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#because you would have to know the intimate details of their medical history and familial lineage and tbh if you're...
uncanny-tranny · 8 months
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Fat people deserve mobility aids, too. No matter if it's connected to their fatness or not, because having a mobility issue that is connected to one's fatness won't change that they're still fat and still have the issue at hand. Fat people don't deserve to "tough it out" because fatness should be this divine punishment doled out to those who "deserve" it. Fat disabled people deserve to have the peace of mind that they can exist in whatever way is most comfortable and accessible to them
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madarmagazine · 7 months
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weight and loss
Weight loss is a common goal for many people, and there are various strategies and tips that can help you achieve it. Here are some key tips and strategies for successful weight loss:
Make sure you're ready: Long-term weight loss requires a commitment to making permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits. Ask yourself if you're motivated to lose weight, ready to change eating and activity habits, and if you have the time to dedicate to making these changes [1].
Find your inner motivation: To stay motivated, it's important to identify what's important to you. Make a list of your reasons for wanting to lose weight, whether it's for better health or a specific event. Find ways to remind yourself of these motivations during moments of temptation [1].
Set realistic goals: It's important to set realistic weight-loss goals. Aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) per week, which can be achieved through a combination of a lower calorie diet and regular physical activity. Setting both process goals (e.g., exercising for 30 minutes every day) and outcome goals (e.g., losing 10 pounds) can help you stay focused [1].
Enjoy healthier foods: Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss involves lowering your total calorie intake. Focus on eating more plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Strive for variety to ensure you're getting the necessary nutrients without sacrificing taste or satisfaction [1].
Get active, stay active: Regular physical activity is important for weight loss and overall health. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, such as brisk walking. Find ways to incorporate more physical activity into your daily routine, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking farther away from your destination [1].
Change your perspective: Successful weight management requires long-term lifestyle changes. Take an honest look at your eating patterns and daily routine, and identify habits and attitudes that may have hindered your past weight loss efforts. Develop strategies to gradually change these habits and plan for how you'll deal with setbacks along the way [1].
Remember, weight loss is a journey that requires patience and consistency. It's always a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalized advice and guidance.
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Do No Harm
Doctor Getou Suguru x reader
TW: General Yandere themes, stalking, obsession, medical setting, injections, IVs, Lying about test results, Masturbation, drugging, kidnapping, mentioned death of readers parents due to cardiac events, murder, and I can’t really sugar coat this... death of reader
A/N: I don’t really think I can call this a valentines day post, but let’s pretend it is! This is probably my darkest fic yet, so reader discretion is heavily advised. Happy late valentines day everyone! 
Word Count: 1.8k
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Was it unprofessional? Undeniably. Did he care? Not one bit. How could he be expected to not fall in love with you? He knew intimate details about your body that no one else did, you confided in him, and most importantly, it was his job to care for you. On top of that, the details he was privy to as your doctor made it all too easy for him to grow even closer to you. He knew where you lived, he knew that you were single, he knew that you were an only child, and that both of your parents had died young from sudden cardiac arrest. 
After your first appointment, he knew the two of you had a connection. So what if he ordered some blood work and scheduled a follow-up appointment with you to go over the results even though it was only an intake appointment and there was no clinical indication it was necessary? The number of people who have vitamin deficiencies and don’t know it is quite high. Was it really that bad if your yearly physicals happened twice a year instead of just once? That didn’t seem evil to him, on the contrary actually, he was doing his duty as a healthcare professional and taking your well-being seriously. 
Of course, the repeat blood tests every three months might have been a little bit excessive, especially because you weren’t actually deficient in any vitamins and had no reason to be taking a supplement, but it gave him a reason to see you. Despite the fact that normal lab results were typically discussed on the phone, he couldn’t resist having you come into his office. 
Because of your family's cardiac history, the health of your heart was of great concern. Getou always made sure to perform a thorough cardiac workup at your check-ups. The way you allowed him to listen to your heart and touch the tender flesh on your chest was a delight for him. You were so trusting. Getou would expect nothing less though, he was your doctor after all. As your doctor, one of the hardest things was the uncertainty of whether you would drop dead of a heart attack the same way your parents did, or if you would have no complications at all. At first, this didn’t bother him, but as time passed he found himself obsessing over it more and more. A need for control started to well up inside of him driving him to stock your daily life. 
After one physical where you complained of new-onset chest pain, Getou couldn’t take it anymore. He knew that there was only one thing he could do to ensure his control and guarantee that you wouldn’t suffer. He had really been hoping it wouldn’t have to come to this. He loved you and he wished that you could have loved him too, but it seemed as though that was not in the cards you two had been dealt. 
Due to your chest pain, Getou ordered a two-week continuous heart monitor. The data collected from the monitor wouldn’t change his resolve, but he had another important use for it. After placing it and reminding you numerous times not to remove it or let it fall off before the two weeks mark, he let you go on with your day. Little did you know that you and Getou had not actually parted ways when you left his clinic. 
You had a terrible habit of leaving the door unlocked. Just more proof to him that your chances of living a long life were quite slim. At the same time, it was quite beneficial for him. He loved to slip into your closet and wait for the sounds of your vibrator to fill the room followed by your moans. The lewd sounds you made when you thought you were alone seemed like music to his ears. He always jotted down the date and exact time he heard the vibrator, this information would come in handy soon. 
After two weeks of wearing the heart monitor, you handed it over to Getou who told you it would take another week to analyze the data. This wasn't exactly true though. It would probably only take a few days to check for any arrhythmias, but that was not of interest to him. The data Getou sought was related to that list of dates and times he had collected earlier. By looking over the continuously recorded metrics during the times when you masturbated, he could watch the way your heart rate had spiked, the peaks when you came, and its slow return back to baseline when you had thoroughly pleasured yourself. 
His dick grew hard as he looked at the EKG readings in front of him, remembering the noises of sexual satisfaction you made. He began to rub his cock through his pants as he continued to line up your times of self-pleasure with the information from the heart monitor. Getou could feel the pre-cum leaking out of his tip wetting his trunks. Eventually, he decided to stay on the data from one of your various sessions and allow himself to finish. 
It felt below him to jerk off, but right now he didn’t care. Grabbing a box of tissues, he sat back down and allowed his erection to spring free. He spit into his hand for good measure before slowly starting to stroke his throbbing cock. Due to the prior stimulation and the level of arousal he was feeling, it didn’t take long for Getou to reach his point of climax. What helped push him over the edge, sending ropes of cum into the tissues he got, was the slight drop in heart rate after you orgasmed followed shortly by another spike as you chased that high again. As he wiped off the semen from his dick, he made a mental note to call you first thing tomorrow and schedule your follow-up appointment. 
Only a few days later you were seated in his exam room once again. His face was stern as he looked you in the eyes and lied, “your heart monitor revealed prolonged QT intervals. This is a dangerous arrhythmia that can spontaneously cause ventricular fibrillation which can be fatal.” You sat there stunned, unsure of what to say or how to react. Getou continued, “There is an injection I can give you that should help. If you would like, I can give you the first dose today.” Your brain still hadn’t processed the news you had just received, but you nodded your head before confirming, “yes, I would like to have the first dose today.” “Alright then, I will go grab it if you would like to roll up your sleeve.” 
He came back a few minutes later carrying a tray with the syringe, an alcohol pad, and a bandaid. “I just want to warn you,” Getou cautioned as he put on his gloves, “this injection can cause people to pass out sometimes, so don’t be alarmed if you start to feel dizzy, just lay down and let me know.” You nodded in understanding and tried your best not to flinch when the needle pushed its way into your arm. For the first few minutes after the injection, you felt fine. Getou was able to clean up and dispose of everything, but then the room started to spin. You laid back and your vision started to get spotty, “Doctor Getou” was all you managed to squeak out before everything went black.  
So sweet and trusting. Suguru looked at your unconscious body in the rearview mirror on his windshield, you looked so innocent laid across the backseat of his car. In a different life, he could have had the future he dreamed of with you. As your doctor, however, he was sworn to do what was best for you and to do no harm. In order to abide by these principles, Suguru needed to move you to a different facility where he could do what he deemed necessary. “Don’t worry, darling. Soon you’ll be cured.”
You awoke disoriented. Despite the fact that your eyes were closed, you could tell you weren’t in the clinic anymore. The sensation of an IV in your hand caught your attention and you wondered if you were in the hospital. You didn’t have time to question it for long when you heard Suguru’s voice, “I really don’t know if you can hear me, but I hope you can.” You tried to turn your head in the direction of his voice, but you found yourself unable to move. “The sedatives and paralytics in your IV drip are just enough to keep you from being awake and able to move, but not to the point where you need a ventilator.” You could hear him moving around the room as he continued to talk. “As your doctor, I only want what is best for you, and I know you know this. I love you dearly, but the oath I took when I graduated from medical school comes first.” Your mind was swimming, trying to understand what was happening and what Suguru was going on about.   
He paused for a minute, letting out a heavy sigh “I just want you to know that the data from your heart monitor will forever serve as a reminder of you, and every time I finish to those perfect EKG waves, I’ll be picturing your beautiful face.” You wanted to crawl out of your skin. How could he say that? Your thoughts continued to race. “I think it’s time we say goodbye now.” A feeling of terror consumed you. “I’m glad I was able to create a plan to cure you, not many doctors out there would care enough about their patients to go to the extreme lengths I am going to for you. The best part about this cure is that it is completely painless. One injection of about 30mg of morphine and everything will be better.” His voice sounded almost cheery. 
The next sensation you felt was a needle pricking your inner elbow and viscous liquid being injected slowly into your vein. “There we go, treatment administered.” After disposing of the syringe in the sharps box, he quickly returned to your side. Your skin was turning pale and the heart monitor began to beep as your heartbeat and breathing rate fell dangerously low. He muted the monitor. Nothing was going to disturb the two of you in these final moments. 
He reached for your hand, it felt cold as he held it, gently running his thumb over your knuckles in a soothing motion. You wanted to open your eyes, your mouth, ANYTHING. You wanted to scream. Your brain was becoming too foggy to even remember how screaming worked, even if it did, it wouldn't matter though and you knew that. It was almost like Getou could read your mind, and as your ears started to ring and the world crumbled away, he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, softly cooing, “Shhh. Don't worry, no harm will ever come to you again.”
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Damian Wayne Dating HCs
Pairing :: older/adult!Damian Wayne x fem!Reader
Headcanon :: How Damian gets into and acts in a relationship
Word Count :: 1,676
Warnings :: N/A
A/N :: The image I’m using I created with Artbreeder. 
I didn’t call Damian “Robin” and referred to him as a vigilante because Dick stopped being Robin at 25, Jason 22, and Tim 18. The Damian I’m writing is 22. We don’t see much of Older!Damian, and when we do he’s either taken up the mantle of Batman or The Demon’s Head for The League Of Assassins
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Getting into a relationship (all of this is in roughly a year) :
Neither you nor Damian know when you started dating, it just sort of happened
He met you at a bookstore you worked at, and you noticed he always came in buying older books about history, warfare, and strategies.
You found the warfare and strategies odd at first but chose not to question it
You asked him out first.
“Why do you always buy these books?” “I like history.” “Oh cool, I do too... Wanna hang out and talk about the First Battle of Tarain?”
You were joking, he said yes to get out of doing a thing with Tim
You each thought it was going to be a small amount of time spent together at some local cafe. You two ended up staying until closing talking about history.
This becomes a bi-weekly thing, you meet up at the cafe, talk until it closes, or go out and talk in a nearby park until sunset.
Damian’s family notices, but choose not to question what he’s doing because it’s seemingly making him less annoyed with people
Dick starts getting curious when he sees Damian smile just a tad bit looking at a text from you
You text him random facts all the time, but they’re weird. “Did you know squirrels are behind most power outages in the US?”
Eventually, you two stop talking about just history and start talking about other things that interest each of you and your personal lives. 
You open up more than Damian
Damian pays close attention when he notices you’re talking about something you’re genuinely passionate about He pays attention to detail in general.
For your birthday he got you a leather swiss army medic bag from WWII. You cried tears of joy and jumped onto him for a big long hug.
That was the first time Damian’s heart skipped a beat. After seeing you overjoyed, he realized he likes seeing you happy. It gave him a warm feeling, but he doesn’t know yet he has feelings for you.
Yours and Damian’s first “official date” was to a fancy Wayne Ent. event. This time Damian asked you. He’s super stiff.
“Would you like to accompany me to the upcoming-” “Are you asking me out on a date??” “No, I’m asking you to accompany me-” “I’ll go.”
No one in his family knows your coming, except for Alfred because he was asked to pick you up and bring you to the manor the day of. Alfred is confused the entire car ride because you act super chill
When you show up, the other boys surround you. Dick realizes who you are instantly, Jason thinks you’re not human, Tim is afraid you’re like Damian.
Bruce is silent, and a bit thankful his son found a normal human
Damian picked out your outfit: A fancy dark Sacramento green dress with black heels, a pearl necklace, and pearl bracelets to match.
You panicked when you saw the jewelry and Damian instantly goes into “comfort mode” to reassure you it’s fine. The family is shook.
At the actual event, you feel SUPER AWKWARD. Your family had enough to get by in life, so you feel very out of place around all the rich people
Damian can tell you’re uncomfortable and so he tries to hold onto you at all times to help you feel comfortable
Ex: He holds your hand, puts a hand on your shoulder, stands directly next to you so your arms are touching.
You eventually feel comfortable, but, you’re both bored there, so you suggest hiding in the outside garden
Finally alone, you two start talking about the other batboys
“Does Dick always try to show off odd party tricks?” “Only when he sees a pretty lady.”
“Why was Jason just standing in the corner looking at everyone?” “He doesn’t like dressing up.”
“Come on, there’s no way Tim’s actually happy here.” “Did you see him on the dance floor?” He has awesome dance moves, he’s just very energetic.
You eventually start talking about something else.
You can hear the music from inside, so you two start slow dancing together.
He’s holding one of your hands and has a hand placed on the small of your back. You rest your head on his shoulder and have your free hand flat on his chest.
It’s in this instant you each realize you have feelings for one another.
You two swayed around slowly until the song eventually ended.
When you two pull away, you stare into his green eyes briefly before you place a hand on his cheek and pull him down for a kiss.
Once In A Relationship :
You and Damian are a good pair because he’s serious and you’re go-with-the-flow. If he starts over-analyzing something, you start relaxing him. 
You two spend at least one day a week together, and you constantly text each other basic messages like “How was your day?”, “Are you okay?”, “Good morning/night”, “Have a nice day”
If you take over an hour to reply to Damian he gets anxious something bad happened to you.
He legitimately gets ready to start searching EVERY PART of Gotham until he gets a text “Sorry, I was taking a nap. Long day at work.”
When you two are together, you’re usually out or at your apartment. He only takes you to the manor if none of the other guys are there.
He took you once with everyone there. Never again.
Dick: “Oh my god! Look! He has a little girlfriend! How cute, Damian’s growing up.” “I’m 22.”
Tim: “You… You look so nice. Why? How is she so nice and you’re so… you.” “I’ll murder you and make it look like an accident.”
Jason: “How? Did you threaten her? Is he threatening you?” “Dames is super sweet.”
When you call Damian “Dames”, your nickname for him, they all lose their shit.
“DAMES?” “YOU HAVE A NICKNAME FOR HIM?” “DA-ME-SSS?” “DO YOU HAVE MORE?” “D-A-M-E-S?”
Your nicknames for Damian: Dame, Love, and Mr. Serious
Damian’s nicknames for you: Beloved, Love, and Sunflower
He briskly drags you away before you can say anything else, and you just go with it. 
“??I thought we were going to talk more to your brothers??” “They’re not my brothers.” “Okay. I appreciate you.” “.....I appreciate you too.”
You two don’t say “I love you” very often. Instead, you say “I appreciate you”. You do say “I love you” in private/intimate moments, but in public/at random you say “I appreciate you”
Damian isn’t possessive, just protective. There’s a difference. 
He’s never been in a serious relationship before and he’s never loved someone romantically like with you before, so he wants to make sure you’re safe and comfortable 24/7
The first time a random guy catcalled you while you were with Damian, he instantly defended your honor.
“What did you say?” He grabs the guy and easily raises him a foot off the ground. He forces the guy to apologize and lets him fall on the ground after.
Quickly, you reassured Damian he doesn’t need to go to such lengths to “defend your honor”. You tell him to ignore people like that guy because they’re nobodies.
After a few months, you start to pick up on the fact you two rarely spend time together after sunset.
You questioned him once about it and he quickly told you it’s because he helps his father with Wayne Ent. You never questioned him again.
You didn’t 100% believe his answer, but trust he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you
One time you called him crying at night. He was about to go on patrol, then dropped everything to go to your apartment and make sure you were okay.
Damian got a key to your apart about a year into the relationship.
There are times you go to sleep alone and wake up with him asleep, arms wrapped around you. He doesn’t do this often, only after a rough night on a patrol or a particularly dark mission.
Damian’s usually a realist, but when he sees you smile and laugh, he becomes an optimist for a split second
He isn’t big on PDA, so depending on his mood sometimes you hold hands when walking, other times you just lock your pinkies together.
When one of you notices the other is upset though, then you get touchy to calm the other down
Sometimes, when you two are alone at your apartment or the mansion, you don’t speak. You just rest and enjoy the silence while laying on top of one another.
If you lay on Damian, you’re literally on top of him snuggling into his chest. He holds one of your hands and rubs your back.
If Damian lays on you, you’re usually sitting and he places his head on your lap. You love playing and messing around with his hair.
When you found out Damian’s a vigilante, it was a massive accident
You called him while he was on patrol, whispering in a shaking voice that two men had broken into your apartment.
He booked it to your apartment and busted through the window, in costume.
After taking care of the guys and handing them over to the authority, he starts questioning you to make sure you’re okay. When you don’t answer he realizes he’s still in costume talking to you now.
You’re in shock because now a lot of things make sense.
You’re upset for about an hour(because Damian knows how to make you happy when you’re angry) and then you’re utterly fascinated by Damian’s other life
Damian tells you he doesn’t want you to know a lot because it could put you in danger and you’re the one part of his life that’s normal
You accept his wishes and continue with your relationship as normal.
There are only two things that changed:
One: Damian moves you to a more secure apartment and makes sure you have plenty of bats or batons you could use to protect yourself “just in case”
Two: Damian spends almost every night at your apartment after patrol now
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luvspence · 3 years
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my plus one
spencer reid x reader
synopsis: y/n needs a date to her family friends wedding, and she told her parents she was dating someone. so she brings in spencer as a decoy. little does she know spencer has a huge crush on her
word count: 1.3k 
master list 
——————————————
“heyyyyyyy spencerrrr”
you walk up to his desk and lean over the side
he turns around in his spiny chair to face you
“what’s up?”
“do you love me spencer”
“yes of course i do”
“will you do me a HUGE favor”
“what is it?”
“so pretty much, my family friends are getting married and my parents have been pressuring me to get a boyfriend and i wanted them off of me so i said i did and now they want me to bring this boyfriend to the wedding, and i have no boyfriend. so i was wondering if you would go with me?”
he secretly was doing a little happy dance
“yeah i can do that”
he was trying to play it as cool as possible, in reality he has a massive crush on you and you didn’t know.
“thank you so much!”
you went in to hug him, spencer took a long breath in, you smelt like lavender and green tea.
“okay so it’s next sunday, thank you so much spencer!!”
he sighs happily, just so happy to spend time with you.
——
sunday:
you guys were at your apartment getting ready
you were talking to spencer as you curled her hair
“okay so what’s our story spence?”
“we need a story?”
“yeah, in case my parents ask”
“we met at work, i mean that’s works and it’s also the truth”
“well yeah but when did we start dating? who made the first move? what was our first date?”
“well umm, 2 months ago? and you obviously i don’t think they’d believe if we said i did. and our first date.... museum of natural history?”
hes beet red just thinking about it
“perfect, we have ourselves a nice little story dont we”
you say as you squeeze his hand, you finished getting ready and stand in front of spencer.
“let’s go reid”
he looks at you and manages to mumble out
“o-ok, you look great”
you smiled at him as you got in the car.
the ceremony was at a local garden, as soon as you step out the car you grab spencer’s hand, it definitely catches him off guard
“spencer,,,”
“sorry just not used to it”
“it’s okay my love”
spencer could definitely get used to this “dating” thing
you guys walk into the hall and look to your names
“y/n plus one”
“here we are”
you guys sit down and start talking, you guys were pretty early so the hall was quite empty.
your mom and dad walk in and sit next to you.
“hello mother hello father”
“y/n why are you like that! would it kill you to be a little casual for once”
“indeed it would”
you just liked to mess with your parents as much as possible
“now who is this handsome gentlemen?”
your mother asks, motioning towards spencer
“this is dr. spencer reid, we work together”
your dad chimes in “y/n i thought you worked at the fbi”
“father i do”
“with a doctor?”
spencer begins to speak “well a-actually i’m not a medical doctor, i have doctorates”
“doctorates? plural?” your mother asks
“yes in chemistry, mathematics and engineering”
“oh wow you must be some sort of genius”
you and spencer said in unison “indeed”
the ceremony goes on and it’s pretty average, spencer was still trying to get used to the hand his his hand.
afterwards, you guys went to the reception.
“so how’d you guys meet? when did you guys meet? i want all the details” your mother asks
you gave spencer a ‘ i told you so’ look and you said
“we met nearly 5 years ago through work but we didn’t start dating until 2 months ago”
“ah i see” she still wanted to hear more
“yeah i made the first move i mean how couldn’t i hes so cute” you said as you smushed his face with your hand and he started to laugh.
your mother was quite amused so she left.
“see spencer shes crazy”
“y/n i wouldn’t say she’s crazy”
you sighed and rested your head on spencer’s shoulder, you could honestly get used to this as well.
you spent the rest of the night talking to spencer, eating the food and talking, you two were honestly having so much fun. you parents started to call you over
“y/n! you should dance with spencer!”
they said as the floor started to open up and others got onto it.
“spencer?”
he nodded and joined you, you started with your hands around his neck and his hands around your waist, it was a little awkward. but soon both of you got more comfortable and started to slump into each others bodies
“did you know research also proves that dancing also reduces stress and tension for the mind and body. studies by the national heart, lung, and blood institute have shown that dancing also prevents heart disease in particular.
“i didn’t, but that’s interesting”
you said as you twirled one of his curls around your finger
“maybe we should do this more often, for our heart health of course” you mumbled through his chest
“of course” he said with a smile
afterwards you decided to go into the photo booth
“okay okay what’s the game plan”
“one nice, one funny, and then just a random one ”
you flashed a nice smile for the first one, you and spencer both did the classic tounge out peace sign and the last one was counting down
you both were kind of just sitting there in confusion the machine was counting down
“5,4,3”
“kiss me” you said without even thinking
“HUH”
“2,1”
before you could think you grabbed spencers face and went in for a kiss, it lasted a good 5 seconds before you drew your face away.
“i’m sorry i don’t know what just possessed me i-“
before you could finish spencer went in for another kiss.
after the 2nd kiss ended you both stared at each other awkwardly and shuffled out side of the photo booth.
you and spencer didn’t talk for the rest of the night, just sitting awkwardly together, still holding hands to “sell” the relationship to your parents. as the reception ended you and spencer walked back into your car.
“okay spencer listen i-“
before you could finish he brought you in for another kiss, this time longer and more intimate.
you were both blushing intensely
“spencer you need to stop doing that”
“i can’t help it!”
you guys sat in silence for another moment and spencer started to speak
“i’ve had a crush on you from the first case we worked together y/n. from the first time you came up to me on the jet to play chess. i love the way you speak to a crowd and the way you so effortlessly take down serial killers, and how you’re always listening to my rants. i love you. and i love you so much that i was willing to keep it a secret for 5 years because i didn’t wanna loose our friendship and i just wanted you to be as happy as possible, and i didn’t know if i could do that for you”
you paused for a moment
“spencer you know the real reason i brought you here”
he nodded
“my parents weren’t even bothering me that much about it, i just wanted to pretend to be your girlfriend for a night”
he sighed, he obviously wished you flat out told him, but that was hypocritical given his situation, he replied
“well how about we stop pretending?”
you nodded aggressively
“ssa y/n l/n i am officially asking you to be a real girlfriend”
“well then dr. spencer reid, i accept that title graciously”
you pulled him in for another kiss, in between kisses you mumble
“my perfect plus one”
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britishassistant · 3 years
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The Villainous Paranoiac Experiences Culture Shock
The Hannya of the Gracey and its Kitsune.
Tricky, cruel, deceptive, jealous, ungrateful.
That’s what you’ve been called ever since Nanji settled. It’s been whispered behind your backs and said outright to your faces.
Ever since Chichiue told you to take a more appropriate form if you both were going to eat dinner properly with the family, and his eyebrows drew down when you stuttered out that you were trying, you were, but Nanji couldn’t change back from the red fox that quailed under the glare of Chichiue’s eagle.
You were sent to their room in the middle of the meal because of that, Asahiko-nii-sama’s exaggerated faces of disgust, Leota-nee-sama’s quiet yet smug vindication and Enji-nii-sama’s open glares of disapproval following you both as you left.
Seven isn’t an…uncommon age for a dæmon to settle. Unusual, to be sure, enough to raise and lower eyebrows, prompt the start of a inquiry before the asker remembers which family they’re about to question.
But it’s just edging into more common for “early bloomers” that it’s usually assumed that you were closer to eight than seven when Nanji did settle. Besides, there are kids out there who have had their dæmons settle at younger ages, after all.
All the studies you’ve read say this phenomenon is near uniformly a result of a traumatic event or hostile living environment. But that’s probably more of a generalization than anything.
Still. At least the names and insults weren’t so bad. They were just words after all.
At least the people using them would steer clear. Keep at least a two foot distance between themselves, the Hannya of the Gracey, and its Kitsune. As though you and Nanji actually had any power to curse anyone with.
At least they wouldn’t try to keep fucking touching your dæmon every five minutes.
So pause. Rewind a bit. You and Nanji and your old middle school crush and his dæmon (who you’ve certainly gotten over, and who does not look any better than he had in middle school now his Sonata has settled, thank you very much) have been transported to another world. This world is called Twisted Wonderland.
The people of this world are soulless assholes.
Because none of them have dæmons.
And the vast majority of them you have met so far are assholes, in some shape or form.
You have yet to ascertain whether the latter is dependent on the former.
And yet they keep acting like normal people in spite of this absence, rather than the traumatized wrecks that are in textbooks in history class, all dead-eyed and unresponsive. So maybe there’s something to the headmaster’s claim that their dæmons are…inside them, somehow.
Though that just gives you the awful mental image of a person lifting a mouse or an insect dæmon to their lips and just…swallowing. Nanji nips your hand for putting that lovely idea in both your heads.
But back to the topic at hand: The people here don’t have dæmons. They have never had dæmons. So it’s understandable that initially all of them don’t quite understand that there’s a difference between them and just another talking animal, like Grim.
That it is NOT OKAY to try to scoop them up or punt them around like they do to Grim (and honestly, you’re not really okay with them doing that to Grim either— it’s why you and Yuuken trade off who has the monster cat perched on their shoulders or in their arms and out of harm’s way whenever you both can). That’s just down to cultural differences. You can understand it, if you cock your head, squint your eyes, and are very, very sleep-deprived.
What is not understandable is the assholes who think it’s hilarious to try to keep touching Sonata and Nanji even after you’ve repeatedly told them “no”.
Some of that might be Nanji’s fault. Though at the time it hadn’t seemed like a bad idea, considering how many curious would-be touchers immediately jerked away and lost interest permanently after he blurted out, “It’s a sex thing!!”
(It’s not exactly a sex thing, more of an intimacy thing at most. But there’s something much more visceral and back-the-fuck-off about “touching a dæmon is like shoving your hands down a stranger’s pants” compared to “touching a dæmon is the realization of a very deep and intimate bond between you and your partner”.)
But of course, many is not all.
And there’s always going to be some assholes who think that seeing how easily they can get away with harassment is a “fun game” rather than a creepy and messed up power play. Just like back home.
Yuuken and Sonata have it much worse than you and Nanji.
You’d thought the muskox form she settled into was noble, dignified, a perfect embodiment of Yuuken’s diligence and strength. (No, it has not made your crush on him worse, shut up.)
The only problem is that a muskox is not as small a creature as a fox. So while you can physically pick up Nanji and move him out of reach if some punks decide they want to cause trouble, poor Sonata has no such defense. She has to move away if they get between her and Yuuken, and their distance limit is so much smaller than your own, and both of them look so trapped—
It surprises everyone but Nanji and yourself when you take a page from Deuce’s book and ball your fist up to punch the asshole trying to bury his hand in the thick fur of Sonata’s flank.
The resulting crack is not from the asshole’s nose breaking, unfortunately.
You haven’t ever really punched anybody before, hadn’t ever been in a situation where you were justified in your retaliation.
Of course you manage to fuck it up on your first try.
Nanji does not thank you for the resulting limp in his one good leg until your hand and his paw heals, even if he understands why you did it. You give him lots of petting in apology, carefully avoiding the spots where his fur is now patchy and the skin is ridged with scars.
(And isn’t that a fun experience, whenever the ex-overblots’ eyes wander over him, catch sight of what they inflicted on you both, and suddenly can’t look at anything else fast enough. None of them have actually, explicitly apologized to either of you for it.)
Yuuken and Sonata hover over you both like concerned mother hens, despite how often and repeatedly you tell them this is not their fault and you’d do it again in a heartbeat. Sonata actually offers to let Nanji ride on her back while he heals.
You try joking you’d get jealous, so it’d be better not to, only for Yuuken to offer to piggyback you around campus as well.
Ace teases you mercilessly for how strangled you sound when you squeak out that that won’t be necessary, and Nanji buries his head under his tail and refuses to come out for the rest of the day.
Deuce is more concerned with teach you how to throw a punch properly, so you don’t hurt yourself next time.
Jack provides Nanji with a smaller version of the splint he sometimes uses if he hurts his paws when in Wolf Mode, which does help a bit, even if it does feel slightly surreal to feel the phantom press of the medical implement on your hand.
Grim delights in setting the assholes on fire whenever they’re within reach. Whether he can get away with it is another factor he doesn’t seem willing to take into consideration.
Crowley scolds him and the rest of Ramshackle by extension for “violent behavior on school premises”, and resorts to subtly threatening to cut off your food money whenever you try to pressure him to actually do something about your harassers, as though it’s somehow your and Yuuken’s faults for having dæmons.
As though it’s Sonata and Nanji’s faults for existing.
You resort to scribbling increasingly insulting caricatures of the stupid birdbrain headmaster for your theory wall to vent your frustration, in absence of any concrete way to get back at him. Nanji chews the cushion in your armchair to near rags as you pin them to the wall with more force than is strictly warranted.
Yuuken and Sonata turn out to be far more proactive than you when it comes to dealing with grudges of this kind.
Or, at least, more willing to go along with plans that allow them to do so.
You know Ace had a hand in it. His brand of vindictiveness and humiliation is pretty distinctive. Ortho is also clearly a culprit, thanks to the technological mishaps that had one of your tormentors in actual tears. From the garish, clashing pink and petty sparkles that have been added to Crowley’s attire, you’re fairly sure Epel was involved too.
Sebek…is a participant you’re on the fence about, for his conflicting claims that it was a childish prank to pull on the bullies and headmaster and that both parties had whatever fate they now suffered coming to them. Even if he wasn’t directly involved, you’re pretty sure he was in on it enough to not spill the details.
But the sudden influx of logs, which would require someone with an above average level of strength and/or the help of an animal that specialized in moving large burdens over distance?
Combined with the fact that Jack and Deuce were as mystified as you, Grim, and Nanji at the results of the prank?
Well, even if Yuuken hadn’t shot you a subtle wink (which most certainly did not have your cheeks heating, no sir) in Ramshackle’s kitchen while the two of you prepared dinner to the sound of Sonata’s quiet laughter, you’re pretty sure you would’ve worked it out sooner or later.
For now, you and Nanji are just glad that they’re both here with you to help navigate this Twisted Wonderland of soulless assholes.
Even if some of them aren’t as bad as the others.
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gumnut-logic · 3 years
Text
Callisto (Voyage - Bit 2)
Tumblr media
Prologue Incident - Bit 1 | Bit 2 Fallout - Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 Voyage - Bit 1 | Bit 2
As I continue to write the Prologue, have a little Lee Taylor and Jeff with some Johnny and Scott on the side.
As always, many, many thanks to @tsarinatorment​ @scribbles97​ and @janetm74​ for the ongoing support, as well as my technical advisor @onereyofstarlight​ for the geek out fest on the weekend ::hugs you all::
I hope you enjoy this. I’m certainly enjoying the challenge :D
-o-o-o-
Jeff stared after his son for a long moment. Emotion swirled in his head and tangled with his stomach. That lightspeed jump did mess with his innards more than he would admit.
But Virgil’s words messed him up even more.
What weren’t they telling him? What had happened to Scott while he was gone?
He had read a good percentage of the mission reports and backtracked through Tracy Industries’ history over that eight years. Scott’s conduct was exemplary. He couldn’t be prouder. Both organisations had flourished under his sons’ management, Scott being the major driving force, but his younger sons stepping in where needed.
Hell, even Gordon had dabbled in aquaculture and Tracy Industries was now a major player on that front.
Something soured in his gut that had nothing to do with lightspeed travel. Perhaps he needed to be a little more honest with himself. Maybe things had gone so well, that in truth, his return wasn’t really needed.
Scott was brilliant, his brothers…hell, Jeff was ever so proud. His sons were everything. They had accomplished so much.
But what did that leave for Jeff?
He cursed under his breath, disgusted with himself. His natural competitive tendencies did not need to be deployed against his own children.
But that vacant feeling of loss and lack of purpose swelled. He hadn’t even thought about not going on this mission. He had grabbed it like a lifeline and now, somehow, he had managed to alienate those brilliant young sons and caused pain and worry where he had no intention.
“Jeff? Where the hell are you?”
Lee.
Despite himself, Jeff smiled.
Pushing off from the bed, he floated through the door and into the corridor. Lee was expertly manoeuvring down one wall, his experience showing in every movement. “I have to say that this baby of yours definitely hits the spot. I’ll have two for the Mars colony, please.”
Jeff snorted. “Get in line. The GDF are already on my back.”
Lee pulled up alongside. “You gonna give them one?”
“I doubt it.” He sighed. “Val is ready to vouch, but from what I’ve read from the last eight years…I don’t think they can be trusted.”
“Then what are you going to do?” They drifted down the corridor towards the mess. “This technology is a great step forward.”
“Yeah. So much power, Lee. I’ve worried about the Thunderbirds getting into the wrong hands. This….hell…Brains and Michael make a formidable team.”
“Your boys make a formidable team, Jeff. You should be proud.”
“I am.”
Lee pulled him to a halt with a hand. “Then what the hell are you doing out here, Jeff? Gerry had me on the pipeline frantic.”
Jeff blinked. “Gerry?”
“The swimming one.”
“Oh, Gordon?”
Lee waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, whatever. But he was upset. Said you were trying to kill yourself.”
“What?!”
“Said your health wasn’t up to a long space flight. I know you know better than that, Colonel.” Blue eyes pinned him.
Oh, for the love of-
“I’m fine, Lee.”
“Bullshit. You may not be using that cane of yours, but I saw your medical charts when you got back. You fried your bones good, and your circulation has seen better days. Don’t think I’m an idiot. Gerry may be the excitable one, but he’s not dumb. Hell, even I can see Vinnie and Steve ain’t happy either.”
Jeff stared at him, caught between outrage that his best friend still couldn’t remember his sons’ names and the thought that Lee was also ganging up on him along with those sons.
“I am perfectly capable of handling this voyage. It is short. It is safe.”
Lee snorted with derision. “I know you know that there is nothing ‘safe’ about any space voyage, Jeff. Hell, you’re the one who taught me that. What are you playing at?”
That got his back up. “What am I playing at? Berry and Ju are missing, Lee.”
“Don’t you trust your boys?”
“I trust them!”
“Then let them do their jobs. You’ve done enough.”
Jeff glared at him. “I don’t see you retiring your space legs.”
“I didn’t go missing for eight years and fry my bones. You don’t have to do this. Your boys will find Berry and Ju. I’ve seen them in action. You should trust them.”
Jeff’s shoulders dropped. “I do.” It was an exhale. But... “Lee, I have to. I can’t sit on the sidelines anymore.”
Blue eyes stared at him, appraising. They weren’t unlike his eldest son’s eyes and probably shared the gene through Lucille.
The thought of his wife clenched his heart like it always did. Lee didn’t look much like his sister, but there were traces.
“Well, you’ve argued your ass out here. Looks like you’ve pissed half your family off in the process. I’d tread carefully. That eldest of yours looks ready to chew iron.”
Jeff grunted.
Lee reached out and grabbed an arm. “They’re good boys.” A swallow. “Lucy would be very, very proud.”
It was targeted and it hit perfectly. His throat tightened just a little. “I know.”
No more than breath. “I know.”
-o-o-o-
“I want to know why.”
John looked up from his tablet to see Scott floating in the doorway.
The astronaut knew this was coming. Hence his retreat to Thunderbird Five for a ‘systems check’.
“Because Dad needs this.” He turned back to his tablet, poked the device and shut down the scan he was running.
Scott pushed off the door frame and pivoted to a vertical stance - as a commanding posture as he could get in zero-g.
John raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment, forcing himself to relax in his partially seated position. He knew his brother was unhappy with him and he understood why. So, the question was a pertinent one.
“Dad does not need more illness and that is exactly where this is leading.”
“We won’t be out here that long.”
“How do you know? We don’t know what has happened? We won’t know fully until we are on site.”
John let his brother’s ire wash over him. “Scott, what are you going to do the day they say you can no longer fly?”
Blue eyes stared at him a moment. “What has that got to do with anything?”
John’s lips thinned. “Deny it all you want, but you know exactly what I mean.” He held his brother’s glare. “Dad has been grounded for nearly two years. Put yourself in his place. How do you think you would feel?”
He could see the inner turmoil on his big brother’s face. He hated going against Scott. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen and each time it hurt because it felt so wrong. Someone had to stand up for Dad in this and John feared the day he would be in his father’s place. To not be able to go into space. To never be able to see the stars unfettered by atmosphere again…he dreaded it. Just like he knew Scott dreaded losing his wings.
It was inevitable and they would both fight it as long as they could.
Just like their father.
But understanding didn’t make it any easier from a son’s perspective either. John knew in intimate detail exactly what his father’s health issues were. He empathised with him in ways that perhaps only Alan amongst his brothers could possibly understand. If he wasn’t careful, this was his future, too. Perhaps not as severe, perhaps not quite the same, but the risks were there.
His father’s cane reminded him every time he saw it.
Scott had already changed his rota on Five, Alan standing in more often, John on solid ground enough for cursed gravity to keep his systems running as they should.
Virgil had become hypervigilant as well, medical checks increased. He had once caught Dad’s chart up on display right next to his own, Virgil’s eyes comparing symptoms, obviously worried towards preventing issues before they happened in his little brother.
It had been a taxing couple of years.
“Okay, you’ve made your point.” It was grudging. “But it doesn’t remove the fact that his health is at risk. After all he’s been through…he’s been hurt enough.”
“Him or us?”
“Excuse me?”
“We have all been through hell and back. This isn’t just about Dad, Scott. I know. I’m just as scared as you.” He was, but he was shunting it away. He couldn’t afford it. “But this is who he is. You know that. He’s not going to wrap himself in a blanket, sit in a chair and rock his life away. If he did, he wouldn’t be Dad.” He blinked. “How do you see your twilight years? Are you going to slow down any time soon?”
“John-“
“He’s got all of us. He’s not alone out here. We’ll keep him safe.”
Blue eyes continued to stare at him, but there were no more words for a long time.
John simply stared back, calm and waiting.
“I am so angry at you.” The words slipped from his brother’s lips in frustration.
“I know.” John tilted his head just slightly. “Because you know I’m right.”
Scott got angry a lot, but he was rarely blinded by it. He couldn’t afford to be. And while Virgil tackled their big brother in his own way, John, in the few times Scott turned to him in this kind of situation, found that waiting him out with calm words usually worked. Not always, sometimes his brother just exploded more. But this time, this time John knew he was right and that Scott would understand, if he would listen.
His brother’s lips thinned, obviously with reluctance. “I want a medical monitor on him at all times. I want Five trained on him at all times.”
John arched an eyebrow, reached over and thumbed a switch. Their father’s vitals flickered into all their holographic glory. “Virgil already beat you to it. Wouldn’t let him on board without it.”
Those eyes tracked the readouts but Scott didn’t comment. “Keep an eye on him.”
John sighed and picked up his tablet again. As if he would do anything else. “Just like I do with all of you. They don’t call me the ‘Eye in the Sky’ for nothing.”
A grunt and Scott moved back towards the door. John poked at his tablet and resumed the scan he had been running. It wasn’t often humans were in this chunk of space and he planned to record everything he could.
If he was non-verbally dismissing his brother, it was on purpose. Scott needed to process and John was not needed for that.
And John had work to do before they jumped again.
He didn’t notice his brother leave.
-o-o-o-
Next
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in-tua-deep · 4 years
Text
tua rewatch with the roommate
Episode five
Oh fuck the “I found you. all your bodies.” scene
“We died?” “Horribly.” throwback to the ben convo o o f
“If perfectly arranged under rubble and otherwise unharmed counts as ‘horribly”’  - roommate
I like that Diego says he’s going to kill Hazel and Cha-Cha like it’s a challenge?? lol five doesn’t care if they live or die he only cares if u do you big dumbass
“Well I know none of the main characters die bc there’s a season 2... and i’m pretty sure they’re all in s2... like all of the family?”
I mean luther is kind of valid for being frustrated that five didn’t share about the apocalypse but also like,,, the first person five told about it (Vanya) suggested he might be insane. so. i can understand some reluctance on his part on top of the whole “the last time my siblings fought this the Whole World Died Including Them i would like them as far away from apocalypse stuff as possible”
okay okay so five says “they turned me into the perfect instrument” so do y’all think that implies experimentation like in the comics or ????
all i can think about during the kennedy scene though is my high school history teacher. he went over the assassination in intimate detail and i’m pretty sure he was writing a book about it and everything. mr. hansen if you’re out there - 
i like feral beard five more than mustache five tbh if i’m picking 
“Someone ELSE shot the president? Was he supposed to shoot kennedy or was he supposed to kill the person who shot kennedy?” - Roommate
love that five tells luther to grow up over murder,,, though to be valid pretty sure they did actually murder people as kids SO. grow down?
fuck i love mary,, will you love me like you loved me in the january rain??? just shoot me in the heart
GOD rob is such a good actor
“wait a second... how is he wearing pants?” oh roommate you have a big storm coming
i have some serious questions about the commission and their methods of communication. where do?? the tubes come from? where do they go after?
Allison: i have a bad feeling [about leonard]
where are these instincts for everything else tho??? her marriage?
“Vanya. she really is trying to look out for you. i really would trust her. you could invite her to come along so she can see he’s perfectly fine??” - Roommate, whose instincts regarding not trusting leonard-harold are spot on
apparently my roommate knows people who put salt in their coffee. i have. so many questions.
“That’s suspicious?? that’s suspicious right?? did he do that? is he a secret serial killer? is he a FUCKING secret serial killer?” roommate when they talk about helen cho going missing
“What do you mean stop showing up it’s been like. a day” - I mean. the roommate has a point. 
Klaus’s depression bath is a mood :(
did klaus put eye shadow on before his bath or did he get his hands on eye shadow in vietnam?? the questions that will never be answered
Five is so enthusiastic about having someone who understands... he doesn’t even notice absolutely Not Being In The Mood,, klaus is grieving and five is just like !!! where did you go!!!! like it was a vacation
klaus: yeah i’m ten months older now. when i’m done being depressed i will lord that over diego for the rest of our natural lives.
does five write in all caps all the time?? why? 
roommate: I wonder what the upper size limit on the knives her can use. like is it machete length? forearm length? what are the limits on his powers. if he sharpened a very sharp mechanical pencil could he use it? if he sharpened a piece of the chandelier? at what point does something become a knife?
me: could he hurl mia (my cat)? mia and her knife feet?
allison also writes in all caps to write leonard’s address
we stan agnes and hazel in this household
“I never said we didn’t !! i just thought she was just a random extra in the first episode and every time we cut away i think that’s the last we’ve seen of her” - roommate because i keep saying that this is an agnes stan household
“OH THERE’S THE PATCHWORK COAT i was afraid it didn’t come back” - okay though good question he definitely didn’t have the coat on the bus. what is it with klaus and his magically appearing coat????
oh :(  oh klaus :(  every time klaus is sad i am also sad :(
honestly a family conversation IS the threat in this family
god though this random vet in this bar is actually an asshole though like. klaus doesn’t owe him shit. klaus served. he’s clearly having a moment with the photo. that could have been a family member or something who died i don’t even know
agnes: i’m a twitcher :)
“like a twitch streamer?” -Roommate
PLEASE give me twitch streamer!Agnes au
look i just enjoy hazel and agnes
roommate: honey you’re too young for her
me: NO DON’T BE MEAN TO THEM,,, agnes deserves a boytoy
“does diego drive a manual?” my roommate once again focusing on things that i do not
five: i have to find the people whose deaths could save the timeline
my roommate: is it agnes?? is he going to kill agnes????
i’m still laughing about that fact that luther is holding dolores.... over the fire escape... she couldn’t drop that far lads
luther’s dumb sometimes but he does have some nice heart to hearts with his brother,,,, honestly he and five get along pretty well in the early episodes. kindred spirits. body dysmorphia and isolation squad.
my roommate has to keep remembering social media doesn’t exist in this universe
i am still confused as to why
that won’t stop me from giving everyone iphones and youtube accounts in my aus though
diego can curve ANYTHING he throws, usually knives, according to cha-cha’s research. but that doesn’t explain the spoilers i have seen about s2 sO
Klaus: You also told me that licking a nine volt battery would give me pubes
HOW DID I FORGET THAT LINE
oh diego got a bullet graze forgot about that as well?? does he ever get like. medical attention for that? diego?????
it really has been like. maybe two days since helen cho died. is no one??? concerned????? they just immediately jump into replacing her??????????????????? hellO? 
“very clear camera angles to show that this actress did not actually play the violin for this role” - i mean that’s fair but ellen is trying rip
me: who’s your favorite character so far?  roommate: that’s a tricky question. klaus is very entertaining to watch. allison is the most reasonable and i’m very interested to know, well, she seems like the best combination of reasonable and has the least selfish intentions. diego and luther i feel like are both good in a bland way in that they’re both doing good in the best way they can which usually involves punching people. five is fun. five is very fun. five is as fun to watch as klaus, they’re both very fun actors to watch on screen. they’re more expressive than diego and luther tend to be.  me: so which is your favorite?????  roommate: first instinct says allison, though she probably has the least dynamic or interesting arc so far
are hazel and cha-cha the best because their victims never see them coming?? like. they aren’t really THAT competent.
“I do LOVE the aesthetic of an ice cream truck playing ride of the valkyries” - my roommate is valid
“LOVE the hypersaturated background in this scene. it’s more fun that having it be desaturated.”
five looks so baby in this scene with the handler :(
still unsure where five got that handgun but i’m vibing
hate when she touches his face !! awful!!!
the handler’s little “all of them??” like yeAH ALL OF THEM even though they irritate the living FUCK out of each other. siblings man
ben gets shotgun for the getaway !!! go ben!
“I’m starting to think... given how space and reality seemed to be warping during her playing... that her medication... isn’t for anxiety...” - oh, oh roommate
ah i blocked out the leonard vanya make out as well
“DIDN’T YOU MEET HIM TWO DAYS AGO?” - yeah i feel u roommate
yup there’s helen’s body
“CSI call crime scene investigation - that’s going to start to smell real soon”
pogo: and you understand that the children can never know
me: actually pogo fuck you
and that’s episode 5 everyone thank you and goodnight
episode six
i do love a good flashback to klaus
klaus: sees a shirtless soldier and instantly falls in love
they don’T EVEN QUESTION HIM just “KATZ GET THIS MAN A PAIR OF PANTS” and they go with it?? he just APPEARED and they don’t even care
klaus was really just vibing in the 60s huh
wait this is like 1962 or 63 right
when does s2 take place?? also the 60s right???
didn’t kennedy die in 1963 i feel like what i know about s2 contradicts that date but i could have sworn they said a round trip to 1963??????
luther is SUCH A MOOD in the family briefing.
“aww he’s a bad liar” - roommate
“I realize that [the umbrella] was necessary for the title drop but where the fuck did that come from”
@ the handler please stop touching five,,, but also five has such. non reactions to her touching him. which worries me. like she grabs his shoulder walking alongside him and he doesn’t even look at her
why are there gas masks in the briefcase room...
can you IMAGINE if your boss toted a child into the room and introduced him as the Legendary Time Travelling Assassin that the whole office had a betting pool over who would die that one time and is Definitely approaching 60 not 13... and then called him LEADERSHIP MATERIAL. implying that this child will probably get a promotion before you do?? can you IMAGINE?
“again... two days ago...” roommate about leonard and vanya
vanya really chose literally just the worst time to come back to the academy huh
okay but vanya going off?? valid, but also,, i mean. it IS their dads fault that they don’t have any relationship with vanya?
luther: it’s about the moon  roommate: critical role moon theory
hey like. how did the family get together in the first timeline holy fuck. it’s hard enough to get them together when they Literally Know The World Is Going To End
so remember diego getting grazed with a bullet yeah well he has a sling on now which makes sense!! and yet. when five got grazed by a bullet he SLAPS A BANDAID ON IT. someone please address this.
five is such an asshole coworker i love it
i wonder if dot is a mother. or just a nice coworker. she keeps trying to talk to him and invite him to lunch aww
i wonder if it’s purposeful on the handler’s part to call him “mr. five” instead of “mr. hargreeves” to like... further isolate him from his family? by removing his last name they’re sort of removing his ties to his siblings considering it’s not like they’re related by blood
forgot how much i hate the bathroom scene !! wow !! hate it so much!!! there’s so many violations of social etiquette in such a short scene! it’s so deeply uncomfortable!
luther: stop it pogo! you know everything our dad did
i am remembering once again how much i hate pogo all over again!! reginald literally locked klaus in a mausoleum!! he abused the kids! pogo didn’t even speak up about sending luther to the MOON,,, oh luther :(
he just learned his dad exiled him for no reason he has lots of rights his entire world view was just shattered wow i am like infinitely more sympathetic to luther on the second watch
“I knew allison and luther was a thing. you told me allison and luther was a weird thing. still not a fan.” - my very valid roommate
they could have made the fort so much more sibling-y instead of romantic and it would have been so much better honestly
oh dave :(
“I wonder who her primary care physician is and if she can find out what that medication was...” roommate i wish i knew
“I’m trying to decide if he knew ahead to time to try and get at her specifically or like... i don’t know when he took the figurine I was like ‘doesn’t he own an antique shop is he there to steal antiques from the family home’.” roommate on leonard
forgot the handler gifted five a suit. also don’t like that. don’t like her talk about his body and everything either.
“is it too much to ask to give him two outfits? one he can wear now and one with the new body?” - roommate
honestly with hazel’s talk on budget cuts i’m not surprised he only gets one suit
STOP TOUCHING HIS FACE,,,, HANDLER. STOP TOUCHING HIS FACE
five and his sweet tooth. don’t take the candy five. come on. what did your father TEACH YOU. honestly reggie probably was like “let them get kidnapped it will probably teach them a life lesson”
“there were like... villages that needed rebuilding after disasters. he could have been sending these packages to legit lunar research facilities. legit facilities would have adored to have that information.” 
okay but people KNEW he was on the moon. cha-cha mentioned it. it was in vanya’s book. why were scientists not knocking down reginald’s door demanding the research??? if i was a moon scientist i would have the mansion staked out trying to demand info jesus
“love his eye fluttering in the way of ‘oh shit i got something in my eye i can’t break character scene is still going scene is stILL GOING’“ - hilarious observations from the allison luther fort scene 2.0: grown up version that gets erased
did they just leave the fort up all those years. did no one USE the green house??? did grace lovingly work around it all that time?
oh :(  dave :(
grace is capable of lying and pogo is a shadowy motherfucker
“okay now that they’re actually putting it into the plot i understand why you don’t think he’s trustworthy but you really got on my back about that”
in my defense i just hate him tbh i did not like him when he first showed up and i never particularly liked him tbh
allison: i think you’re the only person who knows who i am and likes me anyway
me, remembering the theory that allison rumored luther to love her: HMMMMMM
okay but i think the luther and allison dance scene is fucking HILARIOUS. absolutely ridiculous. i mean i hate that it’s incest but also the fucking LIGHTS DESCENDING. the RANDOM WARDROBE CHANGE. 
roommate likes the green underskirt thing under allison’s random dance dress
are they just doing this in public???
ugh. the kiss. ugh. erased that from my memory as well
“they clearly want romance in this show but they painted themselves into a corner with the siblings thing” - roommate
five and his fucking STAPLERS isn’t this the second time he’s knocked someone out with a stapler?? the bank robber and now gloria??
five please your siblings were finally doing some decent work on their own issues :/
five is the kind of dramatic as fuck entrances 
“love how he just grabs [allison’s] coffee. kid needs a coffee after all that.” - roommate
five actually does a good job of rallying the siblings though?? they just broke the fuck up in the og timeline
“something tells me that harold jenkins might be leonard”
oh roommate
episode seven
uh oh harold was born
i feel vaguely bad for him
“me the night before a convention” - roommate on harold’s tape and cosplay and everything
okay but how did reginald even KNOW harold jenkins had no powers?? did he? keep tabs on all the forty some kids not just the seven he kept?
but also why the fuck are these people laughing at An Actual Child fuck all of them honestly
“did HE kill hargreeves?? I mean. he’s got motive.” - roommate
harold really said “i think my superpower is actually this hammer motherfucker”
how did he get twelve years?? was he tried as an adult?? was he in juvie? how old WAS he
twelve years ago... they’re 29 soooo seventeen? he did NOT look seventeen? he was NOT seventeen in that flashback what???
roommate theorizes that harold ran off after the murder and committed petty crimes until caught and tried for murder when he was seventeen so was maybe 13 in the flashback
okay so i looked up the timeline and he got out in 2014 or something so he was like 13 in the flashback which makes SO much more sense honestly but also what the FUCK was he doing for five years
“he’s actually laying out all the facts as he knows them and I appreciate that.” -roommate about five briefing the team
five?? the only member of the family with communication skills? it’s? somehow more likely than you think?
“allison’s pants that she’s wearing now are the most perfectly tailored things i’ve ever seen. not even a wrinkle when she’s standing still. do you know how hard that is to do?” again my roommate noticing the things i absolutely do not
five. five. you have a GUT WOUND and also jumped a BUNCH OF TIMES. you are not blinking into the police station and getting the file. you need some SLEEP. and REST. and WOUND CARE FIVE FOR FUCK’S SAKE. you still have a GUNSHOT GRAZE on your upper arm and a SLICE on your wrist from DIGGING OUT A TRACKER. FIVE.
diego wants to be batman SO BAD.
five crossing his arms and Not Uncrossing Them because he’s literally HOLDING HIMSELF TOGETHER.
wow luther is really handling this so much worse in this timeline rip
luther is losing validity points for CHOKING KLAUS i knew this happened but i didn’t remember how awful it was !!! bad and terrible! and luther is very drunk and very sad and very angry. oh. he’s saying he never left the house and never had friends for nothing :(
klaus had the realization that reggie was an asshole YEARS ago and he’s just kind of like “aww. luther :(” 
klaus is trying so hard
“Klaus has had the most heart to hearts with the most siblings honestly.” - roommate
allison at the beginning making her laugh in the office with the EYES, five on the steps of meritech, diego after the vet bar, luther on the couch...
wow cha cha really thought hazel was talking about how meaningful his partnership was with her when he was talking about agNES
five limping up the lawn and staggering up the stairs and clinging to the rails baBY SIT DOWN. YOU ARE BLEEDING.
“inspiring leadership” “one of the greats” what a sibling moment honestly.
five really said “i think i will pass the fuck out now”
five really said “hey i am literally willing to die for this mission because this mission is the safety and lives of my entire family and i love you guys :(”
except he doesn’t because five is decent at information sharing but getting feelings out of him feels like pulling teeth at times smh
is leonard trying to vicariously live his “normal child born on the umbrella academy day discovers they have had powers the WHOLE TIME” dream through vanya??
we yell about how leonard and vanya have known each other for like a week but i mean same for hazel and agnes!! he’s literally asking her to run away with him and she says yes !!!!! agnes is here for the romantic adventure with this man she’s really living her first hot girl summer and living for it
“she’s having her own little rom com! she thinks she’s living in a rom com not a dark sci fi!” - roommate accurate as usual
she just called ben the emotional support ghost and i mean... she ain’t wrong
honestly klaus should have just left luther to his rave, he didn’t get to party in his teens or during his college years or anything
i do appreciate the viking yell of “B R O T H E R” that luther greets klaus with though because that’s exactly how i greet my own siblings whenever i see them
oh klaus :(
oh klaus :(
he’s having war flashbacks, cravings, is in withdrawal, AND experiencing sensory overload while reliving one of the more traumatizing moment of his life
oh klaus :(
five in a bed for the second time of the season which is nice for him. if only the first time wasn’t because he passed out drunk and the second time wasn’t because of a whole shrapnel wound. i am now that captain of the Let Five Sleep brigade holy SHIT like at least they imply that the others sleep five is just feral and ready to go at all times
are the police allowed to just. remove someone’s arm sling? is that permitted? his arm could be fucked up? i mean. it is? he was shot?
“I saw everything my brothers and sister could do ruin their lives” VANYA some REALIZATION up in here,,,, admitting that the umbrella academy wasn’t exactly a desirable place to be is actually some real growth for her and leonard just fucking shuts her down? fuck that man
VANYA SEE THE RED FLAGS FOR WHAT THEY ARE COME ON
oh klaus :(  oh luther :(  oh :(
“love his corset side pants, like benedict from violet evergarden” - on the topic of Klaus’s pants
“I made everyone else so I must have made you” says god except for the fact that the kids just... surprise popped up instead of coming about the natural way. maybe god DIDN’T made them????????
oh klaus :(  prepare for disappointment :(
oh i didn’t notice the photos of the umbrella academy in the barbershop the first time i watched this
so klaus gives an age for the mausoleum... thirteen... do you think that was before or after five left? statistically it’s probably after bc it was only a couple of months after they turned thirteen that five vanished
Klaus’s “we were just kids” breaks my heart every time
if i was one of reggie’s kids i would have just not gone to the funeral. rip to the hargreeves kids but i’m different
he doesn’t even call klaus klaus in death, he still calls klaus number four. fuck that man.
“i was gonna say i’d have been very very surprised if they kept him dead” - roommate on klaus waking up
“Five bucks says he set these guys up to try and get something out of her” - the roommate being very perceptive
cha cha is VERY rude to my girl agnes
honestly why DIDN’T hazel just kill cha cha after her whole speech and threats about killing agnes slowly in front of him???? like he literally watched her try to kill him as well
why wasn’t diego arrested in the original day that wasn’t actually?? he was being considered already. he still left the house, albeit with grace instead of allison. why wasn’t he arrested then???????? 
roommate thinks it’s interesting how committed the show is to their old timey shit. she used a nicer words like anachronisms but the point is: w h y
are these episodes even longer than i remember?? holy SHIT
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mymarvelbunch · 4 years
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Be Your Own Hero - Steve Rogers x Reader
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This is my first imagine, so feedback is greatly appreaciated!
Masterlist
Summary: (Y/N) has lost all her family and most friends in The Decimation (I refuse to call it The Blip). Refusing to believe their deaths are permanent, she dedicate years to find a way to reverse it. When she finally finds something that might help, she searches for the Avengers. It’s Steve Rogers x Reader, but there is also a lot of Badass!Reader. Also, Non-American!Reader. If you are American, think of a country you’d have loved to be born into :D
Warnings: for now, only a lot of sadness.
Note: Y/Co = your country. Y/Ci = your city
Steve won’t be featured in this part, only mentioned, and not in any romantic light, since the reader hasn’t met him yet.
Part One
A week after The Decimation
A huge memorial was prepared for every inhabitant of (Y/Ci) who dusted away. It was raining, as if Mother Nature was mourning with them. You stood in the far back, black umbrella open, all by yourself. There weren’t many people to keep you company. The few friends who survived had family members to stay with.
The vice-mayor (who was actually mayor now, since the old one was gone) made a heartfelt speech in honor of the fallen ones, but you barely paid any attention to it. Mentally, and in whispers, you recited the names of all the loved ones you lost: your mother, your father, your two older siblings, your sister-in-law, your only uncle and his wife, your 5-year-old cousin, your 89-year-old grandma who blissfully escaped Alzheimer’s. You had around forty friends, close and not-close, but now only twelve remained, and only two of them could be called close friends. Not to mention your college class, cut down from 48 to nine. You haven’t even counted the college staff.
It was surreal. Mass extinctions have happened before in history, but not like this. This wasn’t natural. The Avengers have called international press to explain what happened, but for most it was hard to understand.
For most. Not for you.
You searched Captain America’s video with the full, most detailed explanation and watched a dozen times, writing everything he said down. Apparently, an alien ingrained with Malthusian mentality used powerful items to wipe out half of the universe, believing that it would delay civilization’s self-destruction due to lack of resources. At one point he slipped the term ‘infinity stones’.
You haven’t had time to search about those ‘stones’ or anything else from the video (like the alien’s name, Thanos), but you fully intended to. Because there was surely a way to bring everyone back. Their deaths were result of magic (or whatever they called it), and magic can be reversed.
You refused to believe your family was lost forever.
You refused to believe that so many lives, families, hopes, dreams and achievements were gone for good.
There had to be a way out. And, while she hoped the Avengers would find a way, you decided to take matters into your own hands too. Everyone was mourning; you had the ‘advantage’ of having no one to comfort, meaning more time in your hands.
The memorial ceremony was over. After most people left (around two hours later), you walked over to where your family’s names were. “Mom, Dad”, you whispered, “I’ll do everything in my power to bring you back. I promise.”
A year later
Your graduation party was small and intimate. Your dusted classmates were properly honored, and, thanks to everyone having got closer in the following year, you all had a good time together. It was, overall, incredibly sweet.
You were now a doctor. Not so long ago, you’d be overjoyed by finally getting your medical degree. You were still happy, but the feeling was overshadowed with grief. You wish your family was there to celebrate with you.
At least your two close friends were there. They even brought their remaining parents to help cheer you up.
But now, you had a task: work to save money to keep your research.
The year had been productive, especially given the mess that was college. Thanks to Black Widow’s leaks from 2014, you progressed rapidly.
The so-called Infinity Stones had a few mentions, notably concerning the Battle of New York in 2012. The ‘Tesseract’, which seemingly fell in that category, had been mentioned in SHIELD files since the 50s; apparently, Captain America himself had come in contact with it in his war time. There is a mention of a Captain Marvel and the Tesseract  in the 1995 files, but all were vague, as if SHIELD itself didn’t know who were dealing it. Probably an alien.
There was a mention of an Aether in 2013, which seemed powerful enough to be an Infinity Stone. The leaked files, obviously, ended in mid-2014, meaning there is nothing on the incident on Sokovia.
News sites and channels mentioned that the AIs created by Tony Stark had been powered by ‘an unknown object that seems to be a remain of the alien invasion of 2012’. There was no description, but there were pictures of Vision that featured a glowing yellow round-shaped thing. There was no way to be sure, but you’d guess it was also an Infinity Stone. Besides, Captain America’s announced that Vision was destroyed by Thanos right before the Decimation. Wouldn’t it be reasonable that the alien did that to steal a Stone?
Of course, you were far from being the only person researching on the Infinity Stones. In fact, so many were doing it that the Avengers (Natasha Romanov this time) had to make a press conference for a few statements:
1. There were no Infinity Stones in their possession.
2. They would not confirm nor deny whether they were ever in possession of a Stone or not.
3. As it was too dangerous, they would also not disclose information on the Stones.
It meant you had to hack into... somewhere to find more information. That held you back, since you didn’t have time to learn hacking abilities and finish college at the same.
Now that you graduated, you had more free time in your hands. You’d work few hours a week, enough to get money to survive. All your family’s inheritance belonged to you, which granted you more than enough money for you self-assigned mission.
Seating down, you opened your computer and started the next step of your research.
Early 2020
Hacking was useful, but not in the way you expected.
There was little new information concerning Thanos and the Infinity Stones. Most things you found were conspiracy theories, most of which were absurd and didn’t match the knowledge you already had.
However, Deep Web proved useful in one thing: you found out about the Mystic Arts and its Masters.
Information was vague and of questionable reliability, but you managed to gather that they possessed knowledge of many things ancient and alien. You also managed to find out their nearest temple’s location: Y/Ci! Ha! There was even an address!
It was near Valentine’s Day, meaning streets were crowded. You decided it was the best moment to search for that temple (which they called Sanctum). The best to hide, in your opinion, was in a big crowd.
Your first place of search was the given address, of course. Its street was crowded as hell, since it was a commercial one, full of shops that were perfect for buying valentine gifts. Good thing you didn’t find a boyfriend; there was no one to distract you from your goal.
(Were you obsessed? Maybe.)
The number on the address belonged to an oriental-styled house, something not really common in Y/Ci. You knocked on the door of the supposed tarot-reading house, hopeful that there was more about that place.
“Good morning, miss”, the woman who opened the door said. “Are you here for tarot reading?”
You took a deep breath and said, in a low voice, the sentence you read as being the password for entering a Sanctum: “Oh, I’d love to know if I was a Titanic victim in my past life.”
(God, it was such a ridiculous phrase. That was probably why they picked it; not even an insane person would willingly say that in a tarot house.)
The woman arched her eyebrows. You bit your lip, waiting for her to call a psychiatric ambulance, but she simply smiled. “Follow me, sister.”
You released your breath.
Next part
------
Hey, everyone! Hope you liked it! Feedback would be greatly appreciated :D
The MCU barely acknowledges the repercussion of Natasha’s leaks in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I imagine most people wouldn’t read all leaked files, but, after the Snap, many would try to find explanations in those leaks. After all, Thanos was an alien, and everyone knew SHIELD was behind the Battle of New York (among other events). I do suspect there would be little information on Captain Marvel (a codename to hide Carol Danvers’ identity), since there is nothing said about her until the after-credits scene in Infinity War, and no one aside from Nick Fury and Maria Rambeau (who is not SHIELD) really knows what happened in 1995.
I’m not sure whether the events of Thor: the Dark World would actually be on a SHIELD file, since I haven’t watched Agents of SHIELD, but I guess the more information the better! However, there is no indication in the movies that SHIELD ever came into contact with the Master of Mystic Arts, which is why the reader doesn’t find anything on them until she goes to the Deep Web to find answers.
Part Two will be set mostly in the Sanctum and focus on what the reader finds there. If you have any suggestion on what you’d like to read in this part, you’re welcome to tell. The reader won’t meet Steve until part 3, but I think she’ll meet one or two Avengers by the end of part two, so stay tuned!
Taglist is open if anyone is interested! See you next time!
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ibijau · 4 years
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I’m Dying and I’m Bored because medications have friend my brain so, uh. I guess, why not post the start of that AU where Huaisang inherit his brother’s Lan fiancé when Mingjue dies in a tragic and unpredictable accident that no one at all could have prevented?
Warning for mentions of sex + for plot reasons, Nie Mingjue’s mother is still around (but not NHS’s mom)
A loud sound came through the door just as Huaisang was about to turn the page, and he sighed before attaching a new talisman to the wood. Did these two really need to be so noisy? Silencing talismans weren't easy to make, and Madam Nie was starting to ask why he always needed so much paper. She suspected he was using it for painting, of all things, as if talisman paper were any good for that. 
His brother had better get a new fan for his efforts. Maybe that pretty one they'd seen last week in Qinghe, if it was still there? Lan Xichen has said he found it pretty, which meant Mingjue wouldn't be able to disapprove of it. Of course he'd rather paint his own but he'd take what he could. 
Footsteps coming this way forced Huaisang to give up on his book for good. It didn't sound like anyone important, but even a servant could look at the silencing talismans, see Huaisang alone at the door when he was supposed to be chaperoning, and understand what was going on. He jumped to his feet and ran toward the danger. Luckily it turned out to be one of the few servants who were well disposed towards him, so it was easy to convince her that he'd been sent for some tea, so could she please being some and not tell anyone he'd left his brother alone with his fiancé? He knew he shouldn't have but he was bored and he'd wanted to stretch his legs, right? 
She ate it up easily, turning around to do his bidding. By the time she returned, the other two should be finished, and no one would suspect a thing.
Huaisang wasn't wrong in his assumptions. When he reached his brother's room, Mingjue had opened the door and was inspecting his talismans with a critical eye. 
"They're too weak," he complained. "You shouldn't have needed this many." 
Huaisang wanted to shrug and point out that his brother, who had tied his robes wrong and was still flushed from exercise, wasn't in any position to criticise anyone. Instead he smiled, thinking of that pretty fan with mountains on them. 
"I'll practice and improve them. Oh, I asked A-Ling for tea, I hope that's fine?" 
Mingjue grunted his approval, tearing down the talismans and crumbling them in his hand. Huaisang followed him inside and sat at the table, pretending not to see Lan Xichen by the bed. He wished they'd taken longer. His book was interesting and he'd rather have continued it than pretend he couldn't smell what these two had been doing. 
He was going to scream if Mingjue didn't get him that fan. 
Or at least, he would privately sulk and feel cheated and not do anything about it, which was as close to screaming as he could get away with. 
"Maybe we should light some incense?" Lan Xichen suggested, finishing to tie his forehead ribbon. 
Unlike Mingjue who couldn't bother tying his damn robes right, Lan Xichen looked as collected and pristine as if he hadn't just been breaking half the rules of his sect. Huaisang grinned to himself. To think just a few years earlier he'd been a student in Gusu, in awe of the untouchable elder Jade… Well, he knew just how touchable the man was by now, so long as the right person attempted it. Made sense, though. Everyone had something they were willing to compromise over. 
"Huaisang, light the incense," his brother ordered. "And go answer the door when the tea arrives." 
Huaisang nodded with a smile, and rose from his seat. It was all for that pretty fan. Although, if Mingjue kept that up, he might try to ask for a second fan. He'd have earned it. 
--
Trying his best to keep a perfect composure, Xichen's eyes followed his fiancé's brother as he lit some incense and placed it by the window, where a small breeze would let its perfume flow through the whole room. Nie Huaisang then remained at that window, wistfully looking outside even though it was raining. 
Xichen never knew what to make of that boy. He was usually dismissed by everyone as harebrained and silly, too interested in frivolities and not enough on his cultivation, but sometimes his eyes would scan the room as if he had measured every person around him and knew exactly their worth. He'd certainly made the best of Xichen and Mingjue's… bending of the rules, if nothing else. Mingjue often complained about needing to buy him all sorts of trinkets to encourage him to keep their secrets. 
"Let's sit," Mingjue suggested, grabbing Xichen's waist and dragging to the table. 
They sat closer than was proper, but Xichen knew protesting on that front would only result in his fiancé pointing out it was too late to worry about that. Propriety had been thrown to the wind back during the Sunshot Campaign and lost for good.
"Have you talked to A-Yao recently?" Xichen asked before he could get distracted by other matters. "He asked about you last I saw him. He's very worried about… That thing." 
They both glanced at Nie Huaisang, still standing at the window and looking utterly uninterested by their conversation. 
"I regret telling him," Mingjue grumbled. "It's none of his business."
"He's your friend, and he cares. He's started learning the guqin you know and I was thinking…" 
"Are you the one teaching him?" Mingjue cut him. "Bet he must like that." 
Xichen smiled, amused by that jealousy when they both knew Jin Guangyao was very happily married, and the two of them would be too before a year. He was about to tease his fiancé about that, but a knock on the door prevented it. 
They watched as Nie Huaisang went to the door, taking a tray from a servant and bringing it to the table before serving the tea. His gestures were measured and elegant, careful in a way that felt somewhat wrong in the Unclean Realm where strength and emotion ruled. Nie Huaisang might have fit better in Carp Tower or Cloud Recesses… Or he might not, since the main complaints Xichen heard against him were his lack of ambition and of control. 
"You can sit with us," Mingjue offered, making it sound like a great demonstration of generosity. 
"I'd rather not," his brother quickly retorted, annoyance flashing on his face for a moment before his usual placid smile returned. "I'm sure you have important things to discuss with Zewu-Jun, I don't want to disturb! I'll just stay over there, call me if you need something." 
Mingjue didn't insist, and his brother returned to the window where he stood as still as one of his paintings. 
"I think you should give A-Yao another chance," Lan Xichen said, taking the glass Nie Huaisang had prepared for him. The tea was stronger than he preferred, but not unpleasant. "I know there is bad blood between you two, but he really wants to make things right. He's learning Cleansing so he can play it for you. It is not an easy melody, but he is working very hard on it." 
"I've got you for that, don't I ?" Mingjue retorted with that smirk that always made Xichen knees a little weak. "That bastard can go play for someone else." 
Xichen frowned. It was upsetting that two of his favourite people, once so close, has dug such a deep rift between them. There had been faults on both sides, but only Jin Guangyao was putting in the effort to mend the damages done to their friendship. 
"It would mean a lot to me if you let him have that chance, Mingjue. Please, consider it at least. He worries about you and so do I. You know…" 
"Yes, I know," Mingjue cut him with a glance toward his brother. "Fine, I'll think of it." 
While he smiled at the news, Xichen couldn't help looking at the boy still gazing through the window. He found it rather funny that Mingjue would easily let his brother know of and help with their intimate mischief, yet treated him as a child when it came to their family's history of Qi deviation. Perhaps he thought it did not concern him. In spite of Mingjue's efforts, Nie Huaisang was notoriously pitiful with a saber, and with cultivation in general. 
"Enough about that snake," Mingjue grunted. "How's your brother?" 
"He's doing better lately," Xichen answered with a wider smile, before giving details of Wangji's progress and how he was hoping his brother would be well enough to attend their wedding. 
From this, the conversation soon went to that wedding, and to what their life would be like after. They had waited long for it, the time never quite right because of the war, because of unrest, because of Wangji's illness, but it was finally about to become real and Xichen couldn't have been happier.
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