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junhuiste · 2 months

Text

experi-meant to be ⋆ park wonbin

pairing: wonbin x gn reader

tags/warnings: fluff, cursing, college au, laboratory environment, one mention of baking, 1600 words

a/n: i meant to publish this on valentine’s day since i had lab that day but i never finished it lol. there’s some microbio lab procedure jargon so like this is what streaking plates is if you want a visual lmfaoao. this is my first published work in like three years it feels weird haha + i might change my layout/header for fics but for now i’ll keep the same layout i've had for past fics

wonbin believes U are the uracil to his adenine—you should always be paired together.

| seunghan: dude

| seunghan: lowkey i can’t come to lab bc my car won’t fucking start so i’ll have to make it up next week :\ but taehyun and his partner would probably be willing to help you out with calculations and clean up hopefully

Wonbin pants heading up the stairs into the classroom lab, cheeks immediately pink as he’s made a spectacle amongst everyone already sitting and tuned into the TA’s pre-lab lesson. Sighing as he processes Seunghan’s text, Wonbin turns to the drawing of bacterial growth curves on the whiteboard but is soon after preoccupied with the fact that there is no Taehyun on a stool. There’s just your backside entirely in front of him.

Taehyun is one to set up all his materials before the TA even steps foot through the lab door so if he isn’t here now then that means—

“Guess you’re stuck with me for today.”

Wonbin tries to swallow but it gets stuck halfway down his throat and is about to go into a choke type cough frenzy when he surprises himself and softly clears his throat instead. His thoughts are all just stuck there—in the middle of his esophagus, begging for them to travel back up to his brain so he has enough stamina to stick it through the four hour class.

“No hate to him because Taehyunnie’s a tad faster at getting through the steps, so you know, we’re usually out thirty minutes early, but I can promise you I’m better at calculations. And I’m more precise with measurements,” you let out a small giggle before setting your backpack on the floor next to Wonbin’s.

The commotion of pipettes being thrown onto the surface, glass tubes clinking, and sneakers squeaking rushing to obtain their samples is right away drowned out in Wonbin’s ears by the sight of you perched atop the stool a mere few inches away from him. He tries to keep his chest from heaving at bay by taking his notebook out of his backpack and reviewing the method for today’s class. The solution is only short lived though, promptly taking notice of how you gather materials from the drawer while simultaneously reading through your own notebook.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Wonbin assumes his seat in the third to last row of his Virology lecture, close enough to the door that he can be among the first to leave as soon as “see you guys next time” leaves Professor Choi’s lips. He longs for the day (ideally it would be quite before the last week of classes but realistically that’s the best he has to offer for now) that he musters up just the slightest bit of courage to join you and Taehyun in the second row, where Seunghan also occasionally accompanies you two. It’s only the third week of this semester, but perhaps the sixth course of his over the past three years Wonbin’s seen you in. From Biochemistry to Rhetoric 2, he has never taken place at a desk next to yours.

Wonbin’s always aching to know how you’d answer everything he could ever ask you, be it the attendance quiz question or your weekend plans—what time you usually roll out of bed, whether or not you stroll to the local farmer’s market near campus, if you’re spending Saturday with a special someone. He needs to hear you laugh at Taehyun’s cynicism about college. He needs to hear it up close, not having to strain his ear when he’s fifteen rows behind when you crack up at your friend during the five minute break Professor Choi gives the class.

But Wonbin will take what he can get for now, and if that’s helping you fulfill your wish of completing the lab procedure as quickly as possible, he’ll do it.

“I can do the calculations for us,” you begin, “would you mind getting our mutant strains at the front of the class and streak the Petri dishes?”

Wonbin nods almost too enthusiastically and curses at himself for seeming embarrassingly desperate in front of you. Sure, he’d like to muster up the courage to ask you out, but today he’ll try to take it one step at a time.

When Wonbin returns with new plates to grow your bacteria on and two tubes filled with your bacterial strains, you scoot your chair closer to his to later show the finished calculations. He catches a whiff of your light perfume and almost falls out of his own chair.

As he’s setting up the Bunsen burner for sterilization, you chuckle, “you know the real reason Taehyun’s not here today is because he left town last night to get a head start on the extravagant romantic weekend he has planned with Gaeul.”

“If there’s one way to use our one free unexcused absence, that’ll do it,” Wonbin replies.

“Do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day, Wonbin? I mean if you did I just hope you wouldn’t leave me early like Taehyun did,” your eyes meet his for a brief second before flitting back to your notebook.

Wonbin’s grip on the matchstick to light the burner loosens. He just barely catches himself before the match could fall from his hand onto the lab bench. What he needed to get a grip on was his fucking sanity—he almost set the classroom on fire because his heart instead is aflame for yours.

Taking a breath, Wonbin exhales when the flame turns to blue, finally lighting the Bunsen burner.

“Nope, no plans,” he briefly turns to you. There’s a beat and he considers that asking you back would seem too forward, but he does it anyway.

Upon seeing your grin before you open your mouth, he turns his attention right back to the tubes and plates in front of him.

It’s so over.

For a second Wonbin’s relieved, because he thinks he can actually get through the next two hours without overthinking his micro movements in front of you. Now that it’s over for him, maybe he can actually pay attention to the way the metal loop he’s holding makes contact with the jelly-like agar inside the plastic plate and not disappoint Seunghan with the results. However, it’s not realistic because even still, Wonbin takes note of all your beauty and remains completely bewitched.

“Honestly I wish...I mean Minjeong, Yunjin and I are gonna do a rom-com binge and bake desserts…but you know…not any plans with someone like that…”

Your temporary lab partner tries to hide his smile and nods silently as he continues switching between spreading bacteria on the plate with the metal loop and then sterilizing the loop in the blue flame.

The rest of lab goes smoothly as Wonbin tries to quell the embers within him for the time remaining. There’s forty minutes left but technically to you Wonbin knows time is dashing away and it should feel like there’s what but only ten minutes left to do everything. Your pair was a few steps ahead of the others, just like how it would be when Taehyun accompanied you every week.

Wonbin has been psyching himself up the past two hours to finally ask you out but currently he’s stuck in his head and just can’t seem to get it out. Does he chase you after you’ve stepped foot out of the lab or should he leave you be? Or maybe he can try next week. He’ll keep telling himself that until there’s one day of instruction left and then he won’t see you for three months and then he’ll lament the entire summer to Seunghan that he didn’t say shit.

He can do that…or just rip the bandage off at an agonizing speed.

The last Petri dish that Wonbin holds is being wrapped in parafilm to prevent contamination. He’d been going through the motions of the procedure while simultaneously not paying attention to his surroundings, at his own self’s behest. You’ve already cleaned the entire lab bench and he doesn’t notice until he hears “see you in Virology,” and suddenly you’re slinging your backpack over your shoulder.

It’s now or next week…or never—wait you know that Wonbin’s in your Virology class? What you said is ringing in his ears and it hits him all at once.

Petri dishes in hand and turning around, Wonbin freezes in his tracks.

“Um…”

Your eyebrows furrow.

“Do you want to hang out tomorrow?” his own mouth betrays him and suddenly it’s all coming out much too quickly for his liking.

You’re about to answer but before you can even get a word in, “I-I don’t mean to interfere with your plans with your friends but uh, if you wanted to do something like that I’m down.”

Your lips press into a line and Wonbin is about to pass out from the threatening fluorescent classroom lights.

“Park Wonbin…are you asking me out on a date?” He can practically feel his sweat melting the parafilm tape off and a vision of him dropping the Petri dishes in front of you, cracking open and shattering, exposing E.coli to everyone in the room flashes before him. He blinks once and calms his vice grip on the plates.

“Yes. Yes I am asking you out on a date,” Wonbin looks down at your sneakers, not knowing where else to shift his gaze to.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” you smirk, slinging the other strap of your backpack over your other shoulder and saluting.

Park Wonbin swears his heart is on fire and does a backflip off a fifty foot cliff. A curve forming on his lips, he smiles slightly waving with the plates still in his hand, “see ya…”

You halt your forward movement and turn back around, “Wonbin?” he perks up again, “you should sit next to me in lecture on Tuesday.”

#riize imagines #riize scenarios #wonbin scenarios #wonbin x reader #riize fluff #wonbin fluff #wonbin imagines #riize #wonbin

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the1975attheirverybest · 1 year

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5 Stars

A/N based on this. I’ve actually had an idea to write something where Matty is in a relationship with a writer. Idk is this me soft-launching this couple? Is this just gonna be a one-off? We’ll see.

Warnings: mentions of anxiety.

— —

“Matty! Good to see you! Where is your better half, by the way? I’ve been trying to find her and congratulate her, but I don’t think I’ve seen her anywhere.” Her friend (a term she would use loosely here), the magazine columnist, approached Matty.

He felt sweat drip down his back and he listened to this woman’s shrill, disingenuous enthusiasm, trying to keep a tight-lipped smile the entire time. Stay calm, stay calm, don’t let anyone know you’re pretending. “Thank you, Maureen. Really. She’s uhh- around here, somewhere. Just busy. She’s the guest of honor, she’s got a million people to see today. You know how it is. I’ll pass along your congratulations, yeah? Excuse me, please.”

With a gentle nod, Matty extracted himself away from that woman and to the other side of the room as soon as he saw his girlfriend’s best friend. “Ashley! Thank god I’ve found you. Have you seen our superstar yet? I can’t seem to find her anywhere and she’s not answering her phone.”

“I was just coming to ask you that!” Ashley clutched his onto his arm.

“So, what we’re saying, here, is her book goes out into the world in a few minutes and neither one of us knows where she is?” Matty was officially panicking right now. His eyes darted around the room, scanning the crowd’s faces for her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Pretty much. For all we know, she’s not even in the building.” Ashley shrugged.

Something about that statement finally told Matty exactly where the love of his life was. “Course she’s not in the building!” He mumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing, never mind. Think I know where she is. I’ll text you if I find her. Just in case I’m wrong, though, maybe take another look around?”

Ashley nodded and walked off in the opposite direction, looking for mutual friends or book editors, anyone who might have seen her friend or knows where she is.

Matty studied the layout of the room, looking around for the fire exit sign. Once he’d managed to locate it, he opened the emergency door and took the stairs upwards, to the roof. If he had to guess, he would probably find her up there, smoking a pack of cigarettes that she’d stolen from him without his knowledge.

At the top of the stairs, the door to the roof of the building was open. Yup. He was right. She was up here. He pulled his phone out, texting Ashley that he had found her, and then he checked the time. They had twenty minutes until she needed to be in the room. He could work with that.

“Coulda at least told me you were going for a smoke break. I’d have joined you.” He called out to her as he walked up, taking his blazer off and wrapping it around her. It was cold out here in the open night sky, and her short dress wasn’t going to keep her warm.

She turned around, attempting to give him a smile, despite her anxiety. Silently, she offered him his pack of cigarettes back.

“Lighter?” He requested as he placed one in his mouth. “Thanks, my love.”

“How’d you know I was up here?” She asked, blowing the smoke out of her mouth and looking at the skyline.

“It’s where I would be if I were you.” He needed to approach this subject with complete delicacy. Despite her calm and collected act, Matty knew she was anxious right now, and he didn’t want to make it worse right before she had to go back in there and give a speech. “Oh, heads up. Maureen’s here.” His eyebrows shot up, watching her out of the corner of his eye as he stood next to her. “She’s been looking for you.”

She made a gagging noise.

“She seemed like she was gonna implode with jealousy.” He added, hoping he’d make her laugh.

She tossed the end of cigarette to the floor, stepping on it with her heel to put it out. She shook her head, “don’t know what she’s jealous about…”

Matty heard the strain in her voice and turned around to look at her, her expression breaking his heart. “Hey, baby, what’s wrong?” His brows furrowed.

“I- don’t wanna do this. Don’t wanna go down there. In front of all these people.”

“Baby-“

“I know, I know! This should be the happiest day of my life. It’s a dream come true. I’ve wanted this my whole life.” She’d been quietly spiraling all day, now that she’s started speaking, it was like the flood-gates had opened. She wasn’t even registering Matty’s attempts to console or comfort her. He’d tried to remind her that she worked really hard on this for two years. Tried to tell her that she deserves this night, that it’s okay to be nervous, but none of it seemed to make a difference. So, eventually, he gave up. He stopped trying to speak, and decided to just be there and listen.

“It’s not like I’m ungrateful! I know how big this is and how important this night is for my career. I just- I’m just-“ she fell quiet, frustrated that no word in the English language could possibly capture how she feels right now.

“Nervous?” Matty offered a suggestion.

“Nervous?” She shook her head. “Matty, I’m fucking terrified! Look.” She stuck her hand out, showing Matty that it was shaking relentlessly.

The sight made a wave of pain jolt his heart. He couldn’t stand to see her like this. He couldn’t watch as she trembled and do nothing. He grabbed her shaky hand in his, kissing it.

“Oh, honey. Why didn’t you talk to me sooner?”

“I- I didn’t- I didn’t want it to be true. I wanted the fear to go away. I just wanted to be happy.”

Saying the words out loud finally made them true, she felt tears running down her face. “Oh, fuck, now I’ve ruined my make up, too.”

Matty wrapped his arms around her. “No, no you’ll ruin your white shirt! Matty!” She attempted to push him away, but he wouldn’t let go.

“It’s okay, my love. It’s okay. I’ve got you. Who cares about the shirt. Just, let me hold you, okay? Let me.”

She took her first deep breath of the day. “I just don’t want this to be a disaster. My parents are here. You. George and Charli. Ashley and her brother-“

“Don’t mean to interrupt but Adam and Carly found someone to watch the baby. So they’re here too.” He tried to make her laugh, it seemed only to make things worse. “Sorry, sorry. Go

On?”

“I’m saying….I don’t want to let them down. Or my editorial team or my publishers! So many people’s livelihoods depend on this book, not just mine. And, everyone who’s loved me and been patient with me, and supported me through this. Everyone who didn’t laugh in my face when I said I wanted to be a writer, everyone who gave me feedback, helped me work out my ideas and make them real…the room is filled with everyone I love-“

“And Maureen.” Matty grinned. This time, she laughed.

“…and Maureen.” She rolled her eyes at him. “My point is, this is the most important thing I’ve ever done and I have never been more scared to share it with the world. This whole time, it’s been my little dream. And as long as it remained that way, it couldn’t disappoint anyone. But now that it’s becoming a reality, right in front of everyone….oh my god! Book reviews are gonna start coming in soon! What if they’re not good?”

“It’s okay.” Matty’s armed tightened around her, knocking the wind from her lungs. “You’re gonna be okay.”

“How do you do it? Every two years?” She spoke, her moth next to his ear as he continued holding her through the panic.

“Do what?”

“Release a new album! It’s your innermost thoughts and feelings in audio form and you just release into the world where people will judge it and critique it and tear it apart. How? How’d you do it when ‘Self Titled’ came out?”

he let her sleep out of his arms so he could step away and look her in her glassy eyes.

“Oh, honey. When we put out self-titled I don’t think anyone cared. Nobody knew who we were back then. Your situation’s slightly different cuz you’ve actually written pieces here and there. People know who you are.” Matty smiled at her but he could tell that his words only served to remind her of the looming expectations of the masses. “Ask me about ‘I Like It When You Sleep,’ though.”

She sniffled, wiping the tears out of the corners of her eyes. “Okay…umm, what was it like when you came out with ‘I Like It When You Sleep’ ?”

Matty, took her hand again, squeezing it and rubbing his thumb over the back of her palm, soothingly. He knew it brought her comfort in situations like this. He looked up at the sky, as if the past were written in the stars. “It was….the most terrier I’d ever been in my entire life. As you know, George’d had this…anxiety during the making of the record. Cuz he felt the pressure of the world watching. He went a bit insane and lost confidence for a long time. For me, that didn’t happen during the making of….it happened after. I was so scared people would hate it.”

“So, how’d you deal?”

“Drugs.” He said without missing a beat.

She smiled in spite of herself. “Okay, unless you have some cocaine in the pocket of this blazer you’ve given me….”

He kissed her forehead. “That’s not what I mean! I’m not done yet.”

“Sorry, go on.”

“The day before the record came out, I had…a similar nervous breakdown to the one that you’re having.” He winked at her. “I started thinking about the record and what I would go back and change about it if I could, whether I had any regrets or made any creative decisions that I was now questioning….”

“And?” She looked up at him with her big, beautiful eyes, expectation written all over her face.

“Honestly? Not a single thing. Wouldn’t change a damn thing.” He finally looked away from the starry night and directly in her eyes, making her blush at the intense gaze.

“Would you go back and change anything?” She considered his question for a moment, thinking about the various drafts she’d gone through, the rewrites, the choices to cut some pages and add others. A feeling of calm enveloped her as she spoke “nope. not a damn thing.”

“Then, you’ve got nothing to fear.” Matty smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into him. “No matter what the press says, no matter how tonight goes, no matter how booksales go…you’ll know you made the right decisions and did what’s best for the book. Not what’s selling these days, not what’s trendy, not what’s popular. You know what else?” He kissed her cheek, wiping the wet tears that had been drying on her face away.

“What?”

“ your mind is brilliant. Anything that comes out of it is completely stunning. If the world can’t see that, then the world can go fuck itself.” He spoke with the softest tone, as if singing a lullaby.

She giggled and shook her head. “Biased!”

“Hey, baby?”

“Yeah, Matty?”

“Put your hand in the inner pocket of my blazer. I got you something.” A bright smile erupted accords his face.

She took out a sheet of paper, frowning. “What’s this?”

“Your first 5 star review! Go on, read it!”

“The- the New York Review of Books?

Is this real?!!!!” She was stunned. “Matty, I swear if this is a joke, then-“

He chuckled loudly. “It’s not a joke! It’s just not out yet. Comes out next week.”

“How did you? When did you? What-“ she stuttered, her tongue unable to keep up with her racing mind.

“I have a music journalist friend who knows someone over at the NYR, so….didn’t know what to get you as a publication day present. Figured this would do.”

Matty watched her squeal with joy, dance around the roof, and eventually jump into his arm and hug him tightly, whispering “I love you�� repeatedly into his ear and kissing his cheeks and neck.

“If you’d given it to me earlier…could’ve spared us both the meltdown.” She noted when she’d eventually calmed down and had a moment to think about it.

“I know. But I wanted you to feel better because you’d thought about it and decided to believe in yourself and your book. Not because some guy from a fancy publication thought you were worthy.”

He melted her heart. As if she weren’t already in love with him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him by his side. “That’s the sweetest thing that anyone’s ever done for me.” She kissed him.

“The fancy publication is quite nice, though, isn’t it?” She grinned, beaming like a ray of sunshine. A remarkable difference from the cowering shadow of herself that had been crying and fearful a few moments ago.

“You have no idea how proud I am of you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, giving her a peck. “C’mon. It’s almost time. We gotta fix your runny makeup.”

“Hold my hand until we get there?” She reached her hand out to him.

“Of course. You’re gonna be alright, my love. If you get scared, think of me. If you feel panicked, look for my face in the crowd. I’ll be the one in the front row, crying tears of joy.”

#matty healy fanfiction #matty healy fic #matty healy x you #Matty Healy fanfic #matty healy fluff #matty healy x y/n #matty healy x reader #Matty Healy writing #matty healy oneshot

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inoankin · 4 months

Text

Strangers (scrapped)

i need tumblr to revert back to its old layout right this second because this twitter-esque layout is making me so fucking upset

anyways this has been in my wips long enough for me to know it's probably never getting finished soooo. you can have it.

can you tell that i really connect emotionally with music? cuz i reaalllyy connect emotionally with music

_______________

It starts with the picking.

Vincent is checking around the second floor for anything useful when he hears it. The untuned, experimental picking of the old banjo’s strings. The sound floats up the stairs and right to Vincent, as if magnetised. After a moment the playing starts. It’s unrefined and far from pleasant. But it’s almost familiar.

Then, the humming.

That. Well.

Vincent’s feet carry him to the top of the staircase, just listening. The voice is rough like the strings, and yet. There’s something about it.

He steps down. Magnetised. Before he knows it, he’s at the landing, watching Leo Caruso sit with bowed head as he hums alongside the makeshift tune. Light spills over his shoulders. Vincent thinks he spots a hint of a smile. He’s happy. The song is on the tip of his tongue.

Then…

“Mm-mm, mm-mm, I don’t mind. If I live too long, I’m afraid I’ll die…”

Oh.

The stagnant air carries the Davies’ words and they taste like cinnamon from Leo’s lips. As he sings, Vincent makes his way down the steps, enraptured by this impossible moment.

“So I will follow you wherever you go, If you offered hand’s still open to me.”

Leo doesn’t notice him when he reaches the bottom. It doesn’t seem real. This vulgar, cocky criminal, picking a banjo and singing the Kinks like he’s got nowhere better to be than here, flipping every one of Vincent’s notions on their heads. He’s been doing that a lot lately.

“Strangers on this road we are on, Oh, we are not two, we are one.”

Something in his voice beckons him forward; but when he walks into the open space, Leo’s head snaps up.

Silence.

He looks nervous, guilty. Like he’s been caught in the middle of something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Vincent’s pinned by his gaze before he convinces his body to move again, making it the rest of the way to the piano resting quietly against the wall. He lifts the lid and tests the keys. Still well-tuned. He takes a second to remember the chords. And then…

“So you’ve been where I’ve just come, From the land that brings losers on...”

He doesn’t look at Leo, instead focusing on the keys. Similarly, it’s unrefined. He learned to play this song a while ago, and it’s not like he’s had much free time lately. He shouldn’t have any now.

Leo picks back up his half, the banjo a fitting supplement for guitar. His smile is small. Vincent’s is as well.

“So we will share this road we walk, And mind our mouths and beware our talk.”

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Leo can play; his file mentioned an upbringing in Virginia. And anyway, he’s missing a third of the chords he picks. Still, Vincent finds himself entranced by his fingers on the strings, calloused and confident despite his mistakes. Like the result doesn’t matter, because he’s enjoying himself. The simplicity is infectious.

“‘Till peace we find, tell you what I’ll do, All the things I own, I will share with you.”

Their voices meld into one. Leo meets his eyes and he gets the feeling that the song choice was intentional. His eyes glitter with warmth, with trust. Vincent ignores the flighty feeling in his chest.

“And if I feel tomorrow like I feel today, We’ll take what we want and give the rest away. Strangers on this road we are on, Oh, we are not two, we are one.”

They play together and it feels fucking right. Like everything they do. Slotting together perfectly, like companions, like friends, like…

Vincent fumbles a few beats as he dismisses the rest of that thought. Leo eyes him, but he keeps on.

He can accept the fact that Leo is attractive. It’s not anything subjective, it’s just a fact. With a hard, lean body and the skills to match, he’s not losing anything by admitting it. Leo’s attractive. That doesn’t mean Vincent has feelings for him. He’s not even… he’s never thought about a man that way. It would be a stupid choice, anyways, considering his circumstances—he’d be better off shooting Leo now. He tries to ignore how that idea makes him vaguely nauseous.

But he can’t spare it any more thought once the next verse catches them. He forgets the next lyrics, but Leo supplies.

“Holy man and holy priest, This love of life makes me weak at my knees.”

Vincent might have jumped in were he not suddenly captured by the sound. It’s not smooth, but it is good. Like a low fire, crackling with warmth and smoke, licking at the roof of his mouth. Vincent’s goes dry.

“And when we get there, make your play, ‘Cause soon, I feel, you’re gonna carry us — come on, man!”

Vincent swallows and pulls his eyes back to the piano. It shouldn’t be so hard to look away. But Leo is so earnest in his joy, glowing in the soft light of the afternoon. So he sings.

“In a promised lie you made us believe, For many men, there is so much grief. And my mind is proud, but it aches with rage, And if I live too long, I’m afraid I’ll die. Strangers on this road we are on, Oh, we are not two, we are one…”

Vincent watches his own fingers play. Badly bruised and webbed with cuts from day and night spent navigating the wilderness with Leo at his side.

couplet? maybe

Leo doesn’t know who he is, and maybe the irony of it is what hits the hardest. He’s extended this proverbial olive branch and he doesn’t even know what it means, wholly trusting that Vincent is who he claims to be. That’s always been Leo’s greatest vice. Trust. He gave his trust to Harvey, who threw it back in his face. And now, despite his wounds, he’s given it to Vincent. Who plans to do the very same.

fin.

#strangers by the kinks consumed my life for a month or so after cubecast80 put it on their playlist #also drum in by disq but for different reasons #that's just because it sounds fucking amazing #and it's one of my vincent songs #also i make notes to myself in the middle of writing a lot of time so. that's why there's just like two words between the last paragraphs #it's a note #a way out #scrapped #velvet writes

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ratherchaseamouse · 1 year

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Tantomile’s First Heist (1/4 ish)

In which Tantomile volunteers as a replacement for Mungojerrie

Nothing explicit just feelings :)

“What do you want to do today?” Sighed Rumpleteazer, plopping down next to Tantomile.

The mystical cat paused her stretches to ask a question back,

“Don’t you and Mungojerrie have big plans? You told me the Livingstones were rotating their staff this weekend.”

“You have no idea how much I want to get in there and wreck everything,” Rumpleteazer said, gesticulating wildly. Her arms and face fell as she lamented, “But he flaked out on me! Something or other about a boy, I don’t know. Don’t know, don’t care. He’s dead to me forever… til tomorrow at least.”

Tantomile had resumed her stretches, but was still listening. Rumpleteazer wasn’t sitting still either. When she wasn’t talking with her hands, she was kicking her feet, or sprawling out to make dust motes, or half-attempting handstands. She automatically moved to spot Tantomile when the mystical cat put her feet over her head against a discarded bed frame. She didn’t need it, not really, but she wasn’t going to argue against Rumpleteazer’s hands on her hips.

“Can’t you pull it off without Mungojerrie?” Asked Tantomile. Another deep groan from Rumpleteazer on this.

“That’s exactly what he said! ‘Can’t you do this one without me, Teazer? Girl power and all that?’” She said in an exaggeration of his cockney accent, which didn’t have the mocking effect she thought it did because it was also her cockney accent. In her normal voice she continued,

“I love my brother, but sometimes he’s dumber than a barrel of fish,” she chuckled, “Not that I’m any better, mind you.”

“You’re not dumb,”

“No, it’s okay, I’ve made my peace with it,” she said, “I am not the brains of this outfit.”

Tantomile considered. Her schedule was free. A light blinked on in her head. She flipped back right-side-up and stuck her paw out to Rumpleteazer.

“Could I help you?” she offered, “I’m no master thief, but I don’t want you going in there without some backup.”

The other queen was clearly not expecting that. For a moment, she just stood, eyes wide and mouth small, glancing between Tantomile’s face and outstretched hand. Tantomile began to feel self conscious and lowered her paw. Before she could turn away, though, her hand was snatched up in another.

“Of course!!” Rumpleteazer squealed bouncily. Tantomile was nearly yanked off her feet by Rumpleteazer pulling her in the direction of her and Mungojerrie’s slapdash junkyard residence. They never stayed for long, it was more a place to dump excess loot than anything.

Rumpleteazer chattered as she dragged Tantomile inside.

“Agh, there’s so much to do! First, we need to go over the layout of the house and where all the people will be—” she cut herself off grabbing a fat, rubbed-down pencil to write with, gripping it in two hands over a scrap of canvas sack on the floor.

“And then I’ll teach you where all the shiny stuff is kept, they’re bound to have some nice big jewels, ooh, just the thought of nicking a coupl’a’ nice emeralds from those bigwigs makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!” she didn’t slow down, listing all the steps of her criminal process. Tantomile was content to simply watch the expert at work. As she talked, Rumpleteazer sketched out a big rectangle on the canvas, then divided that rectangle into a bunch of smaller, uneven rectangles.

“Those are rooms,” she explained, pointing to each one and saying “Here’s the kitchen, here’s the larder, here’s a closet,” Tantomile wondered how she could keep all of it straight in her head, and asked her as much.

“I don’t know, really,” answered Rumpleteazer, “when I get this excited about something I guess I just remember it more.”

Tantomile knew the feeling, having memorized every freckle on Teazer’s cheeks, every orange stripe on her head, how every couple of steps she liked to switch it up and do a cartwheel or a handstand for a second.

Rumpleteazer, lost in thought for a beat, shook her head and gasped.

“I nearly forgot!” She cried, dashing into a corner to scruffle about in the detritus, “we need accessories!”

“What?” said Tantomile.

“You know, accessories! Accoutrements,” she clarified, “That’s French.” She rustled about a bit longer and pulled out a wide black velvet ribbon and a string of pinkish-white pearls. She held both up next to Tantomile’s face, then tossed the ribbon aside.

“These pearls are my favorite to wear, they clatter around and make quite an impressive ruckus,” She said, “And they look pretty besides.” Rumpleteazer looped the string around Tantomile’s neck and arranged the pearls just so. Tantomile’s face felt hot as she met Rumpleteazer’s eyes. The feeling didn’t go away when she looked anywhere but the other queen’s face.

“What do I need these for, anyway?” She asked.

“Confidence! And style,” said Rumpleteazer, tying the black velvet ribbon in a fat bow around her tail, “I like to feel a little fancier when I’m trashing a mansion.”

Tantomile ran her hands over the smooth beads around her neck admiringly, “Are you sure? I don’t want your favorites to get lost, or broken, I can find something else to wear,” she said.

“Of course not! They’re your color!” Rumpleteazer said, tail-up in a bin of flotsam. She had said it as a throwaway comment, but for a moment she turned around to look at Tantomile. Her eyes widened a fraction of a degree before she coughed and resumed her rummaging. She emerged with two gold circles studded with green dots.

“I nicked these off some napkins at the Ritz last month,” she said. She put one around her own wrist, then grabbed Tantomile’s paw and slid the cuff around hers.

“We match,” Tantomile said with a small smile. Rumpleteazer giggled. The two of them leaned over the map of the house spread out on the floor. Rumpleteazer took two earrings, one gold with a silvery stone, one bronze with an amber pendant, and placed them at the far end of the floor plan.

“This one’s you ‘cause you’ve got your silver and gold eyes,” she said, tapping the first earring, “We’re both gonna get in through the cellar door. There’s a fence around it, but it’s no problem to squeeze through.” She paused, gave Tantomile a meaningful look and said,

“Never go looting after lunching with Bustopher Jones.” Tantomile nodded sagely and replied,

“I’ll make a note of that.”

“So we get in through the cellar door, they keep bottles of wine and stuff in there, but we can’t take any of that because it’s glass. From there, we can go up the steps to the larder, and we most definitely can swipe stuff from there...”

Tantomile listened with the front of her mind, but the back of her mind wandered, analyzing her and Rumpleteazer’s interactions. She was not going to deny her own feelings, but the question remained if the other queen felt the same way. Tantomile was going to err on the side of caution. If her desires were unreciprocated, Rumpleteazer would never be cruel about it. She would let her down kindly, and they would remain friends, but there would never again be that easy coexistence between them that Tantomile loved. She couldn’t bear the thought of her friend looking at her with apology, or worse, pity. Better to say nothing until she had solid evidence, Tantomile decided. She turned her full attention back on the debriefing.

“…and from the master bedroom, we can make our escape out the window and down the drainpipe! Easy!” Rumpleteazer grabbed two pillowcase sacks and handed one to Tantomile.

“What if something goes wrong?” Tantomile asked. Rumpleteazer scrunched her nose and said,

“What would go wrong? I’ve done this a thousand times and never gotten caught, we’ll be fine.” Rumpleteazer held out her paw.

“Ready to go?” She asked, beaming. Tantomile nodded and took her hand. Rumpleteazer, to her surprise (always to her surprise, she thought) raised their hands above her head and spun Tantomile in a wobbly pirouette. With Tantomile thrown off balance, she dashed out the door.

“Last one out of the junkyard is a smelly Pollicle!” She crowed behind her. Tantomile laughed out loud as she grabbed her sack and took up the chase.

~~~

Disclaimer: I’ve never planned to write anything this long before so I have no idea how long it may take me to finish.

#might post this on ao3 as well idk though #blue’s thoughts #cats the musical #cats the musical fanfic #tantoteazer #tantomile #Rumpleteazer

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morgannasreadingnook · 6 months

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Alters! Ways to keep it fresh and Enjoyable!

So as we all know, an alter is a space (usually a small table or book shelf) that we as witches use to honor Gods, Goddesses, Demons, Fae, Spirit Guides, and Ancestors. We also use these to leave offerings to the aforementioned entities; but that’s a topic for another day. Today we are discussing how to keep your alter interesting, organized, and most importantly aesthetically pleasing to you. Depending on who your alter is for you may or may not be able to change it regularly. For instance a dear friend of mine cannot change her alter without asking her patron if she can, because he believes it is disrespectful to change his alter without council from him. Which is perfectly reasonable after all the alter is for him. But ways to keep it fresh would be to change it around; move the layout to keep it interesting so it doesn’t look empty. Something I’ve noticed is people look at their alters so much you go eye blind to how nice they look because the more you look at something the more empty it looks. So move your crystals and candles around the space to keep it interesting. This also gives you a chance to clean and cleanse the space (the wax. Yes I’m looking at you. Clean the wax.) I personally recommend Florida water for cleaning and cleansing in one go, I also like to say a blessing over the space while doing so making sure to clean it clockwise to bring in the new good energy to replace the old energy that may have gone stale or lost it’s strength. Alters are like batteries so it is very important to make sure it excites you. In many ways alters are the most important part of the home. Another way to freshen it up is to decorate for the Sabbaths, solstices, Equinoxes, and Seasons! Think of your alter as part of the house, you want to be sure all the seasonal energy makes it to your alter space to charge it with the energy of that specific time of year. Also start using crystal dishes or abalone shells as offering dishes for your alter, it will help contain your offerings and keep mess to a minimum. Make sure you put something underneath your candles! Not only does this help with fire safety it also helps keep the alter table or alter cloth clean. Because wax doesn’t come out of fabric easily if at all. ALTER CLOTHS! I cannot stress this enough have an alter cloth for each season, it will help get you in the mood for the season and give you a chance to clean your alter at the beginning of each season! Cleaning isn’t just for spring!! Instead of using salts to bless or cleanse an alter space use salt water! It won’t leave a gritty surface on your alter that you’ll have to clean later and has the added benefit of being able to use one of those aesthetic spray bottles for plants! ( yes now you finally have a reason go get one!!) which will help disperse the salt over the entire alter. Don’t underestimate dried flowers, greenery, sticks, bones, or jewelry; these can add depth to your space and make it look fuller and more easily achieve your aesthetic goal for the alter!

I hope this helped you get some ideas for your alter! Next time I’ll be discussing how to place wards in or around the home or living space to keep out unwanted energies! Until then!

Blessings and Love

- Morganna Monday

🌛🌝🌜

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lgbtq-history-museum-cfl-intern · 7 months

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Updates and a Tip

Wednesday, November 16th, 2023

There is something so fulfilling about watching a project come together. 😊

The exhibit opens next week, on November 16th, and this week – actually today – we are finalizing the design to send out to print!

I’ve heard that a lot of people have shown interest in coming out to opening night and I am so excited about it! So far, I’m not nervous, but we’ll see as the day approaches…

Lately, I’ve expressed anxiety about my workload and managing mental health stuff, but things are finally settling down and I’m finally caught up on everything.

I had to really lean into my support system and get A LOT of rest.

I hope this is relatable but isn’t it crazy how, as college students, we lose a lot of rest by trying to make the most of our time by being “productive”, but we end up losing sleep and productivity by not taking time for a nap or just quitting early and going to bed?

At least that’s my experience, lol.

This week I made sure to do that and it paid off 😊

I’ll get to attend the next Board meeting on Sunday, so I will also get to hear everyone’s thoughts on the exhibit before setting up!

I’m so grateful for all the help I’ve had putting it together with feedback and guidance from everyone directly involved with exhibit designing and my internship from the Board.

Today’s meeting will be about a last-minute review of the layout and coordinating how it will be printed because some things have to be printed on a different file format for the best print quality.

Friday, November 10th, 2023

Yesterday I turned in all the printing materials for the exhibit with all the changes and details we agreed on during the Wednesday meeting.

That day, I also met with another professor from the Department of History who my current internship mentor referred me to for some oral history projects they’re working on coordinating and collecting.

It was such a pleasant meeting 😊

We discussed some of the backgrounds on the interviewees she’s in contact with.

I never know how much I’m allowed to share about these projects but what I’m sure I can say is that they have fascinating stories and I’m very much looking forward to helping conduct these interviews.

I’ve gotten to learn so much about the local LGBTQ+ community through my work with the LGBTQ History Museum of Central Florida. This oral history project is an extension of that allowing me to get up close and personal with people who have been significant figures in that history.

So, now that the work is slowing down on the exhibit, I’ll be starting research on some local LGBTQ (and LGBTQ-friendly) organizations that the interviewees are or have been involved in, starting with the materials stored at UCF Special Collections at the library!

I’m not sure if I’ve already mentioned this in an earlier blog post but it’s so important to nurture relationships with mentors.

It’s easy to feel like their last priority as students but they are there to listen and guide you to the best of their ability. Sometimes that can include providing opportunities for growth that they can’t offer at the moment, like this oral history project that another professor other than my direct mentor is working on. Or even ones they themselves can offer but outside of the current work at hand, such as the panel I presented in last month.

Be open about your goals, interests, plans, feelings, and even your struggles. They wouldn’t be in the business of mentorship if they didn’t have an interest in their students’ development.

That’s my tip this week 😊

The end of the semester is closing in fast, which means graduation is around the corner.

I’ll be working on setting up my next steps for the next few weeks; graduate and job applications, mainly.

So, I’ll be keeping you all up on my progress for the rest of the month or so 😊

#history student #internship blog #public history intern blog #history intern blog #museum internship #public history internship #student internship #college student #education #internship

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sagewordstarot · 10 months

Photo

"...we are the only thinkers in our minds. When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives." - Louise Hay

Basically, make friends with yourself and your life.

Today's card, Temperance, picks up where the Energy Path for the week left off four days ago.

On Monday, the Knight of Swords, the Queen of Wands, and the major arcana Magician reminded us of the courage to continue, the courage to connect to earthy, nurturing ordinary-ness and the audacity to find magic in the ordinary.

Temperance reminds us of that same balance. Not every day has to be striving or spiritual. We can live our spirituality in a comfortable, natural way. Not everything has to be bland, pedantic or mundane. There is balance. There is magic in the ordinary, and ordinary in the magic.

The paranormal is really just normal seen with our heart at the same time as we see with our eyes.

It's a balance.

That being said, on to the shameless self promotion part of the Thursday newsletter available on the main website blog, the member's ko-fi blog and now on Medium. I'm still new to medium so this introductory part will get shorter as time goes on.

If you want ALL of the free Tarot content on the day it posts, please follow the blog here on SageWordsTarot.com by putting your email in the box on the right hand side of the page (or scroll WAY down on mobile) New posts come right to your inbox as they are published.

Membership gets you on-demand one card private email readings, discounts on all larger email layouts plus occasional member-only content on the ko-fi blog.

Or, if you only want a once weekly summary, please subscribe to Sage Sips newsletter on Medium.

The Temperance card today is a nice validation for me - or at least I'm taking it that way. It's been a year of changes around here since switching to the Sage Words Tarot name in January and it has taken a seven month long hot minute to find a new balance around here. This is my general plan for August. If it works, then this becomes the plan for the foreseeable future.

EMAIL TAROT

Email readings are available to order 24/7 - no appointment needed. How long it takes for your full write up to arrive varies depending on when you place your order, USA eastern time. Weekday orders usually get to you within 12 hours. Nights, weekends, and US holidays take longer. I'll send a confirmation message with an estimated delivery time when you place your order. Getting an email reading with me works like ordering anything else online. Pick the layout you want - I've got lots of choices. There is something there for any question or budget from a $5 one card "Sage's Sip" up to a full 7 card "TaoCraft Extended" layout for $40. Then you check out just like buying anything else online. I only take PayPal, but PayPal is secure for both of us and takes most credit cards. You'll get a chance to enter your question or the topic for your Tarot reading as part of the checkout process.

PHONE / ONLINE / IN-PERSON TAROT READINGS

These only offer the 7 card layout.

I don't do brick and mortar. By working mainly online, I can keep my prices lower for everyone. When we work in-person, we'll meet in a local quiet public place. I have some routine spots where I've been going for years and never been bothered. If you live in the South Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh PA and are interested in this kind of reading, just contact me for full detail or to schedule.

Same for phone or live online readings. Contact me to schedule. I'll send you an invoice and confirmation email. A valid email is required, again I use PayPal for secure payment processing.

FREE TAROT

I don't do free or discount private readings for non-members because of the years and years and metric craptons of FREE Tarot content that is already on the free website blog and social media.

If you want to actually talk to me, Threads and Instagram comments is the place to do that. DMs are a members-only ko-fi thing. You can find my Tarot content and blog links on Facebook, TikTok and Tumblr, but I don't interact with those. As far as the free content goes, this is the general plan - subject to random unannounced changes of course.

MONDAY: Three card "Energy Path" Tarot reading for the week ahead.

TUESDAY: private readings only, no free content

WEDNESDAY: Learn With Me - currently posting an "Oracle Dice" series

THURSDAY: weekly newsletter with a Tarot card for the day & announcements

FRIDAY: some random something, maybe nothing

SATURDAY: "Sage's Other Words" non-Tarot blog

SUNDAY: closed

Thank you so much for reading!

All of this promotion and re-branding stuff is getting pretty ICK for me too. I think *fingers crossed* that this is really truly it for the getting organized phase so I can put my energy back into Tarot and writing for you all.

I'd really appreciate it if you'd share this. All of this FREE content depends on YOUR support through reading purchases, memberships, & virtual coffee on ko-fi.

See you at the next sip!

#tarot lifebalance

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kymmiejournals · 1 year

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2020-2021 Digital Dark Dated Planner + Stickers by Kamipi

This post contains affiliate links. If you take action (i.e. make a purchase) after clicking my affiliate links, I’ll probably earn a few bucks which will help keep this website running or just to buy a cup of coffee. You know I only recommend products that I actually use, love and trust, right?

Hey lovely,

Let's talk about black-colored pages or planners, have you tried to use one?

I remember way back in high school, I used to write with a gold glittered-gel pen on black paper whenever I send love letters to my friends and even to my crush! The contrast of colors makes it pop and creates this classy vibe. I also made some doodles of constellations or galaxy and it's super fun and enjoyable!

In today's post, the 2020-2021 Mid-Year Digital Dated Planner in Dark mode by Kamipi shop has lots to offer, including stickers in 6 different hues. What sets this planner apart is the texture of the digital paper used, it's not just your typical black paper. This planner includes hyperlinked tabs for easy navigation between Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly, Daily and other detailed spreads, plus a master index page to access different trackers, subjects and layouts. Dated from July 2020 - June 2021, perfect for students who started the semester late due to pandemic.

Tools and Resources

Any note-taking app (ex. Goodnotes or Noteshelf, etc.)

iPad 2019 7th Gen (10.2”)

Apple Pencil 1st Gen

Replace your Apple Pencil tips

Paperlike matte screen protector

Details

1 High-Resolution Planner PDF with 450+ pages (Monday start)

1 Goodnotes Sticker file which includes pre-cropped stickers

6 PNG transparent Full Sticker page for cropping to be used for other projects

252 PNG transparent individual cropped sticker images

2020/2021 Digital Dark Dated Planner

Cover

Perfect for minimalists or those who like to keep things simple.

Master Index

An easy way to access different Planning templates and Notes layouts.

2020-2021 Calendar

A full view on the mid-year calendar. The months and numbers are clickable to Monthly, Weekly and Daily.

2020-2021 Key Dates

The months are clickable to the Monthly page. This is where you can summarize the whole mid-year, you can either use color blocks to track your appointments or draw symbols to mark your tasks or activities.

Quarterly Overview

3 boxes arranged per quarter that is clickable to each month.

Subjects

There are 5 individual dividers to set your subjects or categories.

Notes

Different templates that you can duplicate and use. The Notes consists of:

Lined

Dot

Graph

Cornell

Legal

Two Column

Four Column

Blank

Planning

This section offers different layouts and tracking for your:

Finances

Project Planner

Meeting Notes

Lists

Password Tracker

Birthday

Grocery List

Meal Planner

My Goals

Mood Tracker

Habit Trackers (2 formats)

Workout Log

Project Time Planner

Travel Planner

Monthly

A page perfect for planning the whole month ahead. Each box is clickable to their respective Daily page, while the numbers on the left side are clickable to Weekly. You will also have access to the Summary page.

Summary

This page is for specific activities for the whole month, you can write your To Do's, Goals, Important Dates, track your target Habit and so much more.

Weekly

This includes time blocks that are perfect to track your schedule for the whole week.

Daily

A more specific page dedicated for the whole day. You can transfer the schedule from the Weekly page to this and list all top priorities and tasks.

Bonus: Stickers

250+ High-Resolution Stickers (Pre-cropped PNG in a separate Goodnotes file) in a real texture look with 6 different hues:

Beige

Pink

Blue

Yellow

Green

Light Blue

Links

Kamipi on Instagram

Kamipi on Etsy

Notes

This post is not sponsored nor paid by Kamipi, I am only reviewing products that I use and love [know more]

The fonts and graphics used are separate purchases and not included in the planner

feedback

What do you love most about this digital planner?

Any questions or suggestions about this blog post?

Get access to Freebie Library!

#note-taking #productivity

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pinerbird · 2 years

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Tyrian vs tyrian 2000

#TYRIAN VS TYRIAN 2000 GENERATOR#

#TYRIAN VS TYRIAN 2000 FREE#

#TYRIAN VS TYRIAN 2000 WINDOWS#

This element plays into the whole genre style of strict memorization to gain the upper hand. On the bright side, they weren’t randomized so you could memorize the layout and find the best equipment load out to suit your play-style. The best part was, you always had a slightly different array of weapons/sidekicks to choose from. Throughout the levels you killed enemies to earn more points (cash) to spend in the interim of the next level. Before the first level you could pick from several different front weapon types. In fact, even by today’s standard of shmups it’s still pretty in depth. The systems for the game were particularly in depth for a six year old.

#TYRIAN VS TYRIAN 2000 GENERATOR#

You can choose to upgrade your front weapon, your rear weapon, your left and right sidekicks, your shields, your ship, and your generator (I should mention before I go on that this was for the story mode of the game). You start off with a bit of points (cash) to spend on upgrades. So, Tyrian 2000, it’s a game right? Okay, so basically you boot it up and you have your basic ship: the Talon. Perhaps I’m getting a bit ahead of myself, so I will use this next paragraph to explain the game to those who haven’t already messed around with the game. It taught me the importance of saving funds and to to put off certain upgrades until later. I mean, no other game taught me to make important decisions like picking the higher damage concentrated shot vs. It was easily the best game I had ever played to date.

#TYRIAN VS TYRIAN 2000 WINDOWS#

I believe it was shortly after we had a computer that ran Windows 95 (NON-SEQUITUR ALERT: yes I also loved the shit out of Hover) that I encountered this game. It was also one of the first that wasn’t an educational game that I could remember. This game was one of the first to get me interested in gaming. This is the first real game that I could clearly remember and reminisce about when I saw it pop up on GoG a couple of years ago.

#TYRIAN VS TYRIAN 2000 FREE#

To this day I think it still has to do with the fact that my parents got tons of shit from IBM after they had both been laid off from that company they still received computers for so cheap it’s basically free prices (gotta love those benefits). Back in 1995 I was only six years old, and somehow this game was appeared on my family computer. HOWEVER, I think it’s fitting to start with the shmup that started it all for me. The level memorization, the quick reflexes, and excellent variety in difficulty the genre offers. The reason I’ve decided to choose shmups is that it has always tickled my brain in the right ways. There are a couple of games here and there I have 1CC’d, but I’m sure I’ll get to them in the future. There are 5 episodes in this game, with only the first episode playable in the shareware version.Let me preface this by saying: I’ve never been terribly good at the genre of Shoot-‘em-ups. A fifth episode was added to version 3.0, at which time the game was officially renamed Tyrian 2000. Originally a trilogy, a new episode was added in version 2.0. You can sometimes choose the levels you play by choosing a direction on the map screen, and there are secret bonus levels. The story actually has depth and is not merely an afterthought to provide continuity to the levels. Even the advertisements provide some background information, and other characters contact you to keep you apprised of the situation. You can collect money to buy upgrades for your ship, as well as pick up holographic data cubes that provide information or contribute to the story, or contain advertisements for fictional products. The self-regenerating shields are especially helpful for aggressive players. Many enemy ships, especially bosses, visibly take damage and break into smaller vehicles as pieces get destroyed, adding a real arcade feel to the game. At the highest settings, Tyrian features amazing graphics and sounds, as well as voice. Originally published as Tyrian, this game is widely regarded as one of the best shooters ever.

#Tyrian vs tyrian 2000

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nobodyfamousposts · 3 years

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Chloe's Lament Part 2

Next part of Chloe's Lament. Chloe begins to learn of the changes to reality from her Wish.

She will not be happy about this.

____________________

When Chloe woke up, the first thing that struck her was the loud banging sounds from somewhere below her.

The second thing was pain.

“I have a headache!” She called out, laying an arm over her sleep mask-covered eyes. Her butler would hear her and respond accordingly, of course. He always did.

“And get them to stop that racket down there!” She flopped on her bed with a huff, waiting for the help to return with aid.

Really, the things she dealt with!

Normally, her butler would arrive immediately, with painkillers and fruit-infused water being presented to her within a minute.

But to her growing frustration, that minute came and passed.

Then two.

Three…

Not that Chloe was counting.

Eventually, it had been five minutes and there was still no word from the man. And to make matters worse, that damn banging from below was only getting louder and increasing her suffering.

“Ugh! Do I have to do everything myself?!”

She ripped off the sleep mask, only to wince at the level of brightness in the room. She was on the top floor with the best visibility but the windows were supposed to be tinted and covered to prevent this very thing!

Once her vision cleared, several things should have stood out as odd.

But the first thing to attract her notice was the sleep mask she had just removed—some cheapo dime-store brand. She tossed the rag away with a shriek.

“Is this a prank?!” She demanded. “That is not my personalized diamond-studded satin custom made facial mask! Jean? Jean!”

There was a ruckus from below. The sound of something being dropped. Footsteps—loud and fast and getting closer. Then the opening of a door.

“Precious! Is everything okay?”

She sneered at the sound of her father’s voice.

“No! My sleep mask was stolen, it’s too bright, my head is KILLING me and no one is getting me anything to help!”

He looked confused at that. “Are you out of Efferalgan in your bathroom cabinet?”

She gave him a look. Why would she have to get up and go to the bathroom for some painkillers when there should be someone to hand them to her?

He gave her a strange look in response. Like he was confused his daughter would expect someone to do something as simple as bringing her painkillers and water.

And water.

Preferably cherry-infused.

Was that really so much to ask? Or even require asking?

“Just…hang on a moment.” He said and left her her bathroom.

Finally.

With nothing to do but wait, she glanced around, noting that…this was not her room.

Not the one she knew, anyway.

The light that had blinded her before was from a central window overlooking the room that so obtrusively settled on her bed. In addition, there was a skylight placed above a nook set behind her bed, which brought more light into the room.

She vaguely recognized the room. Well, by its floor plan, at least. The layout and decor threw her off though. The furniture and items were clearly cheaper than her usual high end designer brands. But she saw aspects that were suited to her tastes. Minute indications of her own touch in the assortment of objects around her. Yellow and white as the themes. Black cushions and aesthetic.

It was…decent. But so beneath her it was embarrassing! These were cheap models! Practically plastic! The bedsheets were…ugh…cotton of all things! The lamps were dim! She was missing her boudoir! And her shoes! And her jewelry! She didn’t even want to imagine the nightmare that was her closet—it was practically a hole in the wall! There was no way it would fit everything!

“Here you are, dear!” Her father said, returning from her bathroom with a glass of water and a pill in hand.

She fought the grimace.

Was this tap water?

Gross!

By his expectant look, he clearly meant for her to drink it.

With her continuing headache and no better option for fast relief, Chloe reluctantly took the proffered items. She was unable to help the slightest grimace before she downed them both.

“Well, if that’s all, I’ll be getting back to setting up for the morning rush. Come downstairs to the bakery when you’re ready.” He looked almost relieved to be leaving.

Chloe barely took notice now that she had what she needed. Instead, she took to contemplating her situation and her new surroundings.

All the furniture aside, this room looked familiar. Not really well known, because Chloe was sure she had never been in such a place before. But…like she had seen it somewhere…TV maybe?

And her Daddykins was here. That meant…wherever she was, it was apparently expected for her to be here.

But where was here?

The last thing she remembered was…

She closed her eyes, straining to think past the pain.

That’s right! Hawk Moth’s offer! The Bee! She was Miracle Queen! And she had just won! She had Ladybug beaten…

Her fists clenched.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng…

It hit her.

This was just like her room!

She had only seen it a couple of times. Once for sure when Sabrina had snuck into her room per Chloe‘s instructions for blackmail material. She happened to glimpse a picture of the room here or there from other people’s phones of times that they had spent in this room—that she had really cared. It was a small and dingy room that had nothing on her glamorous abode at the hotel, which of course, was superior in every way.

She was vaguely reminded of that one show that Marinette hadn’t stopped talking about which had also apparently shown Marinette‘s room, but Chloe honestly hadn’t been bothered enough to watch it, so she didn’t have that to go on. But with what she did know, it was a safe bet to assume that this was some knockoff of Marinette‘s room.

So why was Chloe here? Why was her dad downstairs?

She… she had made the Wish, hadn’t she?

…

What…is this it?

She turned up her nose at the environment around her, completely unimpressed.

Was this dinky little room with its weird setup and tacky decor what the Wish gave her? Why would she be in any copy of Dupain-Cheng’s room layout anyway?

The Wish should have changed reality, that much was clear. There was no way she would be caught dead in Dupain-Cheng’s room otherwise—much less sleeping there like it was her own room!

…unless…it was her room?

Was it?

She had found some aspects of the room to her taste, but did that mean this was hers?

It would explain why she was there. And why her Daddy had come up. He had mentioned her bathroom earlier, then had gone through the nearby door to get a tablet and water from what she could only assume was the bathroom he had spoken of.

…he had mentioned a bakery.

Eyes wide, she stumbled out of bed and to the window. Sure enough, the school was just across the way. And there was a sign out front.

“Bourgeois Bakery”

Chloe stared.

Suddenly, it clicked. The banging from downstairs. Her Daddy talking about a ‘morning rush’. And to come down to the…

…no way!

This place was a bakery! Her Daddy was operating a bakery!

And given her location, it was the same bakery that Marinette’s parents owned originally!

This…

…wait…

…did this mean she was supposed to be Marinette?

She threw her pillow in a fury.

Stupid Wish! This wasn’t at all what she wanted!

You would think all-powerful Wish-granting artifacts would do it right!

“Where are those kwamis?!” She demanded, jumping out of the bed and looking around for anywhere she would keep such important jewels. “I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!”

She had a boudoir along with the various jewelry pieces kept there ranging among a variety of gold and diamonds—all fakes, much to her disappointment. And not a single Miraculous among them.

She slammed the final drawer in with a curse.

Nothing!

If she had the Miraculous, shouldn’t they still be with her? Do they just disappear after being used?

Ugh! Those things really were useless! Utterly useless!

It was when she stood back to full height that she noticed the monthly calendar. There were the standard holidays, but also a weekly appointment every Friday evening with some ‘Bridgette’. What was that? A spa day?

She shot a glance to her reflection in the mirror and grimaced. She definitely needed one. She could just feel all the oils on her skin!

But more to the point, there was one day circled on the calendar.

‘Start of School’

She grabbed her phone—an older, obsolete model with a glittery but fake casing—and checked the date.

That…

That was today.

It was the first day of school. A…

She checked the date again, and sure enough, it was a year ago!

Had the Wish taken her back in time?

She froze, realization hitting her.

This was the first day of school. The same day as the first akuma attack.

And when Ladybug first appeared.

That meant…she was sent back in time to the day Marinette would become Ladybug.

It was a year in the past. She wasn’t at the hotel. Her room was in a bakery. Her father was working as a baker. She was Marinette now.

That meant…

She giggled, feeling a giddiness rise within her.

Today was the day she becomes Ladybug!

It looks like the Wish did something right, after all!

Chloe grinned, spinning away from the mirror and to her closet.

She had to get ready! She had to prepare the perfect outfit! Something for the day she becomes a hero!

No. THE hero!

She knew how the Ladybug worked. Hell, she knew the akumas to come. With her prior knowledge and skills, she would know how to use the yoyo and how to use the Lucky Charm better than the old Ladybug ever did! She’d have every akuma in the bag!

Hell, maybe she could force the Ladybug kwami to tell her where the Guardian is so she can get the other Miraculous, too! That way, she could have both the Ladybug AND the Bee again.

And her Adrikens would be her partner! To support her! To stay by her side! Just as it should be!

She paused, something niggling at the back of her brain. There was something she was forgetting.

A glance around the room as she wondered

Of course, the full extent of the change and just what that meant didn’t really hit her until she went downstairs and actually saw her father.

The poor man was in the middle of retrieving a pan lined with croissants from the unbearably hot oven, his hair contained in…fishnet? Latex? Whatever the cafeteria cooks wore when she had no choice but to eat from the school’s lunchroom.

Gross! He looked like a lunch lady!

He didn’t seem to notice her, too busy dancing around the kitchen and checking over the…whatever pastries those were and just looking proud of himself.

Daddykins, no. You’re better than this! How could you be reduced to such a state?

He seemed to notice her staring. “Are you feeling better?” He asked, looking concerned.

“Er…yeah.” She replied. She wasn’t, really, but she couldn’t tell him that. He could try to have her stay home and how would she get to see the fruits of her labors from there?

“Ah good!” He said cheerfully. “It is the first day of the new school year, and you certainly want to…” He hesitated, “…start off on the right foot.”

A pause. He looked at her expectantly, but she had no idea what he was getting at.

He shook his head and turned away for a moment to grab a box before coming back and presenting it to her.

Clearly he wanted her to take it, so she sighed and took hold of the box. A peek inside revealed a number of macarons.

For her? Now this was what she was talking about!

“Oh, Daddykins! You shouldn’t have!”

“Yes,” he said with a nod. “I figured it would be a great way to start off the new year by sharing them with your classmates.”

Ugh. Seriously? All happy feelings vanished in an instant and she shot him a petulant look.

“Why should I have to share?” She demanded.

He hesitated.

She glared, tapping her foot in a clear indication of wanting an answer. Or preferably for him to just say they were all hers.

“It’s a new year and a new start.” Andre said, smiling nervously. “Maybe it’s time to just let bygones be bygones?“

It was a stupid question and she sure let him know it. She stared at him flatly, causing him to wilt.

Andre sighed.

“I know you don’t like her, but…” he hesitated. “Please, just try to get along?”

She blinked.

“Her?”

Wait.

Wait…

It suddenly struck her.

If she was Dupain-Cheng now…

That meant Marinette was in her shoes!

She grinned.

Marinette would be her bully! She’d be the rich bitch daughter of the Mayor and loathed by Paris while Chloe would be—

The one everyone rallied around.

The one Adrikens adored.

The one chosen as Ladybug!

She would have it all!

Part of her hoped the other girl would know about the previous reality…just so she could shove it in her face!

“Just take it slow,” he continued, unaware of her true thoughts. “And then you can report about it to Bridgette at your counseling session on Friday.”

Wait—counseling?

Seeing her expression, he held up his hands in a gesture of peace.

“I know you don’t like it, but it was part of the agreement. You need to make a better impression this year, sweetie.”

“What?”

“She’s the daughter of the Mayor. I’m not sure we can take another…” He trailed off before shaking his head and looking at her imploringly. “You understand, right?”

Oh.

She got it!

“Of course, Daddykins!”

Clearly Dupain-Cheng was abusing her influence, just as she thought!

She had to hand it to the girl…a part of her hadn’t been quite convinced that she would go quite that far. But that just proof that Marinette Dupain-Cheng wasn’t so perfect and that even she would be the same as Chloe once in her position!

Chloe knew she would have to bear with the mistreatment for now. No matter how much it would grate her. It would suck to have to have to accept it for any period of time.

Still, it would be worth it! It just meant even more ammunition to use against her once Chloe was Ladybug!

She didn’t even notice the look of concern he gave her or his weak goodbye as she left the bakery with the box in hand. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts. Particularly her plans.

And what plans they were!

So what if Maribrat had Chloe’s wealth? It wasn’t like she knew the first thing about status or being a symbol. No, Ladybug did that for her and she didn’t even use it right! Not like Chloe would.

She smirked to herself, imagining the future.

Well, as soon as she got the Miraculous, taking the pigtailed down a peg would be the first thing on her list. Maybe a dip in the Seine? Or ‘accidentally’ getting her hit by an akuma or two?

Why limit it to her personally? If Ladybug spoke out against the mayor, who would vote for him? From what she remembered of Marinette’s dad, that oaf had no business being in politics anyway! Then there was the hotel, which would no doubt be a mess with him in charge anyway.

And best of all, she thought with glee, with a word from Paris’s favorite hero, Dupain-Cheng could be implicated as an ally of Hawk Moth.

Who wouldn’t believe it? If Marinette was in Chloe’s place, that meant she had to be a brat despised by Paris. Everyone would likely jump at the excuse to run her out of the city!

It was slightly disappointing that the former Ladybug wouldn’t know why the new Ladybug was so against her or that she had even been replaced, but she didn’t deserve answers anyway.

For once, Chloe was getting everything she wanted. It was like the Universe itself was on her side! Chloe would be the hero with all the Miraculous and status just as she’d always deserved. And everyone would automatically see it and love her while they would already recognize Marinette as the selfish bitch Chloe always knew she was!

It was a win/win for Chloe and all her fans—which was the best kind of win for Chloe.

Sure, it meant she would have to suffer the loss of her basic comforts like a butler, the latest in fashion and accessories, and easy immediate access to a luxury spa for now…but it would be worth it in the long run.

…maybe not the luxury spa. She would kill for the hotel’s oils and masseuse. But she would just have to deal with, ugh, scheduling with a four star locale in the meantime.

It’s for the greatest good, she reminded herself, looking mournfully at her chipped nails.

And besides, she didn’t have to suffer for long.

Today was the first day of school, which signified the first appearance of Ladybug! This was the day she achieved her destiny! Once she became Ladybug, she would be back on top!

So what if her dad was a baker instead of a hotel owner this go around? Who said it had to stay that way? Just as she could use her position to defame the Dupain-Chengs and ruin Marinette, she could endorse the bakery for free publicity. Do special promotions and deals for money. Or even better! She could make the city pay her for her work!

After all, how much was her Miracle Cure worth, really? How much would the city be willing to pay for her to fix the damage caused by akuma fights? It was only what she was owed; the least they could do is compensate her for her time.

Really, it was Marinette’s own fault for not taking advantage while she could. She could’ve been an idol or the city’s star. She could have used the Miraculous to create an army. Hell, Hawk Moth should have been nothing against her! And instead, she just…wasted her potential. On things like loose zoo animals or out of control helicopters, no less!

Chloe wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

And now that Chloe was set to be the city’s hero…

Even if Marinette was rich (for now), it would be nothing compared to what Chloe would have. She would be Paris’s hero! The BEST hero! And unlike that has-been, she at least would use Ladybug’s power and status right!

She didn’t need to be the daughter of the Mayor! Her Mother was still THE Style Queen, Audrey Bourgeois. Adrien Agreste was still her best friend. She was still Chloe Bourgeois, the best thing to happen to Paris! And now as Ladybug, she would still be back on top and ruling Paris in no time!

And it would all start once she got to school.

“Get out of my way!” She exclaimed, shoving some old fart taking his sweet time walking, sending him to the ground and out of her way.

Move aside, peons!

Her destiny awaits!

Back at the intersection, Chloe never noticed the way the elderly gentleman cast her a judging stare from his position on the ground. Or his muttering.

“No, definitely not.”

“Are you okay?” Came a voice.

“Ah, yes!” He replied, accepting the offered hand and taking stock of the girl it belonged to. She was young. In college, likely. “Thank you, young lady!”

“Of course!” She smiled, handing him back his cane. “Do you need help getting home from here? That looked like quite a fall.”

“But don’t you have somewhere to be?” He asked.

“Just school, but I can spare a few minutes if you need…?”

“There is no need for that.” He shook his head. “I will be fine, thank you for your concern.”

Yes, he decided with a smile as he watched her go, this one will do.

_________________

Ugh, walking. Who invented such a thing? She couldn’t wait until she had a personal limo again. This was so not good for her!

Chloe continued plotting as she walked, magnanimously choosing to consider this as part of the reason for revenge instead of its own thing.

And speaking of revenge! Let’s see…

She scrunched her face, trying to remember the events of the first day of school.

There had been that fight with Marinette over her seat. ‘My seat now’, she realized with glee. ‘Which means I’ll be back next to Adrikens!’

Where she should be.

And if she and Dupain-Cheng were now supposed to be switched, that meant ‘the horrible bully Marinette’ would be picking on ‘poor sweet little Chloe’.

She couldn’t wait!

‘Let’s see how you handle being in my shoes, Dupain-Cheng!’

She giggled to herself, ignoring the weirded out looks she was getting from some passing students.

Or the way the other students in general seemed to give her a wide berth.

As they should for the real Queen Bee of this school!

She was already imagining how this was going to go. And with the classroom only a few feet ahead, her vindication was already so close she could taste it!

Except when she finally arrived at the class, it was immediately clear that something wasn’t right.

Dupain-Cheng was there as expected. With her same kiddie pigtails and her pink and grey ensemble with polka-dots—what kind of designer was she anyway?

What wasn’t expected, however, was that Cesaire was already was there as well.

Originally, Cesaire defended Dupain-Cheng and they became friends. If things played out the same, shouldn’t Cesaire be coming in late? Or standing up to Dupain-Cheng here? If anything, they already seemed to be friends.

Unless Cesaire was Dupain-Cheng’s tool like Sabrina had been for her?

It made sense that this new reality would swap more around, she reasoned.

Except…

Chloe frowned. Now that she was actually close enough to the classroom, she could see the classmates gathered into a sort of half circle around Dupain-Cheng and her follower. And as she reached the doorway, she could more clearly hear what they were saying.

“—at the Le Grand Paris.” Marinette said, gesturing to Alya with a smile.

“Wow!”

“So cool!”

“That’s awesome! So you’ve just been staying at the hotel until you can get settled in?”

Alya nodded, smiling. “Yeah. At least for a little while until we could get our own apartment. Mr. Dupain-Cheng was really accommodating. Luckily, we didn’t need it for long before Mom found something. She didn’t want to take advantage of his generosity, but it’s just really amazing that he was willing to offer us room and board just to have Mom as part of his staff!”

Chloe raised a nose in disgust.

Who ever heard of such a thing?! What hotel made any profit letting people stay for free?

“We met when I was cleaning rooms and she offered to help!” Marinette explained brightly.

Chloe nearly gagged.

Cleaned?

Marinette…actually cleaned the hotel?

Why do something that gross?

That’s what the help was for! And Sabrina.

Speaking of, where was she?

Chloe glanced around, but Sabrina was nowhere to be seen amongst the classmates.

Maybe the Wish had done more than switch her with Dupain-Cheng? Maybe Cesaire and Sabrina had been switched as well? So that meant Sabrina should be the new transfer, right?

No wait, that didn’t add up. She had just walked in on Cesaire being introduced.

Sabrina was probably just her best friend, then.

She nodded.

That was good enough, she supposed. At least if she couldn’t have her necessities from the hotel, she still had Sabrina to take care of the more mundane tasks for her.

Unaware of her thoughts, Marinette had continued talking to the others unhindered.

“—said she would be coming to Francios Dupont, and I knew I had to introduce her. She’s new, so be nice.” She instructed, giving a stare to Kim in particular. “Kim.”

The taller boy raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. I’ll give her a week before any challenges.”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “Challenges? Dare I ask?”

Everyone groaned.

“No dares.” Nino begged, covering his face with his hat. “Please. Kim is bad enough every year. I still can’t look at the hotel without remembering what happened last time…”

“Yeah, your dumb dare got us banned from the hotel’s pool for a month!” Alix said, pointing at Kim, who shrugged helplessly.

“Speaking of the hotel!” Marinette cut in, pulling out her tablet. “I convinced my dad to let us do this year’s work study at the hotel.” She tapped her tablet. “I have a little bit of influence over what they’ll choose as assignments, so we can try to come up with roles everyone will like.”

“Hey yeah! That sounds awesome!”

The classmates crowded the desk, chatting excitedly.

“So where will everyone go?”

“Maybe Kim and Max in security? Or Alix and Max in security, so Kim could work the pool area.”

“As a lifeguard?” Kim asked cheerfully. “I’ve done some training, after all.”

Marinette sent him a wry look and pretended to be thinking it over. “Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe as a pool cleaner?”

Kim pouted. “No fair, Mari!”

“Hey, it would do you some good to learn the cleaning process for the pools you use so much.” Mylene said, half jokingly and half pointedly, making Kim lower his head and groan.

Marinette giggled a little. “Well at any rate, I’ve set up a list of all the different jobs at the hotel so people can mark their top preferences. Between all the options, everyone is bound to find something that’ll suit them best.”

She sent Adrien a knowing look. “And of course Adrien will be in the kitchen.”

Adrien beamed at that.

Not that Chloe noticed.

“Kitchen?!” Chloe squawked. “You’re going to make my Adrikens work in a dirty old kitchen?!”

She had known Marinette would be bad, but how dare she punish Adrikens like that? She could just see it now! Her poor Adrikens, forced to slave away in a room meant for servants like…like he was a servant! Where he could get covered in grime and burn his precious skin!

Everyone frowned at her, as if she was the one being ridiculous!

The boy in question raised his hand.

“But I want to—”

“That is a flagrant abuse of power!” Chloe shouted, slamming a hand on the desk. “She’s making Adrikens work like a maid! What if his father hears about this?!”

Adrien wilted in on himself.

“The kitchen isn’t dirty or old.” Marinette said, sounding annoyingly calm with a terseness in her tone that Chloe had heard some service workers use when dealing with particularly difficult customers—though why they used it with her was beyond her. It was as if Marinette was acting like she the reasonable one dealing with an unreasonable customer or something. “They just finished the remodeling three months ago, we clean it regularly, and all of our utensils and equipment are taken good care of.”

“That’s not the point!” Chloe shouted. “How could you use my Adrikens in such a way? Gabriel Agreste would never approve when he hears about this!”

Because he would be hearing about this! Chloe would make sure of it!

“I could just explain to Mr. Agreste that this would be for good publicity.” Marinette suggested. “I’m sure he would allow it.”

She knew it! There were really no lows she wouldn’t go to!

“You’re really pushing this! And you call yourself Adrikens’ friend!” Chloe pointed at Marinette accusingly. “Just because your Daddy’s the Mayor doesn’t mean you can treat people like they’re lesser than you!”

Marinette frowned, looking uncertain as her gaze flickered between the others.

Hah! Even in Chloe’s position, Marinette still wavered easily and she couldn’t hide her insecurities to save her life. It was why she always gave in in the end! Anyone would roll over someone showing such an obvious weakness!

Hell, she may not even need to wait to see her taken down. This was a perfect opportunity to lead everyone in rising up against her tyranny.

After a few seconds, she turned back to face Chloe, no doubt to attack her for challenging her and show her true colors—

“Chloe, are you okay?”

Huh?

“My Dad just runs the Hotel. He isn’t the Mayor.”

What?!

“My Mom is. You met her at your…” She hesitated, sending the others a glance before lowering her voice, “…meeting, remember?”

She had to bite her tongue regarding the ridiculousness of Dupain-Cheng’s mother being the Mayor. Was that woman even a French citizen?

But it was the other part of Marinette’s statement that concerned her. What meeting? What was she even getting at? Why was she trying to be quiet about it.

Nevermind! She’d worry about that later!

“It doesn’t matter!” Chloe shouted, forcing Marinette to back away. “The fact is that you can’t just throw your weight around to get your way and treat people however you like! And I’m not the only one who feels that way!” She exclaimed, turning to the classmates in expectation.

…only to get a number of blank or confused stares in response.

“Um, what are you even talking about?” Alya asked incredulously.

What?

“Yeah, dude! Marinette doesn’t treat anyone that way.” Nino added.

What?

“The only one who pulls that sort of thing is you.” Said Nathaniel bitingly.

Since when does that loser talk?

And also, what?!

“And aren’t you supposed to be leaving Marinette alone?” Alix asked, giving Chloe a pointed look.

What even was that about?

“I thought that was the agreement.” Mylene said quietly.

Seriously?! Was everyone on her side?

They were supposed to be silent! Or judging the Mayor’s brat! That’s what they did with Chloe! Instead, they were jumping to her defense!

“Are you serious?” She demanded. “Like she doesn’t abuse her power and authority to push people around!”

“Of course not!” Marinette insisted. And then to Chloe’s rage, seemed to draw herself up even more, actually looking confident and self assured in a way Chloe herself had never felt in her place. “As the daughter of the mayor, I have to set a good example.”

Ex…

Example?

What even was that?

Unaware of Chloe’s short-circuiting, she continued. “And Chloe, I wouldn’t force anyone to do a role that they don’t want. That’s why I brought the list here for the class to review first.” She gestured to her tablet. “That way everyone has a chance to pick what roles they want and we can avoid the ones no one wants to do. How is that a bad thing?”

It wasn’t, admittedly. But Marinette wasn’t supposed to be the one doing it! That was the problem!

“And who put you in charge?!” Chloe demanded of Marinette. “Why are you deciding where we’ll do the work study? What, are you using the Class Rep position to flaunt your family’s hotel?”

It would make sense. Chloe had been the Class Rep for years originally. If Marinette was her…

Marinette just gave her a strange look.

“No. I’m not Class Rep, remember?”

Chloe balked.

“What?”

“Chloe, did you hit your head?” Marinette asked, sounding worried. She held a hand out in offering. “Do you need to go to the Nurse’s Office?”

Chloe jerked away from the girl’s outreached hand. Why would Dupain-Cheng still be acting…nice?

Clearly she must still be pretending!

“Nevermind that! If you aren’t the Class Rep, then who is?”

“Your benevolent dictator is here!” Came a voice. A familiar voice. The last one Chloe expected.

“Hey, Class Rep.” Marinette said, giving Chloe a pointed look while waving to the person behind her.

Chloe turned slowly. She had to force herself to move. The strain made it feel like her bones were creaking.

Behind her, Sabrina stood tall with a tablet in hand and looking…surprisingly well for a new reality as a lackey of someone other than Chloe. She almost didn’t recognize her.

Chloe stood straight, expecting the standard greeting.

To her shock, Sabrina didn’t even look at her, instead moving past her to…

“Wow, Marinette! Nice jacket!” Sabrina said first thing in greeting as she moved over to the other girl in interest.

Marinette blushed at the praise. “Thanks! My dad got me some new fabric and I was inspired to try this style!” She gave a wink. “Now this is just a test run to see how it works out.”

“It certainly looks comfortable.” Sabrina said in awe.

Were…were they ignoring her?

“I have some of the material left.” Marinette said. “I could make you your own for your birthday if you want?”

Oh gag! Why would anyone want Marinette’s tacky creations instead of the latest in season creation?

And there was Sabrina looking like that was something to be excited about!

Oh no! Without Chloe to guide her, she had lost any sense of fashion! No matter how much fuller her hair was or how she no longer looked like a strong wind could blow her away!

Clearly, her life was a tragedy without Chloe!

“And I checked like you asked.” Marinette continued, unaware of Chloe’s glare. “My Dad said we could do the work study at his hotel.”

“Thank you!” Sabrina cheered. “That’ll be one less thing to worry about.”

“Yeah, we were talking about that when you came in.” Marinette explained.

Chloe glared pointedly at the girl over the way she was blatantly ignoring that they had been in the middle of Chloe calling her out! Seriously, what was the point of getting to tell people off for their flaws if they were going to ignore you and pretend it never happened! Really! You can’t just ignore the truth like that!

“We were discussing what positions everyone wanted.” Mylene said. “Even if we can’t get the exact ones we’d like, there’ll at least be options.”

“Juleka and I can clean the ball room!” Rose exclaimed. “It will give us a chance to check the acoustics of the room. We’ve been wondering about the effects and what to expect if our band ever plays in such an area.“

Nino looked intrigued at that. “Hey, that does sound like a good idea. Maybe sign me up for that as well?” He asked, turning to Marinette before mumbling to himself about the echo effect on his beats.

Marinette gave him a nod before turning back to Rose. “I heard you guys just started, didn’t you?“

Rose nodded, beaming. “It’s so much fun!”

Marinette smiled and marked it down on her list. “Then I’ll suggest that for you.”

She paused for a moment, hesitating in clear unwillingness to continue before giving a strained smile.

“And Chloe...”

“How about trash cleanup?” Alix snarked, giving the girl a dark look.

“Excuse you?!” Chloe shouted in outrage. “Do you know who my daddy is?!”

The looks she was given were completely unimpressed.

“A baker?”

“And not even a good one.”

"Hey, his croissants are all right."

Chloe blanched, remembering that her father wasn’t the mayor in this world.

He wasn’t even rich.

He was just a baker now. A simple ordinary not even very good baker who was barely keeping his head above water trying to maintain his business and manage his teenage daughter.

And that made Chloe…

Nothing.

Her go to tactic now had no power.

But…but Sabrina! She realized in a flash that her minion was apparently the Class Rep! She could have her back her!

But when she spun around to look, the girl had actually just abandoned her and the gathering altogether to sit next to Mylene of all people! Mylene! And they were just…chatting! Since when did those two spend time together! And why wasn’t Sabrina there for her?!

“Chloe!” Came the only voice worth listening to.

Oh, Adrikens! Of course you would always be there for her!

She spun to him in expectation. Because of course her Adrikens would be on her side! Her savior! Her only ally against such cruel tyranny—

But he didn’t look happy. Or in any way amicable to her. “Don’t forget!” He whispered sharply to her. “You’re still on probation! You can’t start another commotion before the first class of the school year has even started!”

Chloe blinked.

Pro…

Probation?

…

Her?!

“How am I on—?!”

It was impossible! She had never had a criminal record! She’d never even committed a crime! Or anything that warranted getting in trouble over!

Regardless of what Ladybug said, since she clearly had it out for her.

“Just leave Marinette alone.” Adrien whispered, turning her away from the rest of the group and…her. “Please.”

She didn’t want to. There were so many questions and so many things she wanted to demand right now. She was very well inclined to make demands regardless, because she didn’t know what was going on and she needed answers.

But it was her Adrikens asking.

And she didn’t have much chance to say anything else as Bustier had chosen that time to arrive.

“Welcome back, everyone!” The woman greeted cheerfully. Her arrival cut off all other discussion as the students made their way to their desks. “I hope everyone had a good break and that we’re all ready to start the new year.”

A chorus of affirmations followed as everyone took their seats.

Everyone except Chloe, who was glancing around the room in confusion.

None of this was right.

She had expected to fight with Marinette over her seat to get to sit behind Adrien, but he was sitting at the back next to Nathaniel. And Marinette was sitting in the mid row on the other side from him, pulling Alya to sit next to her. But if she wasn’t sitting behind Adrien, what was even the point of challenging her for her seat?

…where even was Chloe’s seat?

She would have sad next to Sabrina, but that traitor hadn’t moved from her spot next to Mylene and left no room for Chloe! And nobody else was calling Chloe over—so if someone else had taken Sabrina’s place as her best friend, she had no way of even knowing who it was!

“Chloe,” Bustier called to her, ever so gently. “Your seat is up at the front, remember? As we discussed the last time we met.” She gestured to the bench at the front.

It was across the one Chloe had sat at previously, being the front desk closest to the door. And to her frustration, there was no one sitting with her! How else was she supposed to get her assignments copied? And wasn’t that the seat that loser, Nino, had been put in because he got in trouble? Chloe wasn’t in trouble though!

Adrien’s words about probation hit her, making her wince.

…was she?

She wanted to ask. She wanted to stomp her foot and demand the answers she deserved.

But Bustier was staring at her expectantly. And she could hear some giggles and snickering from behind her the longer she waited. She glanced back to Adrikens, but…he wasn’t even looking at her! He was conversing with Nathaniel over something on his sketchbook!

How could a sketchbook be more important than his best friend?!

With little other choice, Chloe slid into the front desk, blushing furiously in humiliation and trying to ignore everyone behind her.

It didn’t matter.

None of them mattered!

None of this would matter once she got the Miraculous and put Dupain-Cheng in her place! Then everyone would know SHE was the Queen Bee!

She was sure of it!

#ml fic #chloe's lament #chloe bourgeois #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #kwami swap #plagg #be careful what you wish for #chloe is not careful #chloe is a horrible person #miracle queen

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burnedbyshoto · 3 years

Text

for want of a bento box

– It’s plain and simple, you see, someone is stealing your bento boxes and you will find your lunch thief! Or, in which Todoroki Shouto keeps taking your bento box and you declare war.

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pairing: todoroki shouto x reader

warnings: fluff, cursing, shouto is a bad chef, I believe I made reader pretty gender neutral but I whipped this out in two hours and I can no longer remember if I used any fem!pronouns but im pretty sure I didn’t

word count: 3,060

a/n: this is for the wonder coworker bnharem collab! I had intended on writing a completely different theme and storyline but was very overwhelmed by how much time it actually needed to be written compared to the amount of time I actually had. that version will be out another time! but for now, enjoy some pure flufffffff!!!!

⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆

Having a normal, functioning, well-paying job was probably the most desirable thing to you. It wasn’t to say that you were slacking or that you were homeless, broke, and never to be seen again because you were that in debt. But it was nice having a job!

When you entered the prestigious Toshinori Company, you joined not as an entry-level job employee but as a senior representative. You thought it was crazy.

It had to be crazy.

You had no prior experience, and now you were going to be in charge and the lead in certain areas?!

“And that was the entire layout of the office!” Mina chirped happily, throwing herself onto the desk chair across from yours with a big smile. “Any questions?”

“I don’t think so,” you mutter, brows creased as you look around the room again.

The office space was ample, sleek, open. Each desk has its own grand computer that you currently could not afford with your own money, comfortable chairs, and beautiful wood desks. It was elegant, far superiorly fancy, and yet, you didn’t feel out of place. Strange.

“Oh!” you say with a roll of your eyes as you reach below your desk to bring up your packed lunch. “Where was the break room again? I need to refrigerate my food!”

“Omg, of course, come this way!” Mina grins, standing up and motioning you to follow her. You smile gratefully and do.

The entire way to the office, Mina takes the time to point at the many different people on the floor and give them names. Everyone so far had sort of acknowledged you earlier as Mina was giving you the official tour. Some were much more open and friendly, and some had sneers or blank stares that left you dumbstruck.

Definitely a personable group.

“Hm, well, I guess Todoroki-kun isn’t here today?” Mina mutters as you enter the break room that has couches and comfortable-looking chairs. “Such a shame! You would have loved to see the office hottie!”

You snort at that, lips curled into a granulous smile as you place your plastic container with food into the fridge. “I’m sure I’ll live,” you brush off the fact that there was an absent person on your floor today.

“That’s the thing, though,” Mina points a finger at you, a lone eyebrow raised and a confident smirk on her face. “You won’t be thinking that again the moment you see him!”

You laugh, eyes crinkling as Mina joins your laughter. Eventually, she motions for the both of you to leave, and you nod in understanding. And with a weird sense of comfort and belonging, you realized that this job was going to be good.

Eventually, you had been working at Toshinori Company for two months.

Sixty-two days to be precise, and in all that time, you had only met Todoroki Shouto once. Even then, you had only seen the man walking through the office with a blank face, fingers in his pockets as two other men were walking in front of him, bickering lightly.

Had Mina not quite literally thrown herself across the table and gripped the collar of your shirt and twisted your head to look at him, you would have never caught a glimpse at the man with red and white hair. The three of them walked into the break room and came back out with their own lunches before leaving.

And that was it.

You had learned that the three of them (Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku, and Bakugou Katsuki) were within your department but worked very closely with the very high up members within the company. Many rumors pointed at one of the three taking over the company when the current CEO stepped down. They were, however, on the roster for your floor; they just never appeared except to pick up their lunches. Something they seemed to come to grab whenever you were a) way too fucking busy or b) not in the room.

You weren’t too bothered, though.

It wasn’t like you were trying to date one of them! You had only wanted to say hi.

Now, at ninety days, you had your first and probably most crucial evaluation.

Toshinori Yagi, the man who founded and currently ran this company, sat before you, looking at papers within a folder with tired but kind blue eyes. He nodded, impressed (hopefully), making small comments about the work you had been able to accomplish, a smile becoming a warming grin as he looked up.

“I’m impressed by the performance you’ve managed to attend to despite the short while you’ve been here, y/l/n-shojo,” Toshinori spoke, his fingers threading together and placing them onto the table. “I knew it was an excellent decision to put you in that position, and you exceeded my entire expectation!”

You flushed at that, lips twitching as you attempted to suppress that smile of yours.

“Thank you, Toshinori-san,” you practically wheeze as he waves off your thanks.

“No need to thank me, you’ve done all this work!” he laughs, tired eyes closing with a glorious supply of crow's feet blooming at the corner of his eyes. “Typically, at these evaluations, I ask a bunch of questions because there isn’t too much anyone can do in their first ninety days, I must admit.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm, but because I am curious, is there anything that has been happening as of late that you feel needs to be addressed with me?”

You felt yourself stiffen but knew your one and only complaint was not something to bring up in this setting.

“No, nothing,” you shrug, and Toshinori beams.

“I’m glad!”

Now, the problem.

The big, fat, stinky, hooligan, wanting to throttle someone problem.

For the past sixty of your ninety days, someone has been stealing your lunch.

Yes, you heard that correctly; someone was stealing your damn lunch! Every morning you woke up and prepared a delicious bento box for yourself. Some days you went as far as cutting shapes into your fruits and veggies just to make yourself grin. You weren’t the best chef in the world, but your bento boxes were pretty enough to make up for it, in your opinion. But the thing is, every day when you went into the communal fridge, you noticed two things.

One, your bento box was no longer in the same place, and two, the bento box was not yours at all.

The food was disastrously organized. Rice and lettuce spilling out in every partition in the box. The fruit and veggies often packed in this box had multiple cuts in them, implying that whoever did this was less than ideal with a knife. The meat was often oversalted, the sushi never sitting together, and everything was just… not it.

The first time you had sighed and eaten it, grumbling about how your precious lunch was stolen. But you had quickly figured out that it was inedible, and Mina, Uraraka, and Yaoyorozu thank god, offered to share their meals.

Seeing that you were distressed about how someone stole your egg and octopus sausages one day, Mina declared that they would watch the break room for whoever was stealing your light blue bento box. The first day you staked out, you had done it with Mina. But ten minutes into waiting around, you needed to pee. So you stood up and left in a hurry, leaving Mina alone.

But when you returned, Mina was gone, instead standing by Kirishima’s desk with a bright grin and a stance that screamed that she heard something she liked (gossip, possible in-office romance, a love confession?). Her jaw dropped as she noticed you and Kirishima had turned and waved in your direction as you raced into the break room to open the fridge, and sure enough, your bento was gone.

The next time, you staked out with Uraraka. Your arms were folded, your bladder cleared, and your lips twisted into a pout as you glared and stared down every single member who entered the room. Uraraka whispered to you her guesses about just who might be the thief, every other person rating an 8/10 likelihood of stealing your lunch.

But as the both of you sat there, your eyes narrowed at each passerby, no one came to collect your bento today.

“Deku-kun, no packed lunch today?” Uraraka asked as the green, curly-haired man you had only met once previously raced into the break room, grabbing the extra chopsticks meticulously hidden in the third bottom draw.

“Ah, Uraraka-san, y/l/n-san! Uh, no,” Midoriya greeted you both, who apparently responds to the nickname Deku, laughs off as he grabs a handful of napkins. “Todoroki-kun left all our lunches in his car by accident, and well… they spoiled… Kacchan’s pissed, so I ran off to get lunch for us today!”

Uraraka laughed, shaking her head, “Leave it to Todoroki-kun to act that way.”

Midoriya laughed, bright and clearly in agreement, “You should have seen his face when Kacchan asked for his lunch! I swear–”

“HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GRAB FUCKING CHOPSTICKS, SHIT-KU! I’M FUCKING STARVING!” a voice roared from nowhere near the entrance of the break room. You did, however, jump a bit, eyes turning toward the break room entrance to see the blond man (Bakugou? Kacchan? You had no idea which was correct) near the entrance of the floor.

“It’s only been a minute, Kacchan, relax!” Midoriya laughs, completely unaffected by the startling shout as he waves goodbye to both you and Uraraka before leaving, joining Bakugou as the both of them seem to talk comfortably… well, maybe more like bickering.

“Why are they–”

“Childhood friends, apparently,” Uraraka sighed, but the smile on her face betrays her exasperation.

No one stole your bento that day.

Yaoyorozu took up the third stake out, the two of you idly chatting about tea. You honestly had no idea what to talk about with Yaomomo; she was often just so elegant and mature despite being your age. When you learned that her family was in charge of the Yaoyorozu Corp, it had been strangely easy to accept that.

It made sense.

So as the two of you stood at the kitchen sink, boiling water for tea Yaomomo swore would be the best matchup for your packed nigiri, the both of you missed the man who walked into the room, opened the fridge, and took your lunch.

“I… I am so sorry,” Yaomomo apologized, head bowed dangerously low as the both of you looked at the sloppily cut salmon in your not actual bento. “Please eat my food in reparation.”

“No, it’s okay,” you sigh, chewing on the somehow still warm salmon. “I deserved this loss.”

Luck was just on this man's side, it seemed. No matter what you did, you could never catch the man in action, and you were ready to give up.

But this was the last attempt you said to yourself as you returned to your office floor, the evaluation done, and the rest of your life coming to light. You could do this. No! You WOULD do this!

“Why don’t you just put your name on your bento box?” Bakugou asked, a lone eyebrow raised in what you could only assume was judgment and pity. The explosive man was standing in the doorway of the breakroom, watching as you and Mina were trying to climb up the counters of the breakroom to grab the camera you had previously planted. “Obviously, it doesn’t have your name on it.”

“Um,” you squeak, having been obviously caught by someone who intimidated you just the slightest bit. “That’s a good idea, thank you, Bakugou-san.”

“Tch, whatever, just clean up the damn counters, fucking nasty standing up on there. Some people prepare their food there.”

“We would never forget to do that!” you argue, desperate to not leave a bad impression on this man.

“I don’t know much about you, but I know raccoon eyes over there would.”

“MY NAME IS MINA!”

“Like I care.”

He left without so much as a wave but did seem to nod with his departure. You sighed as you hopped off the counter, Mina grabbing the cleaning supplies as she cursed out the long-gone man under her breath.

But you were looking at the fridge with your missing bento box.

“I can’t believe I never put my name on it.”

“It’s okay! Not even Yaomomo thought of it, so I say we are still smart!”

It was the next day, you were at your desk, anxious as hell as you did your work, trying not to focus on the fact that it was lunchtime and you were actively avoiding the break room. You wondered if they wouldn’t come and collect it today. If somehow they were an asshole and wouldn’t care if your name was on it! What would happen then? What if it was someone like Bakugou who was taking your lunch? What then? You were sure you would cave in slight fear and major intimidation if he said that your lunch was his now.

“Want a cutie while we wait, cutie?” Mina asked, waving the small tangerine in her fingers as she grins.

“Please,” you say in gratitude for the food because you were starving. “Thank you.”

Eventually, you lost track of what was happening, becoming all too invested in the conversation that Mina was telling you about that involved Kaminari, Kirishima, Bakugou, Midoriya, twenty-seven Red Bulls, fifteen Monsters, and five shots of sake. It seemed that the former two were quite big instigators when they wanted to be, and the latter two were unable to back away from challenges, especially when the other was involved.

“Y/l/n?” an unfamiliar voice called from behind you, and you turned partially in your chair as you looked behind you.

Standing behind you was a tall man with red and white hair, and from this distance, you noticed immediately that his eyes were a deep grey and brilliant blue.

Todoroki Shouto.

“T-Todoroki-san!” you greet him back, voice unable to keep from trembling as your nerves shot up. What was going on? You two had never interacted before! He was always gone, never present, and whenever he was in the office, it seemed that you weren’t there.

He cleared his throat and raised up two identical bento boxes.

“It seems… I have apparently been stealing your bento boxes,” he concludes, pressing the blue bento box with your name written on it into your hands.

Your jaw drops as your fingers curve around the cool plastic, eyes blinking up a storm as you try to abstain from laughing high pitched and ugly like.

“It was you?!”

A pink color blooms onto his cheeks as he averts his eye contact with you and nods slowly, “I am so sorry.”

“I just… how?!” you exclaim, exasperated, this man obviously being a bit dense if he had no idea he was taking your bento box!

“I prepare my bento boxes the night before, and I don’t really remember what I put into them….” Todoroki explains slowly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, his tongue clicking the roof of his tongue. “I just thought that my cooking was improving and that I was somehow doing an amazing job.”

The grin that overcomes your face is one of subtle, strange fondness and soft warmth. “I can tell you that you probably haven’t improved much,” you tease, opening your bento box to see your prepared meal for the day.

Cucumber salad, bulgogi beef, rice, and some fruit.

It was packed exactly how you remembered.

“I can’t believe I finally get to eat a meal I prepared,” you continue to tease, your eyes moving up to meet Todoroki, who was also looking at your bento previously. “Thank you for returning my meals and apologizing.”

“It was nothing,” Todoroki waved off with a single hand before opening up his own disastrously assembled bento box. It looked worse than usual today. Everything was just thrown in, it seemed. You saw egg and rice, but everything else in there was indescribable. He smiles at you before sighing at his bento. “This looks more like my stuff.”

You laugh, shaking your head, “You want to share my bento box? I’m sure you probably don’t want to return to that.”

“No, it’s okay,” Todoroki gently declined, although he looked at your bento with great want. He cleared his throat, gaze moving to lock on yours, and you swore his cheeks were still pink but no longer from embarrassment. “I just wanted to come and apologize for stealing your lunch for so long and to thank you for the meals; they were all delicious. Especially the soba you had made.”

“It’s all good; it’s in the past now,” you say gently, somehow finding yourself falling for a man you’ve barely just begun to talk with. The both of you stare at each other, and your skin feels warm. You chuckle, gaze averting for a moment before returning as you tease him. “Although, if you steal from me again, I’m not so sure if I’ll be so lenient.”

“It won’t happen again, promise,” Todoroki smiles, and you feel your spine melt. “But I would love to make it up to you somehow. I can make you dinner one night or something?”

You laugh, head shaking, “No, absolutely not; I don’t trust your cooking skills just yet. But you can definitely take me out to dinner.”

“Yeah, I can definitely do that,” Todoroki agrees, and the both of you fall silent as the shy stares continue. “Does, um… is Friday at seven okay with you?”

“That works,” you say, and Todoroki smiles.

“Good, I’ll uh, see you then?”

“See you,” you agree with a sweet smile before turning around, your fingers raised in a small wave.

You turn to see Mina, Uraraka, and Yaomomo staring at you, eyes comically wide and so very intrigued.

“Oh… my… GOD!” Mina shrieked as Todoroki walks away, and you shriek as she jumps across the table and shakes you, screaming about office romances and meet-cutes being entirely too underrated. “PROMISE ME I’LL BE INVITED TO THE WEDDING!!!!”

“MINA!”

It would take about three years of dating, several months of teaching Shouto how to cook, which resulted in a few bellyaches. Still, eventually yes, Mina would be invited to your wedding.

#todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki x reader #bnha x reader #bnha #mha

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lathalea · 2 years

Text

No Strings Attached

One of the entries for the Armitage Summer Splash event.

WEEK 1 - PROMPT 4

Trope: Betrayal Quote: “You’re the best thing that happened to me.”

Relationships: Claude Becker x OC Rating: T

You can find this fic on AO3.

No Strings Attached

She had sinfully long legs, the body of a haute couture model, a purple buzz cut, and Claude could barely keep his eyes off her. He had no idea why a girl like her would work as a security officer at a museum, but as long as she smiled at him whenever he visited The Met, life was good.

“Good morning, Mr Becker, back so soon?” she raised one of her pierced eyebrows.

“I had a feeling you might have been missing me, Maya,” he winked at her. This was one of his well-rehearsed signature moves that – along with the low timbre of his voice – had a very specific effect on women.

But Maya seemed immune to his charms. Once again.

“I had a feeling you might have been missing monsieur Monet and his water lily pond,” she retorted.

“You know me all too well,” he offered her one of his most charming smiles. “I may have a weakness for Monet… and beautiful flowers.”

“Oh well, then today is not your lucky day, I’m afraid,” Maya said, once again ignoring his veiled compliment. “The Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies is undergoing conservation treatment and won’t be back for some time.”

Claude schooled his face into a neutral expression. Taking the painting straight from the museum wall seemed like an almost impossible feat. Gaining access to the Conservation Center however, might give him much better odds.

“What a shame,” he gave out a sigh, considering his options. “I guess I’ll spend my morning elsewhere. Have a great day ahead, Maya!”

With these words, he turned towards the exit.

“What happened to inviting me for a coffee before you go?” Her words made Claude stop in his tracks. Since he started working out the museum’s layout and its security systems several months ago, it became customary for him to try his luck with Maya. Every single time she said ‘no’.

Until now. He would not let a chance like this slip away.

“I know a great coffee place nearby, interested?” He tried his luck one more time and added innocently, “No strings attached!”

“My shift ends at two,” she simply said.

“I’ll be waiting,” he purred.

***

“It’s going to be fifty-fifty or the deal is off,” Maya blew out a cloud of cigarette smoke in Claude’s direction.

“Sixty-forty. That’s my final word. I have a client who is willing to pay a fortune for that Monet,” Claude retorted.

“Yeah, but I’m the one who is sleeping with the Chief of Security, not you. Without me, you will never get those codes,” she looked at him with a challenge in her eyes.

Claude swallowed. Maya was not only defiant, but also she knew what she wanted. Oh, boy.

“Have it your way. But if anything goes wrong, the deal is off,” he managed to say.

“And if I give you the security codes to the Conservation Center, I’ll get my fifty procent.”

“You will. We split up the money and never see each other again,” his own voice sounded perfectly smooth.

“No strings attached, huh?” Maya gave him a lopsided smile.

“Yup, no strings attached,” Claude nodded.

He knew she knew he was lying, but that did not bother him that much. He knew she was lying too.

What a woman.

***

“Got it!” Claude slid into the car as quickly as he could. “Drive!”

Holding the long, narrow case that contained the precious painting, he stole a glance at Maya. She was a natural behind the wheel. The colourful evening lights painted abstract shapes on her face, making him think of one of Paul Klee’s works. He even allowed himself to wonder what she would look at dawn in his bed, her smooth, tawny skin glowing with the first light of the day, like a canvas under the paintbrush of a master painter. That image was worthy of Vermeer himself.

“We did it!” She exclaimed, interrupting his daydreaming. “We’re going to be filthy rich!”

We. He cheered along with her.

“At this time tomorrow, we’ll have our money. And then, I’m inviting you for dinner. To celebrate. I’m quite a decent cook, you know.”

She eyed him and then spoke after a pause, “I just might take you up on this offer. But now – let’s put some miles between us and the museum.”

After two car changes they left the city behind, heading west. There was one more place they needed to visit before making the deal.

***

“How do you mean it’s fake, Yanni?!”

“Fake. F-A-K-E. A copy. A very good one, though. I’m sorry, Claude, my boy,” the older man looked at him from above his half-moon spectacles.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Maya leaned against the table where the priceless canvas was now displayed. “Are you saying it was all for nothing?”

“It has to be a mistake!” Claude protested.

“Take a good look at this place,” Yanni moved the magnifying glass towards him. “Bottom left corner. See? A water lily should be here, next to this leaf. But it’s not there. It is clear that whoever made it, did it on purpose.”

Claude felt sudden tightness in his chest. After staring at the painting for endless hours, he knew every inch of this canvas by heart. He did not even need to look at the image on Yanni’s computer screen that showed the real thing.

“Some bastard must have replaced the original painting with this one before you got there,” Maya groaned.

“But how? Why?” He whispered to himself, casting a glance at her.

Their eyes met. “There was another thief,” they said in unison.

***

“You’re the best thing that happened to me,” Maya’s luscious murmur reached him.

“Why thank you,” Claude grinned and pressed his lips to her naked shoulder. She lay beside him among the Egyptian cotton sheets of his bed, looking even more stunning than he imagined. The first rays of sun brought out the glow of her skin in a way that could not be captured by any painter, he decided.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Claude,” she hummed, her eyes set somewhere above him.

“Oh?” He frowned. She seemed quite satisfied with him just a few moments ago.

“I was talking to monsieur Monet here,” she tilted her head towards the painting that hung on the wall. It depicted a bridge that arched over a green lily pond.

“This copy? How can it be the best thing? It’s worthless!” he protested.

“Not really. It earned me a nice dinner.”

“What about the night that came afterwards?” Claud murmured into her ear.

“Well… it had its moments,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Only moments? Let me fix it, then,” his hand trailed down the smooth plain of her belly.

She gave out a non-committal hum. What a tease.

“But first,” Claude lowered his voice to a barely audible rumble, “Let me tell you about the probable location of the Portrait of a Young Man. Do you have any idea how much this painting is going to be worth if it is found?”

“Claude…”

“Hmmm?”

“Don’t stop. I love it when you talk dirty.”

***

The painting – the fake – was gone. Together with Maya. And Claude had a pounding headache after sleeping for sixteen hours straight. There had to be something in that wine they drank with dinner. He had not even woken up when she removed the painting from the frame and left.

Now he kept on staring at a Polaroid picture of her holding the canvas to the camera – or rather its bottom left corner. Claude blinked. Now the missing water lily was in its place.

“Shit!” He turned the photo over.

On its back, there was Maya’s neat handwriting: “You wouldn’t believe the magic a paintings conservator can do. Or maybe you do now. Thanks for helping out, Claude. It was fun, but… no strings attached, right? P.S. Good luck with the Portrait of a Young Man!”

Oh yes, Claude Becker was definitely planning to go after that missing portrait. But first – he was going to find Maya. And the painting. All strings attached.

💙💙💙 Read it? Like it? Spread the love and reblog it! 💙💙💙

📜 Searching for more stories to read and more art to look at? 📜 📜Here is the masterlist for Week 1 for the Armitage Summer Splash event. 📜

General taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be added/removed): @fizzyxcustard @shrimpsthings @dark-angel-is-back @sherala007 @amelia307 @anyaspidergirl-blog @jotink78 @rachel1959 @saltwater-in-the-afternoon @linasofia @bitter-sweet-farmgirl @legolasbadass @yourqueenunderthemountain @reblogunderthemountain @guardianofrivendell @elrawienthewhite @xmly-xo @tschrist1 @nelleedraws @beenovel @vee-vee-writes @mcchiberry @dumbassunderthemountain @errruvande @laurfilijames @emrfangirl @s0ftd3m0n @lilith15000 @kami-chan1512 @ragsweas @enchantzz @aduialel @myselfandfantasy @thewhiteladyofrohan @elliepie1226 @middleearthpixie @i-did-not-mean-to @blairsanne @fckmini @clumsy-wonderland @wormsmith @mailinsblogofstuff @medusas-hairband @xxbyimm @guylty

#claude becker #richard armitage #ocean's 8 #fanfic #armitage summer splash #fanfiction

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iliveiloveiwrite · 4 years

Text

Secrets // D.M.

Request: CONGRATS BOO!!! Could I get a Secret relationship with Fluff 4 for Draco Malfoy pretty please at Hogwarts??? Also I was wondering if it could be with a Hufflepuff reader? (I love Hufflepuff x Slytherin pairings) THANKS AGAIN FOR DOING THIS BOO AND CONGRATS 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛 - @herstory-study

Fluff 4: “Is that my shirt?”

A/N: The first of my blurb celebrations!! Thank you, lovely!! I hope you enjoy!! It could be argued that I got carried away but there’s a large chance I could end up writing full fics for each request 😂 Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Hufflepuff!Fem!Reader

Warnings: secret relationships, some kissing, some feelings, a whole lotta fluff, a cheesy ending and an abuse of commas and semi-colons

Word count: 2.7k

There were some aspects to History of Magic that could be classed as interesting; the witch-hunts of Salem, for example or even the brief study dedicated to the founders of the very school you sit in. However, there was nothing remotely interesting about hearing the tale of the Goblin wars for the sixth year in a row.

You tap the feather of your quill to your cheek; jotting down a sentence every now and then to make it look as if you are paying the strictest attention to whatever Professor Binns happens to be mumbling about in that particular moment. You fade in and out of daydreams; letting your mind wander back to two nights ago when Draco had snuck you back into the Hufflepuff common room – stopping every few so often to draw you into another laughter-filled kiss.

You startle when a piece of parchment falls onto your desk. Folded like a paper crane, you only knew who this could be from. A sly glance over the blonde-haired teenager who’s attention is most definitely on the pacing of Binn’s ghost confirms your suspicions.

You delicately unfold the piece of parchment; smiling to yourself as begin to read Draco’s elegant scrawl: “Meet me at the Room of Requirement? 7:30pm?”

Anticipation curls in your gut like a ball.

A brief glance is all it takes for you to confirm. A brief glance in your direction from Draco; a subtle nod from you and your plans for the evening have been wiped clear and replaced entirely with Draco.

The bell rings. You stand, gathering your things together and placing them in your bag. A slight brush to your side is the only contact with the Slytherin you’ve found yourself head over heels for. A slight brush to your side and it feels like every inch of you is on fire; a reaction that only Draco has the power to elicit from you.

The day passes by slowly now that you have something to look forward to. A day where short moments are stolen behind tapestries or on less traversed corridors. Five minutes each time between lessons where you can quickly whisper a hello before dragging him into a kiss by his green striped tie.

Keeping your relationship a secret was a mutual decision; the fallout on both sides being something neither of you could be bothered to deal with right now. Instead, you were happier hiding in empty classrooms where you could have your fill of the Slytherin Prince, and he could whisper sweet nothings in your ear without the risk of anyone overhearing.

There were times when it was stressful; when the week had been too long and there had been no time to see one another. It was only then that you questioned the secrecy of your relationship.

But when you came together after a long period apart; everything returned back to normal and a smile found its way back to both your faces.

Your excitement for the evening makes it almost impossible to eat; picking at the food on your plate as you think about finally seeing Draco tonight. From your position at the Hufflepuff table, you have an excellent view of him, and he knows it. All evening, Draco sends you subtle winks and smiles from his seat at the Slytherin table.

You clench your fist; your fingernails biting into the sensitive skin of your palm as you resist the urge to throw yourself across both tables to him. You resist the urge to simply kiss him in front of his housemates.

You resist it all; every single feeling and urge because you know that in a matter of hours, he would be yours for the entire night.

Instead, you send a flirty smile back to the blonde-haired teenager before returning your attention back to your meal.

-----

The Room of Requirement is located on left hand corridor of the Seventh Floor. You knew from how he rushed out of the Great Hall that Draco would beat you to it.

With a large grin on your face, you walk past the section of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy three times. The entire time, thinking of Draco and how you’d like to see him.

On your third walk past, the large, ornate door appears. You don’t hesitate to pull it open and duck inside.

It’s never a different layout; always the same one that Draco imagines. A large, almost cavernous room with a grand fireplace that’s already lit and warming up the room. In front of the fire sits a couch big enough for an entire Quidditch squad but you know from experience that it’s perfect for the two of you to lie down on comfortably. A great bookshelf covers one of the walls; filled to the brim with ancient looking tomes and books, all there ready to read. You’ve taken advantage of such an offer in the past; reading to Draco after a particularly bad day.

Finally, pushed up against the furthest wall is a four poster bed covered in a thick, downy quilt and topped with blankets – both green and yellow to represent both houses. It was the cheesiest section of the room, and you had brought it up to Draco before – teasing him, but he simply shrugged and distracted you from further conversation.

You throw your outer robes on the bed, leaving you in your blouse, tie and skirt.

Draco remains seated on the large couch; his gaze focused on the flickering flames of the growing fire. Your arms snake their way around his shoulders; your hands trailing down his chest as you lean against the back of the couch. Pressing a small kiss just under his earlobe, you whisper, “I missed you today.”

Draco leans his head back, kissing the side of your jaw, “I missed you too.”

Letting go of him, you take a seat on the couch. In times like this, you never stray too far from the blonde-haired teenager, worried about how long it’ll be until you have a night like this again. An arm opens for you; you automatically press yourself into his side, inhaling the familiar scent of cashmere musk and roses. It was heavenly.

“How was your day?” He asks, voice quiet.

“It was boring until a note landed on my desk. Then it started to look up.”

Draco smirks, “How odd. Mine was taking the exact same route until someone responded to my note.”

You shift out of his hold; resting your head on your elbow that’s perched on the back of the couch. Your other hand pushes his hair back; pulling it out his eyes. He’s grown it longer over this year and stopped using so much product; it’s nice, more natural and a lot easier for you to run your hands through.

You open your mouth; trying to think of something to say but nothing comes to mind.

It doesn’t matter anyway.

Draco captures your lips in his. One of his hands settling on the back of your head whilst the other pulls you across his lap to straddle him. You smile into the kiss as your hands brace themselves on the back of the couch.

Breaking the kiss, you ask, “What was that for?”

He shrugs, “Nothing. I just missed you.”

“You’re missing me an awful lot.”

He kisses the underside of your jaw, “Can you blame me?”

You hum, “I don’t think I can. I’m missing you more too.”

“Then let’s not miss each other anymore,” Draco murmurs against your skin. Lifting his head just enough, he draws you in for another kiss effectively ending all conversation for the night.

-----------

You wake up tangled in the sheets of the four poster bed; Draco’s arm heavy across your waist.

As your eyes get used to the brightness of the room, they focus in on the clock on the beside table. Your eyes grow wide as you take in the time.

You’d slept through the lesson of the day already.

You launch yourself out of bed, shrugging off your pyjamas and rustling around to find your uniform.

“Draco!” You shout, pushing your arms through a shirt, “We need to get up, we’ve missed the first hour.”

Draco rolls over, groaning. Fastening your skirt, you kneel on the bed, “Love, we have to get up before the bell.”

He blinks his eyes open, grinning sleepily at you. Your resolve almost breaks then and there; happy to say to hell with it and get back into bed with him.

“I’m free second lesson,” Draco mutters.

You roll your eyes, kissing his lips briefly, “I’ll see you later?”

He nods, stretching his arms above his head, “I’ll see you later.”

Grabbing your outer robes and your bag, you rush from the Room of Requirement, fastening your tie as you bound down the stairs to Transfiguration.

“Where have you been?” is how you’re greeted by Miriam, your close friend and dorm mate.

You shrug, biting your lip knowing that there was no way you could lie yourself out of this.

Miriam narrows her eyes at you, “You never came back to the room after dinner and then you didn’t show up at breakfast. I was seriously worried. Where did you go?”

You look either side of you; checking that there’s no-one listening to your conversation, “Can you keep a secret?”

Miriam rolls her eyes, “Of course I can.”

“I was with Draco Malfoy,” You rush out in a single breath.

Miriam’s eyes widen and she pulls you to one side, “You were with Draco Malfoy? All night?”

You nod your head. Miriam puffs out a breath, “Well I didn’t expect that. How long have you been seeing each other? Tell me everything please!”

You laugh, “It’s almost ten months now, and I’ll tell you more at lunch, I promise.”

Miriam bites her bottom lip; glancing between you and the now open door to Transfiguration, deliberating whether it would be worth skiving the entire day to hear about your exploits with the Slytherin Prince.

She sighs heavily, deciding not to risk McGonagall’s wrath, “I want to hear everything at lunch – do not leave anything out, promise.”

Laughing once more, you cross your finger over your heart, “I promise.”

-----

Until lunch, Miriam sends you excited glances and knowing smiles. In between second and third period, she comments on the fact that she didn’t even think that you were seeing someone – not to insult you, but she just assumed that you holed yourself up in the library where you studied as late as you could.

Miriam practically bounces up to you when the bell rings announcing lunch. She keeps her questions to herself until you both take a seat at the Hufflepuff table, filling plates up with whatever took your fancy.

“So how did it start?”

You take a sip of pumpkin juice before beginning, “Over last summer, my family got invited to one of the many balls thrown by his parents. I don’t usually go to those things, but my parents asked me to join them this one time; I think they were worried because I’d spent too much time in the garden studying the plants. So I went with them and Draco’s father asked him to ask me to dance and it all stemmed from there.

“He sent me a letter the day after thanking me for an entertaining evening and wondered whether I would want to meet up again. I agreed and then from there it evolved into this.”

Miriam’s smile drops into a frown when she asks her next question, “Why keep it a secret? Was it his decision?”

You shake your head fiercely, “It was both ours. We were both equally as worried about the fallout from our families and our houses.”

“But surely if Lucius Malfoy asked Draco to dance with you, he wouldn’t mind?”

You tilt your head, thinking, “Perhaps not. He wouldn’t mind the blood status, but he might mind my being a Hufflepuff,” You shrug, “Anyway we haven’t gone public yet.”

“Ten months is a long time to keep this a secret.”

“It’s not like it hasn’t been hard and that there haven’t been times where I wanted to shout it to the entire wizarding world, but for now, it’s a secret.”

Miriam nods; the frown still expressed on her face. She reaches out her hand to yours, taking it tightly, “You’ve told me now though so that’s a shoulder to lean on should it get too much again.”

You beam at your friend, “Thank Merlin for you, Miriam.”

Miriam goes to reply but she’s distracted by someone approaching the Hufflepuff table. She lets go of your hand and nods her head to something behind you.

Turning in your seat, you find Draco patiently waiting. You smile at him, “Draco, how can I help?”

“I was hoping I could talk to you for a minute… about our last History of Magic lesson? You see, I didn’t take any notes and I was wondering if you had some.”

You smirk, “Why don’t we go outside? That way I’m not cluttering up the table for the others that are still eating.”

Draco grins, nodding at you understandingly, “Wonderful idea. Lead the way.”

Hoisting your bag on your shoulder, you send a wink in Miriam’s direction. She returns one with a laugh before beginning to eat once again.

Draco follows you from the Great Hall and to a less busy corridor. You lean against the wall with a smirk, “Now did you really want my notes, or did you already miss me?”

“More the latter than the former,” Draco admits with a small smile. He frowns though as he takes in your uniform, his eyes running up and down, “Is that my shirt?”

You look down at your clothing, only now realising that the shirt you had put on in a hurry this morning was indeed Draco’s. The arms being too long that you had to roll them twice before you could even start writing something.

You giggle, “I think it is.”

“I only wondered when I had to walk back to my common room shirtless.”

“No!” You shout, delighted at the thought of Draco running shirtless through the corridors.

Draco laughs, nodding, “I had my outer robes of course, but there was very little underneath.”

You clap your hands in sheer delight, “I’d give you back your shirt, but I’ve become awfully fond of it, you see.”

“Oh you have?”

Nodding, you say, “I have. It smells a lot like you which is great for when I miss you.”

Draco groans, throwing his head back, “If we weren’t in public, I’d be kissing you senseless right now. I didn’t realise how good you would look in my shirt.”

“Why don’t you?” You challenge.

Draco’s mouth drops open, “What?”

“Kiss me senseless.”

“Are you sure? We’ve kept this secret for so long,” Draco comments, a finger pointing between your two bodies.

You shuffle closer to him, “I’m sure. Ten months is long enough to keep you a secret, I’m happy to tell everyone now.”

Draco wraps you in his arms, not hesitating to kiss you. You gave yourself entirely to the kiss; pushing yourself off the wall and wrapping your arms around his neck. Your heart skips a beat when one of Draco’s hands starts to draw aimless patterns on the small of your back, sending heat rushing through your body. You sigh against his mouth before pulling away; repressing the urge to continue as the need for oxygen has become too great.

He presses one last gentle peck to your lips before grinning widely, “Are you really sure you want to go public?”

“Super sure. So sure in fact I’d make out with you again to prove my point.”

Draco raises an eyebrow, “Tempting but I say we go back to lunch. I think your friend had more questions.”

You grin at the thought of Miriam’s reaction to see you walking with Draco, “It sounds too good to pass up,” You hold your hand out to Draco, “Lead the way.”

It was all worth it when Miriam’s reaction to seeing you sit back down at the Hufflepuff table with Draco in tow was to spit out her pumpkin juice.

**************

General (HP) taglist: @chaotic-fae-queen @obsessedwithrandomthings @harrypotter289 @dreamer821 @kalimagik @heloisedaphnebrightmore @nebulablakemurphy @the-hufflefluffwriter @figlia--della--luna @bforbroadway @idont-knowrn @summer-writes @big-galaxy-chaos @black-lake-confessions @annasofiaearlobe @imboredandneedalife @levylovegood @mytreec @haphazardhufflepuff @teheharrypotter @chaoticgirl04 @accio-rogers @msmimimerton @izzytheninja @slytherinprincess03 @iamobscuring

Draco Malfoy taglist: @the--queen-of-hell @obx-beach @obxmxybxnk @sycathorn-slush @dracomalfoyswifey

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catxsnow · 3 years

Text

FIVE TIMES DICK GRAYSON HUGS

Request: How about ideas about hugs and cuddles from Dick? Fluff is an important part of a balanced fandom after all

Warning: fluff, mentions of sex but pg, mentions of blood

A/N: A little bit of a different layout but soft nonetheless

Word Count: 2.2k

i) Dick Grayson in the mornings

Dick always has trouble getting up in the morning. He doesn't like the bright sunlight breaking through his blinds or the loud crashes of his neighbors from getting ready in the mornings. Sleep always calls for him the moment his alarm goes off and he despises the idea of actually having to get out of bed.

He finds himself grabbing at any excuse just to stay a few moments longer. Maybe a 'I showered last night I don't need to this morning' or 'I'll make coffee at home today so I don't have to wait in line'. Any little thing to be able to sleep in for just five more minutes.

It's even more impossible when you're staying with him. He finds himself turning off his alarm only to roll over and snuggle into you. Big arms wrapped around you, legs tangled. He's got the most ridiculous bedhead in the world but god is it adorable on him. Dick's still half asleep and he can't even bring himself to leave a kiss on your cheek.

More times than not he falls back asleep again. It's hard not to when the love of his life is asleep in his arms. However, he often gets in trouble too. Showing up late for work or getting an angry phone call from Bruce or the team that he's not there.

It's impossible to get him off of you too when he's sleepy. Dick becomes completely dead weight and half his body is always on top of yours. Waking him is just as hard. Once he's asleep somewhere he feels safe, he's not getting back up. Mumbles in his mornings voice, squeezing you tighter, he's completely adorable when he's trying to sleep.

“Just a couple more minutes baby.”

Dick likes to blame the reason he gets stuck in bed so often on you - but truth is that's all on him. He's always struggled to get up in the morning and after long nights of being a hero, it doesn't help.

ii) Dick Grayson coming home from a long day

It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, if he's had a terrible day at work, he's swooping you up and carrying you to bed. He doesn't do that very often, only when he's on the verge of a breakdown. So, when he does pull a little stunt like that, you know that he's upset.

“I missed you today, my love.”

He pours his heart out during those times. Venting to you about his issues, his feelings, how frustrated he is that he can't change what's happened. It's heartbreaking to see him like this because he's trying so hard to keep himself together when he's clearly breaking at the seams.

Dick doesn't want you to see him when he's vulnerable and weak like this. He's always supposed to be the strong one. He's supposed to be the one who always knows what to do, who's always going to have a plan. Truth was, he couldn't be that person - at least not all the time. On the days that he couldn't, he looked to you for answers.

He'd find himself wanting you to encase him completely. Dick's safe in your arms, no matter the situation. He knows that this is the time that he can truly break down and you'll always accept him. There's nothing that he ever needs to worry about when he's with you.

Blankets mountain over you both. Dick's got his head on your chest, sometimes your stomach when he's curled up even more than usual. When he's in his bad moods, it's like he needs to hear your heart to remind him that he too is human. He can only handle so much before he snaps. His arms are tight around you, keep you so close that sometimes it's hard to breathe.

In those moments it feels like his hold on you is the only thing keeping him sane, the only thing that's keeping him grounded to earth. Dick has his times where no words can fix his issues, but your actions can. A simple hug, kiss, hand rubbing his back that reminds him that not everything in this world is out to get him.

It's those times that you know to be extra loving with him. Tell him how much you love him, how you adore what he does for this world, how important he is in your life.

iii) Dick Grayson after a night of patrol

Every night, the only thing he has to look forward to is coming back home to you. No matter how many times he gets beaten down, he knows he has to get back up to get home to you. Dick knows you're waiting for him, worried out of your mind as whether or not he'll make it back alive.

So, when he gets back, stripped of his suit and a shower that washes away his dirt and grime of the night, he finally makes his way into bed with you. His body aches from the hits he got, even when he's in the warmth of your bed. He's exhausted by the time he gets home to you, and it's a struggle to even clean himself up.

No matter how tired he is, how sore he is, he always pulls you into his chest to give you a kiss. It's his way of telling you that he's made it home safe, even if he's barely hanging on some days. It's a silent 'I love you' when he can't get the energy to say it out loud.

When he holds you close at night, it's his only way of being able to fall asleep. He doesn't think about the horrors he's seen at night when he's with you, he doesn't think about how much trauma he's been through. All Dick can think about is you, everything that there is about you.

“I’m glad you’re safe and back with me, Dick.”

“I’ll always come home to you.”

His nightmares don't plague him. He doesn't wake up randomly throughout the night. Being with you lets him be in peace.

When he cuddles you at that point in his day, he envelopes you completely. His arms are tightly wrapped around you so you're flush against his body. Dick nuzzles himself into the crook of your neck and his legs are perfectly lined up behind yours. He's found himself reliant on you to be able to fall asleep.

In the winter, when it gets cold out, Dick just absorbs your body heat. He craves it when he's out as Nightwing. The cold winds bite at his skin and he's consumed with the memory of your body warmth. He hates feeling cold when he knows that he could easily quit early and come back to you.

On some lucky nights - or maybe unlucky if you look at it - when his body is really sore, you'll offer up a massage. Dick can never say no. You'll find yourself sitting on his butt as he lays on his stomach. Scars and wounds lacing the skin on his back and his tense muscle aching for your touch.

Dick falls asleep like that all the time, no matter what. You could be telling him about your day or even he'll be telling you about his and he'll fall asleep mid-sentence. He wakes up refreshed every time you offer to do it for him, and more times than not he'll always find a way to repay you back.

iv) Dick Grayson on rainy days.

He loves having rainy days with you. Not necessarily rainy days - but the kind of days that he gets to be free of worry from the outside world and just focus on you. Hours upon hours that he gets to relax, often for the first time in months. Those days always seem like a blessing to him, especially when he gets to spend them with you.

Watching movies where he gets to cuddle you on the couch. The both of you laying on your sides. Dick's pressed against the back of the couch with his arms tightly around you so that you don't fall off the edge. He leaves annoying (adorable) little kisses at the back of your neck and a lot of the time tickles your sides.

Or you'll be in the kitchen, baking cookies or brownies, or whatever Dick wanted that day. He's always standing behind you, arms around you and chin resting on your shoulder. His eyes are glued to your movements, adoring how you can make something so mundane so beautiful at the same time.

On days that the rain is pouring outside, Dick will drag you outside - whether it be a balcony, a rooftop, to just the streets. He's got you out in the freezing cold where the rain is soaking your clothes and your clinging onto him for any remnants of body heat.

Dick wants to give you that cheesy, cliche, kiss in the rain. He wants to hold you, to kiss you, to tell the whole world how grand his love is for you. Hands cupping your cheeks, lips molding perfectly to yours. He can feel the drops of rain slipping between you, but it's never enough to get him to pull away. The cold ignites through his body but the warmth of your kiss, your touch, everything there is to you is enough to pull you back in for more.

“You’re an idiot.”

“I’m your idiot.”

Dick spends the rest of the day clinging to you - or more so the other way around. It's his fault that you're frozen to the core and he's going to be the one to fix it. He doesn't mind, not when it gives him the opportunity to just be closer with you.

v) Dick Grayson after sex

He can't get enough of you. Dick Grayson can never find a way to express his love completely. No words, no action, nothing in this world would ever be enough to show how vast his love is. Out of breath, sweat covering his skin, he'd still pull you in for more kisses, more time to show you that he loved you.

Sometimes Dick would have an arm tucked behind his head, the other stroking back and forth along your back. He loves post-sex cuddles with you. He's still on a high with you, absorbing your activities with a smile on his face.

His entire focus is on you. Kissing you, loving you. He's checking to make sure that he didn't hurt you in any way. Dick Grayson becomes the most caring person towards you - more than his usual self. His sole priority is making sure that you feel loved, safe, and happy.

Laying on your sides, facing each other and just talking about anything and everything are his favourite moments. He can't keep his hands off you - in a non-sexual way. Cupping your cheek, drawing into your arm, watching the goosebumps roll against his skin as the cold starts to fill you both.

A smile never leaves his cheeks. Not for a second. How could he when his entire view is focused on you? He's sneaking in for a kiss at every chance he gets - and when he's not his hands are on you. They're playing with your fingers as you talk or brush against your body.

“How did I get so lucky with you?”

Cuddles with him after sex always seem more intimate than the moment itself. He gets the opportunity to talk about his heart's desires or his fears. He feels like it's his prime moment to be able to express anything that he's been feeling because it's when you're most willing to open up too.

It's a time of reflection. For some reason, these conversations always come up after your most intimate moments. It's the concept of growing together, not separately or apart. His future is you, it's always been you, and he's making sure that you both want it to stay that way.

Bonus: Surprise Hug

Getting home early from a mission or managing to sneak away to see you even just for couple minutes, he loves to surprise you with a hug from behind. You’ve learned by now how his body molds to yours, the calming scent of his cologne as he gets close to you - it’s never a worry who’s hugging you because you know his touch by heart.

He loves to hear the joy in your voice when he shows up. The excitement that you get just for making the effort to show up for even a few minutes in the middle of the day or a couple hours early getting home. There’s nothing better than the warmth that spreads in his heart because of you.

taglist

@pricetagofficial @mora-miserium @babymango-writes @redrobin-yumm @simp-is-what-i-am @catsofsmoke @subtleappreciation @officiallydarkgeek @spiitfiires @pinkdiamond1016 @childish-kiwi @givetimdrakeacoffee @gunnedrobin @anythinggoesfandoms @local-fandom-trashcan @bikoncon

#dick grayson #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson fanfic #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson oneshot #nightwing #nightwing x reader #nightwing fanfiction #nightwing imagine #nightwing oneshot #dc one shot #dc titans #dc imagine #dc #dc comics #batfam #batfam imagine #batfam x reader #batfam one shot

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yamalegacy · 3 years

Text

genre: n/sfw, filthy filthy smut with a semblance of plot (this is me pretending it’s not just pure smut so i added some context tbh)

pairing(s): kayama nemuri (r-rated hero: midnight) x reader

cw: sub!reader, (technically gn) afab!reader, semi-public sex, desk sex (midnight bends you over her desk bc i said so), mommy!midnight, finger sucking, reader is struggling with anxiety if you “squint”, written with a 8/9-year age gap in mind (i’m shameless) but it’s not explicit

word count: a lot tbh 3.2k+

⚠️ MDNI not so casual reminder for minors to not interact with this post ⚠️

U.A. High School felt like an uncharted territory, some sort of a forbidden land that you shouldn't step into, and yet, here you are, standing just a few feet away from the enormous, heavy doors. The infamous U.A. Barrier that keeps those who don't belong in the school away — and to prove it, there is a line of journalists waiting outside. You aren't one of them, though, you aren't like them. Your Special Entry Permission ID is clutched tightly in your hand as you try to gather the courage to get through the small crowd of journalists.

Finally, you step forward, your breath catching in your throat as you approach the Barrier. You feel like even with your special permission, it won't open, leaving stranded out there. You've had the ID (courtesy of your girlfriend) for nearly three weeks now and never once dared to use it.

As the Barrier unfolds in front of your eyes, you can hear gasps of surprise behind you, and whispers of rumors making their way to your ears of full of spite. Jealousy. It's just jealousy, you tell yourself. You aren't doing anything wrong. Those people don't even know who you are, so it's nothing personal, really. But still, you feel your heart sink in your chest and your face burn at the sudden excessive amount of attention on you. Relief washes over you when the Barrier closes again behind you, shielding you from prying eyes and uncomfortable gossiping.

You take your phone out of the back pocket of your pants. 15:07. Nemuri's last class of the day is almost over. You breathe deeply as you struggle to remember what she told you about the layout of the school — she should be in the main building, with class 3-A (you don't remember her whole schedule, of course, but there's details that you just can't seem to be able to forget).

"You probably shouldn't be around here unaccompanied."

The voice startles you, and when you turn around to look at who addressed you, you are faced with a wall. A tall wall of muscles in a red costume. You look up and find an all too intense pair of red eyes staring at you.

Vlad King. Blood Hero: Vlad King is standing in front of you, staring at you, making you very small and definitely even more out of place than you already felt. Too intense. But when his eyes land of your Permission ID, he seems to relax — the man is still too intense though.

"I need to find 3-A?" your voice comes out a little too squeaky for your liking.

He frowns for a moment, visibly thinking your words over. "Midnight's with them?"

Though he speaks out loud, it seems to be more to himself than to you. Still, you nod shyly, and it's like something lights up in his head, understanding replacing his frown.

"You're the partner!"

You don't need a mirror to know that your face is turning a bright shade of red that could rival Vlad King's costume, and all you can do is nod again. Nemuri has talked about you to her colleagues? God, you hope she hasn't said anything embarrassing.

"Follow me then!"

Before you can say anything, Vlad King is making his way towards a staircase. You need to nearly run to catch up with him. "I had lunch with her today. Didn't say anything about you coming to U.A. though."

"It's a surprise?" you offer hesitantly. “I managed to get out of work early for once, so I thought..." you trail off, realizing that you are already talking more than you should, more than you usually would with a stranger. Your face is definitely not doing to stop blushing any time soon, and the erratic beating of your heart isn't about to calm down any sooner.

Just as can finally see the classroom, the bell rings and students swarm the corridor — Vlad King has a hand on your shoulder and keeps you away from students all too excited to get back to their dorms. Nemuri's students stare at the two of you in passing; a blond boy and a girl with periwinkle hair even more curiously so than the others, but Vlad King's presence by your side probably stops them from asking questions.

"Hey, Midnight, there's someone here to see you!" the Pro Hero booms as soon as the corridor is nearly empty.

You can't help but noticed the way Nemuri's shoulders tense at the loud exclamation, a tension that almost disappears when her eyes find you. But there's a frown creasing her brow as soon as her gaze lands on Vlad King's large hand, still resting comfortably on your shoulder.

"You should have said something about your little partner being this cute," he continues, patting your shoulder with just a bit too much force, and the gesture makes Nemuri's eyes narrow. "I'll let you two be then!"

He doesn't wait a second, doesn't acknowledge Nemuri opening her mouth to say something, before he steps away, immediately striking a conversation with one of the few students still present in the corridor.

When you look back at your girlfriend, she is simply staring at you, and you can't find the courage to take a step inside the classroom, instead standing awkwardly in the doorway. Shit. What are you? A vampire waiting for an invitation to come in someone's home or something?

"Sorry I came unannounced. I probably made things awkward for you," you mumble, staring down at your feet as you can't find it in you to look at her in the eyes.

"Don't apologize, sweetheart. I'm always happy to see your pretty face." The words make you look up, and Nemuri is staring at you, soft smile tugging at your lips as she crooks a finger to beckon you — and oh so obediently, you step inside the classroom.

She stands up from her chair and approaches, a soft hand immediately placed on your cheek, gentle and warm, though her face remains impossible to read. "Did Kan-san treat you well?"

You nod. "He was really nice," you say, your voice still betraying your nerves. Nemuri's thumb strokes your cheek once, twice, before she lowers her hand your shoulder, where Vlad King's was moments ago. It would be soothing if her perfectly manicured red nails weren't digging into your skin ever so slightly. "But he's still scary," you add hurriedly. Nemuri loosens her grip, but her hand doesn't move away.

Maybe Vlad King isn't quite as scary as a jealous Midnight. (And he isn't nearly as hot either.)

She leans in and presses a soft kiss to your cheek, it's brief and she pulls away almost immediately to retreat and settle back down in her chair. As she watches you, you freeze, unable to even take one step forward. There's that look in Nemuri's eyes, the one that make a shiver run up your spine and makes you want to press your thighs together.

"Baby, close the door for me and come here."

Always seeking to please your girlfriend, you obey without saying a word, pushing the heavy door until it’s closed. You turn back to look at Nemuri again and she is waiting, hands settled on her lap as she stares at you, unblinking. Hesitantly, shaking on your legs, you approach her, knowing that you are but a small prey rushing into the claws of your predator; the smirk that tugs at the corner of her mouth only confirms it.

As soon as you’re close enough, Nemuri grabs you by the hips and pulls you closer, guiding you onto her lap, forcing you to straddle her thighs.

“You came all the way here from work just to see me?”

You nod at her question, and she nearly coos at you in response. “You’re so sweet, baby,” she whispers against your lips before giving your mouth a faint peck. “Always so nice and good for me, aren’t you?”

You nod again. One of her hands moves away from your hips and you know to brace yourself, but you still let out a yelp when her palm comes into contact with your ass — it’s playful, you know she hasn’t put much of her strength in it, but Nemuri is a lot stronger than most give her credit for.

“Y-Yes! I am!” You stutter your way through the three simple words. Nemuri is obviously in one of those moods where she expects you to be verbal when she talks to you, that’s what earned you the spank, there’s not a doubt in your mind about it. It’s a dangerous mood for your girlfriend to be in at her work place; there’d be nothing reasonable about whatever she has in mind.

You try to stand up, but Nemuri’s grip on you keeps you firmly where she wants you.

“Nemuri,” you whine, “we shouldn’t...”

“We shouldn’t what, baby?” she asks, smirking up at you before tilting her head to kiss your neck.

“Not here...”

You feel her teeth scrape against the sensitive skin of your neck (you know she is leaving a bruise, but you can’t stop her, don’t even want to stop her) and the moan that escapes your throat is embarrassing.

“What can’t we do?” she insists.

"I know you, Nemuri," you start, placing your hands on her shoulders to keep yourself balanced and stable as her lips found your pulse point. Your breathing is already getting ragged, and you know, just as you know Nemuri wants to fuck you, that you are dripping wet. "This is your work place," you whisper, "we can't have sex here."

She chuckles at your words, and all you want is to bury your face in her neck, in her hair, to hide your reddening cheeks. She pulls away, kisses your cheek in the most delicate of manners, and looks at you, seeming all too serious all of a sudden — which means that she's definitely up to something.

“I don’t know about having sex, but I could definitely fuck you. Right here, right now.”

“Nemuri,” your voice doesn’t sound anywhere near the tone of warning you aimed for. It’s embarrassing. But at least you could have sounded whinier, so there’s still a sliver of hope for your dignity to make it through the day.

She offers you a smile when you finally look back at her face; it’s a soft and genuinely kind smile, no trace of teasing.

“If you don’t want me to touch you, I’ll stop and let you go, I promise. But you have to tell me, baby.”

You already knew that Nemuri wouldn’t push you to do anything that you don’t want to do; she has always been caring and respectful of you, but still, it is reassuring to hear the words in this moment. But you don’t want her to stop.

“Do you want me to stop touching you, sweetheart?”

You shake your head. “N-No!” you hurry to say before Nemuri has a reason to give you another spank.

"What do you want, then?" Her sultry tone sends a shiver up your spine

You don't like that question; you've never liked it in any sort of context. There are too many possibilities, too many ways to answer and it's too much. The thought that you may say the wrong thing plagues your mind every time. Nemuri seems to notice your growing distress, and caresses your cheek, thumb brushing over your skin, once, twice. She leans her forehead against yours.

The silence that settles between the two of you is comfortable, barely interrupted by your heavy breathing. It’s hard to catch your breath when you are sitting on the lap of the most beautiful woman you’ve ever met — when all of her attention is on you, just you, nothing else.

“Can I take off your pants and touch you, baby?” Nemuri asks, finally breaking the silence.

“Please.”

Nemuri smiles and guides you off her lap, but her hands remain on your hips as she does so, keeping you up on your feet as your legs tremble. She unbuttons your pants and meets your eyes with her own, probably trying to look for any sign that you might want to put a stop to everything, but when all she can see is your smile and flushed face, she pulls down your zipper. You swallow thickly as you watch her hook her thumbs into the waistline of your pants to tug them down. She kneels down in front of you to push your pants past your knees and helps you step out of one of the legs — only one though.

Her eyes trail up your body, lingering on your underwear, and you hide your face in your hands, refusing to look at the satisfied smirk on her lips. You’re so wet already that you’ve soaked through your underwear, you just know it, and there’s no way in hell Nemuri hasn’t noticed it.

She kisses your thighs and quickly moves to press her mouth to your core. Through the dampened fabric of your underwear, you feel her tongue peeking out past her lips to tease your clit. The moan that her tongue elicits is indecent and embarrassingly loud, it makes Nemuri chuckle against you, the vibrations making your body shake violently.

“Please don’t tease,” you mutter. She looks up at you and you bite down on your lip for a second, “please, mommy. No teasing.”

“Since my baby asked so nicely,” she starts as her fingers grab your underwear to pull it down, “mommy will be nice today,” she whispers against your cunt before standing back up.

She circles around you silently, stopping behind you. When you turn your head to glance above your shoulder to see what Nemuri is up to, you feel strong fingers on your neck, her palm warm against the back of it. She presses against your neck until you obediently bend down over her desk; she doesn’t bother moving her papers away, simply forcing your face down against it.

“Hands on the desk. And don’t you dare move or I’ll make sure you can’t sit properly for days.”

You don't need to be told twice; your hands find the edge of the desk, gripping at it like a lifeline, a desperate attempt to keep yourself from shaking. You know she is staring at you, at your ass, at your dripping cunt, like you're the most beautiful thing she's ever looked at. It's what she always does. And yet, its effect on you never changes.

She kicks at one of your feet, not hard, just a way for her to signal that she wants you to spread your legs further for her, which you do. A gentle finger runs up the inner side of your thigh, stopping just before it can reach your most sensitive spot.

"I haven't even started to touch you and you're already dripping," she says as she leans down, her ample chest flush against your back and hips against your ass. "Such a desperate little slut for me."

Nemuri kisses your neck before standing back up, and you whine as her comforting warmth leaves your body. All you want is to feel her, but she keeps denying you.

"Don't worry, baby. You've been good for mommy, so I'll treat you well and make you come."

"Pl—Please! Mommy, I need you!"

She hums, delighted by the pathetic desperation in your voice. You hear her move behind you, and all of a sudden, she's spreading your lower lips and her tongue teases your core.

"Fuck," you groan, knees bucking at the sudden touch and pleasure rushing through your whole body.

She laps at your cunt, humming again in delight, satisfied by your taste. Her thumb finds your clit, pressing her thumb harshly against it before she starts to circle it, the movements quicken to reach the punishing pace that you've grown accustomed to throughout your relationship with Nemuri.

Tension builds in the pit of your stomach, your grip on the Nemuri's desk the only thing that keeps you stable as she fucks you with her tongue. You're getting close to release at an alarming, embarrassing speed, and for a moment, you think you can feel your girlfriend smile against your pussy.

"I'm so close," you moan, "please—"

And just like that, everything stops. You can't feel Nemuri's tongue, or hands, or breath on your skin, and you whine in the most pitiful of manners. Tears are welling up in your eyes. You need her to make you come. Before you can whine once more and complain about wanting an orgasm, two of her fingers are pushing against your hole.

You're so wet and turned on that her fingers meet no resistance as she pushes then into your sopping cunt. She doesn't move them though, simply kisses both your ass cheeks.

"Mommy..." you whimper weakly.

"Yes, baby? Is there something you want?"

"Please—"

You're sobbing and too desperate to care about how wrecked and miserable you must seem right now.

"Please what?"

"Mommy," you whimper, voice trembling just as much as your limbs. "I need you to fuck me! Please!"

"You're so good for me today, baby," she coos as she gives your ass a harsh squeeze, her fingers still unmoving deep inside your core. "Keep being good for me and try not to be too loud. We wouldn't want anyone to get curious and find us like that, would we?"

And finally, Nemuri starts fucking you with her fingers, pumping them in and out your cunt at a merciless pace. Your muscles clench around her fingers as she fucks you, her free hand sneaking between your thighs to pinch your clit between two fingers. You have to bite on your arm to keep yourself from screaming at the sudden sensation.

"Mommy— I'm gonna—"

"It's okay, baby, you can come for me."

And you do. You come on her fingers, muffling your screams into your arm. She helps you ride out your orgasm, fingers moving gently into you until your breathing becomes even and she pulls them out. She wraps an arm around your waist and guides you to her chair, sitting you there, setting one knee next to your thigh. She takes your chin between her thumb and index finger and tilts your head; you can feel a sticky wetness on your skin and you know it's your juices coating her fingers.

She kisses you and, out habit, you part your lips to grant her tongue access. You can taste yourself in her mouth, it's embarrassing but you can't pull away.

"Open up, baby," she demands, letting go out your chin to press her drenched fingers against your lips.

You gladly take them into your mouth, lips wrapping around her fingers to suck on them, tongue twirling around them to clean them up of your slick arousal.

Nemuri kisses your forehead, "you're so cute, baby, always so good and obedient for mommy," she whispers, smiling softly at you. "I really should consider keeping a strapon in my things in case you come see me at school again."

"You can always fuck me with a strapon when we get home," you mumble, unable to meet her eyes as your face flushes all over again.

"Oh, I intend to, my sweet baby."

#bnha x reader #bnha x you #bnha smut #mha x reader #mha smut #midnight x reader #this is a lot longer than it was meant to be #oopsy (my bad)#⚠️ mdni ⚠️#🔞 kayama nemuri ( midnight )#i sat in front of my laptop for a while doing nothing #thinking about the fact i'm closer in age to nemuri than to the students #being old hurts my friends #ANYWAYS #this really got way too long #but i love nemuri too much not to give her what she deserves #and what she deserves is a lot of words to express my love for her

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