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maerinhearts · 1 year

Text

King

Part II.

You hate Tsukishima Kei. With a passion. Seriously. But what happens when you, the manager of his college volleyball team, get stuck in a hotel room with him? For an entire week... With only a king bed for both of you to sleep on...

Warnings: fem!bodied reader, choking, unprotected sex, bullying (on both sides), one bed trope (lol).

Word Count: 4900+

Minors DNI, please and thank you. All characters are 18+.

A/N: I'm back with another Tsukki drabble 😌 Let's fucking go.

Smut is below the cut, as always.

“I’m really sorry, Y/N,” the coach was saying on the other end of the phone, “but because we added Jiro so last minute this week, I’m going to have to put you with one of the guys on the team. I already called the hotel, and they don’t have any more rooms available.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose in frustration. Of course. You didn’t think of this when Jiro unexpectedly transferred into the program and made the volleyball team this past week. You had been so wrapped up in your own excitement for the tournament that you forgot you wouldn’t get a room all to yourself this time.

“It’s no biggie, Coach,” you reply. But it is a biggie. “I don’t mind.” But I do mind. “Put me with whoever is willing to room with me!” Don’t you dare put me with that bastard Tsukishima.

“Y/N, I really can’t thank you enough for being so understanding. I’ll make sure to be extra careful next tournament so I can give you your own room like normal! Can’t wait to see you Monday morning!”

After you hang up the phone, you find annoyance bubbling up in your chest. It would be your luck that the hotel is fully booked, but then you should have expected that considering what tournament was happening this upcoming week. As you shove stuff into your suitcase, you try to come to terms with who you might room with. Jiro would be fine, since you didn’t really know each other. You’d even be fine with the team captain, Yuuji. Anyone but Tsukishima.

Before you went to sleep for the night, you prayed to any God out there that you’d get paired with anyone else on the team.

But your prayers go unanswered.

“Everyone was too shy to room with you, Y/N,” Coach was explaining to you as he walked you to your room. You had a glare plastered on your face at him. “And no one wanted to room with Tsukishima either. So, the best thing I could have done to make sure my team gets along for this tournament is-”

“To put Tsukishima with me?” you say with disgust.

“I’m not happy about it either,” Tsukishima says from beside you, glare also evident on his face. Only it’s directed at you.

You turn a harsh look on him. “No one was speaking to you, four eyes,” you snap.

“You little…” he mutters, turning to tower over you.

“Okay, you two,” the coach interrupts. “Here is your room.” He scans the key card and ushers Tsukishima in. He turns to you, handing you the key card before ushering you in as well. “Don’t lose that. I want you to be in charge of it.” You nod along as you step into the room.

“WHAT?” Tsukishima yells from inside.

You feel your annoyance bubbling up to the surface again. “Oi, Tsukishima, pipe down,” you scold.

“Y/N,” he says to get your attention. You finally glance up at him, glare ready, eye twitching to find him looking worse for wear. “There’s only one bed.”

You feel your face drop and whirl yourself around to tell coach.

“Uh, I gotta go check on the others!” he says as he dashes out of the doorway, letting the door come to a close.

So, you stand there, next to the bastard Tsukishima, at the foot of the bed, both of you in utter disbelief as you stare at the one king sized bed in the center of the room. It’s silent for a long moment.

“You’re sleeping on the floor,” you tell him matter-of-factly.

“What?!” he exclaims. “The floor is hardwood, Y/N! I have a tournament to play in this week! You’re the one that is going to be sleeping on the floor.”

You turn to him, a look of utter disgust on your face only to find he is returning the look. “You’d really make your team manager sleep on the hardwood floor?” you ask, hoping to bait him into saying no, he wouldn’t do that to you.

“Yes.”

“What?” you ask in disbelief.

“Yes, I would make my snotty team manager sleep on the hardwood floor.” He sneers down at you.

Before you can stop yourself, you raise a fist, ready to punch him, but he just sticks an arm out, hand pressing against your forehead as he continues to push you away, laughing as you struggle to get a hit in. This bastard and his ridiculously long monkey arms…

You huff out as you straighten your clothes, and he crosses his arms. “I’m going to take a shower,” you tell him. “And when I come out, I better see your bed made up on the floor.”

He scoffs and waves you away with a roll of his eyes. You feel your eye start twitching again as you close the door to the bathroom and turn the water on. As you step into the shower, you feel your anger spike again. How dare he try to make you sleep on the floor?! Didn’t his mother teach him any manners?!

You were hoping the warm water would calm you down, but as you step out onto the towel outside of the shower you find that, in your annoyance, you forgot to get your clothes from your suitcase. You curse yourself underneath your breath before wrapping a towel tightly around your body.

You crack open the bathroom door and peek out. You can see Tsukishima lounging on the bed in the reflection of the mirror right outside the bathroom door. He’s playing on his phone. Thinking you could get to your suitcase quickly without him noticing, you pad out to the living area only to come to a halt when you realize your suitcase is on the side of the bed he is currently laying on.

“T-Tsukishima,” you stutter out, nerves getting the best of you.

“What is it now?” he says as he lowers his phone to glare at you.

Your face reddens as he makes eye contact, his glare falling into a look of awe and disbelief. His own face begins to redden before he turns quickly away.

“Have you lost your mind?!” he damn near shouts at you.

“I forgot my clothes, you asshole!” you shout at his back. “And my suitcase is by you!”

“Well, hurry up and get your clothes, for Christ’s sake!”

You hesitate. “Don’t look at me,” you tell him, voice soft. “Promise you won’t look at me and then I’ll be able to get my clothes.”

He takes a deep breath before closing his eyes. “I won’t look,” he promises, voice surprisingly gentle. “I closed my eyes.”

You get to your suitcase and quickly throw it open. As you’re rummaging through its contents you glance up to see that his eyes were, in fact, closed. You feel your heart skip a beat at that, for whatever reason, and speed walk back to the bathroom with your clothes in hand.

Tsukishima waits until he hears the bathroom door close again before he blows out the breath he was holding. He turns to look at the space you just occupied outside of the bathroom door and feels his face heat up again. He knew you were pretty. Hell, everyone knew you were drop dead gorgeous. Other teams would make comments before, during and after games. It drove him and his teammates nuts. Though, they would all be lying if they said they never fantasized about you before. Him included. He would often find himself being dragged into locker room talk about you after practice, after games, during team study sessions that you were never invited to. He never participated simply because he respected you too much to talk about you in that manner. His teammates thought it was just because he hated you.

The way you two interacted never went unnoticed by anyone. Perhaps putting you two together in a room was the coach’s way of telling you two to get over it. It felt like Coach was telling him he had to be friends with you. The only problem is that Tsukishima didn’t want to be friends with you in the first place.

And so, he finds himself setting up a wall of pillows in the middle of the bed. He doesn’t want to sleep on the floor, and he certainly doesn’t want you to. As he is placing the last pillow, you exit the bathroom, wet hair dripping onto the oversized tee shirt you were wearing. When he turns to look at you, he notices that the tips of your cheekbones are still a light shade of pink. Then he glances down.

“Oi, Y/N,” he says lowly, voice laced with annoyance.

“What?” you snap back.

“Where are your pants?” He points at your bare legs.

You feel your face heat up at ten times the speed. “I am wearing pants!” you exclaim, hoisting your shirt up past your navel in anger. “I’m wearing shorts!”

In your haste, you didn’t realize just how high you had yanked the shirt up.

So, there you were, shirt held tightly in your hands showing off your short sleep shorts… and the bottom half of your breasts.

“Put your shirt down!” he shouts, nearly tripping over his own suitcase as he runs over to you, grabs the hem, and yanks your shirt back down over your body.

You turn your face up at him, brows knitting together as you frown at him, completely unaware of just how much you were showing him. “I was just showing you that I had shorts on underneath this shirt,” you tell him.

“Yes, yes,” he responds, “you’ve made your point.” But I didn’t need to see that, he thinks to himself. Now how will I be able to sleep knowing they’re right next to me? And they look like that?

His hands fist into your shirt at your waist and you suddenly become very aware of him touching you.

“Okay,” you say a little too loudly, taking a giant step away from him and pushing his hands off of you. “Let’s get ready for bed.”

As Tsukishima is brushing his teeth, you walk around the room to shut lights off, leaving the bedside light on, and adjust the thermostat. You come to a halt as you lift the covers to get into the bed. You stare blankly at the wall of pillows in the center.

Tsukishima exits the bathroom, then, yawning loudly, stopping when you turn an annoyed look on him.

“I told you to sleep on the floor,” you ground out.

“And I told you, not happening,” he answers, voice snide.

“So, your solution was to put pillows between us?”

“I felt like it was a fair compromise,” he answers. “I don’t want to touch you; you don’t want to touch me.”

“And you think pillows are going to keep us separated? All night?”

“I do. Oh, and you’re sleeping closest to the wall.” He moves to where you’re standing, pushing you aside and climbing into the bed.

You stand there in disbelief. He must have lost his mind. You turn to glance around the room and notice that the side closest to the wall is farthest from the door. You feel your heart skip a beat again.

“Tick tock, Y/N,” he says as he reaches to shut the last lamp off. “What will it be?” He sneers up at you before he flips the switch, and the room goes black.

Before you can think too much about it, you stomp over to the other side of the bed.

“Stay on your side,” you tell him as you settle in.

“That won’t be a problem,” he answers back.

You turn on your side away from him, staring at the wall for what feels like forever until sleep finally pulls you under.

A knock on the door wakes you up the next morning, a voice outside telling you to come get breakfast before the bus leaves in two hours for the games.

But it’s so warm, you think as you burrow your head deeper into your pillow. You could get away with five more minutes, right? But another knock sounds on the door, signaling that it was, indeed, time to get up. You forgot coach made two rounds just ten minutes apart.

As your eyes flutter open, you realize why you feel so warm.

Tsukishima’s arms are wound tightly around your waist, your head comfortably tucked underneath his chin, face pressed into his chest. Your own arms betrayed you in your sleep as well, you notice, as you become painfully aware of their position around his body. The pillows that were meant to keep you separated are nowhere in sight. You feel your anxiety spike when you realize he has you practically trapped.

“Tsukishima,” you say trying to wake him.

He groans before his arms tighten around you. “Five more minutes,” he pleads, voice groggy. If you weren’t so anxious, you would think he sounded somewhat hot.

“Tsukki,” you try again, opting for his nickname.

He groans again, body shifting slightly before sighing, still not awake.

“Tsukki,” you say, louder this time.

He finally opens one eye to look at you, annoyed. You’re looking up at him with wide eyes, pleading with him silently to let you go.

“Uhm,” you start.

“Why are you so close to me?” he asks, voice thick with sleep.

Instead of answering, you move your eyes down to look at his arms currently wrapped around your waist. It takes Tsukishima a long second to realize why you’re so close to him. Then he is shoving you away from him as if he had touched a hot stovetop. You shriek as he launches himself away from you and off the bed, waist throbbing in pain from where he had hastily shoved you away. You rub the spot with a hand.

“What the hell, Tsukishima?” You glare at him. “You didn’t have to push me that hard.”

“Let’s not talk about it,” he suggests before turning on his heel and heading into the bathroom.

So, you decide to ignore what happened. For days. If the team advances every single day, you could be sharing a room with him for the next seven days. Lo and behold, they do. You had been avoiding each other since you woke up somehow encased in his arms, eating meals separately and coming back to the hotel room at different times.

But the night before the championship game, the coach makes everyone go to their rooms early, saying something about how everyone needs to get a good night of sleep.

And so here you are, at 10:00 PM, wide awake next to the wide-awake Tsukishima whom you haven’t spoken to in days simply because you haven’t had to. Nor did you really want to, for that matter. You’re separated by pillows, but it feels like he is closer than ever to you. If you concentrated hard enough, you could hear his breathing.

“Ugh,” you finally groan. “I can’t sleep.” You frown up at the ceiling.

“Maybe if you changed your attitude, you’d be asleep by now,” Tsukishima says from beside you.

You sit up to glare at him. “I don’t see you sleeping either,” you point out.

“I’m not sleeping because I’ve chosen not to sleep yet,” he replies.

You scoff. “Yeah right, I bet its because you’ve had to sit the bench the last two games.” You were taking a low blow, you knew that. But still, you said it.

He shoots up into a sitting position on his side of the bed now, returning your glare with just as much fervor. “It’s not my fault I’ve been off my game the last couple of days. It’s because I have to share a room with the most aggravating person on the planet!”

“Oh yes, because it’s certainly not the fact that you suck at volleyball.”

Suddenly, he’s in your face. “Say that again,” he dares you.

You swallow thickly before shaking your head, glare nowhere to be found now.

“Funny how you think I suck at volleyball, but I must be good at something else in your dreams.”

You feel your face heat up. “W-what are you talking about?” you stutter.

“You mean to tell me you haven’t been dreaming of me every single night since that first morning?”

“No,” you answer, a little too quickly. You avert your gaze away from him.

“You trying to tell me you aren’t the one I hear every night moaning ‘Yes, Tsukki, right there, Tsukki’?” His voice goes up an octave as he imitates your voice and you’d very much like to crawl in a hole and die.

You had had dreams about him this week, yes, you couldn’t deny that. But were you really moaning for him in your sleep?

“You’re lying,” you accuse, voice shaky.

“Am I, though?” His hand finds its way underneath your chin, tilting your face up to his. When your gazes meet, you find that he is suffocatingly close to you. One wrong move and your lips could be touching. “Look me in the face and tell me I’m lying.” His voice oozes confidence.

Suddenly, your tongue feels too big for your mouth. You can’t even form words as you try to look away from him. To be honest, you didn’t know if he was lying or not, but you can’t exactly hear yourself while you sleep.

“Huh, look at that,” he muses as his hand moves from your chin, gliding across your jaw and into your hair at the nape of your neck. “Cat got your tongue?” He’s mocking you now. His hand fists into your hair as you avert your eyes again and he yanks your head back to look at him. You gasp out, surprised. “Look at me when I’m talking to you.” When you make eye contact with him again, he smirks. “Good girl.”

You feel your face heat up at his words, heat pooling in the pit of your stomach as butterflies erupt across your chest.

“Oh? Did you like that?”

You try to shake your head no but find that you can’t move because his hand is still in your hair.

“Use your words, Y/N,” he tells you, voice stern.

You swallow. “N-No,” you stammer.

Suddenly, his lips are by your ear. “Liar,” he whispers, sending a shiver down your spine. The feeling of his lips brushing against the shell of your ear has your sex throbbing. God, you feel like such a virgin right now.

He chuckles as he pulls back to look at your face, lips tilting up into another smirk. Your eyes are wide and doe-like, shining with a few tears, almost like you’re begging for him to take it a step further. Your bottom lip is quivering slightly, and he thinks it’s cute. He searches your face as he shifts onto his knees in front of you, hand loosening in your hair as he cups your head in his hands, thumbs underneath your jaw to direct your face up to his.

“Tell me if I’m taking things too far,” he murmurs, voice suddenly soft.

You don’t even have time to react when he crashes his lips roughly into yours. You gasp out of surprise, and he takes the opportunity to shove his tongue into your mouth. As his tongue strokes yours for the first time, you let out a soft moan at the feeling and finally return his kiss.

Tsukishima almost sighs in relief as you come alive beneath him, and he begins shoving you down onto the mattress. You let him, back hitting the mattress as he moves his mouth to your neck. You part your knees to accommodate his body as his hips make contact with your own. You crane your neck to give him more access as he sucks a bruise right into your jugular. He’s pushing your shirt up and grabbing both of your breasts roughly in his hands. Involuntarily, you thrust your hips up into his, causing his clothed cock to rub right up against your core.

He moves his mouth down quickly to capture a nipple. You cover your mouth to keep yourself from moaning as his tongue flicks across the hardening bud, hips grinding down into you to rub his hardening dick against you again. You moan at the feeling, essence leaking out into your panties as he switches sides, giving the same treatment to your other nipple, hands holding your hips in place as he relentlessly grinds against you.

Your hands are in his hair, back arching to push your tit further into his mouth as you moan out a soft call of his nickname.

His weight leaves your body as he moves to loom above you, hands planted by your head to hold himself up. He’s looking down at you, annoyed, sizing you up. Your chest is heaving, tits on full display with your shirt pushed up past your chest. Your lips are swollen, and your face is flushed.

“It’s Kei to you, right now,” he informs you, voice low. “Got it?”

You nod at him as you try to catch your breath.

Before you realize what he is doing, he has a hand in your sleep shorts and two fingers buried knuckle deep in your dripping hole. You gasp out, hand reaching to wrap around his wrist.

“Words, Y/N,” he reminds you as he watches your face contort in pleasure beneath him.

His fingers begin to pull out. “Ye-” you begin, but he shoves his fingers right back into you, smirking as you finish the S, the sound somewhere between a hiss and a moan.

“Thatta girl,” he praises as he slowly begins fucking you with his fingers, mouth finding its way back to your left nipple.

He sucks the bud into his mouth harshly, ripping a loud moan from your chest as he hooks his fingers up inside of you to hit your g-spot at the same time. He pulls his fingers from your shorts as he begins kissing down your body, fingers moving to pull your shorts and underwear off as his tongue glides across your navel. He sits up and tosses the garments to the floor. Suddenly feeling shy, you close your legs off to him. He makes eye contact with you as his hands find your knees and roughly push your legs apart, baring your pussy to him for the first time.

“Fuck,” he mutters as his hands glide down your inner thighs, body moving to settle his face right where you wanted him the most.

He makes eye contact with you as he brings his mouth closer to your sex, tongue darting out to lick a stripe right between your folds. He groans, eyes closing for a moment.

“Just as I thought,” he comments, “taste so fucking sweet.”

Your face heats up at double the speed, but before you can respond he dives right in, eating you like a man starved. His tongue makes figure eights over your clit, and you tangle your hands in his hair, shoving him deeper into you.

“Yes, Kei,” you moan out as he sucks your clit into his mouth. The sound of his first name falling from your lips like that sounds so hot to him that he finds himself leaving your core in favor of quickly pulling off his own clothes.

You watch as he settles over you, now naked, cock finding its home right between your folds as his lips find yours in a searing kiss.

“Let me fuck you,” he begs as he pulls back, voice almost coming out as a whine, lips millimeters away from yours. He grinds his hips into you for emphasis, cock head bumping into your clit.

To answer him, you reach down to grab up his dick in your hand, eyes never leaving his. You give it a few good pumps before guiding him into you. Your mouth falls open as he slowly pushes past your entrance, small gasps leaving your lips at the feeling of him filling you.

“You’re so fucking tight,” he grounds out. “Relax, Y/N.”

You groan as he continues to push into you. Relax? How can you relax when the man you’ve been secretly pining for is currently all over you? Not to mention in you.

You reach up and pinch his bicep.

“Ow, what the hell?” He rubs the spot you pinched, glaring down at you.

“Oh, good. I’m not dreaming,” you reply, voice shaky, breathy laugh pushing past your lips. Without thinking, you bury your hands back into his hair and yank his face back down to yours, planting a kiss on his lips and licking into his mouth when he opens it to you.

His hips begin moving of their own accord, slowly rolling into you as your kiss gets more and more desperate. With each roll of his hips, it feels like he keeps reaching deeper and deeper inside you. You pull away from his lips to let out a load moan as the head of his cock grazes your cervix. His mouth heads south, licking and nipping at the skin on your jaw, neck and collarbones.

“You feel so fucking good,” he says into your skin before he’s reaching to push your knees up into your chest, effectively reaching a new depth inside of you.

You gasp out, finding it hard to catch your breath as your hands reach out to press against his abdomen. It does no good, though, as he relentlessly continues fucking you with a smirk plastered on his face.

“W-wait,” you gasp out, head falling back as stars find the edges of your vision when he picks up the pace. You feel the pleasure building up in your abdomen.

“No,” he tells you simply, voice breathy.

“No, wait,” you try again as the pleasure nears its peak. You want to hold out for as long as possible, but you don’t think you’ll be able to at the rate you’re going.

He shoves two fingers into your mouth, pressing your tongue down.

“Shh,” he shushes you.

You’re too stunned to push him away, but at the same time the action has your pussy clenching around him, and he curses from above you. With every thrust, the cord pulls tighter and tighter in your belly. It becomes almost painful trying to keep it at bay.

“Come on,” he encourages you, fingers leaving your mouth and opting to wrap around your neck. “Cum for me.”

At his words, you let yourself go, cumming around him as he continues fucking you, slowly pushing in and out of you while he tries to slow his own orgasm.

“That’s my girl,” he praises as you come down, letting your feet fall back to the bed and planting a sweet kiss on your lips.

Before you can react, Tsukishima suddenly flips over onto your stomach and pulls your hips up, putting you on your hands and knees. You look back at him with wide eyes as he prods your entrance with his still hard cock before fully sheathing himself back inside you in one thrust.

Your back arches at the action, head falling back as a moan escapes your throat. He takes the opportunity to fist his hand into your hair and yank your body up so your back is flush against his front. He wraps his free arm around your waist, the hand that was wrapped in your hair coming around to find its home back around the column of your neck.

Your head falls back onto his shoulder as he continues fucking you, small gasps of “yes” leaving your lips as he builds you right back up to the edge.

“Look at you,” he comments. “You’re so fucking hot. It’s almost a shame I get to be the only one to see you like this.”

You can’t form a single coherent thought as you warn him of your approaching orgasm. He presses you right back down into the mattress to pick up his pace, slamming into you from behind as you bury your face into a pillow, crying out as you teeter right over the edge.

He fucks you through it again, pulling out at the last second to pump his length a few times before spilling his seed right onto your bare ass.

You both stay still as you come down, catching your breaths. It’s suddenly silent in your hotel room as the reality of what just happened dawns on both of you. You wait a few more beats, giving him a chance to break the silence before you do.

“Oi, Tsukishima…” you start, usual tone settled back into your voice. “You better clean that up.”

“Right…” he mutters. He leaves the bed to get a wet cloth, coming back to thoroughly wipe his cum off your ass.

You settle back onto your side of the bed as Tsukishima tosses the rag back into the bathroom. When he settles back onto his side you finally speak.

“Let’s… not talk about this,” you suggest.

He’s silent on the other side, probably in agreement, you think. So, you close your eyes in an attempt to fall asleep, tears hot on your cheeks as they silently stain the pillow beneath your head in the dark.

Only you don’t know that Tsukishima is on the other side of the bed, hoping just as much as you are that that meant as much to you as it did to him.

#tsukishima kei smut #tsukishima smut #tsukishima x reader #haikyuu smut #haikyuu x reader #you have no idea how at home I feel writing for this bastard #he's just so much fun

2K notes · View notes

olderthannetfic · 3 months

Note

I read horror pretty much exclusively. Dark, twisted, monstrous, mysterious, the more fucked up the better.

So imagine my consternation when I crack open the latest horror book I checked out (published in 2023) and find, on the very first page, a note reading thus:

A quick heads-up about the content of this book. You're going to find marriage troubles, parental trauma, child endangerment, talk/images of infanticide, postpartum depression, suicidal ideation, bodily harm, ableism (internalized and externalized), anti-Semitism (internalized and externalized), claustrophobia, some gaslighting, and a whole lotta bug stuff. There's also a character who's a real racist, sexist piece of shit.

A horror book. For adults. With a warning that there might be horrific content ahead. *facepalm* The way it's worded feels like something straight from an AO3 author's note. "Bug stuff"? Could the author be a little more vague? They were all too happy to get very specific about everything else (i.e., internalization and externalization, just in case the reader might be okay with one or the other). Why does this author sound like they're working their way down a DNI checklist? I half expected the final line to read something like: I don't condone any of this in real life btw and anyone who agrees with this stuff (that means YOU proshitters) please kys thx lol.

As if the content warning wasn't already a turnoff, the next page included artsy and I'm sure very personally meaningful quotes from two songs by The Mountain Goats. (I know nothing about the band, but they sound like some flavor of pretentious white boy hipster folk music.)

I mean, a warning for claustrophobia? (Discomfort? In my horror?) What next, author's notes warning for fetishization/glorification of death? In a genre where I anticipate, nay, expect characters to die in gory, gruesome ways?

Christ alive. I feel like I'm losing my mind.

The Mountain Goats? Jesus.

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sissylittlefeather · 5 months

Text

Time for a little brain break! I'll come back to How the Web Was Woven soon!

Lover Doll: A Danny Fisher Story

A/N: I know this is like the least creative name for a Danny Fisher (from King Creole) fic but whatever lol. This is a dirty (and borderline inappropriate oops) little thing I wrote just for the hell of it. Hopefully some of y'all enjoy it. I like to imagine this is where Danny gets his affection for older women 🤭

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI!, inappropriate relationship (BUT EVERYONE IS OF LEGAL AGE), kissing, cussing, fingering, oral sex (f & m receiving), p in v penetrative sex, unprotected sex, swallowing

Word count: ~2.5k

Unfamiliar with Danny? Here ya go:

You were nervous to start teaching in the beginning, but by your third year you'd settled into your position fairly well. At 25, you finally felt like you had enough years between you and your high school students to make your authority legitimate.

And then they transferred Danny Fisher into your class. Danny had struggled in school, so he hadn't graduated when he was supposed to. That meant he was 19 when he sauntered into your math class and sat at the back. His heavily-lidded eyes and flyaway hair were enough to make you swoon, but you tried to look away.

He ignores you for the most part, until you call him by name to answer a question. You're determined to treat him just like any other student, despite the way your stomach flip flops when you look at him.

"Aw, Miss, I don't-" Just then he glances up and makes eye contact with you. Your cheeks flush and he loses the second half of his sentence. A couple of seconds pass and you realize what's happening.

"Never mind, Danny. Anyone else know the answer?" Class continues like normal until the bell rings at the end. He's in your last class of the day, so you're prepared to drop into your chair once all the kids leave, but he stays behind.

"Miss, you got a second?"

"Sure, Danny. What do you need?" You ask, heart in your throat.

"I didn't know teachers could be so young."

"Oh. Well, yes, I suppose."

"And pretty." You feel the blush rise in your cheeks again.

"Did you have a question?" He seems to be searching for something he can ask.

"Can you help me with those equations from earlier?" He smiles and his dimple catches you completely off guard. Then, he sits down at a desk in the front of the room and opens his math textbook.

"Oh, sure, Danny." Without thinking, you lean over the desk to see which questions he's talking about. When you do, he can see down the front of your dress. He takes a quick peek and then looks away, clearing his throat. You realize what just happened and stand up as quickly as possible. Now it's his turn to blush. He stands up from the desk holding his book in front of his lap, you suspect in an effort to hide himself.

"I have to get to work. We'll have to look at the equations another time." He smiles again and hurries from your room. When the door closes behind him, you can't help but laugh.

******

You continue this way for a month, with him staying after school as often as possible for tutoring. But what starts as a mild flirtation gets stronger and stronger every time.

At one point he accidentally calls you "honey" when he gets frustrated with a question. He instantly apologizes, but you just laugh. Secretly, you love it and wish he would do it again.

You know it's wrong. He's your student. But he's also a grown man and your reaction to him is uncontrollable. You're used to 17-year-old boys who are basically big toddlers. Danny is only two years older than that, but he's worked more hours than you have. Nothing about him feels like a boy.

******

One day, you stand looking out the classroom window while he's at the blackboard. You're feeling particularly sorry for yourself and the situation you're in with him. The attraction is undeniable, but nothing will ever come of it. He notices that you seem sad today, so he puts the chalk down and walks up behind you. He stands close enough for you to feel his breath on your neck. You can tell by the way he stands there that he wants to touch you, to put his arms around your waist or his hands on your hips, but he doesn't. Not yet.

"You alright, Miss y/l/n?" You take a deep breath before answering him. You wish he would touch you.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just..." You turn to face him and he's even closer than you thought. You look up into his face. All he would have to do is lean down a few inches and his lips would be on yours.

"Can I..." His eyes flick down to your mouth. You're just about to tell him yes when he leans in just enough and presses his lips to yours gently. His hands shake a little, but he reaches out and puts them on your hips. He pulls back for a second, checking to make sure you don't want him to stop and then kisses you again, more passionately this time, sliding his hands back behind you and pulling your body in close to his. You break the kiss and pull back away from him.

"Danny, wait. This is wrong."

"Wrong? It doesn't feel wrong?"

"I'm your teacher." You look down at your feet.

"Hey." He tips your chin up with his hand and looks into your eyes. "Listen. You're a woman. I'm a man. This feels right to me. Does it feel right to you?"

"Yes." You nod. "But that doesn't mean it is."

"Y/n... can I call you by your name?" You nod again. "Y/n, you make me feel things I've never felt before. That can't be wrong."

"Oh, yes it can. Surely you know..." Then a thought occurs to you. You look at him with your head cocked to the side. Then, you walk backwards away from him and perch on the edge of your desk.

"Danny, you say I make you feel things you've never felt before. Have you ever been with a woman?" You try to look into his eyes but he avoids you. He looks down and tries to hide the fact that he's blushing.

"No." He answers with a tone of slight annoyance. Then he looks back up into your face. "But that doesn't mean I can't or won't. I want to. I want to be with you."

"Oh, Danny. I'm just not sure that's a good idea. I am your teacher-"

"Then teach me." He wraps himself around you again and kisses you deeply, his tongue sliding into your mouth. "Teach me, please." He whispers when he pulls back from the kiss.

Your eyes flick between his and you want nothing more than to say yes. Your body is screaming at you to kiss him again and rip his clothes off. You know it's wrong, but you're not sure if you care anymore. Can something that feels so right really be wrong?

Finally, you nod and he looks at you eagerly. His hands go to your hips and he pushes against you as he kisses you passionately. He kisses down your neck and reaches behind you to unzip your dress. He pulls the top of your dress down so that you're only in your bra from the waist up. You push his t-shirt up and over his head and off. His chest has the smallest patch of soft hair and you're reminded how young he is. But just when you're about to back out again, he pulls your hips away from the desk and lets your dress fall to the floor at your feet. Now you stand there in nothing but your bra and panties. He takes you in slowly and looks at you hungrily like he might devour you if he could.

You nervously glance at the classroom door. It's closed and you know that by now the building is empty. And then a thought occurs to you.

"Don't you have to be at work soon?"

"No." He responds firmly and dives into a deep kiss, his hands running up and down your body. They tremble slightly, but he hopes you ignore it as he slides them up to hold your breasts. You reach down and feel his hard cock pressing against his jeans. When you touch him, he backs out of the kiss and whimpers a bit.

"Danny, do you know what happens next?" You ask quietly as you stroke him. He grunts and nods.

"Yes, I do."

As if to show you that he does, he slips his fingers, still slightly trembling, under the waistband of your panties and pushes one finger into you. You moan softly as he adds a second finger and pumps them in and out of you slowly.

"Yes, don't stop." You whisper. He nods and keeps working his hand as you close your eyes and continue to stroke him through his pants. After a few more seconds, you use both hands to undo his zipper and push them down his legs. He steps out of them and you look at him in just his underwear with his hand in your panties. He might be 19 and a virgin, but his body is that of a man and it elicits a physical response from you that he can feel with his fingers. He smiles and kisses your shoulder gently.

You reach back and undo your bra, letting it drop to the floor. He stops moving his hand for a second as he takes in your naked breasts. You put your hand back on him and feel his cock twitch. He whimpers again.

"I want to kiss you, but not on your lips."

"Where, then?"

"Everywhere." He looks into your eyes almost pleadingly.

"Then kiss me, Danny." He kisses your mouth once before leaving a trail of hot kisses on your neck down to your chest. He runs his tongue in a circle around one nipple and ghosts his lips across your skin to the other one, pulling it into his mouth gently. But he doesn't stop there. He gets on his knees and kisses down your stomach, pulling his fingers out of you and dragging your panties down your legs. Then, he leans you back against the desk a little and spreads your legs, kissing your center. He leans his forehead against your lower stomach.

"I've never done this before. How do I... what do you...?"

"Just kiss me. With your tongue. Here." You put your finger on your clit and rub it in circles, so he will know what to do. He nods and leans forward again, pressing his mouth to you. He begins to move his tongue over and around your clit and you have to bite your lower lip to keep from crying out.

"Like this?"

"God, yes, don't stop!" He smiles and presses a finger into you again while he licks you. He pumps his finger in and out while he moves his tongue feverishly on your clit. You feel the coil of your orgasm tighten in your belly and he keeps on licking you. The coil snaps and you gasp.

"Yes! Yes! Oh, Danny, yes!" You moan as quietly as you can, while you come hard in his mouth. He feels your walls flutter and pulse around his fingers.

"W-w-was that good?" He looks up at you from his place between your legs and you almost melt.

"Yes!" He smiles and kisses your hip and then stands up, wiping his face with his hand. You push his underwear down and watch his cock bounce free. He closes his eyes and bites his bottom lip when you reach out and palm his dick, sliding his foreskin back.

"You're sure this is what you want, Danny?" His eyes pop open and he looks at you desperately.

"Honey, I've never wanted anything more." He lifts you by the hips and sets you on the desk. You pull his hips in between your legs and line him up with your entrance. He holds you and pushes into you slowly, grunting when he fills you fully. His cock is bigger than you expected and you moan at the sensation of him hitting the most sensitive place inside you. He pulls back and pushes into you again deeply. Then, he picks up the pace a little and starts to slam his hips into you passionately. Your breasts bounce with his rhythm and he leans down and kisses your chest again while he fucks into you.

"Yes, honey, goddamn, that feels good." He puts his hand on the side of your neck and runs his thumb over your lips. His hips pound into yours over and over, his cock sliding in and out of you rhythmically. He looks down at the place where you're connected and groans. The sight of himself moving in and out of you is enough to almost push him over the edge. But you're not finished with him yet.

"Oh, no honey, what're you doing?"

You push him backwards out of you and then around to the chair on the other side of the desk. He falls into the chair and you crawl on top of him, one leg on either side of him, and sink down onto his dick with your hands on his shoulders. "Oh." He moans breathlessly as you begin to bounce on him. His hands go to your breasts, squeezing them gently and teasing your nipples with his thumb and fingers.

"Do you like this, Danny?" You ask, your voice dripping with desire like the sweetest honey. He nods and whimpers, leaning forward to kiss your neck.

"Yes, I love it." He whispers as he nuzzles you just below your ear. You switch to rolling your hips, pushing him deeper and deeper inside you. He puts his hands on your hips while you ride him. "'M bout to come, doll."

You stand up off of him and he whines desperately.

"No..."

But then you get on your knees and put your mouth around his cock and he inhales sharply. You bounce your mouth on him vigorously and then pull all of him into you, letting him hit the back of your throat.

"Oh, fuck, y/n!" He cries out as he comes hard in your mouth and you swallow it down. You lick around the head of his cock one last time and then stand up. He pulls you down into his lap and cups your face in his hand.

"Honey, that was..." You smile and he kisses you softly. He presses his forehead to yours. "Thank you."

You sit there like that naked together for a while before you speak again.

"Danny, we can't tell anyone about this."

"I know. We can do it again sometime, though, right?"

"I don't know. We probably shouldn't have done it this time."

"Shhh." He holds your face again. "Yes, we should've. You mean more to me than just this. I think I'm fallin' for you." You feel the tears gather in your eyes.

"Oh, Danny..."

"I am. So stop sayin' it's wrong." You kiss him again and he holds you tightly. Finally, you stand up and start to gather your clothes, tears falling down your face silently.

"Why're you cryin', doll?" He stands up and you look into his eyes.

"Because I'm falling for you too." He wraps you in his arms again and you cry against his chest. You know that nothing can come from this, but right now, he's yours and you're his.

In this moment, nothing else matters.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taglist: wasn't sure on some of these, so sorry if I tag you and you didn't want to be tagged!

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @ashtag6887 @your-nanas-house @deniseinmn @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows @60svintage @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @tacozebra051

#elvis presley fanfiction #elvis fanfic #elvis smut #elvis presley fic #danny fisher #Danny fisher fic #Danny fisher fanfiction #king creole #elvis presley smut #elvis fanfiction

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erosuguru · 10 months

Text

No title sorry bout that lol Satoru Gojo x Reader, mainly fluff, reader lovingly bullies gojo, gojo is whipped, 800+ Words

CW: none, fluff head to toe, can't spell 'Satoru' without 'Sato' (sugar) gehehehehehehehe dies, little proof reading

Notes: I had a long day and I was book shopping and I realised "ah, gojo would buy shit for his gf just because he remembered her" so here we are, I'm not good at writing fluff plz bare wit me, I'm trying out a new divider plz tell me if it looks good or bad :')

A book slid across the soft surface of the table to you, you put down your mug and examined the cover then looked up towards your white haired boyfriend who's face looked like he was expecting you to jump into his arms and express gratitude.

"What's this?" Satoru's expression fell at your words. He sat up and gestured to the book as if that would make you understand. "The book you were talking about, remember? When we had coffee in that new place?"

Wow, he remembered? You couldn't help but smile, that conversation was weeks ago and he still remembered, during then you passively mentioned the book's title, you merely brought it up saying your friends were all reading it and talking about it but you weren't going to pick it up anytime soon (for the sake of your TBR list, you can't..)

"And you waited until now because...?" You picked up the book as you spoke, fingers flipping through the freshly printed pages and examining the font size and spacing of the words. Satoru snorted, "waited? I've been looking for it everywhere!" He folded his arms over his chest as irritation took over his features."Everywhere I checked, it was sold out!"

"Seriously? You ran around stores for me?" You teased, and he pouted, scooting his chair closer to you. "Of course~ when my love asks for something, I race to get it!"

"Satoru, that's nice, but.." You set the book down. "I didn't ask for–"

"Shhhh, you can show me your devoted thanks later." He cut you off with a finger to your lips, acting as if he was saving your breath from praising him and his valiant efforts (of purchasing a popular book).

Continuing this would just prove to be useless, although it was a nice gesture, even if you couldn't read it now– he listened, he knew you were interested and he made the effort to purchase something with you in mind.

To say Satoru was an impulsive buyer was an understatement. He's smart with his money, and yet moments where he loses all rationality in a transaction have been frequent after establishing a relationship with you. If Satoru sees anything in a store that briefly reminds him of you, he's taking it home to you.

The best part of the whole process is seeing your reaction, even if you told him he didn't need to waste his money on you– he could see the smile twitch at the corner of your lips as you grew flushed; almost as if shy that satoru thinks of you so fondly outside of your daily interactions.

His surprises could be anything, ranging from a mug that was the right shade of your favorite color to a necklace he thought would look good on you, it makes him even happier when he sees you use said gift in any mundane activity.

"This is really sweet of you, baby, thank you." You replied and kissed his cheek, Satoru hummed through a smile happily, accepting your affections. You reached for your mug– the mug he bought you because he knew you'd love the cartoon cat on it.

"So where'd you find it?" He waved off your question."It doesn't matter. What matters is that I got it before anyone else could, and capitalism loses!"

"Capitalism actually won because they got your money, so.." You quietly drank from your mug as you watched his face contort to disappointment. You restrained yourself from laughing at his pouting. How dare you belittle his victory?

"You're so mean to me! And here I bought 2 copies so we can read it together!" He announced as he showed his copy, the same book with the same cover. You set down your mug and cooed at him. "Satoru! You didn't have to do that. Honestly, are you obsessed with me?"

You uttered that sentence in a clear joking tone, but his expression hadn't changed. "Of course I am! I thought I made it pretty clear! You're literally all I think about!" Satoru proudly proclaimed and grew red in the face when you burst out laughing, your features growing flushed as well at his declaration.

"You're so lame, Satoru!" You wiped the tear away from your eye as you came down from your little giggle fit. He pouted at you once more. "What? Am I the only obsessed one here?"

"Maybe, I'm not the one who ran store to store looking for 2 copies of the same book?" His pout persisted at your retort, laying his head on your shoulder he stared up at you with a pitiful yet loving gaze, one that he would give you whenever you were being 'mean' to him.

"Okay, okay.." You turned to him and cupped both his cheeks in your hands, kissing his forehead, Satoru indulged in the closeness, feeling your scent envelope him as you leaned closely to him. He stopped you from moving your hands away just as you began doing so, keeping them on his cheeks.

"... Satoru?" You waited for him to answer but he only tipped his face towards you, you rolled your eyes unable to fight the smile off your lips as you kissed his cheeks, the tip of his nose and finally right on his soft lips. "Was that good enough compensation?"

His face reddened, and he nodded once. "Mhmm, thank you, pookie~"

#satoru gojo x you #satoru gojo x reader #gojo satoru x you #gojo satoru x reader #gojou satoru x reader #gojou satoru x you #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n #jjk fluff

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grievedeeply · 1 year

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the less time, the better. pt 5.

PREVIOUS | NEXT — SERIES TAGLIST / GENERAL TAGLIST

pairing: heimdall x gn!reader / familial kratos and atreus

summary: your father returns from vanaheim and you get the chance to talk to him face to face. a familiar face returns.

notes: finally kratos time!! i love writing him as a worried father it's so sweet lol. a little bit of angst this chapter.... anyway. no romance this chapter at all buuut it'll be worth it when it comes around. i hope. enjoy this part and let me know your thoughts!

your father still wasn't home yet.

you had been sitting at the large, wooden table in the center of sindri's house for what felt like years, waiting for him to return. you had nothing to occupy your mind other than thoughts of asgard and what inevitably waited for you when you returned, and the idea of it made you cringe. you could already picture heimdall's cocky smirk, his teasing tone. it was as clear as day in your head, and you hated it.

you knew that, once you returned to asgard, he would rub the fact that you left in your face. he would say you're being childish, or too cowardly. the truth was the opposite. you felt guilty for leaving your family with no answers, and it had been eating at you the entire time you had been there. you were tired of that heavy feeling on your chest, and decided to take charge of your emotions. something that heimdall didn't seem like he could do.

you could picture his expression from the day you met in your mind. he couldn't understand how he lost, so he refused to acknowledge it until weeks later. you saw how pink his cheeks were.. how out of breath he was. the mere thought of it put a smile on your lips. he deserved to be put in his place like that. it felt good.

heimdall acted differently around you than anyone else, and it was obvious. he still retained his obnoxious sense of humor, but he seemed to fluster easier when you were in the room. why was that? was he still embarrassed about losing? you shook the thought out of your mind. he had to be over that by now. it was a shock, and that was fine.. but surely, he had to be over it.

he was a stubborn person. you heard it took plenty of convincing for him to go on the mission to helheim with you, and you weren't surprised. you wished you went with someone else, anyway.

the less time you spent around him, the better it was for you.

he might not have been able to read your intentions like he was with everyone else, but he wasn't stupid. he was odin's pet, and as soon as he noticed your true intentions there was no doubt in your mind that he would report you to him. you would be dead, and heimdall would be victorious. you couldn't let him win. you wouldn't.

atreus sat across from you. you'd been noticing he'd been reaching for his neck more frequently lately— and you noted the absence of the mistletoe that had caused baldur to feel. he had kept it. he said it was a way to remember all he'd been through, but you knew it was more than that. you felt pity for baldur. you knew he did, too. even your father did. it was hard for him to feel bad for someone.

you heard him let out a sigh, and you glanced over at him with pursed lips. "what's got you down?" you decided to ask, leaning back against the uncomfortable wooden framing of the chair. out of the corner of your eye, you saw tyr in the kitchen, his eyes moving across the pages of the book his face was buried in. atreus shrugged, "i don't know." he admitted, finally turning his attention to you. you fell silent, and the house followed suit.

"i miss mom." he told you, breaking through the quiet with his words. you swallowed, "me too." you whispered into the air. you missed her more than anything in the world.

you remembered her hands, the way they used to braid your hair in your youth. you remembered her voice, and how she used to read you to sleep. she did the same to atreus, when he was born. you remembered watching him grow up with her. you were angry at the universe for taking her away so soon. she deserved more.

she was kind. brave. courageous. she was good to the realms, and they were good to her. she was the best person you ever knew. the realms needed more people like her— and she raised you to be that person. she raised atreus in that way, too. the two of you would carry her with you. you promised her that.

the sound of soft sniffing took you out of your thoughts, and you immediately stood from your seat. the floor was slippery. sindri had spent hours mopping earlier in the day, and you could only assume he was doing the same to the second level.

you sat next to your brother, taking both of his hands in yours. they were much bigger than they were years ago, when you were spreading your mother's ashes. the thought of him growing up was always something that had scared you, but he was growing into a mature, kind young man. you were proud of him.

"atreus," you muttered, running your thumbs across the back of his hands. "it's okay to cry." you told him, and all he did was nod. "i cry." you said after a moment, soft laughter escaping from your lips. "i miss her, atreus. more than anything. i always will miss her.. and that's okay." you reassured him. "you're not alone in how you feel. i promise." you squeezed his hands, and he returned the gesture with a small smile. he nodded again, clearing his throat.

"thanks." he took his hands out of yours, using his palms to wipe the tears that fell off of his cheeks. "anytime." you chuckled, a thin lipped smile on your features. you were lucky you had him as your brother.

the sound of brok hammering something from across the room was the only thing that filled your ears, until the familiar sound of the door opening rang through the house.

you looked towards the entrance, and you felt your throat tighten at the sight of your father's silhouette in the doorway. freya entered behind him, but you didn't even pay attention to her. he would be disappointed in you, but you needed to face him. you had to explain everything. he deserved that much.

his eyes softened as soon as they landed on you, and he took long, quick steps to reach you. all you could do was look up at him, and you said nothing. his eyes never left your face. it was almost like he as analyzing you for any sign of injury.

"you are home." his deep baritone spoke out, and you nodded in response. you could see how tense he was— in his shoulders, mostly. "i'm home." you tried to laugh, but nothing came out.

the last time you spoke to him was a disagreement. you left without saying a word.. and yet, he didn't seem angry. at least, not as angry as you expected him to be.

your father only stood in front of you in silence after hearing your response. he nodded, and you heard him take in a shaky breath. "i am glad." he told you, his large hands taking hold of your shoulders. you pressed your lips into a smile, enjoying the feeling of his comforting touch.

he had every right to be upset with you, and he was. you could tell by the look he held in his eyes, but he didn't show it, verbally nor physically. all he did was look down at you, looking as though he was trying to read your mind.

"i'm sorry." you said after a moment of sitting in the comfortable silence he had made. "i know." he replied, and you couldn't help but to feel like a child again— being reprimanded for making a mistake. this was more than a mistake. this was life or death.

"why did you go?" his voice cut you out of your thoughts, and you turned your gaze to him once more. "to see what odin was up to. to feel.. useful."

"you are useful." he said without missing a beat. the confidence he had in you was always something that made your chest tight and your eyes water. "i wanted.. i had to go. i know you're upset with my decision, but it was mine to make."

your father's mouth opened for a split second, then closed once more. "okay." he spoke, and you furrowed your eyebrows. "okay?" you asked, confusion evident in your tone. "it was your decision. i did not.. do not.. agree. i never will. but it was yours." he explained, and you closed your eyes, taking in his words.

he had changed so much over the years. you wondered why. was it your mother's death? the fact that his children were doing nothing but getting older? you remembered how he would be gone for days, weeks at a time in your youth. when he was around, he wasn't really there. his body was.. his mind wasn't.

now— all of him remained at your side. his emotions, thoughts, feelings.. everything was there. he didn't leave. not anymore.

"thank you." you mustered up a response, albeit a mediocre one. he said nothing in acknowledgment to your words. he didn't need to. "rest." he spoke in a whisper, gesturing to the room you had shared with atreus with a nod of his head, and you didn't have the energy to say anything else.

you turned on your heel, and with one last look at your father over your shoulder, you walked into your room. it smelled of fruits— and the smell was a welcoming one. your room in asgard could never compare.. even if this one was a pantry. it was home.

you unsheathed your sword and stared down at it for a moment, thoughts of your time behind asgard's walls flooding your mind. you took off your baldric, resting it on top of a nearby barrel, sitting your weapon down with it.

a sigh escaped your lips as you laid down on the bed. you had plenty to think about, and it was times like this where you wished you could turn off your mind.

you closed your eyes. your head hit the pillow, and you slept.

"watch your step, dear."

your eyes opened, and you found yourself surrounded by forest. the sound of running water rushed into your ears, and your gaze eventually settled on a woman— stood in front of you with a gentle smile.

your mother..

she extended a hand to you, and you took it with no hesitation. this was a memory, and yet you remained older. you were no longer a child. you were close to her height in your dream-like memory. you wished she could see you now.

she squeezed your hand, helping you up the ledge that led up the river. "today.. we fish." your mother stated, letting you walk beside her. she walked closest to the river, as all mothers do to protect their children from falling in. "why?" you asked, and she did nothing but laugh.

"you have to learn to survive." she told you, shrugging her shoulders with a smile. she was always smiling.. always positive. you returned her grin with one of her own, "okay, mama." you whispered through laughter.

you walked in silence for a few minutes, letting the sound of chirping birds and rushing water take over your thoughts, though your eyes never drifted from your mother's form next to you. she never took her hand out of yours, and she rubbed her thumb across the back of it.

"we're here." she said, leading you down and onto the shore of the river. it was relatively far away from your home, and you couldn't help but to wonder what atreus was doing. sleeping.. most likely. children tend to do that.

the dirt underneath your feet felt uncomfortable, the texture of it unwelcome against your skin. your face crinkled in disgust. you heard your mother's laughter. the sound of it was bliss. this moment.. it was, too.

she held onto your spear, and you swallowed looking at it. it looked.. complicated. your mother noticed your worried expression, and rested her hand on your shoulder, her touch reassuring. "i'll teach you everything. don't look so dour." she chuckled, making sure the spear was in working order for you. you could only watch as she did so— amazed by her skills.

"i'll teach you how to make your own." your mother told you. "this one is old. you'll need one." she said, turning her attention away from the spear and onto you. her gaze was gentle, as soft as her touch was. she stepped into the river, shivering at the cold temperature of the water before gesturing for you to join her.

you pursed your lips, and after a deep breath, you stepped in after her. you gasped at the feeling of it on your legs, and your mother laughed at the expression on your face. "you'll get used to it, someday." she told you through her chuckles.

she handed you your own spear, holding her own with her other hand. "you wonder why we're far from home?" she asked, and you nodded. "we needed a good spot.. downstream. the fish will come from this way," she pointed with her hand, "we'll be waiting." she shrugged, looking down at her feet.

you nodded. "in the meantime.." your mother muttered, taking a step towards you. "you don't need to hold it that tight." she rested her free hand on yours, releasing the tension you held in them. "adjust your positioning. you want the strength to make it quick. this way," she moved your hands to the correct spots on the spear, and hummed as she pulled away from you. "good!" she said, cheering for you though you had done nothing to deserve it.

you only rolled your eyes, and she nudged you with her elbow. "oh, here." she noticed a few fish coming downstream, and with one swift movement, she had one on the end of her spear. your mouth fell open. how did she do that? she laughed, seeing the look on your face.

"how did you do that?" you asked, and she turned her head to look at you. "many, many years of practice, my dear. you'll get there."

and you did.

memories flooded your mind, and with each one that passed you got older. you saw more fishing, heard her voice reading to you.. it was bittersweet to see her again. you closed your eyes, letting the sound of her words echo through your mind.

it fell silent, and you blinked a few times, opening your eyes.

you were in your home, and your mother laid in the bed you sat on. this was a few weeks before she died, and she began getting weaker. she was the strongest woman you ever knew— that you ever will know— but seeing her in that way.. it hurt.

"what's on your mind?"you heard her ask, and you pursed your lips. "just thinking, mama." you whispered to her, tucking her hair behind her ear with a smile. "your thoughts are loud." she muttered, leaning into your hand. "i'm sorry."

"don't be." she replied quickly, and you nodded. "what is it.. really?"

"what do i do?"

she raised an eyebrow at your question, but bit at the inside of her cheek. she knew what you meant. what would you do after she was gone?

"you will continue without me. you'll continue being that same strong, intelligent and capable child i raised. that's what you'll do." your mother said to you, resting her hand on top of yours that had sat on the bed next to her. "i don't want to do this without you." you told her, and she nodded.

"i know. but you can.. and you will." she looked into your eyes, and even her gaze looked weaker than before. "it will be hard.. for you, your brother," she paused, her eyes moving towards the door, "your father." she looked at it for a few moments, before returning her attention to you.

"you will grow. you'll make hard decisions.. and you'll have to do them without me," she paused, letting herself smile, "and without your father's opinion."

"you are your own person. you know what to do. what's best for you." she shrugged her shoulders with pursed lips, and you sighed. you said nothing in response to her words, and she lifted her hand to your cheek.

she caressed your skin with her thumb, and smiled up at you. "i love you." she whispered. "i love you too." you replied.

you felt her touch fade from your face, and you subconsciously lifted your hand to where her's was moments before. you were met with nothing, and you shot out of bed. your chest felt tight and your eyes welled with tears at the memory of her. this was the first time you had dreamt of her in a long time.. and her words stuck with you even more now than they did before.

you blinked away your tears, rubbing them away with the palms of your hands. your eyes fell on the sword that sat on the table at the end of your bed, and as you calmed your breathing down, you let yourself think of asgard.

she was telling you something. she wasn't with you physically, but she remained in your heart and soul. you let out a sigh, rubbing your forehead with your thumb and pointer finger.

you would go back to asgard. that was your decision— without her and without your father's input. you thought that was what was best.. so you would do it.

you thought of odin.. of heimdall.

you would avoid him to the best of your ability. you had to. the less time.. the better, you reminded yourself.

you let yourself lie back down, turning your head to look at the opposite side of the room. atreus was asleep in his own bed, and you smiled at the sight of him. he slept so soundly.. his mind at peace. he had a faint grin on his lips. he looked.. happy.

you would protect him, his happiness.

you would protect your father.

you had to.

you knew what you had to do. and you would do it.

you closed your eyes— and welcomed the thoughts of asgard into your mind with open arms.

tags: @s1mpss @gorepitt @orange-celestial @callalillie15 @bluehorizon987 @vanserrar @trippingoverstars @mysiax @rei64bit @neverendingdumptser @m0th4 @a-bunny13 @ss-kimo @candy4bonez @yyourmotherr @blobdrake-theory @zarizee @rainygamingstreamingturtle @kise-kae @aesthetic-of-a-director @httptaegi @nixeustheclamity @aiciteaa @multifand0m-gal0re @mama-bonie @wonderkive @lentillo @luffysoctopus @elizabeth-hatake @black-star1472 @lacm-ac @sxmirae @maggot-baggage @emc2beans @suzumi-hiddenmistclan @engardeitsme @ssauerkraut

#god of war x reader #gow x reader #god of war #gow #god of war heimdall x reader #heimdall gow #gow heimdall x reader #heimdall gow x reader #heimdall x reader

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mdzs-fanon-exposed · 4 months

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Introductory post: Please read! :)

hi everyone! welcome to my very own MDZS-specific iteration of the unparalleled @svsss-fanon-exposed and @tgcf-fanon-exposed. this blog is designed to find the differences between canon and fanon in the Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation fandom.

this blog is NOVEL CANON ONLY. although i may occasionally cite the drama or the donghua as the potential source for any misconceptions, the canons of these adaptations differ too much from the novel canon for my purposes (plus i haven't finished either one. whoops).

how this whole thing works:

send me an ask! is this thing you thought was canon actually fanon? is that fanon idea supported in the books? where? why? how?

i'll answer the ask with a rating, using SVFE's helpful rating system (explained below), and then go into detail. generally a post will include textual evidence supporting my rating, and possibly an analysis of what this means/where an idea came from.

i'll do my best not to introduce my own personal opinions or biases into the posts. if you have any textual evidence that you think disproves or otherwise contradicts one of my posts, i'm always happy to be corrected! HOWEVER. please do not argue with me or anyone else unnecessarily; this blog is not supposed to be a site for or source of discourse. i will block anyone who is repeatedly coming at me with bad faith. i'm doing this project for fun, and i want to keep it that way for everyone :)

posts will probably be sporadic so i don't burn myself out and lose interest. however, i want to try and answer as many questions as i can! submissions will open and close based on demand so i can stay on top of things.

some important things to keep in mind:

i'm not here to dunk on anyone's headcanons, and i am fully supportive of everyone's creative choices in the fandom!! (in fact i have many headcanons myself.) DO NOT harass anyone for their interpretations of the series. my purpose here is just to clarify whether certain ideas are textually supported, NOT to give an opinion on them.

i'm doing this blog for fun, so i'll be treating it as a casual project. i will only be using the official english translation of the novels, with the supplementary exception of the exiled rebels fanlation. i don't speak any chinese, so i will not be using the untranslated raws or any non-english fandom sources in my posts. although i'll be doing research as needed, i also will not be evaluating any headcanons purely based on chinese cultural norms, due to my unfamiliarity with them. if you are more familiar with any of these sources and have more information to add to a post, please let me know!

BECAUSE this is a casual project from someone whose only credentials are being completely obsessed with mo dao zu shi and knowing how to write an essay, anyone is welcome to make a blog that does this but. better. let me know if you start one and i'll point people your way lol.

finally: i will NOT be entertaining any character bashing in or on my blog. i've noticed that a lot of mdzs characters have some very... strong opinions about them across the fandom, and i may evaluate the "canon status" of asks that address specific aspects of these opinions, but as a general rule: i am going to be neutral-to-positive about EVERY mdzs character (yes, even that one. and that one. and-). and again, this is not a personal opinion-based blog, i'm looking at textual support, so honestly i don't think this disclaimer is necessary. but. just in case.

💥💥the rating system:💥💥

CANON: what it says on the tin! this fact is supported by the text. if you're trying to be as canon-compliant as possible, this rating is for you.

RUMOR: this fact is an in-text rumor. although this idea is mentioned in the novel, it's still not explicitly confirmed as canon. the characters themselves don't know if it's true or not!

FANON – SUPPORTED: not directly stated in canon, but it's a very likely interpretation, taking into account factors like cultural norms and occam's razor! this rating might be retroactively added to a post previously rated FANON – NEUTRAL, based on crowdsourced information about the raws or chinese culture.

FANON – NEUTRAL: it's not canon, but it's not NOT canon. the text neither confirms nor denies this interpretation, so it's up to you whether you want to consider it true to canon or not. the world is your oyster.

FANON – UNSUPPORTED: not directly stated in canon, but it's a very unlikely interpretation, taking into account factors like cultural norms and occam's razor. this rating might be retroactively added to a post previously rated FANON – NEUTRAL, based on crowdsourced information about the raws or chinese culture.

FANON – CONFLICTING: this idea directly contradicts something stated in the text. if you want to stay as canon-compliant as possible, this rating is not for you.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs meta #here goes nothing i suppose #i want you all to picture the 💥 emoji as if 'the rating system' was a youtube title screen with a bunch of explosions and air horns btw

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amgeryporcupine · 2 years

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Hi :)

This is for that one anon whose request I've mistaken for something else.

Hmm where do I start? Honestly, this whole TobiMada family thing that I thought of first came out to be angsty lol.

Like how Tobirama and Madara get together, or how it's possible for Madara to get preggo (not a/b/o). The original back story I had in mind can be defined as "it gets worse before it gets better".

But enough of that- let's just say they both lived happily ever after with many kids.

Please know that I'm poop with names so I just reused a bunch.

1st born - Quadruplets

Izuna (1st) was named after his late uncle. He is the Uchiha clan heir and the biggest troll Konoha has ever seen. He is also Itama's shoulder to cry/whine on. He may act carefree but he is the best when handling diplomatic missions.

Kawarama (2nd) is very much a grump, short-tempered, and has the issue of people standing behind him. He also happens to be a sensor as strong as his dad but would often get overwhelmed so his brothers are always there for him in case it gets too much. He is very protective of his siblings but he can be overbearing sometimes.

Itama (3rd) is a moody crybaby. He's like the combination of his uncle Hashi and his late uncle Itama. He loves to annoy his brother Kawarama for the sole reason of: "it's because Kawa-Chan makes funny faces when he's mad" even if he gets hit in the head and loses a few brain cells. He is also very well-loved by the people of Konoha as his character and behavior remind them of their previous Hokage (Hashirama). He is also expected to be the 3rd Hokage when Tobirama retires from the position.

Sousuke (4th) loves playing with fire. No words can describe the number of forest fires he's caused or the small villages he accidentally burned down. He's a pretty chill guy and very very straightforward with his words. He is socially awkward but he tries his best. He is considered a good team leader and would often be sent on S-rank missions, even if he prefers to do it alone. Some would say that his strength and thirst for a good fight came from his mother (they're not wrong tho).

2nd born - Triplets

Satsuki (1st) has a very poised and dignified persona. She loves dressing up in expensive kimonos with intricate designs. She doesn't listen to anyone's bs unless they wish for a painful death by drowning. She has received many suitors from different clans but none fit her high standards (Tobirama's practically leaping with joy as his daughter will stay as his princess forever. Or so he thought). She is also an Iryo-nin along with her two sisters.

Makoto (2nd) is a perfectionist. She is also a clean freak and practically tidies up any mess her sisters make. She loves to read books let be they novels, or medical texts. She's not one to dress as fancy as Satsuki but she'll let herself be dressed up like a doll as long as her sisters won't bother her for the next hour. Most of the time oblivious when someone is interested in courting her. She has a history of "accidentally" sending her suitors to a friend zone.

Nagisa (3rd) is very energetic and adventurous. Not disgusted with handling anything, even bugs (for which Satsuki and Makoto would lose their vocal cords). She loves trying out new things and would often encourage her sisters to join her in it. She is also the mediator when her sisters bicker too much. Has been in many relationships before but it doesn't last because her partners couldn't keep up with her. (her dad and older brothers take very much care of her exes, and the twins are glad to have another to add to their collection).

3rd born - Twins

Hikaru (1st) and Kaoru (2nd) are two peas in a pod. They won't do anything without each other. Are born prodigies and have made many of their own jutsus. Unintentionally handling S-rank missions (only because of how often they get the unfortunate chance of being dragged into one) leads to gaining Jonin-rank at a young age. They dissect (animals) to study the organ system, skeletal structure, find the cause of death, etc. They received a human cadaver on their 10th birthday after presenting the things they've studied through years of dissecting and the council found it beneficial to give them the chance in order to contribute to the greater good of medicine.

4th born

Harumi is the epitome of sunshine and rainbows. It would take a lot of convincing for people outside Konoha to believe that this little girl is a spawn of Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Madara. She has mastered the deadly "puppy dog eyes" and has made uncle Hashi her favorite victim. She was a surprise to the family. Madara never thought that he'd conceive again with his age, but nonetheless, he and his husband were ecstatic to meet their youngest. Tobirama would drop everything he was doing if his little Harumi ever requested to be carried. Harumi got called "Hime" as a joke at first but the Senju and Uchiha both agreed that she is indeed a "Hime" and nothing would change that.

Wips related to this au

The whole family goes to the beach but in a modern setting, the quads as babies, and all 10 of them in one photo.

There's another fanart of this au in my old account @angeryporcupine

#tobimada #tobirama x madara #madara uchiha #tobirama senju #madara is a bottom #tobimada family au #my fanart #my oc art

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sunflowerandstrawberryspice · 5 months

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Songs the Ninjago Fandom is Sleeping on.

So I have like a bunch of songs and animatic ideas for the Ninjago fandom to do what they please with, cause chronic hand pain makes long projects like animatics kinda hard so instead I'm throwing them out to yall! (Song-artist)

SOPILERS FOR LITERALLY EVERYHTING RELATING TO NINJAGO (This includes Dragons rising, the spinjitzu brothers books and the Garmadon comics)

Also please remember this is for fun so be nice.

Survivors Guilt- Coma Cinema: Okay oaky so hear me out: eldest child angst. This could work for both Garmadon and Kai, because both of them are just SUCH older siblings in more than just the literal way you know? Like I think it fits especially with Garmadon because it's about feeling like you're a bad person and how it might fuck up someone else life in the process. To me I think it fits, cause like to me it's so clear Garmadon is the elder sibling TM and Wu is the stressed out younger sibling golden child. Lyrics: "And I don't care and I don't know why maybe I'm no good inside" the way this totally works for how Garmadon tries to act like he doesn't care in Spinjitzu Brothers but is like constantly stressed about whether or not he's a good person.

Seven Nation Army- The White Stripes: I don't have like any major reasons for this song other than it being SUPER Wyldfyre/Kai core lol (at least in the early seasons before he mellowed out a bit), like the song is literally someone sing about how they feel like how they could take on armies if necessary so take that as you will!

Viper- Derivakat: For starters I didn't know this was a Minecraft song until I went to look up the lyrics buuuuuuut oh well mine now! Could definitely be used for either the Great Devourer or the Serpentine, but I think it be cool if someone used the song for the Great Devourer and the venoms effect on Garmadon and how it really kinda fucked up his life. I think it'd just be neat. Lyrics: "Run, run, run as fast as you can out of the fire and into my hand" (Could def be used for Garmadon and the Great Devourer or Pythor and Lloyd) "Abandon your pride cause you've dug your own grave" and "Getting all up in your head make you lose your mind again" (Again would work pretty great for Garmadon or season one Lloyd and Pythor)

The Well- The Crane Wives: Now this song is perfect for season 6 Jay in my opinion since it's got some wish related lyrics which work well for the Nadakan plot, plus people getting "dragged down" could be the other ninja getting absorbed into the sword. I'm not to big on this season or Jay but even I can tell this song works WELL for him (get it well? I'll see myself out). Lyrics: "Like spare coins, poised on the tip of my tongue I make a wish and hold my breath" This could not only be the making wishes part but also Jay getting "spare coins" aka his bio fathers money and house after he dies, "I'm the well they're gonna drag you down" again this could be used for the ninja being dragged into the sword "All the words I couldn't say to you" His pinning over Nya obviously. And lastly "I taste blood I'm sick of swallowing stones" Could be his trauma after Nadakan is defeated or when he was beat up in the fight thing.

Viva La Vida (But epic)- Reinaeiry (I just like this version best but any works): Could totally work for Lloyd post merge, him being lonely in this new world and forced to be a hero in the shadows. Y'all could also probably do something with the FSM but like I'm not exactly sure what. This one's a little more for the vibes tbh.

Parasite- Set It Off: When I tell yall this is great for Harumi and Lloyd, like it'd work so well as a song for her trying to manipulate and twist his mind. The name says it all it's literally telling someone they'd wished they'd never been born and that they don't help society, sound like anyone familiar? Also if y'all just want a song for like a villain arch for Lloyd this would also probably work tbh. Lyrics: "Leeching off my pain never satisfied" Totally could work for Harumi being mean and manipulative or Lloyd getting angry and being honest with her. "Strike a nerve or wreck a home hoping you get a response" This could totally be used literally cause of Harumi's whole... you know dead parent situation.

Matilda- Harry Styles: I know I know what you're saying, Harry Styles? But I promise this song is actually wonderful. This could work RIDICOULOUSLY well for Sora. The song is a lot about how you can go on to live a life and you don't have to include your bioparents or family in it if you don't want to which is SO Sora. Like I feel like all the lyrics work well for how Imperium and her parents drained her and I just love it! Then second you could also view this as kind of a Cole song. I know the fandom is kind of split on whether or not him and his father really make up and I'm gonna be honest I don't really think they do. Unlike Jay, Zane, Lloyd as well as Kai and Nya to an extent (once they get their parents back) all at least interact with their parents and clearly have somewhat of a relationship with them (Kai and Nya less so but they have the excuse of being adults by the time they get their parents back). Cole on the other hand doesn't really have the same thing, like he has the episode where he makes up with his father but after that Lou doesn't really have many other major appearances so I think they're on good terms but not that close ya know? Idk just my opinion lol. Unrelated but the song is honestly so eldest daughter-core and I just wanted to mention that.

Uhhhh that's all for now, let me know if y'all just want me to compile all this into a playlist to listen to cause I totally will. Any who just want to restate this is all my opinion and I love this show <3

Hope y'all have a great day/night PEACE OUT.

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redheadloverr · 9 months

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sub vs dom headcanons

basically just whether i think theyre the dom or sub! (entirely sfw)

gn!reader x anemo boys!

heizou

a dom but in possibly the worst - best way ever

he’s the type to brag to everyone that he is the dom but no one believes him, everyone thinks youre the dom but he gets his way every single time.

hes a bit stubborn so he takes things like this almost like a competition, he has to prove to you, and the world, that he is in fact a dom. it gets tiring at times but you laugh at it.

its an interesting dynamic, no one believes he’s the dom but as some would say “he has you wrapped around his fingers” and you honestly dont mind. hes sweet and compassionate when he needs to be, serious and stern when he needs to be as well.

although you are his special person; and trust me you are, sometimes he’ll do or say things that make you two seem like mere friends but you know he doesnt mean them that way. he looks out for you. he knows you dont need him to but hes happy to do it anyways.

at the end of the day, you know what type of partner you’re coming home to. he may be a bit overprotective and overbearing at times but thats what you love about him.

kazuha

soft dom. 100%.

kazuha’s the type of dom to let you go around telling people you’re the dom and people would believe it because of how soft spoken he is and how easy he is to give in to your request.

kazuha practically created the “princess treatment”. he would never disrespect you, never raise his voice at you, never even touch you unless you told him it was okay / you wanted him to. he respects you and your personal space as well as your personal opinions, ideals, morals, so on and so fourth.

kazuha does have a downside tho, he never knows how to necessarily bring up his own emotions or opinions. kazuha is a closed book, his book hasnt been opened for years its practically full of dust. you try your best to mkae him open up and he does! you know him better than anyone else but even then he still keeps his secrets.

kazuha is absolutely terrified or harming you in any way shape or form. he goes out of his way to protect you from stuff you couldnt even possibly think of. you have his full attention and admiration, though you wish he’d pay attention to you when you’d tell him he needs to focus on himself and what he wants.

he typically says “dont worry about my feelings.” or “this isnt about my feelings.” on the rare occasions you two do have disagreements.

scaramouche

100% a sub. a bratty sub.

hes the type of sub to be such a brat at times you genuinely just want to throw them in the lake and leave them there. you don’t obviously but he gets on your nerves lol.

if people asked who wore the pants he’d say it was a mix of the two of you, though you know its all bs.

scara is like a little kid having a temper tantrum because he couldnt get ice cream for dinner. if he doesnt get his way hes pouty and moody until you somehow “make it up to him” with basically anything

hes moody and a lot of times has mood swings every five seconds, he really is like a kid. he’s fussy and whiny but you know at the end of the day you love him and he loves you, you two would never want your dynamic to be shared with someone else nor lose this dynamic.

venti

venti is a bit of a wild card! he’s definitely a switch

i feel like venti is confident in certain aspects of the relationship and with other aspects he just lets you take control if youre more confident.

i feel like a relationship with venti would for sure be 50/50, probably the most balanced relationship but a bit of a hectic and chaotic one to be sure.

venti wouldnt necessarily know how to answer someone if they asked who wears the pants, hed probably say you just to throw them for a loop but you both know youre equals in this relationship.

xiao

definitely a sub but behind closed doors.

he pretends to be hard on the outside but really all he wants is to be the little spoon and be pampered with love and affection!

he secretly loves when you take the initiative; whether it be planning dates, holding hands out in public, showing PDA, ect.

he’s definitely the type to have acted like a “badass” or a “bully” in highschool but in reality he just wanted a hug and for someone to tell him theyre proud of him.

he has absolutely no mercy for anyone who even attempts to hurt you, however. youre the only one who has and is able to see his soft side.

he shows you off to his friends and worships the ground you walk on, it doesnt bother you one bit that he pretends to wear the pants in the relationship to his friends and fellow acquaintances.

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use-your-telescope · 4 months

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When Everything's Made to be Broken - Chapter 13: Things In Yourself That You Don't Understand

Summary: A series of strange and troubling events make Theo question if she’s losing her mind, or if something larger is at play.

Author's Notes: Once again, we have a song split between two chapters - partially because the first half of the chapter is already 9,000 words, but also because I liked the pacing of splitting this into two chapters (and that it gives a lil’ cliffhanger at the end). I almost started this author’s note saying “Look, this is the first cliffhanger in the story!” and then I realized that the first chapter of this story is literally one massive cliffhanger. 😅 So uh, it’s not the first cliffhanger (but it’s also a much less extreme cliffhanger, lol).

I’ll be blunt: this chapter is heavier than most of the others. We’re starting to dig into some of the trauma and demons which haunt certain characters, as well as their coping mechanisms (some of which are not healthy by any stretch of the imagination). Please heed the content warnings, since there are some topics that can be tough for people to read about. All of these warnings are for the final part of the chapter, so if you’re not in a headspace to read heavy stuff, I’ll include a summary at the end, which will cover everything after the chunk of lyrics that start with “and it’s been a while since I wrote a song I liked.”

Please take care of yourself <3

Content Warnings: Emotional angst, overconsumption of alcohol/alcohol poisoning, implied violence, a description of vomit/vomiting.

Word Count: 9,009

Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist

Song: Talk About It - Paradise Fears

There are things in yourself That you don’t understand While the weight’s on your shoulders And the phone’s in your hand, You tell me,

I don’t really wanna talk about it I don’t really wanna talk about it I don’t really wanna talk about it Right now, Right now

Mercury may not have been in retrograde, but something was off.

It had been days since Theo had run into anyone eating breakfast in the kitchen, much less lunch or dinner. In the living room, the playstation controllers and television remote sat in the same place for so long that they would have left a dust imprint, if it weren’t for the cleaning bots that dusted on a regular basis. Whenever Theo trained in the gym, she had the entire place to herself.

Every once in a while, Theo swore she heard footsteps in the hall, but each time she poked her head out the door she found no one. The only sign that anyone was staying in the tower was that the toaster had recently been replaced with one from the 1950’s, which seemed an attempt to prank someone.

But who? It didn’t seem like anyone else had seen the different toaster, and even if the prank was directed towards Theo… Well, there was no one around to laugh about it. Besides, the 1950’s? That didn’t make sense. Maybe it was a prank on Steve or Bucky, but even then, it should have been a toaster from the 1940’s…

Strangest of all, Theo walked into the regular team meeting to find everyone present. No one seemed particularly chatty, which was abnormal, and the moment the meeting ended, everyone scattered before Theo could say a word.

So if the Avengers were in New York, why was the tower so… empty?

After a week of living in a ghost town, Theo switched to eating breakfast on her balcony; she figured that if she was alone, at least she could get some fresh air while she enjoyed a cup of coffee and read a book. Even so, Theo still checked the kitchen every morning in hopes of finding someone around. Sometimes she walked past a teammate’s door and heard movement inside. More often than not, Theo debated if she should knock. She quickly abandoned the idea when it came to mind, however - after all, Theo knew firsthand just how uncomfortable it could be when you wanted to be left alone, but someone forced their presence upon you.

Well, she quickly abandoned the idea for almost everyone.

One night, Theo slipped into the kitchen to get a snack. On her way back, the haunting lament of a violin bled into the hallway. It pulled Theo past her door and further down the hall, until she stood in front of a familiar door.

Just across the threshold, Theo pictured the floor to ceiling bookcases stuffed with old tomes; she could close her eyes and see that on the center of one wall, a classic fireplace faced a dark leather sofa – one which Theo always imagined would be the perfect place to lounge on a dark, rainy evening. She could picture the two wingback chairs upholstered in dark tweed that flanked the sofa, and the coffee table that looked like it was from the early 1900’s which anchored the space.

She pictured the suite’s owner standing near the fire, the glow of the flames illuminating sheet music as he played, long fingers pressed against strings, the bow sliding back and forth as he moved to the music.

Loki.

Just before her knuckles made contact with the wood of the door, Theo froze. Disturbing such beautiful music felt like a crime. Besides, there were upcoming trade summits and international conferences to prepare for that probably contributed to Loki’s absence. That particular moment might have been the first bit of time Loki had to himself in days, and Theo didn’t want to take that from him.

So, despite the loneliness that had made a home in Theo’s chest, she let him be.

On the third morning of Theo’s new breakfast routine, she stepped outside to find she had company. A black bird perched on the railing - too small to be a corvid, however it shared trademark features from both ravens and crows that left Theo perplexed. The bird did not fly off when Theo sat down; instead, it hopped along the railing until it sat only a few inches away from Theo. Anytime Theo took a drink of her coffee or turned the page of her book, she expected the bird to do something - anything - but the bird remained firmly in place, watching Theo as she ate breakfast.

The bird returned the following morning, and the morning after that. By the fourth day, Theo started checking around the balcony to see if there was some sort of nest that the bird wanted to protect, because she couldn’t think of any other reason the bird would have been up there. She even got down on her hands and knees to check beneath the leaves of her assorted plants and all around the planters, and used a chair to climb up and look around the beams that supported the overhang.

But the bird kept showing up.

One morning, Theo decided to trade out the book for a sudoku. As usual, the bird waited for Theo at its usual spot on the rail; however, when its eyes settled on the book and pencil in her hand, it cocked its head to the side.

“Well good morning to you too,” Theo sarcastically greeted. She settled into her chair and opened up the sudoku to a fresh page, then attempted to ignore the bird as she started working through which numbers went where on the grid.

With a chirp, the bird stretched its wings and flew the short distance from the railing to the table. It hopped a bit closer to the book, head wobbling from side to side as if it were studying the page.

But it couldn’t have been reading - it was a bird. The fact Theo even considered the possibility made her wonder if she was going insane.

“Can I help you?” Theo cocked an eyebrow at the bird, thinking the bird might startle and fly off now that it was a bit closer to her.

Instead, the blackbird looked up at her, let out a squawk, and tried to peck at her hand.

“What the fuck?” Theo recoiled in her seat and threw her hands up in a placating gesture; as the pair stared each other down, Theo swore the bird was about to attack her. She could just imagine that headline: “Avenger Pecked to Death by Mystery Bird!”

God, maybe she really was losing her mind.

The blackbird tilted its head, almost like it wanted to test Theo’s reaction; when she remained frozen, it let out a chirp that she could have sworn sounded condescending, then it hopped forward and tapped twice on one of the squares. The bird glared at Theo, let out another chirp, then hopped back until it reached the far edge of the table. Theo gave the bird a wary glance before looking down at where it tapped. Theo already penciled in a four, but upon closer inspection, she realized the number in that square should be a two. With a quick spin of the pencil in her fingers, she erased the old number, then replaced it with a two; just as she lifted the pencil from the paper, the realization struck: the bird tapped the square twice.

The bird wasn’t trying to correct her… was it?

Nope. There was no way a bird could have read the puzzle and understood it.

Theo looked up to where the bird sat, but by then it was gone. As she stared at the empty space left behind, Theo wondered how the hell the bird managed to fly off without making a sound.

She shook her head and returned to her puzzle, all the while ruminating over the odd phenomena.

Maybe sleep deprivation had something to do with it. After all, her normally packed schedule recently had grown even busier with the addition of dates with Chris, and she had been out in the field more often to help with healing people. Add that to the long shifts in the emergency department, and it would be more than understandable that she was a bit more tired than usual.

Or, as much as she didn’t like the thought, maybe this whole thing - the empty tower, the mystery bird - maybe it was some weird fever dream or hallucination. Ever since she woke up to her head in Loki’s lap and the news that she had a fever of 102 and didn’t know it, Theo had been a bit paranoid about how much she used her magic. She made sure to err on the side of caution to prevent any potential repeat of that incident, but it didn’t stop her from worrying.

Just to be safe, Theo took her temperature after she went inside to make sure she wasn’t sick and found no evidence of fever.

Well, at least she eliminated one potential cause.

There are things in yourself That you don’t understand Why you still wanna tell me Every time you’re with him

The next notable occurrence came a few days later. Theo had been on her way out the door to meet Chris for a date, rushing down the hall once she got the text that he was in the lobby. However, she froze as soon as she made it to the living room entrance.

All the blinds were drawn shut, preventing any light pollution from the city from soaking into the living room; the only reason Theo could see anything was the light from the television, but the black and white images that flashed across the screen did little to illuminate the large, mostly empty room. Combined with the sparse finishes and furniture, it looked like the living room had been transformed into a cave.

Wanda and Vision sat together on the couch, watching I Love Lucy. Vision had his arm around Wanda, who was curled so tightly into his side that Theo didn’t spot her until she gave Vision a second glance. Wanda’s auburn hair nearly fell out of the ponytail it had been tied up in. Stranger still, despite watching a sitcom, Wanda was frowning; if Theo looked closely, she swore that Wanda’s eyes looked puffy. Frankly, Wanda looked downright gloomy, and that in and of itself was strange, because Theo couldn’t recall ever seeing Wanda so down before, even when Theo first moved into the building.

Theo cleared her throat. “Is everything okay?”

Wanda slowly turned around; when she saw Theo, she offered a weak smile, but the smile only made the Scarlet Witch look more sad.

Theo’s stomach lurched at the sight.

“It’s just that time of year, y’know?” Wanda offered a half-hearted shrug. Vision didn’t say anything; he simply gave Theo a forced smile that somehow appeared even more unsettling because it was on an android’s face.

If Theo hadn’t been confused before, she definitely was after that response. Rather than press the topic, she offered a hesitant smile and a nod. “Okay, well, I’m about to head out to meet Chris, but let me know if you need anything…”

“Have fun,” Wanda replied, though her response lacked the boundless enthusiasm Theo had grown used to. She turned back to the television and settled in against Vision’s side; just like that, it was like the conversation never happened.

Theo took that as her cue to leave.

As the elevator descended, Theo played the interaction over and over in her mind. Seeing Wanda upset was concerning on its own, and the lack of response to Theo's comment about seeing Chris made Theo wonder if she did something wrong.

After all, Wanda was the one who talked Theo into going on a real date with Chris - not just getting drinks together at the gala, but a real, honest date. When Theo got home from that first date, Wanda waited in the living room so she could immediately grill Theo for the details. If Theo had to name one person who was invested in Theo’s burgeoning relationship with Chris, it would be Wanda.

It wasn’t like Wanda was the only one who thought Theo should give things with Chris a try; Julie also supported the idea, although her rationale was much less serious - as Julie (jokingly) put it, “at least one of us should be getting some, and hey, if it works out maybe you can introduce me to one of his friends.”

And really, once they went on a normal date, things were… surprisingly good. Without the expectations of socializing that came with a gala, Chris was nowhere near the “Hollywood dream boat” that everyone assumed; at times, he was charmingly awkward, but because he didn’t take himself too seriously he could joke his way through any awkwardness. If anything, he was downright endearing.

Their relationship was nowhere near serious. Whenever Chris was in town they would go out, but they didn’t fly back and forth to see each other or spend hours on the phone lamenting each other’s absence when they were apart. Sure, she usually stayed over at Chris’s when he was around, but they were both adults, and well, he was good looking (and as it turned out, pretty good in bed).

Half-way through the elevator ride, Theo realized she hadn’t seen Chris since all the weirdness in the tower began. For the last month, Chris had been in Montreal, Canada, filming on-site for his next film. Even though he wasn’t super far away, he only came to New York for one weekend, and that was to attend another actor’s birthday party (with Theo as his plus one), and that was just before everything seemed to go off the rails. Otherise, they just texted.

The more Theo thought about it, the more she believed that a night away with Chris was just what she needed - something a chance to relax and unwind.

The elevator chime announced Theo reached her destination. The silver doors parted to reveal Chris waiting for her, hands in his pockets as he watched the door. At the sight, tension that Theo barely realized she had been carrying vanished. Theo felt her lips curl up into a wide smile, mirroring Chris’s expression when he saw her. They both strode towards each other, meeting in the middle with an enthusiastic kiss.

Chris, ever the gentleman, cut in front of his security so he could hold the door for Theo and help her into the car. That evening, they had plans to take a stroll through Central Park, enjoying one of the first nice days that New York had in a while. After grabbing slices of pizza to go, the pair wandered around the park, chatting and joking with each other as they made the most of the fresh air.

Or, more accurately, they spent the time chatting, strolling, and trying to ignore the horde of paparazzi that followed along, capturing their every move.

Privacy may not have been common for an Avenger, but it turned out that privacy was non-existent for an A-List actor. Frankly, the attention they received at the gala was nothing compared to after they were first spotted together in public. Rampant speculation filled the headlines for days when paparazzi snapped a picture of the two of them at dinner together, though they didn’t show any signs of affection at that time - no hand holding, no kisses - Theo even went back to her place at the end of the night.

Not long after, someone released photos of them sitting behind home base at a Yankees game. Again, they kept the level of affection pretty low, since they were in public, but it only fueled rumors even more when the people sitting around them all made comments about the pair being “cute” together.

The attention only got worse after a gossip site posted pictures of the pair at a Billie Eilish concert, “watching” the show from the side of the stage. Chris stood behind Theo with his hands on her waist, kissing Theo’s neck as she placed her arms over his and held him close. The next day, they were spotted together leaving his apartment to get brunch, at which point the internet decided that they were official and went all-out on decreeing the pair the new “it” couple.

After the birthday party, someone posted pictures on Instagram of Theo sitting on Chris’s lap at another actor’s birthday party, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as they chatted with one of Chris’s co-stars, which led to a crop of rumors that the pair were becoming serious about their relationship - headlines started popping up about Theo meeting Chris’s family and befriending his mom, finding a place to live together, and even wedding proposals popped up a time or two, one claiming that Chris’s mom took Theo engagement ring shopping.

When Natasha read the engagement headline out loud to the rest of the team, sitting in the living room one night after dinner, Theo nearly fell off the couch laughing. She didn’t even know Chris’s mom’s name, much less what she looked like, so whoever sold the website that story had to have been trolling them.

Despite the growing attention, neither Chris or Theo made any public comment about their relationship. They never really had a formal conversation about what their relationship was in the first place, much less how they wanted to navigate the public. Theo remained perfectly content to keep things that way - talking about it only made it more serious, and she simply wanted to enjoy herself and see how things played out.

That night, enjoying herself meant soaking up the fresh spring air, the hints of green speckled across the trees as the leaves began to appear, and listening to Chris as he told her about the best restaurants he ate at while in Montreal. Between the company and conversation, Theo quickly forgot the melancholy that plagued the tower, at least for most of the evening.

Near the end of the evening, as the couple walked back to where Chris’s driver planned to meet them, Theo spotted a rustling in the foliage nearby. A black squirrel emerged from a bush, nose sniffing around like it was on the hunt for something. Though Theo hadn’t ever seen a black squirrel, she didn’t think much of it; it wasn’t like it was green, after all. Black fur was just a genetic mutation.

At least, she didn’t think anything of it until the squirrel followed alongside Theo and Chris. Chris remained oblivious to their new companion, too focused on explaining the premise for a film he had just been cast in. Theo tried her best to listen along, not wanting to draw attention to the squirrel and make herself sound insane, but the longer the squirrel followed, the more creeped out she became.

Maybe it was the half-eaten pizza slice in her hand; squirrels could be pretty gutsy if they thought they would get food from it. Tourists probably fed squirrels all the time, right?

Theo casually threw the pizza in the next trash can they passed, but the damn thing continued along as if it didn’t even notice the pizza had disappeared.

What the hell was with all the animals following her around lately?

By the time they reached the car, Theo practically leapt inside, desperate to get away from the rodent. Theo looked out the window to find the black squirrel still standing there, watching while Chris circled the car and climbed in from the other side. Once Chris buckled in, he gave her a strange look before he asked if Theo was trying to go somewhere; she managed a light, nervous laugh before making a comment about getting out of there to go back to Chris’s place.

He gave her a wary glance, but thankfully dropped the topic. Theo hadn’t told him about the weirdness around the tower, and she had no interest in trying to explain something that even she didn’t understand…

Besides, the whole point of the evening was to enjoy herself with Chris and not think about the rest of the weird stuff going on at the moment. And she’d be damned if she didn’t make the most of a quality night enjoying some quality time with Chris between the sheets.

And it's been a while since I wrote a song I liked And it's been a few months since you stayed the night Cause you fooled me once, I guess I fooled myself I guess we only use each other just to use ourselves But I think the bruise is healed, I think the bruise is healed If you'd only come over we could lose it still And when the sun comes up, we'll be looking at each other saying…

If the tower had been a ghost town before Theo left for her date night with Chris, it certainly reared back to life shortly after she came home the next day; however, the manner in which it did so made Theo almost miss the eerie silence that previously plagued the space.

Long after it had grown dark outside, a crash echoed from one of the common areas with such volume that Theo heard it in her suite, even with the door closed. Surprised, she glanced up from her book to hear muffled, unintelligible shouting, followed by heavy footsteps, and what sounded like something smashing into the wall.

Was whatever she just heard connected to the other weird things happening around the tower?

Theo rose to her feet, depositing her book haphazardly on her couch before she poked her head out the door and looked around. Seeing no one, she quietly closed the door and started towards the main living area. Even if she didn’t find anything, she could grab some water from the kitchen while she was out and about.

Another thunderous crash, followed by the shattering of glass rang out from down the hall. Theo picked up her pace, walking as fast as she could without breaking into a jog as she tried to find the source of the commotion. The thought of a break-in briefly flashed through her mind, but it seemed impossible with all the security Tony had in place. So what would have caused such a racket?

By the time she reached the living room, Theo braced herself for a mess.

What she found was a mess, but not the kind she anticipated: Bucky sat hunched over at the dining room table with an empty Budweiser bottle clutched in one hand. His hair fell around his face, greasy and unkempt as it obscured most of his face. Above his head and a bit to the left, some sort of brown liquid dripped down the wall; beneath the liquid, a pile of clear glass laid on the floor.

Across from him, Steve restrained Tony as he snarled at Bucky. Veins bulged from Tony’s neck, his face nearly crimson as he slurred something unintelligible and filled with rage, then stumbled. Steve adjusted so Tony didn’t take them both down to the ground, only to be shoved away by Tony. Theo’s stomach lurched as Tony started towards Bucky, only to veer to the side and stagger off into the hall, all the while rambling about Bucky ruining his family.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Bucky sat stone-still. He didn’t look up from the table, hints of glazed eyes staring into almost nothing as Tony shouted at him. He said nothing as Steve rushed over to him; he didn’t respond as Steve crouched down to eye level and called his name.

“What the hell just happened?”

Steve’s head snapped towards Theo, who stood in the entryway completely bewildered at what she just saw. When he realized who asked the question, he deflated a bit, his shoulders sagging beneath an invisible weight as he sighed.

“Theo – sorry if we woke you–“

“Oh, no, I was still awake. I just…” Theo faltered, not sure how to continue. “ … I heard a commotion.”

Steve shook his head, closing his eyes as he briefly massaged the bridge of his nose. He stood and he glanced towards the hallway; brows drawn tight and gaze distant, as if distracted by something. “Can you watch Buck for a minute? I’ll be right back…” He half-heartedly pointed down the hall, his attention still on the hall as he asked Theo for her assistance. Even though Steve never answered Theo’s question, she got the sense it wasn’t a good time to press the matter. If she had to guess, Steve wanted to check on Tony, but what led to the mess Theo stumbled upon remained a mystery.

“Yeah, sure–” Theo nodded. Bucky hadn’t moved in so long that he could give those human statues that frequented tourist traps a run for their money, so it didn’t seem like much of an ask.

Theo barely got the response out before Steve sprinted down the hall.

Unsure of how long Steve would be gone, Theo took a seat next to Bucky. He didn’t turn or acknowledge her presence; however, now that Theo was a bit closer, she noticed how tears stained his cheeks, and how he white-knuckled the bottle in his faintly trembling hand. With each exhale, the scent of beer filled the air.

The pair sat there in silence, Theo’s mind reeling while god-knows-what was going on in Bucky’s mind. It didn’t seem like talking to him would be useful, given his ongoing silence.

Without warning, Bucky stood, his chair clattering as it fell backwards onto the floor. He swayed dangerously for a moment, beer bottle still in hand as he gripped the table for support. A string of incoherent, slurred mumbles fell from his mouth, though he still hadn’t actually acknowledged Theo’s presence.

“Whoa, wait–” Theo clambered to her feet before Bucky could get too far, barely catching her own chair before it also tipped over. “Buck, where are you going? Maybe we should stay here until Steve gets back, yeah?”

Bucky didn’t reply; he took a couple steps forward, then leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. He mumbled something else - of everything, Theo managed to pick out one word: bed.

All things considered, it was probably time for him to call it a night.

“Hey Buck,” Theo murmured as she ducked into his field of vision. “Let’s get you to bed, alright?”

Bucky muttered something incoherent, but didn’t protest when Theo wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders for balance, then pulled him away from the wall. He swayed, stumbling a bit before Theo managed to steady the super soldier. All the while, he still clutched the empty bottle in his hand.

With Bucky’s much larger stature and his high level of intoxication, each time he tried to walk he nearly pulled both of them to the ground. Theo briefly considered that it might be worth getting him checked out by the hospital - after all, if a super soldier could get drunk, they could theoretically get alcohol poisoning, right? She couldn’t remember another time she had seen him so drunk - sure, he certainly liked to have a few and get a good buzz, but never had it gotten this severe.

For the moment, she settled for practically dragging Bucky down the hall so they made it to his suite. She could keep an eye on him from there, and if she saw any signs that things were getting a bit dicey, she’d call for someone to help bring him in.

Bucky groaned when Theo stopped in front of his door. She twisted the knob, but the metal barely turned - she’d need a key to get inside.

Or magic.

With a bit of focus, Theo conjured a few runes that slid into the key slot; a moment later, a quiet click confirmed they could enter the room. Theo threw the door open as Bucky slumped into her, the pair stumbling inside. Theo caught them both right as she heard Bucky’s breath hitch; moments later, a gagging sound erupted from beside her.

Oh shit, he was about to hurl.

Theo dove for the nearest wastebasket, turning back just in time for a putrid, acidic odor to smack her in the face as Bucky forcibly emptied the contents of his stomach. Despite Theo’s best efforts, she hadn’t been fast enough; most of the mess ended up all over Bucky and the floor in front of them, with only a little bit making it into the bin. Bucky dropped to his knees, clutching the wastebasket with his free hand as he unleashed another round of stomach bile, though the second round mostly stayed in the container.

Steve was gonna kill her when he got back.

“Oh, Buck…” Theo coaxed, rubbing slow, gentle circles on his back. Even though it seemed like the nausea passed, Theo hesitated to try and move Bucky. Between the potential for him to become sick again and the mess he already made, any attempts at relocation seemed like they’d make a bad situation worse.

Once it seemed like Bucky had settled down enough that Theo could divide her attention, she took in her surroundings. Up until that moment, Theo hadn’t been in Bucky’s suite - there wasn’t any reason, given they usually spent time together in a larger group. She always thought of Bucky as a very neat person, given his military background, but his main room looked like a tornado had gone through - books, picture frames, and other mementos had been knocked to the floor, some items cracked or broken from the fall. The only item that apparently hadn’t been thrown on the floor was his laptop, which sat closed atop the desk tucked in the corner.

Despite the mess, the space felt… empty. There were furnishings, sure - a couch, a desk, an office chair, and a bookshelf, but those looked like the sort of items that would be standard-issue in the same way that a college dorm room came with generic furniture. The space lacked any sense of personality, of comfort, of home.

Theo’s attention wandered back to Bucky, who continued to clutch his empty beer bottle like it was a security blanket. Her heart ached for him - what she stumbled upon wasn’t a simple night of over-indulging. Something triggered this, and Theo didn’t need to know what happened to recognize that whatever led him to this point, it had to have been painful.

After some indeterminate time, Theo heard firm, yet quiet footsteps that grew louder as time passed. The footsteps stopped; from behind Theo, a disappointed sigh announced Steve’s arrival.

Theo glanced back at Steve, who lingered in the doorway. The heaviness in his stance had only grown more noticeable since he left, showing itself in the furrow of his brow and the tensed muscles along his jaw.

“Hey,” Theo breathed, her mind reeling as she tried to come up with a way to explain what happened that wouldn’t end with Captain America kicking her ass.

“Oh Buck…” Steve shook his head. He rushed into the room and crouched down by Bucky’s other side, barely acknowledging Theo in the process. “What happened?”

“He threw up.” Theo cringed as soon as she heard herself; of all the answers she could have provided, her stupid brain chose the least helpful option.

Steve sighed, heavy and worn down, as he looked at the room around them.

“Once you left, he decided he wanted to go to bed - well, I think that’s what he decided, because ‘bed’ was the only word I could understand with how he was slurring - but he stood up and tried to get here on his own, so I helped him get here…” Theo looked at the mess, then back up at Steve. “And then, well, as soon as we made it inside this happened. I didn’t quite get the trash can in time, unfortunately. Did he also do all of this?”.

“Yeah… yeah, that was him.” Steve spoke softly, his voice almost morose. “He gets like this sometimes – it’s a mix of the alcohol and nightmares. They get worse around this time of year.”

She hummed in acknowledgement of Steve’s answer. “So you’ve been through this before?”

“Unfortunately,” Steve quietly confirmed. “Not often, but it has happened a few times.”

“I know Super Soldiers have a reputation for being able to do all sorts of stuff that normal people can’t, but I’m going to be honest, I think he needs medical attention.” Theo replied, brows raised as she looked at Steve.

“No need,” Steve barely shook his head as he sighed again. “The first time he did this, I brought him to the Emergency Room because I thought he drank himself to death. Turns out that the serum prevents death by alcohol. It doesn’t prevent a bad hangover the following morning, though.”

If that was the case, Bucky was going to have an awful hangover the following morning.

“Is Tony alri–?”

Glass shattering brought an abrupt end to Theo’s question.

Shards of what was once the beer bottle clutched between Bucky’s fingers now littered the floor. Drops of crimson liquid scattered themselves amidst the reflective glass, contrasting the espresso floorboards.

“He’ll be fine.” Steve quickly muttered, almost like he didn’t want Bucky to hear him… Which, given Bucky’s reaction, was understandable. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Theo wasn’t sure that she’d be able to do much, but since she just accidentally caused Bucky to hurt himself, the least she could do was ask.

“I’m sorry, Theo - you shouldn’t have to deal with this.” Steve sighed wearily, shaking his head. “I’ll get him cleaned up.”

Theo simply nodded, unsure of what else to say.

Steve took one of Bucky’s arms and wrapped it around his shoulders before he hoisted him up and dragged him into the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

Left to her own devices, Theo’s attention returned to the room around her, more specifically on the mess left behind. Her hands twitched with the desire to do something about the mess before her; though Steve told Theo she didn’t need to do anything, it seemed unfair to leave Steve to clean up Bucky’s suite after cleaning Bucky up. For all she knew, Steve also had to do the same for Tony, since Pepper seemed to be MIA.

Steve may have gotten the reputation of being the responsible, straight-laced rule follower, but that responsibility didn’t mean he should have to clean up everyone’s messes by himself.

With that, Theo rose to her feet, popped an earbud in so she could listen to music, and busied herself with cleaning up Bucky’s suite.

The process took less time than Theo anticipated. Other than cleaning up the stomach bile, the majority of the work involved reshelving random books (including a copy of The Hobbit that looked like it was from the original printing), throwing away trash that had gathered around the room, and cleaning up the broken items that littered the floor. Theo tossed some of the items, but if something looked important she used magic to repair the object.

With the main room taken care of, Theo poked her head into the bedroom to scope out the damage. Much like the main room, the space lacked any sense of personality, with a very generic bed, night stand, and dresser filling the space. Some of the dresser drawers sat open, their contents scattered around the room, and the blankets that Theo assumed were meant for the bed had been tossed into the opposite corner.

Putting away the clothes scattered all over only took fifteen minutes, and part of that was Theo figuring out where Bucky kept all of his clothes. With the clothes back in the dresser, Theo made the bed.

Just like that, Bucky’s suite looked good as new… Even if it seemed a bit empty.

With the room clean and Steve taking care of Bucky, Theo no longer had any reason to stay. On her way out, she grabbed the bag of garbage that she filled from tidying up the room and cleaning up after Bucky, ensuring Steve didn’t have to deal with any of the mess.

Theo silently opened the door and slipped out, careful not to make a sound as she closed the door behind her. She didn’t even take three steps towards the utility room before a familiar voice caught her attention.

“You aren’t Barnes’ housemaid, you know.”

Theo recognized the voice instantly, even if she hadn’t heard it in a little while. What she didn’t recognize was the condescending tone with which he spoke.

“Long time no see, Loki –” After essentially being ghosted for weeks, Theo couldn’t help the irritation that exploded within her at the way Loki spoke to her. She turned around to face Loki, who wore a scowl as he stared her down, leaning on the doorframe for his own suite with arms crossed. “Am I finally worthy of your presence?”

“As a sorcerer,” Loki continued, ignoring Theo’s greeting, “I presumed your preference to be using magic for such mundane tasks–”

“I’m a woman of many talents, what can I say?” Theo dryly interjected, rolling her eyes.

“I also assumed you were above cleaning up the Sergeant's vomit when he was foolish enough to imbibe to the point of over-intoxication, so I suppose that’s on me.”

A memory sprung to Theo’s mind. A while back, Wanda warned Theo that there were times Loki would get into a “mood.” During these “moods,” Loki would lock himself away, lashing out at anyone who tried to interact with him. Wanda warned Theo in no uncertain terms to stay the hell away from Loki when he was in one of his “moods,” unless she wanted to incur his legendary temper.

It seemed like Theo was getting her first taste of one of Loki’s “moods.”

“What’s wrong with helping a friend?” Theo challenged, using every bit of her limited patience not to unleash a snarky response or chuck the bag of trash at him.

“Barnes allowed his emotions to get the best of him – it is weakness.” Nothing but pure ice could be found in Loki’s answer, a painfully sharp departure from any other time they spoke.

“So?” Theo countered. “Everyone has their weaknesses. I’m happy to help a friend when they’re amidst a moment of weakness – if it were you, I’d do the same.”

Loki faltered, the almost aggressive demeanor disappearing for a split second to reveal something painfully tender. As quickly as it came, it vanished; Loki stood taller, shoulders and new tense as he puffed his chest in defiance.

“You don’t truly believe that, do you?” Loki’s gaze burned into her, like he was looking for a way to make her crack and explode.

Theo rolled her eyes, brushing past Loki. If he was going to behave like an ass, she wasn't even going to humor him with an answer.

Underneath it all, Theo suspected something else bothered Loki, but Theo couldn’t deny that at face value the man who stood before her was nothing like the Loki she had come to befriend. “Good night, Loki.”

Theo didn’t miss the look of surprise painted across the Asgardian prince’s face as she walked away without taking his bait. She stopped in the utility closet to drop the garbage bag down the trash chute, then made her way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Along the way, she took a moment to clean up the broken glass and puddle that dripped from the wall in the dining room. After wiping up the puddle of what turned out to be amber liquid, Theo held the paper towel up to her nose and sniffed, the sharp scent of Tony’s favorite whiskey filling her nostrils and almost making her sneeze.

The clues started to come together - Tony must have thrown his drink at Bucky, but (thankfully) missed.

But what would have angered him enough to do that?

Theo ruminated on the topic as she swept up the broken glass and wiped down both the wall and floor, removing any trace of whiskey. With that taken care of, she filled the biggest glass of water she could find and took a long swig while still at the sink, then topped it off.

Rather than return to her suite (and risk Loki chastising her a second time), Theo sat at the breakfast bar as she slowly sipped her water. All the while, her mind spun with all the weird things going on.

Wanda, Vision, Steve, Tony, Bucky, Loki – Every person Theo had encountered in the residential portion of the tower seemed like something troubled them. Wanda and Steve both mentioned something about the time of year, although Steve mentioned it in reference to Bucky. Maybe there was some connection between the two, but that didn’t explain where the others fit into the equation. What was the common thread?

The scrape of stool legs on stone floors jarred Theo from her thoughts. Her head snapped towards the sound to discover Steve had taken a seat next to her, his own glass of water in his hand. He glanced over at Theo, offering a thin smile.

“Thank you,” Steve murmured, “for your help earlier. He put up a lot of fight tonight – it was really nice to not have to take care of the room afterward.”

“It’s no problem.” Theo exhaled, then swallowed thickly. “What was going on there, anyways?”

“It’s a long story…” Steve trailed off as he glanced over at the empty chair where Bucky once sat. The shadows cast by the pendant lights that hung above the breakfast bar only exacerbated the shadows under Steve’s eyes. “I’ll tell you some other time.”

Theo sighed, but nodded. As much as the lack of answer bothered her, she had to accept that she wasn’t going to get any answers that night.

“You’re a good friend, you know that?” Theo commented, turning to Steve with a (hopefully) comforting smile. “You’re patient, even when someone pushes your buttons or does something you don’t agree with.”

“Buck’s like my family,” Steve shrugged dismissively, “It’s the absolute least that I could do, especially after all he’s been through.”

Theo nodded, allowing a brief pause to fall between the pair.

It occurred to Theo that she hadn’t ever seen Steve experience a low moment.

Then again, Steve was Captain America - if there was anyone who the world expected to keep a strong sense of optimism and composure in the darkest moments, it was him. Captain America wasn’t just a superhero, he represented confidence and hope for so many people. If he let the world see him struggle, let them see the human behind the superhero, it would be catastrophic; if Captain America seemed like he lost hope, how could anyone believe that things would be okay?

Steve Rogers, in many ways, was a modern-day Atlas, through and through.

“Does anyone do that for you?” Theo asked quietly. “Support you, I mean?”

“Buck does, every day.” Steve nodded. “Most of the time he doesn’t even know he’s doing it.”

“I’m glad.” One corner of Theo’s lip curled upward, as if to imply a smile. “Glad that you have someone who’s there for you, that is,” she clarified.

The pair sat in silence, sipping their respective glasses of water as they stared out into the empty living room and dining room. After an indeterminate amount of time, Theo glanced over at Steve. His normally perfect posture had taken on a slouch, and upon closer inspection the super soldier had bags beneath his eyes. A crease in his forehead hinted at perpetual tension, though more than anything, he simply looked exhausted. Theo’s chest ached at how much pressure Steve must have been under.

“You look tired –” Theo observed, glancing between Steve and the hallway that led to everyone’s suites. “– you should get some rest.”

“I can’t. If Bucky has another nightmare, I need to be there.” Steve shook his head, rejecting the notion without even thinking about it. He glanced at the clock, eyes widening for a moment as his breath quickened. “I came out here to grab a quick drink, but I’ve stayed too long. I should get back to him…”

“I can stay with Bucky for a few hours,” Theo offered, “Enough for you to take a nap, at least. It’s not like I’m about to fall asleep anyways.This is still a few hours ahead of my usual bedtime…”

Steve frowned as his blue eyes flickered between Theo and his water glass, debating the offer.

“You’ve already done more than I could have asked, especially when you have no reason to get involved…” Steve’s shoulders dropped as he let out a sigh. He paused, meeting her gaze with such intensity that Theo suspected Steve overheard her disagreement with Loki. “… But I have to admit, your offer makes me worry about your sleep habits. Especially since you wake up earlier than most of the team.”

Theo couldn’t help but snickered at the second part of Steve’s comment. “You have enough to worry about – I promise that I’m the least of your problems. I just… nighttime and I have always had a special connection.”

Theo saw the odd look that Steve gave her, but he shrugged as he finished his water.

“Whatever you say, Theo.” He stood up, pushing his stool in and then placing his empty glass in the dishwasher. “Are you serious about staying with Buck for a bit?”

“I wouldn’t offer it if I wasn’t serious.” Theo assured him, following Steve’s lead as she pushed her own stool in and placed her glass in the dishwasher beside his.

Steve nodded, gaze distant for a minute as he let out a quiet breath. “I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem.” Theo promised, gesturing for them both to depart from the kitchen.

The pair walked the hall in silence, though Steve kept a quick enough pace that Theo struggled to keep up without breaking into a small jog. Bucky’s suite wasn’t far, but the pace certainly provided a testament to Steve’s anxiety around how long he had been away. Once they reached the door, they both paused.

“If there’s trouble, let me know and I’ll come right over.” Steve insisted, glancing nervously at the door; he looked like he was debating whether to go in and check on Bucky first, or if he could trust Theo to manage whatever she found.

At that thought, Theo had to bite back a laugh - in that moment, Steve reminded Theo of Ellie and Max, the first time they left Katie with Theo for an afternoon.

“I’m sure he’ll sleep like a baby.” Theo reassured him, resting one hand on Steve’s shoulder as she locked eyes with him. “Hopefully you will too, because you also need it.”

Steve took a reluctant step backwards as he glanced between the door and Theo. Just before Theo could shoo him away, he turned and walked away, moving much more slowly; Theo wondered if the idea of sleeping away from Bucky when he was like was more stressful for Steve than simply staying up with him, but after convincing Steve to lay down, Theo had no intention of calling Steve back.

Once Steve disappeared around the corner, Theo stepped into Bucky’s suite. Even in the dark, Theo could tell that everything was just as Theo left it, which Theo took as a good sign - if everything was still in place, Bucky probably hadn’t woken up. She slowly cracked the door to the bedroom and peered inside. Everything remained in its place, which gave Theo the confidence to open the door the rest of the way and make her way inside.

Bucky laid curled on his side beneath a navy blanket, facing the door. Though his expression lacked any sort of tension, the lingering puffiness of his eyes and slight frown were visible reminders that all was not well.

Seeing Bucky asleep, Theo took a moment to text Steve and reassure him that Bucky was still asleep, hoping that it would give Steve the confidence to actually try and sleep. Then, she returned to Bucky’s main room and grabbed his desk chair, bringing it to the bedroom and placing it near the bed so she had somewhere to sit. Steve may have been close enough to Bucky to sit on the bed, but Theo wasn’t about to test what would happen if the Winter Soldier woke up to an acquaintance sitting on his bed and no idea how they got there.

After a bit of silence, Theo popped an earbud in so she could listen to a song she planned to cover in the near future. Trying to figure out why everything was so weird seemed pointless, given she wasn’t going to get any more answers that night, so focusing on music seemed like the best distraction. Besides, she needed to dissect the song’s arrangement so she could figure out the elements she wanted to include in her version, and it wasn’t like she had much else to do at that moment.

After an hour, Theo nearly had her gameplan for how she wanted to arrange the cover. Just as she finished typing out her plan in a note on her phone, rustling blankets caught Theo’s eye.

Bucky stirred, stretching his legs out before curling into an even smaller ball. The blanket fell enough that Theo caught a glimpse of his hand, neatly wrapped in crisp white gauze. He buried his face in the pillow and drew in a harsh breath, letting out shakily. Theo quickly slipped her phone in her pocket as she watched Bucky, trying to figure out whether or not he was awake.

“Ssssorry,” Bucky mumbled into his pillow. “M’sorry…”

“It’s okay, Buck.” Theo murmured. She shifted from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed, hoping that the sinking mattress would be enough for him to know he wasn’t alone. “You’re okay.”

“I din’ mean to.” The whimper that crept out of Bucky broke Theo’s heart. “I din’ know…”

“I know, Buck,” Theo soothed, tracing slow, gentle circles along his back; it calmed her niece down whenever she had a nightmare, so she figured it was worth a shot here. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Ssorr’,” he mumbled again, turning his head so the words were only half-mumbled into his pillow. Bucky’s eyes were closed, but Theo still couldn’t tell if he was truly asleep or not.

“Shhh,” Theo tried to quiet him as gently as she could. “I know you’re sorry Buck, but it's okay. We forgive you.”

What they forgave him for, Theo had no idea, but if Bucky kept repeating apologies, it seemed like forgiveness might be what he needed to hear.

A shaky sigh escaped from Bucky, who sank a bit further into the mattress. Theo stayed right where she was, continuing to rub Bucky’s back as she once again found herself stuck on the mystery of why everyone was so upset. Only when she was convinced that Bucky was asleep did she carefully ease herself off the mattress and sit back in her chair. After watching Bucky for a minute to make sure he hadn’t woken up, Theo went back to plotting out her covers.

Three hours later, the faint creak of an opening door and the quiet padding of footsteps announced Steve’s return. The slump of his shoulders from earlier had disappeared, and Theo saw no sign of the bags that previously hung beneath his eyes.

“Welcome back,” Theo whispered, offering Steve a smile as she stood up and pocketed her phone. “Get any sleep?”

“I got a bit…” Steve replied with his own smile, before his attention went towards the bed. “How’s Buck?”

“Sleepin’ like a baby, just like I promised.”

Telling Steve that Bucky might have woken up and drunkenly apologized for some unknown mistake seemed like it would only make Steve stress out; given the whole point of Theo staying with Bucky was to help Steve out, Theo decided it was best not to say anything more.

The sigh of relief that came from Steve only confirmed that was the right choice.

“Thank you, Theo.” Steve took the seat Theo recently vacated, glancing between Bucky and Theo. “Really, you’ve helped more than you know.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Theo replied, making her way to the door. With one hand on the doorknob, she turned back and waved. “Good night, Steve.”

“Good night Theo - try to get some sleep, okay?” Steve returned, his tone a mix of teasing and mild concern.

“Aye-aye, captain.” Theo winked and saluted him, then took her leave.

The faintest hint of color peeked over the horizon by the time Theo returned to her suite. As she drew the curtains shut and crawled into bed, Theo’s mind inevitably went back to the perpetual stress that seemed to plague the entire tower.

After weeks, Theo was no closer to solving the mystery of what troubled the Avengers, and there seemed to be no end in sight. It was like the answer was an object just beyond Theo’s reach - if only she could stretch her arm a bit farther, she’d be able to grasp it. But try as she might, the mystery seemed like it was too much for Theo to solve on her own.

Just before she drifted into a restless sleep, Theo decided: if she couldn’t put the clues together, it was time to ask for some help…

… And Theo knew just who to go to.

I don't really wanna talk about it I don't really wanna talk about it I don't really wanna talk about it Right now, right now

Summary for those who opted to skip the last scene:

After hearing a commotion in the tower, Theo walks into the dining room to find Steve restraining a very drunk Tony while Bucky sat at the dining room table. Tony yelled something that Theo couldn’t understand at Bucky, then stormed off. After Tony storms off, Steve asks Theo to stay with Bucky while he checks on Tony. Bucky, who is also inebriated, tries to go to his room and gets sick along the way. Steve returns and Theo explains what happened, then asks about Tony. Hearing Tony’s name, Bucky crushes a glass bottle in his hand; Steve diverts the conversation, leaving Theo without an answer. Steve helps Bucky clean up, and in an effort to help, Theo cleans up Bucky’s suite.

When she leaves Bucky’s suite, Theo runs into Loki, who yells at her for helping Bucky. She asks what’s wrong with helping a friend and tells Loki she’d help him too; Loki seems surprised by this, but only grows more angry. Theo, frustrated by Loki’s behavior, decides she isn’t going to talk to him if he’s going to be rude, so she leaves and heads into the kitchen for some water. Steve joins her a bit later, sharing that it’s not the first time this has happened, however it was more common around this time of year. They talk a bit more about supporting friends going through tough times, then Theo tells Steve that he looks tired and he should go to bed. Steve declines, saying that he needs to get back to Bucky in case Bucky has a nightmare. Theo volunteers to sit with Bucky for a bit so Steve can get some rest.

Steve hesitantly agrees. Theo stays with Bucky; he stirs once, apologizing repeatedly for some unknown mistake. Theo manages to get him to go back to sleep, and when Steve returns she doesn’t tell him about the apologies.

By the time Theo goes to bed, it’s approaching daytime. Frustrated by her inability to figure out what’s going on, she decides she is going to ask someone for help.

#loki #loki imagine #loki marvel #loki angst #loki hurt/comfort #loki fanfiction #loki x ofc #when everything's made to be broken #wemtbb #loki fanfic #loki odinson #loki laufeyson

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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 5 months

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25, 26, and 52 <33

25. What do you like most about the duology? Anything you aren't particularly fond of?

There's nothing immediately sticking out to me to not be fond of, and saying what I like most is really hard becasue (you may have possibly noticed) I am a teensy bit obsessed, but I think in the end it really would all have to boil down to character; character arcs, character development, character relationships, it's all wonderful and so very well done

26. Was there a plot point/twist that caught you off guard?

How much time do you have?

Wylan's Tailoring, "Welcome to the Ice Court, Nina Zenik" (this, in fact, nearly killed me off, good lord I was terrified), in the same breath has the previous one "But if Jarl Brum was dead then he made a very lively corpse" (btw I love that quote), basically everything that happened on the Sweet Reef job I remember being so stressed about Inej being pushed into the silo that I barely took in anyone else's chapters during that whole twist and yet it just kept getting worse because everyone was in danger like I was losing my mind, "the money was funnelled to the Shu" excuse me it was what, "He was just Wylan Van Eck, he told them everything" the SHEER PANIC that I felt in this moment is unmatched, MARYA HENDRIKS OH MY GOD I SOBBED I WASN'T READY NO-ONE COULD POSSIBLY BE READY FOR THAT I WANT TO CRY THINKING ABOUT IT, and probably loads more but I can't think of any specific ones at this moment.

One of the things I loved about reading these books was that even when I had guessed a twist was coming, like Van Eck turning on them, it still either didn't disappoint in the slightest or had extra details I didn't anticipate to keep me on my toes. I've also talked a lot on here about how I adore foreshadowing and so constantly look out for things I think might be foreshadowing the first time I read a book but Leigh Bardugo has this genius habit of red herrings (I wrote a whole thing about it titled She's Treating Us Like Marks but it was a good while ago and I probably have more to add since lol) and I think that's one of the most brilliant things surrounding the plot twists and reveals in these books.

52. Who would you like to be put on a team together for a job and why?

Ooooo I think I'd have to say Inej or Wylan. Wait Nina. Wait Jepser. Wait -

All of them(?)

Maybe not Kaz. I'm too much of a liability I wouldn't survive.

#grishaverse #six of crows #crooked kingdom #leigh bardugo #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #jesper fahey #nina zenik #wylan van eck #matthias helvar #kanej #wesper #helnik

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mack-anthology-mp3 · 11 months

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mack-anthology-of-noise -> mack-anthology-mp3

hello i'm mack :D

welcome to my blog it is terrible!

here i post about. things. that appear in my mind. and exit it in tumblr form. mostly music and art related! (hopefully)

i am a lesbian (possibly aspec not sure), she/he (they is okay if you forget). i am also butch! boydyke and vaugley leaning transmasc but also not quite. boy in a girl way. or something <3

i am a teenager still! so please don't be weird yknow i'm from aotearoa and am pākeha (white)

i am a musician! i play bass, guitar and sing in descending order of proficiency hehe. i can also do harmonica, thank you folk music phase, and i'll attempt piano. i write songs too! all audio recordings are under #musicking , hopefully they are cool :)

i also draw and paint! at the moment A Lot of it is of doctor who characters, so check out my other blog for that (linked further down), but all of other stuff is tagged under #my art ! i have actually improved quite a bit recently i think which is nice

i'm not really comfortable with dms but if you'd like to say hi or talk about / rec some music or just tell me something, please send an ask! I would love to hear from you! (if you've sent me a dm pls don't stress about it, i'd just rather not talk privately, thank you for your consideration)

it would be great if i wasn't followed by adults! for my purposes this is 21+ but this is at my discretion, i intend no offense if i block you <3 also like. please no bigots. thanks. if you're going to hate on people then please at least do it somewhere else

my music i am normal about

pj harvey // radiohead // patti smith // joan baez // bob dylan <- my top five ever. i think. maybe. subject to change.

post punk // industrial // 90s indie // shoegaze // 60s & 70s folk & folk rock // garage rock // psychedelica // goth // dunedin sound // new wave // no wave // electronic

currently listening to dunedin sound music and the dreamboys! and the soundtrack for heaven sent (doctor who episode)

pleaseeeeee talk to me about music i can and will make you a playlist on any vibe if you would like <3

media, my bestest friend stories

doctor who has taken over my mind! if you want to see generally mildly unhinged thoughts about the show & random bits of the eu & 1271927 art reblogs i will direct you to @lost-tardis-room which is 90% doctor who atm hehe. i put my fanart there too.

you can look at my letterboxd if you so desire but i will admit i don't watch nearly as many films as i would like

the starless sea (favouritest book ever) // we have always lived in the castle // this is how you lose the time war // salt lick // neverwhere //m train (any of patti smith's books honestly) // bob dylan's chronicles // vampire science

the sideblog is @mack-the-sequel for stuff that's not as on theme - if we're mutuals feel free to follow that! i mean anyone can follow it if you like but don't expect quality content lol

#hello tumblr friends you're pretty cool

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tvckerwash · 4 months

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man, I've always thought that wash was the most 'master chief-y' character in rvb—with carolina also having a lot of the same qualities based solely off of what I knew about him from the games—but now that I’ve read the fall of reach, I can say with 100% certainty that they both take after john.

(utc bc it's another long post lol)

carolina takes very heavily after master chief’s competitive side, and teamwork was not a skill that came to him naturally. there’s a scene very early in the book right after john and the rest of the kids were first conscripted into the spartan program where everyone is split into teams, and they’re told to complete an obstacle course and compete to be the first ones to ring a bell at the end of it. the last team to ring the bell wouldn’t be getting dinner (and for context, these are a bunch of 6 year olds who spent the last however many hours being forced into the same grueling physical activities grown adults are on their first day in boot camp).

john, who was absolutely starving, abandoned his teammates because he believed they were just going to slow him down, and he was right—he was the first to ring the bell, but his teammates were the last two to do so. but, john was punished for doing that, and he didn’t get to have dinner alongside the teammates he left behind (and he was so hungry he even secretly stole some of the food from a girl he was sitting next to while she wasn’t looking).

this experience deeply impacted john, he corrected his mistake the next day, and in a future training exercise done years later, him and his fellow spartans were dropped off in the middle of the mountains and told to compete to get the extraction point, and the last person there was going to be left behind and would have to walk back to the base. I think I’ll let john tell you his thoughts on that himself:

“One more thing,” Mendez said. “The last trainee to make it to the extraction point will be left behind.” He glanced out a window. “And it’s a very long walk back.” John didn’t like it. He wasn’t going to lose, but he didn’t want anyone else to lose, either. The thought of Kelly or Sam or any of the others marching all the way back made him uneasy…if they could make it all the way back alone over those mountains.

They stopped at noon to stretch and eat berries they had gathered along the trail. Fhajad spoke up. “I want to know one thing,” he said. He paused to wipe the sweat off his dark skin. “We’re going to get to the extraction point at the same time. So who’s getting left behind? We should decide now.” “Draw straws,” someone suggested. “No,” John said, and stood. “No one’s being left behind. We’re going to figure a way to get all of us out.” “How?” Kelly asked, scratching her head. “Mendez said—” “I know what he said. But there’s got to be a way—I just haven’t thought of one yet. Even if it has to be me that stays behind—I’ll make sure everyone gets back to the base.” John started marching again. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”

Carolina is portrayed very, very similarly to the way john is above through most of s9, and it’s only when her obsession with beating tex starts to take a priority that she becomes more like john was as a child. In s10 her characterization becomes more juvenile, and that’s where she truly reverts to the 6 year old john who will abandon his teammates because being first takes priority in her mind.

Another blurb of text that I find very applicable to Carolina as a character is this:

“Irritated, sir?” John asked, genuinely puzzled. He would have thought the UNSC top brass would be elated by the victory, despite its cost. “But we won.” Captain Keyes took a step back and cocked a quizzical eyebrow. “Didn’t Dr. Halsey ever teach you that winning isn’t everything, Master Chief?” He saluted. “You’ll excuse me.” John saluted. He was so confused by Captain Keyes’ statement that he kept saluting as the Captain walked out of the room. Winning was everything. How could someone with Captain Keyes’ reputation think otherwise? The Master Chief tried to recall if he had ever read anything like that in any military history or philosophy texts. What else was there other than winning? The only other obvious choice was losing…and he had long been taught that defeat was an unacceptable alternative. Certainly, Captain Keyes didn’t mean that they should have lost at Sigma Octanus? Unthinkable. He stood silently for ten minutes mulling this over.

wash on the other hand seems to take queues from various other aspects of master chief’s character shown throughout the book. If I had to sum up these bits and bobs I’d say he takes inspiration from john’s more serious and practical side, or rather, the side of john that is ‘less human’.

I’ve talked about how I’m not a big fan of wash and locus being foils on chorus because miles picked the wrong aspects of what it means to be a soldier to focus on when it comes to wash, but beyond that I do actually see wash as the more soldier like character between him and carolina.

wash is a character who has a very strong sense of duty, and he takes whatever he believes his duty is very seriously. wash is hyperaware of his position, and while he can—and does—read between the lines, he prefers to keep things simple and straightforward. he’s not a scientist, he’s not a psychologist, he’s a soldier—just hand him a gun and tell him where to shoot. these two blurbs sum wash up very nicely:

John only knew three ways to react to people. If they were his superior officers, he obeyed them. If they were part of his squad, he helped them. If they were a threat, he neutralized them.

“You engaged and neutralized a threat,” Mendez replied. “That action seems to have answered your question, Squad Leader.” John wrinkled his forehead as he thought it through. “I followed the chain of command,” he said. “The Sergeant told me to fight. I was threatened and in imminent danger. But they were still UNSC Special Forces. Fellow soldiers.” Mendez lowered his voice. “Not every mission has simple objectives or comes to a logical conclusion. Your priorities are to follow the orders in your chain of command, and then to preserve your life and the lives of your team. Is that clear?” “Sir,” John said. “Yes, sir.” He glanced back at the ring. Blood was seeping into the canvas mat. John had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hit the showers and let the blood rinse off him. He felt strangely sorry for the men he had killed. But he knew his duty—the Chief had even been unusually verbose in order to clarify the matter. Follow orders and keep himself and his team safe. That’s all he had to focus on. John didn’t give the incident in the gym another thought.

another scene that I want to share is this one, as upon reading it I immediately imagined that wash’s meeting with internals in s9 probably went very similarly:

Finally one of the officers deigned to notice the Master Chief. “At ease, soldier,” he said. The Master Chief let his arm fall. “Spartan 117, reporting as ordered, sirs.” There was a pause, then the woman’s voice spoke up, “We would like to congratulate you on your successful mission, Master Chief. You’ve certainly given us plenty to consider. We would like to pin down a few details of your mission.” There was something in her voice that made John nervous. Not scared. But it was the same feeling he had going into combat. The same feeling he got when bullets started flying. “You do know, Master Chief,” the first male voice said, “that not answering truthfully—or omitting any relevant details will lead to a court-martial?” John bristled. As if he could ever forget his duty. “I will answer to the best of my abilities, sir,” he replied stiffly.

anyway, another blurb I want to bring up is this one involving dr. halsey speaking to cortana about john, and I feel how it relates to wash is self-explanatory. It’s really only the very last paragraph that’s important, but I’m including the whole scene because imagining a similar conversation between the director and alpha is SO funny to me (insert the gay robot joke lmao).

Cortana leaped to her “feet,” turned her back to Dr. Halsey, and examined the photographs on the wall. She brushed her fingertips over the glass surfaces. “Which one will be mine?” “Which one do you want?” She immediately gravitated to the picture in the center of Dr. Halsey’s collection. It showed a handsome man standing at attention as Admiral Stanforth pinned the UNSC Legion of Honor upon his chest—a chest that already overflowed with citations. Cortana framed her fingers around the man’s face. “He’s so serious,” she murmured. “Thoughtful eyes, though. Attractive in a primitive animal sort of way, don’t you think, Doctor?” Dr. Halsey blushed. Apparently, she did think so. Cortana’s thoughts mirrored many of her own, only unchecked by normal military and social protocol. “Perhaps it would be best if you picked another—” Cortana turned to face Dr. Halsey and cocked an eyebrow, mock stern. “You asked me which one I wanted…” “It was a question, Cortana. I did not give you carte blanche to select your ‘carrier.’ There are compatibility issues to consider.” Cortana blinked. “His neural patterns are in sync with my mine within two percent. With the new interface we’ll be installing, that should fall well within tolerable limits. In fact—” Her gaze drifted and the symbols along her body brightened and flashed. “—I have just developed a custom interface buffer that will match us within zero point zero eight one percent. You won’t find a better match among the others. “In fact,” she added coyly, “I can guarantee it.” “I see,” Dr. Halsey said. She pushed away from her desk, stood, and paced. Why was she hesitating? The match was superb. But was Cortana’s predilection for Spartan 117 a result of him being Dr. Halsey’s favorite? And did it matter? Who better to protect him? Dr. Halsey walked over to the picture. “He was awarded this Legion of Honor medallion because he dove into a bunker of Covenant soldiers. He took out twenty by himself and saved a platoon of Marines who were pinned down by a stationary energy weapon emplacement. I’ve read the report, but I’m still not sure how he managed to do it.” She turned to Cortana and stared into her odd translucent eyes. “You’ve read his CSV?” “I’m reading it again right now.” “Then you know he is neither the smartest nor the fastest nor the strongest of the Spartans. But he is the bravest—and quite possibly the luckiest. And in my opinion, he is the best.”

I’m pretty sure there's actually a joke somewhere in the show where wash says he’s only the third favorite behind tex and carolina, but considering they’re literally the director's wife and daughter I think being third is still worth something here lol.

but all of that aside, I want to end this post with one last blurb because of how it relates to both carolina and wash, and why I think it’s so important that they’re the two freelancers who survived to the end, and how they both take after master chief.

If Dr. Halsey had a mission for him and his team, it would be a good one. She had given him everything: duty, honor, purpose, and a destiny to protect humanity. John hoped she would give him one more thing: a way to win the war.

#mine #this was supposed to be an analysis but im kind of just pointing at blurbs of text and going 'omg thats like carolina and wash'#this has been sitting in my drafts for a week bc i I is i can make it better but honestly i don't feel like it so just take this mess lol #rvb #red vs blue #agent washington #agent carolina #also the text from the fall of reach i used in this post may not be the most up to date version bc it's just a free epub file i found so ye

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