, which can jeopardize the story.

The easy solution to making sure the players have a chance of surviving the boss fight at the end of a long adventuring day as a means of resolving tension is to make the boss fight easier than the previous fights. Which runs counter to the demands of the narrative. The boss fight should be more of a challenge, not less of a challenge than the guards posted outside of their chambers.

This is where we see D&D's challenge game, soft sim nature butt heads with story structure: D&D has an inbuilt story structure of players being able to take on challenges on their own terms, taxing their own resources, the tension rising naturally due to their resources being taxed, and with players having access to the pressure release in the form of choosing to rest and recover.

You may have noticed that all of my examples thus far assume that the ultimate cost of failure is death. Now, while D&D does have the tools for representing consequences other than death, all of the meaningful consequences amount to the loss of resources that relate to Challenge Mode. D&D does not quantify the emotional impact of the loss of their loved ones, nor the sting of being rejected by the one you love, but it does model the loss of spell slots and hit points and torches throughout the adventuring day. Taxing resources like hit points is the most meaningful way the game provides for modeling defeat, so players will be losing them, bringing them closer to 0 hit points and thus risking death.

I say risking death because while 4e and 5e allow for the blow that sends you to 0 hit points to be a nonlethal one and thus only render you unconscious (but in 5e it is only allowed for melee attacks), the default assumption is that a blow that takes you to zero hit points is potentially a lethal one. Enemies may have their reasons for not immediately killing characters that fall unconscious, but they would have very little reason to stabilize characters that are already dying. Outside of narrative editing, character death is always a real possibility in D&D.

Now, death being a consequence isn't in and of itself a bad thing. It's a great way to add tension. But the way D&D models death, as the default consequence for accidentally going into a fight you weren't expecting to be that tough while not at your full resources, produces narratives that most people playing in Story Mode generally don't want. And that's also why arbitrarily denying players access to their resources also produces an extra risk of death and is, like, actually pretty Bad and Not Good.

D&D's model of death always being on the table runs counter to the expectations of Story Mode. Deaths can happen even in the most incidental encounter, which can be frustrating. However, beyond a certain point in D&D death simply becomes a temporary obstacle. As long as the group has a character who can cast Raise Dead and enough gold (and in most editions of D&D characters have less to spend money on than they have money available) players have a rules-mediated way of removing death. Thus, the only meaningful consequence for failure in the game is robbed of narrative weight.

The only option is the dreaded total party kill, which is not desirable because it completely breaks narrative continuity. Outside of narrative editing it forces the group to create a whole new cast of characters, thus breaking whatever personal continuity the story thus far had.

To reiterate: D&D doesn't model meaningful consequences for failure beyond losing combat, because it is a combat-centric game. Losing in combat is often lethal and there are no guardrails to protect characters from meaningless death in a low stakes fight. The DM can not effectively build tension with multiple combats that then gets resolved in a climactic fight without risking a total party kill and the loss of narrative continuity. This leads to a story structure where the party has to keep on winning in order for the narrative to continue.

And that is supremely narratively satisfying. If players can't ever meaningfully fail (because the only meaningful rules-mediated consequence of failure is death) then every twist in the narrative has to be extrinsic to the player characters. This risks giving off the impression that the player characters are hypercompetent and the world around them is constantly getting into trouble that only the player characters can fix. Which can often feel contrived.

None of this is to say that satisfying narratives can't emerge out of D&D gameplay, but those narratives will emerge almost incidentally, without actual help from the game itself. For every story of the rules coming to save the day by sheer providence you will hear another story of accidental TPKs that ended up bringing the campaign crashing down or a group ignoring the rules themselves or fudging the results for the sake of a satisfying narrative. Which, again, goes to show that the rules themselves resist satisfying narratives, because if the rules themselves produced the types of narratives the group desires they wouldn't need to ignore the rules, right?

Anyway, that's it for now. The next and final part will discuss what can be done to resolve these issues. Warning: my advice mostly boils down to "accept that D&D is a challenge game and play it to its strengths" or "play another game that better supports your desired narrative structures," but like idk you can also house rule D&D all the way to hell if you like, I'm not your boss.

#long post #the big damn post

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tev-the-random · 2 years

Text

I AM AN ABSOLUTE JUMBLED MESS, SO HAVE SOME OF MY MESSY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CROSSOVER TODAY, IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

So far, we've got Tango in Gobland, Scar in Tumble Town, Pearl and Joe in Chromia, Cleo and Xisuma in Eversea, Keralis and Jevin in Sanctuary. Impulse and Grian are kind of making their own places. Did I miss anyone?

There are two kinds of emperors in this crossover: the ones who stick to the lore and claim they don't know the Hermits and the ones who drop everything and yell "MY RANCHER!".

Pix fits the second category, though a lot quieter.

Pearl fits the first, which is strange, considering her role as Literally God. At this point we really can't be sure of what exactly this means for Pearl or for Sausage. What is she?

Gem is her own category. There's something very sus going on with her.

Jimmy absolutely freaking out over seeing Tango again though-

I think at this point it's canon that either people have nametags floating above their heads or everyone is wearing an actual name tag and that's how they all know each other's names even though they never met.

Scott just got a magical flash grenade to the eye. How is this man seeing anything after the entire sky erupted in magic light-

Sausage. I'm not surprised. Not even disappointed. Xisuma most certainly is, though.

Is it a custom in Sanctuary to kiss people on the cheeks or is Sausage like... actively making out with newcomers? I know this is a very weird question, but it's Sausage we're talking about.

Joel adopted the one night armour stand joke lmao-

Tango freaking out over every little thing he sees.

Murder is canonically legal in Empires.

Grian is a force of chaos, as expected.

Rancher duo collabs again, pog? With horns and everything?

And Tango is now an engineer in Gobland, which means Fwhip might have some more to do other than poke the Sheriff. This crossover is a win all around for Jimmy, except for the toy jokes, which may increase, but I will thoroughly ignore that-

There's No Curse In Glimmer Grove.

Sausage keeping tabs on all the Hermits. That' either means that he's not as unsuspecting of them as he may seem or it implies that all Hermits are now their own empiresonas-

Grian's appearance in Tumble Town was so incredibly ominous, holy sh-

Shelby trying to be hospitable but at the same time being a witch inviting unsuspecting people into her hut in the cursed swamp after claiming the fog eats souls and pulling out a scythe. I'd be terrified.

Hats and mounts get passed all around. Is this a crime?

Why does only Pearl get an outfit change? I mean, I know why, but like, canonically speaking, why did it happen?

Still, I felt a bit teary-eyed upon seeing the Arena Duo together again, the Gilded Helianthia dress only made it better. I missed these guys interacting so much, and I don't know if I'm in denial like Sausage or if I'm just about to open a Word document to write an entire one shot about it-

Sausage had a vision of Gilded Helianthia, I'm not ok

Oh god, now we have both Joel and Scar yelling LORE in the same place, save us-

So convenient that E!False decided to travel far away right when HC!False shows up. Smart decision, yes, but at the same time, the fanfic writers must now assemble to make the two of them meet.

Ok, so apparently some people remember the Life series and some people don't. I guess that means that some of the characters, such as Jimmy, Joel and Scar, are the same characters from the Life series after they lost their third life. Other characters, such as Scott and Pearl, are not. But what does this mean?

Fwhip sounded so hurt for a moment when he thought Jimmy made Scar his new deputy. This man is not ok.

Soup Group? Soup Group.

Big ears Scar is cursed.

Sausage is too hospitable for his own good.

Scar's deputy and moral support arc. I'm happy for it, but at the same time, I don't trust it.

On one hand, I do think the wallpaper in Tumble Town looks very pretty and it would be so sad to destroy it. On the other hand, Jimmy deserves some dignity and shouldn't take this slander anymore, I swear to god-

Poor Impulse is so confused, why is this cat lady yelling at him, why are animals walking on two legs, where is he, he's having a crisis-

Stratos' class system gets called out, finally.

Just when Joel was so close to convincing the fandom that he's tall, the Empires' folk shut it down and confirm that they're only playing along and he is not, in fact, tall. Short king is back?

Katherine, when you go around telling everyone, including literal strangers your secret, I don't think it can be considered a secret anymore.

Fwhip encourages crime, such a good deputy of the law.

But then again, it's not stealing, it's borrowing-

Seeing the empires from the Hermits' perspectives is crazy, I hadn't realised just how massive these empires got.

The Hermits are staying for a while. I'm so happy this isn't going to be a one-episode thing, I'm dying to see where this goes!

(I'm trying to watch as many perspectives as I can. Some of them haven't come out yet, and I don't feel like watching Keralis' hour long episode. Can someone tell me what happens there?)

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arxxq · 1 year

Note

Prompt 13 with itoshi sae please!, thanks a bunch 💖

13. “Whoever has a problem with us can come fight me” | Itoshi Sae

Ah thank you anon for requesting! I just got back home and tmmrw I'm even more busy gah. ♡♡ i have school in a few hours lmao...should be sleeping but here i am

Hope you the best anon!

lowercase intended, mistakes will be fixed later on

Prompt list in my blog..can't post it here since this post won't be featured in the tags..

now sae had realized something off about you recently.

he was bothered by it but at first he decided to not ask you about it because maybe it was just for temporary.

but as time goes on, it wasn’t just for temporary. he wanted to know what wrong so bad but it wasn’t as easy because almost all the time he tried to approach you about it, you always manage to change the subject. you guys have been together for almost years, but he was so concerned on why you were behaving like this near him again as if he just started courting you.

he missed your touch, your embrace your warmth. as much as he does not want to admit it he missed it alot. even if he tried to hug you or even just simply touch your hand, you would pull away from him. he despise this action from you. just why in the world are you acting like this nowadays.

but as time pass on, he knew that he will be able to get his answer just that it wont be coming out from your mouth. one day as sae was scrolling on social media, he found a post that caught his attention only because the post was something about you and him.

it seems like whatever this person was saying was supposed to be directed to you. the post read “out of everyone sae had to chose that bitch..like c’mon there’s other fish in the sea!” and even the comments were agreeing with this said person saying how you don’t deserve him or saying that their better than her. sae scoffed at this. could this probably be the reason why you were behaving like this? its not safe to assumed so he decided to ask someone you trusted the most.

“no i’m not telling you anything,” right now sae was talking to a friend of yours. well it was the only person sae knew you had put so much trust into after all you’ve known eachother like siblings. “i know you yourself are worried about them, so if you cared then tell me,” sae wasn’t wrong. your friend themselves were worried about you so they sighed and gave in.

“yeah its about the post...and maybe also because they were cornered by others as well for the past few weeks..” now that was something sae was not expecting. sae nodded his head and the last thing he heard from your friend was, “you better make things right!”

sae was now home, he was waiting for you to enter the door and when you did lets just say he had you cornered so you couldn’t escape. “sae i have to cook dinner you know..” you tried to reason with him but he was unfortunately one step ahead. “no need i ordered take out.” before you could say another word, he beat you to it. “don’t even try to make up a silly excuse,”

you let out a breathe and lowered down your head lips trembling..sae immediately took notice of your action and pulled you into an embrace which surprised you “i know why you’ve been behaving like this and i don’t like it...so because of that i’ll say this once,”

“whoever has a problem with us can come fight me,” those words made you smile and let out a tear. “so if you could please stop acting like this..” he mumbled which made you laughed.

as you were eating, sae took the oportunity and made sure to remember to post that comment on the post. the comment says.

“if u got a problem with our relationship then come fight me because fyi they are much more better then you’ll ever be,”

Reblogs are highly recommended

Do not claim your own and do not post on other platforms

#·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳aryssa;hasinah #blue lock x reader #blue lock #bllk x reader #bllk #itoshi sae #itoshi sae x reader #sae itoshi x you #itoshi sae x you #sae itoshi x reader #sae itoshi #bllk fluff #blue lock fluff

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kimbapisnotsushi · 7 months

Note

you seem to have a good read on HQ and your takes are great, so i have a question...and if you'd rather not go there, please ignore this! but i see oikawa get called "arrogant" quite often and i'm curious, would you say he is? what is it that makes people think that? imo he has a plenty of flaws, but i truly don't think arrogance is one of them. self-centered, sure, but not arrogant i think. i'm open to being wrong, i'm just legit so confused by that particular criticism, it makes me doubting my reading comprehension. i feel like that one post that's like "free my man, he didn't do that. he did a lot of other stuff tho" LOL. if you do answer this, then thanks for your time!

oh, dear anon. this is a very very big question and i'm honored you think i am capable of providing an answer that does it justice!! i don't consider myself an oikawa expert by far, but i'll do my best because he's still very beloved to me, and i hope whatever i say helps!

(but also - maybe take what i say with a grain of salt LMAO)

anyways, to get the main point out of the way: i completely agree that oikawa isn't arrogant! i actually haven't seen any commentary about that myself (bless!!!), so i can't say for sure why some people might think that, but my guess is that they think his pridefulness = arrogance — they think that the confidence he has in himself and seijoh contributes nothing to their actual power and is utterly meaningless if they don't win, especially in the face of ushijima. which, like, come on. what kind of captain would he be if he wasn't confident in himself and his teammates? is he supposed to tell them that they're going to lose??? is he supposed to discourage their hard work and effort???

or maybe it's because oikawa acts like he's all that, but doesn't have anything to show for it. who does he think he is? what does he think his pride is worth? what right does he have to go around making grand declarations when he has nothing to his name?

(which isn't entirely true, either, but we'll get into that, promise.)

now, do i think that he can, occasionally, be flippant, shallow, and/or petty? yeah, sure. he's got one hell of a personality about it. even iwaizumi says as much. oikawa is great at being a little shit. it's one of my favorite things about him!

but is oikawa genuinely arrogant, or self-centered? well . . . i don't think so.

see, here's the thing about oikawa: he knows he's good, but he doesn't think he's good enough. i think it'd be easiest to really explain what that meant if we broke this down into two separate parts, so let's give it a go, shall we?

(buckle up, friends, because it's about to get LONG. also: TIMESKIP SPOILERS!! and there's a tldr at the start of the tags because. WOW.)

so, first things first: if people are calling oikawa arrogant, then i'm like 99% sure that they don't actually know what the word "arrogant" means.

"arrogant" is used to describe someone full of themselves. it's used to describe someone conceited and pompous. it's used to describe someone so assured of and invested in their self-importance that they don't care for other people, and if it seems like they do, then it's usually wildly off the mark and still serves to inflate their own egos.

oikawa has never once been like that. he's been pretty much the exact opposite, in fact.

and yeah, sure, by his third year of high school, he knows he's good at volleyball, and that's fine! it's perfectly all right to claim you're good at something if you have the skills/experience to back it up. confidence is healthy as long as it isn't in overabundance, and we actually see a lot of this throughout the series!

(not to mention that this was where ushijima fell short. he was overflowing with confidence. he did not believe, for even a single second, that hinata shouyou and his meager, scrappy little flock of crows could beat him.

but oikawa? he knew. he knew what it looked like to make something bloom.)

the key to oikawa's confidence that made him better was that he could pinpoint others' strengths and weaknesses just as well as he could with his own. and (bear with me, please, i might get kind of boring here bc it's nothing that hasn't been said in the manga before) i don't mean it in the way we see the coaches or more analytical players do, as observations to be taken advantage of by everyone else; i mean that in the sense of how vital it is to his position as a setter. that was always the biggest difference between oikawa and kageyama: no matter how much more raw talent kageyama had, no matter how much better oikawa believed him to be, kageyama, especially in the beginning, struggled to do what oikawa could with a team. kageyama struggled to bring out the best in each player. and it wasn't because he didn't know how -- oikawa freely admitted that kageyama had the skill for it, that kageyama, once he got his shit together, could win against him -- it was because kageyama didn't have that same confidence in himself.

(not until much later, anyways. but that's another story, for another time.)

so, oikawa's confident. he knows he's good. he can bring out the best in each player. he's got a killer serve (and a killer smile!), a mind for tactics that borders on machievallianism, and cherishes the trust he is given like it's something precious. his coaches let him lead without leaning on them. his team has the utmost respect and admiration for him. he has a reputation. from karasuno to shiratorizawa to the whole of miyagi -- there is not a single character who knows oikawa tooru and would believe that he is, in any way, bad at volleyball.

but it's not enough. despite all of that, oikawa still doesn't think he's good enough. and that, friends, brings us to the second point.

oikawa tooru is nothing if not passionate.

so were the others, of course. kageyama kept going after his grandfather's death. hinata kept going while being a nobody from nowhere with no one to back him up. atsumu kept going while osamu didn't. it's not even about just those who went pro -- kenma, kuroo, noya, and everyone else found things that they were passionate about and kept going with it. the entire story revolves around loving what you do and trying to keep that love alive, and, sometimes, that can be really, really difficult when it seems like it doesn't love you back.

oikawa was so insecure over kageyama to the point where he nearly decked the poor kid. oikawa got crushed by ushijima-- who kept telling him that his team was not good enough, that his choices were not good enough, that there was nothing good enough to be proud of -- for years in a row. oikawa was taught that there would always be someone better than him no matter how skilled he was, but if he let that stop him then he didn't fucking belong on the court in the first place.

oikawa tooru is intimately acquainted with not being good enough, but he keeps trying to be. he keeps going. he tries to keep the love alive even if he's not loved back. he pushes and practices and takes a plane far from home to become even better. even if he doesn't have the skill, even if he doesn't have the talent, even if he doesn't have the love -- he still has his pride. and what does that mean, in the end? how far does that take him?

in the end, oikawa tooru walks across a world stage and sees people who believed in him on the other side and calls it a family reunion. in the end, he gets to play the volleyball that reminds him of why he loves it and how it gives him so much love back. in the end, his pride is unyielding and unbreakable, a product of the forge. he molded it with his own two hands. he will not let it falter so easily.

arrogance would not have taken oikawa tooru this far. i hope this has proven that he is anything but.

remember: instinct is something you polish. talent is something you make bloom. and never, ever let anyone else tell you what your pride is worth.

#tldr: oikawa 's confident in himself but (believing that there will always be someone more talented) is always striving to become better #ANYWAYS #i know this one's a bit different from the itachiyama post where i analyzed each panel but like #that was REALLY hard to do for this one since there were so many good ones i could use!!!#so i ended up just smashing 2-3 panels together that i thought were best representative of each point i wanted to talk about #and then just diving deep into the whole thing #if i had done it the first way we would have been here FOREVER #literally that's why it took so long i kept deleting and rewriting and going 'holy shit how the fuck do i write this'#'how can ANYTHING i possibly say do justice to oikawa tooru'#i hope i did a good job and i hope this helped anon!!!#i genuinely think this is the most insane thing i have ever written so thanks for that i guess #oikawa tooru #haikyuu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu meta #sou says stuff

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poisonioushearts · 9 months

Note

Not really used to making these things, but tell me if anything is wrong so I can correct the request :》

So, I wanted to request something a bit specific for our favourite (or at least, my favourite) Dislyte evil man, Yamato.

Reader is from the Union, but agrees to join the Twilight Order per Yamato's request, in exchange for Yuuhime's freedom, basically agreeing to follow his orders without mind controlling. He did this so he could show others how he could corrupt a rightious person into doing evil things without the music box, but maybe he starts to like the powerful esper a bit more and even starts to worry about her feelings and tend to her when she gets hurt?

Sorry for the long request, the brainrot is very strong. Feel free to ignore this if you want! Love your content, keep doing what you do! 🩵

Thank you for the request! Hope it temperarly solves your Yamato hunger 🍽️

(hope this makes up for the Arcana slander lmao)

And I hope this is up to par. I finished it during my shift at work so it may seemed rushed.

@seasidesketches

Gender neutral reader

Warnings: not proofread, probably some grammatical errors, slight language, blood, ✨manipulation attempts✨

Synopsis/tags: esper reader, not implied what god/being reader has powers of, reader has a sword and cataclyst, some cliche moments...but I'm a sucker for some cliches

Failed Manipulation

Okay so you know that one audio? That goes something like: "I hate that man, i hate that man But oh, cara mia how i love this man"

Literally you towards him okay?

So we sorta got an enemies to lovers situation but the enemy part is toned down.

You and Yuuhime were pretty close, and knowing for the longest time that she was being controlled by her own brother infuriated you.

You didn't know what to do. Until an idea hit you- what if you just...took her place?

You wouldn't tell her because you knew she would protest this fact.

So, one day after your duties for the Union had been completed for the day you got the coordinates to the Twilight Order base and left.

You weren't able to enter the building because the guards at the front wouldn't let you in. No matter how many times you said you needed to speak with their boss about an important matter.

Then, speak of the devil and he shall appear...

Letting out a groan of frustration you clenched your fists trying to control your withering composure.

"I have a matter to speak about to your boss. An important one-"

"Yes you told us that a thousand times. You need to make an appointment if you wish to speak with the Leader of the Twilight Order you have to make an appointment."

"I understand that which is why I did make one. It's supposed to be happening right now but you won't let me in!"

"Then show me the papers."

"I told you, the printer broke, and I didn't want to be late."

The guard snickered, "Yeah, and let me guess, you're an esper from the Union too?"

You opened your mouth to the infuriating guard when you saw a figure behind the guard. Said guard breathed in relief.

"Do we have a problem here?" The man asked, seemingly to resemble someone you know but you couldn't put a finger on it.

"This [lady/man/person/etc.] wishes to enter. Claims they have an appointment with you but doesn't have the proof."

Oh.

That's him? Shit you didn't expect him to be attractive-

He looked at you and gave an eerie smile before looking at the guard. "It's quite rude to decline entry to one of my guests."

The guard stiffened, "But they didn't have the papers-"

"tut tut." He shook his head. "Not only did you deny entry to my guest but you also mocked them? An esper of the Union?" If you didn't know any better, you'd say he was enunciating those last words.

"I thought they were lying!"

He sighed, "Meet me in my office later." He turned to you, "Let's go to my office, yes? I assume it must be urgent if you made the appointment on the same day you arrived."

You nodded, holding your tongue. After getting over the initial shock of him being... attractive you will admit...you felt your anger and rage begin to bubble again.

Entering the office he took a seat and when he waved his hand to the one across from his desk you hesitated before sitting down.

"Now, I already have a guess on what you are here for. You want my sister to have her freedom correct?"

You nodded, giving in to the obvious question, "How'd you know?"

"I've noticed the progression of your friendship with her. After you made an appointment I made an educated guess on what it had to be."

You narrowed your eyes, "The catch?"

He smiled, "I'll set Yuuhime free and you work for me here at the Twilight Order. You will need to my orders, and all without the music box."

Oh. What? I mean, it's not a bad exchange or request. You just didn't expect one to be made so soon.

Hiding your surprise you nodded, an afterthought coming to mind. "And the Union?"

He clasped his hands together, "I've already talked with one of the leads. They agreed as long as you do, that it would be alright for you to transfer here."

"Alright then. I'll work for you."

AND SO IT BEGAN *evil laughter*

The first few times he'd tell you to do something, you wanted to snap back at him. Why couldn't he get his own water? Why did you have to be the one to fetch this or that? Why'd he replace he others members on trips with you?

A week or two later, one particular mission he was on with you, you were both at an unfamiliar town and attended a restaurant suspected of preforming experiments on their consumers. Putting the formulas inside the food or drinks.

The only good part was the place was not popular at all, but there were still many that went missing.

The goal was to stop it from happening. The task was meant for the Union, but somehow, he got his hands on it. Part of the reason he had it was because he wanted to see you in action.

Yamato had got up to go to the bathroom, which was his alibi because he was actually going to go sneak around, you were sitting at the bar just sipping on your drink. You were meant to be the look out and message Yamato if anything suspicious happened in his absence.

Someone had the audacity to take Yamato's seat beside you and start talking to you. Even offered you a drink. They just couldn't take no for an answer.

As they raised their arm to touch you, you were about to slap them across their face or push them away when their hand stopped midway because it was grabbed.

You eyes trailed up to the person who did it, and it was none other than Yamato.

"Now, now," he smiled, but it wasn't friendly in the least bit, "I suggest you get away from my darling~." You felt your cheeks heat up involuntary. Did he just call you darling? His darling? He put a protective arm around your shoulders, "Unless of course you want this to get rather ugly. I guarantee if you try to lay a hand on my significant other, we both won't show mercy." His eyes darkened. The person mumbled an apology before quickly scrambling away.

Yamato relaxed and sat down, "My apologies for the consented touch." He ran his gloved hand through his hair, "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah..." You swallowed, suddenly nervous. Why though? "Why did you call me 'my darling'?" You mustered the courage to ask.

"I'm afraid I don't know what your talking about."

"You called me your significant other." You added.

He smiled, "I only called you by your name. But if you think you heard me call you-"

"Did you find anything?" You interrupted. Perhaps you heard wrong? No. Wait- Gah.

"To answer your question, yes, yes I did find something. However, we can't expose them. They seem to have ways of getting away with it as before." He leaned closer to you, "So we have to set this place aflame."

Eyes widening largely you gasped before shaking your head, "There are still customers here." You hissed, "Why can't we get the Union involved?"

"They won't take the proper precautions." He said, "They won't get here in time. They won't do what's right." He sighed, "Remember that research I had you do? That place isn't as reliable as it seems."

You mind flashed back to the documents and sites that said the Union wasn't as trustworthy as it seemed. You doubted that. You worked there-there was no way it would be that, that, unreliable.

But as the words flashed in your mind the doubt began to increase, no matter how hard you tried to push it away.

Yamato saw the confliction in your eyes and he smiled to himself. The corruption was slowly beginning. He lifted your hand that rested on your lap and put a small object in your palm, closing your fingers with his own.

You shivered slightly at the current that spread through your body at his touch, but you ignored it and watched as he stood from the seat with a smile.

"Don't worry." He purred, "These unsuspecting customers will evacuate."

As if on cue, someone burst through the door. You didn't remember their name, but you knew they worked at the Twilight Order.

Out of breath they huffed, "There's miramon coming this way!" They shouted, and instantly the few people in the restaurant scrambled to reach the exit. Chairs screeched and slammed on the floor as people rushed towards the exit.

The person looked at Yamato and nodded before leaving.

"Come, [Name]." Yamato gestured you to follow and you did so.

"There is no miramon, is there?" You asked, knowing the answer.

"My, you are smart." He didn't say anything else, instead, walked calmly towards the edge of the town, people scattering away from the restaurant. You finally opened your hand to see the object was a gray stick about the size of your thumb, a bright red button on the top.

"What...?"

"Press it." He stood behind you and leaned closer until his breath hit your neck, "Press it."

"But-there's still people in the way! They could get hurt! And the evidence of experiments-"

"And all their hard work it going to disappear. All of it. No one will die. Rather a few get injured than more turn into something else unknowingly. You don't want to do that do you? Do you want to let people turn into creatures against their will? There are people that have died because of these experiments, but you can stop it."

Your mind whirled. You never really liked violence, but this would help. This would help many people. People may get injured if you do it but if you don't more will. The Union won't help. Not with this. Yamato said that they couldn't help so they must be right. Your mind felt cloudy and your finger hovered over the button.

"Press it. Save them." You don't know who's voice it was. It could've been Yamato, it could've been your mind, but either way, you listened. You obeyed.

The bomb Yamato placed when he "went to the bathroom" went off. There was a loud boom that shook the ground and flames licked the old restaurant in seconds.

You did it.

A few more weeks later, on another mission together, he finally got to see how powerful you were.

He was not disappointed.

On the way back from a mission, there was an onslaught of miramon. Before he could even lift his own weapon, you had drawn your cataclyst, and moved quite quickly.

You saved his from getting even a single scratch.

You, however, weren't so lucky.

You had a deep gash on the side of your arm.

This was also the first time he used the music box.

Teeth clenched you walked beside Yamato, mission completed.

Your arm hurt a lot, but you didn't want to show it. Yamato didn't know you got injured, and you intended to keep it that way.

There was nothing either of you could do at the moment. So you just pressed on hand to the arm, and hoped that'd help for now.

He looked to you every now and then, and each time you'd move your body so he couldn't see the other side where the injury lay.

You thought you were being discreet, he did not.

He stopped walking, and you did the same, "Is something the matter?" You asked.

Swiftly he stepped in front of you, eyes instantly going to where the color had changed significantly.

He glared, and to your surprise, he gently removed your hand (despite some protest). "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" His eyes met yours, and you saw something in his eyes you couldn't quite name. He sighed, "Let me see." You didn't seem to have much of a choice, so you slipped off your jacket, revealing the gash. Blood dripped onto the ground at your feet. Gently he lifted your arm, and with wide eyes you watched as it began to heal.

So that's his esper ability.

"You need rest."

"So do you."

"I'm not the one that was bleeding out." He has managed to heal the injury enough so it wasn't bleeding, but he still took the jacket from your other hand and tied it around your injury. You winced but knew that pain was a guarantee when healing. "I'm going to carry you the rest of the way."

"Huh!?! No, I can walk-"

"That wasn't an offer. It was a demand."

"I said I can walk."

He truly wasn't a 100% thinking perfectly when his fingers brushed the music box.

A tune began to play in your ears. Rest. Then you collapsed, but he was there to catch you. He lifted you in his arms bridal style, letting your head rest against his shoulder.

It didn't fully dawn on him as he walked that he used the box for you, and not his own gain.

This was the beginning of him slowly caring, actually caring, for you- and letting go the idea of corrupting you.

Some things were...odd now.

The good odd, but still it made you suspicious.

Someone would bring you drinks and food while you work, and said work slowly became the less active kind and more simple paperwork.

Hell, Yamato even visited you and talked to you.

And you normally didn't go on your own whenever you had a mission.When you were assigned a partner- it was either Yamato or someone else he knew was strong and would protect you.

He told himself it was because he couldn't loose such a powerful pawn such as yourself, after all whether you knew it or not-your actions were beginning to be more... reckless. Less regret felt.

You didn't want to confront him on this because...well, you knew he'd deny it or something.

In fact, he was denying something.

For instance, his growing attraction to you. Suddenly he began to pay more and more attention to you, your appearance, your personality, like and dislikes.

You were starting to do the same. Instead of reluctantly getting him his coffee or cup of tea, you started to hum to yourself and feel more at peace with yourself.

You allowed yourself to call him attractive, handsome, pretty, etc. Allowed yourself to pay attention to him and figure out how to read his facial expressions that not many can figure out and distinguish.

More than once you had dinner together, for work he said, and you realized you were enjoying yourself and having fun.

You felt guilty because you were doing this for Yuuhime. Did she ever feel much joy around her brother after knowing what he did?

And yet, even after knowing all he's done, you can't hold your feelings stirring for him.

You even find yourself laughing and smiling whenever he crosses your mind.

A few monthes in you were walking across the plains for a mission. You got hurt. Predictable? Yes. Cliche? Yes. Old? Never.

A yelp escaped your lips as you ducked a large miramon's blade. Hair mangled and out of breath due to exhaustion you forced yourself to ready your sword once more, your catalyst being repaired back at base.

This was one of the few missions you carried out on your own.

After you had gathered the items Yamato asked for, you were about to go on your merry way when you were stopped by a wave of miramon.

Then another.

And another.

You were strong yes, but everyone has their limits. You were at yours a few minutes ago.

Rolling out of the way of another attack you managed to get a few of yours in. With a jump and a spin for momentum you brought your blade down finally killing it.

Or so you thought.

As you were gathering the things in your bag and putting the swords away, you felt a shape pain in your stomach area and gasped. Glancing down you saw the blade that cut through your body. It was quickly tore out and you collapsed to the ground with quick breathes in an attempt to catch some air.

Letting out a cry of pain you lifted your sword, using a nearby rock to keep you stable and used your untimate. The creature exploded and you fell back against the rock, wincing in pain.

You didn't want to look down to see the wound but you had to, and the sight of the blood staining your clothes made you gag.

"Shit, shit, shit, fuck!" You cursed to yourself for letting down your guard.

You hurriedly began looking through your bag for medical supplies. The blood was quickly dripping down at your feet and staining the golden sand. You knew that soon you'd pass out and you probably wouldn't survive.

Pulling out a jacket you tied it around your waist tightly, pressing a hand to the fabric against your side.

Reluctantly, you brought out your communicator and fumbled with the buttons as you pulled up the array of contacts, finding the official Twilight Order number and pushed the 'call' button.

Unknowing you accidentally chose the option that'd allow you to see them, and them you, when you talked.

There was no going back from that.

Yamato's plan was to gradually corrupt your mind without the music box.

Start with some simpler tasks and gradually make them get worse. Gain your trust. Corrupt your mind. He knew how to manipulate with the box and without.

His people started to doubt his ability...so he decided to prove himself in the best way possible. Recruit a member of the Union and offer them something they can't refuse so they work for him.

You were the sign, that meeting request, was the sign that he would go through with the idea.

Nothing would get in the way of that. And in the end, he'd have a powerful esper on his side.

BUT

Over the course of time he started to feel guilty for making you do things. Hell, he wanted to get you things.

He started to feel... different towards you.

He realized, his feelings towards you have been changing over the course of working with you the past months.

As he was thinking of what the hell he was going to do-trying to figure out how you're doing this to him-there was a sharp knock on his door and before he could even say 'come in' they burst through the door.

"What is it?" He asked, feeling slightly annoyed at the lack of mannerisms.

"Its- it's them! They sent an urgent message." They fiddled with their communicator, an image flashing to life. You.

"I need a medic." You said, grimacing, "I ran into a bit of trouble please send someone soon. I'm in the dessert a bit ways from town-gah!" You winced, image flickering, but he could clearly see the color staining your clothes. You looked at the camera with watering eyes, "This may be cheesy but..." you laughed, immediately hissed, "I love you Yamato." Then you vanished from his sight.

He stood up quickly, "Send a team out there. Now."

"W-we did, and we found them but..." They hesitated.

"But what??"

"They aren't doing to well..."

"Where are they?" He strode quickly to the doorway. "Infirmary?"

The person nodded and Yamato didn't waste another second.

His walk turned into a jog, which turned into a sprint.

Finally reaching the infirmary and seeing your seeing form on the bed the thought of losing you hit him hard.

As your eyes slowly opened, scanning your surroundings before meeting his eyes.

And suddenly his feelings for you were as clear as day.

He strode to your bedside and sunk to his knees before leaning towards your face.

Inches away his eyes flickered from your eyes to your lips and back up.

You didn't say a word, to surprised and flushed to say a thing.

You blinked and his lips were on yours.

When he parted from your lips he sighed, "I'm never letting you go out alone like that again. I love you too."

Ironic how his mission was to corrupt you, but it seemed that you did it to him. (Unknowingly).

And he wouldn't change that ever.

Hope you enjoyed reading! Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

#dislyte #x reader #gender neutral reader #dislyte yamato #yamato #yamato x reader #yamato x esper reader #yamato x esper union reader

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