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#(they've figured it out and good for them but GODS I WISH THAT WERE ME.)

simonsomeriley · 3 months

Note

please would you write for Ellie x doctor!reader in Jackson who looks after everyone and helps Ellie out after a patrol one day!

your wish is my command <3

1.3k words | gn!reader

You're walking on the slippery ice on the road of Jackson, you hear the sounds of children giggling through the streets, everything here just feels like home.

Even with the worries of whats going on outside, the little community you've all built together makes it at least a little bit better. Being able to help the people of your community, the children. Makes it all better, day by day.

In the morning, the elders go outside for their chit-chats and their coffee, watching the kids run outside. Playing football, drawing with chalk, finally being able to let kids be kids again.

The evenings are spent doing your jobs and your tasks, gathering supplies like wood, water refills, & food, the chefs are in the kitchen cooking up what they can make of what they have.

You, on the other hand, spend your evenings in the medical supply tent. Putting cartoon bandaids on kids' knees after they fall, stitching up some people who have fallen on the ice. And what you do best, take care of your self-proclaimed "hunters" after they've been out on patrol.

And the night time is spent with dim lights, cleaning up, & getting children ready for bed.

Your medical tent is usually up 24/7, just in case an emergency happens past usual work hours. If there has been a lot of cases in one day, usually the nice older lady that runs the bakery will get you a sweet treat as a reward.

You're just cleaning up the tent per usual in the afternoon, mopping the floor and sanitizing what tools you have. There had been Ellie's turn to go on patrol today, Ellie and Jessie together. They'd left a couple of hours ago, nothing seemingly out of order. Usually they'd stay out until it got dark, or in Joel's words "Testing God's patience."

You hear the sound of hooves, galloping, humans running to open the gates & lots of loud talking. It dies down after a while, you decide that it wasn't anything urgent. Assuming that if it was, you'd probably be called over for some look-overs for serious injuries.

You hear someone enter your tent, you look up from where you're sterilizing some needles. It's Jesse. He's alone. You'd just assumed Ellie came hand-in-hand with Jesse, realizing now that it wasn't the case.

"Anything happen, Jesse? Anything I need to get my emergency kit out for?" Jesse looks around, like he's familiarizing his surroundings, "Nah. To me? No. Ellie could use some help, though. Hopefully nothing too serious. She got some infected hangin' off of Shimmer,"

You stand up, gathering some items off of your desk and putting them in an over the shoulder bag, "She's fine though, right? No injuries, just some bruising I'm assuming?"

"If you're talking about the horse, Shimmer's fine. If you're talking about the human, Ellie's not lookin' too hot. Luckily the infected got off by the time we neared the gates. Think she hit her head pretty hard, though."

You walk over to the opening of the tent, where Jesse's standing in the makeshift "doorway", "I'll have a look at 'er. Make sure you get the horses in the stables, okay?"

Jesse backs up, walking out of the tent, "Sure, mom. Good thing there wasn't any major weather. The infected were hiding under the already fallen snow. No way to figure out whether there'd be infected under there or not. I'd say we made it out pretty good for how many of those monsters were out there,"

You're walking towards the gate now, some people are gathered there & discussing patrol curfew, horses & partners. You spot Joel by Ellie's side though, seemingly she looked fine a tad bit, bruised, with some minor cuts, you spotted no extreme injuries or anything major.

Jesse's walked over to the stables now, you approach Ellie with your bag over your shoulder, "How're you holding up, Ells? You aren't looking so hot,"

She whips her head around at the sound of your voice, from where she's standing talking to Joel. "I'm fine," of course. The default, tiring, awkward response. I'm fine.

"Really, I could take you to the tent and just get you checked over. Make sure you don't have any deeper-than-skin injuries that'll affect you later,"

She seems to nod and sigh in defeat, the all stubborn girl she is, and she walks with you by your side back to the medical tent.

"Jesse told me about the infected. Seemed pretty intense out there, huh? Glad Shimmer's alright and you aren't missing any limbs,"

She holds eye contact as you speak, looking away at the end of your sentence and widening her eyes, "Yet. Never know how many of those guys are out there, y'know? It's hard to tell in the winter time. S'like they run on freezing weather or something,"

You lift up the entrance of the tent for her as she leans down to get under it, "You're reckless, you know that? You should be more careful. Like Joel says, you only live once, at least make it worth the while," she winces as she bends down, and she tries to cover it up. You notice.

You sit her down at a chair with a pillow on the seat, "You're not very good at pretending, do you know that?"

The smug grin on her face tells you enough.

You dampen a washcloth in the sink, bringing it over to her and wiping at the dried blood stains on her face. Most of it disappears without trace. That's good, that means it's mostly coming from one place. Not many wounds.

She has an indent in her upper lip. You take note of it.

You ask her to take off her jacket, leaving her in just her band t-shirt and her jeans. You check her arms for any wounds, and once you reckon you've found every injury, you get out your needle and thread.

You figure the cut in her upper lip would heal on its own, recommending her some cleaning solution to keep on her bedside table.

You sew the cut in her arm together, from what looks like could broken glass or a hard slam against the ground.

You put a band-aid over the stitching, and you're now instructing her on how to keep the cut on her upper lip clean. She's completely out of focus with what you're saying.

You keep rustling in your stash, finding the cleaning solution and q-tips at last, demonstrating how to take care of it.

Her eyes are only focused on you. She watches you like you hung the moon and the stars up in the sky.

You come back to your senses after ranting about cleaning wounds & how to do it at home, and you realize that she's closer to your face than what you remembered. You could almost feel her cold-minty breath on your face if you focused hard enough. Her pupils are dilated.

It's been quiet for a while. Neither of you notice or bring it up. It's a comfortable quiet. A shared silence.

You feel her lip graze yours. You want to stop her. You want to tell her off for this so bad, you'd say, "Ellie, you have a fresh cut on your lip. This isn't a good idea," but still. You can't bring yourself to say it. Not when her closeness feels this good. This right.

She asks permission. After sitting in silence for the past couple of minutes, she asks permission, "Can I?" you freeze. You don't know what to say.

Her eyes are on you. You feel her heart rhythm. Her breathing. You nod your head to the best of your abilities when your head feels this clouded from her attention.

She leans in close, and the gap between your lips closes. You feel her lips on yours for long, a sweet, heart-warming kiss. You can practically feel her smirk against your face before you pull away.

"Might have to be reckless more often if this is what I get out of it,"

#simonsomeriley #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x you #ellie williams x y/n #gender neutral reader #the last of us x reader #tlou #tlou2 #the last of us part 2 #ellie williams imagine #ellie williams angst #ellie williams fluff #ellie williams hurt/comfort #ellie williams x female reader #doctor!reader #nurse!reader

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miquella-everywhere · 23 days

Text

Denizens of the Haligtree Analysis

Giant Ant

So ants.... There's really not much to say about these guys, but if anything their presence at the Haligtree is a good indicator of how bad off the divine tree is. Also their stupid acid attack always one-shots me and I hate them lol

Oracle Envoys

So the Oracle Envoys only show up in two places; Leyndell and the Haligtree, and as lore states their appearance basically heralds the coming of either a new Age or a new God. I've seen arguments stating that the Oracles are there for Malenia and her ascendance as the Goddess of Rot, but imo considering that Mal has only bloomed twice and is not yet a true Goddess(which she doesn't even want to be) the Oracles presence could indicate that they are actually heralding something else. maybe miquellas return? 🤞

Also the Haligtree is the only place were you can find the Giant variant, which I just think is neat lol

Misbegotten

The Haligtree is known throughout the Lands Between as a refuge for the forsaken and misbegotten, so the Misbegotten that have managed to make their way here are definitely the lucky ones. Although if you watch them carefully you can see from their mannerisms that many of the Misbegotten there are quite distressed, many are seen yelling at the sky in despair or kneeling down infront of the statues of Miquella in prayer. Either way, they may have made it to the promised land but all that remains is desperation.

Fungal Putrid Corpse

Fun fact about these guys is that this variant of the Putrid Corpses can only be found in the Haligtree. Other than that there isn't much else to say here, although I guess one thing to say would be the sheer prevalence of the Putrid Corpses found throughout the Lands Between. They're probably all the unfortunate commoners and regular people who got caught up in the Shattering and were reduced to... this.

Miranda Sprout

So according to their lore Miranda Powder has always been prized by the Perfumers, and from what we know about the Perfumers is that before the Shattering they used to be healers. So I'm spreading some propaganda here but at the Perfumers Ruins in Altus there is a secluded patch that has multiple Miquella's Lilys there, indicating that Miquella spent some time with the Perfumers, which makes perfect sense considering he wished to heal Malenia.

So it would make sense why there would be Miranda Blooms at the Haligtree, because Miquella had use for the properties of their pollen. A shame they've become infected with Scarlet Rot now...

Spirit Calling Snail

The Sprit Calling Snail is a snail that calls spirits. Go figure lol. But in all seriousness the Snails presence at the Haligtree somewhat adds another hint regarding Miquellas own connection to the spirits.

Haima Battle Mages

So the Haima Battles Mages are really cool when you read into their lore a bit:

"Scholars of the Haima Conspectus sought the power to quell conflict, and to this end studied the sorceries of cannon fire and the gavel."

Aside from further proving that Miquella had and interest in Glintstone, the fact that the Haima wish to quell conflict, and that the Haligtree, arguably, is the most peace focused of all the factions in the Lands Between it would make sense why these two mages would settle here and defend the Haligtree.

Cleanrot Knight

When Malenia departed on her campaign and took her Cleanrot Knights with her, these ones are likely the faction that stayed behind to defend the Haligtree. Like can you imagine being these guys?

Your General leaves with your comrades and you're tasked to defend Miquella while he slumbers within the Haligtree. But then this Omen with flaming blood shows up out of nowhere and kidnaps Miquella despite your best attempts to stop him, and you just...

You failed.

Your Lord that you were tasked to defend with your life has been taken, and you grieve your failure and also having to face your General when she returns and explain that her beloved brother has been taken...

But when Malenia does come back she's completely comatose, carried on the back of Finlay, your fiercest comrade, who quickly succumbs to the rot after bringing Malenia home safely, and now all you can do is put her within the roots to rest. And after all that you still commit yourself to defending the Haligtree despite Miquella being gone and the rot seeping into the tree and decaying it from the inside out...

Like damn, how depressing.

Haligtree Foot Soldier

Same thing as the Cleanrots above, but what makes the Haligtree soldiers interesting is that you can only find them at the Haligtree. Like in Liurnia you can find a Leyndell Knight wandering around, obviously deployed from Leyndell during the Shattering with the same thing on Mt. Gelmir, meaning that they are not one of the many factions of soldiers of the Shattering War, but in fact, strict defenders of the Haligtree. Like they dedicate their lives to one job, and that's defending Miquella and his Haligtree.

But then everything just went to shit in a single day. And it all just went downhill after that.

There really is a heavy sadness to these guys with the fact that they are so desperate for Miquella to return that they came to the conclusion that they need to explode with holy light in order to guide him home :'(

Haligtree Knight

Holy shit these guys are legitimately a Boss but without the fanfare, like goddamn. Its honestly shocking that Mohg managed to get Miquella with these guys at the defense, but well he got him 😔 Anyway these guys are interesting to two reasons; the first being that they can heal using flasks, the only other enemies in the game using healing items being other Tarnished or Perfumers, and the second is that these Knights can use Glintstone Sorceries, once again further hinting at Miquellas relationship with the Carians and his own interest in Glintstone.

Putrid Crystalian

Now what makes the Crystalians presence here at the Haligtree so interesting, involves this little tidbit about their lore:

"The inscrutable Crystalians have but one clear purpose; to safeguard their crystals unto the end. One theory posits that they yearn for the return of their creator who will carve for them new brethren."

And Miquella, who has been quoted as, "A meticulous, bold craftsman who grasps the essence of life," would seemingly fit the bill for someone who could potentially carve the Crystalians new brethren. And then there's also the fact that the Crystalians are the beings who are closest to the Primeval Current, and as I've said in a previous theory post, is something that Miquella definitely has an interest in. So perhaps Miq and the Crystalians here have a mutual relationship going on; with Miquella attempting to grant them new brethren, and the Crystalians giving Miquella insight into the Primeval Current.

A shame Miquella is no longer with them and that they've been infected with Scarlet Rot....

Royal Revenant

WHY

WHY ARE THERE FOUR OF YOU IN A ROW

WHY

Okay so bottom line the Revenants are weird. There is no enemy in the game with so much mystery surrounding them than these guys. What's their origin? What is their purpose? Are they suffering as a massive amalgamation of body parts and fucked up magic? I sure hope they are.

But what I can say about the Revenants is that their general locations sort of paints a picture regarding who they might belong too. They are predominantly found in Liurnia, with their most interesting location being that they seemingly guard the Lunar Estate on the plateau where the Cathedral of Manus Caelus is. The other notable locations are at the Shaded Castle, a place were Miquella likely frequented, and now at Elphael. So saying that they may have their origins either with the Carians or Miquella wouldn't be too much of a stretch... maybe.......

And then there is also the fact that they are usually accompanied by Wraith Callers, who bear a striking resemblance to the Revenants as well. Then also there's that little theory about how Ranni's master may have been a Wraith Caller..... 🤔

Kindred of Rot

These guys are clearly here because of Malenia, and it's interesting to see that they only show up in the rotten core of Elphael and the graveyard area which is closest to were she is slumbering. I made a post about these guys long ago about how they've seemingly peacefully assimilated into the Haligtree even though Malenia rejects them, and honestly I think that it's kind of poetic considering Miquella's philosophy.

Putrid Avatar

The Putrid Avatars are a Scarlet Rot infested variant of the Erdtree Avatars, but what really interests me about them the most is that the Putrid Avatars have a completely different staff compared to their normal counterparts.

The Putrid Staffs design is highly reminiscent to the Haligtree Sigil, and while the item description of the staff is the same as its regular variant, I can't help wonder if the design was intentional but the description was overlooked/forgotten in regards to that connection. Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it 🤷 In my opinion, I see it as Malenia's Rot being so deeply intertwined with Miquella's Abundance that even the Putrid Avatars adopt his iconography.

Either way, the fact that there are two Avatars defending the Haligtree really speaks volumes regarding the Haligtrees legitimacy as a type of Erdtree.

Putrid Tree Spirit

I hate these guys. What else is there to say lol

#i love the haligtree #this place is so wonderful #uri posts #elden ring #miquella the unalloyed #miquella's haligtree #elden ring theory #i forgot to add the pictures of the staffs im so dumb :P

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sleeplessdreamer123 · 1 year

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So, I got an idea from this prompt. Again, can't really enjoy writing on Twitter, so Tumblr it is!

Lucerys' screams were loud enough to reach Dragonstone from King's Landing. The entire family winced as they heard him shout, begging, cursing in both High Valyrian and common tongue for the Maesters and the midwives to "do what they were paid to do and get the babe out of him!!!"

Aemond acted the worst out of all of them, walking around in circles, glancing at the door every second, glaring at anyone who dared to even breath loud enough for him to hear.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He barged into the birthing room, and while the Measters begged him to leave, saying it wasn't a place for a man of his stature, a glare was enough to silence them.

Lucerys, seeing the man who made him the way he was now, the cause of his recent suffering, redirected all the abuse he was capable of giving to Aemond.

"You, you cursed worm! You...You..-" he screamed as the pain got worse and the midwives begged him to calm down.

"You beast! You absolute, one eyed Hightower cunt! You dare show yourself to me after what you've done!" He shrieked.

Aemond, for the most part, stayed silent, most likely in shock. He knew Lucerys wasn't the sweet angel everyone thought he is, but this was the first time Lucerys has ever called him...any of those insults. He didn't even know he knew words of insult (his mistake, seeing as Daemon was there to teach him). And he did it in front of all those people.

Who seemed to be ignoring said insults as Lucerys began to scream again, grasping the covers as the midwives urged him to start pushing.

The Maesters hurriedly told him that it was normal for anyone on the birthing bed to hurl insults, as the pain they're going through was akin to dying of a heart attack, they would scream anything at anyone. Except they don't usually die, the Maesters quickly say once they saw Aemond's face paling from the mere notion of his consort's death, in fact, with the amount of curses and energy from Lucerys, they believe it would be a rather healthy birth, and that he has nothing to worry about. (Except for the fact that the labor started too early, they were only supposed to be visiting and they were supposed to stay in Driftmark for the birth).

"Aemond....Aemond...." Aemond's eye left the Maesters and landed on Lucerys, who was reaching out for him, tears staining his face. Despite protests, he goes to him, and holds his hand.

That was a mistake.

He never realized how strong his little consort was, until he squeezed his hand so tight, he felt as if the bones would break. He didn't say anything though. He knew that if he did, Lucerys would tighten his already tight grip, just enough to ensure he would never be able to practice with the sword for at least a few weeks.

He kissed his sweaty forehead, whispered in his ears that he was doing good, so good, so well. And how did Lucerys reacted to that? Well...

"Do you think of me as a dog, husband?! I care not that I'm doing well, or good! I want the babe out this instant! This will be the only babe you'll get out of me! You will never sweet talk me into allowing this to happen a second time! If you wish for a second child, why don't you get pregnant instead!"

The Maesters and the midwives wisely ignored their conversation. Well, the older ones did. The younger ones were busy trying not to laugh at what they've heard. Aemond will deal with them later.

He wiped his sweaty face with a cloth given by the midwives, kissed his cheeks, contained his groan of pain every time Lucerys tightens his iron-like grip, and hope to the gods, be it the Seven, the Fourteen Flames, hells, anyone would do, for it to be a speedy birth.

So of course, it took the entire day.

The Maesters did try to remove Aemond from the premises once, and Lucerys was quick to retaliate once his pain-addled mind figured what they were trying to do.

"No, you dare send him away to get comfortable while I writhe in agony?! He shall stay and see just how much he hurts me! See if he wishes for another child after this!"

Aemond wisely didn't remind Lucerys that it was he who wished for a child, that he was the one who "forgot" to drink the moon tea prepared for him. Yes. He was very wise not to mention that, since every time Lucerys felt pain, he would utter curses and insults like a seasoned sailor, directing it to anyone in the room he sets his eyes on, so much so that Aemond began to wonder if he heard them from Daemon or Corlys.

Soon, soon, the midwives informed them of the babe's crowning. Soon, a crying babe was added to the cacophony of noise in the birthing chambers. Aemond waited for his dear consort to release his poor, poor hand.

He could feel the iron grip tightening more than ever.

"I can feel something moving from the inside!"

And thus, the midwives and the Maesters scrambled to prepare for the second child, and once his own crying was heard, everyone in the room finally relaxed.

They cleaned the babes and placed them on Lucerys' chest, and he looked at them with satisfaction.

"Oh, hello." He croaked, his throat dried and tired from the shouting.

They waited for a few more minutes before allowing the family in. It only took a few seconds of awkward staring for Aemond to figure out they heard everything. He will deal with that on a later date as well.

The family were on their best behavior, at least. They greeted the two new additions of the family, Rhaenyra, Daemon and Jacaerys checked on Lucerys, asking what he wished to eat after this, and Alicent silently looking at the two silver haired boys places on his chest.

"I think...I think I called Aemond a cunt." He coarsely whispered.

"You did? Well done."

Alicent's glare at Daemon's answer did not seem to affect him at all, too busy looking at his new grandchildren, who seemed to not mind their presence, at least.

Aegon, however, had to ruin the peace with his half drunken antics.

"So, dear nephew, did that hurt?"

One look from Lucerys gave Aemond all the permission he needed to slap Aegon on the head with his not-crushed hand. The look of approval from both Rhaenyra and Alicent told him he did the right thing.

The look of satisfaction from Lucerys told him he was forgiven.

He hoped that he forgives him if he knew that he planned on getting him pregnant again, maybe in a year or so.

#aemond targaryen #aemond x lucerys #lucemond #lucerys velaryon #lucerys x aemond #aemond one eye #birthing chambers where Lucerys curses at Aemond the whole entire time

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lovelyflowers-world · 4 months

Text

Remember Me

Angsty angst angst

Tw: mentions of death

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

Remember me

A girl of only the age of four sat on a man's lap while he brushed her hair and sang her a small tune it's only safe to assume it was her father as things seemed happy and calm. Well they say there's calm before a storm

Though I have to say goodbye

As the man stood with the girls in his arms to set her back into bed she didn't know this would be the last time she'd ever see her sweet father. He laid her oh so gently onto her bed pulling the covers just under her chin he stroked her hair and kissed her head

"You know I'll always love you dearly my little flame"

The girl nodded her head with a big smile on her face she loved her father more than there was stars in the sky and nothing could have changed that

"I love you too!"

The man smiled sadly at his daughter knowing this would be the last he'd ever see her it pained the man to leave his princess all alone to not be able to see her grow to a beautiful young woman but it whats done is done.

"Good night my little flame I'll see you again soon"

The girl giggled at her fathers choice of words and wished him a good night and as the man shut her door he was brought to tears he was never an emotional man but this hurt him deep to his core knowing he'll never hold his dear flame close to his heart ever again

Don't let it make you cry

The next morning when the small girl couldn't find her dad and saw her mother looking at her in pity it clicked in her head that she'd never see her dearest father again

"daddy's gone..?"

Her voice crack and big eyes filled with tears brought her mother to her knees to hug her only daughter oh so tight

"(Y/n) I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

For even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart

That was twelve years ago that little girl is now sixteen and a counselor at camp half blood one would think she despised her father but she could never blame him he was a god after all he wasn't going to stick around forever. Plus she had a pretty cool brother thanks to him

"(Y/n) get in your own bed!!"

"BUT I GOT A NIGHTMARE NICO!"

I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart

As (Y/n) laid on the floor quietly singing the song her father sang to her when she was small she sighed and looked out the window watching as everyone walked around happily conversing with one another a few passed waving to her and she gladly waved back.

Remember me

One would think the girl was happy with her life she had everything she could ever need but it seemed the lack of a father seemed to eat her alive she looked back into her cabin and sighed sadly

"Do you ever think of me dad?..probably not"

She got up and walked out with the biggest smile on her face and went to sword training.

Each time you hear a sad guitar

Now we see our protagonist alongside Percy Jackson and Nico di angelo fighting off a monster. The protagonist giving it her all to make sure her companions get out alive even if it cost her life. As she looked to check on her brother's state she felt a sharp pain in her gut and she looked down she saw the red seeping out her shirt. Just then her brother and Percy seemed to be celebrating their success.

"Guys.."

They looked over in time to see her fall to her knees the pain becoming unbearable

Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be

They run to her side pleading her to hold on a bit longer that they'd find a way to help her. They couldn't lose her not now when they've done their hardest when they were almost home. Tears were shed and she laughed and cupped her brothers cheek

"it's alright..I'll be with dad now I'll be okay.."

Just then a figure appeared over them towering and as they looked up he slowly took the girl out of the boys arms and held her close humming her a oh so familiar tune holding her head to his chest he nodded to the two boys and walked away

Until you're in my arms again

"It's time to go home now little flame"

The girl smiled and closed her eyes

"Okay daddy.."

And with that she took her final breaths

Remember me

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

A/N

heyyyyyyyy do you all still love me?

I love you guys <3

#hades percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson fandom #percy jackson fanfiction #percy jackson x reader #angst #horrible ass angst #hades #oneshot #percy jackson show #wattpad #wattpad fanfiction

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tachimichishrine · 4 months

Text

"sweet and sour"

◝≞▣≞◜ crime executive!jouno saigiku x gn!reader

warnings: except for a bit of guns + cursing and ooc jouno,, none! this is all fluff :) i didn't write this in lowercase??? crazy amirite

"Jouno Sai... Saigay? I was certain there was gay in there somewhere... Anyways! Hi!! It's a pleasure to meet you!!"

The mispronounced man in question glared at the individual who was giggling happily, strolling around in the office like they owned the place, shooting a, "Hey, Fernando, did you get a new haircut?", "Lookin' good in that suit, Ichika!", and, "Oh my god! Where did you get those shoes, I swear I saw the exact same ones at that store down the street, the uh... what's it called? Y'know what I'm talking about, don't'cha?" to his fellow executives like they've been friends for years on end.

The room had always been tense, from what he recalled. When people entered, they expected to get shot by the boss, or be given a task so difficult to complete that they would ultimately get shot. In short, a meeting with the renowned organization that Jouno Saigiku worked for was a death sentence for his subordinates, even more so for rival organizations.

Yet, this person had been bouncing around the walls like a child in a candy store, waving around the knife at their fingertips like a ten thousand yen bill and showing off the gun strapped to their thigh and waist with the same bubbly confidence of a new outfit they'd just bought the previous day.

'They're going to get themselves killed in no time,' he laughed to himself, waiting for the one in charge to enter the room.

For now, he was responsible for managing the building and their potential customer (from another criminal organization. It made him wonder how on earth someone like them could possibly be working in the same sadistic field as he did) until their meeting began. He'd never met this person in particular before, and wished he would've never had to. However, business was business, and he would need to accommodate them well enough to prevent a war between the two groups to break out.

"[l/n], was it?" he smirked, a strained playful smile that was barely hanging above the devilish one he had underneath. "It's Jouno Saigiku, and I'd recommend that you refrain from making yourself too comfortable in here. You are, as you know, on our turf, which means that-"

"Bla, bla, bla! you're so formal!" they scoffed with a wave of their hands, bouncing off of the velvet couch and strolling up to the executive, glaring at him with a particular expression that he couldn't see. "I'm actually rather touched that you knew my name! [l/n] [y/n], I'm your connect with [criminal organization name ~ [c /o/n]] so don't be a meanie!"

..."Don't be a meanie? "

As if by miracle, the boss entered right when they were about to get close enough to his straightened-out figure, almost army-like in posture, to tap his nose with their fingertip as one does with children. In his field of work, only people of utmost trust managed to meet directly with the person on the top, so he considered that perhaps they were prevalent in some other field that didn't have to do with relationships and appearance. Now, all he had to do was wait for his boss to get infuriated at their attitude and demand that he dispose of them and he'd be able to drag them out back and peel off their skin...

"[l/n], dear! It's been a while, has it not?"

This keeps getting better and better.

"Kantoku!" they beamed out, running over to the old man and avidly shaking his hand. "Oh, I've missed you so! Things have changed around here, didn't they? You never told me you promoted a new executive!"

With a playful eyeroll, Kantoku - the man in charge of his crime syndicate - gestured to the couch and began to converse, almost casually. What baffled him, perhaps the most of all, was that every regular beat of their heart was steady, this wasn't a feigned façade nor overcompensation for fear. This person was truly, genuinely an idiot.

"Pst, Jouno," the woman executive standing beside him nudged his shoulder, "the boss is here so we're free to go. Plus, that asshole who stole from us isn't talking, so we might need your help."

With that, he left behind both the room and the lingering feeling of confusion regarding [l/n] [y/n].

Jouno Saigiku did not have a very complex job.

In fact, his daily tasks mostly consisted of torture and punishment, with the occasionally laying off (which undoubtedly meant death. There was quite a bit of death around him, a certain fading scent that permeated throughout any room he'd visit. This was not a literal physical scent, for that would obstruct his sight and handicap his senses, but nonetheless he found himself rather pleased when he felt warm blood splatter across his soft cheeks.)

Today was nothing different; supposedly, someone from [c /o/n] had blundered and fled right into their territory. Given the amical relationships between the two groups, it was their job to retrieve and return the fugitive, annihilate them if they do not cooperate and it becomes necessary.

At the moment, he found himself seated in a vehicle, driving to the last location that this person was last seen, being described as "[s/c] skinned and [e/c] eyed", all attributes which couldn't possibly make any difference to him, due to his lack of vision. When he asked for a name of this person, he was shocked to learn that it was the same energetical and bubbly individual who vaguely crossed his radar a few weeks back.

"Oi, oi, Jouno slow down, we don't wanna pass 'em 'cause you're drivin' too fast, 'ight?" his coworker for this mission reprimanded. "Just 'cause you can do that fancy hearin' thing ain't mean my eyes ain't good, 'ight?"

Jouno thus pressed his foot with more force against the gas pedal, speeding up the car only because he didn't quite like the tone of this person.

"Hm?" he asked innocently. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you very well, what did you say?"

"I said slow down you-"

They cut themselves off, not allowing for a response since their silence indicated that they had learnt something new.

"Woah, yeah, they're right over there!" they exclaimed, tapping a point on the window so that Jouno could hear the faint sound and distinguish which direction their target was. "Pull over, I'll tie 'em up and toss 'em in the back."

The white-haired man paused momentarily, thin brows imitating each other as they angled upwards in confusion.

"What do you mean? That's not them."

"For a blind bitch, ya really think yer all that, don't'cha? I can literally see them right now, they're standing outside the fuckin' car so pull over and lemme mug 'em."

His lips had pressed into a line, contemplating the situation. The reason he wasn't allowed to go on his own was because they were extremely picky about identifying the right culprit, yet Jouno cared little for his escort of sorts. He'd encountered [l/n] before, and what marked his memory the most, asides from their childlike behavior, was how their heart hadn't betrayed a thing on the outside attitude, despite being blatantly threatened. This person, the one that his temporary partner had suggested was their target, was in fact sweating buckets and had such an erratic heartbeat he might've believed them to be having tachycardia. On top of this, their breathing was not the same, from what he gauged, they couldn't possibly be the right height, build and walking pattern. People on the run obviously become more more jittery when faced with escaping an impossible situation, but this conflicted his knowledge in too many ways to be true.

"I believe," he suggested calmly with a grin appearing, still refusing to unlock the doors or pull over, therefore driving past the individual, "that [l/n] might not be as gullible as we first presumed, and that this person is a decoy set up to distract us."

And so, Jouno found himself pleasantly challenged by the least likely person.

As the sun bled out into the sky during its descent from the zenith to the crepuscule, Jouno had finally managed to shed his gravely irritating partner and complete his task alone.

That idiot - really, that's all he could call them - decided to ignore his words and kidnap the scapegoat. Of course, this person sobbed and repeatedly told them that they're not the right person, that there's been a mistake, but no one believed their words. Inevitably, they were tortured for a few hours and deemed unnecessary. Jouno shot them, then headed back to search for the real culprit.

"Now, where could they be?" he hummed, almost amusedly, to himself. "Most people tend to lay low when running from important and dangerous organizations, but something tells me..."

He was rather lucky, in a sense, that someone had spotted the fugitive near a bar. However, this was over 5 hours ago. People on the run tend to be smart enough to scatter from location to location, but he supposed he shouldn't be overestimating other people's intelligence.

The door creaked with a lowly groan, as did the floor when he applied weight onto it via his heavy tread. Upon first impressions, the bar was nearly empty.

Then, he heard a voice call out.

"SAIGAY!! Ahh, it's been a while, hasn't it?! Come, come! Can I order you anything? You look like a bourbon man, are you into bourbon? Unless... fine wine? Oh dear, don't keep me guessing, come, sit!"

Immediately, as soon as they called out his name and announced themselves with such ardor, he knew he had the right person.

"No thank you," he smiled. "I can't drink, I'm currently at work."

"Are you? Aw, you don't mean you're here to kill me?" they replied, voice dipping down to a pouty grumble as they neared the end of the sentence. "I'm tired of people trying to kill me, it's no fun."

Idling at the entrance, Jouno didn't quite motion to sit next to them, nor did he seek to keep close in case of sudden evacuation. From what he had heard, this person was without ability, so they didn't pose much danger. Nevertheless, he was a cautious man, and had known that false information could potentially be fatal in certain circumstances, especially when the target is acting so laid back.

"You stole half a million yen from one of the most dangerous organizations around, I don't particularly think you'd've expected it to be fun."

Met with muttering, he would've asked them to speak up had he not heard the nearly incomprehensible, "but I didn't steal anything" from their lips.

"You didn't?" he said aloud. "Then where do you suppose the money had gone?"

A pause insinuated, and he pondered repeating his question in a more forceful way when they answered. "Woah, you've got great hearing! I wish I were like that, half the time people talk to me and all I hear is 'bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bl-'"

Jouno pulled out his firearm and pointed it directly at them.

"Enough games. Cooperate and I'll only make it hurt a lot."

"Gee, mister, did someone piss in your cheerios? I'll come, I'll come, just give me a second! I want to finish my drink."

On the table, however, there wasn't a single glass.

Upon having Jouno point this detail out (for while he could not see, he could still visualize objects in space with his other senses), they paused briefly. "So either you're blind but scarily good at it, or you can see through that crazy squinting of yours."

"I don't appreciate you stalling," he hummed, cocking the gun. "Do you think I won't shoot?"

"No, no, it's clear you would!" giggled the individual. "But, oh, do tell me more about yourself. Being threatened is so much more pleasant when-"

He shot them once.

He shot them twice.

Both bullets landed in non-lethal locations, such as their right shoulder and calf, which was enough to get his message across without rushing his punishment for their actions.

"That hurt!" they frowned, clutching at the opening from which blood was rushing out. "Owwie! You really don't like talking with people, do you, Saigay?"

"Saigiku," he corrected with a hiss. "Do you ever stop talking? I could very well kill you right now."

"Well, I sure hope you don't!"

This just made him want to shoot them even more.

He listened eagerly as they let out a few hisses and groans, then a soft squelch and the clattering of a metal against the marble countertop. He guessed that they were taking out the bullet from their calf, since the one in their shoulder had effectively shattered into hundreds of shards, and would require special medical attention immediately if they wished to live for a few more years. Then again, he knew that they probably wouldn't live past tomorrow, so it wasn't his concern.

Letting out a soft gasp while they tore off part of their attire in order to wrap their injured limb, they still seemed to be laughing. "Thanks."

"For the gunshot wound?" the white-haired male tried to clarify. He didn't take them to be such an open masochist.

Yet, his question only spurred a flurry of coughing and chuckles. "Of course not! I meant, thank you for not attacking me further. Really thought you'd kill me here and now, but you're letting me treat my wounds without interference. Is it because you have orders not to kill me?" Adding with a terribly comedic bite of their lip, they said, "Or have you been seduced by my charm?"

Once he made it perfectly clear that he'd shoot again, they backed off on the teasing remarks and requested that he help them up. "To walk," they'd clarified. "I can't walk, y'know. How do you plan on getting me back to your base?"

"I'll drag you by your hair if I need to," he replied.

(He had to hijack a car because there was no way he'd drag a body across the city, especially not a body as talkative as this one.)

"So you're telling me," they pondered while blindfolded and cuffed in the back of the vehicle, "that you're blind, yet you have highlights? They're pretty, I'll give you that, but why did you colour it? Midlife crisis? Doesn't sound right to me, plus you can't even see the colour so why on earth would you do it? Are you responding to me? I can't hear anything with this blindfold over my ears. Aren't blindfolds supposed to obstruct your vision, not your hearing? Man, but maybe I can hear perfectly fine and it's all your fault because you're not answering me. C'mon, Saigay, humor me!"

Of course, he had no intentions of humoring them.

"You're lucky I didn't gag you," he said. "Or cut off your tongue. In fact, knocking you unconscious would've been a splendid idea."

"But you didn't!" the ex-criminal beamed. "Besides, I'm going to get beat up enough once you deliver me back to [c /o/n]. If you ask them to let you watch and/or participate, they won't say no, I think. Pops isn't too strict when it comes to those things."

"Pops?"

"Y'know, the head of [c /o/n]. He's my dad's close friend and the brother in law of your boss."

That explained a lot of things, starting with this seemingly innocent person's involvement with such dark themes. Yet, there was still something Jouno needed to know.

"And you betrayed your own family friend?" asked the blind man, quickly approaching the location of the building in which he was given rendezvous for the drop-off of the traitor.

"Ahh, connections don't mean shit," they scoffed, waving around their tied hands as if to emphasize their point. "But I didn't betray them. I'd have to be an idiot.... No, not an idiot, whatever is worse than an idiot in order to steal money from a man who would've given me the cash if I asked him for it. So, no. I didn't steal anything. That's why I didn't run; I'm not guilty of anything, running would make it look like I am."

Jouno was interiorly perplexed. So they've got a decent brain behind all of that buttery personality, after all. But, there was just something about them that didn't fit with the narrative, something he couldn't wrap his head around.

"Why wait for me to tie you up?" he finally suggested aloud, hearing his own words formed allowing him to make more sense of his confusion. "Why not just waltz into the building? This makes you look both stupid and guilty."

A laugh burst from the backseat, the kind of laugh that makes you want to join in despite not fully understanding the reason behind it. It was however cut short, due to a sharp inhale of pain then a few curses murmured at their injuries.

"Maybe I am an idiot. Maybe I wanted to get caught. Who knows? Maybe this was all part of my master plan to lure you near Negishi Station so that I could use my all-powerful ability."

He spent a few seconds registering that last bit. Lure him out to Negishi so they could...

"BOOM!"

With a jolt, he nearly crashed the car; luckily, in time Jouno had realized that this was just a sound effect from the hostage, and not a real crash caused by an ability. They were, in fact, right next to Negishi, which made the whole thing a huge coincidence, but other than that, nothing occurred. They were still in the car, unharmed and untouched by any ability that he could detect.

Meanwhile, [l/n] was laughing their ass off.

"BWAHAHAH, you actually fell for it!!" they managed between heaving breaths and uncontrollable laughter. "I knew that since you were blind you would be sensitive to loud noises but that worked so much better than I thought it would, you should've seen your face! You were all like," then they proceeded to make a plethora of faces he couldn't see, but that he knew were all mocking him.

[l/n] continued, "By the way, just because I haven't used it doesn't mean I don't have an ability. So watch out for your ass, pretty boy, or else I might just... BAM!"

He did not flinch this time, but he found himself rather frustrated with his previous reaction. People, normal people, never teased him this way. He'd have thought [l/n] would be a bit less friendly around him after sustaining the injuries, but so far, that appeared only to drive them towards a playful alternative to revenge on par with a snowball fight between two children.

"I'll tell you what," concluded the hysterical individual attempting to calm themselves down, "let's do this again, same time tomorrow? Muah, it was lovely meeting you Saigay!!"

Before he could protest or question this, they waved around their somehow uncuffed hands, reached for the handle of the car door, pushed it open and leaped out.

He found himself standing at the entrance of the bar the very next day.

It was beyond frustrating to pick up the pieces of yesterday's aftermath; based on his recollection and the most probable situation, [l/n] likely used the loud noises not only to ruffle and distract him, but to cover up for the sound of the click of their handcuffs being taken off, courtesy of a pin they had picked the lock with. On top of this, their haphazardous mention of Negishi station was just a way of situating themselves in space (since they had been blindfolded) so they could think of the safest escape route.

He quite frankly did not expect to be outsmarted by someone who can't even remember his name right. Yet, the fact remained that he was strolling up to the entrance of the same place as he'd previously apprehended them at, same hour of the day. He rather hated the sunset; nothing felt right for him. Not the consistent buzzing of the cicadas during the day nor the melodic trilling of the crickets; dusk never held a sustainable aura, and for this reason he'd grown to loathe it, despite being told repeatedly that the setting sun was beautiful.

Rushing curtly inside the building, the bells connected to the door jingled, and, almost on cue, a loud cheer roused him from his lucid trance.

"Saigay!! Over here, over here! Can't say I expected you to show up, but I'm pleasantly surprised!" gleamed [l/n] upon his arrival.

"It's Saigiku," he repeated for an umpteenth time, "and I'm here to turn you in."

They shook their head. "I'd have hoped you'd realized that I don't take to being kidnapped. But I do appreciate the perseverance, so I'll make a deal; have a drink with me, then I'll cooperate for an entire 5 minutes without trying to escape."

"...You truly are an odd person," said he, despite taking a seat by their side and waiting. He didn't know what trick they had up their sleeve (rather, their cast. Turns out, they'd gone to a private medical professional in order to have it looked at. He smiled when he noticed this; a sure sign that victory was much more likely tonight.)

"I'll take that as a compliment!" [l/n] laughed heartily, then called for the waiter. "One [favorite drink] for me, and he'll have a cup of whiskey. The good type, y'know what I mean, darling?"

The waiter raised a brow at the nickname and odd hint, but took the order anyways and began preparation. Meanwhile, Jouno sat, trying to protest that he did not want anything to drink, but was quickly cut off by his temporary enemy's much louder affirmations that he did indeed want some.

"You don't look like the type to be trying out sobriety," they hummed, "but I know if I let you chose for yourself, you wouldn't get anything. You'd be all," (and here their voice deepened and became gruff in an attempt to make it clear that they were looking to mock him,) "'I'm here to kill you! I'm a mass murderer so fear me!!' Am I right or am I right?"

Before he could respond, the fingers on their uninjured hand began to flick his dangling earring, on the right side of his face.

"You have an earring," they pointed out, almost stupidly. "Why don't you have one on the other side?"

He wasn't going to respond to any of this. In fact, he was toying with the knife in his pocket, gauging the right moment to strike with such an unpredictable opponent.

"Because I don't," he said dully. The waiter came, their glasses clinking with the ice inside as it toyed around in the liquid, gently being placed onto the counter.

"Fair enough," they smiled. "Okay sooooooo, wha'd'ya wanna talk 'bout? Gimme anything, I hate silence."

That made two of them.

"What is your ability?" he said rather bluntly, with a soft hum. He was in an optimal position to strike, only a few centimeters away, but he thought better than to attack without knowing such an important piece of information. Besides, with the way the conversation was going, they seemed to be eager to tell him the truth, for whatever reason, so he wouldn't lose anything to try.

After taking a long sip from their drink, they paused. "Nothing, I don't have one. You?"

The cautious man pressed further. "I find it hard to believe you haven't an ability in such a dangerous environment."

With a chuckle, they took another gulp from the glass. Then, turning to him with a relaxed heartbeat, they said very calmly and slowly, "I don't believe in needless deceit. Unlike you, Mr. Hide-my-knife-in-my-pocket-that-I'm-going-to-stab-you-with, I don't play dirty. So, when I say that I don't have an ability, don't be so surprised, yeah? The majority of people don't. I supposed when you're gifted, you don't quite try to sympathize with those unlike you."

So, they're aware of the weapon, yet made no move to dodge? Perhaps he's overthinking this, after all there are many people who seem invincible just because one doesn't act based on rational decisions, but based on their feelings. He should know, he spends most of his free time toying with said emotions and tearing them apart.

In one swift movement, he let his knife slide back down his pocket and removed both hands from the shadows.

"You sound genuine," he said, almost to himself.

"Well, I sure hope so," they laughed, despite nothing particularly funny being said. "I am being genuine, after all. You'll be able to bring me in and tie me up properly in a little while, so I'm going to enjoy the now while I still can, that's my philosophy!"

"Your philosophy is to drink something before you get kidnapped instead of trying to escape?" he repeated, incredulous. Perhaps their drink was laced with something, some kind of drug that drags your mood to a high. Even if he smelled no trace of anything other than [favorite drink], he concluded that this was the only reasonable explanation to this indecipherable human being.

Doubling over with a violent wheeze, they were (yet again) laughing at his words. They babbled a few words between gasps for breath, such as, "Didn't know you had a sense of humour!" and "Please, I can't breathe!" like he'd been a world renowned comedian. He almost felt the urge to clarify that he was attempting to degrade them, to criticize them and point out their stupidity, but one does not simply explain themselves when insulting another. Typically, their words transmitted the message well enough, but this was far from a typical recipient.

Finally recovering, they put on a mock angry face and waved around their finger. "You fiend, take it easy, I'm injured! At this rate, you'll make me pop my lungs out, ahah! Is that your master plan? To incapacitate me verbally? Bravo, I didn't expect that!"

"I wasn't..." he said, trailing off as he was thoroughly perplexed. What does one say in his situation? At this rate, his biggest concern was their oddities, not their capture.

On second thought, he nearly forgot that he was here to capture them.

"That's the beauty of it," they exclaimed, waving around their drink and spilling a considerable amount on his shirt accidentally with the grand gesture. "Unintentional torture! Wow, you must be even better than what I've heard about you, Saigay."

Not even bothering to correct them, he said, "And what exactly have you heard of me?"

"One, that you're very attractive. Two, you're ruthless when it comes to sadism. Three, you have exceptional intellect and four, you can hear heartbeats. Is that last one true? Wouldn't that make you a living polygraph?"

He was, but also wasn't, listening. The first thing they'd mentioned was his attractiveness, likely physical, but what an odd thing to point out, that is! Fighting down the odd feeling blooming in his chest with success, he finally mustered a response; an affirmation.

"That must be your ability," they pondered. "Isn't it? You'd be too strong if you had something else on top of this."

With a grin, Jouno explained, "It is not."

A melodramatic gasp could be heard echoing throughout the mostly empty room. "It isn't?? Gah, I must've been astronomically lucky to have escaped you last time!"

He'd've agreed had he not been promptly cut off by a rush of guesses regarding his ability. Most were way off, a select few absurd, and the entirety of them wrong. He felt his face contort into that of a confused expression when they suggested that he might be able to listen to people through walls, drawing an example by explaining that he might, and here the words were engraved into his mind, "listen in on people while they went to the bathroom, thus deducing whether their digestion was going well." Somehow, this had become a conversation in which they recounted the vivid tale of their daunting task of finding a bathroom once when they'd been in a 'foreign environment' - also known as the downtown region of the neighboring city during a negotiation.

All done and said, they'd contented themselves with a fairly one sided discussion, and he sipped down the Japanese whiskey he'd been handed. Upon noticing this, [l/n] stuck out both of their wrists as best as they could, pressed near one another as if pleading.

"Well, a deal's a deal! Take me away, Saigay! Ah! That rhymes! Maybe I should become a poet!" they giggled.

Jouno considered this for a long time, the topic that was on his mind ever since his arrival. The previous day, he'd told his boss that [l/n] couldn't be found, and that he must've made a mistake when saying that the doppelganger was a fake. This, of course, was untrue, but it also gave him leeway in case he found himself up against a formidable opponent. All of this meant that, if he did not turn [l/n] in to [c /o/n], he himself would not lose anything.

It wasn't sympathy, he told himself, that led him to get up and walk away as they left their arms extended. No, it was just an avoidance of unnecessary effort. If he walked away now, he would save himself the hassle of detaining them, all the while giving this person a second chance. Who knows, perhaps they'd be useful to him in the future.

Jouno had not expected to be called by the lower ranking members of his organization early in the morning. What he had expected was to go to his office; not being told that there was a "package" waiting for him at the base.

He hadn't a clue what this package was. His first instinct was that it was a weapon of sorts, a bomb, anything that did damage. Although, it could very well also be a traitor who had been tied up and sent to him as a peace offering. The more he thought about it, the happier he was as he approached the location in which he was expected.

"J-Jouno-sama!" exclaimed one of the nervous underlings - a kid, really - holding a...

...A dog?

It barked at him, growling and struggling in the grasp of the two kids tasked with holding it down.

"What is this, a prank?" Jouno hissed, ready to make them pay before he even got the entire story.

One of them audibly gulped as their blood drained from their face, while the other stuttered an explanation. "N-No! We f-found this dog attached w-with a leash right in front of the building, and there was this attached to its collar," they said as they handed the executive a wrinkled piece of paper which, upon further inspection, turned out to hold an uncanny resemblance to a napkin from a nearby fast food place.

On it, there were an assortment of dots which were ink being pressed hard onto the fabric. Braille, he concluded. This person seemed not only to have specifically destined this to him, but desired to keep the contents for him only, rather than have someone read it for him.

On it, he managed to decipher the following:

'Dear Saigay, Thanks for not trying to kill me!! I'm certain you're just a big softie heheh. The doc told me I shouldn't be moving around too much after those wounds you gifted me, so now I'm kinda on house arrest lolol. Either way, I'd've loved to thank you personally but can't so I got you a present, its name is undecided yet BUTTTTTT they're a bitch just like you so I called them saigay jr. for the time being ♡ plus I figured you never had a guide dog, right?? So here you go! XD

p.s. you never told me what kind of drink you liked. was I right about the whiskey? pls tell me!! i'll recover properly then find you, so you better have an answer by then >:( p.p.s. heheh peepee s p.p.p.s. you still haven't told me why your hair is dyed p.p.p.p.s. SAIGAY JR HAS YOUR MISSING EARRING BTW!!'

What on earth-

He certainly was no longer angry at this weird dog, but at the owner.

What made it worse was that the two kids had finally gotten over their fear of him and started calming down the dog (which he was not going to called Saigay Jr., much less Saigiku Jr.), noticing the earring; it was only a clip on that was obviously made up of cardboard clippings and poorly colored insides, as well as engravings that he could physically feel and recognize, but the resemblance to his own was noticeable. He wondered if this was an insult from [l/n] disguised as a present, but decided that there were too many exclamation marks for this to be anything resembling a threat. Not to mention the "XD".

Now, he had to figure out the dog. It's too much noise and too much effort, besides he doesn't like dogs all that much. He supposed he'll just have to snatch off that wretched earring and dispose of it before anyone makes the link and this haunts him, then kick it out. Surely it'll wander back off to its home or whatever. None of what followed would be his concern.

"Jouno s-sama, what should we do with the dog?" uneasily asked the kid. He shook his head, snatched the makeshift earring in one fell swoop and crumbled it into a ball in his hand.

"Take it outside, it isn't mine and I don't care about it. This was just a prank from someone I know."

With this, Saigay Jr. was released back onto the street, the collar still coated with braille dots that spell out its name.

Once work was done, he decided to go for a walk, for some fresh air. However, Jouno was not expecting to hear panting coming from his side.

Saigay Jr. barked at him, happily wagging their tail and bouncing on their paws.

"What is wrong with you," he swore under his breath, then made his tone much vocal. "Go away! I don't want you here!"

None of this, obviously, got across to the dog, who was still following him closely.

"I said go away!" he yelled, a bit louder but also significantly harsher. "Stupid bitch."

It somehow reacted differently, barking much more avidly and skipping over to him with apparent excitement.

At this rate, he'd never get rid of the dog. He contemplated calling the pound and having someone take them in, but knew that this was likely an unnecessary step to take. Regardless, he'd have to get rid of it soon. All this barking is going to make him dizzy soon.

The sounds subsided as it transitioned from growling to a soft whine, choosing to lay down. It was then that he noticed a certain odor that he hadn't paid attention to before.

...Blood?

He almost could've sworn the dog was injured.

Jouno decided that it was not his concern and left it there, on the street, alone.

The dog was certainly a stubborn little thing, as it was there when he came to work the next day.

He took out his gun, shot it in the air (loud noises hurt him a lot, but he knew the same applied to the animal) and hummed contently as it scurried off out of fear, out of his life.

Saigay Jr. came back the very next day.

"Oh, will you fuck off already?" he groaned, taking out his gun yet again to fire a warning shot. Of course, he wasn't going to actually kill the beast, but he was reaching a point where he was very well considering it.

He stopped himself as he heard it whine, then lower itself to the ground, almost bowing to him in a human fashion.

"I'm not keeping you. [l/n] should've just left you in the dump where they found you," he said, realizing that he was talking to a literal dog.

He reached his hand out with a sigh, and began to pet it. This clearly made the dog calm down significantly, as it was finally getting recognition from the one it believed to be its owner, and so it didn't noticed as he curled his fingers around the leash, detached the ends of the collar then used it to attach the canine to a post.

As soon as it realized its situation, it began to growl, barking aggressively at him, then pouting and almost seeming like it was about to cry. Jouno didn't care, however, as he took out his burner phone and dialed animal patrol.

Somehow, by some un-abiding law of the universe, Saigay Jr. was there, sitting happily, waiting for him outside of the building in which he operated.

Its leg and arm seemed to be getting better, he could tell, which made it likely that it wouldn't stop coming back to annoy him.

"It's like a miniature [l/n]," he laughed to himself.

Over time, he'd almost began to enjoy his daily encounters with the animal. He found it almost enjoyable to pet and ruffle its soft fur, eliciting the pleasant reaction of a calm dog.

Today, he decided, he would stop pushing it away. It's Houdini, this mynx, a Houdini who refused to disappear and could get out of any trap he laid for it.

"First off," he crouched down, stroking its ear, "ground rules. You are not my dog. I'm doing this to see if it'll get rid of you once you get bored with me. Got it?"

Ears drooping, Saigay Jr. seemed to be saying, "aww, but I wanted to be your dog!", to which Jouno replied with a look that said, "Don't make me get up and leave."

"Second rule, keep your piss and shit away from me, I'm not touching or smelling any of that. Third, you do as I tell you to. Understood?"

He wasn't expecting the dog to nod, but would've liked seeing it react other than burrowing its head further into the palm of his hand. Reluctantly, Jouno didn't resist, and sat there entertaining its need for physical touch for a few moments before springing to his feet.

"I'm going home. You are not allowed in my house," he warned, turning around.

Saigay Jr. followed him home anyways.

Somehow, as the day turned into night, he found himself helpless when it comes to resistance against this dog. It was thankfully very unproblematic, not making much of a mess when they arrived to the apartment which he lived in (it wasn't his, evidently. The criminal organization he worked for simply scared off all the tenants and let their members live there, unofficially.) He gestured to a corner for it to stay while he settled down, and stuck there for as long as he told it to.

As he took care of his own affairs, the time to rest finally came, and the dog didn't appear to have any plans to depart from its new best friend.

"Leave," he repeated forcefully, pointing to the door left ajar for it to crawl outside. "I said leave."

The message seemed to be getting across, as Saigay Jr. finally began to trek towards the entrance.

Then, it used its snout to shut the door, returning promptly and sitting down in front of him, waiting for some kind of reward.

"I'd really wish you'd die right now," he threw a hand on his face, tilting it upwards to display his frustration. "Fine. Let's play this the hard way."

He walked outside his apartment, knowing that the dog would follow, and shut the door behind them both. With a smirk, he activated his ability, disintegrating into the smallest specks and re-entering the room while sifting through the openings on the side of the door.

This way, he was back inside while the animal was whining from the outside, scratching occasionally to ask him to let them back in.

"Absolutely not," he laughed proudly, tossing himself into bed, trying to will himself to fall asleep before he'd begin to feel guilt about leaving the diligent and loyal gift from [l/n] outside.

A click, a creak and a shuffle later, and he heard a very clear panting noise.

Saigay Jr. had somehow managed to get inside.

"Fuck, you know what? I don't care anymore," groaned the tired man. "I give up. You win."

As he let himself doze off, the dog had crawled up onto the bed and softly laid its head on his chest, breathing steadily.

Jouno wouldn't admit that the sound and feeling was a nice change to his norm.

At this point, Jouno had practically adopted Saigay Jr.

He didn't hear anything from [l/n], which he found odd since it had been over 6 months since he'd last seen them. He knew that he shouldn't be thinking about them; he'd only known the peculiar individual for a grand total of about 3 encounters, one of which he hadn't even interacted with them and the other two being attempted kidnapping and murder. The white-haired man knew that the only reason their image stuck in his head was due to this dog, this constant reminder of them, on top of their boisterous personality that he could've swore made him look at people like him (who had little to no personality, all business and no fun, as they might've said) differently.

The dog was a weird new addition to his life as well. He'd never seen it eat nor require to be walked. In fact, their relationship had gotten to the point where he was becoming more and more eager to be in its company; he woke up with Saigay Jr. (whose name he couldn't bring himself to change nor get out of his head), the both of them walked to his work, and then when he was done with his daily torturing, the loyal animal was waiting for him at the door of his apartment. He occasionally let it sleep in his bed, but mostly it found a small corner on the couch where both of them seemed content. It was a particularly odd situation; Jouno did not like pets. In fact, he didn't like people, so why would he expose himself to this small, fluffy thing for daily companionship? He didn't know, but found that there was no need to question a mutually beneficial situation.

Today, however, something odd had happened.

Saigay Jr. was not waiting in front of his door when he got back, covered in the heavy smell of blood for today's session was especially... artistic.

"Junior?" he found himself calling out, a name he never had the need to say out loud due to their chemistry. Yet, there seemed to be no movement nearby.

Weird, he thought, but there's no need to make a big deal out of this. The animal probably had to attend to its animal business, or whatever. Maybe the meeting that they always attend while he's at work was running late, he humored himself.

A few hours later, and nothing happened, no one showed up scratching at his front door or barking at it. He'd told himself that he was going to keep going on with his day as if nothing happened, but sleep was difficult to find because of the nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

It was then that he heard a knock at his door.

Not a scratch, but a knock.

He grabbed the firearm from the drawer next to his bed, and greeted the guest with a smile as he unlocked the door cautiously.

"Saigay!!"

He couldn't believe it; [l/n] was standing at his door.

"Sorry, sorry, I know this is sudden but at least be glad you were wearing pants when I knocked on the door," they spoke casually, letting themselves into his apartment and spreading themselves on the couch like they'd been living there for a while, in a particularly odd way that eerily resembled that of his dog, "but I was running late since my dad was telling me that I should come clean about this whole thing and bla bla, y'know that old man wisdom? You seem like you know what old geezers think. Anyways, Dad was givin' me the lecture and whatnot, so I told him that since I was mostly recovered, I might as well come and say hi without barking."

"Without... barking?"

He squinted his eyes even further as he tried to make sense of this.

"So you didn't gift me a dog, you..."

"Were the dog? Yup! The name's actually Soseki [y/n], and I've been a spy at [c /o/n] for about a year or two, can't remember too well since my time was cut short by a certain injury some pretty asshole gave me. Annoying, ain't it? I hate getting shot at. Being a dog is so much easier."

"You lied," he said, trying not to panic from the fact that he had been sharing his life for quite some time with another person in disguise, "when you said you didn't have an ability."

"Of course! Isn't that what everyone does? People lie tons, like when you told 'Saigay Jr.' that you didn't have a ticklish spot, only for me to find out that you have sensitive ears and chest. Very ticklish, especially when you think no one is watching."

He felt the blood rushing to his face while he swallowed dryly. What else had he done accidentally in all that time? He couldn't possibly have kept track of everything.

"Aw, he blushes," they laughed, tapping his nose before he could recover. "Relax, I'm not out to get you. I thought you were interesting and cute when you kidnapped me, so I thought I'd put you to the test for a bit while I recovered from my injuries. Okay, not so much a test, per se, but I wanted to hang out with you. I had a feeling you were lonely, and I was right!"

Heartbroken wasn't the right word to describe how he felt; what was running through his mind was a hellish mixture of embarrassment and fear of vulnerability. It's the sensation one feels when one is deceived and looks back on it, wondering how they could've been so foolish. He should've known, he kept telling himself.

"I get that you probably feel humiliated. Dad says that most people do, so I've just gotta smile and remind them that I've got a terrible memory," they laughed, reading his mind. "Maybe once you get over it you'll come to realize that I wasn't lying about wanting your friendship."

With a timid smile, nothing like what their usual bubbly personality would typically make, they bowed gently to him, seemed to consider leaning in to hug him, then decided that this all would be too much at once.

[y/n] left, hesitantly adding, "Same place... tomorrow?"

Why had Jouno showed up at the bar where they had originally been introduced, all those months ago, when he'd been so foolishly deceived?

Perhaps it was as he kept repeating in his head, that he was there to pick up the pieces of his torn dignity. Or maybe it was to finally kill them and receive the reward on their head.

Or was it to accept their offer?

He reassured himself that he couldn't possibly, that people were terrible and he couldn't let himself get soft with this one or else he'd become mushy and weak. He wasn't sure what terrified him so much about that idea, but he didn't even consider it as an option.

As always, the bells jingled as he entered, but there was no shout of his mispronounced name.

Nevertheless, he took a seat at the counter, ordering the whiskey not because he wanted some, but because he subconsciously attributed it to this location and time, despite not having an overwhelming number of memories here. He supposed that certain memories can be short but impact you more than you could ever fathom.

Even while he waited, he'd began to feel the pit of his stomach drop, like he had a cavity in his chest in place of a soul. Jouno hadn't realized up until now how accustomed he'd grown to a persistent joyful presence in his life, be it [y/n] under human or canine form.

The waiter returned, placing his order against the counter, and murmuring in a melodic voice, "I didn't expect you to come."

He didn't have to glance upwards to know it was [y/n], and so kept his gaze downcast.

"I'd say I'm sorry but I don't quite see anything to apologize for," they said, taking a sip out of his drink, lips lingering at the rim of the glass. "I had a lot of fun in the past few months, haven't you? My approach might've been a bit cruel, but think of it as Karma for shooting me, twice. This way, we're even! Wha'd'ya say? We good?"

Jouno's mouth betrayed him as he snatched the cup from them, chugged it all down at once, then said, "yeah, why not?"

Immediately, their heart rate sped up from excitement, and they leapt across the counter to trap him in a bear hug. Trying to resist but knowing there was no point, he eventually melted into their embrace.

Pulling away, they giddily babbled, "Okay, so now that you've forgiven me, I feel like it's a great time to mention that I've seen you strip multiple times and I would've told you that it was weird to change your clothes in front of a dog but I didn't know how to tell you or look away without acting weird so I just went with it and I feel like maybe I should compliment your stellar abs while I'm rambling like this but complimenting you will probably not do much good so how about I just offer you another drink and we forget this whole thing?"

Jouno cursed under his breath, nearly chuckling but not quite, realizing that they were right. "Fuck, what else did I do?"

"Well, I've got to tell you that your snoring is adorable, but you roll a lot in your sleep and that, mister, is something we need to take care of."

For the first time since he could remember, Jouno laughed a genuine laugh, not laced with malice or sugarcoated, as he listened to [y/n] vividly recounting their numerous embarrassing tales of him, only to be teased back for their dog habits like the panting and tail wagging. He'd've thought that the drinks were making him loose, but [y/n] had actually told the waiter to give them both multiple shots of apple juice.

As the night progressed, Jouno slowly found out that he'd opened himself up a lot more than he was comfortable admitting. Yet, this made him both want to retreat and lock [y/n] out of his life and invite them into his daily rituals, to never let them go. On the other hand, [y/n] had always found him to be a wonderful person, and only became further entranced as they watched him operate on a daily basis.

Somehow, Sweet fell in love with Sour, and Sour fell in love with Sweet.

Another set of months later, Jouno returned from a particular mission given to him in the middle of the night, exhausted, ready to do nothing expect collapse onto the bed and sleep.

He was practically dragging his feet as he approached the door of his apartment, inserted the keys lazily and opened it. As always, his partner called out for him.

"Sai!" they said, skipping up to the door and noticing his beat up expression. "Damn, what did they force you to do this time?"

He shook his head before burying it into the crook of their neck and letting his hands dangle by their side. "The guy I had to interrogate was an opera singer, lungs of fucking steel." Strands of his hair were brushing by their skin, and his lips were murmuring against the warmth. "He wouldn't stop screaming my ears off, even with the gag."

Unable to contain their laughter, they poorly comforted him with a rub on the back while shaking from giggles. "My poor baby, today hasn't been your day, has it?"

Almost like handling an infant, they snuck their arms under his own and half-carried him to the bedroom. Getting in with him and tenderly placing a kiss on his cheek, [y/n] traced out random features on his face with their fingertip, hoping to soothe his body with touch.

"You smell terribly by the way," they said sarcastically in a deep sultry voice. "Do I kick you out to sleep on the couch or are you gonna take a shower? I can smell the blood on you, darling."

Half-asleep already, he slurred a, "Tomorrow...", followed by, "It's not my fault you've got the nose of a dog."

"You aren't any better," [y/n] teased, rolling over on top of him and kissing his sensitive lips with the delicacy of a flower blooming in spring snow.

"Just... let me sleep," he groaned, waving them away like a fly, only to have his hand caught by their own.

"Mnn, fine," murmured the [h/c] haired individual, gazing at him softly with heavy eyelids, as mesmerized with him as always. "Want something fluffy to snuggle into?"

"No, stay the way you are."

With another kiss that lasted a bit longer and in which Jouno participated weakly, [y/n] rolled back and cradled his head, bringing it onto their chest.

"'Night, [y/n]," he managed to say, shifting himself so that he was curled up against their figure. After a brief pause, he shuffled himself again under the covers, resting his head on their body. With their chest steadily rising and falling in sync with their consistent breathing, he found that he slept so much better.

They smiled gently.

"Goodnight, Saigiku."

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #saigiku jouno #jouno saigiku #bsd jouno #jouno bsd #jouno x reader #bsd x reader #jouno bsd x reader #jouno saigiku x reader #jouno x reader bsd

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stars-n-spice · 3 months

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TBB S3 TRAILER

Holy FUCK I was not prepared for this.

As soon as I saw the trailer posted on Instagram, I grabbed my laptop and casted the trailer on the TV and stood in front of the TV like an old asian man; hands behind the back, spine bent, feet planted shoulder width apart.

Cannot believe it's finally here and I've got a lot of thoughts that I'm going to put under the cut because holy shit, this trailer hit me like a brick.

Idk if they will be comprehensive honestly but I'm writing them down as I rewatch the trailer.

In summary though? This season is going to absolutely wreck me and I will never recover from it emotionally and probably financially too if we get a new wave of merch and shit with it too.

Anyways, thoughts and reactions under the cut-

What the fuck are they doing with that transport? They stealing something? Retrieving something? Is it a tank? Hello, where is Echo??? IS THAT FUCKING CROSSHAIR?! IN S1 ARMOR???

PHEE GENOA!! so fucking great to see her again, I'm going to be absolutely devastated if they show us her reaction to Tech's supposed death.

CAPTAIN REX MY LOVE YOU'VE COME HOME!! "I thought the end of the war would mean the end to losing more of our brothers" <- that better be about Tech and not about Cody, so help me god-

OMEGA'S NEW HAIRCUT :( she looks so much older now :((

STOP CROSSHAIR LOOKS SO FUCKING SAD. I feel terrible actually... this is like,, this is a shell of a man,, like,, this is a man who's got like,, nothing. He looks awful and I swear if he doesn't get some peace of mind I'm going to lose my mind.

"Omega's been waiting for us a long time." NO NO NO DON'T FUCKING DO THIS TO ME. I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD IF YOU DO A TIMESKIP, ANY MEASURE OF TIME THAT OMEGA HAD TO BE WITHOUT HER BROTHERS AND WONDERING WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO COME AND GET HER IT'S GOING TO BREAK ME. I fucking hate timeskips so much, I swear if she's been by herself for more than a year, or even just a year, I'm going to be PISSED. If she doesn't get the chance to be a kid like she deserves I'm going to fucking lose it.

PALPATINE?! "There is nothing of greater importance to secure the purpose of this Empire" <- y'all talking about cloning? About cloning Palpatine because you have to explain why "somehow Palpatine returned"???

HEY WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?!

Holy shit the animation is really good. Like that whole fighting montage?? The fucking scene on the bridge looks like,, fucking live action to me. Idk how to describe it but the animation is fuckng beautiful and I wish Star Wars did more animation because this is gorgeous.

FENNEC SHAND MY LOVE!! MY WIFE RETURNS!!! PLEASE BE IN MORE THAN ONE EPISODE MY QUEEN I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! and Cad Bane is there too ig-

"They are coming, for all of you." <- who is this. do not come for me but I cannot for the life of me figure out who this is. It's not Cody, I don't see the scar. Someone help me out here-

WOLFFE IS BACK BABY!!! FUCK I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE HIM IN TBB ART STYLE

HUNTER ON PABU! Thinking they probably went back after everything and I want to see how they've adjusted and settled in, please, I am begging.

My baby, my angel, myivida, the light of my life. Fuck it's so good to see and hear you again. If anything happens to you I swear to god-

LMAOO DID HUNTER JUST GET YOINKED BY A SPACE CROC?!?! WAIT THEY'RE ON THE BOAT WITH FENNEC!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAA

There are two clips that allude to the fact that they get Crosshair out of there before they get Omega and I'm going feral over it. If this means we get them reuniting with Crosshair sooner than later I'm fucking ecstatic. Like because,, that's Crosshair's rifle and they clearly cropped the screen for the sake of the trailer, right? Right??

Hey where is the zillo beast?

ASAJJ VENTRESS??!?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! You're telling me,, I get a season,, with Wrecker, Wolffe, Fennec, AND Asajj? Oh be still my beating heart. Anyone hear something meowing?

Also I know in the trailer it seems like she's facing off with TBB but the backgrounds don't really seem to line up so I'm hoping they don't actually face off with each other.

Tech literally only being indirectly mentioned and showing his death scene again but recolored and shit makes me feel all kinds of things.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

3 EPISODE PREMIERE?!?!?!?!?!?! fuck me.

Echo wasn't in this trailer enough and where the FUCK was Cody?!?!?!?!

Fuck.

#tbb #the bad batch #star wars #clone force 99 #tbb trailer #tbb s3 #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #tbb tech #tbb crosshair #tbb omega #best believe i'm feral over this #screaming crying throwing up #i am unwell #i love them a normal amount #i love this show a normal amount

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muddyorbsblr · 1 year

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man of the month part 7: july & august

Series Masterlist @mochie85's Masterlist See my full list of works here!

Summary: Shaun tries to convince you of Loki's feelings; Steve tries to convince you to have feelings for him; Sam tells you what you need to do with your feelings for Loki

Pairing: Loki x Reader (eventually)

Word Count: 5.4k [get some wine ready]

Warnings: red flag MrSatchel; cringe nickname; Steve can't take a hint; language

Things to be aware of: mutual pining; idiots in love

The screams of Thor's adoring fanbase picked up once again when the blond oaf walked out of your studio still without a shirt and showcasing his bulky exaggerative muscles. Outside of the photography studio, the remaining men who hadn't had their appointment with you yet were seated by the various seats strewn about the common area, with Loki still prominently at the front of the entire group, occupying the seat closest to the studio door.

He looked at his brother with significantly less apprehension after their exchange earlier today during his shoot with you. I am on your side. I only wish for you to be happy. Even after all this time it was such a foreign concept for him to be on the same side as Thor after centuries of being framed as each other's opposition.

Still, however, this particular set of circumstances somehow felt as if they were finally taking the steps to heal the scars, both known and unknown, that their strained relationship held. Their mother would have been proud if she were watching over them from Valhalla right now.

Thor threw a look his way. "Well obviously it is not me," he said without a trace of resentment, a gigantic smile stretching across his face. "But I know who it is."

Those words sent a frigid chill down Loki's spine. "She told you who it is?"

The look on his brother's face grew proud, and yet unarrogant. "I figured it out," he stated jovially. The two men from California had jointly muttered something about welcoming him to the club, making him smile and give the two a knowing thumbs up.

Deciding that perhaps he could save himself the anguish of going through this same exercise for a few more days as you finished up the appointments for everyone's photos, Loki approached his brother. "Just tell me who it is, Brother. Spare me the agony of waiting only to find out it isn't me after all."

The blond god gave him a look of mock offense. "Loki I will do no such thing. There are no shortcuts when it comes to matters such as this." His look softened when he saw the visible frustration on his brother's face, however. "I will tell you this, Brother. The super soldiers will most definitely be the most persistent in their efforts. I suggest taking Lady Y/N up on her offer to visit tomorrow. Just in case our dear Captain will be too disbelieving when she inevitably rejects his efforts."

So it isn't Rogers, Loki thought to himself. And if my brother is giving me a forewarning to look after her upon Barnes' appointment as well, then he knows that it's not him, either. She and Wilson are friends and he's never shown any visible interest in her beyond that despite the time they've spent around one another, which excludes him from the possibilities as well. And Banner is borderline fatherly to her, much like Stark.

His heart pounded in his chest as he let out his running hypothesis. "The only ones left are Strange and myself."

Thor clapped a hand down on his brother's shoulder. "Very good, Brother. You're catching on."

The schedule for today had you on edge. Scott's words of 'the serum boys having it bad for you' made you nervous about being in the same room as Steve for potentially more than a few hours, assuming he tried to stretch out the photoshoot for as long as he could. You booked him early on in the day, and gave Sam a heads up to be ready in case you finished early.

Hopefully that had been enough of an indicator that not only did you know about what was going on with the men on the team and their intensions toward their respective appointments with you, but that you did not reciprocate the attraction that Steve supposedly had for you.

Perhaps in the back of your mind yesterday afternoon, you'd thought of your appointment today as well when you extended that invitation to Loki to stop by if ever the spirit moved him. Part of you hoped that he wouldn't just take you up on that offer throughout the duration of the shoots, but that he would do so today.

Funny how you were apprehensive to be in a room alone with the hundred-something year old veteran who could break a log in two with his bare hands, but you were unfazed over being in such close proximity to the thousand-something year old god who could easily snap the soldier in two with just his mind if he so wished.

"Suppose I'm just stupid in love," you muttered to yourself in the empty studio, your eyes widening at your words. In love? Was that really where you were now? Sure, you'd harbored a mad crush on him for the longest time, but for those words to just come naturally to you after the last few days caught you off guard; however, you couldn't exactly say you were surprised at the turn your emotions had taken. It wasn't as if it was so unfathomably difficult for someone to find themself in love with the raven-haired god; in fact it came all too naturally to you. "Fuck."

"That's a whole mood." Your gaze snapped to the door to find Shaun walking in with a plate in his hand. "Bacon and cheese muffin. Figured I should get one into your studio before Thor ends up stealing your piece." You let out a chuckle just as your stomach obnoxiously grumbled as the scent of the bacon and cheese hit you. "Looks like my timing was perfect today," he said with a laugh as he set the plate down on your desk. "You want some company?" He looked over to the near empty coffee mug next to the plate. "Or a top up?"

"I wouldn't say no to both." You smiled at him. "Thanks, Shaun. You've been…really cool about all this and--"

"Hey, don't even mention it. I'm just glad we get to be buds. Honestly I was convinced that after the whole thing with my shoot that Loki was gonna mess with me every time he saw me even go near the door--"

"There you go again with your Loki conspiracy theories," you groaned. "I'm telling you. You're seeing things that aren't there."

"And I'm telling you that you're refusing to see things that are there," he shot back, an amused smile stretching across his face, chuckling as you rolled your eyes at him. "Tell you what. I'll prove it." He picked up your mug and started walking out the studio. "Gimme two minutes."

"What in the actual--" you muttered to the now empty studio, shrugging off Shaun's latest antic and opting instead to start picking at the savory pastry he brought for you. Not two minutes later, a thrill ran up your spine as the next voice you heard was definitively not Shaun's.

"Y/N?" You were helpless against the smile that tugged at the corners of your mouth when you looked up and caught sight of Loki walking into your studio, your little Heckers & Salutations coffee mug looking smaller than it actually was in his hand. "Xu had to attend to something with Lang and my brother and it seems he'd forgotten that he was supposed to bring this back to you," he explained as he placed the mug back on your desk next to your plate.

"Thanks," you squeaked, trying to consolidate him being here with what Shaun said about 'proving it'. Before you thought too hard about it, however, you stopped yourself. As beautiful a picture it would be if the god loved you back, it was nothing more than that. A beautiful picture. A tantalizing dream.

"Darling?" Your heart thumped in your chest at the nickname. "Are you alright?" You looked up at him, trying desperately to hide the longing in your eyes before his keen observance caught sight of it, answering him wordlessly with a nod. "You seem…apprehensive," he prodded, concern seeping into his tone as he perched himself on to the stool next to you and gingerly taking your hand in his. "Is it your morning appointment?"

Dammit, how did he know? you hissed inwardly. You nodded slowly again. "It's--stupid, I know. It's just…ever since Scott told me about 'the Serum boys' I haven't exactly known how to…" You struggled to find the words as his thumb started to rub the back of your hand in slow circles. "I don't know how to act around them…with them. Because I don't know if they would misunderstand that for reciprocation. It's not exactly the easiest thing being around someone you know has feelings for you that you don't feel the same way for. Just like how it's agonizing to be around someone you dohave feelings for when you know that they don't see you that way, nor will they ever and--and I'm rambling, uhm…sorry," you mumbled into your coffee.

You felt a lump in your throat as he gently touched his fingers to your chin, tilting your head to look at him. "You aren't stupid for having your reservations. Unreciprocated affections can turn one into something else entirely, and while I dare not assume that it would happen to anyone on this team, I would not rule it out, either." His hand squeezed yours slightly before he spoke again. "If at any point in this morning's appointment, or any of your appointments, you begin to feel a disquiet in you, I will be right outside. Just call for me."

Your heart began to swell at his words. "Really? You'd do that?"

His other hand moved from your chin to tuck your hair behind your ear. "Darling, I've been there this entire time."

"So you believe me yet?"

You looked at Shaun as he gave you a little smug smile as he helped you setting up the plain light-colroed backdrop as well as draping a large black tablecloth over a table for Steve's shoot. "I don't wanna talk about it. Maybe you're on to something and I've been stupidly blind. Maybe you're not and you're just having a bad case of shipper brain. I'm just trying to get through this shoot, Xu."

"Right right," he muttered, his smile fading. "You want me to check up on you? Like maybe half an hour after the shoot starts?"

"Holy shit you'd do that?" Relief began to flood your system knowing that you didn't have to find a way to go outside and call for Loki, making up some excuse to even exit your studio if ever things went south in this shoot.

"Yeah, Scopes, of course! We're buds now. We gotta look out for each other." He threw his arm around your shoulder and pulled you into a playful headlock. "I'll put on a timer after he gets here. When the timer goes off I'll head over here with some lame excuse about lunch or something and if you're in need of help, give me this hand signal…" He pounded the table with his fist once, then snapped his fingers, and did a shaka sign. "Do that, and I'll call in the big guns."

"Wait. Big guns, you mean--"

"God-tier backup. The kind that's been stationed outside your studio day in and day out making sure you're okay." You rolled your eyes at him again. "Just calling it like I see it."

You jumped at the sound of a knock on your studio, bringing you back to the present moment. "Right then. Looks like it's time," you told Shaun with the most cheerful tone you could muster. "Start that timer, please," you muttered as softly as you could, your tension easing when you saw him do exactly that on his phone.

"Relax, Y/N," he told you softly, patting your head. "We're right outside. Everything's gonna be fine." With that, he let you go and walked out your studio as you were walking back to your desk to finish your coffee.

"Hey, Scopes," you heard Steve greet you as you were drinking your coffee. "Or should I say…heckers and salutations," he finished with a chuckle as he motioned toward your mug.

"Mmmph, no--" you protested. "That just sounds weird when someone actually says the words. Too old-timey. Even for you."

Your words made him break out in a hearty laugh, but something in the sound felt too strained to you. He sounded something akin to a schoolgirl flirting with the quarterback trying to laugh at his joke in order to stroke his ego. So that maybe later she could stroke something else after the game.

It didn't sit right with you. But regardless, you made an effort to seem like you paid his attempts at stroking your ego no mind. Making it obvious that you were unfazed by his reactions, his presence.

"That was a good one, Y/N," he sighed as you put the strap of your camera over your neck, giving you one of his well-practiced Captain America smiles that always had his fangirls swooning where they stood. "So it's as naked as I'm comfortable with, right?"

You swallowed hard, willing the lump in your throat to ebb. "Yup. I'll--turn around. Lemme know when you're ready."

He took a step toward you as he untucked his button down shirt from his slacks. "I'm comfortable with whatever you're comfortable with," he told you with a seemingly good-natured smile.

The whole sequence had a knot of tension settling in your stomach, slowly moving higher and higher as if you were about to retch and see your breakfast again. You strived to maintain your composure and answered him with a tight-lipped smile. "That's not how this works, Captain. I don't determine the degree of nakedness you're supposed to be comfortable with around me. That's all you. I just take the pictures."

He looked at you with eyes that were teeming with fulsome intent as he undid the buttons of his shirt. "Then I suppose this shouldn't be an issue, since I hope that after today I could be quite comfortable with you."

Those words sent a chill down your spine. "Excuse me?" you trembled, your voice suddenly dwindling down to something that could be likened to a church mouse.

"Y/N, I'm sure that by now you know that I like you." You could have sworn the temperature dropped a good ten degrees as the words escaped him, goosebumps breaking out all over your arms as you were suddenly filled with this urge to run.

If you did, though, would he block your way? And if he did, then what?

The answer came to you awfully fast. I would scream. Loki's right outside. He'll hear me.

You took a deep breath, your hands gripping your camera tighter in an attempt to get them to stop shaking. "Listen, Cap--"

"Please, Cookie, call me Steve." Something in you recoiled at the nickname he'd taken to calling you. There were only a few names you were partial to being called. Tweety by those close to you. Scopes to the rest of the world.

The exception to that rule being Loki, the only one whose head you didn't want to chop off whenever he called you Darling.

This name, however…this one you had to nip at the bud. Nobody deserved to be called that…unless they actually wanted to be.

"Captain," you insisted. "I'm aware of what Tony told you guys…about me having feelings for someone on the team. And, while I am flattered that you found yourself attracted to me…I'm sorry but I just…" You sighed, deciding you had to rip off the bandaid in one go instead of tiptoeing your way around what you eventually had to tell him anyway. "I just don't feel the same," you said in a rush.

Your urge to flee grew stronger as his confident smile faded into a grim line on his face and he assumed an almost combative stance like he used in the training rooms or in the field, straightening his stance and squaring his shoulders. "It's not me?" he asked, his tone coated with incredulity.

"It's not," you pressed on. "Listen, you're attractive and I'm sure the good-natured boy scout thing with the blond hair blue eyes clean shaven look does it for so many women, but…just not me." As his eyes darkened when you uttered those last words, you felt the need to murmur, "Sorry."

"And you're sure?"

"Pretty sure," you shot back, doing your best to bite back the sarcasm you usually would have answered that with. "I'm sure you'll find someone." You tried to take on a more comforting tone, as if you were trying to console a friend, even though at this moment he felt like anything but.

"Why?" The tone he'd taken on had become interrogative, demanding an answer instead of deflection, and it inevitably irritated you that he was acting this way.

"Because you're not my type," you answered with a bit more bite in your tone, the irritation seeping into every word. "I'm in love with someone else. And I'm sure that's hard to understand for someone who's so used to girls just falling all over him ever since you put on the stars and stripes, but you don't have to understand it. You just have to respect it."

"So who is it then?"

"That's none of your business." You were beginning to find your voice again; your body, however, still wanted to shrink. Or flee. Anything other than freeze, but you found that that was all you could do. "Your only business is that it's not you--"

"There's five of them left." You willed your face to remain expressionless other than the visible annoyance upon the assumption that he was about to list them all down trying to get you to tell him who he "lost" to. "Is it Sam?"

You kept quiet.

"Banner?" You fought the urge to roll your eyes at his childishness. "Bucky?! Did I really just lose again to my best friend?"

"Captain, stop this," you tried to plead with him. "Come on, be mature about this. Let's just take your picture, and we can move forward from this."

"Is it Strange? It's the facial hair, isn't it? Or the magic?" You sighed sharply. You willed the time to go faster, for Shaun to check up on you already. "Ohh for heaven's sake!" He circled around in place, hands on his hips, taking a few more steps toward you when he faced your way again. "It's Laufeyson!"

You couldn't stop yourself. Your neck twitched at the sound of his name.

"Jesus Christ, Y/N, really?! The guy hates everyone! He even hates his own brother. He destroyed so much--"

"He brought you all together," you hissed. "He gave you all the chance to be informed. To be prepared. Tell me, Captain. Do you genuinely believe that if he hadn't come here in 2012 and you hadn't all come together that first time, that the world would have stood a chance when Thanos attacked?"

"Every member of this team was on this world long before Loki landed on Earth," he argued petulantly.

"Yes. But you wouldn't have been a team," you bit back. "Nobody in this team would be here right now. I wouldn't be here right now because there wouldn't even have been a team to work with. So don't you go around parading your high morals telling me that his destructions outweigh his contributions. He has made amends for his indiscretions time and time again, so nobody is in any right to hold the events from ten years ago over his head."

"So it really is him, huh? You wouldn't defend him like this if it wasn't."

"Yes I would." You tilted your chin up defiantly at him. "I don't like bullies."

With the look on his face, you may as well have slapped him with those words. "I'm not--"

"Hey, Y/N…" You looked toward the door to see Shaun with a poorly veiled concerned look on his face. "Just checking to see if the shoot's gonna be done soon and ask if you wanna check out that new Mexican place that opened a few blocks from here. I've got a craving for some chimichangas."

You plastered the most casual smile you could muster on your face as you answered him. "Uhh…yeah, we should be done in a bit." You gave him the hand signal, making his eyes widen the slightest with clear alarm. "I'll see you when we're done."

"Sure thing, Scopes…" he trailed off, the tremor in his voice so evident to you as he backed away from the door. "Captain."

"Xu," Steve answered him with a practiced smile, giving a salute his way. Then he turned back to you, his stance rife with defensiveness after your last words towards him. "I'm not a bully, Y/N. I just can't understand for the life of me why you would choose him--"

"What? Over you?" you fumed. "And for the record, I am not choosing anyone. I'm in love with someone. Okay? They're on the team. And other than that, it's nobody's business. Your only business is that it's not you. So can we please just take your picture and we can move on from this?"

"So you won't even consider anyone--"

"I believe the lady already turned you down, Rogers." Relief flooded your system at the sound of Loki's voice floating into the studio, the sound of the cadence of his steps nearly feeling like a warm blanket fighting away the chills that had broken out throughout the course of this exchange.

"Stay out of this, Laufeyson. This is between me and Y/N."

"Based on what I heard from this exchange, there is no 'you and Y/N'," the god shot back, placing a hand on your shoulder, choosing to maintain a considerable distance from you. "And as far as I know, this is her studio. Her space. She's told me that I am welcome to stop by throughout the duration of this project. The only one with the authority to send me out of here is her." He turned his gaze away from the veteran and towards you. "Do you wish for me to leave?" he asked you in a comparatively softer tone.

Your immediate answer was of course you didn't, but you knew that he didn't particularly like spending his time around other people; hell, he barely tolerated spending time with his own brother. Why would he want to pass his time with you? "I don't wanna trouble you," you muttered in response.

"Sweetheart," he sighed, your heart jolting at the new nickname. "You could never trouble me."

"Then I'd like you to stay," you said quietly, the lump remaining in your throat but now for an entirely different reason. Was he really so willing to stay with you through another shoot after he'd just done so yesterday? Was that actually a sliver of affection in his tone earlier as he called you Sweetheart?

Holy fuck. Was Shaun right?

His brows furrowed as he moved his hand from your shoulder to your upper arm, surely feeling the goosebumps that erupted from your exchange with the persistent Captain. "You're cold," he whispered, moving quickly to shrug off his cardigan and place it on your shoulders before rubbing his hands up and down your upper arms over the thick fabric. It was all you could do not to sigh and lean in to his touch.

The sound of an impatient huff brought you back to reality. "So can we please just return to the matter at hand, Captain?" you addressed Steve again, noting the visible irritation radiating from him as he kept his gaze fixed on you and Loki. "If you could just go over to that table in the black set, and we can get started."

"Y/N, I just don't get it," he said with a raised voice, spinning in his spot again. "I'm a good guy—"

"Everyone on this team is a good guy," you pressed on. You raised an eyebrow at him as you emphasized, "Everyone."

He glared at you, then at Loki. "I'm a gentleman!"

"Not today, you're not, you little punk." Your gaze turned to the door to find Bucky sending a severely disappointed look Steve's way. "If you really were you wouldn't have to shout it at the top of your lungs, people would just know." He turned to look at you. "Scopes, I'm really sorry if I knew he was going to behave like this I would have stationed myself as his parole officer."

"It's alright," you answered him. "Like you said, Bucky, you didn't know."

"Steve, do what she says," the metal-armed assassin instructed the now sulking Captain. "You've wasted enough of her time with your entitlement." When the Captain finally followed, you could feel the remainder of the tension leaving your body, feeling infinitely more relieved by the moment knowing that this particular shoot would soon be over.

The shoot itself didn't last fifteen minutes, the awkward atmosphere creating an environment that was so tense you could almost feel that the two super soldiers just wanted to exit the studio as soon as possible. You faintly heard remnants of Bucky conversing with Loki, thanking the god for calling him as soon as he'd heard about Steve acting out.

The information took you aback. He'd approached Bucky? Voluntarily? You were always under the impression that he found the two soldiers intolerable, that he would rather sit through one of Tony's self-aggrandizing two and a half hour long speeches than be in a five minute conversation with either of them.

"Alright, I think I have what I need," you said loudly for the benefit of everyone in the room, standing up and walking away from the set you'd prepped with Shaun not even two hours earlier so that you wouldn't have to look at Steve a moment longer than necessary. With those goddamn puppy eyes that were putting you through an unwarranted guilt trip even though he was most definitely the one who should feel guilty for making you feel like you needed the backup of his best friend and your--

And Loki. Not 'your' anything. Just Loki, you thought bitterly.

In the end, Bucky ended up choosing the shot that would go on for the July layout, reasoning that the Captain shouldn't be anywhere near you until he's had a chance to cool down and realize that he most definitely owed you an apology for cornering & interrogating you the way he did. And that he owed Loki an apology for shit talking him behind his back, too.

"I'm really sorry again for Steve's behavior, Scopes." Bucky's tone had been rife with remorse and secondhand embarrassment as he lightly nudged at your shoulder with his hand.

"Your bestie needs to learn how to handle rejection," you remarked, giving him a small smile to show him that you didn't hold anything against him for how the other super soldier had chosen to act around you. "I'll uhh…see you in a few days for your shoot?"

"You can count on it." He pointed a finger at Steve. "You. Training Room. We're gonna spar. Give me a reason to beat some sense into your idiotic head."

After grabbing lunch with Shaun, Nat, and Wanda, it was time for Sam's shoot. That had gone exceptionally better than your previous appointment. No checkups and no backup needed, just two friends laughing away the entire shoot and the entire premise of Tony's proposition toward the other models.

"Can you imagine their disappointment if I go out and tell them 'I win y'all!'?" he pondered, chuckling as he posed for another picture in the same set that Steve had been in this morning. "Nah…Horns would probably rip my head off and mount it on his wall if I did."

"Come on," you grumbled from behind your camera, giving him a hand signal to turn slightly to his right. "Loki wouldn't do that." Although from the aura he had during the exchange with Steve earlier, you were almost convinced that he would. "What would he care if it was you?"

"Uhh…Tweety, he'd care," he insisted. "Because it would mean that it's not him."

"Alright, Big Bird, what aren't you telling me?"

"Do you honestly not know that ever since this entire thing started, he's been in the front of the group whenever the shoot ended? Looking like he refuses to let oxygen enter his cocky ass lungs until whoever walked out tells us all that it's not them?" You furrowed your eyebrows together in confusion. "Motherfucker you really didn't, huh?"

"Dude you kinda sounded like Fury for a second there. I mean…I never heard him say the word, but it kinda feels like something he'd say when he's alone, you know?"

"Don't avoid the question, Tweety. You really didn't know that that's what's been going on these last few days?" You shook your head at him as you signaled for him to stand by the window instead, letting the wall of the studio be his backdrop instead, which he quickly complied with. "Y/N if I didn't know that you had it bad for him, I'd feel sorry for the guy."

"Wait wait, hold up." You put your camera down on the ground so that you could give him a proper look. "You know?"

"You're obvious," he said simply. "At least to me. And I just want you to know this. If his shoot comes up and he doesn't take the opportunity to shoot his shot? That's his mistake. Just don't make the same one."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, little Tweety bird, if he tries to be all proper Asgardian gentleman on his shoot, it's on you to climb him like those trees you always do when we're on a mission, and go for the kill shot." He emphasized his point by bucking his hips and making a slapping motion with his hand, making you break out in a maniacal bout of laughter.

"You fucking dork."

Hearing your laugh bleeding through the closed door simultaneously made Loki's heart swell and ache as he sat outside waiting for Wilson to exit your space despite him already knowing that the outcome of this shoot would be a negative as well, based on his conversation this early morning with his brother.

On the one hand, he was relieved that your mood had taken a turn for the better once your appointment with Rogers had concluded. And hearing evidence that this current appointment was much more lighthearted than the last had him breathing easier for it meant that he need not be concerned for your safety while you were alone with the veteran soldier.

On the other, however, hearing your laugh made him ache and yearn for you, finding himself once again wishing that whenever he found himself alone with you, the atmosphere did not feel as heavy as it always did. As if you felt that if you spoke one word out of line he would cut you down. It made him wonder if that sliver of hope that he was holding on to that he'd be the one you so boldly stated in Rogers' face that you were in love with was truly him holding on to nothing.

He found himself picturing how completely shattered his heart would be once Strange's appointment came up and the vain former Midgardian healer turned sorcerer emerged from your studio, a triumphant smile on his face, as he declared for the entirety of the team that you were his. Would he be able to handle seeing you the next day, on his appointment? How comfortable would he be around the very woman who'd unknowingly destroyed him? Would he even tell you about his affection?

No, he answered himself resolutely. He would keep his emotions a secret if that be the case. He would wish you well, and hope that the sorcerer would treat you with the respect and devotion you deserved.

"I only wish for you to be safe and happy," he muttered into the emptiness of the common area. "Even if you do not find that with me, my love."

A/N: Never thought I'd be writing Steve with them "I'm a nice guy!" vibes and yet here we are…whew. 🥴

Next 2 chapters will be written by Mochie and I can confirm…there's an extra little surprise for the next chapter that'll have us all 🤣 in our seats

Now…I'm off to write for the requests pile again because I'd like to have some good progress done on this before requests open up again in less than 230 followers 😳👀

Everything taglist: @lokisgoodgirl @lokischambermaid @imalovernotahater @mygfloki @lucylaufeyson3 @thomase1 @springdandelixn @fictive-sl0th @mochie85 @laliceee @xorpsbane @gigglingtigger @silverfire475 @cabingrlandrandomcrap @vickie5446 @salempoe @lokixryss @sinsandguilt @lokidbadguy @alexakeyloveloki @glitterylokislut @arch-venus25 @freefrommars @littlemortals @cakesandtom @girl-of-multi-fandoms @mischief2sarawr @thedistractedagglomeration @five-miles-over @goblingirlsarah @peaches1958 @huntress-artemiss @lilibet261 @iobsessoverfictionalmen @holymultiplefandomsbatman @lovingchoices14 @avoliax @devilsadvocactus @purplegrrl27 @lokiprompts @sititran @imherefortomhiddleston @ladyjames78 @stupidthoughtsinwriting @kikster606 @evelyn-kingsley @kats72 @ronnieissupermegafoxyawesomehot @creationsbyme @coldnique

#loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfiction #loki laufeyson fanfic #muddyorbs writes #mochie85

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familyvideostevie · 2 years

Note

Ok, so I just read a post by someone about Steve post season 2 that made me HELLA SAD by steviemunson about how nobody showed for Steve's graduation (sorry tumblr doesn't let me add links which is annoying AF) so can you write something where the reader there for Steve? Like she's been in his grade so they've been friends/friendly/classmates/crushes etc throughout the years and become good friends after season 1 and she becomes his family and he confesses their graduation night?

here it is i finally wrote it! the post this is based on is here -- it's SO sad, so thank you for asking me to try to make it better! love for steve, always <3 | 1.3k, fluff, fem!reader

Steve doesn't actually ask anyone to come to his graduation. He doesn't really know who he'd ask, anyway. It's the same story as usual -- parents out of town, though they left him some crisp hundred dollar bills to celebrate with. Not like he can ask Nancy, either. And as much as he loves the damn kids that's a little much to ask them to come, right? He really just wants to get his diploma and figure out how many stores he can fill out applications for once the mall opens.

You know all of this because Steve tells you everything. It's taken a little while, but now you're close as can be. When he stopped being King Steve he was nicer, kind, even, and Nancy introduced you while they were together, since you were in the same class. So study buddies turned to friendly turned to friends, good enough that when they broke up you still wanted Steve around. And now you're graduating high school and you know everything about him from his old hair routine to his nightmare fuel. And he knows everything about you -- except how you're in love with him.

You never imagined having these feelings for him. But he's the best person you know, so how could you not? You know, more than anything, that Steve needs family and he needs people to stick by him and while he has the kids, you need to make sure that he knows he has you, too. And you'd rather be here for him like this, as his best friend, as his family, than make him have to consider complicating things for the sake of your feelings.

He picks you up early the morning of the ceremony. Your parents are coming later to support both of you, and he knows that the dinner and party they planned for this weekend are for him as much as they are for you. You've told him so every day for the last month.

"It's happening!" you shout as you make your way to his car. "We're done!" He looks real smart in a blue button up that brings out his tan and the green tie you gave him for his birthday as a joke. He's done his hair a little, and his gown is laid out nicely in the back seat. You know that despite his claims that today isn't a big deal, he spent hours figuring out how to steam it last night before he called you and asked for help.

"God," Steve groans. "I can't show up with you." You can tell immediately he's in a teasing mood, so you roll your eyes and wait for the punch line. "You're way too pretty for Hawkins High graduation."

"Har har," you say, cheeks flushing. You'll never tire of how he makes you feel even when he's teasing.

"Get in, prettiest girl in Indiana," he says, shaking his head before winking at you and pulling away from the curb once you're settled.

At the actual ceremony your last name comes before Steve's so you sit a few rows in front of him but you wish he was next to you. Every time you turn around he's already looking, ready to mouth a joke or pull a face. When you walk across the stage you can hear him hollering your name, screaming louder than your entire family.

"That's my best friend!" he shouts. You don't look so you can focus on not tripping, but you can't stop smiling. And when it's Steve's turn, when you hear titters in the crowd of your peers at his name, you stand up and whistle. You know your family is cheering and probably some other people, but you can only see him. He finds you right away as he shakes Principle Higgins's hand, and it feels like you're the only two people on the lawn. The thought that in another life he would be up there with no one to cheer for him breaks your heart.

The rest of the ceremony goes quickly, and before you know it you're throwing your hat in the air and then it's a mess. Students run around hugging each other and finding their families, but you stand where you are because you know Steve is coming for you. And he does. He's always been able to find you in every room, every crowd. Like magnets, he once joked.

"We did it!" you exclaim. Your cheeks hurt from smiling as he wraps you in his arms and lifts you, twirling around just once as you squeal. He's warm and solid and so handsome in his stupid gown.

"All for a piece of paper, huh?" he says, but his eyes are bright and he's grinning. His hair is a mess, so you reach up to fix it. He leans into your touch but his eyes don't leave yours. You know you need to take him to your family where they're waiting with flowers for both of you but being this close to Steve is intoxicating, a luxury you don't allow yourself very much. So you savor it.

"I thought I would hate today," he confesses. The hand not holding his diploma rests on your hip. "But I'm just happy. Not thinking about anything else."

"Me too, Steve," you reply. "Now we get to celebrate!" He ducks his head a little, still smiling as he shakes it. Your palm comes to rest on his chest, waiting for him to pull away. But he doesn't -- instead, he looks back at you and there's a glint in his eyes that makes you think that maybe, just maybe, he's about to say the unthinkable --

"I have to tell you something," he rushes out. "And I...I think it's going to be okay if I do. Because you're you." He tucks his diploma under his arm and quick as a flash his hands are framing your face.

"Steve?" you breathe out.

"I'm in love with you," he says. "I've loved you for months now and you're my best friend and no one is here for me but you and the people who love me because you do." His voice is firm, sure, like he practiced this in the mirror this morning. "I was looking at you from the stage and it was like there wasn't anyone else here and all I could see was you smiling at me and I just --"

"Stevie," you interrupt. He preens at the nickname, jaw snapping shut as his thumbs trace your cheekbones. Maybe it's the pride in your accomplishment, maybe it's the atmosphere of this warm day, but you've just graduated and you have your best friend in your arms and he loves you, so you plow on. "Steve, I'm in love with you."

"Yeah?" He's breathless, looking at you like he can't believe his eyes.

"Yeah," you say, so happy, so in love. "Yeah, I love you." He had to know, clearly he thought so, since he decided to confess on his own. But it's worth it to see the way it transforms his face, his whole body, as he sags with the happy weight of your affection. You can't wait any longer so you surge up to kiss him. You can't touch him as much as you want since you are still holding your diploma but Steve does his best to make up for it -- one warm palm comes to your back, the other moving into your hair. You're both smiling a little too much for it to be a very good kiss, but it's your favorite first kiss ever. And you know there will be many more chances for you to try again.

You can hear your family calling your names so you break off and grab his hand and he shines like the sun. You can hardly tear your eyes away from him and he presses one more quick peck to your mouth before you step into the rest of your lives.

want to be added to my tag list for full-length (non-ask) fics? send me a message and specify for steve, eddie, or both!

reblog, send feedback, requests open, masterlist here!

#steve harrington fluff #steve harrington imagine #steve x reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x you #stranger things fic #stranger things x reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfiction #im not happy w this totally but you have waited a long time!!!#emma's asks #anon ask

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sastiel-is-my-serotonin · 9 months

Text

Will The Stars Watch Over Me?

Sam could hear Dean and Bobby laughing about something in the living room. He wished he could focus on it, but all he thought about was the panic room. A looming reminder of why his craving was a bad idea.

He stepped out ages ago, walking around the property, pacing back and forth, biting his nails into nothing.

Reminding himself of the way he hated the taste of the sulfur, how it remained on his tongue hours later. The power felt great, the electric energy that flowed through his veins. But it wasn't enough. Not to go through a detox like that again.

Unsurprisingly, he found himself lying on top of the Impala, ignoring the cold metal, covering his exposed skin so he could gaze up without distraction.

The sky... If only words could explain the starry night that he reached up for. Stars crossed the entire sky, the moon stood tall, nearly full.

The stars swirled around in his mind, he pieced together the memorized figures him and Dean learned together. Despite knowing he's near, safe inside the only place they've called home, he felt lonely staring at the endless sky.

He sighed, remembering when he thought about the time he believed the stars were angels peering down at them. Watching humanity, watching over them as guardians, just like when he was younger, he prayed to them.

An open prayer that his thoughts cried out for, a dam of emotions pouring out. Wishing for salvation, how does one become clean? What does he need to do? He'll do it! God knows he would, given the opportunity.

Just give him the strength, tell him his duties, what is owed and he'll pay the price. He can't handle being a monster, it's the thought that appears whenever he sees himself in the mirror. Don't let that be his reality.

Dean sees it now, his Dad always did. Maybe his Mom saw it to, Hell, if it wasn't for Dean being here, Bobby would tell him to stay away. He's sure of it.

His hands are bleeding for salvation, does anyone see it? He can be good, what's the sign? Where does he have to be to be washed clean of his sins?

There was someone who heard every single word Sam prayed, his longing for something holy to ease his pains, Castiel touched down on Earth.

Following the voice that called out for salvation so loudly, so earnestly. It was devotion that even angels lack.

It led Castiel to the Impala, sitting in Bobby Singers yard. Where Sam laid, crying to the stars with the hope that dwindled every day.

"Sam?" Castiel called out. Normally Sam would turn at the sound of Castiel's wings, but he didn't hear them. He jumped hearing Castiel's voice, rushed to wipe of the loose tears that flowed down his face. Sitting up as if the Impala was now scorching hot.

He shook off his thoughts that were stuck in his throat, "Hey, Cas, Dean is inside."

"I'm aware," Castiel said, Bobby Singer and Dean Winchester were both soundly asleep. One of the parties snoring loudly, "I... I came to see you."

"I'm not doing anything I'm not supposed to," Sam said, laying back down, hands wiping his face, "Just... Staring at the sky."

There were many things Castiel wanted to say, but couldn't. Too many things jumbled together, the only phrase that made sense was one, "May I join?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, yeah, of course," Sam said, scooting over, "Of course you can."

Castiel had intended to stay where they stood, but decided to take Sam's invitation to sit next to him, "It's a beautiful night."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, his mind tried to think of words that would suffice and paint their beauty but he couldn't think of anything. He let the idea go, letting the attempt die off his tongue.

Castiel took in the night sky, seeing more than Sam could, "I would pray to them too."

"I didn't, I didn't think it would be heard," Sam admitted, keeping his eyes locked onto the night.

Castiel looked at Sam's face that glowed beautifully underneath the sky's light, "Any angel could hear it, but many wouldn't listen."

"But you did?"

"Of course," Castiel said, looking back up at the stars, "the prayer came from you."

It sounded so simple and sincere, it took away Sam's breath, if it were anyone else, Sam wouldn't believe it. But Castiel is known for his bluntness and honesty, Sam had to believe it.

Castiel felt Sam shiver as a breeze flew into the, sending chills over both, "You're cold and tired," Castiel evaluated, "you should rest."

"In a minute," Sam said, his head spinning from Castiel's words. It almost sounded as if he was important to Castiel, but that couldn't be. Not in the way Sam wished to be.

Castiel carefully nudged Sam, "It's been a minute."

Knowing Castiel, it had been exactly one minute, Sam let out a sigh that hid his laugh, "Okay, yeah, it has been."

Sam sat up, finding Castiel's hand extended towards him, as they stood on the ground already. Sam didn't need it, but took it. Relishing in the warmness that was radiating off of Castiel.

One he planned to cherish for the brief moment, but Castiel didn't drop his hand, instead, Castiel led them inside.

Walking through the house, hand in hand, Sam could tell immediately the other two called it a night. Neither where they had been when he first got some fresh air.

Sam didn't know where Castiel was going until he stood in the room Bobby cleared out for him long ago, where he's laid his head plenty of times. Sam didn't know Castiel knew this was his space, and only once they were in, did Castiel let go.

Unwilling to let himself feel disappointed, Sam shed off his extra layers and shoes. Feeling a little awkward with Castiel right there watching, but he didn't want the angel to leave quite yet.

He delayed getting in bed, placing away his belongings that he'd normally wait to do in the morning. Walking slower than he needed to, but Castiel didn't say anything about it. So Sam didn't.

Castiel stood there waiting as Sam slipped into his bed, once Sam was content, as snug as could be, Castiel walked over. Pulling the covers up a little higher, "Good night, Sam."

Sam's eyelids were heavy, he yawned, welcoming the familiar feeling of falling, "Good night, Castiel."

Unsure if the words made it past his mind as his breathing evened out. While it was the cue to leave, Castiel stayed, hiding their visibility, sitting close by.

Castiel can't wash away everything Sam prayed for, can't give him that salvation, but he could keep the nightmares at bay. And hopefully, with their words, make him see the hero he is.

#sam winchester #castiel #sastiel #samstiel #samcas #sastiel fanfic #Writing!!!#I love it!!#Ignore me saying I hated it yesterday

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queerfables · 8 months

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@alphacentaurinebula said:

I’m actually not sure I have a firm idea of how long they’ve been in love - I’m super curious, what makes you feel so strongly about that particular timeline?

It's a few different things, but a big factor is just what I want to be true. I'm projecting, because a defining feature of my first queer relationship was both of us knowing that we were in love but not being together. I was a teenager and my parents forbid the relationship and like, I trusted them and I loved them and I knew they were fucking wrong and I didn't know how to reconcile any of that. Like Aziraphale, I was looking for this third way that didn't force me to choose between love and family or make a definitive statement about which of those sides of me was "right", especially because deep down I was terrified that the thing I wanted most was wrong. So instead of anything real what we had was this in-between space of plausible deniability, and that's where I think Crowley and Aziraphale live. The way they push up against a really fucking thin line between what is and isn't allowed speaks to that experience for me.

With that in mind, it isn't a particular timeline I'm set on so much as a particular dynamic. I'm not sure when they fell in love and I think it probably happened so slowly that neither of them could tell you either. But I think they've both been conscious of the unspoken feelings between them for a little while, at least. I'm not sure about Crowley's timeline for this but I'm pretty sure that Aziraphale thinks Crowley figured it out first. His "you go too fast for me" line only makes sense if he thinks Crowley is ahead of him. I'm inclined to trust Aziraphale's judgment on this, if for no reason other than that the line loses a lot of its power if he's wrong.

I have a pretty firm headcanon that Aziraphale realised what was between them in 1941 when Crowley came for him in the church, because allegedly that has been Michael Sheen's belief since season 1 and who am I to argue? I think the way season 2 expands on that night backs this up. I mean, you have Crowley and Aziraphale being pursued by Nazis, and a photograph of them together almost gets Crowley condemned to Hell. The implications are not subtle. They've worried about their association putting them in jeopardy before, but this is the first time there's been a real immediate threat based on it, and it feels appropriate to me if it happens right when they're finally on the same page about what they mean to each other. (Notably, I think this is also the first time they're mistaken for a couple, by Furfur. I'm not totally sure about that though.)

So maybe this is when Aziraphale realises he's in love, or maybe he already knew how he felt, and Crowley saving the books was when he realised Crowley loved him back. Whichever it is, the way he looks at Crowley with the music swelling around him just blatantly seems like a realisation to me. Something shifts in the way he sees Crowley in this moment. It makes me think of the Princess Bride:

That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying, "As you wish," what he meant was, "I love you."

(God I'm suddenly completely obsessed with the parallels between Crowley/Aziraphale and Westley/Buttercup. Aziraphale getting Crowley to miracle away paint stains 🤝🤝🤝 Buttercup making Westley pass her a pitcher that's right in front of her. Amazing.)

So yeah, I don't know exactly when they fell in love and I don't think they do either. I think it happened at some point between 2500BC and 1941, so, you know, I'm not exactly pinning myself down there lol. I assume that Crowley is ahead of Aziraphale in terms of falling and understanding that he has fallen, and I assume that Aziraphale has all the pieces by 1941, which gives me a few good decades to play in that plausible deniability in-between space that I like so much.

#good omens #fable talks good omens

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jerzwriter · 6 months

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So, why is self-love day the hardest day of all? Every year, I see dozens of posts for all the other days - and then it slows rapidly for self-love. Meanwhile, here I am telling people, "Get to it! I want to see your self-love posts," and I'm like, "Oh, shit, that means I should do one!" lol

I'm proudest of venturing into writing for Wake the Dead and Crimes of Passion. I can't wait to write more for both of them in the future.

Wake the Dead is the pleasure of "writing for me" because, while I have a few readers who really enjoyed those works, it's not a popular story/pairing, but I love it. The Eli prequel fics are among my favorites, but I love his story with Zoe, too. I plan to expand on their HC in the near future. One of my favorite Eli x Zoe fics is Comfort & Joy. A bittersweet story that honors all they've been through, while showing what they've brought into each other's lives.

With Crimes of Passion, I have had so much fun getting to know Trytan and Carolina better, and I can't wait to explore their story more. I have loved the angsty/fluffy stories about them in my HC; some favorites are Better This Way, Breathe Again, and "...and you have me." I also enjoyed writing an angsty AU based on what would happen if they didn't stay together in Book 2 called A Moment in Time. The final part of that series will be up in the next couple of weeks.

Back in Open Heart, I'm happy I've written more about my MC Casey's past, particularly her relationship with her ex-girlfriend, Jessica.

But, of all my pairings, Tobias & Casey still have my heart. They really are the OTP for me. I haven't done enough with them recently, and plan on remedying that. I have some angstier outstanding AUs that I want to work on: What's Forever For?, an AU where the divorce (though neither really wanted to) and now they have to figure out how to move forward, By Chance, which is a messy AU where they met and fell hard... but they were too young and god will they screw things up in this messy AU, and I am like a year late at finishing up Where it Goes From Here, god, I suck (wait, that's not self-love! lol)

In my HC for the pair, I'm going to finally show you HOW they got together, and that's my immediate goal. Then I'll explore their future because, honestly, how much longer will we have an OH fandom :(.

Another thing I've loved this year is how much fun they've had with friends! With @lilyoffandoms Ethan and Merida and @storyofmychoices Bryce and Olivia - I need to create a masterlist for this crew! I will, and I will come back and tag it!

Then they went and became besties with @mydemonsdrivealimo's Jensen and Bryce, and I ended up dropping these two nutty, amazing men right into my HC. They need a list too. Shit, I have work to do. lol

They even got to play with @trappedinfanfiction's Ethan x Celia. Tobias & Casey get AROUND, and that's fitting for my babies! lol

In Ethan and Kaycee's land I will be wrapping up A Different Fate, which is my favorite thing that I've done for them in the past year. I got a $40 donation for Anera through Write for Gaza Project, and the donor (who wishes to remain anonymous) asked me to finish this series. I can't think of a better reason to do so!

Also had some fun with some uber-fluff for these two in As Planned, , and I do. Me too.

I introduced Ethan's LI in my T/C wold, Dr. Eva Mendoza, and I will be exploring her more in 2024.

That's all I've got kids - and that's way too much anyway - so we're all good! Now - I want to see yours! :)

@choicesfandomappreciation

#choices fandom appreciation #fandom appreciation 2023 #self-love day #jerzwriter

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silverskye13 · 2 years

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“Playing a dangerous game, aren’t ye, laddie?”

Ren hangs the anvil BDubs had bestowed upon him over the throne. It’s a heavy, dangerous thing, meant to represent the weight and power behind his responsibilities. Or at least, that’s what he figures BDubs was trying to get across when he hit him with it. BDubs is a little hard to decipher when it comes to these things sometimes. Ren thinks maybe all the moss has gotten to BDubs’ head. At least this time the infection just instills a sense of adventure, instead of dragging him off into the jungle like his last plant-based infestation.

Ren’s spent the better part of a hour replacing the diorite floors and wall of his new throne room with deepslate tiles. It matches his colors better. Red and white is a palette he’s been intentionally avoiding, though not hard enough, apparently. He catches his reflection in the polished deepslate tiles. They’re too dark to be a true mirror, but the massive form of The Red King is unmistakable. His blood-soaked legacy sticks to the bottom of Ren's shoes like a shadow, always following just a step behind.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ren sniffs.

"I notice you've neglected a proper crown this time," The Red King continues, undaunted. "Ye fear being a target even still. Even among friends."

"I was among friends last time," Ren answers defensively. "It was just a game. Besides, this is Hermitcraft."

"Aye."

"Yer wars here are bloodier."

"They're not." Ren steps back from the throne, nodding to himself when he decides the anvil is hanging straight. "And even if they were, they're more inconsequential. All anyone will lose is, what? A few hours and a few levels, maybe some gear if the pranks get crazy."

"The magician kens not what he asks of ye," The Red King insists. "Ye are falling for the same pitfalls ye did before lad. Was not Dogwarts the product of wishful thinking?"

"Why do you care?" Ren snaps. He's losing his patience. "You hate me, remember?"

"I'm trying to help ye, Rendog." The Red King's voice growls low, a whisper that feels like it comes from the depths of the earth. It fixes Ren in place like a knife to his throat, like a threat. The Red King's voice is beside his ear, like instead of speaking from a reflection in the tiles, he's standing right behind him. "Heavy is the crown bestowed on the unwilling, lad. Or the unworthy."

Ren tries to find his voice. Tries to come up with some digging reply. He could point out this is just another trick to make him feel bad about himself. See? You think I'm unworthy. Drop the facade of help and care. But he can't speak, because The Red King's voice begins again, so low Ren almost can't hear it over his own breathing.

"A good King rules in the interest of his people. He makes the hard decisions so they aren't burdened with them. He commands, because he is just. He revives peace in the corners of the world where it struggles to breathe."

The room is suddenly silent. Ren feels stiff, like he's locked in place. He's still staring at the anvil over the throne, but it looks less like an anvil and more like an axe head.

"Do you have what it takes to be a good king, Ren?"

Rockets sound overhead, and the freeze in Ren's limbs melts like a candle under dragon fire. Doc swoops onto the landing pad, beaming.

"Ren! There you are! Bro, oh my god, you've got to see what me and the hivemind came up with." Doc slaps his hands together and offers a maniacal grin. "Operation Skyfall on that Pesky Bird is ready."

Ren laughs nervously. Doc tells him about a death machine he's made like a kid discovering a new candy store down the street. This doesn't have to start a war. That's what they've said for the past three seasons. And even if it does start a war, there's no real loss.

He tells himself this as he flies after Doc, watching the red and white flash of metal and redstone grow closer.

#the barking writer #The Red King Hels #Rendog #The Red King #yeahhh we all knew i was gonna write something

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phantombmoll · 1 year

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Hiiii 😊

Would you mind doing this one 'Kisses that mean everything to one party and nothing to the other party' for Greg lestrade x reader. Where they're detectives together and maybe nearly get caught on a stake out so he kisses her to keep thier cover but he doesn't know that she's actually in love with him?

Greg Lestrade x Reader - Executive decision

Rating; T - mild angst, heavy petting

Author note; Thank you for the request anon! Hope you like it, I had to stop myself making it all romantic! I do love romance. You've inspired me though because I also have this prompt saved to write something really angsty and heartbreaking when I'm fully back in the swing of things.

As you watched the desolate building in the distance and the figures moving around you were starting to wish that you hadn't pointed out the Delvaney brothers to Greg in the pub.

An after work pint had quickly turned into a mini stakeout. You'd told him you could report it, have Sally get someone on it. Greg was having none of it though. The Delvaney brothers had escaped arrest five times now, all either technicalities or the bank roll for high set bail. The force needed harder evidence, they needed to catch them at something with fingerprints all over it and no excuses.

There was no way you could let Greg follow them on his own. So though you were apprehensive about walking, well driving, into a fight you were both unprepared for, follow him you did.

You'd hoped for somewhere a bit busier, or somewhere with a bit more nature to it. Places like those the car wouldn't have drawn to much attention. There was no luck though, the Delvaney brothers were meeting whoever it was at the tail end of a disused industrial estate in a huge empty and crumbling building. It looked like it could have been a factory or warehouse.

"There!" In his excitement to point out a side entrance the brothers were using Greg clipped the horn. "Shit!"

You waited, holding your breath to see if the noise would draw attention. It did.

"We need to go." Greg said about to turn the key, the lights flashing and drawing more attention.

"We can't." You put a hand out to his arm to stop him. "They've seen us, if we take off it'll spook them. They'll move whatever is in there and we'll be back to square one." You watched out the windscreen as a large man began heading towards the car. You could see him cracking his knuckles.

Greg ran a hand over his face and up into his hair. For a second you were struck by just how handsome he looked slightly dishevelled. It wasn't the first time you'd thought about what Greg would look like on just waking up. In fact it wasn't even the second or the third. At some point you'd fallen head over heels for him.

"It's a lacky, they won't know us. We just need an excuse for being here." You said the man getting closer with every beat. "Driving lesson?"

"Pretty dodgy instructor bringing you up here." Greg said running a hand through his hair.

"Dogging." You laughed despite the situation but Greg was looking at you like you were a genius. "Absolutely not."

"Not dogging but here's as good a place as any for a seedy little shag in a car." Greg said, raising a brow. You couldn't deny the way your heart stuttered a little at the idea. "He won't be able to see us yet. We just need to be a bit rumpled. Maybe get in in my lap."

"No, no we can think of something else." You said looking back out the windscreen to where the man was getting closer. "Developers?"

"At this time of night?" Greg shook his head.

You sighed, in all the ways you'd thought about ending up in his lap, this wouldn't have even made the top hundred. God you hoped you wouldn't blush or flush, at least the kick up in heart rate could be put down to adrenaline if Greg even noticed it.

"Right. Executive decision." Greg said loosing his tie, undoing the top button and then running both hands through his hair to make it look tussled and messy. The sight was delicious and heat coiled deep in your belly. "Come on."

You slipped the belt off and moved to straddle him on the seat.

"You've done this before." He teased trying to ease the tension as you settled in his lap with ease.

"Where is he?" You said trying not to shift too much on his lap as your fingers came up to undo the buttons on your shirt, at least down to show casing your ample bosom. You were trying to keep your mind from wandering too, wandering to a place where you and Greg were actually getting hot and heavy in a car. Wandering to a place where the car would be steamy and the air muggy with heated passion.

You shook your glancing back towards the lacky who was about 3 foot away from the car. "This is stupid, we hardly look like we're in the midst of a passionate embrace they're going to-"

As you turned back to look at Greg his hand slid into the hair at the base of your neck and his lips were suddenly on yours. Heat spiked inside you, your hands sliding over his strong shoulders, up his neck and into his hair. The weight of him beneath you was thrilling. The idea that this was play, a ruse to stop you getting the shit beaten out of you both fell by the way side. You lost yourself in the kiss. A kiss you'd thought about, dreamed about and he was just as good as you imagined.

Greg made a noise and your hips rolled involuntarily. You should have been embarrassed but the feel of him, his hair in your hands, his lap beneath you, his chest pressed against yours completely enclosed your brain. You felt like you belonged here, wrapped in his arms.

The knock on the window brought you back to reality and you turned to see the large man who'd been coming towards the car with a sly grin on his face. You moved off Greg quickly. Embarrassment that should have been for play suddenly very real.

Greg wound the window down.

"I was going to ask what y'were doin' here pal but I think I can see." An Irish accent left the mans mouth as he gave Greg an approving seedy smile. "Look, I'm not one to stop a good time but this is private property and the boss, well, the boss thought you might be coppers, told me to move you along." He flashed a metal bar in the street light, not explicitly threatening but definitely implied.

"No, no trouble, sorry, we ah, we thought it was all just abandoned." Greg said, injecting his voice with a hint of fear. "We'll be on our way."

"About 3 miles down there's a little turning, weird desolate spot. That ain't private property and people use it all the time." The man winked.

"Thanks." Greg said starting the car. "Sorry again."

Greg wound the window up and the Irish man slapped the top of the car as it pulled away and turned around.

"Jesus that was close." Greg ran a hand through already mussed hair. You were quiet as you buttoned your shirt. "Sorry, about-" he gestured to his lips a stupid grin on his face.

You weren't sorry though, not right now when the heat of his touch was still on your skin.

"Just you said we didn't look-"

"It's fine." You said, knowing deep down that he just thought you felt awkward. Knowing that the kiss hadn't affected him the way it had you. Knowing that the memory wouldn't linger for him like it would you, knowing that his heart wouldn't ache tomorrow in the cold light of day.

#;greg lestrade #fanfic #greg lestrade x reader #light angst #x reader fics #x reader fic requests #lestrade x reader #bbc sherlock #i love him #i had to stop myself making this happy haha

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ruthlesslistener · 1 year

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Finally another soul master hater- like I like his whole aesthetic but seriously fuck that balloon toad looking soul stealing shaman kidnapping rich ass tyrant

Soul Master is one of the very few characters in the game (other than the Radiance) that legitimately creeps me out, except that he doesn't have the 'biblically accurate angel' vibe that balances out that terror with a healthy dose of awe. He's just a selfish rich man with absolutely no value for any life other than his own, and even if his arena sets you up for the dead baby pit and the question of whether mass loss of life for the 'greater good' is worth it with PK later on, I personally find his cruelty far more abhorrent. The Pale King, at the very least, had the excuse of not realizing that the vessels were sapient beings (and the Path of Pain gives us a good idea of just how terrible that realization was to him), and the vessels died young with relatively quick deaths via falling, before they had much of a chance to live at all. It's horrifying, but it's also a tragedy, and that accidental cruelty is part of what makes the whole deal so terrible and unforgivable. You can, to an extent, sympathize with the Pale King and White Lady (though not by much lmfao), and their self-punishment and guilt for what they've done is pretty damn evident. The horror of the Vessel Plan is that it was created out of a desperate, toxic sort of love- a love for Hallownest- and that love blinded and poisoned the minds of the Pale Gods to drive them to acts of unfathomable cruelty against their own children. It's a tragedy.

The bugs that the Soul Master kidnapped and experimented on, however, were mortal beings that already had a life, family, and friends who loved them. They were vulnerable, and he murdered them in a myriad of grotesque ways under the pretense of trying to figure out how to 'cure' the Infection when all he really wanted was to gain enough power to become a god himself. When the Pale King- aka perpetrator of mass infanticide on the scale of millions- told him to stop, he reacted with indignation and hatred, because how dare he be told to value the lives of others above his own. The studies of the Soul Sanctum might have started out with good intentions, as a genuine desire to understand how soul works and to test the limits of what mortals can create with it, but it ultimately accumulated into a grotesque killing-grounds because some selfish with a lust for power wished to become more than what he was. It's an exploitation that's uncomfortably close to reality, and thus evokes a lot more vitrol and hatred as a result. At least in me.

#hollow knight #anon #reply #soul tyrant #soul master #not to make pk sound any better lmfao #but i think that destroying a bunch of defective automatrons bc you dont realize theyre alive #is a whole fuck of a lot less terrible than 'yeah these were people i just dont think they were valuable'

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befuddled-calico-whump · 1 year

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i dare you to write a drabble or something based off of that dream

Dare accepted. (the aforementioned dream)

cw: beating, broken bones, mean friends (lol)

"Why can't I go with you?" Even as the question passed his lips, Romulus knew how stupid it was to ask.

He wasn't the newest member of the Order of Ruin, and he sure as hell wasn't the weakest. He'd even wager he was the Order's best mage; at the very least their best evocationalist. But none of that changed the fact that he was the grandson of a lord. Even disinherited, his education had been the best money could buy, and his surname granted him a facade of respect in most cities, at least until people figured out who he was working with these days.

"Six people's already pushing it. Seven would be damn near impossible," the leader of their little group, Meryn, said in reply, not even glancing back at him. She was sat on a fallen log, shaping a wrist-thick oak branch with a dagger. "Besides, I have a job for you."

"Oh?" Rom cocked his head, feigning interest, though he was already wary. Only the gods could've counted the number of pointless details he'd been sent on, seemingly for no other reason but to temporarily get rid of him. "What kind of job?"

"Infiltrating Dusken Keep is only half the work," she said, a sliver of bark taking flight as she made a rapid slice down the branch. "We still need to get Sir Gilean and his merry band of nitwits to show up."

"I take it that's where I come in." It sounded useful at least, and even had the potential to be fun. If he played his cards right, maybe he could impress the rest of the team, and the Order would stop letting his talents go to waste. "What were you thinking? I could cut off the roads. Start a storm. Herd them towards the keep and force them to take shelter. Or--"

"No," Meryn cut him off. "They've overcome obstacles before, and I don't like our odds of facing them head-on. The only way to defeat Gilean is by springing a trap on him. " She cast a smile over her shoulder. "And you'll be the bait."

Naturally. Rom couldn't quite hide the scowl that darkened his features. "I see."

"Oh don't look so upset, Hart. Your role is essential."

"What am I to do?" Rom snapped. "Wave my arms, fire a few lightning bolts at the sky, and hope they'll chase me all the way to Dusken?"

"I had something smarter in mind." At last, she spun fully around. Good. If she was hell-bent on giving him stupid orders, she should at least have the decency to look him in the eye throughout.

"You'll guide them there personally," she said, "and ensure they don't veer off course."

"Guide them? You don't think they'll recognize me?"

Meryn rolled her eyes. "Not everyone knows or cares who you are, Hart."

"Gilean's seen my face. He knows I'm with the Order," Rom protested.

"So you'll tell him you've had a change of heart." She sheathed her blade, flicking a residual chunk of bark off the makeshift club in her lap. "That you've 'seen the error of your ways', and wish to redeem yourself by leading him to a secret meeting at Dusken Keep."

Not only did she want him as bait, she wanted him to play a traitor. The insult wasn't lost on him. "I'd never betray the Order," he said indignantly. "Even someone as thick as Gilean will see right through that lie."

The corner of Meryn's mouth quirked up. "You're right. He'll never fall for it, not unless you've dressed the part."

Before he could ask what she meant, the newly-carved club struck him in the stomach. Rom doubled over, more surprised than anything else, and dumbly remained there as Meryn cracked a second blow into his ribcage.

In his peripheral, he could see the rest of his teammates emerging from the treeline, surrounding him, but by then his initial shock had worn off. The incantation for a shielding ward was on his lips; the familiar buzz of lightning sprung to his fingertips---

"I thought you'd never betray the Order."

---and immediately fizzled out. Damn it all, this was how it was going to be? He could fight back. He knew he stood a chance, even six to one, but he also knew that was what Meryn wanted. One blow, one move in self-defense, and she'd have a reason to kick him out. The only way to avoid that, to prove all of them wrong, to show that he was serious, that he belonged here, was to shut up and take it.

So Rom did.

As the blows hit him in a flurry---the unskilled kicks and jabs of the mages, the sharper punches from the group's muscle, the bone-cracking swings from Meryn's club---all Rom did was try to protect his face and not bite off his own damn tongue.

Even when he dropped to his knees, then to his side, curling up to protect his abdomen, the attacks didn't cease. The world was a blur of boots. A haze of pain, spiking white-hot whenever someone scored a lucky hit and he felt something break or give in a way it shouldn't.

The beating went on beyond logic, zipping right past 'because it'll look more believable', right into 'because we hate you'. Rom tried to pretend the tears distorting his vision were only because of his probably-broken nose, and dully wondered if a real betrayal was part of their plan. If they wanted him to call it quits and actively turn against the Order. Hell if he would. He wouldn't give up so easily, he'd show them--

"Enough." Meryn's voice rang out above the soft thuds of boot on flesh, and for a moment the clearing was quiet, the only sound Rom's shuddering gasps.

He whimpered through clenched teeth, aware of every inch of himself, how the pain throbbed like an uneven heartbeat, how it drove spikes through his chest with every breath.

Meryn's fingers tangled themselves in his hair, forcing his head up. Not gentle, but not overly rough either. Rom tried to hold her stare, but the world spun around him.

"There. Think that's enough to fool him?" she said, still half out of breath.

Rom didn't try to answer. He knew anything he managed to say wouldn't be coherent anyway.

"Gilean's party will be traveling through these parts in a day or so," Meryn said, releasing him. He didn't have the strength to hold himself up, and went face-first into a cluster of dead leaves.

A day or so. Gods, was she just going to leave him here? Was he supposed to drag himself through the woods, calling for help until Gilean maybe stumbled upon him?

She must've wanted him to protest. To give up, to go home. To cry, and beg her not to make him do this.

But he wouldn't. He'd show her, show them. Romulus Hart was worthy of the Order of Ruin.

When he said nothing, Meryn shrugged. "Well. You know the plan. Bring them to Dusken Keep. We'll be waiting."

Her boots crunched over dead leaves as she walked away, leaving him alone.