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snow-system-wol · 7 months

Text

Covers S'ria (and co.) in the 6.0 quests in Garlemald from "How the Mighty have Fallen" to "No Good Deed", sticking to canon events.

Ao3 link

Warnings:

minor descriptions of injuries

panic attack / being triggered

quest-typical levels of depressing

S'ria had thought he was past much of the long-ingrained hatred, whittled away through years of time spent with Cid, Lucia, Maxima – hell, even Gaius. He was fully prepared to help Garlemald, knowing that civilians had hardly done anything wrong (gods knew the propaganda could be incessant) and they did not deserve the brutality and the tempering foisted upon them by the Telophoroi.

That resolve did not last as long as he'd have liked in the face of loyal Garleans, whose minds were yet their own and still utterly consumed by the words their empire had fed them. S'ria could blame the constantly bitter chill for eroding his sanity and patience, but he feared that he hadn't approached this as openly as he'd intended.

But gods, the mistrust would've put anyone on edge.

Licinia's initial accusation was interesting – that their magics and the ones destroying the minds of her fellow countrymen were one in the same. S'ria wondered whether that was merely a knee-jerk reaction borne of ignorance, or if that was a rumor that had actively been sown to breed further xenophobia. It seemed an important distinction, to know what opposition they may face.

They calmed though, and accepted aid – maybe. There was an animosity that was so barely concealed, and S'ria knew full well that their desire to simply "help" would be met with skepticism at best. He loved the twins dearly, but he feared that Alphinaud's earnest altruism may only put them more on edge – better to seem a little more… believable. Telling them that they hoped for any not loyal to the Telophoroi to survive, simply to spite their enemy, would likely be accepted long before a truly charitable explanation would.

Possibly. Or maybe it would've made things worse.

S'ria knew Licinia was hiding something – someone – but what was he to do about that? The voice he heard didn't sound overly distressed, just weak, so he doubted it was any kind of captive… and so he left it at that. S'ria didn't understand why any member of their group wouldn't be allowed to take in the warmth of the fire with the rest of them, but that seemed far too much of a thing to press at this very delicate stage.

Meeting the tappers was an almost welcome break from interacting with those at Victor's Spoils, if only to speak with some people who greeted their group with less hostility. Ah, well, less hostility after they tried to kill him, but it was a misunderstanding and no one had died, so fair was fair.

A part of S'ria was, illogically, almost jealous of this group. The labour was hard and they hadn't had a chance to leave the country even now, but S'ria couldn't help but think… if he had been brought to Garlemald for this sort of work instead, perhaps things would've been different. But he was a weak child then, it would never have been his fate anyway.

The walk back made S'ria suddenly conscious of the fact that Alisaie being by his side meant Alphinaud was alone, and seeing the area by the fire unattended was enough to make his breath quicken.

S'ria supposed maybe they should've known better, but the point was that they were out here to try.

Trying had led to Alphinaud clutching his should while blood seeped through his fingers, stood over a group of injured but still very much alive attackers. It was only with a great deal of reminding himself that the aggressors were subdued that S'ria managed to calm himself. No more violence was needed here.

Oh, how S'ria had not missed Garlean sensibilities at all – and it concerned him that he suddenly understood and remembered a bit more about their social standards than he had moments prior. Any little bits of knowledge pried from memories would need to not start an avalanche of recalling, not here, not now.

The word that stuck with him so much was "purity". There was so much emphasis put on purity of one's heritage, on being a trueblooded Garlean and anything else was undeserving of dignity. (And despite the fact that they treated mixed race offspring with little more regard than they did their mothers, they seemed ill-inclined to avoid such things during their occupation.) That status was a coveted trait…as if there was anything pure about it to maintain.

And yet, these lot claimed that anything was better than allowing their magics or their ways to taint them, that it was an act so fundamentally wrong that any proper Garlean would sooner die. They seemed very determined to have their way on that one. The two missing sisters didn't bode…very well.

He wasn't yet at the point of saying that those who seemed so determed to die should be left to it – but for gods' sake, what was even going to happen when they found the girls? What then?

S'ria was hesitant to leave Alphinaud behind to heal himself and the others – the attempts to heal them via magical means may just provoke more violence rather than allowing him to help – but he could handle himself now that they'd lost the element of surprise. The sisters certainly wouldn't benefit from S'ria loitering around at Victor's Spoils.

(To the Victor go the damn Spoils, indeed – and the prize was nothing kind.)

If it wasn't so damn far below freezing, the tracks leading across the ice would've put terrifying images in S'ria's head. Drowning in a frozen lake seemed a horrific way to go. The ice seemed frozen for at least a fulm down at least and was fully solid under his feet. He was glad that neither his last moments nor Licinia's would be spent in water so cold that your lungs refused to draw air even if you found the surface again.

On some level, S'ria had known that it was hopeless even before they'd started to search. Perhaps it was better that it wasn't a near miss. There was no "just a minute faster" to question here, these bodies were ice cold – even in this temperature, it wouldn't be so quick. It hurt, but not as badly as it could've. It'd been… a humane enough death, all things considered. Just entirely unnecessary. It was a brief punch in the gut and then he could breathe again – maybe it helped that he'd never really expected this search to go well.

S'ria wished the same could be said of the twins. They seemed devastated, and S'ria would've taken some of that turmoil off their shoulders if he could've. The gods knew they'd blame themselves for this. From the moment their postures had changed upon processing the scene, S'ria had wanted to draw them close – but who knew if that would go over well, with both of them in a state that rivaled the worst he'd seen either of them in. The closest he could compare to was Tesleen and the Crystal Braves for each of them, and S'ria did not want to make either of them feel worse.

Alphinaud wanted the bodies properly taken care of. S'ria wasn't sure that was for the best, to return carrying bodies, but Alphinaud was not likely to walk away without trying to do what little was left. S'ria could honor that.

Licinia would not have liked to have been buried with the aid of magic. It was more for the twins than for her that S'ria labored to drive a shovel through permafrost, but neither did he wish his last action here to be one of disrespect. He felt eyes on the back of his neck the entire time. Did they even bury their dead in Garlemald? Perhaps they did something else entirely, like cremation or the like, and this was only another misstep.

So be it.

It was a painfully cold walk back. What had Lucia promised him for his search efforts? Warm soup upon his return? S'ria hardly had an appetite, but he'd take the warmth all the same. After this many hours, he felt near frozen through.

It felt odd. During this trip so far, S'ria been (to put it bluntly) the psychological weak link of the group. He was very aware of the fact that he was somehow doing better than Alphinaud and Alisaie in this exact moment, and that was…alarming. For all of Alisaie's boldness and Alphinaud's pragmatism, somehow they'd both refused to explain to Lucia what had happened. S'ria would not begrudge them this one, it was an easy enough burden to accept, telling her in their stead.

He tried his best to stay objective, even if his ability to do so wavered throughout his report. Lucia was never easy to read, as meticulously stoic as she could be at times, but there was something in her expression that S'ria didn't know how to interpret by the time he was done explaining.

They all needed food and rest.

What they did not need was Jullus. It felt as though they were having two damn conversations – one where they offered to let him leave with supplies and a separate one where Jullus felt that there were negotiations occurring. S'ria couldn't help but feel immensely frustrated every time he opened his mouth.

S'ria knew the twins were going to volunteer and insist on it. He would never let them go alone, of course, but… it was a trap. Just three people only, leaving to an unknown location with a man who so clearly hated them? It was a terrible idea. It was such a terrible idea that Fray clamored over it, seething in the back of his mind with the vague threat to wrench control and let none of the three of them follow through with this. S'ria couldn't blame them, only to hope that they'd let it happen regardless. Even if it was a truly terrible idea that seemed hardly worth it even in the best case scenario.

Perhaps the only thing that made Fray stay their hand was the fact that Jullus seemed to have no idea who any of them were, even S'ria. "A sellsword and two children", indeed.

As they traveled, S'ria once again got the sense that Jullus lived in a reality just adjacent to the one where the rest of them resided, hearing whatever he wanted to hear. S'ria could understand his doubt over any cure for tempering, even if the stance taken was somewhat callous. It was just frustrating, for him to take Alphinaud's admission that they knew not how to fix those whose bodies had been corrupted as proof that no talk of the cure was warranted. S'ria felt they'd been rather clear about the limitations, but no matter – at least the annoyance served to keep his blood pumping a little warmer. And maybe serve as a distraction to his nerves.

His body was quick to reminder him, after all, that he'd hardly had the chance to warm up before heading back out here.

The legatus could've been worse, S'ria supposed, but that wasn't high praise. Quintus was everything S'ria had expected – calmly arrogant and utterly assured of being right. Would they have walked into such as obvious trap if they did not bear good intentions? More importantly, surely the world not ending was enough of an explanation of the Alliance's motivations that foul play need not be immediately suspected? It quickly became clear that nothing would come of this.

Any possibility of common ground being found crashed and burned when Quintus asked Alphinaud – if he cared for peace so much, why would he not advocate for Eorzea submitting to the Empire's rule? If Quintus truly, truly could not comprehend the answer to that question, then there was no point in speaking to each other at all.

Quintus clearly agreed, declaring negotiations over. At least the sound of a dozen soldiers readying their weapons meant that S'ria could stop waiting for things to go wrong. Hostages, that was what had come of whatever this was meant to be – perhaps meant to barter for food and supplies that had already been offered in the first place. They seemed to have no concrete plans yet aside from not allowed them to leave.

If anyone suggested that S'ria should speak to another Garlean faction and try to provide aid or seek common ground, he thought he might just say no next time. He hadn't even been paying very close enough attention to Quintus speaking any longer. He was more concerned with regretfully considered whether Fray intervening back at Camp Broken Glass might've been for the best, so the next words shattering through his mind were met with no preparation.

"Collar them."

S'ria would be hard-pressed to explain what his mind and body felt like for those next few seconds. Time felt very slow as his blood turned to ice in his veins and the adrenaline rush to his head was enough for half his vision to go spotty. The scars on his neck burned with phantom pain of something that blessedly lay just outside of his memories.

No. No. No, this wasn't going to happen. Alisaie and Alphinaud briefly dropped entirely from the equation, with him fully ready to leave them behind to cut his way out of here before a single person could lay a hand on him – or if escape was impossible, at least die before letting someone clamp anything around his neck.

Quintus waved off the soldiers, warning them off from approaching S'ria and he could breathe just faintly easier as he realized they weren't going to try it. Good for their sake, he supposed – the result would not have been bloodless. He could feel the pressure in his skull subside as the frantic attempts of others to wrench control away and engage fight or flight ceased. S'ria wasn't sure which would've stepped in... but allegedly he'd gone completely meek and pliant way back during the Crystal Brave's betrayal, and that seemed the worst possible response in any given situation going forward. That was safely avoided, this time, it was all right.

His lungs tightened anew as he realized they'd considered abandoning Alphinaud and Alisaie while in that blind panic. How could he even think that?

It was clearly obvious to Quintus how much S'ria cared for those two. In the same relief-inducing statement in which he suggested trying to put a collar on S'ria was impractical, he also clarified that their only leash on him would be psychological. And he was entirely correct – S'ria had no desire to see what happened when the shock function was activated, and even less desire to see it demonstrated on someone he cared about.

S'ria wondered how obvious his full body trembling was. He hoped it'd be misinterpreted as rage, or else his mind and flesh were betraying far too many weaknesses to those who likely had no aversion to exploiting them. The dregs of terror along with the rush of relief were a potent cocktail that left him unsteady on his feet and less present than he'd like.

S'ria took back any concessions he had made while taking on this entire mission – tempered or not, there was something deeply wrong with the people that still remained in this country.

----------

Menphina was unsure if S'ria meant for this, which of them had been the catalyst, but perhaps she was brought out by S'ria's concern for the twins. Jullus seemed aware of the change on some level – the Warrior of Light softening around his previously raw edges into a sort of soft worry, S'ria's accent giving way to Menphina's (to say nothing of the noticeable pitch change.)

She wondered what he may think of all this and whether he thought his confusion was well-concealed or not. He'd seemed a touch intimidated to learn who this "sellsword" actually was, so it was surely just more fuel for the fire to hear S'ria's "Limsa-Lominsan-enough-ish" accent slip back into hers, fully unaltered since the last time they were in this country.

She was sure it was not lost on Jullus that she sounded… distinctly more like an upper class Garlean citizen than like those without good lineage or gil. In fact, she spoke not unlike Jullus himself. Of course, no miqo'te would ever have been allowed in that part of their society, so let him make of that what he will.

She'd never explain, if he decided to ask. S'ria was safest if no one who meant them harm knew too much.

Never mind the fact that Zenos already did know to some unknown extent, which was deeply and truly regrettable – though less dangerous than it sounded. What would be a fair more alarming problem was if any of that had found its way to Fandaniel.

Zenos, with their rematch not yet taken, would not intentionally toy with S'ria's triggers in any way that would dull S'ria's edge during the fight – she was reasonably certain at least. If Zenos was to win, he would not want it to feel like he only bested S'ria via the path of least resistance. Killing S'ria while his will to fight was broken seemed just distinctly unsatisfying for his wishes. (Menphina hoped fervently that she was right about that much.) Fandaniel, on the other hand… held no such concerns.

No, Menphina should not be spending so much time worrying about what-ifs while they were in a situation that warranted her full attention.

Perhaps, actually, it would be better if she was left to handle it actually. The words and threats hurt, but she could bear them (better her than S'ria, repeated like a mantra) – it was the fact that she was quite perilously close to being struck that concerned her. She was scared of the pain, yes, that'd never been her burden to bear, but she feared more for what may happen if anyone dared to lash out. Fray would hardly let that go.

If push came to shove, Menphina hoped that someone else would step in if things escalated into violence. She had never learned how to fight. (Maybe that was a mistake. Or maybe it was a mistake to think she could bear to hurt someone.)

Alphinaud's request that they help the ill and wounded was very welcome, a task that she knew how to do and would gladly assist in. She'd been considering it before he even asked… except there was scant little they could do. The unit refused any attempts to secure outside aid, even to keep the weakest of their people alive, supplies were few, and Menphina feared that exercising even her meager amount of white magic would prove… disastrous, the moment her patient realized what was being done. Besides, many of them might never consent to treatment via magical means, and that was not a line she wanted to cross while the wounded remained conscious enough to object.

----------

Ah, while Menphina did want very badly to assist the sick and wounded in whatever way she could, this particular option was… unfortunate. The body already fared so poorly in this climate, so Alisaie's suggestion that they both wade waist-deep into icy waters was borderline horrifying. Despite already shivering while dry, she took off G'raha's scarf and placed it somewhere relatively dry – while G'raha's scent had faded from the fabric by now, Menphina was sure S'ria would be none too pleased if the fabric got dunked in frigid pond sludge.

And sweet hells was it cold. The water was numbingly painful, but being out of it was even worse, with it feeling like any dampness would freeze over instantly. As glad as Menphina was that they'd found something decent to help the people there, she still huddled so close to the fire afterwards that she risked accidentally touching it.

It was always interesting to experience things, with her own past actions having been so limited in scope – interesting but often unpleasant and very strange. If Menphina had an allagan tin piece for every time she'd spoken to Garlean soldiers around a base in S'ria's stead… well, it was just an odd coincidence that it'd happened more than once now.

It wasn't all terrible, once she started to become less frozen through. Jullus wasn't so bad, not nearly as much as S'ria had made him out to be. He was just a kid, really (in her eyes, at least), and training hadn't driven all of the compassion out of him. He was clearly both concerned and grateful for their somewhat hazardous efforts to find ceruleum – even if he might phrase it in ways that sound more pragmatic than that. Jullus was just another grieving young one that wanted his family and home back, same as everyone else in the war, and as long as he didn't take that desire far enough to go to dark places, then Menphina could be okay with that.

While searching for more ceruleum, as startling as it was to hear his voice, Menphina was glad that Thancred and the others were trying to keep an eye on them. (Glad and terrified. She didn't doubt their skills, but Jullus had been very clear that catching anyone following them would have been considered an act of hostility and knowing that Thancred had actually done so was… well, Jullus hadn't noticed him then or now, so it was fine.)

She wasn't sure if there was a plan, or just to sit tight and see. Menphina agreed that their safety and well-being was the most important thing they could maintain – the twins most importantly, in her opinion. Just… she didn't like the situation much. "Whatever demands the Garleans make, indulge them." Menphina knew Thancred didn't mean anything by it, but his choice of phrasing made her stomach twist. It wasn't like that, she had to remind herself – if nothing else, with Jullus as their keeper, he still seemed too principled to condone senseless cruelty (an admirable trait, in wartimes, she'd give that much.)

----------

Shivering in the bunker, S'ria slid back into place with a jolt, nearly bumping into Alphinaud in his brief disorientation. He laughed tiredly.

"I would've hoped to have been warmer by now, but no such luck."

"Oh, S'ria! We'd been concerned. Are you well?" Alisaie seemed genuinely glad to have him back. That was sweet, as long as Menphina hopefully didn't feel any sadness over that reverse side of that idea. It was still... odd for this to be considered a somewhat normal thing, with both himself and others knowing and being okay with these strange moments.

"Yes – just a bit tired and out of it. I remember enough, no need to be concerned." S'ria wrapped his scarf a little more securely around himself. "And damned cold, but you already knew that."

Alphinaud and Alisaie both nodded very resignedly. Yes, with the heaters all but running dry now, it was awful.

S'ria just wished, more than anything else, that being reunited with the twins was not so brief. He'd suspected it would come to this from the first – while Jullus only now changed the twins' status from envoy to prisoner, they'd had the damned collars on the entire time regardless. And the cruelty of everything was just so… why accept freely offered charity for fear of owing anything when one could just take it all by force. As if Alphinaud had not already all but begged the legatus to allow for supplies to be sent for their sick and wounded.

S'ria wasn't sure Jullus could even go through with pressing the button to set off the shock collars, the way his face froze and hands shook. He didn't want to find out, though. For one moment he considered it – lunging to rip the control out of his hands in the hope that it was the only one for this set of collars, removing any chance of them being hurt. But if he was wrong, oh, they would pay the price. S'ria hated to let them out of his sight, alone with only men who hated them, the only protection afforded to them the dubious rights of a hostage. Jullus had guiltily insisted that no harm would come to them if they were compliant, and S'ria wanted so badly to be able to trust those words.

Perhaps, with the twins separated from S'ria, the next person to accuse him of offering an olive branch with ulterior motives would get a different and far clearer answer – that his goodwill had rather run dry, and the only thing that now maintained his willingness to help was honoring the wishes of the kindest among the Scions.

#ffxiv-oc #snow-system #ffxiv oc #ffxiv-reactions #writing #ffxiv #this is literally so long compared to most S'ria stories oh my #i still literally cannot believe the plot dropped Collar Them on him thats literally so brutally specific on S'ria's triggers #im glad Quintus did not try that on him bc the canonical follow through of that scene wouldve been shattered by however he'd react #I'm not really sure what makes us decide to cross post chapters on tumblr or not #i think usually it's either softer chapters or things we are proud of or find more interesting #generally try not to tumblr crosspost anything written by the trauma holders because those can get unfairly triggering #when i assigned S'ria a garlemald specific traumatic backstory during ShB i did not consider whether we'd ever go there and that's on me #S'ria is... a kind person who wants to help people #but there is Very Much a limit

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genshinluvr · 2 years

Text

Secrets and Doubts

Pairings: Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader

Summary: You landed your first-ever job in Inazuma City! You wanted to keep it a secret away from the men for now because, well, you don't know how they'd react if they knew what your job was. Because of your secrecy and strange behavior, your secrecy made the men suspicious of you.

Note: I took time on this fic because I had a lot of things to do for school, and I wanted to be able to type out a lot of stuff for this fic 🥲 It's the weekend, and yet I still have homework to work on and turn in 🗿 So, if you see that the chapters are less than 8-9k words, its because school is starting to get hectic and I'm trying my best to type something out with a full schedule 🥹 Please keep in mind that I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo)

Warnings: Thoma is a bit rude in one part of the story, but it's okay because the reader and Thoma make up toward the end :> (there's a tiny pinch of angst, but not too bad)

Word Count: 9.8k

Today was the longest day of your life. You walk out of the building and head to the secluded area of Inazuma City, stretching your arms in the air before letting out a long yawn. You wiped the forming tears in your eyes and rubbed your eyes tiredly. Today was not only the longest day of your life in Teyvat, but it was also tiring. You’re tired, and you’re in desperate need of a shower and a long nap.

Recently, you have been hired at this cute cafe in Inazuma, and you’ve been keeping it a secret from your boyfriends. It wasn’t like you didn’t want them to know that you had a job; it was for another reason that you can’t disclose just yet. After all, this cafe that you’re hired at is new and is a little bit different from other cafes throughout Teyvat. You walk over to where the teapot is floating and look at your surroundings, making sure that no one is following you. After confirming that you were alone, you entered the teapot.

Once you’ve entered the teapot, you stumbled on your feet and nearly fell to the ground. You huffed and muttered to yourself about needing to get used to teleport to a new location without losing your footing. It was already nightfall in Teyvat, and at the abode, everyone must’ve been asleep by now. You walk to the front door of the estate sluggishly, your shoulders slumping.

“Now I remember why I hate working.” You groused, pulling your keys out from your pocket before unlocking the front door and walking through the door with your eyes closed. You end up bumping into something, causing you to stumble back slightly. You open your eyes and swallow the lump in your throat when you see your beloved boyfriends standing there with their arms crossed over their chests or their hands propped up on their hips.

You laugh nervously, “Oh, good evening, my loves!” You squeaked, your face heating up with embarrassment. “I, uh, hope you all had some good night's sleep?” You ask, slowly closing the front door behind you.

“Where were you?” Ayato asks, leaning up against the wooden pillar in the estate. If he didn’t look so intimidating right now, you would’ve commented on how good he looks in his nightwear. But seeing the expression on his face, you decided to keep that comment to yourself.

You sigh, “I was in Inazuma City, shopping and exploring the beautiful region.” You said. Technically, you weren’t lying about being in Inazuma City. As for shopping and exploring in Inazuma City, that was a lie that is going to bite you in the ass soon.

“Shopping in Inazuma City, eh?” Al Haitham asks, looking at you with scrutiny. You shift in your spot, feeling awkward with the way Al Haitham was practically sizing you up.

You clear your throat, “Yes, that is correct! I was shopping and exploring Inazuma City.” You said, nodding your head hesitantly.

“Then where are the shopping bags?” Itto asks, cocking his eyebrows at you.

You held your hand up, “Listen, I didn’t say I bought anything. Yes, I went shopping, but I didn’t really bring any mora with me.” You laugh sheepishly.

Childe sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Just like Zhongli. Always forgetting your wallet at home and never having mora on you.” He exhales through his nose.

“To be fair, I can make mora easily. I don’t see the need to bring my wallet with me everywhere I go if I can make mora. But living as a mortal, I believe that it’s necessary for me to carry my wallet with me whenever I leave the abode.” Zhongli murmurs, crossing his arms over his chest.

You sighed softly, “Listen. I’ll try my best not to come back to the abode late again, like today. I lost track of time. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“We’re not forbidding you from exploring Teyvat on your own. We just don’t want you to stay out too late because we’re worried that something or someone could harm you,” Diluc says, placing his hand on your shoulders.

Kaeya nods his head, “Diluc is right. At the same time, we’re not against you being out of the abode on your own; having you stay out for so long worries us. You don’t have a vision, and we don’t want you to end up getting hurt and not have any one of us to protect you.”

You point at Xiao, “But I can always call for Xiao if I’m in any danger. He’ll be the first one to be able to show up if I call out his name.” You said.

“While that is true, you also need to keep in mind that I also have my duties as a yaksha,” Xiao says. He crosses his arms over his chest.

Dainsleif sighs, “Just try not to stay out too late. We understand that it’s easy to lose track of time, but please don’t return too late.” Dainsleif says.

You nod your head, “Of course! I’ll try to come back before the sun is down. Today was just a strange and long day for me.” You sigh, rubbing the back of your neck. “I’m going to go upstairs and take a shower. It’s been a long and tiring day for me.” You said, slowly walking toward the staircase.

Thoma quickly yet gently reaches out to grab at your wrist. “Do you want something to eat after you’re done showering? You weren’t home all day, and we were worried that you didn’t eat all day today.” Thoma says softly.

You smile at Thoma, “Yeah! That’d be nice. Thank you, Thoma!” You said, standing on the tip of your toes before planting a kiss on his cheeks. “I’ll be back downstairs after I’m done with my shower.” You said, giving his hand a light squeeze before walking up the stairs.

The men watched you walk up the stairs and to your bedroom, shutting the door behind you. They all turn to one another, not saying a word. What else were they supposed to say? The important thing is that you’re home, safe and sound. Nothing happened to you, aside from you having a tiring day, which was odd because how can shopping and exploring Teyvat (specifically Inazuma City) be tiring?

“Do you guys think [Y/N] is telling the truth about shopping around Inazuma City and exploring Inazuma?” Aether asks, sitting down on the wooden stool near the kitchen island.

Heizou shrugs his shoulders, “I believe them when they said that they were in Inazuma City the entire time, but the shopping and exploring part is something I don’t believe in.” said Heizou, leaning against the kitchen counter next to the blond male.

Venti snorts, “What? Are you guys suspicious about them? [Y/N] would never do anything behind our backs.” Venti huffs, plucking at his lyre with a small irritated frown on his face.

Gorou laughs nervously, “I don’t know about that, Venti. [Y/N]’s heart was racing in their chest while they were telling us their whereabouts and why they returned to the abode late.” Gorou shrugs his shoulders, and his ears twitch.

Al Haitham turns to Tighnari, “Is that true? Can you hear their heart race against their chest?” He asks, crossing his arms over his chest while waiting for Tighnari to answer.

Tighnari nods his head slowly, “That is correct. The minute they stepped through that door, their heart was beating at an abnormally fast pace. However, I couldn’t tell whether it was from them being startled at the sudden sight of us or if it was because they were lying about their whereabouts.”

“You guys aren’t suspecting that they’re up to no good now, are you?” Cyno asks, propping both of his hands on his hips while gazing at the men with a stern look on his face. Even though Cyno wanted to know about where you’ve been all day, he knows you’re not up to no good. Though, you being out in Teyvat is a bit strange given the fact that you’re more of a homebody rather than the one to be out of the house for hours.

Scaramouche snorts, “Perhaps [Y/N] is tired of seeing all of your ugly faces and needs a change of scenery. If that were the case, then I don’t blame them at all!” Scaramouche says, the corner of his lips quirking up in a tiny smirk.

“Maybe they have a good reason to lie about their whereabouts. Although, I don’t see the need in lying about it when relationships are built on trust.” Albedo murmurs, stroking his chin while deep in his thoughts.

Kazuha smiles, “Maybe they’re not comfortable with sharing it just yet. We shouldn’t be making assumptions when we don’t know the full story. Yes, they came home late and were out in Inazuma City all day, but that doesn’t mean they’re up to no good.” Kazuha says gently.

Pantalone chuckles, “Then do you know what they could be hiding?” Pantalone cocks his eyebrows at the samurai with curiosity. Kazuha sighs softly, shaking his head, almost rolling his eyes with slight irritation.

Pierro clears his throat, “Enough. It’s best we leave this be and act as if nothing has happened. If [Y/N] proceeds to return to the abode late, then we’ll have no choice but to follow their every move.” Pierro stated gruffly, leaning back in his seat.

Dottore rolls his eyes, “And what if they proceed to be out in Inazuma City for hours? Are we going to go out and search for them before dragging them back to the abode?” Asked Dottore.

Capitano chuckles, “We don’t want to cause a scene if we were to drag them back to the abode. People will assume that we’re kidnapping them if we were to do that.”

Everyone then went on with their business while waiting for you to come downstairs to eat something. This time, Thoma has decided to make you butter chicken for dinner. Cyno offered to make some Tachin as a side dish for you to eat with the butter chicken. You trot down the stairs almost thirty minutes later, freshly showered and wearing your pajamas. Thoma and Cyno give you a smile before setting the plate of food down in front of the spot where you usually sat. Zhongli pulls your seat out for you, you sit down on the chair, and Zhongli pushes the seat in for you.

“So, what do you plan on doing tomorrow?” Aether asks, stealing a piece of your butter chicken before taking a bite out of it.

You shrugged your shoulders, taking a bite out of the Tachin. “I think I might do the same thing as I did today. Explore Inazuma City and maybe look at clothes.” You said, reaching over to grab a chicken on your plate. “Why’d you ask?” You look at Aether curiously.

“All of us were planning on taking a trip to Sumeru and hanging out in the desert,” Heizou says.

You furrow your eyebrows at Heizou’s response. The desert? “What’s the temperature going to be like tomorrow? The desert is always hot, isn’t it?” You murmur, lightly smacking Aether’s hands away from your butter chicken.

“Actually, the temperature is going to be cool tomorrow,” Kazuha interjects, pulling up a seat beside you.

“While the desert is always hot, there should be a cool breeze that’ll cool everyone down while we’re hanging out in the desert.” Said Baizhu, approaching the dining room. “We haven’t been visiting Sumeru as often, but it’d be nice to explore around a nation that is ruled by the dendro archon,” Baizhu smiles. You nod your head slowly. As much as you would love to explore Sumeru with your lovely boyfriends, you don’t think you’ll be able to get vacation time off of work. After all, you just started working recently, and you most definitely do not have enough working hours to put into a day off. That could get you fired, and you don’t want to get fired from your job just yet.

You dabbed your lips with the cloth napkin, “I don’t know.” You murmur to yourself. “As much as I would love to explore Sumeru more, I don’t think I have the time for it.” You said.

“What do you mean you don’t think you have the time for it?” Al Haitham asks, crossing his arms over his chest while looking at you skeptically.

Your eyes widen at your minor slip up, “Oh! I just meant that I wanted to spend some more time in Inazuma for a little bit. I don’t mind exploring Sumeru, but I have priorities in Inazuma City.” You said, scratching the back of your head awkwardly. “Besides! Exploring Sumeru should be the perfect time for all of you to bond while I’m not with you guys!” You added.

Itto pouts and stomps his feet on the ground. “But we want you to be there with us too! We don’t like going anywhere without you!” Itto whines, getting onto his knees before resting his chin on your lap while giving you puppy dog eyes.

Gorou places a hand on your shoulders, “We don’t want to do anything without you. We want you to be with us and not be left out of anything.” He gives you a sad smile.

You smile at Gorou sadly, placing your hand on top of his. “I’m sorry, Gorou, but I really can’t go to the desert with all of you tomorrow. I promise we can go to the desert in Sumeru next time when I’m available!” You said, squeezing his hand gently. Gorou visibly deflates in front of you, the sad smile slipping off his face. Gorou was disappointed, and so were the others.

“When you’re available?” Venti asks, his eyebrows pinching together with confusion and skepticism.

Ayato chuckles, “I’m sure shopping and exploring Inazuma City isn’t a priority, [Y/N]. But if you don’t want to hang out with your boyfriends, then that is fine too.” Ayato crosses his arms over his chest, looking away from you with clenched jaws.

“Guys….” You said, letting out a laugh of disbelief. “You’re not getting upset that I’m not tagging along, are you? You guys have left me all alone at the abode to tend to your duties, and not once have I gotten upset with any of you.” You frowned at the men around you, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore.

“That’s because we have duties to tend to. You don’t work, nor are you an Akademiya student in Teyvat! What’s there for you to prioritize? All you do is sit at home and do nothing; you don’t have any priorities to worry about like us.” Thoma says, his eyes widening almost immediately after hearing what came out of his mouth.

Tighnari leans to Thoma, “I think you should’ve kept that comment to yourself.” He whispers to the blond male.

“Yeah, no kidding. Now [Y/N] is going to get upset with us and ignore us for days!” Cyno hisses at Tighnari and Thoma, glaring at the blond male.

You let out a sharp exhale, dropping your cutlery on the plate before wiping your hands and mouth on the cloth napkin. The men around you flinch when the cutlery clangs loudly against the ceramic plates. You pushed your seat back and stood up. “I’m going to bed.” You stated, turning around to walk up the stairs to your bedroom.

“What about your food? Weren’t you hungry?” Xiao asks, grabbing onto your wrist. You take a deep breath and slowly pull your wrist out from Xiao’s grasp. You didn’t want to hurt anyone by showing them how frustrated you were with them.

You turned to Xiao and gave him a weak smile, “I thought I was hungry too, but it seems like I lost my appetite.” You said, rubbing your stomach. “I’ll have those for leftovers, or Aether can have them. It doesn’t matter to me.” You said, walking up the stairs. You can feel the hunger gnawing at you, but you don’t have the energy to eat. Especially when the others are in the same room as you; maybe you’ll sneak downstairs for some midnight snack when everyone is asleep.

Once your bedroom door closed, the men looked at each other in silence, not knowing what else to say. Yes, they’re upset that you didn’t want to go to the desert in Sumeru with them, but the immense guilt they felt when they saw how upset you looked after hearing Thoma’s comment.

“And now they’re upset with us.” Kaeya sighs, shaking his head with a frown on his face.

Childe holds up an index finger, “Correction, they’re upset with Thoma. He was the one that said that shit. We didn’t do anything.” He crosses his arms over his chest, looking over at the blond Kamisato servant with a glare.

“That’s the thing; we didn’t do anything to come to their defenses after Thoma said that. Now they’re hurt over Thoma’s words and didn’t finish their food.” Diluc says, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Dainsleif looks over at Thoma and slowly approaches him, “You need to apologize to [Y/N]. Your comment was unnecessary and had clearly hurt their feelings.”

Scaramouche looks over at Thoma before inching his hands close to Thoma’s ribs, his index finger extending out, inching closer to Thoma’s torso. Scaramouche pauses for a moment before looking around, making sure that no one is watching what he is doing. Alas, everyone was watching him except for Thoma, who was too deep into his thoughts to realize what Scaramouche was about to do. An evil smile appears on Scaramouche’s face, zapping Thoma’s ribs.

“Ouch!” Thoma yowls, jolting away from Scaramouche when electricity shoots through his body. Thoma looks over at Scaramouche with a glare.

Scaramouche shrugs his shoulders, “Hey, you deserve it. You did make [Y/N] upset, so this is me getting back at you for hurting their feelings by making unneeded comments.” Scaramouche says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Zhongli looks over at the clock hanging on the wall, “It’s getting late. We should all go to bed. In the meantime, I hope Thoma takes his time to reflect on what he has said to [Y/N]. Perhaps tomorrow morning will be the perfect time for you to apologize to them.” Zhongli says, looking over at Thoma, his amber eyes glowing menacingly.

“I agree. We should all go to sleep, and hopefully, by tomorrow morning, everything will be sorted out.” Albedo nods his head.

Everyone reluctantly bid each other goodnights before departing to their bedrooms while the four Harbingers exit the abode to walk to their mansion. You lay there in your bed, exhausted and disheartened by the things that Thoma had said to you. You know Thoma didn’t mean what he said and that it was all in the spur of the moment, but still. What Thoma had said to you stung. You let out a shaky sigh, burying your face into your pillow while hugging the body pillow against your body tightly. As much as you want to seek comfort from one of the men, you can’t get yourself to leave your bed and go to one of them for comfort. What if they agreed with what Thoma had said? While you didn’t work, nor are you an Akademiya student, you still tried your best to keep yourself busy around the abode. Since that didn’t work, you decided to get a job at a cafe in Inazuma City to earn some Mora on the side while trying to keep yourself occupied while the men were tending to their duties. You closed your eyes and tightened your grip around the body pillow, slowly drifting off to sleep.

After what felt like an hour, you woke suddenly woke up from your slumber and slowly sat up on the bed. You felt like absolute shit. You threw your blankets off your body and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Even though you slept for hours, it felt like thirty minutes to you. You took a shower, got dressed, brushed your teeth, washed your face, and dried your hair. It was still early in the morning, and everyone else in the estate should still be asleep.

You peeked from your bedroom and looked around the mansion. It was still dark, and it was really quiet. Everyone was definitely still fast asleep in their bedrooms. You slowly made your way down the stairs, trying not to make a single noise that would wake the others up from their sleep. Specifically, Gorou and Tighnari since both of them have the keenest hearing out of everyone.

Once you reached the bottom of the stairs, you put on your shoes and slipped out the front door quietly. You leave the teapot, and you are automatically in Inazuma City. You yawned and rubbed the sleep from your eyes with your knuckles, walking to the cafe that was tucked in the corner of Inazuma City. You stepped into the cafe, and the smell of freshly baked desserts and pastries wafted your nose, making your stomach rumble with hunger.

“Ah! [Y/N]! It’s good to see that you showed up on time!” The older gentleman says, giving you a closed-eye smile, stepping out from behind the kitchen.

“Of course, I would show up on time! I always worry about showing up late, so I always make myself leave the house earlier than I need you.” You said, walking over to the back of the cafe. “Tadashi, are Yuri and Mei here? It’s awfully quiet.” You said.

“The girls will be here momentarily. I have to step out of the cafe for a moment. We ran out of some ingredients. I will be back with more flour and sugar in twenty minutes.” Tadashi says, walking to the entrance of the cafe.

“Alright! I’ll be changing into my uniform.” You said, waving him off before walking to the changing room of the cafe. You pulled your uniform out from your locker and immediately changed into the uniform of the cafe.

Back at the abode, the men were beginning to wake up one by one. The house was still quiet, but the sounds that occupied the calm air were the sound of footsteps, showers running, faucet running, and a tiny sneeze from Heizou.

“Do you think we’re still going to hang out in the desert without [Y/N]?” Paimon asks.

Aether shrugs his shoulders. “I’m not sure, Paimon. Plus, what Thoma said to [Y/N] yesterday definitely makes them not want to hang out at the desert with us even more.” Aether sits on the cushioned chair and rests his head on his hands.

“I don’t think Thoma would want to hang out in the desert either. He’s quite down today.” Heizou says, strolling into the dining area where Aether and Paimon are.

“Speaking of Thoma, has he apologized to [Y/N] yet? I can’t stand seeing them upset with all of us.” Venti says, resting his chin on the dining table with a pout on his face.

Baizhu walks out of the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea in his hands, lightly blowing on the herbal tea. “It’s still early in the morning. [Y/N] is still asleep in their bedroom, and Thoma is probably upstairs getting ready for the day.” Baizhu takes a small sip from his teacup before sitting down on one of the empty chairs at the dining table.

“Do you think [Y/N] is going to forgive Thoma for what he said to them? He called them useless without actually saying it.” Kazuha asks, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

Ayato sighs, “Let’s hope that they do accept his apology. I don’t want to see either of them upset with each other.” Ayato says, adjusting his coat as he steps into the room where everyone is slowly trickling into.

“Agreed! It would create a lot of tension in the abode if they were upset with each other! Well, if [Y/N] is upset with anyone in the estate in general.” Gorou says, walking into the dining room while fixing his hair.

Thoma walks down the stairs, fully dressed and ready for the day. He gives everyone a tight smile before walking to the kitchen without saying a word. The men look at one another quizzically, wondering if he had spoken or apologized to you before coming downstairs.

Albedo hums, “Do you guys think he apologized to [Y/N] about last night?” He whispers, looking at everyone cluelessly.

Kaeya shrugs his shoulders in response. “Considering he gave us an awkward smile and didn’t say a single word to us, I’m assuming he either didn’t apologize to [Y/N] yet, or he did apologize to them, and they didn’t accept his apology.” Kaeya crosses his arms over his chest.

Scaramouche was about to open his mouth to say something when everyone in the estate heard thundering footsteps coming from the stairs. Everyone slowly turned towards the direction of the stairs, only to see Itto looking around the estate with confusion.

“Why are you making the house rumble with your footsteps, big foot?” Scaramouche asks, raising an eyebrow at Itto.

Xiao sighs and rubs his forehead tiredly, “Itto, it’s too early for you to be making such loud noises at a time like this.” He glares at the oni, who ignores the glare while continuing to look around the abode with a look of confusion and worry on his face.

“Have any of you seen [Y/N] today?” Itto asks, propping both of his hands on his hip.

Diluc sighs, “They’re probably still sleeping in their bedroom. It’s only seven in the morning, and they usually don’t wake up until around nine in the morning.” Diluc says, getting up from the kitchen to brew some coffee.

“Well, they’re not in their bedroom at all. It’s empty, and [Y/N]’s bed is organized.” Cyno interjects, walking down the stairs with Al Haitham and Tighnari following behind.

Childe stood up abruptly. “What do you mean they’re not in their bedroom? Are you implying that they’re not in the abode at all?” Childe demands, his eyebrows narrowing.

Tighnari sighs. “You see, we were going to check up on [Y/N] after what had happened yesterday, but Itto had beat us to it. Itto was looking for [Y/N] to talk to them about what happened yesterday and that he’s not upset with them if they didn’t tag along with us, only to find out that they weren’t in their room at all.” Tighnari explains, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Could they be at the Harbingers’ mansion by any chance?” Zhongli asks.

Dainsleif shakes his head, “It doesn’t look like [Y/N] went to visit those Harbingers. If they did, we would’ve known that they’ve gone to visit the four of them after waking up from their sleep.” The men around Dainsleif look over at one another, not knowing what else to do. Since you’re not in the abode, could you be at the Harbingers’ estate instead? The men ended up stopping by the Harbingers’ estate, knocking on the door of the black and white Snezhnayan-styled mansion.

“Wouldn’t we know that [Y/N] has left the teapot? After all, the stairs at the mansion creak from time to time if there is any stress laid upon it.” Al Haitham crosses his arms over his chest, waiting for someone to answer the door.

The men hear the door unlock. The black wooden door flies open, revealing a shirtless Pantalone. Pantalone rubs his eyes before adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, looking at the men in confusion.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of twenty of you?” Pantalone asks, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

Diluc rolls his eyes, “Is [Y/N] here by any chance?” Diluc asks.

Pantalone shakes his head, “[Y/N] is not here; if they were, we would’ve made it known already.” Pantalone replies, leaning against the wooden door of the estate.

“Shit, so they really did leave the teapot while we were all sleeping,” Aether mutters under his breath.

“Oh? Did [Y/N] finally escape from the clutches of the twenty possessive men?” Dottore asks mockingly, walking up to Pantalone and the other men. “I don’t blame them if they did.” Dottore snorts, crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk on his face.

“It looks like that blond Kamisato servant’s words hurt them even more than it should’ve if it caused them to wake up at the crack of dawn and leave the abode,” Pierro says, in the kitchen, pouring coffee into his mug. “How foolish of him to say that to [Y/N]‘s face easily.” Pierro clicks his tongue with disapproval.

“If you think that we’re hiding [Y/N] somewhere in our estate, save your breaths because we are not hiding them here,” Capitano stated gruffly. “Although we do welcome them here with open arms if they ever want to escape all of your presence.” He added.

Al Haitham rolls his eyes before turning to the other men behind him, “They’re no help at all. Let’s leave the teapot and search for [Y/N].” Al Haitham orders.

Kazuha sighs. “Where could they have gone exactly? While I understand they said they’ll be in Inazuma City, they didn’t say where exactly.” Kazuha says with a faint frown appears on his face.

Xiao sighs softly, “Maybe they did want some space,” Xiao’s arms fall to his side, unsure of how to feel other than disappointment and sadness.

“And it’s all this one’s fault!” Scaramouche says, zapping Thoma’s side with his index finger with an annoyed glare.

“Hey! I was going to apologize to [Y/N] after I make them breakfast!” Thoma exclaims, rubbing the area where Scaramouche had zapped him.

Baizhu shook his head, “It looks like we’ll have to find them first before you can cook something for them to eat and apologize after.” Baizhu pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go find them!” Venti says, ushering the men to the exit of the teapot.

You plopped down on the bench outside of the cafe, feet sore and body aching from having to move around constantly. You tilt your head back and let it rest on the bench, closing your eyes. Today was only your second day of working at the cafe, and you were already feeling tired and overwhelmed with the number of people you had to deal with. It’s still early in the morning, yet the cafe is busy. You were about to reach up to rub your eyes, only to stop and let your hands drop onto your lap.

“I’m hungry.” You sighed, rubbing your growling tummy. As an employee of the newest and hottest cafe in Inazuma City, you can eat and drink for free! But the cafe only sells pastries and sweet drinks. “Some tempura would be nice, maybe some pizza as well. Should I go back to the abode to eat something? I am on my break right now.” You muttered, stroking your chin.

Just when you were about to decide on whether you should return to the abode while on your break or not, you spotted the men from afar— they stick out like sore thumbs— and you immediately panicked. You got up from the bench and ran back into the cafe, hoping that none of the men had spotted you while you were fleeing the scene.

“Oh! Back from your break already, [Y/N]?” Yuri asks, looking at you with wide eyes. “That was fast.” She commented, propping one hand on her hip while placing down a cup of smoothie in front of the customer.

You laugh nervously, “Ah, yes! I wasn’t that hungry and grabbed a small snack!” You lied, attempting to ignore your growling stomach.

“It’s a good thing you’re back early! We’re about to hit rush hour soon, and a lot of customers will be flooding into the cafe soon.” Mei spoke up from behind the counter.

“Rush hour! Right! How could I forget about that?” Your smile wavered on your face. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to the restroom.” You said, walking to the nearest restroom in the cafe.

You’re just hoping that none of the men come across the cafe. It would be humiliating if they saw you in the cafe’s uniform, working at a new cafe that is targeted at a specific demographic. It wasn’t that you were ashamed of having this job. It just feels awkward if the men knew you got a job at the new cafe. You didn’t know how they’d react if they were to see you dressed a certain way, catering to other customers that weren’t them.

“We’ve searched everywhere in Inazuma City, and they’re not here,” Ayato grumbles, running his hands through his hair with a frustrated sigh.

“They did say they were going to explore Inazuma City and shop around, did they not?” Dainsleif asks, crossing his arms over his chest before shooting a glare at bystanders that were staring at the group.

Itto claps his hands and points at both Tighnari and Gorou, “Since both of you have super senses for being part animal, have you guys tried sniffing [Y/N] down or try hearing for their voice?” Itto asks, looking at Tighnari and Gorou curiously.

Tighnari shakes his head, “I haven’t heard them, nor have I smelled their familiar scent in Inazuma City.” Tighnari looks around the city, his ears twitching while trying to listen for your voice if you were around.

“Well, if they were in Inazuma City, I haven’t smelled or heard them.” Gorou sighs, his ears drooping, his shoulders slumping forward in defeat.

Albedo pressed his lips together, “What if they were never in Inazuma City?” Albedo mutters, stroking his chin.

Kaeya quirks his eyebrow. “What do you mean by that, Albedo? Care to elaborate for the rest of us?” Kaeya asks as he crosses his arms across his chest.

“He’s implying that there’s a possible chance that [Y/N] was never in Inazuma City and only said that to throw us all off.” Childe interrupts, a deep frown appearing on his face. Everyone looked at Childe and Albedo with confusion. Was it possible that you were never in Inazuma City the entire time? The real question is: why did you leave the abode early in the morning while everyone was asleep? And how in the world did Tighnari and Gorou not hear you leave when the two of them have the keenest hearing out of everyone in the abode?

Scaramouche lets out a sharp and irritated “tsk,” while rolling his eyes and running his hands through his hair. “If they’re not in Inazuma City, we might as well wait for them to come back to the abode. It’s no use in searching for someone who doesn’t want to be found,” said Scaramouche, his face almost red with anger.

“I suppose that is the only option we have for now.” Zhongli murmurs, his eyes were scanning the city around him.

“I still don’t think they lied about being in Inazuma City. I’m sure they were in Inazuma City but decided to explore another part of Inazuma after seeing all of the city.” Heizou sighs.

Cyno crossed his arms over his chest, “Well, if they did, they should’ve informed us about it.” He huffs, his eyebrows furrowing.

Thoma frowns, “[Y/N] didn’t even inform us about them leaving at the crack of dawn!” Thoma clenches and unclenches his fist, feeling nothing but dread, worry, and guilt gnaw at him.

“Let’s go back to the abode and hope for the best that they will return.” Diluc murmurs. The men around Diluc let out a collective sigh of defeat before walking back to where the teapot was hidden.

Your shift ended quicker than you expected, but you’re grateful because now none of the men can chew you out for coming back to the abode so late. You changed out of your uniform and got dressed into the clothes you’d arrived to work in. It was mid-afternoon when you got off of work, and your stomach continued to rumble throughout your shift. You walked through the doors of the estate, tired and in desperate need of food.

“[Y/N]! Oh, thank the archons, you’re back!” Heizou cries, throwing himself at you. You screamed and fell to the ground with Heizou straddling your waist, his arms wrapped around your neck tightly, his cheeks pressed up against yours.

Aether pulls Heizou off of you, “We were worried about you! We couldn’t find you in Inazuma City at all!” Aether exclaims.

“Oh, sorry. I should’ve left a note before I left, but I was in a hurry.” You smacked your forehead as you got up from the ground with the help of Aether and Heizou. You were planning on leaving them a note, but you’re still upset about Thoma’s comment from the day before and decided not to leave a message at all. After all, when the men leave to go to tend to their duties, they never leave you a note.

Xiao walks up to you and grabs you by your shoulders, looking at you closely. “Did you at least eat something before you left the abode? You have a bad habit of eating only one meal a day.” Xiao stated.

Before you could answer Xiao’s question, you were interrupted by the sound of your stomach letting out a loud growl. It was so loud that you’re pretty sure that the Celestial archons could hear it.

Kaeya chuckles, “That would be a no,” His smile slips off his face while approaching you.

Al Haitham clicks his tongue and shakes his head with disapproval. “You’re lucky Thoma made you something to eat prior to your arrival,” Al Haitham and Kaeya guide you towards the dining area where the plates, cutlery, fancy cloth napkins, glass cup, and ceramic teacups are laid out on the wooden table.

Ah, it seems like everyone will be dining together. You forgot how long it had been since you’d sat down and eaten your food with the men. A few days, maybe? Maybe the last time you sat down and had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the men was before you were hired at the cafe in Inazuma.

“And you’re right on time too!” Venti chimes, sitting down beside you when you pull out the chair from underneath the table.

Everyone sat in silence while Thoma brought out food and placed them in the center of the table for everyone to be able to reach. You just know that they’re going to start questioning your whereabouts today, but you can’t tell them yet. It’s embarrassing, and you don’t know how they'd react if you were to get a job. Plus, you worry that Thoma is going to start blaming himself the minute you admit that you have a job. Then again, you’re not exactly sure if the job is going to be permanent or not.

Once everyone had put food on their plates and begun to dig in, you lightly poked at your food and reluctantly ate them. The men around you murmur to each other, giving each other the side eye before looking over where you sit. Your eyes were glued to your plate, you were staring off into space, and you seemed to have slowly sunk down in your seat to make yourself seem smaller.

Gorou clears his throat, “So, [Y/N]! How was exploring Inazuma City?” Gorou asks, looking over at you from Itto’s shoulders.

“It was okay! I’m quite tired from today, but I’m glad I was able to get home early today than yesterday.” You said, not making eye contact with anyone.

“Why did you leave the house so early? I understand that Inazuma looks beautiful when the sun is rising, but you can always explore Inazuma when the sun is high in the sky.” Itto commented, propping his elbows up on the table.

You hum, “Well, the temperature is quite cool early in the morning, and I like to explore the region when it’s not too hot or too warm.” You said, reaching over to grab your napkin and dab your lips with it.

Ayato pauses and looks over at you, slowly placing his ceramic teacup down on the saucer. “It’s dangerous to leave the abode on your own, [Y/N]. Perhaps next time, one of us can wake up early and guide you around Teyvat if you’d like.” Ayato offers.

You slowly nod your head. It’s not like you’ll be staying at your job any longer. Yes, you like working at the cafe, but there are hardly any other people working there, and you didn’t think you’d have to go to an extent for your job, like drinking some random elixir that lasts for almost eight hours.

“I would love that! But we might have to hold off on that for a few days.” You murmured, pinching your chin while in deep thought. “It’d be nice to explore Teyvat early in the morning when the day has yet to start.” You said thoughtfully.

“Oh? Are you saying that you’ll be getting up early in the morning tomorrow?” Childe asks, resting both of his arms on the table while pressing his chest against the edge of the table. Zhongli lightly taps Childe on his arm, giving him a disapproving look. Childe pouts and leans back in his seat, letting his hands fall onto his lap. Ayato and Scaramouche snorted at Childe’s reaction, shaking their heads while proceeding to take a sip of their drinks. You cleared your throat and let out a slow sigh.

“Yes, I will be getting up early tomorrow morning. But not as early as I did today since….” Since your shift starts at nine in the morning instead of seven in the morning today.

“Since what?” Dainsleif asks, raising an eyebrow at you.

You shake your head and rub your temples with an exhausted sigh. “I don’t know. I’m feeling drained, and I’ve been having a hard time trying to sleep early.” You grumbled.

Scaramouche looks at you closely and notices something strange in your hair. “What’s that?” Scaramouche asks, pointing at the white fuzz in your hair.

Tighnari reaches over and pulls the fuzz from your hair and holds it in front of his face, squinting at it. “It’s animal hair— rabbit hair, to be specific.” He murmurs, looking up at the others, then back over at you.

Shit.

Cyno makes a face. “That’s strange. Why is there a hare in your hair?” Cyno covers his mouth with his hands, stifling his laughter, occasionally snorting.

“It’s fur, you idiot.” Al Haitham says, flicking Cyno’s forehead.

“I don’t care; it’s a joke you stick in the mud!” Cyno retorts, swiping at Al Haitham’s hands.

Zhongli tilts his head to the side, “How did you get fur in your hair?” Zhongli asks. He gazes at you with curiosity.

“Oh, perhaps they visited an animal cafe in Inazuma before returning to the abode,” Kazuha commented.

You immediately nod your head at Kazuha’s comment, “That is correct! I visited a rabbit cafe before returning to the abode!” You squeaked.

“Is that so?” Baizhu murmurs, gazing at you with interest. Again, you nod your head.

Albedo stares at you with scrutiny, his eyes scanning you from head to toe. “If you were at an animal cafe, then how is there no fur on your clothes?” Albedo asks.

“Oh, I didn’t hold them or let them climb on my lap.” You said, beginning to shove food into your mouth, wanting to get dinner over with already.

Gorou hums, “Furs do fly everywhere. I’m impressed that you’re able to leave that animal cafe without a single fur stuck to your clothes.” Gorou says, leaning down to slurp up his ramen.

You sigh and run your hands through your hair, checking to make sure that there aren’t any more furs trapped in your hair. “I’m impressed too.” You muttered, making a face when you discovered a small knot in your hair. “Ouch.” You mumbled, rubbing your head.

“It looks like you need a haircut,” Pierro commented, looking up at you from the book in his hands. “Your hair is getting long.” He reaches over to his cup and takes a long sip from it.

“Aw, come on, Pierro! I think they’ll look adorable with long hair.” Pantalone coos, ruffling your hair as he walks by your seat. “Plus, what am I going to pull on when I—” Pantalone was cut off by Xiao throwing a knife in his direction.

Dottore laughs, “The little yaksha is quite feisty, isn’t he?” Dottore looks over at Xiao, who glares at him in return. “These men have been on edge since this morning. Any little risque comment about [Y/N] will set them off.” Dottore whispers loudly to the four Harbingers.

You look at Dottore with surprise, “They’ve been on edge since this morning? How so?” You ask, wiping your mouth with the napkin. You’ve eaten too much and too fast, and now your stomach feels full. Very full; like you were going to burst very soon from eating too fast and way more than you can handle. You’re just going to have to pray to some archon out there that your bloated stomach goes away before you have to change into your work uniform tomorrow morning.

“They assumed we hid you at our estate,” Capitano says, taking the tea bag out from his cup before tossing them into the trash bin. “Perhaps you should come and pay us a visit when you’re able to. We don’t bite.” Capitano smiles underneath his mask.

You gasped softly, “Oh my gosh, I’ve never stepped foot in the Harbingers’ estate before! Maybe I should pay a visit sometime!” You said.

A smile ghosts over Pierro’s face, “Good. We will be expecting you.”

After dinner, you weren’t allowed to retreat to your bedroom. Instead, Childe and Itto had you sitting between them while they rambled on about how much they missed you and how it was a pain in the ass to search around Inazuma City for you. Your head was resting on Itto’s shoulders while Childe was playing with your fingers, rubbing the palm of your hands with his thumbs.

Once the night has fallen, everyone slowly starts to go to bed one by one. But of course, before everyone left, each of them kissed your cheek, forehead, the crown of your head, and your temples before going off to bed. You find yourself plopping down on your bed, feeling yourself slowly falling asleep. Right when you were about to drift off to sleep, you heard your bedroom creak open. You crack your eyes and glance towards the door, only to see Thoma peeking his head from the entrance of your room.

“Thoma? Why are you still awake? I thought you went to sleep.” You murmured, sitting up on your bed and rubbing your eyes.

Thoma enters your bedroom and closes the door behind him before walking over to your bed. Thoma sits down at the edge of your bed beside you and gazes at you with eyes that remind you of a sad puppy. Thoma reluctantly reaches toward your hands and grabs them, lacing his fingers with yours.

“I’m sorry for hurting your feelings yesterday. I didn’t intend to hurt you, and I worded my sentences wrong. I’m sorry. Everything I said, I didn’t mean it at all. I hope you can forgive me.” Thoma says softly.

You gave Thoma a weak smile, “Of course, I forgive you, Thoma. What you said did hurt me, but you were right. There’s no need to deny it because it's true. I don’t work, nor am I a part of the Akademiya.” You said softly. Thoma opens his mouth to protest, but you press your finger against his lips and shake your head. “I’m trying my best, Thoma. And maybe I’ll get a job, but I’m testing the waters right now.” You said. Thoma looks at you questionably.

You coughed and looked away from Thoma, “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you guys everything when I’m ready.” You said, giving him a small smile. Thoma nods his head as you slowly take your finger off his lips. “I’m going to sleep now. I really need to fix my sleep schedule because it's all over the place.” You sighed, laying back down on your bed.

“Alright, goodnight, [Y/N],” Thoma says, leaning down to press a kiss on your forehead.

You smile and snuggle into your comforter, “Goodnight, Thoma.” You said, closing your eyes.

The next day, you got up for work as per usual and left the abode before everyone woke up from their sleep. Unlike yesterday, you actually left a note to inform the men of your whereabouts, leaving you the information about where you were going to work. Yes, you told them that you’d be in Inazuma City, but not exactly where you’re going and what you’re going to be doing in Inazuma City. Today felt like it was going to be a good day. Perhaps it's because you and Thoma have amended the small rift between you two from a few days ago. Upon your arrival to work, you changed into your uniform and were handed an elixir to drink. You adjusted your uniform and downed the potion that Tadashi had given to you. Your face pinches up in disgust as you hand back the glass vial to him.

“It’ll take some time to get used to,” Tadashi says, giving you a sympathetic smile.

You snorted, “Well, it’s a potion that lasts up to almost eight hours. I don’t think I’ll be able to get used to it.” You said. A few minutes later, bunny ears sprout from the top of your head, and a small cotton ball-like tail appears where your tailbone is.

“Hey, it’s temporary. It’s not like it’s a permanent potion.” Tadashi added.

You squint your eyes, “That is true….” You clicked your tongue and began to set the tables in the cafe.

When you left to go to work, you assumed that everyone was still asleep. What you didn’t know was that everyone was awake when you left for work, and the men had followed you the entire time. They hid behind buildings, bushes, trees, and wooden crates while you walked to work. All of them had woken up earlier than you did and waited for you to leave the abode before following close behind.

When they saw you walk to the cafe that is tucked in the corner of Inazuma City, the men were suspicious yet curious as to what you were doing there. The building was small, but it looked cozy and welcoming from the outside. The building has a huge glass window that allows people that walk by the building to see what’s going on inside. What they expected to see was you buying some pastries; what they didn’t expect to see was you stepping out from the back of the cafe wearing a maid costume, thigh-high stockings, and five-inch platform heels.

“Awooga! Holy shit, [Y/N] looks good in that maid costume!” Childe whispers loudly, his eyes widening and his face flushing red.

“Why are they wearing a maid costume for another man that isn’t us!?” Itto hisses, looking over at the others with his eyebrows furrowing.

Ayato looks up at the sign that hangs above the small building, “Maid Cafe.” Ayato murmurs.

Kazuha squints his eyes, “What did that man hand to [Y/N]?” Kazuha asks, pointing at the glass vial that is now in your hands.

“And why did [Y/N] drink it?” Kaeya questions, looking at you in disbelief from a distance where you couldn’t see the men.

Diluc sighs, “I guess they’ll accept any drink that is given to them.” Diluc pinches the space between his eyebrows.

Albedo’s mouth drops when bunny ears suddenly sprout from the top of your head. The same pristine white fur that was on your hair the day before. “I have many questions.” Albedo stated, not taking his eyes off the bunny ears on your head.

“What do we do now?” Aether asks.

“We confront them about it,” Xiao stated, getting up from his hiding spot before walking into the cafe with the others following behind him.

The bells of the Maid Cafe chimes loudly, alerting you and Tadashi that there are customers. You looked over at the clock to see that it was opening time already. Tadashi looks at the entrance and smiles widely, waving at new faces.

“Hello! Welcome to the Maid Cafe! Angel will be right with you in a moment.” Tadashi says, walking to the counter. “If you would like to dine in, please inform us! If you would like a takeout, do let us know about that as well.” Tadashi adds.

“Who’s Angel?” Heizou whispers to the others. The men around Heizou shrugged their shoulders at Heizou’s question.

“I don’t know who this Angel person is, but I would rather have [Y/N] be our waitress or maid,” Scaramouche mutters.

“Hi! Welcome to the Maid Cafe! You can call me Angel, and I am here to serve you!” You said, turning around to face the new customers after setting up the tables. You let out a choked gasp when you make eye contact with the men, almost dropping the glass plate in your hands. “What are you guys doing here?!” You squeaked, pointing an accusing finger at them.

“What are we doing here?! What are you doing here?!” Venti exclaims, looking at you with wide eyes.

“I work here!” You exclaimed.

“Work!?” Your beloved boyfriends exclaim, looking at you in disbelief. You sighed loudly and nodded your head slowly, scratching your ears with anxiousness.

Zhongli points to the top of your head, “Why do you have bunny ears?” He asks, slowly reaching up to lightly touch it. The ears on your head twitch, causing Zhongli to pull his hands away from your ears, eyes the size of plates.

“Why do they call you Angel? Is it a fake name that you go by while you work here?” Dainsleif asks, his eyes scanning you from head to toe.

You nod your head, “Yes, it’s my work name. I, Mei, and Yuri go by aliases as we work here because we don’t want customers to know our real names.” You answered, rubbing the back of your neck with a sheepish smile on your face. “This was not how I wanted you all to know about my new job.” You grumbled, crossing your arms over your chest, your tail twitching with irritation.

Tighnari’s eyes widen, and his ears perk up at the sight of your tail. Tighnari slowly reaches toward your tail, his hand pausing halfway when he realizes something. Tighnari’s face turns a deep shade of red before he slowly retreats back to where he previously stood.

Tighnari clears his throat, “I didn’t think your maid uniform is so…. Short.” He looks away from you.

“Hehe, yeah, that is the point of this cafe. It’s to cater to certain demographics.” You said, subconsciously tugging the bottom of your uniform. “So, uh, are you guys here to eat, or are you guys here to scold me for keeping my job a secret?” You ask, rocking back and forth on your feet.

“We’ll stay to eat,” Baizhu says. You smile at Baizhu and nod your head, gesturing for them to follow you.

“So cute.” Childe giggles, poking at the little white cotton ball that is your tail. You smacked Childe’s hands away from your tail with a huff of breath, your face heating up.

“You have a lot of explaining to do.” Al Haitham stated as he and the rest of the men sat down at the table.

You sighed for the billionth time today, “If it’s about me getting a job after Thoma’s comment, no, it’s not. I got this job days before Thoma made that comment. Don’t point your fingers at Thoma and blame him. I had forgiven him already, and we talked it out last night before going to bed.” You said, patting the top of Thoma’s head with a small smile on your face.

“Quit your job,” Itto demanded, giving you a small pout.

You snorted, “And why is that? I need a job and mora to shop around.” You said, crossing your arms over your chest.

“You don’t need to work for mora when I can spoil you with everything you could ever want.” Pantalone says, tossing a large bag of mora on the table.

You laugh, “As much as I loved being spoiled by all of you,” You reach over and lightly pinch Pantalone’s cheeks and a pouting Childe’s cheeks. “I want to make my own mora too! Plus, I need to keep myself occupied. Being home alone while all of you are out doing your jobs makes me feel lonely.” You said.

“And you chose a job where you’re wearing a maid costume, thigh-high stockings, tall heels, and drink potions that make you sprout out bunny ears?” Ayato asks.

You sighed in defeat, “Yes, yes, I did. But I look cute, and it’s not heavy labor, aside from wearing these dang heels.” You grumbled, taking a seat at an empty chair. “These heels are killing me.” You complained, squeezing and rubbing your sore feet.

Aether leans to you, “You should quit your job. It’s not worth wearing heels all day and parading around in a maid costume to please creepy men. I would rather have you go out on an adventure with us than cater to creepy men.” Aether says, giving you a small pout.

“I don’t know….” You hesitated, playing with the hem of the maid dress. “I’m going to feel bad if I quit.” You murmured.

Cyno squeezes your shoulders lightly, “It’s okay to quit the job that you don’t like! Some people quit after they’re hired! This kind of job isn’t maid for you, so you might as well quit and find a job that is more suitable for you.” Cyno cackles, earning a slap on the back of his head from Al Haitham. Cyno grumbles and glares at Al Haitham.

You cracked a smile and snorted at Al Haitham and Cyno. “Alright, I’ll think about it.” You said. “Now, let me go get the menu, and you all can start ordering something!” You said, getting up from your seat to walk to the counter where the menus are.

While your back was turned, facing their direction, the men couldn’t help but admire the sight of you wearing the uniform. Perhaps they should get you your very own maid uniform to wear around the abode. It’ll be for their eyes only.

Note: Aw man, I think this is the latest update I've ever posted for an Isekai'd!reader fic 🥹 Idk how I feel about this chapter since I worked on it while being busy with school and loads of assignments, but I hope you all liked it 😭 It's close to 2 AM, and I am in need of sleep and break from assignments, but that's not going to happen. For my new and returning readers, I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for "Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader" and my overall taglist: @xxkatsusjinsux, @huboi, @plumpkie, @crazyrichdaughter, @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff, @patata52, @honeybedo, @thedivinepriestress, @pencil-of-ashes, @samarill, @bakuhve, @yukima, @chaosinanutshell, @emperatris-rinaka, @neilify, @ksjjkthpjm, @jaisithebird, @mouchie, @emerald-smile, @jixlem, @the-blob-fish, @jiminscarmex, @bananazzzen, @thelost-in-time, @kryloxen, @ayolk, @tomansimp, @lordbugs, @c-camellias, @chihawari, @lilliansstuff, @zhongloml, @sweethcnvy, @wolf-chan2134, @simp4-fictional-men, @dai-tsukki-desu, @trash-queen-af, @tamayakii, @stellaris999, @hispasian-otaku, @stygianoir, @crispynutduck (if you have not been tagged, it’s because you have your settings turned off for people to tag you in posts)

Read more of my works on my Masterlist | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon!

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paradoxcase · 8 months

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Chapter 25 of Harrow the Ninth

So, the Nook app has decided that now it's going to open on my bigger monitor, which is a bit annoying, since I can't browse the book and write the tumblr post at the same time, but since it doesn't have a windowed mode I'm not sure how to switch it back to my laptop

Ok, never mind, while I was writing that, the Nook app crashed again, and when I re-opened it it opened on my laptop

Aroace rep, but from the character whose main role in the story so far is that he's trying to kill the protagonist for no reason?

Although, speaking of Pyrrha, who we so far don't know anything about except that she was Gideon's cavalier, since Gideon the First is a regular Lyctor he must also be Pyrrha on some level, so possibly some of his odd actions are actually Pyrrha's actions, or are because of Pyrrha in some way, and that's why John thinks they are out of character for Gideon

I guess it could be technically possible that Harrow hallucinated that whole thing, but honestly, it would be boring if all of the weird stuff in this book turns out to be a baseless hallucination. I guess the mystery part of this book is figuring out how much of this Cytherea-related stuff is hallucinations and how much is real

So I guess this means that on the fourth or maybe last day of this ultimatum, Harrow will make Ianthe a bone arm and this problem will be solved?

I can't decide if Ianthe has some sort of Plan to get Harrow to make her a bone arm, or if pretending like she doesn't care is just her way of coping

So Ianthe burns the onions (or at least she says she does) and Harrow just doesn't cook them at all. Also, I get that Harrow wouldn't be familiar with brightly colored vegetables, but wouldn't she also not be familiar with brightly colored candy? Even if they had candy on the Ninth, candy is made in bright colors because people expect good food to be bright colors and that makes the candy look more appetizing. If denizens of the Ninth are not used to brightly-colored food, it doesn't make sense that they'd have brightly colored candy, either

So, I mean, everyone disliked or hated this soup, and we've heard previously that Lyctors don't actually need to eat. I can see the others eating the soup to be polite, but Gideon the First has kind of crossed the line where politeness is going to have any effect by repeatedly trying to kill her. So why did he eat the soup?

Beautiful. If I've understood what John has said about Lyctor mortality well enough, I think he shouldn't have been able to survive this if John hadn't magicked him better, even if I'm wrong and he has no trouble with the necromancy part of Lyctorhood

Please, John, tell us about the last time you ate human being

Unless he's just talking about when Cassiopeia cut off her finger while cooking?

This is a really odd reaction to finding out that Harrow can't sleep for fear of Gideon the First so she is trying to kill him so she can live a normal life? Like, she is his Lyctor, she is blindly devoted to him, he should be pleased that she is this capable in the face of this impossible situation, especially if he really doesn't want Gideon to kill her, because her being capable means she would be better able to protect herself. I wonder if he also is afraid of her hurting him for some reason, for the same reason Gideon the First is? And Mercy's job was not so much to teach her as to do surveillance? Only, if he considered her a legitimate threat, I'm sure he could have just killed her himself at any point, right? Maybe that would wreck the persona of a kindly god that he's projecting, but I almost feel like he could get away with justifying anything at this point. And he asked Mercy if they could put her in the room with him when they fought Number Seven, and Mercy pointed out that that would kill her, there's no way he could have not known that, right?

Also, I'm amused that every time Mercy talks about how young Harrow is, the age gets younger and younger. But her horror that Harrow is so young has definitely made her underestimate her

So I guess this incident reminded Augustine of one of the dead Lyctors? Or Anastasia

Or: "Yeah, that's fair"

Now I'm interested to see if he gets some more characterization in the future

#the locked tomb #harrow the ninth

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1moreff-creator · 9 months

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Hi! I'm pretty new to tumblr and I have no idea if it's appropriate to come into your askbox to talk about my drdt chapter 2 theories but I'm not confident enough to make my own post and it's more a fun thought I just had than an actual theory

/! \ this will contain spoilers for drdt obviously as well as THH in case people who follow you somehow havent played the game

the gist of it is, someone who is not the culprit could have messed with the crime scene.

It's mainly because so far the chapters seem to have reference to THH in more ways than just with the motives (it is probably too soon for it to be a pattern and ngl i kinda hope its not because if it is, with what we know of Rose' money issues she might end up the ch3 culprit and I want her to live so badly. would make the whole series a bit too predictable also, although i dont personally mind that kinda stuff)

because like. Chapter 1 had someone who got close to the protag, ended up betraying their trust, chose the murder location to frame someone specific, failed their murder attempt and died as a result with the real culprit technically acting in self defense (although its not 100% the case for Leon)

and in chapter 2 we have the victim who died a pretty quick and violent death (at least im pretty sure chihiros cause of death was a violent hit to the head? been a really long while, i could remember wrong) but the murder scene make it seem more complicated. And the victim died just after they decided to change/improve themselves in some way also

In both cases someone who has nothing (at least probably, in Davids case) to actually do with the murder have some pretty big part of themselves exposed during the trial

idk who would mess with the murder scene and for what purpose (Vero. for funsies. What a Legend)

I'm probably wrong cause that doesnt really explain the evidence at the crime scene. like. at all, i know

like Idk what the spinny thing has to do with anything (I mean you could put a bunch of tape on the handles just 'cause, i guess? but it would make more sense if it were involved in some sort of mechanism which you wouldn't need if Arei was already dead)

same for the ball of clothes and the flickering light

Whoever put the fish there though, whether its the actual killer or not, I'm pretty sure they did it to make everyone think the crime couldn't have happened at night time and fish water was actually never part of the murder itself

that would make someone physically strong like Levi the killer tho and even though it would make sense (pretty sure at this point that Arei has his secret) I feel like its too soon for him to die? Eden got more development and makes more sense to me (which breaks my heart, I love her)

Hi! Don't worry, none of us know what we're doing in this website! :D

No need to be shy about making your own posts, but it's also fine to talk/ask me about whatever crosses your mind! So, your theories/thoughts.

The possibility that someone other than the killer screwed with the crime scene is one I've seen before, and technically speaking, something like that most likely happened. I think it was an accomplice of the killer (Eden!Blackened Levi!Accomplice gang rise up), but a third party is part of other theories.

The fish are the main thing: given Nico's account (fish were all still there when they last fed them, which can be deduced to be around 7:00 - 7:30 PM of the third day, the day most of episode 7 takes place in), whoever took the fish must have done it at around the time the characters believe the murder happened. But there's no reason for the killer to bring the fish unless they were trying to confuse the time of death, which would only matter if they can have an alibi at the time the fish disappeared. But if they have an alibi at the time the fish disappear, they can't have taken the fish! (Which, btw, eliminates Veronika. Unfortunate, they won't let women do anything these days, not even mess with crime scenes for funsies smh)

So either it was someone unrelated messing with the crime scene, or an accomplice took the fish there to give the real killer an alibi. I'm planning to do a post summarizing my theory on how exactly the whole mess happened, so uh, stay tuned ig. But if you're interested in the "David screwed with the crime scene" idea, I recommend reading thebadjoe's theory on the murder. I may not agree with it, but it's still a fantastic post and a really fun read!

As for most of the other stuff, yeah Arei's death probably wasn't very simple. Explaining the odd contradiction of her wrists being bound but a mechanism clearly being involved (as you mentioned, tape on bars and flickering light, among other stuff) is a whole mess. It's part of why I'm not really sure this is absolutely supposed to parallel THH. Like clearly there's some similarities, but it's basically impossible to know what aspects of a case would be similar and which ones wouldn't. So, uh, yeah. Who knows.

I do agree Eden's the killer though! Why else would she take the tape from the gym? If you don't know what I'm talking about, basically the gym lockdown and the tape disappearing seemingly overnight makes it impossible for anyone but Teruko, Ace or Eden (or I guess Rose if she's lying) to have taken the tape. But since the tape also disappears from the background right after Ace wakes up... yeah, just Teruko Ace or Eden. But we know Teruko didn't, Ace couldn't have done it without Teruko noticing, and Eden got knocked to the floor when the tape disappeared from the floor :p

And yeah, it hurts. It will be a sad day when the killer gets executed, regardless of who they are, but especially if it's Eden T_T

#drdt #drdt theory

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illusionsofdreaming · 1 year

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hey, it's owhda. how have you been? it's a little bit sad to see no updates on tumblr from you(I mean any, even just a talk) but that just mean there's something else going on in your life and I sincerely hope it's something good. I didn't really know you much but I really thought that you could be a good friend to have. So.. could we get a glimpse into your life? How's your work? What are you interested in right now?

Hello, hello! It's so nice to see some familiar faces still hanging around this dusty blog! I've missed interacting with you both and Tumblr in general, it's very humbling to know people are reminded of me from time to time. I guess now is as good a time as any to post a little update on what's been going on in my life, how that's affected my writing and what I've got planned for the blog in the coming future. For those who wish to skip the chatter, tldr; I'm hanging on, this will blog will remain online and I do have plans to continue writing.

Let’s see… where do I even begin? Shortly after May, I’ve received an exciting notice - I was promoted! It’s a goal I’ve been working on for some time so it was quite satisfying to hear the news. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of activities - trying to juggle my new responsibilities and manage my own team took some time getting used to. I’ve worked solo for so long it was difficult to be the ‘leader’. In fact - I still am uncomfortable being one, but I’m starting to get the grasp of it.

I’ve been traveling for work as well and in these few months have been to Japan and UK. Both trips where I fell severely ill because my weak body can’t cross countries without making complaints and making me feel my age. Oh. And I finally got Covid in November which really laid me low for at least 2 weeks.

I realise my health’s been taking a hit lately. Perhaps its the stress of having more work on my plate and being in a new position but I’ve been getting sick more easily. I’m currently recovering from a throat infection that I got from my UK trip as I write this - so fun times.

So yeah.. it’s been a lot of paperwork, electronic work, a lot of self reflection and remoulding of myself to my real life that really put writing on the back burner. I always wrote at night after work but nowadays I don’t even have the energy for that. If I’m not dead asleep by the time I’m done with work then some infection, flu or cold will get me.

…and the longer I don’t touch my writing the less I wish to open my WIPs because I have a silly, irrational fear that I no longer write the same way I use to - either I’ve deteriorated or my style’s changed. It’s silly.

Good news is that, I think I’ve finally found my pace, my new position is no longer ‘new’ but the norm and I’m slowly finding ways to carve out my own personal time in my new schedule. Which is why I’ve decided to tackle this issue today. To be honest, it’s been a while since I wrote anything fictional, but I’m planning on slowly working through the writing blocks that have built up due to my neglect. I’ve bought 2 new books during my trip in UK so that’s a step in the right direction right?

As some of my older followers would know and recognise by now, I do tend to go through highs and lows when it comes to activity on this blog. It often reflects what’s going on in my personal life haha. But lately, the creative bug that has been out of energy seemed to have been slightly rejuvenated - my habits of hyperfixating on creative mediums is rearing its head again so I know it’ll only be a matter of time before I’m itching to write again.

About what..? TCF is still on my mind but not as much as before since it’s been some time since I last read its chapters. Lately I’ve been reading Absolute Sword Sense and am keeping up with its chapters so far. I’ve yet to get the newest Fire Emblem game and have been doing great avoiding any and all spoilers so far - but I’m pretty sure it’ll be going on my list of series I’ll write for in the future.

My health issues are to be tackled another day because I’m frankly, quite tired of taking meds.

As for where I wish to take the blog… hmm.. that’s really a tough decision because I’ve never really had a clear goal in mind when it comes to this blog. It was just a great space to share my thoughts on fandoms and interact with likeminded people. I don’t think I’ll be opening requests for a while since I’ve got a huge backlog of WIPs to work on. I suppose I could attempt to keep the blog less.. dead? Not sure how I’ll go about it though.

Anyways.. that’s about it. Terribly sorry for the word vomit, I hope everyone's been doing well and enjoying your life! If it seems I'm a bit dead without updates, it's usually because there aren't any chatter related inboxes haha. So is this illu's call for random stories to be dropped in their mail? Yes.

#chatter #owhda #ineshapanda #mikachuchu #updates #life #blog stuff #illu is doing great #hope everyone is as well #thanks for checking up on lil me ;w;#made me feels #lots #-cries-

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meganrosanna · 1 year

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When The Flower Blooms - Prologue

Yeah, I finally decided that this story needs to be continued. I am starting from complete scratch, but I’m old now and I have to relearn how to use tumblr 😭 Cross-posted on my ao3.

Sakura spun back around in her chair to face the large pile of paperwork that still sat in front of her.

"I can't be like Tsunade-sama..." Sakura groaned. "Back to work!"

She fulfilled her dream of opening a mental ward to help the children of the village handle the effect of the war, and it was going smoothly. Sure, from time to time she would have to lose some sleep to finish all the paperwork she had to do, but it was all worth it in the end to her.

It was always in her nature to help people. Even as a weak Genin, Sakura did her best to help her teammates and others around her. When Sasuke left the village for the first time, Sakura realized how helpless she really was. She became Tsunade-sama's apprentice and took up medical ninjutsu, but little did she know how proficient she would be in the field. Six years later, she's surpassed her master and is known as the best medical ninja in the village, perhaps in the whole world, and is one of the strongest Kunoichi of her time.

She has really bloomed into something beautiful.

Sakura spared a quick glance away from her paperwork when she heard a knock on the office door.

"Come in..." Sakura said.

Long blonde hair peeked its way through the door.

"Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura's brows pulled together as she continued to fill out her paperwork.

Ino slammed her hand on the desk, nearly scattering the files all over the floor of her friend's office. "Sakura!"

"That wasn't very nice of you," Ino dismissed Sakura's underwhelming response with a wave of her hand and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I have a patient to get to soon, but I was passing by and wanted to ask you about girl's night tonight. Tenten, Hinata and I are going out to BBQ! You in?"

Sakura sighed and rested her head in the palm of her hand. "Sorry Ino, but I'm busy tonight," gesturing to the stacks upon stacks of papers in front of her.

"You always seem to find time for work but not for your friends! This has got to be the millionth time you've missed girl's night!"

"I know Ino, and I'm really sorry. I'll try to make it next time, okay?"

"Oh you better, or I am dragging you out this office and to the hot springs! Got that?"

Sakura sighed, "Yeah, I got it, Ino."

"And don't overwork yourself, ok? I need you to sleep in your bed tonight, not that old chair again."

"Ok, Ino. Thank you. But you shouldn't keep your patient waiting-" By the time Sakura finished her sentence, Ino was already out the door. She leaned back in her chair, looking at the blank roof above her.

"Over work, huh?"

Sakura took the moment of peace to ponder over what Ino said. She knows that she's been working a lot recently, but nothing would get done without some sacrifice. Sakura would much rather overwork herself to the point of exhaustion than have the people she's known for her entire life struggle.

But she made the decision to listen to her best friend's advice and make it a goal to sleep in her own bed tonight.

"Alright! As soon as I finish all this work, I'll grab some food and head on home!"

Now with the motivation of food on her mind, Sakura began to tackle the documents in front of her.

#naruto #sakura #sakura uchiha #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #sasusaku #sakura x sasuke

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articfoxxxxsstuff · 2 years

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Hello my dear readers! Do enjoy this little (is 4.6k little?) teaser in the toilet before the main event ;)! Previous Chapters 1-4 are on my Tumblr and AO3. Please help yourself~

Link Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Title: 2AM

Pairing: Rengoku Kyojuro x Reader

Chapter:5

Warning: Boob play, Boob worshipping, Book sucking, Fingering, Pussy eating, Cumming, Oral sex in the toilet, your orgasms before he gets his, making out, filthy blowjob, suggestive stuff, Dirty NSFW Thoughts, Language

Masterpiece blessed by @nana.yin.nana

Things escalated very quickly after that intense grinding session. One minute you were on the dance floor passionately making out with a handsome blonde-haired stranger and the next minute you found yourself in a hazy post-make out daze being dragged halfway across the dance floor.

Kyojuro's large hand securely enclosed itself around your wrist in a vice-like grip as he assertively led you through the crowd. He was never going to let go of your hand ever again. The next thing he planned to do was to give you a little preview. His eyes darkened as he imagined countless scenarios which included you begging for his cock. No, he was going to first make you crave for him as much as he did before finally giving you the proper fucking that you deserved. After all, naughty girls need to be punished. He still had yet to forgive you for your little stunt earlier.

You on the other hand albeit a bit tipsy, was wondering how Kyojuro's handsome face could remain so impassive in public especially after that entire fiasco. Shouldn't he be trying his hardest to get into your pants? What does he mean by 'stop by somewhere first before going home'? Was this going to be a quickie? You weren't some side dish. The more you thought about it, the more insecure you felt. However, all your fears dissipated the moment your eyes caught his. His glowing eyes were only focused on one person, you and that was all the reaffirmation you needed.

Poor (your name), you really didn't need to worry about how Kyojuro felt about you. If anything, you failed to notice how his fingers would tighten a bit more than necessary whenever someone got too close to you. Unfortunately for him, his loyal and self-proclaimed number one friend had already long spotted you two trying to get through the sea of sweaty bodies and decided that he was in the mood for some mischief.

"Hey Rengoku!"

"Tengen. Sorry but as you can see I'm a bit busy at the moment." Kyojuro forced a polite smile before shooting his pal an agitated look.

Tengen smirked and lazily placed both his palms up in mock surrender before stooping down to whisper into his friend's ear, "If you're looking for a decent toilet. I know where you can find one."

"Don't test my patience Tengen, I swear-"

"I mean you're more than welcome to join the long queue, if you two aren't too pressed for time." The silver man grinned while gesturing towards the long line of semi-drunk people leaning against the wall all awaiting their turn to do their business, be it peeing, vomiting or sex.

Kyojuro wasn't exactly thrilled to be stopped mid-conquest, but he had to admit that his friend was right. The corners of his dark eyebrows furrowed, and an irritated emotion briefly crossed his eyes before he came to a complete standstill. Shit, he hadn't properly thought this through. Is this what thinking with his dick felt like? This wasn't going to work, giving you a little teaser in a filthy toilet used by God knows how many people. How unbecoming of his manners.

As he continued analysing his options on the spot, the man made sure to quickly steal a glance at you to check if you were still ok. Thankfully he didn't have to worry too much about how you were faring. You looked quite relaxed with your eyes closed as you lightly swayed to the beat with his hand still possessively on your wrist. God, you were such a good girl putting all your trust in him. He was going to reward you well for your good behaviour.

"I didn't really peg you as an exhibitionist Rengoku! In front of so many people? How flamboyant! Maybe you're into pegging as well hmm? " Tengen's deafening voice quickly drew the man back to reality.

"I'm not." He tapped his feet impatiently while waiting for his friend to finish what he had come here to say. Whatever information Tengen wanted to reveal had better be fucking useful.

"Just between you and me, I would recommend the staff toilet downstairs. It's often vacant." The silver haired man's sly voice dropped an octave as he patted his best friend's shoulders in a friendly manner.

"You better not be pulling my leg Tengen." Tengen could see that his friend's eyes were now glinting even more dangerously.

"Cross my heart. I hope you have a nice fuck. You desperately are in need of it." He laughed as he watched his friend hurriedly disappear with you down the flights of steps that lead downstairs.

"Tengen sama! How did you know about the staff bathroom?" A girl with short dark blue hair pouted while hooking her arm around the tall man's arm.

"Tengen sama has his ways. Why are you so surprised?" Another lady with a ponytail piped up while hooking her arm seductively on Tengen's other arm.

"Ladies settle down. I promise to bring the three of you to a bigger and better spot." The silver haired man grinned while moving towards to cup the chin of another black-haired lady who was quietly blushing at his actions.

Rengoku Kyojuro was normally a patient man but tonight was different. He almost, almost felt bad for losing his temper at his close colleague but surely his friend would understand right? Heck, he had always been teased for being a virgin but above all, he couldn't afford to waste any more precious time. 10 long years of unrequited one-sided love for someone who forgot about his existence. He had time, right? Kyojuro absent-mindedly began licking his suddenly dried lips with his long red tongue. Enough time for a quick taster, before he could rightly indulge and lose himself in your wet cavern.

"Rengoku-san? Aren't the toilets upstairs?" Your melodious voice broke the silence of the deserted hallway and immediately brought him back from his lewd thoughts.

"Don't worry my love. I'm bringing you to somewhere more private, away from all those distractions." Kyojuro whispered to you in a reassuring voice before planting a soft kiss on your knuckles.

"Mhmm sounds good." You giggled while attempting to rub your thighs together in hopes of reducing the growing need down south which of course didn't go unnoticed. Kyojuro's penetrating eyes gleamed sharply as he watched you struggle with your little predicament. He was positive that he could easily help you with that.

Fortunately for the both of you Tengen was right, no one was around. Kyojuro muttered a silent 'thank you' and confidently strode towards the door with a 'staff only' sign hanging on top. He then impatiently reached out to throw open the door.

Bingo.

The door swung open to reveal an empty bathroom dimly lit by a long strip of white florescent light. Kyojuro's amber eyes quickly scanned the surroundings as he took note of the plain walls that were smeared with all manners of graffiti, a mirror on top of a small sink and most importantly a toilet bowl with a lid on. He could already picture himself getting a blowjob from you on the throne.

Not bad Tengen.

As soon as you stepped into the room, you felt a strong pair of arms powerfully pulling you into the empty bathroom stall. You looked up to see Kyojuro smirking down at you while loosening his blood red tie.

God, he looked so hot.

"Last chance to say no (your name)." Kyojuro growled while pinning your arms firmly above your head as he took the opportunity to closely study your face with growing hunger.

"No? I'm not leaving till you fuck me Rengoku San." You couldn't help but feel quite turned on by the situation. There was something very intimate when the golden-haired man politely asked for your consent before they two of you began getting it on.

"Oh. Quite a straightforward thing, aren't you? First, allow me to reward you for being such a good girl." Kyojuro groaned and finally allowed himself to fully press his body against yours before taking an experimental hard thrust again your needy pussy.

"Ah." You mewled as you felt your lover roughly pushing you up against the rough concrete wall while planting hot open mouth kisses all the way down to your heaving chest.

"Tell me what you want." He glowered.

"Touch me here. Kyojuro." You cried out wantonly while cupping your (colour) tits in your trembling hands and thrusting them out to him like an offering.

Gods.

The 28-year-old man had waited far too long for this. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. The chance to finally savour his goddess's ample bosoms had finally arrived. Better yet, you were even presenting it to him just like how Eve bewitchingly presented an apple to Adam. He was going to devour you alright. The thought of him finally getting a taste of you made him harder, his thoughts and cock both giddy with excitement.

Within a few hot seconds you immediately felt both your blouse and bra being ripped off, leaving your breasts completely vulnerable and exposed for Kyojuro to drink in. You briefly wondered if he liked breasts. You were right because Kyojuro was currently salivating at the erotic sight presented in front of him. You half-naked with your (colour) tits lightly bouncing under the white florescent light was such an enticing sight. His eyes held a desperate look as he reached out for a touch before hesitating.

"Don't make me wait." You whined disappointed when his hands stopped midway.

"Apologies my love. I was just in awe of your beauty." Kyojuro murmured before taking time to bask in your lascivious radiance before deciding what to do to you next.

You on the other hand were growing a bit impatient at the pace so you decided to take matters into your own hands. Without thinking too much, you forcefully grabbed both his rough palms and placed them on your soft tits before letting out another lustful moan.

"Use them like this."

Shit. The minute the rough pads of his skin made contact with your soft breasts; he was gone. Kyojuro's ember eyes darkened tenfold as his inexperienced fingers began vigorously fondling and pulling tentatively at both your globes without mercy.

"Hnnnn Rengoku san!" You shamelessly screamed his last name out in pleasure while he stared fascinated at the softness and firmness behind each breast. The man continued to watch you struggle in vain against his touches with a debauched expression on his face as he continued to play with your pillowy tits.

Fuck

Kyojuro had to applaud you for you had single handedly threw his well-thought out plans out the window in a span of a few minutes. He had wanted to tease your pussy first and, but he had no idea how much you enjoyed having your breasts touched. His feral instincts were rampaging, urging him to just bury his face between your swaying tits. To dutifully worship them and so he did.

Fuck plans, this was so much better. The flushed man made sure to maintain intense eye contact with you before sinking down to press his warm face into the deep valley between your heaving breasts. His raging dick was now pulsating with dire need as he greedily inhaled the intoxicating smell of your tits before shamelessly taking one of them into his starving mouth to give it a good hard suck.

"Fucking delicious."

You squealed in pleasure as you felt his tongue teasingly flick against your nipple multiple times before he encircled it with his rough tongue. The man groaned approvingly at how addictive your breasts tasted while increasing the pace of his scalding hot tongue. He ended up latching onto that one breast and sucking like his entire life depended on it. His greedy hands meanwhile hungrily explored your other neglected one.

"How does it feel sweetheart?" The blonde-haired man panted while looking up seductively at you.

"So so good." You slurred, stammering a little because he was now running his thumbs in circles over your rock-hard nipples, making it hard to concentrate on anything other than your growing need for him.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Yes!" You moaned with lust clouded in your eyes. Before he could say anything else, you daringly pressed his head against your neglected left breast for more attention.

Kyojuro chucked at how adorable you were. You really liked your tits sucked huh? He then closed his eyes and began suckling on your lonely soft globe like a child, while his other hand went up to flick your other nipple with his thumb.

"Hnnn. More." You whined in need. It was becoming so difficult to hold your moans in. Kyojuro was doing such a good job turning you on that your pussy was probably leaking with wetness at this point.

"I want you to cum for me sweetheart."

"But I don't know if I can without your fingers in my-."

"Trust me my love. Cum when I give you the signal ok?"

You shook your head in denial at such a wild thought. Was it even possible? Cumming without his fingers in your cunt? All he did was just fondle and make out a little with your breasts. He hadn't even touched your pussy yet! Your body however was betraying you. You felt your legs beginning to shudder deliriously as you gradually succumbed to your lewd thoughts. Maybe you should trust him.

For Kyojuro, it was such a turn on for him to witness the way you were making desperate little noises against him and how wildly your hips were bucking. Although he didn't have much experience, the charming History teacher's observant eyes could pick up the tell-tale signs of a potential orgasm building up due to his torturous actions. You were almost there, you just needed one final push before you finally come undone.

'You are going to come whether you like it or not (your name).' Kyojuro darkly chuckled to himself before quickly positioning you to stand with your back against him as you watched him touch you from the mirror. He made you lean over the sink as you helplessly watched his large palms giving your poor breasts a few stinging smacks.

"Now, cum for Rengoku Kyojuro!" He growled while pinching hard on both your hardened nipples.

"Yessss!" You squealed in pain and pleasure as your first orgasm coursed through your body like a flowing river.

Kyojuro watched you intently, his eyes widening in lust, his ego soaring to great heights as he smugly watched you squirt your cum all over the mirror. That's right, he was the only one who could make you feel that good.

"Well done my love." He whispered in a low tone before turning you around to face him. Kyojuro then let his mouth drop open to let his saliva drool down his chin to pool on your soft breasts. You watched in a lusty haze as the blistering drops of liquid rolled down both your tits in an erotic manner.

Kyojuro then gave your breasts a gentle kiss before proceeding to massage his saliva into your tits in a circular motion. The blonde-haired man watched in satisfaction as you obediently let him perform such a dirty act on your body. He was feeling quite thankful that the alcohol from earlier was making you so pliant to his selfish whims. Perfect. Now that he had claimed your tits he should focus on claiming your pussy next.

"Rengoku San. Please."

"Kyojuro. Call me Kyojuro."

"Kyojuro."

"Did you enjoy that sweetheart? This is just the beginning you know." The blonde-haired man smirked before passionately kissing you on your bruised lips. You eagerly returned his kisses as you felt the man wrapping his arms around your lower back, to push you even more into him while your tongues pressingly massaged each other's. He was such a good kisser.

"Kyojuro-kun! I'm still- I'm not-" You cried out in pleasure as you felt his thick fingers sliding down your hips in a teasing manner. The man was fully enjoying himself. Slowly but surely, he knew that he was getting closer and closer to the area between your shaking legs.

"Show me how wet you are." He demanded in a commanding tone.

You let out a needy moan when Kyojuro finally found what he was looking for. His fingertips teasingly dragging up and down your wet slit through your soaking panties before he completely slipped them off. You tightened your grip around him while moaning quietly into your lover's ear. Fuck. Kyojuro swore that he could feel your entire body actually tightening and loosening at every little movement he made.

"So wet for me aren't you?" Kyojuro lazily began tracing circles around your juicy opening, while his other hand still continued groping one of your soft tits as he watched you nod weakly. God this was a million times better than in his dreams. At last, it was time for him to explore your inner depths. The golden eyed man took a deep breath before gently plunging one finger experimentally inside your wetness causing you to cry out loudly.

"So fucking tight sweetheart." Kyojuro smirked at you and started to slowly slide his long middle finger in and out at an excruciatingly slow pace. The squelching wet sound of the blonde-haired man fingering you in the bathroom was sending all your senses into overdrive. You didn't know if you could take any more of this torture.

"Please just put it in me already. Please."

Your aching pussy was throbbing painfully with need, as you begged him to just impale you with his dick.

Kyojuro simply smiled and instead of using his cock, he pushed two more of his thick fingers inside you which you gladly received. You felt so full. His fingers eventually began mimicking the frantic actions a penis would make, as if it was his actual penis ramming into your pussy instead.

"Shall I increase the pace, or do you want me to stop?" He playfully smirked at how weak you were to his charms.

"Eat me out."

"Oh?"

The blonde-haired man could hardly believe his ears at your bold request. If anything, it made him even hornier than he was. He immediately halted his actions and removed his cum-covered fingers from your cunt with a loud 'pop' before getting on his knees with a glazed look in his eyes.

"... If that's what you wish."

You looked down panting to see Kyojuro with his eyes closed, eagerly pulling your lower body towards his open and waiting mouth. God it was such a sensual sight that it immediately sent your heart palpitating. You couldn't get enough of how serious he looked. He looked even more attractive looking so concentrated with the task that you had just given him.

"Ah!" You instantly let up a squeak the minute you felt his soft lips pressing butterfly kisses on your damp pussy lips. The man began lazily kissing a circle at the opening of your cunt before settling on flicking his nimble tongue against your fluttering pink pussy lips.

"When was the last time someone ate you out sweetheart." You felt Kyojuro gently hum against your hole before deeply inhaling your sweet musk.

"I-I don't remember. Uh that's so embarrassing Kyojuro." Blushing profusely, you attempted to shield your flustered face from the man who was busy burying his mouth against your wet cunt.

"Keep your legs open for me."

You nodded and shyly opened your legs as wide as you could as you watched the man try to suck in your entire pussy into his hot mouth. This time he had finally found your engorged clit.

"Kyoooo stop please stop! It feels too good!" You cried out while trashing helplessly against the blonde-haired man who firmly pinned your hips down with all his strength.

You tasted so fucking good. Kyojuro's eyes almost rolled to the back of his head as he continued teasing your swollen clit with his wet tongue. He could feel your entire body trembling even more and as you began to feel another climax coming.

"Kyojuro please I'm almost-'

"Cum for me." Three simple words and a hard press against your sensitive clit propelled you into another flurry of emotions.

"Ah! Ah! Hn! Ah! Kyojuro!" You let out a loud scream as you came hard into Kyojuro's mouth, painfully gripping the sides of the sink. Explosions rippling throughout your frazzled brain and throbbing cunt.

"Umai! Umai! Umai!"

The golden-haired man eagerly lapped up every drop of the sweet nectar like a starved man.

Somewhere deep in your lust-filled mind, you sincerely hoped that the loud music in the club was loud enough to prevent people from hearing your desperate screams. Kyojuro on the other hand, was thinking otherwise. He wanted everyone in the club to hear you come undone from his lewd actions. Perhaps Tengen was right again. He was probably an exhibitionist...

"Look at how soaked you are my love. Just look at you. I guess you won't be needing these anymore huh?" Kyojuro chuckled as he tried to wipe off as much cum as he could with your panties before stuffing your soaked undergarments into his back pocket.

You panted in sheer exhaustion as you tried to catch your breath from your second orgasm of the night. Your (colour) eyes quickly found his as you flashed him a very satisfied and euphoric look. It was now a fact that Rengoku Kyojuro was the one responsible for giving you the best orgasm in your life even without using his cock yet. Where were your manners? You needed to show him your gratitude.

"Please let me return the favour."

Gods you were so fucking adorable.

Kyojuro felt his heart throb as well as his cock when he allowed you to lead him to the ceramic throne at the corner of the toilet. With one finger, you pushed him to sit his firm ass down on the toilet seat. His eyes watched intensely as you dropped down to unzip his black trousers and release his hard cock out of its tight prison cell.

"Like what you see sweetheart?"

He smirked as he watched his (number) inch cock spring out of its confines and angrily slap the side of your surprised face. You let out an appreciative noise before throwing him the sexiest look you could muster. It was working because his cock was now rock solid.

With a cheeky smile on your face, you proceeded to drag your plump lips down the bottom of Kyojuro's shaft and lightly brushed your teeth on his semen filled balls. His cock was very girthy in size with well-trimmed blonde hairs growing around it. You couldn't resist gently pulling on his blonde pubic hair as you continued lapping him up.

"Stop teasing me."

You gulped as you saw the delicious veins on Kyojuro's forehead growing tauter as he forcefully pressed his hard cock between your soft lips.

So eager.

Pushing your hair back behind your ears, you leaned forward to take Kyojuro's entire cock into your hungry mouth. The blonde-haired man let out a huge sinful groan as soon as he felt your soft lips faintly passing over the head of his cock. The way your tongue danced around his dick was slowly sending shivers of pleasures up his spine. You were such a good cock sucker.

"Fuck."

Kyojuro threw his head back in pleasure and was hit with the sudden need to grab something. The man's eyes glinted dangerously as he couldn't resist reaching out to blindly grope your naked tits. This time, it was your turn to moan.

"Ah!"

It must have been such a sinful sight. You on the floor moaning heavily with Kyojuro's massive cock inside your mouth and him with his hands pawing at your tits. Your needy moans were continuously sending out delicious vibrations reverberating through his sensitive shaft before you peeked at your lover who looked like he was in complete bliss.

"Your mouth feels so fucking good." Kyojuro groaned as he watched you suck hungrily on his large and angry dick. You smiled coltishly in return and began increasing the speed. The blonde-haired History teacher fixated on you as you began bobbing back and forth on his hard cock, eager to please him for taking such good care of you earlier.

It was at this point that Kyojuro couldn't take it anymore, he violently grabbed your hair and started rutting into your mouth like a frenzied beast.

"Oh (your name). That's it love, take it all for me!" He groaned as he felt as if a missile hit him in the gut and exploded. His creamy hot seed began pouring out from his cock into your eager awaiting mouth. You did your best to swallow every drop while still maintaining eye contact with the man.

"That was amazing." Kyojuro panted breathing hard as his eyes focused on you wiping the side of your face with the back of your hand. He had no idea that you could suck cock like that.

This wasn't over yet. You on the other hand were still very much aroused. "I need you inside me!” You half-cried out in lust as you tried in vain to sit on top of the blonde man. This was too much, you needed him in you now.

Kyojuro simply sat back on the toilet seat, crimson eyes watching you in amusement as you attempted to coax his dick back to its maximum hardness with your tantalizing fingers.

You were so fucking adorable. So eager for his cock.

"Please Kyojuro. I want your cock." You begged with tears glistening at the corners of your eyes as you tried lowering your dripping pussy onto Kyojuro's towering erection.

This was the scene he had been waiting for all these years.

Absolutely breath taking.

The man let out a small hiss as soon as he felt the tip of his cock entering your tight wetness. Instead of pulling you down on his angry cock, he abruptly forced himself to stand up causing you to topple backwards in shock. Before you could fall unceremoniously on your back, you felt Kyojuro's strong arms pulling you back into his chiseled chest.

"What the f-!"

Just when you were about to give him a piece of your mind, Kyojuro made you look him in the eye and apologised.

"Sweetheart. You have no idea how much I want to sink my cock into you right now but wouldn't you prefer to be fucked in my bed?" He huskily bit the top part of your ear causing you to fall to your knees.

Kyojuro smirked at your reaction as he endearingly watched your expression change from anger to embarrassment to lust. He then continued whispering all the dirty things he was going to do to you and made a promise to fulfill all your fantasies at his place. Your white-hot anger quickly subsided as his words left your pussy even wetter with anticipation.

"But before that, let's get you dressed sweetheart." Kyojuro gently smiled as he busied himself by buttoning up his shirt and pulling his trousers back on.

You nodded hazily as you let him 'respectfully' put your attire back on. No guy has ever done this for you before. He was such a gentleman.

Before leaving the toilet, he made sure to straighten his tie in the mirror while looking over his shoulder to watch you eyeing him with lust-clouded eyes.

"What about my... bra and...-"

"Oh those? You're going to walk back to my place without them."

"What?" You stuttered in embarrassment.

A look of slight irritation quickly passed over Kyojuro’s face the moment he saw that you were about to protest like a spoilt brat when the deafening sound of the familiar EDM music completely drowned your voice out.

The blonde-haired man made sure to swing open the door and offered you an arm with a charming smile on his face. His dark eyes beckoning you towards him while any form of protest immediately died on your lips the minute you stepped out into the noisy hallway. Feeling a bit embarrassed and defeated, you reluctantly allowed him to lead you out of the club without your undergarments which weren't properly concealed in his back pocket.

Of course, Kyojuro wasn't going to make it easy for you. After all, he still needed to punish you for that little stunt you pulled earlier.

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j-a-smiths-blog · 2 months

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0857 27Mar24: Chapter 87.

I couldn't sleep last night and not sure why.

0445 came around and I decided fuck it, I'm going for a walk. I got read and left. It was a peaceful morning walk. A bit warm but delightful for an exercise walk. I was sweating the entire time, mind you I'm in shorts, t-shirt and shoes...

It's good to get a morning walk-in before the town really comes to life. I was able to see stop number 7 for the cross bearers these next few days and have a decent, un-interrupted walk.

I spoke a bit yesterday in regards to the direction I am changing my story. I'm not trying to back down from anything to challenging; I just feel I could make a more productive story if I basically become one of the figures myself. So storywise... I will be Viktor, even though I am all the figures, I am more importantly going to be Viktors voice.

I'll end up writing more over on Selenas Tumblr, but I figures with the social media accounts I have open as Selena I will attempt to post some behind the scenes style shots which I really want to aim to get as if a character is actually there shooting the shot. What this means is that with the clay or probably the wood, I am going to go ahead and create a production camera as a prop for Selena to use as shesshooting this film. It's to give just a little life to the project, with hopes that it will add that extra spin to the movie.

We never really know until we try it. This means building the set. Establish the shots I am going to get with my actual camera and then set up Selena and her camera as if she were the one shooting those shots! This will be interesting if I go ahead and try to build the little props to go along with production. This way I really add to the behind the scenes shot.

Ok I need to shower because my morning walk wore me out.

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joanna-lannister · 5 months

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💘🌿🎈💞🕯️

THANK YOU SO MUCH NONNIE! ☺️❤️

💘Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

Yes, I have 2 fics I would actually want to rework on; the Teen Pregnancy AU and the first fic I have ever posted on AO3 😭

For "i'll kidnap all the stars and i will keep them in your eyes", I wish my chapters were more lengthy, consistent and had more development. I'm planning to re-edit it some day, and try to make it better. Fingers crossed it will happen 🤞🏻

And for "sweetest devotion", my first fic ever in English, oh God it was disaster! Like SEND HELP tbh. Not gonna lie, a few times I thought about deleting it, but since AO3 is an archive, well I decided to let it there in the end. But I think it need to be rewritten and polished a lot. I think now switching from baby!Joanna POV to Jaime POV and back to baby!Joanna was a bad idea (I don't do that anymore). Also chosing to write the thoughts from a 4 years old little girl who was a blank canvas was more of a challenge and a struggle for a first fic in my non-native language than anything else.

🌿how does creating make you feel?

Def better, and alive. I struggle a lot with depression, and I often feel empty, but when I write (or make gifsets), I use it as an outlet to make me feel like I have some kind of purpose, if that makes sense? Like, I know some of my creations will make people happy, so it brings me joy to read the tags or the comments people leave. It's an exchange between people in the fandom, and I love it.

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

Ouch, the one question I was scared to get because I'm not sure how to describe my writing style 😅 I think it has evolved for the better, but it's pretty much fixed. I have some sentences I overuse like "a smile bloomed on her/his face", "her/his eyes flickered wide open", "tangled together", etc... I wish I could get better at description, but I fear my lack of vocabulary because I'm French is showing. I try to be poetic (I love reading poems while I'm scrolling Tumblr, and I save my faves [+ fave quotes] in a file on google docs), and I focus a lot on the characters' psychology. What they think, what they fear... I try to capture the struggles of human emotions. Yes, I think that would be my writing style.

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

Hands down the characters. And the technical stuff, because I want my fics to be readable, I'm not sure if I'm the best because ✨ French ✨ but I'm trying. I spend a lot of time making sure the words I use are properly spelled, and making sure it's the right meaning I want to convey. As for the characters, as I said above, I'm focusing a lot on the psychology so, it def comes first.

🕯️was there a fic that was really hard on you to write, or took you to a place you didn't think it would take you?

Oh, def "grieving for the living". Killing Jaime while Cersei was still living was such a struggle. I was in such a bad place mentally because of work, and I had to convey all those emotions of loss, grief, tragedy, with a glint of hope toward the end, on the paper. I'm lowkey even impressed I could actually finish to write that fic. Yes, that fic was really hard to write, but I'm pretty proud of it 🤧

#anon #answered #ask game

0 notes

slvtbible · 4 years

Text

G O L D

chapter one

summary: [y/n is a young stripper who is adored by many men. harry styles is a man who loves to carry danger with him]

word count: 4222

pairing: stripper!y/n and gangleader!harry

warnings: violence, vulgar language, sexual acts, alcohol and drug

to be honest, i was a little hesitant to post it here and i don’t know if this story will blow up on tumblr or get many notes but that’s the last thing on my mind right now. i just want to share what i’ve been working on that kept you guys waiting for almost a year lol sorry about that. But yes, she’s finally here!! I posted first on wattpad before i put it here, I felt like the only way to reach out more people to read it it’s through that. And also, i decided to use a name on wattpad but I’d use the term ‘y/n’ on tumblr. Enjoy it all my loves! Give me feedbacks!💜

Harry fixes the collar of his sheer black shirt before tucking it neatly inside the black trousers he's currently wearing. He normally goes something more extravagant for going out. His closet is filled with colourful ruffles and Hawaiian shirts along with 'more than one colour' suits. However tonight, he needs to lay low for a bit. Especially when he's about to step into one of the most famous strip clubs in New York in an hour to meet up with the manager.

He's very much aware of the reputation he has put on himself out there. Though there's no use of camouflage and hiding, he still doesn't want a cause a scene,

Yet.

His hand lifts a bottle of Tom Ford from the dresser before spraying it twice on his neck. Stepping away from the full length mirror, he grabs his cross necklace from the bed before putting the accessory around his neck as he walks out of the room.

"Talk to me Reece" his heavy accent echoes the hallway as he walks downstairs, watching his few men pocketing their weapons,

Reece, the brown skinned man with tattoos nods. "He's there. Just got a word from Bianco. He appears isn't expecting you, Boss. However I do believe he knows you're coming soon. The club is far too crowded than usual but Bianco is taking care of that right now." He informs, showing him the message on the phone,

Harry can only scoff, nodding at him as a thank you. "That son of a bitch should've. Owes me more than fucking money." He mutters, inserting the .45 ACP inside his gun holster. "The car's ready?"

Nodding, Reece leads Harry down towards the basement. "As requested. Lamborghini Murcielago in blue hera. Pack with 640 PS and 471 kW, rules around 213 mph if you consider on hit and run. Still, I pack a standard Aeropack wing if you wanna go slow tonight. The windows? Bulletproof. In case anyone tries to kill you." Harry knows he's only joking about the last part. No one dares try to kill him before he does it. It's a pattern that everyone knows by now.

Harry lets out a low whistle, softly shaking his head as the machine beauty appears. Tracing lightly with his ring cladded fingers along the hood of the car. "Not planning to hit and run tonight, Reece. Not even thinking about racing down the street with my weapon outside the window. You don't have anything more. . . Less attractive?" He questions, still staring at the gorgeous car ahead of him,

"You know I don't do less, boss." Reece winks playfully, laughing to himself as he watches Harry roll his eyes. "Besides. Who knows you'll get yourself a bird tonight, eh? Take her out on a stroll before bringing her home to your place. Women love fast cars." He comments, pressing the button on the keys as the door opens,

Humming as a response, Harry walks towards the driver's seat, "I don't date anymore, thought my right hand man knew tha' " He speaks, words laced with seriousness while grabbing the keys from Reece's fingers,

He can only sigh and nod his head. "Understood. Yet, Kendra is like what? Two years ago? Gotta get yourself something better, boss. You deserve it. So do it tonight." He suggests, watching him going inside the car before shutting the door,

Harry smiles a bit, inserting the keys inside the ignition before starting the car. "Noted."

The dark haired man steps away from the car. Giving Harry a salute. "I'll be right behind you. See you there."

Y/N Y/L/N stands in front of the mirror as she applies another layer of red lipstick on her plump lips. Securing the tube back as she puckers her mouth to see if it fits the colour for tonight. She twirls, watching carefully how the gold lingerie clads perfectly around her breasts and down to her curvy hips and thick thighs.

She stops once her plump ass is facing the mirror, admiring how beautiful and big her bum is in the lingerie. It's a compliment really. She loves working out to give her bum a bit bigger. It's not that she hopes she'll gain attention from people, she just loves her body. She worships every piece of it despite what other people think of it. Insecurity was her biggest enemy but not anymore. After reading lots of books and poems about self love she learns that there's nothing she should be ashamed of.

Grabbing a bottle of lotion from her table, she squeezes the bottle into her hand before rubbing her bum with the cold cream, rubbing it neatly to make sure she doesn't miss a spot.

Another thing, she loves moisturizing her plump flesh before the show. It's sexy

"Joe is asking for you." She hears a voice coming from behind, craning her neck to see her closest co-worker Violet, already in her usual purple wig and attire as she stands beside Angelina. "I love working as a stripper but he really needs to learn to be patient and. . . shut up, i guess?"

Y/N releases a small laugh, moving her long dark wavy hair to rest on her chest. "I know, I know. Jesus, I've told him fifteen minutes prior that I'll take longer than usual." She slips on her gold heels and turns to face Violet, who's biting her lip as she stares at Angelina's body up and down. "Okay, how do i look?"

Violet raises her eyebrow, as if it's something her friend shouldn't be asking. "You kidding? You look like a sex goddess. Gonna get all the men on their knees for you, girl"

Scoffing, she shoots her a wink and a flirtatious smile. "Old men with beer bellies? No thanks. I'd rather make out with Gordon." She replies, seemingly disgusted about the thought of grinding on an old man's lap tonight.

"Is that a bet I hear?" Violet questions, leaning towards her a bit as she waits for her friend’s response. "Please tell me that it is so I can earn extra cash tonight."

Gordon is a perverted bartender that always keeps his eye on Y/N throughout her routine. He's 40 and is always asking Angelina on a 'date' and by date, he means her ass on his lap. Clearly something Y/N isn't too fond of. Him specifically. Violet and Y/N have always made a joke about him, something they could make a playful banter in every chance they get.

Plus, she heard he's married. Isn't he supposed to find another job rather than here? If his wife found out what kind of a sleaze bag she married, she would be crushed,

Rolling her eyes, Y/N shoves her playfully by the arm. "Ha ha, very funny" she answers, resuming to untangle her hair from knots.

Violet laughs, pinching her on the hip as she lets outa small squeal. "Just messing with you, baby. Good luck out there. Put the rest of us to shame tonight. . . Like any other night"

Y/N flips her off, yet knowing it's the truth. She's not trying to sound like a condescending bitch here but none of the girls here are actually capable to do what Y/N does. That's what makes men attracted to her. She knows what she's doing. She knows how to make a man hard.

"By the way, you heard what Joe's talking about earlier?" Violet asks, toeing off her heels as she exhales a relief sigh. "Damn those heels are killing me" She mumbles,

"No... What's about?" She turns her head to face Violet for her to explain, causing her to shrug her shoulders,

"Don't know much about it. . . But i hear Harry Styles is coming here to meet up with him. Something about transaction or shit" She waves it off, whispering it to Y/N, looking around to make sure no one is eavesdropping,

She almost chokes on her saliva after hearing Violet says the name. "Harry Styles?! The. . . mafia boss of New York..?" Her eyes widen at the possibility of the most dangerous man in the city paying a visit to the place she works at,

Nodding, Violet answers, "Yup. That Harry Styles. He's the devil. Let's hope this place doesn't turn into a war zone."

Y/N has heard about this Harry guy. The most feared man of New York. She does know a little bit of the relations between Joe and Mr. Styles. Almost every night she could hear Joe freaking out about this man. She may not know him that close, hell she had never even met him in person but people talk. One thing she learned about hearing his reputation, you don't ever want to mess with this guy.

Violet snaps her fingers to snap Y/N out of her thoughts. "Less worrying, girl. Come on, you got a show to put on yes?"

"Y-yeah. Fuck. . . now i'm scared" She breathes out, looking at her reflection in the mirror one last time. Calming down her mind.

After giving Violet a kiss on a cheek and receiving a tap on her ass, she takes a deep breath as she opens the beaded curtain and walk out to the club. Jhene Aiko is playing through the speakers, thanks to her who chose the music for tonight. She can already feel all eyes on her as she struts down confidently, putting on a smirk and winking at couple of men here and there. As much as it disgusts her, she grazes her hand along a man's arm who's biting his lip and looking at her up and down.

'What the fuck did i do to deserve this?' she thinks to herself, staring at the man in front of her who's probably the same age as her father. The thought of it makes her gag,

She gives the man a wink before getting up on the stage, hearing a few hollers from behind. reaching out to wrap her hand around the silver pole and her leg hooking up to support her body. Slowly twirling with her head thrown back and closes her eyes with money being toss at her direction before letting go and crutching down on her knees, moving close towards the same man earlier. He slips in a couple of hundred dollar bills inside her panties, causing the others to do the same.

This may be not how she pictures her success but damn, by the end of the week, her bank account can go from three to six digits.

She's definitely gonna hold on to that,

It takes Harry close to thirty minutes to get here. He blames it all on the traffic, cursing to himself every time he stops at red lights. He parks his car close to the entry before he exits from the vehicle. He looks over his shoulder to find a familiar black car driving towards her, noting to himself it's Reece's. Seeing him wave his hand to make sure he's coming in later.

He clears his throat, clenching his jaw as he walks into the club. Reece wasn't lying, the club is too packed for tonight. As if God knew what is about to get down tonight and isn't going to let him get away with witnesses. He really needs to play safe for a while tonight.

As he strides through the room to find a table he has reserved for, a few half naked girls walk right pass him, stroking his exposed chest and grabbing his shoulders. Most of them are gorgeous and he's tempted to touch their soft skin yet he has to hold it. Not that he isn't interested because he's definitely taking someone back to his place tonight--fucking Reece had to be right-- but he needs to get his head in the game for at least an hour before planning to do so.

Gently, he pulls back a chair for him to sit. He specifically asks for the furthest table so no one can figure out what he's about to do tonight. A glass of whiskey has been set on his table before he got here, waiting for Joe's arrival. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Reece and Bianco walking over to his table. One of them gives him a nod to acknowledge his presence.

Harry lifts the glass up to his lips and take a sip of it. Honestly, he hates doing all of this dirty work. Sure, he's the boss. But he despises complicated things. He should've known not to trust Joe about anything, yet when he begged on his knees with a gun knocked against his head as he spat out a bunch of threats to the weakened man, he thought why not? If Joe didn't get to fulfill his demands, he gets to kill him either way. It's always a pleasure for him to do so.

"Mr. Styles! Ay, i'm so happy to see you. You look a lot cleaner than i saw you the last time, eh?" Joe's voice causes Harry's green eyes averts from the scene on the crowd. His eyebrows are knitted, jaw tightened as he taps his fingers against the table, causing the rings he's wearing to knock.

He owes him money worth $50,000. And this man had the nerve to walk in and act like nothing happened.

He is definitely going to kill him.

"Stop with all that shit and sit the fuck down. You owe me something Joe." Harry warns, pointing at him as Harry's men forces the dark haired male to sit down making him gulp. "You owe me 50 grand for that package you piece of shit."

Joe couldn't feel more terrified as he catches a glimpse of Harry's gun on the table, facing towards him. "I know Harry, I know. I didn't forget, okay? It's just the money is tight right now. The girls aren't getting the amount of money they used to be getting." Joe tries to reason but Harry isn't having any of it,

"Stop being a fucking pussy and blame your girls for the money you've lost. I'm running out of patience here, Joe. If you don't give me the money by the end of the week, you're a dead man. I still have one body bag left in my car and I wouldn't mind writing your name on it." Harry grits his teeth, looking at him with a dark look in his eyes. Hand gripping tightly around the glass

"No man, I need more than that. Please, I'll do whatever you ask me to. You will have your money man I promised." Joe begs, looking at Harry with hopeful eyes.

Harry finds it quite disgusting to see someone like him beg for mercy-- for the second time--or anything at all to be honest. He find that gesture is weak and vulnerable which makes him very easy to manipulate over. "I don't give out second chances."

Joe hears a gun clicks behind, he doesn't need to know what's going on. He knows one of the two men behind him is ready to blow his brains out. "Harry man. . . One more. . . Give me one more"

Harry isn't a patient man. He doesn't want people beg. He doesn't want him to beg. But he finds it interesting to see how it goes, playing along this little game of his.

"Fine. you give me your best girl and i'll give you two months." Harry offers, cocking his eyebrow as he leans back to relax himself. "No more than that."

Joe's eyes widen at Harry's demand. It's impossible to collect a 50 grand in two months, especially when he's short on it. He needs more than that. Still, he thinks two months is better than nothing. "Okay. . . Agreed. Just tell me which girl you want or-or i could bring one or two here, man. Take your pick."

Harry can only hum in response, scanning his eyes over the scene. Dozens of girls dancing on stage, few of them even has their bras taken off. It seems to him, none of these girls on the room is his type.

Until his green eyes fall on a certain slightly curvy woman with her leg wrapped around the pole.

Her long dark hair brushing lightly against the floor as she bend her back a bit. He observes the way her body move so dirty yet gracefully around the pole, the way she bites onto her pink glossed lips and how her brown eyes manage to flirt with the crowd and had them lure into her eyes including himself. He swears this girl just steps out of his daydreams. She looks perfect.

He admires how she circle her hips painfully slow, jealous how he isn't close enough to watch her plump flesh near his strong figure.

"Her. I want her" Harry points at the girl he can't take his eyes off. His voice sounds too possessive but he doesn't care if he does. He's too enhanced with the way she moves on that stage and he loves how she swats those dirty hands who seems desperate to cope a feel with a dirty look on her face.

'Seems like a fighter' he thinks to himself

"Y/N? You want her?" Joe asks after he realises who Harry's pointing at.

"Y/N? That's a gorgeous name. She's not taken is she? Not that i care anyway. She's a dime from what i can see here." He says, not tearing his eyes off of her while he sips on his drink. "You're gonna give me her to me aren't you?" Harry asks, his eyes are threatening enough for Joe so he nods his head as a response.

"Yes. Of course. If that's what you want."

"Fuck yes i do. Bring me to one of your rooms. I want a private from her" He demands before gulping down his drink, standing up to head over to the back. Not before glancing at the gorgeous woman one last time who stuffs a few dollar bills in her panties.

After what it feels like forever dancing on stage and have men whistling at her to go over and give them more, she finally sit herself down on a chair in her dressing room and take a deep breath. Moaning in relief as she pulls her heels off while setting her timer on because she only has thirty minutes to rest before going back out there again. She leans back against the chair, sighing in a pure bliss.

She can hear a few girls talking and laughing while preparing themselves for their performance tonight, wishing she could just join in because Violet informs her earlier there's some juicy gossip she needs to talk about but she cant take it. She's too tired.

She has only closes her eyes for 10 minutes until a familiar voice speaks out,

"Where's Y/N?"

She groans internally. Can never mistake that voice soon as she hears it. Her manager, who sounds like he's panting, voice firm as if is an emergency to call her out like that. Y/N still has her eyes shut as she raises her hand up, not having the energy to respond.

"Okay, good. Y/N. You don't need to go back out there again. There's a special guest I need you to entertain. He's already waiting in the red room."

She nods and hum, only to realize what he means as her eyes bugs out.

Wait, what?

She's quick to turn around, brows furrows and mouth hangs open, not believing what she has just heard. "Pardon?"

"There's a man. A guy who I work with, waiting in one of the rooms. He specifically asked for you. I need you to at least give him an hour." Joe notifies, running his hand over his face as if he's stressed about something,

"You want me to give a lap dance to your co-worker?" She raises her eyebrow, not believing what he just asked her

Joe sighs angrily, "it's technically not--Y/N... please. No more questions, just go over there."

"Who's the guy?" she ignores his orders as she stands, crossing her arms across her chest. "Jesus, fuck. I really need my hair to breath" she mutters, brushing down her long dark brown hair,

"Harry Styles."

Y/N freezes in an instant. Looking up to stare at Joe in the eye to see if he's joking, he can only nod his head to confirm her questioning look. " you're shitting me."

"I'm not," Joe replies, walking over to her, not wanting the other girls to hear. "Y/N, I owe him money. I haven't got them yet and--"

She scoffs, rolling her eyes and continue messing with her hair a bit more. "Not my problem."

He reaches out to grab her elbow, pulling her harshly causing her to stumble a bit. "Y/N, please... He wanted to kill me out there earlier. The guy brought a gun for God's sake. He gave me a month but until then... he wants you."

"You know i'm not a hooker" Y/N defeatedly sighs. She wants to help him, she does but it sounds like he's selling her off for a month to this notorious and dangerous guy who is named to be the deadliest man alive by the people of New York.

She loves money but no fucking way she's willing to die for it.

"I didn't say you were" He roughly says, hand gripping tightly on her arm. "Just... do it" He let her go, tired of the waiting because he doesn't want to make Harry pissed off now,

The girl sighs angrily, squeezing her eyes shut as she hesitates for a while. What the fuck did she get herself into?

"Fine. just give me a moment."

Giving her a smile, Joe thanks her by giving her a kiss on the cheek, telling her the door number Harry is in before walking out of the room. Soon after he walks out, she feels sick in her stomach. How could she ever go face to face with a man with blood in his hands? She's about to give this man a lap dance. Who knew he might've ask for more?

So now, as she finishes re-applying a layer of red lipstick, she heads out. Walking to the back of the room in a slow pace. Heart beating loud and fast as she's about to come face to face with this man. Still, she needs to play it cool. God really fucking hates her,

If he really does exists.

She takes a deep breath before opening the brown door carefully, pushing it open. Her knees almost buckle at the sight of Harry Styles, lounging on the leather couch. A cigarette squeeze between his fingers. legs spread open as if it's an invitation already made for her. His head turns towards the door, a smirk graces upon his face.

She's not going to lie. He is indeed dashingly handsome. With his arms resting on the back of the couch making his biceps look a bit bigger. He's got killer looks too. she studies. Sexy smile, and stubble which creates a sexier look on his face. She catches a glimpse of a silver cross necklace resting against his broad chest. His eyes are sharp. Looking at her up and down with his bottom lip bitten between his teeth.

"My, my" he lowly whistles, watching her every move as she enters the room. Locking the door behind her. "I wasn't wrong. You are a fucking dime."

Y/N giggles-- though feeling scared shitless-- and run her hands over her hair as she struts her way towards his figure. Purposely swaying her ass side to side a bit to tease him. "Mr.Harry Styles. . . I heard a lot about you. Word on the street is that you're a man that likes to carry a danger" she smirks seductively as she stands in between his open legs, dragging her finger slowly down her chest.

Her angelic voice is like music to his ears,

"Yeah?" he smirks, eyes falling to the curve of her breasts. "Hope that doesn't scare you, doll. All i want is a dance from you, that's all. I also heard that you are their favourite girl. After seeing you danced on that stage, I now know why."

Again, she giggles. A small blush creeping on her cheeks, hopefully he doesn't see it. "You're a flirt aren't you, Harry? You do this to every girl?"

He places his hands slowly on her plump ass, he doesn't know if he's allowed to touch but he doesn't give a shit. She seems isn't bothered by it. He wants this girl and he wants her now.

"Only to those who i find interesting, baby. Now, are you going to show me what you got?" He asks, looking up to meet her brown eyes as he squeezes her flesh.

With a devilish smirk, she slowly sets herself down on his lap which causes him to let out a soft groan. She runs her hands down to his tattooed chest and toys with his cross necklace for a bit before whispering in his ear, "sit tight and relax, Mr. Styles. I'll be your good girl for tonight"

next chapter

i really don’t want to write a super long chapter, because i’m afraid it’ll bore you guys so maybe--i hope-- this is enough. anyway, i hope you guys enjoy this first chapter, let me know if you guys hate it or love it! I’ll appreciate it. love you guys!

#harry styles x reader #harry styles blurbs #harry styles imagines #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles fanfictions #dom!harry #dom!harry styles #mafia!harry #mafia!harry styles #gang!harry #gangleader!harry #daddy!harry #daddy!harry styles

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tilltheendwilliwrite · 3 years

Text

Star-Crossed: Bound by Blood

Chapter Three

Master List / Read on AO3

Previous Chapter

Warnings: Canon divergent during Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, serious pining

A/N: I make this stuff up as I go along, if I screw something Star Wars-y up, apologies in advance, I didn’t do it on purpose, but I’m new to this Fandom. I will be cross posting this story between AO3 and Tumblr except the smutty bits. Those chapters will only be available to registered users on AO3. (I’m trying something new for people who want to read here on Tumblr, but to also avoid the smut for minors controversy. We’ll see how it goes.)

*I do not have a tag list* Please follow the story on AO3 if you want email updates, or follow @tilltheendwilliwrite-library where I post the new/latest chapters of all my stories.

***

The trip to Nevarro was hell.

The Razor Crest now smelled like Baast, and after using his soap, their two scents had blended, and Din was going out of his kriffing mind. He'd taken to sleeping in the cockpit, having given up his cot, but it did little good.

It was like the essence of her had invaded every part of his home.

He'd started having dreams. Dreams of a world with sand dunes and plains of long grass, where towering forests of old wood grew and swayed in gentle, fragrant breezes. He dreamed of walking the rock and sand trails of jagged mountains, of climbing steep cliffs to drink from sweet falls that appeared out of the clouds.

And when he reached his destination, a rocky outcropping high above the world, a cat leapt over the rocks to land before him. She was sleek lines and dense muscle, her coat tawny, darkening to black over her muzzle and legs. Long tufts of fur drifted in the wind from the tips of her ears, and green eyes watched him with a thousand years of ancient wisdom.

He knelt before the regal creature and pulled off his helmet. She padded closer, circled him once, sniffed him curiously, and began to purr. The rumble soothed his soul, and Din closed his eyes as her sleek, furry cheek rubbed against his.

"Mine," he whispered as he reached for her, waking himself from the dream every time.

By the time they landed on Nevarro, he was desperate for air that didn't smell like Baast. A few more parsecs, he may have done something stupid.

He met her at the gangway with a heavy cloak. "Put this on, draw the hood, and try to remain inconspicuous."

She arched a brow before handing over Grogu. The kid stuck to her like glue, eager to be at her side whenever he was awake. It was a relief to know someone else was watching him, but at the same time, he missed the kid's continual company.

Baast shrugged into the cloak and pulled the hood over her hair before laying her hand on his arm. "Are you well?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You have been distant."

"Just busy." He held out a silver bar roughly three inches long. "Extendable staff, at least until the Alor can get you those sabres."

She smiled at him, the light just catching her fangs. "Thank you, Mando."

He tilted his head but tugged the hood farther forward. "Let's go."

They'd landed well after dusk, assuring a quiet, uninterrupted trip through the streets. Those that lingered paid them no mind used to seeing the silver beskar of an unpainted Mandalorian.

The bar was fairing better after the fight with Moff Gideon. Walls had been repaired, and the damage painted over.

He walked in and headed straight for the back booth, ignoring the eyes that followed. They knew better than to mess with him, and the music stayed lively.

Karga, however, wasn't alone.

"Karga. Dune," he stated, tossing three pucks on the table.

"Only three, Mando? I sent you out with four," Karga teased. "Did a quarry finally escape the famed Mandalorian?"

"She's dead; body recovery was impossible."

He watched Cara's eyes flick to Baast and down to Grogu, a smile growing as she pushed from the table. "There's the little womp rat!"

Grogu squealed his happiness, but Baast growled.

The low sound set his hair on end, causing Din to step back, between the woman and his clan. "Cara, not now," he said, no explanation, not sure he had one to give.

Baast placed her hand on the back of his neck, a place without beskar but covered by his cowl. Still, he felt it like a live wire jolt.

"Usenye!" Baast growled.

"Udesii," Din murmured, turning just enough to know he meant Baast.

"Whoa, someone's touchy," Cara muttered.

Mando didn't need this right now. The longer he stayed here, the more twitchy he felt, like something beneath his skin was itching to claw its way free. "Karga. If they ask, you tell them she's dead."

The man stared at him a long moment, assessing, processing before he gave a short nod. "I will log the information myself." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an ingot of beskar. "For your trouble and the three on your ship."

"Where did you get that?" Din asked, picking up the ingot.

"Took it off some Imps after that last clean up." A second pile of credits, smaller than it should be, landed next. "Consider us even."

"Done," he agreed, hyper-aware of Baast's hand still light against his neck.

"And congratulations, Mando. It isn't every day a Mandalorian takes a riduur."

He felt Baast's fingers twitch but didn't correct Karga's assumption.

"You got married!" Cara gasped, loud enough to cause the bar to pause and look their way.

One long stare over his shoulder had them minding their business again.

"Baast'mal. Cara Dune, former shock trooper, now Marshal for the New Republic. Greef Karga, head of the Bounty Hunters Guild, and Magistrate of Nevarro."

"A pleasure," Karga grinned. "Is it true wives put off their armour when they decide to have little warriors?"

Baast snorted. "Di'kutla. Anade knows gar ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dalyc'ade kotla'shya."

Din couldn't help but chuckle. "She says, foolish. Everyone knows you train your sons to be strong, but your daughters to be stronger. My woman is all warrior."

The words slipped out, and he couldn't bite them back. Baast's hand dropped from his nape, but only to lower and slide in at his waist, sneak past layers of beskar and again find flesh barely covered. She pressed closer, a low rumble vibrating between them, and Din felt approval wash from her like a wave.

"Ibic taap, Ni cuy' bat Kyr'nakil," she murmured, low enough only Din heard, informing him she didn't like it there.

He looked down at her, into the deep shadows of her hood as she clutched Grogu to her and found her eyes. This place had her on edge. With her Force sensitivity, he believed her, but he wanted to know why. "Tion'jor?"

"Too many bad feelings," she whispered. "There are hunters, many of them."

He gave a small tilt of his head. "Vaabir val olaror par gar?" he asked, wondering if they came for her.

A slight negative shake. "For news of the child."

Din was instantly enraged and leaned over the table toward Karga. "You're taking a bounty on the kid again?"

"What? No! Of course not!" the man cried in outrage.

"Mando." Cara laid her hand over his. "He hasn't, I swear."

Baast growled, causing Din to move his hand out from under Cara’s and block Baast in the same action. "There are hunters here for news of the kid. Get your cargo off my ship so we can leave." He swiped the credits off the table and turned to go, Karga already barking orders.

Din wasn't surprised when Baast's fingers snuck to the crook of his elbow. Or, he wasn't as surprised as he should be. A riduur walked where her mate could protect them and any children they might have. Her position kept her secure against him while hiding them behind a wall of beskar and weapons, handled by a highly dangerous predator.

"Mando, wait," Cara said, blocking their path. "Come to my place. You can rest, eat, and I can see the kid. I missed him."

Baast's fingers twitched.

"Cara," he hesitated.

"Please. We're friends. Let a friend toast your good fortune."

Another low warning growl rippled from Baast when Cara touched his arm.

"She has nayc staabi!" Baast snarled.

Din looked down at her. "Technically, neither do you."

Her hand snapped off his arm like he'd burned her, shock and disappointment so profound it hurt, hit him like a rampaging mudhorn.

She took a step in retreat, Grogu clinging to her, the kid looking just as devastated.

What had he done? Kriff! Why would he say that?

"Baast!" he shouted but was too late as she spun on her heel and raced from the cantina. "Kriff!" he bellowed and gave chase, Cara hot on his heels.

"What the hell was that, Mando?" Dune demanded as they slammed through the doors only to find a deserted street.

"Not your concern."

"Mando!" She grabbed him by the vambrace. She had no way of knowing how close he came to putting her through the wall. "What's really going on? Who is she?"

"You wouldn't understand. It's a Mandalorian thing." He shook her off and looked for Baast's tracks.

It didn't surprise him at all when they went up a wall and over the roof.

Din took off after her, climbing as if his armour weighed nothing, leaving Cara behind to curse and swear. He followed long strides for some distance as she ran across roofs, finally leaving the residential district to head into a more industrial area.

Again her tracks went up, and he followed, climbing the narrow ladder to the top of a tower that looked out over Nevarro. He found her there; knees pulled to her chest, the hood thrown back, clinging to Grogu as the kid did his best to stroke the tears from her face.

"Baast."

She jerked but didn't move. "Go away, Mandalorian."

"I can't." He went to her and knelt, intent on taking her in his arms, only to have deadly claws close around his throat.

"You have not the right," she snarled, her eyes piercing him through the beskar.

Grogu huffed and sighed, appearing at once both annoyed and exasperated.

"Nayc staabi. No right, that's what you said about Cara."

Baast snarled. "If you want the shock trooper so badly, have her!" she snapped, pushing him back with strength, causing him to rock on his heels.

"I don't, and she doesn't want me. She would be more inclined to go for you," he chuckled.

She blinked big green eyes. "Oh…" Her hand slowly relaxed until it lay on his chest.

This time when he gathered her close, she didn't resist. "Forgive me. I said something stupid."

"But true," she sighed. "You did not dispute the claim of riduur. I knew it meant nothing but got caught up in my role. You are free to do what you wish with whomever you wish," she sighed.

Din didn't think. He didn't plan his next move. It was like instinct demanded he act, and so he did.

"Baast. Close your eyes."

She did so without hesitation or question as Din stripped off his gloves. The helmet hissed when he released it, causing her brow to twitch. Before he took it off, he wrapped his arm around her and covered her eyes with his hand.

"Din?" she whispered, her uncertainty clear.

"Trust me," he murmured, lifting his helmet free with his other hand. They were too high up for anyone to see, and the moons had yet to rise, leaving them bathed in shadows.

Grogu cooed and sat down a few feet away, apparently content to let the adults sort this out on their own.

Din gave him a last look before setting his helmet down and raising that hand to lightly, tenderly, stroke her face. "I don't want just anyone," he whispered, unable to deny what was written in his heart. "Just you," he sighed and lightly brushed their mouths together.

He'd never kissed anyone before, but he wanted to kiss Baast.

***

Din woke with a jolt and a clang of beskar as he fell out of the pilot's chair and onto the floor.

He lay there confused and disoriented until he realized the entire thing had been a dream.

He groaned softly enough that it didn't leave the safety of his helmet and pushed to his hands and knees before sitting back on his thighs. This trip was going to kill him. The dream had been far too real.

He picked himself off the floor and looked up to find Grogu smirking at him. "Don't start."

The kid gurgled a noise that shouldn't in any way have been cute but somehow still was.

"Hungry?" Din asked.

Grogu waddled closer, arms up.

"Of course you are. When are you not hungry?" he chuckled, picking up the kid and heading for the ladder down into the belly of his ship.

He was just getting Grogu situated when the door to the fresher opened, revealing Baast in nothing but a towel.

She jolted in surprise. "I did not expect… you… I…" A bright blush bloomed darkly across her cheeks. Then, she straightened, lifting her chin like a royal, firming her composure. "You have not joined us for meals as of late. I did not expect you and have washed my clothing."

His mouth was desert dry when he attempted to speak, but no words emerged, and Din was grateful for the helmet that hid his gaping mouth. He stared for too long before stepping away from Grogu and his gruel toward Baast. She stiffened, hand flexing where she clutched the cloth closed, but the Zentari didn't back down.

Din moved with cautious steps to the crates piled against the wall and shoved two over before picking up the third and setting it down on top of the others. From within, he pulled out blue silks. "I have this if you want it."

A regal brow arched, her wet hair sleek and sticking to her now brushed the tops of her thighs. "Why does a Mandalorian have a courtesan's dress in his belongings?"

He flinched, having hoped she wouldn't recognize it. "Because an assassin dressed as a courtesan attempted to kill me, but not until after she'd taken her clothes off."

Baast eyed the cloth a moment longer before gliding forward to pluck it from his fingers. "Did she succeed in the seduction?"

"No. That's why she was naked. She made a poor courtesan."

"Hmm," purred from her as she walked back into the fresher, and the door closed behind her. "And you have simply kept it lying around?" she called through the door.

Did she sound jealous, or was he still dreaming? "It's not something a Mandalorian can walk into the market and sell without garnering a second look."

"You were not, perhaps, keeping it for your riduur?"

The door opened, and Din forgot how to speak. Blue silk fell in sleek lines from the golden band that bared the under curve of her breasts. She swept out and headed for Grogu, sailing past him, her damp hair leaving a dark stain on the skirt.

"I haven't thought much about a riduur." Before now.

He followed her like a Bantha would a Tuskin Raider, and when she sat to help Grogu with his food, Din came to a stop behind her.

She looked up, but he knew the beskar made it hard for her to read him. "Is it that terrible? Do I not make a passable courtesan?"

"More than passable," escaped his mouth, his brain still malfunctioning. "But your hair is dripping."

"Wet hair does that," she teased him with a smile.

"May I?"

She blinked as he began to strip off his gloves. "Din?"

"Let me," he murmured, running his fingers like a comb through her thick locks. He sat on a crate and worked free what few tangles had formed before splitting the mass in half. He began the plait high, working it smooth against her scalp and down behind her ear. When his fingers brushed the pointed tip, a shudder raced through her, but a low, happy purr followed. He made it to the end and used a scrap piece of leather to bind the long braid.

"How is it that a Mandalorian knows how to do a woman's hair with the skill of a maid?"

He froze, fingers full of sand-coloured silk. "My mother," he murmured. "I once did it for my mother."

Her hand closed gently on his knee, Baast reaching back, otherwise staying still for him. "A good memory, I hope."

"One of my only good memories," he murmured, finishing the section close to her skull and swiftly plaiting the rest. Once he tied the end, she turned to look up at him and left him breathless.

He'd never seen a more mesh'la creature. Men would spend their entire fortune for one night with her. But Din looked at her and saw her dressed in the ornaments of a riduur. Beskar bands for her braids, the cuff that would circle her upper arm and proudly display the mark of the mudhorn, proclaiming her part of his clan. The beskar breastplate that would be hers the moment their first child was born.

"Then, I am pleased to help you remember it." She stroked one of the thick plaits. "I am happy to offer myself to your ministrations in the future, should you so desire to assist me again."

Vital portions of his anatomy tightened, causing him to rise swiftly and step away from her tempting allure. "We'll be in Nevarro soon. I'll see about more suitable clothing when we get there."

He climbed the ladder back to the cockpit, knowing damn well he was running away.

***

riduur - spouse

Usenye! - Go away!

Udesii - Calm down.

Ibic taap, Ni cuy' bat Kyr'nakil - This place, I am on edge

Tion'jor - why

Vaabir val olaror par gar - do they come for you

nayc staabi - no right

***

Next Chapter

#star crossed:bound by blood #star wars #the mandalorian #the mandalorian x ofc

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eldritchqueerture · 3 years

Text

Chapter 7: Threads

Hello! Long time no see! The delay was unplanned and I'm sorry about that. I had an idea in the meantime to add more fluff chapters before shit starts to go down but then I couldn't get to writing them while telling myself that I will write them eventually, and then I had other ideas, and I was writing for Summer in the Archives, and so we are where we are. I decided to just keep posting what I have and if I do feel like adding fluff that would be happening in the meantime then I will just make a separate work in the series. I'm aiming to go back to my weekly schedule (haha), so I hope I can get the next chapter out next Friday. As always, please leave me a comment or come yell at me here on tumblr, it always brightens my day and keeps my motivation up! Enjoy <3

Martin looks at Jon’s sleeping face and thoughts swirl inside his head like tendrils of the mist that has been following him, tendrils that meet in one specific place – his feelings for him. He’s not proud of the fact that this is where his thoughts end up turning every time he thinks about Jon, considering the severity of the situation Sasha explained to him, but he cannot help wondering – despite his better judgement – if Jon doesn’t share them. He replays the worry in his brown eyes, the tight hugs, always ensuring he’s there, safe, and whole… He might be adding meaning to otherwise ordinary actions, of course, but he can allow himself to hope, for when that hope sparks inside him, the fog withdraws.

Jon is wrapped in a blanket on the cot in the storage room, where Martin has laid him. They found him sleeping on the desk in his office, his eyes all red-rimmed and puffed up; they didn’t comment on it. Martin carried him to the storage room and placed his glasses nearby. Tim went to take Sasha home, so she can get some rest, too, and was supposed to come back with lunch; the events of the morning are laying heavy on all of them and have left them quite hungry.

Martin closes the door to the storage room and comes back to his desk. Working seems a bit pointless when you know that your boss is scheming an apocalypse somewhere behind your back and you can’t quit the job, but he finds himself needing a distraction, so he opens up his computer to do some follow up research on Jason North and the alleged ritual site he found in the middle of a Scottish forest. Martin’s never been good with research, not like Sasha, so he soon stumbles upon a dead end. He ends up researching pictures for Scottish forests and cottages, and he daydreams, with his poem notebook by his side. How nice would it be to just move to Scotland, to a cottage like that and forget everything. Grow your own vegetables and herbs, welcome the sun every morning with a cup of tea; go down to the town for some groceries, meet some good cows; and maybe Jon is there with him, and he finally gets through to his head that he shouldn’t make tea in the microwave, and they cuddle on the couch while reading—

“’scuse us,” comes a deep voice and Martin looks up, startled, to find two delivery men standing there, in the Archives, with a big package next to them.

“Looking for the Archivist,” the other man says, but Martin figures that just because the voice is coming from a slightly different direction. They sound exactly the same; he finds they look similar, too. Their clothes are identical; they’re different makes and all but somehow, he can’t tell these two men apart. There’s… something off to them.

“Sorry, are you two meant—” Martin blinks, but one of them interrupts him.

“Won’t take up your time.”

“Just got a delivery.”

Martin opens his mouth, trying to process the fact that they seem to be two parts of the same whole. He wouldn’t be able to explain this thought if asked, but this is what runs through his head.

“Look, you really can’t actually—”

“Package for Jonathan Sims.”

“Says right here.”

He looks and yes, there, on the package, says ‘Jonathan Sims’ in a very ordinary, unassuming writing. He glances over at the door to the storage room and back at the two men.

“Well, he’s not—”

“We’ll just leave it with you.”

“Be sure he gets it.”

Martin struggles for words.

“Okay, I will, but you really have to actually—”

“’course. Much obliged.”

“Stay safe.”

“I’ll… try?” He responds with the first thing that goes into his head.

“Your recorder’s on, by the way.”

“Might wanna change that.”

Martin looks at his desk and he notices a tape whirring steadily in the recorder.

“Oh… so it is. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“At all.”

They both turn as one and leave Martin, the recorder, and the package alone. He hums, looking from one to the other and back.

“Well, I know for a fact that I did not turn you on,” Martin speaks to the recorder. “Maybe Tim felt in a mood for a prank. It is April Fool’s after all,” he huffs out a laugh. “Would be his style to do something, even with… all this happening.”

He stops the recording and turns to the package; before he can do anything else, though, the recorder clicks itself back on. Martin gives it a sideways look and his heart picks up the pace. He frowns and clicks stop again. One second. Two. There; it clicks the red button on its own.

Martin stands up and takes a step back.

“What the hell,” he breathes out.

Suddenly he hears a familiar laugh from the top of the stairs and energetic steps running down. Tim emerges from the doorway and gives him a surprised look.

“You okay, Marto?” He asks and places a paper bag on his desk, then points his chin at the package. “What’s that?”

“Uh…” Martin collects himself in a second. “Two delivery men just came by. It’s for Jon, apparently.”

Tim places a second paper bag and his coffee cup on his desk and walks around the package.

“No sender. Interesting.” He strokes his chin and looks at Martin with a grin. “We should open it.”

“Tim!”

“Look, boss is asleep, the package came to the Archives and not to his house, how private can it be?” Tim throws his arms up but seems to be watching Martin’s reaction more carefully. He doesn’t look very bothered, Tim assesses; he seems to be equally interested in the contents. He sighs and tosses him a letter opener.

“Fine, but you’re taking the blame,” Martin rolls his eyes with mock exasperation, and Tim’s grin gets wider.

“That’s the spirit!” He cuts the tape at the corners and opens the packaging to reveal an old wooden table; there’s a hole in the centre, Tim reckons about six inches square, and its surface is covered in intricate patterns resembling optical illusions. He frowns at it. “Huh. A table. Why would Jon…” He trails off as his eyes follow the hypnotizing patterns. “Interesting…”

Martin watches as Tim drops the letter knife to the floor, enraptured by the table. He wants to say something, to call out his name, but the fog from the edges of his vision spills out at the sight of the table and it blocks out the world; Martin stops feeling the chair underneath him and finds himself stranded in a sea of grey, thick fog.

“Tim? Tim!” He calls out but there’s no answer. There would be no answer, ever; he’s all alone here.

—

Jon wakes up to a nagging feeling that something is wrong. He blinks, trying to get rid of the sleep weighing heavily on his eyelids and gathers his bearings. He realizes he’s on the cot in the storage room, a blanket thrown to the floor next to him. He still feels too hot, and he takes off his sweater vest. What’s this feeling, gently pricking at the back of his mind?

He gets up, wobbly as he feels, and makes his way to the door. As he opens it, a voice makes its way to his ears.

“…friend mentioned poetry?” Jon squints his eyes, as light reaches him, yet he immediately recognizes the voice.

“…Gerry?” He asks and blinks – yes, he can make out the thin and long figure dressed in black, sitting on top of Tim’s desk. Tim is there too, leaning against Martin’s desk in front of Gerry, and Martin sits in the chair, his cheeks coloured just a little with faint pink. They all turn to him with surprise when he emerges. He can feel tension in the room, and he acknowledges the presence of something that looks like a table covered with a blanket in the middle of the room; the nagging in his mind grows into anxiety. “Something happened.”

“God, Jon, did we wake you up?” Martin jumps up to him with genuine worry and Jon smiles slightly, as he shakes his head.

“No.” He blinks again, to chase away the sleep and looks at Gerry and his inscrutable expression. “What are you doing here?”

“Watching a zombie rise from the dead, apparently.” Gerry gets down from the desk and crosses his arms. “Also saving the lives of his assistants by accident. I know you said you’re a mess but good God.”

Jon frowns with worry.

“Gerry, I’m serious.”

Something in Gerry’s demeanour changes as he sighs, and his expression clears.

“Well, I wanted to tell you that I’m in,” he says. “Whatever your crazy plan is, if you even have one, I want to hear it or help you make it; you weren’t picking up your phone, so I decided to come, pay you a visit.” He glances towards the table and his eyes cloud with a shadow. “And it turns out it’s good that I did.”

“What is this?” Jon walks over to the table and three pairs of hands shoot out to stop him. Gerry’s touch lingers comfortably, because apparently that’s what he does, and Jon isn’t so sure he minds it.

“An old table, with weird, hypnotizing patterns,” Tim says, and Jon detects a tinge of guilt in his voice.

“Did it have a hole in the middle?” He asks urgently and Tim nods.

“We need to get rid of it,” Jon looks in the direction of the stairs. “Put it in the Artifact Storage and make sure it’s covered.”

“Are you familiar with it?” Martin asks and Jon nods.

“Amy Patel case; the one where a person got replaced. Why would they—” Jon’s face falls and he turns to Martin and Tim. “Who delivered it?”

“It was two delivery men, really big, quite intimidating, but—uh, now that I think about it I can’t remember what they looked like…”

“Shit,” Jon sighs and rubs his face. “Okay, we really do need a plan.” He looks over their faces and his eyes stop at Martin’s disgruntled expression. “What is it?”

“What you need is rest,” he crosses his arms. “You pulled an all-nighter with Sasha, and you haven’t even slept for two hours now.”

“You do look like shit,” Gerry offers his insight and Jon fixes him with a glare.

“I can’t protect you when I’m asleep,” he says and looks pointedly at the table. “Clearly. Tell me wha—” He stops when Gerry squeezes his arm sharply. He takes note of the static in the air and clears his throat. “I want to know what happened.”

Tim sighs.

“Alright, it is kinda my fault,” he admits looking away. “I insisted on opening your package to see what’s inside. But in my defence, I thought it would be something funny; at least a bit humiliating for you, and we could laugh it off. The mood’s been horrible lately,” he grimaces. “The lines kind of… hypnotized me. I couldn’t look away and I started getting lost in them. It… It felt like being trapped in a web; the more I struggled to look away, the harder it was. I don’t know how much time had passed before your resident goth intervened. Then I came back to myself and Martin… he was grey again.”

Jon glances worriedly at Martin, who starts fidgeting with his fingers.

“I didn’t think you guys could see that,” he confesses. “It’s… it’s that fog you mentioned,” he says to Jon who nods, his lips pressed together. “It was… stronger this time.”

“He was a step from disappearing,” Gerry says, looking at Jon curiously. “I thought you guys were new here.”

“We are,” Tim says, looking at Jon pointedly. “You said you know why that happens.”

“I did,” Jon sighs and leans against the desk, next to Gerry. “I’m—Martin, I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

Martin looks away and he mutters something along the lines of “don’t worry about it”.

“The fog is… another one of the fears; called The Lonely or The Forsaken,” Jon says, looking somewhere into space. “It’s the fear that you’re all alone, that you can’t connect with anyone. Martin…” He exhales. “I have reasons to believe that your connection to the Lonely might have appeared in this… reality, along with my memories.” He finally looks up at Martin; there are no emotions on his face. “When did the fog first appear?”

“S-Sometime when I got transferred into the Archives,” he nods. “I thought it was just anxiety, but… y-yeah, it makes sense, I suppose.”

“You still don’t remember what you did to end up here?” Gerry asks and Jon shakes his head; Gerry clicks his tongue.

“So, what do we do now?” Tim looks at Jon. “What is Elias’ plan?”

“I…” He rubs his forehead. “I don’t remember exactly. I…” He trails off looking at them. They are waiting for him to tell them what to do. Martin, with colour in his eyes and something else there, something Jon doesn’t let himself think about; Tim, whom he hasn’t hurt yet, who still has hope and who isn’t filled with bitter anger and sorrow; and Gerry who’s alive, here with him, offering his help. Jon thinks about Sasha, the real Sasha who’s still there. He can’t protect them all from other Entities and Elias. Even with all of his knowledge, Elias still has more power here than him, and Jon sees that his threats weren’t a bluff. Jon deflates with a sigh. “We need to know if there’s a way to fill the tunnels with CO2 before the Hive attacks; and I need the table sealed shut - it’s not getting anyone this time. Other than that, I think we need to work the statements, like before.”

“Are you kidding?” Tim raises his eyebrows. “Elias is serving an Eye power and not letting us leave, and I’m supposed to still work for him?”

Jon swallows.

“Elias… He’s dangerous. Even with everything I know, he can still hurt us. I’m not risking an open war with him.”

“What is he gonna do, kill us?” Tim scoffs but he goes quiet when Jon gives him a hard stare. “Fuck off.”

“Murder isn’t usually his style of dealing with things, he generally prefers threats and blackmail, but he can definitely do that, too,” Jon says. “Let’s just say we don’t want to piss him off more than is necessary.”

“You literally punched him in the face today.”

“Yes, I know.” Jon grits his teeth and looks away. Tim narrows his eyes.

“He threatened you, didn’t he?” He asks and takes a step towards Jon. “What did he say?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Jon says coldly. “We need to get back to work.”

“Oh, no, you’re going back home and getting some sleep,” Martin shakes his head. “Or we refuse to work.”

Jon groans but Gerry places a hand on his shoulder.

“Go, Jon, I’ll keep an eye on them,” he promises and after a second of searching his face, Jon gives in.

“Fine. Be careful.”

“You, too,” Martin says and hands him the paper bag from his desk. “Eat this.”

Jon gives him a grateful smile and, with a last look at them, walks to the stairs and climbs up.

—

Gerry Delano sits comfortably on a park bench with a cup of coffee in his hand and sips on it slowly; he thinks about the things the new Archivist – Jon – said to him this morning. He looked tired; the bags under his eyes, the messy hair, the absolutely horrendous smoking habit (at that Gerry just chuckles to himself) and the clean but messy clothes speak for themselves, and Gerry didn’t want to say it, obviously, but it was this entire image of an absolute mess of a confused man that made him believe him. The marks are curious, yes, but Gerry has seen many things which he doesn’t understand, and he’s okay with that. No, this man is clearly in need of support and if he’s really taken over for Gertrude (and, judging by the sheer amount of his energy just screamingBeholding, that was very probable), he is in for one hell of a ride.

If Gerry would have to describe his perfect life, with his mother and Gertrude gone, he’d probably say he wants to find a normal job and get some peace and quiet; that being said, he did try that as a teenager, running away from his mother and her life. He told himself then that he didn’t belong in the normal world and would always find his way back to his mother. He abandoned that dream for a while, until Gertrude offered to help him get rid of his mother’s ghost. He thought that maybe if he helped Gertrude for a while, burned some Leitners in the meantime, maybe he’d have enough and manage to build a life that didn’t always border on getting killed by something supernatural; and so his life went on and he never really grew to feel at home in the “normal” world. He’d about accepted the fact that he’ll probably die on the job with the old Archivist, and he wasn’t very surprised to find how quickly he accepted it. It seemed fitting; much more so than getting a job at a coffee shop or other, and just living among people who had no idea what’s really out there. Then he got shot in Pittsburgh – a Slaughter case he’d tried to prevent – and he was forced to stay behind in the hospital. In some fleeting moments of consciousness he saw Gertrude holding the Catalogue of the Trapped Dead and he prepared himself to wake up as a ghost any time; instead, he woke up to an empty hospital room and a note in her handwriting – “Build your life here. Stay safe.” He thought if this weren’t his chance to build the life he’d imagined for himself then it would never come; and he was right. He soon discovered that making friends is way too difficult when you’re able to tell which Fear Entity marked them in that supernatural encounter they’re too scared to talk about, and he returned to London, searching for Jurgen Leitner himself. He thought he found him, but he ended up beating up someone who turned out to just be some pathetic old man. And here he is, back in the world his mother dragged him into without his consent. Gerry sighs and takes another sip of his coffee. Maybe the universe simply needs a pyromaniacal, angry goth who did in fact end up in the business of helping strays.

He directs his thoughts back to Jonathan Sims and the Institute. They need to form a plan and Jon said he would fill his assistants in on at least the basics. He takes out his phone and checks the time – 1 PM. He rules that’s enough time to explain the basics of the metaphysical functioning of the Fear Powers in the world.

He finds his last messages and opens the one Jon sent at his request for contact saving purposes – “Here. – Jon Sims”. He’s a creative one, isn’t he? Gerry saves the number as Jon Archivist, then changes it to Jarchivist, and grins; then swipes to call.

No answer. He tries again and it still goes to voicemail.

Gerry shrugs and finishes his coffee. He burned his last Leitner in the alley just before he met Jon, so he doesn’t exactly have any new leads. He thinks he might as well pay the Archives a visit; it’s been a while since he was there last time, with Gertrude.

The street is quiet when he walks up to the building. The aura of Beholding is quite strong here already and he looks at the Latin words above the entrance. “I watch, I listen, I wait.” Tacky.

He comes inside and turns towards the stairs leading down. He’s not surprised when the lady at the reception calls out to him.

“I’m sorry, sir! Can I help you?”

Gerry turns to her. She’s a small Chinese woman with a bob cut and huge glasses; she smiles but Gerry can recognize a customer service smile when he sees one.

“Oh, actually, I’m a friend of Jonathan Sims, the, uh, Head Archivist. Saw him this morning, I promised I’d drop a few notes.”

“Notes?” She glances over at the papers at her desk. “What’s your name, sir?”

“Gerry Delano,” he tries to smile as she checks something.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I have you anywhere as a potential source—”

“Oh, that’s weird. I worked with the previous Head Archivist, Gertrude Robinson? Jon had a couple questions about her management style, you know how it is,” he waves his hand. “New job can be stressful.”

She looks over his clothes and tattoos with a frown for a second and then sighs.

“Alright, Jon’s office is right downstairs, through the Archives, Mr. Delano.”

“Thank you very much,” he nods his head and runs down the stairs.

Gerry doesn’t know what he expected to find down in the Archives, to be honest. Probably Jon being interrogated by his assistants, or maybe no one at all; he definitely did not expect to find one tall man staring into swirling patterns of a table that gave him very mixed signals of the Web, and another man in his desk chair, staring into space with a very unnaturally grey stare and his form dissipating into mist.

“Oh, I swear to God,” Gerry curses under his nose and looks around. “Can’t I meet people normally once in a blue moon?”

He picks up a blanket that lays stranded on the ground and covers the table. He then snaps his fingers in front of the tall man’s face and waves his hand.

“Hey, you still there?” He asks and the man draws in a breath, rapidly, and blinks, then looks around in confusion.

“Wh-Wha…” His eyes land on Gerry and he frowns. “Who are you?”

“Someone who just saved your ass from something nasty,” Gerry says, turns to the other man and touches his shoulder. Still there.

“Oh, God, his eyes are grey again.” The tall man grabs his shoulders and shakes him. “Martin? Martin!”

“How did he manage to go so deep into the Lonely with you there?” Gerry asks and moves to look inside the Head Archivist’s office. Empty.

“Into the what? Martin!” He shakes him again and Martin blinks and exhales but does not acknowledge him at all. “Do you know what’s happening to him?”

“Where’s Jon?” Gerry looks at the man sternly.

“Jo—who the hell are you?” The man exclaims. “We need to snap him out of it!”

“It’s not that easy.” Gerry rolls his eyes and looks through Martin’s desk. “What does he love?”

“What?” The man looks at him confused and Gerry stifles a groan of frustration.

“Martin. He needs an anchor, something that he loves that will bring him back here.”

The man’s eyes search the desk frantically.

“Come on!” Gerry rushes him and the man groans.

“Can he hear me?”

“Allegedly.”

“What does that mean?!” He looks at him pressingly.

“It means I don’t know!” Gerry grabs one of Martin’s hands. “He might, if he’s not too far gone.”

“Martin,” the man grabs Martin’s other hand. “Martin, think about tea. Poetry. Um, about—” He’s cut off by Gerry’s groan of frustration. “What?!”

“That won’t work,” he shakes his head. “He’s in the fogs of The Lonely; he thinks he’s alone and that it’s never gonna change; that he can’t ever make meaningful connections with other people.”

The man’s eyes move frantically as he puts something together in his brain.

“Martin,” he squeezes his hand again. “I’m here with you, you hear me? You’re not alone and Jon is here too, and Sasha will be here soon, and we will all be with you here because we are your friends, okay? We’re—” His voice catches when Martin’s grey gaze lands on his face. Gerry unknowingly nods for him to continue. “Look, I know you’re convinced that you’re no help here because of that fake resume that everyone pretends not to know about, but you’ve been such an amazing friend through these couple of months and—” he searches for words before continuing. “And I know you have feelings for Jon, and you need to think about him because if you ask me, he’s head over heels for you too, and you’re just too oblivious to realize, both of you,” he laughs and a tear streams down his face. “So you need to think about him because he needs you to be here and stay here, and we need you too, okay, Marto, we—we really do…” He inhales, as Martin squeezes his hand back and blinks. The man sighs deeply with relief and leans his forehead on their joined hands.

“Tim…?” Martin speaks up with a very gentle, detached voice and then his gaze lands on Gerry who has now let go of his hand and stands back up. “Who’s that?”

Tim looks up and wipes away another stray tear, then stands up to face him.

“Yeah,” he frowns. “That’s a good question.”

Gerry smirks and climbs up to sit at one of the desks.

“Seeing how I just might have saved your lives; I’d rather think some thanks are in order.”

“I’m not kidding, who the fuck are you?” Tim crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. Gerry notices he stares at his tattoos like he’s trying to remember something.

“Eh, fine.” He rolls his eyes. “Name’s Gerry Delano, but you may know me as Gerard Keay.”

Recognition flashes in Tim’s eyes.

“We had a statement about you!” He says and immediately frowns. “You killed a man.”

Gerry chuckles.

“You’re gonna have to be more specific than that.”

“What are you doing here?” Martin asks and Gerry crosses his legs.

“Waiting for Jon, actually. I thought I may find him here, but it appears I must have found his assistants, am I correct?”

“And you know Jon how?” Martin follows up; his voice gains a bit of depth to it, and he tilts his head, much more present than a second before.

“We met in an alley outside the Institute this morning,” Gerry shrugs. “Or, late night. Morning might be pushing it. He didn’t mention it?”

Tim sighs and rubs his face and Martin shakes his head.

“Eh, that’s fine. You two look like you have enough information to process for the next two months.”

“Something like that,” Tim nods and leans against Martin’s desk. “Jon’s getting some sleep and we’d rather have no one disturb him. It’s been a… hard morning.”

“He did look like he hasn’t slept in a week, I’ll give you that.” Gerry shoots a glance at Martin; his skin is regaining color, but his eyes are still unnaturally grey, and the edges of his form are blurry; the fog still lingers. “Hey, um… Martin?” He asks and Martin looks at him with surprise.

“Yeah…?”

“Just getting your names since you haven’t introduced yourselves. But that’s okay, I’m good at picking up from context.” He smiles and continues before Tim can speak. “So, Martin, what is it that you do here?”

“Uh… excuse me?” He blinks.

“I’m just interested, tell me what your usual day consists of. What do you do for fun? Your friend mentioned poetry?”

He notes the blush on Martin’s face with some satisfaction; the dark green colour returns to his eyes, though, still, his edges remain blurry. Martin can’t answer however; as he takes a breath, he’s interrupted by the door to the storage room opening.

Jon looks, frankly, even worse than he did before; in addition to everything aforementioned, his eyes are now puffed up from sleeping and he has apparently ditched his sweater vest, leaving only a creased, light blue shirt.

“…Gerry?” He frowns at him and takes in the room. “Something happened.”

“God, Jon, did we wake you up?” Martin shoots upright and the edges of his form become solid for a second. Just a second.

“No,” he shakes his head and blinks at Gerry. “What are you doing here?”

“Watching a zombie rise from the dead, apparently.” Gerry jumps down from the desk and crosses his arms. “Also saving the lives of his assistants by accident. I know you said you’re a mess but good God.”

“Gerry, I’m serious.” Jon gives him a look and Gerry sighs, but it’s a sigh of mock exasperation which hides only fondness. From the moment he learned Jon is the Head Archivist, he knew he would be a lot different than Gertrude; even if at first it was “this kid is a proper mess” contrasted with Gertrude’s calculated craft. He can see that what actually makes him different, better, is that he cares. Even though Beholding has him in its grasp far stronger than it ever had Gertrude, he has that spark of human empathy that she deemed an obstacle. He wouldn’t be the kind to sacrifice his own assistants to stop the Apocalypse, which maybe doesn’t give them big chances of success, but makes Gerry trust him. It makes him feel safer and it makes him stand stronger, and maybe that is exactly what is needed. And that one detail, that seriousness in his voice when he asks what happened to his assistants – to his friends – and the worry in his eyes when he checks if they’re okay, that’s what fully convinces Gerry that this man is worth his effort. If they can’t save the world with a strength like that then maybe no one really can.

—

Martin opens the door to Jon’s office to see the man reading something in a book. He looks up at Martin and his lips twitch towards a smile.

“Hello, Martin,” Jon says and immediately yawns. “God, sorry.”

“I was about to ask you if you’re still working.” Martin takes a look at his desk; there’s two empty mugs pushed to the side, a tape recorder (not recording), and some books and papers. Martin notices Jon’s glasses are still where he left them after he found them near the cot in the storage room. “You’re wearing contacts now?” He asks and Jon raises his eyebrows.

“What?”

“Well, I- I noticed you didn’t wear glasses today,” Martin shrugs and points his chin at them. “You forgot them yesterday.”

Jon’s eyes stop at the pair of glasses, and he frowns.

“Huh.” He rubs his chin. “Checks out, I guess.”

“What?” Now Martin frowns and Jon looks up at him, breathing in.

“The, uh—The Eye powers,” he grimaces. “This happened before too. I don’t—I don’t need them anymore.”

“Oh.” Martin shifts. “Well, I just wanted to tell you, you should get some rest. It’s—It’s late.”

Jon smiles fondly, staring into the air. Martin wonders what he's thinking about. Is he going back to memories he doesn't have?

“I really should, shouldn't I?” Jon asks no one in particular and sighs. “Thank you, Martin.”

“F-For what?” Martin laughs a little bit confused, and Jon looks at him for a moment before he shrugs.

“For caring. For being there.”

Martin looks away and shifts awkwardly again. Jon's stare, though gentle, is piercing; overbearing. Martin can't yet decide if it's good or bad, but it is certainly a lot.

“I should—”

“Could you—”

They start at the same time and look at each other. Jon shakes his head and gestures with his hand.

“Please, go first.”

Martin takes a deep breath.

“Could you tell me what—what it is that you want me to remember?”

Jon opens his mouth and closes it. His forehead ripples.

“I...” he begins and sighs, looking at his desk. “I don't think it was you. I mean—I think that... that it was a different version of you. In my past.” He looks up and his brown eyes are sad. “So it makes sense you can't remember because it never actually happened for you.”

Martin deflates with a little “oh” and looks down. The hole in his mind is settling nicely in the fog and he doesn't question it. Why would he? It was always there. He’s only lived this life, not anything else – if anybody would know it would be Jon. And obviously, it was a different Martin that Jon fell— That Jon cared for.

“Were we…” Martin stops, the word “together" left hanging in the air, and Jon looks at him for a second before something flashes in his eyes.

“We don't—I mean, I can't really— It's, it wasn't you so...”

‘I can’t really expect you to have the same feelings now’ is what Jon does not say, but Martin, of course, has no way of knowing that.

“Right,” Martin nods, and he can see Jon's cheeks blush, much the same as his own must right now. Martin swallows the awkwardness and nods again. “Alright, I'll, uh... I'll leave you to it. Then. Get—uh, get some rest.”

He closes the door and exhales deeply. Well, that was disastrous; he thinks, as he walks towards the document storage. There’s something heavy weighing down on his chest but he chooses not to dwell on it; it wouldn’t provide him with any insights he didn’t already know.

#tma #the magnus archives #tma fic #tma oftm #jonmartin #niki.writes #new posting format because i have not heard of consistency in my life #we're back at it!!#also i promised myself that i would finish this #i Will Not abandon this #we are powering through #and we can Do this

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ladylynse · 2 years

Note

Hello, yay, I'm welcome XD XD (sorry, couldn't resist the terrible joke). I know I'm welcome, or you wouldn't replied, I guess... Anyway, I haven't thought about different name, Le Fantôme works well. I'm terrible at names, so that won't work ^^; ^^; (didn't know you have another anon with similar name... as similar the initials can be). Also knowing your personal signature helps for the next time, time passed and I want to reply it, without making weird... as how long had been, you know? Hopefully, searching by tag works correctly, you know how tumblr can be sometimes, right? (I think you did, tag as my writting as well last, last reply). All right, and sure thing Danny can only managed that much, poor boy. All the weird stuff that happen to him is more than enough if you ask me. And if you put him in the ML world with the akumas and all, well, really poor boy. :D :D Then, I'll keep wishing luck when that day came. And future you figurate out that. Oh, I do totally agreed, that crossover sounds so fun to do, but to much effort... so good luck whenever you do it :) :) (I'm also excited to see what you end doing, it does sound so amazing and I believe that's what started all this XD XD). Oh, yeah that's so true, everyone is different after all. And the ideas come and go all the time. Therefore, the different methods used is because of that, somethings works better for some other times, well no. (OMG, I love "The Trouble with Ghosts". I read it twice, I could read it again, if ask XD XD. And oh... no, sorry, I know DW -Newho- but have not clue about Psych. Don't think I'll get any of that ^^; ^^;). Oh and I actually love reveal fics, but that something else... (I know that seems out of nowhere, but feel like I need to point out XD XD). That HP cross sounds... interesting.... sorry way too long the post I don't think I have catch out with everything. But it's an interesting AU, that's for sure. :) :) And definitely had got the attention and that's good, right? And well, when that happens with that so little number on the notes, well... I'm with you. I'd even bother to continue that, you know. At least not public, who knows maybe do something for your own entertainment, but I don't know. Do that much for just yourself, if you ask me sounds like way to much work... but that's just me... ^^; ^^; In any way, whatever and whenever you decide to do something for either crossover or not fic; I wish you the best of the best with that, good luck. As always, have a great day :) :) -Le Fantôme anon

(re: this ask)

Excellent! (And it's been a while since the LF anon turned up in my ask box which is why I don't know if they're still around, but LF was short for Le Fantôme, so.... The potential for confusion on my end is very real.)

I figure searching the tags might still be easier than trying to search for post content on tumblr. Unless you go through a search engine. I've had to do that a couple of times to find something I know I posted but couldn't find in my tags because I couldn't remember what I might've tagged it with.

Re: Le Fantôme, though, I am so excited for bits I've only hinted at in the pieces I've got up on tumblr. I actually wound up picking one of my internet friends and going, "You're not in this fandom so you're not going to read this which means I can spoil you so HERE'S THE PLAN" and took the opportunity to gush. *grins* We do that to each other more often than not because we don't share a lot of fandoms anymore, so there's typically a lot of excitement for the other person's excitement.

Oh, The Trouble with Ghosts is something I wrote about six and a bit chapters of--just got into that bit where Lancer brings Danny breakfast the next morning and checks up on him--before getting terribly stuck. And I'd go and poke at it every year or so to see if I could shake out a solution, but by that point I'd moved onto other fics and wasn't investing the time to figure it out. And then I posted a bit of it on tumblr--throwing it out into the void, as it were--and people were excited about it and it got me thinking about it again. Which is why I appreciate asks that draw my attention back to fics I haven't worked on in a bit! It helps me! (I didn't post The Trouble with Ghosts elsewhere until I figured out a title for it, but I did eventually pick that title, commit to finishing it, and crosspost it, and, well, you've read it, so you know I kept writing. I should probably be concerned about the fact that might writing is on essentially the same level as it was when I started that fic since I don't think most people noticed that it was written so many years apart (basic edits aside) but, eh, this is fun for me.)

Yes, that second one was more of an example of some of the crossover ideas I have kicking around that I don't think a whole lot of people would know. It's admittedly one of the less weird ones because Doctor Who is relatively recognizable even for those who haven't actually seen it. I also have an idea for, say, a crossover between Being Erica and The Listener, and I don't expect you would've heard of either of those shows. (Being Erica featured time travel, one of my first loves, and The Listener is about a telepath who's pretending he's not a telepath (because that is not a normal thing) but still wants to help people and winds up getting involved in trying to stop a lot of crimes for a paramedic, to the point that the people investing the crimes are like. wait. why are you always involved in this stuff.) Sometimes, it's just weird combinations that I see when I've been exposed to something at the right time to spark an idea, even if it's not something I decide to share.

Reveals are one of my favourite things to write, I will admit, but I doubt that's a surprise. *grins*

It's always great for me when other people are excited enough about the idea so they write it and I can enjoy it. *grins*

That idea is just about where I'd take my starting point before figuring out all the crunch factors that push the plot--what Bruno knows prior to this happening being one of the chief things that work in the background without me actually spelling it out right away--but, yeah. That one will just live in my head. I don't have enough background knowledge to fake anything, so even writing it out for myself would require research to get the details right, unless I skipped over the start of the fic and started at the actual crossover, but then I'm missing context, and I'm a much better writer when I know the context.

Because that kind of context? It's the kind of thing I have for most of my fics, or at least the crossovers. Me already knowing that is one of the reasons I know exactly where I'm going with Le Fantôme. (Granted, with that one, the plan is to feed you the context through scenes that take place before the present--ie where Danny meets Ladybug and Chat Noir--so most of that context will end up in the fic as opposed to only showing up in random lines or references.) It's why I'm so hung up trying to give reasons for a crossover to happen. I like it when it doesn't feel overly forced, because if it is, then to me, it's something that exists solely because the author wanted to throw the fandoms together and not because they wanted to see how they could integrate them. If you skip over weaving a crossover together, you can miss things that should impact your plot.

I dunno. I'm a very picky crossover reader. I know some people are fine without that context (and worldbuilding if it's a crossover where worldbuilding is required), and that's great! It's just not my preference to read fics that ignore that aspect entirely.

#ladylynse #asks #my writing #and hey I linked all the past ones #I hope #so you can follow the thread back (I hope)

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h0ly-fire · 4 years

Text

Hey , tumblr is really acting up today so once again I'm posting chapter 3 because it's just not showing up for me. Anyways enjoy💖

Tw: slight child abuse, mentions of murder,anxiety

Pairings : Axel x reader Otto x reader Oscar x reader

Runaway

Chapter 3:

Pleading and bad Memories

Holding Stinky, you wobbled over to the entrance of the T.V. store, the door alerting that you came in. Setting the cat down, ignoring the looks people gave you, you looked around for someone who would know about who’s upstairs. Walking around, touching the buttons of different televisions, you caught the attention of an employee.

Now, usually, Elliot would simply ask you to leave, but since he knew you caught him taking a picture of you, he assumed you came in here to question about it. Clearing his throat and with a deep breath, cutting his conversation with a customer short, he walked over to you. He was slightly scared coming up to you since he did see you quite literally fall out of the sky in what seemed to be a bright light. He was sure that you were from another world, an Alien to put it simply. He wasn’t far off in that you were from somewhere “different” though. Although, you yourself wouldn’t exactly say “alien”, more like a time traveller? Anyways, coming up to you, he tapped you on the shoulder.

Turning around you come face to face with a kind-looking man, his uniform neatly pressed. You assumed he was the owner, just the person you were looking for.

“Yes?” You said with the best fake smile you could muster.

“Umm, may I ask what it is you’re doing here?” His voice had a slight tremble, which didn’t go unnoticed by you.

“Why, yes indeed”, with an even wider smile you leaned slightly forward trying to intimidate the man. “You see, I was in the alleyway beside this establishment when I happened to notice someone taking a picture of me from the window upstairs.”

Leaning back from the man’s face, your smile turned into a frown. “So, I’d like to know who exactly that was and why. I won’t be leaving until I get my answer.” You crossed your arms.

“W..well you see that person was..”, he made an awkward laugh, scratching his left arm slightly out of anxiety. He was scared to tell you. You seemed quite intimidating.

“That person was who?” You were getting sort of annoyed at this point. This man was stalling.

“Well… it was me”, he gave another awkward laugh, quickly looking at you and back at the floor.

“You? You don’t look like you work for The Commission, nor do you act like it”, poking his chest you continued to ask him questions. “Who exactly are you and why were you taking my photos?!” You had raised your voice at this point. It didn’t matter if people heard as they wouldn’t understand anyway. All that mattered is that you got your answer.

“Well”, at this point Elliot was sure that he was trembling, his knees wobbling slightly. Elliot was never one for confrontation. “Well, you see, I saw you when you fell from that portal thing and I-”, he was cut off by you stepping even closer to him.

“You saw that!”

“Well, ye-”

“Was I awesome looking?!”

“What?”

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter, of course I was awesome looking”, your face had relaxed at this point.

Elliot, thinking you looked friendly when you didn’t have a crazed look in your eyes, continued on. “Umm, if you want we can go upstairs and I can explain.” He still felt his anxiety rising, you were to close for comfort. It didn’t help that a few moments later he heard guns go off.

With a panicked look, you turned to the location where the guns went off. Crap, they were here. That was fast, you thought to yourself. Pushing the man down to the ground, you told him to stay there. He doesn’t deserve to get caught in the crossfire.

Looking back up you saw them. Axel, Otto, and Oscar. You had learned their names when none of the other agents bothered to. It was the least you could do to show some respect to your used to be co-workers. You’d like to think you could have made friends if it wasn’t for the fact that you were a traitor and they were here to kill you.

“Umm, well hello again, guys”, with a light laugh you slowly back up. This all felt too familiar to you and not in a good way.

They step towards you, holding their guns up. They weren’t going to let you escape this time. You were keeping them from going home to eat dinner, after all. Holding both hands up, to show you had no weapon, you decided that maybe you could explain to them why you did what you did.

“Now I know the Handler sent you after me because I made an error, but you gotta believe me it was for a good cause!”

They continued forward. They weren’t sure why they just didn’t shoot you already, they guessed it was because they wanted to hear your pathetic excuse. When they seemed to be listening, you continued. It seemed the only thing that might work is to tell the truth.

“You see, I saved a little boy from dying from a very, very bad person. His Mother! My Mother!” You were slightly crying now. You never told anyone about your family life, but in this case, you had to. “You see, the Handler she wanted to make sure I-”, with a gulp you continued on, it was hard to say it. “She wanted to make sure I had no loose ends from my old life. She wanted me to make sure my brother was dead.”

The brothers were shocked to hear this, though none of their faces showed it. Even so, this was their job, they had to finish it. They walked closer to you, backing you up into a wall. You had noticed their fingers on the trigger. With one last attempt, you pulled out a picture you had of you and your little brother.

“Wait! Wait.. see this?” You held the picture up to their faces. “You see, this is my little brother! He’s only ten! He needs me! Our mom doesn’t care about him! I only stole the briefcase and ran away so I could see him again. So please, please you have to understand. You’re all brothers, aren’t you?“

With a pleading look, you continued on. "You have to understand. Everything I’m doing, I’m doing for him. What if she asked one of you to kill each other, hmm?” You were looking at the ground now, not wanting them to see you cry, you didn’t want to appear weak in what seemed like your final moment alive.

Axel had put his gun down slightly. At war with himself as to what to do. His brothers gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to do something. He did understand, he’d probably do anything if it was him in this situation, just to see one of his brothers again. He understood what he had to do. Even if he might regret it.

Lowering his weapon, his brothers hesitating but doing the same, he looked at you. You were dirty and you stank. You looked like you went through hell. He decided that they would help you get home safely to your brother even if it meant they too would be in danger.

“Otto.” The tallest of the brothers looked at him.

“Yes?” Axel tilted his head towards your cowering figure.

“Knock them out”.

You had fallen, about to hit the floor, but thankfully Otto had caught you. Oscar picked up Stinky who happened to be underneath you the whole time. Walking out the store, the three of them walked back to the truck. Otto and Oscar were confused as to why the job wasn’t finished yet but decided not to question their brother. Setting you in the back gently, Otto went back to sit on the passenger side. Oscar was sitting in the back watching you, while Stinky decided he would lay on your chest. They drove off with the sound of sirens in the background.

Elliott looked around after the three blonde men had walked out with your unconscious body. His store was a mess, but he was thankful you had saved his life. He just hoped his insurance covers the damage.

#the swedes #the swedes x reader #the umbrella academy season 2 #the umbrella academy x reader #the umbrella academy #tua #tua season 2 x reader #tua season 2 #tua season two #runawayswedes

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carolinedionecd · 3 years

Text

"What !? No - No"

Sterling palmed her face in shock.

"Mom? What's she talking about?"

Blair is directly looking at Debbie, with brows arched as a sign of confusion. She knew she'll never get an answer from Debbie so she looked at her dad.

"Dad?"

She opened her arms as a signal to Anders that she's waiting for an answer. Anderson bit his lip, took a big sigh and looked at Debbie, who's still crying while pointing her shotgun directly at Dana.

"Hello !? I'm shot !?"

Everyone looked at the man who's lying on the floor, Dana's shitty boyfriend. Bowser pointed his gun at the guy, cuffed then took him.

"Dad?"

Blair is still waiting for an answer, that she knows she's not gonna get, for now.

"Sterling come here!"

Blair took Sterling's wrist then took her to Bowser's car.

"Blair II - alkdjadniw"

Sterling's blabbering, because she's still in shock. Blair closed the backseat door where they're sitting.

"Listen to me, Sterl. We will always be sisters. Twin sisters. You just came out of our mom's twin sister. See? We're still twins"

Sterling looked at Blair who's waiting for her to speak.

"Y-yeah. Yeah. I could - I could deal with that."

Sterling can't cry. She's overwhelmed with emotions and shock and questions. They both looked out of the window when the police arrived. Dana is being put in jail.

Debbie, Anders, and Bowser are talking when the police left.

"Holy shit! They're gonna know that Bowser is a bounty hunter!"

Blair is now in a panic.

"W-what? Why? How?"

Sterling is still confused, her mind is far away from wherever they are.

"Shit they looked at us! Hide!"

They both ducked.

"Wait, why are we hiding?"

Sterling still full of confusion but she follows what Blair is doing because Blair is the only one that makes sense to her now.

"I - I - why are you hiding?"

Blair asked her back. Suddenly, the driver's seat door opened.

"Girls. I will get you home now. Okay?"

They sighed in relief when they heard Bowser's voice so they sat back on their seats.

"Did you tell them about bounty hunting? Did you tell them that we're on your team?"

Bowser rolled his eyes at Blair's question.

"First, I did not tell them that I am a bounty hunter. Second, they will never know you're on my team."

The twins took a big sigh. Blair is relieved that their cover isn't blown, as if a spy dodged a bullet. Sterling, took a big sigh because now that her mom is actually her aunt, she's seeing the family that she grew up in, in a totally different way.

"Third,"

Bowser broke the silence that made the two look at him.

"Are you okay baby girl?"

He's looking directly at Sterling. Blair looked at Sterling, waiting for her to answer Bowsie.

"Yeah, I guess so."

She looked down on her hand and tried to play with her nails.

"You know what? You don't even look like her. You look more like mom. Our mom. You're her favorite and I'm sure she loves you so much--," Blair's eyebrows crossed again. "--more than she loves me."

Confused with her own sentence, she shrugged it off, like she's telling herself that that's not the point.

"Do you remember in third grade, she told us she's gonna make us a ham sandwich for lunch, and then you got the ham sandwich and I got the peanut butter sandwich !?"

Sterling laughed when she remembered how angry Blair was when they got home and told their mom.

"Do you remember what she said?"

Asked Blair.

"Yeah. You told her, 'where was my ham sandwich !?'"

The two laughed because Sterling made an impression of Blair's third-grade-angry-face.

"Yeah! And she was like, 'Blair, you should learn to give to others especially your sister. I love you both so much but a responsible older sister should always take care of her younger sister.'"

They looked at each other.

"Yeah. That was fair."

Sterling finally agreed.

"She always put you first over me. Always has and always has been. But, works for me. Less attention, less expectation. It's enough for me to know they love me, they love us. But so you know, you have to take care of your kidney because I am not going to donate it. I want to die with my organs complete and intact. "

Bowser, silently listening to them shakes his head in awe.

"I should really stay hydrated."

Hydrated. Shoot. The water bottle. Lock-in meeting. April.

"Bye, Sterl."

Once again, Sterling took a big sigh. Her heart is crumbling like paper. Now her tears are starting to run down but she tried to hide them and wipe them away using her forehand.

"Oh my God!"

She looked at Blair when she heard her scream.

"What?"

Blair looked back at Sterling with tears in her eyes. With a wide freaking smile.

"It's Miles! He wants to talk!"

Blair happily hugged Sterl. The latter is so happy for her sister.

"Holy crap. We're gonna makeup, we'll be together again! Oh, sweet Jesus! I miss his smell!"

Sterling, can't help but miss April.

Her lips.

Her smile.

Her kiss.

Her smell.

Her skin.

"Honey"

Debbie hugged Sterling so tight. She knows Sterling is in shock but she's scared to let Sterling think negative thoughts and doubt herself.

"M-Can I still call you mom?"

Asked Sterling while they're hugging each other.

"Oh, sweetheart. I am your mom. No one else could be your mom. Okay? And you, are Sterling. You are our daughter. You are sisters - twin sisters."

Debbie softly touched their chins while smiling.

"See? I told you we're still sisters and twins."

Blair happily told Sterling. She smiled so wide. She's never been this happy to be a part of this family.

"I can't even imagine my life without you. I mean, who's gonna let me borrow a bra and never return it and doesn't get mad?"

Sterling laughed again. Anders and Debbie hugged the twins. They looked at each other with a genuine smile. Their hands intertwined with each other. Anders kissed Debbie on her forehead with a sigh of relief because the husband and the wife know that this night just made their family ties stronger than ever.

"Okay, can we please face the fact that you guys still didn't answer my questions last night?"

Typical Blair, asking questions and gets paranoid when they're not being answered.

"Okay, honey. First of all, we are having breakfast. I don't think it's appropriate to talk about that this time."

Blair's brows arched once again because of disbelief.

"A-actually, mom--" Sterling slightly smiled then reached for her nape. "--I want to know. I think I deserve that."

Debbie silently put down her tea, took the napkin out of her lap, and damped it on her lips before saying anything. Anders reached for Debbie's hand that is resting on her lap, which made her look at Anders. She took a big sigh.

"Okay, I'm going to make it short and precise."

Sterling and Blair are waiting for the answers while Anders enjoys himself chewing his food, but it is making an annoying sound. The three girls looked at him.

"What? I'm just eating my food."

Debbie rolled her eyes. The twins looked back at Debbie.

"Dana showed in our old house carrying you. Blair was just a month old. She told me she can't take care of you so she wanted me to take care of you as my own. Dana was a mess. I mean, she still is. But I don't know who your father is. That's it. "

Sterling isn't bothered anymore. She's a Wesley and will always be a Wesley.

"Are you going home right after school?"

Asked Blair while she's driving to school. Sterling's mind is still in the wind.

"Y-yeah. I guess. I don't have much to do."

Blair looked at Sterling with worry.

"It's gonna be okay. I know it's hard for you to walk around and see her in every corner but you have to be strong."

Sterling looked at Blair.

"Yeah. I just have to be strong."

Blair looked at her again, not convinced by how Sterling said those words.

"Or you can pretend you hate her again until it comes true."

Sterling looked at her.

"II-can't do that."

Sterling looked in the side-view mirror when she saw that they're approaching the parking lot.

"Just pretend. Okay? Act tough and doesn't care about her."

The last piece of advice from Blair before they step out of the car. "By the way, you have to take an uber later. I'm gonna meet with Miles. It's our make-up date. Or probably make-up-then-make-out-date."

Sterl just nodded to Blair.

"Incoming."

She whispered to Sterling as she saw April approaching them. Sterling's heart is pounding just the thought of hearing April's voice. She's directly looking at April while walking and is ready to stop whenever April greets her but to her dismay, April didn't greet her, or even called her name, or even took a glimpse of her.

Sterling stopped and turned around, chasing April's back by staring at her.

"Hey, Luke!"

Sterling turned her back before she sees the flirting that is about to happen.

"How is she doing that? I mean, that would be so hard for a gay woman to flirt with someone who's not even on her menu."

Whispered Blair to Sterling while walking towards the entrance.

"Shhhh someone might hear you."

Sterling dropped her bag then turned her face down the table. She kept taking deep breaths, assuming it would heal her aching heart.

"I told you to save me a seat beside you"

She heard the voice she's longing to hear, but she kept her cool and decided to only move when the bell rang.

"I'm sorry, Hannah B is already here when I came in. I wouldn't wanna sit beside--"

Ezequiel looked down at sleeping Sterling. April doesn't even need to turn her back to know who that girl is because even her peripheral vision can recognize her instantly. But for the sake of pretending, she looked around and rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

Hey guys I didn't know that tumblr has a limit. So I cant post the whole chapter. If you'd like to continue reading you can go to my wattpad account. Here's the link.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/251725935?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=BlueWhaaale&wp_originator=ayB6mhaua0htPKGYUuBaMBOLTreql97Gtq2XrCSLeglsobjcXhwlj7feIgshPrYg37%2F%2FSPEokHRINccn6JFN1sjV4x%2BZ8bgbF1HtvWBwBfwTOpRpdINWFkLBcro73h7g

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rivalsforlife · 4 years

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one more ahaha but the cherry blossom scene at the end of catch up game ch 3 because i'm still thinking nonstop about it all the time 👀👉👈

ABSOLUTELY I CAN also for anyone reading this go look at Mika’s art which inspired this scene. It’s the tumblr version so you can reblog it too, which you should do, even if you don’t read my long rambling,

okay once again rambling below...

Traditionally, Larry Butz arrived at any social gathering anywhere from half an hour to three hours later than the time he was told, so all things considered, he was actually early. Phoenix wasted no time informing him of the latest betrayal among their small elementary school friend group.

this is a direct callout to one of my friends from high school, where we started seriously considering telling her that any social event we were planning started an hour earlier than it actually did so that she’d make it there on time. We never did in case this turned out to be the time she actually made it on time, but still.

“Larry, remember that one time we were trying to make that gigantic hopscotch game, and we ran out of chalk?” He pointed an accusatory finger at Edgeworth, who sighed. “It turns out, Edgeworth hid it all along!”

Larry blinked, then shrugged. “Oh yeah, right, that. Well, I kind of had an idea…”

“Wh — You hid this from me too?! D-Death! The death penalty for the both of you!”

“Why does this all sound so familiar,” Edgeworth commented under his breath.

I think this part is mostly there so Larry actually does something because I couldn’t find any real way to fit him into this fic...? Anyways the dialogue there with Phoenix threatening the death penalty on Miles and Larry is pretty much directly lifted from the end of Turnabout Goodbyes, which is why Miles comments on it sounding familiar.

They continued on in that vein for some time, dredging up old elementary school memories. Phoenix proclaimed to be the only innocent member of that group, before Edgeworth brought up a set of very nice gel pens Phoenix reportedly stole from him. Phoenix and Edgeworth got caught up in their argument, and barely even noticed when Larry wandered away, joining Maggey and Gumshoe at the fishing pond while Franziska critiqued them.

This sort of familiar banter was normal. As Edgeworth teased in that same way he had ever since Phoenix first faced him in court, he had to wonder if he’d just imagined the way Edgeworth had been looking at him during the party. Maybe everything was fine, after all.

Not pictured: Phoenix and Miles leaning in closer to each other as they argue. too close. Larry tries to comment but neither of them hear him. Eventually he just walks away because he’s sick of third-wheeling with these two. It’s my firm belief that if there weren’t the court benches in the way that they need to slam, these two would slowly walk closer and closer to each other as they argue because they. uh. want to “intimidate” each other. that’s why they’re nose to nose like that. the whole courtroom is suddenly very uncomfortable.

Haha anyways also I think these two would pick the dumbest things to argue about all the time? Never seriously arguing, the just like bickering because they don’t know how to hold conversations about their feelings.

“You still haven’t explained exactly what happened to my gel pen set,” Edgeworth accused, as they circled around the argument for the third time.

Phoenix threw his hands up in the air. “I just forgot to return it! I didn’t know you were so bothered by it. You should have brought it up!”

“Back then? You were so sensitive. If I brought up that you might have upset me in the least, you would have burst into tears.”

“I wasn’t that sensitive.”

Edgeworth sighed. “Wright, you cried when I got a question wrong on a spelling test, because you thought I would be sad about it.”

“And you were!” Phoenix retorted. “You cried for like an hour!”

“Because when you started crying, I thought it was something I had to be ashamed of!”

More bickering, pretty much! Also I do think Phoenix cried A Lot and was super sensitive up until the whole Dahlia trial which traumatized him pretty badly...

Anyways the REAL story behind this incident which I am making up just now is probably that Miles was on the verge of crying because of Getting Something Wrong -- which I totally get, I absolutely almost cried over spelling tests as a baby -- and Phoenix picked up on this and realized his best friend was sad and started crying, which made Miles start to fully cry, and it just became a mess.

Meanwhile Larry with the 3/10 on his spelling test was just like “I don’t get what you guys are so upset about a 9/10 is great” which just makes them cry even more.

(Then Gregory probably found out about this incident and sat Miles down and gave him a speech about “everyone makes mistakes and it’s okay to not be perfect all the time, this is a learning opportunity and it shows you what you need to work on!”

That sentiment didn’t last very long.)

Wow I’m getting off topic, moving on --

Phoenix crossed his arms. “I remember this whole thing very differently than you do. You cried first.”

“I never cried in fourth grade.”

Phoenix leaned in and whispered into his ear, “Origami.”

“Do not bring that up!” Edgeworth hissed as Phoenix reared back, laughing.

I don’t know if you need to lean in super close and whisper that in his ear though Phoenix, that might be a bit unnecessary. Miles got lucky here in that his Eternal Shame over not being able to fold an origami crane in fourth grade overrode whatever reaction he undoubtedly would have had about Phoenix’s face being very close to his face.

Anyways this banter is here in the fic mostly because I really wanted to show them being all comfortable and happy with each other. That was a major thing I wanted to push as much as possible in these earlier chapters, that they do care about each other a lot even before we enter the more outright romantic territory.

“Regardless, I am certain you took my gel pen set, so don’t try to blame faulty memory on that one. I bet you carelessly used them all up, didn’t you?”

“Hardly! I wouldn’t even touch it after you left. It reminded me of you.”

Some of the fight left Edgeworth’s stance. “Really?”

“Well… yeah.” He wasn’t sure why the admission suddenly felt like a confession of an entirely different sort.

aw man Phoenix you brought feelings into your banter NOW what are you going to do.

I’m preeetty sure I have books that I lent to my friends in fourth grade that they never gave back so it’s of course not an inherently romantic thing, they probably just forgot it was mine and obviously aren’t going to bring it back now ten years later, but for Phoenix in this case it was probably more like “I borrowed these gel pens from Miles and then keep forgetting to give them back but was going to after winter break, and then he left, so I need to hold onto them until he comes back”. Miles was taken from his life so suddenly it probably had a huge effect on him, especially since he had few friends at the time and Miles made such a big impact on him.

The two of them sat underneath the tree in a sudden, serene quiet. They’d both discarded their suit jackets at some point, down to their dress shirts and waistcoats. Phoenix pretended not to notice the way Edgeworth’s eyes darted across the line of his shoulders and lingered longer than they should have.

I don’t ever really pay much attention to what people are wearing or what they look like at any particular time when I’m writing, but in this case I took extra care to make sure they were in the same outfits as in the art that inspired this!

Maybe I’ll ramble a bit more about that! Pretty much the “theme” of narumitsu week this year was “cherry blossoms”, so I wanted to find some way to incorporate them into this fic somewhere somehow. I decided to have that as a focus on Free Day because I enjoy having structure and wasn’t sure what to have for the day.

Some of this scene, mainly the picnic, is inspired by that one official art here. The first iteration of this chapter had everyone in it (with the obvious exceptions of Diego and Mia) but then I took out Maya and Pearl for reasons I explained when I was talking about the scene in chapter 6 where I decided to cut a lot of Maya’s scenes out of this fic... even though I love her a lot.

And of course when I thought about cherry blossoms and narumitsu I thought about Mika’s art, yes I am linking it again, which I believe she posted about a month or so before I started planning and I was Thinking About It Constantly. It’s gorgeous and since there was the perfect opportunity to use it here I just couldn’t resist and here we are.

Back to the paragraph: Miles attempted to subtly check Phoenix out. It was not subtle.

“Do you still have those gel pens?” Edgeworth asked, softer. “I think you owe me them, after everything.”

“Oh, shut up,” said Phoenix, but it was difficult to have a heated argument right now, for some unknown reason. “If I still have them, they’re in a box somewhere. Plus, they ought to have dried up by now.”

“I doubt it.” A faint smile was beginning to crawl on Edgeworth’s face. “Those gel pens were state of the art.”

“Sure they were,” Phoenix dismissed. “And, what, you’re going to use them? Sign your fancy prosecutor documents in bright pink?”

“What makes you think I don’t do that already?”

“You wouldn’t — oh, wait, of course you’d have customized ink in the same colour as your entire wardrobe, who am I even talking to…”

“Mhm.” Edgeworth brushed his bangs from his eyes, a motion that Phoenix’s brain decided to fixate on for some reason. “But really, you went to all the trouble of keeping the set, and you never used any of them?”

(Miles voice) “oh so you kept something as trivial as that for so long because they reminded you of me? Tell me more. Why do you want a reminder of me. What exactly do you think of me, Wright,”

hm pretty much as soon as Phoenix brought Feelings into this conversation the atmosphere kind of changed and you can now imagine Miles staring with the most adoring expression at Phoenix while Phoenix is ignoring this with such intensity that it doesn’t even show up in his narration. But he also watches the way Miles brushes his bangs from his eyes, so he’s not much better.

And thinking about it now this scene really went on for too long about gel pens hahaha...

“Objection!” Phoenix declared. “I used the blue one to write you letters at first.”

“Ah, of course you did. I never got any of those… How many did you send?”

“I don’t even want to know…”

Edgeworth hummed and looked off into the distance, where Gumshoe was demonstrating how to cast a line. “Your level of dedication is something else,” he said, as if to himself.

“Well, yeah. You were my only non-Larry friend. You were…” Phoenix swallowed. “You were important to me, you know? You saved me.”

“You keep bringing that up. You’ve more than returned the favor, you know that, don’t you?”

“I’m inclined to disagree.”

I don’t have a consistent headcanon about whether Miles got or read the letters, in this fic presumably von Karma intercepted them and got rid of them... and then presumably Miles ignored any that were sent to him as an adult.

Also these two are going to have ridiculous arguments about who saved who until they’re on their deathbeds, I’m sure.

Edgeworth turned back towards him as if to retort, but stopped halfway, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at Phoenix.

“... Something on my face?” Phoenix asked, trying to quell the feeling of some sort of anxiety that bubbled up when Edgeworth stared at him like that.

insert mikacherryblossomart.png

Miles turns away for one second and then suddenly oh no he’s even more gorgeous now

Edgeworth was silent for some time. Then, very softly, he said, “You have cherry blossom petals in your hair.”

“What? Do I?” He reached a hand up to brush them out, but Edgeworth stopped him by grabbing his wrist, freezing Phoenix.

“With your hair, you’ll never get them out like that.” With his spare hand, Edgeworth began to pick each individual petal from his hair. “You look so — silly, Wright.”

Partially a callback to the beginning of chapter 3, when they were kids:

“Y-Your hair,” Miles managed to say through stifled laughter. “One of the flowers fell into it.”

Phoenix hands shot up into his hair. “Really?”

“You look so silly, Phoenix.” When Phoenix failed to find the flower, Miles reached out. “Here, let me.”

Phoenix remained still as Miles reached up to the top of his head and picked the flower out of his hair. “Your hair’s really soft,” Miles said quietly, before handing it over to Phoenix. “Here you go.”

because Miles apparently remembered that it was difficult for Phoenix to get the petals from his hair the first time, and also, wanted an excuse to touch Phoenix’s hair again.

But also the dialogue and interactions are ONCE AGAIN INSPIRED BY MIKA based on this reply to my reply to the art on twitter. look at that you can go and retweet the art on twitter too!

Overall this gives us an accurate Thoughts to Speech translator for Miles:

Miles: You have cherry blossom petals in your hair and it is going to kill me.

Phoenix: What? Do I?

Miles: No, wait, don’t brush them out, I want to touch your hair because it is soft and this is the perfect excuse. You look so captivating.

if Miles had said that out loud though it would probably have killed both of them.

Phoenix let out an awkward, low laugh, starting somewhere deep within his chest. “R-Really.”

“Mhm.”

Edgeworth’s eyes locked with Phoenix’s, and time seemed to freeze. There was a sudden thrum of tension in the air, as if Phoenix were in a play and he’d suddenly forgotten his lines, forgotten he was supposed to be in a play at all.

(chanting) “kiss kiss kiSS KISS KISS --”

But before either of them could break the sudden spell over them, a fishing hook whirred through the air, and —

“Ack, I — I think I got it stuck!”

but of course that needs to be interrupted at the worst possible time because this is fanfiction and this is how things work!

“In the tree?! How did you even manage to get it that far?”

“Don’t worry about it, Maggey, I can climb up the tree and get it unstuck, just hang on —”

“No, no, if I just give it a big yank—”

“Maggey—!”

I broke the first rule of writing dialogue because I can’t really remember who’s supposed to be saying what. I think that Maya had a few lines here and then I didn’t change them since there were no dialogue tags...

Pretty much -- Maggey with her eternal luck tried to fish but released the line too early as she was swinging back so the line went back and got caught in the tree branches directly above Phoenix and Miles.

I think the dialogue progression goes Maggey -> Originally Maya but now either Larry or Franziska -> Gumshoe -> Maggey -> everyone going MAGGEY NO!!!

I remember going fishing with my grandpa once a long time ago and either I or my brother did get the fishing line stuck in a tree. would not recommend.

The branch above Phoenix and Edgeworth jostled, and pink petals burst all around them, fluttering down and catching in their hair and on their clothes. One petal even fell behind Edgeworth’s glasses.

They stared at each other for a moment, stunned, Edgeworth’s hand still loosely wrapped around Phoenix’s wrist, as Maggey shouted apologies from the distance.

There are no cherry blossom trees where I live so I have no idea if we’re even in the right season for this or if cherry blossom trees even behave this way - but I’m basing it off of... you know when it’s that point in fall where if you shake a tree branch leaves will just scatter everywhere? That.

Also RIP to the other four who were just having a grand old time fishing and then turn around seeing these two sitting really close to each other almost holding hands about two seconds away from a kiss... which they’d just interrupted...

And then — the most incredible thing happened, and Edgeworth began to laugh.

Phoenix could have catalogued all the laughs he heard from Edgeworth: the usual, short laughs often mistaken for a scoff by those who didn’t know him as well as Phoenix did; the triumphant, smug, courtroom laughs when he thought he had Phoenix cornered; to the quiet, restrained ones in private that were more of a hum than anything else. This laugh was new.

This was a full-on fit of laughter bubbling deep in his chest and spilling from his mouth, which Edgeworth quickly covered with his free hand, with the additional bonus of covering his reddening face. It wasn’t something hidden or faked or triumphant, it was genuine, and open, and Phoenix could swear it was one of the most beautiful sounds he ever heard.

Miles here is going through an emotional rollercoaster having been two seconds away from finally kissing the love of his life only to be interrupted at the worst possible time, which is just so on brand for the two of them that he can’t help but start laughing hysterically. Plus Phoenix probably looks absolutely shocked suddenly covered in petals, which doesn’t help.

Then the next two paragraphs are brought on by Phoenix Pining and also me wanting Miles Edgeworth to laugh more...

From my notes for this scene:

They stare at each other for a moment and laugh, and Miles’ laugh just utterly captivates Phoenix and makes him fall so completely in love immediately and oh no he is screwed he is utterly screwed.

So pretty much I had to encapsulate the “falling so completely in love immediately” part which I decided to do by focusing on Miles laughing. I wanted to draw a lot of attention to that which is why there are so many paragraphs dedicated to Miles laughing and Phoenix thinking about Miles laughing.

Trucy’s laughter always made the world feel a little brighter, and made Phoenix feel stronger. Edgeworth’s laugh did the opposite; it dislodged something inside of him, it weakened him, it made the whole world go soft and fuzzy around him. Instead of illuminating all the good in the world, it turned Phoenix’s world into one person.

More focus on Miles’ laughter but also... kind of drawing attention to Phoenix’s reaction to this being different from his reaction to other people he cares about laughing? Because feeling warm and happy when seeing someone you care about non-romantically laugh is normal, but then I wanted to make it clear that this is a different sort of feeling for Phoenix.

Also Phoenix has to realize this is a different sort of feeling for him because otherwise he could brush it off like he’s probably dismissed all of his romantic feelings throughout the years as “oh I’m just glad my friend is happy, and I rarely ever hear Edgeworth laugh so him being relaxed enough to laugh like that makes me feel happy too,” but it’s not what he’d expect if he just sees Miles as a friend. And it’s described as weakening in the paragraph because right now the subject of his romantic feelings for Miles isn’t something that Phoenix can fully or easily accept right now (as chapter 5 would indicate).

Edgeworth’s fit of laughter subsided, and he shifted his hand so he could look at Phoenix again, the hints of a shy grin peeking out between his fingers, his hair and his shirt and his face adorned with a sweet, gentle pink. It was like looking at an entirely different person — or, no, the same person, but with all armor off, all guards lowered.

Miles is very embarrassed right now but kind of... in a good way...? Like again, almost kissed the love of his life then rudely interrupted at the last possible moment, plus Phoenix’s whole reaction to the thing gave Miles the impression that Phoenix wanted to kiss him as well, so he’s feeling a little giddy. Plus he was just laughing a lot when he normally doesn’t do that. Overall he’s not used to expressing his emotions so he’s embarrassed and a little shy about it...

The part about Miles’ “hair and shirt and face adorned with a sweet, gentle pink” refers to both the cherry blossom petals (in his hair and clinging to his shirt and a bit on his face) and also him blushing quite a bit.

It all feels a little out of character honestly haha because Miles isn’t really the type to be blushing hardcore like this and be a little shy, buuut in this case I let myself get away with it because he’s dealing with romantic feelings he hasn’t ever dealt with at this level before, and it’s also out of character just enough to really strike Phoenix in the heart. You can just imagine him staring at Miles with the most lovestruck expression on his face because he hasn’t seen this side of Miles before and he loves it.

Phoenix’s heart stuttered in his chest, and may have stopped entirely.

He was screwed.

He was completely and utterly screwed.

And even Phoenix can’t deny that he’s super in love at this point.

I think I wrote this part, changed the words “screwed” to “doomed” right before posting, and then switched it back again for no particular reason. The Vibe just felt a little off but oh well.

Then the next chapter skips over the rest of this picnic but honestly Phoenix’s brain skipped over the rest of this picnic as well. Imagine the two of them just kind of standing around in a lovestruck daze for a while. I think Franziska had to physically drag Miles out of there. no one knows how Phoenix got home, not even Phoenix and least of all me!

But thank you Mika for requesting this!! And for drawing such incredible art for me to base the chapter around haha!!!

#dvd commentary meme #the catch-up game #asks

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