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ricinbach · 3 years

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for the record. | chapter 1 - alpha

off-duty time would not last you for too long.

After all these years, the world never ceased to remind you that rules never changed.

While the players of the game always rotated along with the enemy and the friendly alike, this dangerous life that many chose to lead had undeniable constants - etched onto your brain in a devout mantra, something to remember in your darkest or most fleeting moments.

Kill, or be killed.

That was the first thing that they taught you, at the beginning of those long and arduous days of training in the barracks. Scout out the situation and if there is any sign of remote danger, pull your gun first, or you will end up with a bullet in your head. Sometimes, it was better to shoot first and then ask questions - if you were still alive by then.

Though in your line of work, the learning phase never ended. Warfare shifted and changed constantly, forcing you to adapt. It was something you had to just come in terms with. At that point in your career, as sad as it was to think about it from a civilian’s perspective, it was all more creative and effective ways of getting confirmed kills. New weapons, new tactics brought with them new problems - along with new ways of dealing with them. Technology tackled advanced aircraft and armor, adding up to your arsenal.

One thing remained the same.

It all added up to the big stirring pot of the everlasting recipe - mass destruction.

And with destruction came in the casualties. The aftermath of modern combat. The rivers of blood on pavement, hands clawing at the burnt metal, scathed bodies crawling out of the smoky debris. Sights and sounds and screams you wanted to erase from your memory for a lifetime. The pain coarsing through the body after the penetration of a bullet. Sickening roars of helicopter engines giving out.

Yet, as a soldier, all you could do, all you were authorized to do was to bury them deep down - so you could live to see another day. Another day to fight for the flag. For peace, for honor and for the sake of lives.

The lives of many against your only.

The warm mug a welcome distraction in your hands, your eyes would wander around the busy Regent Street of London, people walking around in the usual hustle and bustle of the shopping district. The smell of freshly ground beans from the cafes scattered around, mixing in with the pleasantness of the gray post-rainfall. A spectrum of vibrant colors of shopping bags and clothes pleasing your eyes - it had been a while since you had gotten to enjoy a couple of hours all saved for yourself. The book whose pages were between your fingers moments ago then closed, as your conscience lost itself within the faces creating the sea of people.

The lives you were sworn to protect. Sometimes it felt like remembering another life, far far away - that you had been one of them. A civilian. Who needed protection in times of immediate danger.

Some were smiling and laughing, without a care in the world, radiating energy and happiness which had been a blessing in the usual London gloom. Some were in professional attire, their strides just a bit faster and their expressions harboring that of stress, concern and exhaustion. Not too long ago, you had been one of them - but your brain did not let you dissociate from the constucted reality you had left just yet.

None of those troubles mattered when snipers left and right rained bullets on you. The stress of studying for a big test was nothing compared to being caught in blast radius, fearing to look around you so you do not see your friends dead and gone.

The echoes of your last name originating from an accented, deep voice reached your ears, rippling inside the busy cafe you had chosen to visit for the day. Coming closer and closer until they associated with a couple thuds of heavy feet and finally, a face, as you turned around to face whomever was looking for you.

Out of all places, Captain.

It did not take you too long to get to your feet out of respect and sheer habit, offering him a nod in an attempt to hide your surprise. “Sergeant,” he would greet you with your rank, the commanding voice he used on the field to lead dampened - yet still powerful. It even had a small smile attached to it too, which was not unusual.

It made the thumping of your heart slow down. A civilian visit from your Captain usually meant bad news and noticing his mouth curl up under the beard calmed you down more than you ever thought.

“Captain Price,” you greeted back, arm gesturing to the seat right in front of you across the marble table, inviting him. “Please.”

The man, whom you had become so used to seeing in the famous military green was dressed in the simple and casual combination of a black jacket with jeans. It was a welcome change - not often did you see your commanding officer at a coffee shop in the heart of the city. Consequently, the air had been a bit awkward - just like how it felt when you felt the need to always show your best self, like there had been no room for mistakes.

That did not mean you could not try to get on his better side.

“Can I get you anything, Sir? Tea? I doubt they have a good pint here.”

That was when he looked directly in your eyes.

They said all soldiers had this blur in their eyes wherever they looked at. That no matter how happy they had been, no matter how much sparkle covered their worn-out irises, the dusty haze that veiled them was ever present. His familiar blue glint was subdued by some unknown, yet not lifeless. Not soulless. There was some sort of drive fueling him, the origins of it unbeknownst to you - the only thing you could discern was that it must have been for some good, judging by his chuckle and the slight shake of his head.

A file stamped with the all-too-familiar red confidential sign slid across the white marble along with him as he got settled in the chair, leaning his elbows slightly over the top.

“Raincheck, Sergeant, but I do have something that you might like.”

And with that, his fingers pushed the rather thin file over to you, blue eyes gazing around the shop as he undoubtedly made sure everyone was minding their own business. Here at London, he knew he had been safer than most places and yet you could only attest to the cautiousness of the man.

An eyebrow slightly raised as you leaned a bit forward, the initial welcome surprise slowly yielding to apprehension of what was inside the document. Another mission assingment had been the last thing you wanted to see after the literal living hellhole of the battlezone you had last been to. A part of you did not want to open up that cover but the other half of you yearned desperately to.

With a quick look to confirm, once you got his nod, you yielded to your other half.

And with every second spent looking at the papers containing profiles and overviews adorned with the faint Crusader shield watermarks, your eyebrows would furrow even more in confusion. Towards the bottom of the page, you could spot the one-liner character profiles for soldiers - some you had recognized and worked with, some names ringing no bells at all.

Then there it was. It was a mystery to you why it had taken you that long to find it. Right under the line occupied by a certain “John ‘Soap’ Mactavish” was your full name, with a old picture of you that belonged to one of your earlier days of training.

What the hell kind of a name is Soap?

“Now, I know you’re on the reserve for the time being,” Price spoke, breaking you out of your silent concentration as your head snapped up to divert focus into him. “But your skills in combat were not unnoticed.”

That made you proud inside, yet on the outside - it manifested in a subtle way of a simple yet courteous nod as you waited for him to continue. Closing the file for the time being, you felt the air shift as he leaned in towards you - voice dropping lower and tone growing grave.

“We have a huge war looming in the horizon, Sergeant,” he said, piercing orbs staring right into your soul. The kind of stare that could have the toughest of soldiers crack and break down, that could stop the bullet in trajectory.

“Millions of lives are at stake. You saw what happened in Urzikistan - you were there, on the frontlines.”

The mere mention of the place made your jaw clench and a gulp run down your throat, the memories of utter bloodshed still fresh in your mind.

“It is going to happen again.”

“How can I help?” slipped out of your mouth before your brain could control it, completely forgetting the fact that you had been granted off-duty time and was currently on it. Forgetting that you had to worry about taking care of your own demons in your head first, before jumping right into a war you thought you had just ended.

“I want you to be on my team,” he simply said, a look of reassurance thrown your way as he folded his arms on the table, head tilting just a bit to gauge yur reaction. His finger reached out to gently tap on the folder, gently opening the tab and pointing to the list of soldiers including yours truly.

“You will be working with handpicked warriors, the toughest of them all. Undertaking the most covert and dangerous operations - changing the world as you do it.”

There was this tone of finality in his voice that made it feel natural for you to follow everything he was instructing you to. Of course it was - he was your commanding officer, yet what he was asking out of you this time was much more than a simple recruitment for an operation.

No, what he made it sound like was that his team would be something akin to a ghost - working behind enemy lines, not alerting a single soul. It honored you that he had included you along with the names of seemingly renown soldiers, selected for off-the-grid duty due to your previous success. But was there really a need to add any additional danger to your already-risky life? It was a miracle you had not died yet and you were not so sure if another covert operation team would help with your chances. These kinds of operations only ended in either of the two ways - your mutilated corpse in a body bag or carrying your friend’s instead.

There probably also would not be many other occassions where Captain Price, one of the most trusted officers in the Services, would approach you with such an opportunity.

As your mind raced in crazy thought traffic, the sounds of the outside world and the otherwise peaceful cafe had been muffled. It was only you, him, and that little paper file you grazed your fingertips on, in order to maintain at least a slice of reality. Decisions like these had never been easy to make, especially when they would completely change your life and possibly your entire outlook. They never would be easy - there was not much “easy” associated to your line of work.

And yet going into it in the first place was something you had willingly chosen.

After all of that blood, sweat and lead - how could you say no?

Taking a deep breath as your lips moved to echo your determined voice, you spoke sofly with a nod. Chest loosening as you let out a breath you had no idea you had been holding for so long.

“I’m in, Sir.”

The ghost of a smile turned into a real one as his hand extended itself over the table, an almost proud nod as you shook it as firmly as you could.

“Welcome to the 141.”

next chapter

#here we GOOOO #lmk what you think!!!#john mactavish x reader #john soap mactavish #soap mactavish x reader #cod #modern warfare #cod reader insert #lets goooooo #john price #captain price #mw #mw2

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idjitlili · 3 years

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I can be the God of your Orgasm.

Loki x reader

(Not my image)

Summary:Some how ending up in Sakaar ,Valkyrie ends up taking you under her wing,no not her horse Aragorn,for a year ,until some Gods show up.

Word count:1768

Warnings:Language

A/n: Couldn’t end it , last time I touched this was October. Uhm, there’s a picture of Bowie, probably TMI here, but he was the first man , I ever you know over.Double aswell. I’m sorry.

You just a young woman in y/c ,heading to college your average routine ,but you never made it. Instead you had tripped over into a puddle ,but yet again you were decieved ,it was a portal. You hadn't/only left your country ,let alone been on another planet. You didn't think that was even possible;magic nor to be able to breathe on an different planet,well that was what you were told by the government. No you weren't a flat earther,thats bloody stupid. However you felt like the government hid a lot.

Michael Jacksons death,Heath Ledgers death,River Phoenix's death, Princess Diana's death , David Bowie, Obi-wan,it just seemed a little suspicous, not saying it was definitely them covering up the murders but...

Anyways so you fell into the puddle into a some rubbish ,literal rubbish. You had no idea what happened ,when Valkyrie found you she didn't either. God damn Benedict cumpatch stay in america with your fake american accent. Just stay away ,don't really want to be assassainated for being best buds with Sherlock Holmes and Dildo Gaggins.

Valkyrie had felt bad for such a young mortal being in an strange planet,she couldn't bare to bring you to Grandmaster ,to be apart of his orgies. he was indeed a tough warrior much like Dwalin the dwarf from the hobbit,who funfact is the longest living dwarf living up to 300 years,yes irrelvent.

Thus, you lived with her ,you managed to get a part time job as a cook,just so you didn't feel so bad about living with Valkyrie rent free. When I say part time cook ,I mean you just cooked for you and her,you didn't trust this planet. It was lucky when you fell in that puddle the stuff in your backpack didn't get wet,so you had some books to read,and such.

To be far being away from home stuck on an alien planet really did get boring ,you'd hate to admit it but sometimes you had to go to visit Hulk,because he was sorta normal. No he was not but he was okay ,like a destructive toddler but it was better than being alone. Other than that you really missed home ,you missed tv,you missed ice cream.

Pretty much everyday was boring. Well after almost a year of being here ,Valkyrie had brought a guest to your shared apartment thing. The God you had seen on the television a couple years ago. You had been sitting on the sofa reading at the time ,you jumped so hard when the door slammed open,you had looked up to see valkyrie shoving down a dark haired man in chains.

"Uhhh, are you allowed to kidnap people here?" you had questioned ,causing Valkyrie and the guy turn to you ,you had recognised him after a moment of trying to pin point his face. "I don't think that will hold him...h-he's-"

"Just stay away from him ,don't talk to him,don't look at him,hell don't even think about him,I will be back with Thor ,and then we can get you home, Y/n. So pack your things ." Soon as she had mentioned going home you had already started gathering your things,as Valkyrie had left after the God of Thunder. No you didn't go to the big battle compitions and Valkyrie certainly did not tell you she had found Thor ,but it didn't matter you were going home.

It didn't take you long to pack soon,you had your shoes on and everything sitting on the sofa ,twiddling your thumbs,feeling Loki's gaze on you. What's up with in love stories men staring , oh shut up you are just jealous because you can't even get a boyfriend ,stupid scribe.

"she said not to think about you...can you read minds?" you had questioned ,just really because that gaze he had on you made you feel proper ugly ,in which you were not. He had scoffed at you.

"I'm not a witch."

"I never said you were,you are a God ,must be better than having a hammer, it's like a normal hammer with steriods."

"Ah..so you have heard of me," He had smirked to himself ,you had just looked back at you hands before reaching for your bag grabbing your journal and ink,before just scribbing doodles on a clean page.Loki didn't speak after that not until you did again ten minutes later ,probably less time goes slow when the mood is a drag.

"the thing with new York, that was because of Thanos? People have controlled me by making me feel guilty so many times..OH manipulation ,you probably don't want to hear what I have to say,but I can't help it ,i've been stuck here a year the only person I got to speak to is drunk Valkyrie and hulk in which I feel like I am talking to a child. You know what I really wish I was watching Lord of the rings right-"

"You are from earth,how did you end up here?" He had grinned at you,cutting you off,isn't he like a mass murderer? Well he was tricked into doing it ,so more like accidental murderer ,why is he so handsome. Don't be stupid he is a God of course he is handsome.

"Uh..I fell into a puddle then I was here." The God had turned his head away to the floor ,scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion.

"I don't see how that's possible."

"Well it happene-" Yet you were cut off again,as the door slammed open,you quickly turned away back to your notebook,Thor ,Bruce and Valkyrie stood at the door.

You missed what happened first ,Loki having things thrown at him ,and such,you only looked up when he said something about spaceships,seeing Bruce. Your eyes glittered with excitement , Thor saw this. "Oh my! I can't believe it's-2 Thor had shook his head for you not say it. "Radiation scientist,Bruce Banner, damn,now I must say this is much more exciting than a hammer,which you don't have what's up with that? Hey Bruce how you feeling?Green? Darn, imagine being strongest Avenger!"

Thor had scoffed at you,"Does she always talk this much?"Bruce had made his way over to you smiling at you as you stood up. "It is so cool to meet you mister Banner."

"Thank you miss..." "Y/n" He had smiled at you again before turning to Thor ,"see strongest Avenger,yep that's me."

"well then ,let' hope we can get home,just first we are to go to Asgard."

***

"Valkyrie ,I'm going to stay with Dwayne Johnson,I have no fighting skills so it's better if come I after," you had gestured to Korg.

"Alright then, I'll see you if I don't die" And with that she left you with the aliens,smiling up to them.

"The revolution has begun."

***

"Hey, what's this?"

"Thank you." You had stood next to Korg as he had powered down the taser device on Loki's body,you had stood rocking on your balls of your feet in excitement to get home.

"Hey,man. We're about to jump on that ginormous spaceship. You wanna come?" Loki had jumped up,his hair a messy ,from the intense pain he had just suffered,from betraying his brother yet again.

"well you do seem like you're in desperate need of leadership." The smirk was interweaved into his voice, smooth as his greasy hair.

"Why, thank you."

"Hurry up! It has been too long since I've seen the dance seen in the james franco spiderman three!" You rushed forwards grabbing a hold of the mischief makers arm dragging him towards the ship. "Talkative and touchy," Loki just allowed you to drag him,with him supposively being evil,grinning.

***

"uhhh, what's the chances of as all dying horribly? Do you think if i pretend to be dead she wouldn't notice?" Loki was driving the space ship,whilst you sat in the seat next to him,all the alien people sat or stood behind. You really be riding shotgun on a spaceship,it was you or korg.

Loki did not answer you , yet just slightly smiled glancing to you briefly, not a good sign, you'd think with two Gods you'd be fine ,but clearly not. "Hey do you think if Thor had to fight I don't know- AHH" You weren't sure who you meant to say as you face planted into the spaceship's floor,as Loki's flying had stopped so suddenly causing a jolt. You had laughed to your lesson quietly,patheticly in honesty ,covering up how embarrassing that was.

You felt as if you were Mantis ,when Drax had informed her to watch out after she got hit in the face. All you could think was there's like a bunch of aliens on this ship and it's guaranteed at least 3 have just seen you face plant. "Okay , that makes me wish that I was on Thors spaceship right now." Your hair in your face, forearms pressed against the cold metal floor.

"What does he have that I don't?" His voice seeped with sarcasm, okay maybe not he was probably just annoyed that a midgardian was aboard and could not shut up.

"He probably can fly this thing better, well it's probably Bruce but that's even better , do you even know how many PHDs he has?"

"Honestly I do not know and do not care."

"Wow that's not very nice . He has..wait I dont -" The smirk on Loki's face was stamped deep, as he pulled you out of your concentration by doing so. "Shut up I bet you say to all your lovers, ‘If you givee a chance I can be the god of your orgasm’” Honestly you don’t know what made you think of that , something tells you it’s to do with a dude that reads a lot of smut named Blake. Actually the author doesn’t know if he does but..

“Thank you darling, for the new material.”

#marvel x you #marvel imagine #marvel x reader #marvel imagines #loki odinson x reader #loki layfeyson x reader #loki imagines #loki x you #loki x y/n #loki imagine #loki x reader #loki odinson #loki of asgard #loki #loki fluff

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phoebehalliwell · 3 years

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Oh could u do Prue/Micah? S4

okay okay okay so we're doing all hallow's eve in early s3 micah's reincarnation does Not show up at the end of the episode because we're saving him for something bigger. but we'll say that something on a later vanquish a physical item triggers something in prue she's like hey does that remind you of anything?? and piper and phoebe are like ??? no? it's just a(n) [item]? and prue's like really? nothing? and they're like idk what does it remind you of and she's like i don't know... the past? samhain, maybe? do you think it's one of our ancestor's? and piper and phoebe are like prue i don't know can we get out of here??? and she's like yeah yeah but she takes it with her and like. uses her auction house knowledge to like correctly id it back to the time they were in salem (or not maybe idk but if it is from the past she realizes that a) either it was something micah owned or b) it was the knife that killed him. if it's neither of those than it's modern and she can't figure out what about it is calling to her). the plot is kind of dropped. then, we enter s4, the battle with the source is on the horizon cole is. we'll say still on their side, successful relationship with phoebe. cole is the first one to pitch going on the offensive, which prue is first to back, then phoebe, and begrudgingly piper. leo's still not a fan but phoebe gets a premonition of something something darklighter so let's stamp that out before it begins. so they shimmer down with cole to the underworld leo doesn't go with them bc well. a) he can't sense as well down there so he won't really be able to find them if they get separated which leads to b) of they're separated the girls have no way out of hell and as a sidenote c) he's a whitelighter. so if the darklighters get him they Also have no way out of hell. so leo stays topside and cole's their ride. something something something they're closing in on where the clan lives or maybe their weapons forge and there's a darklighter just outside piper blow him up no wait and prue like Jumps in front of her and piper quickly deflects and hits the cavern wall next to them and wants to yell what the hell prue but it's too late because all hell breaks loose the darklighters were there waiting for them the seer foresaw this so they all duck for cover prue throws a couple phoebe karate chops cole energy balls piper blows up em and will occasionally freeze the cavern for a couple seconds but she still doesn't have a hold on her powers, but phoebe while fighting one of them gets a premonition: leo, shot. and over the din she's like it's a diversion, they're gonna kill leo like we have to get to leo but they're all hella spread apart right now so in one of piper's freezes cole gets to phoebe and another the pair get to piper but prue's still to far away she redirects an arrow that nearly hits phoebe in the hed she's like there's no time go!! and they're like no!! but prue just squints at cole and cole understands and shimmers them out of there and we'll say the guy who she initially dove in front of was knocked out by like rocks from piper's blast well he's coming to and see's prue fighting for her life and like. you know just starts to stir and prue spares a glance at him and he recognizes her just like he did in puritan times and he's like ...you saved me and prue looks at him and again connection but she can't find the words to say because she has to get right back to kicking ass, we'll say an arrow flies right past her face like through her hair she ducks down again like can you get us out of here? and he just like barely sits up head cradled in one hand, he's bleeding, but he just nods and places his other on prue's shoulder and black orbs them out and now they're in like a loft in san francisco prue still in fight mode and micah still bleeding from a head wound and he just kind of collapses on the ground and prue's like !!! oh shit.

back @ the manor leo's just been shot and piper's running over like help me get him to the attic i'll swap our powers you guys get out of the house so you're not affected go get prue and leo's like ??? go get her and cole's like she's still with the darklighters and leo's like no she's topside she's in the city and they're all like how??? and piper's like who gives a shit how help me get him to the attic then give me some space so phoebe and cole wait in the outside lil backyard type thing they have maybe we get a phole scene piper swaps powers and heals leo but he's still weak and piper hear's prue's call and leo's like go i'm still too weak to heal and piper's i'm not leaving you not while they're out there and leo's like hey don't worry you're still with me right ad blows up idk a lamp and piper just kind of smiles like okay but if you're gonna blow anything else up try to hit that vase because i've always hated it

piper goes downstairs gets phoebe and cole like okay let's go get prue and she orbs them all out into this loft where prue has got this guy slumped over his table pressing a damp towel to his head but jesus that's a lot of blood and she's like leo thank g- where's leo and piper's like he's resting he was shot so i had to tap in. and prue's like you can heal? and piper's like uh huh and prue's like okay great heal him and piper moves forward and then stops because prue is that the darklighter? and prue's like yes but you don't understand and piper's like what part of healing a Darklighter don't i understand prue when they Just tried to kill my husband now you're trying to save him and prue's like come on doesn't he look familiar to you and piper's looking at him like ew bc she can hardly see past the bloodcovered face but phoebe wanders forward and cole instinctively tries to hold her back bc Evil but she just kind of shakes him off bc she knows what she's doing and cole relents and she puts a hand up to his shoulder and she's like it is him. and prue's lookin like exactly! and piper's like who??? and prue's like micah and he stirs at the sound of his own name and piper's like Who??? and prue's like don't you remember he saved our necks--literally--multiple times; he died for us and it's clicking piper's like In Puritan Times??? and cole kinda blanches bc he Might have killed that guy i can't remember and prue's like piper for the amount of times he's saved us, please, just heal him and piper's like you get that that was centuries ago right? a lot changes in a couple hundred years; he's a darklighter now and prue's like piper. please. and piper relents bc what can she say she trusts prue. and micah comes to and sees cole and stumbles back like hits the ground again and prue's like no no it's okay and he looks at her and it's like we can see his world fade around him and just focus on prue and his hand flies up to his head and finds no blood and prue's like it's okay, you're healed and micah's like so that'd be the second time you've saved my neck today? and prue's like consider it returning the favor and piper's like okay well I'm breaking up the balcony scene this time how did the darklighters know we were coming? and micah's like this woman. she visited us and said you were coming, you were leaving your whitelighter vulnerable... and they're like what woman and cole's like the seer. and micah just nods and he's like i've read about you, you know, what you've done, i was hoping i could get away to warn you before... and piper's like Why. Why would you betray your own people and micah's like because i can see what dark magic can do... and it can't be undone [to later be revealed tragic backstory!! micah was raised by his mother topside or maybe his father and we get a complex darklighter situation with his mom potentially even having her defect but no matter when micah was like. idk twelve or something?? there was this bully in school and we're trying to stay with charmed morality and justify this so we'll say this kid was like serial killer bad killed puppies for fun type bad and he was a bully and micah was standing up to him #feminism when they got into a fight and micah was losing like Really losing like about to be beat to death at age twelve losing when his hand started glowing red and he shoved it against the bully and next the you know that kid was fucking dead. micah had killed a guy before he had even gone through puberty. oof. anyways top ten defining moments tried existing on the dl but has also killed a couple other people and we'll keep them Bad murderers and rapists but it's still like you end up in a bar fight and then the next thing you know that guy is dead and it doesn't matter what a cunt he was it doesn't matter than you didn't mean to do it you just have a power you don't know how to control no all that matters is you're getting manslaughter at best unless you go with this man who claims to be your uncle who can teleport like you who has the same deathtouch who can teach you to control your power].

blah blah blah plot progression all that prue and micah fall in love relatively quickly because they can feel that tug in their souls (SIDE TANGENT: i've already said before i like wyatt as a reincarnation of melinda warren but what if prue was Also a reincarnation of melinda warren, ipso facto wyatt is also prue reincarnated retconning why they can't summon her spirit. 👀?) but but BUT the seer foresaw this she new micah would turn to the side of good so she planted something that blew up in a metaphorical sense so now they don't know if they can trust micah prue wants to trust him but she doesn't want to put her family in danger if he really is in league with the source phoebe is advocating for her to follow her heart and piper is Hard No against micah like even before like she really didn't want him around before this bomb dropped even more so now and prue's like okay what's your beef and piper's like he's not safe to have around prue he's a damn darklighter and prue's like you know you keep like using that against him leo doesn't even care why are you so hung up on this and piper's like leo's safety isn't the only one at risk here!! and prue's like what you have some secret whitelighter you haven't told us about?? and piper is just silent and stubborn and prue's still in fight stance until it clicks and she's like piper... and piper's like still not talking and prue's like piper,,, are you pregnant? and piper's like no you know what i shouldn't even have said anything forget you even heard anything and prue's like ???? piper this is great news why why didn't you tell us and tries to hug her and piper just ducks away and prue's like heart is breaking watching her like this because piper's like really maternal she'd be a great mom so why isn't she happy and piper just looks at prue like : ( i didn't tell you because this isn't the first time this has happened. and prue's like ??? and piper's like towards the end of s3,,, i thought i was. well, no. i was pregnant. and, um. i was scared, because of all the demon fighting and everything, but i was excited prue i was so excited to be a mom and then a couple weeks later,,, and gets all choked up and prue just pulls her into a really big hug like sweetie why didn't you tell us and piper's just crying like i don't know we already have so much with the source and with the fighting every day,, i didn't want you guys to feel like i did, you're already going through so much and prue's like honey You're Going Through So Much and just know we're always here for you forget the source and his sorry ass forget the seer nothing's more important that you okay nothing's more important and piper's just okay okay : ((((.

so anyways we vanquish the source for the midseason finale but now we have the seer the real mastermind as the s4b villain and she's got her eyes set on a great prized: a prophesied baby. in one episode prue and micah get knocked back into a past life regression where they keep slipping back further and further in time and they keep finding each other in each life but they need to get out of here and piper leo phoebe cole are on the outside trying to get them out because if they reach their first life their life where their soul was new and slip back further, there's no way to bring them back after that we're not killing prue lol but what that really does is just cements prue and micah's place together like In Every Life they had each other in one form or another they were always destined to find each other....... fin <3

#charmed #prue x micah #it's funny bc i could have sworn i did darklighter micah before i just couldn't find the post anywhere so maybe i did Not #prue halliwell #piper halliwell #micah #margaretsminiessays #💌

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3pirouette · 3 years

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The Honey Trap (5/?)

Title: The Honey Trap

By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette

Disclaimer: They're not mine.

Distribution: AO3 Anyone else please ask first :)

A/N- Keep an eye ont he time stamps- it brings us back to chapter one somewhere around the middle- then we’re moving on from there with less jumping around :)

Chapter Summary: The holes in their story kept her up some nights. He acknowledged them, and often. She felt like he was trying to appease her, but every now and again it tickled something in her gut that made her queasy.

Chapter 5: How It’s Supposed to Go

~*~ November, 1944

There were bugs in the kitchen and sightlines out of the living area to a Hydra surveillance flat across the street, but Peggy thanked their lucky stars no one surveilled the shared loo or Richard’s bedroom.

She’d done things she wasn’t proud of before for her work, but repeatedly sleeping with a man she neither was married to or loved in any way was crossing a line she wasn’t prepared to step over.

Not when she still believed Steve was waiting for her and loving her.

She didn’t mind the kissing, was only occasionally bothered by the wandering hands on the couch, and she’d gotten very good at pushing him away and playing coy, at protesting that the shades were wide open and someone could see, before leaving early for the night or slipping into his bedroom.

Richard was also getting very, very good at sleeping on the floor.

“They’re less suspicious, you know, now that you’ve started staying over,” he observed, fluffing his pillow and dropping it at his feet. He smiled at her.

Peggy shook her head, unbuckling her shoes but not taking another thing off before slipping under the blanket on the bed. “Pigs, if you ask me. A woman’s desire to know a man biblically before they’re married has nothing to do with how much she loves him or how devoted she is to him.”

“I never said they were smart. Or understood anything.” He pulled his tie off and started loosening the buttons if his shirt. “If they were smart, they wouldn’t believe us at all.” He pulled it off and set it to the side, sliding out of his belt as well, but staying in his undershirt and trousers. “Our cover is good, but it isn’t foolproof.”

“Hardly,” she snorted, knowing that the holes in their story kept her up some nights. He acknowledged them, and often. She felt like he was trying to appease her, but every now and again it tickled something in her gut that made her queasy. Peggy leaned over and stripped the top quilt, handing it to him. “I’m starting to wonder why they haven’t questioned it more.”

Richard Wallace, Peggy had found, could be a hard man to read. The one thing she enjoyed about their little charade was that in his bedroom, more than any other place she’d ever been with him, he let his guard down. He frowned at her, and she could see the dark circles under his eyes and the frustration in his shoulders. “They’re desperate.” He shook his head and kneeled, setting up his little bed across from her. “I’ve never seen these men so scared and at the same time so daunting. The things they want to accomplish, and the lengths they’ll go to get them…” He sighed, sitting down heavily. “These men are so much scarier than Hitler, Carter. The things I’ve heard… We can’t let them win. Whatever it takes.”

Peggy knew, without a doubt, that he meant it. Even in the dark, the fear in his eyes was real.

~*~ The Same Night, 500 miles away at the French border

Bucky elbowed Steve, getting his attention and passing the canteen over. “I’m not missing the corn ring,” he joked, looking out into the night, his voice soft, “though I could do with a little turkey and gravy.”

Steve smiled a bit, a happy sound on his lips as he finished a gulp of the whisky. “Your ma’s gravy…” He hummed happily and slipped the canteen back to Bucky. It was a quiet night, and they were in friendly territory, which made it almost safe to spend their watch reminiscing about today being Thanksgiving.

“Yeah, and then a slice of your mom’s apple pie.” Bucky smacked his lips loudly, taking another swig of the whisky before he sealed the canteen and slipped it back into his pack. He looked out into the darkness, shaking his head. “I miss that apple pie.”

“Me too,” Steve whispered softly, the happy memories mingling with the loss of his mother that would never leave him fully.

Bucky sensed his melancholy and elbowed him. “She ever teach you how to make it?” Bucky smiled at his friend. “When we get home, you can make a million bucks with it. Everyone would eat it up, literally. Imagine it: Captain America’s All American Apple Pie.”

Steve laughed lightly, shrugging. “She worked off a recipe from my grandmother. It’s all stained and half smudged, but it’s at home, in the trunk I left at your Ma’s, I think.”

“We’ll take it on tour, like the USO.” Steve smiled as Bucky started spinning the tale, his excitement something easy to lose himself in. “We’ll have stands at every state fair from Brooklyn to San Francisco.”

“As long as I don’t have to dance.”

Bucky huffed out a laugh. “Dance? Nah. We give you an apron and a spoon and you’ll have all kinds of girls just eating outta your hands.”

Bucky saw the way his lips turned down even though he tried to avoid letting anything show. Bucky let out a long, slow breath and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “When are you going to tell me?” he asked softly.

Steve barely even moved his lips he was so stoic. “Nothing to tell, you know that.”

“What I know,” he started carefully, “is that all of a sudden, you two started acting stupid, then Phillips missed a detail the size of a blimp, and then instead of getting rid of you, who he’s considered a thorn in his side since the day you showed up at Lehigh, he shipped off his right hand woman and best spy to the typing pool.”

“Senator Brandt—”

“Senator Brandt my ass,” Bucky didn’t let him finish, and his frustration made his words harsh and clipped. “There are plenty of other bases they could have sent you to, hell- the Pacific theater’s been begging to get the 107th for months.” The way Steve wouldn’t look at him told Bucky all he needed to know. He softened, “So it’s bullshit?”

“It’s not—" Steve huffed, shaking his head and letting it fall into his hands.

“You can’t tell me.” It wasn’t a question, and he tried to keep it from being an accusation.

“No, I can’t.”

“We have the same clearance—”

“Not for this we don’t.” Steve almost barked. “No one has clearance for this.” The fight left his words and his frame. “It’s not even... there’s no paper trail even. Strictly need to know, full deniability.” Steve looked his friend in the eyes sadly, “As far as anyone knows, yourself included, we fucked up. Badly. And she paid the price. And that’s all there is to know.” Steve let his head fall again, watching as he drew patterns in the dirt with the toe of his boot.

Bucky filled long moments of quiet with pulling the whisky out again and slowly unscrewing the cap. He wasn’t sure what he could ask and what he couldn’t, but he knew he couldn’t leave it where it was. He took a long, slow breath and a quick swing of the burning liquid. He passed it over and rubbed his hands together, waiting until Steve had swallowed before speaking again. “Were you… did you…?”

His voice was almost too quiet to hear. “Once we heard what was at stake? We agreed to it, yeah.”

“And is it… is it over between the two of you? For real?”

Bucky looked at him, but Steve didn’t lift his gaze from the ground. “I hope not.”

Bucky rubbed his palms together slowly, not knowing what to say or do. His friend had held it in for so long, and he knew if he pushed too hard, Steve would let it all out and then hate himself even more in the morning. “Well, we better get looking for that apple pie recipe, huh? If you’re gonna have to win her back, better put your best foot forward.”

Steve almost, almost laughed.

~*~ December, 1944

Her heart was pounding in her chest. It had been months since she’d seen him, and she was supposed to somehow keep her cool.

Wallace had arranged it. He’d be arranging all of it from now on, which she didn’t particularly like. Peggy played with her wine glass, only half listening to the woman across from her. The microdot plastered to the back of her tooth tickled her tongue, and she had to sip the wine in such a way that it didn’t dislodge the precarious gluing job she’d done.

Her stomach was sick with worry and anticipation. If her companion for the evening didn’t buy the little skit they were about to put on, if she noticed that Peggy enjoyed kissing Steve a little too much or if she looked him his eyes a little too long, the whole thing could go up in flames.

The whole operation moving forward, and all they’d sacrificed up until now to get here, hinged on Ava, the girlfriend of a Hydra General, believing that she loathed Captain America enough that she’d betray him.

She didn’t even have to look to know when he walked in, she could feel the hairs on her arms rise. She took a deep breath, and turned her head.

~*~ January 2, 1945

The middle of the day was a risk she didn’t like. The harbor was a risk she didn’t like. Out in the open was a risk she didn’t like. Pretending to “run into him” was a plan she didn’t like.

Peggy wasn’t supposed to be a spy, she was supposed to be a scorned, confused woman willing to sell out the Allied powers for true love. No matter how long she lived with this cover, she didn’t think it would get any easier.

She wasn’t supposed to know Wallace was out there with one of the Hydra agents, watching her every move and listening to every word. Those above him had come up with the plan, had fed Wallace the idea who’d sent it to Phillips in a coded newspaper ad before he’d even run it by her. He’d made a convincing argument that trying to come up with a better plan would out them, and they needed to be one step ahead.

Somehow, she still felt like she was one step behind. She hated not being in control of the operation, not having final say on what she did or how she did it. The lack of input was starting to sew a seed of distrust in her. She wanted to believe Wallace, wanted to trust him, but he was cutting her out and partners didn’t do that when so much was on the line.

She was finding that little hint of queasiness deep in her gut was starting to happen more and more often. It was setting her on edge, and jeopardizing the mission.

She was going to find a way to change that.

She turned into the wind, letting it push her hair behind her instead of in her face. It wasn’t long before she could hear the footfalls behind her. He stopped only a few feet away, far enough that she couldn’t quite feel the heat from his body. She turned, shaking her head to keep the tendrils of hair out of her face. “How did you find me?”

He looked out over the harbor then back to her, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It’s not like you’re hiding.”

She could see how he fought to keep the smile off his face, she had to bite her tongue to keep from giving up any emotion at the sight of him. “I’ve said all—”

“And I haven’t, Peggy.” He stepped closer, moving to trap her in against the rail quickly. Her heart fluttered as she realized that he’d turned her just enough to keep their faces out of Hydra’s sight line. He pressed his forehead against hers, and she couldn’t stop herself from clutching at him, wrapping her arms around him under his coat. “I miss you so, so much, Peg.”

He pulled back just enough to see her lips, and she couldn’t keep the sadness out of her eyes when she mouthed me too to him just before she spoke. “And I haven’t spent a moment thinking about you at all, Steve.”

She saw him take a deep breath before pulling away. “That’s a lie.”

“I’ve moved on,” she touted, pushing away from him and back into view of the surveillance team. She let clutching at her jacket in the wind cover the sleight of hand where she pulled the coded message from his belt and slipped it into her own pocket.

“Please,” he begged, his own desperation easily seeping through the words. “Hear me out. Just… just talk. Dinner, maybe?”

She pretended to think it over, spent long seconds pushing the hair out of her face when she wanted to jump at the chance to be with him for more than a few seconds. “I’m seeing someone new.”

She couldn’t tell if the hurt was real or feigned, but the way his shoulders sagged made her heart ache just the same. The wind whipped up around them and he stepped forward, taming her hair behind her ear and taking her face in his hands. His kiss was soft, and so much more than their last rushed one was where they were fighting for the little dot of film between their tongues. This was soft, and filled with emotions. It was the “I love yous” they couldn’t say, the lonely nights and the frustrating days, the gentle ache that was always there while they were forced to be apart.

It was over far too soon.

He stepped back, just out of reach. He looked like he was coiled up tight, holding himself back from kissing her again. “The pub at the crossroads, you know it?”

Peggy nodded, unable to trust her voice.

“I’ll be there tonight at seven.” He swallowed hard, eyes pleading. This wasn’t part of the plan. The plan was a few chance encounters. A tidbit of dropped information here and there. Her constant refusals and her continued allegiance to Richard and Hydra. Not whatever was starting to come to life behind Steve’s eyes.

She was terrified and thrilled at the same time. It might risk it all, but it could finally give her a chance to take control of the little game they were playing. “Steve…” she croaked out, unsure of what she could say, how she could convey the emotions and the tactical necessity of what they were about to do.

He stepped forward swiftly, kissing her again. It was quick and passionate and everything she needed to be reminded to trust him, just like she always had. He left his forehead pressed against hers. “I won’t go another day without you, I won’t.”

His hand reached for hers, and when she laced her fingers with his, she felt another note, one that she hadn’t been expecting. She palmed it quickly and pulled back, crossing her arms and slipping the note into the inner pocket of her jacket. “You’re assuming a lot.”

“The pub. Seven.” He looked her up and down, then started backing away, slowly. “I’ll wait for you.”

She watched him until there was nothing left but a speck on the horizon, and kept her eyes peeled for him even when that speck turned past a building and couldn’t be seen anymore. Richard came up behind her, right on cue, just as Steve was nothing but a memory.

It had been the plan that she was “supposed” to be meeting Richard. That Steve was “supposed” to find her and beg her to come back, which would fuel her need to betray him even more. She turned and looked at Richard, who was smiling at her and babbling away about where they should go for lunch, “unaware” of what had just happened.

She was sick and tired of what she was “supposed” to do.

She followed him down the walk along the harbor and to a small stand that sold fish and chips. They weren’t as flavorful as she wanted them to be, and the vinegar tasted old and too sharp on her tongue, but few things seemed to be what she wanted them to be lately. Richard rambled on in the background as they paced the small waterfront in full view and in good hearing range of the Hydra agent.

She’d play her part, for now. “I saw Steve,” she blurted, stopping and waiting for him to turn to her, picking at the chips in the newspaper in her hand. “He’s still… he’s still hopeful.”

Richard tried to hide his smile. “And you’re…”

She sighed. She was supposed to say something like angry. Or upset. Or vengeful. She was supposed to make it so easy, too easy, for Hydra to want to use her for information. But she wasn’t an idiot, and neither were the spies Hydra employed. Sometime between the meat locker and now, something had changed, and no one was telling Peggy what that was or what it meant for the op. She was done leaving her fate in the hands of other men.

“I’m uninterested,” she replied quickly, “but I am going to meet him tonight. Hear him out.”

Richard blanched before her. “Maggie, do you really…”

“I want to hear what the man who ruined my life has to say for himself,” she huffed out, starting to walk again towards his flat. “Let’s get inside, it’s far too cold out here.”

~*~

Once inside the flat she let him kiss her, like she always did, and let him move her to the bedroom where he held his hand out for the little slip of paper she’d procured from Steve once the door was closed.

They both read it quickly. The encryption was simple, and she was convinced more than ever it was for show. She didn’t need a piece of paper to tell her that the 107th would be heading back to the front in three days, it was in half the communications she encrypted on a daily basis this week. She knew more about troop movements just from being a part of the typing pool than he was getting from this. “This is fantastic,” Richard smiled at her, pocketing the paper. “You don’t need to go see him now, we have what we need.”

Peggy smiled, but shook her head. “I think I need to go. Make a good show of it, you know?”

“You don’t—”

“I do.” She was calm but firm, and stepped back from him. “A woman doesn’t just walk away from a man like Captain America, especially if he’s coming to find me.” She tried to let the smile she faked be a balm. “It will be more suspicious if I don’t go, trust me.”

She saw the flicker of concern in his eyes before he nodded, giving in with what appeared to be good humor. “Very well. You’re not the best for nothing.”

Peggy turned, picking up her coat on the way out of his flat. Damn right, she was the best, and that was what made it so easy to see through the game he was playing.

It was only a few blocks to her own flat, which she knew was bugged and under watch, as well. She hummed and dawdled, picking out a dress and pretending, for all intents and purposes, that she was fairly unbothered by her meeting tonight.

Maggie would be unbothered, but Peggy was downright anxious. She couldn’t pinpoint where the nervousness ended and the anticipation began, but the pub he’d picked was an Allied strong hold. Even if a Hydra agent made his way in there, the men in there would cover their backs. If not for Peggy, then absolutely for Steve.

She palmed the second note Steve gave her, even though she was fairly certain they couldn’t see into her apartment with the windows closed, and slipped into the bathroom. She turned the shower on full blast and hummed loudly as she unfolded the scrap.

It was a receipt for one lighter. Peggy looked it over, tried to apply every decryption she thought Steve would know, and a few she knew he wouldn’t, to the scant few words and numbers, but came out with gibberish. She was about to give up when she had an idea.

Peggy pulled over the candle she kept of the vanity after finding out the hard way the loo was the last place she wanted to be without matches or a candle when a blackout hit or the air raid sirens went off. She lit it and blew out the match, a smile forming on her face. Very slowly she let the paper sit over the flame, the heat permeating it and the words slowly becoming visible.

“My clever, clever darling,” she whispered to herself, pulling it away when she was sure the full message was visible.

It was a string of numbers that only the Commandos used to create short messages to one another. The combination was simple, but effective, once she translated it in her head.

Danger. Cover blown.

Peggy passed the paper over the flame one more time to make sure she hadn’t missed anything as her heart pounded in her chest, then lit the corner on fire and dropped it in the sink, watching it burn until the paper was nothing but ash. She turned on the tap and let the remnants flow down the drain, mind moving quickly.

She was meeting Steve in a few hours. Until then, she had to make it seem like business as usual. Tonight, he was either pulling her out, or they were going to make a play for something bigger.

She wasn’t sure which option she wanted, but she knew now she had an even better partner, one she trusted completely, and the queasiness she’d been feeling was gone.

#Steggy Fic #steggy bingo bash #3P's Fic #The Honey Trap

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hayjeon · 5 years

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Asphodel (Hades!Yoongi)

→ hades!yoongi and persephone!reader. 2k. → 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 3.5 | 04 | 4.5 | 5 | mlist

A/N: This takes place in the beginning of it all in regards to the storyline. If you ever get confused, I always number these ones in chronological order in my masterlist, but you can read them in any order tbh, which is why I never really title any of the hades/persephone! drabbles with particular parts/numbers. Anyways, I hope you enjoy my dears.

“What can I do?” He says.

You turn, tearing your gaze away from the window where you can distantly see the light at the end of the exit from Tartarus, over the River Styx. It has been weeks. Weeks since you accidentally stumbled into the entrance of the Underworld, weeks since you tried to exit to no avail, weeks since you tried to starve yourself to death, and weeks since you spilled tears night after night. Your eyes are swollen, hair mussed and unbrushed, and skin probably ruined after countless nights of salty tears streaming down your cheeks. Your mother would have a fit if she saw you right now. If.

But she couldn’t. Not here, where her dominion over earth and nature cease to exist. No, this was the Underworld, and there was only one ruler, one person who had sovereignty over the sullen wasteland of doomed souls. And that person was hovering hesitantly in your doorway.

“What can you do?” You sneer back, eyes red and watering again at the sight of him. You turn to him, fists clenching. “You can let me out.”

He sighs. “You already know that if you leave now, your soul will be lost forever. Charon will not let you cross without payment.”

You fall, trembling to your knees at the foot of the bed that the demons had set up for you. It was beautiful in here, the place that the King had mutely called your room. Decorated to the brim with flowers and lit with with as many candles as possible so that the darkness didn’t linger in the corners like it did in all the other corners of this godforsaken castle. The demons had done a good job. But what was the point of having all this in a prison of your own doing?

You had no right to be angry at him. You had no right to be angry at all. It was your own fault you wandered farther than your mother permit you to, and this was a result of your own brazen foolishness. You’d declared when you left that you’d wanted independence from your overboding mother, not to be trapped in literal hell. Now she couldn’t even save you. Now even the King of the Underworld couldn’t save you. Not when Zeus has determined your fate to be the Queen of this world somehow.

He watches you fall into sobs again at his feet, and his jaw clenches. With a sigh, he lowers himself on one knee, just one, since he was a King after all. He reaches out, but stops himself midway. Retracting his hand, he clears his throat.

“May I show you something?” He murmurs, and you raise your head to look at him.

He says nothing, eyes just sadly staring at your features. For a moment, you wonder if Hades actually has the capacity to be able to feel empathy for your plight. But when you nod, he stands, and hesitates, hand twitching like he wants to offer it to you. He turns on his heel, and exits your room like he was never there before.

You follow him, wiping your eyes with your sleeves. You trail closely behind, eyes darting around the lingering shadows at each turn, head darting around at every single movement that you catch in your periphery.

His voice soothes you. “They will not touch you. You should not fear them. They fear you.”

You whip your head to the side to stare into a corridor where you swear you heard something scuttling over the cobblestones. “What?”

He comes to a stop, and turns his gaze over his shoulder on you.

“You’re the Queen of the Underworld. It is given that they fear you.”

You still step a few steps closer, as in the moment you two stop walking, the shadows seem to grow longer and bolder as they stretch toward the hem of your dress. “Let’s go,” you whisper, now only inches away from him. “Please.” You lower your gaze, lashes still trembling and darting around at even the smallest movement or noise.

Yoongi turns to hide his smile.

How hilarious. A queen, afraid of some shadows.

“We will have to pass The Fields of Punishment soon. You will want to avert your eyes for this.”

You step a bit closer to him in the chariot, the air around you getting much darker and denser, and you squeeze your eyes shut as the ground the horses stamped over begins to get bumpier and bumpier. Your fingers clasp at the handle on the chariot, but it does nothing to settle your heart that jumps at every bump the chariot rides over.

Your hair whips around your face and you can feel that there is an immense sort of heat around you, hot on your face and your chest, like you’re standing in front of a huge flame.

“It’s hot,” you mutter, brows furrowing as the heat gets unbearably hot and unsettling on your skin.

Suddenly, a hand comes around your wrist and gently pries it from the tight grip you had on the chariot, and pulls you close. Chills immediately float up your arm, and you realize the cold grip around your wrist is his. He pulls you close, and your eyes flutter open on accident, and you gasp, expecting to be met with the horrors of the Underworld, but all you see is...black.

Black fabric, that slopes up to meet a pale neck. A chin, a straight-set of lips, a nose, and two eyes that are solely focused on the road ahead. The gasp turns into a choke that you swallow down deep and you avert your eyes. His body is cool, and it somehow radiates the coolness enough that the heat you feel dissipates.

He smells good.

Not of the good you’re used to. Not of flowers and sunshine and fresh babbling waterfalls. But of...a warm toasty fire, of sunsets, and of stars twinkling in a moonless night sky. Your fingers curl into his shirt.

“We have arrived,” Yoongi manages to say.

He honestly had no idea how in the underworld he’d made it this far. For most of the journey, he was in shock that you had cradled into his chest, fingers gripping his arms whenever the road got too bumpy, and forehead bumping against his chest sometimes when you lost focus for a moment.

You detach from him, and when your warm body steps away from his, for the first time in eons, Yoongi feels cold. His grip on the reigns is so tight that one of his horses sputters in frustration. He ties them down and helps you down.

“W-what is this place?” Your eyes are wide open as you survey the rolling green fields. It has a light breeze, enough to make your hair move around and away from your face. The flowers are tall enough to graze your fingertips.

“The Fields of Asphodel.” He says.

You step forward, palms facing forward and arms out, as you close your eyes and let the breeze caress your skin. He watches you, watches the way you seem to come to life in this place. If he had a beating heart, it would’ve skipped a beat.

You breathe in, a few tears slipping from your closed lids as the burden on your heart loosens infinitesimally.

“Thank you.” he hears over the breeze. His gaze whips up to your face, where your eyes stare back at his. A glimpse of a smile, too small to register as a real one, flints at your lips. “Will you show me around?”

He nods, stepping forward. “It’s one of the places in the Underworld. The Fields are a home for souls who have done no good and no bad in their lives. They cease to exist here, but exist nonetheless, suspended until they forget why they are here.”

Your eyes are sad. “It’s so beautiful, yet so sad.”

Yoongi nods. He doesn’t know how to respond when your eyes aren’t on the fields, but on him instead.

“Why did you design it like this?” You murmur, fingers grazing the tips of the white flowers. “Fields, with flowers.”

It’s been eons since he’s been here. Yoongi has found no particular reason to revisit this place that took care of itself on its own, where souls entered and left on their own. It looks exactly the same as he’d left it when he’d created the Underworld. But right now, with you standing in it, it seems just a bit more beautiful than he remembers.

“I don’t think it’s sad.” he says. “You may see it as souls ceasing to exist. But I see it as souls receiving the freedom to not exist. You see, the souls that are sent here are humans who had no impact on the world, positive or negative. Therefore, even if they were alive, and even if they had sentience here, they would probably have no reason to wish otherwise. They get the freedom, then, to cease to exist. It is a choice that they would have chosen nonetheless.”

You almost forget what he’s saying. You’d never heard him speak for so long, so intricately. His voice is so low and deep, yet each word is punctuated so clearly and audibly it’s like he’s standing right next to you. But even from a few meters away, his voice sounds like heaven. And what he is saying is even the more beautiful.

You close your eyes, breathing in the scent of the fields. It’s a scent that you remember, a scent that everyone probably has far deep in their memories. It’s just rolling grass fields, dotted with patches of a tall, white flowers. No trees, no streams, no animals. Just as far as you can see, fields of nothingness. Even the sun is nowhere to be seen, but the sky is lit up in a soft blue, like it’s nearing afternoon.

But the scenery is also reminiscent of what your mother used to enjoy, the moment when spring fades into summer, the suspension of time right as one season ends and another begins. Just peace. And calm.

Stooping down, you gather a handful of the white flower in your fist and tug. They give away easily, bouncing in the breeze.

“Thank you.” You breathe. “Please, take me back.”

His eyes are solemnly trained on only you. “Are you sure?”

You nod, fists clenching now on flowers instead. “I’ve seen that the underworld is not what I’ve always thought it was. Please, take me back. I want to find a way to conjure up a payment for Charon.”

For a moment, Yoongi’s eyes seem to falter. But he nods, and turns to get on the chariot.

The walk from the stables back to your room is now less frightening. The shadows do not seem to stretch their fingers to you anymore, but now seem as though they are dancing around with the torches that light up the hallways. He walks you back all the way, though.

You walk in, and set the flowers in a vase atop your nightstand. Your eyes soften when you see a fresh new dress set atop your bed, along with a few tools to tame your hair and wash your face. It was a comforting detail, courtesy of the demons.

He lingers in your doorway, dark and gloomy.

“Maybe one day I will take you to Elysium.” He clears his throat, eyes looking anywhere but you.

“Elysium? The paradise for heroes?” You echo, eyebrow quirking.

“One day.” He says, and finally looks up at you, nodding, and then turning on his heel and exiting as quickly as he had come.

You smile when you can’t hear his footsteps anymore. You wash your face, change into the dress, and brush your hair.

You sit on your bed, and look at the new vase of Asphodel flowers. They’re not as beautiful at first sight as roses are, or lilies. They’re white, but look almost as if they have spikes on them, deterring anyone from coming too close. But when you look closer, the thin-petaled flowers are pure white, with hints of pink. They don’t smell like anything, but they are beautiful, in their own individual way. You would have never given them a second glance on earth.

The demons had decorated your room with as many flowers as they could think of. Each corner of the room, if not occupied with a candle, hosted a vase of flowers, purples and reds and yellows adorning every visible spot. But somehow, in the midst of all these beautiful flowers, the Asphodel ones draw you in the most, settling your heart in a way that you’ve never felt before, even on earth.

The room looks exactly the same as you’d left it. But right now, with the new flowers sitting here, it seems just a bit more beautiful than you remember.

#yoongi angst #yoongi fics #yoongi smut #bts fics #yoongi fluff #hades!yoongi #mine #fics #bts smut #bts scenarios #bts fluff #ok honestly....i love this so much

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xiomarawinters · 3 years

Text

Mummy Dust

@the-hobgoblins

Xiomara’s chest heaved as she leaned on the wall to gasp for air. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force air into her lungs- to fucking breathe. She felt woozy, a side effect of being beat up by two strangers with her former boss standing by with a sneer on his face. Her eye was swollen and weeping, her lip was split, her nose was beaten. She looked like she’d gone in the ring with a fucking Hippogriff. Xi had no idea what to do. Where to go? Who to call? What happened now? She remembered the chilling warning, hissed into her ear:

Don’t show your fucking face here again, or I’ll peel it off.

Groaning, Xiomara clutched her stomach as she forced herself to stand and stumble away from the wall, out of the alley. Not looking where she was going, Xiomara literally ran into something- someone- and she stumbled back, raising a hand and shrinking away, certain that it was Mathis changing his mind. “No please I-”

She opened her eyes, frowning when she saw two oddly-dressed people in front of her. Xiomara squinted, it was difficult to see, but she thought she could make out the outline of two hedge witches who visited the Free Trader Beowulf Safehouse. There was a deep pounding in her head- Xi couldn’t remember their names for the life of her. They’d come with Piper. “I-I know you- Please don’t, I can leave, I’ll go- I just-”

Maeko was lounging on the bed in Oz’s room, puffing on a spliff while Oz hummed and swayed in uncoordinated circles in a pair of Dylan’s pleaser boots. ‘Practicing,’ he said, but Maeko had yet to see any improvement.

After some incident with Loxley that he was less than keen to talk about, he and Piper had gone to Professor Sprout’s farm to lay low for a little bit. Borgin and Burkes was unnervingly quiet without them.

“Mae?” Oz mused suddenly, looking out the window of the second floor bedroom into the empty alleyway below.

“Hm?” Maeko’s black-ringed blue eyes slid to one side to look at him.

“You remember that blonde bird? Looker…mean streak?”

“Who?” Maeko questioned with only mild interest, well used to her half-brother’s half-sensical high ramblings.

“From the safehouse. Tall famous snack of a boyfriend—used to be a gajillionaire.”

“Oh, sure. Xiomara Winters…she used to be in Tu—in Paxton’s house. At Hogwarts.” Maeko took a drag, blew it out, and then added, “…what about her?”

“She’s down in the alleyway, there—some goons givin’ her trouble, looks like…”

“What?!” Maeko stood up and stamped out the spliff, then hopped over to the window and peered down. Sure enough, there was Mathis watching with cruel amusement as Xiomara Winters brawled with two of his nastier-looking associates. “Motherfucking—that lowlife knows not to bring his shit near this building…”

Maeko was already pulling on some jeans and slipping her feet into shoes, and Oz followed suit by pulling off the boots and putting his bare feet into his loose high tops. “Oh goody! Are we rescuing damsels today?” He wrapped a shawl around his bare chest in lieu of a shirt, looking hopeful.

“Looks like it.”

They must have missed Mathis by mere minutes, which irritated Maeko, who had been hoping to give him a piece of her mind. They might have missed Xiomara too if she hadn’t run straight into Oz in her haste to flee the alleyway.

“Hey! Hold on there girlie, we’re not gonna hurt ya…” said Oz.

“Are you alright?” Maeko added, concerned. “Merlin’s balls, you look like shit…did they jump you, or something?”

“At least come inside and get cleaned up, maybe take a few PK’s for the road…us hedges gotta look for each other, don’t ya know?” Oz held out a hand toward Xiomara to help her up.

It wasn't until Xiomara heard their voices that she made the connection to their names- Maeko and Oz. Maeko she knew less about, but Oz? Fucking hell. They kept meeting. She reached up to wipe under her nose with her wrist to stop the bleeding. Xi flicked her gaze up to Maeko as she sniffed, trying to steady her breathing. "Old friends." Was the only explanation she gave, partly because she couldn't think of anything else- partly because she truly didn't know if or what curses Mathis had added while he'd stood there, watching her with a curled lip.

She shook her head at the offer, but did let Oz help her up. "If Mathis sees you let me in…" Xi warned, but she didn't have much of a choice, needing to lean on the hedge witch just to stand.

They hobbled into Borgin & Burke's, Xiomara felt more and more ill with every step until she was helped onto a couch of some description. She slumped, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands to stop the pounding. Her head was pounding, she felt hot, sick, overwhelmed, like a fire was burning in her chest- not unlike the sensation just before she'd burst the door off its hinges with Loxley.

Trying to remember Howell's warnings, and her Healer's pleading to breathe, Xi tried, in her broken, bloody nose, then out her mouth, past her split lip. She shook.

Xi looked up at the two of them, blinking drearily. "Please don't tell Nate. Don't tell any of them. If Mathis finds the safehouse, he'll-"

Xiomara jumped when there was a sudden knock at the door and she leaned back on the couch, wincing.

Maeko arched a brow at Xi as if to say, you need some better friends, mate, but otherwise didn’t comment; people from Knockturn Alley never pried into other peoples’ business as a rule. When the woman stumbled against Oz Maeko reached out to steady her, too; if she couldn’t even stand on her own there was no way she was gonna make it out of here without some help. “…then he can shove off,” Maeko finished for Xi, dismissing any lingering question of them helping her, “His lot know better than to fuck with a Burke.”

It was a group effort getting Xiomara inside, and after she’d been sat down Maeko flitted around silently gathering a few things—some clean towels, some ice, a large glass of water. Oz gave her a worried look when she rejoined the pair of them in the parlor and Maeko knew he saw what she was seeing: this girl looked really fucked up. Like—more than just a scrap kind of fucked up. Maeko gathered some ice into a hand towel to form an ice pack and held it out toward Xi.

“Can I tell him a few other things, then…?” Oz murmured suggestively, and Maeko kicked his shin; not the time.

There was a knock at the door and Xiomara looked about ready to jump out of her skin. Maeko handed the ice pack to Oz, who offered it to Xi, while Maeko walked over and put a hand on the closed door and closed her eyes, feeling the disturbance in the old building’s intricate wards that were powered by the same blood that ran through her veins. After just a moment, she said nonchalantly, “Cops…” and then walked back toward the other two. One look at Xiomara’s face and she added, “…bloody hell, relax. It’s not like they can get in here.”

Oz, who was kneeling in front of Xi and filling another towel with ice, waggled his brows and added proudly, “We’re what the au-thor-i-ties like to call infamous…”

Xiomara took the makeshift ice pack and held it over the bruised eye, which was what hurt the most. She managed to shift the towel with her other hand to squeeze her nose to try and stop that bleeding, as well. From behind her towel-face Xi narrowed her eyes at Oz- if this was another fucking joke about him genuinely thinking she was a sex worker…

She was on edge at the knock to the door, terrified Mathis had seen Maeko and Oz let her in and despite Maeko’s reassurances… Xi was not very reassured. She’d seen what he could do. Felt it. Xi swallowed, wondering if she’d prefer Magical Law Enforcement or Mathis’s goons- neither, frankly. “I’m on probation,” She said lowly, explaining. “There’s no way they saw, though, right? Mathis had that place warded up like-” She winced, “Like crazy.”

Xi looked down at Oz, wincing and shifting how she held the ice pack. It was a bit like using a spray bottle to put out a wildfire- everything hurt. She still jumped when there was another sharp knock at the door, hated herself for it. The blonde squinted at the hedge witch in front of her, imagining him getting into any sort of trouble with relative ease. “Oh yeah? What’d you do?” She had to keep the conversation going to stop the fear that ran rampant through her veins. He’d found her, he’d found her. You’ll. Explode.

Maeko and Oz both nodded at Xi in unison, commiserating, looking unnervingly related. Maeko glanced at the door when there was a second knock, but otherwise didn’t respond at all, instead taking out and lighting a cigarette with an aloof air.

Oz laughed, and stretched in his position on the floor until he was lounging half on the couch where Xiomara was sat and his legs were sprawled across the wood floor. He put his arms back, his head in his hands. “Morrigan’s Three Tits, what haven’t I done?” he began with a grin. “…bastard child whose mere existence was an offense worth keepin’ decades-old secrets, for starters…wasn’t allowed to learn magic like the lot of ya—but you know all about that, now, don’t ya? Well let me tell you somethin’—the safehouses on the Irish rounds aren’t so accommodatin’ as your Putney Palace with Mister Nathaniel Pinnock. You gotta do more than prove you can perform…if you want magic there, you gotta earn your keep. I did a lot of, ah…disreputable things, in exchange for spells. Turned tricks, traded drugs…lied, and stole, and cheated, and scrapped, and worse…” Oz sighed, and it was an odd combination of sad and wistful. Then he added cheekily, “…not to mention I spat in the face of a cunt at your Ministry not too long ago.”

Here, Oz looked expectantly at Maeko, who just shrugged and said wryly, “I’m…Maeko Burke.”—as if this explained absolutely everything. Which, to her, it did. But after about a minute of being fixed with Oz’s go on… eyes, Maeko gave a sigh of her own, and then continued in a slow, dreamy tone—as if recounting a past life—“What is there to say? You come from Knockturn Alley, with a name like mine, and it doesn’t matter what you done—people expect you to be a bad seed and somehow, they always turn out right. I snuck out of school in fifth year to go to a protest, turned into a riot. My wand at the time was a family heirloom, or some shit, and when I did some dark magic with it to protect myself it—turned against me. Fucked with my head, took over…made me almost kill my best friend before I snapped it in half. In sixth year my parents were involved in a plot to assassinate the Hogwarts Headmistress, and I was nearly forced into being their accomplice. And when they were shipped off to Azkaban, instead of leaving it all behind like I always swore I’d do, starting over, I came back here to live in this shithole—my grand fuckin’ inheritance—and those bastards out there are just waiting for me to do something really nasty, so they can justify what they’ve thought about me all along. As if I’d ever give ‘em the satisfaction…so look, just because your family, or the Ministry, or the entire fuckin world, or you your own damn self have backed you into a corner? You don’t have to be what they’ve written you off to be. It’s your choice. And keeping people constantly guessing about just what it is you’ll do next? It’s fun. Now…” Toward the end of this speech, Maeko had moved to stand in front of Oz and Xi; she handed Oz her cigarette and then pulled out her wand and pointed it at Xiomara’s face. “…hold still. Episkey.” Xiomara’s broken nose healed just as there was another knock at the door.

Xiomara frowned lightly, listening to the stories of each of the hedge witches in front of her. She overheard them at the flat sometimes- most hedges came with a story, most magic bloomed in adversity. While Maeko and Oz were unique, like every other hedge witch, their stories were uncomfortably familiar. All intertwined. And Oz’s former affiliations explained a lot about why they’d run in the same circles so often. She thought about bothering to explain to Oz that the hedge circle wasn’t hers or Nate’s, she wanted to explain the Free Traders as best she could, pieced together from Nate’s nonsensical rambling-- or maybe even ask more about Maeko’s story, dig in, ask why she’d never heard of it-- but Xi was still just…. Coping with what had happened. She could listen and that was about it.

The ice was melting in the summer heat, Xiomara moved the ice pack just as Maeko approached her and pointed a wand at her fucking face. Her eyes widened and Xi froze, even if the witch hadn’t instructed her to stay still she would’ve been frozen on the spot out of pure fear. The sensation of her nose being fixed was painful and she groaned, leaning forward to clutch it and swearing. She eyed the door with a glower and then picked up a fresh handful of ice, wrapped it in the towel then put it against her eye. “Thanks.” She commented. Their stories had done remarkably well at distracting her from the current, shitty situation.

Her phone vibrated against her thigh and she squinted, looking down at it, genuinely surprised it hadn’t short circuited because of the magic in the- a blip, and the phone screen went black. Well. Spoken too soon. She put the phone back in her pocket, against the pack of cards she’d bought for Nate that morning, and then leaned back in the couch, her hand moving up to dangle over her newly-fixed nose. Xi trembled, giving a shaky breath out. “... Any chance I could borrow a cigarette?”

---

Xiomara didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep. It had to have been the early hours of the morning. Mae fell asleep long before she and Oz had drifted off. Oz and Xi spoke quietly, she could see him itching to touch her, to cuddle, but he kept his hands firmly to himself, even sat on them at one point. They traded war stories. Hummed songs. Smoked. Smoked a lot.

It seemed that she’d only just fallen asleep when her phone buzzed to life again and she started, blinking rapidly and reaching for her phone, studying the screen. Nate. Merlin, he was probably laying a fucking egg by now… Xi reached up to rub her eyes and then hissed at the painful sensation. She put her phone on mirror mode- fuck, it looked bad. She locked her phone immediately and put it in her pocket, then pushed herself to stand. She was wobbly, all limps and sighs just to get to the front door. She had to get to Nate before he did something stupid out of worry.

Xiomara had barely opened the front door a crack before two wix in green robes pushed into the home. She stumbled back, tripping over some sort of metallic artefact that fell to the ground with a spectacular bang. “You- You need a warrant to be in here!” She thought she was talking evenly, calmly, but it sounded more like a shriek.

“No. We don’t. There are two and a half criminals in this property, you were seen fleeing a crime scene, and you two-” The wizard looked up, finding Maeko and Oz now standing, “Aided a person fleeing said crime scene. So, we have due cause not only to enter the property, but given you’re on parole, we can search you at will. As well.”

Xi folded her arms, stepping back from the Aurors. “You can fuck off.”

“Here I am, conducting a search.” The second auror said loudly, patting over his own pockets with a hum. He spoke through the contents of his pockets- a packet of gum, a quill, a train ticket- and then, he pulled out a small plastic baggie, with what looked like vacuum cleaner lint inside. “And- oh, dear. Xiomara, is this Mummy Dust?”

Xiomara was stunned. Genuinely, actually in fucking shock. She blinked stupidly, looking back at Maeko and Oz with her mouth half open. “... Are you… Is this a joke?”

“Xiomara Winters, you’re under arrest for breaching the terms of your parole, and being found with a prohibited substance.” She put her hands up, stepping back and away from them.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Are you- Are you for real?” Xi still could not comprehend it. He held up the bag, waving it a little, and then stepped forward, removing his wand from his sleeve. She barely had time to register what the fuck was going on over Maeko and Oz’s loud protests, before her arms were pinned behind her back with a swish of the Auror’s wand. Maeko stepped forward, bless her, but then the wand was pointed at her-

Xiomara blinked uncomprehendingly, mouth still popped open in shock before she was being spun, and apparated out of Borgin & Burkes.

Maeko had fallen asleep curled up like a cat in a tiny fetal-position ball on an armchair, while Oz had dozed sitting up, with his head resting on a cushion of the loveseat on which Xiomara was curled with her legs up and bent at an angle. It was a peaceful scene—for half an hour, maybe. An hour tops.

And then Maeko let out a cry of pain as she felt someone force entry through the wards on her home, without her explicit invitation; a loophole. She jumped to her feet, clutching her side, and Oz startled to the noise and scrambled up, protectively. The pair of them looked at each other and then heard voices in the entryway; Xiomara. Maeko shook off the pain and scowled, grabbing her wand and marching into the room where the commotion was, with Oz trailing close behind her.

Maeko came in on the offensive, with her wand raised threateningly. “Oi—you fuckin’ pigs have no right to—”

“I’d hold your tongue if I were you, Miss Burke…” one of the robed wizards cut her off dismissively, “…you’re a person of particular interest in this precinct, and my partner and I would just love to be the ones to finally bring you in—they’d probably give us a medal ’n everything.”

That did shut Maeko up for the moment, but she didn’t lower her wand at all, and continued to glare at the clearly corrupt officers as they performed their ‘search’ on Xi. She glanced over at Oz and saw him looking on wide-eyed and helpless, wringing his hands. There were specks of dust swirling around him in an unnatural way, and when he met Maeko’s gaze she shook her head at him and mouthed silently, no… Oz’s magic tended to be unstable and unpredictable, and now was definitely not the time for any kind of erratic outburst.

But then Xiomara was being roughly restrained, and both Maeko and Oz’s attention returned to her; Oz said loudly, “Get your fuckin’ hands off of her—” while Maeko, at the same time, growled, “Oh like fucking hell you think we’re just gonna let you—”

Maeko stepped forward, and was about to fire off the first spell that came to mind, when in a blip the intruders were gone, along with Xiomara. Oz emitted a pained, defeated sort of sound, while Maeko shook with rage, before forcing herself to slowly lower her wand.

She turned to face Oz, and he said, “What now?”

Maeko shook her head, not seeing anything they could do. But then, after a moment, she had a thought; “We…we should go to Putney…” Oz cocked his head at her, and Maeko added, “…we should go to Xiomara’s safehouse and talk to that prick, Nathaniel Pinnock. About what went down.”

#dead dove! do not eat #violence for tw #mental illness for tw #bog standard xiomara bullshit for tw #oz #maeko

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magic5ball · 3 years

Text

Nature Trail to Hell Arc IV: Megamart of Darkness (6)

Chapter 6: Franklin vs. Penn: Ultimate Grudge Match

“I’m sorry,” He said, all polite-and-founding-father like, “but the museum is now closed. Those who do not leave WILL BE EXTERMINATED. As I always say, early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and NOT DEAD! Thank you so much for visiting the Franklin Institute, and please come back tomorrow, when I WON’T KILL YOU!”

Unfortunately for Silverstein, I’d been in situations like this a thousand times before. See, when you get in trouble, be it trying to flood the house, drawing pictures on the walls, or just plain old putting fireworks in your breakfast cereal, you learn real quick to always have a buddy (or little brother) on standby. Why? Because-

“It was them, Mr. Franklin!” I cried, pointing my index finger. “They started it!”

Then I ran. Always run before they can think long enough to punish you!

There was a loud Pop as Ben Franklin cracked his knuckles.

“A fool and his money are soon parted, as is a certain Quaker and his life if he does not leave now. I once said visitors and fish stink after three days, but you were rotten on arrival, pacifist!”

Penn stamped his foot so hard it cracked the floor, accepting the challenge. “I may not believe in fighting, but soon you shall see why they call us the Quakers, you impoverished d!ck!”

“Uhh… guys? I’m still here.” Said Silverstein, just in time for Penn to kick him into a marble pillar.

“The child is mine to reprimand, you fool!”

“’Tis not!”

“’Tis too!”

“’Tis not!”

As much as I wanted to hear a riveting philosophical debate between two of PA’s most famous citizens, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to getting crushed by giants, either. Instead I ran. I ran so far away. Now, keep in mind I hadn’t been to the museum since I was five, which made searching out the train an absolute pain. Having two giant men bumbling behind me didn’t exactly help.

All I could think was runrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrunrun.

It should have been easy: all I needed to do was find that stupid train, bring it to life with gold dust, and vamoose! If only I could remember which room the darn thing was in! Instead, I ran through rooms filled with electricity, weather, and ‘shudder’ physics. Sometime along the way, I realized this is where parents put all the boring sciences nobody cared about, locking them away from the rest of the world. This wasn’t a museum, this was a prison. A prison of learning.

Then there were Ben Franklin and William Penn hot on my tail, reducing rooms to rubble as they went. I had no idea what would happen when all that science got released into the world, but I didn’t want to find out. At least they seemed more interested in each other than me. Until Ben Franklin stuffed Penn’s body up a working Tesla coil, that is. Penn might have recovered, had he been made of something other than bronze. Instead, the room exploded in a burst of electricity, Franklin and I leaping out in the nick of time like a pair of action heroes.

Of course, without Penn to distract him, I had to contend with Big Ben himself (and Silverstein, whenever the heck he got back in the fight). So now on top of finding Baldwin (seriously, how hard can finding a 400,000 pound choo-choo train possibly be?!) I had the world’s angriest founding father on my tail, spitting maxims at me. Maxims that were also really bad puns about my demise (that I may or may not still sometimes hear in my sleep).

“I once said three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. So far, one down, one to go!”

I slammed my knuckles to my head.

Come on, Watt! Think, thiiinnnnkkkkkk!

I pumped my ten year old legs hard enough to pop my knees off, the air pushing back against me like concrete. There was a flash; the world spun. Then everything was still. Absolutely still.

. . .

When I opened my eyes, I back at the Franklin Institute. Srta. Now, it was day and there were tons of guests. And in that great thong of guests was none other than five year old me being dragged along his parents.

Fist, I was right confused about what the hey was going on, when it struck me that just last year I managed to run faster than the speed of light, going back through time. But back then, I’d sprained my ankle so I shouldn’t have been able to go that fast again. This had to be an illusion! Unless...

Unless, being a soul now, my ghost ankle wasn’t sprained, which, combined with my dinosaur feet, had let me run fast enough to break he sound barrier again and go back to the day my parents first took me to this hell of learning! Should I have been worried I wasn’t more shocked? Maybe, but all my mind could think of was how I distinctly remembered seeing a giant train as the last stop on my visit. It took my nerve wracked mind five seconds to churn out a plan. And so began the first (but sadly, not last) time I would find myself stalking somebody.

Funny about stalking. In the movies they make it look like some daring spy espionage thing while some awesome music plays in the background. Fact is, you spend most of it just sitting around searching for that perfect mix of part of the crowd, but not so much you’ve lost your target, the whole time internally screaming Darn it, kid! Put down the plastic stegosaurus and get a move on to the trains already! (I also felt tempted to tell him throwing Steggy into incoming traffic on the way home was a terrible idea even by 5-year-old standards, but that’s the sort of thing that causes time paradoxes, so I kept my mouth shut.) Seriously, it’s no wonder I didn’t remember squat about the place! And somehow, despite having his face in front of a dinosaur the whole time, little Watt spent hours in front of every exhibit (except the giant human heart, that one sent little me screaming for the exit until Mom convinced him there were no ghosts in there). If it weren’t for Dad grumbling how ‘we should’ve just gone to the dinosaurs like we usually do’ while Mom countered with ‘we need to expand our son’s horizons’, I might have died of boredom for the third time that summer.

One planetarium show later (which I sat outside for, seeing I didn’t have a ticket) they finally got a move on to the trains, which actually got little me to stop staring at his plastic dinosaur for five seconds. Heck, I found myself gaping at the darn thing (which of course was in an out of the way area most people wouldn’t even notice if it wasn’t on the map.)

So I knew where the Baldwin was, now I could get going returning to my own time! As if on cue, a loudspeaker screamed

“ATTENTION GUESTS! IN FIVE MINUTES THERE WILL BE A DEMONSTRATION OF OUR TESLA COIL IN THE WONDERS OF ELECTRICITY EXHIBIT!”

Mom, determined to get little me to see there was more to life than dinosaurs (Mom, I love you, but you’re wrong) immediately started dragging the family over. Naturally, I followed suit, knowing full well how this story ended.

Turned out, there was one other thing that could get little me to take his eyes off his plastic dinosaur for more than five seconds (that wasn’t a giant, fleshy organ in the middle of a museum hall). And that was seeing their future self running into the Tesla coil right as the demonstration began.

Have you ever been barbequed? Roasted so dark your skin feels like lava, then you can’t feel anything at all? Well, jumping into that coil was like that, and more. Only thing I could feel was my brains being spun around like clothes in a washer. All the while, I thought of that stupid giant heart. Whose heart did it even belong to, anyway, and who thought it was a good idea to put it in the middle of a museum hall where all a manner of kids could crawl through it to their heart’s content?

Whose heart was it?

But I already knew the answer, just like I know the history of dinosaurs. With that knowledge, I came up with the perfect plan.

And everything was still, absolutely still.

. . .

When I got back up, it was nighttime in 2006, angry Ben Franklin and all. Quick on my feet, I ran to where the little kids go to learn how disgusting they are on the inside. Franklin followed close behind, each footstep a five on the Richter scale. If I wanted to pull my plan off, I couldn’t miss a beat. Running was a bit trickier, though: somehow, I’d sprained my ghost ankle from running so fast. Not that I really had time to wonder how that worked.

Anyway!

Most kids like theme parks. I was never one of them. You know why? Because of those creepy animal mascots! Just like clowns, there’s something inhuman about them! But at the end of the day, a thousand of those costumed freaks seemed less scary than Big Ben Franklin’s ticker. And this is coming from a guy who literally lived in the Underworld for a few weeks!

Did you know it glows at night?! It freaking glows at night like some bloody Chinese lantern. While pulsing! It was enough to make me lose my lunch (or Cheetos, in this case) to the point where I wondered if being crushed to death in the marble hands of our first president might not be such a bad thing after all. (He was our first president, right?) But at the end of it all, I flinched. First I was fleeing from death, the next moment I was lodged somewhere in Big Ben’s left ventricle.

“Coward! Come out and face me!” He cried, punching a hole mere inches from my face.

I may or may have not screamed as blood splattered my face. For the next few minutes, it was a fight for survival. Franklin ripped open the heart, trying to grab me, and I didn’t know what would kill me first: Fists, or the guy’s cringy maxims.

“He who would sacrifice his freedom for security deserves neither!”

Punch.

“My energy and persistence will conquer all things-that includes your flimsy little bones!”

Slam!

I would have parried with quips of my own, but really, it’s kinda hard to come up with puns for ‘ventricle’. But in the end, I decided who lived a-or-ta died, so that’s neat.

Sure enough, the more Franklin punched, the more blood spread over his marble face, the slower the heat beat and the weaker he got, over and over and over…

“Nothing is… certain in life… but death and…”

Just like that, Ben Franklin collapsed on the floor. Now it was my turn for a witty one liner.

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you an investment in knowledge pays the best interest? Fun fact about the heart: when it stops beating, you stop living.”

And with that, I went to my way toward the Baldwin, but not before Franklin gave me one last ominous warning.

“He who lives upon hope…”

I didn’t hear the rest because by then, he’d drowned in his own blood.

So I ran to the best of my memory, diving down that staircase where they keep the pendulum thingy into the space travel exhibit (or as I like to call it: ‘You think it’s gonna be fun, but it’s not’.) And who do I see leaning against a replica lunar module but Smell Silverstein himself, looking mighty proud of himself

“Good evening, Watterson.” He said, all sinister-like. “You probably think you’ve been doing real good, busting up two of Pennsylvania’s most famous figures like that. Too bad, mother*cker! Because I’m Shel mother*ckin’ Silverstein, and now, you will be crushed by the wrath of Apollo, the Living Lunar Module!”

With as much charisma as he could muster, he took some dust from his pocket and splashed it on the space thing.

Nothing happened.

Shel looked at his hands, now a bright orange. “What the Stephen Hellenberg?! This isn’t gold dust, this is CHEESE PUFF DUST!”

You know that gold dust Silverstein tried to snatch from me earlier? Too bad he didn’t have good night vision (the kind you get from constantly checking for monsters under your bed) otherwise he’d have noticed I’d pulled the ol’ switcheroo on him.

And I made certain he wouldn’t have time to correct his mistake.

You ever rammed a guy twice your size before? The key is to catch them by surprise, because even if you’re an eighty pound wimp like yours truly, if the other guy isn’t expecting it, they’ll topple like a domino, bang their head on the leg of a lunar module, and that will be that.

Of course, I didn’t exactly have time to celebrate my victory. With what little energy I had left, I tottered over to the train exhibit. For a moment I’d expected the worst, but there it was, black, long, and big as a house: the Baldwin 60000, the greatest locomotive ever designed by man. Right where I’d left it. Climbing into the cockpit, I opened the firebox, pouring every last ounce of Penn’s gold dust inside. The whole thing shimmered as streams of gold circled the train, like some kind of magic spell.

“What the f*ck?!”

A deep booming voice erupted from right out of nowhere.

“Where am I? What is this place?! How the hell am I talking?!”

“Hey, relax-“

“And now there’s a voice in my head!”

“Actually, my name’s Watt, and I’m gonna bust you out of here.”

“Well I’m not interested! If you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to being the greatest steam engine in America!”

I slapped my head, finally realizing my Mom put up with this crap every time she put me to bed at night.

“C’mon, Baldwin, I nearly got sent to the Underworld, MULTIPLE TIMES I might add, trying to rescue you!”

“Then if you want a train so badly, go to Rocket over there! He’d probably help you out!”

Rocket was a dinky little rust bucket who probably couldn’t outrun a fourth grader, much less crush a Wegmart Greeter. In fact, I’m still not sure if that thing even qualified as a train.

Fortunately, my Mom put up with this crap every time she put me to bed, so let’s just say I knew a little about getting people to do what you want.

“Fine then,” I said, putting up my hands and making an exasperated sigh. “Guess you won’t have the chance to be famous, then.”

“How?!” The desperation in his voice was palpable.

“Oh, I just wanted you of run over a Wegmart Greeter and help some geese get their nesting grounds back. It would get you in the papers. But I could just go over to Rocket, since you insisted…”

A whistle erupted. “NO! NO! You definitely want me! Ever since I’ve somehow gained a consciousness, all I’ve had the inescapable urge to do something stupid that’ll land me in the papers! I’m a very useful engine, I SWEAR! Please don’t leave meee!”

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes “Okay, but promise you’ll do everything I say, alright.”

“Yes, yes! Anything for fame!”

Just at that moment, William Penn barged in, creating a giant Quaker shaped hole in the wall. His hair was a bit frazzled, but other than that he looked just as dandy as when I first saw him.

“Halt, Wastrel! In the name of Penn-“

“CHARGE!” I screamed.

With an ear shattering whistle Baldwin rammed forward, shattering Penn’s bronze butt into a million pieces. But we didn’t stop there. No, we kept going through the museum, out the other end, and…

“We’re going to crash into traffic!”

“Don’t worry, kid! You just have to belieeeeevvvveeeee!”

“How is that supposed to-“

“Do you want to ram through a traffic jam or not?!”

So I did. I hugged the firebox, believing we might somehow get away with all this. Gradually, the ground stopped screeching beneath us. When I finally found the courage to look down, we were a hundred feet in the air. I wondered what passersbys would think when they looked up to see a seven hundred thousand pound train making a silhouette as it passed over the moon.

“What the heck is happening?!”

“Magic, kid! The Magic of BELEIVING, MOTHERFORKER!” He tooted his whistle triumphantly “Just don’t stop, or we all fall to our deaths. I’ll even sing a song to help you remember!”

“No that’s-“

“Don’t stop! Beleivviiiinnnngg!”

I screamed all the way back to the pond.

. . .

Just like I promised, Baldwin did get in the papers. Specifically, an article in the National Esquirerer titled

“Lascivious Locomotive Finishes Founding Father! Makes Daring Escape into the Heavens!”

Right beneath an article about one of the most pressing issues of our time:

‘Hannah Montana: the American Beethoven?’

#My writing #Nature Trail To Hell #william penn #ben franklin #the franklin institute #train #baldwin 60000

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realfuurikuuri · 5 years

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MissingArm!AU Chapter 4: I Would Give You Until The Count of Ten, but I Can Only Count To Five

Side note: I’m bad at basic math and it turns out the last chapter was mislabeled for Tumblr. Whoops. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Alright, back with a new chapter. A little later than before, but hey what the heck can you do. Regardless, I think this one is pretty fun. I’ve figured out how to put that banner at the top of things (turns out you hit share on Ao3, who woulda thought) which makes these post look way smoother than before. The song rec this time is A Left Foot Trapped in A Sensual Seduction (which the weebs among us will remember being Alucard’s theme from Hellsing). As always check out @spookylovesboba she’s great, and enjoy the chapter.

Direct Link to chapter 4 on AO3: XXXX

Chapter below the cut

Badgerclops ran through town tired and short of breath, wondering where that feral cat bastard went. Sweetipies turned their heads when they saw Badgerclops him.

“Does Mao Mao have the hose again,” one asked.

“Is Muffin giving out free samples, again,” asked another.

Assholes.

Badgerclops stood on top of a park bench, turning his hand into a megaphone. “Mao Mao,” he called out. “Mao Mao! Mao Mao!”

God, he felt like a green plumber looking for his brother in a haunted mansion. Badgerclops chuckled a bit at his own joke. Maybe he should have said hotel instead of a mansion to make it more current. Badgerclops stopped examining the intricacies of his own comedy when he noticed Pinky waking up to the table with a suspicious jar of mayo in his hands.

“Goss,” Badgerclops said.

“Me or the mayo?”

“Both. Get out of here, Pinky.”

“What are you doin?”

“None of your business.”.

“Are you looking for Mao Mao?”

“Have you seen him?”

“No.”

Badgerclops shot the jar of mayo with his arm cannon. Seeing Pinky mourn did brighten his day a little. Not enough. He still needed to find Mao Mao.

“Hey! Get off of me!”

The noise snapped Badgerclops out of his thoughts. He panicked. Was it too late? Had Mao Mao already done something he’d regret? Badgerclops hurried in the voice's direction, already making plans for a quick exit. He'd already made their packs. Even a third one for Adorabat in case she was brought along, although he doubted they’d keep her. Maybe they’d ditch her at the castle? Badgerclops slapped his face and shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to be stressing about that. Now was the time to find Mao Mao.

Badgerclops rounded the corner and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t Mao Mao. It was just Rufus getting harassed by some dog. Why was Rufus still here? He should’ve skipped town ages ago.

“Hey!” he called out nearly making Rufus jump out of his own skin.

Rufus pushed the dog away from the bouquet and snacks that the dog was after. “What do you want,” he sneered.

“Okay, one: rude. Two: don’t be so rude to the guy who can throw you in jail, Three: you don’t ask me what I’m doing; I ask you what you’re so what are you doing?”

Rufus pushed Badgerclops' finger away. “I’m visiting my friend that the blasted sheriff put in the hospital!”

Oh right, the raccoon. Kind of cute that he was still waiting for his friend.

Not cute enough to keep Badgerclops from picking the fox up and shaking him like a can of soda.

“I don’t care about your friend! I’m looking for Mao Mao! Have you seen him?”

“Mao Mao? You mean the black cat?”

“Yes!”

“The one wearing the red cape?”

“Yes!”

“Carrying the golden sword?”

“Yes! Yes! For the love of God, yes! Just tell me where he is!”

“Alas, I haven’t seen him anywhere,” Rufus said with the smarmiest of smiles.

“Okay, you know what,” Badgerclops said, setting the fox back down. "I’m trying to keep someone from being murdered and ya'll are being, like, super ungrateful.”

The dog barked in protest.

“Yeah, that includes you.”

Badgerclops picked the dog up to pet it while he thought. The dog was a milky brown Shiba-Inu. Nothing notable aside from the fact that it had a sword on its back and a necklace. No. It was an amulet around its neck. Badgerclops didn’t pick the dog up just to look at it, he wanted to know who it belonged to. Where in the hell would a sweetipie get a dog and why hadn’t he seen it before? To Badgerclops’ dismay, there wasn’t any address stamped on the collar, but there was a name: Bao Bao .

Badgerclops rubbed his eyes and read the collar again. It still said Bao Bao.

He grabbed Rufus by the collar and used his jacket to wipe at the collar until it shined. Surely enough, it still read Bao Bao.

What? What? This dog was Bao Bao! A dog! A fucking dog! What the shit? Mao Mao described him as an evil barbarian with enough guile to pose as a hero and the psychopathy to abandon a kid whose arm was crushed by a rock! Not a dog! Not a fucking dog!

Badgerclops rubbed his temples, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He should have expected this. He was the most overdramatic motherfucker to ever motherfuck, but damn dude. Whatever he resolved to accept that Mao Mao’s worst enemy was literally an animal. He just needed to kick the dog out of the valley and wait for Mao Mao to calm his tits. No, that wouldn’t do. If no one caught Mao Mao he’d definitely kill someone.

Badgerclops pushed the dog into Rufus’ hands. “Take this dog and get him out of the valley. I don’t care how it gets done. Just do it,” he ordered.

“What? I’m going to visit my friend and besides I don’t have to do anything you say.”

Badgerclops pointed his arm at Rufus, letting it shift into the high powered cannon. “C’mon just take the dog away, you know, before someone gets hurt.”

“Alright just don’t shoot me! I don’t wanna be shot!”

“There we go. Now get out of here before someone -and by someone I mean you- gets messed up.”

Badgerclops watched Rufus turn away to finish his task.

Thump!

Badgerclops stopped.

He turned around just in time to see a black blur with a streak of gold.

It was Mao Mao!

Badgerclops swung around brandishing his arm, opening his eye, taking careful aim. The window was more narrow than a pinhole. He watched and waited. He watched Rufus see the sword and scream in terror. He waited for Mao Mao to swing his sword with all his might.

Now!

Badgerclops let loose a net. The wound-up ball slowly spread out, snagging Mao Mao out of the air, pinning him against the wall. Badgerclops ignored Mao Mao to put his fingers to Rufus’ neck. The fox's eyes had rolled back, and foam had gathered in the corners of his mouth;The look made Badgerclops’ fur stand on end. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his brow when he finally felt a pulse. The fox was definitely not fine, but he wouldn't die anytime soon. Although, the scare shaved years off his life.

Once was done with Rufus; he had to deal with Mao Mao.

Mao Mao strained against the net fruitlessly. Bao Bao looked up at his old friend, shivering, ears folded back with tail between its legs. Mao Mao probably couldn’t even hear the dog’s whimpers. He screamed at the top of his lungs. It was had no expletives. It had no threats. It only had a long, grueling explanation of his pain.

Badgerclops reached over, petting Mao Mao behind the ears. “Alright dude, let’s just chill and- “

Mao Mao quickly snapped at Badgerclops’ hand. His teeth clanging against the steel. “C’mon dude, don’t do that. I don’t want to schedule a trip to the dentist.”

He let go of Badgerclops’ hand with a huff, but he still had that dark flame burning in his eyes.

“Badgerclops,” Tanya said, dropping down from the rooftops,” Is everything alright?”

“I’ve got things all tied up,” he said pointing to Mao Mao who didn’t find his joke amusing.

Tanya faced Mao Mao with a sullen look in her eyes. She reached out her paw to wipe a tear from his eye. Mao Mao shook her comfort away with an angry grunt. “Oh, Mittens,” she quietly cried. Tears began to fall down the Tanuki’s face, but Mao Mao didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“You should probably take Bao Bao and go before-”

Badgerclops was interrupted by a screeching roar echoed throughout the kingdom. Badgerclops facepalmed his own stupidity. He was so focused on the Bao Bao part of the message that they completely forgot about the monster. He could see the smoke, hear the screams as it rampaged.

“Tanya." He gave a slight nod of his head," where's Adorabat?"

“I left her at the house.”

Damn the fact that she was a responsible adult. She shouldn’t have to see this, but he did wish she was here. He and Tanya were the only ones who could fight; the dog was a maybe, and Mao Mao was still in the net.

“You think we can take it?”

“I… don’t know. Maybe?”

Fantastic. The moment he thought he had things under control they go right back to shit.

Badgerclops didn’t know how he knew to turn around. It was instinct. He saw the wall behind Mao Mao began to crack and crumble as the monster charged through. The beast was large, green and scaly, like a snake with four legs. It moved like one too. Delicately turning on a dime, clinging to the side of a building while it stared them down.

His small hope that the beast would leave them alone was squashed when the monster saw the amulet around Bao Bao’s neck.

It lunged forward. Mouth open to show a wide maw. In a narrow alley like this, there was nowhere to run. It could probably get them all in one quick gulp. Badgerclops supposed such a terrible end fit such a terrible day.

A naïve thought.

Mao Mao stepped in front of the beast, sword on his back to block the teeth, heels digging into the ground as he forced the charging beast to a slow stop. Tanya, Bao Bao, Badgerclops, and the Mao Mao stopped in sheer confusion and awe. The monster didn’t hesitate. Its tail lashed at Mao Mao from the left, ripping at his skin like a whip. The tail lashed Mao Mao from the right, forcing him to stagger.

The third strike whistled through the air, barely blocked by Mao Mao’s sword. The next lash came with enough force to knock Mao Mao of balance despite blocking it. He parried the next strike, yet it still sent him cartwheeling through the air.

The second his feet touched the ground he was off. A black blur with a streak of gold. The gold cut the tip of the beast tail causing the monster to howl in pain before being silenced with a plunging attack through its skull. Badgerclops hates to admit it, but the bastard cat carried the sheriff's department.

He pulled his sword out of the monster and hopped down off the corpse. He dragged his sword on the ground behind him as he walked forward. His movements were smooth, flowing like a steady stream. Despite wearing an inviting smile, the dark flames in his eyes were raging like a wildfire.

Tanya stepped in front of him before he could get any closer. “Stop. Just… for the love of god stop, and let the dog go.”

“You’re right. I just want to... apologize to Bao Bao. Wish him well,” Mao Mao said with an almost cartoonishly large and toothy smile.

“Do I look some fucking clown to you? I know you’re lying! Just put the sword down and let the dog go.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just want to say apologize to my childhood friend-”

SMACK!

Tanya interrupted Mao Mao with a strong slap across the face.

When he turned back the smile was gone; the dark flames still burning.

“Move,” he commanded.

“Why do you have to be like this,” she asked, her voice rising in pitch. “Can’t you just let things go? Whatever Bao Bao -this dog- did to you is in the past. It already happened and you can’t change it!”

“I know nothing can change it. I don’t expect it to. I’m not trying to change anything. I’m just trying to do some justice,” he said with a voice as cold as stone, “so, I’ll tell you once again: move.”

“No!”

Mao Mao didn’t hesitate to push past her, knocking her to the ground while he brought his sword down. Bao Bao quickly hopped out the way. Mao Mao followed the dog close behind, stabbing down over and over again, the calm facade splitting at the seams as his frustration grew.

“I’ll kill you,” he screamed, finally cornering the dog. He raised his sword up as Bao Bao looked up in terror.

Badgerclops grabbed his arm before he could finish. “Calm down! He’s just a dog-”

Mao Mao spun around, dropping the sword, tears welling in his eyes. “That dog ruined my life !”

“He did this! ” He pulled back the cape to reveal the stub of his left arm.

He picked the sword back up, raising it high over his head. “And I’m going to do it to him!”

Tanya was quick.

In a puff of smoke one, Bao Bao turned into thirty. In the second that Mao Mao stopped in confusion, she dashed forward, snatching the real one away before Mao Mao cut the horde into bits.

“Bao Bao,” he screamed,” get back here!”

Badgerclops tackled him to the ground before he could give chase. “Bao Bao! Bao Bao!” he screamed and screamed until his voice went hoarse.

* * *

Mao Mao lay in bed at HQ with his blanket tucked over his head. He felt like shit. Stopping the monster’s charge wore down the flesh on his feet to the bone, despite the monster's teeth stabbed seven holes into his back, one dangerously close to his spine, but the physical pain didn’t matter much. It was his feeling that were tearing him apart. It was one part burning rage; another part nauseating shame.

He heard footsteps approach. It couldn’t have been Adorabat cause she liked to fly (where did she go); they were too heavy to be Tanya’s (not like she wanted to speak to him anyway), so it had to be Badgerclops.

“How ya feeling,” he asked.

Mao Mao let out a small grunt.

“Camille said you should be fine. Just take it easy. Don’t try to jump around or anything.”

He made another small grunt.

“You feeling okay?”

Mao Mao nodded from under the blankets.

“Good to hear. Just get some rest, man.”

“What about Bao Bao,” he grumbled out. His throat was still raw and sore from all the shouting.

“Tanya took him with her.”

Mao Mao let out a shuddering sigh.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

Mao Mao nodded more forcefully this time.

Badgerclops scooped Mao Mao up into his arms. Cradling the bundle of blankets and clutching him close. “Listen, I know we all have our issues and hangups, and I know this day has been hard for you-”

“You don’t.”

“Hm?”

“You don’t know how hard it's been for me! I hate- hate - that dog. He’s everything wrong with me! I wanna wring his stupid little head from his silly little body!” Mao Mao choked on his words,” I wanna- I wanna…”

Badgerclops pet him behind the ears,” what do you want?”

“...I want to be alone for a bit.”

“How about this,” Badgerclops said,” I can take Adorabat camping for the weekend? We’d be back Sunday. You’d have the house to yourself. How does that sound?”

“Yeah,” Mao Mao slowly nodded,” Yeah, that sounds nice.”

#fanfic #mmhoph #Mao Mao #Badgerclops #Adorabat #Tanya Keys #Pinky #Rufus #Ho boy this is long #I'm hammering this poit in but I mean it #check out Spookylovesboba #She's funny #She does fanart #makes funny videos #she's great #MissingArm!AU

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keichanz · 5 years

Text

Move Your Body || pt. 1

Hi, friends. First off, I want to say that I really wanted to finish and post this before Sunday, but obviously that didn’t happen, so I decided to go ahead and post the first part of my new AU because...well. Just continue reading. :)

Secondly, some of you may know this, some may not, but today, the 28th, is also my birthday. Yep, I turned the big 3-0 today, and lemme tell you I am not thrilled about it lmao.

Some of you may also know that recently I created a Ko-fi and that I’ve been struggling a bit financially wise.

This fic is a great, big, fat thank you to all of you who have supported me through Ko-fi and also for those of you who didn’t, but were there for me anyway with your encouragement, kind words, and emotional support. I can’t begin to tell how how much it meant to me that you guys didn’t hesitate to donate, and I am not lying when I say it literally brought me to tears. I cried from your generosity, and I cannot thank you enough for helping me out. This month has been a bit rougher than most, and I am eternally grateful to every single one of you. I wanted to give you something in return, and I thought, why not post this AU early. It’s small, and I know a lot of you are looking forward to the next chapter of You Rescued Me (it’s in the works!), but I hope this will suffice.

Having all of you as friends, as followers and readers, is the best birthday gift I could have ever asked for. I’m so damn blessed and grateful to have all of you in my life and i hope you all know that I appreciate and love you all from the very bottom of my heart.

So thank you again for being there for me. You can all bet your asses I’ll be the first one to jump on the chance in helping in any way that I can if ever one of you need support. Because you have mine, guaranteed.

Note: I know fuck all about choreography or being a producer, so for the sake of this story, pretend everything in factual and accurate lmao.

Inuyasha was lounging in his office and puffing idly on a cigarette while poring over some of his old routines in hopes of sparking some inspiration when he heard the music.

Normally he wouldn’t care and would just ignore it, the probability that it was one of his instructors coming in for the midnight lessons his studio offered more than likely. Less likely it was one of their students wanting to get in some late night practice, but still possible. They needed express permission from himself in order to do that, and since neither Sango nor Miroku had run it by him to get that authorization, Inuyasha doubted any of his instructors’ students actually had the balls to sneak in without consent. So that ruled that out.

Inuyasha frowned and looked up from his desk, pinching the cig between two fingers and exhaling. He cocked his head, ears twitching as he tried to determine where exactly it was coming from, and when he did his eyebrows shot up in surprise. The music was not coming from the first or second floor, suggesting it was either one of his friends or a student, but instead the soft notes of a vaguely familiar hip-hop song were drifting up from directly below him.

The Taisho Studios building was made up of five floors, with the ground floor being the first. That one was Sango’s studio where she held her lessons, teaching those interested in how to dance in various styles and offering kick-boxing lessons as well. Miroku instructed his clientele on the second floor, where he offered various unique exercise regimes that was basically Zumba but with his own personal flare.

The third floor, however, was reserved for his use only, the top dog’s private studio where only a select few ever saw the inside, and those usually consisted of celebrities looking for the best of the best for their music videos. Inuyasha instructed those lessons himself and charged top dollar for his services. Everyone knew it was off limits and he kept the door locked. The fourth floor consisted of his spacious office and gym, also available to Miroku and Sango whenever they wanted since they weren’t just his instructors, but also his valued friends. It was conveniently located right below his top floor condo so whenever Inuyasha was working late, he could just drag his ass upstairs and bam, he was home.

Wondering who had the balls big enough to use his private studio without his permission, Inuyasha abandoned his work and strode to the door, cracking it open and sticking his head out into the hall. The music got louder and Inuyasha surmised whoever it was must have left the doors wide open so as far as he was concerned that was an open invitation to go see who it was and then kick them the hell out.

Glancing over his shoulder and eyeing the desk littered with paperwork and his open lap top, Inuyasha snorted, shrugged, and promptly decided he needed a break. His deadline wasn’t for another month and he wasn’t being very productive tonight anyway so Sesshomaru can just kiss his merrily dancing ass and deal with it.

Sticking his cig back between his lips, Inuyasha forwent using the elevator and instead wandered casually down the hall, going into the stairwell and then abruptly vaulting over the railing and dropping to the third floor. The entrance to his studio was right across from the elevators and staircase, so when he opened the door he found himself staring directly into it—and the person brave enough to utilize the spacious room without his knowledge.

For the second time that night Inuyasha’s eyebrows rose in surprise and without even being aware of it he padded across the hallway. His footsteps were masked by the music coming out of the Bluetooth speakers and they were facing away from them. Curious despite himself, Inuyasha leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms, golden eyes silent observing as a little smirk quirked his lips.

Kagome released an undignified squawk as she stumbled forward for the nth time that night, the toe of her shoe catching on the hardwood floor and throwing off her balance. Windmilling her arms, she managed to catch herself before she face-planted onto the hard floor and resisted the urge to stamp her foot like a child and scream her vexation into the empty studio.

Dammit, why couldn’t she get this? Sango had made it look so easy when she’d shown her earlier, and after a couple of tries with her instructor’s guidance, Kagome had been able to more or less command her body to execute a smooth hip roll without looking like a twerking imbecile. Now for some reason she was unable to smoothly transition into the dance move she wanted without nearly falling over and needless to say she was getting frustrated.

Grumbling under her breath and wishing she had her friend’s tall and slender physique, Kagome stomped over to the table where her phone sat and paused the song in order to once more bring up the choreography. She hit play for the hundredth time, studied closely the two men and one woman flawlessly busting out move after move without fault and she promptly scowled before tossing her phone back on the table with a rough exhale.

Closing her eyes and tilting her head back, Kagome frowned and allowed her mind to wander, vaguely noting the faint smell of cigarette smoke that had been present earlier had suddenly gotten stronger. What was she even doing, anyway? She’d never been the most coordinated of people and was oftentimes called a klutz. She wasn’t graceful and she wasn’t even athletic, so really, this was a waste of time. She knew if she carried this out she would only end up making a fool of herself so why go through the trouble?

“Because,” Kagome answered herself with a deep sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat, “I’m too damn stubborn and my stupid pride won’t let me quit.”

“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.”

Kagome gasped and spun around, hand over her pounding heart and blue eyes wide with a combination of surprise and embarrassment. Her gaze landed on the lounging figure in the doorway, casually puffing away on a cigarette as he regarded her silently.

Well, that explains the odor of cigarette smoke, Kagome mused while aloud she said, “Jeez, you scared me. I didn’t know anyone else was here.” She paused and then frowned when his words registered. “What?”

The man said nothing and just continued to stare at her, cig tucked between his lips, expression unreadable. He was...damn, he was attractive, Kagome secretly admitted, feeling a blush creep up to color her cheeks a soft pink. Donned in loose fitting black jeans that rode low on his hips and a plain white t-shirt that contoured very nicely to a toned chest and stomach, a backwards ballcap was pulled on top of a head of short, shaggy silver hair. His eyes looked to be a stunning golden color and when he lifted a hand to pinch the cig between two fingers, Kagome noticed two things: the talons tipping each finger, instantly giving away what he was, and the black tattoo starting at his wrist that crawled up his arm to disappear into his shirt sleeve.

Kagome’s breath hitched and her heart skipped a beat. No wonder he’s so attractive, she thought dazedly, glimpsing a flash of fang as he parted his lips and tendrils of smoke drifted up toward the ceiling. He’s not human.

What was that saying? The most beautiful things in life are often the most dangerous, or something to that effect. Kagome was inclined to believe it, suddenly feeling very flushed and where was her water bottle?

“Tenacity and pride,” the man continued, studying the fag between his fingers with an air of boredom. “By themselves they don’t do much good and more often than not just get you into trouble, but put them together and success is pretty much guaranteed in the performing arts industry.

“So I guess you could say,” he said and took a drag of his cig, “they’re requirements in our world. Stipulations if you wanna get anywhere in life.”

Kagome shook her head. “Um, our world?” she repeated, utterly lost.

The look he gave her was deadpan. “Dancing, babydoll.”

Ocean eyes widened in understanding and her flush darkened as she sheepishly averted her gaze, fidgeting where she stood.

“Oh, I, um,” Kagome faltered, clearing her throat and for some reason suddenly feeling like a child in front of a grown up about to confess to being naughty. “I’m...not a dancer,” she finished lamely and winced, twisting the fabric of her shirt with her fingers in a nervous habit.

Inuyasha raised a dubious brow at that declaration. “Alright,” he allowed, nodding slowly. “So suppose you tell me what the hell you’re doing in my private studio then, playing music and dressed like that?”

Kagome blanched and jerked her head up to stare at him with wide-eyes. “P-private?” she squeaked and looked so terrified Inuyasha briefly regretted telling her that. “Oh god—I’m so sorry, I didn’t know! Er, my dance instructor Sango told me I could use her studio tonight to get some practice in, but when I got here it was locked and I...found this one and it was unlocked...”

Looking very uncomfortable with a red face and shifting nervously from foot to foot, Inuyasha felt his face soften slightly as he watched her and he released a quiet sigh around the cig in his mouth. It had been unlocked since he was in here an hour before trying out some moves for the new routine he was working on and he’d planned on locking back up before he went upstairs.

So ultimately it was his fault since he’d left the doors unlocked, and as such it wouldn’t exactly be fair to be angry at her. It also appeared she didn’t know who he was, which admittedly was a bit surprising. Everyone knew everything above the second floor was off limits unless given permission and it led him to believe she was a fairly new student of Sango’s.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized again and gave an awkward half-bow, biting down on her lip as she finally met his eyes. “I’ll, um, leave if you want me to. I really didn’t know...”

Inuyasha considered her for a moment and then shook his head. What was the point if she was already here? “Nah, don’t worry about,” he muttered and took another drag on his cig, watching as she visibly relaxed and offered him a timid smile.

Cute little thing, ain’t she? he mused idly and racked his gaze down her lithe form. She says she’s not a dancer, but she certainly had the body to be one. That damn shirt hid most of his view, but from what he could see of her legs—

“Are you an instructor?” she asked him, tilting her head. “I haven’t seen you around before.”

Inuyasha fought against the urge to grin. She really didn’t have any idea who he was.

“You can say that,” he finally said at length, finding himself not wanting to give away his identity just yet. This could prove to be interesting, and who knows; maybe it would spark some inspiration and he’d finally be able to get some results so Sesshomaru would stop jumping down his damn throat with his demands and deadlines.

“Still waiting for an explanation, babydoll,” Inuyasha reminded her and took another drag. Technically there was no smoking allowed in his building, but he owned it and could do whatever the hell he damn well pleased, so whatever.

She blinked. “For what?”

He cocked a brow at her and carelessly flicked some ashes onto the floor; maintenance would clean it up tomorrow morning anyway. “Why you’re here. You said you ain’t a dancer, which is all fine and dandy, but you got me curious.” He shrugged and let the cig dangle from his lips as he crossed his arms again.

Kagome winced and then wrinkled her nose, her face warming up at the true reason for her being here.

“It’s stupid...” she mumbled, staring down at the floor and hunching her shoulders a little.

Inuyasha frowned. “I doubt that,” he told her and had an insane, unexplainable urge to cross the room and wrap her up in his arms. She just looked so small and fragile and he wanted to...protect her? What the—from what?

Kagome looked like she didn’t believe but she took a breath and told him anyway, figuring he had a right to know since this was his private studio. Or at least that’s what he told her, however Kagome figured he was telling the truth because why else would he be here?

“It really is stupid,” she repeated with a sigh and a fleeting grimace crossed her features. “My college was holding an event the other day out in the courtyard in front of the student activities building, and since my friends and I had nothing better to do, we decided to go and see what it was all about. Turns out it was a DDR competition and they were using a giant white board as a screen and extension cords to hook the game up. Anyone was welcome to play a round and enter some friendly competition, and even though I’ve never played before in my life, I gave it a try.”

She paused and crossed her arms, her nose scrunching slightly in a little pout that he found completely too adorable. “Of course I failed miserably at it, but I laughed it off because it was just for fun anyway. But then this extremely rude and universally not liked rich bitch laughed way too hard about it and snarked that I would never win any contest with those moves.”

Inuyasha cocked a brow at her, his tone disbelieving as he drawled, “You’re here because of a game of DDR?”

She scowled at him and had the good grace to blush. “No. If you let me continue, I was going to say the purpose of the entire event was to promote an actual dance competition where you have to come up with a new dance to a song of your choosing. It has to be at least one minute long, an entry can have up to four people, and all of the moves have to be completely original.”

“Sounds fair,” he commented.

Kagome nodded. “So after humiliating me in front of dozens of people, this bitch flips her hair, pops her chest out so everybody notices her fake boobs, and loudly declares that it’ll be a piece of cake winning the competition since ‘nobody worth while’ has entered. And oh my god, I got so heated, and just to spite the cocky bitch, I stared her right in the eye as I entered despite the fact that I cannot dance worth a good goddamn.

“And so now,” Kagome shrugged and held up her hands helplessly. “Here I am, sneaking into private studios at midnight and pretending like I know what the hell I’m doing.” She offered a wavering smile, her face still red but her blue eyes were bright.

Inuyasha nodded again and whistled low. “I see,” he murmured. “Good on you though, for not letting her cow you like that. I take it this isn’t the first time she’s given you grief.”

Kagome sighed and pinched her nose. “Since I started college three years ago. We’re in the same major.”

“Which is?”

“Nursing.”

He looked surprised. “So this bitch walking about like her shit don’t stink wants a career that dedicates all of her time taking care of and thinking about someone else other than herself? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“I know,” Kagome said drolly, her expression one of dry exasperation. “Trust me, the irony is not lost on me.”

“Damn,” Inuyasha muttered in bewilderment, shaking his head.

Kagome grunted in agreement, wrinkling her nose.

He bit back a chuckle. “Alright. Now lemme ask you this, babydoll,” Inuyasha suddenly said, flicking more ashes onto the floor and when her inquisitive blue eyes met his, he continued. “You said earlier that your stubbornness and pride won’t let you back down. Is that still true?”

Kagome blinked in confusion, brow furrowing slightly. “What...?”

“Is it?”

Amber eyes bore into her own and Kagome shivered. “I...yes,” she answered, barely above a whisper.

He nodded. “One more thing.” Pinching the nearly gone cancer stick between two fingers and lowering it from his lips, Inuyasha looked directly into her eyes and exhaled smoothly.

“Do you want it?”

Kagome opened her mouth. Closed it. Looked adorably confused. “Do I...do I want what?”

Inuyasha was silent for a moment as he studied her, and then he answered roughly, “You have to want it, babydoll. Spite is a great motivator, but it’s not enough if you want real results. If you don’t want it bad enough, if this is all just a game to get back at some snotty bitch with fake tits, then you’re wasting your time and might as well leave right now. I don’t give my time to quitters.”

Kagome gasped and shook her head, her heart pounding at what he was implying. “What do you—”

“Do you want it?”

The intensity in which he’d asked that single question gave Kagome pause and suddenly she knew exactly what he was referring to, what he wanted to hear her say. And it was amazing because she did want it; she wanted it with a desperation that surprised her because when she’d changed into her workout clothes and left her apartment at 11:30 at night to practice dancing in an empty studio, she hadn’t truly thought that she would get anywhere and thought for sure she’d end up giving in and backing down.

But then suddenly this man appears out of nowhere, starts asking her questions about pride and tenacity, somehow wheedles out the real reason why she’s here and her ambition roars back to life. No, it wasn’t just spite that made her agree. True, she wanted to prove that bitch wrong, but she wanted to prove to herself even more that she could do this and do it so well she’d leave everyone wondering if she was the same clumsy Kagome that tripped over air and fell up the stairs.

“Yes,” Kagome answered honestly, squaring her shoulders and straightening her back. Nodding, she repeated herself, her voice strong and ringing with resolve.

“Yes, I want it. I want it.”

Inuyasha’s eyes flashed and he nodded once. “Good.”

Then with that he started toward her, his strides purposeful and Kagome watched him as he approached the table behind her and stabbed out his cigarette in the ash tray she’d failed to notice before now.

Then he turned to her, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the table.

“Let’s see it.”

Kagome balked. “What?”

“Show me what you got, babydoll. Dance for me.”

Kagome blushed and swallowed thickly, her mouth suddenly feeling dry as her heart kick started in her chest.

“Why?” she whispered although she suspected she already knew why.

Instead of answering, Inuyasha grabbed her phone and woke up the screen, ignoring her protest. “What song?”

Kagome made a half-hearted swipe for her mobile and huffed in aggravation when he held it away from her. “Song?”

He cut his eyes to her with an annoyed frown. “What song are you going to be dancing to?”

She blinked. “Oh. Well, I was thinking maybe Girls like You by Maroon—”

“No.”

“...Excuse me?”

“No,” Inuyasha repeated and scrolled through the songs on her music app. “It’s not a bad choice, but it’s too...soft for what you need. If you wanna win this competition you’re gonna want something with a real shock factor, something totally unexpected that’ll knock their fucking socks off and have men and women alike panting and wanting a piece of that.”

Kagome made a face and muttered, “I don’t really care if I win this thing. I just want Kamlyn to eat her words and maybe get her to stop harassing me every goddamned day.”

Inuyasha shrugged. “Then consider it a bonus because when I’m through with you it’ll be guaranteed. Now,” he said and browsed her music again with a contemplative frown. “From what you’ve told me about this Kamlyn wench, it’s safe to assume her dance is not going to be kid friendly. That means you’re gonna hafta knock her performance outta the park with something sexier.”

Kagome blanched. Sexier? Oh god. She was anything but sexy and she really didn’t think she liked where he was going with this...

“You’re taste in music sucks,” he commented idly when still he saw nothing after a few more minutes of scrolling. She must have had over five hundred songs on the damn thing and yet none of the titles he glimpsed were appropriate for what he had in mind. He uselessly scrolled for another minute, gave up, and decided he’d have better luck with YouTube. They’d have to discuss what song she’ll use at a later time, but for now he’d just use a random bop with a suitable rhythm and he searched for the first one that came to mind.

“It does not,” Kagome fired back petulantly and crossed her arms again. “If you’re gonna insult my music then you can just—”

Inuyasha tapped the screen and seconds later the rest of her words were abruptly cut off by a steady, thrumming beat pumping from the speakers around them. The music ebbed and flowed, giving off a suggestive and sultry energy that can often be found in strip clubs. The lyrics followed shortly thereafter, soft, sexy, and alluring.

Kagome’s heart stopped and for the second time in as many minutes the color drained from her face. Oh no. Nooooo no no no no he couldn’t possibly want her to dance to…to something like that?

As the crooning lyrics abruptly turned into obscene moaning sounds, Inuyasha set her phone on the table and crossed his arms before nodding his head behind her, a wordless gesture to get on with it.

Oh good lord he did. Fervently Kagome shook her head, her eyes pleading with him to choose another song while inwardly cursing every perverted songwriter that decided it would be a good idea to create something like that. It was too embarrassing, too…too suggestive, something she wouldn’t even do in the privacy of her own room, let alone in front of a very attractive man!

Inuyasha frowned at her adamant refusal and explained, “I need to see what I’m working with here, babydoll, and in order for me to do that, you need to show me. This is just to give me an idea on where to start, so just pretend I’m not here and let the music take over. Close your eyes if you need to and let everything else just fade away.”

Blushing furiously, Kagome bit her lip and hesitated, dropping her gaze to stare down at the floor and clutched the hem of her shirt, wringing the fabric in an obviously nervous gesture. She knew without a doubt that even if she did close her eyes she would still be aware of his presence. Even now she could feel the weight of his gaze, staring at her unwaveringly and it made her stomach do not so unpleasant flip-flops as her heart accelerated in her chest.

Didn’t he realize what he was asking of her? Kagome had never considered herself sexy; hell, she wouldn’t even call herself pretty. She was average. She didn’t turn heads, never attracted attention, and she could count on one hand the number of times a guy had flirted with her. (Once, and it was her ex-boyfriend.) Kagome was awkward, clumsy; she knew she was no prize and her confidence level was drastically low.

Simply put, she wasn’t Kamlyn, who, despite being completely fake, was considered one of the hottest people on campus and she wasn’t afraid to flaunt what she had. How could he possibly ask her to dance to a song like this when she had nothing to flaunt?

When the song transitioned into the first chorus and all she did was continue to stand there looking very uncomfortable while avoiding his gaze, it became glaringly obvious that her hesitation went beyond mere shyness so with a sigh Inuyasha swiped up her phone and hit pause. Her shoulders hunched as the music was abruptly cut off and she peeked up at him, biting her lip and looking like she was about to be scolded.

His expression softened, however the confusion was evident on his face as he regarded her thoughtfully. Was this truly so difficult for her?

“Okay,” he murmured. “What’s the matter?” The patient softness of his voice surprised even him and judging by the look that crossed her face, it surprised her too.

She recovered quickly, though, and once more ducked her head, shifting her weight and feeling a flush of embarrassment color her face a soft pink. She really didn’t want to confide in a virtual stranger all of her self-image issues, even if he was trying to help her. Maybe if she gave him just a brief display of her awkwardness and incoordination he would see for himself that the song definitely wasn’t the best choice.

Dearly hoping she wouldn’t regret this, Kagome swallowed thickly and said just loud enough for him to hear, “Um, s-start the song over, please.”

Inuyasha frowned at her unexpected request and he eyed her for a moment, expression contemplative, before wordlessly reaching over to wake up the screen and did as he bade him. A single tap of a clawed finger and the song was starting over, the beginning notes echoing throughout the studio.

Steeling herself, unable to stop her nervous shaking, Kagome took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and started moving.

Right off the bat Inuyasha knew with absolute certainty, or at the least very strongly suspected just why exactly she was so adamant about not using this particular song. It was heavy with sex appeal, the kind that made women grind and gyrate their hips as they sought to turn on every single man nearby, and this girl, this young woman had absolutely zero.

Her movements were stiff and awkward as she attempted to move her body to the music provided like she had no idea where to put her limbs. The look of intense concentration on her face suggested that might very well be the case and it was clear she’d never before used her hips or ass as a method of seduction. They didn’t roll so much as jerk and her knees weren’t at all relaxed but locked which accounted for all the stumbling she was doing. Of course with that damn shirt in the way it was hard to accurately guess, but altogether it was glaringly obvious how out of her element she was, her discomfort not only painted clear as day on her face, but in the stiff way she moved.

After another stumble that nearly sent her sprawling onto the floor, Inuyasha couldn’t take it anymore and he put a stop to her painful performance by pressing pause and he didn’t miss the unmistakable look of relief that crossed her features. Then she righted herself, sighed, and looked positively defeated as she stared at him, as if she already knew he was going to declare her a lost cause and change his mind about helping her.

If only she knew that watching her sorely lacking performance had the complete opposite and only solidified his decision to help her.

And besides, he always liked a challenge. It was only a bonus that he could use her routine – with her permission, of course – as new material and Sesshomaru would stop hounding him about the damn deadline in a month.

Which reminded him… “What’s your name, babydoll?” he asked as he scrolled through her songs and selected one that would be good practice for what he had in mind.

Kagome frowned at the unexpected question but answered, “Kagome.”

“How long you got until the competition, Kagome?” Setting her phone back on the table, Inuyasha took off his hat and carelessly tossed it onto the table as well before promptly reaching behind him and yanking off his shirt.

Kagome sputtered as her face flamed, eyes going very wide to suddenly be faced with a very attractive, bare chested man. Good god, but this man was a silver-haired Adonis, all sculpted muscle, tanned skin, and those ears were too damn cute. What really grabbed her attention, however, was the wicked looking tribal tattoo wrapped around his left arm that she was finally able to see in its entirety. The intricate design extended all the way up to his shoulder and upon closer inspection it appeared to be a dragon with the head on his left pectoral. It was beautifully done and Kagome was slightly jealous. She’d always wanted a tattoo...

“I—I—uh, a little over a month?” she said, completely distracted by the complete magnificently tattooed male...yumminess that he presented.

Without her permission her eyes tracked the line of silver hair that disappeared into his low-slung jeans. Her heart beat a little faster as the blush on her face intensified and oh my god, he had another tattoo in the delectable V of his right hip bone, what looked to be jagged red claw marks half-concealed by his jeans.

Kagome thought she might faint.

Inuyasha snorted in amusement. This was too perfect. “Good. Take it off.”

That jolted her right out of her avid admiration of his solid abs and she blinked, darting her gaze this with a puzzled frown. “What?”

He withheld a smirk. Checking him out, was she? Then it was only fair he got to do the same.

“Shirt. Off. Now. Unless you’d like me to do it for you?” He cocked a brow at her and had to grin when she squeaked and took a step away from him. “C’mon, we ain’t got all night.”

“But—what—” Kagome stuttered, utterly perplexed and she crossed her arms over her stomach as if that would be any defense to him divesting her of her shirt. “Why?” she finally managed.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and explained, “Because it’ll only get in the way and I need to be able to see.”

She eyed him suspiciously and narrowed her eyes. “See what?”

He scowled then, getting impatient. “To see why you move like an eighty year old woman with Parkinson’s, now would you stop questioning me and just take the fucking thing off already? You’re wearing a bra anyway and it ain’t like I’m asking so I can ogle your tits or some shit. Christ,” he muttered and rubbed his forehead. She certainly wasn’t kidding when she said she was stubborn.

Kagome flushed. Truth was, she had assumed part of the reason he was asking was so he could stare at her chest but now she felt ridiculous for even suspecting it. She didn’t even think he was that type of man anyway, she was just...nervous. She liked her oversized shirts; they were her security blanket, a shield to protect herself from anyone looking too closely. If she took it off, despite having a sports bra on underneath, she would feel too vulnerable, exposed in a way that had nothing to do with lack of clothing.

Here he was, standing in all his beautiful half-naked glory, sculpted abs, a hard chest, and arms thick with muscle and strength. Meanwhile here she was, plain, frumpy Kagome, with her small chest, soft stomach, and general awkwardness. Standing next to him, she felt like the ugly duckling that got hit with every branch on her way down the ugly tree and he expected her to reveal all of her could-stand-to-lose-a-few-pounds body to him?

Hell no.

Once more avoiding his gaze and shifting from foot to foot, Kagome’s hands clutched the dark gray fabric of her shirt and she shook her head, biting down on her lip.

“Um—I, uh, c-can’t I continue wearing it? Please?”

Even she could hear how pathetic she sounded pleading about something so trivial but she couldn’t help it. She was already feeling out of sorts with the song he was using; keeping her shirt was her last defense. Didn’t he know that?

Scowling, Inuyasha opened his mouth to once again demand she remove it, but then she peeked up at him from under dark, sooty lashes and when his eyes connected with hers realization hit him so hard his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. Kagome winced and immediately ducked her face again, flushing darkly.

...Well, fuck. It made so much sense now. Granted, this whole endeavor just became ten times more challenging, but it was too late to back out now. Besides, he couldn’t in good conscience allow her to continue thinking about herself like that when it was so obviously untrue.

Muttering a curse under his breath that had Kagome daring another glimpse at him, Inuyasha promptly stepped in close to her and ignored her quiet gasp of surprise before knocking her arms out of the way and hooking a claw in the collar of her shirt. Too late Kagome realized what he was going to do and before she could utter any sort of protest Inuyasha swiftly drew his hand down and sliced the garment right down the middle. Stunned and blushing up a storm, Kagome could do nothing as he yanked the shirt the rest of the way off and tossed it carelessly behind him onto the table.

While Kagome stood there with her arms over her chest and berated him for ruining her shirt, Inuyasha finally got his first good look at her and damn did he like what he saw. She was fucking perfect with a flat, trim belly that tapered into shapely hips and sender thighs encased in tight spandex shorts. Her skin was smooth and creamy and his hands suddenly itched to roam over her figure but he kept them to himself; he figured ignoring her wishes and destroying her only cover was pushing it enough as it was and he needed her to trust him.

From what he could see of her chest behind her arms, her breasts were small but that didn’t matter; a push-up bra or corset could do fucking wonders and before his mind had the chance to travel in a decidedly less than pure direction, Inuyasha said four words that promptly drew Kagome’s tirade to a screeching halt.

“Kagome, you’re fucking perfect,” he told her sincerely and perhaps a tad bit impatiently but she refused to hear it, adamantly shaking her head and denying his claim. Frowning he grabbed her hands kept her from hiding herself, tightening his grip when she tried to pull away.

“No, listen to me, I’m serious. You have absolutely fucking nothing to be ashamed of, Kagome. You’re stunning with a fucking rocking body and I’ll say it every goddamn day if I have to until you believe me, but what I see before me is nothing short of beautiful.”

When still she wouldn’t look at him and kept shaking her head, Inuyasha growled and gently grasped her chin in his fingers, tilting her face up and her sharp gasp went ignored as he continued, “Confidence is a key factor in this sort of thing, babydoll. You move the way you do because you don’t have any; you think you’re not sexy and that’s sorta the whole point I’m going for here. If you wanna do this, you’re gonna have to start believing you can and the first step is being confident and comfortable in your own skin.”

Inuyasha suddenly sighed and some of the vehemence left his tone as he said a bit more gently, “Look, you have the physical requirements for this; you’re fit and I’m willing to bet you’re flexible as hell. There’s really nothing stopping you but you and if you really do want this like you told me, then you need to stop this embarrassed shit and either tell me to fuck off and go home, or look me in the eye and fucking commit. I don’t half-ass things, Kagome; I’m gonna work you into the fucking ground until I think you’re ready and if you think you can’t do this, tell me now. Like I told you before: I don’t give my time to quitters.”

Kagome flinched and he grit his teeth but didn’t take his words back. He wanted to help her, he truly did, but she needed to help him by trusting what he said and doing what was necessary. He may have been a bit too harsh, but he couldn’t help it. Most of the people he dealt with on a daily basis were pretentious celebrities that liked to throw around large amounts of cash just because they could and it was required of him to be a hardass to get through their self-absorbed bubble of fame in order to get to the nitty gritty of things. Most of the time it was received well, but occasionally he’d get the bored up and coming rock star that got too comfortable in their lifestyle and became nothing more than a spoiled brat and they ended up bowing out before any of the real work began. It was a giant pain in the ass and a huge waste of his valuable time, which was why he was so strict on who he decided to take on as a client.

He was one of the most respected, successful, and coveted producers in the whole fucking country. He was allowed to be choosy, goddammit.

Gently sweeping his thumb across her chin, Inuyasha waited to see what she would do, not afraid to admit to himself that he hoped she wouldn’t back out. He didn’t understand his strong desire to help her, not to mention his very strange urge to protect her at all costs, but he didn’t dwell on it. Kagome was different than any of the other woman he’d ever met; she was soft, innocent, untouched by the harsh realities of the world and despite having some evident self-image issues, he suspected that she was utterly breathtaking when she flourished and he wanted so badly to witness that. He wanted to be there when she shined, when she made that bitch Kam-whatever eat her words and that was when Inuyasha decided he was going to do something he’d never done before in any of his client’s routines.

Of course he needed to get her to agree to it first, but he was confident he could wear her down even if she did disagree at first. She may be stubborn, but he was as bullheaded as they come and was oftentimes told he didn’t know when to give up. It was one of his best qualities that contributed to his popularity among producers and he wasn’t afraid to let anyone know.

Now if only Kagome had half that confidence...

Inuyasha was already cooking up a few ideas while he waited for her to make her decision when finally, finally, Kagome lifted her head, those beautiful ocean eyes locked with his, and the cautious hope in them was nearly his undoing. Without even realizing it his expression softened and he gave her that last push she needed to make her decision.

“Trust me, Kagome,” he murmured and daringly brushed his thumb across her bottom lip, watching the flush spread across her cheeks and hearing her breath hitch in her throat. “Just trust me and I promise you won’t regret it. Alright?”

Kagome’s eyes widened and she studied him quietly, her eyes searching his face, his eyes for what he hadn’t a clue, but apparently after another moment she found it because the corners of her mouth lifted up into a small, timid smile, she sucked in a breath, and then she gave a barely perceptible nod.

“Okay,” she breathed and officially sealed her fate.

Inuyasha grinned. “That’s my girl,” he said and had the insane urge to kiss her forehead. “Now let’s get this show on the road; it’s late, I have a meeting at 9 am, and I want to at least go over the basics before we call it a night. Sound good?”

Hardly believing she was actually going through with this, Kagome closed her eyes and nodded again. She could trust him. She could trust...wait a minute, what even was his name?

“What’s your name?” she blurted out as he restarted their practice song and golden eyes cut her way at the question.

He gave her a crooked grin and his eyes flashed wickedly. “It’s Inuyasha, babydoll, but I’m more commonly known as Sha.” He cocked a brow at her and watched Kagome’s face go from blank as she attempted to place his name to instant recognition, eyes going wide and mouth dropping in astonishment.

“Y...you’re...” she breathed, apparently having trouble articulating her thoughts, and Inuyasha chuckled. Usually it annoyed him when someone was so starstruck they could barely speak, but strangely with Kagome he found it completely endearing.

“Yeah,” he affirmed, raising his brows. “I admit, I’m a little surprised you didn’t recognize me. The ears usually give it away.” He wiggled them for emphasis and he caught her quiet giggle.

Her smile was equal parts sheepish and apologetic. “I don’t really watch TV and I’m not really invested in the entertainment world, either.” She shrugged.

Inuyasha stared at her. God, she was so pure he felt as if just standing next to her would somehow taint or blemish her. He’d done some shady shit in his past, and he was by no means innocent now, and for the first time in his life he felt inadequate and quite suddenly wanted to take a shower, as if that would help wash off his sins and dirty deeds.

“Well,” he drawled and reached back to wake her phone’s screen. “After tonight, babydoll, consider yourself invested.”

He hit play and the first notes of their practice song drifted out of the speakers.

Instantly Kagome recognized it and she frowned. “I thought we weren’t using this song.”

The silver-haired choreography shrugged and grabbed her hand to tug her a little closer. “We’re not, but it’s got a good enough melody to use as a practice song. We’ll start with something slow first that you’re comfortable with and then work our way up to faster paced songs that are similar to what you’re gonna use for the competition. Sound good?”

Releasing a steadying breath, Kagome briefly closed her eyes and then nodded, resolute. “Let’s do this.”

He smirked. “That’s what I like to hear. And now, lesson one.”

Without warning Inuyasha spun her around so he back was facing his chest and used his foot to nudge her legs a little farther apart. He slid his hand around to splay across her lower stomach and he felt her immediately tense up. Expected, which was why this was a good place to start.

“When I was watching you dance earlier,” he began and placed his other hand on her hip. “I noticed you were thinking way too hard on how to move, where to put your feet and all that. You need to relax. Let your body think for you, let it move on its own. You kept stumbling and tripping earlier because you were so tense and you were so busy trying to command your body to move the way you wanted it to that you ended up looking like a robot.”

He leaned his face down so his mouth hovered next to her ear. “So breathe, Kagome,” he said and smiled when she released the breath he was sure she wasn’t even aware she’d been holding. “Dancing is supposed to be fun. It ain’t rocket science.”

Reminding herself that she had to trust him – he did this for a living, after all – Kagome did as she was instructed and took a few moments to just breathe, closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind. She was highly aware of his hands on her hip and stomach but surprisingly enough the not so unpleasant sensation was easy to get used to. Her lips lifted into a slight smile as she slowly relaxed, listening to the music, allowing the smooth beat to ease the tension from her muscles.

“Thatta girl,” Inuyasha murmured behind her and squeezed her hip once in approval. “Alright, now listen to the beat...move with it...don’t think about it, Kagome, listen to the song and let it command you, not the other way around.”

“I am,” Kagome huffed, her brow furrowed slightly as she attempted to sync her hips with the beat of the music.

“No, you’re not,” Inuyasha insisted and closed the slight gap between them, stepping in close to press his chest flush against her back and yanking her ass into the cradle of his hips. She gasped, but he ignored it as he said, “You hear it, but you’re not listening.”

With his hands and his own body, Inuyasha moved her the way he wanted her to, guiding her hips from side to side as his own did the same, allowing her to feel and not merely hear what he was saying.

“See,” Inuyasha rumbled in her ear and Kagome shivered, willing her heartbeat to calm and the fierce blush on her face to recede as. “Don’t just listen with your ears, listen with your body. As cheesy as that sounds,” he added and smiled when she released a breathy laugh, gratified when she finally allowed herself to be taken by the beat and let the music command her.

With her eyes closed and so in tune with the melody wrapping around her body, letting it dictate her movements, Kagome was barely aware of Inuyasha stepping back, though he kept a light grip on her hips. She didn’t even understand how, but suddenly it was so easy to move with the rhythm of the beat and soon she lost herself to the notes of one of her favorite songs, smiling now as she danced without a care. It wasn’t a chore, it wasn’t something she felt she had to do at all costs, but a deep desire she hadn’t even been aware she’d harbored.

Standing a few feet away from her, arms crossed and a satisfied grin on his face, Inuyasha watched with half-lidded eyes as she danced like no one was watching, losing herself to the music and even singing along to the lyrics. It was obvious she’d forgotten he was even there, but that was okay. That’s what he’d wanted, for her to forget everything and just have fun, if only for a few minutes.

All right, so he could admit, this wasn’t really a lesson so much as a warm up. He’d caught a few brief glimpses of it earlier when he’d told her to show him what she had, but watching her now, taking in the graceful movements of her body and the smooth way she transitioned each step, it was obvious to him that Kagome was a natural. She knew what to do, or at least her body did; she just needed some fine-tuning, is all, an upgrade to an already seamlessly working piece of machinery. They still had a long way to go of course, but perhaps it wouldn’t be as challenging as he’d originally thought.

He was suddenly really looking forward to the next month or so.

The song ended a moment later and Kagome stood there, legs akimbo, chest popped and shoulders back and her face was beautifully flushed with a bright smile spread across her face. He was gratified to see she didn’t even seem to be that much out of breath either, a testament to her strength and agility, another thing that would make this easier for both of them.

The sound of clapping drew her attention and Kagome turned her head to find Inuyasha standing a little ways a way, a satisfied grin on his face as he clapped, obviously pleased with her performance. Suddenly giddy Kagome giggled and gave an exaggerated bow, sweeping her arms around behind her and she heard his amused chuckle.

“That was great, babydoll,” he praised and ambled toward her. “You’re a fucking natural and with a little guidance from yours truly, we’ll have both men and women drooling after you and you’re gonna show up that bitch Kam-what’s-her-face so good she won’t be able to show her face on campus for fucking weeks.”

With big blue eyes glinting with cautious hope, Kagome peered up at him with a hesitant smile as butterflies abruptly took flight in her belly.

“You really think so?” she asked, for the first time daring to believe that she could do something better than Kamlyn, daring to believe that she could be better, period.

Inuyasha stopped in front of her and smirked arrogantly.

“I know so. Alright, now I’m gonna show you a few basic moves and I want you to follow my lead...”

Part 2

#move your body #part 1 #inuyasha #kagome #inukag #keizfanfiction #fanfiction #i have no idea how long this is gonna be #the document is already 41 pages and im only about half way done lmao #anyway hope you like it!! <3 #also this entire fic stems from my very selfish and self-indulgent desire to write about inuyasha dancing #so there you have it hahahahaa

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bloomara · 5 years

Text

almost safe pt.1 | ha yoonbin

+ pairing: ha yoonbin x y/n (female)

+ word count: 1.7k

+ genre: zombieapocalypse!AU, fluff

+ warnings: violence, le killing of le zombies, some swearing

+ summary: after months of travel, you, yoonbin and your group finally arrive at a community. rumor has it, it is one of the safest in the country, but are those just rumors?

+ parts: pt.1 | pt.2 | —

+ notes: i’ve been wanting to writing a zombie!AU for the LONGEST time and i finally got around to doing it! also: i know for sure that there will be 2 parts, but after that im not sure,, it depends on how many people want more parts!

You tredge behind your group, worn leather boots silent despite the forest ground being covered in fallen branches and crunchy autumn leaves. Your calves are beginning to ache due to the steep incline.

“Y/N!” Jihoon calls back to you, “C’mon, catch up!” You cringe. His voice is startlingly loud in the cautious quiet you had fallen into since you got to the woods. The others whip towards him and shush him.

Yoonbin is behind the group as well, but still several paces ahead of you. He turns and gives you a meek smile. Despite the pulse of pain going down your leg, you return his smile. He falls behind until he’s walking next to you. His presence is familiar, calming.

“We’re almost there,” he says, taking your hands in his. “Hyunsuk says it should be just over this hill.”

You nod, relieved. Your group had been walking through this forest all day. You first left camp at the crack of dawn. The sun was just rising over the far horizon, it’s orange and gold rays threatening to spill over the edge of the world. Now, it was behind you, and you were afraid that it would set before you made it to the new community.

If there is a community at all, that is. It was, of course, only a rumor. A rumor that had been passed on from person to person for who knows how long. Realistically, it could have gone down months ago and no one would have really known it.

You were so preoccupied in your thoughts that you didn’t noticed you were on the top of the hill until you bump into Doyoung. He doesn’t care, his eyes fixed on the land below the hill.

“It’s real,” he says, his voice nothing more than a soft whisper. “It’s actually real.”

You look up and your breath leaves you. At the bottom of the hill, there was a community. From this angle, you could see dozens of buildings, with up to three storeys. You could see a large patch of green, which you could only assume was a garden. All of this was surrounded by two rows of barriers — concrete, then wire fencing. It was an impressive setup.

You were was close enough that you could see a few people walking around, so small they could have been ants.

Behind the wire fence, patrolling the entrance attached to a rough, narrow road, were armed guards. There were three from what you could see.

One of them— a man, you could tell— froze when he saw your group. Even from this distance you could see his rifle shift in his hand. Yoonbin, noticing this at the same time as you, quickly lifted his hand in the air, a signal of goodwill. A moment passed and you held your breath.

You didn’t know these people. You didn’t know what they were like. It was a stupid idea, you thought, to go into the community head-on, completely blind. You should have scouted the place first, before you made your presence known.

You curl your fingers around the bottom of Yoonbin’s black windbreaker and are just about to pull him away when the man lifts his hand in return.

The boys around you grin. They start heading down the hill towards the tall fences.

Yoonbin looks at you, amused at your hand still on him. “Hey, it’s gonna be fine” he says calmly, seeing your frown.

You chew your lip, anxiety creeping up your neck. “What if it’s not?”

He rubs your arm softly, trying to calm you down. “Then we get out of there. If anything happens, or we sense that something’s off, we leave.”

You stare up at him, eyebrows creasing. “You say that like its easy.”

His smile is gentle, but his voice is only mildly exasperated. “Y/N.” He kisses your forehead. You close your eyes and lean into his touch. “We don’t know what it’s like until we go there and find out. If we need to leave, we’ll find a way out. We always do.”

You nod into the curve of his neck, mumbling an “okay” into his jacket.

Together, you make your way down the hill.

When you get to the gate, the man from before meets you at the entrance. You’re shocked at how young he is. From up close, you can tell that he was only around your age, maybe a year or two older. You were expecting a man far older than you. For some unknown reason, the sight of someone in their youth patrolling an area with a weapon still shocked you, despite being nearly a year and a half into the apocalypse.

He approaches your group cautiously, rifle in hand. “Here for sanctuary?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Hyunsuk answered, stepping forward.

He frowns, looking your group over. You suddenly feel insecure.

You knew that your camo pants were splattered in mud and was stained in blood no matter how hard you scrubbed. Your face was probably covered in sweat and dirt and blood. You also knew that everyone else in your group looked like that, too. You probably looked like a group of frenzied children who had been living in the woods for years, away from modern civilization. In a way, you kind of were.

This boy, on the other hand, could have passed for a completely normal kid, if it weren’t for the bulletproof vest and gun in his hand. You could tell that his clothing was decently clean. The only scuffed up part of him was his combat boots, worn for months, probably, and covered in blood and mud. At least you had that in common.

But he seemed completely unfazed by your appearances, rather taking in your statures, the way you all stood with your shoulders barely touching, the way your hands rested on the handles of your weapons, ready to jump to action the second it called. The way you glanced at one another, reading one another’s expressions with ease.

You thought you saw him nod in approval. Maybe he’d been there, too— once a part of a group who had been through hell together, quite literally. Who supported and protected each other no matter what.

“Alright, then.” He gestured to the other guard. She was tall with short cropped blonde hair, a mean scar running down her throat. She eyed them suspiciously, but helped him pull the fence aside. “Come on in. I’m Junkyu, by the way. We have safety precautions we have to follow before you enter the community.”

“Like what?” Yoonbin asks.

Junkyu doesn’t answer. He leads you through the entrance. In the middle of the concrete wall is a single heavy metal door. As he approaches it, it buzzes, and he swings it open. He holds it, waiting for you to move.

Everyone is visibly hesitant. You chew your lip nervously, your hand gripping the knife strapped to your thigh. Hyunsuk strides forward, trying to look as confident as possible, and goes in first. The rest of your group follows.

As you walk through the door, you make eye contact with Junkyu. He smiles kindly.

On the other side of the wall, the sun seems to shine brighter. Maybe it was just you, but the colours looked more vibrant, and you could hear distant chatter and laughter.

A man approaches you, far older than Junkyu. “Weapons before entering.”

You look at him incredulously. “You’re taking our weapons?” You exclaim.

”Those are the rules.”

Junkyu is beside the man now. “In order to keep the citizens of our community safe, all weapons are prohibited. We’ve had too many incidents where fights break out between armed men, and you know how they always end. Nothing personal.”

“Hyunsuk?” Jihoon says. You will only follow those rules if Hyunsuk says to.

After a moment of thought, he sighs. He begins unstrapping his holster. “Their community, their rules.”

Mildly disappointed, you take off your weapons. All you had on you was your pistol and a combat knife. You handed that over. After they passed a metal detector over you, you were deemed “clean” and allowed to pass through the final gate. You waited for the others.

You felt naked and vulnerable without your weapons. You were now faced with the fear that if anything were to go wrong, you didn’t have anything on you to defend yourself. Except maybe your belt, and that was a big maybe.

And, of course, your group. You, Yoonbin, Hyunsuk, Jihoon and Doyoung. You could protect each other. It was times like this, you realized, that having strong bonds with the people around mattered the most. This eased your mind.

You watched in amusement as Yoonbin proceeded to basically empty his pockets of weapons. The semiautomatic strapped to his back came off first, then the machete on his chest. He pulled his holster off, containing his pistol, then fished his combat knife out of his boot. Finally, then came the derringer. He placed it all on the table, and stood beside you.

You hear the metal detector go off.

Jihoon smiles nervously at the young girl with the detector, who gives him an exasperated look.

“All of your weapons, please and thank you.”

“Would you believe me if I told you they put metal in my hip when I was a baby?”

“No, I wouldn’t.” She says. When Jihoon does make a move to remove whatever it is that set off the device, she stares him down. Despite being a head smaller than him, her eyes could pierce.

“Fine, it’s my belt!!” Jihoon exclaims. He lifts up his jacket to reveal a thick chain wrapped in his belt loop. “It’s literally just a belt.”

“Take it off!”

“If you want me to undress for you, you could just ask.” Jihoon flirts back.

She is clearly unimpressed. With one hard stamp of her metal-toed boots, Jihoon yelps and clutches his foot. Finally, he unwraps the chain. Turns out, the chain was very long, maybe three feet in length, and very much a weapon. He drops it in her hand.

He sheepishly shrugs at you, and you roll your eyes.

“Okay! I’ll give you the grand tour.” Junkyu suddenly appears at your side, gesturing outwards.

You swallow the hard lump in your throat and follow him. There was no turning back now.

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bigskydreaming · 5 years

Text

Okay, so still trying to figure out rent and just taking a little break to eat lunch, and like, breathe, lol, but unfortunately still not all that close to solving that. I’ve only gotten one donation, which while much appreciated! does not really change the situation as much as I need. However, I did have another idea, though its fairly weird and unconventional. Look, I’m going outside of the box here people. I left the box behind months ago. LOL. Everything is outside of the box these days, so expect the weird and unconventional. This is the blog of a desperate man!

One still preoccupied with fandom and discourse nonsense, because like, I need to at least fake having a life outside of constant desperation, lmfao, but like...still very much a desperate man, and so these posts aren’t gonna stop reeking of desperation and ridiculous requests anytime soon, lolol. I don’t blame anyone for unfollowing at any time, and hey if you do, please consider checking back in a year or so to see if I’ve like...become closer to non-ridiculous in the time since, but like. Hey, I get it. Some of these posts get weird and desperate and that’s not anyone’s idea of a happy fun time. I’ve made a deal with the universe though. When IT stops being ridiculous to me, I’ll stop being ridiculous too.

Anyway.

So after wasting most of the day trying to get on the actual phone with someone at Apple who knows how their card actually works and why it does and doesn’t do various things, I ended up with the not super helpful answer that there just IS no way to do what I was trying to do with it. Because its so unconventional, part of the way the Apple Card works is that like, Apple has direct relationships with each of the places they’ve worked it out to let it be used like a normal credit card, so the fact that it is technically a Mastercard doesn’t mean as much as I’d hoped. Because one of the places they DON’T have specific angles negotiated with is Paypal itself, so like....you can use a side function of the Apple Card called Apple Cash Pay (basically the cash back feature attached to the credit card as part of its offer)...like that, you can transfer to and via Paypal....but the actual card itself, Paypal won’t accept as a valid credit card. Even though it is in every other way, lol. SIGH. So bottom line, there just is no way for me to send money to myself via that card and then transfer from there to my bank.

SO! Outside the box thinking, here’s where it gets weird if it hadn’t already....the thing is, the card does still work fine and the same as any other card with most online retailers, like Amazon, etc. Which would be great if I needed to buy things from any of them, but as my needs are simple and confined to just food, monthly insurance fees and a roof over my head, and the latter two are not stocked at Amazon or anywhere else....again. The source of my problem.

BUT! If anyone ELSE who’s a mutual or follows me or follows a mutual or just sees this and thinks that hey this guy seems like the real deal and is probably not a scam artist trying to sell me on my rightful inheritance of some overseas country if I just supply my banking information here....lol (trust me, I get and approve of any and all caution)...

Like, point being, if anyone IS willing to jump through a couple fairly simple hoops to make this happen, via message or email or chat or whatever works best for you, and you have like....a sizable purchase you need to make from Amazon or some other major online retailer, like TODAY, like you were already planning on it today or in the next couple of days anyway.....I could input your address as the shipping address, show you screenshots of that before proceeding so you can verify its all accurate, then make the purchase with my Apple Card, forward you any verification emails/tracking information along with screenshots showing the receipt, tracking information, that it was all accepted and approved of, etc.

And then you can send me the money you were going to use for that purchase via paypal, just by whatever means, like, again Paypal lets you send money with a credit card even, as long as its a ‘normal’ one, lol, its just I’ve literally tapped out both my normal credits this month already, using them to pay this month’s insurance and out of pocket medical bills.

I realize there’s still a sketch factor involved here for anyone who doesn’t like, KNOW me know me, or interact with me regularly, as I don’t think there’s any way around me at least needing A physical address from you to have your purchase sent to, but I mean, I promise to delete that info as soon as its done, for whatever that’s worth. And I definitely promise to forget about it like, five seconds later as hell, I don’t remember the address of the place I lived five years ago. I’m really shitty at addresses or well, anything involving numbers really. Its a thing.

So I mean, I’m aware I’m a loud excitable, umm, passionate guy, let’s go with, who probably shows up on a lot of peoples’ dash in that kind of context more often than not, lol, but I do try my best to come across as trustworthy and true to my word and not out to screw anyone over, even people I actively hate, lol, so....if you’re willing to take a chance on this to help me out, please let me know and we’ll figure out some way to make this work. If you’re on any level concerned about giving me that information or that I might doxx you or some shit in the future, like, there’s really only so much I can do to reassure people that I’m not that kinda guy, so if this is in any way still a doubt or concern for you, I encourage you to not take that chance and subject yourself to that particular ongoing bit of anxiety, like. Trust me. I get it.

I have anxiety issues out the wazoo. I still occasionally fret about my belief that a friend I haven’t talked to in like ten years, like secretly hated me because of some obscure reason when like, who the fuck cares, why does it matter? “Just does,” my brain says, like the helpful bitch it is. So trust me. I TOTALLY get hesitation about this weird ball request, I do NOT begrudge anyone their caution or want to set a precedent for people to be anymore LESS cautious online in any way, shape or form, like its a fucked up internet, lads, take care of yourself, PLEASE.

Again, this is simply the out of wedlock love child of desperation plus outside the box thinking equals ridiculous requests! So....it is what it is, lol, I’m not pretending its anything other than that. But anyone who doesn’t mind what it is and wants to help me out, lemme know! As soon as possible, if at all possible, as I can see the manager’s office from my window and he is definitely eyeing my door with Intent at this point.

(Oh yeah and because its always my most time-pertinent posts that end up still in circulation years after they’re relevant, this post is time stamped 3 pm, Pacific time, October 17th, 2019, lololol. That is the particular time of urgency. Any future readers of this post in the year 2023, I appreciate your concern, but like, I hopefully don’t still need you to hit me up about this at that point, lolol).

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popatochisssp · 5 years

Text

Make Your Mark, 1/10

Series: Undertale Relationship(s): Sans/Reader, Sans & Papyrus Chapter Warnings: none

AO3 Link

In a world where soulmates exist, monsters and humans have one thing in common: the first time two soulmates touch, a mark randomly appears somewhere--anywhere-- on their bodies to represent their match.

It still doesn't make relationships easier...but maybe it does make them a little more interesting!

“DON’T YOU BEND SPACE-TIME ON ME, SANS! AND FAR LESS LIKELY, DON’T YOU DARE RUN EITHER!”

Sans was certainly not considering anything so childish…not the least because Papyrus was too fast for him and had already caught him by the hood of his jacket.

Still, he did keep trying to pull away, awkwardly batting at his brother’s hand trying to make him let go.

“c’mon, Pap,” he pleaded, “it’s fine, just leave it…”

Papyrus wasn’t having any of it. “IT’S BEEN AT LEAST TWO MONTHS,” he snapped, tugging harder and nearly yanking Sans right off his mattress. “THIS THING IS FILTHY AND I’M GOING TO WASH IT. ACCEPT YOUR FATE!”

To go hoodie-less? For as much as an hour? Maybe more?

“death before dishonor,” Sans said, and proceeded to go limp—a sudden dead-weight that made Papyrus stagger forward a step if his sputtering was any indication.

“OH MY GOD, SANS, ARE YOU REALLY THIS CHILDISH?” he demanded. “I COMPLETELY BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE, BUT I WANT YOU TO THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT THE KIND OF PERSON YOU’RE BEING RIGHT NOW!”

“heheheh… that’s what sh—”

“IF YOU SAY ‘THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID,’ SANS, I SWEAR, I’M GOING TO—”

Whatever he was going to threaten, Sans never found out.

Papyrus gasped and suddenly, Sans was facedown on the bed, unceremoniously dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Confused, Sans tried to sit up and turn to see what caused that reaction, only for Papyrus to catch him by the shoulders and keep him turned around.

“uhhh…Papyrus?” he asked a little helplessly. “what—”

“SHUT UP!” Papyrus exclaimed. “OH MY GOD??? SANS! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?!”

Sans frowned, confusion mounting. “be…cause…i have no idea what you’re talkin’ about…?”

He knows his brother pretty well by now and he can physically feel Papyrus’ look of disbelief from behind him.

“YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN IT?!”

“…no?” Sans laughed. “what, did i lay in somethin’? big, terrible stain that i definitely need to take off my hoodie for, or…?”

Papyrus tsk-ed. “FORGET YOUR FITLHY HOODIE, SANS, THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT!”

Before the shock could even set in—the eternal neat-freak that was Papyrus so swiftly brushing off the dirty jacket Sans had been wearing for two and a half months— Sans heard the unmistakable click of a photo and a phone being shoved in his face.

It took Sans an embarrassingly long time to realize what he was looking at.

His own vertebrae, a little blurry from the lightning speed at which Papyrus had taken the picture, but not unidentifiably so.

And right there, swooping and twisting across his C7 innocent as can be, is an infinity symbol.

His soulmark.

“wh…”

He tries to form a sentence, even just a single word, but finds himself…utterly speechless.

Sans never thought…

Sure, soulmates were a thing, people found them all the time, but he wasn’t… he didn’t…

He suddenly realizes that he never thought he’d be one of them. He has no plan for this; not even a reaction.

As always, Papyrus seemed ready to bail him out.

“CAN YOU THINK OF WHEN IT MIGHT’VE HAPPENED?” he asks.

Slowly, still staring at the picture, Sans shakes his head.

No, he has no idea.

He can’t remember touching anyone new in months and even then…in such a weird spot, the mark could’ve showed up years ago and he’d have been none the wiser.

He wavers on the edge of defeatism for a moment—of course, this is more like it, a soulmate he had only to never know them, opportunity snatched away right in front of him once again, just like always—but Papyrus asks another question.

“WHAT ABOUT THE MARK?” he prompts. “DOES IT…REMIND YOU OF ANYONE? CAN YOU THINK OF WHO IT MIGHT BE FOR?”

And, oh…

Oh…

He can.

There is someone, somebody that comes to mind right away—a beautiful laugh and warm eyes and a feeling of hope that’s been painfully elusive until…

“yeah,” he says out loud. “i think…i think maybe……”

There’s really only one person in his skull when Sans even dares to think about ‘forever.’

And you’re just a shortcut away.

You startle pretty badly when Sans suddenly appears in your living room.

“Sans!” you snap at him, protectively holding your bowl to your chest. “Don’t do that, I almost spilled my popcorn!”

It gives you pause when the pun you’re expecting just…doesn’t come. You take a closer look at the skeleton standing before you and frown.

Sans looks tense, to say the least. His shoulders are stiff and his permanent grin is tight and the lights in his eye-sockets won’t quite meet your gaze.

“…Sans?” you try, a little more gently. “Are you… is everything okay?”

“uh. yeah,” he says. “yeah, it’s…m’fine…”

“You don’t sound fine.”

You set your popcorn aside and get up, walking over to him.

“Seriously,” you insist, “what’s up? You know you can talk to me, right? We’re friends.”

And nothing more. No matter what you…

That's not important.

“…yeah. yeah, i know.”

Sans finally looks at you and you spare half a second to feel self-conscious—you weren’t planning on seeing anybody today and you’re only dressed for a solo movie-marathon, in sweats and as minimally groomed as you’ve ever been—but if something’s wrong, you know that doesn’t matter either.

Sans’ eye-lights shrink a little. “i, uh…i……found somethin’…today…jus’ now, actually, heheh…”

That’s…much too vague for you to work with. “Yeah…?” you prompt.

And he says the words that make your heartbeat stutter.

“a soulmark.”

………oh.

You’d known, in the back of your mind, that…this…was only a matter of time. In the few short years since monsters hit the surface, people were finding their matches all the time, and somebody like Sans… funny and kind and effortlessly charming… Of course he had a soulmate out there for him, even if…

Even if it wasn’t you, the way he was yours.

You’d been quietly devastated when you found your mark and went days, weeks, months without hearing a single thing from the skeleton you knew it’d come from. Mismatches were rare, but they happened and…you’d done your best to make peace with the fact that you were one such unlucky case.

Your skin still feels unaccountably hot right where you know your soulmark to be and your heart aches a little in your chest.

“O-oh,” you manage to get out, sounding mostly normal, “that’s great! Who, uh…who are they? Do I know them?”

Sans’ grin inexplicably goes a little crooked, sweat starting to bead along his skull.

“shit, i hope so,” he mutters. Then louder, “actually, i…i think i probably musta had it…awhile? it’s…um…hard to look at…”

You frown again. “Is it really that bad?”

“heheheheheh…no, it’s, y’know, it’s literally hard to look at. ’less if i were an owl or somethin’, i guess.”

Sans turns, putting his back to you and tugging his hood down a little further and you get what he means.

The bright little infinity stamped on the knobby vertebra of his neck is beautiful.

You’re already jealous.

You remember his words, ‘i hope so,’ and think you know why he’s here: he wants your help figuring out who his soulmate might be because maybe you know them, and that hurts like hell, but you’re going to give it to him.

If nothing else, Sans is your friend and he deserves to be happy.

“Okay… alright, um…do you have any leads?” you ask.

“yeah.”

“………” Sans doesn’t say anything else, though, just staring at you. “And…?”

“and i’m here.”

Duh, you can see that—but how are you supposed to help if he doesn’t tell you anything?

You don’t realize what he’s saying until he starts to squirm under your gaze, sweating even worse than before and backtracking.

“i…! i mean! i don’t…s’not like i know for sure, uhh…i just…maybe you don’t, actually…an’ that’s fine, ‘cause i still…! even if you don’t, uh…have one, you’re my…we’re pals, obviously, an’ i like that, i like it a lot, i just kinda hoped maybe…maybe………”

Your heart does more than stutter when it dawns on you. It actually feels like it full-on stops, just for a second.

Your voice is hushed and tight with hope and disbelief as you say, “You think it’s me…?”

Sans swallows audibly and you still have no idea how that works, but then he says, “i hope it’s you,” and your face begins to feel very warm.

It’s nothing compared to your soulmark though, which is definitely starting to feel like it’s actually on fire.

“it’s…really okay if it’s…not the same for, for you,” Sans says, even as an unmistakably dejected look comes over his skull. “i just…y’know, i couldn’t think of anybody else it’d be, an’ you…you deserve to know that you, uh…that you’re………”

His cheekbones start to color an embarrassed blue.

“heheheh, may’ve jumped the gun a little on this one,” he admits. “i’ll just—”

“No!”

Sans’ eye-sockets go wide at your outburst and you hasten to clarify.

“You didn’t, it’s not, you’re…!” Your emotions feel like a flood, too strong to weather, and you find yourself floundering for words.

But you can’t just not say anything, you need to make Sans understand, and there’s only one way you can think of.

You grab the waistband of your sweatpants and start to tug them down.

You didn’t think Sans’ sockets could go any wider, but they do.

He says your name, sounding kind of alarmed and a lot flustered, but you cut him off.

“No, shut up, it’s, just look!”

You don’t pull your pants down far—just enough to expose the modest little shooting star that Sans unwittingly marked you with, streaking across your rear in cyan-blue.

His eye-lights disappear entirely when he spots it.

There’s dead silence for only a few seconds, and then…

“…heheheh…hahahahahaha, i was expectin’ a full moon, not a star.”

You resist the urge to sigh.

Yeeep…

Even as you jerk your pants back up, you have to press your lips together to keep from smiling while Sans’ grin gets brighter and broader.

“gotta say, that really eclipses my reveal, doesn’t it?” He snickers a little. “little relieved, though, comin’ over here like i did, thought you’d think i was a lunar somethin’.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you say, “get ‘em all out now.”

“oh, don’t worry,” Sans assures you, “this’ll be a quick phase, i won’t get too cheeky.”

You huff and storm over to your couch, mostly to hide the fact that you’re definitely smiling.

“This is how I knew it was yours,” you say, plopping down and scooping up your popcorn bowl. “Endless pun potential.”

You pointedly don’t jump when Sans appears right beside you, but the sassy comment you were gearing up to make dies on your tongue when you look at him.

His expression is so…soft, so warm. One of his hands is rubbing idly at the back of his neck and all he says to you is, “yeah. endless.”

Oh…oh, hell.

Face feeling hot again, you whip towards the TV and wordlessly cue up the movie you were going to watch before Sans wandered in and turned your whole day upside down and put this stupid fluttering feeling in your stomach.

Sans shamelessly shovels some of your popcorn into his mouth and asks, “wha’are we wa’in’?”

“A movie,” you reply flatly.

Thankfully, he swallows before speaking this time. “no way, i love those, how’d you know?”

You decide not to dignify that with a response.

“aw, c’mon,” he says, smiling wide and nudging you in the ribs, “you’re not still mad about the punnin’, are ya’? i don’t want ya’ to be mad on our first date ‘cause you were the butt of the joke for awhile.”

“…Pfft!”

Your poker-face shatters and you burst out laughing.

You don’t resist when Sans throws an arm around you and tugs you to his side, or protest when he blatantly shifts the popcorn to his lap instead of yours.

Your first date with your soulmate…

You think you can put up with a lot for that.

#undertale #fanfiction #make your mark #sans #papyrus #sans/reader #myfic

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kimnamjooonz · 5 years

Text

London Calling - Chapter 4

Hey Bucky

Introducing in this chapter:

This man:

And this one:

Songs used in this chapter:

Hey Jude - The Beatles

London, December 2016

Another day in the office. The only good thing of that day was that it was Friday. However, Celine wasn’t in her best mood. Work was monotonous, to say the least and she was frustrated with her investigation: she seemed to be going nowhere. It was a week before Christmas holidays which was a relief. Even though Celine had never celebrated Christmas, and this year was not going to be an exception, she was looking forward for the free days even if they involved Matilde decorating the house in a manner that Celine found distasteful. Everything Christmassy was awful to her. She was mumbling one of those pop songs that Matilde listened to and Celine didn’t know the name while finally leaving the office. She just wanted to sleep through all the weekend. ‘’Hey, hey hey’’ she heard Matilde’s voice calling her. She had the biggest smile on her face. ‘’I have the best news to tell you. I’ll tell you on the way’’ she pulled Celine by her sleeve. ‘’The way to were?’’ Celine asked, not understanding a thing of what Matilde wanted to tell her. ‘’Let me tell you the story first’’ she followed Matilde wherever she wanted to go. ‘’Do you remember my aunt Francisca?’’ ‘’How can I forget her. She lives right next our door’’ Matilde’s aunt had quite an interesting love life that the girls couldn’t fail to see. She and her Georgie were quite the couple. ‘’Well, she made up her mind. She’s leaving to Chicago next week with his super rich boyfriend. Georgie, of course. Hell, he’s like twenty years younger than her’’ even though the gossip was fun, Celine didn’t know where the story involved her. ‘’And…?’’ ‘’Well…’’ Matilde’s smile grew bigger. ‘’She asked me if you’re still interested in acquiring a house in London because she’s selling hers. If she contacts a real estate agency the process will take a lot of time but if she sells it to you, you’ll have a house by next week.’’ Celine stopped to think. That was too good to be true. ‘’You’ll get a house for a quarter of the normal price. My aunt just wants to sell it quickly. In common circumstances, a nice house in Chelsea is unaffordable.’’ Celine knew all about that. She had been looking for affordable places to live that weren’t the size of a shoe box and she had not been lucky. Until now, that she was about to get a pretty house in Chelsea for less than half the price. She wanted to send flowers to Georgie and Francisca. ‘’Tell me we’re on the way to meet her right now’’ Celine was literally jumping with excitement. ‘’Of course, miss’’

Two hours later they were at the Pig Ear, Matilde’s favourite pub, celebrating. Celine was so happy that she was in the mood for a pint of beer even if she knew she’d have to deal with the drunkness afterwards. Damn the alcohol intolerance. There was a band playing covers of The Beatles and Celine was singing in a low voice while she finished with the beer. Matilde was already drinking her fourth pint. ‘’You’ll miss my Chris Evans picture’’ ‘’Yeah, I feel the heartbreak already’’ Celine said with sarcasm. As much as she loved Matilde, she was happy to get her own place, at last. She wanted to have a cat, something she couldn’t do with Matilde who was allergic. And not having to look at that Evans guy picture every day was a bonus. When Celine realised that she was singing louder than before knew that it was time to go. She didn’t want to end up singing on the tables, like one embarrassing time in Cambridge. ‘’I thought you were never going to finish’’ she had drank five pints and was really tipsy. On the way back was doing a weird sort of dance while singing a very out of tune version of Hey Jude. ‘’Hey Jude… don’t make it bad… take a sad song and make it better REMEMBER to let her into your heart… then you can start to make it better’’ Some verses later both of them were shouting the lyrics. ‘’… REMEMBER TO LET HER UNDER YOUR SKIN THEN YOU CAN START TO MAKE IT BETTER, BETTER, BETTER, AGGHH NANANANANANA HEY JUDE’’ They were attracting glances from the people on the street but for once Celine didn’t care. She was too happy. Stumbling, both of them got into the house. ‘’I think I’m drunk’’ said Matilde crashed on the couch and turned on the TV ‘’Celine, look, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is on’’. Celine glanced at the screen where there was a guy with blue eyes and long hair who was apparently being under some sort of torture. Celine was seeing double so she didn’t look at the screen for so long. ‘’That’s Bucky Barnes played by the brilliant Sebastian Stan. Very handsome as you can see. I’d sell my soul just for a taste of him’’ Celine laughed. Not even drunk she would think things like that about a fictional character. ‘’I leave you in his company. I’m going to bed before I can’t climb the stairs’’ She laughed again when she saw Matilde hugging the air, probably imagining it was that Becky guy. Or Bucky or whatever his godforsaken name was. Laughing, she crashed in her bad and fell asleep.

Somewhere in New York, at the same exact time.

‘’Sebastian, darling, you auditioned for this role, which is very big and now you don’t want to take it’’. Sebastian was in a reunion with his agent who was trying to convince him to take a role he had auditioned for a couple of months ago. It was the lead role for an important production. ‘’I told you before’’ he complained ‘’I don’t want to go abroad for eight months, it’s crazy’’ this was only one of the reasons for his reluctance. ‘’It’s just six months. Take this chance. It’ll boost your career’’. ‘’I don’t know anyone there. And I don’t want to live in a hotel for eight months. Think about that, Emily, it’s crazy’’. ‘’Six months, Sebastian. And you don’t have to live in a hotel. I know that some of your Marvel buddies live there so you can stay with them’’. Sebastian was horrified with imagining living six months with someone like Tom Holland. He wouldn’t last a week. ‘’But I don’t know anything about the background history of the movie’’ he was desperately trying to find some reasons. ‘’There are books about it, I know you like to read. If not, the Wikipedia is always there’’. Sebastian was frustrated. Emily always had a solution to everything. It was literally impossible to win an argument against her. ‘’What if I need to see my therapist or my personal trainer?’’ Emily was doing her best to remain patient. Sebastian could be difficult sometimes. ‘’There are therapists, personal trainers, restaurants, parks, fire fighters, doctors, politicians… everything you want, Sebastian’’. He was running out of reasons and to be honest, he didn’t know why he was saying no. It was a big chance and he had left home for long periods of time before. It wasn’t as if he had someone to tie him to New York, apart from his mother. He didn’t even have a girlfriend as his last one had left him many months ago. No, the real reason was that he was insecure about the role being too big for him. ‘’Sebastian’’ Emily was looking at him with a serious but kind expression ‘’You know I want the best for you. And this role is. Take this chance, you won’t regret it’’. She was right, he had to admit it. And he had been chosen for this role for a reason. If he did it well, he’d career would take a boost. If he did it bad, well, he still had a nine movie contract with Marvel so he won’t be unemployed. ‘’Suppose that I’m doing this, when do I leave?’’ ‘’Next year. From March to September’’. Being serious, the idea wasn’t so bad. He’ll meet new people, at least. Who knew what would happen. ‘’Okay I’ll do it’’ Emily smiled, relieved, and gave him the contract. Without thinking it twice, he stamped his signature on the contract.

Chelsea, London.

Celine suddenly woke up after a weird dream. There was a wolf in it. Damn alcohol, she always had weird dreams whenever she drank. Once she had dreamed that she was a mermaid. She didn’t even like mermaids in the first place. ‘’I need tea’’ she mumbled to the empty room. Downstairs, Matilde had fallen asleep on the couch hugging a pillow. Celine tried not to laugh. The Captain America film was still playing. Celine could tell that because she recognised the long haired guy from before. It was either a really long film or it had a sequel. In silence she drank a cup of herbal tea while watching the TV. There were a lot of people with weird costumes fighting each other in an airport. Celine had no idea what was this about. She had got lost with the scene even though she had no idea what was going on. When her eyelids started to drop she started her way back to bed again ‘’I knew that deep inside you liked these films’’ Matilde spoke from behind her back. ‘’Yes, I was mesmerised by Becky’’ Celine said with sarcasm. ‘’It’s Bucky’’ she tried to stand up for the couch but ended up on the floor. Celine helped her to stand up not before laughing at loud. Not saying a single word Matilde fell asleep on the couch. Taking all the time in world she went back to her room. She couldn’t fall asleep again because she had the strange feeling that something was going to change by some reason she was unaware of. She related these thoughts with the alcohol consumption or maybe with the fact that she was going to get a permanent place to live. And a good one. Tomorrow is going to be a good day, she thought. There was nothing to worry about.

Manhattan, New York.

When Anthony arrived to his friend Sebastian’s place he found him next to the big window in his living room, in a phone conversation with someone and listening to Celine Dion at full volume. Anthony had no idea what was on Sebastian’s mind. Maybe this was a weird technique to get into character for his next role. Or he was being his usual melodramatic self. It was a challenge not to laugh, he looked ready to be in an Adele music video. ‘’…I’ll miss you to but I’m not leaving yet, I leave the second week of March of next year’’ he was saying. Anthony wondered where he was leaving. ‘’Mom, I’m sorry but I can’t go to spend Christmas with you, I’ll be in Atlanta… no, mom, I promise I’ll see you before I leave… bye… love you’’ He hung up and finally focused on Anthony. ‘’What on earth is happening to you?’’ Anthony asked him. ‘’What’s wrong?’’ Sebastian looked around, trying to find something out of normality. ‘’You look like you’ve made the worst mistake of your life and you’re listening to Celine Dion like a dramatic fool!’’ ‘’What’s wrong?’’ he asked again. ‘’I like Celine. But you’re right, I think I’ve made a mistake’’. He looked quite thoughtful. Anthony just wanted to hear the whole story. After a while he started talking. ‘’Look, I got the lead role for a huge movie that I think it’s too big for me. Apart from that I have to go abroad for like eight months and if that wasn’t enough I have to do a lot of research that I’m seriously planning to leave for the last minute’’. Anthony waited until Sebastian finished his rant to ask all the questions he had in his mind. ‘’When you say ‘abroad’ where are you exactly going? You sound as if they’re sending you to Siberia’’. ‘’Just London’’ Anthony couldn’t believe it. All of this drama because he was going to London. Not the Sahara desert or the North Pole or the Amazonia. Just London. ‘’What’s wrong with London? You’ll have to pull a perfect accent?’’ Sebastian just nodded. ‘’Good luck with that’’ he tried again not to laugh. ‘’You can talk and talk to Hiddleston. Sooner or later you’ll end up talking like him’’. Sebastian shot him a death glare. ‘’Don’t get mad, man, you were casted for a reason now go there and do your job. They’ll pay you pretty well so stop complaining. Who knows what’s expecting you in London’’. Sebastian had to admit that Anthony was right. Not that he was doing this for the money, he just loved acting but he was just scared, like any normal person. ‘’Why don’t we go out?’’ Anthony proposed. ‘’To a pub or somewhere else. Maybe you can meet someone’’. ‘’Not in the mood, sorry’’ Sebastian was still looking at the roof with an unreadable expression. Anthony’s patience was running out. He wanted to shake Sebastian by the shoulders and shout at him to pull himself together, that he was good enough for the role. ‘’You’re never in the mood. Haven’t you been alone too long?’’ ‘’Just some months and I’m perfectly fine with it’’ he was being totally honest. ‘’And in three months I’m leaving to Britain and I don’t want to leave anyone behind, I feel guilty enough of leaving my mom already’’ ‘’Do me a favour, Sebastian’’ Anthony was looking at him with a serious expression ‘’When you’re in London don’t isolate yourself. Go and talk to someone. A nice girl in coffee shop, someone that’s sitting beside you on the tube, an old woman in a park, I mean, anyone, whoever you want to. Who knows who you’ll end up meeting’’ ‘’The love of my freaking life’’ Sebastian said with all the sarcasm he could muster. Anthony just couldn’t stand him anymore.

P.S I relate to Celine. The girl got a house. In THIS economy.

And I spent all day laughing at Rami Malek falling at the Oscars. I know I shouldn’t have but it was just too good.

And finally Sebastian made his entrance in this story.

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thotful-writing · 5 years

Text

A Devil Like Jesus (3)

Reader/Seed Brothers

Ch 1 Ch 2

Description: After your not-so-discrete kiss with Joseph he had another vision about you, this time changing things about your future.

Warnings: Smut, Kidnapping, Murder

Your most recent wound began to heal, though you couldn’t see the tramp stamp, you knew it said ‘lust’. It had been a few days since any of the brothers had been in to bother you. You decided to get some exercise, being down in that basement was driving you crazy. You dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups.

“What are you doing?” You heard John’s voice over the intercom.

“I’m… entering in the… Hope County… Beauty Pageant. The fuck… does it look like?” Though you couldn’t see him, you heard him sigh and could tell he was rolling his eyes at you.

“Why are you doing push-ups?”

“Because… I need… to be ready… when I… escape from you… and your… creepy ass stalker… surveillance system.” You finished and stood up.

“It’s not creepy.” You could hear a tinge of sadness in his voice.

“Did you need something or-“ You began doing jumping jacks.

The intercom went silent and you didn’t hear from him for then next few hours. You wondered how often he watched you or checked in on you, but the thought just weirded you out, so you pushed it from your mind. Over the next few days John had resorted to only speaking to you over the intercom and not having any physical contact with you, you’d never admit it to him, but you were starting to miss his dumb handsome face. He had followers bring you food and things like that, but he only spoke to you over the intercom.

“Do you think bugs dream?” John’s voice crackled over the intercom.

“I really don’t care.”

“What would they dream about?”

“John, I’m trying to sleep. Leave me the fuck alone.” You shouted and covered your head with a pillow, but he turned the volume up and continued to pester you the rest of the night.

He continued day and night, you started to wonder if he had recorded himself and was just playing it on a loop.

“What are you wearing right now?” His voice echoed through the room.

“You can see me, I literally haven’t changed clothes in two days.”

“Describe it to me.” His voice was low.

“Are you really trying to have intercom sex right now?”

“No… Maybe. Would you be into that?”

You rolled your eyes and ignored him. You continued to workout to keep your mind on something other than the room you were trapped in. You wondered what their next move would be, hopefully not just psychological torture from John, because honestly if it continued, you’d probably beg for Atonement. You were pacing the room when you heard footsteps, you backed against the wall and put your hands behind you per your usual routine now. You expected to see John coming to punish you for something, but instead it was Jacob.

“The fuck do you want?” You spat out more harshly than you meant to.

“Is that any way to talk to your new sparring partner?” He said as he entered the room.

“You? Ha, John would be a better sparring partner, you look like you’re about to keel over any minute old man. I don’t want to be blamed for your death just yet.”

“Funny. How about this, you win I’ll let you go.” He removed his jacket and draped it over the chair.

“And how would that work? John isn’t exactly going to let me walk out of here.”

“Let me worry about little Johnny. Do we have a deal?”

“Not quite, what do you get if you win?” You began stretching your arms trying to loosen your muscles.

“When I win, I’m going to fuck that smart mouth of yours. You passed out last time before I could collect my winnings.”

“Alright, deal.” You thought about it for a moment, you did need the practice, and if anything, he might actually die which would check one Seed off the list. You stepped forward, bringing your fists up in front of you.

Jacob towered over you, you knew if you were going to knock him out again it would take patience and all of your energy. Last time he was distracted, and you had run circles around him. You limited your movements, moving back and forth in front of him, he kept his eye on you as you moved around. Without warning he lunged at you, hitting you square in the stomach causing you to double over.

“Fuck.” You choked out.

“Get up.” He commanded.

You straightened up and took a deep breath, turning your pain into anger. You moved around him a bit before faking him with your left and hitting him in the jaw with your right. He staggered back a bit and held his hand up to his face.

“Hit him harder.” John’s voice rang over the intercom.

You both looked up at the intercom on the ceiling, “Seriously? She’s supposed to be the enemy, John. You can’t root for her.”

“He’s rooting for the obvious winner. Thanks, Johnny.” You said sweetly.

You both returned your focus to each other, now knowing you had an audience you didn’t want to disappoint. You cracked your neck and got back into your stance. Jacob swung at you, you moved out of the way, dodging it, bringing your foot up to land a kick on his side. You could see the rage burning through him with each hit you landed, but you got cocky and went to say something to John, that’s when Jacob punched you in the chest and then landed a hard hit to the side of your face, knocking you to the floor. You stayed down gasping for air, feeling like your chest had caved in.

“Seeds: 2, Sinner: 1” John narrated.

"Seeds: 2?" You furrowed your brow.

"Yeah, I'm counting the other day when he knocked you out." His voice cracked over the intercom.

Jacob reached down and grabbed a handful of your hair, jerking your face up to look at him.

“I’ll be collecting my winnings now.” He smirked.

“Fine. Just give me a second to catch my breath before you shove your dick in my mouth.” You were still a bit winded.

Jacob released your hair and sat down on the edge of the bed waiting on you. After a few minutes you were able to stand and breath properly and made your way over to Jacob. He grabbed the waist band of your pants and pulled you against him, you reached down and grabbed his face with your hand before forcefully kissing him. He grabbed a handful of your hair and pulled you down to your knees in front of him. You glared at him as you made short work of his belt and zipper, pulling his already hard cock free, the oldest and youngest Seed brother more alike than they knew, both got off on causing pain to others.

Even though he won fair and square, that didn’t mean you couldn’t still mess with him. His eyes watched you intensely as you leaned forward and lightly gripped his cock then pressed your lips to the tip of it ever-so softly. He groaned at the feeling, his hand relaxing it’s grip on your hair. You dragged your tongue up from the base of his cock slowly as you stroked him. You sucked and licked the tip, swirling your tongue around it, teasing him, not giving him what he wants just yet. He caught on to your little game and grabbed a handful of your hair again before standing and dragging you against the wall. He positioned himself in front of you as you stayed down on your knees.

“Open.” He commanded, holding his cock in his hand.

You knew he wasn’t in the mood for your games, you opened your mouth and he instantly shoved his cock in your mouth, hitting the back of your throat causing you to gag. He didn’t relent though, he pushed your head back against the wall and grabbed the sides of your head as he thrust into your mouth. You tried to push him back with your hands, but he stood firm, groaning each time he hit the back of your throat. He took what he wanted from you, his thrusts becoming more erratic as he reached his release. He fucked your mouth for a few more minutes before he came hard, finally releasing your head and stepping back from you. You sat down in the floor, trying to catch your breath.

“Seeds: 3, Sinner: 1” The intercom crackled, and you rolled your eyes, not surprised John watched the entire time.

Once again you were left in the aftermath of an unwarranted visit by one of the Seeds. You spent the next few days working out more, trying to get stronger, not like you had anything better to do. Of course, John continued his torturous intercom announcements, you’d smash the intercom, but you knew he’d find something more annoying to do to you, so you suffered in silence. You were stretching when you heard someone open the door at the top of the stairs, you backed against the wall and waited for whoever was there to torture you today.

“Joseph, what brings you down to the depths of Hell?” You said when you saw him.

“I came to see how you were doing, I heard John and Jacob have been persistent in their persuasion for you to join us. They said you were given another sin?” He entered the room and strode over towards you.

“Yeah, they weren’t too happy with our little kiss. I’d hate to see what they’d do if we fucked.” You turned around and lifted your shirt, showing him the scars on your lower back.

You flinched slightly when you felt his finger trace over the marks on your back. Your pulse quickened under his touch, if it had been John or Jacob it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but this was Joseph, The Father. You turned around to face him, his eyes staring at you intensely.

“I apologize for their actions, it was spiteful and not at all related to Atonement. They acted out of envy and lust.”

“Thanks, I guess. So, is that all you wanted or was there more?” You leaned back against the wall as he stared at you.

“I’ve had a vision, about you, about your place here.”

“And what place would that be? On my knees?” You cocked your head to the side slightly.

“No, I have seen you standing with us, helping us prepare for the inevitable end. I have seen you Atone and be accepted into Eden’s Gate.” He was different, he didn’t keep his distance from you, he no longer called you his child.

His hand reached up to caress your cheek causing your heart to beat faster, you didn’t move or try to recoil from his touch.

“What do you want from me?” Your voice was low as you stared into his eyes.

“I want you to help us. I want you to use the gift you’ve been given for what it was intended.” His face now inches from your own.

“If I refuse?”

“You won’t.”

Joseph closed the distance between you, his hand still caressing your cheek softly as his lips made contact with your own. You closed your eyes and leaned into him, placing your hands on his chest. His hand moved and rested on the back of your neck, pulling you closer as he kissed you. He was different from John and Jacob, everything they did, even the slightest touch, was controlling in some way, but not Joseph, he was gentle, calm. You didn’t feel like you were fighting for dominance with him like you did the other two. He pulled back from the kiss after a few minutes leaving you both breathless, you immediately missed his touch.

“I have an offer for you. Some of Jacob’s men have gone missing, we know where they were the last time they checked in, Jacob is going to attempt to rescue them. You know the area and how the Resistance works. Do this and you’ll be free of this prison.” His hand moved to caress your cheek again.

“You’re not worried I’ll just slit Jacob’s throat and run?” You thought about your options.

“No. I know you’ll choose the right path.” His thumb ran over your bottom lip briefly before he turned and left, this time, leaving the door open.

You leaned against the wall and stared at the door, you could run, you could get the fuck out of here right now, but you didn’t, your feet didn’t move. He was offering your freedom so easily, he was so sure you wouldn’t betray them, that you’d help them. You took a deep breath and pushed yourself off the wall, preparing yourself for what awaited you upstairs as you slowly made your way out of the room and ascended the steps.

“Finally. Do you always walk so slowly?” John was standing at the counter waiting for you.

“So, what now?” You looked around hesitantly.

“Your supplies are in this bag, including weapons and directions to where you’ll meet Jacob. If you do decide to murder us all, please don’t kill me in the house, blood is very hard to get out of these floors.” He motioned towards the bag on the counter.

You walked over and opened the backpack, finding a map and a walk-e talk-e in it, along with a hand gun. You grabbed the supplies and turned to leave.

“No goodbye kiss?” John grabbed your arm before you could leave.

You rolled your eyes and turned back to him, you brought your hand up to cup his face before running your fingers through his beard and pulling his face down to yours, kissing him passionately as he groaned at the slight pain from you pulling his beard. His hands grabbed your waist and pulled you against him. You broke away from the kiss and looked up at him.

“And if I kill you, I’m going to paint this house with your blood.” You smirked at him before heading for the door.

John watched as you left, a small part of him worried you wouldn’t return, but Joseph had assured him you would join them, that this wasn’t a mistake. You exited the house and were overwhelmed momentarily, you had been locked down in that basement for weeks, it was odd seeing the vastness of everything around you.

“Hey, shithead, has she left yet?” The radio buzzed with Jacob’s voice.

“Yes, shithead, I’m on my way. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” You squeezed the button and replied as you headed towards the meeting place.

You approached a house in the woods, you knew the Resistance had used this place before to hold Peggies. You weren’t sure where Jacob was, you kept your distance from the house and waited. You thought you heard footsteps, but decided it was probably an animal, just when you let your guard down a hand wrapped around your mouth and you felt a knife against your throat.

“Scream for me.” You heard Jacob say against your ear.

“Fucker. I could have shot you.” You said when he released you.

“You still might. Though Joseph thinks otherwise. You ready?”

“Yeah, I’ve counted three guards outside, probably two more inside. I’m assuming Joseph doesn’t want anyone killed?”

“Yep. I’ll take the right, you take the left.” He said before crouching and moving through between the trees towards the house.

You kept your gun in your hand just in case and moved slowly towards the left side of the house. You snuck up behind one of the guards and hit him in the back of the head with the butt of your gun, knocking him out. You peered into one of the windows to see three more guards and four of Jacob’s men tied and gagged against a wall. You were about to head around to the side when you heard Jacob struggling. You moved around to where he was and saw one guard knocked out on the ground, the other on top of Jacob, struggling to push a knife into his chest. You could have let the man kill him and walked away, but you ran over to help. You punched the guy in the face, knocking him off Jacob. You grabbed the knife from his hand and slit his throat, you knew if you didn’t, he would have yelled and alerted the rest of them.

“We won’t tell Joseph about this one.” You whispered to Jacob before heading into the house.

Jacob followed and you proceeded to take out the rest of the guards and untie Jacob’s men. You walked out of the house with Jacob and stopped once you were outside.

“So, that’s it? I’m free now?” You looked up at him.

“Yep. You’re free to go.” He headed towards the woods with his men leaving you there.

You stood in front of the house for a moment before heading back to the only home you had known, the only place you knew you’d be welcome, John’s Ranch. You chastised yourself the entire way back, knowing this was stupid, knowing you were an idiot to join them, but here you were doing it anyways. You wondered if there was something seriously wrong with you for you to be attracted to these men and willing to help them with their cause, no matter how sadistic they were. You opened the front door to John’s house and dropped your bag in the floor, you half expected them to be waiting on you, but you didn’t see anyone.

You walked around the house, it felt weird to have free range and go wherever you wanted without an escort. Something felt off though, you walked upstairs and knocked on John’s door, but there was no answer. You opened the door to see the room in disarray as if there was a struggle, there was a lamp in the floor, papers everywhere, and blood in the floor. You checked the rest of the house but there was nothing else. You ran downstairs and grabbed the radio you had been given.

“Jacob? Hello? Pick up!”

“I’m a little busy right now, the Resistance took Joseph.” His voice echoed through the house, your heart sank.

“They took John too.” You said as panic set in.

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