#IF I HAD TO GUESS. knowing me. i wanted to check that they render his neck differently now. they do | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ssentimentals · 6 months

Text

almost is never enough {joshua hong}

pairing: joshua x fem!reader

prompt: 'i couldn't stop missing you if i tried' + 'thanks to you i know what it means to love again' (this work is part of my 1k event, go check out other works of mine here)

warnings: none, this is my take on famous 'closer than just friends but we are not dating' trope (p.s. this is a songfic)

i'd like to say that we gave it a try, but that's a lie, lie

the possibilities are infinite. the amount of different ways of 'could have' and 'should have' are eating on joshua's mind, frustrating him to no end. and the worst thing is how there really is no limit to these kind of thoughts, joshua can spend eternity thinking of what if's with you. and isn't that sad on itself? how there are so many what if's when it comes to you? isn't that horrifying to realize that there's so much that could've been done, all of these steps that could lead to you being in his arms right now? to him calling you 'love' not only in his mind, but out loud so everyone would hear?

'i can hear you thinking from there,' wonwoo mutters but it's not unkind. he adjusts his glasses before continuing: 'you can let it out if you want to.'

'i feel like...' joshua bites on his lower lip, thinking over his next words. there are so many thoughts in his mind, it's hard to concentrate. 'i feel like if i've tried enough or tried better maybe then-'

'have you tried?' wonwoo interrupts, rendering joshua speechless. 'i'm not trying to fight you right now, shua, but honestly. did you try? did she try? from outside it looked like you two convinced yourselves that you both are okay with being just friends and now you are suffering from consequences of this stupid decision.'

joshua doesn't know what to say back to this. wonwoo is someone who he can trust regarding this theme, because his friend have been there from the start and knew you both very well. in fact, wonwoo was the first one to hint to joshua that what he's feeling towards you is a bit outside of 'we are just friends' spectrum. okay, it's a lot outside of that but hey, love turned him blind.

'i don't really get how-' wonwoo sighs frustratedly and pointedly looks at joshua. 'she is into you. like, really into you, the same way you're into her. anyone with eyes can see that, but you still think it's all lies even when you two look like you are barely holding back from kissing each other when you are together.'

and it's not like joshua doesn't know what wonwoo is talking about. he always had this feeling that maybe - just maybe - you also feel the same. that maybe you also dream about him just like he dreams about you. that maybe you also get shivers in his presence and wonder about how well you're going to fit in his arms. but you are you - brilliant, strong, kind, empathetic, friendly - you surely would have given him a sign if you liked him, right? you surely know that he is terrified to ruin your friendship? 'i miss her,' joshua whispers, noticing how wonwoo's expression turns pitiful. 'i miss her so much.'

you two are kind of... not talking for a week already. which is horrible. it gnaws on joshua's heart, it makes him ache with longing for you. and the worst part? he is in fault for this. he pushed a little too hard, have been too forward with his affection towards you and you asked for a little space.

a space. from him. joshua's heart never broke so loudly before.

'she doesn't hate you,' wonwoo assures him because after so many years, he can easily guess joshua's thoughts. 'i swear she doesn't hate you, please just go talk to her.'

'god dammit,' jun suddenly rises with a scowl on his face, eyes droppy from sleep. 'if you two think you whispering to each other helps me fall asleep then you are wrong.' joshua opens his mouth to apologize, but jun points at him, groaning: 'and you! with your love life!'

'i don't have a love life,' joshua pipes in, interrupting junhui.

jun rolls his eyes. 'you would have one if you spoke to her about your feelings. because guess what would've happened? she would have confessed too and hooray, you two are happy and in love, and rushing somewhere to the sunset! and me and woo finally get some much needed sleep.' this time junhui turns to wonwoo with a pleading look: 'make him go to her, please. i wanna sleep and i know you do, too.'

joshua feels guilty once he catches dark circles of both of his roommates; they've been staying up late listening to his endless rants for the past week. 'sorry guys, i just-'

'you love her and she loves you,' junhui interjects, sighing. 'you two honestly deserve each other, i've never seen more oblivious people in my life. and i am friends with hansol.'

wonwoo snorts, trying to hide his laughter. joshua grins but then tenses upon his words. you love her and she loves you. people say it's better to look at something from outside...could it be true?

we can deny it as much as we want, but in time our feelings will show

it's kind of out of body experience, when he knocks on your door. like joshua is watching from the side how his hand rises and how he steps back right before you open the door. 'shua?' you sound breathless and surprised and he is about to break down because it's the first time he heard your voice in a week. 'what are- is everything okay?'

is it? 'no,' joshua lets out, deciding to drop any act. 'it's not okay.'

you immediately step forward, eyes clouded with worry. 'what happened? are you okay?'

you happened, he wants to reply. you asked for space, that's what happened. you are the reason he is not okay and what if...what if everyone is right? what if you two are just so into your heads that you can't see the obvious? universe is vast and there are million possibilities, so out of that million there should be one where you do love him back, right? right? 'i miss you,' joshua says quetly but judging by how your eyes widen, you hear it clearly. 'i couldn't stop missing you if i tried.'

you breath hitched. or was it his? he doesn't know, it's hard to tell when his heartbeat is all he can hear. you don't say anything, looking way too shocked to even form a sentence. to be honest, corridor of your dormitory is not exactly the place of his dreams to confess, but he'll take what he has. 'are you very mad at me?' he asks, fearing the answer. 'do you hate me?'

this gets a reaction from you. 'wha- no! of course not, shua, i could never hate you. i just- i didn't like how you...lead me on.'

joshua frowns, not getting it. 'lead you on? when have i ever..?'

'c'mon josh,' you interrupt, sounding annoyed, which ouch, you never were annoyed by him. 'you act and you say things that make me think that-' you take a deep breath, avoiding his gaze. 'that maybe you like me. in a romantic way. and i know that you don't so i just asked for space cause it got too much.'

joshua's mind comes to a screeching halt. it's like he sharply pulled on the breaks and now safety airbag just slammed into his face. there absurdity of this situation makes him want to laugh hysterically and lie down to process it all. he does neither, settling for staring at you like you've grown two heads.

if i would've known that you wanted me the way i wanted you, then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart

'we almost had it,' joshua breathes out and on your questioning gaze, he continues: 'that's what i thought all this time. we almost had it. we almost made it work, we almost started dating. but almost would have never been enough for me, it can't be, not when it's about you. thanks to you i know what it means to love again, how can almost be ever enough?'

you look like you're about to cry and if joshua was a weaker man, then he would've felt the same. but he has to be strong, because you deserve no less. and he has to powerthrough this confession because it's his one in a million possibility, this is his what if moment and he'll be damned to miss this chance. 'i- we are so close to being in love together and if i'm reading this right, then...' he takes one step towards you, smiling at how you instantly blush. 'then i can do this, right?' he takes your hand and brings palm of it to his lips, leaving gentle kiss there. 'and finally say that i am so, so in love with you. this week without you only showed how serious my feelings are. i don't want to experience one more week without you, not if i can help it. i don't want to be 'they almost got together' couple' i want us to be 'they got together and were so happy' couple. what do you say?'

joshua is a patient man usually, but as seconds go by and you just stare at him in disbelief, he feels like he might drown if you don't answer him right now. 'joshua hong,' you finally breathe out, voice cracking in the end, betraying your nerves. 'are you- are we seriously doing this here? in the corridor? both wearing gym clothes?'

joshua opens his mouth. closes it. opens it again but nothing comes out.

'oh my god,' you mumble, sounding astonished. 'this is-'

he never gets to learn what you planned to say next, cause in the next second both of you are laughing and he can finally breathe again. his heart is light and when you both stop, staring at each other, he reaches out for your hand again. 'will you be my girlfriend?' he asks seriously, wanting to trace the blush on your cheeks with his fingers.

'yes,' you say, smiling wide. 'i think i deserved to have this confession in a better place, but yes. i will be your girlfriend.'

somewhere in the distance joshua can almost hear wonwoo and junhui loudly celebrating for not having to hear his angsty rants about you from him anymore. somewhere closer to him he can see fireworks going off, one by one. and somewhere very close to him, right inside his heart, a flower garden starts to bloom.

the possibilities are infinite. and there are plenty of universes, in which all kind of different scenarious play out. joshua is glad that the one, where you and him are together, is the one he's living in now.

a/n: phew, last work for my 1k event is done! song is 'almost is never enough' by ariana grande. hopefully you liked this one! - nini

tagging @prpldahy and @gguksgalaxy

#seventeen imagine #seventeen fluff #seventeen reaction #joshua seventeen #joshua imagine #joshua hong #joshua #seventeen fic #svt joshua #seventeen joshua hong #seventeen joshua imagine #seventeen joshua #svt x reader #svt fluff #hong jisoo #seventeen jisoo #seventeen hong jisoo #svt hong jisoo

125 notes · View notes

xbruised-peachx · 8 months

Note

I love your hcs! And I love that you write for Gromsko and Fender!! ❤️❤️❤️

I checked your blog to see if you're accepting requests but I couldn't find anything. 🤔

I wanted to ask how you think those two act around their crush before they confess to them/how they go about asking their crush out?

Please ignore this if your requests are closed 😅

(thank you!!! for a ref, my writing requests are open! pretty much only req i dont do is render request, but my writing requests are always open!)

Tags: fem!reader, not betaread, one shot, slight angst in fenders section

Gromsko w/ a crush

I've gone into this in Sowa Team but he's kinda the type to genuinely not believe you're single and just assume you're taken. I mean... come on, how could you not have a lucky someone? He admires from afar, adoring the way you talk, you walk, your smile. He notes the way you react when he talks to you though, looking away when you catch his gaze, a softly blush barely appearing on your laughing face. He never asks directly, instead hearing from others or from an implication from you that you aren't taken. He takes that and starts to flirt a bit more, starting to call you little pet names but only in Polish, assuming you wouldn't understand and if you do understand... then you'd get his hint. Kochanie, malenka (everyone is small to him), kotku, he'll even tease light-heartedly; "Whatever you say, piękna..." He'll play off your words, making you smile and laugh however he can because he just can't get enough of it. That's how he finally asked you out too, catching him looking at you while eating lunch.

"You're staring at me like you're a cartoon character," you called him out and you were right, head in his hands and slightly tilted. "Only thing missing is the hearts in your eyes."

He chuckled, shaking his head as he broke his gaze. "Yeah... I can't help it I guess." He paused, looking back at you with such soft eyes. "...I could just look at you for hours. I think seeing you smile would be my sunrise in the morning."

You laughed, your cheeks starting to blush. "Gromsko... have you thought of waking up to me?"

His smile dropped slightly, realizing he slipped up, his eyes darting as for once, his confidence fell. "Maybe..."

"Mhmm... and how long have you thought about that? Why were you thinking of that?" You teased him playfully.

He smirked, gaining a bit of self-assurance as he looked back at you. "I think you know why..."

With a sly smile, he let his hand slip over to you, letting that be his answer as he looked at you with adoration again... and you accepted.

Fender w/ a crush

With the way he is, knowing his father's fate... love terrifies him. He's tried to keep it out of his mind and for the most part it had been successful. People would catch the way he'd be struck by you, lingering looks for longer than he has for anyone else... and when called on it it struck him in a different way. He'd notice how his heart skipped a beat when he saw you smile in pure joy. You'd never catch him looking though because he'd look away just as quick, snapping himself out of it. He wanted to keep you smiling, but to him the only way to do that was to keep away from you. He lived a dangerous life... his heart ached just thinking about hurting someone by leaving them. And he could avoid that by simply never coming into your life. But he could only avoid for so long. Once you started talking to him and he got to know you more... he started falling more and more. But he remained in denial, despite how often you insisted on wanting to hang out with him, showing how much you enjoyed his company, he convinced himself you didn't like him like that. But as he got more comfortable around you he also got more comfortable sharing, eventually sharing his fear... even his fear of love and why.

"I... can understand that," you said sympathetically. "I'm sure seeing your mom all your life post... I can't even imagine but I can understand."

"...It's hard still. She always said I looked like him... the way her face dropped in fear when I told her I was joining but... I also remember her pride in telling me to protect my face..." He paused, looking away from you and to the floor, shutting his eyes as he took a deep breath. "...Even if I don't date anyone... the idea of leaving her alone is..."

He couldn't finish his words before a releasing a shuttering breath. You let him have his moment of quiet before scooting close, putting your arm around him to help ground him back to reality before dark thoughts took him. "I know you're scared but... Fender, you don't have to suffer alone with these thoughts... I'm here for you, no matter what."

He slowly looked to you, tears just barely pricking his brown eyes as he hesitantly leaned into your touch, enjoying it but still having anxiety. "...Thank you......" his voice was soft, and his smile showing his absolute gratitude. It took a while for him to gain the trust needed to let you love him... to let himself show love to another. But when he did, he couldn't be happier allowing himself to be vulnerable in a way he never has before.

#call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #cod mw2 #gromsko #gromsko mw2 #gromsko x reader #ask peach #fender mw2 #fender takacs #fender x reader #mw2 x reader #call of duty x reader #cod x reader #UHHHH THIS IS LONGER THAN I THOUGHT NORMALLY I'D PUT A READ MORE SO IT DONT TAKE UP MORE SPACE #BUT IDK WHERE TO PUT IT SO IM SORRY #fender writing #grom writing

96 notes · View notes

sixth-light · 7 months

Text

WoT 2x08 thoughts

WoT s2 really, I haven't got to blog the season like I would have wanted because (checks notes) everybody in this household has been sick for a month and counting (do not recommend). No order here, just things as I think of them, full series book spoilers possible:

They really did stick the landing on this season for me, as well as line everything up so neatly for next season. I think S2 is really going to reward a rewatch.

Particularly re:Lanfear. I literally choked when she walked up to Bayle Domon and started talking about the pieces of cuendillar she'd sold him. I know the Dark Prophecy is probably still legit because we flashed back to Ishamael reciting it as he released her BUT ALSO I am now imagining her lying on her bed surrounded by screwed-up drafts as she tries to make it sufficiently ominous.

The Forsaken shenanigans this season have just smashed it out of the park and we only had two of them. I presume we're going to highlight one or two a season for practical purposes (and ofc TSR/TFoH are the Moghedien-Nynaeve books) so I reckon next season we mostly get Moghedien and...I guess Asmodean if we're doing that plotline at all?

Man I so liked my "evil Seanchan/less evil Seanchan" theory but the way they ruthlessly killed off every named Seanchan character this episode (yes we didn't see Suroth and Alwhin's bodies, but that seemed pretty fatal, they explicitly did NOT show any ships getting away) says to me that they want to put that plotline on ice until the Corenne and Tuon arrive. It could still work but we'd have to introduce more Seanchan nobles to make it happen...or...they could make the whole Extremely Dysfunctional Imperial Family dynamic real by having one or more of Tuon's siblings tag along. That was a very tell-not-show element of the books and then rendered irrelevant by Semirhage murdering all of them at once.

Extremely out-there theory: the way they're focusing on Moghedien being 'insane' and having Lanfear refer to the rest of the Forsaken as 'the boys' and being visibly wary of Moggy...what if they merge Moghedien and Semirhage? After all, Moggy goes after the Sad Bracelets first even if Semirhage is the one who uses them...

THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP as that gifset going around demonstrates, this really was the theme of the season. I continue to love how much these kids love each other (and the lingering fear the show has planted that it won't matter, because look where Lews Therin and Ishamael and Lanfear ended up...). Totally bought that they would all just roll with running into each other like that when there was a clear and present threat.

Rand is still so much in his 'just trying to protect my friends' era, poor kiddo, we're going to see that get more and more worn away as the Pattern forces him into bigger and bigger confrontations.

MAT, goddamn, his story took a bit of time to get moving but looking back all the pieces are there. Everything about the knife-on-a-stick sequences was just. fjlkfsdjklfsadjlkfsd. Amazing foreshadowing AND a funny and effective piece of storytelling in the moment. Particularly enjoyed the use of the dagger to open the box with the Horn.

Re: Min's vision: I'm thinking that at some point next season someone will report back to her what actually happened and we're going to see an arc with her learning about her own power and realising that her visions can be partial or metaphorical.

Man I hope Egwene gets lots of nice things next season because this one has been (not unexpectedly) brutal. Completely on board with her killing Renna. I wonder if they're getting rid of the 'sparker/learner' distinction in the show, given what she said to Renna about sul'dam just being very weak in the Power. I also wonder what 'very weak' actually means coming from Egwene, who canonically in the show can hold up against a Forsaken for some length of time (another change I am fine with).

Fascinating to think about Perrin in 2x08, straight-up killing Geofram Bornhald for killing Hopper, vs Perrin in 1x08 deliberately choosing pacifism. I don't actually mind that they gave him some unquestionable culpability here; in the books it was always SO obvious he wasn't in the wrong that it felt silly.

Relatedly, I think what's going on with Nynaeve (to the extent that anything is, she certainly didn't suffer for screentime this season) is that like Perrin her PERSONAL plot actually stalls out around book 8-9 - they're slowburning her block storyline for the same reasons they're slowburning his Wolfbrother one, I reckon. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't heal stilling until much later in the show than the equivalent of book 6.

I didn't even notice that we left all the White Tower-related plotlines behind entirely this episode until I got to writing this post. FASCINATED to see where we pick up with Verin, Alanna, Siuan, et al next season...not to mention Liandrin

I haven't even talked about Aviendha! She hasn't had a lot to do beyond be introduced/introduce the concept of the Maidens and the Car'a'carn but it was solid set-up for next season and in line with how much she actually had to do in TDR.

My one big lingering question for this season is whether Ingtar isn't a Darkfriend on the show or whether he IS and they decided that his verbal confession wouldn't happen/work in the show and left it as a subtextual easter egg for book readers. I think both positions are arguable from the text, I'm curious what the intent was.

#wheel of time #wot tv show #wot s2 spoilers #wot book spoilers

35 notes · View notes

lilspicybitch69 · 2 years

Text

💜 Donnie X Reader 💜

Summary: donnie and you are going on your first date. Donnie is sure you’re a great person, but his brothers? not so much. They ( raph ) take it upon themselves to protect their brother, and watch you two on your date.

A/N: this is my first fic on tumblr and i’m scared shitless rn 💀 but a lot of people wanted to see this so enjoy! also pardon any grammar mistakes i’m terrible at grammar ‼️‼️

Donnie was getting ready for his date with you! doing his eyebrows, picking out an outfit, and making sure he looked as charming as ever. He was a little scared, but he knew you were kind and caring and wouldn’t judge him. But his brothers weren’t as sure. Watching donnie from a far they were slowly concocting a plan. “ We need to do something! Donnie cant go alone. “ “ but it’s a date raph! he’ll never let us go with him. “ mikey had a point, it WAS a date and knowing donnie, he’d want them as far away as possible. “ what if we snuck around? he’d never know we were there. “ at last the three of them agreed on a plan. after a few more minutes of donnie grooming himself to perfection, he was ready to go. “ Well brothers, i am ready to depart for my date. “ he had put a special emphasis on date “ Alright donnie, be careful. “ raph pat his head a couple times and donnie recoiled. “ yeah yeah. remember if you’re gonna go out, stay FAR away from me and Y/N “ As they’d expected he wanted them to not be close. But little did he know they were gonna be closer then he could imagine. the moment he left they silently followed. Being as quiet as they could. Which wasn’t very quiet. They followed him to the restaurant before donnie stopped suddenly, and turned around. they had just enough time to hide but donnie KNEW something was up. he was about to check his brothers locations- “ hey!! donnie! “ suddenly you ran up to him. “ what’re you doing? “ he put his arm behind his back to hide his screen. “ oh! i was just.. checking this time? “ “ okay! let’s go “ you tried to hold his hand which rendered him speechless and stiff as a board, but he wanted to make you happy. so he let you hold his hand anyway. “ look! Y/Ns forcing donnie to hold their hand! disgusting. “ as you both walked into the restaurant, the three brothers followed. sitting in the booth just behind you two. Donnie couldn’t hamm’s shake the feeling his brothers were near. “ i’ll be back i have to… use the bathroom. “ as he went to the bathroom you sat silently, wondering who was in the next booth with the red bandana. and why they were so.. large? As donnie entered the bathroom he hurriedly checked his brothers locations and was MORTIFIED to see that they were in the restaurant. So, he texted them.

what do you think your doing?!

Protecting you! clearly you needed it.

Yeah! they forced you to hold their hand AND go out in public!

What’s next they’re gonna force you to kiss them?

donnie sat with a slightly heated face at the thought of kissing you but, dismissed it quickly. he didn’t want to be gone for to long and returned to your table. “ hey! i ordered for you i hope that’s okay. “ donnie nodded and could help but sweat knowing his brothers could ruin this at any given moment. “ you okay? you look.. worried? “ “ yeah! everything perfectly fine. uh.. you look lovely. “ His distraction had worked, as you clearly forgot about his worried look. After you got your food he checked his messages, his phone had been blowing up. can you guess who was texting?

donnie get out of there! i don’t trust them.

donnie ignored this message, and tried to quickly read the rest of them. “ everything okay donnie? “ he debated silently for a minute, thinking about how to respond. “ wait just a minute! “ the tall person who’d been sitting in the booth near the two of you finally stood up. “ yeah! leave our poor brother alone! “ you looked at donnie and could see how absolutely mortified he was that his brothers were here. “ .. did i do something wrong?.. “ “ no no they’re just being idiots. as usual. “ all three brothers gasped “ dearest brother, we are trying to protect you! “ “ from me ? “ donnie wasnt quite sure how to defend you to his brothers, or vice versa. “ you forced him to hold your hand! he doesn’t even like physical touch! “ you looked at donnie, and he looked a little ashamed. “ sorry i didn’t tell you Y/N.. “ “ donnie.. if you didn’t like physical touch you could’ve told me “ donnie looked up at you and his brothers all stared “ he didn’t tell you? “ “ considering that was just established, no i didn’t tell them. “ after sitting down and talking, all four of them became more sure of you. Mikey, Leo, and Raph, were sure that you were the perfect person for their brother.

okay hope this lived up to everyone’s expectations! got a bit tired at the end so sorry if it’s not as good or ooc but there’s my fan fic ‼️‼️

#rottmnt donnie x reader #rottmnt x reader #rottmnt raph #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt fic #rottmnt leo #rottmnt

340 notes · View notes

diary-ofamadwoman · 5 months

Text

The inconsistency with Fyodor's bandaged hand has been bothering me for months now, so naturally I checked out the last few chapters again

There was a theory that Sigma fainted because of information overload after touching Fyodor, and it was also pointed out that in this scene (in the manga) Fyodor's hand looks perfectly fine, in fact better than in earlier chapters

In ch. 109, Fyodor offers his right hand to Sigma, the very hand which was supposedly damaged earlier (when he messed with the buttons in ch. 101)

In chapters 105.5, 106.5 and 108, Fyodor's hand also looks fine:

What happened during the information exchange seems too powerful, and if it's enough to render Sigma unconscious, it might be the reason for Fyodor's damaged hand; I guess that could make Sigma that man and prove Fyodor's own words that an "ordinary" man (Sigma, in particular) is far more dangerous than any other powerful ability, e.g. the HD and even Fyodor himself

Something else about Fyodor's character is the way he deals with information. He's a person who seemingly knows everything and has a way to find out more about whatever he wants to. He's the one who brought The Guild to Yokohama and had info about the tiger; he knew more about Shibusawa, his past and his ability, than Shibusawa himself; he's also the one who's after The Book and in general has more knowledge about the world and ability users than anyone else (if we exclude Dazai perhaps), and the reason behind almost everything that happens in the series

With all of this in mind, wouldn't it be interesting if the very thing he operates the best, information, is eventually what makes he suffers such physical harm (and brings him to his downfall)?

BUT there is this panel, in which it looks as if Fyodor has a bandage around his left wrist only, but it's never seen again (or I haven't noticed it anywhere else)

When we see Fyodor in ch. 111, he's wearing a bandage on his right wrist, similarly to the panel above (and unlike in the anime, where his fingers are bandaged too; honestly, wouldn't that take too much time?); it also reminds me of the way Dazai wears his bandages

I would wonder if he's been wearing the bandages since the start of the prison game, or has put them on during those 5 minutes in the beginning, but there are many instances where we see his arm and there are no bandages. This could also be another inconsistency, in the art this time, like the blood that disappeared from Fyodor's shoulder seconds after he had been shot by Sigma (ch.108)

Edit: it seems like he has been wearing bandages on his right arm as well, as early as ch.97 (again, this might be a mistake since a few panels earlier he injects the poison and there's nothing on either of his arms; perhaps Gogol gave him the bandages, who knows):

♥♦♣♠

The point of all this is: is Fyodor's injury a result of the information exchange or did something happen on his way from the control room to the exit?

If the second turns out to be the case, it would explain the weird timing (from breakfast to starry night) and also why Fyodor wasn't in a hurry to take the "antidote"

(Sorry for any mistakes and let me know if I've missed something; I want to check how much of this matches the anime but I'll do so when I have more time, since there are way too many differences)

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #fyodor dostoyevsky bsd #bsd fyodor #bsd prison arc #diaryofamadwoman

20 notes · View notes

the12thnightproject · 3 months

Text

Chapter 37: Schrodinger’s Kat: Too many things might not be what they seem. Or they… might.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

CW: Battlefield scene

Mitsuhide did indeed let me grab my fur cloak (ok, my borrowed Imagawa cloak) and went so far to make sure that my feet were well covered. Then, he urged me outside, into the garden, where it was once again snowing and the sun had already set. In the glow of the lanterns, I could see that the snowflakes collected on top of his head, turning that salt and pepper wig into a semblance of his normally silver hair.

We came to a halt just past the ice covered koi pond. I didn’t check whether or not the fish were still in there somewhere. I didn’t want to see if they had frozen to death. Schrodinger’s fish. “I was going to send you a message.”

“Were you indeed? Where would you have sent it from? Here? Or would you have waited until you settled in Kasugayama with the Imagawa?” Before I could respond to that odd line of questioning, Mitsuhide pulled us into the shadow of the wall, rendering us less visible from above.

Kasugayama? What was he talking about? Not willing to spend the mental energy trying to read his expression, I shrugged and continued my original explanation. “From here. I planned to flag down that spy who followed us from Sakai. To let you know what Yoshiaki was doing… that Kennyo is still alive. But I guess since you’ve been here all week, then you’re already aware. And if Nobunaga is not aware, he will be soon…?”

He acknowledged that with a brief nod. “I’m also aware that it’s an open secret that Yoshimoto has taken his page as a lover. His vassals are –“

“Idiots.” And causing Yoshimoto more trouble than he could handle.

“That is not the point. I’ve witnessed your relationship for myself. Watching as he takes your hands and touches your face.” Mitsuhide brushed his hand over my face, much the same way Yoshimoto was wont to do. Unlike Yoshimoto’s touch, Mitsuhide’s burned, even though, as always, his fingers were cool.

Unable to stand that internal heat, I stepped back. “That’s just Yoshimoto… he’s a touchy-feely person. It means nothing. But even if it meant something, that’s no longer your business.” You let me go.

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, when he finally spoke, it was a return to that teasing tone. “You are correct, Brat. No business of mine, save for my ego. It was simply meant as a warning. The ex-shogun is a vengeful man. One full of petty jealousies and complex plots.”

“Yoshiaki has no idea that I even exist.” I was sure of that. “Servants are simply part of the scenery to him.”

“As I was saying before you interrupted-.” Mitsuhide put his finger on my lips to ensure no additional interruption. “Imagawa’s vassals haven’t ceased complaining about how their lord is obsessed with his new page. How he fondles you in public, and holes up in his room with you for hours.” He shot another glance up toward the castle walls and pulled me further into the gloom. I suddenly realized that the person who had been watching me for the past few days was Mitsuhide himself. “If Yoshiaki hasn’t already heard of this, he will soon.”

“Why would Yoshiaki care?” And then the recollection of that first day here returned. Of that possessive, slighted tone in the ex-shogun’s voice when he spoke to Yoshimoto. “Oh. He’s the one with the obsession.”

“Indeed. He is the one with the obsession.” Mitsuhide took a step back, as if he were evaluating the nature of the word obsession. “I find it somewhat… ironic… that in my attempt to get you out of the line of fire – for Yoshiaki would also be happy if a woman important to … to the Oda were to fall into his hand – you jumped right back into it.”

There was a lot to that statement, and I wished I had the time to parse it out, to discover what those odd pauses in Mitsuhide’s speech meant, but as it was, all I could say was, “I’m not important to the Oda.”

He merely looked at me. His face was shadowed in the dark, but for a moment, he half turned and his eyes gleamed in the lantern light.

Am I important to him?

Did he truly push me away to keep me safe?

There were a hundred questions I could have asked at that moment.

I said nothing.

It was not the time.

It was certainly not the place.

He reached out, took both my hands in his, carried them to his lips, and kissed my knuckles. The gesture was oddly reminiscent of Yoshimoto’s and I wondered if he was doing so to place a claim of possession on them… to erase any memory I might have had of Yoshimoto’s touch.

My silence was enough of a response. He pulled me closer, pressing me into the wall, and kissed my forehead – almost a benediction. That gesture of peace became one of passion, as he melted into my side, nipping at my neck, biting my ear –

I groaned… I would always be weak to that… to him, my need for his touch rushing through my veins. Until he spoke. “Goro – my spy – is waiting on the other side of the wall. Leave. Leave now. I will explain it to Yoshimoto.”

Stung by reality, I yanked myself out of his embrace. Had all that been just to distract me? Even now was he still trying to force me to his bidding? Was this another feint, another character, another act? I imagined that my very existence here, in proximity to Motonari, who knew of the Kaya identity, was interfering with his own mission for Nobunaga. The mission that brought him here to begin with.

Of course… it had never been about me.

“No.” I scooted further away. “Iekane knows where Aki is. I’m sure of it. Don’t worry. I will keep far away from your investigation. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“You’re impossible to ignore. I couldn’-“

“Just. Don’t.”

Before he could grab me again, I hurried out of the garden. He wouldn’t be able to follow me without giving himself – or me – away. I didn’t look back this time either, and stopped only to steal the bucket from beside the well. The well water was already frozen – no one would miss it. I filled the bucket with snow, knowing that if anyone questioned me on my way back inside, I would have a built in excuse for my absence.

Then I casually walked back into the castle as if I had every reason to be there. I even nodded at one guard at the main door. He returned my nod, then returned to his business.

Good. I hurried up the stairs toward Yoshimoto’s quarters but, just a few meters away from being home free, I nearly barreled right into Motonari. Shit. I bowed low, keeping my face turned away from his. “My apologies Lord Motonari.”

He grunted in response, and hurried past… then he stopped. I sensed him whirling back toward me. “How did you know my name?”

My face stayed averted. I was good servant, not allowed to gaze at one of a higher caste. “Lord Imagawa requires I be able to identify all the daimyos and warlords and not offer any insult or impropriety.”

“Humph.” After another excruciating pause, he continued on his way.

Had he recognized me? I… couldn’t be certain that he hadn’t.

Without taking time to sigh in relief, I hurried into Yoshimoto’s room, where Yoshimoto was kneeling on his futon, his eyes closed.

As soon as I entered, he opened his eyes and looked at me. "Katsu, that seemed longer than it ought to have taken to-"

"Get you your water? My apologies Lord Yoshimoto." I handed him the bucket full of rapidly melting snow. "Your drink."

Yoshimoto blinked. "Snow?" He kept his voice low.

“You did say you wanted to taste the pristine moonlight touched flakes." I winked at him. "This is the coldest freshest water in the area."

A slight smile touched his lips. "That does... sound like something I would say." He drank from the bucket. "You are frighteningly good at that." He dropped his voice lower, below the threshold of what someone listening in the next room or the corridor would be able to hear. "And your search?"

"Inconclusive." Then, in order to give him some better news, I added. “The correspondence we previously discussed is on its way to its intended target.” At least Mitsuhide had hinted as such. I ought to tell Yoshimoto about Mitsuhide being here. “Well, the second target. As it turns out-“

Yoshimoto had stopped listening. "I'll be happier when we can be on our way, too." Our way? Was that for any spies?Or was Yoshimoto assuming that we would continue travelling together? I couldn’t think that far in advance. Perhaps anticipating my thoughts Yoshimoto asked, "If it turns out your father is dead, what will you do next?"

Though I didn’t want to imagine that prospect it was a fair question. "Return to his manor and try to salvage his... interests."

"If you want or need another option, you are welcome to return to Kasugayama with me." He smiled at me, but with the resignation of someone who didn’t have any expectation of success.

"There you go again, inviting me to be a guest in someone else's home." The home of a person whose disdain for women was pretty common knowledge.

"As long as you can fight, Kenshin won't care." He took a sip from the container of now melted snow, "It is really good water."

And in about 450 years people will have to pay one hundred and fifty yen for a bottle of something this fresh.

For a long moment, he was quiet, thinking those inscrutable Yoshimoto thoughts. Finally, he sighed. “Katsuko, you must know that-”

That was as far as he got before the sound of shouting and running feet reached our ears. Before I could do more than grab my sword, the door to the room slid open and four of the Kanamori vassals rushed in. Their weapons were out, so I presumed they aren't joining us for the fresh mountain water.

Yoshimoto was already on his feet. "What is the meaning of this insult?"

"We are taking him into custody." That was apparent. They had me surrounded. “Lord Motonari’s orders.”

Dammit. I guess he had recognized me after all.

“Unacceptable. Katsu is a valued member of my household." Yoshimoto threw on his clothing faster than I thought he could move. "I refuse to part with him."

"You'll have to discuss that with Lord Iekane.” Without another word, they confiscated my sword and "escorted" me through the corridor, with Yoshimoto protesting at their heels every step of the way. The darkened stairwells and hallways were no less forbidding in reverse as we were marched out of the castle altogether.

Outside.

Outside is bad. It means they think there will be blood and they don’t want to clean it off a tatami mat. (Actually you can’t really get blood out of a tatami mat). At least I hadn't had time to take my cloak off, but Yoshimoto had to be freezing.

The vassals rushed me through the gardens, and to a stairway that led to the top of the castle wall.

Iekane and Motonari were waiting for us there, along with more of the Kanamori guards… including, I noticed, Mitsuhide. His disguise was still complete and he appeared to be regarding the scene dispassionately.

So far, Motonari hadn’t realized he was here, but if he did, especially when we were this badly outnumbered, it would be the end of both our missions.

Making sure not to look at him, not even look near him, I tried to mentally broadcast an apology to him. This… was probably exactly what he had been afraid would happen.

Before I could begin to formulate a way out of this, Yoshimoto addressed Iekane, "Master Iekane, what is the meaning of this insult?"

"This doesn't concern you, Lord Imagawa," Iekane said in that ingratiating tone that … really didn’t go along with the role he was playing as the acting daimyo of Genba. Then again, Yoshimoto was an Imagawa, and Yoshiaki revered him, so maybe that tone was real. "Motonari has a problem with a member of your household."

"I don't see how. My page has devoted his attention to me since the moment we arrived. Any insult would have come about because he was merely doing my bidding." In other words Yoshimoto was insinuating his own servants were more important than Motonari - which is not how I would have chosen to play this, but now it seems we were committed.

Motonari stepped forward and looked me over from head to foot. "Lord Imagawa, yer page is a spy who works for Mitsuhide."

With, people, with. And not any longer.

Yoshimoto whipped out his fan and semi-concealed a theatrically fake yawn. "Of course she's a spy. But she works for my cousin, not Mitsuhide."

Takeda Shingen? Wait. Yoshimoto if you're going to change the script, it would be nice if you handed me the updated sides first.

Iekane started to speak, but Motonari got there first. "Shut up."

Oooh. Someone doesn’t like Iekane. I... think I can work with that.

He turned back to me. "Yer one of the Mitsumono? Why’d ya help Mitsuhide?"

Um… I did a rapid revision to Kaya's backstory. I didn’t dare look at Mitsuhide. Did he believe I was a Takeda spy? Maybe… that would be for the best. It would be the easiest and fastest way for him to wash his hands of me and continue on his mission.

“The best way to gain his trust was to help him.” Ok, think think, what else? “And of course once he pulled us off your ship, I figured the only way I was going to get back to Kasaguyama was to work with him."

“By burning down my camp." Motonari’s words came out as a growl, but there was a different kind of light in his eyes.

"Next time tell your men not to store, the gunpowder so close to open flame.” Hoping that I had judged his character correctly, I added a purposeful careless shrug. "Hell of a fire though."

He looked startled for a moment, then his laughter rang out across the dark night. "Hell of a fire."

Behind me, Yoshimoto shifted uneasily. Yeah so I had flipped the script too... but we were going to need Motonari to defuse this Yoshiaki mess, and the only way that was going to happen would be if we eliminated Iekane’s influence. One way or another.

The Kanamori guards seemed not to know what to do with Motonari's sudden outburst. Once again Iekane stepped forward, but no, I couldn’t let him take control this narrative. His, for want of a better word, superpower, was the long con. It had to be for him to have been able to fool Aki for so long. I gestured to Iekane. "Lord Iekane knows this, because he and I were both originally trained by the same spymaster." I glanced over my shoulder at the Kanamori guard who was still poking me with a sword. "Just a suggestion, but you might want to get a food taster in for Mozumi's meals and drink."

I wasn't going to outright accuse Iekane of anything, especially since I hadn’t found any evidence that he was responsible for Mozumi's condition, but all I needed was for them to hesitate before acting.

Iekane put his hand to his heart. "Are you accusing me of harming my dear father? The man took me in, saved my life. I'm devoted to his health."

"Yes, of course you must be." Finally Yoshimoto picked up on the good cop bad cop routine. We really should have rehearsed this. "A poor orphan is always grateful to the rich man, especially if he has no other living offspring."

The Kanamori guard became less poky with the sword in my back. So that's one thin-

"Heh. This is all very interesting." Motonari's tone said it was the complete opposite of interesting. "I don’t care if Iekane is offing his Pap, it all ends up the same in the end. Imagawa ya in for destroying Nobunaga and getting this party started or not?"

Crap. Iekane was my goal, but if I could throw a bit of help toward Mitsuhide’s mission, it would be a good thing too.

"The desire of my vassals is clear." Yoshimoto snapped his fan shut. The metallic clang was like the locking of a cell door. "That said, I do not agree that Sakai is a worthwhile target."

Ok, good, he'd given me an opening. "Iekane when you caused the cart accident, was your target me... or was it Hiko?"

"Accident?" Iekane’s laugh was on the disbelieving side of sarcastic. "Kaya, you've always been clumsy. And little boys, well, they can get into so much mischief."

And… that was an unforced error to Iekane.

"Lord Motonari." I turned and directly addressed the pirate. "Has Iekane ever met Hiko?"

He frowned, either at the non-sequitur, or because he might have figured out where I was going. "No. He ain’t been to Sakai. Do you have a point, spy? Or are ya wasting time waiting for reinforcements?"

Reinforcements… well, that would have been a good idea. Too bad none of us thought of that.

"How does Iekane know Hiko is a little boy?" Before Iekane could formulate a bluff, I kept going. "Hiko is in danger, from Iekane. Before my former master disappeared, he sent me a letter, asking me to find Hiko and protect him from Iekane."

Don't ask me why. Don't ask me why.

"Why, why would I care about some street kid?" Of course Iekane asked.

"Because," Yoshimoto took up the thread of my logic and embellished it into a telenovela. "Hiko is actually Mozumi's son. His blood son."

Yoshimoto, WTF? Then… I considered. Oh…that's actually… pretty good.

Since Yoshimoto had his bard on I kept quiet and let him continue. "Hiko's mother was one of Mozumi's concubines. But Mozumi's second wife Osumi was jealous of Niwa, and arranged for an attempt on her life. Frightened for her safety and realizing she was carrying a baby, Niwa decided to fake her death, at least until the child was born. Unfortunately, during childbirth, poor Niwa’s death became a reality. This was when her sister decided to raise Hiko as her own. She already had a daughter, Sho, and the children were devoted to each other."

Yoshimoto finished his epic with a flutter of his fan, and I could tell he was holding back from actually bowing. Ok, a little over the top, but at least he had remembered to account for the existence of Sho. Mozumi's vassals might not remember all of his former concubines, but they might remember the existence of a daughter.

"And that is why Iekane plans to attack Sakai. It would be easy enough to kill one small boy in the confusion and make it look like an accident of war." In fact, that probably was why Iekane had chosen Sakai. Or at least one reason. Once again I was glad that Yoshimoto, or rather the Takeda mitsumono, had taken Hiko to Kasugayama.

"That's ridiculous." Iekane addressed Motonari, "Lord Imagawa has spent so much time on the arts that it’s rotted his brain. No true warrior would believe such a fanciful tale."

I heard a whisper from the direction of the Kanamori guards. A rather familiar voice, in fact. “Mozumi did have a concubine by name of Niwa.”

And thank you Mitsuhide for backing up Yoshimoto’s flight of fancy.

Iekane took a nervous step in that direction, trying to read the Kanamori guard’s faces.

Another voice, from one of Mozumi’s vassals. “Lady Osumi was the jealous type.”

That… had also been Mitsuhide, once again employing that ventriloquism trick he’d used back in Sakai.

“Are you really believing this nonsense?” Iekane looked around. But he was nervous. As he spoke, fumbled for something he had in his kimono. Something black and shiny. A pistol?

In that moment, I didn’t know who he planned to shoot, but only Mitsuhide would be familiar with the quicker action of a western pistol. But if he acted, it would be the end of his mission – because Iekane wasn’t his target. Iekane was mine.

I allowed myself a fast peek at him, trying to determine whether he had something in mind. He looked, for the first time in my memory, agonized. Indecisive. If this incident deterred him from his mission, I knew he would hate himself forever.

And so before Iekane could even point the thing, I jumped at him, hoping to knock it out of his hands.

Instead of pushing me away, Iekane grabbed my wrist. Only then, I could see it wasn't a Nanban pistol at all. It was dark and oblong, gleaming of some unfamiliar material.

Our action carried us backward, and then, rather than twisting, or braking, Iekane let us continue to fall backward, over the wall of the castle entirely in front of the started gazes of Yoshimoto and Motonari… and though Mitsuhide leaped forward, his hands reaching for me, he was not in time to prevent us from sailing over the edge.

Oh shit, this is going to hur-

We never hit the ground.

There was a flash of light, and I felt a bit of a jolt of electricity, and then the world was replaced by stifling grey.

Fog.

I've been here before.

“You are indeed stupid, putting me right where I wanted to be.”

It was as if I were back in that crate, as closed in and impenetrable as a coffin, yet without any physical walls that I could pound on or kick. I tried screaming but nothing came out of my mouth.

Wormhole?

Find a piece of yourself that you can hang onto through all of the roles you play. Some thing. Some goal that’s more important than who you are portraying at that moment in time. If you lose that piece, you’ll lose yourself in the game. You might never find your way out again.

The memory wasn’t of the wormhole that pulled Toshiie and I into the Sengoku. No it was of a thick endless grey. A grey where time had ceased to exist. Iekane had pushed me and I’d become trapped, alone, dissolving…

No… not me.

Someone else’s memory?

And then I felt Iekane grab onto my wrist, as I could tell he was preparing to throw me off him. Fling me somewhere. Somewhere into the grey. Again. His voice was harsh in my ear. "Give my regards to your father."

“Oh no you don’t. Not this time!”Mine or not, that vision was a warning of what could happen if I allowed him to throw me deeper into the wormhole.

I grabbed onto his arm, snatched that odd device from his hand. The wind whipped around us, pulling us in all directions, as we battled over it. Lightning crackled in the distance and Iekane yelped as if he'd been shot.

I tightened my grip on the thing, kicked out, and in the weird gravity field of the wormhole, we ricocheted away from each other. With a howl of rage, Iekane disappeared from my view, spinning, tumbling head over heels, his hand still reaching for the device.

The fog faded, pushed away by a fetid heavy breeze that carried a stench of blood and ash and decay.

As the wormhole gave way to smoke, that eerie silence was replaced by shouts. I had the sensation of falling into intense heat. It was all the warning I had before my feet touched ground. I ran three staggering steps, through the dark haze, tripped over something soft…

… and landed on a body. Even in the heat around me, the person was limp, his clothing soaked and -

Where’s the rest of -- ?!

Oh God.

Get away from him-

They're…everywhere!

I'd seen battlefields from a distance.

There had never been a desire to get any closer than my perch from a tree in a nearby forest. Though that distance had been enough to give me an idea of how much smoke, noise, and confusion there could be, nothing could have prepared me for the smell or the heat.

Or the feel of a dead body beneath me.

@selenacosmic @lorei-writes @bestbryn @lyds323 @tele86 @akitsuneswife

#10things #10 things I hate about Mitsuhide #mitsuhide monday #ikemen sengoku #fanfic #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen fanfic #ao3 link #ikemen sengoku fanfic #mitsuhide akechi #Ikesen yoshimoto #ikesen motonari #oc katsuko #katsuverse

15 notes · View notes

fandomscompilation · 1 year

Text

The story of two broken souls (Kaz Brekker x Reader) Part 4

Fandom: Six of Crows

Pairing: eventual Kaz Brekker x Reader

Warnings: reader has a scar, injuries, mentions of death

A/N: Yet another part. I added a scar to reader's face, it'll make sense in next parts. Reader has a talk with Kaz, yet again. Let me know what you think and remember requests are open for other characters in my masterlist. Enjoy!

Taglist: @d34drapunzel @coldheartedmar @igakc

Gif is not mine.

When I woke up I realised they dumped my body in the same alleyway they got me. I groaned standing up and checked if all my belongings were there. They didn't take anything, but now I had a chance to asses the damage. There was a bruise over my ribs and it was already turning darker. I had a small cut on my leg, but not big enough to stop me from walking. My head was still slightly pounding from the two times they rendered me unconscious.

I did the only thing I could think of. I marched into The Crow Club. Every head turned to me, the place falling silent. My eyes met Dirtyhands gaze and with a spark of anger he got up to head upstairs. I followed him radiating anger and danger, every customer whispering before going back to their games.

He sat down at his table and I stood before it.

"I don't appreciate you coming in here and frightening the pigeons." He glared up at me but still pointed to the chair. I eyed him before sitting down.

"You want Rollins gone." I stated making him squint in suspicion. "I don't care why. I will work for you, only if I'll be the one to kill him. Or at least make him bleed."

"Why?" His question made me roll my eyes. Him and the need to know everything.

"Revenge, what else?" I huffed leaning back in the chair.

"Just few days ago you didn't even think about revenge. And now suddenly you want him dead. Why?" His tone had an edge to it. I knew Dirtyhands was far more dangerous than any other gang leader. He came from this streets, seemingly a boy with no past. Building an empire as his must've cost a lot. And not many could survive it.

"Because he took something from me. And now I will make him pay for that. You either work with me or I'll make sure to deliver his head to your desk." I seethed knowing that Brekker wanted Pekka to fall, to make him beg as much as I did, but I could go with just his death. I had no problem with simply cutting his head off. He leaned back, gloved fingers thrumming on the desk.

"Alright. You'll join The Crows, work at the bar during the day." He said making me nod. "But The Void Blade must die." I clenched my jaw with our gazes on each other. "If we make everyone believe she's gone, Pekka won't be suspicious of you and will have no ways of connecting those two."

"And who will you put in the coffin? We both know they'll take off the mask at some point." I said not liking the idea of dropping the mask and painting a target on my real face. Or killing my other half, the one that gave me a meaning.

"Ketterdam is full of bodies." Brekker said calmly and I took a deep breath in.

"Alright. When do I start?" I asked watching him carefully. I still didn't trust him one bit.

"Tomorrow. You'll move into The Slat. But Blade can't come out for the next days. We'll stage some citizen to find your dead body." He informed still keeping his eyes on my face. I hummed glancing to the window.

"I'll bring you the gear tomorrow then. Still need to go out tonight, so no one connects my death to you." He nodded knowing it was the safest option. "And I guess you have to know my face before I come in." I said in a resigned tone. I spend years hiding my face from people like him. And yet, I was here willingly going to show my face to the most dangerous man in Ketterdam.

"Inej will probably catch up to it. But I'd prefer for both her and Jesper to not know." He said with a slight warning in his tone.

"Don't worry. The less they know, the safer they are." I sighted reached up to push on the buttons holding up the mask.

I took it down observing his reaction. His eyes made a quick scan of my face, but I noticed the way his chest went up in the first moment.

"Not the pretty face you expected, huh?" I smirked knowing the scar moved with my lips. It was a reminder of the life I had before this city. A scar going down the left side of my upper lip and down to the middle of the lower lip.

"You'll fit in well in the Club." Was all he said before his eyes went to his papers. I huffed out a laugh and put it back on.

I walked through the Club again so everyone could see I left. The night was warmer than usual, so the crowd was bigger. I stayed on the roofs, showing myself on purpose in different parts of town. People had to know I wandered Katterdam after seeing Dirtyhands. I had no idea what type of death he came up for The Void Blade. I just hoped he had enough respect to the name I made.

#fanfiction #writing #fanfic #kaz brekker x reader #six of crows #grishaverse #kaz brekker series #the story of two broken souls #requests are open

50 notes · View notes

thyinum · 7 months

Note

hello :) i had two questions to ask but first i must tell you that your art is beautiful ! im so glad i stumbled across it

i was curious about what brushes you use in procreate (if that is what you use that is), i really enjoy the texture and line weight in your work so i thought i would ask

i also wanted to know how you go about colouring skin, especially with unique lighting… do you use reference images? either for anatomy or for skin tone? most of my art is b&w out of comfort haha but if you have any tips when it comes to working in colour i would love to hear them !

once again you are so so talented and i hope you have a lovely day <3

Hello!! Thank you for the questions and kind words 🤲💙✨

First of all, brushes

You guessed it right, I use Procreate and here are the brushes I use the most:

Most of them are standard, but Water Liner and Wooden Pencil, my most favourite brushes, are from downloaded sets. Here's where Wooden Pencil comes from:

I couldn't find the exact same set of Water Liner (I guess it's because they updated it), but this one is pretty close:

I use these two brushes pretty much for everything. Wooden Pencil is a little modified (blend mode on multiply) and I use it both for sketches and linework. Water Liner is sometimes for filling with base colours and always for rendering.

Also all of my artworks have a noise effect!

Secondly, coloring skin. Most of the time I go with the flow and do what feels right. Of course I keep in mind anatomy and other stuff like surrounding and skin tone. Like, everything that surrounds your character shares a little bit of it's colour (but you need to be careful with it). Also skin by itself is pretty colorful, for examble forehed is yellowish, cheeks and nose have some pink and chin and jaw are a little bit greeny-bluish. Also I think Ukrainian painting school has a great influence on me, so you can check out some of our artists. For example, Fedir Krychevsky and Oleksandr Murashko.

When it comes to some tricky lighting I start looking for references or use this thing:

There's also one with male head from this guy, you can find it in his profile. They're really helpful when you can't figure out how to do shadows and lighting.

Hope it all will be useful for you!

#useful things #brushes #inbox

17 notes · View notes

xbruised-peachx · 1 year

Text

Mäuschen Ch 4.

After a bit of a break (sorry, I shifted schedules at work not to mention all my other projects I have!) chapter 4 is here. No smut, just some nice relaxing fluff :3 (also help i dont have any new renders/clips for this that fit so uh... um...)

(sure) Summary: After waiting for him to return from his work, you two can finally relax and have moment to yourselves, hopefully setting your worries aside. Word Count: 8,586 Tags: Fluff, making out, a sprinkle of angst, face reveal, this was written b4 i made the discovery abt the t-shirt being his mask don’t worry i know i’m the one that made that tiktok you dont have to mention it 🔞+ STORY Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3

AO3 link. Translations notes at the end of the chapter!

Tag list- @xncasi @m99n @uwu-i-purple-you @quiziwizi @kitty-satan1 @xxgirlscoutcookiexx @rainydayfanfic @confuseddipshit @konig-breedme @seraphimcollections @ashmichi-34 @carrieism @lilpothoscuttings

As you read the fictional war-time set book that he had readily available on his bedside table, the hours passed easily it seemed. You got up on occasion just to stretch your legs from laying on his overly firm mattress, but couldn’t complain too much from how big it was, how nicely it enveloped you. Looking over to his alarm clock, it had finally hit 5:30 pm, and your stomach would have reminded you if you didn’t check. You were thoroughly starving, the toast from this morning only lasting you until about 2 until you started feeling hunger pangs. You suppose it’s one of the unforeseen consequences of this deal; anytime he was on a mission, you would only have breakfast and dinner, if that. You assume there may be a point where he’s woken up at 5 am and just has to go, leaving you for the whole day. But maybe it’s different since he’s just a contractor.

You wondered if he’d be back soon. You didn’t even recall what time he left, but it had to be just before noon. You hoped it’d be soon since it was getting harder and harder to focus on reading. You knew though that he and Horangi were still trying to figure out something about the tape. You didn’t want to rush that, not that you could even with you being holed up in his room. And you knew they certainly weren’t going to get it figured out in a day, especially while using code words in a supply room. But the sooner the better, and the sooner he got back the better too, as it felt like your stomach was about to eat itself.

About ten minutes passed as you struggled, re-reading the same sentence as you struggled to focus, you heard a click from the door, looking up and seeing the lock turn left. It slowly opened and he peered his head in, his eyes slowly showing his smile as he met eyes with you again. You gave him a cute wave, smiling back at him as he started to walk in. He shut the door behind him, but you noted that he didn’t lock it. He let out an exhausted sigh as he slowly walked to you.

“You look so cute on my bed... so little, meine Maus.” He walked up to the side of the bed, leaning over you and putting his hands on either side of you. You blushed, averting your gaze from him as you shut the book, setting it back on the table and just as quickly meeting his eyes again.

“It’s because it’s made for you, big guy.” You smiled cheesily as you pushed yourself up slightly to meet his loom over you. You heard his breath hitch and he quickly pulled up his mask, you both knowing to come close and close the gap, kissing softly as you wrapped your arms around the back of his neck. He pulled away, letting out another sigh, but this time sounding relieved.

“I’ve always wanted to come back to a beautiful girl waiting for me... heheh, this still doesn’t seem real.” His voice trailed off as he brought one his hands up and placed it gently on your waist. “...Wish it was in better circumstances but I guess I can’t complain too much.” He let out a small chuckle as you smiled sweetly back at him. He rubbed his thumb up and down on the side of your stomach humming slightly to himself, almost covering the rumbling of your stomach, but he could clearly feel the vibrations as his eyes went wide. You instantly blushed, feeling embarrassed and broke your gaze from him. “Oh, Scheiße! I’m sorry, Liebling, you must be so hungry. I should’ve asked as soon as I came in.”

You smiled slightly, glad he wasn’t mad at you for not telling him sooner, but also wishing he wouldn’t blame himself for it. You met his eyes again, seeing they had now averted from you sadly. You brought your hand up to softly hold the side of his head, his gaze quickly shifting back to you. “It’s okay. Why don’t we go ahead and get some dinner then? Then we can get back and we can relax.” You smiled softly to yourself as you looked to the side, your mind wandering. “...We can actually relax.”

When you looked back at him, you could tell he was smiling at the thought too. He nodded, nuzzling his head in your hand before standing upright, letting his hand run down your arm and helping you up off the bed. You stayed holding onto his hand, walking with him as he reached the door, stopping when he did and turning to you. “I should say, even though you probably know, we can’t be... oh, what’s the word for it? I know there’s one, where we can’t kiss or do anything romantic out there...”

“No PDA?” You answered, trying to complete his thought. Public displays of affection, you knew they were very frowned upon, especially while in uniform in the military. So that made sense.

His eyes lit up as he snapped the fingers of his other hand. “That’s it! Thank you. We can’t have any PDA out there, so... I mean if you need to get anything out of your system.” His lids lowered slightly as he bent down to reach your level. You chuckled and shook your head softly, looking down to the floor then meeting his eyes again. You quickly grabbed the end of his mask and pulled it up, clashing your lips against his. He quickly reciprocated, taking his arms and wrapping them around your waist, pulling you close as instantly the kiss got more deep and passionate. You moved your lips softly against his and he slightly opened his mouth, letting his tongue just barely to lick your bottom lip. You smiled as you felt it, letting your hands run up around his neck and grabbing the nape of his neck, letting your fingers intertwine with his hair. You could feel him pull a sly smirk in the kiss as he lowered his hand to your ass, acting as a support as he suddenly stood upright, bringing you with him. You yelped as your lips pulled away instinctively. You legs wrapped around his waist instinctively as well, as he started to laugh. “Sorry, Mäuschen... gotta get some stuff out of my system too before we go.”

He quickly brought his lips back to yours as the kiss continued right where it left off, just deep as he licked your bottom lip again, asking for permission to enter as he just barely skirted the line of pushing it in. You smiled and gave him what he wanted, opening your mouth and letting your tongue meet his. He hummed delightedly in the kiss as you both let each other softly and passionately intertwine. Slowly he pulled his tongue back, ending the kiss reluctantly, but not before giving one quick peck before fully pulling back, letting his mask fall. You slowly opened your eyes, seeing him look at you sympathetically as he slowly brought you back to the floor.

“Alright... let’s go get you some food.”

You chuckled as you held his hand while he opened the door. He didn’t fight that, you imagine you two could pass it off simply as him guiding you. He turned and locked the door behind him, then turned to his left to guide you down the hall. You were surprised you were able to keep pace with him considering his much longer legs. You were walking at a normal pace to you, and you wondered if he was doing this purposefully. You looked up to him, seeing him continue to stare straight forward as he turned another corner, his hand trembling against yours slightly. It seemed he felt you look at him though as he met your gaze. For a moment his eyes looked worried but as soon as they saw your loving gaze, he returned the expression.

As you continued walking though, staring into each other's eyes, you heard more muffled voices get louder as you both slowly approached some double doors. Above it was a simple little sign that stuck out to the hallway. “Cafeteria.” You heard a sigh from him as you glanced back to him, pulling his hand away slowly.

“I’m... I’m sorry, Liebling. I want to keep guiding you by holding your hand but... I don’t want to attract more attention when we walk in.” His voice sounded sorrowful but with a lot of nervous shakes and hesitation as he spoke. His anxiety... You could imagine from the amount of people, it was making it spike more than ever for him. He probably already gets lots of stares anytime he has to duck under a door frame to get into a room.

You nodded at him, showing your sympathy for him the best you could. “I understand... I’ll just stick close behind you, okay?”

You could tell he was smiling as you answered, nodding at your suggestion. He took another deep breath and very gently opened the door. The noise of the room escaped as he very quickly ducked his way in, you following closely behind. More harsh fluorescents stung your eyes as you slowly refocused, peering at the room. Some voices stopped talking and looked at the both of you that entered. You instantly flushed, feeling embarrassed, especially as you looked down at your pajamas. You quickened your pace to meet König at the beginning of the food line. With how fast he was moving now, you knew he was holding back in the hallway. He grabbed a tray for you and him, keeping his head down as he continued down the line. It reminded you a lot of being in school, all the food lined out for you to choose, but nothing too interesting honestly. On yours, you put a slice of turkey, some gravy, and some string beans. Normally, you would think potatoes would go great with this but after yesterday, you weren’t sure if you’d eat potatoes for a while. On his he had meatballs with some sort of brown sauce on them, potatoes, and a roll. The roll sounded good but it seemed he took the last one. He glanced over to you right as you were looking at his roll, wondering if he would split it with you.

“D-did you want this?” His voice came out choked as he spoke with a hushed tone. You looked up at him, seeing he was completely avoiding eye contact with you. You could feel it too though, what was making him feel even more anxious. The few stares that were still directed at you two. It made your anxiety shoot up too. You nodded softly, but thought for a moment he wouldn’t see it. Just as you were about to speak, he quickly took the roll and put it on your tray. You looked up at him and smiled, not wanting to attract any more attention, you just simply mouthed to him a thank you. You assumed he saw it as his gaze averted even more to the side as he continued down the line.

Grabbing two water bottles, he was easily able to hold both with one hand while holding his tray, as he picked up pace as you exited the line. You tried to keep up with him as he went for a table that was in the furthest corner, nobody at the tables surrounding it. You looked at him as you set your tray across from him, lifting his mask up to start eating quickly.

“We have to eat here? We can’t take it to your room?” You asked with a hushed tone, watching as he snapped to look at you, but quickly darted back to his food, looking down.

“Yeah... some people have brought their food to their room and forgot to take it out after so, it's banned. We all have to eat here.”

You nodded, understanding. “I guess that makes sense... still kind of dumb though.”

He remained silent in response. You were hoping talking a little would ease his nerves a little, but you could still feel his leg bounce, slightly shaking the table as you started to eat. You watched him curiously as he continued to eat, pulling his mask up and wolfing his food down quickly.

“You always keep that mask on, huh? Even when you're eating?”

He finally locked eyes with you for a moment. You couldn’t quite tell his expression, his brain seeming overwhelmed to the point he couldn’t even think of which one to express. “I... Y-yeah, I don’t like people looking at me. At least this hides me somewhat, even when I have to pull it up.”

You shrugged your shoulders as you took a bite of your roll he kindly gave you. “Now, I mean this in the nicest way possible... but I think people look at you more because you're wearing the mask. Having to pull it up to eat kind of draws more attention than eating like normal.”

He nodded, his eyes going to the side as he started to dip his spork in the remaining sauce from his entree. “You’re right... but they still aren’t looking at me. They’re looking at a mask that’s over me. That’s all they can associate with me. But I know I’m more than this,” he tugged at his mask as he brought the utensil up to his mouth, “so they’re just looking at my mask. Not me. If you get what I’m saying...” He glanced over to you, watching for your reaction as you continued to eat your roll, mulling over his words in your head a bit confused. “...No one here has seen my face, so they don’t even know me. The only me they know is König, the tall guy with the sniper hood on all the time. They are only looking at a part of me... Besides, I find it kind of comforting to wear now, I don’t even think of it most of the time.”

You nodded, kind of understanding what he was getting at. Sure, it wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism but it at least helped him. You just wondered what he’d be like when he wasn’t deployed or got out of the military, what he would do then. You figured it’s something he would probably figure out by the time that happened, or at least, with how he worried about things, it’s probably something he’s thought of too.

He sat silently as he ate his potatoes, not looking at you much as you continued to eat as well. String beans weren’t your favorite but at least it was better nutrients than yesterday. You noticed just how fast he ate though, easily outpacing you and making you realize probably why he got so big growing up. You looked over to your half finished roll, you had set it aside as you got a bit tired of the flavor, but saw him still just about done with dinner while you had barely reached the halfway point. You gently place the half of the roll on his tray, returning the favor when he gave you it. He looked down at it wide eyed and confused before catching your gaze again.

“You don’t have to, darl-” He stopped mid sentence, doing a faux clearing of his throat. Clearly, he didn’t even want to have that public display of affection, but you suppose it wasn’t bad to be too cautious. Besides, he peppered you with enough pet names in private to last you a lifetime. “You should have it, you’re the one who hasn’t eaten all day.”

“I had toast this morning... Besides, I guess I just have a smaller stomach than you.”

He let out a little laugh, and with him lifting his mask up to eat, under the shadows you could barely catch a glimpse of his smile. It was cute, wide and a little asymmetrical, going to his left a little more, giving him an almost permanent smirk. “I... don’t think that’s how that works. Please,” he put the roll back on your tray, meeting your eyes again, “I appreciate it but I’m a big boy... I’ll be fine without a roll tonight.”

He leaned back to his seat, you hadn’t even noticed how close he had gotten to you, making your blush as you realized it. Quickly you glanced around the room, just to make sure no one saw. It seemed finally people diverted their attention to their own tables, in their own conversations and meals. When you looked back to König, you noticed he had done the same, glancing around the room to make sure people had stopped watching you two.

You finished up your roll and string beans, just enjoying the presence of him in silence, knowing he didn’t really want to attract any more attention by keeping up a conversation. He had already finished his meal, so he was just watching you, his elbows on the table as he rested his face against his interlaced fingers. Though, he probably wasn’t actually watching you, as you noticed his eyes not really move much, and rather was probably just spaced out. When you finally noticed he was focused on you again, that’s when he spoke.

“What do you like for snacks? Something more sweet or something like chips?”

You paused as you thought about the random question. “I think it depends on my mood really... I can go either way.”

“Any particular thing you like? From both those categories.”

“Um...” you were a bit taken back by the random questions, but noticed his posture as he was about to get up. You glanced behind yourself, looking at the variety they had available here. “...I guess the Lay’s Wavy and those little chocolate cakes with the frosting in the middle.”

He nodded and stood up in silence. You just watched as he walked away again at a fast pace, going through the line as you took one of the final few bites of your turkey. Once he returned, he had a small package that he had already opened. You looked at the little snack cake in his hand that he had already eaten half of.

“...I thought you said you didn’t like American sweets,” you said light-heartedly, attempting to hide the goofy smile that was creeping on your face. “But, you're eating a twinkie?”

He shrugged his shoulders while grabbing his tray and yours, starting to walk to the trash, holding out the package in his other hand. You took his offer, grabbing the other little cake that came in the package. He had finished his in two bites, letting him throw away the wrapper as he set the trays on the already started stack on top of the garbage. He turned on his heel, patting your back as he started walking forward, encouraging you to walk alongside him. You did as you took another bite of your treat, taking one last look around the room. You didn’t notice anyone looking at you two as you left at first, but then caught a glimpse of a familiar face... well... mask and sunglasses, looking in your direction. You gave him a small wave goodbye as you two left through the doors.

You had finished your twinkie as you both reached his dorm door. Wiping the crumbs on your pants, you were reminded of how you told him you needed new clothes. Right as he pulled his keys out, you spoke up, “König, remember how I said I wanted a change of clothes?”

He looked back at you wide eyed. “Scheiße! I do... damn it...” He paused, bringing his hand to his mouth as he looked off to the side, lost in thought. “...Can we just... uh, check the lost and found? I’m sure something is there.”

You crossed your arms, giving him a bit of an annoyed look. “You don't want to talk to the girls here, do you?”

He let out an exasperated sigh, then met your eyes again, almost pleading but still looking as serious as he could. “Yeah, I really don’t want to knock on the doors and ask the girls here if they have extra clothes. It’s just... It really doesn’t sound right coming from me.” He gestured at himself, his entire tall and bulky figure.

“I can do most of the talking, I’m sure they’ll understand if I ask.”

“Can we please just... do this another day, Liebling?” His voice snapped at you calmly. He very clearly didn’t want to do this... having gone through a lot today. You felt bad pressing him but... you really needed new clothes. You looked to the side, then met his gaze again. You nodded, agreeing to go at least check the lost and found.

It was just past the end of the hallway, just a large cardboard box with a paper sign above it, labeled in a permanent marker crudely. There wasn’t much to choose from, but it’s not like you could be picky considering this was basically stealing clothes. He said he’d throw them in the wash while he was working tomorrow, then get them and bring them back once he finished, but it left you wondering what you’d do for tonight. You really were tired of this shirt, it felt dirty and you hated that feeling. You figured you’d just ask him once you got back to his room.

Opening his door, you followed after him, walking past him as he shut the door behind and locked it. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, he turned around, his eyes closed as he spoke, “Endlich kann ich entspannen... Scheiße...” He spoke the curse softly under his breath as he slowly opened his eyes. They remained half lidded, exhausted but relieved as he looked at you, letting out a little laugh and shaking his head. “What a day, ja?”

You giggled softly as you took a step toward him, keeping your eyes on him as he approached as well. He was quickly and easily able to pull you toward him in a huge hug, gently squeezing you as you were enveloped by his embrace. Your smile grew on your cheeks as you returned it, though you weren’t able to encase him as much, you still tried your best to squish his body as much as you could with your strength. You knew he was holding back while holding you, but you didn’t have to.

“I can’t even imagine the stress you’re going through right now...” His hands gently combed through your hair as you shifted from shoving your face directly into his lower chest to look up at him. “Sometimes... I think I really don’t have much to worry about, but still my brain can’t stop racing... But then I’ll stop and I’ll look at you and every worry about myself stops for a moment as I just start to worry about you, mein Mäuschen...”

Your brows furrowed as you caught his gaze shifting away from you, lost in thought. “Hey... I... We are going to get through this. I know it’s easier said than done but... don’t worry about me.” His gaze shifted back to you as you spoke, softening as he saw your expression. “As long as you're with me, to support me, I will be fine. I... I feel the same way; once I see you again, I feel my worries melt away. I just feel so at ease with you... We haven’t known each other for long but sometimes... You know, you just get that with someone, where it feels like you’ve known each other for years just from how easy it is to relax and talk with them.”

He nodded, and you were able to tell he had a soft smile creeping up his face. The way the light through the window hit him... It was just before twilight, the sun just barely starting to set but still making the room a nice amber tone. It made his already gorgeous eyes look even more beautiful, the warm tone contrasting beautifully to his cool toned eyes. “I feel the exact same, Liebling...”

His grip on you tightened as he started to lift you up. You adjusted your grip, going from wrapping your arms around his abdomen to letting them go up and around his neck as he pulled you closer. One of your hands pulled up his mask slowly as your legs wrapped around him for additional support, as the two of you brought your faces close to each other. For a moment, you stayed there, just an inch between each other as you shared bated breaths, before he gave in and closed the gap, his hand gripping your back as you pulled your body even closer to his. Your lips moved softly against his, your mouth opening to breathe, and he matched it, though you both held back, not letting your tongues slip out and instead just exchanging breaths.

Just as he started the kiss, he was the one who broke away first, slowly opening his eyes and looking at you, then shifting over to the bed. “...I hate to be a mood killer but the bed is looking really inviting now... and not even in the fun way but I just want to lay down.” He let out an awkward laugh, but let it fade out as you laughed with him. You unwrapped your legs from around him as you slowly lowered yourself, him helping as he leaned over to ease you to the ground.

“We should get into something more comfy then and just... lay down for the night. Put something on the TV and just, slowly doze off.”

He smiled as he looked at you. “That sounds wonderful...”

He had started to walk to his bed, but you gently ran your hand down his arm to his wrist. “Speaking of which though... is it possible I could just... sleep in one of your shirts for the night? I’m sorry, I know I keep going on about the clothes but just this shir-”

He cut you off by letting out a little laugh, taking a small step towards you. “Say less, my dear... My shirt might look like a dress on you but... I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

You smiled as he walked past you, turning to his dresser as you took a step back, starting to undress. You saw his gaze shift as he saw your shirt fly past him and into his hamper. You could imagine the little blush creeping up his face as he dug through his drawer. He held up a black shirt that had “Rammstein” written right on top, with the logo taking up a majority of the rest of it, all in a nice red to accent the dark tone. You definitely were going to be swimming in it. “This will work... I haven’t worn this since high school so... this is much too small for me.”

He let out a little laugh, cut short as he looked behind and saw your body again, his eyes going wide for a moment. You smiled, a blush creeping up your cheeks as you tried to remain confident. “Why’d you bring it then if it’s too small?”

He did a little clearing of his throat. He was on his knees to look in his dresser easier, but he did not switch to stand as he kept looking at you, instead slowly sliding forward. “Oh... I guess just memories. I like bringing a few pieces of home with me when I’m out of country like this.”

He looked at you, his eyes half lidded as he was right next to you. With him on his knees, he was finally your height, much easier to see you eye to eye. Gently, he grabbed your arms, lifting them up slightly to make it easier to slip your arms in. You helped him out, ducking your head under to get yourself in. As he pulled it down, he let his hands trail, outlining your body softly and delicately until he reached your lower hips. A shirt that was too small for him still went well below your pelvis, making it a very comfy nightshirt.

He wasted no time grabbing your hips and pulling you close, lifting his mask up and meeting your lips much easier at this height. You smiled and chuckled in the kiss, wrapping your arms around him as he hungrily devoured you. He was so cute when he was desperate and needy. When he broke the kiss he let out a sigh, looking deep into your eyes. “...I’m so glad you’re here, mein Mäuschen.”

You smiled, looking back at him just as lovingly. “I can say the same...” You let your hands gently drift down his shoulders and to his chest, drumming your fingers on his dark athletic jacket. “Now, I think you could switch into something more comfortable as well. I’m sure you don’t sleep with that mask on, do you?”

As you started laughing, he averted his gaze, the loving confidence in his eyes dropping as nerves took him over obviously. It made you cut your laugh short, knowing this was something that was more serious to him, spiking his anxiety.

“...Right... Y-yeah, you’re right, I don’t sleep with it on... I knew I was gonna have to take it off for you eventually... I just was putting it off in my mind I guess...”

He paused, still not looking at you and his grip on your hips faltering to just barely be resting on them. “...Are you worried I’ll not like you if I know how you look?”

He let out a big sigh, “That and nobody here has seen my face... or at least known they have... I know my head sticks out of the shower a little.” He let out a little chuckle, glancing at you a moment to gauge your reaction before returning to the floor. “I guess not showing my face kind of boosts what little confidence I have... but I can’t put it off...”

You brought one of your hands up to cup his cheek. He nuzzled into your touch, looking at you from the side as you spoke. “I promise... my opinion of you won’t change when I see your face... I’ll help you get more comfortable with it being shown, even if it’s just showing it to me. You’re helping me through this entire situation... I will return the favor, König.”

It was clear he was smiling as his gaze averted again, closing his eyes as he brought his hands to hold the one that was on his face, enjoying every second of the touch. He breathed deeply through his nose as he slowly opened his eyes, removing his hands to get himself up. “I may look a little odd too, as I still have this eye black on...” He walked over to his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a towel, stained with other black smudges, and micellar water. He stopped for a moment as he set them on the desk and opened the drawer below, reaching into his cargo pants pockets, pulling out two bags of chips from the two on the side and three snack cakes from his regular front pocket. “...In case you get hungry while I’m gone.”

You started laughing at him pulling out so much food from his pockets, like a little Mary Poppins’ bag. You hadn’t even realized he snuck those away, though you remembered the poptart from yesterday, and it made sense how he was able to do it. As you wondered if he would be able to sneak you some more, he took a deep breath and pulled his mask from the front, letting it slide over the back of his neck as he slowly started to reveal himself. Short, messy bits of dirty blonde hair dripped over his neck. The way the light hit it, you could see very faint hints of the red, auburn tone hidden in there. He still kept his back to you, and you respected it by not peeking, though curiosity was about to kill you. He grabbed the towel, soaking it generously in the water and aggressively rubbed at his face. He put a little more water on it, folding it in half and rubbing it in a half-hearted attempt to clean it as he went in for another round, this time gently wiping using the other side of the towel.

He set the towel down and slowly, reluctantly, turned around. His eyes were closed the whole time, just barely peeking through a crack in his eye after a moment of being turned around. You saw the sliver of those beautiful blue eyes and took a step closer, wanting to see him even better. As he slowly opened his downturned eyes, you still saw the little bits of black makeup that stained his waterline, but somehow made his eyes pop more. His bushy eyebrow also remained stained slightly from the makeup as they turned up, concerned and worried as you kept looking at him in awe. His face was thinner, a slightly square jawline helping match his rather bulky frame. His nose was not quite thin, but also not wide, but from the side you could see the slight hook, the little bump of an aquiline nose. Possibly from it being broken as you saw it just barely tilt to his right. On his left, you had noticed it before when you first met him, and still felt it on occasion when kissing him; a scar going from the top left of his lip to just barely where his nostril started, but more so going onto his cheek. It wasn’t strong, but the pale skin contrasted to his surprisingly tan skin. It wasn’t like he was very tan, but for someone always covered head to toe and from Austria, he had a healthy glow to him.

His lips curled into worry as you remained silent, just looking at his face, taking in every inch of it. He opened his mouth to start to speak but you quickly silenced him, whatever bad thought he was about to voice about himself, as you brought your lips to his, kissing him deeply and passionately. He returned it just as hard, pulling your body close as he smiled softly, but seemed to fight the smile as you both continued. You pulled away, putting your hands on both sides of his face as he looked at you lovingly through half lidded eyes. Though he wasn’t the typical standard of beauty, not by a long shot, as you looked at him... those gorgeous blue eyes that always seemed to be both in bliss and hiding his broken past and thoughts.

“...Du bist sehr schön, mein König.” You were sure your German came out sounding a bit broken and stilted as you weren’t sure if you were saying the right thing. Clearly he didn’t care though as he quickly brought you to his lips again, holding you tightly against him as he hummed contently in the kiss. You smiled and laughed again as you kissed him back, loving hearing his little noises of approval as he kissed you lovingly.

“Und du bist perfekt,” he said while his lips were just barely pulled away from yours. You barely cracked your eyes open, seeing him as he looked at you with half lidded eyes, not with lust but with pure affection and tenderness. “...Mein perfektes Mäuschen.”

You pulled away slowly, taking another moment to look as he stayed smiling looking at you, but as your gaze continued his own gaze averted, looking at various places around the room and some spots on your own face and body. He did another little clearing of his throat, letting go of you as he stayed looking at the floor. “Well... now you’ve seen my face, we’ve gotten that out of the way, you should just... lay down. I’ll change myself and I’ll join you.”

You smiled as you saw him half heartedly smile at you, nodding in agreement as you turned, walking over to the bed. As you got yourself cozy under the comforters, you watched him, trying not to make it obvious as he clicked a button under the TV, turning it on. He kept his back to you as he pulled his shirt up and over. You admired the way his back muscles unintentionally flexed as he pulled it off, watching his large biceps as he tossed it into the ever growing pile of laundry. Even hearing the slight click of his belt made a spark shoot through you, though you knew you both were very exhausted and wouldn’t want to do anything tonight. Not after the day you’ve had. You watched him chuck his cargo pants over to the pile, letting out a little laugh as it slid slowly off the pile. He laughed as well, glancing back at you as he started walking to his dresser.

“Guess it’s a good thing I have to do laundry for you anyway, huh?”

You wanted to respond with something smart or cute, but just sat there, mouth slightly agape as you looked at his figure stunned. It was just as you felt through his clothes, muscular, but not fully chiseled. His pecs were huge and though his waist was smaller, it was only slightly as it led to defined abs. It complimented his large stature, making him both intimidating but even more enticing. He noticed you staring as the sunset hit him just right, the dark body hair he had turning auburn as he smiled again, the lopsided smile coming out fully as he chuckled. “Do you like what you see, Liebling?”

You giggled, feeling your face instantly turn hot as you were caught staring. “Hmm... can’t say I’m complaining. It really compliments your handsome face.”

He laughed again, shaking his head as he pulled out some grey sweatpants. “I would disagree but... My body is something I am more proud of... I worked hard because, well you can imagine hitting my height as a teen suddenly made more good fodder for people to bully me. I looked like a little baby deer.” He shook his head but kept smiling, memories coming back to him. “So, I wanted to even everything out. It helped the bullying stop, especially once I actually got into the military and could leave.”

“I think anyone bullying someone of your height has to be real stupid.” You chuckled, trying to reassure him.

“Oh, trust me... I was no pushover, I made sure they regretted it... Besides, that’s the only way they respected me. Seeing me fight back... they didn’t talk to me because they were scared. But that also meant they didn’t want to talk to me to mock me.” He shrugged his shoulders, brushing off his violent past as he pulled up his pants. Admittedly, hearing about his past, though it didn’t surprise you, still made you a little anxious. You worried about him possibly getting into something that was way over his head. Sometimes he seemed cocky, but sometimes with you he’d be reserved. You were sure on the field he would be way more confident.

“Is that why you joined? Does fighting make you feel more confident?” You tilted your head as you looked at him, walking over to the bed slowly as he thought it over in his head.

“Maybe... I don’t think of it that way but maybe somewhere in the back of my mind it does. I more so joined because it gave my fighting a purpose. It distracts me from everything else on my mind, I have to focus on what’s ahead of me or...” He paused, you both thinking the same grim thought. “...So, if it’s one of the few things I’m good at, why not hone in on it.”

He smiled softly as he sat on the edge of the bed. Though the bed was huge, his frame did take up quite a bit of it. You figured you two would just have to get close, not that you were complaining. He still had no shirt on, probably you had taken his last one since he needed to do laundry soon. Or maybe that was just a convenient excuse he was taking so he could have you even closer to him, to feel you on his own skin. He lifted the covers, scooting in to lay behind you, then pulled them back over. While his arm was over you, he propped himself up slightly, leaning over you to grab the remote. He left his arm draped over you as he started clicking through the channels.

“They don't give you any streaming services, huh?” You were trying to think of the last time you had to flip through channels to find something to watch.

“Heheh, no... one, I think someone could track us if they found whatever WiFi we were on and two, can you imagine how expensive it would be to get some ultimate account that could accommodate everyone here?”

You laughed slightly. “True but... I’m sure a company like this has the funds for it. But the WiFi thing you said is also a good point.”

He continued flipping through the channels, eventually looping back through until he stopped at some variety of cooking show with Gordon Ramsey. Based on the split kitchen, it was some Hell’s Kitchen re-run. He leaned back over you again, putting the remote down but slowed for a moment as he pulled back. He stayed there, slightly hovering and leaning over you. You gave him a small side glance, seeing him smiling as his cheeks were slightly red, turning slightly more as he noticed you caught him, but his smile did not fade.

“Du bist einfach so schön...” He brushed your hair behind your ear and continued to comfortably lay back, letting that arm settle right on your waist, his thumb gently rubbing your stomach through the shirt.

“I was going to ask...” You turned your head slightly to look at him the best you could while keeping your back to him. “I said schön earlier but that means, like, pretty or beautiful, right? Is there a word like handsome where like... it’s more masculine?”

He chuckled and you smiled, feeling his chest rumble against your back. “Well, I don’t mind you calling me schön. It’s pretty gender neutral but I guess the closest equivalent is hübsch. But they both mean the same thing.”

“I mean, pretty and handsome do in concept too but guys generally prefer not being called pretty.”

“I haven’t been called either so... I don’t care what you call me, I’m just happy you think that about me at all.”

Hearing that made you feel pity for him. You were sure people before could just look at his eyes, see how gorgeous they are, and thought it to themselves. Though they would never say it, intimidated by the rest of his form. “Speaking of calling you things and German, what are some pet names you’ve always wanted to be called? You’re always calling me Maus, Mäuschen, Liebling... I’m sure there’s ones you’ve heard and thought would be nice to hear.”

He hummed softly, thinking to himself. His fingers drummed softly on your side. You let your hand drop slowly, letting it rest on top of his hand and your fingers interlacing in between his. You felt him smile as he pressed his lips onto the back of your head, giving you a gentle peck and sighing softly. “Hmm... well you can call me Liebling too. That would be nice, especially coming from your lips... I think I’ve called you Schatz before. I don’t use it too much myself though. If you want an equal to Maus, Bär is one that’s common back home. It just means bear.”

“So, you’ve said chen makes a word mean small right? So if I called you Bärchen...”

He laughed heartily. It seemed like most times he held back his real, bigger laughs, but when he let them loose you loved it. It made you smile and laugh as well, hearing him filled with joy. “I mean, you’d be wrong describing me. But your German is correct. Du machst das gut, mein Liebling.” He brought his other hand that he was using to rest his head to yours, gently brushing your hair behind your ear as he let his fingers run through it. He let it rest above your head as he propped himself up, hovering above you and staring down at you. You could feel it and smiled, turning yourself onto your back to meet his gaze. He was looking at you dopily, pure awe filled as he took you in like it was his first time seeing you again. “Any other German you’d like to know, mein Mäuschen?”

You pulled your lips together as you thought, wondering if you should go with something that may be useful or something a bit more cheeky. “I is ich... want is...?”

“Will.” You loved the way he nearly bit his lip as it softly dragged against his top teeth saying the sound of the W.

“And to? Like ‘I want to...’?”

“It’s included with the will, no additional word is needed.”

You felt the way his hand wiggled his fingers against yours, still gently resting on your stomach and comforting you even more. “Kiss?”

His lids lowered as his smile increased. “Küssen.”

You smiled back as the blush on your cheeks brightened, thinking about the last word you had to learn. “You?”

He let out a little laugh as he leaned closer to you, leaving a few inches between your faces. “In this case, it’d be dich... but the word order will be different, so ich?”

He looked at you expectantly, the silence signaling he wanted you to repeat. “Ich.”

“Will... dich... küssen...” You repeated after him every word, smiling as it felt odd to be speaking another language. But him returning the joy made you feel better as you were actually saying it right. “Now put it together... say it faster...”

“Ich will dich küssen...” Your cheeks beamed as they grew hotter, especially as his eyes started to dart again, from meeting yours to watching your lips speak his native language.

“Und ich will dich auch küssen...” Before you could ask what auch meant, he brought his lips to yours, quickly closing the gap as your fingers interlaced and gripped his hand while kissing passionately. He let his other hand slip under your neck, pulling you closer to him. You wrapped your other arm around his neck in response to him pulling you up slightly, pulling yourself even closer. He gripped back with the hand that was holding yours, picking it up and gently putting it beside your head and holding it there, pinning you in place. As you started to smile, he slipped his tongue out, licking across your bottom lip, as if gently asking permission again. You let your mouth open slightly, letting your tongue meet his as you felt his grip tighten. His breath was hot on your cheek as he puffed out of his nose, letting his tongue explore deeper in your mouth. Slowly he pulled away, opening his eyes just as slow as his grip loosened, meeting your eyes again. “...Ich will dein Alles sein.”

You giggled as he immediately nuzzled into your neck, not even kissing, just attacking your neck with his face gently. Though he was clean shaven for the most part, you could still feel the little bits of facial hair tickle you. “What does that mean? You want...?”

“I want to be your everything,” he said breathily into your neck. “It’s so hard to describe how I feel about you, Liebling. I haven’t felt like this before in my life... Every part of me wants to protect you, care for you, make sure you're happy before anything else.” He leaned up again, looking into your eyes and just staring for a good moment. It was like he was completely awe stuck as he looked at you, mouth slightly agape. He took his hand out from under your neck and gently brushed through your hair. “...I want to do everything I can so I can wake up every morning and see this beautiful, smiling face looking at me with as much love as you are right now...”

You felt heat crawl up your face as you were called out for your own lovestruck look. You couldn’t help it as those crystalline eyes looked at you, shifting slightly as he took in the sight of you under him, the feeling of your hair between his fingers. It was true, he probably never felt this way before. He was so used to resorting to violence that feeling so soft and vulnerable around someone felt alien to him. But he was so willing to give himself to you, to enjoy this feeling he’s never had, you couldn’t help but admire and adore it... adore him even more. “Ich will dein auch Alles sein...”

He chuckled, making you blush even more knowing you messed up your German. He quickly gave you a kiss, reassuring you it was fine. “Close, meine Maus. Ich will auch dein Alles sein.”

You did a fake, over dramatic pout. “I don’t get German grammar... ‘I want also your everything be?’”

He laughed harder this time, getting off from being on top of you and laying back down behind you. “You’ll get it eventually, my darling. I know it’s hard but I’ll help you get through it. Now come on,” he took his muscular arm and draped it over you, pulling you in close to him again, “into my arms.”

You smiled widely and turned back on your side, scooting yourself into his loving embrace. He gave you a strong squeeze before releasing, letting out a relaxed breath as you settled in. “I always dreamed of having a beautiful girl in my arms while I dozed off... It’s even more relaxing when it’s real.”

You smiled, you could say the same, finding it hard not to just close your eyes and rest while wrapped in his arms, his body warm and comforting like a blanket in itself. You took both your arms and pulled them under and around his forearm, hugging it close to you. You gave in, shutting your eyes and taking in the whole feeling of him, hugging his arm like a teddy bear. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of your head before resting his chin on your head, keeping you very close to his body. You felt a shift behind you, the sounds of chefs screaming stopping. You cracked your eye open to see the TV off, darkness taking over the room. All you could feel was the little puffs of air from his nose as he breathed, his chest rising and falling, and the subtle beat of his heart. You nuzzled against him one final time, letting the relaxation take you as you fully fell asleep with him.

Translations! Endlich kann ich entspannen... Scheiße...- Finally, I can relax... fuck... ...Du bist sehr schön, mein König.- You are very beautiful, my König. Und du bist perfekt.- And you are perfect. ...Mein perfektes Mäuschen.- ...my perfect Mäuschen. Du bist einfach so schön...- You are just so pretty... Du machst das gut, mein Liebling.- You are doing well, my darling. Und ich will dich auch küssen...- And I want to kiss you too...

#könig #könig x reader #konig #konig x reader #call of duty #call of duty x reader #cod x reader #könig mw2 #mw2 #mw2 x reader #Mäuschen

138 notes · View notes