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solomonish · 3 years

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selfless (to a fault?) [demon brothers]

CW: allusions to past toxic relationships. minor description of injury in beel’s. belphie’s is a bit sad (happy ending! just melancholic vibes) and alludes to chapter 16.

no problem nonnie! i hope this is to your liking <3

nowdateables: here!

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Lucifer

Honestly, he'd be a tough one to get to allow you to do anything for him. You know, the whole avatar of pride thing….and he also just generally has a habit of holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. He thinks - no, he knows he can handle everything on his own

If he's letting you in enough to help him - not only trusting you enough to think the tasks he delegates to you will be done to his liking, but allowing you to help and opening up the possibility that he might be risking his image of perfection - he can only expect you'll let him do the same for you. It's like your own special love language, right?

He does NOT like how jumpy you are about the subject. At first, he's miffed. Do you not think he can do the task to your liking? Has he given off the false impression that he cannot take any more work than he already has? Was your offer to help not based on affection, but pity??? It really ruffles his feathers.

He's the type to confront you head-on. At first, his voice is harsh because he's talked himself into thinking you've offended him, but when you start backing away and trying to dodge the conversation, apologies falling from your mouth about how the last thing you wanted to do was upset him, he softens. He doesn’t understand yet, but something is upsetting you and he intends to get to the bottom of it.

Not one who would pester you about opening up to him, but the sooner you do, the more of a show of good faith it is. He’ll trust your word entirely regardless, but it does a lot to soothe the upset of his own creation if you come back to explain sooner rather than later. After all, being vulnerable is perhaps Lucifer’s greatest show of love - it does not go unnoticed when you do the same.

Doing his best to talk through a solution is act of kindness #1 - and it helps you adjust a little since you worked with him rather than completely handed him the reins. He starts off his own plan to help you out by bringing in things he was already going to do for himself - offering you coffee when he gets his own, for example. He uses the fact that you’d feel bad for refusing against you for a little bit, but he means well!

You might notice him going softer on you for just a little bit - don’t say anything about it. He’s worried that he gave off the impression of using things against you because of how much of a disciplinarian he is. Besides, the two of you normally don’t get into arguments (he doesn’t have the time to let things simmer - if he’s that upset about something, he’ll try to address it immediately), so he doesn’t really know how else to change his behavior. He just hopes that allowing you the opportunity to open up to him again, should you need it, will alleviate the feeling that he’d ever use your kindness against you.

Mammon

The first time you stiffened up after he tried to help you, he thought you were crazy. Lucifer had just given you a punishment for one of his schemes that you took the fall for (and he still isn’t sure why Lucifer let you take the fall when it was obviously Not You), and you insisted that you could do it by yourself! He wasn’t too keen on cleaning every window in the House of Lamentation himself, so he left soon after placing the offer, but his time was spent mindlessly wondering about you.

The next time was shortly after, when you came into his room and crashed on his bed. He offered you a hand massage, although he did it in a very muttered voice with dark cheeks - and you said no again! Forget being offended that the romantic hand-holding idea he totally didn’t get from a magazine he was reading waiting for you (that would’ve somehow ended in disaster anyway) wouldn’t play out - he was getting worried.

He doesn’t bring anything up immediately, but he worries about you and watches you intently. Sometimes you’ll catch him staring at you, and he flips out when you ask him what’s up. The only clue Mammon gathers is that you don’t seem to be angry with him, so what’s up? He’s used to his backwards advances working against him, but he’s making a genuine effort here!

He finally gets pent up in his frustration and asks you head-on. Mammon isn’t known for his tact - “Oi, why won’t you just let me take over once in a while? Cut yerself a break, MC!” - but there’s a certain...desperate tinge to his voice that makes you realize he really does care (and is driving himself crazy trying to figure things out on his own). When you DO finally tell him, he sort of deflates and his voice goes to that softer, more genuine tone.

“H-hey, I would never do that kind of thing to ya…” He starts shuffling in place, kicking at rocks (if there are any) and you realize he kinda looks like a kid. “You do so much for everyone, and it makes me feel real good inside. I just wanna make you feel that, too. Besides, we don’t need TWO cranky workaholics in the house. Lucifer is plenty.”

He knows one moment of honesty isn’t going to fix your entire way of thinking, but he goes right back to his blatant offers after that. Maybe if he desensitizes you to it, you’ll feel less weird about accepting his help! It doesn’t work, so he shifts to little things. Catch him running across classrooms as soon as you’re dismissed so he can grab your textbooks to carry for you off the desk before you can.

Once he realizes you’re more receptive to him helping you, he’s ready to breathe a sigh of relief and be annoying about it again. Generosity doesn’t come easy to him, okay? Besides, he’s The Great Mammon! You should’ve known he’d be better than any other guy you’ve been with!

Leviathan

Of COURSE you wouldn’t want someone like him to help you out. He’d probably mess it up, anyway…

Seriously, Leviathan is very sensitive to rejection, so the moment you politely decline any offers to help he backs up about a thousand miles and sulks when you’re not around. It’s hard for him to get out of his own head, and he’s so ready for you to just tell him what everybody else is thinking and how much he sucks…

It dawns on him, though, that you never gave up on him when he pushed you away. It’s totally not poggers sucky of him to just give up on you like that. You’re his henry! You’re his s/o! He’s totally ready to fight any boss for you!! …..after he levels up a little more.

Levi spends a TON of time looking up ways to talk to you, one-on-one. He isn’t good with emotions like this but he is capable of them and having deep, serious talks. It shouldn’t MATTER that his research material is a bunch of feel-good romance anime scenes that he based his most recent Top 10 OTPs of the season post on!

Surprisingly enough, he brings it up relatively smoothly one night when you’re chilling in his room and he’s playing some relaxing simulator. You’re complaining about the things you have to do in the morning, and when there’s a lull in your conversation Leviathan turns and tentatively asks, “Hey...why don’t you try letting me help you out?” He can feel your refusal before it comes so he hurriedly adds “Please! I just- you stress yourself out so much and what good am I if I can’t even help you at all?”

Is it his impassioned plea for you to let him in? Is it his willingness to obviously step out of his comfort zone? Have your walls just conveniently crumbled at this moment? Whatever it is, you don’t have it in you to reject him when he’s so open about wanting to help you (and the pain it’s caused him not to). Either way, you sigh and give him a few, small tasks that you think you both could manage him having and he swears to do them well!!

Truly opening up to him about the reason why you were so hesitant on letting him help takes a while, and he doesn’t exactly pick up on it himself. Once you do tell him, though, in your journey to help yourself let him in, he holds you a little tighter and mumbles that he’ll never do that to you. Levi knows better than anyone that words can only mean so much, but he’s grateful for the chance to prove it to you. He won’t let his Henry down!

Satan

Satan is perceptive, and he knows how to talk about emotions. He might even have suspicious about the root cause before you even think about letting him know what’s up. He’s already started doing a few things for you - carrying each other’s books, for example. Small acts of kindness to get the both of you through the day.

However, one thing Satan isn’t good with…..is dealing with emotions head-on.

He spends so much time keeping his own under lock and key! After doing his best to keep the most calm, analytical front he can, Satan tends to uh….forget about the emotional part of emotions.

So. When he asks why you won’t let him reciprocate in the relationship, attempting to display that he just wants the two of you to be on equal ground and he is worried about you, he sort of comes off...as cold. And like he’s accusing you of feeling a certain way. He definitely presents it as “I’ve noticed you feel x and i think y would be helpful for us to fix it” rather than “how are you feeling? What is causing you trouble? How can i offer assistance in a way that translates well to you?” And if that doesn’t bring back some memories…

He feels awful, and at the end of it all you’re crying (or presenting your stress and bad memories however you normally do) and he still doesn’t know how to fix things. Counterintuitively, he looks through his books for an answer, and it takes him a few days to realize that’s what got him into this mess.

So he goes to you directly and, albeit a little clumsily, apologizes and asks what he can do to help you through this. You say that’s just the problem - you don’t want his help - and he sits next to you and just asks why? The two of you wind up talking for hours, sitting next to each other and just...really talking. You aren’t the only one feeling vulnerable - Satan is talking about his emotions full-on rather than through a scientific lens and it makes him just as nervous as you are.

Satan doesn’t get into arguments with you. He runs from the possibility because he’s worried about what his wrath could do to you. But he promises you that he could never hold anything against you, especially something like asking him for help. It’s an honor that you let him this close, and he can only return the favor in kind. He hopes you have enough faith to believe in him until he has the opportunity to prove it beyond a doubt.

Asmodeus

Asmo does things for people without asking. He gives unsolicited makeup and relationship advice, he offers to touch-up any products you may have on, he lends you clothes just because he felt like he should…

The thing is, Asmo will start before you even have a chance to ask him to stop. He’ll start before you’re even wondering if you like him. And at first, you’re ok with it. Well, you’re not, but you can decide he’s just testing the waters or that this is some weird demon way to earn your friendship or tell you he considers you a friendly presence, like cats. But it still rubs you the wrong way.

However, Asmo always notices that you...aren’t receiving it the way he wants you to. He invites you out and leaves you an outfit on your bed, and you come out wearing something entirely different. He leaves you a bouquet of flowers, and suddenly the dining room has a new bouquet in the center of it. (and you always avoid his gaze during those dinners, which is totally weird.) It’s almost like you’ve recognized the face he makes when he’s about to touch up your makeup, because you pull out a pocket mirror and check yourself over before he even has a chance to!

Are you leading him on? He doesn’t think so, but you are quite literally the only person he can’t literally charm the pants off of, and he isn’t quite sure how to navigate the signals you’re giving him. You seem fine with the relationship - it felt pretty genuine to him, and you looked thrilled when he made the romantic moves on you - so what was going on?

He finally caves and asks when he’s going through your wardrobe, sifting through it with you on the bed to make room for a shopping spree the two of you had been planning, and sees all the outfits he’d bought you hanging, still in their outfit bags. Some of the bags even had DUST on them!

He turns around and puts on a gentle voice. Though Asmo doesn’t know what’s happening, he can feel the air in the room shift and he knows he’s encroaching on some sensitive territory. “Hey, do you not like when I give you gifts? I haven’t been able to understand what’s been bothering you, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable…”

He does NOT like the way you turn your face away from him, but he sits a respectable distance away and keeps his hands in his lap. Asmo is as good at genuine advice as he is at gossip, so it isn’t hard for him to get you comfortable enough to open up to him. You don’t have to tell him everything at once - he’ll listen to whatever you’re willing to tell him, letting you lean against him when you’re ready.

Asmo is known for being petty, but you bring out sides of him nobody knew were there. He’ll swear up and down that he’d never turn your good heart against you - after all, it’s one of the many things he loves about you - but he does understand where you’d get that impression. If you’ll let him prove it to you, he will - and he’ll start by only pestering you to let him buy one outfit for you on that shopping spree!

Beelzebub

Listen. Beel is a generous soul (for a demon) ((to those he really loves)). He just doesn’t ever really find himself in possession of anything worth sharing. Really, the only thing he is ever in the possession of is food. When he isn’t at his sports practice, working out or studying, he’s eating, and he’ll gladly share his food with you.

Oh? You don’t want it? He gives you a confused look - he’d ask if you were feeling well if he hadn’t eaten lunch with you just an hour before - but shrugs, his growling stomach winning over his concern. It’s not like you’re skipping meals, anyway. It isn’t until you get hurt helping him work out and refuse to let him pick you up to carry you to medical attention that he gets VERY concerned.

He feels awful enough as is. It was his fault you were even there - he just wanted to add more weight to his workout. (And, he won’t admit it, the idea of using a bench you were sitting on to lift over his head may have been a bit overkill. But he saw that little spark that said ‘that isn’t possible but man i wish it was’ when you saw it happen in that show and mmmmmmaybe he wanted to impress you. How was he supposed to know Mammon had broken it and left it there?) He could practically feel the pain in your ankle from the sound it made, and you were clutching desperately to your shin, wanting to press on the wound but knowing it was a bad idea. MC, there’s no way you can walk on that, why aren’t you letting him help?

The guilty puppy face he’s giving you is making the whole situation worse. It’s taking everything you can not to snap on, from the overwhelming pain in your ankle to the negative thoughts racing in your head to the knowledge that you’ll have to give in eventually. Finally, you face him head on and decide to just rip the band-aid off. “I don’t have the best experience with letting people do things for me. If you’re expecting to use this against me, I’m going to be out of commission for a while, so remember that.”

He is. So confused. Are you really mad at him? What are you talking about? It’s not that he’s stupid - because really, he isn’t - this just kinda came at him from left field and he does not know what to do about.

“What? I’m worried about you, MC, and there’s no way you can walk on your ankle. Come on, please let me take you to get help. I won’t mention it ever again if that’s what will make you happy.”

So maybe it takes a while to get to the nearest infirmary, and maybe he’s going extra slow so as not to jostle our injury, and maybe in the meantime he’s being so contemplative and quiet that you have a heart-to-heart. Beel’s too genuine not to trust him when he swears he’d NEVER use your kindness against you, but he understands it’ll take a while to show you.

Belphegor

So. Um. This is awkward.

Belphie is a smartass, and he’s the youngest and used to getting his way. He’s definitely the type to dig his heels in and fight dirty in an argument, just because he’s used to winning. He’s also sadistic and has plotted with you to use his brothers’ weaknesses against them for fun. So he gets it. He totally gets why you would think he’d do it. Honestly, that’s basically what he did to free himself from the attic, only with more violence involved. He gets it.

Since Belphegor hasn’t exactly been the nicest to you in the past, he isn’t about to make you pity him with words like “yeah, of course you wouldn’t trust me after what I did to you…” First of all, on the off chance that it’s completely unrelated, he doesn’t want to put that idea in your head and give you a resentment you never had, but also he’s getting a hang of this redemption thing. Yes, on an average day he’s still a bratty, selfish little shit, but he does show you how sorry he is for using you and hurting you. It shows in the way he checks up on you in situations he knows you’re uncomfortable in, in the way he cares for you in that gentle way that’s so subtle you wonder if he’s even actively doing anything. (He is - offering you the best spot in a blanket nest, suggesting your favorite meals when the brother on dinner duty needs ideas, little things - and you both know it.) But how does he repent for something he doesn’t even know if he’s doing?

The way you stop cold when you peek in the kitchen and see him (and Beel) cooking the dinner you just complained about wanting hurts. The two of you have a stare-off for a moment, and Beel gets the message to slide out of the room. Belphegor clears his throat.

“What do you want?” You ask with narrowed eyes. Ouch, way to be a Lucifer. He instead says, “Nothing. I just wanted to do something nice for you.” “And you don’t want anything in return?” “Have I given off the impression that I would?”

You sigh and step into the kitchen to wash your hands, asking if he needs help since Beel left. He grabs your wrist. “You’re welcome to keep me company, but I want to do this for you.”

He doesn’t like you looking at him distrustfully, but is relieved you sit at the counter instead of leaving. He wants to ask you what’s up, but something is stopping him - he ignores that what’s stopping him is fear that you’ll have another thing to add onto the list of the unforgivable sins he’s committed. If you feel like telling him, he’ll listen - but until then, he’ll go back to quietly trying to prove his worth to you, hoping one day you’ll see that it’s genuine and let him give you all the good things you deserve.

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kashimos-hajime · 3 years

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no regrets (8/8) | r.b.

summary: For the first time, he thinks of a future he could have, and someone who loves him, and there’s something bright in his heart. Or, Reiner finally understands what peace is.

WARNINGS: MANGA SPOILERS!!! angst, mentions of violence, we get our happy ending :) pairing: reiner braun x fem!reader word count: 6.7k

a/n: welcome to the last chapter!! thank you so much for being on this journey with me. there are a few callbacks to previous chapters so see if you can catch ‘em all heheh

masterlist

crossposted on ao3 x

Few months ago ymir asked if I could let her write one last letter to krista, and I did let her. I stood over her shoulder the whole time, watching her pen down all this sappy shit and I kept thinking about you the whole time, behind those walls. What you were doing, what you were thinking. Maybe if you thought about me. I dont know.

I’m starting to see the appeal of wrting what youre not strong enough to say to a persons face. I never thought Id find myself on the other end of this stick. for some reason, I thought that I could stop myself, resist the temptation, or maybe that I didnt feel for you as strong as I thought I did once I was away from you. I was wrong.

What do I even say? I mean shit, I can barely see, my limbs are barely in tact, and all of it—shiganshina, it haunts me, even though I cant really remember it that well. Half of it goes black and then I remember hearing your voice, I remember Bertholdt, I remember you screaming.

You couldve walked away. why didnt you walk away? It doesn’t make sens. Why did you think to cut me out? Why did you try to save me? Im trying to make it make sense inmy head. It’s not working.

Fuck I dont know what I was thinking when I asked for a paper and pen. Why am I asking you questions? Its not like ill ever understand. At this point, I think it’s pity thats letting Zeke let me waste ink on trying to write straight. He doesn’t know what im doing, but thats better this way. Better than sleeping—better than eating. I just wanna talk to you and this is as close as I can get. Its my own damn fault, but I dont care.

I completed my mission. After this, im done. ill give up the rest of my term. I dont want any of that glory anymore. I dont want to be a hero. Im just done.

Fuck, my head hurts so much. I dont really know if what im saying is making sense. Im hoping you never read this.

im sorry. I wish I could explain it to you some day, but chances are, ill be dead soon. Whether for treason or because they need to pass on the Titan, and I wont be able to see you again. Which means youll never know how sorry I am. How much I

Thats okay. I dont think youd believe me now even if I did say anything.

I remember your dream to live by the lake with a bunch of kids. You know I started to wonder if youd mind if they were our kids, not just some orphans who needed a home. I’d imagine one of them with blond hair. Imagine them swimming in the lake.

Never told you that was my dream too. Never knew i could have a dream of my own, something only I wanted and not just something to further marleys damn agenda, til I knew you. Sounds stupid but its true.

I think youd like Marley, if we weren’t sworn enemies. Just want you here with me right now. make me sleep easier knowing you’re there when I wake up.

Dont want secrets either. Fuck I miss you so bad. I feel s o tired all the time.

I rember when i first saw you all could think about was how you were the most prettiest girl id ever seen. I don know if you know thats why I tried to distance myself. Knew I couldn’t get distracted from my mison. happened anyway. Wish I could tell you that.

wish I could tell you I love you. Wish I could see the look on yur face when you try lobster for the first time. Youd love it. Not sweet, but tons of desserts here too.

Shit. And the ring on your finger. ill put a ring on your finger. I promised. i swear ill go home and buy a ring for the moment I see you again. Might not be pretty but will do the best I can.

Olnly wnat only wnat only want to see you again and beg for your forgiveness. Let you know if I had a choice, I wouldnt have done it. Would take it all back, nd stay. i wanted to stay, stay with you and the others. I used to want to spend the rest of my life in those walls, now I think im sick and tired of them dividing people who arent even that differnet.

My eyes are beginning to burn. Worse because the skin is sitll growing back. Fucking hell god I miss you. miss your smile more.

I know i dont deserve your forigvneess forgiveness. I want you to be angry with me. I deserve as much, and I cant ask you to, but

With love,

Rienr

You fold the letter, eyes closing as your fingers trace where the ink bled, the old tear stains wrinkling the paper beyond measure. Some are older than others, and you trace over his name again, your eyes burning, your throat tight enough to suffocate.

You’re leaning against the wall as everyone disembarks. They had taken Eren off first, Hange and the others getting ready to depart for the city while Connie and Jean lift a covered stretcher too white for the vivacious girl that lays dead beneath it.

They pass you silently, and you catch sight of a certain captain approaching, his pale eyes nearly swallowed by the shadows haunting his face.

“Captain,” you say, straightening. Placing the letter back into the tin, you slide it back into your pocket as he folds a green jacket over his shoulder. You give him a nod.

“You made it out alive,” Levi observes. He stops beside you, eyes more focused on what’s ahead. No doubt he’s not looking forward to having to take Zeke to wherever he needs to go—somewhere far, far away from Eren. You cross your arms.

“It’s good to see you, too, Levi,” you intone. Sighing, you step in beside him and look out at the Walls you can’t see in the distance, your entire body wrought with a strange fatigue that’s only sewn into muscles by adrenaline leaving the body. “I think I’m going to stay.” He tilts his head to you, eyes flickering to your face, and you mirror the shift, your arms tightening. “I can’t leave this unfinished. Not after Liberio.”

“The farm will have to be abandoned,” he points out. “The kids, too.”

“I’ll make sure I move them where someone can take care of them. Somewhere north, far away from the brothers,” you assure, although still, your heart begins to sink and you close your eyes, exhaling deeply. “I have to hope they understand.”

Levi only nods, and you open your eyes as he wordlessly takes the jacket off his arm and offers it to you. Grasping it wearily, you open your mouth to ask questions but he only sets off, back towards the cabin where Zeke is still being held, and you snap your jaws shut, looking down at the jacket.

When you unfold it, you swallow the hard rock in your throat at the blue and white slipping beween the folds of olive green before there’s a sharp whistle. Looking up, you see the carriages already beginning to load up, and you glance back at the door where the captain has disappeared through before jogging down the ramp.

You slither your arms through the sleeves and shuffle the fabric along your frame as something thumps against your thigh, and you frown, reaching down into your pocket and coming into contact with something smooth and hard.

Withdrawing, your lips part at the green bolo tie gleaming in the lights of the port and you, without another thought, pull it over your head, letting it fall against your breastbone.

“For your services to the Survey Corps.”

There’s no time to second-guess now. No time to debate.

“Good to have you back,” Hange murmurs as you walk towards the carriage taking Mikasa, Armin, and the others back to the city. You tug the lapels of the jacket tighter around yourself and flash them a weak smile.

The Wings of Freedom on your arm feel like a brand, and it prickles your skin as you climb in after them.

Distantly, he remembers flashes.

Eren reaching forward for Zeke, the exhaustion ripping him every which way, the sound of ODM gear whizzing in his ears as he tries to make sense of the punctured sensation in his armour.

How he had softened his nape, intending to die then. At least, let his death have some meaning, he had thought. Let him make one last effort to repent for everything he did to Paradis, and to his friends who’d been more family than his own mother.

He slips in an out of consciousness for the next few days. He doesn’t know what is up, what is down, but he does recognize his surroundings blearily, the way his head spinning somehow slowing when he presses his temple to the wooden floor.

How can he almost hear your voice in the echoes of the panels, countered by someone who almost sounds like Annie before he drifts off again.

When Reiner finally regains consciousness again, he wakes to someone crouched down in front of him. Jerking up, he lets out a sound before a palm slaps over his mouth and your face is shoved against his own.

“Shut it,” you whisper fiercely. “It’s just me.”

Your name muffled by your own hand, his eyes begin to burn and you lift your palm away as he sits up and you draw back. You’re dressed in clothes that look like they’ve seen better days but you’re relatively uninjured as you pull back. New lines adorn your face—one of the many prices of their damned war—and you only look exhausted.

Sitting up, Reiner’s whole body groans as he leans against the wall, but he can’t tear his eyes away from you. Your hands are hovering around his body like you’re scared he’ll collapse and there’s a fracture in your mask.

Something gleams on your finger and his eyes flit to it, his heart lurching when he realizes what it is.

The ring. You’re wearing it. You…

For a moment, a glimmer of their teenage selves shine through and he wants to reach for it—touch it so he can remember what it’s like to be happy. He thinks it’s an awful like now; the swelling of his heart so big he can’t breathe; the way his lungs are static in his chest; how he can’t say anything because there are so many words that want to come out first.

“You’re here. You’re alive,” he finally settles on raspily. Your eyes glint with a youthful pain as you nod.

“So are you.”

And he doesn’t know who moves first—you or him. Nothing is forgiven as their bodies crash in an embrace that lacks grace, but they cling onto another like the world is ending and they’re the only ones left standing.

Maybe they are.

He buries his face in your neck, and your arms are so tight around him your fingers dig into his shoulders as your body melts against his and his skeleton sags in his own body.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers against your skin, eyes fluttering shut. “I‘m sorry.” A hand against your neck and an arm around your waist, he wraps his legs around your own and traps you against him. You seem to only sink into him even more.

Is that enough? I don’t want you to hate me.

You suck in a breath, and then it comes out shuddering. “You can spend the rest of what life you have left repenting for making me fall in love with a man who was always supposed to die.”

Softly, in his mind, your voice cools the searing heat of hatred inside him. It’s enough. It has to be.

“I’m sorry,” he says again. It’s like they’re the only words he knows. He can’t remember ever meaning it this much. For him dying, for making you love him, for ever coming to Paradis. For loving you. For loving you. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know. I know.” Your face turns to press against his own. Your lips brush against his jaw and his eyes slide shut, tears rolling down his face. “I read every single one of your letters.” Drawing back, you cup his face in his hands and your fingers smear his tears all over his cheeks as his palm rests against your neck. Thumb stretching up to touch your chin, he feels sobs shuddering in his throat at seeing you again—looking at him almost like you used to. “I can’t begin to understand, but I know you are. And I know you love me.”

Choking, he gasps, “You should hate me.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I should.” You’re crying, too, voice thick, tears stubborn on your cheeks as you give him a watery smile. “I should hate Marley, too. But it’s beautiful there. The water by the sea… I want to be there with you next time. We need to go together, before you leave me alone, okay?”

Reiner doesn’t quite hear you. He hears Marley, and beautiful, and he’s never noticed how beautiful you are when you cry, but right now, it’s the simplest truth he knows.

“Okay.”

When you tilt his chin up and kiss him softly, something inside him explodes from the gentleness that makes him want to crack in the palm of your hands. It sears him from the inside out, makes him grab onto you like you’ll disappear—this is another dream, isn’t it?

It has to be.

You can’t be kissing him again after four years. He doesn’t deserve it. You’re an illusion, something his mind made up to deal with the pain. He’s finally cracked for good, just like Bertholdt said he would, and he’s the devil, not you.

But then you pull away just for a moment to smile, eyes barely open as you look at him with a sad tenderness that wraps him in an invisible embrace, and he is faced with the heart-wrenching reality.

The sky is falling, you are holding him tightly again, and they’ve lost their years. But you’re here. With him.

He knows that this isn’t a dream as he feels the coolness of the silver band on your finger and the heaviness in how he knows he hasn’t repented a damn thing.

Why him?

As you run your hand through his hair, you press their foreheads together.

“And I do want a family with you, by the water if you’d like,” you murmur fleetingly against his mouth and his eyes widen, cheeks burning, entire face crumbling as he turns his face in to your shoulder, crushing you in another brace. Sobbing into your neck, his fingers dig into your shoulders, wrap tight around your waist, squeeze you so close he isn’t sure where you end and he begins and your lips brush the shell of his ear. “Reiner, say it.”

“Please,” he whispers thickly into your skin, and you cradle the back of his head with a hand. He’s nothing more than shambles. “Please, don’t go.”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight again,” you promise. His breath is hot against his own face as you pull his head back and cradle his face again, thumbs brushing away the tears from his red face. “Just a bit more. A bit more and then it’ll be all over, you know?”

And he understands, then, what you want from him. Struggling for breath, for his lungs to stop seizing in his aching chest, he cups your face that turns into his palm on instinct, your face wet with your own tears as, for a moment, they try to pretend this isn’t where they really are.

Like they’re still in that afternoon in Trost, a thousand years ago, with the kids flipping coins into the water fountain and a cream bun between them. Like they’re under the tree, apple juice on your wrist and his lips on yours.

Like it’s those trips to the city, the walks on the Walls. Honey is dripping down your chin and he’s pretending he doesn’t want to kiss you, or there’s grease smeared on his forehead, and you’re reaching up to wipe it off his skin.

Like a thousand moments all at once, and he nods to himself as you brush your hand over his temple. The world outside is startlingly quiet, as if the universe itself stopped everything itself to watch this moment, and Reiner takes a breath that bruises his sternum before he’s holding your left hand where that ring still sits.

And slowly, he pulls it off, whispering as firmly as he can. He’s sure he fails—he’s shaking all over from your presence alone.

“When this is over, I’ll put that ring back on your finger. I promise.”

The smile that splits your face is dazzling. It’s the smile he’s missed since the day he left it.

“We have a lot of things to work out, Reiner Braun.”

And your fingers barely brush his jaw before you’re leaning to press a sweet kiss against his mouth. It’s sugary on his tongue, like honey and apple slices.

Your back is warmer when you’re pressed up against Reiner’s. The ship is quiet, and their pinkies are just barely hooked on oen another’s as you stare blankly at the empty space between Connie’s boots. You don’t speak, and Reiner’s gaze is only on you. He can’t look at anything else now that you’re back by his side again.

There’s a cut on your cheek from the fight just half an hour ago, and there’s dried blood along your hands where your knuckles had split open, but everyone seems too exhausted to clean themselves up.

Reiner himself has a blanket pulled over his shoulders, and he sighs, slouching in his own sack of flesh.

Your head tilts towards him, enough that your temple presses against his cheek. His eyes close and he leans into your touch. Not a word passes by, but their hold on each other’s hands tightens. And Reiner thinks.

For the first time, he thinks of a future he could have, and someone who loves him, and there’s something bright in his heart. Something that hasn’t burned since he left Marley as a child.

Reiner thinks he doesn’t want to die anymore. He doesn’t want to miss you for another moment.

Raising from the steam, you groan, your hands searing from the inside out as you touch your face where you swore every inch of your skin had been stretched, but nothing seems out of sorts as you glance around. Everywhere, all your friends who had turned just as you had are in various states of disoriented. The air is still hissing, crackled with surprised screams and shouts of names as people look for one another across the field.

It smells like cooked meat and burnt hair, a none-to-pleasant mixture that turns your stomach.

Getting to your feet, you wipe at your face, trying to ignore the weird feeling underneath your nails and the ache seizing your muscles. Trying to ignore the remnants of Eren lingering like a ghost that won’t really leave you alone. You shiver, and a strange cold sweat takes over your body.

He had taken you to the sea, except it wasn’t the shore you were familiar with. There was a cabin nearby, with blonde children running, chasing after one another and a man with golden hair standing on the porch, firewood in his arms as he calls out silently. Or maybe you had been standing too far to hear.

“Eren… where are we?”

“Wherever you think you are,” he had said. “I just brought you where you wanted to be.”

A voice, quiet as a memory, catches your attention. “Here let me help.” A soft wind blows throw the mist, cooling your scorching face as you feel a presence stand behind you.

“Oh, thank you.” You look over your shoulder to see a tall boy, and your heart stops. Mouth dropping open, you stare at his foggy image, but he only smiles fully, a smile so tender it reaches every corner of you as you stumble forward, fingers stretching for him. “Bertholdt!”

His smile grows only that much more, eyes squinting a bit and a flash of teeth before he’s looking at your hand that passes through his chest. All at once, all the hope built up in your chest crumbles, and your hand snaps back, trembling just before him. He lays a hand over your own and your eyes begin to burn, tears slipping down your cheeks.

And then, softly, you barely whisper, “I miss you.”

Bertholdt’s smile merely grows, as if to say everything he couldn’t say before. As if to show he’s at peace now—that your last memory together isn’t every part of him, and your lips press together, trying to stop yourself from shaking.

Shadows form in the fog, and together, the two look as a freckled boy and another girl steps out of the mist a distance away, beaming like the sun. Connie and Jean stagger to their feet just behind you, and your heart lurches into your throat when you recognize them.

“Marco! Sasha!”

Someone calls your name and you turn around just as arms scoop you up and you let out a surprised noise before settling into Reiner’s arms. Looking over your shoulder to look at Bertholdt, your heart only sinks.

He smiles and Reiner lets out a sharp breath beside you, settling you down. “Bertholdt…” More shapes emerge. A shorter boy accompanied by another taller one, both alike in their features. You recognize one as the Jaw Titan holder before Falco, but the other—

“Marcel!” Reiner chokes out the name, hand stretching out to the fog, but the boy merely tilts his head and waves.

Closing your eyes, hot tears streak over your cooling flesh as you fling your arms around Reiner again and press your face into his neck. He cradles the back of your head, and he feels… somehow weaker, but still, there is that impassable strength in his core that wraps around you as he watches over your shoulder, still clinging on despite your clothes hot enough to burn.

I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive. It’s the only thought in your head. Your last clear memory had truly been the others taking flight, and the pain that had ripped apart your body before sewing it back together again in unjust proportions. Your limbs had been too big, your blood racing too warmly through your head as your legs pumped but your brain screamed to stop.

Your fingers had sank into Reiner’s legs to pull him down and you had watched—watched Jean take a bite out of him—

You shiver and Reiner’s arms tighten around you instinctively, constricting enough to let you know that his attention isn’t on you quite yet.

Boots shifting on the ground tentatively, your knees feel gummy as you draw back long enough to look at him. He still looks over your shoulder, and you follow his gaze to watch the mist retreat. Bertholdt and the other two boys fall into a pool of fog, and your lips part in a farewell, but it’s already too late.

He’s gone.

A wind sweeps through the battlefield, tickling your sweating neck and cooling your boiling blood.

“Hey,” a soft voice croaks.

Their eyes meet in tandem. He regards you softly, like you are the reason the sun rises and the stars hang at the sky. Overwhelmed, you can only cup the back of his neck and pull him into a deep kiss. Your other hand along his jaw, it takes all you can not to pull him into a bone-crushing embrace that’ll send them both to the ground.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” you whisper hushedly against his mouth, throat swelling as he lets out a soft noise of surprise as you pull him into another tight hug. You don’t care that you’re crushing him, just that his heart is pounding against your own chest. “I couldn’t stop myself. I’m so sorry.”

His eyes widening, he wraps his hands around your wrists and pulling you back just enough to kiss your fingers that crumple against his mouth. Clasping one of his hands in both of your own, you close your eyes and he uses his free fingers to brush the tears off your cheek before reaching into some dented tin you don’t recognize.

Eyebrows furrowing, you feel the heat leave your entire body, sapping your energy too, and your eyes snap to Reiner who steps back, cracking it open and presenting it to you.

“You’re not the one who has to be sorry. I don’t think I’m the Armoured Titan anymore,” he whispers. “I don’t know if I get the rest of my life back, but either way, I want to spend the rest of it repenting to you in any way I can, if you’ll allow me to.” A weak smile. “Truth.”

Your throat closes up, and you stare down at the ring so protected, gleaming despite the destruction around them. It looks almost out of place amongst the grime smearing your skin, the sweat drenching their skin, the smell of blood and metal clinging to their clothes, but Reiner only watches you with a tenderness you can barely meet. It’s so overtly overflowing with devotion that your heart is resting on your tongue, seizing control of everything.

You barely nod, chewing on your lip, trying not to cry even harder as his eyebrows rise in relief and he lets out a long sigh.

He lifts the ring out of the tin, snapping it closed before sliding the band back home onto your finger and all at once, everything floods you. The exhaustion, the pain, the hunger, thirst, grief wrapping around your bones and chaining you to the ground.

It’s over.

The minute he put the ring on your finger, it would mean it was over. No more blood, no more fighting.

Just like he promised.

You barely croak out his name before you fall to your knees. You trust him to catch you, and he does.

[THREE YEARS LATER]

Just after the Rumbling had stopped, you had gone back to Paradis alone and came back with three children to a man who was still uncertain in a world that was changing.

Since then, you’ve learned so much about the world, about yourself, about Reiner.

How he’s seized by night terrors even now, just like you, and how one thing that soothes it is going out for a walk while the sun still simmers below the horizon, the sky a dark navy blue spliced with orange rays. The intricate details like him making a point to tie his own tie because his father never taught him how or the way he has to chug his coffee so he has enough energy to get through the day.

And some days are horrible, haunting, but now, it is far outweighed by the good. He teaches Xav how to dress smart, takes the girls out shopping. Sometimes, he’s spotted around Liberio with a flame-haired boy riding his shoulders, you trailing behind hiding a smile behind some ice-cream.

Different nations, foods, cultures surround you now—citizens of countries coming to settle down roots, spread cuisine to Marley. The idea before, of humans so different than you but still similar at the root of it all, existing, still blows your mind. The technologies that you had never seen before, languages you’d never heard, sights you’d never seen, had all swarmed you as you stepped into a new world with him.

But there is always one thing you’ll come back to.

Leaning against the railing in the port city Reiner told you was the harbour he had left twelve years ago, and returned to seven years ago, you watch the clouds travel in slow drags across the pale blue canvas hung high above your head. The water spans for as far as you can see, glimmering under the sun and gorgeous enough to take your breath away. You pull at your coat across your chest absently, ignoring the tender growl of your stomach.

Breathing in the salty wind, you feel your chest expand at the litle fishing boats a little ways out.

Reiner was right. You don’t get sick of the sea. You never will—not of this much water. You still remember the first time you had swam in it, the salt-water making your hair crisp, the cold sweat forming on your your sun-warmed skin.

You feel a hand on your shoulder. Looking up, you spot blonde hair and warm eyes and smile. Your heart flutters a bit. You shift on your feet.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Reiner leans down beside you, and you clasp your hands, letting the sea wind curl against your neck. Reaching to slip his hand in between yours, he sighs and you lean against his shoulder, glancing at their pile of interlaced fingers. “Are you okay?”

“Of course,” you whisper, although even still, you can feel a numbing at your fingertips. You remember what it was like to be a Titan, even now. The sensations haunt you—flashes of your own mutated body, the grotesque meat of your hands sinking into the ankles of the man beside you, the bloodcurdling roar spilling out of your throat.

Glancing at their fingers, you watch the flashes of silver of the rings play in the sunlight, your band now having a matching counterpart on his own hand. You grasp his hands tightly, bringing them up to your lips and his own grip tightens when you dust a kiss gently along his scarred knuckles.

“No,” you finally say at length. “I’m not okay. Going back to Paradis makes me nervous as hell, but we’ll manage.” He nods slowly, and you let go of his hands to wrap your arms around his neck. His own encircle your waist, pulling you flush against him and your eyes close at the familiar warmth—a warmth you’ve woken up next to most days for the past three years.

“Have you eaten yet?” he murmurs, and your fingers play with the soft edges teasing at your pads as his nose presses against your cheek. Your eyes flutter at the soft heat emanating from his skin, and you shake your head, melting against him. With one arm still around you, he slants his body away from just enough to pull a bag out of his pocket and it crinkles as he hands it to you. Taking it, you frown and look inside.

A cream bun. You can’t help the crumbling in your expression and Reiner holds your face in his hands carefully, kissing the corner of your mouth.

“Let’s stay positive,” he whispers. “We don’t know the situation until we get there and Historia briefs us.”

“I know,” you whisper and his entire expression eases at your words. His eyes gaze at you as if you’re the sole centre of his universe, and he cups your jaw more insistently, pulling you in for a gentle kiss, one you ease into, your eyes fluttering shut as his tongue traces the seam of your mouth. Laughing, you feel his little nose scrunch and your heart bounds up into your throat as he pulls back only to kiss you again, softer this time.

“Get a room!” A sharp female voice ruins their moment and you pull back just enough to see a red-headed boy running towards them and Reiner crouches down just in time to scoop Xavier up.

“When are you getting married?” he demands. “I was promised cake when you guys got married.”

“I dunno. When you move out of the house I guess,” you tease and Xavier pouts, rubbing at the side of his nose with the heel of his palm.

“Besides, you got cake for your seventh birthday, buddy,” Reiner groans as the boy twists in his arms. “You’re getting heavy. What are you feeding him?” he adds, smiling roguishly at you and you roll your eyes as Alina and Anya approach, sun hats protecting them from the glaring sun. Alina, grocery bags in hand, waves. Anya, who’d been the one to shout, tucks her coin purse back into her bag before flashing you a great big smile.

Only fifteen and seventeen. You can barely recall what it’s like being that young anymore, but you’re grateful they didn’t spend it the way you did. They get to know beauty, and no limits at all. The former comes naturally, the latter is partially because Reiner spoils them rotten.

Alina picks a flower with velvety purple petals from a bouquet she cradles in her arm, extending it to you.

“For good luck,” she says. “And protection.” Your heart melts at her words and you pause for a moment, looking from the gorgeous bloom to Reiner, occupied with the boy in his arms making silly faces at him. Then, without another moment, you sneak the flower behind his ear and he reaches up immediately to hold it against his head, turning to you in surprise.

“To protect the both of us,” you explain.

“Thank you. I’ll be extra careful now.” He looks at the girls, setting his free hand on Alina’s head heavily and she flushes, smiling grandly. “You three behave while we’re gone, alright?”

You nod. “Listen to Levi.”

“And listen to your sister,” Reiner adds to Alina and Xavier. The former rolls her eyes, the latter sticks out his tongue. “I’ll miss you.”

This is their home—their family that tumbles together into a huge hug, and you can’t help but stand back, watching how they all seem to merge into one unit, unaware of where one part of their reach ends and another begins.

As Reiner pulls you into the hug, your heart soars through your body, effortlessly pounding in your throat and in your fingers and everywhere at once. Liquid heat pools everywhere as Xavier screws up his face when you kiss his cheek, the same way Reiner does after he’s eaten something sour.

And maybe it’s a bit different, or a bit broken, the shards of their bloody history still poking at their heels whenever they think you’ve forgotten them, and it’s most definitely not perfect, but you would rather have it like this then anything else.

“Hey, guys!” Breaking apart, the family look over to see Armin, Annie, and Pieck walking over. Gabi and Falco meander a little bit behind, pushing Levi in his wheelchair, and Jean and Connie are running not far behind them, shouting at one another. You stifle a laugh and Xavier shimmies out of Reiner’s hold to run towards them. The girls follow after him, trying to hold back their runs but the closer they get, you can tell the more frantic they are to say goodbye.

So this is what they’ve made a peace. Something, you hope, is good.

Annie bypasses them quickly, making her way over to you and you survey her face as Reiner squeezes your shoulder, walking over to their friends. Her blue eyes are fixed on your face, and you feel your lips curving into a smile as she shoves her hands in her pockets. Her hair is swaying in the wind, gleaming flaxen, and you remind yourself, not for the first time, that Armin and Annie’s kids, if they ever decide they want them, will be gorgeous.

Hope for the future, and all that.

She stops in front of you, tucking a strand behind her ear.

“So,” she says at length, “we’re going back to Paradis. I’m surprised you decided to come with us. You don’t owe any of us anything.”

“I know. But… you’re my best friend. You do the talking, I fly the getaway plane, right?”

“Yeah. There used to be a time when it probably would’ve been the opposite.”

You nod, and they stand in silence for a moment, watching each other. Two women who should not have been friends, but were against all odds. You don’t think you would be here today if it weren’t for Annie.

Your heart lurches and you take a step forward just as she does, her mouth open to say something. You throw your arms around her and she lets out a noise in surprise as you close your eyes. Arms coming underneath yours, her hands dig into your shoulders and you smile against soft hair as she sighs, easing into your hug.

“Finally working together on an actual assignment,” you mumble and her head tilts as her small frame shifts, a hand patting you on the back as a sign for you to back up. “Just like we always said we would.”

Bluntly: “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

“You, too.” Pulling back, the two look at one another for another soft moment before you remember the bag in your hand and you shift the bun up in the bag, extending it towards her. “Want some?” Her eyebrows rise in faint delight, before she’s reaching over, pinching and tearing a piece off.

You grin and do the same and you gesture for her to come stand by the rails with you, stuffing the bag into your coat pocket. Leaning against the warm metal again, you hear a seagull call. The plane you’ll be flying to Paradis floats on the water, the technicians giving it the final check before you take off.

If anything goes wrong while you help prepare and oversee accommodations for the rest of the ambassador group, you’ll remember to fire the black signal flare, but you trust Historia. You trust your friends.

You glance over at them, all laughing, and you notice that the flower has gone from Reiner to Pieck, who’s taking it out of her dark hair to tuck it into Jean’s, and his cheeks redden as he brushes it more securely behind his ear.

Annie catches your attention again, pointing out idly that they’ll have to separate soon when they finish with the plane, and you tell her to just wait a couple minutes more as Reiner catches your gaze. Setting Xav, who has somehow wormed his way back into his arms, down, he walks back over to you, and his hand trails purposefully over your back before resting at the nape of your neck, a reassuring weight on your body.

“You guys okay?”

“We’re fine,” Annie replies. “You have a clingy boyfriend,” she tells you.

“I think it’s charming.”

She rolls her eyes. Reiner smiles, and you pat the railing beside you—silent invitation. He leans in on your other side, clasping his hands and watching the fishermen pull themselves to shore, singing a tune to each other—one familiar to all three of them and one that you wish you could get out of your head.

“Soon may the Wellerman come…”

A faint breeze tickling at your fingertips as a sharp call for embarkment splits the harbour, you simply sigh and look over at Reiner. “I just want these last few moments to last.” His eyes meet yours, and he leans forward to press a kiss between your eyes. Annie lets out a soft noise of disgust and you bump your hip against her as Reiner pulls back.

Closing your eyes and lifting your head to the wind, you can almost imagine the one person missing standing on the other side of Annie, dark hair like spun, stained bronze and eyes like warm chocolate. He’d smile and tell them not to worry in that sincere way of his that makes you believe every word he says—as long as they were careful, they wouldn’t walk into any traps.

Your chest aches, and your lips tug into a heart-wrenching smile as you begin to sing along. Reiner slips a hand in between yours, pressing his temple against your head and you loop your other arm through Annie’s.

She rests her head on your shoulder, listening to your voice, eyes on the sailors bringing in their haul below them. Reiner hums the shanty softly, distractedly, eyes cast across the sea.

You tilt your head up to the sky, at the stars you cannot see but will join one day, and smile.

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cherry-holland · 2 years

Text

The Lion, the Witch, & the Serpent

Enchanted Encounter

Harry Potter x Latina!OC, Draco Malfoy x Latina!OC

Author’s note: welcome to this bonus chapter!! I loved writing this one, it’s so fucking cute 🥰 hope y’all enjoy!! Also sorry this is a bit late, forgot to schedule this post at its proper time 😅

All of Valeria’s thinking of Voldermort took up most of the trip, with the passings of saturated green pastures and the darker aesthetics of city life flying past her window, before she realized the train had gone underground, and somehow ended up in King’s Cross. The station was buzzing with travelers, some in suits with their dark leather suitcases, some with emerald green Jansports and massive overhead headphones with tiny cassette players attached to their belt loops. In quite a few ways, it reminded her of the time she went to Grand Central Station on a school field trip to the MACUSA headquarters, seeing No-Maj and wizards going about their business in a flurry of faces. But you always knew who was No-Maj and who wasn’t, and the same went for King’s Cross.

Although a ton of people were at the station, Valeria immediately spotted a few of the Ministry of Magic workers in their pinstripe suits and bowler hats, her noticing the very small, intricate emblem on their briefcases that would’ve been hidden in plain sight by No-Maj’s. Her trance came to a halt when Kip announced, “Val, we’re here! We’re at King’s Cross Station, London.”

Valeria scrambled to get out of the cabin, head in a daze as it hit her - she was here. Her next big step in life, her next adventure. The feeling she felt stepping off the train was nothing short of overwhelming wonder and anxiety, with the rush of excitement flowing through her veins. As she was taking in the city, a rather tall (taller than Fontaine or Dumbledore) man cleared his throat. Valeria looked up to notice the half-human, half-giant staring down at her, greeting with a slight wave. “‘Ello, yer mus be Valeria! I’m Hagrid, ‘n I’ll be helpin ya t’ git yer things fer yer upcomin school year!”

His thick Scottish accent was quite unusual for the American witch, but she immediately smiled wide, that excitement flooding her entire body. “Oh, great! Hi there, Hagrid!”

She eagerly held her hand out to shake, and Hagrid’s face lit up, his own massive hand reaching out to shake the thirteen-year-old’s small one. “Well, aren’t ya the nicest ‘Merican witch I’ve ever met! Now, come on, we’ve gots a ways ta go!”

Valeria fumbled around, grabbing her trunk and Persephone, who was also taking in the sights of the new city. Before leaving, Kip gave a slight nod and smiled at her. “Good luck at Hogwarts, Val! See you in the summer!”

Valeria waved goodbye to Kip as she followed Hagrid out of the station and into the heart of London. London, upon first impression, reminded her a lot of Boston, which she and her parents would go to a lot over the summer. Very old and traditional looking, with the Sam Goody’s and Borders stores bringing the city into the present time. What she did take note of was the building they stopped at, which at first looked abandoned.

“The Leaky Cauldron,” Hagrid said. “‘Tis where we’ll be goin’ to git to Diagon Alley.”

Valeria peered inside as Hagrid opened the door, and wrinkled her nose. “We get to Diagon Alley via a bar?”

Hagrid chuckled, which was very close to a roar. “Ya ‘Mericans, ya make me laugh. Yes, but tis ain’t no ordinary bar,” Hagrid emphasized, “tis the best way to steer clear o’ Muggles to enter in.”

“Muggles?” Valeria questioned.

“O ya, that’s right. Ya call it No-Maj, whate’r that means,” Hagrid responded.

Valeria walked into the bar, which was dimly lit and had creaky floors, and noticed a ton of witches and wizards littering the space. They were dressed in traditional wizarding clothes, which was abnormal to her outside of Ilvermony, as most witches and wizards in the US wore No-Maj, or as Hagrid called them Muggle, clothes most of the time. The thick scent of mead and butterbeers wafted through the space, the cackles and drunken giggles of the wizards and witches echoing back.

They walked right past all of this, until Hagrid opened up the back door to the bar, and Valeria followed suit, to be greeted by a brick wall. She could tell this was an enchanted wall, and it started to make sense to her. “This is how we get to Diagon Alley, isn’t it Hagrid?”

Hagrid nodded, looking down at the teen. “Yes it is, now stand back.”

Valeria moved a few paces back, shifting Persephone and her trunks as Hagrid took out a wand, and tapped the wall three times. The bricks shifted outwardly to reveal a narrow alley with countless stores framing the road. She looked ahead to see a large, white stoned building named Gringotts Bank, which she remembered seeing one in Boston whenever her and her parents went into the city. Adorning the streets were many witches and wizards, these ones mostly in muggle clothing (probably would have to get used to that phrase pretty soon, she thought), and some younger kids clutching long, black robes, which Valeria presumed to be Hogwarts robes.

Hagrid led her into the alley with a wide, toothy grin. “Welcome t’ Diagon Alley! Dumbledore asked me t’ help ya look fer yer books n supplies, so let’s git on wit it!”

Valeria smiled back at Hagrid as he led the way. They stopped at Flourish and Blotts to pick up her books, with the shop owner being super anxious and grumpy over getting her the copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which made sense though - because as soon as he went to go grab it, the book nearly bit his hand off. Hagrid laughed nervously, holding onto the book while they made their way to their next stop.

They made their way to Madam Malkin’s for Valeria’s robes fitting, which she found out Madam Malkin was a huge fan of her great aunt and uncle. She chatted endlessly about how she admired the work they did to stop Grindlewald, and flattered her once her Hogwarts wardrobes were all ready to go. Next was the Apothecary, which was where Valeria was also greeted by the store owner with admiration, this time for her grandfather and father. The owner knew of the two Lopez men well, and spoke very highly about them both.

All of the niceties of the store owners made her head spin. Even though she had been an “Ilvermony darling” as the students called it, she had never been so bombarded by strangers’ compliments about her family. I wonder if that’s how Potter feels, Valeria thought as she left the Apothecary.

Deep in her thoughts yet again, Valeria bumped into someone, hard. She dusted off her overalls as she apologized profusely, and it wasn’t until she saw the stranger pick up his glasses that she realized who it was.

The boy in front of her cautiously put his glasses back on his face, and turned crimson red upon seeing Valeria. His bright green eyes wore an apologetic expression, and his jet black hair was messily coiffed. “Oh, my, I’m so sorry…” he trailed off upon seeing Hagrid. “Hagrid! What are you doing here?”

“Oi, Harry! So good t’ see ya! I’m ‘ere helping Valeria Lopez get ‘er supplies fer the school year,” Hagrid bellowed, motioning at the young witch.

Valeria’s cheeks began to grow hot. Is she actually meeting the Harry Potter? “Hi, so sorry for bumping into you like that, normally I’m way better spatially,” she flustered, mentally cursing herself for being so awkward.

“It's no problem,” Harry shrugged, his rosy glow still intact. “I’m Harry.”

“I know who you are, and it is an honor to meet you,” Valeria blushed, her face growing as pink as Harry’s.

“Wait, you do?” Harry questioned. “I mean, I’m guessing from your accent that you’re an American, right? How do you know about me?”

“Yes you’re right,” Valeria giggled, “and over in the US we know all about the First Wizarding War, and how you stopped You-Know-Who. We learn about it at Ilvermony.”

“At where?” Harry asked, looking as puzzled as ever.

“Ilvermony! It’s the American’s Hogwarts,” Valeria said pridefully. “It’s where I’m transferring from actually.”

“Oh,” Harry said, bewildered, “I didn’t know there were other wizarding schools in the world.”

“Yeah, it's because of Hogwarts that the US has a school of their own, so we have you guys to thank,” she gestured to the alley, beaming.

“Val, we got t’ do one last stop before ye get yer school shoppin done,” Hagrid interrupted, an unfamiliar smirk on his face.

“Oh, I am so sorry Hagrid! Harry, it was so lovely to meet you, I hope I’ll see you in class sometime!” Valeria apologized, giving the young wizard a flashy smile.

“Oh, you’re in my year?” Harry asked, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, silly,” she giggled, “I’ll be a third year student this year.”

Harry’s face was practically as red as a cherry at her words, feeling like the world’s biggest git. “Yeah, of course. I’ll see you around!”

“Ye definitely will, Harry,” Hagrid shouted as he and Valeria were walking away, “Val’ll be stayin at The Leaky Cauldron, same as you.”

“Wait, there’s rooms in there?” Valeria asked as they were walking away from the raven-haired wizard.

“O’ course! No safer place than ‘ere, I tell ya,'' Hagrid replied, as they walked to their next destination.

—————

Hours later, Valeria had all of her school supplies ready and organized in her trunks, which were conveniently brought up into a room at the Leaky Cauldron. It was weird, she thought, being here at this bar she knew nothing of, all by her lonesome. But, when she came downstairs after supper, Harry was sitting at one of the long, oak wood tables with a red-headed wizard that looked to be their age.

Harry caught her eyes with a smile. Ever since they met in Diagon Alley, he could not stop thinking about the American witch, and her sparkly chocolate brown eyes and her delicate yet mature nature. She was unlike anyone Harry had met in the past three years of him finding out he was a wizard, and could not shut up about her to Ron, his best friend. Harry waved Valeria over mid-conversation with Ron, and Ron looked over in confusion.

“Ron, I would like you to meet Valeria,” Harry introduced. “She’s going to be going to Hogwarts with us, and she’s in our year.”

Valeria looked over at the redhead, who had a smug look painted on his face. “I go by Val. Hello, Ron, nice to meet ya!”

“Oh, it is so nice to meet you,” Ron smirked. “Harry here has been talking nothing but about you for the past two hours”

Harry’s eyes widened at Ron, kicking him hard under the table. “Please ignore Ron, Val, he’s just a right jokester.”

Valeria’s cheeks flushed pink at Ron’s words. “You’re fine, don’t worry,” she assured Harry as she took a seat next to him.

Valeria looked around and noticed that there were wanted posters plastered all over. The picture contained a photo of a scraggly looking wizard, who looked like he had life and all sanity drained out of him, maniacally laughing. “Hey, who’s that guy in the wanted posters?” She asked, pointing to one that was behind Ron.

Harry’s face turned pale, and Ron’s eyes grew worrisome. “Well, that there’s Sirius Black. He’s wanted for escaping Azkaban,” Ron replied, suddenly taking an interest in the hole what was in his maroon sweater he was wearing.

“Wait, the Sirius Black?” Valeria asked. “You mean the one who…”

“Yes, who was Voldermort’s right hand man,” Harry grunted. “And now he’s apparently after me.”

“Wait after you? What do you mean?” She questioned, her eyebrow cocked in confusion.

“It means that he wants to harm Harry,” another voice spoke from behind them. Valeria looked over to see a young witch, around her age, with darker brown hair than she had, and beautiful silky dark skin descending from the stairs in pajamas. “And I’m sorry, but who is this that you two are spilling secrets to?”

“This is Val Lopez, Harry met her in Diagon Alley this afternoon, and she’s going to be going to school with us this year,” Ron replied, that same smirk growing on his face.

The girl looked over at Ron in confusion, and then at Harry, who was looking around the room to avoid her eyes, and then at Valeria, her coffee colored eyes staring at her curiously. “You can’t be Valeria Lopez, who’s dad is the infamous Antonio Lopez, the man who brought Puerto Rican witchcraft into the Potions curriculum, and mum is Sarah Lopez-Kowalski, the daughter of Queenie and Jacob Kowalski, right?”

Valeria let out a nervous laugh in response. “Yeah, that’s my parents. How do you know all of this?”

“Hermione knows just about everything,” Harry responded, “and I guess it seems she knows about you too.”

Hermione huffed. “Of course if you two would actually read your coursework books last year, you would know this already. Valeria, it is an honor to meet you.”

“Thank you, Hermione. And you can call me Val, you don’t have to fuss with formalities,” she flushed again, fiddling with her palms.

Hermione gave her a nod and smile, and continued with their previous conversation. “We aren’t sure why Sirius would want to hurt Harry, but we know he’s really dangerous.”

“Well, of course he’s dangerous, you all know why,” Valeria said, eyebrows furrowed.

The trio looked at her with confusion. “We don’t actually,” Hermione spoke, “why, do you?”

Valeria felt everyone’s gaze on her as she responded, “Yeah, it's because of what he did to your parents, Harry.”

The three teens’ eyes grew wide in shock. Harry’s face looked so pained that it made Valeria wish she hadn’t said what she did. “What do you mean, Val?” He asked, turning to face her.

Valeria gulped loudly, her own eyes wide with nerves. “I thought this was already known by now. In Ilvermony I had a teacher, Professor Inez, that fought against Voldermort and the Death Eaters in the First Wizarding War. I dunno if you all knew, but we did have witches and wizards that came to fight them, and were a part of the Order-''

“Do you mean the Order of the Phoenix?” Ron interrupted.

“What’s that?” Harry asked.

“Yes Ron, the Order of the Phoenix,” Valeria responded. “The Order of the Phoenix is the army that fought against Voldermort during the War.”

Harry and Hermione nodded, the information starting to make sense. “Anyways,” she continued, “Professor Inez was in charge of making sure that you and your family didn’t get hurt by Voldermort, because he was heavily recruiting people to his side, and your parents already had said no to him before, and no one tells him no without them dying. So Dumbledore knew that he was going to be coming after your parents, Harry, so he had them use a Fidelius Charm to hide, and they used Sirius as the Secret-Keeper to hide that information. But, he gave that information over to Voldermort, and… well, you know.”

As soon as she looked over at the raven-haired boy, she knew telling them this was a mistake. Harry’s face was twisted with sadness and anger, hands balled up in a fist. Hermione and Ron’s faces were somber and filled with worry, looking at Harry to see his reaction. Harry slammed his fists on the table, the pain rushing into his face. “How come no one has told me this?” He shouted.

“We had no idea,” Ron consoled.

“I… I am so sorry, Harry, for saying any of this,” Valeria stammered, her heart falling into her gut. “I had no idea none of you knew any of this. It’s always been talked about in Ilvermony, and in the US. I…”

“Of course we wouldn’t know about that,” Hermione spat, “and Harry had no knowledge of his parents until a few years ago. They don’t tell us anything!”

Valeria felt so small and like the worst person in the universe for bluntly saying this information that was, apparently, not talked about in the UK. If her anxieties about starting Hogwarts weren’t already bad, this just made it three times worse. “I’ll just be going, then.” She said quietly, and immediately rushed out of the bar and upstairs to her room, not looking back at the three witches and wizards.

———————-

After a few hours of her brooding in bed, awake, staring into the London moonlight, a light knock came from her door. She turned over to the door, startled, until a soft voice came from the other end. “Can I come in?”

Valeria sighed as she recognized the British drawl was Harry’s. She got up and stumbled her way over to the door and swung it open, being greeted by Harry in his blue-striped pajamas and light blue robe. He looked exhausted as she felt, and it hurt him to see him look like that. “I’m surprised you’re here, Harry,” she yawned, clutching the door tightly.

“Well, I wanted to see how you were, since you left in such a hurry,” Harry spoke softly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“I figured you guys didn’t want to talk to me after I let all of that shit out,” Valeria sighed. “Harry, I had no idea you didn’t know, and I am so sorry for being the one to tell you that, it's not my place.”

Harry stepped forward, a furrow growing in between his eyebrows. “Val, you have nothing to apologize for. Can I come in?”

Valeria’s eyes grew slightly, blushing. “Um, yeah, of course you can.”

She opened the door wider and let him in and Harry was shocked at how homely she made the shabby room look. She had a blanket that looked homemade, with what seemed to be family crests sewn into one big cloth, her owl perched so beautifully in its crate, staring at Harry with her big yellow eyes. She had what looked to be incense blowing in an incense burner on top of her dresser, the scent of jasmine wafting his nose. Her trunks were neatly tucked away in the corner next to her owl’s crate, and his eyes roamed over to her nightstand, which had a cranberry and indigo leather-bound notebook, with what seemed to be some sort of cat on the cover. It astonished Harry how she got the stuffy room looking like a bit of home, and he instantly felt as if he was home… well, a home he would like to have.

He turned to look at the girl, as she was twiddling her thumbs, anxiously waiting for him to say something. His face softened seeing her worried expression, her mahogany eyes boring into Harry’s greens. “Val, I want you to know that what you told us back there after dinner, we do not hate you at all. It just took us by surprise, that's all.”

“Yeah, but I know I would’ve been so hurt hearing that from a complete stranger,” Valeria sighed, carding her fingers through her dark, messy curls as she sat down on her bed. “I hope you don’t hate me.”

The way Valeria’s voice grew small after those words made Harry’s heart lurch. “We don’t… I don’t,” he assured her, taking a seat next to her.

The two looked up at each other, Harry’s eyes filled with comfort at her anxious ones. Valeria gave a faint smile, her heart fluttering at his gaze. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome,” Harry replied, his own heart ablaze. “Also, tomorrow, we’re going into Hogwarts via Ministry cars, if you would like to come with us.”

“Wait, Ministry cars? Is this because of Black?” Valeria implored in her regular tone of voice.

“Yeah, the Ministry thinks Black is after me, and it makes sense now with what you told us back there,” Harry responded, scratching his head.

“Well, I know I’m supposed to be going on the train to Hogwarts, but I guess I could write to Dumbledore to let him know I’ll be arriving via car,” she thought aloud.

“I’m sure he will let you come along with,” Harry encouraged her, “you can send your owl…”

“Persephone,” Valeria finished for him.

“Persephone…” Harry trailed. “Just like the goddess?”

“Yep, just like the goddess,” the American nodded, getting up from the bed to pet her owl, who finally turned her cautious glare from Harry to a sweet gaze to Valeria, closing her eyes as the teen petted her.

“She seems nice,” Harry said, walking over to her cage. “Can I?”

“Of course you can!” Valeria replied, opening up Persephone’s cage slightly.

The grey bird shifted in her cage to turn to Harry, who was already standing in front of her. He let out a curled finger nervously, waiting for the owl to respond. The two watched as Persephone looked at his finger, looked at Harry, and brought her head to his hand, as if to motion to be pet.

“Oh, she likes you,” Valeria whistled. “I haven’t seen her act like that with new people. It usually takes a little bit for her to even want any sort of pet or cuddle from someone new, so that’s a good thing.”

Harry beamed at the girl, then turning to the sweet owl, who had her eyes closed, enjoying the moment. “Well I know I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end if she doesn’t like someone.”

“Oh yeah, you would not want that, trust me,” Valeria laughed.

Once Persephone decided she had enough petting from Harry, Valeria closed the golden cage, and walked Harry to the door. They got to chatting about Hogwarts and the teachers there, and about her time at Ilvermony, and about how excited they were to start their third years.

“You mean, you don’t know what your house is going to be yet? You’ll have to get sorted once you get there?” Harry inquired, standing outside of the door.

“Yeah, Dumbledore said I have to get re-sorted into the houses you all have,” Valeria answered.

“Well, I hope you get Gryffindor,” Harry smiled, “that’s the house that Ron, Hermione, and I’m in.”

“Hmm, Gryffindor? I’m not too sure as to what that is, or means,” her brow furrowed. “I guess I’ll find out tomorrow, huh?”

“Just know that it's the best house in the school,” Harry gloated. “But I will say, the one house you don’t want is Slytherin.”

“Slytherin?” Valeria asked, her face still stuck in confusion.

“Yep, Slytherin. It’s where most wizards and witches go bad in, house-wise,” Harry nodded curtly.

“Hmm, I’ll make sure I’m not in there then,” Valeria chuckled nervously, fiddling with the hem of her satin purple pajamas.

“I don’t see you as a Slytherin though, so you should be okay,” Harry reassured Valeria, her gaze meeting his and, yet again, the blush threatening to take over her face.

She thanked him, and the pair decided to turn in for the night, with Harry going into his room, and Valeria closing her room door. She couldn’t get the cheesy smile off her face after he left, the boy leaving her feeling like she was on cloud nine. A new surge of confidence washed over her as she turned off her nightstand light, finally able to fall asleep knowing that her first day at Hogwarts was going to be better than she originally thought, now that she didn’t have to worry about Ron and Hermione, and especially Harry, hating her. It’s gonna be a good year.

Taglist: @osterfield-holland-andcompany @74limelight

#harry potter fic #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter prisoner of azkaban #harry potter #prisoner of azkaban #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy fic #draco malfoy #fantastic beats the crimes of grindelwald #fantastic beats and where to find them #fantastic beasts #my writing

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dialovers-translations · 3 years

Text

Diabolik Lovers VANDEAD CARNIVAL ;; Ruki Route ー Chapter 4

ー The scene starts on the Carnival’s venue

Yui: Wait, Ruki-kun! Where are we going?

Ruki: Apparently the Sky Terrace we were informed of earlier has a facility which treats injuries. We’re headed there.

Yui: A facility which treats injuries? At the Sky Terrace...?

Ruki: Don’t ask me about the details, but it says so on this flyer. It’s worth checking out, don’t you think?

Yui: ( Could it be...For the wound on my arm? )

Ruki-kun, the injury on my arm is fine, you know? I only lightly scraped it, and it already stopped bleeding as well, so...

Ruki: It’s not ‘fine’, is it. I’m the one who made you get hurt. I’ll take proper responsibility.

All you need to do is keep quiet and follow behind me.

Yui: ( It really is fine though...Ruki-kun must be really worried about it. )

( I got away with just a light scratch because Ruki-kun saved me...So he definitely shouldn’t blame himself. )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene skips to the Sky Terrace

Yui: ‘Refresh at our spa, a space for relaxation’...

So the facility to have your injuries treated is actually a spa...

( It looks like an open air bath. So they have these in the Demon World too... )

Ruki: The hot water in this bath is said to be highly effective for the treatment of injuries. The flyer from earlier made that very clear.

I don’t want to blindly trust those words...But it’s worth the try. Go ahead and take a nice, long bath.

Yui: Huh? You won’t take one too?

Ruki: I’m fine. I’ll wait for you here.

Yui: But...I feel bad for making you wait all by yourself...

Ruki: Haha...What’s that? You’re being rather bold today.

You even want to be together with me in the bath...Where you’d have to take off all your clothes to get inside?

Yui: Together...?

( Don’t tell me, it’s a mixed bath!? )

Ruki: Well, if you insist, I don’t mind considering it...

What do you say?

Yui: S-Sorry! Please wait here after all...!

Ruki: That’s why I told you. ...Besides.

ー He steps closer

*Rustle*

Yui: Eh? ...W-What? Ruki-kun?

Ruki: I’m sure you haven’t picked up on it, but I’ve been sensing a strange aura this whole time.

Yui: A strange aura...?

Ruki: Yes. It seems like there’s someone who is trying to sniff us out.

I can only assume you would be their target. You’re the Queen of the Carnival after all.

If we were to be attacked, I would rather not be completely naked. That’s why I’ll stand guard right here.

Yui: ...Uhm, does that mean...I’d have to run away without any clothes on?

Ruki: Don’t worry. Livestock never needed clothes to begin with.

Yui: No way, how could you say that...!?

Ruki: Hah...Come on, just get going. I said you could take your time, but get out before you get dizzy, okay? (1)

Yui: ( I honestly don’t know if Ruki-kun is kind or not... )

ー The scene shifts to inside the spa

Yui: Hm...

( Ruki-kun said there’s someone tracking us down but...Who could it be? )

( I wonder if the ‘Queen of the Carnival’ thing Ruki-kun mentioned is related to it after all? )

( However, the scent of my blood should be suppressed, so why would they target me...? )

...Ah.

*Splash*

Yui: ( Amazing...! I’ve only been soaking in the water for a few minutes, but the wound is already healing! )

( So it really does have a healing effect. )

( ...I’m glad. Once my injuries are all better, Ruki-kun won’t have to worry about it anymore either. )

*SCENE SHIFT*

Ruki: ...

...So they’ve started moving.

However, this presence...

...

...Seems like things might get a little troublesome.

*SCENE SHIFT*

Yui: ( ...Wow. You can’t even tell I ever hurt myself anymore. )

( As to be expected of the Demon World, it’s almost like magic. In that case, I suppose I can get ouーー )

*Rattle*

Yui: ...Eh?

ー Ruki steps inside

Yui: Wha...Ruki-kun!?

Ruki: Quiet. Your voice echoes.

Yui: I can’t be quiet right now! Why are you here...!?

*Splash*

Yui: ( He’s touching the water...? W-What is he doing...? )

Ruki: ...Haah.

Yui: Uhm, Ruki-kun...?

Ruki: How long do you intend to stay in there? If your wounds have healed, hurry up and get out. Let’s go.

Yui: Eh!? H-Hold up!

ー Yui gets out of the water

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: Wait, Ruki-kun! I haven’t properly put on my clothes yet...!

Ruki: Don’t dawdle. You should at least be able to get dressed swiftly.

Yui: Easy for you to say...

ー She fixes her clothes

Ruki: ...Oi.

*Rustle*

Yui: ( ...His hand is on my hip...! )

Ruki: Behave yourself. ...They’re here.

Yui: Eh...?

???: ーー Blood...

Thirsty Vampire A: The scent of delicious blood...!

Yui: ( W-What? We’re surrounded by Vampires...!? )

Thirsty Vampire B: Give us your blood, human...!

Yui: ( Compared to the Vampires we’ve crossed paths with up till now, there’s clearly something wrong with them...! )

( They’re all after my blood...? )

( However, the bleeding has stopped and the wound is gone too, so why...!? )

Ruki: ...I knew it.

Either way, we have to get past them first. I’ll explain everything laーー

*Thud*

Yui: Ow...!

Ruki: Oi, Yui!

Yui: ( What pushed me just now? It was an incredible force...! )

( ...Oh no! I got separated from Ruki-kun! )

Ruki: Yui, stay here! I’llーー

*Rustle*

ー The screen becomes blurry

Yui: ...What!?

( Next is, some sort of powder...!? )

Ruki: Fuck, they even prepared this...!

ー Yui closes her eyes

Yui: ( What is this powder...!? I can’t keep my eyes open...! )

( At this rate, I’ll only get even further away from Ruki-kun...! )

Ruki: Yui, just stay there! Don’t move carelessly!

Yui: O-Okay...!

*Rustle*

ー Somebody grabs hold of her wrist

Yui: Ah!

Thirsty Vampire C: Hehe...Gotcha...

Thirsty Vampire B: Aah, it’s the scent of delicious blood...Makes me want to suck her dry down to the very last drop.

Yui: No, stop...!

Ruki: Yui!! Don’t move!

Yui: ( Even if he says that, the Vampires are pushing me...! )

Thirsty Vampire A: Well then, human...Let us savor you thoroughly...

Yui: ...Stop...!

ー She continues backing away, accidentally stepping off the edge

*Rustle*

Yui: ...Eh?

( There’s no...ground under my feet...? )

Ruki: Yui!!

( Right...This is a terrace so... )

( ...I’m fallingーー...!! )

ー Yui tumbles off the edge

*Thud*

Yui: ( ...Huh...? )

Ruki: ーー Open your eyes. Everything is okay now.

ー She opens her eyes

Yui: Ruki-kun...!

Ruki: Don’t make such pathetic noises. ...Were you that scared?

Yui: I mean, we got separated and I nearly had my blood sucked as well...I thought I was going to fall.

Ruki: That’s why I told you to keep still.

Good grief, how many times do you intend to give me a near heart attack (2)?

Yui: Sorry...

Ruki: I’ll listen to all your apologies later. For now...Don’t let go. Hold onto me tightly.

Yui: ...Yeah.

( Ruki-kun saved me again... )

...Say, Ruki-kun? How did you know where I was?

There were tons of Vampires flocking around me and you shouldn’t have been able to see because of the white powder they scattered about...

Ruki: Who knows.

I was most definitely blinded and without the scent of your blood to go off of, I couldn’t act on the spot.

But even so...From the second I knew you had tumbled off the terrace, I jumped off without thinking.

Without a single clue and relying only on vague sensations, I desperately reached out my arms.

Anyway, I simply trusted on my instinct and wholehearted intent to save you...Which is how I managed to catch you in my arms like this.

I’m usually not the type of person to rely on something unless I’ve confirmed it with my very own eyes though...Heh...It truly is strange.

Yui: ...Thank you, Ruki-kun. For coming to my rescue.

Ruki: I’m glad you’re safe.

Oi, hang on tight. While we’re up in the air, let’s head straight there.

Yui: Head...To where?

Ruki: To his castle. You are the Queen after all. Or have you forgotten your own duty perhaps?

Yui: Ah...Right. That’s true.

( Once we’re there...I’ll have my duties as the Queen, so I won’t be able to spend time at the Carnival with Ruki-kun like this. )

...

Ruki: Oh? Now this is new. You rarely snuggle up to me like this...

Yui: It’s because I’m scared I’ll fall...

Ruki: ...In that case, I’ll take you to the castle slowly.

We’re running short on time but...Well, I suppose it’s fine. The star of the show always arrives late.

Once we’ve reached the castle...My duty will come to an end.

Until then...Go ahead and enjoy this time to your heart’s content.

Yui: ( This really is the end... )

( I feel like our time together really flew by today. )

( Once we’re at the castle and I’ve fulfilled my duties as this ‘Queen of the Carnival’, I’ll have to say farewell to Ruki-kun, right? )

( ... )

( I want to spend more time with Ruki-kun after all... )

( I’d be sad if things were to end like this... )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the area in front of the castle

Yui: ( ...We’ve already arrived. )

( This is where ‘that man’, the person Ruki-kun and the others obey, lives... )

Ruki: Yui, I’m putting you down.

Yui: Y-Yeah...

*Rustle*

Ruki: ...This is the venue. Let’s go.

Yui: Y-Yeah...

ー The scene shifts to the living room

Yui: ( There’s nobody here...? )

Ruki: Yui, don’t wander around.

Yui: Ah, yeah.

Say, Ruki-kun? What exactly does the Queen have toーー

Ruki: My sincere apologies for the wait. ーー Karlheinz-sama.

Yui: ( Karlheinz-sama...? )

Karlheinz: Raise your head, Ruki. No need to be so humble.

Ruki: Yes.

Yui, you should greet him too. This is Karlheinz-sama...The owner of this castle, as well as the King of Vampires.

( Then this the infamous ‘that man’ who Ruki-kun and the others follow? )

( They owe their lives to him, right...? )

Karlheinz: Hello, Eve. I suppose it is my first time meeting you looking like this? My apologies for the belated greeting.

Yui: Ah, n-no! Nice to meet you. I’m Komori Yui. Uhm, you see...!

Ruki: Yui, calm down a little.

Karlheinz: Fufu...No need to bow your head to me. You are the star of tonight after all.

How was it, Ruki? Did you enjoy the Carnival?

Ruki: ...I did. Although we ran into a few close calls as well.

Karlheinz: Hooh? That must have been quite misfortunate.

However...You were able to deal with all of it, no?

Ruki: ...You were the one behind it after all, weren’t you? I figured that might be the case.

Yui: Eh? ...Ruki-kun, what do you mean?

Ruki: That everything which happened to us today was part of this man’s plan.

Yui: Everything...To which extent?

Ruki: Everything is everything. The creepy magician and clowns at Saint Nore Park...

I’m sure the Vampires who attacked us on the sky terrace were doing so under his direct order as well.

Yui: ( Then...He put us in danger on purpose...? )

( ...That’s just so... )

Karlheinz: I expected no less from you, Ruki. You are as clever as ever. When did you realize?

Ruki: The surrounding Vampires would target her, despite the fact the wound on her arm had healed.

Afterwards, I touched the bath water...and then my suspicions were confirmed. I could sense your magic in it.

Karlheinz: Inflicting injury upon Eve was not part of my plan. To make it up to you, I healed her wounds.

She is your precious Eve, right? You still have a long way to go Ruki, since you let her blood spill from something other than your fangs.

Ruki: My sincere apologies.

Yui: No way...Why are you apologizing, Ruki-kun...?

Ruki-kun protected me the best he could...!

Ruki-kun...Why would you say sorry?

Ruki: Yui?

Yui: I mean, we’re the ones who were in danger, right...?

Ruki: Cut it out, Yui. I get why you would grow defiant after everything you’ve been through butーー

Yui: No, that’s not what I’m trying to say...!

This person...He tested you, didn’t he?

Toying with a person’s feelings like that...Is simply something I can’t let slide.

( How dare he test Ruki-kun, who was so worried about my injuries, looking at me with a strained look in his eyes...That’s just too cruel! )

Karlheinz: Toy with a person’s feelings...Huh? I can’t deny that.

When you’ve lived as long as I have, you can’t help but develop some questionable tastes.

Yui: ...If you feel bad, then apologize to Ruki-kun, please.

Ruki: ...Don’t be ridiculous! How could you ask him to apologize?

Yui: You were being tested too, you know!? That’s just too mean...!

Ruki: Even if you think that way, you should realize who you are talking to. I’m sure you know that much, no?

Yui: ...However, it isn’t good to hide how you truly feel.

Ruki: What...?

Yui: You’re the one who said I should learn to be confident and walk with pride...Yet you’re hiding your feelings too.

Ruki: ...That’s not true. Iーー

Karlheinz: Hold it, Ruki.

I agree with her.

You are absolutely correct, Eve. I shall express my remorse.

My bad.

Yui: ...

Selection

→ Me too... (☾)

Yui: I’m sorry too. I really ran my mouth...

But...Having you think of my special someone that way makes me sad, I don’t like it...

Especially since I know how important you are to Ruki-kun...

Ruki: ...

Karlheinz: Right. ...Ruki, I’m sorry.

Ruki: No...

→ Please apologize to Ruki-kun

Yui: Please apologize to Ruki-kun instead of to me.

Karlheinz: I see. That is valid too.

Ruki, I’m sorry.

Ruki: N-No...

Ruki: ...Heh.

I never thought you’d get the person who is basically what you would consider this world’s God to bow his head to you. You truly are...

Yui: I-I know I said some rude things! But...!

Ruki: I’m not criticizing you. ...I just thought I could never match you.

No matter how ordinary, foolish or shallow-minded of a woman you may be...You really are Eve after all.

Yui: ( Ruki-kun... )

Ruki: ...Karlheinz-sama. Can I say something?

Karlheinz: Yes, I do not mind.

Ruki: I...am standing here right now because of you.

My loyalty I vowed to you back then...Has not changed one bit to this day.

Therefore, I tried my very hardest to become Adam. To fulfill your wish.

...However, it seems like I am uncapable of becoming Adam after all.

Eve is...This is who she is.

While I would not call her perfect in every sense, she is still too good for me. ...Not suitable for a faulty Vampire such as myself...

My sincere apologies for failing to meet your expectations, even though I was willing to give it my everything.

Karlheinz: Then, Ruki, will you ーー give up on her?

Ruki: ...She should not belong to a person who is unable of becoming Adam.

Karlheinz: You are simply stating the truth. I want to know how you truly feel.

I said I agreed with Eve when she claimed you are hiding your feelings, did I not?

I am sure Eve wants to hear them too. ...Right?

Yui: ...Yes.

Ruki-kun...I want to know how you feel too.

Unrelated to this whole Adam and Eve thing, your raw feelings.

Ruki: ...But.

Karlheinz: Ruki. You should be more free.

You are a capable guy. You did a fine job heeding my words, and did everything within your power to fulfill my wish.

And up till now, you’ve always suppressed your ego and your own desires...

I am aware that you have put in the effort to be a proud Vampire, living your life according to my ideals.

However...Have you realized that this has made you blind to what is actually most important?

Ruki: ...

Karlheinz: ...Ruki. How important is Eve to you?

Is the lady standing next to you right now...Not worth it to toss away those ideals and values for?

Ruki: ...Karlheinz-sama.

Karlheinz: I do not know how you feel about it, but my answer is simple, Ruki.

Ruki: I...

*Ding ding*

Karlheinz: Oh dear. It’s time already.

Eve...No, I suppose I shall call you Queen of the Carnival right now. You are the star of tonight. Go ahead and head to the venue.

The purpose of this Carnival is to celebrate the birth of Adam and Eve. In short, it’s a banquet held for your sake.

Originally, Adam would have been celebrated alongside you as King of the Carnival, however...

Ruki: ...

Karlheinz: I suppose it is fine. I am not that cruel to pick a fruit which has only just begun to ripen.

However...The people are waiting for you to become Adam, Ruki.

Those waiting are...The people who have seen you with Eve throughout today.

Why don’t you try doing the same, and believe in the things they saw with their very own eyes?

Well then Eve, until we meet again.

ー Karlheinz leaves

Yui: ( ...So that’s Karlheinz-san. He’s quite the mysterious person... )

Ruki: ...

Yui: ( ...Ruki-kun couldn’t give him an answer. )

( I wonder what’s on his mind right now? No matter how much time we spend together, I can’t tell unless he directly tells me... )

Ruki: ...There’s a hall in the back.

Yui: Eh...?

Ruki: If there’s people waiting for us there, we can’t run away now, can we?

Yui: ( Does that mean...? )

...You’ll come with me too?

Ruki: I don’t mind staying here if you claim you have the courage to open that door all by yourself?

Yui: I-I can’t do it by myself!

I want to be with you. It has to be you, nobody else.

Ruki: ...

I...still can’t believe that I can become Adam. Regardless of what others may tell me.

...Howeverーー

I suppose it wouldn’t be bad to play the role of Adam just for that...At least that’s what I think.

Standing proudly by your side.

Yui: Ruki-kun...

If I am allowed to prioritize my own feelings...I will grab your hand first thing without hesitation.

Yui: ...Yeah, go ahead. I believe in those feelings of you too.

Ruki: Yes...Yui, your hand please?

*Rustle*

Ruki: ...Even if it’s just for today, will you be mine?

Yui: ...Yes.

Ruki: ...Even if this is nothing but a fleeting dream which will be over in the blink of an eye.

Right now...You are mine, Yui.

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) In Japan, people tend to take baths in really hot water, so it is not uncommon for people to soak for too long and grow dizzy as a result of the heat + the steam surrounding the bath.

(2) In Japanese, the expression literally means ‘to cool down one’s liver’ and it’s used to imply that you give someone a scare.

← RETURN TO CHAPTER 3

→ PROCEED TO FINALE ENDING

→ PROCEED TO NORMAL ENDING

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #ruki mukami #vandead carnival #diabolik lovers translation #vcrukichapter4

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ushidoux · 3 years

Text

A Life Well Lived - Bokuto x Reader (Pt. 1)

Summary: An immortal meets a human she’s meant to care for temporarily. ‘Care for’ and ‘temporarily’ are not well defined. (1.7k words)

Warnings: these will change by chapter, but for this one, I guess alcohol

A/N: Hey yall, it’s your girl starting yet another mini-chapter fic, please bear with me. This popped into my head and I got excited, let me know what you think or if I should continue.

When you gaze upon your human the first time, you’re genuinely surprised.

He is terribly young, to the point that it shocks you, although you’re not sure you’ve ever really experienced ‘shock.’

You cannot estimate exactly how old he is (from your studies, humans age extremely variably) but from the looks of it, he’s somewhere in his early to mid 20s. He looks healthy and happy too, you note, as you sit perched on a large tree, enhanced vision allowing you to pierce through the very ceiling of the large restaurant in which he’s seated and laughing boisterously while he enjoys a dinner with friends that seem to love him dearly.

You scratch your head before turning to your hovering aide called a Companion, a bouncing bright light not unlike any of the stars that hang above in the night sky. Your Companion is a semi-sentient link to the celestial realm from which you were born and is similar to what humans would call pets, albeit more intelligent and able to quickly provide you information; yours, however, tends to be on the quiet side unless you ask it questions.

Your first question is to confirm that you are indeed looking at the right human. It would be embarrassing if your instructor found out you had been tagging along behind the wrong subject the entire time, leaving your true human defenseless, but you couldn’t say it was the first time it had happened in the history of GA training. Guardian Angel trainees weren’t always selected for promotion strictly based off of their attentiveness, even if it was a crucial requirement for the job.

<< Companion, am I surveilling the right human? >> You ask, tentatively. Your lips don’t form words, but rather think thoughts that the Companion understands. The light seems to glow a brighter gold then retreats to its normal luminance before replying to your question.

<< Bokuto Koutaro is the one you have been bonded to. Your eyes rest on the correct subject. >>

You frown. It’s not a good thing to have a young subject as a trainee. Trainees work on stints of two to three years maximum, which means that this young man, so full of life and cheer, will not be long for this world if you truly are meant to be his keeper. The fact is a bit upsetting, but you remember that this is the nature of the role you were created to fill. Two years, ten years, twenty years of life was not very much time in the grand scheme of things, anyway. Mortals live relatively short lives regardless.

The moon above you is full, and you continue to watch him carefully in the light, still settled weightlessly on the same tree branch and humming quietly to yourself as the night progresses. He’s drunk, you realize once he finally leaves the building, and a young man whose name he mumbles intermittently - Akaashi, is it? - is all but carrying him into a cab and leading him home. You giggle as Koutaro burps loudly into Akaashi’s face while he attempts to push him into the vehicle.

Humans are so funny.

When the car starts to leave, you stretch out your wings and glide through the dim sky, your Companion besides you, to follow your human to his home.

It turns out to be a short trip towards a modestly sized apartment building, and Koutaro stumbles out and makes his way safely to the elevator and all the way up until his front door. He struggles to find his key card in his wallet, which he drops more than once, but eventually he makes his way in. You notice a couple of loose bills he drops on the ground and decide to pick them up for him and drop them on his kitchen counter.

Koutaro does not take off his shoes at the door, but he kicks them off right before he collapses onto his couch instead of his bed, and they go flying in your direction, you phasing in and out of your physical form just in time so that they don’t hit you square in the chest. You think that you probably shouldn’t stay in this form, but you’re bored of floating and sit instead on his kitchen counter.

He falls asleep almost instantly, laid on his belly and snoring loudly, one arm dangling off of the couch.

You’re surprised he can slip out of consciousness that quickly, but he really is quite inebriated. Usually at this time, you can give yourself a little break and allow your Companion to monitor for any sudden changes while you find something else to do to pass the time other than stare at him, but instead you watch him sleep a little longer.

The young man is fascinating. Granted, you haven’t had experience with tons of humans before this, but he’s notable. First of all, he’s larger in frame than the average human, and his hair is an unusual color and shape. His eyes, when open, are gold like your Companion, and his smile is warm.

His snore is really quite loud though, but suddenly it stops and for a moment you are nervous he’s stopped breathing. You go over to check and roll him onto his back, not bothering to shroud yourself in invisibility immediately thereafter because there’s absolutely no way he’ll wake up with how soundly he’s asleep.

Until he does.

Bokuto’s golden eyes shoot open in the dark, and suddenly he’s staring right at you, and those same eyes become wide like saucers.

He gasps and you gasp, and immediately out of panic, you disappear.

You jump up in the air, letting your wings flap once to create distance between you, even though his frantically searching eyes can no longer see you now that you’ve shrouded yourself from view, and you watch him sober up immediately as he tries to come to terms with what he just saw.

He flips on all the lights, looking frantically for the spirit appearing like a young woman who just hovered mere inches from his face, and his heart is pounding - you can hear it from here - while you continue to float, unsure if you should leave him alone for now and escape back to your realm.

You’ve royally fucked up. Maybe he’ll forget because he’s drunk, you hope, biting your lip.

Instead, he calls a friend.

“There’s a ghost in my room!” He yells. Your ears are tuned to the other end of the phone where you can hear a groggy, exasperated voice remind him that it’s 3am and hang up the phone promptly. It’s the same friend from earlier; it seems like his fright today is not out of the realm of his usual antics.

Bokuto looks absolutely panicked now and sits back on the couch, legs pulled into his chest. You wonder if he’ll actually die from fright, so pale he now seems as he looks around, unable to sleep.

Maybe you take a little bit of pity on him, because you turn off your Companion who helps you but also monitors your every move, and decide disaffectedly to break the rules again. It’s only meant to be for a moment, just to assuage his fears, and you drop yourself back to the ground and reveal yourself.

“Don’t be afraid,” you say in a small, gentle voice, as you stand before him. “... I’m not a ghost.”

You’re not exactly sure what more to say after that. The young man’s eyes are wide, incredibly wide again, and his mouth takes the form of an O as he takes you in.

Your wings are not very large but they’re not small either and they’re untucked, and you realize he’s staring at those rather than your face.

“... Angel?!” He exclaims.

You nod, perhaps too solemnly, and he looks like he’s about to faint.

“I’m dying, aren’t I? I’m fucking dying! I drank too much and I’m fucking dead! I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead!” He is now wailing, no longer looking at you, but burying his face in the couch cushions dramatically.

You approach slowly, not sure what to do with a crying human, and he gets up suddenly and looks at you pitifully.

“Heaven or hell?”

“What?” You repeat, and he doesn’t seem phased by the fact that you, a stranger with wings and a halo are speaking to him, but rather that his life is coming to an end.

“Am I going to hell? I think I shoplifted once when I was a kid… Some grapes! I stole some grapes and I’m going to hell for that, aren’t I?!”

His lower lip is quivering and he’s waiting for an answer, but before you can speak, he is wailing again.

“Give me another chance!!! I didn’t know better and I was hungry!”

You’re stunned, and then a little flustered. For goodness’ sake...

“Y-you’re not dying!” You finally exclaim.

He’s back in sorts for just a moment, and blinks, looking at you with surprise.

“I’m not?”

Not yet, anyway, you think. You clear your throat.

“I-I’m your guardian angel.”

As soon as that comes out of your mouth, you wince, because you already know that you’re breaking too many rules at once, even if your Companion is turned off and can’t report you. You’re not exactly sure why you’re telling him the truth like this in the first place, but the sight of the crying human gets to you, especially since you feel bad for what is yet to come for him.

Before you know it, he’s reached out for you surprisingly fast, and to your shock, he now holds your face in his hands. His hands are large, gentle and warmer than anything you’ve ever felt in your life. You can hear his heartbeat through his palms. It pounds.

You don’t have a heart, but if you did, you think it would have stopped. There’s a split second of wonder that you detect from his golden eyes as he drinks your face in, confirming that you are indeed real and he is not dreaming. Even in the dark, you can see redness form on his cheeks anew, still from the alcohol that he consumed too freely hours earlier. Probably.

It occurs to you that something again is very wrong, this feeling of doom that seems to arise from inside you, even though you are immortal and this is a human destined to die.

He’s too bold. There’s too much intensity in his eyes.

You fade into nothingness and disappear for the night.

#bokuto x reader #bokuto koutaro x reader #bokuto koutaro #bokuto #fic: a life well lived #haikyuu #fantasy! au #mae.writing

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rosemaidenvixen · 3 years

Text

A Secret’s Worth

Chapter 17: Jim

Ao3

Content warning: Things get pretty intense in this chapter in a lot of ways. I can't be detailed without spoiling the events of the chapter, so I'll put more the general warnings in the tags. If you want more specific warnings you can click the link above and go to the Ao3 page where I’ve posted the spoiler filled warnings in the bottom notes. And if anyone feels like I didn’t tag/warn about something that I should have please let me know. This is your warning, here be dragons, proceed with caution.

There was a stain in the carpet, from coffee if he had to guess. A dark brown spot glaringly obvious against the beige. It looked just big enough for his hand to cover.

“Jim, are you listening?”

He jerked his eyes up from the floor towards the desk in front of him.

“Sorry what was that?”

Her lips turned downwards into a tiny frown “We were discussing your goals Jim,”

“Oh, right….” he drummed his fingers against his knees.

A goal. Jim had still been trying to think of one when he zoned out looking at the carpet.

Couldn’t do any kind of job or college, those weren’t happening for him. She’d said their goals could be as long term or short term as they wanted, so maybe--

“My goal is to buy my own Vespa,” Jim said, giving himself a mental pat on the back as he did.

Owning his own Vespa. Nice, realistic, normal. A good, solid goal that no one should look twice at.

The frown melted away into a wide smile “That’s great, do you have anywhere you want to go in your Vespa?”

His face blanked, stomach dropping no less than two inches.

Stupid.

People wanted cars and Vespas and stuff because they wanted to go places in them. Unlike Jim who was never going to leave his hometown.

“Ummm…..not sure, all the places I normally go I guess,” he forced his voice to stay even despite the squirming in his belly.

Her porcelain smile remained fixed in place “I think that sounds like an excellent goal, but how about you try to think of a more long term goal before the end of the school year?”

Jim nodded along, digging his fingers into his jeans to distract himself from the hot, fluttery feeling sweeping over his entire body.

Was she suspicious? Did she pick up on how he wasn’t actually planning on going anywhere? Was she going to call Dorrie the second he left her office?

“Ok, long term goal next time, I can do that,”

Beaming at him, she pulled a packet of papers off the top of the pile sitting on her desk “You don’t have to use the guide to pick a goal, but if you have trouble thinking of one these should give you some ideas, now do you mind sending in the next student on your way out?”

Jim forced himself to stand up slowly and not just bolt out the door “Ok, no problem,”

“Thanks, have a good spring break,”

He managed to smile and give a half hearted ‘You to’ as he accepted the papers and stepped out of the office. Heading down the hallway back to the main waiting room, the jittery feeling crawling through his muscles diminishing but not completely going away.

It never did.

Glancing around the waiting room, he spotted the next person in line.

“Eli, you’re up,”

Eli fumbled with the magazine in his hands before popping up out of his seat “Oh, thanks Jim,” he grabbed the magazine along with a stack of others from the floor before rushing down the hall. Jim craned his head to try and read the cover before Eli vanished around the corner.

Keep So-Cal Weird.

Jim rolled his eyes as he exited the main office. At least his goals wouldn’t be as weird as Eli’s. Although quite frankly he’d rather live in a world where they didn’t make freshmen discuss their goals with the guidance counselors.

It wasn’t like Jim didn’t have enough on his plate already.

He had no idea if guidance counselors and social workers talked to each other on a regular basis, but he had to play it safe and act like they did.

Especially since he was like 99% sure that all the teachers knew. He knew that Strickler knew, and he was pretty sure that Strickler had told all the other teachers. So it was more like he was 99.999% sure they all knew, and the 0.001% was just him kidding himself.

So now he couldn’t even come up with some kind of goals to give the guidance counselor without his anxiety going through the roof.

Jim all but threw his bag into the locker and slammed it closed with much more force than was needed, unable to stop himself from getting worked up.

This past month had been the absolute worst of his entire life.

It had started when he’d walked in on Dorrie and Charles going through their house and it hadn’t really improved since.

When he and his mom had gone over their game plan that night after the initial panic it hadn’t seemed all that bad. Be extra vigilant about making sure that no one saw anything weird and otherwise pretend that everything was normal. If they kept on top of it the investigation should fizzle out to nothing.

Simple enough.

And the first week hadn’t been all that bad, tense but not bad. Week two had been nerve wracking but doable. Week three was when he really started having trouble sleeping, and it wasn’t like he got tons of sleep to begin with. That snowballed to him starting to forget late night meals and nod off during the day, having to work even harder at keeping up the act during school.

Although if Jim was honest with himself he forgot most of those night time meals on purpose.

On top of that, week four was when he developed a stomach ache that wouldn’t go away, not to mention learned that his hair was falling out. Now it was the end of week five and Jim couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t stressed out, dead tired, and constantly felt like rats were chewing on his insides.

Grimacing, Jim pressed a hand to his stomach as he turned and headed to the cafeteria. Feeling sick and exhausted all the time sucked, but that was nothing compared to the everpresent, unrelenting, blood curdling dread.

The fear that he’d somehow let something slip. That right at this moment someone was coming to arrest his mom and take him away. All because of something Jim said or did.

Forget walking on eggshells, this was more like crawling through a minefield.

Every second that Jim was outside his house he had to be on guard; keeping himself under complete control at all times. Making sure that anyone watching, teachers, nurses, other classmates, wouldn’t see anything worth reporting. No outbursts no meltdowns no nothing.

As far as anyone else knew the Lakes were a normal, happy family. And Jim had to act like it.

But after five weeks he knew that was a hell of a lot easier said than done.

Jim couldn’t be sad or scared or angry any more, even about regular things. With so many people watching he couldn’t afford to let them get the wrong idea. So regardless of what he was actually feeling at any given time, he forced himself to stay calm, plastered on a happy face, and continued along like everything was fine.

But he wasn’t fine. Underneath his plastic smile Jim was coming apart at the seams.

He felt like a nerve with all the skin and muscle ripped away. Exposed to the cold air and completely vulnerable, ready to go off at the slightest touch.

Constantly keeping himself under control in front of all the teachers and every other adult in school was was bad enough, even without--

Jim stopped short as he stepped into the cafeteria, instantly spotting them sitting at a corner table. Five weeks ago the sight would have been somewhat soothing, now it was enough to make his heartbeat triple and intestines knot up.

Pulling in a shaky breath, Jim forced down the sudden bout of nerves.

He was in the middle of school in the middle of the cafeteria surrounded by other people. Now was not the time to lose it.

Five in. Hold for five. Five out.

Repeat

After a minute of deep breathing the full body shivers finally diminished to a much more manageable fluttering in his chest. Confident that he’d successfully gotten his emotions under control, Jim raised a foot and slowly resumed his approach.

Jim had been going back and forth about doing this for weeks, but this morning cinched it.

He was doing this. Today. Right here right now. Even if the idea of doing it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff.

Because the worst part of the past month hadn’t been constantly being on guard or always being tired and nauseous. It was not knowing who’d he had to be on guard from.

A month ago, when he’d walked in on CPS in his house, Jim instantly knew one of his friends had blabbed.

While his immediate response had been to call Toby and demand answers, it didn’t take very long for Jim to shift gears to shoving the thought into the back of his mind and keeping it there. Couldn’t do anything to change it so there was no point to shoving his foot into that hornets nest. A with the way things had blown up when their problems with his mom first came out, forcing the issue might put him on the odds with all of them, and cost Jim the one part of his life that didn’t actively suck right now. The only thing to do was let it go.

So Jim let it go.

But as the weeks went by, despite how much he actively tried not to think about it, small doubts kept sprouting up in the back of his mind like weeds.

Did Mary really mean it when she asked how he was doing or was she fishing?

Was Toby trying to be helpful by offering to help carry groceries in or was he looking for a chance to spy inside the house?

His heart shot up into his throat, pounding as he closed in on the table.

And while Jim knew it had to be one of the four of them that called, he still had no idea who it was. That meant he didn’t know who it wasn’t either.

So as much as he tried, as much as he wanted to, Jim could never completely relax around any of his friends.

It was bad enough being on edge with every single adult in his life, but not knowing which one of his friends had stabbed him in the back, and worse not knowing if they were waiting to do it again…..

Jim stopped in his tracks, table just inches away. The four of them chatting away, his presence still unnoticed. Heartbeat hammering in his ears.

This was going to be ugly but Jim just couldn’t take not knowing any more. One way or another the truth was coming out today.

“I know one of you called the cops on my mom, so who was it?”

The four of them practically jumped in their seats before whirling around to face him. Claire was the first to find her tongue.

“What?”

Her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. An expression shared by all the others sitting around her.

Somehow that made the lump of coal sitting in his ribcage smolder hotter even as his heart was threatening to beat out of it.

One of them knew exactly what he was talking about. One of them was only pretending to be confused.

“A month ago someone called CPS on my mom and I know it was one of you,” he made a show of narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms “So don’t try to deny it,”

They all turned and looked at each other, shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

Jim stood his ground, mouth set into a firm line and prickling doubts shoved down into the bottoms of his feet. There it was, the accusation out in the open. Whoever it was might try to deny it, but Jim knew it had to be one of the four of them, and he wasn’t going to let them weasel their way out of--

“Jim….” Toby spoke slowly, briefly meeting his eyes before looking away “We….all did,”

His heart stopped.

For a moment Jim wasn’t sure how to respond, wondering if he’d actually heard Toby correctly, then the world slowly started to turn again and the words sank in.

“.....you what?”

“It’s true,” he snapped his gaze over to Darci, she flinched but didn’t look away “After we tried...talking to you, the three of us went to my dad and showed him the photos,” she glanced over to Toby at her side “It was only after that we learned Toby also talked to someone about--”

Jim whirled on Mary “I thought you said you deleted those?!”

“I-- uh-- umm…” she squirmed in her seat “I....made…...copies,”

Jim’s jaw fell open, unable to form words.

Out of all the possibilities, all the theories and ideas he’d had on who might have called, he’d never even dreamed that they’d all been in on it together.

His head was spinning, insides frozen and a roaring sound in his ears. Both hands rising up and fisiting through his hair, in a distant part of his mind he knew he shouldn’t be doing that since it was still falling out.

Just when he’d thought there couldn’t be anything else. That life couldn’t possibly throw anything worse at him--

Things became worse than he ever could have imagined.

He was faintly aware that the four of them were glancing around at each other from across the cafeteria table “Ok,” Claire laid both hands flat in front of her palms down “You have every right to be mad at us, but…”

Jim tuned her out, he couldn’t bring himself to pay attention to whatever Claire was saying when his world was going to pieces right now.

He thought that when he figured out who had been the one to call CPS he could call them out for lying and get the rest of the group to back him up. That he’d figure out who he could actually feel safe with and finally be able to fix at least one part of his completely messed up life.

But it hadn’t been one of them, it had been all of them. They’d torn his life apart and kept it a secret. They lied to him. Every day. For over a month.

Heat shot through him, flooding through his whole body until it felt like every ounce of blood in his veins was boiling.

It was his friends all along. All of them. They threw him and his mom under the bus and then they lied about it.

All the fear, all the worry. His inability to sleep or keep food down, the fact that his hair was falling out.

It was all because of them.

For the first time in weeks Jim wasn’t scared, he was pissed as hell.

“I can’t believe you guys!”

They all jerked back, eyes wide, shocked at the volume of his outburst.

“All of you knew about this,” Jim felt nails stabbing into his palms from the force he was clenching his hands “And you lied to me about it for over a month!? How could you!?”

He was spitefully glad to see them all flinch and look deeply ashamed at that.

“Look Jim,” Toby started to speak “I know you must be angry, but--”

He shriveled into silence under the glare Jim gave him.

How dare he. How dare he try and pretend like any of this was ok. The girls he could sort of see, but Toby was practically family. His mom had done more for Toby than anyone else would have in the same situation.

And Toby had still sold them out, with Claire, Darci, and Mary giving a helping hand.

Jim slowly turned to glare at each of them, the heat rushing over him blazing even hotter as he saw their pained faces and slumped shoulders.

Had they had secret meetings talking about this without him, had they laughed, snickering about being able to keep him fooled for so long.

Somehow a cold dribble of guilt managed to seep in past the white hot fire in his belly.

Even as blindingly furious as he was, for both himself and his mom, deep down Jim knew that wasn’t true. The reason they made the call was because they felt they had no choice.

They hadn’t done this as a joke, they were worried, they’d done this because they were scared for him. They’d done this because they wanted to help.

But despite knowing that, despite knowing that he was taking this too far and was going to regret everything he was saying as soon as he cooled off, Jim was too angry to care.

“I told you guys. My mom. Doesn’t. Hurt me.” he got louder and louder with every word, until he was practically shouting, the raging inferno inside him demanding to be set free “Don’t you get it? She could get arrested because of this, I could get taken away. Did you even think about that at all!?”

Toby shot up out of his seat with a bang, cutting off Jim’s tirade. Glancing up at him out of sheer reflex, he saw that Toby had the edge of the table in a whiteknuclekd grip, every muscle in his body taut and trembling, eyes sharp as knives.

“No Jim. You don’t get to do that.” his voice was cold and harder than steel, harder than anything he’d ever heard coming out of Toby’s mouth “You don’t get to drop bombs like your mom locking you in the basement and expect us to pretend like everything’s ok. And you don’t get to act like we’re the bad guys for trying to help you,”

Jim found himself taking an involuntary step back. He’d never heard Toby this angry. Ever.

Prying his hands free, Toby stomped around the table towards him, Jim pinned in place under his molten gaze “You don’t get to talk about lying when you were the one who’s been lying all along. When you’ve been lying to me for years!”

“Tobes I--”

One look from Toby shut him up.

“But now you want to play honesty hour? Fine, we’ll play honesty hour. How did you really get those scars on your ankle?”

The bottom fell out of Jim’s stomach, taking every remaining drop of anger with it.

“.........what?”

“Well?” Toby stopped two feet away, green eyes boring holes into him “Go on, tell me, where did those scars come from?”

Jim couldn’t do anything but gape at him. The rehearsed answer, they came from a fox bite, sat in the back of his throat withering.

He couldn’t know. It was impossible. Only two people in the world knew the truth. The act done in the dim of the early dawn in the middle of a remote forest.

Don’t worry sweetie, it's a sterile blade. A few quick cuts and a bandage on top should get you all the shots you need, no questions asked.

There was no way for Toby to know, but the look in his eyes told Jim that he did.

“How-- how--” he struggled to get the words out “How do you--”

Darci gingerly slid out of her seat to come stand next to Toby “Ok let’s all just take a deep breath and relax for a second,” she glanced over, her expression cool and professional, no longer holding any trace of guilt “Jim, I’m sorry we lied about what we did but I’m not sorry for doing it,”

“Darci’s right,” Mary stood and approached, Claire at her side “And we all agreed, what’s going on with your mom….that’s not ok, and we couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I know your mom was probably really messed up when your dad walked out, but that doesn’t mean--”

The words hit him like a fist to the gut “How do you know about that!?”

Mary shut her mouth, cheeks pink.

By now everyone in the cafeteria was turning and looking at them. And who could blame them with all the yelling. Jim knew that this was exactly the type of scene he needed to avoid, but all the emotions boiling up in his chest were too enormous and tangled and turbulent for him to make space to care about their audience.

Claire took half a step forward “Look Jim, I’m sorry we lied to you about reporting your mom, that was messed up and we shouldn’t have done it, but...” she inhaled, drawing herself up to full, regal height “But we wouldn’t have had to report her behind your back if you had just let us help you in the first place,”

“Yeah, you don’t get to talk to us about lying,” he spun back towards Mary. Hands on her hips, eyes narrowed into diamond hard points “If you had been honest with us from the beginning we wouldn’t have had to lie about anything,”

Toby stepped to the front of the group, arms folded in front of him “To more tricks or lies. We need the truth Jim. The whole truth, about everything. The scars, the basement, your curfew,” his expression was granite, voice flint “Right here, right now.”

Jim staggered back, furiously glancing at each of their faces. Claire and Darci were stern and unmoving as statues, while Toby and Mary were full on glaring daggers into him.

How was this possible? How did they know all this?

He couldn’t get enough air, chest tight as he shrunk under the weight of the four sets of eyes on him.

What else did they know? If they knew about the scars and his dad and the basement, what else did they know? And how close were they to learning….the rest?

The one tiny, microscopic flicker of hope Jim had was that he knew that they still didn’t know about….his real secret.

If they did they sure as hell wouldn’t be quiet about it.

But how close were they to figuring it out? They’d figured so much out already, it was probably only a matter of time.

And if this was how they responded to everything else, how would they react to learning that Jim was really a--

Icy daggers twisted in his gut.

He couldn’t do this anymore.

He needed out now.

Jim turned and bolted, running out of the cafeteria as fast as his legs could carry him. Barely aware of his friends’ shouts from behind him. But he couldn’t outrun the panicked screaming in his skull.

They knew about his mom locking him up, they knew about how his dad left, they knew how he really got the scars on his ankle. Sooner or later they would figure out that Jim was the monster all along and when they did--

Throughout the years ideas of what would happen if people learned about his transformation had always flickered at the edge of his thoughts. Jim had done his best to force them out of his head and keep them from taking full shape, but now every horrible, twisted thought he’d had over the years surged to the front of his mind and refused to be buried.

If anyone learned his secret it was only a matter of time until the government found out, and when they did they wouldn’t just let him run free. Jim’s blue form was an unknown; wild, dangerous. At the very least they’d lock him in a cell and throw away the key. Or maybe they would send him off to some secret lab to get dissected and analyzed piece by piece.

His breath became choppy and ragged as he raced down the hall.

Or maybe Jim was too dangerous to leave alive at all, maybe they’d drag him away for a long drive into the desert that ended with a bullet to the back of his skull.

And his mom--

A jagged lump spouted in his throat.

Would they lock her up to? For keeping his secret as long as she did. But she hadn’t broken any laws, maybe they’d just leave her alone? But then would they even tell her what they did with him? Or would she be left sitting alone in their house not knowing what happened to him while Jim sat in a prison cell, or got chopped to pieces in a lab, or rotted in an unmarked grave.

He could barely see the lockers rushing by him as heat built up behind his eyes. He was trembling all over now, blood rushing in his ears and scream building in the back of his throat.

Keep it together. Keep it together. Keep it together.

Jim was going to break down, he knew that. But he couldn’t let it happen in the middle of school. Not now, not again. Had to get out, go home, get somewhere safe.

Right now his secret was still under wraps, and the only way for Jim to keep those horrific ideas from becoming reality was to keep it that way.

And that meant not having another public meltdown.

Ignoring the sound of the bell, signalling other kids to start streaming into the hall, Jim scrambled up to his locker and started fumbling with the lock.

Despite his badly trembling hands he managed to get the locker open and pull his bag free, but in his haste to grab it the bag started slipping from his grip. Jim just barely caught the side in time to keep it from falling, but in doing so accidentally pulled the bag open, causing everything inside to spill out.

Jim could only watch in horror as textbooks clunked to the ground, papers scattering all over the floor, pens and pencils rolling in every direction. Insides curdling as he stared at the mess.

Why now? Why today of all days? On top of everything else--

His eyes stung.

Why couldn’t he just get a break?

Trying and failing to force himself through his breathing exercises, Jim got down on his knees and struggled to gather the contents of his bag.

Somehow his efforts to gather the papers just spread them even more, the task made impossible by how badly he was shaking all over, breath coming in quick, quivering pants, teeth digging into his lip until he tasted copper, a storm roiling just beneath his skin.

He squeezed his eyes shut, grabbing a textbook and clenching his fingers around it so tight they hurt.

Get it together. Get it together. Get it together.

“Oh my god are you crying again?”

Jim froze, inside and out, eyes shooting open to stare down at two of his pencils and the textbook he’d just grabbed off the floor. Familiar snide, smarmy voice coming from behind him.

“Dude he totally is!” Seamus said with a laugh “This is too good,”

Jim couldn’t move, nerves paralyzed. Every drop of emotion he’d had to deal with today, shock, anger, fear, and guilt, surging through him.

“Awww what’s the matter baby?” Steve jeered “Do you want a bottle?”

Seamus and Logan’s laughter echoed in his ears. From the corner of his eye he saw the traffic around them slowing as other people stopped and stared. He couldn’t feel his fingers any more, curled into rigid claws around the edges of the book.

And just like that Jim was done.

He threw his textbook against the lockers as hard as he could, unleashing a thunderous boom into the hall.

“Fuck off Steve!”

Steve, along with Logan, Seamus, and everyone else milling around in the hallway behind him, froze “What did you just say Lake?”

“You heard me Steve,” Jim growled, stomping to his feet “Fuck. Off.”

Normally he would never lose his cool with Steve, the guy just wasn’t worth it, but after everything that had happened today, everything that had happened over the last month, he just couldn’t take it any more.

And Steve thought he was such a hot shot; popular, spot on the basketball team, grades good enough to keep it but not so good to be considered a nerd. But Jim knew a lot more than Steve thought he did.

Recovering from his surprise at Jim’s outburst, Steve gave him his best sneer “Alright Crybaby you got about ten seconds to get down on your knees and apologize before I break your--”

“Oh can it Steve, like you have any business calling me crybaby when you were the one bawling in the locker room about how your daddy couldn’t come watch your big game!” Jim practically spat the words.

The smug look on Steve’s face vanished, eyes going wide and the color leeching from his skin “Wha-- how-- how did--”

“Since you can’t seem to figure it out I’ll spell it out for you, your dad doesn’t give a shit about you or your basketball games! And if you really want to make him happy go play in traffic so he doesn’t have to pay child support!”

A hush went through the crowded hall. Semus’s eyes were bugging out and Logan looked absolutely petrified; Steve himself was wearing the most hang-jawed expression Jim had ever seen.

More and more people were gathering around now, drawn by all the commotion. Jim knew it was bad to be drawing this kind of attention, especially after the stunt he just pulled on the cafeteria, but the dam inside him had burst and it felt so so good to finally let it all out.

Let someone else have the rug pulled out from under them. Let someone else feel exposed and vulnerable. Let someone else have their deepest darkest secrets thrown back in their face.

Let someone else be afraid for once. Someone who actually deserved it.

“Face it Steve you’re not special,” Jim’s voice practically dripped venom “You’re just some moron who thinks that if they dribble a basketball good enough they can get an even bigger moron to give two shits about them. It’d actually be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic,”

Even as he said the words, felt the thrill of finally being able to take Steve down a peg, a tiny trickle of guilt managed to creep in. For saying something so horrible, so wrong. That no one deserved to hear, not even Steve. But what little guilt he had was easily drowned out by the massive ocean of vindictive glee he felt now that Psycho Steve was getting to experience a tiny piece of what it was like to be Jim Lake.

The crowd around them was deathly quiet now, everyone stunned into silence by Jim’s words. Shocked that he actually went there. With one exception.

Steve’s face had gone from ghost white to purple, the veins in his neck bulging, hands balled into fists as his sides “You’d better shut your mouth Lake,” his voice was soft but dangerous. Everyone, even Logan and Seamus, nervously edging away from him.

Unfortunately for him Jim just didn’t care anymore.

“Or what?”

He stepped forward, unable to resist poking the bear “You gonna punch me in the face or something? Well go on, do it! You’re only mad because I’m right!”

Another rush of spiteful satisfaction coursed through him when Jim saw the purple flush on Steve’s face darken even further at his words, so much that he didn’t even care that some of the onlookers had started to pull out their phones.

“Well what are you waiting for? Hit me, punch me, it’s not gonna make a difference. It’s not going to change the fact that you’re a loser who’s life has fucking peaked!” he jabbed a finger into Steve’s chest, getting right up into his face “That the only thing you have going for you is a spot on the basketball team. And after that all you have to look forward to is a dead end job at the gas station and at least two divorces!”

Steve was practically quivering with anger now, nostrils flaring, teeth clenched so hard he was surprised they hadn’t cracked, but Jim could still see the flash of genuine hurt in his eyes “I’m warning you Lake--”

“Because that’s all you’ll ever be, a loser! Maybe the real reason your dad left was because he finally figured out how much of a loser you really--”

The blow took him by surprise, more than it probably should have. A dazzling flash of pain in his temple that snapped his head back into the lockers with a deafening bang as more pain flared in the back of his skull. Hot stars danced in his vision, the world around him spinning,.

Jim vaguely registered that he wasn’t on his feet anymore, felt the linoleum under his back, the cool metal behind his shoulders and neck. Dimly heard the panicked shouts coming up from around him, even though he couldn’t make out the words.

Blinking past the throbbing pain in his skull, and the warm trickle of something in his eye, Jim’s sight cleared just long enough for him to see Steve’s face, twisted into a mask of primal rage, and another fist rapidly approaching.

#tales of arcadia #Trollhunters #A Secret's Worth #fanfic #rmvwrites #jim lake jr #claire nuñez #darci scott #toby domzalski #mary wang #language #violence #death mention #dissection mention

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meltwonu · 4 years

Text

s n a k e | e y e s [chapter 4]

pairing; snakehybrid!woozi x female!reader

this chapter’s notes; 🥰💕 HELLO Y’ALL! Strap in for the longest chapter yet fdjhgkkhsf also just,,, i know hybrid aus are different and in the real life only female mammals go into heat but as u kno this is fiction and a hybrid au so for the sake of that, heat cycles r not gonna follow irl rules if u kno what im sayin!!! Also fingering and a little bit of dirty talk, and jihoon being a cheeky lil shit🥴🤤 again thank u all for taking interest in snake eyes!! 💕💕💕

chapters; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - x - x - x

You try to avoid Jihoon for a couple days, going to the office building where you sometimes worked to try and buy yourself some time away from the snake hybrid. You can’t tell if he notices your eagerness to be away from home but you apologize to him in your head, leaving cash on the table for food when you leave in the morning for the third day in a row.

And although Jihoon may not mind your absence that much, your co-workers take notice of how often you’d been coming to the office lately.

“Is everything okay at home?”

You spin your chair around to face the cubicle next to yours, meeting the curious eyes of Seungkwan, a junior writer that had worked with you a few times. You worked as a journalist at a magazine company; sometimes taking the part of an editor when nobody was available. Thankfully, your job allowed you to work from home a lot of the time which you preferred, up until a few days ago anyway.

“Huh? Oh yeah, things are okay. Why, what’s up?”

“Nothing just… You almost never come in, like, 3 days in a row? Minghao was starting to get worried too, to be honest.” Minghao was the editor in chief at your magazine company and was actually a good friend of yours. You valued his opinion more than anyone as he was insanely level headed and always lead you in the right direction when you needed a helping hand. He also had a hybrid at home, which you had forgotten about until now.

“Oh… I mean, my mattress has been kinda… y’know, getting old so…”

“What does that have to do with you coming in 3 days in a row? Really, are you okay? You’re not making much sense...”

“I--I think I need to talk to Minghao.”

Knocking on Minghao’s office door, you try to balance the two cups of coffee in your opposite hand, making sure they don’t spill as you grasp the door knob.

“Come in!”

Pushing the door open, you shoot Minghao a lopsided smile as you hold up the coffees, kicking the door shut behind you.

“Wow, can’t say I’m surprised.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… 3 days in a row? Something’s… off.” You sigh, setting the cups of coffee down on Minghao’s desk before sitting down in one of the seats across from him. “Is it really that obvious?”

“Well.. the last time you came in this often was when you broke up with your ex… What was his name? Soonyoung?” The name strikes a chord inside you, almost dropping the cup in your hand when you bring it to your lips to take a sip. It’s not that the relationship with Soonyoung had gone sour necessarily, in all honesty it was better than the two of you had broken up because both of you were too focused on your jobs to be in a relationship at the time. However, it still had been somewhat hard to get over; you were used to having Soonyoung around in your life and apartment and having Jihoon around was surely filling in that space lately.

“Uh, yeah, that’s him. I mean, I just… I have some questions if it’s okay?”

“Yeah, of course. We’re friends before co-workers. What’s up?”

“You… have a hybrid too, right?”

“I do… wait, you said ‘too’. Did you get a hybrid? Is that why you’ve been so out of whack?”

“Well, I did... His name is Jihoon and he’s a snake hybrid.”

Minghao can see you fidgeting from across the table, his eyes focused on the way you can’t even make eye contact with him. “He’s not… hurting you, is he?”

“What! No! Never, he’s really kind and…” You trail off, a blush creeping onto your face the longer you simmer in your own thoughts.

“Let me guess, you like him like him, don’t you.”

“I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

When you get home from the office, the sun’s already been down for a couple hours.

You’d taken the longer way back, thinking about everything you and Minghao had talked about and making some decisions for yourself before making it home. You even stopped at the cafe, grabbing a small dinner and checking to see if the cute barista Jun was around. Sadly, he was not.

“Jihoon, are you here?”

“In the bedroom!” Trudging over, you see Jihoon exiting from the attached bathroom, wiping his hands on a towel. “You got back just in time. I… um, ran you a bath! It’s still warm so…” He trails off, sitting quietly on the bed as he watches your eyes flit from the bathroom to him.

“How’d you know I’d get back around this time? It’s very sweet of you Jihoon but also… why?” The snake hybrid fidgets, hands curling around the hem of his sleeves. “Um… I dunno, you seemed kinda tense lately. And you always do nice stuff for me so I wanted to do something nice for you. And you always come back around now, kinda. Guess I was just taking a chance?”

Any coherent thoughts leave your brain at how cute Jihoon is, a serene sigh leaving your lips as you step closer to him sitting on the bed. You run your fingers through his hair as he leans into your touch, wrapping his hands around your waist as he pulls you in closer.

“Hmm…”

“Something the matter?”

“You… don’t smell like you lately.” You break into a bit of a cold sweat, fingers pausing against his scalp. “O-oh.. I thought you said your sense of smell was better with your tongue?”

“Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean my nose doesn’t work. And you smell like… other people. It’s weird. I’m not used to that.”

You blush again, pulling away from Jihoon as his hands fall from your waist.

“I should take that bath you ran for me while it’s still warm then, huh?”

“Mmhmm.”

When you exit from the bathroom, Jihoon’s already under the covers waiting for you.

“Already going to bed?” He nods, a yawn on his lips as he tugs the covers higher up onto his body. “Did you eat already?” Jihoon nods again, patting your side of the bed.

You slide into bed next to him, eyes drawing random shapes onto the ceiling as you lay there wide awake.

“Hey Jihoon?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask you something?” The snake hybrid turns to face you, turning onto his side as you do the same. “Sure, shoot.” You feel nervous; thankful that it’s dark so he can’t see the way your skin flushes red. “I… sorry if this is stupid of me to ask but you… don’t go into heat, do you?”

Jihoon’s quiet for a moment, a cold hand wrapping around your wrist as he tugs you closer to him. “I can feel you getting warmer cause you’re probably embarrassed. It’s okay to ask. But can I ask why you’re asking?” Clearing your throat, your eyes adjust to the darkness, staring Jihoon straight in the eyes.

“Oh, I was talking to my f-friend earlier who has a bunny hybrid and… he said that his bunny hybrid goes into heat and I was just wondering? He makes his bunny hybrid take suppressants for his heat and I just… I guess I could’ve looked it up but I figured it’d just be better to ask you since we never really talked about it and it’s been a couple weeks since you’ve started living with me.” Jihoon processes your words, puffing his cheeks up in the darkness as he thinks.

“Technically no. I mean, like I’ve said before I don’t really have many snake-like features anyway so even if we did, I probably wouldn’t. But no… if there’s anything, I’ll probably be, um, a little sensitive to you--your, uh… cycle. Cause… smells and stuff.” This time it’s Jihoon’s turn to blush as he mentally kicks himself for his questionable reply.

“O-oh. I see… I mean, okay. That’s good? I mean, oh my god, about you not having to take suppressants! Not about… the other thing.” You can’t help but think that it’s been weeks since Jihoon started living with you which meant you’d already gone through a cycle and Jihoon hadn’t said a word about it.

“Yeah, I mean, I probably would’ve told you otherwise if it was a problem, I guess. But anyway, do you have any other pillow talk questions?”

“Um…”

“For the record, my dick is normal.”

“Jihoon!!” You can feel yourself start to sweat under the covers, mind conjuring up all sorts of inappropriate scenarios until Jihoon laughs out loud, his cold hand sliding under your neck as he wraps his other hand around your waist, effectively drawing you into him as he holds you tight against his chest.

Eventually all you hear is his steady breath, the quietness letting you know that he’s fallen asleep.

A few days pass since then, and you’re thankful that things go back to what you consider normal as you set up your work space in the living room. You’d texted Minghao a few times earlier, letting him know that things were getting better at home and that maybe he and Chan could come over for lunch sometime the next week. He agrees, telling you he’ll text you his free dates when he has time.

Jihoon was still asleep even though it was already closing in on 1PM in the afternoon. But you had chosen to not wake him up, letting the male sleep in as long as he wanted while you worked on a new draft for an article.

But it’s when you get up to make another cup of coffee after 30 minutes of working that you’re hit with a wave of arousal out of nowhere; body heating up in an instance as you feel wetness pooling between your thighs. Instead of making another cup of coffee, you immediately pick up your phone, swiping until you find your period tracker to check the dates. Fuck, you think, this would fucking happen to me after I fuckin’ asked Jihoon all those stupid questions!

The panic hits you like a ton of bricks when you hear the bedroom door opening. You wonder if there’s time to run out of the door and hide for god knows how long before Jihoon even sees you. But in the time it takes you to figure something out, Jihoon steps into the living room, hair still messy from sleep as he stretches. You watch his movements, hyper aware of the fact he can probably smell you to some degree from where he stands. And it was fine when you didn’t know he was sensitive to your cycle but now you did know which made things a little more complicated.

“Did you already make lunch? I’m starving.” Your throat feels dry, but you try to compose yourself to the best of your ability. You almost wish he hadn’t said anything about being sensitive to your cycle in the first place because the hyperawareness was apparently already eating you alive.

“Oh, um, I can make some now actually! I was just about to! I’ll let you know when it’s ready!”

You all but power walk towards the kitchen, not waiting for his reply as you focus on making something to eat; hoping the smells from the kitchen bury the smell of you ovulating to his sensitive nose.

Jihoon is normal for the rest of the day, albeit you’re on edge. Regretfully, your conversations throughout the day are clipped, mentally apologizing to Jihoon again for your weird behaviour even if he seemed to be taking everything well. Your panties had been annoyingly wet all day, even when you’d gone to change them and it was almost time for bed again which had you panicking yet again.

You take your time to get ready for bed, slightly avoiding Jihoon until you realize there’s no getting out of it. There was a second where you debated asking him to sleep in his old room but it’d been so long since he’d slept there that you felt bad for asking.

When Jihoon calls your name, you exit the bathroom, turning off all the lights before slipping into bed next to him. You feel like a plank of wood next to him, awkwardly stiff as he tries to get you to face him.

“Hey…”

“Yes, Jihoon?”

“I don’t want you to feel awkward even though you’ve kinda been all day… It’s okay, y’know.” You turn away from him, facing the window in your bedroom. You can see the moonlight filtering in through the curtains and it distracts you for a second but you think about how you could cry at how genuinely sweet Jihoon was, even when you were being aloof all day. “Sorry it’s just… You’ve been here for weeks which means you already had… had to deal with me going through it once and you didn’t even say anything? I should’ve asked you sooner cause now I don’t know if you were okay and now that I know you know and you’re sleeping next to me still and I--”

“Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay!”

Jihoon presses into you from behind, the coolness of his body permeating his sleep clothes and cooling down your heated body even just a little bit. “I was okay last time too. Like I said, if there were any problems I would’ve told you right?”

“Yeah, but--”

“No, no buts! It’s fine, really. If I’m being honest… it was kind of nice. You got extra warm during that time. Sorry if that’s kind of weird. Guess you can say I’m an opportunist.” There’s a slight chuckle to his voice as he wraps an arm around your waist. It’s silent for a beat as you slightly relax in his hold.

“Jihoon can I ask you another question?”

“Shoot.”

“Did you… um, were you like this with any of your past owners?” He sighs, nuzzling into your neck as he stares out window with you. “No. Never. Honestly, I’m a little shocked at myself too. But I guess it’s also because I spent most of the time alone when I was being adopted into other homes. You’re the first person who’s adopted me that’s around my age and… genuinely nice. I don’t feel like a show animal here.” The two of you fall into the first comfortable silence all day; Jihoon’s fingertips playing with the material of your sleep shirt.

“Can I try something?” You hum at his question, muttering a small ‘okay’ under your breath.

Jihoon starts slow, cold fingertips lifting your shirt inch by inch underneath the covers until your sleep shorts are exposed to his wandering hand. You can already feel your breath getting caught in your throat as his cold digits skim the waistband of your shorts. “Is this okay?”

“H-huh?”

“I need to know if this is okay, before I continue. I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you because of what I said earlier.” You gulp hearing his words; technically, you’d both benefit from this.

“I… yes, I’m okay with this Jihoon. Please… continue.”

The snake hybrid is silent afterwards, his lips pressed against your clothed shoulder as his hand dips into your sleep shorts. His gentle touch has you moaning softly, eyes fluttering shut as you let him explore.

“You’ve been wet all day, haven’t you?”

“Uh… Uh-huh…”

“It’s cute you were trying to hide it like I didn’t already know.” His words are muffled against your shoulder, lips curling up into a cheeky smile that you can’t see. “I gotta be honest, I kind of regretted telling you at first, y’know? You were more open when you didn’t know. I was sad seeing you all clammed up and trying to hide from me earlier.” Jihoon’s fingertips press into the wet spot on your panties, garbled noises muffled by the pillowcase as you press your face into it slightly.

“I--Isn’t this w-weird?”

“Hmm? What’s weird about it?” Your body's on fire under the bed sheets and Jihoon’s touch and he’d barely even done anything to you yet. “I mean, y-you said you’ve never done this but---mmh, you seem so okay with it, J-Jihoon.”

His fingers play with the hem of your panties for a second before they slide against your skin, dipping deeper and deeper until they meet your wet folds. You moan, already rocking against his hand as you search for more contact. “I’m not completely inexperienced. And let’s be honest, hasn’t there been some tension between us anyway?” You almost grimace, knowing damn well you were suffering from your inappropriate dreams and your long ‘baths’ you would take to relieve yourself hoping he didn’t notice. But you also are surprised to hear that he, too, was feeling something towards you.

“Oh, uh… that’s...”

“Mm, I’m really sorry but your long ‘baths’ weren’t really fooling anyone you know.”

The embarrassment from his comment dies immediately when his fingers slide through your folds, spreading your wetness from your hole to your clit before rolling the nub between his fingertips. You moan Jihoon’s name, begging him to touch you more.

He indulges you, coating his middle finger in your wetness before easing it into your pussy. You immediately clench around the digit once he’s knuckle deep, whining when it’s not enough. Jihoon laughs slightly, pumping the digit in and out as he thumbs your clit.

“You’re so eager considering you were hesitant about this. Wanna talk about it?”

“Ngh, can--can we do that later? I’m so s-sensitive right now, Jihoon, I already feel like cumming… Can you… can you talk to me instead?”

“Aren’t I already doing that?” His cheeky reply has you whining again but he eases another finger into your pussy, scissoring the digits inside of you. “F-fuck, you know… what I mean. Please!”

“Is that what you like? Dirty talk?” He nuzzles into your neck, kissing the exposed skin before his lips travel up; kissing the shell of your ear. You hadn’t noticed at first but his body temperature is akin to yours now, the heat making you sweat a little as he fingers you under the sheets. “You know, sometimes when you sleep you make these cute little noises… They sound like pretty moans sometimes and it makes me wonder what you’re dreaming of when you’re wrapped up in my arms.” The wetness between your thighs is obscenely loud when Jihoon thrusts his fingers harder and faster into your pussy, your moans and whimpers mixing in.

“You smelled so good last time too. Maybe it’s just instinct but I really wanted to taste you. Maybe I could taste how sweet you really were if I had said something sooner? I’d get you to cum on my tongue over and over again and then lick up all that sweetness ‘til you’re begging me to stop.” His dirty words are whispered softly into your ear, small kisses in between as he tastes your warm skin.

For once, you really hoped this wasn’t a dream.

“Mmh, Jihoon, I’m--I’m gonna cum…!”

The snake hybrid doesn’t reply, instead rubbing your clit harder as he continues to thrust his fingers into you. And although you weren’t reciprocating anything, Jihoon felt good too, the warmth from your body making him feel comfortable and at ease.

When you finally cum around his fingers, you whimper his name, toes curling as your legs clamp around the hand between them. You can feel your breathing stop for a second as your orgasm crests and Jihoon can feel your walls throbbing around his fingers, a small groan against your ear as he slows his movements until your orgasm starts to ebb away. You don’t really know how much time has passed but the stickiness between your thighs starts to feel uncomfortable as you shift slightly; Jihoon’s fingers still inside of your pussy.

“Ji--Jihoon…”

“Hm? Oh, right.”

He eases his fingers out of you, a whimper escaping your lips at the sensitivity.

Jihoon brings his fingers up to his face over your shoulder, your wetness coated all over the digits as he brings them to his lips. You turn your head slightly, watching him through sleepy eyes as he laps at them, cleaning each finger meticulously as he moans. You almost hate the way you already crave his touch again just from the sight.

When he deems them clean enough, he smiles, satisfied. There’s a yawn on his lips afterward, his arm easing your shirt back down as he wraps an arm around your waist again. You lay there for a few minutes, feeling the urge to sleep pulling you in. But you try to get up to get cleaned off, finding yourself already locked into Jihoon’s hold as the male has seemingly already fallen asleep within the few minutes since.

You sigh, easing into his hold as you toss the idea of even trying to get cleaned up out the window. You lay there thinking about all the things you and Jihoon would need to talk about in the morning; thousands of different scenarios flitting through your mind of how it could go. You momentarily think of all the questions you want to ask Jihoon as well. But sleep eventually finds you, eyes drooping shut as you finally welcome it.

#snakehybrid!woozi #woozi smut #seventeen smut #svt smut #woozi scenarios #woozi imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #svt scenarios

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kalaluchi · 3 years

Text

chapter 06: anime

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“Hey, nice wings!”

“Sorry, what?”

Marinette suddenly wanted to bury herself in a hole from embarrassment.

The moment Adrien walked in that morning, she’d noticed the telltale Wings of Freedom keychain hanging from his bag. And, sure, they’d been talking on end for nearly a month now. But still she’d spent the whole day just working up the courage to approach him and mention the keychain, thinking maybe, finally, they’d have something more to talk about other than school work and the occasional small talk, because mostly he talked about things she already knew from stalking him… not like she was going to tell him that, though.

And yet… yet he stood there, obvious confusion in his gorgeous green eyes, with a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised, like he had no idea what in the world she meant. Like the silver item was absolutely not hanging from the strap of his bag. Even though it so was.

Hence-- the want to bury herself in a hole. Ever the brave heroine, Marinette instead swallowed hard and forced a smile. “Hanging on your bag. It’s Wings of Freedom from Attack on Titan. I thought you having it meant you’d watched AOT. I guess not? You should though, it’s one of my favorite shows. Uh, I mean, not that you have to, you know, of course, I mean, who am I to force you to watch something, I just meant--”

Adrien cut her off with a chuckle. “Oh! I forgot I left that hanging there. I actually have watched it though. I remember binging it one summer a few years back.” His smile to himself, probably remembering simpler times.

Marinette relaxed, and grinned. “I know what you mean. My parents used to get mad at me for sneaking down at midnight to watch episodes as soon as they were released. Uh, so are there any other animes you like, or is it just that one…?”

“I used to watch a lot, but that was back when I had a lot of time, you know?” He ran a hand through his hair nonchalantly. (How did he do that so effortlessly…)

“Mhm!” Marinette nodded emphatically, mesmerized. “Me too! Uh, hey! Why don’t we, uh, watch something… together? There’s an anime I’ve been wanting to watch, but I haven’t… had a solid enough reason to. Although, of course, we don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she added hastily. “I-I just thought it’d be fun, you know, since we both hadn’t watched in a while--”

“Sounds fun!”

“I mean, I don’t expect you to agree, I-- what did you say?”

Adrien chuckled. “I said, ‘sounds fun.’ What did you want to watch?”

“Uh.” Still reeling from the shock that he’d agreed so quickly, Marinette pulled out her phone. “I forgot the name, but I’m pretty sure I had it on a list, lemme check.” She unlocked it and scrolled through her notes.

Once she found it, she grinned triumphantly, feeling lucky that she’d managed to get this far in the conversation. “Here, it’s called, uh… ah.”

Marinette suddenly felt shy, her luck all gone. It seemed like cruel fate that this particular anime was next on her list, for her and Adrien to watch together. She cleared her throat. “It’s, uhm, called Kaguya-sama: Love is War. You might not like the genre, though, so it’s okay if you wanna watch something else…” Please let him want to watch something else. I won’t be able to take this internal torture, Marinette pleaded to the skies silently.

Instead, Adrien’s eyes shone excitedly. “Oh, I’ve heard of that! The one where the guy and the girl like each other, but neither wants to lower their pride and admit it, right? So they come up with situations to force the other one to confess? They’re so funny-- it's adorable!”

“More like relatable,” Marinette coughed to herself.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that…?”

Marinette forced a laugh. “I said, ‘yup! Adorable.’”

“So, when should we start watching? You free Saturday night?”

“Sure,” she said immediately, not one to turn down a possible? date with her crush.

Then her brain caught up with her heart, and she groaned. Saturday nights were movie-night-with-Alya nights… she was sure the brunette would not let a boy overrule movie nights. Even if that boy were radiant… carefree… dreamy… Adrien.

But what if… she merged movie night and anime night? Anyway, it was her turn to host movie night and choose what to watch. She had a feeling Alya would enjoy watching Kaguya-sama, especially knowing its summary… Marinette really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Alya’s schemes yet again, but if it made it possible to watch with Adrien and Alya… she supposed it would be worth it just this once.

“Something wrong?”Adrien’s voice cut in, his brow creased. “If you’re not free Saturday night, it’s cool we can resched.”

“No! We’re good, I’m good, you’re handsome-- I mean, it’s… awesome.” She cringed inwardly. “I can definitely do Sat, no prob-o. But, uh… is it okay if I invite Alya? I mean, the more the merrier, right?”

She almost thought Adrien looked disappointed at this, but if he were, he hid it well. “Cool, I love Alya,” he said easily, grinning. (Marinette chose to ignore the pang that hit her at this. Why just Alya? How about an ‘I love Marinette’ as well? She fought the urge to sigh.) “We can invite Nino as well so it’s… even more fun I guess?”

“Mhm, sounds like a plan. I’ll tell Alya, and you tell Nino?”

“Okay,” he said, waving goodbye and heading to his seat as the bell rang for class.

‘I’ll tell Alya,’ huh? A lot easier said than done, Marinette thought, unsure how to break the news to her best friend.

“Alya,” Marinette started an hour later, after planning out an entire speech and writing down bullet points to rebut any arguments her best friend might have.

It all went out the window when the latter held up a hand, giving the ravenette a knowing smile.

“No need to explain, I know.”

“Wha--”

“Considering we sit beside each other, you pass on information pretty slowly. It’s been, like, 2 periods…”

Marinette spluttered, “I-- how-- who-- what.”

Alya held up her phone and waved it around. “Hello? These exist? Nino texted me the second our break ended… (Though why he didn’t just… tell me outright… I have no idea.) We’ve been texting back and forth, planning.”

Marinette practically sagged in relief. “Oh, thank goodness.” She let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “Alya, you are absolutely the bestest friend ever, I don’t deserve you--”

“Hold your horses, don’t get all sappy on me yet,” Alya interrupted, holding up a finger. “You’re not cleared yet. One: I never thought you’d be the type of girl to ditch her best friend as soon as she got a boyfriend--”

“He’s not--!”

“--but,” Alya continued, ignoring Marinette’s profuse protests, “I completely forgive you, because I know you, and I know your heart often speaks before your brain can, and I know that you would never ditch me on purpose, especially when our agreement came first.”

Marinette gave the brunette the best puppy-dog eyes she could manage. “Alyaaaaa, you know I love you, right?”

Alya rolled her eyes playfully. “Yes, girl, I know. Now put that expression away, it's creeping me out,” she laughed. “And I know you’re going to ask, so yes, there is a way to make it up to me, and that is: you have to invite Adrien to watch with you… like physically. Not over video call like we sometimes do. I want there to be popcorn and blankets and everything. If you two end up cuddling, even better.”

“Cuddling?!” Marinette whisper-shouted, beet red. “Wh-why would we--! I don’t want to--! mean, yes, it would be nice, but we are just friends. Okay?”

The brunette laughed at her best friend’s reaction. “You got it. But do we have a deal? You invite your boy over, I’ll come up with an excuse not to go, you bring me two packs of my favorite candy for our next movie night-- and I do not dwell over the fact that you forgot me, your best friend forever, when making plans with Adrien, the love of your life.”

Marinette wisely opted to ignore that last bit Alya said, and nodded firmly, shaking the latter’s outstretched hand.

“Deal.”

Adrien was packing his bag when Marinette walked up to him at the end of the day.

“Hey, Adrien, about our anime thing on Saturday--”

“Anime?” a voice interrupted snarkily. Marinette turned and found none other than Chloe Bourgeois standing behind her, one hand on her hip. “You seriously still watch that stuff? Isn’t it, like, for kids or something?” She let out a laugh. “Although I don’t know why I expected any different from you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette was about to shoot back a retort when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Chloe,” Adrien said patiently, “we’ve talked about this. Anime isn’t just for kids. Remember how our parents wouldn’t let us watch Attack on Titan when we were 9 because it was scary? Anime can actually have different genres and all, and I think that’s pretty neat. I’m pretty excited actually to start a new one with Marinette.” (Marinette thought she’d faint at this. But she managed to keep her cool.)

“Oh, Adrikins, I totally agree!” Chloe said sweetly, batting her eyelashes. (Marinette fought the urge to throw up.) “I was only joking with Marinette, of course! Ha ha! Like friends do! I love anime! So, about this new show-- maybe I could watch it with you, hmm?”

“That okay with you, Marinette?”

Hell no. “Sure thing!”

This was going to be a disaster.

Adrien and Chloe showed up at her place 7pm that Saturday.

The plan was to binge as many episodes as they could. Marinette had set up her room with tons of pillows, so they could be comfortable watching from the floor. (Well… her and Adrien anyway. She was 99% sure Chloe would get just bored immediately and end up scrolling through social media, but whatever.)

They made their way up to her room after they’d greeted her parents. (Marinette did her best to ignore the raised eyebrows her parents gave her, silently asking about Chloe’s presence. She herself honestly had no idea what to say about it.) Chloe flopped onto the couch in the middle of the room, crossing her legs as she unlocked her phone. Typical. But Marinette really hadn’t expected anything else, so she ignored the blonde.

She set up the TV and brought bowls of popcorn to the piles of pillows where Adrien sat. She shyly took a seat beside him, grinning as she hit the play button.

They both settled in as the first episode began playing, starting with a speech likening love to war, wherein the person who falls in love first loses.

Marinette frowned at that. She wanted to disagree, but she kept her mouth shut when she saw the way Adrien was engrossed in watching. She noted the way his lips turned up at every joke and mouthed the words to the theme song.

She felt her heart squeeze at the sight. The opening speech be damned, she’d never feel like she was on the losing side if she got the chance to fall in love with this precious boy.

Marinette looked at his hand on the floor, and tentatively reached out to put her own on top of his. So close--

She froze when she felt Chloe plop down beside her, ready to hear the blonde call her out on what she was trying to do. Instead, Chloe had her eyes glued to the TV, watching Kaguya and Shirogane’s antics with rapt interest. Marinette nearly jumped when the other girl burst out in laughter at Shirogane’s attempts to give love advice.

She still wanted to figuratively strangle Chloe for ruining her almost-moment, but as she watched both her companions drink in the show she’d put on, Marinette thought that this might not turn out to be so bad, after all.

“So, what did you think, Chloe?” Adrien asked as the three of them stood outside the bakery, waiting for Adrien’s and Chloe’s cars to pick them up.

“It was… okay,” she scoffed, going for a nonchalant tone. “Nothing special, I guess.”

(Chloe actually absolutely loved it, Marinette could tell, but of course the blonde would never for the life of her admit it.)

“But maybe they were kinda cute. I don’t see why people would flock to that kind of thing, though. I mean… where would you even download it, you know?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Not like I really want to know, duh. It was a rhetorical question, of course. Up to you if you want to answer, but I really couldn’t care less.”

Behind her back, Adrien and Marinette shared a smile and a fist bump. Marinette made it a point to loudly mention the name of the site they’d watched on, adding, “I mean, I’m sharing that just as a random fact, of course.”

Chloe typed something on her phone quickly, and huffed as her car pulled into the driveway. “Whatever, loser. Bye, Adrikins!” she said instead, getting in the backseat.

“Sorry about inviting Chloe,” Adrien immediately apologized once it was just the two of them. “I really didn’t know Alya wouldn’t be coming, and Nino only told me right before that he wouldn’t be able to make it. Sorry for ruining your night.”

“No worries,” she said lightly. And surprisingly, she meant it. Not only did she get to spend hours with her crush, she also got to see a different side of Chloe Bourgeois, a side that made her think maybe the blonde was human after all. “It was surprisingly fun even with her around. And I really enjoyed watching Kaguya. I… learned a lot.”

His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Really? What did you learn? Do enlighten me.”

“Your ride’s here,” she only said, pointing behind him.

He laughed. “What perfect timing, gave you an excuse to avoid my question. You must be hiding something.”

“I really don’t know what you mean,” she replied, grinning.

“Good night, Marinette,” he said, turning to leave.

“Good night, Adrien,” she echoed, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets and watching the car drive away.

She looked up at the stars, remembering one of the episodes they’d just watched, and wondered what she’d do if she’d been in Kaguya’s shoes. She wanted to say she’d have been more firm about her feelings… but she had a feeling when the time came, she might find herself frozen in shock as well.

But one thing was for sure. There was no way she was going to deny her feelings any more. She most definitely liked Adrien Agreste as more than a friend, whether or not he liked her back. (Though of course she hoped it was the former.)

She was absolutely determined to make active decisions to get to know this blond-haired green-eyed boy more. No scheming and coming up with mind games to force him to confess. She’d confess if she had to, on her own terms.

And hopefully, hopefully, the day would come when she could say she’d won the war that they call love, and when she could say, without a doubt, that he was hers.

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#adrinette april 2021 #adrinette #miraculous ladybug #idk what im doing sorry #ml #mlb #mlbcn #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #adrienette #mlb fics #adrinetteapril2021 #kaguya-sama love is war #day 6: anime

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jilyesplz · 3 years

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Hi, sorry for what is most likely a very weird ask 😢 but I've never read TLAT since physically I don't have the circumstances to commit to such a long abandoned and unresolved fic, but i love all your stories and writing so I read your TLAT fics too! I loved them, especially the fluff dribbles because you give them such delicious dynamic 😍. I read the first chapter of Potter and Evans too and I think I understood most of it even without knowing the backstory, but I have one question if it's OK? I know this must be selfish of me but could you tell me what's the deal with James and Carlotta? Was she the prettiest girl in school? Did he really love her and then she dumped him?! 😱

Hi! First of all thank you so much for reading my stories, especially the continuation when you haven’t read the OG? :o I’m honored! This ask is not selfish at all, although I do really, really, really recommend reading TLAT! It genuinely is such a beautiful work of art. With that said...spoilers are definitely available, so I don’t ~think~ it’s evil of me to answer this?? i honestly feel kinda guilty abt this lmao but...below the cut!

Hoo mama. Strap in for this fuckin ride. (This got unbelievably long so TL/DR at bottom lmao, but a lot of it is actually relevant to P&E)

First off, yes, Carlotta Meloni is the prettiest girl in school. That is her main character trait. Her main personality trait is knowing it.

We....hate her with the fire of a thousand suns. Everything’s fine lmao.

So in July before 7th year, James and Lily almost kiss. It’s...wow. Just...WOW. But Lil is drunk and scared of her own feelings, so she calls it off at the last second, which James takes as 'nothing is ever going to happen between us.’ Then he pops off to his beach house as The Rich are wont to do. Carlotta is there, she flirts, he flirts back, she kisses him, he kisses her back, she asks him out, he says (Lily will never love me so) yes.

MEANWHILE, Carlotta’s best (only) friend Shelley Mumps has been in love with James since 462 BC, which Carlotta knows, but Shelley isn’t pretty and he barely knows she exists. It’s very high school. (TLAT starts with its main characters as very immature teenagers, and they grow a TON and become these lovely, insane, completely fantastic people, and then this plotline comes along to be like But Lest You Forget, Wow Are They In Fucking High School. It hurts. Jules is an evil genius.) Shelley hears that Carlotta is dating James, is furious at the betrayal, so she gets a tan (and a weight loss potion and much sluttier clothes) and starts trying to sabotage James’s relationship.

Important background here: Pre-7th year, Carlotta was pretty universally despised by Hogwarts’s female population for shagging all of their boyfriends. So as soon as Shelley starts talking shit, a slow-motion school-wide catfight breaks out...which Mundungus Fletcher decides to monetize. Dung starts taking bets from the student population on whether James will dump Carlotta for Shelley.

Ew.

But again: high school. 1970s. James wants to shut it down, Carlotta says don’t because she prides herself on not caring what other people think (which James does too, but he understands that this is gross and awful. Car doesn’t care). Betting turns into voting on whether James “should” dump Carlotta for Shelley. What the fuck this actually means is left intentionally vague, and it of course becomes a popularity/fuckability contest.

Up to now, Carlotta hasn’t really done anything wrong in this story except (debatably) date her BFF’s crush. That’s about to change.

James wants to end the voting. Carlotta again says don’t, now because (Jesus Fucking Christ, get ready for this one) she has made a secret bet with Shelley: if Car wins, Shelley will leave them alone. If Shelley wins, Carlotta will break it off with James.

Quick note: the whole time, James essentially lets Carlotta make the decisions, acting as if the women are the wronged parties, which, yes, the school is doing a super shitty and sexist thing. But if the roles were flipped and a girl were in James’s situation, we would feel AWFUL for her. I just think it’s important that the school is doing a really horrible thing to James too, and the fact that he’s the James Potter, Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, Universally Beloved Most Popular Bloke in School doesn’t change that. Just because he acts unaffected doesn’t mean he is. James Potter is human. And God, what a human. <3

SOMEONE GIVE THIS BOY A HUG.

Anyway. Vote’s coming up. James rigs it for Carlotta to get everyone to leave them alone. The Marauders, without telling James, rig it for Shelley (because they hate Carlotta for a long list of reasons, and they love Lily, and they know Lily fancies James) (oh, yeah! Lily realized she fancied James on the platform back to school, right before finding out he was with Carlotta. Quite a gut punch).

Carlotta...fucking rigs it...for Shelley.

Fucking.

I cannot.

Twat.

In her defense: James is in L* with Lily, and it would be really, really hard to be his girlfriend. Also, she misses her BFF.

Not in her defense: Literally every decision she makes in this process!!! Talk to him you idiot bitch.

So then Car confesses rigging the vote to Lily and they have a heart to heart (well, more of alternating rants. They’re not mates). L says Car should tell him, but doesn’t tell him herself because she’s Lily, and because she’s worried she would be telling him because she wants him rather than because he really should know...really, she doesn’t tell him because she’s Lily. Car initially doesn’t tell him, they almost kinda get back together. She commits her greatest crime here: once upon a time, Lily told Carlotta and Shelley all the “little things” about James that she’d noticed...it’s one of the story’s first ‘oh fuck, L REALLY likes J’ moments, but way before Lily has come to terms w that. Carlotta....then uses....Lily’s little things speech....to convince J to get back together with her. Dude, she’s worse than Umbridge. But then she changes her mind because Lily has made her feel guilty so she confesses, and they break up.

Wowza. Sorry for the fucking novel. I have...a lot...of feelings.

TL/DR: J started dating Carlotta after L rejected him, while still v much in L*ve with L but trying to deny it. Lots of high school bullshit happened, ending in a school-wide vote about whether J should dump Carlotta for her ex-BFF Shelley who also fancies him. Ew, David. Carlotta and Shelley make a secret deal that Carlotta will dump J if she loses, then Carlotta rigs the vote so she’ll lose. She loses, tells him about the bet and he’s like ‘OK I’m done with you.’ She then changes her mind, tries to get him back, but Lil’s goodness guilts her into telling him the truth about the bet and they break up. So to your questions...yes, no, yes and no. Lil thought maybe he loved Car, and in Potter and Evans, she now thinks he does because she dramatically misinterpreted what Libby was saying—teasing James about how unsuccessful his attempts at moving on were—as bro-y congratulations/teasing for how fast he found a rebound.

#tlat

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spencer-reid-in-a-pool · 3 years

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A - Z 🤍🤍

I’m assuming this means all the asks! So buckle up LOL. And thank you for taking an interest in lil ole me.

A: How did you come up with the title to [insert fic]?

Since you didn’t specify which title, I’m just going to talk about how I come up with titles in general. Normally, they happen one of two ways. Either I will come up with a title I think sounds cool out of the blue and then base a fic of its vibes, or I will write a fic to completion before deciding on a title. I like to use something that one of the characters say in this situation. It feels very full circle to me, if you will.

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

Unfortunately, my life is nowhere near as cool as the characters’ lives I write about. So no, I can’t say that my stories are based off personal experience. Unless you count me naming side characters my middle name every so often to indulge myself oops.

C: What member do you identify with most?

I guess by member it means character? And to be honest, I’m not really sure. I relate a lot to Spencer Reid I suppose, because I have never been popular and have always been a target for whatever shit life throws at me. I also like to think I’m kinda intelligent? Although if you look at my grade in my stats class right now, idk what to tell you-

D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with [insert fic]?

Since there was no specific fic asked about, I can’t really answer this one! But to be honest, I don’t think there are any fics that I have written that I associated with songs.

E: If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it be about?

The first one that came to mind is Guest Speaker. If I wrote a part three for that, it would probably be fluffy domestic cute stuff with Spencer.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“I don’t even know what it was…it happened so fast. Did you kill it, Geralt?” Jaskier asked in a huff. Geralt crossed his arms, and shook his head. “I figured I should make sure you didn’t die first, bard.” Jaskier nodded, a simple “Ah,” leaving his lips. “Well, no matter. You can fix me right?”

He sounded like he was poking fun at the situation, but I could hear the fear in his words. I decided to try and make him smile before I did this next part. It would be painful.

“Anything for Geralt of Rivia and his emotional support bard.”

(This was just really funny to me for some reason, and I feel like I did a good job with their characterizations! And then Y/N comes back with the emotional support bard comment and it’s something I would say in real life. From this fic.)

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

It depends on my mood! Sometimes if I’m frustrated with a story or a scene, I’ll write them out of order based on what type of thing I feel like writing. But I would say 75% of the time I write my fics in order.

H: How would you describe your style?

To be honest, I have no idea. Do I even have a style? I just write stuff and hope that people read it and like it.

I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?

Happy endings pfft. So cliche, but like- they make me happy. Unless I am feeling particularly angsty that day and want to make an ending a complete train wreck >:)

J: Write or describe an alternative ending to [insert fic].

In this fic...I would let reader live LMAO. But like- I was feeling angsty that day okay-

K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

Reader dying at the end of the fic LMAO, in the fic linked in the previous one above this one.

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Uhh 😬 Maybe once? If that 😅 I’m usually so excited to post that I just kinda go ahead and click post and hope for the best. I rely on spell check and grammar check a lot 💀And I just hope my story flows well.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

I don’t think so! I keep my to do list public so everyone can see what fics I have planned. The only two I don’t have on there are the ones for the upcoming fic swap on @imagining-in-the-margins ‘s discord! But that’s cuz they’re secret :)

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

I wish that I would finish the 85486824 WIPS I have, does that count? And that I would write down all the ideas I have in my head that I haven’t even given words yet.

O: How do you begin a story–with the plot, or the characters?

Ooh this is a tough one. I’m not really sure how to answer it actually. There have been fics that I come up with a general idea for a plot for first, and then others I will decide what characters I wanna write for before I have any clue as to what the plot might be.

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

Oh I am 100% the type of writer to let the story unfold as I go. I have outlined two, maybe three of my fics? And then I didn’t even follow through with them because I had more ideas come to me as I was writing.

Q: How do you feel about collaborations?

I would literally LOVE to collab with someone!

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

There are a ton, and I am so sorry if I missed any! @imagining-in-the-margins @randomfandomimagine @reidetic @lexieshuntingsstuff @writing-in-april @reidgraygubler @zhuzhubii @dreatine @andiebeaword @dontkissthewriter @spencers-dria @sunlight-moonrise @personofsinterest @ontheoddoccasioniwritestuff @reidlusts @itslatinamagia

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

Oh boy! 😅 There was only one bed, mutual pining, manic pixie dream girl, kissed to keep quiet, just to name a few!

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

Not that I can think of!

U: Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

But I have way more than three :’( @imagining-in-the-margins is definitely the first one off the top of my head. Last year I was in a really bad spot, and she invited me to her Discord, and it helped me get back into writing. Plus I made some life long friends in the server. @writing-in-april I love her sm because she is always around when I need her, and it’s nice to have a friend that thinks fairly similarly to me. @lexieshuntingsstuff and @reidgraygubler go hand in hand! They are the best sprinting buddies a girl could ask for.

V: If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Ooh this is a tough one. I can’t think of any off the top of my head! Lame answer, I know 😅

W: Do you like more general prompts, or more specific ones?

Definitely more specific ones lol. It makes it a lot easier on me.

X: A character you enjoy making suffer.

Reader >:))

Y: A character you want to protect.

SPENCER REID AND JASKIER OKAY THEY DESERVE THE WORLD

Z: Major character death–do you ever write/read it? Is there a character whose death you can’t tolerate?

Again- Spencer and Jaskier. I will not TOLERATE THEIR ERASURE !!

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wondersbeyondcompare · 4 years

Text

More Majid Stuff

I post once in a blue moon b/c I work in random bursts and get tired easily, but here are some rambles about Majid that I’ve saved in my Notes app and probably haven’t mentioned before!

There are some rumors circulating around Majid regarding his wealth

More specifically: how he got his wealth

All these rumors range from him being a secret son of a noble family to taking shady underground jobs that paid ridiculously well

His name had been searched up more than once, but the only thing that pops up is a bakery business w/ a small branch located in the Land of Hot Sands... not too far from where Majid grew up...

Majid’s a quick learner; he just lacks the motivation lol

Tends to overthink too often, tho, coming up with detailed plans to get out of doing the most mundane stuff

Funny to watch but a pain in the ass to comprehend 😔

Although Majid tries to get out of doing most stuff, there are some things he can’t let slide

He can get picky over how some tasks are done; honestly??? this might be a good tactic on getting him to work (“Hey, Majid. Can you help set up the decorations for tonight’s party?” “No.” “Aaaa, okay, guess we’ll just have Mark do it-“ “Mark? You want to leave decorating to him? Do you want the lounge looking like a highlighter projectile vomited over the walls and ceiling? Give me those streamers. I’ll do it myself-“)

Definitely a quality over quantity kind of person; his room may be a mess of different things, but, rest assured, it’s only the best of the best of stuff that stay for long like lava lamps

I want to say that Majid is picky about a lot of things in general, but he does have his exceptions; for example: food, napping locations, job opportunities, ummm (･_･;) That’s most of what I can think of right now, dang

This pickiness is kiiind of 👉👈 referencing a trait that the Cave of Wonders has; like the whole “only a diamond in the rough shall enter here“ business that was going on idk I’m trying my best

As you can see, I went ham when it came to the “Who disturbs my slumber” line the tiger head had lol 😅(sorry that had become your defining trait, m’boi)

And the mass of riches he’s accumulated over the years was another obvious reference to the inside of the cave as well; can also act as a loose metaphor of what’s stopping him from getting the help he needs; as the treasures in the cave were put there w/ the intent of distracting a person from the ultimate goal of the magic lamp, so does his own treasures serve as a temporary distraction from moving forward in his life

But if that’s too much of a stretch, then plz slap the inner English teacher in me and then myself

Majid’s good at looking through people’s facades and judging a person’s true character, but it’s not like he does much w/ this info

Unless they try confronting him or something, he just avoids/shuts down people he gets bad vibes from

Doesn’t make tactless comments; figured out that dealing with pissed off people was more work than it’s worth

Boi tends to ask a lot of questions when speaking to other people; partly b/c of trust issues; partly b/c he might be lowkey judging you (can’t use his unique magic all the time after all :/)

He’s the type of person who acts like he knows everything, but he really doesn’t; just hates getting looked down upon in general; will bluff his way through situations by being as vague as possible

He leans towards how his mother used to speak; that is: beating around the bush

He won’t lie to you, but it might take some time until he’ll give you the whole truth; and when I say it’ll take some time, IT REALLY WILL TAKE SOME TIME B/C THIS BOY IS UNBELIEVABLY STUBBORN

Is casual to whoever he speaks to, no matter the age; if he gets extremely annoyed with someone, especially if they’re older than him, he’ll use this over exaggerated polite tone that makes it real obvious he’s fed up with them

Gets ticked off whenever anyone advises him to do anything, but he’ll still take that advice to heart

Majid’s probably tired all the time b/c of all the jewelry he’s carrying around smh

Majid sounds/looks like he’s angry all the time, but that’s just his resting face 😔; I mean, he’s always a little irritated, but it’s mostly b/c he’s stuck in that state of being forced awake from a deep afternoon nap (b/c... that’s usually what happens to him)

Plus, have you met his upperclassmen? Have you seen what was going on in Scarabia during Chapter 4?????? Have you met the headmaster of this school???????? (; ω ; )

He doesn’t like people touching stuff that’s his; same thing goes for people touching stuff in general that aren’t theirs; doesn’t like thieves (he’s stolen stuff when he was younger, but he justifies that he only did so to survive; and he’s not entirely wrong)

Ironic b/c his mom was a thief 🤭

He’s also a pretty obedient student save for the whole “trying to sleep in class w/o getting caught” thing that he’s still trying to accomplish; doesn’t like it when the professors get strict with him but will grit his teeth and bear with it

Prefers magic carpets to magic broomsticks; there’s just a lot more surface area when it comes to carpets plus he’s more familiar with the former

Spends a lot of his time in the Scarabia storage room b/c it reminds him of his bedroom back home; probably became buddies w/ Kalim’s magic carpet while he was there too

But if we’re talking about the type of people Majid could tolerate befriending uummm... maybe those with good hearts?? Idk, like those who are genuinely trying to be a good person no matter what kind of obstacles they run into (referencing how the cave of wonders only let a diamond in the rough enter)

They don’t have to be all nice or sweet, but as long as Majid can tell they have kind intentions, he won’t immediately leave them

Has a “haaah... these guys are hopeless... might as well keep an eye on them so they don’t screw up any more than they already have” attitude towards these people

Other type of person Majid would unintentionally befriend are those who are also annoyed of being told what to do by upperclassmen/authority figures; ☺️🙏 vent out your frustrations together wooo

Has some squabbles with Leona when it comes to napping locations

It’s actually pretty funny to watch b/c they both don’t want to give up their spot but also they don’t want to bother getting up

Leona wins most of the time, tho

Majid may have had a lot of energy when he was younger but now he’s a g e d

I rarely mention Majid’s lava illusion magic thing, but yeah that’s a thing; he probably won’t be able to use it to its full extent until his last year of high school and maybe a little bit later; it takes up a ton of energy; I keep on imagining him using it and joking that “aaaa the floor is lava lol”, but then I remember the psychological effects this ability has on the victim and 😬 yikes scratch that

Majid has a loud clear voice when he speaks; often startles whoever’s walking by when he naps in the shadows

As a result of spending most of his time w/o a stable support system and no one static to guide his beliefs, Majid doesn’t follow any particular religion; he does have coworkers back at the curio/appraisal/pawn shop who do, tho, and while he doesn’t entirely understand it, he respects them as much as he can

I’ve said before that Majid selfishly keeps all his wealth to himself for fear of losing his self worth, but there are some exceptions (such as to anyone he passes who’s begging in the streets, a coworker who’s struggling to make ends meet, etc.)

He’s fine with giving away some money, but not in huge amounts

And if he’s giving money to anyone, it’s done in a round about way; usually w/ a dismissive excuse

If this boi had a route, depending on how the MC acts around him, the majority of it will be spent breaking down those walls and befriending him; generally going like this: shovel all trust issues into incinerator one by one —>Get him to tolerate you —> Get him to trust you —> Befriend (?) Him —> Deal w/ his other deep seated issues —-> Romance (if we’re going for that otome game kinda thing i guess???))

I can just imagine Majid temporarily visiting the Land of Hot Sands w/ MC after befriending him and finding out the truth about his parents through his boss at the curio shop; MC encourages him to travel north to pay a visit at some facility b/c it’s rumored that at least his father is still alive

(No idea what happened to Lara; probably suffered worse consequences due to making several prison breaks; had decently powerful magical abilities, so that would probably explain the whole forced amnesia thing that happened after their disappearance)

Majid is torn b/w wanting to go alone b/c this is a personal matter (And he wants MC to be safe) and being scared of losing MC if something horrible happens to him on his journey north; he knows what it’s like to be suddenly abandoned, and he doesn’t want that for anybody, especially for someone he cares about

He doesn’t want to repeat his father’s mistakes, regardless if it was accidental or not

Majid decides to go on his own; probably had some touching parting w/ MC; maybe we’ll go full otome and have a hugging CG where he swears that he will be back for MC

And MC is just like “Aight;;; cool;;; good luck;;”; something sentimental like that

Couple of days passed; we’re worried about him

He returns with a worried look on his face before breaking into a relieved smile when he sees MC; power walks to hug them even tighter than before

Majid thanks them for all they’ve done; he then spends the rest of the day and well into the night describing all he’s experienced and his visit with his dad

They go back to NRC and Majid is less bratty than before, much to the surprise of Jamil and to the delight of Kalim; actually starts to make an effort to not push people away at every opportunity (b/c he originally felt like they all had their own hidden agenda and were just using him for their own gain, y’know)

Boi becomes even more clingy towards MC; by that, I don’t mean he’s overly attached to them (he’s afraid of making the same mistake he did in the past), but rather he shows it through light casual touches here and there (a brush of the fingers when exchanging papers, patting MC’s head when they do something well, gently tugging at their sleeve when he needs their attention) and constantly checking up on them to see how they’re doing

Awkward levels in Majid increase as he constantly wonders if he’s crossing a line when it comes to him showing any kind of affection; he doesn’t want to come off as creepy and make MC hate him

Might also resist being given love and affection at first; but once he gets used to it, he absolutely m e l t s

Cuddles are 👌; might give teary eyes if MC tries to leave early during a cuddling session, but he won’t pressure them to stay; a touch starved boi

Doesn’t think much of PDA, giving or receiving; full on making out and anything further is kind of a no-go, tho; hugging is nice and so are short and sweet kisses; will glare at anybody who says anything about it

If his s/o was clingier than he is, he might get a little embarrassed; same thing goes if his s/o was really cute

Definitely the type of boyfriend to buy random gifts for his s/o b/c these things reminded him of them

Younger Majid was in full on puppy mode all the time, or at least when he was around people he liked; also a huge people pleaser too, since he was afraid of them leaving him

He was probably reckless too in order to entertain his friends

Was really polite, especially when it came to adults; always calling them Mister and Miss(us)

He was also just loud

Future Majid (if he came to terms with most of his problems) would be more mellow than his teenage self; still anti-social but he’s less angry at the world now; would go on to own the curio shop after the previous owner passed on; reverted it into both a jewelry/appraisal shop in order to honor his father plus respect the previous owner’s memory as well

Sells and repairs jewelry and appraises supposedly rare items that come through his store; still does odd jobs for the people in the neighborhood but his prices aren’t as outrageously high as he made them when he was younger

He names the new store after his mother, at the request of his father (plus I only recently heard the song “House of Gold” by Twenty One Pilots and hnnnmmg it fits well with this golden boy)

Majid is interested in most things related to jewelry, probably subconsciously influenced by his father; this includes repairing bits of jewelry; he moves delicately when it comes to these kinds of tasks

He’s a night owl; it’s much quieter at night

Has bad posture from sleeping in different weird places

His body is prone to heating up easily; the fact that he lives in the Land of Hot Sands and was also sorted into Scarabia is just unfortunate luck

Sneaks off to cooler areas on campus in his free time to chill; one of his favorite spots is the Octavinelle lounge since it’s air conditioned and dark, and he can get away with taking a nap before going over his time limit and getting kicked out

The library is nice too (´∀｀)

Would like to go to Ignihyde too, but he’s put off by the feeling of being underground (gotta have that bit of irony like Jamil being afraid of bugs 👌)

He tolerates Kalim better than Jamil; probably b/c the latter scolds him for slacking off

Actually went to Kalim for tutoring advice once before realizing part of the way that his senior had no idea what he was doing; Jamil has earned his respect when it comes to academics

Kinda jealous of the duo’s stamina; Majid’s usually heaving for air after long marches or if he’s ever chosen as a backup dancer for one of Scarabia’s many parties; he’s the ( ・∇・) least athletic of my OCs...

No, he can’t dance, but he can feign the movements well enough to not get caught

#twisted wonderland oc #twst ocs #twisted wonderland ocs #twst oc #twst oc art #art #twisted wonderland oc art #writing #my art #my post #Majid #mun taro speaks #everytime i post about my ocs i see that one twitter post flash inside my mind #the one that goes like #me to my followers: hey im sorry i havent been posting about my ocs that much but #followers: ??? wait??? you have ocs???#I LOVE SLEEPING TOO MUCH IM SORRY #anyway yeah heres my boy #its mostly just character stuff b/c ive gone over most of his background in his profile and his parents post #will i do the same for the other kids i have?? maybe if i get the energy to...#im just biased for majid #if you managed to get through everything on here congrats #you have my love and undying loyalty from now on #also i didnt really know where i was going with all of this #if it seems like im jumping from one idea to another its b/c i was

35 notes · View notes

cocastyle · 4 years

Text

Change - Ch. 2 | T W O

Pairing - Bill Denbrough x reader

Word Count - 5,383

A/N - another chapter because I felt really inspired to write! it’s finally time for the reunion and ahh the feels 🥺 also, please let me know what you all think so far and what your thoughts are about Greyson. I honestly love him and his character throughout this half of the series is just so cute in my opinion. this chapter will have tons of feels with the reunion, but fair warning that the next chapter is going to pull at the heart strings even more and I think you all know why.

if you would like to be added to the tag list for this series let me know!

C H A N G E

Change Series Masterlist

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T W O - Jade of the Orient

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

Y/N was silent as she stared up at the restaurant before her, her fingers drumming against the wheel of her car nervously as her eyes flickered over the letters that spelled out Jade of the Orient.

She wasn't sure what to expect when she walked inside, but the thought of seeing her friends after all of this time was enough to make her feel clammy. She hadn't been this nervous since Greyson was six years old and broke his arm falling off of a trampoline.

"Mom," Greyson's soft voice spoke out, snapping the woman's attention away from the restaurant and to her son who was still sitting in his seat with a confused look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Y/N replied a little too quickly, her voice coming out rushed and making herself wince. "I'm fine. I've never been more fine in my life."

Greyson raised an eyebrow and Y/N sighed before leaning her head against the wheel in defeat. "Okay, so I'm a little nervous," Y/N admitted, her shoulders slouching slightly as she tried to collect her thoughts.

A look of amusement appeared on Greyson's face and he couldn't help but chuckle, the sound making Y/N look to her son before looking away with a groan. "Fuck you. You don't laugh at your mother's nervousness," Y/N jokingly scolded while Greyson sent her one of his smiles that Y/N liked to say could solve all of her problems.

Greyson was always able to do that, make her relax with just a smile. He had been doing it ever since the day he was born and Stan had told her on numerous occasions that he got his smile from her, but Y/N didn't see it. Her son's smile was unlike any other and she adored him for it.

Greyson and Y/N had the strongest mother/son bond than anyone had ever seen. They were comfortable enough around each other to make fun of each other and curse as if they had been best friends for years now. They understood each other better than anyone and were the person they leaned on when times got tough. Although Y/N made sure to keep most of her problems to herself in order to keep Greyson happy, but she knew that he knew more than he let up.

Y/N knew some people might scold her for the relationship that she had with her son, but he was her best friend along with Stan of course. Her and Greyson had been by each other's side for sixteen years now and Greyson didn't seem to have a problem with being close friends with his mother so who was she to stop him?

"You're telling me that we've been sitting in this car for twenty minutes now because you're fucking nervous?" Greyson questioned, a hand going to his mouth as he tried to muffle his laughter.

Y/N sat back up and gave her son a small glare before leaning back with a huff. Greyson's laughter quieted down as he watched his mother before he smiled softly and reached out to place a hand on her arm.

"There's nothing to be nervous about," Greyson assured her. "I mean from what you've told me these people used to be your best friends. That bond can't be easily forgotten."

Y/N wanted to correct him and tell him how she actually had forgotten about them and that alone was enough to make her nervous, but she held that information back. After all, she would have to go into each of the friendships she had with her friends in order to explain to Greyson why she was so nervous and she wasn't quite ready for that yet, especially Bill who she had yet to mention to her son.

"It'll be just like the old days," Greyson smiled as he shook her arm gently. "Besides, you said Uncle Stan should be coming as well, right? I'm sure he'll be here soon and everything will be just fine."

Y/N knew her son was right, but for some reason she still couldn't shake off her nerves. "You're right," she sighed, thinking momentarily about how once Stan got here everything would be okay. "I just need to walk right in there and-"

The woman fell short and before Greyson could even comprehend what was happening Y/N was quickly turning off her car and getting out, throwing open the door as her eyes locked on a man who she would've recognized anywhere. Although the last time she had seen him he was thirteen years old with a cast on his arm and a fanny pack around his waist.

"Holy shit!" Y/N exclaimed, her voice so loud that it made the man who was walking across the parking lot jump in surprise before looking around. It took only a moment for his eyes to lock on her and the biggest grin broke out on his face as he recognized who she was. "Edward Kaspbrak, is that you?"

"Fucking hell," Eddie laughed as he broke out into a small jog over to the car. Y/N slammed her car door shut behind her and was running over to the man in seconds and the moment she fell into the warm embrace of the boy who used to be like a brother to her, all of her nerves were gone. "There's no way you're Y/N Uris. There's no fucking way!"

Y/N chuckled and pulled away momentarily to look at the man that stood before her, a grin on her face that reminded Eddie of the ones she used to send his direction when they were younger. "You best believe it, Eddie. Look at you! You've grown up on me, Eds," Y/N said, her voice going soft as she looked at the boy.

A flicker of sadness flashed through both of their eyes and Eddie gave her a small smile of understanding before he put his hands on her arms and gave them a small squeeze. "Me? Look at yourself. Just as beautiful as ever," Eddie said before he was pulling the girl in for another welcoming hug, this one lasting longer than the first as the two got caught up in the feeling of having one of their best friends back by their side.

Someone clearing their throat was what had the two pulling away, the two friends turning their heads in the direction of the sound to where Greyson was currently leaning against the car with the beginnings of a smile on his face. He couldn't help but let his eyes flicker between his mother and the man, taking notice that his mother had never greeted someone like that in his whole life nor looked so happy.

Eddie inhaled sharply, his eyes wide as a hand reached out to grab Y/N's arm in surprise and he whispered, "Is he-?"

Y/N smiled softly and glanced at Eddie before walking over to wrap an arm around Greyson. "Eddie, this is my son Greyson. Greyson, this is Eddie Kaspbrak," Y/N said as she gently guided her son over to the man who was staring at the teen in disbelief.

"Hi, Mr. Kaspbrak," Greyson greeted, a smile appearing on his face that made Eddie inhale sharply once again for it was like he was seeing a younger version of Y/N smiling up at him.

"Please, call me Eddie," he insisted before putting a hand to his mouth and bringing it down his chin as he continued to stare at Greyson. He finally let out a small laugh of disbelief before looking to Y/N. "Holy shit. He's like a boy version of you. He even has the same smile."

Y/N smiled at that and Eddie watched as Greyson looked to his mother in what had to be adoration and pride before his gaze fell back on Eddie. "You used to be friends with my mother when she was younger, right?" Greyson questioned, his grin widening when Eddie nodded his head. "What's the craziest thing she's ever done? Mom won't tell me shit about her past and I'm guessing it's because there's some deep dark secret she wants to hide."

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully at her son while Eddie chuckled softly and stuffed his hands into his pocket. "Actually, your mother was a total badass. She once chucked a rock at the school bully's face and made him bleed because he was picking on a friend of ours," Eddie instantly said, his eyes widening in surprise slightly at the memory that fell from his lips. He hadn't even thought he remembered that.

"Woah, really?" Greyson asked before looking up at his mother who had a hand to her face in embarrassment. Greyson only smiled and nudged his mother playfully before looking back at Eddie.

"Really," Eddie nodded as he sent a teasing smile in Y/N's direction. "I can tell you more later, but we should probably be heading inside. Will your husband be joining us?”

Y/N stilled at that and Eddie couldn't help but notice Greyson's face hardening almost instantly, anger and hatred obviously written in his demeanor. Y/N seemed to notice as well and gently placed a loving hand on her son's shoulder before giving Eddie a forced smile.

"No. It's just the two of us," she explained and Eddie's smile faltered.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he began to say, but Y/N waved him off.

"It's no big deal. He left the picture years ago. It's just me and Grey," Y/N admitted as she looked down at her son, the boy instantly relaxing under her loving gaze and smiling up at her.

"That's all we need," Greyson nodded his head in agreement before they looked back at Eddie with small smiles on their faces. "Let's head on in, shall we?"

Eddie and Y/N locked eyes for but a second and both were able to read the nervousness that was still hidden in their eyes. Greyson began to walk on ahead to open the door for the two adults and Y/N took that moment to go to Eddie's side, gently grabbing ahold of his arm with both hands as they walked forward and rubbing it soothingly in an attempt to calm both of their nerves.

For a moment the two each had a flashback to when they were younger and how Y/N would always calm Eddie down when he was nervous or panicked. It seemed each other's presence was still able to do that for the two were able to walk into the restaurant without another beat of hesitation as long as they were by each other's side.

Y/N only let go of Eddie's arm once Greyson had returned to her side and Eddie watched as she looked to her son with a smile before brushing some hair from his face. Greyson sent her a small smile in return before the three were then shown to the room that Mike had apparently reserved for them.

It wasn't long before Eddie began listing off to the waitress all of his allergies and concerns and Y/N couldn't help but chuckle softly as she watched the man who was just like the thirteen year old boy she remembered. Greyson raised an eyebrow as he looked to his mother and all Y/N could do was shrug with a smile on her face that was so contagious Greyson ended up smiling as well.

"And I'm allergic to soy and anything that has egg in it. Uh. . .gluten and if I eat a cashew I could. . ." Eddie fell short and Y/N furrowed her eyebrows before following his gaze and noticing that they had reached the room. "-realistically die."

Y/N's mouth fell open in shock and she was sure both her and Eddie had the same expression of surprise on their face as they looked at the two people who stood in the room already.

However nothing could beat the dumbfounded look on Greyson's face once he noticed that his favorite author was standing in front of him.

"Holy shit," Eddie and Y/N both whispered out, their eyes locking with the gazes of Mike Hanlon and Bill Denbrough before all four of them began to smile.

Eddie and Y/N both moved forward to greet the two, but the woman was quickly stopped by someone grabbing onto her wrist. Y/N turned only to find Greyson staring at her with wide eyes as he squeaked out, "That-That's Bill Denbrough. You. . .you know Bill Denbrough?"

"Yes?" Y/N whispered as she gave the boy a nervous smile. "I'm sorry. I know I should've told you, but I didn't know how."

"You're kidding me. I was-" Greyson glanced over at the three adults who were currently hugging each other and laughing before he looked back at his mother. "I was not prepared for this. Fuck! What if I mess up? What if I make a fool of myself? Mom!"

Y/N couldn't help but chuckle softly at her son's nervous state and was quick to place her hands in his arms in an attempt to call him down. "Woah, kiddo. Just breath, okay? Everything's going to be just fine. Just be yourself and you'll be okay," she assured him.

"Just be myself," Greyson muttered softly as he looked back over at the author who had yet to look their way. He nodded his head and looked back at his mother with a much calmer look on his face. "I can do that."

Y/N smiled and squeezed the boy's arms once before gesturing towards the men behind her. "Great. Now let me introduce you to my friends," she said before she turned and began to walk away. Greyson was behind her in almost an instance and walked practically on her heels until they reached the men who had just finished hugging Eddie.

Mike Hanlon was the first one to turn and the smile he gave Y/N was one that made her heart ache with guilt for having not spoken to him in so long. Mike didn't seem to think anything of it and let out a cheerful laugh as he embraced the girl.

"Y/N!" Mike exclaimed happily as he held onto her tight, the girl doing the same. "I knew you'd come. I just knew it."

"Mike," Y/N greeted as the two pulled away to look at each other. "Of course I came. You know I'll always be there when you need me."

A flicker of emotion flashed through Mike's eyes, but his smile didn't falter as he just smiled at her as if he couldn't believe she was standing there in front of him. But then a voice was filling the air and Y/N swore her heart stopped at the sound.

"Y/N?"

Mike took a small step back and Y/N moved her head to see Bill Denbrough standing there, a look of disbelief on his face as he shamelessly let his eyes flicker over her. Y/N couldn't say anything since she was doing the same to him.

"Bill," Y/N whispered and the name had barely even left her mouth before the two were in each other's arms, neither of them remembering having crossed the room to reach each other but both of them remembering almost instantly what it felt like to be held by the other.

Y/N felt the urge to cry in relief as she held onto Bill, but she held it back as she merely gripped onto his shirt and hugged him so close that her nose was practically resting atop of his shoulder. Bill held onto her just as tight and she could hear him let out a shaky breath as he leaned his head against her own, relishing in the feeling of getting to hold the girl once again while also trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

The two could've stood there hugging each other forever, but Eddie cleared his throat and gave the two a look that told them they should probably stop hugging before it got too weird. Y/N and Bill both pulled away with a blush, but kept their close distance as they looked at each other.

For a moment Bill felt like he was back in the summer to 1989 when he had first seen Y/N come out of the Uris house. The beating of his heart was the same and his breath was once again knocked from his lungs. And boy when she gave him that Y/N Uris smile that he hadn't seen for years, he knew he was a goner.

He hadn't seen her in years and she still gave him that giddy feeling that not even Audra had been able to make him feel. And for a moment he found himself hoping that was single. He didn't know what he would do if she was married.

"H-H-Hi," Bill finally managed to whisper out and he winced slightly at his stuttering which he knew was merely because of how nervous the girl seemed to be making him. Both of them suddenly got flashbacks to the first time they had met and to when they had reunited that one summer she had spent at Stan's.

"Hi," Y/N replied softly, tilting her head ever so slightly as she looked at the man before her in disbelief and awe. She couldn't believe it was him and her frantically beating heart was only proof of that.

Both of them were shamelessly admiring the other and the fact was enough to make them both blush and look down bashfully as awkward laughs left their lips.

"You look good," Y/N finally said and Bill swore his cheeks grew even more red. He was an adult now and she still somehow made him feel like his thirteen year old self who became a blushing mess whenever Y/N so much as looked in his direction.

"I could say the same for you," Bill smiled, his eyes flickering back up to lock with Y/N's, the girl blushing slightly as neither seemed to remember just where they were or who was in the room.

"Uh, Y/N?" Mike's voice rang out causing the two to look away from each other and over to Mike who was warily staring at Greyson who was standing where his mother had left him like a deer caught in headlights.

It was then that Y/N seemed to remember that she wasn't still a thirteen year old with a crush but a forty year old who had a son and her eyes widened before she quickly made her way across the room and back to Greyson's side. Her arm wrapped around the boy's shoulders almost instantly and she began to walk the nervous boy forward as she smiled to her friends.

"Guys, this is Greyson. He's my son," Y/N smiled proudly. Eddie and Mike were already grinning at her, but she couldn't help but notice Bill's smile falter ever so slightly before he acted as if nothing had happened. "Grey, this is Mike Hanlon and Bill Denbrough."

Greyson stared at the two men for a moment before finally letting his gaze stay on Bill. "Hi," he managed to squeak out, his cheeks growing red out of embarrassment.

Y/N chuckled softly and rubbed her son's arm reassuringly before looking to Bill. "He's a kind of a fan of yours, so he's a tad bit nervous," she explained, her words making Bill soften as he looked to the young teen who was staring at him with a star struck expression.

"He looks just like you," Mike commented as he looked to Y/N with a warm smile. Bill couldn't help but agree with Mike on that one, but his heart still felt as if it were going to shatter right there and he wasn't sure why.

Greyson would've stood there frozen for the rest of the night if it weren't for Y/N nudging the boy forward so that he was now standing in front of Bill with his mother right behind him. Greyson's eyes widened a little more and he gulped before shakily holding out a hand.

"Uh. . .Mr. Denbrough, I-I'm a huge fan, sir. Your work is-is amazing and I just. . .wow, I can't believe I'm standing in the same room as you to be completely honest," Greyson admitted and he couldn't help but let out a small noise of surprise when Bill reached out to shake his hand.

"Please, call me Bill. It's lovely to meet you, Greyson. You look a lot like your mother," Bill said and Greyson couldn't help but smile at that as he glanced back at his mother before looking to Bill once again.

"I've been told," Greyson said with a hint of admiration in his tone. "I think it's because of the smile."

Greyson sure wasn't wrong. He had definitely inherited the Y/N Uris smile. However, his smile in no way had the same effect on Bill as Y/N's did which was definitely a good thing.

Greyson had relaxed by now and Bill smiled softly at the young boy before biting his lip nervously. "Will your-" Bill hesitated and his eyes momentarily flickered to Y/N before he looked back at Greyson, "-father be joining us tonight?"

Bill noticed Eddie wince from beside him and wondered why, but then he noticed Y/N's hurt filled eyes and the way Greyson instantly hardened. "No," she said as she sent the man a small smile. "There's no father in the picture."

"I'm so sorry," Bill muttered despite the relieved expression on his face. After all, he wouldn't lie and say he wasn't absolutely thrilled to hear the news.

"He was a son of a bitch anyways," Greyson admitted and that was enough to have everyone looking to the boy in surprise. However, he was too busy staring between Y/N and Bill with an almost calculating expression to notice.

Greyson's eyes then widened and he sent a look in his mother's direction that made her blush slightly before she quickly looked away from her son. "So where are the others?" Y/N asked, hoping to change the subject before her son could say anything to embarrass her.

The only answer she got was the sound of someone hitting the gong behind them, the noise being enough to startle the whole group who quickly turned to see Richie Tozier standing near the gong with Beverly Marsh and Ben Hanscom behind him.

"This meeting of the Losers' Club has officially begun," Richie announced and Y/N couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at the man all while Greyson watched the newcomers warily.

"Look at these guys," Eddie said before letting out an awkward laugh that was followed by an awkward silence. Richie locked eyes with Y/N and he pointed at Ben from behind before mouthing the boy's name and moving his arms out to pretend like he had a big stomach. Y/N rolled her eyes at the man who gave her a small smile in return before tilting his head as he looked at her, obviously trying to picture how the woman standing on the other side of the room was the same Y/N Uris he knew.

The silence drug on for longer than any of them expected. It was obvious no one quite knew what to say especially since they hadn't seen each other in so long. However, it was no surprise when Y/N broke the silence to move across the room, her arms already out as a big grin dawned her face.

Beverly practically shoved Ben and Richie out of the way to hug the girl, earning glares from the boys which she ignored. "Y/N Uris," Beverly breathed out in disbelief as she hugged the woman tightly.

"Beverly Marsh," Y/N greeted as she pulled away to look at the red head in front of her. "Look at you! You've turned into a real stunner."

"Me? Look at yourself!" Beverly exclaimed before a hand was placed on her shoulder.

The two girls looked to see Ben gently pushing Beverly back as he gave her a small grin. "Okay, Bev, my turn," Ben said before he turned to the woman standing before him. He grinned and Y/N quickly returned it as he swooped her up in his arms to give her a bear hug. "It's been far too long, Y/N."

"It has," Y/N agreed as Ben set her back down. She took a step back to look at the man and shook her head in disbelief before smacking his chest playfully. "Holy shit, Ben. You're like a whole new person."

Ben chuckled at that, his cheeks turning a bit pink while Beverly nudged Ben's arm and said, "If anything, he's the stunner. You're making me feel self conscious, Ben."

Ben's face reddened even more at that and he glanced at Beverly with a small shake of his head. "You look beautiful, Beverly. Don't sell yourself short," he said instantly making the red head's face almost as red as her hair.

Y/N raised an eyebrow at the two and was about to say something when two arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind before picking her up and spinning her around. "Richie!" Y/N yelled out in between laughter, already knowing who had grabbed ahold of her.

There was a loud laugh from behind her before her feet touched the ground and she was quick to turn to the culprit who was giving her a sheepish grin. "Wow," Richie said as he looked at the girl in front of him and slung an arm around her shoulders. "You look amazing, sweetheart. What the fuck happened to me?"

Y/N rolled her eyes at the man's flirtatious attitude and shoved his arm off before playfully pushing him away. "Shut the fuck up, Tozier. You've grown into your looks and you know it," she teased while Richie just laughed.

While Y/N had been reuniting with the other Losers she had failed to notice that Bill, Eddie, and Mike were doing the same. Before long Richie had left her to go hug the others and Y/N couldn't help but watch as Eddie and Richie stared at each other before smiling and pulling the other in for a hug that lasted almost as long as Y/N and Bill's had.

As if realizing this, Richie pulled away from Eddie with a smile and patted his shoulder before turning to the last person in the line he had been going down. However he instantly froze as he looked down at the young face of what looked to be like a male version of Y/N.

Richie scrunched up his nose and let his arms fall back down to his side as he gave the teen a perplexed look, "Who the fuck are you?"

Greyson narrowed his eyes slightly and was quick to stand up straighter as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Who the fuck are you?" Greyson questioned in return making Richie blink in surprise.

Richie and Greyson stared at each other for a moment before a small grin broke out on Richie's face as he pointed at the teen. "I like you," he said before looking back at the Losers. "Which one of you fuckers does this one belong to?"

The group all paused in their conversations to turn and look at Richie who had a hand on Greyson's shoulder and was looking between the adults with his eyebrows raised.

"This one is mine," Y/N laughed as she walked across the room to stand by her son's side. She looked to Richie in amusement before saying, "So guess I'm the fucker you're referring to."

Greyson turned his head to look at Richie who let out a shaky breath as he looked between Greyson and Y/N who had the same expression on their faces. "Well, shit," Richie muttered as he chuckled. "Y/N Uris had a son? What's your name, kid?"

"Greyson," the young boy replied, his eyes flickering over Richie's face hesitantly. "And you are?"

"Grey, this is Richie Tozier," Y/N introduced, the man giving Greyson a short nod in response. She then gestured towards Beverly and Ben who were looking between the boy and Y/N in disbelief much like the others had done. "And this is Beverly Marsh and Ben Hanscom."

Ben gave the boy a small wave while Beverly smiled softly and Y/N couldn't help but notice that Greyson had taken a small step closer to her. She knew this was a sign that he was becoming a bit overwhelmed and a tad nervous, so she gently gave his shoulder a small squeeze to tell him that it was okay and she was there.

Greyson relaxed a little and put a small smile on his face as he waved at the adults. "Uh. . .hi," he greeted softly as he leaned into his mother's touch.

"Oh my gosh, Y/N. He looks so much like you," Beverly whispered, a smile on her face as she looked to the girl who used to be her best friend. For a moment she felt a sense of guilt wash over her. After all, she hadn't even known Y/N had a son and by the looks of it, he had to have been alive for sixteen or so years now.

"It's nice to meet you, Greyson. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" Ben asked curiously, a small smile creeping onto his face as he looked at Greyson in fascination. To think that one of his childhood friends is a mother was mind blowing to him. Then again, if anyone were to be the best at parenting it would be Y/N.

"Sixteen," Greyson replied before looking down at his shoes, obviously not used to having this much attention.

Y/N noticed and opened her mouth to say something when Bill spoke up. "Come on, guys. Don't pester the kid. Drinks on me, okay?" Bill said and that was enough to pull the Losers' attention away from Greyson and back to the fact that they were all reuniting.

Greyson instantly relaxed once the eyes were off of him and Y/N momentarily locked eyes with Bill before mouthing, "Thank you." Bill just gave her a small smile in response and then the group began to take their seat.

Greyson surprisingly was quick to go and sit beside Bill, the action making Bill blink in surprise before looking over at Y/N who smiled softly and sat on the other side of her son. Bill felt his heart deflate a little at the fact that he wasn't getting to sit next to the girl, but he couldn't complain because something about her son choosing to sit next to him made his heart swell with joy.

Eddie sat down on the other side of Y/N with a small smile in her direction and before long the whole table was full except for one chair. It was in that moment that Y/N found herself pausing, her gaze flickering over to the empty chair beside Eddie while the soft sound of Greyson's voice echoed in her ear as he rambled to Bill about how he was inspired to be a writer because of him.

She knew who the seat was for and a small frown began to take over her features. Y/N went to reach for her phone in her pocket only to be reminded once again that she had left her phone at home. Sighing, the girl looked away from the chair and began to talk with her friends, but the reunion was still not enough to keep her distracted from the nagging feeling in her stomach that told her something was wrong and the one question that kept circling through her head.

Where was Stan?

* * *

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