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ataraxiaspainting · 24 days

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The Chauffeur.

Yan Aventurine x F Reader.

Synopsis: Life has always made losers out of people like you. You dream even now that that could be changed. But can it really?

Warnings: Yandere themes, manipulation, kidnapping, stalking, drugging, misogyny, abuse of power, and mentions of violence.

Word Count: 3.2k.

*~*~*~*

When thrust into a world filled with illusions of chance, one can only hope that change will soon arise.

The company, the appearances, the losers, the winners; nothing ever changes, not even the dreams that things will.

How you are treated is a gamble all on its own too, despite you wishing it were not so. Lady Luck has yet to smile upon you, but instead of gifting you with snake eyes, she gives you the utmost displeasure of being slapped, being threatened, or having your salary lowered. You sometimes wish she would just give you the lowest score on a physical die instead of an invisible one.

You wish she would have made you less appealing to unwanted stares, would have made you have a burned face that would scare off anyone as soon as they looked at you. Hell, even make you be an old woman begging for spare change. That would be a better existence than to live in this body, where you are forced to wave and smile and conceal the bruises and slap marks whenever they appear in a place not covered by your dress. Not that your dress covers anything.

You have three jobs in this casino. Your first one is to spin the wheel or make the letters visible after all the bets are placed and the speaker gives you the signal to do so. Your second one is to always look presentable, your boss’s definition of “best”. Appearances will bring in more onlookers, he said. Just get yourself all dolled up. Okay, toots?

You conform every time your clothes change in color, size, and pattern because after all, they could just replace you with someone more willing.

After all, you have your mouth to feed and your own back to clothe.

So, you endure not all of it, but most of it. You endure the times your assigned makeup artist has called you a whore for not letting him stay in your room during his breaks, the times the suited mascot of this place squeezed you a bit too tight when you were told to take a few photos with him. You pretend not to notice things like that, because if you start a conflict who knows what will happen?

The applause of onlookers is always paired up with lewd comments about your body instead of congratulations to the winner.

The heels you are paid to wear always manage to make you trip onto someone, or rely on some flirty stranger to help you walk to and fro. Your manager told you to grow your hair out when you first started working here, and when it finally reached the desired length he gave you very few options when it came to which hairstyle you wanted. If you remember correctly, it couldn’t have been more than four. All of them had curtain bangs and waves. There was even one, you think, that had something to do with bleaching.

You opted for the one that let you keep the most of your natural hair pattern, not that that was a lot.

Your dresses always come with a slit to see one of your legs. Temptations bring in more dreams, and with dreams come people wanting to be big shots. That is what your boss said to you after you questioned your given work wardrobe. You did not want his glare and mocking laugh to be aimed at you any longer, so you nodded and went to change. He praised you for it later, but your brain protected itself by not remembering what he said.

All you can recall is the way you shuttered at him wrapping an arm around your bare shoulders, a lit cigarette in his hand.

You don’t shutter as often anymore after he scowled and threatened to place it on your palm.

Your world is simpler than it was before when you were sleeping on the streets and given just barely enough to scrape by. You only have three jobs to do, but the third one holds the most importance. Sabotage the gamble. Never let them win unless they hold enough power that your boss permits you to stand back.

There have been very few instances of that happening, but they happen nonetheless. They are this casino’s equivalent of a blue moon. There are telltale signs before you are told of their status. Their clothes are always glittering like an invisible spotlight is on them. They always have guards, and people sticking to their arms like glue just itching for a taste. It is an even rarer sight to see one of them being chosen to be their partner for the night. You can tell when a person can buy you off with their proportion of pocket change. Not that anyone has, much to your gratitude.

This man is just like them. You can sense the ego dripping off of him, and can sense how much all those rings on his fingers cost.

This is the real deal. You can tell. That earring of his is probably worth twice that of all of your organs. That is being generous with the price you would most likely hold on the black market. In reality, perhaps thrice. That is not even going into his pink sunglasses, which have tiny gems stuck on the sides.

He has a gun holster, you think, but the gun itself is nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps one of his men is holding it for him. Perhaps.

From the corner of your eye, you see your boss amongst the crowd, nodding slowly at you. He is sitting in a booth a bit more distanced from the others, three women on either side of him. Every time he sits there, it is your first signal that something is surely going to happen. Good or bad. This time it is good, and you will end the night with nothing less than a few thousand credits for playing your part well. Last time it was bad, and you ended up having so much more than a simple slap on the wrist.

He has three dice between his pointer and middle fingers. One green, one teal, and one dark blue. They are each twelve-sided from what you can see, but the sigils remain unseen by you. Maybe for the best, you think, you don’t want him to take up as much memory space as he already has.

All you want is for this shift to be over, but with this unplanned patron skipping the line of gamblers to gamble himself, who knows how long until the dice stops rolling?

Your fellow staff members look happier, displaying genuine smiles on their faces. Not that you can blame them though, most of them are new hires because your boss tends to fire people on the daily.

“Hold on a sec, please. Madam, I would like to use my lucky charms before you spin the wheel. If you don’t mind, that is.” The man requests. It is not a sincere question, you note, because he clasps onto the dice in his palm so lightly like they are gravity-resistant.

Instead of looking at him, you look at your boss first. He doesn’t seem to be paying attention to you any longer with what looks like one of the women being straddled on his left thigh. Hmm. It’s your call then, you suppose.

“Sure,” You answer, trying to put on your best polite grin. “Who am I to deny such an… experienced gambler?”

“Thank you for the praise,” He replies, his free arm bending as he scratches the back of his head. “But you… misunderstand, I am just a simple bettor, nothing more.”

The positioned desk with a microphone attached has just become this casino’s newest playing ground. Faster than you can blink, the dice are let out of his hand and roll. When they stop, you can hear cheers and praises, as if they are all meant for him.

A spotlight is focused on him too, a color more dazzling than the brightest glittering gold.

“I’m going to choose the peach.”

You nod and spin the wheel, all of the colors blurring together, slowly but surely soon coming to a stop.

The pink area with the same peach is on the pointer, and the crowd all clap their hands and dance.

*~*~*~*

During your breaks, you are allowed to go to your recovery room to do whatever limited array of activities your bookshelf and dusty boxes under your bed had in store for you. The breaks are always nothing more than half an hour, but you earned the right to have your breaks’ minimal times be nothing less than ten minutes.

“I just… noticed you never play the games you so often assist, that’s all.” The blond stranger continues to follow as you speedily walk down the hallway to the backrooms. Little by little, the golden paint that coats the walls turns into a dull beige, a sure sign that your treasured little hiding place is near.

“I wish I could but right now I have my lunch break, sir.”

His speed is nowhere near diminishing, no, if anything it is getting more profound.

If you did not have unwanted company, if you did not have to worry about the security cameras in every corner of this part of the casino, if you did not have this job you hate to your very core, you would have torn the high heels off of your blistered feet.

But you cannot because you do have unwanted company, you do have to worry about the security cameras in every corner of this part of the casino, you do have this job you hate to your very core. So, the high heels stay on and make sounds with every step you take.

“Come on, Miss [First]. I know you want to.” You have been unable to get him off your back for the past ten minutes. Even when you attempted to walk around the less crowded parts of this casino in circles, he was there. “[First]. A lovely name, if I say so myself. [First], [First], [First].”

It takes everything in you not to frown or cross your arms. That could be considered rude, especially to someone as high standing as this man. “Utmost sincere apologies, sir, but I really-”

“Aventurine.” He interrupts. “It’s Aventurine, Miss. You don’t have to call me sir, you know. We’re alone here in this stank hallway. Without my money, I’m just like you, and I’m sure we can become great friends.”

“In my opinion, I believe that there are better people than me to form connections with, Mister Aventurine.” You try not to huff in frustration, but you could have sworn that one was let out.

In the distance, you see your recovery room, the number two on it turning off and on every few seconds.

It has always been that way. The only one who often gets renovations to their living quarters is your boss. The rest of you are nothing more than cow fodder to him, even his assistants.

“You should head back, Mister Aventurine.” You say, the smile on your face trying its hardest not to fade as you turn to look at him. “I don’t want your seat at the pinball machine to be taken from you.”

“And who do you think would have the guts to steal from me?” Aventurine smirks, one of his hands lowering his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose. “No one is that suicidal, that’s the hard truth.”

He winks at you faster than you can get a grip on your door’s handle.

“Just think about it, m’kay?”

In a flash, he starts walking off, leaving you all alone.

*~*~*~*

“Ah, you’re back!”

Aventurine is at the start of the hallway, the part where the gold paint is the most pronounced.

“My break ended.” You say your answer quickly and simply as you walk past him. Instead of your high heels, you are wearing black flats.

Your feet were bleeding much more than usual when you finally made it to your room. Yeah. That is the excuse you will give to your boss if he asks. He seems drunk and is still at his little booth, not to mention it is dark in the casino at the moment, so there is quite a low chance he will.

“You don’t look so good.” Aventurine nearly shouts, causing you to walk even faster to make it to the wheel of fortune. “Did something happen?”

His voice is soon drowned out by the crowds of people talking. Just a few more seconds. A few more seconds, and he won’t be able to bother you much longer and he will head back to that pinball machine he has been hoarding for the past hour.

You move past the ogling eyes of drunk consumers and move past the guards, who always let you behind the stage without a hassle. Your flats don’t make nearly as much noise as the heels as you walk up the five steps.

You only have three minutes before the curtains withdraw from their positions, so you pull on your bun to make it tighter and put the stray baby hairs behind your ears. You brush any dust off your dress and then brush off any dust that is on the gambling wheel. The cleaners only work after all the shows are done and all the guests go home, so it is up to you to make sure the show is always looking its best.

You hear the countdown from the electric speakers and the onlookers.

“Five! Four!”

You take a few deep breaths.

“Three!”

You hear the confetti cannons turn on.

You close your eyes and think about the best possible future, one where you can be happy. Where you can be yourself. Where your smiles are real. Where your happiness is real. Reading for as much as your heart desires. Trying all the delicious-looking food no matter how strange it may look.

“Two!”

Instead of hearing the number one, you just hear more cheers.

The curtains move to the designated sides of the stage, and the near-blinding spotlight shines at you. You smile, waving at the crowds of people, until you see something that nearly causes your facade to crumble down.

Aventurine stands there at the start of the line, holding his three dice just like before.

*~*~*~*

You avoid Aventurine just long enough for the casino to close for the night. It was not an easy task by any means, but somehow retreating to the bar on the job and making simple conversations with other patrons and fellow staff members was enough to repel him.

Since it is after hours, the bartender has gone back to his room to sleep after downing five shots of Spade. He will be hungover tomorrow, that much is certain.

Ah, to only work when it is far past dusk. A dream only for your boss’s most favored employees. Aside from the bartender, there is his guard, who has been seen for the past few months being so drunk that he cannot even stand; he has to sit on the floor.

There is no room for you in that little club. But your gut tells you that it is better this way, for no one unfavored can see what goes on inside.

It is only you in this bar now, spinning around on the stool closest to the gates that lead to the other side. It’s you. Despite this job, despite everything, you are still you. All you ever have to be is you. Only you.

The glass in front of you is half full. Half full with Melancholy. It is only slightly bitter, the rest of the flavor profile being floral and refreshing. This type of shot glass is only reserved for people as high standing as Aventurine due to the little scattering of gold at the rim.

They are stuck there so they won’t choke whoever is drinking from the cup. For once, your boss put his resources into something partially useful. If only he would do the same with your salary and put some more credits into it.

The door’s chiming bell rings. You hear the front door then close. Did the bartender forget to lock the door?

Should you say something? You don’t want to get in trouble with your boss tomorrow, and his hangover will certainly make his wrath ten times worse than it already was.

The sound of footsteps doesn't fade, and another sound accompanies it soon enough; Aventurine’s voice.

“Hey. Just wanted to drop by. See what you’re doing this late all alone, you know?”

Before you can turn around and politely ask him to leave, he sits on the stool beside you. Vibrant eyes make contact with yours.

A hand goes on your shoulder, squeezing with a purpose; to keep you quiet.

“Are you drunk? You smell like Blossom Dew and Soothing Soda. Heavily.”

He's exaggerating, you know this. You've barely had a sip. It's not nearly enough to get you intoxicated. Not at this early into the after-hours. You still need to have a few more beverages before heading to your room for the night.

“Mister Aventurine, I am going to have to ask you to leave.” As he chuckles, your body instinctively reacts, possibly as a protective response. You wouldn’t blame it for acting this way, even under ordinary circumstances.

“I don’t think you’re in the right place to be making orders like that. Maybe if you worked for the IPC, but you’d have to work at the speed of light to get anything close to my ranking.” His hands slither from his sides to your glass, tilting it so he can see the dark yellow liquid within it. “Hmm. Do you not have a high alcohol tolerance, Miss [First]?”

“I do.” You rebuke. He shrugs his shoulders.

“I don’t think I should believe you, honestly.” With one of his hands, he takes off his pink sunglasses, putting them beside your cup. “Maybe if you drank the rest of it in one gulp.” With a slam, he puts a stack of credits on the table. “Go on, do it and I’ll give you enough credits to leave Penacony forever. I promise.”

Who are you to decline such an enticing proposition, despite your distaste for the man's company? This employment, with all its hardships, can vanish if you are simply granted the funds. Thus, you hastily consume the remainder of your beverage without deliberation.

You’re too focused on the bet at hand to notice the unusual saltiness.

With a wide grin, he applauds enthusiastically, his cheers echoing through the stillness. However, his clapping abruptly ceases, leaving behind an unexpected emptiness. In its place, a throbbing headache emerges, surpassing the intensity of any typical morning-after discomfort.

The fall into a state of unconsciousness is far from effortless; it feels more like a sudden, jarring blow to the face, sharp and agonizing.

“I’ll keep my word, that is a gambler's responsibility after all."

#author aya #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere honkai star rail x reader #yandere honkai star rail #yandere hsr x reader #hsr x reader #honkai star rail x reader #yandere hsr #yandere aventurine #yandere aventurine x reader #aventurine x reader

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alien-magnolia · 1 year

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Being Jake Sully’s Babygirl

Fic description: 18 + minors DNI!! Domestic life with your husband, Jake, has never been better. He was Toruk Makto, and even, he needed someone to care for him after a long day in the forest. Dom!jake Sully, subby!fem reader, breeding kink, service kink, corruption / innocence kink, daddy kink, size kink, bj, lil bit of age gap (dilf Jake!)

It was almost eclipse, the sun and moon meeting to form a golden halo in the Pandoran sky. You loved domestic life with your mate. Before you met him, you were just incomplete, both emotionally and physically. Who knew you had such an urge to be cared for, to be doted on, I mean it was predictable, you were just so helpless on your own!

You grew up in the Omaticaya as amongst the slowest and one of the weakest, you could never be taronyu, hunter, although you did have your own ikran. You were a healer instead, and vowed to yourself to never associate with men who are taronyu. You feared they would soil your good nature. You feared them, you were a gentle little thing that should just keep to the healers. That changed when Jake Sully came around.

His (previous) human nature puzzled you, yet that was what you loved about him. He was so brave, not afraid, he had a strong heart! You knew that you’d do anything for him, and that he felt the same. He vowed to you, to always protect and care for you, as your mate, when the two of you finally mated under the tree of voices.

He stayed true to that vow. He woke you this one morning, his large hand rubbed gentle circles in your back as you woke up to look at him. “What is it, ma Jake?,” you murmur sleepily, making grabby hands at him, the secret sign the two of you had for a kiss. He chuckles and obliges, leaning in to kiss you gently. “I have a big hunt today with the war party. Just wanted to let you know, ma muntxate.” You are concerned. “Ma Jake. You won’t get hurt, right?,” your doe eyes stare back into his.

“God damn. She’s gonna be the death of me,” Jake thinks to himself, as he thinks of ways to reassure his mate. “I won’t, ma yuey. I am Olo’eyktan, don't you worry. I’ll think of you on the hunt.” You smile, a sigh of relief. “I’ll miss you, ma Jake. Don’t know what I’ll do without you,” you say, as you reach up to cling onto him for a bit. That was one of your favorite things to do, was to just stay wrapped up in his big, strong arms. It was the safest place in the world for you!

“You’ll hurry back soon, ma Jake?,” you ask innocently. Jake chuckles. What he wouldn’t do to just miss the hunt entirely so he can stay home and fuck you until you couldn’t walk. Obligations as Olo’eyktan called. “I Will, don’t you worry, sweetheart. You just stay home today, ok? No going out into the forest or nothin.’,” he chides at you. God, he was so overprotective, and you loved it!!

You agree, he gives you another quick kiss before he gets his weapon and sets off on his ikran to meet the others in the war party, they were at the edge of the forest. You decide to tidy up around the hut for him, but not before getting dressed for the day.

You opted with a lovely blue-green bead top, with a shell necklace and a few pink feathers for your hair. You felt the hut would look a little better with some flowers inside, so you went out into the forest to find some. Jake usually scolded you if you went out by yourself, for some reason, that made you feel more love for him. You scatter the blue-green petals and leaves all over the hut.

Next is dinner. Usually, Jake was the one bringing it back to you, but you couldn’t wait for all the praise that was to come if you made him something. You loved it when he praised you, it made you feel so warm and fuzzy!! You went out to pick out some teylu worms, and made a little fire to cook them over. After they were cooked, you put them on a leaf with some flowers scattered over it, and left it wrapped up in the hut. He needed rest too, after all. The fact that he had ten years on you didn’t help, either. He wasn’t that young anymore, and you just wanted to take care of him, like a good little house mate should!

Eclipse was starting. He will be back soon. For the finishing touches, you wrapped a few leafs around your hips, a makeshift shirt. You knew this was similar to what humans wore. Maybe your mate will like it. You hear the screech of his ikran outside. He was back. You quickly unwrap his dinner, and scatter over to the door to wait for him.

You hear him climb up the tree, using his muscles to drag up whatever he got from the hunt. He walks through the doorway, slamming a hexapede wrapped in a large jungle leaf onto the floor. “Hey, sweetheart. Had a good day?,” he asks, with a bit of pep to his tired voice. “Yes, ma Jake. I did,” you slyly remark, coming up to him, so he could get a full view of you. He raises his thin eyebrows, yellow eyes hungrily gazing over your decorated little body.

“Got all dolled up f’me, sweets? You look fuckin’ adorable. C’mere,” his large arms open up to you, which you gladly run into. His fingers tilt your chin up, keeping your head in place as he gives you a long, sweet kiss, which you gladly accept. “What’s all this, huh?,” your mate teases, his smile growing wider as he takes a look around the marui hut. “Did this for you, ma Jake. Want to take care of you. Make you feel good. It is what humans call, a housewife?,” you say, innocently, with a hint of confusion.

Jake grunts again, his ears folding back, his tail erratic, matching yours. “Is something wrong, yawne?,” you ask. You wonder if you did something wrong. He was supposed to like this! You quickly think of what to do next, since it looked like he did not like your little surprise for him. Jake chuckles, his voice a bit deeper than before. “No, sweetheart. I’m just a lil’ shocked you did this all f’me. You wanna be my housewife huh? Little wife, mate, to take care of her warrior when he needs it?,” he coos at you, his voice slow, deep. You nod quietly as he walks over to the far end of the hut, sitting down, his hands working quickly to untie his loincloth.

His cock springs up to attention, a large vein on the side pulsing, had you drooling at the sight. “You gonna listen to daddy?” You nod eagerly. “Good girl. Now crawl on over to me, princess,” your mate says as he taps his lap, his cock all angry and waiting for you!! You drop down onto your knees, he smirks, watching you like a predator watches his prey, as you begin to slowly make your way over to him.

Your dainty little hands grab his large, blue thigh, as you reach his lap, waiting for his next command. “Want y’a to give Daddy’s cock here a nice lil massage, yeah, kid? Nice and gentle.” You nod, the sight of his cock just made you so,so, squirmy! You arch your back, lowering your head so his pulsing cock is at eye level. You reach out your hand to cup his balls gently, you just couldn’t wait to see them swell!!

You use both your palms to cup his balls, you bring your lips down to give them a little kiss <3 after that, moving up to give his cock a few kisses as well, your tongue tracing that vein on the left of the shaft. You hold eye contact with him, his yellow eyes dilated, his broad chest heaving. “God damn. That’s a good girl,” he lets out a low chuckle, with a hint of a purr. He only purred when he was with you, and you were so lucky to see this side of him.

His hand, as large as your entire face, comes down to stroke your cheek and rub your head a bit. He was pleased. Good. You just wanted to love on your mate!! “Fuck. How’d I get so lucky, huh? Got a sweet lil’ thing like you around to keep me young.” You nod, giddy with a huge smile adorning your face. You could take his cock all day, only if he’d let you.

One thing you loved about being his mate was the age difference. Jake had around fifteen years on you, his voice was so much deeper than the Na’vi men your age, you loved his stocky arms, you’d sometimes nuzzle your head into his neck, his large head, chiseled jawline!! Younger Na’vi men had none of that. Most essentially, they never had that caring, guiding, almost dad-like way to them. Jake did. Ever since the two of you mated, Jake knew that he had to protect you, love and dote on you. You were his sickeningly sweet and helpless other half. You were his babygirl, and he’d kill for you.

Your mind drifted back to your most important object that you presently had to attend to. Your mate’s twitching cock. You scoot forward on your knees, folding your legs under you and opening your mouth. Jake chuckles. “There’s a good girl. Didn’t even have to tell you, and you’re already on your knees f’me. Open up, sugar.”

He stands up, towering over you as the leaking tip of his cockhead pushes past your wet, blue lips. You close your lips around it, sucking gently, your tongue traces around the entire tip itself!! His cock just was so big compared to your mouth. You started to gag a bit, but you held those tears back, you didn’t want to disappoint your mate. He only deserves the best, after he spent such a long day in the forest.

“Aww. Too big f’ ya?,” he taunts. You quickly shake your head, afraid to disappoint him. “That’s what I thought, girl. You got me all nice and wet. Want you on the bed though, sugar,” he condescendingly notes at you, tapping on the mat the two of you slept on, as if he was calling on some kind of pet.

You quickly move to the hut. It was routine --- you knew what to do. Jump on, on your back, legs open, face forward. Jake slowly moves in, a predator admiring his meal. You feel a little shy, a little vulnerable, you always did when he simply stared at you like that. “Hey.”

Your eyes quickly moved onto him. “Eyes on daddy, sweetie.” You do as said. “There ya go. Not that hard, is it?,” he asks, cool and collected.

You nod -- slow, like a scared little lamb. Your small hand coming up to trace patterns on his stomach, toned, with a bit of pudge to it. His broad chest, sometimes you wondered how many stripes he had on him. Those wide, stocky, veiny arms always distracted you, though. It did not help that those same arms were gripping your hips, squeezing your plush, little, body.

“Fuck, sweetie. Gotta be in you.” He teased you, you shuddered, as he moved in between your legs, swiftly lifting your thighs to drape over his shoulders, with no effort at all. “Open up f’daddy, sweetheart,” he coos at you, as his cock pushes into your dripping, sopping cunt, his throbbing length filling you up, so, so, sweetly!! His now swollen balls lightly touch upon you as he begins to thrust, at first slowly.

You had your eyes closed for a second. “D’aww. Daddy’s cock too much for his little mate? Eyes open. Don’t make me tell you again.” A threat. He was in a certain mood. You were there for him to use. You quickly open your eyes to see him towering over you, grunting as he works you to orgasm. You were just his little house mate after all, and you should not have to do any of the work here. Here, he takes care of you!!

One of his large hands comes to pin yours down onto the mat, effectively restraining you. You try to wiggle free, yet his grip was tight, like molded metal. You knew — whenever he had you pinned like this, it was some of his predatory instincts shining through. It just made you even wetter.

“Daddy…,” you wail out, as he starts pushing in and out of you, at a faster speed, his cock sending you into another world!! He buries his face into your neck, you feel his sharp fangs graze your shoulder slightly, biting down. His grunts turn to growls, hisses, your moans into little yelps and squeals. He was in control as a hunter in the forest, he was in control here, as your mate, your daddy, who took care of you, loved on you, and at the same time drove you insane with his special way of looking after you!!

“Yeah, sweetie. Lie there and take it. Daddy’s almost done, yeah? Taking this cock like the perfect little girl you are, yeah?,” he grunts out, you feel him twitching inside you. “Want your knot! Ma Jake, please!!,” you beg him. He growls in response. You only were so pathetic for him. Just for him. Your man. He brought you over the edge, along with him. The both of you were so distracted by each other: ears folded back, tails erratically swishing, like two animals in heat, that Jake ended up giving you his knot.

You felt it swell inside you, basically it was just an evolutionary safeguard — making sure his cock stayed in you for quite some time. Making sure you were bound to carry his child.

“God damn,” he huffs out, a bit less delirious than he just was. “Gave you my knot, sweet thing. Looks like every Na’vi in this damn village is gonna know who y’a belong to, huh, girl?,” he softly says, as his lips give you a few pecks on your cheek, his hand cradling your face now. “Yes, ma Jake. I’m yours,” you sweetly purr back at him. You lay your head on his chest after he has flipped the two of you over. Your ear against his squishy (but firm!) chest, you hear his slow, deep purrs compared to your faster ones.

He had his baby girl all knotted under him, he came home after a tough day in the forest to be comforted by the soft womb of his mate. She was so unlike him, and that made his attachment to her grow stronger, every day.

She felt the same, she loved having a big, strong warrior to provide for her!! She loved that she was going to have this big, strong warrior’s child soon, too.

If you like this post pls help a writer out and reblog 🖤

Avatar taglist: @aerangi @jake-sullys-whore @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @23victoria

#avatar smut #jake sully smut #jake sully x reader #jake sully headcanon #dom!jake sully #jake sully x oc #tonowari smut #tsu’tey smut

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misslavenderlady · 8 months

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How the Lost Boys are with hugs 🤗💕

Whether it's giving hugs or getting them, the boys each have their own unique reactions to the act of hugging.

David 🖤

He enjoys enticing others into coming to him. Loyalty and companionship mean the world to him, and he loves showing others just what he can offer them. Usually, his go-to secret weapon is the power of touch. After all, he couldn't stop putting his arm around Michael.

Despite his intimidating appearance, David can be quite affectionate. If you ask for a hug, he's more than happy to provide it. He can't fight the smirk on his face as he holds his arms out wide, commanding for you to come to him. He'll gently wrap his arms around your body, patting your back with one hand and running his fingers through your hair with the other. He'll whisper promises to keep you safe and let you know he'll take the best care of you. It's all a part of his game of wrapping you in his web.

Here's the thing. Although David is smug and cunning when you need a hug from him, he's quite the opposite when you're the one who says he needs a hug. If you go up to him and give him a hug without warning, he'll be shocked. Maybe even a little offended that you dared to touch without permission. But if you say something sweet like "I don't think you're a monster, David" or "it's okay. I want to help you feel better" then he's gonna turn into a big softie.

He's very lonely deep down. He'd be nothing without his boys, and he's always wanting to grow the family, just like Max was. Like father, like son. The problem is that with people like Star and Michael, he has to get them with deception and control. He's afraid they'll leave him otherwise, though he would never admit it. If you were to willingly give your love, especially with a hug, he's going to absolutely melt.

One bonus thing is that his coat is quite soft and warm. If you go in for a hug, then you're getting an extra blanket too.

~~~~~

Marko 💚

The best way to describe Marko's relationship with hugs is how a spicy, feral kitten acts when it first meets a human. If he doesn't know you well, he is throwing hands if you try to hug him. He'll punch, scratch, yell, maybe even hiss if you try to touch him.

It takes him a while to trust people. Like....a LONG while. He's David's second in command, and insanely clingy towards him, Dwayne and Paul. If he feels like someone is trying to intrude on their gang and try to get too buddy-buddy, he's not having it. He won't even speak to you, let alone accept a hug.

Now on the other hand, if he IS friends with you, then he goes from feral cat to purring kitty. He loves to nuzzle your neck when getting a hug. Giggles if you do the same with him. Marko also likes to massage you while giving a hug. Rubbing your back, kneading your hips, just adding a little extra special attention to make it special.

So long as you're patient with him, it's so worth it in the end to get a hug from the guy. Just be understanding if he doesn't do it too often. It takes a lot out of him, so he'll usually opt for a side hug instead.

~~~~~

Dwayne ❤️

Kind of similar to Marko. If Dwayne doesn't know you well, you are NOT allowed to touch him. He'll stare you down with daggers in his eyes as a way to warn you to stay away from him. Same goes for his boys. If you don't know the gang and you try to hug one of them, he's going to step in as their personal bodyguard to make sure you don't get near them.

That's not to say it's impossible to get him to put his walls down. Quite the opposite, really. Dwayne's an excellent judge of character, and can figure out quite easily whether you're friend or foe. If he ends up seeing that you're not a threat and that you just want affection, then he's switching off his guard dog mode.

He's incredibly welcoming with hugs. Dwayne will hold you close, making sure to be gentle with you. He'll be more than happy to lift you up into his arms and let you wrap your legs around him. Go full koala mode on this boy, and he will not mind in the slightest. He actually thinks clinginess is incredibly cute.

Dwayne is also big on cuddling if he's in a bad mood and needs some T.L.C. to feel better. If you offer a hug, he's going full lap dog on you. Laying on your chest, your lap, whatever you offer. He'll wrap his strong arms around you and keep you in place so he can feel the warmth of your hugs. Also, if you play with his hair, he'll immediately fall in love with you.

~~~~~

Paul 💙

Paul is the biggest love muffin of the group. He's also the most handsy. He doesn't need any formal introductions for welcoming a hug. In fact, he's probably going to greet you the first time WITH a hug rather than a traditional handshake. If he thinks you're cute, he's going in with open arms and a big, goofy grin.

He love to lift others up into the air and spin them around before giving them a squeeze. He's just got so much energy built up, and is more than happy to share some love. If he's attracted to you, prepare to get some extra intimate touches too. Paul doesn't believe in "look, but don't touch".

Prepare to rarely get a moment of peace to yourself. The thing about Paul is that he's a little bit clingy due to attachment issues. He's very affectionate because in his human life, he didn't get the love he desperately needed in his life. He was surrounded by pain and cruelty, and he doesn't want that for the pack mates he cares so deeply for. He's scared he'll lose that love if he doesn't express if often.

Giving him a hug is wonderful, but using words of affirmation to show your love and adoration are even better. Things like "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere, I promise" may even get him a little emotional. But it's okay. He's the kindest one in the gang, and he'll return the love you give.

#the lost boys #lavender headcanons #lavender lady rambles #tlb #david the lost boys #marko the lost boys #dwayne the lost boys #paul the lost boys

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signedeclipse · 10 months

Note

I would like to request a headcanon gn!reader x hashiras (please include giyu and rengoku, others are your choice) where the reader is a childhood friend they have a crush on but they never tell her why she already is in a relationship, and the day after their friend tells them about their partner's strange behavior they find out that their friend's partner is cheating on her with someone else, what would they do?

Giyuu | Kyojuro | Sanemi [X Reader]

In which their childhood crush is cheated on by their current s/o.

Giyuu

Genuinely appalled by your s/o

They are total opposites, your lover being extremely outgoing, popular, and extremely egotistical

But you seemed happy with him, so Giyuu figured it was his fault for feeling so jealous, insecure maybe?

Even still, he couldn't help but want to snap back when your s/o made a sniding remark about you, or jokes about horrible things regarding you to him

He didn't find them funny, but he didn't want to ruin anything for you

He was likely by your side when you both found your s/o pressed up against another, which Giyuu was quick to shield you from

It broke his heart feeling you sob into his shirt, and trying to claw away to get a look, but he knew better than to let you hurt yourself more

Would carry you home and let you release energy however you need, just calmly waiting for you to feel better or to need his company again

Giyuu would love to just, tear that loser apart, but he opts instead to show their photograph to some of his corps members that knew you

Yeah, your ex got more than one beating, and they are never safe anywhere in Tokyo, but Giyuu believes that's for the better

Kyojuro

The hashira is very familiar with what love can do to people, but he would admit that he'd never seen someone screw up so badly

As much as he wanted you for himself, Kyojuro had gone out of his way to help your lover set up dates he knew you'd like, and hint at the things you'd like around special dates

While he never enjoyed your s/o, he assumed it was purely out of envy, and left it at that

Of course, he consoles you every moment, and takes this moment to treat you how he felt you deserved

Home cooked meals, warm blankets, heated rice pouches for comfort, sweets, and any attention you asked for

You were strong, and he knew you'd be on your feet soon enough, it was all about patience

One day, while getting back from a mission he saw your ex with someone else, already smothering one another

Now he doesn't condone violence...

But he did loudly exclaim something good enough to scare your ex's new muse away

" Oh my! If it isn't y/n's cheating ex! I'm happy to see you have found someone else to toy with already! Perhaps you would like some more advice on how to court?"

Your ex was left with a hefty slap, albeit not from Kyojuro, but good enough!

Sanemi

The moment he catches wind of it-

" Fuck! Fuck that ASSHOLE! I'm going to fucking KILL THAT USELESS- " its all bleeped out in post

You mean the world to him, you were one of the only constants he had from his past, and the only who'd never hurt him

You didn't deserve this, especially not the cheating fuck trying to convince you it was your fault, that you werent good enough

This wasn't going to slide

Your ex can expect their door being broken down first thing in the morning, and a prompt punch right to the skull

Broken nose, busted lip, black eye, and one unconscious person later, Sanemi is stomping out and leaves the door open just so the bugs can get in while he's at it

Why would he handle anything peacefully? It's not like you'll know it was him anyways

Okay so you totally knew, because he's your only friend who would do that, but for once you let your passive side slide and didn't say anything about it

Actually, it helped you feel loads better

Besides, the name only comes out a week later when he hears the house is now abandoned, and the dumbass is long gone

Authors Note - I got a bit lost with the wording of the request switching between pronouns so I hope I got this right!

#giyuu #giyuu x reader #kyojuro #kyojuro x reader #sanemi #sanemi x reader #demon slayer #demon slayer x reader #demon slayer headcanons #kny #kny x reader #kny headcanons #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #x reader #reader insert #headcanons

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yostresswritinggirl · 1 year

Text

Kintsugi (11)

: "to repair with gold"

Scaramouche / Wanderer x First Puppet! Reader

After his third betrayal, he stumbles upon the one thing that would never deceive him. Not a god, not a human; a broken puppet, discarded just like him. Part 1. Extras.

"This land has no place for us, thus we will find it somewhere else."

You've found yourself behind Kunikuzushi once again with his arm extended as a barrier between you and the world he so desperately wants to protect you from.

It was an unconscious habit, second nature by now to him. Something that once conflicted you now became your normal.

Your light touch on the hand that hovers over his blade eased the rising tension in his shoulders, opting to instead wrap his digits around yours with a reassuring squeeze. Too reckless; that and you'd always been more patient when it comes to humans.

After refusing the coat, Kuni would slightly turn to you and adjust the veil to cover you better despite claiming just now that the cold doesn't affect you both.

"I know of a place that would be beneficial to you, the same place where this boat is heading," the stranger that helped you both turns his head to you. "But this one here..."

Despite the mask, there is an undeniable look of scrutiny underneath it that unconsciously forced you to hide your exposed limbs beneath the veil.

You almost missed the way he tilts his head slightly in deeper contemplation when Kunikuzushi suddenly pulled you close to his chest, an arm circling your back to grip at your forearm.

There was an emphasized growl when he speaks your name towards the Harbinger. He was correcting this all-powerful man, all so he addresses you by your new name instead of some object. "They're with me. You take both of us or none at all."

"Interesting." He seems preoccupied with something else. That doesn't seem to be in response to Kuni's words.

A shock like shiver courses through your body as your eyes narrowed at him.

"Very intriguing." You cannot trust this doctor.

Turns out you DO need a coat.

Here in the land furthest north the cool wind bites at those who are fragile, and out of the two of you, the frost bites through your cracks and restrains you stronger than the vines back in your homeland. Over your haori lies Scaramouche's harbinger coat.

Yet despite its thickness, trips outside to barren lands of snow is still risky. You sigh, at least mimic the action, who would have thought you'd miss sitting outside under the shade of sakura trees.

You also miss Kunikuzushi, who was now busy with tending to his work as a Fatui Harbinger.

Like how Snezhnaya hides away the sun, Kunikuzushi was only spoken behind closed doors.

Lord Harbinger or Lord Scaramouche is what he goes by now, titled by the gracious Cryo archon herself in welcome of you two. The benevolent Tsaritsa that accepted your presence as much as Kunikuzushi.

Before you spiral into madness at the thoughts of her soft gaze of recognition, huge and heavy steps easily took your notice.

Your fingers wraps protectively around the sakura bloom by instinct, harder to do so than before, before you turned your head to see Sandrone already looking at you.

"Waiting for someone?" Her smile is as demure as usual, but the tilt of her head betrays her true intrigue.

Sandrone and Dottore, you were quick to find out their interests in you and Kunikuzushi for the simple fact that you are living puppets. You've heard various warnings from Kuni to not be deceived by their invitations and coaxing, and to only engage when he's with you.

She at least made repairs and gave useful pointers when your body started acting up. Albeit, under the orders of the Tsaritsa.

The robot holding the Marionette suddenly shifts to retrieve something from its pocket, and soon the both of them make their way to stand in front of you. "I'm positive of the inconvenience that petal in your hand brings." Without fear, you also narrow your eyes at this Harbinger. "How curious, but I am only here to offer a simple solution."

From a silent command, the huge gauntlet of the robot unfurls to reveal a small empty vial attached to a necklace chain.

The gaze on you was searing and hawk-like as the Harbinger watched your ministrations, your stiff hands gently nudging the petal inside the vial before donning the necklace. It hangs just over your chest. Yet Sandrone, the Marionette, still can't seem to look away.

Out of all the Fatui Harbingers, it was Dottore, Sandrone, and occasionally Tartaglia that actually paid attention to you.

And it's that fact that Kunikuzushi explicitly warned you to stay away, or at least not be alone in their presence. More for the crazed ones who are mostly interested in your anatomy and mechanisms than anything else.

The only time you were even physically close to them were when you had to be fixed upon your first malfunction in the cold, and that was due to the benevolence of the Tsaritsa, any harm on you would have broken more than just your joints.

It was only when you covered the petal with your haori did Sandrone finally look away, still that gentle yet seemingly malicious smile on her face.

"Say, how long have you had that sakura bloom?"

A cough and a call of your name had you eagerly turn to Kuni - Scaramouche, his eyes wide before redirecting a glare towards his fellow Harbinger. "Let's go, we have places to be." And with a protective hand on your shoulder, you left the Palace.

The Balladeer consists of two lords.

This was a fact that only those that worked under Scaramouche knows and something that other Fatuus would look at them weirdly for. Was this some kind of gaslighting beaten into them after all the trauma they deal with daily for unfortunately working for the Balladeer?

But they are none the wiser, after all, Lord Scaramouche had always been so careful and secretive when it comes to you.

When you came to Snezhnaya, you never had a title for yourself other than your name and aged folklore that died with your departure. Your affiliation with the Fatui is also superficial, as your ties are only with Scaramouche. Your loyalty lies with Kunikuzushi, and Kunikuzushi's loyalty lies with your safety.

Arrangements followed suit and you had your own subordinates to mobilize even if you had no need for them.

The Balladeer's other lord is a blessing - a vacation. When the underlings rotate to switch from serving Scaramouche to being under your command, it was always a massive relief for them. After all, Lord Scaramouche is ruthless and you were low maintenance.

They felt more like retainers and bodyguards, looking out for you and fetching whatever you may need. The only time it felt like a job was when Scaramouche was visiting, or you wanted to be outside for a walk. You always loved to look around and the awe of the frozen wasteland had always been baffling for the locals who had long grown tired of the weather and wither.

The job only ends up badly when you turn up 'sick' after a walk outside in the cold. Despite their warnings, it would be them that gets punished by Scaramouche.

You may be patient, a blessing in the Fatui, but you are no means inherently good. After all, you value fairness above all. "Please, my lord, don't send us back to Lord Scaramouche." One of the new recruits practically begged by your feet.

Everyone else were too late to prevent him, not when you stopped writing in your journal to look down at the kneeling recruit. "But we've always had this rotation set up ever since?" The softness of your voice, devoid of edge, must have urged the confidence of the soldier.

"You must understand, Lord Scaramouche had always been ruthless! I would rather serve you forever, you have my utmost loyalty, Lord -"

"Don't." The fatui soldier shuddered at your harsh gaze looking down at him, shakily forcing him to remove his hold on the end of your veil. "You wish to receive a different treatment? What about the poor soul who's supposed to switch with you? Are you fine with them staying in Kuni's command permanently so you could stay here?"

Turning back to your table, you refused to continue your writing as you gripped at your kimono, expression only visible to the masked-desperate soldier.

The coldness in the room bites with the addition of electricity. "Selfish... Selfish humans..." And you closed your eyes, refusing to acknowledge anything else.

Never had any soldier sighed in relief at the arrival of the Balladeer, but just this once, when he finally visited your quarters did the unnerved subordinates finally had a semblance of sanity after being subjected to silence so damning. No one had told them what to do when you went into this state after all - sitting stock still, unmoving, without a breath or a single word out of you no matter what they do.

The feeling of Kunikuzushi's hand adjusting your slipping veil finally roused you from your stasis, turning your head to look back at his thinly veiled worried gaze. "Kuni."

"I'm here." His eyes flickered to look at the fatui soldiers standing by. "Your henchmen reported you acting... Differently, are you feeling okay? Do you need check up again?"

This would go down in history as one of the events that the Fatui soldiers would never believe. Even as witness, the sight still felt like a fever dream from the harsh cold of the region.

The rarest sight of them all. Of their very own Lord Scaramouche speaking in such softness and gentleness only a mother to their child could mimic, matched with a worried gaze that looked so foreign and unwelcomed to his usually glared eyes. And that foreign name not even the most trusted soldier under his command is privy to.

So easy to fall behind just for you.

"Then let's walk, I have time." Urging you to stand, the harbinger himself took your (his) coat from the chair to drape over your shoulders. A second of silence passed before he suddenly pulled his hat down to hide your faces from the soldiers.

Incoherent whispers that had everyone intrigued, but when he leaned away, a smile on your face was revealed.

The walk was pleasant for everyone.

Scaramouche could see it in the slight purse of your lips and the furrow of your brows, that even your vow to silence, he knows you still do not have it in you to be as disconnected as him.

No matter the betrayals, their discrimination, their capability to harm - you still find it in you to sympathize with humans. You only stayed silent as it was an order.

But he couldn't leave you there, vulnerable in the presence of other Harbingers, and so you find yourself stepping foot on the very soil you've left behind years ago. It was a different experience in comparison to your trip to Mondstadt when he was investment the meteor shower.

Scaramouche had to take care of the delivery of the delusions first, and with the small freedom you had before you explore the current Inazuma once he was done, your feet carried you to a familiar sight. The calming sight of pink rain and the soothing scent of said blooms.

You miss the freedom you had wandering the lands of Inazuma, before the Tsaritsa swept him away. Despite still seeing each other almost daily, his duty had kept him from the same routine, the same freedom. And for what? To take the gnosis from the Raiden Shogun to match her power?

You had every right to be skeptical the moment he became clear of his intentions simply because you knew him. Better than anyone. Perhaps better than himself.

The puppet you knew, of Kunikuzushi, never once strived for power. From the stories of the humans he met, even if vile, not once did it cross your mind that he would turn out to be this way.

He's lonely, hurt, betrayed.

You feel the same way, but how would the electro gnosis fix that? The idea of godhood only brought him pain, would this really be the right course of action for him?

And what about you... What's your purpose in this world?

Ambitions... Your hand reaches out towards the Sacred Sakura as if it felt natural, one of its petals whisked away from the tree to slowly descend in front of you. Would keeping it safe be enough to be called an ambition? Is... Staying by his side enough of a purpose?

"To think that there would be more than one of you. More so, stepping foot in my shrine."

The feeling of an object lightly tapping on the back of your head had you distracted, the petal falling past your awaiting hand.

"I suppose I sha'nt make the same mistakes. Close your eyes now, little one."

A beautiful flash of purple and violets shrouded your vision.

Scaramouche is in a good mood - was in a good mood - before he arrived back in the Fatui hideout to look for you. He had gotten what he wanted, and with all his goals achieved, there was no reason to stay with this wretched organization that only sought to test his patience.

Yet he was greeted not by his companion but of tight-lipped subordinates who cannot speak even if he beats it out of their system.

It was only when a soldier he vaguely remembers to be under your command rushed in did he finally get his answer.

"My lord, we are in dire need of your assistance." The sourness of his expression becomes apparent, but the soldier persists in desperation. "It has happened again - an accident occurred with the other lord."

The sky overhead was as gloomy as the day he was discarded.

Yet despite the carnage of blood and bodies laying around, Kunikuzushi was fearless on approaching the familiar form with your back turned towards him. Not even the thunder and lightning would keep him away from you.

"(Y/N)." The discarded veil in his hand is frayed and scorched on the edges. "I'm here."

Without a word, the turbulent weather ceased its anger, leaving behind a deafening silence. Even as you slowly turned it was soundless.

Only when he dropped to his knees did the illusion of peace shattered.

"What..." Kunikuzushi's hands shook on its way to cradle your cheeks. "What have they done to you?"

He does not realize his tears, not when his thumb gingerly stroked at the lightning marks that burned your skin. It was still warm. It was warm anywhere he touched.

Yet this warmth brought him no comfort whatsoever.

Nothing is more insulting than to be this fragile, to be this desperate, to stoop so low, to back down on his very words to enlist the help of a human.

But he was his only hope, even if he so desperately wants to destroy him right here right now with just his glare. The effort would not be worth it - this isn't the real one, after all.

Dottore is at least a wise man to not say a word about this predicament. In his head, he scolds himself for not seeing this approach sooner.

No matter, he is getting what he wants either way.

Scaramouche falling into his hand with a simple promise was already a guaranteed success. But for the arrogant puppet to offer his most prized possession so easily? He has guaranteed at least one win on this trip.

"It seems you have been preoccupied during your absence, and this is what I see of you after escaping surveillance." Nevermind, he simply could not hold his tongue.

After making sure you're sat properly on the operating table, Dottore's segment took a step to the side to escape a bolt meant to strike him, instead hitting a Fatui Skirmisher. It would be no surprised if he was dead on the spot.

"I agreed to collaborate with you -" even if he was to benefit from it all, Dottore rolled his eyes in his mind. "And I can easily revoke my decision if you dare overstep, mortal."

"I am merely stating a fact, but know that this opportunity is indeed too great to be lost. I will take good care of them."

Scaramouche does not hide the way he rolled his eyes before turning to you, eyes immediately softening to provide assurance. So long as he lives, you would be safe, he assured you.

Removing the veil and folding the fan finally gave the doctor the full detail of the damage he's agreed to fix.

He can see now why the ever so prideful harbinger would come to him for help. The second had only ever admired you from afar due to the obvious hostility of the lord harbinger, but even now in your most vulnerable, there is still an eerie ethereal aura around you.

Lichtenberg figures - the scar runs along your face and reaches deeper, continuing under your robes and layers. It was akin to burned branches decorating your already deteriorating skin, flaking from time and damages.

Like a porcelain filled with cracks, ready to fall apart.

Sandrone would kill him for having this opportunity first.

As Scaramouche carefully lays you down to rest, you can't help but keep your eyes on his. When had he last been so unguarded with his emotions that you can easily see through them? The guilt, the anxiety, the despair - all laid bare for you to see.

In your fatigue you managed to take his hand, hand in crumbling hand, he lands a kiss on the back of your hand. Like a silent promise.

"I will be here when you wake up," Scaramouche gently caressed your flaking hand. "In a perfect form you've always deserved."

On your way to sleep, you cannot help but let the endearing thought occupy your thoughts: he seemed more hesitant to let go of your hand than you to his.

Your dreams were pleasant because of it.

"They have fallen into a deep sleep." The soon-to-be god gently settled your hand on the table. "I will uphold my end of our arrangement, so long as you do yours."

"Tch." Taking out the electro gnosis from under his kimono, he wasted no time placing it on the doctor's awaiting palm. "Here."

"And the second agreement."

And in here he hesitates, sending one last look on your form and one last glare to Dottore. "If I find out you've done something, I will end you myself." He spits with venom combined from eons of mistrust, before slamming the metal door on his way out.

Alone in this section of the factory, Dottore can't help but indulge in a triumphant laugh for a second as he rolls the chess piece in between his gloved fingers. It crackles to life as he walks closer to where the other puppet rests.

"Finally, I have found my answers." Holding it at its crown, Dottore slowly places the gnosis down next to your head. "Aren't you so fascinating? You've disproven all my theories, and yet I am not at all disappointed."

To think that a prototype had long overshadowed your light...

Waking up felt like leaving a warm embrace under the bittersweet accompaniment of a shedding cherry blossom tree, fallen leaves each rousing you to the path of consciousness with the softest of touches.

You leave your dream with the image of a smile, and wake up to one as you finally focused your vision.

"I'm here." Scaramouche stepped back when you quickly slid off the table, following closely as you made your way to the large mirror on the other side of the room. "It seems the operation was a success."

Success? "But - this is - " You touched the lines on your face. What modifications were you expecting beforehand? A new body? A new skin? You didn't expect it to be -

"Kintsugi." Scaramouche's hands slowly coaxed your hands off your face to show the golden lines clearly. You soon realize that your skin had been renewed to remove the flaking state, and the joints that were damaged were fixed. But there were no other changes, significant changes.

"I don't understand, the perfect form -"

His hand traced the branches of gold so lovingly, tenderly, with eyes of serenity you had never seen before. "You are already in your perfect form since the day I met you." The veil, trimmed to remove the damage from before, once again lays on your head. "There is no need to change you."

Watching yourself pull the veil close to your face, you can't help but admire how well the gold matches with the transparent purple.

To be looked at with such adoration from a beautiful doll like him.

"And once I become a god, I will create a perfect world for you too, one that you deserve and deserves you."

You close your eyes as he cradled your cheeks of beautiful scars.

"With this as my proof, I will walk this new life in my own terms." The Traveler does not miss the melancholic smile the Wanderer dons as he cradles the vision by his chest, even when he desperately tries to hide it under the shade of his hat. "For the both of us."

"Both of us?"

"Yes, I -" Locking eyes with the Traveler, his hopeful gaze from earlier dissipates to that of indifference. "Have you seen (Y/N)?"

"Huh? We've never heard of that name before." Paimon interjects, prying for clues on the image of this mystery person. "Paimon doesn't think we've seen anyone like that, even back in the port when we were with Dehya."

"Buer." Turning to the God of Wisdom, there was a sadness in her eyes that had only manifested now.

"I have the answers you seek, but... it may not be the answers you want." When his gaze doesn't waver, the dendro archon continues. "After negotiating with the doctor after the Traveler passed out..."

"While it is unfortunate that I was unable to see the results of this experiment, it at least gave way to another, more promising one." Lesser Lord Kusanali watched in apprehension and curiosity as the harbinger emerged from behind a pillar in the sanctuary, an unmoving form in his arms.

At that time, the dendro archon had no knowledge in her disposal to understand the direness in the situation, or the implications underlying it. All that she knew is that this was non-negotiable.

Even if she had the strength to fight, there was a possessiveness to the doctor that screams to her. This one, this puppet in his hands, is something he would not let go with simple bargains.

"Not only have you provided me with the gnoses, but you have removed the greatest obstacle to my newest magnum opus."

"This, is the only thing that was left behind." Placing the object she had cradled in her tiny hands on the Wanderer's palm, a familiar vial greets the puppet. "I'm sorry."

A necklace with a glass pendant. Inside lies a wilted petal that once shone a beautiful shade of pink.

Strong gale swirls around them as the Wanderer laughs, the glass exploding into shattered remains in his palm as he does so. "So this was your plan all along, Dottore? First, you take away my gnosis. And then..."

The edge on his voice makes the Traveler step back. But speechless when he raised his head to glare at the sky, his hat uncovering the hateful tears streaming down his cheeks. "You take away the only one that ever mattered to me. That vile, filthy -"

You must be so scared.

Clutching his vision close to his chest, the faint hum in the rhythm of a gentle heartbeat does not console him anymore.

Thank you for reading Kintsugi! This is the ending, folks! However I will be publishing another piece for this of all the different scenarios that got scrapped as well as in-depth explanation of the elements of this story. There were a lot of things changed and removed here in comparison to the original concept, and I will share them next time, but I hope you still enjoyed this one!

@deepdinosaurwizard @local-mr-frog @angryhope @rowielol @shoujishu @notyuki @asteriacos @willburzone @crystalcosplays @hxqlou @rolo-at-midnight @ireallylikehamsters @crxwned-mxnarch @reveltica @seddiepilled

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #scaramouche x reader #kunikuzushi x reader #wanderer x reader #scaramouche #the wanderer #exile.flower #sumeru arc #gender neutral #genshin impact #kintsugi #Genshin impact angst

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finalresidentevilfantasy · 9 months

Text

I'll never let you go again.

Warnings: Swearing, talks of alcoholism, talks and implications of death, female reader, no use of Y/N (I think that's all).

W/C: 3.6K

A/N: Hi it's me again! Another writing attempt, I feel like this one is a little all over the place but I still hope you enjoy! I may have missed some typos and such, I hope you all enjoy and thank you for taking time to read my work!

"I don't think I can do this anymore." Clearing her throat, hoping she sounded stronger than she felt.

"Do what?" His drunken slur brought a tear to her eye, he'd changed so drastically since losing his team. Her heart hurt for him but she couldn't watch him anymore.

"This, us." She gulped down her shaky breath, moving a stray strand of hair back into place. "I can't watch you do this to yourself." She watched as his shoulders tensed at her words.

She knew why he drank, if he didn't the nightmares would plague him and he wouldn't sleep. She sympathised but how much longer could she stay with someone who was drowning them both?

He sighed, kicking off both of his shoes as he turned to look at her. God she was beautiful, the best thing that had ever happened to him. She looked so vulnerable in their bed, a bed he'd hardly been in lately, opting to sleep on the couch. Back against the headboard and knees pulled to her chest, she looked tired but Leon suspected it wasn't just due to how late it was.

"I know." He was defeated, he knew she was slipping from his grasp, or more him hers. She was the only light left in the dark abyss that had become his life. The last finger on the ledge left before he fell into that darkness that was pulling him and he had no fight left, not even for her.

"I know you're struggling Leon, I do." The tears lining her eyes made Leon want to reach out, comfort her but he knew he had to let her go, deep down he had to let her leave. "I want to be here for you and I will be but I can't do it as your partner anymore."

"I get it." His voice harsher than he intended and she sucked in a breath at the brutality of it. He had to make this easy for her, she deserved better.

"So that's it?" She breathed out, she was never angry with him, always patient, he wanted her to get angry, wanted her to lash out but that's just not who she is and Leon loves her for it, more than he can bear sometimes. She has his heart, she always would. "You're not gonna fight?"

She wished he would, wished he'd make her stay, have his words make it better but she was thankful he didn't, that they both understood this had to happen.

"What's the point? Your minds made up." He gestured to the suitcase she'd filled an hour before, the clothes that she hadn't bothered to change out of still on from this morning.

She nodded, getting off the bed, it was almost silent as she moved around the room, making sure she had the last of her essentials. She went to grab her case, ready to say goodbye when his chest hit her back, she breathed in.

His hand moved to grasp her case in his own hand and she broke. The floodgates opened and her tears streamed, uncontrollable, god she loved him, so much it hurt but human instinct is to protect themselves and he was killing the both of them.

He froze, unsure of how to handle this. In a perfect world where everyone did what they were supposed to do, Leon would've held her, begged her to stay. But this wasn't a perfect world and Leon sure as hell didn't do what he was supposed to but he had to protect her, he had for so long, he couldn't stop now. He promised to protect her from everything, that included himself.

His heart broke in two as he listened to her cries, his feet carrying him to her car as he loaded it up with her case. He selfishly let his own tear slip, quick to wipe it away, she needed this, she needed to believe that whatever version of him she was still in love with was gone, that there was nothing left to fight for so she could move on.

"I'll call." She sobbed as she joined him outside wrapping her arms around his waist as she sobbed into his chest, he was caught off guard, finding it hard to stay strong but he had to. He knew the next words out of his mouth would hurt her so deeply he almost couldn'r bring himself to say them, no matter how much he didn't mean them.

"Don't bother, we both know there's nothing left to save. Move on, I have." It went silent, her cries stopped as she let go of him, a brave face graced her features.

"Oh, I-"

"It was never gonna work out, we both knew that." He watched as her eyes lined with more unshed tears but she held strong.

"Take care of yourself Leon, get the help you need. I wish I could've been enough to save you, I'm sorry I wasn't." It took Leon off gaurd, he's never considered she felt that way. He didn't get a chance to respond, her car door slamming brought him back from his daze, before his brain could engage she was gone.

*****

"I wish I could've been enough.." Her words rang in his ears as his fist collided with the punching bag so hard it drew attention but Leon couldn't find it in him to care. He was worn out, his cheek hitting the coolness of the punching bag as he slightly leaned against it.

"Woah." Kevin's voice filled his ears as his figure filled his view. "What ever happened, I don't think that inanimate object played part."

"Fuck off Kevin." Leon grumbled at his friend. "I don't need your shit on top of everything else."

Kevin had heard through the grapevine about their split, Leon's drinking, how badly Leon had spiralled after she left but no one dared to bring it up to him, his sour attitude enough to scare anyone from his vicinity.

"Listen," Kevin was careful as he approached the subject. "If you need to talk you know where we are." Leon's faced dropped, he'd tried to avoid talking about this. "We've been friends for a long time and I know how much she means to you, talk to someone. Come on, we both know you won't be able to stay away from her forever." Kevin raised his brows, both men aware of Leon's plans before his mission that went so South Leon had forgotten how to navigate North.

"She hates me." Leon grumbled.

"I don't think that's true."

"I hurt her, on purpose. I saw the look on her face, Kev. She was crushed."

"She asks about you." That piqued Leon's interest. She hadn't called like she'd claimed she would, then again, why would she?

"Bullshit. You're just trying to make me feel better."

"Not at all. You fucked up by the sounds of things. I'm not gonna spare your feelings because your my friend, we both know that. I also wouldn't ever give you false hope, if she'd moved on, I'd tell you."

"It's almost been a year." Leon pointed out and Kevin shot him a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah, and look how far you've come." Kevin pointed out. 3 weeks after she'd left, Leon was in hospital, having his stomach pumped. He was told he had to cut back, give up and now his therapy was regular and he hadn't touched a drink in well over 3 months. Of course he'd relapsed a couple of times but no one ever told him it would be an easy journey. "Reach out to her."

*****

Leon thought about it. They hadn't spoken in so long that he wasn't sure he'd know what to say or how to say it. He fought the urge to have a stiff drink as he raised his fist, his knuckles colliding with the wood of her door. No answer, of course, she wasn't in.

"Leon?" He turned at the sound of his name. Great, this guy, Leon could only imagine how smug he must feel. Her neighbour when they'd first started dating had made it clear he was in love with her and that he didn't think Leon was good enough.

"Jason." Leon forced a smile.

"The fuck are you doing here? Haven't you done enough." Jason snapped. "I'm so glad that she kept her grandmother's flat." It was true, when Leon and her moved in, she kept the flat she'd been left, she couldn't bring herself to sell one of the only things that had been left to her. "At least she had somewhere to go."

"Listen, I don't need this. Just tell me where she is." Leon snapped, he crossed his arms over his chest and stood taller, a sly smile on his lips as he watched Jason slightly cower back.

"I don't know." Jason sighed, they both knew Leon wasn't in the mood for messing around. "I haven't seen her for two days." Jason said and Leon felt his heart rate pick up.

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't seen her, a man was around the other day, she left with him and I haven't seen her since."

"Did she go willingly?" Leon flew into panic mode.

"She seemed to, a new boyfriend I imagine." Jason almost spat out, jealousy clear in his tone. "Why is it always guys like you? Guys who are no good for her. Some uniform or other, government workers." He huffed out but Leon's panic was rising, he didn't think as he moved towards Jason pinning him to the wall.

"Guys like me? Government? What did he look like?" Leon flew into agent mode, Jason becoming visibly more scared of the man in front of him.

"I don't know. He had a jacket on. 'DSO' written on the back. Similar to the one you wore sometimes. Maybe I should be asking you who he is."

Leon was no longer listening, his feet rapidly taking him down the stairs, his phone dialling a number he was all too familiar with.

"Leon?" Hunnigan filled his ears. "I thought you were on leave?"

Leon interrupted her, rapidly asking if an agent had been sent to her flat. Almost tripping over his own words.

"No one. Why would we send someone there?" Leon hung up on her, running now to his car. Leon's phone pinged, a text from an unknown number, Leon's heart almost stopped.

"I'll be waiting rookie."

*****

The picture of the old training ground had Leon breaking every speed limit to get to the run down building. It was an old government training ground, it had been closed for years. Leon walked past the DSO jacket that Jason had mentioned, discarded on the floor. Leon had updated Hunnigan on his way over, being told back up wouldn't be available for a while.

Leon was no idiot, he knew who he was dealing with, he just didn't know how. Leon's heart dropped when he picked up a discarded hoody on a chair in the facility, he instantly recognised it, it was his, one that he'd given her, he must've left it there, it was years old. It was grey, a bloodstain on the front, it had Leon discarding of it and running down the lit up hall.

He could hear his old instructors voice, berating him for not proceeding with caution but Leon didn't give a flying fuck, she was in danger. His heart completely stopped as he got to the end of the hall, he was in the observation room. He looked down into the pit below, a glass tank stood in the middle, he knew who was in there.

"Welcome rookie." His old instructors voice filled his ears.

"Leon?" He heard her panicked voice as she looked around her, looking for him.

"I'm up here sweetheart." Leon shouted out, ignoring the third voice. "I'm gonna get you out." A laugh filled the area, a light switching on from the observation room across.

"Young love. I thought Ada Wong was the only woman for you." The voice was taunting Leon, trying to rile him, but all he could focus on was her eyes that'd caught his. "Pay attention." His voice sounded angry, impatient. Leon looked up, a perfectly placed arrow facing in her direction.

"Krauser." Leon warned. Krauser laughed as he lowered his bow.

"Don't worry, I won't kill her so soon, that'd ruin all the fun." Krauser laughed. "You're probably wondering how I survived? You really should've checked I was dead before you walked away. What did I teach you about the infected? They all have a weak spot, you ignored mine." Krauser laughed. "I regenerated. See rookie? See what this virus can do?"

"I won't miss a second time." Leon spat.

"You won't get a chance. Now, why have I brought you here? What game could I possibly have in store? This is your last lesson Leon. I always told you that you were too soft to do what was necessary. Ada could always look after herself but this one? Bird in a cage and what a beautiful little bid she is, helpless."

"Leave her out of this." Leon was looking for his way out and to her but he couldn't see it. His needed to calm down or he'd never be able to protect them both.

"She was so heartbroken when she left. Gaining her trust was so easy, she wouldn't let me in though Leon, couldn't bring herself to sleep with someone who wasn't you." Krauser mocked. "Not that I cared, that just would've been a bonus."

Leon felt hot anger rise in his chest, a rage he'd never felt before. He drew his gun and fired at the glass, making Krauser laugh harder. "Bullet resistant glass. It's all that's installed here, you should know that rookie."

"Fuck you Krauser. Why don't you come and face me? Like last time or are you scared?" Leon's anger was rising, he'd never wanted to kill someone more than he did right now.

"Oh, I'm giving you a choice. This is why you shouldn't be so soft." Leon's anger washed away as an alarm sounded and the room below him completely lit up, her panicked eyes meeting his, nothing but panic had now taken over. "The soldier in you should kill me, come after me, forget the girl, what does she matter? I'm the threat. But the soft rookie innocent police officer in you wants to save her, let me go and save her." Krauser laughed as water began to fill the tank.

"No." Leon whispered in disbelief, she called out to him, called him to help.

"She doesn't deserve this. What a nice woman, such a shame." Krauser feigned shame. "It will take you 6 minutes to get to the shut off switch for her tank. I can get out in 5 and it will only take you 3 minutes to get too me but if you detour to me it will add another 4 minutes to your journey to her." Krauser started and Leon paid close attention.

If he was fast enough- "Oh and her tank fills in 5. We both know how long the human brain can last with no oxygen and don't even think about shooting that glass, I've already told you about it. But if you hurry you might be able to save her sooner."

Leon looked at his old instructor in disbelief, they both knew Leon was going to let him go, he'd never risk her.

"You better hussle." Krauser laughed as he took off out of the room. Leon wasted no time, he had to reach that shut off switch.

*****

He got to her room in 3 and a half minutes flat. The water had reached her chin by now. There were two ways to go from here and he had to get the path right.

"Leon look." She pointed at the roof. Two choices written out. Me or her. Both with arrows pointing to one of the paths. Leon panicked. "That's him? The guy who taught you."

"I love you but this is no time to talk about this."

"Go after him." Her words took him by surprise. She knew enough about his work, he'd opened up to her after his nightmares had gotten so bad he'd spilled all.

Leon sighed as he looked at her, she looked terrified but tried to give him a small smile. A buzzer sounded and Leon's hand banged the glass as the last of the water filled the tank, the last bit was added, they were out of time.

Leon sprinted straight down the pathway that said Me he knew exactly what was expected of him now.

*****

"Come on." She faded back into consciousness, having lost it, well she was unsure when, she just knew she couldn't hold her breath any longer, her lungs burning. "'Baby, come on. Don't do this to me." Leon.

She felt a pressure on her chest, her ribs felt like they were breaking under the pressure, then relief and a pair of lips on her own. Breath, she needed to breath. Air filled her lungs as water rose, the urge to cough so strong that her eyes snapped open and she coughed up all the water that was fighting to get out. Her eyes were slightly blurry as she heaved, the water leaving her body as air tried to fill her lungs at the same time. Her lungs were burning again.

She felt cold, the clothes on her skin cold, her nose hurt from where her kidnapper had punched her in the face for resisting to enter the facility. Everything hurt.

"Oh thank god!" Her pain suddenly left her at the voice. Leon. He was here. He'd come for her. She looked at him from her position, he was crying, tears streaming down his face. "I thought you were dead." He said as he pulled her to him.

"Leon? What about?" She was about to ask him about the man who had kidnapped her but Leon sushed her as he cried into her hair.

"I don't give a fuck about him. You're all I care about." Her heart felt warm at his words despite how cold her body was. "I'm sorry."

"Leon, it's not your fault." She comforted as she wrapped her arms around him and joined him in his crying.

"I never should've let you go." He held her tighter as if she'd disappear if he didn't hold her tight enough. "I'm never letting you go again." He promised her and she cried harder, she'd missed him so much. "I'm better now, I got help."

"I know. I heard." She smiled into his shoulder as she breathed him in, god she'd missed him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do it sooner." He pulled back to look at her, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Leon, we all do things in our own time. You didn't need to get better for me, you needed to get better for you. I'm so proud of you." She said as she placed a tender kiss on his cheek.

"Leon!" They both turned to look at the source of the noise.

"Chris?" Leon sounded more than surprised.

"Hunnigan sent me." Chris smiled. "Hey, long time no see." He waved in her direction and she gave a shy wave back. "Krauser won't be a problem." Chris answered the question Leon had not yet asked.

"Come on, let's get you home." Leon turned his attention back to the woman in his arms.

*****

A call of her name had her turning around.

"Jason?" She smiled as he approached her, she was struggling with the bags in her hands.

"You're back?"

"Sort of." She said as she continued with the key in the lock, cursing lowly as it jammed.

"Let me." Leon came into view as he locked the door for her, placing the key into his jeans pocket.

"What is he doing here?" Jason's tone took her by surprise. She thought he'd gotten over his little crush. Although he hadn't been happy to hear she'd come back to her flat with a terrible cold and busted up nose.

"Jason-" She said carefully as to not upset him.

"No!" He suddenly shouted pulling at his hair. "This isn't fair, he's supposed to be history! He's supposed to be an ex!" Jason was slowly losing control of his emotions, his juvenile nature shining through and reminding her why she could never be with a man like him.

"Let's go." Leon said as he pulled her into his side, placing a kiss to her temple. He still struggled though urges to drink but everyday was better than the last and he'd currently been sober for 6 months, although a large portion of that time he'd been far too preoccupied taking care of the woman next to him to even think about his addiction.

"WHAT IS THAT?" She sighed, she knew exactly what he was referencing.

"I know, I should've asked her a couple years back." Leon's smug voice rang through the lobby. She felt bad for Jason and lightly slapped Leon's chest for teasing him. He gripped her hand in his, staring down at the ring. "It's almost as beautiful as you are."

#leon kennedy #leon kennedy x female!reader #leon kennedy angst #leon kennedy fluff #leon kennedy x reader

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ppnuggiex · 1 year

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hii!! how do you think the octatrio would react to an MC who blatantly has a crush on them (seperately or together you can decide - maybe MC is just pinin' for all of em) and is a really affectionate person PLUS studied business and plants in their own world in highschool?

　　　　　　OCTAVINELLE x gn reader

　　　　『　azul ,, floyd ,, jade ,, gender neutral reader 』

　　-> poly octatrio w/ someone whos affectionate + has a obvious crush on them

　　— fluff ,, sfw ,,

　　— this kinda turned into a lot more 😭💀 i went with poly :D !! tysm for requesting ♥️♥️

| • floyd would be ecstatic about it ,, more affectionate than usual and seeking you out more

| • you return his affections and hes over the moon ahout it ! he has no problem letting you know he feels the same

| • though jade would know about your little crush on all three of them ,, taking in amusement from it ,, though not letting your little secret spill just yet

| • after a couple longing gazes and accidental brushes against one another ,, jade becomes more interested in how this relationship would work

| • azul would be the last to know ,, with a little help (torment) from jade and a lot of casually thrown around sentences from floyd ,, he'd notice it

| • his cheeks flush when he thinks about it ,, having to admit he did have a bit of a liking towards you

| • azul gets flustered with how affectionate you are ,, opting for more privacy when you get that way

| • in private ,, he's leaning into your warm touches and craving more

| • he's also ecstatic that you know how business works and give him a few tips and pointers ,, that end up being more useful than he'd think

| • because of it ,, he found a way to save more money these next few months than he was in the past few

| • jade enjoys taking you on his hikes with him ,, happy that you know about the flora in the area

| • sometimes he'll give a popquiz out of nowhere to see how much you know ,, and his heart throbs when it's obvious how much knowledge you have

| • hes lovesick pls

| • floyd doesnt care for that stuff ,, but he gets super excited when you show up to his basketball games

| • hes guaranteed to do much better than usual when youre there ,, and when the team wins he's rushing over to you

| • floyd is the most physically affectionate out of them ,, and loves to receive your affection in return

| • jade doesnt mind it ,, if hes honest with himself he loves it and usually leans into your touch ,, almost as though hes wanting more

| • he'll initiate any physical touches time to time but not too often

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #🌊.octavinelle #azul ashengrotto #azul x reader #floyd leech #floyd x reader #jade leech #jade x reader #🌊.azul #🌊.jade #🌊.floyd #☁️.twst

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scumbagjaeger · 1 year

Note

what do you think the AOT guys would major in college?

COLLEGE MAJORS WITH THE SNK MEN

starring: Eren, Jean, Armin, Connie, Porco, Reiner, Levi, Zeke

rating: sfw!

notes: Thanks so much for the ask! I really appreciate your support(: I actually plan on doing a college series with each of the snk men having individual sets of drabbles, so this goes along perfectly with that!

EREN:

- I’m going to say Computer Science SOLEY because my Com Sci friends always seem to hang out on campus?

- Like not even in class, idk why but Eren’s just constantly there??

- Hanging out in the cafe, lounging around the courtyard, bowling in the recreation room, etc. No one’s ever heard him say “I gotta go to class”

- The man acts as if he doesn’t have a class to go to

- Most of his work is actually just completed at night anyway, when he’s not out at parties or with friends he stays up all night doing his homework

- Doesn’t really talk much about his classes but he probably does really well in them actually

- He probably doesn’t have too many Com Sci friends because he’s a bit intimidating in class? Hood up and headphones usually in or around his neck?

- But somehow he’s a social butterfly outside of his major, knows someone from every single one of your classes somehow

- I feel like freshman year he probably went overboard with parties? By the time he’s a junior he probably eases up on them, opting to stay up late doing his classwork last minute

- He might work at the campus tech office helping repair laptops for students! It’s better than working at a coffee shop in his opinion

- Probably plays intramural sports like soccer? Volleyball? Just for fun, probably decent at most group sports

- “Just for fun” but gets mad at his friends when they don’t attend his games “Eren I had an EXAM” “Don’t care, you should have rescheduled”

JEAN:

- My college headcanons for Jean are lowkey inspired by this annoying kid from high school who grew up and became hot? We had a love hate thing for a while😌

- So I’m going to say Poli-Sci just for that? But also I think it would actually fit Jean a lot

- He wants to see change in the world and he won’t have much patience for hypocrisy or overall assholes

- “Oh you don’t like (political candidate)? You think they’re the antithesis of American ideals? Name one of their policies. What does it about?”

- He’s really good at figuring out which of his peers just seem to parrot back things they’ve heard, yk? Like the students who memorize a Ben Shapiro argument but then cannot comprehend or form their own opinion?

- I think he’d be super understanding and accepting of other ideas, and honestly do a really good job of explaining both sides of debates?

- Understands that a lot of people shy away from actually investigating their political ideas and values because it can be intimidating, so he’d love to just talk to you about things and he’d make it really easy to understand

- Honestly I think he’d be a really good college professor someday, I bet he’d consider that as a career path once he saw his classmates turning to him for help

- He would want to be involved with the student political field on campus, councils and boards to advocate for his peers— I’d even imagine his classmates recommend him to join the student council

- But he wouldn’t have time for that(‘: he needs his time away from school sorry

- That’s his excuse to go out with friends a lot and fuck around

- At various parties throughout the week, bars, events, etc etc man’s a bit popular

ARMIN:

- Double major in History and Anthropology!!

- You already know this boys a total braniac

- Takes the most specific but random history courses in hopes of “really developing a broad spectrum of historical context”

- I was a history major and I took a nonhuman/abstract history course? I think Armin would hate a course like that at first, but then it ends up becoming his favorite

- The concept of my course was that studying nonhuman history (like animals or nature) reveals a lot about the people who did the research? And what they were passionate about?

- I did my final research paper on Greenland Sharks and how they live for hundreds of years, and how I’m fascinated by them because I’m fascinated with mortality? And so my paper juxtaposed a race to find the “key to immortality” through Greenland Shark DNA, and the history of death and our conscious awareness of death… I think Armin would eat that shit up

- One of the students who goes into their professor’s office hours just to talk to them about their theses and concepts

- Keeps in touch with his professors after he graduates too!

- Volunteers at the Student Writing Centers to help other undergrads with their papers, just reads through them and gives them some feedback

- Also takes a few creative writing courses!! Might have a poem or short story published in the student-run literary journal! He frames his copies on the wall(:

- As far as off campus activities he probably is active in lot of clubs or groups! Especially things like DnD! He is the Dungeon Master for his campaign

- But also involved in student orgs and clubs, loves checking out the activities board and exploring what the campus events are’

CONNIE:

- Business Major

- So sorry to all of my business major friends and anyone following me who’s a business major

- But at my school it was a joke? The major for people who didn’t know what they wanted to do?

- One of my friends had to decorate a Monopoly board for their final

- He’d probably pay Armin to write his papers? Or try to at least

- Honestly I bet he’d take the most random electives though? I don’t know how many Business majors need but his are so diverse and he’s super engaged in all of them

- Might take a Ping Pong course as a joke (my school offered one) but then takes Atmospheric Science? Imperial Russian History? Yoga? Latin??

- He claims it’s so that he can be a one-man-team in trivia nights and smoke everyone else

- But honestly I think he’d just have a lot of fun learning all of the random stuff!

- Habitually five minutes late to every class, but I think his professors would really like him otherwise?

- He’s extremely active and involved in class discussion, even if he’s just cracking a joke or giving an opinion

- If he’s not in a frat himself, he’s probably super close to all of the frats in town and gets invited out a lot!!

PORCO:

- Architecture Major

- Have you ever seen those “Architecture Majors be like: I have a whole building due on Friday 💀”

- He’d get so offended by those omg?? “That’s literally not true” or “Ha ha it’s funny when you say that but I actually have a model building I need to make”

- But the mode is made out of foam board and toothpicks or something bro chill

- Probably has glue on his fingers like 24/7? Hates building models with a passion. Especially with their super quick curing glue?

- Might actually make Armin help out with his models since Armin paints DnD and Warhammer models??

- I think Porco would prefer the design aspects of architecture and not the hands on part as much

- Is on the school’s soccer team! So he is usually at practice after school

- Probably hogs a squat rack or a bench at the campus gym, sorry not sorry

- I mentioned this in my college Porco headcanon set but I think he’d also go on runs daily around campus in the morning

- Probably one of those guys who brings around a gallon jug of water or a protein bottle

- You can tell Porco is nearby when you hear the protein bottle shake shake shake shake shake (yk with that little metal ball in it)

REINER:

- Okay I struggled with this one but I think he’d start off as a anatomy/physical science major? But then might switch off and go into education 😭

- I just think he’d be a great elementary teacher okay

- At first he’d want to go in to become a Physical Therapist?? So he’s super knowledgeable on anatomy and physical training

- Also on the soccer team, maybe the captain even! He leads warm ups and he’s super observant when it comes to his teammates and their physical capabilities (makes them personal workout routines and Bert is the only one who follows it precisely)

- I think halfway through his sophomore year he realizes that being a physical therapist isn’t what he wants to do? It’s work he’s good at, but does he like it?

- So he switches to be an education major!

- Honestly I could see him becoming a gym teacher or a general primary teacher!!

- He’d be really honored with the opportunity to make a difference in kids lives

- I know that teachers are horrendously underpaid (I’m studying to teach myself), but also shuts people down when they make tease him about that because he’s so proud that he’ll be aiding in the education and support of children!! He’s not in it for the money!

- Works at the gym, basically lives at the gym

- I think he would also be super passionate about activities on campus and school pride?? He and Armin are at every event hahah, his closet is full of different free r shirts he’s picked up

- Not necessarily popular by any means, but his classmates ADORE HIM! He’s super kind, the kind of classmate who will raise his hand and ask the teacher to repeat something or explain it further, even if he knows the content but if he knows a peer struggles with it?

LEVI:

- Literature major, maybe a philosophy minor??

- Similar to Zeke, I always imagine him as a grad student or TA

- One of the snarky, no nonsense students who will shut down his peers if he doesn’t agree with them

- Open to debate his ideas, but no one seems to want to 💀 he’s just a bit intense

- Probably one of those people who gets mad when his essay gets a B+ “I don’t think the Professor was able to comprehend my views, if he did he would have given me an A”

- As a Graduate Student he may teach a class to the undergrads and he’s super engaged with the content, and will just talk and analyze the stories for the class if they don’t participate??

- But he will not tolerate missing assignments

- As a philosophy minor he probably appreciates a lot of the history and context behind the philosophy

- Also probably laughs a bit at the pompous nature of most of his peers? Their whole “nobody understands life like I do” thing?

- Might secretly fuck with his peers by saying the most absurd and ridiculous things in a deadpan way to get them to agree with him “Dwelling on death is like thinking you need to shit soon, but not knowing when you need to go.” And then he waits and stares at them. “Yes, Levi, I agree completely”

- I think he’d be a columnist, or studying to be one? Journalism might have been a better route for him but I think he’d appreciate his courses on classical literature too much to not take them

- Might even take a creative writing course or two? Stays up all night in his apartment, under a poster that has the Ernest Hemingway quote: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed”

ZEKE:

- Biochemistry loser nerd science man

- I always imagine him as a med student?? So if he’s not in biochem he’s already in med school, a couple years older than you!

- Probably wants to go into neurology or oncology, something intense!!

- I also think he would have taken a lot of history courses as an undergrad though? Enough that his advisor suggests he just gets a history minor

- I don’t know how this man has the time but he’s probably a research assistant for the chem labs or a TA for some of the history courses he liked taking

- He’d probably be a little pretentious about it, saying that TA-ing his history courses are the most relaxing part of his day

- Like shut up we get it you’re a nerd

- But honestly the biochem courses are extremely hard?? Especially if he’s a lab tech or RA!

- He’s probably one of those students who believes that through enough pressure he’ll become the perfect student so he does not take care of himself (🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m that student)

- So any free time he has he dedicates entirely to school or other resume filling activities that he can on campus

- I love the HC of him coaching little league baseball though? That’s probably the one time that he’s just a regular guy lol

- Makes sure his Tuesday and Thursdays are light on course load so that he can take the train to his hometown and coach the kiddos, might hit a bar with his biochem friends on Thursday nights afterwards

Thanks so much for the ask!! This was honestly one of the more challenging requests to do but one of my favorites?? Since I’m trying to come up with a little college series for each individual character, this definitely gave me some inspiration, you’ll likely see more come from this, so I hope you enjoyed(:

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kazmyass · 1 year

Note

I've got a request. I understand if this is a difficult topic and you don't feel comfortable writing it. Natasha coming back from a mission to find reader self harming. Just loads of comfort and fluff, please

More Than You Know

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x gn!reader

Description: After feeling like there was no other way out, reader starts to self harm again. Natasha catches them and makes them feel a little better.

Warnings: LOTS of angst, self harm, negative thoughts, suicidal ideation, razors, blood, talk of depression, swearing. PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS IF IT WILL TRIGGER YOU!!

Words: 1.3k

A/N: Please please please, if you ever feel the need to self harm, talk to someone. Talk to someone safe. It doesn’t have to be a family member, just someone you know who won’t get mad. I am always available to talk to. I really hope this brings comfort to whoever is reading. Remember you are loved.

It had been an exceptionally hard week. Normally episodes for y/n didn’t last for more than a month, but this one had lasted nearly two. And it still wasn’t getting better. In fact, it felt like this time, maybe it wasn’t going to get better.

Y/n had had thoughts like those before, but never too bad. They were always fleeting. Always gone after a moment. But they were sticking around this time. Nearly all day.

The compound was eerily silent. Not just because it was nearly midnight, but because everyone was gone on a mission. Everyone but y/n. A hostile force threatened the city yet again, and y/n was stuck in the compound. They felt stupid. Useless even. They should be out protecting the world; instead they were in their room contemplating if they even wanted to get out of bed. They had barely eaten all day, didn’t brush their teeth, they were a mess, they thought.

The pain was too much. The hole in their heart was growing larger by the minute, and the feeling of utter hopelessness was eating away at them. All they wanted was for Natasha to be there. She would make things better. She always did.

“Oh god,” y/n whispered. “What do I do?” They were hoping for a miracle. That Nat would suddenly appear and tell them everything would be alright and they were going to be okay. She would whisper sweet nothings to them and hold them until they fell asleep. But, it was impossible. Natasha was nearly across the country.

“Please,” they begged no one in particular. “Please come back.” A tear fell down their cheek. The pain in their heart was spreading to their stomach and throat. It felt like it would never end.

Tears began to pour from y/n’s eyes. They pulled their legs in and buried their head in their knees. Sobbing, y/n contemplated the options. Go to sleep. Eat. Cry more. None of them seemed appealing to y/n. Except one.

They had done it before until Tony caught them. He had seen the scars and forced y/n to show him where the razor was. He threw it out, of course, and locked up all the sharp objects in the compound. Even the weapons. Especially the weapons. He did it out of love and fear. He cared for y/n like a father would care for a child.

But after a while, Tony unlocked everything and allowed y/n to train again. He thought they were better. And for a while, they were.

But now, it felt like there was no other option. Y/n, tears still in their eyes, unfolded themselves and swung their legs over the bed. They were going to find something. Something to end the pain, even if it was only temporary.

Opting for the bathroom, they made a beeline for the shower. There was a shaving razor, and it wouldn’t be too hard to take apart. They fumbled a bit with taking it apart, cutting their thumb in the process. Y/n hissed in pain. But it didn’t hurt that much. And when they saw the red, it was over. There was no talking y/n out of it now.

When the razor was dismantled, y/n sat cross-legged on the floor. They stared at the small blade in their hand. Taking a deep breath, y/n slashed the blade across their left wrist. It stung a bit, but the satisfaction of seeing the blood come to the surface was far too great. They did it again. And again. And eventually their arm became numb. In fact, y/n became numb. Tears stopped falling. They were at peace.

But it was an odd peace. There was still pain in their heart. It had just subdued. And nothing mattered anymore.

They were too lost in thought to notice anything other than the blood on their wrist. They didn’t notice the Avengers enter the compound, and didn’t notice the footsteps coming towards their room.

Natasha didn’t want to wake y/n, as she assumed they would be asleep by now. But when she entered the room and saw the bed empty, Natasha halted. She turned to see the bathroom door wide open, y/n on the ground, and a bloody blade by their side.

Taking a sharp inhale, she froze. She wasn’t quite sure what to do. She didn’t know how to respond, being on the other end.

In the Red Room, Natasha found ways to cope. She would dig her nails into her palm until she bled, she would pinch her thighs, pick at unhealed scabs. No one noticed.

And now, being on the other end, Natasha realized she could help y/n, the way she wanted to be helped. She took a deep breath and walked over to the doorframe. Y/n still didn’t register that Nat was there. But a soft knock on the doorframe quickly brought them back to reality.

“Shit! I- Nat- shit shit shit, I didn’t-” Y/n stammered, wincing a bit as they put their hand over their raw wrist.

“Let me see that,” Natasha said quietly. She wasn’t angry. In fact, her tone was warm and comforting. Y/n opened their mouth to protest, but thought better of it. They held their wrist out for Natasha to see. “Oh my love.” Is all Natasha said. Pain swam in her eyes, but she didn’t show any other signs that she was upset. Of course, Natasha’s heart was screaming. She wanted to pull y/n into her arms and magically heal the wounds of their wrist and soul. But she couldn’t.

Instead, Natasha got up and wet a small hand towel. She gently wiped away the dried blood and held the cold towel there for a bit to ease the burn. “I’m sorry,” she said.

Y/n snapped their head up. “What for?” they said.

“For not being there. I shouldn’t have gone on that mission,” Nat looked at y/n. Y/n could practically taste the guilt that was surrounding Natasha.

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine for being so fucked up-”

“You are not fucked up. Believe me.” Natasha’s tone hardened along with her gaze.

“But I am.”

“No. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. You make everyone’s life better. You are a joy and a light for everyone. You- you’ve helped me more than you know.” Natasha admitted. Y/n scrunched their eyebrows to keep themselves from crying more. Natasha took y/n’s cheek in her hand and whispered, “More than you know.” With her other hand, she brought y/n’s wrist to her mouth and placed a soft kiss on the cuts. “Let’s get this bandaged up. Don’t want it getting infected.” Natasha helped y/n off the ground and found the first aid kit.

Once everything was all bandaged up, Natasha led y/n to the bed and laid down with them. She held y/n as tight as she could, stroking her hair and whispering over and over, “it’s going to be okay.” Natasha would admit it was more like she was trying to convince herself of it more than y/n.

And y/n was finally at peace. A good peace this time. They were finally in Nat’s arms, hearing those sweet nothings that they had dreamed of.

“I won’t leave you like that again. Never again my love.”

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starboyshoyo · 1 year

Note

RAAAH 6TH TIME TRYING TO SEND THIS 😡😡😡 i hope this works

so i wanted to metaphorically cash in this request you said i could make, and i thought i’d do that as a reward for me getting into color guard!!

can i request the twst boys (surprise me on the characters) with a s/o who dresses in the dark academia aesthetic, listens to classical music all the time, and reads classic literature a lot? (totally not how i wanna be LMAO) thank you so much <33

https://www.tumblr.com/starboyshoyo/712163095699750912/permission-to-just-reblog-all-your-works-cause

A/N: @lacuna-at-dawn hello!! I have finished my AP exams and now have time to write. I didn’t get the other five rqs so it’s good you sent it in again hhhh. Dark Academia is my best friend’s favorite aesthetic so I know a little about it! If I get some things wrong lmk! I listened to the Enkanomiya soundtrack from Genshin Impact while writing this.

Pairings: Malleus Draconia x reader, Cater Diamond x reader

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland

Genre: general, romance

Malleus and Cater with a Dark Academia-esque s/o!

Malleus Draconia

Oh, dear Child of Man. You were made for him, weren’t you?

While Malleus knows better than to judge on appearances, he just knows you would fit right into the beautiful, thorny landscape of his home in Briar Valley. You may not be feared by others like he is, but he can’t help but think you might understand what a life in the shadows means. It’s not all dreariness- it can be beautiful too.

Your fashion sense is apparent to him on days when you’re not confined to your school uniform. It’s not all-black like his; instead, you opt for a mix of muted colors like wine reds, browns, and forest greens. It’s like you’re a lighter version of him- you are the shade to his shadows, the slumber to his death.

When he accompanies you around the school, he’ll always be one step behind you. It makes him feel as if he is your protector- though it is a bit funny to see Sebek and Silver trail behind Malleus, who trails behind you. Occasionally, Rook will join in (read: stalk them) as well, and then other students will wonder if someone had started a conga line in the hallways.

Malleus’s view of time is a little bit skewed in comparison to humans, so when he sees you reading classical literature, he might question if it’s a new release because he swears he met the author of the book just last week- nevermind, it was last century. Well, either way, he’ll go out of his way to finally get around to reading it, just so he can discuss it with you. Sebek is a big help in this regard as well- he’ll be more than happy to tutor Malleus in English so he can have more in-depth conversations about literature.

Classical literature also gives Malleus another way to spend time with you alone. During quiet hours in the NRC library, he’ll pull up two seats by the fireplace and invite you to sit with him, curling his arms around you protectively. You’ll take turns reading out loud to each other- and when you get tired, he’ll continue in that deep, relaxing voice of his until you drift off to sleep. Then, he’ll carry you back to his room in the Diasomnia Dorm, watching over you and keeping you safe until you wake again.

Besides library dates, Malleus’ most memorable time with you came when he asked you to show him your favorite songs. The music is somewhat melancholy and romantic, and he’ll close his eyes for a moment as he picks apart the notes. It’ll remind him of the slower songs played in the Briar Valley castle at mealtimes- only this time, he isn’t alone.

When he realizes this, he’ll stand up, striding over to you, and hold his hand out while looking at you with the love of the world in his eyes.

Child of Man, may I have this dance?

Cater Diamond

Cater is an expert on all things aesthetic. He’s a Magicam influencer, after all, and he needs to keep up on the times! You’ll immediately become a star, with Cater setting up a couples’ page where the two of you post various Dark Academia songs, art, photos, and other media.

Cater is used to dressing in whatever is trendy, but the more time he spends with you the more he’ll be converted to your fashion tastes. You’d better be ready to see Cay-Cay in turtlenecks, slacks, sweaters and the occasional pleated skirt! He’s not afraid to try everything at least once to find what he likes.

The two of you will have many dates where you’ll go to swap meets to find academia-esque clothing. He’s open to letting you dig around in his closet to find pieces you like as well. Cater will want you to pose in the mirror with your outfits, so he can snap a photo and post it to your page. The rest of Heartslabyul might be a little surprised with Cater’s change in looks, but they’ll definitely support him when they see how happy you make him.

TBH, Cater isn’t really into reading much. Books are so old school to him! The fact that they have no screen bores him. The middle-ground you find is digital books. When you introduce him to it, he might be doubtful at first. But he’ll quickly find himself absorbed in the stories as old as time and soon enough, he’ll fall headfirst into the classical literature rabbit hole. Don’t expect him to go to the library though! Just looking at the outdated computers makes him want to retch.

On the flip side, your boyfriend has always enjoyed classical music very much. Sure, he likes pop and country and rock too, but there’s something super calming and refined to the classics. He enjoys sharing earbuds with you while you walk down the hallways, listening to a mixed playlist of your favorites.

Over time, Cater will find that he enjoys the calming darkness of your aesthetic over the cutesy, bright one that used to cover his Magicam page. It makes him feel a little more seen- like he can be vulnerable under it all and not have to keep up with appearances as much.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland imagines #twisted wonderland headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader #twst #twst x reader #twst wonderland #malleus draconia x reader #malleus draconia #cater diamond x reader #cater diamond #birdie.request

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mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Luka had always felt like there was something missing from his life. It wasn't something he could put into words, but it was undeniably there. As if he were a guitar without strings, he grew into a teenager without being able to express it to anyone.

When the news of Hawk Moth attacking Paris came, Luka wanted to do... something. It was like an instinct stirring inside him telling him to go, to go do it, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do. He stood up when he heard the news of danger and looked for someone who wasn't around, or he'd rub at his wrist as if there was something meant to be there.

Things became better yet more confusing when he finally met Marinette. He'd seen her in pictures before but never in person, and he felt a little more whole just at the sight of her. Ladybug added a bit more as well when he got to meet her up close. It felt right and he couldn't help seeing the similarities between her and Marinette.

There was even something deeper - something sad that made his chest feel tight - but he couldn't place it.

Then, the day came when Hawk Moth's latest akuma, Desperada, arrived on the Liberty. It was also the day where everything finally clicked into place.

——

Luka was wandering the sewers, looking out for any sign of Adrien when he heard voices. Following them to their source, he walked until he spotted them from around a corner, though he stood back just in case he was interrupting something important.

Ladybug and Adrien stood there, still mid-discussion. While Luka couldn't see Ladybug's face nor what she was holding in her hands, he could tell that neither seemed particularly happy.

"And..." Ladybug began, "you really don't remember anything?"

Adrien shook his head, desperate to cheer her back up. "No, I do! I remember all the timelines I reset!"

"That's not—" She sighed heavily. "Never mind. Thanks for trying, Adrien."

He looked a mix between utterly dejected and confused, but she didn't clarify and turned around instead.

"...Oh—" She stopped in surprise. "Luka?"

Luka took that as his cue to step out fully, rubbing at the spot his guitar strap would be if he had it on. "Sorry. I didn't want to intrude."

Her reassuring smile was bittersweet. "It's okay. I'm glad you came along, and we were just—" She turned her head to gesture at Adrien, but he'd already run off somewhere. Looking back at Luka, she insisted, "Anyway, it was nothing important."

He decided not to pry, noting how disappointed she looked as if her world had come crashing down. There was still an akuma on the loose and he opted to focus on that instead. "You said you're glad I'm here?"

"Mhm." She held something to her chest, hidden in her fist, and closed her eyes. "I... I need a temporary hero to help me against Desperada."

He eagerly stepped forward, putting a hand to his heart. "Whatever you need, Ladybug, I'm here to help. Anything to protect my family and friends."

She nodded approvingly, perking up. "That's what I like to hear."

Then, she presented the object in her hand to him, and all of Luka's other thoughts ceased. He was certain she was still talking to him - his mind faintly registering what sounded like a rehearsed speech she might give to any temporary hero - but his focus was locked on the bangle in her hand.

Marinette, Ladybug, and now the bangle: the snake miraculous. It felt like everything had been building to that very moment, like the "something missing" in his life was finally about to be filled in.

He didn't hesitate to accept her offer, the bangle feeling smooth and natural in his grip. Taking a breath to steel himself up, he raised his other hand and slipped it through the bangle.

Almost instantly, he was hit with an intense way of dizziness. His vision blurred as he staggered, but he could still make out Ladybug's concerned face.

"Luka?!" she called in alarm, gripping his shoulders to help keep him upright.

Memories flashed in his mind, ones that weren't his own and yet were. Fighting evil, donning the snake miraculous, and the partner who was always by his side all replayed in his mind like a movie set to fast-forward, yet he somehow comprehended all of it.

He'd live a different life, and not just one life but many before his current one. While Sass was known as the kwami of Intuition, the snake represented so much more than that and the miraculous's design showed as much.

Renewal - a cycle that never ends - and with help from Tikki it was all complete: the creation of lives and a cycle of reincarnation. It was an arrangement that he'd had with his ladybug partner with the express permission of their kwami, to essentially go on forever with their undefined but undeniably strong relationship.

It hadn't been perfect. Things weren't nearly as nice in the past before the world had truly advanced, and the most heartbreaking part about it was that they didn't always make it through together. He'd die, or she'd die and then it was just a matter of waiting until they reincarnated again. Luka vividly remembered times where he'd won the battle but wished he'd lost if it meant they could've gone together, even if they would've inevitably seen each other again anyway.

Yet, even that was far preferable to what had happened in his last life, because the biggest difference between his last life and this one compared to all others was time. It was far too long of a distance even though he knew it wasn't the same for Ladybug.

She'd cut him off from the cycle. He recalled his last moments of laying on her lap as she stared down at him with tears in her eyes. She'd grabbed his wrist, hand wrapping around the bangle as she told him not to reincarnate again, or at least not until the world was safer for them to live together freely in. It would have sounded like an order too if her voice hadn't been so faint and sad.

However, he knew it would be enough to make a dent in their agreement. He opened his mouth to beg her to take it back or let him plead his case, but it was too late. His consciousness had been failing him and he closed his eyes for the last time.

And now, in the present, he opened them back up again to see her once more, different yet the same person he'd loved through multiple lifetimes. At some point, she had moved him to sit while he recovered, but he hadn't been able to pay attention due to the sheer rush the return of his memories caused.

"Are you okay?" she asked, cupping his cheek worriedly.

"I—" Luka took a deep, shaky breath, trying to gather his bearings after the intensity he'd been through. There were too many mixed emotions and he still knew better than to throw all of that on Ladybug when there was still an akuma going around. Instead, he told her simply, "I remember."

"You..." Her eyes lit up in recognition, then became glossy with unshed tears. "Y-you remember? You remember!"

She threw her arms around him, pulling Luka into a tight hug while she buried her face into his shoulder. She kept mumbling incoherently against him, but he still picked up a few "I missed you"s and comments about how glad she was to have him back. He felt torn, finding it hard to resist his partner's hug but unable to help thinking about all the time he'd lost with her because of what she did.

After a moment, he relented to his body's almost instinctive reaction to her, placing his hands on her back and focusing on the tightness of her hug. Gently but urgently, he said, "We should take care of the akuma. It's not safe here."

She slowly pulled back, sniffling but nodded in agreement with him. As conflicted as he was about things, he couldn't sit still at her tears either and reached out to wipe a trail of tears away.

The knowledge that they could talk later kept him going.

——

Ladybug had let him keep the miraculous even after the battle was over, agreeing with Sass that the snake miraculous was "back where it was meant to be." Once they'd safely recharged, they took off for Marinette's house to recuperate.

She hadn't even pretended to hide her identity from him anymore. Not only did she already know his, but they knew from multiple reincarnations that trying to keep their identities secret from each other was a losing game.

While Luka laid back on Marinette's chaise lounge, she fled the room to get them drinks and give him and Sass a moment to themselves.

"I've already talked to her," Sass spoke up from Luka's shoulder, having not left it since the detransformation.

"What?"

"About what she did." His tail flicked back and forth almost anxiously and it was difficult to place the exact expression on his face. "A long time ago, over multiple lifetimes, but it's your own choice for how to handle it."

Luka could only nod, though he was more than happy to be filled in on anything that happened while he was gone.

Roughly a minute later, Marinette returned with two ice cold cups of water in hand. She passed one to him and kept one for herself, pulling her computer chair near the chaise lounge to sit close to him.

Even though he'd thought over exactly what he wanted to say ever since he got the memories of his past lives back, Luka's mind was drawing a blank. Undeniably, it was a complicated situation, because although they were still themselves whenever they reincarnated, it didn't stop them from changing as time went on.

Marinette had changed. She was more fidget-y - more anxious - than he remembered in any of his past lives, and he wondered if it was due to not having him around for so many of her own. He didn't want to assume, but he knew that he at least would've grown restless as well had her cycle been cut off and he'd been left without her. They might not have needed each other to win battles or be heroes, but they wanted each other.

"...I'm sorry about Adrien," Marinette suddenly said, breaking the silence.

Luka stared, both surprised to hear that be the first thing addressed and confused because he'd already forgotten about Adrien's involvement in all of this.

She continued, looking away and elaborating, "I-I didn't think we'd be apart for so long, and I wanted you back so badly. I thought that he was the snake." She paused, then shook her head, smiling bitterly. "That's not true. I didn't really think it, I just wanted to believe it. I fooled myself with the idea that having your cycle broken for so long might've changed you, and since you have green eyes as Viperion..." She shrugged for lack of any excuse for herself. "I almost gave up hope before you remembered."

The reasoning sounded crazy even to her, only further showing her desperation on the matter. He looked down at his drink, taking a long sip while he attempted to collect his thoughts.

"Then why'd you do it?" he asked. It was the only thing he could ask. "Why'd you break my cycle?"

She squinted at him like the answer was obvious. It didn't matter if it was or not, he just wanted to hear her tell him in her own words.

"B-because I didn't want to see you get killed anymore?" she replied. The hold on her glass of water shook and she threw her other hand outwards. "And you didn't like seeing me killed!"

"So you thought you should suffer alone," he finished disapprovingly. Already anticipating her potential replies, he added, "I never blamed you, Marinette, or thought it was your fault when something bad happened."

She hunched in her chair with a wobbly frown, staring silently at her cup. Luka felt Sass's weight leave his chest and looked to see that his kwami had flown off, just barely catching the teal and red lights phasing through the floor to give them privacy. Marinette didn't even notice.

"...Maybe some of them were my fault—"

"Marinette," he sighed, not in exasperation at her but at the kind of people who gave her that kind of mindset. He sat up straighter on the chaise lounge, reaching out to take her hand. "You're so smart, but you can't be perfect. I never expected you to predict everything, and I never wanted either of us to stop reincarnating either."

He was sure that Sass had given her an earful of that already, but still felt it important to say it himself.

"Even when we...?" Marinette pressed, still determined to make her point.

The answer came easily to him. "Yeah, unless you didn't want to keep going. Whenever I died, I knew I'd get to see you again next time." He tried to smile despite the heavy topic. "I always got to look forward to seeing how you'd change."

She blushed, her free hand tightly gripping the fabric of her pants. She opened her mouth, stopped, then stood up from her seat without another word. Seeing what she was doing, Luka offered his cup of water and let her take both glasses away to set them on the table, giving them both an excuse to take a breather in the conversation.

Marinette paused at the table, idly moving the glasses back and forth without any real intent to put them in a particular position. There was the small sound of the glass rubbing against the table as she did so, filling the silence.

Finally, she said, "I'm sorry. I figured it'd be worth it to just—scrape by; that knowing you were safe would let me keep going until we met again." She whimpered, her hands resting on the table to support her and curling into fists. "B-but I kept thinking about you. I kept missing you. I kept wishing I didn't do what I did so you'd still be with me, and then I'd feel guilty about it because I was so sure I did the right thing."

Luka pushed himself up, hurriedly crossing the room to be near her. "You're not selfish for wanting me, Marinette, not when I wanted to be with you just as badly." He reached out to grab her shoulder in a gesture all too familiar to them, when—

"I-I was going to confess."

He froze, his hand moving no closer to her as he repeated her words in his head, making sure he'd heard correctly.

She continued, unaware of his struggle, "That day you died - your last reincarnation - I was gonna do it, but everything went wrong." She bent down, shaking at the memory that was so long ago for her yet so recent to him. "I thought... i-it must've been telling me something, like I was bad luck, o-or that it was horrible for you to be around me."

Luka could hear his heart pounding in his head, slotting in her confession with the context of his last reincarnation's final moments. It took all he had to not stand in shock, forcing his body forward so he could touch her. She flinched when he covered the hand closest to him with his own, her teary eyes darting up to his as his other hand found its home on her cheek.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, voice pained. His chest ached despite the requited feelings.

"W-why are you sorry?" She blinked rapidly from the tears in her eyes. "I thought y-you were upset."

"I am," he began, gripping her hand tighter, "that you were alone for so long, that I missed so many of your lives—" He breathed up, finally saying what he hadn't for multiple lifetimes. "—and that I never told you how much you meant to me."

She gasped inaudibly. "L-Luka?"

"Your pain's my pain." He caressed her cheek, then leaned in to press their foreheads together. "I love you so much, and that won't change no matter how many lives we go through."

Marinette's tears flowed faster, though he knew they were a different variety this time. She tried to reply with what he was sure was an, "I love you too," but it was more noises than coherent words. When that failed, her brows furrowed in determination and she launched herself at him, pressing her lips against his.

Luka staggered backwards, just barely managing to grasp the edge of the table to keep himself from falling over. Marinette's warmth was overwhelming him and all he could do was kiss her back to make up for all the lost time.

He'd never dared to imagine what kissing her could actually be like. There was so much at stake and he didn't want to push her boundaries, so he'd loved her silently. Now, in addition to being her best friend and eternal partner, he was also her boyfriend.

He didn't have the words to describe it, but maybe one day the world would come up with them.

Even when she broke the kiss to breathe again, Marinette clung to him tighter to keep him against her. She inhaled his scent, muttering into his shoulder, "Y-you're back. You're really here. Luka..."

Feeling his own eyes get misty, he ran his hand through her hair to soothe the both of them from the sheer intensity of emotions. "You've always had me, Marinette."

He meant it. His heart had been hers from their first life, their current life, everything in between, and everything that would come in the future. The only thing he hadn't known until this very moment was that it was mutual.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

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incorrectmarvelquotesss · 7 months

Text

— abience —

Warnings: fluff, angst, self-loathing!Bucky, mentions of PTSD, light mentions of racism

Summary: His head wasn’t clear and you were just in the way of his anger. || Soulmates AU

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Word Count: ~6k

A/N: This took too much time to edit and I’m pretty sure there’s still some mistakes. Anyway, it’s almost my birthday which means I want to do something for it here. Let me know if you guys want a drabble day or something like that. Enjoy!

*the strong urge to avoid someone or something*

Bucky grabbed a pen and looked around for a paper, telling Tony to calm down over the phone. When he finally gave up on finding a piece of paper, he opted to switch hands and scribble the address down on his right arm. He mentally thought that he should be happy for being ambidextrous even though it was Hydra’s doing, but Tony’s voice made Bucky tune back into reality before he could get too lost in his head.

“That’s the restaurant and remember to wear something casual,” Tony started, ranting about Morgan’s birthday dinner party. Gone was the Tony Stark that wanted every magazine to know his whereabouts and have overly sized parties. Now he would rather spend time in a diner that Steve had taken Morgan to, which she absolutely adored, and only have his family there.

Him and Pepper had the life that Bucky had wanted. He knew that they were soulmates, hearing about the time when Pepper had written a time and place on her forearm to meet with a client. Tony’s forearm had displayed the exact writing—and he claims to have recognized the handwriting—and decided to drop by the place where he pulled Pepper’s sleeve up and finally found his soulmate. They had their ups and downs, but they complemented each other and brought out the best in each other.

Bucky figured that that was what soulmates did. Complement each other. Brought out the best in each other. Complete each other. Help when one didn’t help themselves. He sometimes couldn’t help but wish he knew his soulmate, but he had decided it was better if he didn’t meet them. The Winter Soldier was still infamous for his actions, no matter how many times Bucky joined the Avengers for a mission to save the world—or universe. The lingering stares and whispered hatred followed him and he was sure it would eventually get too much for his soulmate.

Unless it was Natasha, he guessed, having been through something similar, Though she had found her soulmate a while before Bucky showed up. Steve had always thought that Peggy was his only soulmate in existence, but fate had proved him wrong when he had seen Natasha’s perfect cursive cross his arm as she drew out the words she wanted to get tattooed one day. Bucky had realized that they were a perfect match in more than some ways. The two were always coordinated and in sync, so it didn’t phase anyone on the team.

“I know,” Bucky huffed out, head snapping up as the doorbell echoed throughout his apartment. He looked at the clock and knew that there was only one person who could be here this late at night—it was only nine, but no one showed up that late. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Tony.”

“Yeah, alright, Buckaroo. And don’t forget to wear your happy face,” Tony said before hanging up on him. Not unusual for the genius, billionaire, philanthropist. Bucky had long gotten used to it, knowing he hung up on everyone, except Pepper and Morgan. Bucky couldn’t even resent him for that—Bucky would never dare hang up on Pepper or Morgan.

The doorbell chimed again and Bucky rolled his eyes, placing his phone on the island of his kitchen and walking towards the main entrance. He paused for a second when he caught the scent of cinnamon, hand frozen on the doorknob. It reminded him of a sweeter time, a bittersweet memory surfacing with hazy edges and leaving the lingering taste of a velvety texture in his mouth.

He twisted the door open.

“Hey, Bucky!” Sam said, barging in and toeing off his shoes without wasting a second for an invitation. He had gotten used to that ever since Sam decided to move into the apartment across from him. Even though he used to do it before moving into the building. It was just more prominent now to Bucky, the barging in with late night leftovers or pastries and sweets from the bakery down the street. The one where that sweet woman, who Sam didn’t shut up about ever, worked.

“What do you want?” That was his regular greeting and Sam accepted it.

“Well, you know that bakery down the street?”

“No, I don’t.”

Sam ignored him and said, “That girl I told you about tried out this new recipe with cinnamon buns and wanted me to try them, but being the good friend I am, I brought some for you to try too.”

“Jee, thanks,” Bucky drawled out as Sam placed the buns into the two plates Bucky owned. He had only one before, but Sam bought one for himself and left it here for things like these.

There was a reason why he never invited people over.

The living room had one two-seater with a small side table that was usually stacked with books from a shop he had found tucked between a few larger buildings. The carpet was actually a blanket that Bucky had bought a few years ago and often used it as a mattress. The two bedrooms were practically empty, a bed and a night table the only two things in each. Bucky used neither rooms nor the dining room, hence why there was no table in there. The two stools were pulled up against the island in the kitchen where Bucky, and Sam occasionally, ate any meal.

“Well, you are very welcome,” Sam sassed, chuckling to himself as Bucky’s broody mood lightened slightly at the familiar sight of cinnamon buns. “The woman said that she finally has a lead on her soulmate, y’know?

“That’s good for her,” Bucky said, not exactly in the mood for more soulmate bullshit. His left arm was permanently gone from existence so if his soulmate was right-handed, the chances of finding her decreased immensely. So there was more that Hydra took from him then. If he focused on it, he could probably find about a gazillion things they had taken from him. His sanity being the first one. Control, emotions, soulmate, time, name, the list could go on and on.

Sam bit into a bun and groaned, falling into the stool and smacking the island with his hand twice. Bucky bit back an insult, feeling like Sam was being a bit more dramatic than usual for something so small. He was used to the sounds and compliments that left his mouth after a bite, but the actions were new. And Bucky could say they were stupid and unnecessary, but held back because the previous pastries had been good too.

“Good sweetness, this is amazing,” Sam moaned, making Bucky pick up his own cinnamon bun. He eyed it with distaste, but bit into it anyway.

He felt his heart warm as the heat of the bun hit his tongue. Then the flavours flooded his mouth, bursting through the dough and making him inhale sharply. The sweet taste of cinnamon made him lick his lips. The light pinch of strawberry made his mouth water, desperate to take another bite and another. He barely registered when he had taken the second bite, the flavour of the pastry making him feel fuzzy and cozy. Comfortable.

“So,” Sam stressed out, his eyes already telling Bucky that he was about to tease him, “how is it?”

“It’s good,” Bucky grunted, putting the bun back on the plate while his face burned. He averted his eyes from Sam, wiping his fingers against his thigh and then flicking the dust off of his sweatpants. He didn’t know what it was about the bun, but it made him flustered. Nervous. Unsettled. There was a memory attached to cinnamon, that much he had clicked together. He just had a gut-sinking feeling that the memory was connected to his mother.

His mother had already been a sore topic of discussion. He could remember his sisters just fine, Rebecca being the most occurring between her, Eleanor, and Mary. Other than Rebecca, the three of them had bright steel-blue eyes. Rebecca had inherited his mother’s brown eyes, but she looked like the feminine version of Bucky. He remembered the countless times someone had pointed it out, saying that they could have been twins if Rebecca was a bit older. His father had always laughed and said it was in his strong genes that the two of them looked like him.

Steve had tried to talk about his mother—the one he barely even recognized—but Bucky had somehow managed to ignore all of those conversations. Steve, retired with Natasha by his side, had yet to finish a whole sentence about Winifred Barnes in front of Bucky.

“I was wondering,” Sam started, giving Bucky a glare when he sighed, “if you were going to Morgan’s birthday party?”

“I am,” Bucky replied, lifting up his bun and eyeing it, pondering on whether he wanted to indulge in the memory or not. If he took a bite and remembered what made cinnamon so special to him, maybe he would finally remember the brown eyes he adored and the warm arms that welcomed him home everyday after school.

“Great! We’re going together then,” Sam stated and stuffed the last piece into his mouth. Bucky cringed inwardly and shook his head.

“No.” Bucky put his bun down and Sam eyed it.

“Yur nof guha eaf faf?” Sam pointed at the bun, voice muffled, but gestures telling Bucky exactly what he was asking. Bucky rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively, watching Sam jump in his stool slightly before grabbing the piece from his plate. Sam swallowed down the piece that was in his mouth and added, “We’re so going together tomorrow. My car’s at the shop.”

“Why?” That was the one question Bucky ever asked. He found it easier to ask that and have the other person continue to talk than small talk. Idle chit-chats that he could barely remember were the worst and his biggest nightmare at this point.

“Well, the engine started making this noise,” Sam began, gesturing with his hands and elaborating on the noises more than Bucky wanted. Bucky’s shoulders started to relax as he realized he was in for a long night.

———

Sunlight glared at him through the blinds, waking him from the dreamless sleep he was finally getting. Bucky begrudgingly rolled out of his makeshift bed, cursing Sam for staying until midnight watching Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs after Bucky let it slip that he took his sister to go watch it. He rushed down the steps of his apartment building, still shrugging on his damn flannel and biting into his plum as he turned the corner. He finished it off by the time he had crossed the street, sending up a hand to a car that had stopped for him.

His shoulder knocked into someone as he entered the bakery, desperate to have something in his stomach before he took the subway into Manhattan. He muttered out an apology—the person had already disappeared—and continued his venture into the bakery Sam always talked about. Bucky had never been inside nor had he realized that it was a cafe/bakery. The scent of coffee and pastries made him pause for a second before he stepped into the queue. Ordering his coffee and paying for it, he found himself looking around the place.

It was made to look vintage, that much was obvious. The walls were a cool brown colour with beige accents creating swirly patterns around the whole cafe. The tables and stools lined up on the walls were another shade of brown that matched the round tables in the middle of the floor. The chairs for the tables were a light cream colour that matched the ceiling and the register counter. There were pillar replicas cut to fit into the corners of the walls, ninety degrees perfectly.

Once the barista called his name and held out his coffee, he rushed forward to grab and then walked out of the bakery. Cafe. Cafe/bakery place. He turned slightly as he walked away to glance at the name; Moonstruck. That didn’t help calm the debate happening in his head. Was it a cafe or a bakery? Is it both? Is it—

“Hey, Buck!” Sam called out from behind, a cunning smile on his face. He waved a hand teasingly as he lightly jogged over, a coffee in his hands as well. “Thought you could go without me, did you?”

Bucky rolled his eyes and continued to walk away, muttering, “Don’t know what I was thinking.” He took a sip of his coffee and looked up just in time to avoid a collision with a cyclist.

“I’m gonna ignore that and—” Sam paused to sip his coffee and gave the cyclist a glare— “tell you flannels are a good look on you.”

Bucky glanced down at his attire and shrugged dismissively. His black pants, black shirt, and red flannel were nothing to compliment. He found them all too casual and, quite frankly, the only decent pair of clothing he had for this outing. He didn’t say anything to humour Sam, instead taking another few sips of his coffee. It was good, very well-made, but that was another thing Bucky kept to himself.

“Oh! You got that coffee from Moonstruck, didn’t ya? I’d recognize that logo from a mile away,” Sam started, wiggling his eyebrows when Bucky sent him a glare. They reached the station, taking the steps down and scanning their cards to get in. Sam had, thankfully, kept his mouth closed for the time they waited for the subway to arrive, sipping his coffee and sending smiles at a particular woman who kept eyeing him with a smirk.

They both had to stand in the subway; apparently Saturdays in the middle of fall meant rush hour in the early afternoons. Bucky wondered briefly if he had rode in the subway back in the 40s. He knew there were working subways in New York then, but he doubted he ever took it. If he had to compare the money his parents had back then, he was sure they would be living as luxurious as Tony was now. They had a car and some foods that others would have had to work for months straight for.

As the subway started nearing the stop they were due to get off at, Sam started getting jittery.

“Do you think Steve’s gonna be there?” He asked, eyes darting to Bucky as he leaned against a divider. After Steve had given the mantle over to Sam, Sam had been doing nothing but trying. His view on the idealistic Captain America was different from what Steve’s was. He wanted Captain America to not just represent the country and the people in it, but also shed light on what America really was. It wasn’t the best country in the world, nor was everyone living in it the best people. Sam wanted to put that out to the world.

Bucky and Steve could respect him for it. Sam thought that they wouldn’t, simply because they didn’t share the same life experiences as him. They didn’t have police pulling up behind them already on high alert, just based on the colour of their skin. They didn’t have to endure the stares and subtle gestures of moving away or moving something away from them. Sam had explained what he saw Captain America to be with hesitancy, seemingly fully expecting the two to laugh in his face or tell him that it was wrong. But they had nodded solemnly and agreed, knowing that they would never know the struggles but could at least try to understand and help in any given way.

“Probably,” Bucky replied after a moment of thinking, shrugging. His one-word answer wasn’t enough for Sam.

“You think he watches the news? They’ve been dragging my name through the dirt with last week’s disaster,” he continued, grabbing the rail as the subway stopped to let passengers down at the stop. Last week’s disaster meant the tabloid of Sam talking to Zemo before the Wakandans took him in. He had watched a news channel dissect the picture, drawing to the stupidly hilarious conclusion that Sam had links to Hydra. The mere idea was laughable.

“Don’t worry,” was all Bucky grumbled out, stepping between a few people as they made their way to the doors. It wasn’t the best thing to say because Sam let out a frustrated sigh and had an irritated expression on his face. Bucky knew he should have had more things to say, to comfort Sam, but words were complicated. Bucky could never find the right ones and he found himself cutting his sentence down to just a few words.

The speakers went off with an automated voice telling them to stay clear of the door just before a ding and the doors slid open. Sam and Bucky slipped out of the subway, moving past the crowd that waited to get on and jogged up the stairs out to Manhattan. The stench in the air never failed to make Bucky’s throat itch for a few minutes. It was better when they passed the rush of the tourists and traffic in central Manhattan and made their way towards where the diner was nestled. Sam decided against saying anything for the time being and Bucky was thankful.

———

“Ay! Buckaroo and Cappie made it!” Tony announced, clapping Sam on the back as Sam glared at him. Tony kept his grin on his face, making it bigger for the sheer amusement of seeing Sam get all riled up at the nickname. Bucky had long accepted his, hearing it from Morgan a few times, said just a hair wrong and decided it was cute.

“Buckaroo!” Morgan shouted at the top of her lungs and ran straight towards Bucky, launching herself at him. Bucky, being an ex-assassin and having been greeted like this since the third time, let a smile grace his lips as he extended his arms just in time to catch her mid-jump.

“Hey, Mags.” He felt her arms wrap around his neck and arms around his middle as he held her close to his body, giving her a long hug before squeezing her tightly and letting her go. She jumped in his arms, bright eyes looking right at him with an excitement he hadn’t seen before.

“Did you write the address on your arm?” She asked, eyes widening as she whipped her head to look over her shoulder before turning back to look at him, hair slapping his cheek lightly each time. Bucky cocked an eyebrow and nodded slowly. She grinned wider, if that was possible with her small cheeks and face, and said, “Your soulmate’s here!”

Bucky’s heart dropped, feeling the blood drain out of his face and head towards his ears, thumping loudly. His face must have been somewhere between shock and horror, but Morgan mistook his expression for surprise and wriggled in his arms to be put down. She darted towards the back of the diner, towards his soulmate, shouting something at him along the lines of come on, buckaroo, she’s waiting. Bucky snapped out of his initial shock, but it turned into panic. Full blown panic. His head was spinning with worry so he did the only thing he could do.

Run.

Fight or flight, and he, like a coward, took the latter. He spun around on his heels, knocking his shoulder against Sam as he exited the door they had just entered. His chest rose and fell with each laboured breath he took, a shiver licking up his spine as he felt the cold seep into his bones. It was deeply embedded, drawing out a shudder from him as he fell forward, one hand on the wall as he tried to catch his breath. His chest felt heavy, suffocating him from the inside, squeezing his ribs and never letting go. Breathing was getting harder and it felt better not breathing.

“Bucky?” Steve’s hand was on his shoulder, squeezing tightly to let him know that he was here. Bucky wanted to throw his hand off and tackle him to the ground, but all too soon, his mind cleared, breathing got easier, and his panic subdued to calmness. His eyes darted up, meeting yours with a sharp gasp.

“Why?” He asked, more harsh than he wanted to. He knew that soulmate’s could feel and transfer feelings, with so much more he had to discover, but he didn’t want you to do it. He was fine, suppressing his feelings from you for so long and pushing yours away from him, so why did you do it?

“I—I could feel it,” you said, almost hesitantly as if you knew he was trying to hide it. Sam, who Bucky hadn’t noticed, spoke up from beside you.

“This is bakery girl, man! You’ve had so much of her food to taste,” Sam started, gesturing to you with a sweep of his hands. “Y’know she’s a keeper when her food tastes that good.” Bucky’s eyes felt tighter as he looked at you, sensing the change in your mood the second he did. He didn’t even feel the sick and twisted smile on his face until he went to speak.

“So? What difference does that make? I. Don’t. Want. It,” he seethed out, grin fading out when he saw the tears in your eyes. The betrayal and hurt he felt at that moment was more painful than any bullets he had taken. Utter bullshit. The second a sob broke through your lips and you turned away, a piece of him broke. He was sure what it was—his arm, leg, nose, or whatever—but something broke. It left a stinging pain in his chest.

“What the fuck, Bucky?” Steve hissed, grabbing and pulling him to turn by his shoulder. Steve’s anger radiated off of him in waves, making Sam slip back inside with a single glance towards your figure in the distance. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” Bucky muttered, not even meeting Steve’s eyes. He knew he screwed up, fucked up big time, but his mind was made. He was clear before with his thoughts about soulmates and the sudden appearance of his, of you, made him freak out. He wasn’t ready. He just wasn’t.

“Well, you better find the fuck out before I fuck up some else shit of yours, James,” Steve retorted with a slip of desperation.

“Get off of it, Steven,” Bucky tried, finally raising his eyes to meet his. Steve’s nostrils flared in anger, face turning the lightest shade of red as he grabbed Bucky by the shoulders and shook him.

“You better get your fucking act together, Barnes. That woman didn’t deserve being called it or your shit. Your anger is displaced; you’re mad at yourself, not her. You’re a fucking asshole when you don’t think, y’know that?” Steve finished ranting and glanced at the door to the diner. “Now, we’re gonna go in there and act like you didn’t just fuck up and then, later today, you’re gonna go apologize to her. And you make sure you do that properly. The second she stepped in here and realized who she might potentially be soulmates with, she baked a whole ass cake for Morgan. In blueberry flavour because Morgan had told her so when buying her slushie. She’s nice and didn’t even bat an eye when Wade showed up.”

“Hey,” Tony’s voice came, head peeking out of the door. His eyebrows furrowed as he took a quick sweep of the scene before sighing and stepping outside. “Go inside, Old Cap.” Steve scowled at the name, muttering something about the team being a pain in the ass before heading in with a shared glance with Bucky. Tony replaced Steve’s spot and held his hands up in mock surrender with a smirk on his face. Bucky started scowling at him.

“Look,” Tony started, putting his hands down and wiping the smirk off his face, “I don’t know what just happened, but I’ve got some clue with the way you ran out here like your ass was on fire. I don’t know what Steve said to you, but I’m not here to tell you what to do with your life. Though, you do need to get a life. Jokes aside, I felt the same way about soulmates as you do.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow, scowl falling and a non-amused expression on his face, doubting that they thought the same way about soulmates. Tony rolled his eyes and huffed out an annoyed breath.

“Fine, not the exact same way, but similar. I—I was a fuck up. I screwed every woman who threw themselves at me and the ones who didn’t, I tried my best to break down to the point they’d want to throw themselves at me. I—Pepper never cared much about that side of me. But she saw and saw past it. When I found out she was my soulmate, her handwriting gave her away. But I didn’t want it to be her. I couldn’t have had it be her, because she knew everything about me, from the drinking to the girls to my traumatic childhood. But—but she looked past it. She didn’t hate me or throw me out of her life. She gave me a chance.”

Tony looked at him expectantly, visibly awaiting an answer.

“What?” Bucky gruffed out, not seeing the point of this. He already knew that Tony was a womanizer and Pepper was a saint for putting up with him. The past few years had changed Tony in a good way and they all had Pepper and Morgan to thank.

Tony huffed out another annoyed breath, narrowing his eyes slightly and looking at Bucky as if he should have known what he was trying to say.

“If Pepper can forgive me for mistreating her for years, Y/N can forgive you for whatever impulsive asshole move you made.”

“Y/N,” Bucky mumbled, liking the taste of your name on his lips.

“Listen, Bucky.” Tony hesitated after that, but nodded and continued, “I’m not usually this sentimental or emotional, but I’m gonna be for your thick head to understand. Soulmates are better together. There’s this—this aching in your bones when you're not with them and—and their scent, their presence, calms you. Pepper, she makes everything feel better too. You go find her—after the party cause Morgan likes you more than anyone else—and tell her you’re sorry.”

Bucky nodded, finally realizing that the ache in his chest was just that. The feeling of being away from you was settling into his chest, deep in his bones, and his head was feeling light. It was the distance from you that was doing that to him. He was going to apologize, no matter how many times he needed to.

He figured he had a better shot at it, knowing Pepper forgave Tony.

———

The party was still in full blast when Bucky felt he had had enough of the building ache in his stomach. The ache seemed to worsen every time he felt a twinge of hurt, knowing exactly where it was coming from. Your tears, the anguish and hurt, all of it was digging a hole in his chest deeper and deeper. The invisible knife was twisting his insides as he gave Morgan a long hug and shook Tony’s hand. Tony gave him a smirk and pushed his glasses up his nose with the middle finger with a smug expression. Bucky ignored it, dropping his hand and walking out of the diner.

He took the subway back, keeping his head low as the dull throb in his head started to grow. It was gone in a few seconds—you had cut your emotions from him once again. Every time he had felt your emotions transfer over to him, they went away in a few seconds like you were trying to keep him from feeling what you were. He had done the same to you for years, so he deserved it—that’s what he kept telling himself.

All those years, he felt your emotions through the bond, but he never dwelled on those happy feelings. At first it was because Hydra pumped him up with shit that blocked his soulmate off completely. They kept him protected from your feelings, but that didn’t stop them from making him send nasty emotions your way. The rookies would take turns making him send you all kinds of emotions through the bond, some of which he was sure he would be thoroughly ashamed of if he remembered them all.

Then it was because he felt as if he didn’t deserve to be happy. He didn’t want the happiness that seemed to radiate from you everyday, so he pushed it back harshly, letting the tiniest bit of anger seep into you. Now, it was because he couldn’t let other feelings get the best of him. He had been going on missions, back-to-back, for three months and those missions would not have been completely with a sense of sympathy. Until Steve made him take this month off as their superior, he was blocking your emotions from reaching him. He let them seep through him a few times in the past month or so, relishing in the calmness.

The subway pulled to his stop and he got out as soon as the doors opened. He ran up the stairs, the hole in his heart starting to close the closer he got to your bakery. You were there. If the lights and shuffling were something to go by at least. His heart was ready to crumble when he peeked through the window and saw a teenager working his way through the shop with a broom. But then the kitchen doors were swinging open with you walking through, a pained smile on your face. Your tears had dried up, but there was no mistaking the puffiness around your eyes and the red tinge to them.

Bucky knocked and walked in, surprised to find the door unlocked.

“Sorry, we’re—” You cut off as your eyes landed on him. You took a moment to look at him carefully, eyes narrowing in both confusion and uncertainty, before directing your voice to the teenager. “Nico, you should go home now. Your mom said you needed to be back before eight and it’s already seven.”

“Are you sure you don’t—”

You turned towards Nico with a smile, thin-lipped, but a smile nonetheless, and said, “Go before I kick you out.” Nico grinned and shrugged, but placed the broom up against the wall, a pile of dust and garbage near the end of it and pushed past Bucky with a glare.

“Don’t fuck up,” Nico whispered as he paused to grab his hoodie from the coat rack by the door. Bucky gave a mere nod, one that was barely even there, and heard the door close behind him.

The tension that lingered in the air after Nico left made Bucky shift uncomfortably. He could tell the sun was going, probably touching the horizon with its end and painting the sky in orange and pink hues. The shop was going from warm to cold. The chatters and people that had kept it lively were gone, a quiet humming and buzzing coming from the kitchen. The displays were empty of the pastries and goods that were up in the morning, warm and fresh.

“Did—Did you need something?” The slightest crack in your voice made his eyes dart back to you, unaware of when they had drifted off of you in the first place. Your hands were playing with the hem of your sweater, one on the zipper and one fiddling with the end of it. Your feet shifted on the ground, going from straight to tilted to straight again.

“I, uh, I wanted to say sorry,” Bucky started, wincing when he tasted the words on his tongue. They didn’t feel right nor were they what you deserved. After what he said and did to you—not just today, but throughout your entire life—he had to give you more. He wanted to give you more and then some. “But I don’t think that’s enough. I—I want to show you that I’m sorry. Truly. Not anything half-assed or, you know, not real. I want to make it up to you.”

He stared at you for a long second. His eyes trailed over your eyes that had widened sometime through his little ramble, going down to your lips that pressed together in a thin line, and then to your hands that were no longer fiddling but fisted up together. You lifted one to comb through your hair, exhaling a gentle breath of a laugh. Your sweater rode up on your arm, his handwriting displayed across your forearm coming into view. A small smile appeared on your lips, one that only had the tips of your lips curling upwards.

“You can start by helping me clean up,” you teased, sniffling slightly and tilting your head at him. The smile on your face slipped as you whispered, “Just don’t do it again.”

“I won’t,” Bucky agreed quickly, head nodding fast enough to leave him feeling lightheaded. “I just—I’m a little fucked up in the head. I’m not the best man in the world and you could definitely do better than me, so much better. So if—so if you don’t want me at all, if you want someone else—”

“I wouldn’t have stayed at the diner if I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” you interrupted, voice soft and gentle. It was soothing enough for Bucky’s shoulders to sag with relief. He hadn’t noticed the tension in his body until then. You smiled again, a little more than the last one. “I mean, ending up at a diner with the Avengers who are basically in the media's limelight all the time, I kinda know what I was getting myself into.”

“It could have been Sam,” Bucky blurted out, trying to get a reading on you.

You eyed him curiously as you answered, “Unless he has two soulmates, I’m pretty sure I knew who it could’ve been.”

“What about—”

“Bucky,” you stressed, shaking your head as a breathy laugh escaped your lips. “You can’t push me away with your self-doubt or self-loathing. You’re stuck with me.”

That’s what he was doing. Pushing you to your edge with his constant self-hating and questions that would make anyone pull out their hair. He wanted you to be the one pushing him away after a slip-up, after a mistake, and be the one hurt. He wanted you to hurt him the way he hurt you. But you were smiling at him, laughing at his nagging questions, and trying to tell him that he was stuck with you.

You’re stuck with me.

That didn’t sound too bad.

“Bucky?” You took the few steps that were between you two and left a few inches of space between your bodies as you gazed up at him. “I know you’ve got baggage—Sam talked about his mystery friend up in that apartment building. He told him a few things here and there, letting me fill in the gaps. It didn’t take long for me to put the pieces together and chalk his friend up to being you.”

Bucky clenched his jaw and looked away from you. A soft and warm hand touched his cheek lightly, hesitant fingers trailing on his jaw, before you pressed your palm into his cheek and guided him to look at you.

“I’m willing to try this, Bucky, if you are.”

Bucky’s eyes flickered between your eyes, once or twice flitting down to your lips. He could feel his chest warm and bloom with something close to adoration, resolve crumbling the longer you stared at him. His jaw unclenched under your touch and, before you could pull away from him, he curled his left hand around your wrist gently, so light that it was feather-like. He twisted his head enough to place his lips against your pulse point, lingering as he caught the scent of cinnamon.

“I want to try,” he whispered, lips tickling the inside of your wrist as you grinned. His heart thumped against his chest in a way that made his insides melt, all in a good way. Your fingers patted his cheekbone lightly, tilting your head and narrowing your eyes slightly with a glint in them.

“Then get cleaning.”

#mcu #marvel cinematic universe #marvel #bucky barnes x reader #mcu x reader #marvel mcu #bucky barnes x y/n #mcu x you #mcu x y/n #avenger x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x female reader #james bucky barnes #james barnes x female reader #james barnes x reader #james barnes x you #james barnes x y/n #james buchanan barnes #winter soldier

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thewertsearch · 8 months

Text

I love these combination names. Breath/Light is an interesting one, because the 'Mixolydian' implies a musical theme, and I thought Time was the musical Aspect. Maybe it's not that simple.

I'm also wondering if I should read into the prices here. Like, is the expensive Breath/Space combination the strongest? If so, does that mean Breath synergizes particularly well with Space?

I guess there's only so much you can glean from a single menu. For all I know, each shop has a random selection of Fraymotifs, with multiple combinations for each price tier.

I can't wait to see these in action - not least because the presence of combination moves implies the kids are going to start fighting as a team. That's a development which is well overdue.

The Quest Bed isn't exactly hidden, is it?

I was assuming the god tier mechanics were obscure, since no one's brought them up before. Maybe the Quest Bed has other uses.

EB: i am not sleepy at all! [...] AG: Would you like me to put you to sleep? [...] EB: you mean, you're asking me this time, instead of just doing it? EB: what happened to you wanting to be responsible for me becoming a hero! AG: John, I am clearly involved in your rise to power now regardless. That can't 8e changed! AG: I am giving you the option, 8ecause at some point a hero has to start making choices. AG: Once you take a 8r8k from hunting treasure and stop getting distracted 8y side quests, you eventually realize that's what this game is all a8out. AG: The choices you make affect the destiny of the universe you cre8te, as well as the type of hero you 8ecome.

Plus, you're modelling him as Better Tavros, so you're trying to make him a little more decisive.

I'm not sure what to make of all this talk about choices. The comic is really emphasizing it, but it really seems to fly in the face of what we know about Paradox Space, which is really all about lack of choice - or at least, lack of meaningful choice.

You can choose 'the type of hero you become', but you can't opt out of being a hero entirely. You can shape your universe however you want, but you never chose to burn your world and light the Forge.

AG: It would have 8een nice if someone was around to explain all this to me, and let me have some control over my own f8. AG: I had to do this a much less pleasant way. I'm sparing you that indignity. AG: 8esides, it's not like you're some loser who doesn't know how to make tough decisions.

And I really don't know what to make of this.

Something obviously happened between Vriska and Tavros - something we keep alluding to, which may or may not have involved her Quest Bed. She can't put herself to sleep, I guess - so did she want Tavros to knock her out? Drug her with Sopor Slime?

Maybe the incident happened after she fell asleep, and started ascending the God Tiers. Perhaps her sleeping body was vulnerable, and Tavros failed to protect it - or maybe he followed her inside the god tier dream, and something went horribly wrong.

#homestuck liveblog #full liveblog #act 5.2 #3079 #s97

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tabbedtabby · 3 months

Text

calamitous love and insurmountable grief

johanna mason x reader

summary: On a hard grieving day for you, you recall an old holiday celebrated centuries before Panem.

a/n: valentine’s day oneshot!!! happy valentine’s day! inspired by a round of frantic fanfic me and my friends did (ty ruby) and the title is a lyric from the lakes by taylor swift bc i barely slept and don’t want to think of anything better. implied fem reader

cw: cringe 😓

words: 1.9k

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Your head lies limply on Johanna’s lap, your face expressionless as you stare deeply into nothing in particular. It was just one of those days for you. One day you’d wake up and be completely fine, skipping down the tile to the shops that make up the streets of District 7. The next, the memories would come surging back twice as strong and ferociously crippling as the last. The images of the dead stained under your eyelids; family, friends, even the soldiers you’d hardly taken the time to know during your fight against the Capitol. Some lost to your own hands, but most to Snow. It seemed impossible to think that he couldn’t reach you here, trying your hardest to forget about the Hunger Games and the war and the people you’ve lost. You’ve been trying to enjoy the little things again in this past month, taking a train out to District 7 with your girlfriend after Snow was assassinated, if you could call it that, really. Swarmed by the mob after Katniss’ arrow found Coin’s heart instead.

It happens to Johanna, too, so she gets it. She simply rests one hand in between the strands of your hair, her fingers brushing through the pieces as she fights with her own memories. She never knows quite what to say with these things, how to help. Often she opts for silence. She hasn’t cared for someone like this in so long. But Johanna has come to learn that her touch helps you more than words ever could. The feeling of her hands stroking your hair calms you, sedates that awful feeling that always seems to rise up into your throat like bile. It hasn’t taken long for her to learn how to calm your fears with just one simple touch, even if it’s something that goes unspoken between the two of you. Like a covert oath held together by the most lenient of hands, gentle fingers that have a tendency to care. Johanna’s touch is the type that draws all of the emotion out of you, like a magnet to its opposite end. Her hands absorb your fear and lead your mind to simpler things. A lantern in the dark, the only star in a polluted sky. Your mind wanders as you try to remember what you wanted to say to her.

“Did you know that before Panem, there was this holiday? About love. And you’d buy stuff for them. Like, your lover. It was called Valentine’s Day. Reading about it always made me wish I was alive back then.” you say, your brain reeling back to all those history books you’ve been reading to pass the time. You can almost feel Johanna’s eyebrow raise above you.

“Who wouldn’t? Worrying about stupid shit like that instead of getting reaped for a death match,” Johanna sneers, although the ferocity in her words isn’t directed at you. It never is. She’s always seemed to have a soft spot for you in that way.

“Yeah… it would have been today, you know. February 14th.” you say hesitantly, and your mind wanders back to those pages. The stores with the synthetic white lights overhead that illuminate the rows of heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolate delicacies. You’ve only ever had chocolate in the Captiol because of just how expensive it is. You’ve never been able to wrap your head around the idea of it being sold for so cheap, so common that it was purchased by millions to offer to their lovers. How simple their world seems to you. So different from the Panem you know. The Panem that condones violence, prejudice, the slaughter of children. But that Panem is one of the past now, too. Maybe humankind could return to such a silly holiday that revolves around love and stupid things like chocolate and flowers. Maybe Panem could finally heal after all the damage that was dealt.

Suddenly, you shoot up from Johanna’s lap, an idea forming in your head. Johanna just stares at you expectantly as you attempt to sort your thoughts into comprehendable words. Usually, it’s to no avail, but you need these words to reach Johanna’s ears right now or you’re going to explode.

“We should celebrate! We can both go out into town and get a gift for each other. It doesn’t have to be traditional, or anything too fancy. But I want to get you something. We can just pretend we really did live back then, before Panem. Before any of this.” you say, pushing the words out excitedly at the thought of celebrating anything at all, really. The aftermath of the war has been heavy and overbearing. There hasn’t been much room for fun or excitement or any of the childish feelings receiving a gift entails. This prospect is what has your eyes looking expectantly up at Johanna, on the edge of your seat for a response from her.

“Sounds stupid, but fine. Only because you look like you’re about to throw up.” Johanna decides, rolling her eyes, but you can see the small smile on her lips when she stands up. The excitement fizzes in your stomach as soon as the words leave her mouth. Something to look forward to! Not only that, but you get to give a gift to Johanna in return. This was the best thing that’s happened to you probably since you saw the life leave Snow’s eyes. Your life was filled too much with remorse and grief for your liking; even this small celebration was sure to bring some light back to your world.

Johanna is someone special. The only person left on this earth you’re sure you love. She’s not just anyone to bestow a gift upon, she’s Johanna Mason, for fuck’s sake, so you have to make sure you buy something meaningful. Something that she’s sure to cherish until her dying days. You sling some coins in your pocket and head out the door, heading in the opposite direction as Johanna into town so that you don’t run into each other while buying the gifts. Although, you’re both pretty famous around here so you doubt the shopkeepers will actually charge you for anything. The entirety of the country knew you as survivors of the Hunger Games, so most typically go pretty easy on you and Johanna. Even if their pity makes Johanna want to tear their limbs off one by one.

Your excitement shows by the way your feet bound you out onto the streets, taking quick glances at all of the shops open in the middle of the week. But as you bounce down the tile, you suddenly slow and realize you have no idea what a meaningful gift for Johanna would actually be. Being so soon after the war, chocolate was out of the question. Flowers were too simple; hell, if Johanna wanted flowers, she could have picked some in your yard herself. You think of getting something to aid her hobbies, but she doesn’t have many hobbies really except for cutting wood with an axe, and she’s already got plenty of those.

You begin to feel a bit defeated now as you wander around town, your bag of coins still clutched unused in the palm of your hand. You haven’t known Johanna for too long, but you thought you at least knew her better than this. You almost turn around until your eyes catch on the blacksmith shop.

On the front of the stand hangs an axe that must be completely forged out of metal, the sleek black and silver parts illuminated by the sunlight. It’d be impossible for it not to catch your eye walking down the path, the way that it shines in the very front of the stall. It must be a premium, because you’ve never seen an axe with a steel handle like that before. It’s heavy, sure, but Johanna’s managed to rebuild a lot of the muscle she lost when captured by spending so much time hacking away at firewood. Now that you think about it, the axes she uses must be older than she is because when she comes back home, you always have to fish splinters out of her fingers with your tweezers. As soon as that shiny, new titanium reaches your eyes, your coins are practically already in the blacksmith’s pockets.

No matter how much of your trauma was broadcasted on national television, a weapon like that is going to cost you a fortune. But the blacksmith recognizes you and offers to put something on the handle for free. You watch intently as he carves you and Johanna’s initials onto the handle with a small, neat heart on the end. Just the sight of it makes your lips raise in a smile with pride.

On your way back to Victor’s Village, you pick up a small box for the axe and buy some red ribbon to wrap around it, just for added effect. When you arrive home, Johanna’s already waiting outside for you, a larger, flatter box slung under her arm. She looks a bit bored, but her green eyes catch on you as you approach.

“Sorry. Took me forever.” you mutter through your grin as you walk up to her, already placing your box in her hands. Johanna smiles similarly, her lips a small smirk as the sunlight catches in her eyes. You can see the small flecks of brown in her eyes, a brighter green in the light than typical. Her hair has grown back curlier than before, the wavy strands ending just below her ears. You miss the red streaks in her hair. You wonder if she will dye them again once hair dye begins to be produced and sold again.

When Johanna takes the box from your hands, it’s almost like she can recognize the weight of an axe instantly. Growing up in District 7 will do that. “Nothing light, huh?” she grins, her eyebrows raising a bit knowingly as she tostles the box around a bit, hearing the metal slosh against the cardboard of the box. You can’t help but think she looks beautiful like that, with the sun dappled over her skin. You watch her almost distractedly until she hands you the box she had kept under her arm.

“Here, before I open mine.” Johanna says, her smirk widening just a bit as she looks at you intently. You smile back up at her as you take the box from her hands. It’s quite flat and almost weightless. You nearly drop it from expecting something heavier. You look up at her in question, and she just tells you to open it again. You roll your eyes, but the smile doesn’t leave your face as you gently take the top off of the box.

Your brows furrow in confusion as you slowly take your hand to touch the fabric in the box. It’s a piece of clothing. You gently unfold it, letting the box fall to the floor. It’s a dress, originally white, but cream around the edges with age. But it’s clear it’s well cared for, not a single stitch missing or a piece of lace misplaced. It’s beautiful. You nearly gape your mouth in shock as you run your fingers along the white satin, the pattern forming small flowers, and it feels silky smooth beneath your touch. Your eyes raise back to Johanna, the emotion clear in your gaze as she looks back at you with pride in her small smirk.

“I looked into one of your history books. White for weddings, right?”

#hunger games #hunger games imagine #the hunger games #johanna mason #johanna mason x reader #johanna mason x you #valentines day #happy valentine's day

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