#but we live in a small town and it would have probably ruined your chances at getting good education
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Personal rant thing below, advice welcome
Okay so a little bit about me, I am pretty certain I am on the autism spectrum (this will surprise very few people). I get self conscious bcuz I now that self diagnosing is not ideal, but I honestly have no idea of seeking a diagnosis would be beneficial to me at all and I know that there are still a lot of stigmas as well as tangible discriminatory practices that could accompany a diagnosis.
I could use some understanding (I think everyone could) but I don’t think that I need any accommodation. Most of my issues are social, with some overstimulation stuff, but I am an adult and there is very little in my life that I don’t have the option of just leaving if that gets bad. I can’t think of a benefit of a diagnosis aside from personal validation and perhaps a better explanation for why I can’t control my tone well or read the tone of others well. I think a lot of people assume without the explanation tbh.
I think I want the ability to say it, to name my experiences, and kind of earn my spot in a community that I already fall into, but it’s also something that could harm me, and for what? To stop people on the internet from giving me side eye??
#it’s also expensive#and i have some medical hang ups that make asking about it torture#my mom was recently like “yeah I was pretty sure#but we live in a small town and it would have probably ruined your chances at getting good education#so she took a hard my child is perfectly normal and if anyone suggests otherwise that’s awful#which also ducked me up a little#but i appreciate the thought#but that’s giving me a bit of an internal crisis#because it is reframing this from a conspiracy theory my friends and I have about me#to something that people have always been aware of
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We You were staying in Paris
To get away from your parents
And I thought, "Wow
If I could take this in a shot right now
I don't think that we could work this out"
Out on the terrace
I don't know if it's fair, but I thought
"How could I let you fall by yourself
While I'm wasted with someone else?"
If we go down, then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down, then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better
We You were staying in Paris
To get away from your parents
You look so proud
Standing there with a frown and a cigarette
Posting pictures of yourself on the internet
Out on the terrace
We You breathe in the air of this small town
On our own, cutting class for the thrill of it
Getting drunk on the past, we were livin' in
If we go down, then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down, then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better
***
@karatecaulfield pspspsps
Hiiiiii it's me, I'm posting again! ^^; I couldn't help but want to pregame a bit for the August CK femslash event, and I legit just have a bunch of YasMoon moodboards lying around that I haven't had the chance to post yet ^^; I've been meaning to submit this bad boy all summer, since I wanted to do it during the actual S2 period where Yasmine was feasibly still in Paris. Pretty sure she was all the way through July, so...it still works, I think?
This goes with this and this, btw! I always wanted so badly to know what happened between Yas and Moon in S2, and how they ended up making up by the beginning of S3. Like!!! They were on horrible terms when they last interacted in 1x09!!! What happened to make them decide to mend fences!!!
(Well I mean obviously they were gay for each other, yes, but I want to know the specifics of it aksjduifhukb)
I really get so much mileage out of the "Yasmine has the same bikini" scene that it's borderline disgraceful. It's just so wild to me that Moon stalking Yasmine's instragram is the only proof whatsoever we have of Yasmine's existence during S2. Like if you started watching the show at S2, literally your only impression of Yas would be "hot blonde girl who has the same bikini as Hawk's girlfriend (sus) and whose chest we see Hawk's girlfriend ZOOMING IN ON (even more sus)." All you would know of this character is "girl no one else likes but who Moon is simping for." Like excuse me!!!
And from Yasmine's side, it's super gay, too??? Like the fact that she's wearing the same bikini as Moon for a public internet photo doesn't feel like an accident--especially since someone as hyperfemme and rich as Yasmine probably has like. A detailed outfit calendar that doesn't leave any room for slip-ups. So I'd guess it's either out of spite ("hey bitch remember how you sided with the losers and freaks over me??? Now I'm wearing your look better than you") or as a way to guilt-trip Moon ("remember when we got those adorable matching best friend swimsuits??? but then you stabbed me in the back and ruined our friendship and now we're not besties anymore :( But I can still remind you of when we were so you feel bad about it!"). Either way, I definitely think Yasmine wanted Moon to see that photo. Like this is some lesbian mind game shit I'm sorry aksjndhkuygbhy
Even just from this one little bit, it seems to me like Yasmine and Moon just...can't really let each other go, even after they've severed ties and are (presumably) no longer in each other's lives. Moon is creeping around on Yasmine's socials, while Yasmine is most likely intentionally wearing a swimsuit Moon also has to get a rise out of her. (Something something another one to the add to the list of Elimetri parallels lol) Would guess Moon has some lingering guilt about not defending Yasmine after the wedgie situation (like she was horrified--she's the only person not laughing!), while Yasmine has lingering feelings of resentment/betrayal that Moon chose Hawk and co. over her.
Betting they stalked each other's social media all summer long. Like Moon was constantly making fun of Yasmine's fashion choices and trying to convince everyone (and herself) she was So Totally Better Off Without Her and Totally Doesn't Miss Her Or Anything but like...girl. If you roasting Yasmine about having the same bikini as you involves you zooming in on her boobs just to make sure, then idk what to tell you???? (No but I will seriously never be over that O_____O)
And as for Yasmine...we don't have as much to go off of irt what she was doing in France, but The Bathing Suit Incident and her crawling back to Moon literally as soon as school started indicates that she like. Definitely wasn't as done with her "backstabbing" bestie as she told herself she was. I'd bet money she spent that whole summer being jealous as fuck of Eli. Just prowling through his and Moon's insta pictures together like "this stupid blue-haired douchebag, what's he got that I don't??? >:( Fucking karate??? Tattoos??? Lame >:( How dare he steal my secret girlfriend >:( How dare he show her off like arm candy >:( Even though I wouldn't have the guts to openly date her anyways >:( I bet he can't even eat a girl out and smell like roses doing it >:( Can I kill him a little bit >:(" Like I'll bet the girl was fucking SEETHING and I love that for her. (And then he wrecks her science group project because he was mad jelly Demetri was talking to her??? It's a wonder they ever became friends XD) Like I love the idea of Yasmine interacting with this dude all of once and then just hating the shit out of him immediately for stealing her girl, and Eli just??? Has no idea??? Like Yasmine Nolastname is sending enough hatred overseas to boil the ocean into nothing and Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz is none the wiser, busy performing heterosexuality with the girl he has all of zilch in common with and frantically hiding his gay little crush on Demetri XD One-sided rivalry for the ages, AND IF NO ONE WILL WRITE ABOUT IT I WILL
Actually no it's not one-sided it's just that Yasmine thinks they're fighting over Moon and Hawk thinks they're fighting over Demetri aksjdhukghfduy
It's fr like that one Endgame meme tho, because Hawk lowkey forgets who Yasmine is during S2 XD
Yasmine: You took EVERYTHING from me!!!
Hawk: I don't even know who you are...
ANYWAYS "Paris" by the Chainsmokers is about Moon lowkey pining for Yasmine while she's in France and reminiscing on all the good times they had while they were still best friends and kind of regretting not being in Yas's corner when she needed her. It's true, Moon told me herself! Sorry, I don't make the rules :3
(Btw Moon's Gay Yearning gives me life and I will die on the hill that this Gay Yearning is 1000% mutual and Yasmine is just dumb and super repressed akasdjhliuhfk)
Kinda on the fence about if I HC Yasmine as a cigarette smoker or not. Part of me thinks she'd do it to look "cool" and "edgy" and "counterculture" without...really having to do much else in that department XD But the other part of me thinks she'd violently reject anything that might make her smell questionable, and would just embrace the "cool girl" aesthetics of the whole thing. Like Augustus Waters-style put-a-cigarette-in-your-mouth-but-never-light-it type bullshit XD That seems more her Vibe, since I feel like homegirl would haaaaate the taste of cigs.
Anyways y'all better get ready because this femslash event is gonna get me INSANE about these two >:3 Like I'm gonna probably get super ambitious and start more one-shots than I can feasibly finish and get stressed but best believe I will enjoy EVERY MINUTE of it
As always, pic credits available upon request!
#yasmoon#yasmine x moon#moon x yasmine#aesthetic#moodboard#yasmine cobra kai#moon cobra kai#cobra kai#cobra kai season 1#cobra kai season 2#femslash#lesbian#wlw
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February TBR--
February is going to be the month I TRY to force myself to stick to my reading goals. I failed spectacularly in January by reading 8 more books than I had on my TBR. God, this is so the opposite of a problem. But I will say that January had me reading such small books that reading never felt like a chore. So, trying to stay in that mindset, I’m also going to be reading some shorter stuff in February.
1. Make a Wish by Helena Hunting (Spark House #3)-- I’m so excited to get to the finale of this companion series. The Spark House series follows three sisters who run an event hotel in Colorado Springs. This time it’s the youngest sister’s turn at love. We follow Harley and the guy she used to nanny for when he and his daughter move back to town after 6 years away. Can they navigate this romance with so much baggage weighing them down?
2. The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris (The Magic Misfits #1)-- I got this at a library sale...last year? The year before? At some point. It ended up being 50 cents or something like that so I thought I would take a chance on it. This one is the first book in a Middle Grade series that follows a street magician named Carter who has to save the town of Mineral Wells from the clutches of Bosso and his crew of crooked carnies.
3. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith-- This is another book from the library sale. It was also super cheap so I decided to give it a shot. It’s a 2012 YA Romance so we’re going to tread lightly here and keep our expectations low. It seems like this one is set over a 24 hour period and both at an airport and in an airplane so that will be fun to watch play out.
4. The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons (A Chorus of Dragons #1)-- Okay, so maybe this isn’t a shorter book, but I’ve heard too much hype. I have to read it. We follow Kihrin who is a bastard orphan who grew up loving stories about dragons, demons, gods, and heroes who always save the day. But when he’s claimed by a treasonous prince as his long-lost son, he learns the stories aren’t all true. He lives as a prisoner to his new family’s power plays and ambitions. But let me give you my FAVORITE part of the synopsis: “Then again, maybe he’s not the hero, for Kihrin is not destined to save the empire. He’s destined to destroy it.” Let’s GOOOOOO. I’m trying not to give into the hype, but...come on. Come on.
5. Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien De Castell (Greatcoats #1)-- With this one, I’m continuing my 40 Books Before 40 TBR as well as my Kindle Clean Out Project. I didn’t know a ton about this one before I put it on the TBR. I got the recommendation from Jade/JadeyRaeReads on YouTube. This is an Adult Fantasy novel that follows the Greatcoats who were trained in the fighting arts and travel to uphold the King’s Law. Or at least they used to. Until they stood aside while the Dukes took the Kingdom and impaled their King’s head on a spike. The Greatcoats are scattered far and wide, reviled as traitors, their legendary coats in tatters. All they have left are the promises they made to King Paelis, to carry out one final mission.
6. Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu (Stars and Smoke #1)-- I have to say that I am SO lucky to have an ARC of this one. I really didn’t expect to get it when I put in the request on NetGalley. I’m trying to decide if I read it as soon as possible or if I wait and savor it at the end of the month. I’m going to keep the synopsis SO BRIEF to go into this knowing as little as I can. This one follows a superstar who has been tapped to become a secret agent and the reluctant young spy assigned to be his partner. I’m literally squealing over here. Shut your whole face. I don’t know exact what genre this story is going to lean into since GoodReads has it marked as a YA Romance/Contemporary/Mystery/Fantasy, but I’m here for it.
7. Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia-- Another NetGalley ARC for this month. I’m also excited to get to this one. It’s slated as a suspenseful and inventive murder-mystery inspired by lesser-known Grimm fairytales. As someone who has read the whole of the Brother’s Grimm’s fairytales, I’m beyond psyched for this one. I’ll give you the brief synopsis from the top of the Goodreads page for this book: “The People of Greyfair Known that the woods are a dangerous and magical place, and that they should never set foot off the road. But when a young tailor discovers a body on the road, her search for the culprit reveals even more strange and dark happenings around her town.” Is this the right time of year for this sort of book? Depends on who you ask. Me? I’m always down for something good and dark.
#February tbr#monthly tbr#tbr#to be read pile#reading plans#books to be read#make a wish#helena hunting#the magic misfits#neil patrick harris#the statistical probability of love at first sight#Jennifer E. Smith#The Ruin of Kings#Jenn Lyons#traitor's blade#Sebastien de castell#stars and smoke#marie lu#greymist fair#Francesca zappia
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chapter 12
Godzilla Lennium 1998
A new friend and a Battle with an alien bug
It has only been a day as a small snow flurry covered the ground on the grass that was once lively to the trees that once had leaves a forest green. Now bundled up in their jackets Hiroshi, Miyoko and Jake are on the search for whatever now remains of Royal Town which may contain clues to the whereabouts of Jake's father. As Jake and his friends walked around the ruined area they find themselves surrounded by smoldering remains of mangled metal from military equipment from tanks and fighter jets. While a few mazers possibly survived the brawl with the powerful monster there was likely no chance of them being able to return to crystal city.
Hiroshi sighed, "I don't think he came here, so many soldiers could barely survive this it looks like a nuclear bomb went off. A town of 3,000 gone but there may be survivors we just need to keep searching" he said finding a picture of a soldier holding his dog saluting for the camera.
"Why must they do this, don't these living things have any mercy towards humanity?" asked Miyoko as she begun to cry.
Jake felt a tear drip to his chin, "I'm afraid not all monsters are like Godzilla and who knows if that kaiju will return" he replied eventually he spots a tank with a slightly burnt flag and realizes it is his fathers tank, "Oh gosh, it's dad's tank, he's really here, oh please be okay father" he continued running towards it.
"Don't run Jake, you'll trip than we'll have to pick you up" grumbled Hiroshi.
Jake opens the latch to find a wounded General Max and begun trying to wake his dad up, his fathers eyelids opened and his blue eyes stared in to his sons and Jake than hugged his father happily finding him alive and with barely a scratch.
"Thanks for coming to my rescue but I seem to have injured my leg, my squadron were told to seek shelter luckily at a nearby base camp which probably still exist. My radio was busted along with my phone so I'll have to get a new one of those, gahah my leg!" he groaned causing Jake to go from happy to sad.
Jake than heads to tell Miyoko and Hiroshi that his dad is alright but needs help as his leg got injured and doesn't want to move. The group of three than headed towards a base camp in the wilderness.
"I just saw another monster is it a friend or foe?" asked Soldier Kenny.
"It had the spines just like the previous Godzilla that was defeated, maybe there are more zilla monsters out there but this one doesn't seem so terrible like the one twenty years ago after testing nuclear weapons on an island to the coast" responded Soldier Gerard.
Soldier Brittany nodded, "It would seem that after all these years we have been battling some harsh beast, I wouldn't be surprised if that one that damaged our arsenal shows up to finish the job. We can hardly get a break and our General seems to have been defeated. All we can hope for is a miracle I suppose" she stated as they have lunch.
Jake and his friends arrive at the base camp and meets Colonel Red and told him that General Max is safe but injured, he stutters than eventually calls for a search and rescue team until he starts talking about a teenager who saw cave paintings with a giant gorilla and a young woman holding it's hand while the right hand held a bunch of flowers.
"What does this have to do with my father?" asked Jake.
Colonel Red smirked, "I've been keeping tabs on your Godzilla and how it seems to avoid causing destruction to cities and towns, it must be your doing. Anyways we believe King Kong may be great friends with him" he replied.
"Have you been spying on us?" asked Miyoko with a growl.
Colonel Red chuckled, "Not at all just making sure human civilization is safe from monsters, that's our job. Many other military are celebrated around the world for also keeping humanity safe, we will get your father but for now I suggest you head west of this town to see king kong and lead him to Godzilla it might even make the monster that attacked this town come out of hiding" he responded.
In the evening General Max was brought inside the base camp as searchlights became lit to keep lookout, a few tanks were fully stocked ready for the night shift to stand guard over the General. Jake would often visit his dad during the night along with Miyoko and Hiroshi.
"Well never thought I would see the day where you would find me in a hospital bed, huh son?" asked General Max with a slight laugh in his tone.
Jake wiped a tear from his eyes, "Tomorrow my friends and I are going to find this King Kong and hopefully he will join Godzilla and defeat this monster" he replied.
"Very well, I'll tell Leona to swing by and meet the three of you, it is only a matter of time if and when it does decide to return" said General Max giving a salute to Jake. Jake salutes his father than exits the room with hopes that he gets better soon.
The next day another snow flurry starts as Jake and his friends puts on their coats Jake receives a call from his mom who is worried. Jake assures her that everything is fine and that he will be in great shape in no time. Sally in Liberation Town turns to the window and ponders what to get Jake for the gift giving holiday and tells him to check in a hotel at the next city he visits.
Hiroshi greets him sticking his tongue out to catch a few falling snowflakes from above, "What tasty treats" he said as they melt mixing with his saliva.
"You like the cooler weather, I was adjusted to the summer weather before we came here" stated Miyoko following Jake who had the map.
Jake heard the snow crunching under his boots and looked up from the map, "It's got to be somewhere around here right?" he asked. Eventually Jake and his friends soon find it being found by Leona.
"Hey, glad you could make it, shall we wake up Kong now? asked Leona, the group nodded.
Leona leads the group to see Kong who was awake waving a huge tree around making ape noises.
Hiroshi smirked, "So this is the tremendous and powerful Kong, it seems so infantile" he stated.
"How dare you mock the great King Kong, he must help battle alongside with Godzilla. Will your monster be here soon?" asked Leona.
Jake nodded, "He should be arriving soon now" he replied.
The group than heard the stomps from Godzilla approaching and the two monsters eventually meet.
"So are you the one named King Kong?" asked Godzilla.
King Kong than beat his chest, "Harump, harump, hoo ha ha ha" he responded.
"I guess that is a yes, I don't speak monkey I hope I didn't offend you, but you wouldn't happen to know where the monster that destroyed this town is do you?" asked Godzilla.
King Kong nodded, "harump, harump, eeheeah!" he eplied pointing to a large hole in the ground only to feel an eerie presence as if he was being watched. From behind the trees leaped out Megalon.
King Kong growls standing alongside Godzilla as he decides to attack the bug monster with an Earth slam rush attack causing the creature to soar across the jungle with a slam from King Kong into the ground with a double fist causing gravel and grass to fly leaving a gash in the ground. Megalon came back out of the hole and formed a drill bit with his two arms to use a power drill attack against King Kong which only sent the tremendous ape backwards causing destruction to the trees below.
Jake and his friends watched as King Kong battled and seemed to be winning until Megalon launched a Lunar Bolt causing an orange glow from his horn eventually striking King Kong who eventually tags Godzilla in for the match. Godzilla gets on the defensive as Megalon uses a megaton melee attack on Godzilla placing him in a crater of his own.
"If all you like doing is using us to make holes in the ground, you are sadly mistaken" Godzilla got up and used a two finger slash attack causing Megalon to be launched in to a rocky hillside sending boulders over a cliffs edge. Megalon got up and became infuriated and launched a bug grenade blitz attack from his mouth causing several explosions around Godzilla.
After a while Godzilla and King Kong seemed tired and military tanks loaded with maser weapons took over as they locked on the target.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, FIRE!" Shouted the leading Commander yellow sparks were seen flying at various places on Megalon's body causing the monster to topple over. The insect creature than begun to dig underground only leaving King Kong and Godzilla puzzled as to where it will show up. King Kong used his delicate hearing and heard the sound of movement below the surface and decided to leap to the air than his feet lands on the ground only to become sucked in from the tunnel that Megalon had just dug.
"It looks like everything is going well, Oho" said Hiroshi with his arms folded.
"It's still early though, do you really think King Kong and Godzilla may actually have a chance what if another monster arrives?" asked Miyoko.
Colonel Red walks up between Hiroshi and Miyoko, "Nah, this is the one monster that has been bugging us, and wrecked a town full of kind hearted people, it's bizarre really. The monster islands is where Rodan, Mothra, Baragon, Anguirus,Gabara, King Kong, King Ghidorah and well that is all I know for now. All I can say is that some of them may be around the world and I'm certain King Kong and Godzilla may team up in the distant future involving well, shall I say confidential" he responded.
"Aww come on Godzilla, I'm sure you both can handle this" said Jake cheering them both on.
Godzilla's spines turn blue followed with a powerful ball of energy from his mouth, once King Kong lands his attack the ape than quickly escapes and Godzilla than unleashes an atomic beam. Megalon tries to get up but is unable and is struck by the attack causing the area to shake.
Megalon eventually becomes daze and confused and eventually tries to attack but falls in the process.
Jake, Hirsohi, and Miyoko than return to the base camp to find General Max still in recovery but his leg seems to be healing with the help of Colonel Red.
"Sir, Godzilla and King Kong managed to put the bug down for a while, how is your leg?" asked Commander Charles.
General Max laughed, "It's been better" he replied hugging Jake.
"Dad I want you to know how much mom and I need you, please don't do anything completely reckless okay, we would really miss you" said Jake letting a few tears fall to the floor.
General Max sighed, "Yeah, I know but hey, be strong okay. I'll get out of this cast in no time and be on the front lines dealing with any monster that threatens humanity, that is why I signed up after all. I'd hate to keep you from your adventures but I would advise you spend the night here. I'd hate for you and your friends to catch cold it's going to be ten degrees below tonight" he stated.
"Where will you be sleeping than?" asked Hiroshi.
General Max placed his hands behind his head, "I have a medical transporter loaded with heat, television, and the best cooler with all my favorite refreshments. Like I said, please stay the night here until morning" he said.
"Glad you're doing well, Jake speaks highly of you and my father was always busy too, just don't over do it, sir" stated Miyoko.
General Max talks with Jake's friends as the moon lights the sky above.
in the wilderness Gabara finds Megalon and drags him by the tail and heads towards the ocean.
"We need to get you back to the islands, King Ghidorah is getting very cranky" he stated as he drags the monster through the ocean.
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The Shinobi Rules
Silirt
Chapter 17: Bubbles
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Awa no Mura, the traditional name for the village of bubbles, was the perfect place for Kirigakure to foment rebellion against Konoha. With the ruin of the land of whirlpools in sight, it would be easy enough to convince the loyalists there that the leaves could not protect them. They also had long-running family ties to Yu, which might be an ally, but would not be protected first, not before the hidden village. Obito understood all of that perfectly fine, but he was having a hard time wrapping his head around their mission, even as he was being deployed on it.
“I don’t get it,” he said for what felt like the thousandth time. “Why would they betray us?”
“I can only speculate,” Kakashi said. “We’ll find out when we get there.”
His teammates were being patient with him again, which annoyed him a little. He was probably the most outspoken on the team, and quite possibly the most outspoken out of any young shinobi, when he looked at the other kids who had been in the academy with them, but that did not mean people had to treat him like an opinion box. It was worth considering, though, the chance that his teammate was right, and it was better to save his questions for when the answers could be easily determined.
They arrived in the village about two days after they left, which was travelling hard for them. Though there were not that many natural barriers, they were out of chakra quickly and had to sleep to recover, and when they were going into a potentially dangerous setting, it was a good idea not to run themselves out completely. The village was mostly made of bamboo, with some newer wooden houses here and there.
“Are you three the shinobi we requested?” an old man asked.
“Yes,” Kakashi said, bowing slightly. “We are quite capable.”
“I see. Well, I was promised a full refund if I find even one rebellious element alive at the end of this. I expect you three to do your duty thoroughly, and efficiently. There will be no consideration of the fact that you seem to be substantially younger than I expected.”
“Fine,” Obito said. “When did you learn that there were agents of Kiri here?”
“It’s better to talk about this inside. We never know where they are.”
Following the village leader, they came into a small building of bamboo, though it was larger than the houses of the rest of the village. They had assumed the old man was their contact, and his sense of caution more or less confirmed it. The walls were marked with countless seals.
“How did you make all these?”
“There was an old Uzumaki who wandered here. I didn’t have anything against him, but he was always going to wander out the way he came in. While I was letting him stay here, he put seals on my walls and said the place would be more secure.”
Kakashi said nothing and took out a small book, writing things down. No one paid him any mind, not when Rin was looking around the room as if expecting to find something specific.
“Can I help you, young lady?”
“Oh, sorry, don’t worry about me. There are just so many symbols- I get interested in these kinds of things.”
“Anyway, sir, do you have an estimate on how many of your citizens are working for Kiri?”
“They’re not my citizens; it's a community older than I am and I don’t have as much authority as you might think. There are twenty people who live in town and about thirty who live in the surrounding area; cleared land for farms and some of them do their best to live off the land. They only come here if they need something and the rest of the time it’s not worth the trip.”
“That’s how it is where we’re from,” Obito said, deciding he was not giving away privileged information. “It sounds like a much smaller town, though.” It was almost, he would decide, like how the Uchiha had formed their own insular community, only this one was less than deliberate.
“Did you see anyone from Kiri here?”
“There was a letter. It was not meant for other eyes; I know that much. It was a request for specific information. That means they’re moving ahead with something; they can’t wait for the next dossier.”
He nodded, familiar with how spying worked, but not sure how the village leader had picked it up. It was clear enough he was not a ninja himself, but perhaps that old Uzumaki friend of his had told him something. Obito remembered that Minato’s girlfriend Kushina was from the land of whirlpools, but he did not know much else about her.
“Do you know anything else that might help us?”
“Yes. There was a code. It’s in an abandoned building; I’ll let you look at it yourselves. I don’t mind if you sleep there, but most of the locals wouldn’t touch the place because of the ghosts.”
“Thank you,” Kakashi said, closing his book. “We’ll make sure not to disturb anything that does not need to be disturbed.”
“Konohagakure has a reputation for discretion, and if they sent you on this mission, then they trust you to maintain it. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that, though.”
“Reminders are appreciated.”
They left without going over when they would get paid and how; they could feed themselves if they had to, but because of the timing of the mission, and because it would tie them up for three years, the reward would have to be pretty substantial. Rin sighed a little.
“What?” he asked as they walked to the abandoned building. There was really nothing to see on the way there, just a hot springs that was apparently managed by two older ladies.
“I just can’t believe that we’ll be here for so long. I can’t face anyone in the village, so maybe it’s better that we’re away, but... I’ll be nine or ten when we come back.”
“You won’t change much,” Kakashi said. “After those concentration exercises we did back at the academy, it’s really more like we’re that old already.”
Obito only gave him a sidelong glance. People from outside the hidden ninja villages would still have no ability to believe they were so young; the old man they just met probably thought they were just small, or teenagers disguising themselves as kids.
When they arrived at the old bamboo house, it seemed like some old person was using it until he or she croaked, leaving no heirs, and then it fell to the village elder to go through the place, and that was how the letter turned up. Most likely, the older resident had been working for Kiri for a while, and fell to some unexpected cause like a heart attack. Without the body, it could not be determined.
“What if it’s just the one guy?” he asked.
“They wouldn’t trust a single local contact like that,” Kakashi said. “Especially not if they knew how old he was- no, they had backups; it’s better than coming back here to install someone else to replace him.”
“He wouldn’t have left anything lying around,” Obito said, looking at a small furnace that had been moved recently, going by the marks on the floor. There was a square in the soot that had not been touched and he inferred that the letter must have been hidden back there. “The letter wouldn’t have mentioned any other contacts.”
“I think I found the code,” Rin said, pointing up at the ceiling. There was a picture of a well, a picture of a mountain, and a circle with a square cut out of it, which might have been an old coin. He tried sounding out the words, but they made no more sense like that, backwards or forwards.
“Good. Did you notice we seem to be running into a fair few old people?” Kakashi asked. Obito could only shrug at that.
“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe it's just this part of town. We’ll see more of it as we explore more.”
“Actually, I was wondering about that,” Rin said. “We haven’t looked in the surrounding area yet, but even when we just arrived at the town, it seemed like everyone there was over fifty.”
“That’s weird,” he said. “I don’t even know what to say about that.”
“It could be a dying community,” Kakashi speculated. “For some reason or another, they haven’t been having kids, and everyone just aged.”
“That’s terrible. Why wouldn’t they want to have kids?”
“I don’t know,” Obito said. “We’ll find out.” He thought for a moment. The Uchiha had taken measures to ensure that their population would grow, while maintaining the bloodline. There was one family that had expressed concerns about having more kids, apparently because they did not know that there would be missions available, and the clan leaders ensured them that there would be space in the lower ranks. “It could be money, though. If they don’t have jobs here, then...”
“Then there’s no one looking for new workers,” his teammate finished. “The jobs you could get in this village already would not be high-paying; people do almost everything themselves; they cook for themselves; they build their own houses; they even fight criminals themselves rather than calling someone else to take care of it, in this kind of village.”
“Why?” Rin asked. “Wouldn’t people be... not so good at certain things? Wouldn’t they be better at other things?”
“It’s an equilibrium,” Kakashi explained. “It’s a situation that’s hard to overcome. If everyone makes something, it’s hard to sell that thing to them. It’s hard to drop everything else you’re supposed to be doing, invest all your time into one thing, and then see if you can sell it to a bunch of jacks of all trades.” He was looking out the window, but there was nothing they could see from there. They were in the middle of a bamboo forest, after all.
“How does it ever change?” Obito asked. “Do they just trade with someone else?”
“Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes they just get conquered by another entity. I don’t know; maybe someone eventually sets off the balance like a new thing coming out and one person bringing it back. It doesn’t matter. Even in the middle of the village, job opportunities would always be pretty thin.”
“It wouldn’t matter as long as they could take care of themselves, though,” Rin said. “They could just grow things in a garden and eat it all themselves. They could hunt for their food.”
“That’s what a lot of people do. It just means they’ll probably never get beyond that.”
Rather than explaining further, if he knew anything else, and Obito of the present was not convinced he did, he set about making the place habitable. The former inhabitant had not died that long ago, but it needed to be cleaned or they would get sick, and that was going to be annoying. Speaking for himself, he intended to spend every spare minute training and working on improving his knowledge and skills.
“Who are you?” someone asked. They were somewhat surprised to find a younger man than before, along with his wife and their kids, who were both basically grown. “Are you shinobi?”
“We’re on assignment. Can’t give out any details. Did you know this man?”
“No, not really,” the wife said. “We just knew the house was abandoned, and, well, we had not heard of anyone else claiming it. We thought it would be a good place for one of our sons.”
“I suppose it makes sense to reuse rather than just letting this place go to waste,” Kakashi said. “Unfortunately, we’re here for a while. I can’t say how long. Why wait so long to move in?”
The husband and wife looked at each other.
“You might not be that superstitious, but, well, it felt weird moving into a house right after someone died in it. We don’t hold anything against you for getting here first. It just means that we have to spend some more time building somewhere else, and, who knows, maybe we can convince our sons to stay close.”
“Are your families all really close?” Rin asked. “The old man, then, would have been isolated?”
“I barely remembered his name,” the man said. “When you live out in the bamboo with your family, that’s pretty much it. The boys used to run over to see their friends, when they were overflowing with energy, but they went to a clearing somewhere, not their houses. I don’t know of anyone who knew the old man personally.”
“Did he not have a family?” Obito asked.
“It’s like that sometimes. If you can’t find someone to settle down with you, then things will be hard for you when you’re old. I don’t know what happened, though. I suppose he could have had a family who left, or he left them. For the most part, though, people don’t have that luxury.”
He had never thought about it like that before. If he really made it as a shinobi, then he could earn quite a sum of money, and retirement would be a breeze if he lived that long, and wanted to retire rather than working in a leadership position in the village. It had always seemed to him that congregating and working together was effectively the only way to live; even the farmers around Konohagakure went into the city sometimes. They were not absolute hermits.
“We think the man might have been murdered,” Kakashi lied. “Certain circumstances are just like a string of murders across the country. We don’t know who’s doing it; we’re here to gather evidence and see if he strikes again.”
“We don’t know anyone who might have killed him, if that’s what you want to know,” one of the sons said. “He interacted with this twisted old crone in the north, sometimes, but that was it.”
“Don’t call her that.”
“What’s her name?”
“I don’t remember, but you don’t have to call her a twisted old crone. Come on, I don’t think we can help the ninja with anything; that’s quite enough excitement for one day.” They left, casting glances over their shoulders all the way out.
“How could he live by just talking to one person?” Rin asked. “He had to have been trading the Kiri money for food, if we’re right about what’s been happening here.”
“They would have omitted anything they would see as obvious,” Kakashi said. “I’m betting there’s someone who would sell leftover crops around here, even if everyone makes their own food. If you can grow more than you need, at a low enough cost to yourself, and there’s someone who would buy the excess, even if it’s only because they grow something else...” he trailed off, suddenly becoming interested in a burn mark on the floor.
“The twisted old crone is someone who lives far away. Is it safe to say she has something to do with this?” Obito asked.
“No, but it’s worth checking. If we’re here for long enough, pretty much anything is. We’re taking the time to do this properly. If we don’t find out who the other conspirators are, we can just kill everyone in the village on the last day we have. I doubt this place makes much of a difference to the rest of the country.”
“We’re not killing everyone here,” he said, more annoyed than inflamed with moral outrage. After a little over a year of being teammates, he had grown used to the idea that the now-Chunin obeyed the Shinobi Rules at the expense of obeying any other rule set, but he supposed that was how it always worked. Following any given list of rules, unless exceptionally permissive or easily reinterpreted, precluded him from following any other list of rules. Being good in his own book made him bad in anyone else’s.
“We’ll see about that,” Kakashi said. “I should warn you, though, you might not like the answer.” He looked around. “Why do you think we need so long to get this mission done?”
“Well, it might be hard to know when we’re done,” Rin said. “We don’t know how many people are disloyal and unless we investigate them all, we won’t know when we’ve got them all.”
“It’s to make us take care with it. The only way we complete the mission is to take care and work diligently,” Obito said, only just realizing it himself. “There isn’t a fast way of doing it. There aren’t any shortcuts. It’s also important.”
“It’s paramount,” his teammate added. “It’s absolutely critical that we get this done properly, or we could have a huge disadvantage in a war against the Mizukage. We don’t even want war with Kiri, not when it already looks like we’re going to have one against Iwa.”
The mood of the room darkened as they looked back and forth.
“Even if they don’t have chakra control training, no normal spies could do this,” Rin said to herself quietly. “Somehow, there are shinobi involved. That’s why the village leader didn’t get in touch with the Fire Daimyo. If the spies here have a contact from the Mist-”
“Then we’ll have to kill them without getting caught. If the enemy realizes why we’re here, they’ll pull their men out and probably just deposit them in other villages in Konoha. They already know some of the customs and culture, so it wouldn’t be hard to mix in elsewhere.”
“That’s why you came up with a pretext,” Obito said.
“It was the first thing that came to mind. In such a small village, I didn’t expect to run into the inhabitants so early, but now we have to stick to that story. You’re in charge of investigating any deaths for the next three years. We can never let them think we’re here for anything more significant than that.” He sighed.
“What?”
“I had hoped, well, on the way here I was thinking that we could make ourselves new clothes out of material we could buy off some of the wives around here. If no one even realized that shinobi had come to the village, it would have been exponentially better.”
“How would we explain why we were here?” Obito said. “I don’t know about how things happen outside of Konohagakure, but to be honest, if I saw three totally random children come out of nowhere, and they begged for scraps of clothes-”
“We could say we ran away from an orphanage or something; it doesn’t matter.”
He shook his head, but there was nothing for it. It was just a difference of opinion about which story seemed more notable, and it no longer mattered who was right. They were stuck with the story that they were on assignment looking into a serial killer; what they needed to do now was see how they could make it work.
“What if we made a fake run-in with the killer?” he asked. “We could act like we completed our mission, and people would think we left.”
“We might be able to use that down the road. At the moment we need to focus on information gathering. There’s a lot that we don’t know, and there’s a lot that we need to know to start trying to form plans about how we’re going to respond to the situation.”
He was right, and even if he had not been right, he had effectively appointed himself to take point on the mission. In those days, it had been easier and wiser for Obito and Rin to be taught by him than to try to teach him something, and they probably owed him their lives several times over. It would be difficult not to get complacent on a mission lasting so long, but they still had to have some other way of using their time. As Kakashi had said, they could always kill everyone in the village.
“Hey, I just thought of something,” he said as they cleaned the abandoned house. “Why are people in this village even thinking that they should go over to Kiri?”
“I can only think that they’re taking money. It’s a poor village, and the old man-”
“I know, but wouldn’t he get a pretty good reward for telling someone about a mist ninja coming around looking for spies to recruit? Wouldn’t he also have to hate his own country?”
The question seemed to make his teammates think for a moment. Kakashi was not exactly a misanthrope, even back then, but he was especially cynical and Rin had been hit hard in the court of public opinion, hard enough to make her ready to believe most any negative thing about people in general. With him it was complicated in different ways.
“Traitors get executed,” Kakashi said after a while. “Spies are treated worse than most. The old man would have had to have some reason to believe that Kiri would be kinder to him than Konoha. If he escaped there, would it make a difference?”
“It’s not like that,” Obito said, shaking his head. “I might be the most familiar with old people out of all of us. Over time, you start thinking less about the rest of your life. You start thinking about what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. You start to think about what you’re leaving behind. It’s not just that he should be worried about getting caught by Konoha, he should have some purpose to his actions beyond just personal gain.”
The other two were quiet again. It was true that he had spent more time with old people than either of them, especially after Rin’s uncle was arrested. To the best of his knowledge, the old man was still in custody and no decision about what to do with him had been reached, which had to make things hard on her; just to sit in limbo like that. Because it had not been decided whether or not he would suffer, even though it had also not been decided whether or not he had done anything wrong, people were acting like he was still at large. People were acting like the Nohara family had come under suspicion, and they all just had to clarify that they stood with the village, not one particular family.
“We’ll have to investigate,” Kakashi said after a little while. “It’s too soon to speculate, but you might be right about how he might have some other motive. One angle we’re going to have to check is whether it has to do with the land of whirlpools.”
“Revenge,” Rin said. ”We have to look into people who want revenge for the destruction of Uzushiogakure.” She paused. “There’s still a conflict with that, though. Wasn’t it Kiri that destroyed the Uzumaki clan?”
“Yeah,” Obito said. “Kiri was working with Shimo and Nami, but they were mostly dead weight. They were mostly there to make it look like everyone in the area hated them and it was universally agreed that they were too dangerous to leave alive.”
“So, it’s more complicated than we might suspect. It’s more complicated than any reason we can just ideate by talking about it,” Kakashi said. “Figuring out the reason is essential, though. We can’t progress unless we know what they’re really trying to do and why.”
It was emblematic of all conflict between shinobi. A battle of wits that was over before the first punch was thrown. For the night, all they could do was to secure their position, and come up with a plan for the following morning. They would have to survey things as carefully as possible, because at the moment all they knew was that they had no idea how the enemy was going to react to there being Konoha shinobi in the village, or how much they knew already.
After that, everything would depend on their training, their improvement from where they were currently, and their ability to improvise given the present circumstances. Obito did his best to be only slightly worried.
Notes:
If you have been reading this far and noticed that I am not publishing every day, that is because I can only turn these out so quickly. Originally, I had a backlog and needed to get rid of it. I can keep up a rate of one chapter every two days and never intend to go below that rate, but sometimes I might upload an extra chapter. I mention this only because I know that some people like to refresh stories frequently, so now you know.
The Shinobi Rules
Silirt
Chapter 18: The Middle Leg
Chapter Text
It had been one year since they arrived in Awa no Mura, and in that time Obito did not feel vastly more confident in his abilities, nor did he feel like he had even caught up with Kakashi. He would later look back on that as an idiotic presumption that he could ever catch up with his teammate so quickly, especially considering his teammate was training as well. Most of what they could train was taijutsu, and for the most part they trained at night. To their credit, it felt like they would be able to stand up to even adults at the Genin level, not that it mattered.
The three of them felt like they knew everything about the village, inside and out. They made up fake letters from the Hokage, whom no one else could contact, and they made everyone aware of their mission and never let them forget about it. Playing the part of the gung-ho rookies who really had no idea what they were doing, they endured it when everyone called them cute. Rin seemed the best at that. Looking back on it, she probably enjoyed having everyone around her like her for a change.
Whenever the villagers had a problem, they solved it. There was a wild animal that had injured an old man and they tracked it down and made sure that it would not be bothering anyone. Though at the time they had been doing that entirely for a cover, pretending like they were Genin with nothing better to do than take D-Rank or what would really be below that, and perhaps they actually did have nothing better to do at times, it was quite possibly the most important thing they did in the first year. It would take until the next year to recognize that.
“Hey, Obito.” He turned around from splitting wood. Agzia, an old lady, had no younger relatives to help her with that kind of task and he had trouble turning her down. Kakashi was behind him.
“Yeah?”
“Have you seen Rin?”
“Not since this morning. She was making a map of the area, right?” They had found that when compiling the information they had on the villagers, it helped to be able to chart them based on location. They had already found three or four suspicious persons, depending on which of them was talking at the time. One of them thought there were eight.
“Where was she going?”
“I don’t know. I asked a few days ago how it was going, but she didn’t really say how much she had done and where she was going to go next.”
“This could be bad.”
“Well, yeah, it could be, but it’s probably nothing. We haven’t seen her for a little while, that’s it.”
“We can’t afford to grow complacent. We can’t afford not to take the greatest possible care.”
“Okay, then I’ll stop what I’m doing and we can look for her.”
He went back into the house and told the old lady that he would be back later to finish chopping wood for her. Though he did not appreciate them at the time, he was grateful that Konohagakure seemed to have an endless supply of pointless D-Rank missions; it was believable that three Genin were hanging around in the middle of nowhere investigating a mystery no one expected them to solve.
When they looked around for Rin, it certainly took a longer time than expected, but he remembered that they were all keeping a low profile, so it stood to reason that their teammate would be staying out of sight while making a map, which was not as easy as they initially thought. Basing the distances in the map on the distance from the center of the village to the sea, though, at least allowed her to plot out the buildings in town, which mostly doubled as houses.
“We should go over to the meeting point,” he said after a moment. “She wouldn’t have gotten lost with her map.”
“She could have been attacked.”
“I mean, maybe, but we don’t know anything about that. Let’s at least check.”
They went over to the meeting place and Obito could not have said, not at the time, why Kakashi was annoyed. It was not a realistic reaction for him if they were concerned about their teammate, but he did not pick up on that. Rather than a letter from the village, they found Minato and Rin at the meeting place.
“It’s good to see you two,” their teacher said. “I was almost worried that you forgot.”
A month ago, they had found a letter arranging a meeting far outside of town where they would not be observed. Apparently, one of them remembered, the other one shrugging when he looked. It would be a long time before he realized that only he had forgotten, and that was because it was out of the routine for them.
“Sensei was just saying that he got a break between his contracts. What I don’t understand is why he’s spending it with us instead of Kushina.”
“She’ll be there when I get back,” he said, smiling. “It’s not every day that I get a long enough break to go over and see my team, though. What are you now, seven?”
“I’ll be eight tomorrow,” Rin said. ”The boys aren’t far behind.”
“It still amazes me that you three have achieved so much at your age. I know that this mission probably seems like a punishment, but it’s more important than we initially realized, and Hoshimitsu was actually pretty hesitant about giving it to you three, even before that whole scandal broke, but I assured her that at least one of you would make Chunin.”
In those days and in days long after that, their instructor could convince anyone of anything with a winning smile of his. According to him, his girlfriend initially had a hard time taking him seriously, because it seemed like he never took anything seriously himself, but after a mission with her, she could see that when he truly cared about something, there was nothing he would not do, and one of those things was her.
“Has anything been going on back home?” Obito asked.
“It seems like leaving mostly worked. There are still some people calling you ‘the Delinquent Team’, but they all know that you’re on a long mission taking you far from home. I feel like there’s a good chance that everyone will realize you’re committed to the village.”
There it was. That was the problem that everyone had. Questioning the wisdom of Sandaime and his administration in creating a team of three academy graduates that all had uncertain loyalties, influential voices in the village had lacked trust in them, at first. After it had come out that two of them had falsified some of their academic records, no one was interested in whether it was true or false. Everyone was convinced that the three of them were out for themselves, and had no loyalty to the village. Their instructor, the promising Yellow Flash, was wasted on them.
“What do we do when we get back?” he asked.
“Focus on your mission for now,” Minato said. “After you get back, though, you two will be asked to finish school, and then there’s probably another mission waiting before you can take the Chunin exams again.”
“We’re all going to pass this time,” Obito asserted. Things had mostly not changed for him; the village gave him mostly the same regard as they always had when they realized that he was an Uchiha. At the same time, he could not stand what It was doing to his teammates, even though he kind of resented one in particular. He remembered thinking that perhaps he would always have missions from the clan compound, and perhaps, if Dramada was right, he would always have friends, but his teammates could not say the same. They were stuck with him.”
“I’m sure you three have been training hard.”
“We’ve been training as hard as we can,” Rin said. “Kakashi is still better at most things, and It's like he’d determined not to let us catch up.”
“That’s his responsibility,” Minato said. “I know what you mean, though. Don't worry about it. When you three are adults and you’re all taking A and B-Rank missions, no one will care anymore who was the best in the academy.”
“Are we going to... split up?” she asked.
“It happens to everyone. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just that there are very few missions that require an entire team of Jonin, and when you make it that far, at some point you’ll have a team of graduates assigned to you. I know you’re focused on making Chunin now, and you should be, but that’s how it’s going to be eventually. It’s kind of like how you’re eventually going to grow up.”
“Thank you for the supplies, Sensei,” Kakashi said, taking a package from him while he spoke. “I suspect, though, that you can’t be here long.”
“No one will care if I’m a few minutes late getting back.”
“Don’t you have a date with Kushina?” Rin asked.
“Maybe. How are things going here?”
They gave him a basic rundown of everything that had happened in the last year and he was impressed with their analysis. Ho joked that they might end up getting sent on another such mission until they were twelve if they did too good of a job. Obito found it funny, but the other two were genuinely annoyed, at least as far as he could tell.
“You three will be fine. Here, take these,” Minato said, handing them each a scroll. “It may take you a while to master the material, but when you do, you’ll be a lot stronger. The way I hear it, you have nothing but time on your hands.”
They were all glad for the vote of confidence, as he would later learn. Even though their teacher had gone in to the Chunin exams knowing that there would be complications, to say the least, the fact that he had not let on was probably the only reason they could handle it. He liked to think he could deal with stress, but he genuinely could not have said how he would have performed if he knew that the elders were going to pull a fast one on him. In a way that bothered him more than he could even articulate at that age, he had a tendency to shut down and try to avoid stress rather than meeting it head on, which seemed to prevent him from activating the Sharingan. It was easy for anyone to say that he should just face a life or death situation, but that was precisely what any sane person would want to avoid.
It was something that he would later realize seemed to distinguish him from the rest of his clan. Though it was not as simple as ‘they were insane and he was normal’, but he certainly felt like he could at least understand other perspectives and he would be sympathetic to Kakashi and Rin whenever they would argue with him, rather than insisting on his own passions every time. There were times that he wondered if that was the reason that the dojutsu had remained inaccessible to him. Was he just not like the other Uchiha? Was that, on balance, a bad thing?
“What took you two so long?” Rin asked as soon as Minato left. He had a way of leaving without saying anything, probably because he was never concerned about when he could next meet people; he was probably the fastest ninja in Konoha.
“We were looking for you.”
“Where did you think I was? I was just going north and checking a few things out for the morning. Making a map is painstaking work, and I got stopped along the way by this one old lady who always wants me to use the washboard.”
“Oh, right; I forgot.”
“Did you forget we’d have a meeting?”
“I mean, yeah, Kakashi said something about it, but he was being so casual about it that I didn’t think it was coming up soon.”
“You can’t just listen to tone,” his teammate said. The other agreed. “It doesn’t matter now, though. Minato can’t come to visit us whenever, so we have to make the most of what he gave us.”
That was going to be easier said than done from the sound of it, and his personal preference was to make more progress with their current mission. Perhaps they still had plenty of time, but it was somewhat embarrassing, in a way, that they had not solved the problem already. He had never been on a mission that had lasted an entire year, and though it was a complex and delicate procedure, he wanted to have said he had accomplished more in all the time he had.
“I think we should do another stakeout on Zutshi,” he said. “She was the most suspicious out of anyone, and if we give it another night, we’ll find something. Let’s do the job we were sent out here to do.”
“We’ve given the locals enough of a reason to think that we’re just normal Genin on a boring mission that isn’t important to anyone,” Kakashi said, agreeing. “A year is a good benchmark. They’ve seen our faces, but they haven’t heard of us. They don’t know that we’ve already been through the Chunin exams.”
When night fell, the three of them waited in trees. Training their stealth skills had been a constant over the last several months; they trained against each other and it had the side effect of improving their tracking ability. They could be reasonably confident that if they approached through the trees and carefully moved between them, they would not be observed. Staring down from the branches, Obito counted himself lucky that they were not in the bamboo forest, which made things harder.
As if to validate his reasoning, Zutshi, the old lady who did little other than repair fishing nets and sew clothes, had an unexpected visitor. It was a man in robes of a dark green, a costume, and a camouflage. Even if someone saw him in the dark, he or she would probably assume he was a normal villager. The three young shinobi, however, were not fooled. They knew every single one of the villagers and could even identify them in the dark of midnight.
“Suspect confirmed,” Kakashi muttered. “We’re looking at a traitor to Konoha.”
“We can’t just rush in, though,” Rin muttered back. “We have to see where he goes.”
The chance they were dealing with a mist ninja was high enough that they would have to hang back more than they would with any of the villagers. Though they had never been to Kirigakure, all ninja were trained to know when they were being watched, and they had heard that village in particular had some of the harshest methods to ensure the training stuck, at least under the third Mizukage.
Crawling along the tree branches, Obito was grateful for every single minute of stealth training with his teammates. They would not always be able to take an enemy by surprise, but part of the point of sneaking was to hedge out the chance of being surprised themselves. The quieter they were, the more they were able to hear. It was for that reason, most likely, that he could hear it when the insects fell silent.
“It’s a genjutsu,” Kakashi wagered, noticing it himself. “He wanted to mask the sound of his footsteps and there was a side effect. It’s not perfect, btu it would probably work against those never trained to observe.”
The target they pursued walked to what looked like a small cabin in the forest, perhaps something easily mistaken as a hunting lodge, or perhaps it had been. It was one of the things he had never found out, exactly. They had already decided that if their enemy was apparently alone, then they would wait for him to go to sleep.
“There might be something that could wake him up,” Rin whispered. “I have an idea.” She created a shadow clone to get closer, able to vanish it at any time in case there were more defenses than expected. Her clone landed lightly on the roof of the cabin, lowering down from an overhanging branch. He found himself impressed, he remembered, knowing that the copy could not do anything that was out of reach for the original, and it was demonstrating exceptional flexibility and control as it looked through the window, supporting itself against the wall, upside down by the feet.
Mere moments later, it disappeared.
“Did he see you?” he whispered.
“No, he was asleep. It’s the middle of the night and he was probably tired already. There were a few letters on the table, but I couldn’t read them.”
“They might have been coded even if they were in view,” Kakashi said. “At least we know that if he has any seals to protect the base, they don’t wake him up while he’s sleeping. Was there anything to firmly indicate that he’s from Kiri?”
“There was a sea route map on the wall,” she said. “That’s no guarantee, though. He could just claim that he was some trader. It’s not like no mist ninjas are ever allowed in our country under any circumstances whatsoever.”
That was another question that he had not yet pondered. Was what they were fighting even strictly unlawful? Whose fault was it if the foreign shinobi were able to persuade some villagers to help them by inaction, most likely, against the interests of Konoha? Why had the loyalties of the villagers degraded so much to where it was possible in the first place?
It did not seem likely he would have his questions answered. He sent a clone of his own forward, but this time the point was to steal a few of the scrolls. It was a risky move, perhaps, but the target would not realize that they were gone, not while he was sleeping. The others moved into position to kill him if he woke up, though they had never actually killed anyone before. Perhaps they could have told themselves that it was the same to throw a kunai at a person as it was to throw one at a practice target.
“I got the scrolls,” he obviated at a whisper as soon as his clone returned. They tried to read the material more quickly by creating clones, but the trick required an incredible amount of chakra as well as exceptional control over it. It was also difficult trying to read things out of order, and he thought to himself that it might work for learning a technique when the only real requirement was just practicing it over and over. In his academy days, there had been stretches of time where he and his teammates had created as many clones as possible, but it was draining and they had other uses for their chakra when they grew up.
“It says here that... wait, this is a recipe for sea gull,” Obito said. “What kind of code is this?”
“It’s supposed to look innocuous,” Kakashi whispered. “Just read it so that you remember it. We’ll need to be able to reproduce every character exactly the way it was written. You never know what the code is until you start working on it.”
Even with as much time as they had before the sun rose, though, there was too little time to work on decoding the scrolls, so they kept working on memorizing. There was nothing else to be done. Rin rolled up the one she was reading first and handed it to him, getting a scroll from her pack and starting to write. When he was done reading the scroll about the sea gull, he started to do the same, but then his other teammate gave him a scroll and he turned back to the wood cabin, deciding he could finish his transcription later. It was better that they left no trace they were out there, and they had a long ways to go just cleaning up after themselves.
He returned after placing the scrolls precisely where he left them, seeing that the person of interest was still asleep, not that he had any reason to suspect he would have woken up; it had only been an hour or so. His whole team was going to have a hard time staying awake the following morning, so they were going to have to take it easy to make sure nothing was out of place or noticeable. It would not do to have people think that any of them had nocturnal proclivities.
Perhaps that was where he learned that people had an aversion to the dark even if they were old enough not to believe in monsters, or better yet, old enough to remember what real monsters looked like. Taking advantage of this, shinobi always had a way of striking when it was least expected, which frequently was when it was most effective. There was nothing that could explicitly beat striking when the enemy was out of chakra, but that was hard to gauge.
“That’s it. We’re going back. Obito, you can write the rest down later, “ Kakashi said, putting his own in his pack after finishing his own transcription. He did not argue. It was impossible to say why he would have.
Without another word, they returned to the safe house. In the time since they had moved there, they had worked on the seals on the walls. It was really more of a pet project than an attempt to conceal themselves, but if it worked, then all the better. Fuinjutsu, however, was proving to be as difficult as expected and then some.
Rather than going back to decoding, Obito took a few minutes to write some minor notes about the scroll, doubting he would remember them in the morning. Getting to sleep after that was a challenge, if only for him. Kakashi had seemed worried about Rin, at least in an objective sense, but nothing had happened. There was never any reason to believe anything had happened. What was the concern? It was not as if she had not disappeared to go cartographing on days prior. She did not usually contact them. Had she been speaking to him individually?
Even when looking back on it, he could not be sure how he felt about it exactly. There was unease, but it was not exactly jealousy, nor was it burning compassion, as much as he would have liked for it to have been something like that. Perhaps he was simply not an age where he could have the feelings for her that he would, as advanced as he was in everything else. The fact that he was trained with deadly weapons as soon as he could hold them felt like a matter of course, and he knew from the older kids that they were rarely interested in each other until they were Chunin, though the ages might have been skewed as the village went through better and worse days. That was something he had simply taken as a given and would not question it for years.
For the moment, he had his mission, as he reminded himself, but he had already spent a year away from the village, and he was looking at the longest time he had ever heard of anyone leaving except on war business. Out from under the unblinking gaze of all the watchful eyes, could he not afford to question the village a bit more? Perhaps he would question the system as well. It seemed unlikely that he would ever forget his team’s harsh treatment by the elders, both local and visiting, especially when he remembered the sole purpose was to protect the position of the village.
Was he committed to the village, as his teacher said he was proving? Was he committed to his clan, like Dramada clearly wanted? Was he committed to his team? He shook his head and tried to get some sleep. There would be time for those kinds of questions in the morning.
The Shinobi Rules
Silirt
Chapter 19: Cowed
Chapter Text
“When did Madara get out here again?” Obito asked. He really only knew things in relative terms, and it was odd to think of it happening so recently, when it was so important. Somehow important things needed to happen longer ago.
“That was about two years into the first war. The tailed beast was already sealed within the undisclosed host,” Kakashi said, staring up at the ceiling. That was another problem with shinobi history; so much of it came from secret documents that contained redacted sections, and more than enough times, the people who knew what it said before it was redacted were already dead.
It had been two years since their team had arrived in Awa no Mura. They were reasonably confident that their information source had no idea that they were there; they monitored all his communication both with his agents in the village, and outside. He was not a skilled shinobi himself; most likely he was a Chunin level in his youth, and then he grew rusty in various skills as he adjusted to the monotonous life of a sleeper cell. Every villager who spoke to him called him by a different name, so it was really only because they needed something to call him that they picked the name Gatsuda.
Presently, Obito was working on a history of the village and the surrounding area, with Rin’s map complete. It was of enviable quality out of all maps he had seen so far, and it was a shame that they could not let the villagers know they created it, except possibly when they left. In order to get a better idea of what had caused the treason of some of the residents, Kakashi came up with the idea of talking to them under the pretext of creating a historical resource before they died, and tying that in to the story about the serial killer, but Obito had found that he enjoyed listening to old people’s stories so much that he actually did write the history.
Practically skipping, he went out to Agzia’s house, hoping that he could get her chores done quickly so that he could pick her brain about the Uchiha clan leader and his visit to Yu, back when the village had been a part of the land of hot water. She was one of the sharper elders of the village, with many others having forgotten much of the last fifty years.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said, smiling as soon as she saw him. “As you can see, the serial killer hasn’t gotten to me yet.” She was making reference to the fact that a few months ago, another old person had died and his teammates came up with the idea that they would pretend that it was the serial killer striking again, though in reality everything pointed to natural causes. It was easy to play the part of stupid kids, and it would get Gatsuda further off their trail.
“Do you have anything you need me to do?” he asked.
“Oh, no, that lovely girl came by and took care of most everything yesterday. I’ve learned to live in such a way that I don’t need someone to fuss over everything.” He had seen as much with the elderly frequently; they insisted that they needed no help because fewer chores needed to get done, and it was at least partially true.
“Okay, well... can you tell me about the time Madara was in the area?”
“Oh, that’s right... you’re an Uchiha, aren’t you? I knew that I saw that look of yours somewhere.” He nodded along. Powerful clans were generally insular to Konohagakure to protect their secrets, but nothing could stop the tall tales from spreading like shadows across the continent. His family was among the most notable, and in some circles the most feared. “Yes, I was heading to the capital; it was a complete coincidence- we never would have been informed of this sort of thing. I believe I was buying something to wear for my wedding, which was only about ten or eleven years later.”
He thought it was remarkable forethought, but then, he supposed, the wedding was probably arranged by the parents, not that she seemed bitter about it. If anything, she was nostalgic, though it was easy to be nostalgic for a time when bones did not creak so much.
“So, you just happened to be there when Madara was there?”
“Oh, yes, we were all wondering what he was doing in Yu of all places. My mother thought he was going to pursue an alliance with Shimo, but as it happened, he had only been here for us, and Cha, but that’s another story. I never did learn what the frost did to irk him so.”
After the Shodai’s failed attempt to subjugate the land of earth, he decided that there had to be more competent shinobi loyal to Konoha, but his plans would not be continued by Nidaime, who insisted on developing powerful jutsu, seeing it as a quality over quantity approach. Though the two of them had reached some bargain out of respect for the fallen Hashirama, they still fully expected to have disagreements about the future of the village, though these would be made irrelevant when Madara died at the end of the first war, and the position lapsed automatically. Obito could not help but feel like there were still gaps in the history.
“So, that was when he was there to discuss an alliance with the land of hot water.”
“Yes, going right around the Fire Daimyo at that. It was a controversial move, to be sure, but somehow it paid off.” It looked as if she was still surprised, even after as much time as had passed.
“Somehow?”
“Oh, don’t be too surprised; there was a way of looking at it where an alliance with Konoha was good for Yu, but everyone was worried that your country- our country, now, I suppose, would force us all into war. They thought Madara was gathering bodies to throw at Iwa.”
It was certainly a low opinion to have of the one-time leader of his clan, he supposed, but he could see why they thought that, with what they knew. That was what he was trying to do, anyway, he was trying to improve his understanding of history, and so even if he wanted to challenge something that a resource was saying, he still had to listen to the resource. He had never heard about the land of hot water being reluctant or hesitant to join into an alliance with Konoha. At the time, he could only think that between being allied with a much more powerful country and being enemies, he would think that a small country would rather have the first.
“What made people change their minds?” he asked after a moment, thinking all Shodai would have had to do was to explain to them that it would be advantageous. Would they get targeted by anyone other than Iwa for taking a side? What was the worry about getting targeted by rock ninjas when they were on the other side of the land of fire?
“The elders of Yu thought that it was suspicious that he would seek an alliance with us, and not with Ame or Kusa, both small countries that would have to help them in their war. We thought that it was certain he was planning for a war with Rai.”
Agzia clearly did not have his grandmother’s worry lines from the years after the first war where it felt like everyone was going to attack them after they failed to subjugate the land of earth. The whole village thought, and it only grew worse after Madara died, that they were going to look weak. Learning that other people thought they were gearing up for another dangerous war might have worried him on any other day, but in context he was relieved.
“Did they ever come out with the reason that the alliance was accepted?”
The old lady shook her head. That was to be expected. If the negotiations were held in secret, then even if nothing happened, probably no one would ever hear the words being exchanged. It was customary to hide the details of any negotiation, even if someone other than a ninja was involved. In years to come he would wonder about the need for all the distinction, but he was taking it for granted at the time.
“That’s okay,” he said. ”Did you ever hear about anything else happening?” he asked, thinking that someone else might know more. It was, however, an outrageous coincidence that she happened to be in the capital at the time.
“Well, there was talk of a shipment. I’m not sure what the land of fire was sending us, but there was an elder who was really excited to receive it. At the time I always assumed it was a shipment of food.”
In his past two years of living in Awa no Mura, he had realized that almost all the local food was hunted animals. The rice was being shipped in from the rest of Konoha, and the same was probably true of the land of hot water; there was a reason they called it that; the country was not known for its flavor. Much of the ground was not suitable for planting; the geysers were a tourist attraction, to be sure, but they could not produce enough food to feed an internationally relevant economy. It occurred to him that part of the reason they had agreed to the territory exchange was because it would open the door to getting more usable land.
“Well, thanks,” he started to say, getting up. It was better if the old lady did not stop to wonder why someone from their village was paying for three Genin to investigate a serial killer. They only had it on the word of the young ninja that was what they were doing. The reward, of course, was from the Daimyo.
“Oh, one more thing, Obito,” Agzia said. “Would you say that you are loyal to your clan, or your village?” He answered immediately, having had time to think about it.
“I’m loyal to my friends and my teacher,” he said. “I thought about what all I should be serving, but basically the truth is that no matter what, I’m always going to support my team.”
The old lady smiled, though there was a note of wistfulness to it. She knew that she could tell him that his loyalty to his friends only meant that he would have to adopt their loyalties, and that if they fought, he would have to reevaluate things. Most likely, though, she knew she did not have to tell him that.
When he was done with writing for the day, he wondered what he would do if his teammates ever turned on their teacher, or if all of them turned on the village, or the Uchiha clan. Did having to reevaluate his loyalties mean that he had not chosen correctly in the first place? He supposed rogue ninja never had to worry about that sort of thing; they were loyal only to themselves. Did they never have any internal conflict, though? What if money and some other personal desire were found to be in mutual exclusion?
He arrived at the cabin a moment before his teammates. The informant was there, as expected, and his black eye looked like it was healing. A few months ago, after they had figured out the code and how to produce false intelligence, then spent at least three weeks sending it to Kiri, probably with the codename for the third Mizukage, unless the fourth had taken over already. When the informant realized how many times over he would be tortured to death if it ever came out that he had sent them false information, he realized he had no choice but to work with them.
“Good evening, Master Obito,” he had said as soon as heard a knock on the door, rushing to open it. “How fares the most excellent young Chunin candidate?”
“It’s okay,” he said. He really wished Kakashi had not gotten carried away with beating the man within an inch of his life after he tried to turn the situation around with violence, figuring that if he could at least catch the counterintelligence agents, then perhaps he would be forgiven by his village. His teammate maintained that he had not gotten at all carried away; he had beaten the informant precisely as much as he meant to beat him, and no more.
“Where are the prodigious Kakashi and the lovely Rin?”
“They’re on the way.”
Something that bothered him was that the situation was more or less contained, at least as far as he knew, and yet they had not gone home. He supposed, though, that they were under orders to eliminate all rebellious elements. Was it not good enough to stem the flow of information and then just wait for natural causes to claim them? None of them were long for the world.
“You know why we’re meeting tonight, then?” Kakashi asked as he appeared at the door. It was a simple genjutsu that he used to conceal his approach, but it made the informant shake in his boots. “We need to know if there are any rebellious elements in the village who are not working with you.”
“Kiri sent no one other than myself,” he said, hastily looking around right when Rin appeared. She was a little kid to anyone who saw her, and yet he had trouble meeting her eyes. “I know of no one else from any other.”
“Then perhaps It's time to tell us their objective,” Obito said. “What are they trying to accomplish? What’s the point of spying?” There was no need to say that nothing of particular interest was going on in Awa no Mura.
“They want the land of whirlpools.”
“What?” he asked. It was, quite possibly, the last thing he would have expected. “There’s nothing there.”
“The land of mist needs more land, essentially,” he said. “Even with our admirable ability to use the water between the land that we have, another island, and especially one so close to the continent, would be incredibly beneficial. Perhaps you are too young to remember, but there was a treaty between the great powers that no one would take it.”
That kind of agreement would never last; it was just a matter of finding the right time to break it, or make it look like someone else’s fault. There was certainly no sense in letting a minor power take it, especially not a puppet like Nami. Since Kiri and its allies had been the ones to destroy the hidden village, and had done so explicitly because the Uzumaki were too dangerous to leave alive, taking the island would have allowed everyone else to disregard their stated purpose and insist that they destroyed Uzushiogakure solely for personal gain.
“What are their plans? Do they intend to build a bridge to span the islands?”
“We already have brides between our islands; there are plenty of contractors we could use. It’s not as much of an expense as you might think. The gains from trade could be astronomical.”
“That’s right. Getting the island would put them closer to Yu, and Shimo. The notion that we’re allied with one and enemies with the other purely by proximity would be put to the test,” Kakashi said. ”It’s because of appearances that they haven’t been able to take it. They intend to play the same game that we’ve been playing, insisting to other world powers that they’re the power-hungry maniacs.”
It was the strangest of blame games. At times, it bordered on being absolutely childish. Konoha was clearly the strongest, but no, it could not survive against every other country put together, and that was precisely what its enemies were proposing all the time. There was a way that everyone could be viewed as power-hungry; the only difference between them was that some countries had been more successful in that venture than others.
“How do we stop them?” Rin asked, breaking a short silence. “This is clearly more important than our actual mission.” What was even clearer was how much it pained the informant to give her an answer, but his betrayal was already known to the Hokage; they showed him the letter that they would send back. No matter what, even if several rogue ninja showed up out of nowhere and killed the three young shinobi, the fact that his cover had been blown was irrefutable, and Kiri considered failure unforgiveable.
“I suppose your only chance would be to stop the invasion when it happens. The mist ninjas are waiting for there to be war between Konoha and Iwa, and they need this village to see whether or not you have any counter prepared. Once they get their seals on the island, and once they set up a border like they have on their existing islands, it will no longer matter in the realm of international politics because it will be effectively impossible to take the island back.”
“That’s if anyone can find it,” Kakashi said. Despite the disadvantage presented by not having as much land, that and the fact that it was all surrounded by water made it easy for the experienced mist ninjas to defend. What surrounded Kiri was no ordinary mist; it was a dark cloud brought down to the land; only advanced sensor types could get through it and they chakra they put out made them easy to target from a range. Since the days of Tobirama, a Jonin named Zanryu boasted that he had never once missed when firing arrows at invaders. As advanced in years as he was, according to the scant amount of information coming from the islands, he had maintained his fearsome record.
“Exactly, feared young master,” the informant said.
“Then, it’s obvious,” Obito said. “We just have to keep it from getting out that the Hokage knows that there’s going to be an invasion- after we tell him. Then, the invasion fails because we’ll be ready for it.” He knew there was more to it, and that even if the enemy perceived them to be busy with something else, they would probably still go slowly and carefully, trying to keep anyone from realizing they were there. It would be easy enough to conceal their approach with what looked like a low, rolling fog. Konoha, however, had its own sensor types.
“We can’t go back until we’ve eliminated all the rebellious elements.”
“The point is so that the invasion fails.”
“Kiri will have a use for their spies after that,” Kakashi argued back. He looked over at the informant. They had already discussed how he had persuaded them to turn on their country, and it was basically by insisting that they were really part of Yu, a fellow water release country. Because they had no idea why they were allied with the land of fire, it was simple enough to insist that the alliance was illegitimate.
They had not expected, though, that he would use the same tactic on the three of them.
“I cannot help but wonder, if I may, why the three of you are loyal to Konoha,” he said. “At your age, do you even know what your country has done on the world stage? Perhaps there is another option than ensuring the failure of our invasion.”
When Obito looked back on it, it was probably because he and Rin were hanging their heads that the informant, whose name might still have been Gatsuda, was emboldened enough to continue. Thus far he had not said anything that even suggested they would be disloyal to the Fire Daimyo, but if it was viable for him to obtain mercy as a defector, then the same was at least potentially viable for them. Though there were three of them, they would probably be even more richly rewarded than he would.
“We’re not betraying our teacher,” Rin said, though she spoke for everyone. As much as the three of them disagreed on various things, and as much as they were regarded as the black sheep team, they all wanted to work to please their kind, talented teacher. If it was wrong to prize a personal relationship over their country, then none of them wanted to be right.
“Perhaps you are not aware, then,” their ally of convenience said, sighing. “Konoha is falling off. After your strength was tested against Iwa, no one would believe that you would win this time, even with the help of Yu and Cha. Even with Suna, no one would believe that an invasion against Iwa would be successful, not since Ishi joined with it. Suna might have some powerful Jonin, but they have never demonstrated strength in an invasion. Most countries likely see them as weak, dependent on the desert to conceal them and make invasion more time consuming.”
Obito was about to say that the same went for Kiri, if not more so, but he supposed they had already demonstrated their strength by destroying Uzushiogakure. Everyone knew they did most of the work and that Shimo and Nami participating was mostly just a trick to get everyone thinking that it was a more popular decision, as if that made it better. He was really starting to hate the fact that if something wasn’t secret, then it was an open secret.
“I think history establishes that even if we presented no threat to an alliance of other countries, they would never forgive us for having been strong in the past,” Kakashi said. “The same arguments against the Uzumaki would be applied to families like the Uchiha and the Hyuga. Perhaps some of them would survive, in other lands, but enough of their fancy eyes would be cut out that their secrets would be worthless.”
“I don’t know what you know about us and the village,” Obito said after a moment. “That’s why my clan is allied with it, though,” he said. “We obviously can’t just fight off the whole rest of the world by ourselves. That’s just my clan, though. The three of us have a teacher and he wouldn’t ever betray the village.”
They left in anger and went to scout out the village for the third time in case their informant was lying or mistaken about how there were no other foreign assets in Awa no Mura. Rin decided she would go back early to get supper ready. His other teammate held him up.
“I’m grateful you’re loyal to the village,” he said. “As Minato said, after all, that’s what we were sent here to prove.”
“Spit it out,” he said. “Say I have to kill a bunch of old people.”
“The time will come when we see how loyal you are,” he said. “When the choice that’s presented to you is hard enough, your loyalties will be impossible to fake, even with yourself.”
“What are you trying to say now?” he asked. Kakashi turned back to look with one eye.
“When the time comes, and it will, I hope you make a similarly wise decision.”
The Shinobi Rules
Silirt
Chapter 20: Fear
Chapter Text
Obito would, quite possibly, always remember how he arrived at that impossible choice.
It started differently than the last time- rather than being informed that Rin was missing, he figured it out himself. Kakashi had asked them to maintain their cover by routinely going around to different residents and questioning them while he watched the coast for any unusual activity. Though he was not a sensor type, it would not take one to detect an invasion. He remembered thinking that even if Kiri received no update from the informant, that they might go ahead with the invasion. It was unlikely, but they might have prearranged that if their inside man said anything out of the ordinary, then Konoha had figured out their plans and there was no time like the present.
“Have you seen Rin?” he asked the old man whose door she was supposed to knock. It had been three years since they arrived, and everyone in town knew their names, though not all of them regarded ‘the three Genin’ as positively as they once had. Enough of them were sick of their presence.
“No. Maybe she’s gone home, like the rest of you should have.”
The door slammed as loudly as a bamboo hut door could slam. The villagers had expressed their displeasure over the fact that they were still there after no new leads, and still bothering them, both the guilty and the innocent. Minato had visited once more, this time just to tell them that some of their old friends had graduated from the academy and had been promoted; presumably they would be able to join the next time there was a Chunin exam. Unfortunately, he had not been able to tell them that preventing an invasion would be just as good as eliminating all rebellious elements.
Rather than acknowledging that he was right, Obito looked around for traces in the underbrush. He was long done with his history and Rin was long done with her map, so he had no reason to expect that they would not be able to find each other. Finding a trail, he followed it east, toward the sea, thinking that maybe his teammate had seen something without any idea that he was so closer than he realized to the truth.
“Hey, Rin?” he called out. On his way, he saw that Domon, one of the spies, was missing as he headed east. There was no time to think about that, though; he had to get to his teammate before any of the spies grew desperate. In the time that had passed, they had led the villagers to believe that they were incompetent, even though they had really been training every day, and the scrolls they were studying, or trying to, were no longer totally incomprehensible.
There was no answer, but that was expected. Even when he remembered it, he could not have said what made him so certain that it was serious, other than that they had so little time left. They knew who all the spies were, and could kill them at any moment, and it had been that way for months. It was obvious that a public arrest and extradition to Konohagakure would sacrifice their upper hand, and yet, it was as if he had been hoping that something like that could still happen.
Was he the one who had been holding them up, keeping them from fulfilling their orders and completing the mission? Could they have just killed all the traitors after identifying them? Was the entire point of giving them three years to complete the mission to give him three years to grow up, or just to get over it?
He reached the sea, overlooking the apparently coveted island, bamboo hanging down from the land over the rocky shore at low tide. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, but his other teammate was front and center; the traitors were gathered and Agzia had a knife to Rin’s throat. It was as if he could see nothing else; even in his memory.
“If you wanted to kill us, you should have done it some time ago,” the old lady said. “Gatsuda might not have wanted us to find out, since his head is on a pike either way, but we knew you were onto us. We just needed to get a message to Kiri without going through him. We sent one, and they told us when they could come and get us.”
“Why?” he asked. “I wasn’t going to-” He shook his head. “Why did you betray us in the first place?” It looked like his teammate was unconscious. “If it was about Uzu-”
“We realized that if you let a place like that go under, it wouldn’t be hard for you to give up on us either. After all, we don’t produce any fancy jutsu, do we?” an old man said. “Did you ever figure out the code in that house?”
“No,” he said. “The well represents depth and the mountain represents height. That’s why they would be contrasted like that. No one ever gave us a hint about the coin, though-”
“No one outside our little group would have known,” Agzia said, laughing mostly to herself. “It’s Gato’s money. What can be as deep as the well and as high as a mountain?” she asked. “Allow for some exaggeration, I suppose-”
“The waves,” he said. “You’re from the land of waves.”
“Many of us are, yes. It no longer matters. Much of the beach on this continent used to belong to Nami, but it was formally taken by Konoha. We thought we would go north to Yu, only to find that even more territory was ceded-”
“A beach by itself is untenable!” he shouted. “The waves could never have held it. We traded land with the land of hot water as a show of good faith, by making both sides of the border more secure!” He looked around at the strip of land that apparently used to belong to an island to the southeast. “I don’t care if there are waves here and that makes people think that this place should belong to the land of waves; borders are decided by treaty and treaties are decided by war.” He shook his head. “Do you really think that the tribes and clans that came before Yu and Nami and everyone else didn’t kill each other all the time?” he asked. “If you do, then you’re the ones who need a history lesson.”
The young Uchiha created as many shadow clones as he could manage, which was decidedly more than he could in the Chunin exams. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Rin was in danger, but if he could once more play the part of a stupid kid, then he could still save her. The reservations he had about killing her hostage takers had evaporated; he would consider it an enormous success if one of them survived.
“You wouldn’t kill her!” he and all his clones shouted. “Not when she’s been nothing but nice to you for three years!” It was one of the less pleasant lies he had told.
“You fool!” Whatever lecture the old person was about to start was cut off by the volley of shuriken, real and illusory.
He heard the sound of the clones popping around him when each was struck in some way and he stabbed the one taking Rin hostage, grabbing her and backing up. There was a ship in the distance, but he could not have cared what was going on with that. His teammate seemed to be waking up, and there was a disturbance among the enemy. A glimpse of white hair was all he needed to see as he ran back into it, ducking under a thrown knife of some description.
The situation was under control in seconds. A shaky kunoichi joined them in moving the bodies, some unconscious, others not so fortunate. It seemed one had even been so frightened that he had a heart attack. At that point he was still too focused on the task at hand to really think about what had happened, but that would come soon, and with it there would be pain.
“What do we do about that ship?”
“Report it getting into our waters; that’s all there is to it,” Kakashi said. “They’ll deny it, but they’ll have to leave for the moment. They wouldn’t know that we’re the only shinobi here.” He was not in the best of moods on a daily basis, but at the moment he seemed particularly disappointed.
“We can send some of them back if we act like the serial killer got rid of them,” he said.
“We’ll use one body,” Rin said. “We say that one of them died, and we put the whole village under quarantine for thirty days.” She sighed. “When that’s over, they’ll look around and see some of their neighbors are gone. Did the serial killer get them? Did they run off before that could happen? They won’t be able to answer these questions and we won’t be around for it. We’ll leave a note saying that we tracked the killer leaving town.”
“That’s all we can do,” Obito said. “We can’t have them panicking over the deaths of a few of the other villagers.” He looked down at the once-kindly face of Agzia, her last expression frozen on her face. Her nose was wrinkled and her eyes were unfocused, and he needed none of the lectures on microexpressions to tell what she had been feeling. All of a sudden, he had a flood of what was not exactly guilt, or remorse, but betrayal. In all the time that he had been investigating the villagers, he had never thought that she was one of the traitors.
Once the still-living enemies were tied up in the house, and the dead were buried, he had a moment to hang his head while Rin was putting the gag order on everyone. He was mentally reliving the last few hours, wondering if he could have noticed that his teammate was gone sooner, though he really had neglected to worry about where Kakashi had been. That train of thought, however, made him wonder how the White Fang’s son suddenly showed up in the middle of the action.
“Don’t worry about it, Obito,” his teammate said, perhaps seeing his expression. “It’s no worse than traitors deserve.”
“Yeah- traitors like you.”
Rising to his feet, he produced quite possibly the most resolute expression he had ever worn.
“You did this, didn’t you? You knew you’d have to force my hand, so you helped them kidnap Rin. You weren’t stupid enough to be the one holding a knife to her neck, not when you knew I’d focus on getting her out of there-”
“I counted on you only figuring it out now,” Kakashi said. “I needed a genuine response. Sadly, it wasn’t the one I wanted.”
“The kekkei genkai,” he growled. “You knew I’d react if one of us-”
“Hey, guys, stop arguing about something; I need your help.” Rin had rejoined them; some unexpected difficulty precluded her from convincing all the villagers to stay in their homes.
“This isn’t over,” Obito said. “We’ll finish this mission, but this isn’t over.”
He had thought that seeing his teammate in danger had been the angriest he would ever be in his life, but when he learned that someone she trusted had put her in that danger, it was a million times worse. They split up to warn the villagers, and his severe expression must have frightened a few of them. It must have made the story more convincing.
No matter. There were more important things to get done.
After telling the village elder what had really happened and receiving from him a note certifying their completion of the mission, they started off back to Konoha, bringing one of the tied-up traitors with them. After going around and giving the innocent villagers updates on the situation, he would make sure the other bound traitors did not escape or make any noise.
They ran into Asuma, Kurenai, and Raidou, who had taken to carrying a sword in a town between Awa no Mura and Konohagakure. Asking if they were already on a mission and confirming that they were free for the moment, they agreed to help out for a share of the reward, and the last few steps went quickly. When everything was over, it had had somehow been agreed that Kakashi would explain things to the Hokage, or the elders, however, that worked out. He ended up going back to the village to make sure things were working, and he found Rin there.
“Thanks for saving me,” she said, smiling sweetly at him. He forgot his anger. Looking back on it, it seemed like that moment was where he forgot a fair bit.
“It was... it was just what I felt like I should do, as a teammate,” he said. He had never saved her before that point, and after that, it was really only in the middle of battle. It was somewhat unusual, at least when he looked at his whole career up to his first Chunin mission, that he would come to her rescue so unilaterally.
“I know,” she said, looking down a moment. “I was just so scared I didn’t think about it.”
They hugged, and perhaps it was not when he knew that he liked her, but he knew he had some feelings for her, whatever they were. The genuine happiness in her voice melted through the ice in his heart and he decided not to tell her, since she clearly did not realize, that she had been used as bait to awaken his Sharingan.
“How are you doing now?” he asked.
“The situation at the village... well, it’s not perfect, but it’s under control.”
“I asked how you were doing.”
“How I’m doing is just how the mission is doing,” she said, a hint of sadness in her smile. “There were a lot of times I wanted to quit, but I couldn’t let down my team.”
“That was how I felt after the Chunin exam,” he said, smiling back. “That doesn’t matter, now, though. We’re done with our mission. Let’s go back.”
They still had some things to sort out at the academy, so that they could officially qualify for the next exams, whenever those would be. There was still plenty to do to make sure that the mist would not take the land of whirlpools, or what was left of it. At the moment, though, they just had to go back, and Obito could still remember it. He sometimes wondered if he had been more decisive at the time, would she have loved him? Would she have realized he was committed to her? What would there have been to lose, though?
It would take a while longer for his feelings to develop. There were times he wondered if he had asked her out then- or at all, if things would have been better. It was not as if Kakashi jumped in front of him and made his attachment known first; it was the opposite. More than anything else, the interest that Rin would seem to have for him would baffle him; it was so transparent that he was living according to the Shinobi Rules, and that meant killing his emotions. All three of them had learned the rules in the academy, but there was no punishment for breaking them, just for going against orders.
They returned to the hidden village and decided to split up so they could seek out their other friends and catch up with them. Despite how different they were, Kurenai got along with his teammate easily, and he was content to let them do girl stuff together. He had not considered it before, but it was probably a nightmare to spend that much time with two guys, even if they were nice to her. He tried to imagine being on a team with two girls and no matter how he looked at it, it always turned out weird.
“Obito.”
He turned around to see Fugaku, the Uchiha who reached out to him on the day of the Chunin exams. With him was Mikoto, and she was visibly pregnant. He supposed a lot could happen in three years.
“It’s nice to see you,” she said. “I heard you were sent on a long mission, and we were worried.”
“Yeah, sometime tomorrow I have to-”
“Don’t worry about the academy. It’s just a formality. If you sign a form, they’ll give you your certification,” Fugaku said. “Dramada went there and made sure that nothing would get in your way. Apparently, it’s the same for your teammate.”
“Great. I could do without some more pointless complications,” he said, deciding after the fact that he should sound more grateful. “Where is he?” he asked. “I should thank him.”
“At the moment he’s absent from the village. It’s no serious concern; he just has some clan business to attend,” Mikoto said, waving off the concern as if with one of her steel fans. “We mentioned to Sagara that you did well in the last Chunin exams and she wants to see you.”
“Well, sure but- the last?” he asked. “It’s been three years.”
“Cha and Yu only hold exams when we hold them,” Fugaku said after a moment. “We haven’t been able to send that many Genin to exams, though, and they both said they didn’t want a repeat of last time, where only two teams made it into the final round.” He sighed. “The village elders agreed, and they made a public decision to delay the next set of exams until the deal with Oto goes through.”
“Sound?”
“Yes, they want to be allies with us, though they’ve been quiet for the last few years- quieter than normal for countries with shinobi- so as you might expect, we have to be careful that this isn’t some kind of trap. If it’s not, we’d look rude for not inviting them to be part of the exams, but if it is, we’ll be at a disadvantage in a time where everyone is on edge.”
“Why is everyone on edge?” he asked. It would be about two years before Minato would explain to him about how everyone seemed to see war on the horizon.
“It’s a difficult diplomatic situation,” he said. “I’m sure you already know part of it.” He shook his head. “I hate to make this case with you when it’s not your fault, but we can’t allow our strength to wane, and we really can’t even allow other countries to think our strength is waning. We're all hoping that the alliance at least gives us time to prepare.”
“That’s not why came over to see you, though. Sagara wanted to see you, and she’s at the eastern training ground. With her temperament, it might be better to not keep her waiting,” Mikoto explained. “I’m sure you’ll find it’s an excursion worth your time.”
“I’d have gone anyway,” he said, omitting that he was just interested in what they had to say. He ran over to the training ground, making short work of the trip by jumping on rooftops, which he could now do silently and without breaking the tiling. The training field was a simple clearing with some practice dummies.
“You look taller,” the kunoichi said, sizing him up. “You also might have put on muscle.”
“You’re- not much different,” he said. Her eyes narrowed. “I mean from when I last saw you.”
“That only makes it worse. I’m ten now.” She huffed, tossing a lock of hair to the back. It was said that every Uchiha had hair that was either perfectly straight, or spiky, there was no in-between, but for Sagara it was both; her hair was short for a girl on the top, but in the back it went down into a ponytail. “Have you awakened the Sharingan yet?”
“No,” he said. “Have you?”
“I was hoping you would know something about it. It’s never been used by someone our age before.” She looked to the left as if expecting to find someone. “They say you have to have strong emotional bonds.”
“Do you want some?” he asked after a moment of not picking up on the implication, or at least not in the way it was desired.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I’ve been foolish to isolate myself when there are other people in my clan who could be working with me. I’ve been promoted to Genin under Hyuga Hizashi.”
“He doesn’t have anything better to do?”
“He’s not the clan leader. Apparently, someone spoke to him about getting more active in the community. Anyway, my teammates don’t have kekkei genkai like I do. They don’t understand the problem.”
“It’s not a problem,” he said. “It’ll activate sooner or later.”
“Is that what you tell yourself? I wonder how you even count yourself as loyal to the village with that attitude, let alone the clan. We need strength. What have you been doing, if you haven’t been trying to awaken the Sharingan?”
“I can tell you what won’t work,” he said, sighing. “Faking it definitely won’t. If you have any idea that things are going to be fine, even in the back of your mind, then it won’t work.” He did not want to get into his suspicions that his teammate had tried to manipulate him into getting him to use his dojutsu. More than most anything else, he wanted to get stronger, but he already had enough stress and hardship and he knew more was down the road.
“I see,” she said. “They say that the kekkei genkai is most likely to awaken when the user is stressed and concentrating. If you were in a position where you could act quickly, perhaps there was no need to concentrate. I suppose you felt no genuine fear if you knew there was no danger, or if you knew how to approach the problem.”
“Fear is the unknown,” he said in speculation. “Anyway, I think that you’ll get it soon enough, but if you want to get it sooner, then maybe you have to put yourself in danger. It doesn’t sound like you care all that much about your teammates.”
He dodged a telegraphed punch to the head. Really, even if she had not wound up for it, he would have known she would hit him because she was that kind of girl. In the academy, she insisted that boys and girls should be allowed to spar against each other, most likely because she had never been beaten up that badly. Perhaps she had been hard at work with her team, but she had not trained against Kakashi in taijutsu. Dodging another punch almost without trying, he grabbed her and flipped her on her back.
“So, you haven’t been doing nothing this whole time.”
“You’re like one of those little annoying dog breeds,” he said, ignoring her feigned compliment. “You bark and nip at people’s heels, because you think you’re in charge, and no one ever corrects this behavior because you’re weak. You can be as violent and mean as you want, and you get your way because no one is allowed to hit back.”
Somehow the fear was not registering for her. She was still not taking him seriously. If anything, she looked ready to laugh. It was a defense mechanism that was getting in the way of her ability to develop actual defenses.
“Is that all?”
“No.”
Moving his chakra down his arm, he punched her in the stomach where the bruises would not be visible. Sagara convulsed, but because he was pinning her down with his knees and his other arm, she could not go anywhere. He hit her twice more and her eyes might have gone red for the briefest of moments, or he might have imagined it. Releasing her, he allowed her to curl up into a ball.
“You’re not invincible,” he said. “This is what genuine fear is like, and this is why you never want to experience it. I bet you can take a hit during a training exercise just fine, but can you take a hit when it’s real?” he asked. “If you ever do activate the Sharingan, let me know.”
He left without saying anything else.
The Shinobi Rules
Silirt
Chapter 21: The Joint Mission
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hey, Obito, we have another mission.” It was Rin; he knew before he turned around. He was sitting on the top of the Hokage monument; it gave him some time to think about things.
“Oh, you’re ten today, right?” he asked. She nodded as they went to the academy to hear the mission details. “Getting our certification really was easy.”
“I know; it was practically waiting for us to pick it up. It made me happy a few days ago when it was that simple, but the fact that we didn’t have to do anything extra means that we deserved it the whole time.”
“I don’t know; they’d probably say that because of that three year mission, they were willing to overlook the problems with our education. At least this means that we’re done with it and the next time we go to a Chunin exam, they won’t have an excuse.”
“We’ll have to fight a lot harder,” she said. “I already just know the next exam is going to be a nightmare.”
They reached the academy and went to the missions desk after waving to Guy’s team, which he guessed had a mission as well. Sandaime was sitting at the desk, which most likely meant it was important.
“Five,” one of the elders said. “Where’s the White Fang’s son?”
“We can give him the contract,” Genma said. “I wouldn’t worry about it; he’ll catch up.”
“Should we go get him, sir?” Obito asked.
“No, no, I suppose it’s all the same, as long as he’s told everything,” the Hokage said. “Both of your teams were just on missions that took you close to the reality of our difficult diplomatic situation. Everyone is hoping that we can maintain the peace, and this mission might be the most important out of all the C-Ranks.”
“That’s why we need all six of us,” Rin said.
“I hope there are no hard feelings between your teams after the Chunin exams-”
“No, pretty much all the hard feelings we had were directed at you,” Genma said, shrugging.
“How dare you?” Ebisu asked, seeming legitimately confused. Obito quietly inferred that the elders must have pulled the same trick to save the reputation of the village and its education on them. He also decided that letting the argument heat up was a bad idea.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“It’s in Rai. We have to track down a dangerous rogue ninja and kill him, or bring him back alive. As you might expect, I would prefer that you bring him back alive, but that may not be possible.”
“The lightning ninjas can’t handle him?” Genma asked.
“They should not have to,” Rin said. “If he escaped from our ninja, then it’s on us.”
“Well, sure, but why would they wait around to see if we can find him?”
“They don’t know he’s there,” Obito guessed. “If we move quickly and quietly, they won’t find out.”
“There was a report out of Shimo that the frost ninjas were annoyed that someone was interfering with their barriers. It was a massive heat signature, moving quickly,” the Sandaime said. “It matches the profile of a man who just escaped from a lone Jonin in a small town northeast of Tanzaku. We don’t know what he wants, only that he’s an expert in chakra control, and terrible at self-control.”
“He doesn’t sound like the type to stay quiet for long,” Rin said. “I don’t know if we can really go there to bring him back before anyone notices. I mean, maybe, if he went all that way just to escape from us, then it would make sense for him to hide, but...”
“I can only ask the six of you to do the best you can and handle the situation with care. You’ll be in disguise for this mission, and you’ll have to keep a low profile.”
“This is my first time being out of the country,” Obito said. ”I don’t know how to disguise myself as a kid from the land of lightning. Aren’t they supposed to be darker?”
“On average, yes, but It's not important what you choose to pretend to be, as long as they do not suspect that you are ninja from Konoha.”
He nodded along. If they wanted to claim credit for taking out the rogue ninja later, they could reveal that, but Konoha could not go back to it being a secret if they went without disguising themselves.” Guy looked annoyed, but he was no less excited to be on a mission.
“We’ll get some equipment,” Genma said, looking over the contract as they left the academy together. “You two can go pick up Kakashi and explain it to him on the way. We won’t have gone further than Kabu no Machi by tonight, so that’s how you’ll catch up to us.”
“Isn’t there a festival going on there?” Obito asked, having seen a poster somewhere.
“Yeah, who said we can’t have a little fun before we turn in for the night?”
“Our youth is like springtime,” Guy said. “We should appreciate it while it lasts.”
“The mission has a time limit, though,” Rin said. “If the land of lightning finds out that a rogue ninja from Konoha is there-”
“Then we’ll be the ones to catch him before they can string up their boots,” Genma said. “You said it yourself; there’s really no way we get there before they find out. Besides, we can pick up some wooden masks at the festival or something. No one will think twice about us.”
“Fine,” Obito said after a moment. “We’ll have to be quick the following morning. If you guys get there first, get some disguises for us, okay?”
“Sure, no problem.”
It was not that the other three were not taking the mission seriously, as he would learn. They mainly just had a different approach and were not trying to follow the directives to the letter. They could have gone faster and not taken advantage of a stop along the way, but they did not know how long it was going to take to find Kakashi. The obvious place to look was his house.
“Oh, just a moment,” a woman’s voice called out from inside when they knocked. It was strangely easy to forget that their teammate had a mother. Perhaps it was just that they wondered sometimes if he had ever been hugged.
“We’re looking for-”
“He’s in a trap that he’s designed for himself,” she said. “I really have no concept of what he’s doing at this point, but his dedication has always impressed me. Every day he makes the trap more complicated and dangerous and he still finds a way to escape it.”
They were both silent for a moment, but they dismissed it not long after that. It was unlikely that Kakashi’s mother could really do anything about the fact that he was training himself so hard, no more than she could do anything about his desire to be a shinobi. If he wanted to run away and take care of himself, he could, and at the slightest sign of opposition, he probably would.
“Does he... not like you?” Obito asked as they went out to the back yard.
“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that. He has nothing against me except for the fact that I married his father and never regretted it.”
Almost instantly their hearts broke for the lady of the house as she produced a longsuffering smile. The two teammates looked at each other and back to her. It was unspeakably cruel that the village had turned against the small Hatake family and then she lost her husband, and then her son turned against her as well.
“What does he want you to do?” Rin asked. “Get married again?”
“I probably still could,” she said. “I never thought about it, though. He had never said anything about that, though, so to be honest I don’t know what he wants. He acknowledges me as his mother and I know he loves me.”
“You do?” Obito asked.
“Perhaps when you have children, you’ll understand. There was a drunk who came by the house and started shouting at me, and Kakashi came out and attacked him. He was still in the academy.”
“So, he wants to protect you, but...”
“Have you ever seen his face?”
“No,” he said. It was not a terribly odd thing for shinobi to cover their faces. He had not particularly thought about it.
“Perhaps when you see it, you’ll understand.”
“We should go outside,” Rin said. “I feel bad, prying like this. We’re on a tight schedule.”
“That’s right; you always are,” Kakashi’s mother said. Right as she opened the back door, though, the Chunin was climbing out of a hole that he had dug in the rear garden. Obito blinked. From the chains in the koi pond, he had literally turned it into another trap for himself. There were flowers growing in between these bear traps with seals on them.
Both of them wanted to launch into another discussion about how the poor lady was being treated by her own son, but they really were in a hurry and he picked up on that almost instantly. They were lucky that he had been in the self-designed trap, he supposed, because otherwise he might have started to feel guilty about standing around and talking to Lady Hatake.
“Where are we going?” he asked, grabbing his things.
“Well, once we grab our stuff, we need to get to the festival at Kabu no Machi. That’s the first stop, anyway.”
“You should have grabbed your gear while I was in the hole,” he said as they left the house together.
“Well, I really wish I’d known, because it hadn’t occurred to me that you’d dig a hole in the middle of your mother’s garden and turn the place into a bunch of deathtraps for yourself-”
“Don’t talk to me about my mother,” Kakashi said, glaring. ”Pack up and let’s get going.”
They parted ways and did just that. Explaining the mission on the way was what they were going to have to do, because they were already probably about an hour behind Guy’s team, officially Team Chouza. When they met up again, however, they said nothing, probably because they were all thinking about what had only just happened.
Leaving the village and running to the northeast, Obito decided that he did not envy the exact nature of his teammate’s family, but he would have liked to have a mother of his own. His grandmother spent a lot of time sleeping and was only active in his life when he was younger. It was probably unfair, though, for him to cast judgment on the Hatake family; all families worked differently and had different dynamics in effect. Both of his parents had been killed on a mission, so he supposed that he could hardly advise anyone.
With Rin’s family, things were even more complicated. The way he understood it, her sister had a wedding in a matter of months, and that would at least somewhat improve their standings. It would not be with the young Uchiha, because among other things he insisted on marrying the girl he actually liked, and things had gradually become more strained between the two houses.
“Are you not going to be able to go to your sister’s wedding?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, practicing her hand signs on the tree branches to improve her speed and accuracy. It was a habit they all picked up on the long mission. “We have to find this guy, right?”
“Well, yeah, but you could’ve turned down the mission-”
“I don’t know that I could have, but I don’t want to get into it.”
She would, later. Obito would learn that her parents had lent a fair amount of money to the public treasury as a way of rebuilding their reputation, and as such, the expectation was that she would accept every mission, unless she passed up one opportunity for a more lucrative one. With a relatively hard C-Rank mission, that involved a rogue ninja with a bounty on his head, she stood a chance at paying off the entire debt.
After explaining the mission details to their teammate, Kakashi insisted that they speed up. He took the decision that Guy’s team made with silence, when they expected criticism or agreement. There was nothing to do but go along with what he suggested, because he went ahead and did it himself
It was in this way, in those days, that he asserted himself as their leader. Obito was looking back at a time more recent than the Chunin exams by a fair measure, but it felt like as long as he made mistakes, and as long as there were things that he would have done differently, maturity would ever be something he had only just started, and the childish things were ever being put away. It was a reminder, he supposed, that he was still their leader, effectively.
“We’re here,” he obviated when they saw the fireworks. “As I thought, it’s almost over.”
“We asked the others to get us disguises in case we got there late. We should be able to find their packs and get everything set up for the night.” Technically, they were authorized to take a break at an inn if they felt like it, and they could deduct it out of the budget, but they knew no one in town and it was easy to stick with their old habits.
As they took care of those duties, he thought to himself that it might be hard for Rin to go back to being the only girl after only a short break of returning to the village, her family, and other friends. He could ask her how she wanted to handle things, but would that make things better or worse? When he looked back on it, he really need not have worried, because they were still at an age where his friend preferred to be around other kunoichi only because she had more in common with them, not because of the changes that would start soon enough.
When the others returned to the packs they left just outside of town, Kakashi dropped from a tree behind Guy and put a blade to his throat.
“Never leave a trail for the enemy to follow,” he said. “We may not be out of the country yet, but there are plenty of people who would kill you here, and you’re in their element. The trees are the friends of all ninja from Konoha.”
“My old rival,” the other young ninja said. “I hope you’ve grown stronger since the last time we fought, Kakashi. I wouldn’t want to win too easily.”
“What have you been doing, then?” he asked.
“We were just in Suna,” Genma said. “The Kazekage wanted us to take care of this pretext against Ame.”
“Ame? Why?” Obito asked.
“It’s nothing personal. They’ve just been picking up some contracts that the sand ninjas want for themselves. We figured out a good bit more than what we were supposed to figure out.”
“Can you elaborate?” Rin asked.
“Yeah, we’ll tell you on the way tomorrow morning.”
His teammate was probably correct in sensing that it was more important than his casual attitude communicated, but one way or another they were going to have to cross a great distance, and they might as well save discussions until then. It was already dark, so the sooner they went to bed, the sooner they could wake up. The fireworks stopped right after Ebisu and Kakashi finished what looked like a private conversation.
“Well, that worked out better than expected,” he muttered under his breath as they got to sleep, with him taking the middle watch. Genma was either really lucky, or he had known that if they tried to sleep earlier outside Kabu no Machi, their sleep would have been made more difficult by the fireworks.
The following morning went precisely as expected. They waved to the border officials at Yu and were allowed past with no more than that. Whenever they reached Shimo, they would probably just put their disguises on top of their regular clothes. Most importantly, the last mission was explained to them.
“Basically, the way it was sold to us was that these criminals named Ryusui and Yudachi were spotted killing a few important people in Suna. It didn’t seem too believable to us from the start. They said they had evidence of everything, but they needed someone from another village to do a formal investigation.”
They were running through a clearing when Kakashi waved for him to continue. It seemed like Genma was the voice of the group, though that had not always been the case. Obito thought there was a reasonable chance he was also the brains of the group.
“Anyway, because the sand and the leaf aren’t really allies, and we’re just trying to build relations with them- there's been a lot of back and forth for years, no thanks to your father- no offense- they thought we’d be the perfect candidates to look into it. It was pretty clear from the beginning that they’d already picked out the suspects for us.”
“Did you ever figure out who actually killed those people?”
“Yeah, but we agreed not to make the information public. It was really a state execution, disguised as a random attack by criminals. The Wind Daimyo doesn’t have much of a choice but to go along with everything the Kazekage says. The dude’s totally spineless.”
Quietly, Obito supposed that Konohagakure could take over the office of the fire lord without much trouble, but taking over the country would be an entirely different matter. If the village declared itself to be in charge of the country, they would have to get people to accept their authority, and that would be challenging because they had accepted the authority of the noble house. Doing everything under the table, though, was actually conceivable. No one would have any idea if a feudal lord received orders from the Hokage; there were some people who had no idea that he existed.
“So, when it was investigated by the authorities, they ignored the evidence that the sand ninjas were behind it," Kakashi reasoned.
“No, the investigators told the wind lord and his office everything they knew, and basically the public court decided that there was no way that the suspect could have done it. That was this dude named Rasa. Don‘t mess with him if you ever end up in Suna. He’s bad news.”
“They decided it was a frame job, and he labeled the rain ninjas as the most likely suspects,” Rin guessed, thinking about it. “He would have had some basis to name them as personal enemies of his.”
“Yeah. The whole thing was ridiculous. They didn’t want us looking into the court records; they wanted us to look at the physical evidence that they had selected for us before we arrived. It’s probably why they made it a low C-Rank; they wanted a handful of stupid Genin. We’re still Genin, but we’re not stupid.”
“No one has ever accused you of being stupid, just lazy,” Guy said, barking an unnatural laugh right after.
“Hey, there’s such a thing as time efficiency. If the court already looked at the evidence, then it made sense to go over what they said about it. You wouldn’t believe this. They literally said that Rasa couldn’t have done it because he would have had to be in two places at once, and it was a crime that could only have been committed by two people. Really? Did they not know he was a ninja or something?”
“They were just looking for a way to dismiss it as a frame job, so they could have a cause of war against Ame. They probably don’t know the specifics about shadow clones or sand clones or whatever he would have been using.” Obito was not sure why he was defending the wind lord’s people, if it could be called that, but that was not the point.
“More or less, yeah,” Genma said. “They must’ve had some of those rain guys’ things from some other time. We sent them a letter with the Hokage’s seal saying that we already knew that they were trying to false flag Amegakure. Even if they killed us, it would all still be in Konoha’s records.”
“You said you ended up agreeing not to say anything,” Kakashi said after a moment. “Are we to assume that you meant you would not report it outside of those loyal to Konohagakure?”
“Yeah. Sandaime wasn’t thrilled about what they were doing, but he knows why they’re doing it. They agreed to renounce their denunciation of us as a village if we didn’t reveal that they were trying to use us as a way of pointing a finger at Ame. The whole war between them and Suna probably won’t happen, come to think of it.”
“They were going to take that whole country?” Rin asked. “I thought the bigger countries liked the border countries being there so that they didn’t have to have battles in their own territory.
“Yeah, but it gets on the Kazekage’s nerves that he doesn’t have any good farm land under his control. That’s the main thing that the hidden village needs from the rest of the country. I think what happened at one point a few years ago was that the Daimyo tried to get him to admit that he was running everything from behind the scenes by pretending to misplace a bunch of crops for several months.”
“However does that work?” Guy asked. Even years later, the complexities of political games would continue to escape him.
“Well, the wind lord can’t really go against the kage, and he knows that. I don’t know whether he’s got family members held captive in Sunagakure or what, but he’s not capable of any deliberate action of his against him. If he makes it look like an idiotic move, though, maybe the ninjas don’t think he’s turning on them, or maybe they just don’t have enough evidence to move it through the ranks.”
“I see,” Rin said. “Even if Suna has some farmland somewhere, the food situation would still be pretty tight overall, and there might be an opportunity to force their hand. I don’t know what the Daimyo was hoping he would have done, but…”
“The Kazakage’s not looking to let it happen again,” Genma said. “The plan wasn’t an open war of country against country where they take over the borders, it was just to replace the ninja in charge over there. If they can get regular shipments of food from Ame, then no one has any control over Sunagakure. The feudal lords would still appear to be in charge of both countries, but really they would both be receiving orders from the desert.”
“Why did the Hokage agree to cover all this up?” Obito asked. “Why not go public with it?”
He remembered thinking that even if it were not the right thing to do, it would at least take some of the international heat off Konoha.
“Friends are in short supply. I don’t like it either, but when push comes to shove, both Iwa and Kiri are going to come against us, and with Rai and Suna teetering one way or another, we can’t afford to take any chances.” He sighed loudly. “It all depends on the smaller countries, really. Oto. Taki. Riwa. No, they’ve pretty much sworn off any foreign interaction for the next decade; you can count them out.”
“Then we know why we’re here,” Kakashi said. Everyone knew what he meant. The two teams had been picked because both of their past missions had presented difficult situations that tested their loyalties to the village, and both teams rose to the challenge. Both teams ultimately handled the situation well. With all their paperwork out of the way, this mission might well be what qualified them all for the Chunin exams.
Notes:
I saw a post about 'fanfiction is supposed to be different because the canon just sucks' and I thought I would add my two cents on it. I should go ahead and note that this has nothing to do with the story, and it's long, so don't feel any obligation to read it. It only exists because I felt like doing something a little different with this story in adding author notes, and I felt like writing it at the time.
Sometimes, it can be hard to realize that you hate something. When I was in college, the sole reason I played Magic the Gathering with my friends was because it was something I could do with them. The games always went long, past midnight frequently, because whenever we did a free-for-all, there was no incentive to contribute toward ending the game, and whenever a player was winning, he or she wanted to drag it out even more. There was a time I had to shout at my friends to just attack and finish the damn game.
At some point we came up with a game mode that was different from free-for-all, and on average it worked much better; the games were over more quickly and the player always had an objective, but not only did not everyone like this game mode, people still wanted to drag out their victories as much as possible, because, as I understand it, that's the only way to enjoy playing the game and I was basically insisting that the winner would not have the sadistic fun that he or she had earned by playing well. When games were over, decisively, to where there was no coming back whatsoever, I would surrender, and this would be met with an understandable note of complaint- 'No, Silirt, I can't go several turns winning unless you go several turns losing'.
I realized, at some point, that this was basically the way the game worked, and I hated it. I stopped playing and I found better uses of my time. I have no wish to reform it, and no one who likes it wants to hear my opinion on the subject; any reform I would make would just kill it.
Much of the criticism of the source material for any given fandom is pointless hate and should be disregarded. If you liked Harry Potter when you were a kid, then thought the main character should have been more selfish and violent, congratulations on being a teenager. If you liked Naruto at some point and then found it was too edgy or too dark, congratulations on no longer being a teenager. The fact of the matter is, fanfiction is written by fans, and hater fiction is written by haters. If you don't know which one you are, try to think if you'd still like it if it weren't for nostalgia or other fans. It's not a bad thing to hate a work of fiction. There are more works of fiction than there are stars in the sky and you don't have to piss everyone off complaining that Superman is overpowered. This is not to say that every original work is perfect just the way it is, but if you want to make a massive overhaul to it to make it more like some other work instead of just writing for that other work, you're wasting your time and you'll never find an audience, if that concerns you. If you want to make a massive overhaul to where it's unlike anything else you've ever seen before, just change the names of the characters and make it an original work and send me a link to it.
The Shinobi Rules
Silirt
Chapter 22: Rai
Chapter Text
Crossing Shimo in disguise had not been easy, but the adventure brought with it no new information about the missing ninja they were targeting. Obito was a little resentful of the clothes he was wearing; it was a long traditional robe and a red demon mask, while Kakashi ended up with a simpler white robe and a wolf mask. Rin had a pink kimono with a layer of white makeup; with her tattoos obscured, she looked like an entirely different person.
“Doesn’t this make her stand out more?” he had asked when they first changed. “If even a blind man can see that she’s-“
“I’m fine with it,” she said. “I actually wish I had gone to the festival, dressed like this,” she said. “Do you get that?”
“No.”
“Oh, well, that’s fine,” she said. “We’re all different.”
That was the last thing they said before crossing into Rai, which had been challenging, since they had no choice but to do it in secret, but they found a time at night where the guard changed according to Ebisu, and went for it, surprised that they were never caught at the end of it. From what they understood, having a border with Shimo, a small country pretending to be neutral while really going along with Kiri whenever possible, was something of a boon for the way the Raikage ran things. Basically, they were less worried about how it made them look, and their games focused on making other countries weaker. If there was any cleverness to it, it was in how they would selectively report on certain events, both at home and abroad.
“Last year, they came out with this statement that the mist is obligated to protect the frost,” Genma had said. “The Kazekage seemed to think it was a good move, and I think it’s because now everyone knows that Fumogakure could ruin them whenever by just invading Shimogakure.”
“They might have some trouble finding it,” Obito said.
“Yeah, they might, but if they can’t find it, they’ll just invade some other town. The point is, we need to be on the lookout for clouds. They might be trying to sneak across their own border to bash some skulls in.”
“Would that really make Shimo give up on Kiri?” he asked.
“I don’t know about give up, but it’d at least make them think twice about it. If the hidden mist can’t protect them, then what choice do they have but to work with someone closer? It’s complicated because they use a variant of the water release, and I’m not sure why, but that seems to unite them.”
“It’s a sect of Ninshu, basically,” Rin said. “That was what I heard, anyway.”
“They assign a religious meaning to the water release,” Kakashi continued. “The frost ninjas have a different take on it, as you might expect. It’s like the will of fire.”
It seemed no one had expected that comparison to be drawn. Perhaps at their age, it was just a given that shinobi from Konoha had to embody the will of fire. They never really thought of it as a religious thing, though it was possible that the tradition had just grown so embedded that it went without saying, and originally it very much had been part of the faith.
“Why are so many different countries obsessed with water release?” Obito asked. “There’s three on either side of us, and there used to be four- well, six if you count Cha and Yu, but they seem to be splitting their time between fire and water.“
“I don’t know or care,” his teammate said. “I can tell you that they believe it, but I have no idea why. There has never been any evidence that it matters what elemental release you use.”
It was a strange feeling, to hear him basically deny the importance of the will of fire. From the look on Rin’s face, she was feeling the same thing; she was not sure that she was offended, but she looked like she was supposed to be offended, or something. It was not as if it was unexpected, though. He had said on multiple occasions that he did not believe in superstitious things, and he had said, only once, but that was plenty, that importance was relative.
Setting up camp in Rai, they resolved to split up and look around. They would be less suspect as a group, but there was fundamentally no way of finding the rogue ninja without looking for him; they had no leads other than that he had been moving in the general direction of the country where they were. Obito found nothing on his own, but when they joined up again, it seemed that Ebisu had managed to get something out of the authorities, while disguised.
“What did you even ask him?”
“I only started a conversation about the sensor types on the border. It seems he mistook me for one of his countrymen without thinking about it.”
“Don’t tell me everyone in this country dresses like this,” Obito said. He had gone to what he thought was a bar to ask if there had been any suspicious characters passing through, and it turned out to be a setting where kids were forcibly removed, rather than just questioned about why they were there.
“It’s not unheard of, I guess,” Rin said, seeming to think about it. “ I went to a restaurant where these ladies of a few different houses were having a meeting, and it looked like something that might have happened back home, to be honest. Everyone was dressed the same, anyway.”
They were learning that the main differences in the cultures of different countries were expressed in the lower classes. No matter where they were, high society went for the same fashion, the same food, and the same careers, if they had them. There were always those with enough income that no work was required, as long as they did not increase their expenses beyond what they could manage. He would not be surprised to find even the wealthy Uchiha associating with other moneyed individuals, though marrying them was another matter.
“What did you learn from the sensor type?” Kakashi asked, getting them back on track.
“He recently made the distinguished rank of Tokubetsu Jonin, and seemed appropriately proud of that.” Obito remembered discerning that he probably went on about it for hours. “There was a disturbance in between the changing of the guards about four nights ago, and they noticed that some trees were burned.”
It seemed that the man they were chasing had been sensible enough to cross quickly, and must have had some idea when the land of lightning’s defenses would be the lowest. Ebisu had not asked whether or not the reason there were ninja patrolling the border was because they were planning an invasion in Shimo, because he was not an absolute moron. As he understood it, both then and in the present, the country was many mountain ranges, and lush, fertile valleys in between them, making it easily defended, but hard to monitor. It was hard for an army to get through the mountains without being noticed, but an individual could do it with no problem. The section of the border that was being guarded, however, was a forested valley, making crossing it quick, but dangerous.
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Breath of the Wild snippet
Link is bored. It's a little startling how easy it's to see – how easy he's to read these days. Where before, hundred years ago, he'd been as unreadable as a brick wall, a look of serious determination as though permanently etched to his face, now he's an open book, covers flung wide. The serious frown still makes an appearance, of course, it's his default expression, Link's face simply rests in a way that makes him seem as though he's almost scowling, but now, should an emotion cross his mind… he does nothing to hide it.
Like now, as his attention strays and his eyes wander and every so often he smothers a sigh or a yawn or a longing look directed at the door. It's in part painfully and in part endearingly clear how little attention he's paying to their meeting, and how much he wishes he could be elsewhere.
Zelda smothers a smile and then realises she's allowed herself to be distracted, and quickly turns her attention back to the meeting taking place in Impa's house.
"... a little difficult to test," Purah is saying. She's sitting cross legged in the middle of the floor, her seat cushion abandoned and papers flung about her – most of them about her anti-aging rune. "I can't even promise the test subject will survive the process, never mind that it will work even fifty percent of the time... so finding people to volunteer has been an issue."
"What, no old folks interested in regaining their misspent youth?" Robbie asks with a slight snort, adjusting his goggles. "I'd happily test it, if my work wasn't too important to risk!"
Purah gives him a look. "Well, duh. Most folk are the same," she says and shakes her head. "And besides, the population and age statistics don't exactly trend towards the elderly these days. The average life expectancy of both Hylians and Sheikah both trend about forty years younger than it used to be pre-Calamity. And the only way for people to reliably grow old these days –"
"Is to have a family or other support network, helping them," Impa muses, rubbing at her chin. "Which means they have things too dear to lose, for an uncertain chance."
"Just so," Purah says and folds her little arms, adorable in her seriousness. "I did post queries around Hateno village, of course, but I only had a couple of takers, and they all turned tail when I explained the risks. And we can't improve the chances without further testing. And we can't do further testing without candidates. And we're not likely to get more candidates with the chances being what they are - it's a vicious circle."
By the door, Link looks ready to nod off.
Zelda hums, looking at the papers Purah had brought, conflicted. It's incredible work, just as a concept, and Purah hadn't just left it at theory – and the results certainly speak for themselves! Purah is now, what, hundred and twenty, hundred and thirty years old? And she looks as though she is a girl of six, with all that time ahead of her and not behind. If the technology could be made reliable, it would no doubt change the future in ways Zelda can scarcely imagine… for the better, she hopes, for all the people of Hyrule.
But right now, she has more selfish reasons to make enquiries into the rune.
Zelda looks at Impa, sitting on top of a pile of pillows, her weathered, aged face thoughtful. Their eyes meet and Zelda steels her resolve. "Might there be any potential candidates in Kakariko village, Impa?" she asks.
"Hmm. I doubt it. Young Zain, maybe?" Impa muses. "Well, he's not so young. He's in his seventies, he has bad knees and no surviving relatives to support or be supported by. Bit of a sour grape, that one, though. Sceptic. Hard to convince."
"I'm sure if the Lost Princess and the Hero who stopped Ganon ask for it, anyone would be happy to give it a go!" Robbie says, slapping his folded knees. "Especially if they learn what it's all for!"
Zelda smiles, wincing, and looks down. Using her standing for such a thing… sure she'd done things of that nature before, pleading people to join their cause, ages ago… but never with the risks so high, and potential results so uncertain. She'd never liked asking people to risk their lives, for her or otherwise. Even with a cause so important...
"It would be a somewhat awkward thing to ask, though," she muses and looks down. "It is an awkward thing to ask. I'm… I'm sorry to have to ask it of you."
After all this time, all these years, all the service they'd already put in, to ask for so much more of them… but she had to. No one woman could rebuild a kingdom by herself. She needed help, she needed allies – she needed Impa and Robbie and Purah. With such a foundation, Hyrule might yet rise, better than ever, but for that to ever happen… Impa and Robbie needed to go through what Purah already had, and extend their already prodigiously long lives even further. They all deserved their quiet retirement, after all the effort they'd put in, but for Hyrule, Zelda would make this cruel request.
"Ha!" Robbie says, striking a pose. "Like I wouldn't do this without being asked! As soon as Purah can improve the odds – no, as soon as we can improve the odds –"
"What's that, you old coot, what do you mean by we?" Purah depends, bouncing to her feet. "If you think I will let you ever into my lab, mister, you're sorely mistaken –!"
"If we work together, combine the efforts of Akkala and Hateno tech labs, we're sure to succeed! With Cherry's incredible computing power and your Stone –"
"Your creepy ancient furnace is getting nowhere near my Guidance Stone!"
Link startles awake at the noise they're making and Zelda smothers a giggle while Impa sighs.
"I will ask Paya to check in on Zain, maybe he will be interested," Impa says and shakes her head. "But it's still a small test study, with only two subjects. I'm sorry, Zelda – as much as I wish to do this, I am with Robbie on this. The chances are too low and I have too much to lose, right now. Paya is nowhere near ready to take over for me here. There needs to be more candidate's, first, and I don't know where we can get them. But," she hums and looks away. "There might be someone who does."
Link yawns and then freezes, finding all of them staring at him. Then, clearly baffled, he points at himself quizzically, and Zelda offers him a smile.
Impa chuckles. "You've been all over Hyrule now, Link – you've traveled farther than probably anyone has in a hundred years. Better than anyone, you know the state of her people. Do you think there is anyone out there who might be interested in Purah's study – in regaining their youth, even at a risk?"
Link scratches the back of his neck thoughtfully and then takes out the Sheikah Slate, opening the map with an easy, well practiced wipe of his fingers over the screen. Zelda leans in, once more amazed – and a little jealous – of how far he'd gotten with it, how full of markers the map is. Hundred years ago, she'd estimated that there might be as many as a dozen sites of ancient Sheikah technology all over Hyrule. Link had discovered over a hundred. They now glow on his map, like glittering blue gems, the Towers and Shrines he'd seen and mastered.
Link zooms in on the map and then puts down three other markers. One in Zora's domain, one in Gerudo Town and last in Lurelin Village. Turning the slate around, he shows the map to everyone.
"Of course," Zelda breathes in realisation. "The Guardians never reached so far, so their populations were never so scattered or scarred. In Zora's domain, in Gerudo Town and in Lurelin, people can grow old peacefully, without fear of attack."
Link makes a face and a wobbling gesture with his hand and then shrugs. Zelda smiles, sadly. "Aside from monsters and other disasters and misfortunes, of course," she agrees. "But without fear of attacks by Guardians, they were allowed to prosper."
"Not the Rito, though?" Robbie asks, his goggles whirting and shifting like the eyes of a gecko as he looks between the map, Link and Zelda. "Or the Gorons?"
Link shrugs, rubbing at his neck.
"Gorons age like rocks, Daruk always said," Zelda muses. "And I suppose with Rito it can be difficult to tell their ages. If we send out invitations to the study, we should include them as well – assuming that the treatment by the rune isn't Sheikah exclusive…?"
Purah rocks back and forth on her feet thoughtfully, almost as though she's about to dance. "I… don't know? I calibrated the first version based on my own physiology, so it might be best to stick to Sheikah and Hylians for a start – but I can't see why it couldn't be adjusted. Gerudo are closer in structure to us than Rito and Gorons, or Zora for that matter. Might be best we start there, when we begin making modifications to include everyone."
"So, begin with Lurelin," Robbie says and nods. "How do we do that?"
"We'll make some posters and Link can zip in and out of Lurelin Village to post them," Purah says and strikes a pose. "It's just a snap for the Sheikah Slate."
Impa hums in agreement. "Best we make advertisements for Kakariko and Hateno as well, and perhaps some of the stables," she muses. "You never know who might take us up on it, and getting this technology to work at hundred percent will be a benefit to everyone."
"You're right," Zelda agrees, nodding. "Purah and Robbie, I suppose you two know best what should go on the poster. Can you make it?"
"It'll work much better, with your name under it," Robbie points out.
"We'll write a draft and you can copy it and put your royal touch and seal to it," Purah says and does an excited little dance. "This is so exciting! We'll get so many applicants and my little Guidance Stone will get to do it's thing!"
Zelda offers her a smile, all the while wondering, not for the first time… how much of a royal she even is, at this point. With the castle in ruins and the Kingdom in shambles, with no one to rule it for a hundred years… all that Zelda is now... is a story. The Princess that went to fight Calamity Ganon as the Kingdom fell asunder all around her. Not many even believe it. That might change with this meeting and the following cooperation, especially when they'd begin reaching out further, but right now…
Princess of nothing indeed.
"So much was lost," Zelda murmurs, carefully resting her hands in her lap to keep herself from wringing them. She shouldn't concentrate on the losses. Not when there's so much to do. "It will be good to build something for a change. To improve things."
"Indeed," Impa says, nodding her head, her heavy hat tilting. "But if Calamity Ganon taught us anything, it is that we should take all due caution."
"Yes. And speaking of which," Zelda says and lifts her eyes to Robbie. "Your research in Akkala – I would very much like to hear more about it. Link showed me the armour and weaponry you made, they're very impressive – how did you manage it?"
Robbie all but launches himself into the story of Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, the research he'd done there, the progress he'd made, enthusiastically recounting the creation of his Ancient Furnace, Cherry. Zelda leans in, allowing herself to be drawn in, and by the door Link settles down with a sigh and begins nodding off again.
-
Hmm hmm. Took me 3 years, but I finally finished botw.
I might continue this one and it might end up a Stargate crossover. Who knows.
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A Man’s World
Pairing: soft!dark!Andy Barber x Reader
Summary: To advance in a man’s world, you must allow one to own you. He promises you success, as long as you give yourself to him.
Words: 3.1k
Warnings: Dub-con (at the beginning), smut, language, implied age gap, poor knowledge of law and legal system, 18+ ONLY
A/N: This is my late entry to Berry’s Sugary 4k Challenge (everyone go and send some love to @donutloverxo for being so awesome. I am also dedicating this fic to Lexi ( @bluemusickid ) who’s had a difficult few weeks recently. I hope you feel better my love.
Sweat was building under your top hat, the urge to itch making you frustrated with the delay. The officer before you was young, probably your age and fumbled with the papers you had handed to him. You tried to relax, almost as nervous as the man in front of you and tried to console yourself with the fact that he was far too jittery to look at you long.
No one will find out, you’re safe.
“Sir?”
You chewed your chip, feet tapping irregularly on the ground in agitation.
“Sir?” The officer said again, peering at you worriedly. You quickly pulled down the rim of your hat, still not used to being called ‘sir’.
“Uh, yeah. Yes.” You said, clearing your throat and trying for a deeper voice. The officer handed you your papers back, all signed and stamped. “Thank you.”
He nodded slightly and motioned for you to wait while your client was brought out. This was the first time you’d been out in the open alone, the fear of discovery clashing with the freedom that ran in your veins.
“Did you bail me out?” A rough voice asked. You looked up at Mr. Lane, a huge mountain of a man who towered over you. You nodded and offered him your hand to shake, wincing as his rough palms scratched against your soft ones. He looked doubtfully at you and you could understand why. You barely looked like a person who belonged in the police station, no matter as a man or woman.
“I am Mr. Barber’s assistant. He was busy with a hearing and sent me to bail you out. If you’d follow me to his office, he’d like a word before we proceed to your trial next week.” You explained, a little more confident. You knew the work, you knew the ways. You only needed to sell your lies to make your truth valid.
Mr. Lane nodded, following and entering the coach outside the station after you. He sat across from you, eyes narrowing as he ran over your soft features, the clip clop of the horses the only sound within.
“You old enough to be an assistant, boy?” Mr. Lane asked, and you scowled. Oh, how you’d like to tell him you were old enough and good enough to be not just an assistant but also a lawyer. You could be the one representing him in court and making him a free man. You should be that one. But, alas, this world doesn’t see women doing much rather than peeling potatoes and popping out a child every second year.
“I am.” You replied in a gruff tone that made it clear you weren’t about to entertain more questions. Your companion nodded, looking out the window and into the streets where peddlers screamed about discounted watches and handkerchiefs and buttons. Not many people had cushioned coaches like this, but Mr. Barber insisted one for your travels.
The journey to the office was quick and silent and you gestured Mr. Lane to follow you up to the top floor where your boss sat in his office. Some people nodded at you, now getting used to seeing you here though they didn’t stop to talk. You had never spoken much to anyone here outside of the receptionist who was deaf in one ear and considered every man under the age of 40 was a boy.
“Wait here, I’ll let you in in a moment.” You said and had Mr. Lane take a seat on the benches outside. Then, you knocked softly and entered, shutting the door after you. Andy was sat behind his desk, frowning at some paper, and beckoned you closer without looking up from them. You walked over to him, licking you lips softly.
“Sit.” He said, taking your hand and pulling you into his lap. You positioned yourself on his thigh, squirming a little. He scribbled something in the corner of his paper before pushing it away with a sigh, turning his face to you. His eyes, bluer than the ocean at the docks, glittered at you and a small smile curled on his lips. With a practiced move, he removed your top hat and released the band that held your long locks tied together at the top.
Running his fingers through your hair, he leaned closer to press a kiss on your lips. You instinctively kissed back, holding onto his shoulder and moulding your lips to fit his.
“How did it go?” He asked, caressing your cheek softly. You fingered his collar, not looking in his eyes.
“I was worried someone will see through me.” You softly murmured. “There were so many men out there.”
Andy chuckled, pressing another kiss on your lips as his hand sneaked around your waist to bring you closer.
“There are always going to be men around. But you must remember you’re better than them. Better than any other son of a dick out there pretending he is the boss.”
You looked at him at that, taking in his beautiful face that had you smiling and crying in equal parts. You could tell exactly how that well-groomed beard felt between your legs, how those lips could make you utter the filthiest of sounds and curses and how those large hands touched you in the dark of the night.
“Better than even you?” You tentatively asked and Andy smiled, taking your hand and bringing it to his mouth.
“You’ve always been better than me.” He said. You blinked and looked away, his gaze far too intimate to hold. Try as you might, you could not figure this man out. Months you’d spent with him, living, and working and being his any way he asked, and yet he was as much a mystery as he’d been the first time you met.
“Uh, Mr. Lane is waiting outside. Should I call him in?” You asked and he nodded, squeezing your side before releasing you. You put your hair up again and wore your hat, hiding your face under its shadows and calling the client in.
When a girl turns a certain age, she is expected to find the most eligible bachelor and flutter her eyelashes in a bid to secure a match. Your mother threw grand balls for your sisters and was planning an even grander one for your introduction to the society. But you had had enough of dancing with lecherous bastards with as wandering hands as their eyes. You couldn’t stomach the thought of being bound to one of them, so you took your chance and ran.
Leaving behind your quaint town, you entered the bustling city with an assortment of clothes and a heart full of hope. It took you a week to understand that this was no place for you, no place for a lady who dreamt of being her own person. No one wished to employ you, a young girl who had no business demanding pay and rights.
However, in this bustling city of strangers, you found a man who wished to own you. Andy Barber told you in no uncertain terms that he would not hire you as long as you dressed like a woman, but he also promised that he could train you to be better than any other man. Provided, you give yourself to him. You weren’t naïve enough to pretend to not know what he was asking for, but you were desperate enough to say yes. This was better than a marriage anyway. There too, a man would have parched his thirst over your naked chest, but at least here you could learn and get paid for it without being bound to him.
Andy was not unkind. As a mentor, he was strict and meticulous. He worked you hard, taught you well, gave bitter feedback but praised you just the same. As a lover, he was exacting, exploring your chaste body with touches rough and soft, demanding response and reverence. The first night you laid with him, he spent hours worshiping you. His lips, lined by his bushy mustache, traced your face and neck, roving over each contour of your body until his mouth had tasted all.
The modesty you had guarded forever was bare to his gaze, but he didn’t lust like a man who cornered women in dark alleys. He had knelt before your open legs like men of cloth did at the lord’s altar, kissing the dewy folds of your sex with so much passion and delicacy that you had indeed felt like a goddess. Never had you imagined a man to put his mouth there, not when your mother had told you it was unclean. Andy, on the other hand, tasted it like he tasted absolution in your nectar.
He taught you more than simply law. The pleasures of flesh, of learning to please yourself and your companion were lessons that took place in the dark of night. He whispered things that Satan preached in your ear, seducing you into sin that you soon came to crave.
“Touch yourself”, a command he gave often. Nothing pleased him more than seeing you bring yourself to completion with your eyes trained on him, thoughts full only of him and how his body rocked yours.
You had done a great many things with him, things that had you flustered for days on end whenever your thoughts would turn to him, but what you were doing now was nothing short of scandal. It was blasphemous, something that would ruin you way more than if people found you falsely parading as a man in the city.
“Andy!” You hissed, pushing against him to no avail. He had dragged you into the men’s room inside the courthouse, cornering you against the wall and pressing his body flush to yours. He was wearing his best clothes today, about to represent an important man in a case that had made the front page for two weeks straight. Time together had been more work than pleasure, and it seemed Andy had reached his breaking point right before the trial started.
He started working on the buttons of your waistcoat, a frenzy in his eyes. “I need to take you now. This might as well be the most important case of my career, and I’ll begin it by being inside you, and end it just the same!”
You moaned, letting your hands roam his body as he finally undid your waistcoat and shirt, frantically ripping away at the bandages that bound your breasts. As he took one of your hardened nipples in his mouth, you palmed his pulsing hardness from over his pants, shivering at the thought of feeling it inside you again.
He scared you like this, for someone could walk in and see the illustrated Andrew Barber making a beast with two backs in the male room with someone who greatly resembled a man. He will be ruined. You would be ruined. And as of now, the very thought of that caused wetness to pool in your underpants.
“Get on your knees and taste me.” He urged, pulling out his cock and pumping it. “As you sit beside me today, I want you to have my taste in your mouth. One day, I’ll sit beside you too.”
You were a gently bred lady of impeccable reputation, but you sunk to your knees with the practiced move of a street woman to take him eagerly in your mouth. Oh, if your proper mother could see you, sucking a man like a whore in the damp men’s room, her teachings of propriety and modesty all but forgotten. But nothing made you feel more than a woman that receiving Andy like this. His desire, his need for you burned in his eyes and you lapped on those flames to quench the thirst in your heart.
His hand moved behind your head, easing you into taking him deeper. “Look at me” He whispered, and your eyes met his, shining with unshed tears. He did this to you, reduced you to who you loathed to be and yet loved. Swirling your tongue over his soft skin, you bobbed over his length, the squelching sounds filling the small room.
Just like always, you tasted his power and his yearning. The milky drops of precum coated your tongue, your nose taking in the smell of his musk as he groaned above you. He reduced you, but then why did you feel raised?
“Touch yourself, let me taste you too.” He ordered, and you complied. Your hand slipped inside your pants, finding your moist core. Generously lubing your fingers in your slick, you rose on shaky knees and presented your wet fingers to Andy who sucked them eagerly in his mouth. Warm, wet, his tongue took in your taste with relish.
You couldn’t stop but stare into his blue eyes, eyes that should have haunted your nightmares, but you only saw them in sweet dreams. “Kiss me” You begged, and he did. He kissed you like a man starved, like a man who could suck out your soul and draw it in himself. He kissed you like dew kissed the morning grass, like the colours of rainbow that scattered in the sky to paint it pretty.
“Tell me where you want me, how you want me.” He said, surrendering control. You stilled, hands resting on his chest. How were you to lead him when he was infinitely more experienced about the art of making love?
“I – I want you inside me.” You softly said, eyes fluttering as you shy looked away. Why was saying what you do so many times so difficult.
“Inside where?” Andy asked, tilting your chin up again. You gulped, your face and chest flushed.
“In my – in my” You stuttered, fearing to speak the word he spoke often. “In my pussy.”
You would have thought he would ravish you as soon as you said the words, instead he brought you closer and nudged your nose with his. His breath came out in erratic spurts, his need evident in his gaze. “You will put me inside you, however you want. It’s time I let you take some lead.”
Holding his gaze, you pumped his length gently before turning around and presenting him your ass. You struggled to position him, trying to place his tip at your opening. He didn’t move an inch to help you, only chuckling slightly when you huffed in frustration. Finally, you felt him at your slit, and you slid him between your folds carefully, trying to coat him in your wetness like you’d seen him do.
“What if someone walks in?” You asked, hesitating for just one moment.
“They’ll have to wait while we finish. You’re not walking out of here unsullied, so how about we hurry up?”
You pushed back into him, taking him inside your pulsing sleeve with ease. The stretch of his cock had always felt good, a pain that had a lasting effect and reminded you of him. As you moved back and forth, urging him to meet you halfway, you wondered why the self loathing never came. Andy had a way of making you feel like a queen when others may suspect you of nothing more than a whore.
“Andy” You brokenly said as he thrust inside you faster, “I want more. Please.”
He gave you more. He took over, holding onto your waist and sliding home inside you in deep, powerful strokes. You whined under his assault, jerking when his fingers found your nub and mashed it. Praises, curses, words of love and lust that had the power to destroy hearts and armies flowed freely from his mouth, as if the only thing tethering him to this earth was your body.
Your hands went to play with your breasts, a strangled moan caught in your chest. Suddenly, even when he moved inside you with such passion, you craved more intimacy than his cock could offer. You tilted your head to the side, offering him your mouth that he took in a sensual kiss. You were so close that you couldn’t decide what limb was yours and which was his anymore. In the age old dance of sensual love, you became one.
“What do you want?” He asked, and your eyes met his. He asked you this every time, and you had always answered the same thing. But today, this felt different. You were in the courthouse, a lawyer’s battleground and also the place of worship. He was more than your mentor and boss, he was also the man who you had grown to care for so deeply it could only be called one feeling.
“Inside me. I want you to finish inside me today.” You answered and his hands clutched you tighter. You’d never allowed that before, never allowed him to call you his so completely. But you felt compelled by his heat today, by the desperation he never bothered hiding from you. Once, this may have felt like a chore. Today, it was your blessing. “Andy, make me yours.”
He groaned, pumping in you with abandon and bringing you over the edge with his fingers that were running circles around your clit. You moaned loud, blubbering in pleasure that spilled from you, uncaring if someone were to walk in. His thrusts were getting irregular, hips jerking until you felt him twitch and release inside you in hot spurts. Warmth bloomed in your core, your essence mixing with his.
He hugged your sweaty body to his, the wool of his coat scratchy against your flesh. “You were mine, even before. Now, more so than ever. And one day, when you’re ready, I’ll claim you in front of the world as fully as my heart has done in private.”
You felt him run his thumb over your ring finger and licked your lips. He wasn’t asking, and you weren’t answering. But one day, maybe you will. Until then, you were happy to be his beautiful secret, posing as his assistant and learning from him.
“Don’t,” He whispered hotly in your ear, turning you around swiftly. “Don’t think too much. We’ve got a case to win.”
He helped you dress again, buttoning your shirt and waistcoat with nimble fingers. He was getting back to being your boss, and you couldn’t have been prouder of him at this moment. One day it will be you in his spot, you knew it.
“Just one question.” You said, fixing his tie and smoothening the wrinkles on his clothes. He raised an eyebrow at you, softly smiling at the mischievous look in his eyes. “What will happen once I am a lawyer too?”
Andy chuckled, pressing the softest of kisses on your lips. “Whoever wins more cases gets to be on top of course.”
You exited the men’s room with him, head high as any other man’s. As you entered the courtroom, you licked your lips and smiled as you tasted him on your tongue.
#sugary4kchallenge#soft!dark andy barber x reader#andy barber x reader#andy x reader#soft!dark andy barber#andy barber
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Moments of Courage
Summary: Osamu Miya is a difficult ex to have. When your paths cross endlessly, you try to rebuild your relationship. Will there be second chances? Or just more broken hearts?
HQ Masterlist || Multi-fandom Masterlist || Read it on A03
Osamu Miya x reader
“Are you leaving this party because of me?”
Osamu calls you out from the tiny hallway of your friend’s get together. After locking eyes with him, you did your best to subtly scamper towards the door.
“You don’t have to go. I can leave if it’s making you uncomfortable.” he assures.
You shake your head, “You can stay. I’m not having that much fun.”
You begin shuffling through the coat rack to look for yours. You’re desperate for anything to cut the time talking to him, talking about him. The only guaranteed way for this to stop is to leave.
“Are you hiding from me?” he asks almost rhetorically. His brows are gently raised.
“Yeah, obviously,” you retort, “I don’t want to be seen by you or with you.”
Osamu Miya is your ex. After over a year of dating, he decided to end things with you in a small cafe far off his onigiri stall.
“I’m too busy,” he claimed, “You deserve someone who could give you more time.”
You reasoned out that you didn’t mind not spending so much time together. His job was time-consuming. You understood that.
But Osamu was unsettled. You didn’t mind cheering him on from the benches waiting for him to finish up work. You liked seeing Osamu do things he was passionate about. And yet he felt unsettled, because he knew this was the type of work you would not engage in.
Osamu pressed on, “I’m sure you’ll find yourself someone more worldly, more sophisticated in the city. I don’t want to prevent you from meeting someone like that.”
Something dropped at the pit of your stomach. Your mouth was ajar. He’s really trying to break up with you. It’s no secret that you preferred the city and Osamu the countryside, but neither of you seemed to mind. You’d both make the time to visit each other. You made it work.
You remember barely touching your drink. Listening to him talk was like having a ton of bricks dropped on your back. The sunlight pouring in from the glass window suddenly felt prickly.
“I just don’t think we’re a good fit.” he swallowed, unable to look you in the eye, “I think someone from the country, someone simpler and more traditional would be better for me.”
You don’t miss the yearning in his voice, the dreaminess for someone who was clearly not you. He’d always tease that you were a true blue big city girl. You liked the tall buildings, the noise and the fancy department stores. You thought it was a point of endearment, but apparently not.
It’s been almost a year since you last saw him. He looks so unaffected it irks you.
“I broke up with you respectfully. Why are you mad?” he scratches his head.
It takes all your self-control to not slap him across the face.
“Because you hurt me! You’ve hurt me so…so…much.” your voice hitches before you can catch it. This is so humiliating. He’s clearly moved on from you.
Tears start pouring down your face. You quickly hide your eyes behind your coat.
“You’d eventually realize that I’m not right for you.” he murmurs, “We’re too different.”
“You don’t get to decide that for me.” you snap, clenching your fists, “So is this is it? To make you feel better you’re going to date a small town girl to solve all your problems.”
“Well, Kita did introduce me to someone lately.” he unironically replies, “She works in her family ryokan (inn) and we work similar hours. I think we’ll understand each other more than we did.”
Your eyes narrow.
“There’s no point staying in a relationship that I can’t make time for. Why can’t you understand that?” he snaps back.
It is one thing to be left for someone else and another for him to dump you just because. Somehow you feel like you lost even if you didn’t even have competition. He simply didn’t want you.
Your face contorts into an angry frown.
You slip on your coat and grab the door. “Man, you are a terrible ex. Do you know how it hurts when you tell me how wrong I was for you?”
When Osamu regains his cool, he tries to reach out to you, “I didn’t mean it that way…I didn’t feel good that I could make time for ‘ya and so I let the relationship go. Because i don’t know…—“
“Well, this is all just theory anyways.” he says, “I haven’t met Kita’s friend yet. We haven’t gone out yet, just the two of us.”
You do a double turn. “What?!?”
“Yeah, we’re working all the time but we haven’t made the time to meet.”
You break into a laugh. He stands stunned and confused.
“You know what? You stay behind. You left the last time. I want to be the one to leave this time.” you sigh, closing the door behind you.
You don’t turn back to see the look on his face.
—————————————
Osamu mostly works in the countryside which means that you’d be less likely to run into each other in the city. It’s easier for you to keep your mind off him and focus on your current life.
So when you see him in the corner store in place of a small fried chicken stall you used to frequent, you’re visibly shocked, appalled even.
“What are you doing here?!” you jump back, “What happened to the fried chicken stall that was here?”
Osamu looks left and right, making sure no approaching customers can hear your dialogue.
“I run this stall now. Kawaneshi-san retired. It’s a great location. I’m literally in a crossroad between a shopping district and some schools. The rent isn’t too bad and it’s a very busy location.” he answers in his usual no nonsense tone.
You make a mental list not to pass by here again.
He recognizes the look on your face, “Have I just ruined your usual route for you?”
“I thought you were a country boy.” you avoid answering him.
“Even I need to make a living.” he snorts, carefully arranging umeboshi-flavored onigiri in his display case.
Sure! All of a sudden working in the city becomes important after he breaks up with you!
You roll your eyes and curtly walk away. You got here first. You love this city. You refuse to let some onigiri-making man ruin your everyday route.
The days roll into weeks. You stick to your route and diligently ignore Osamu each time. After a while it stops feeling weird that he’s there. You feel like you’re slowly taking pieces of yourself that he broke.
It feels so good to start to be whole again.
————————————
Your newfound peace with Osamu is interrupted when he calls you out of the blue one evening. He calls to tell you that he’s sick and that he needs help running groceries. The nerve!
“Don’t you have anyone else?” you groan. Hasn’t he made friends with some other shopkeepers?
“I have no one else. There’s only you.” he coughs through his words. He tries to explain that one of his few friends is out on bereavement.
You let it go. He clearly doesn’t have anyone for today.
You find out that Osamu lives in the apartment above his stall. The space is rather small. He shares his home with some of the equipment and supplies from his store.
He must hate it here. Osamu always loved wide open spaces.
You open the fridge to find it totally empty. His sink has a few empty bowls from his earlier rice porridges. You understand his desperation. He had nothing to eat.
Moved by his situation and the little compassion for him that remains in you, you sigh and begin chopping up some vegetables to make a nutritious broth. You add in some mushrooms and root crops. While the soup boils, you prepare rice and some pickles.
The faster he recovers, the less you have to interact with him.
When you bring him a tray of food in his room, he is equal parts surprised and confused.
“You can cook?” he clears his throat.
“No, Osamu.” you roll your eyes, “I eat all my food raw.”
He sits up and sniffs the aroma of your food through his clogged nose. He dips a spoon into the soup to sample his first meal of the day.
“I mean you can cook well, like a proper home cook.” he says, his eyes wide with awe. He quickly takes a few more sips and starts on his rice.
“I’ve never known.” he croaks, turning to you.
“You never asked,” you shrug, “And you like to do the cooking yourself. You probably assumed I can’t cook, because I’m not as passionate about food as you are.”
He quietly eats and looks away to confirm the truth in your statement.
You sigh and take a nearby basin with some towels in it. “I’ll leave after I bring the basin back.”
——————————————-
Something changes in your relationship with Osamu after that incident. He starts to greet you when you walk by and sometimes offers you onigiri from his store.
You always insist on paying. He doesn’t always take it.
“You’re here to make a living.” you say as you push money into his hands.
In between these exchanges you start to ask about each other again. How are you doing? Was today busy? Stuff like that.
Slowly and surely, you two were rebuilding your relationship ground up. But it was tough. Neither of you went beyond these interactions. Maybe things are just meant to stay that way.
One late evening, the last customer for the day disappears out of Osamu’s line of sight when he heads into the back to start cleaning up. He’s about to start pulling down the rafters when you suddenly show up at his counter.
His face expresses his surprise.
“If it’s too late, I can just go.” you gesture sheepishly.
He’s always surprised when you come here on your own volition.
“It’s not,” he denies, “I was closing up too early anyways.”
You pick out your usual onigiri flavors and quickly pay up. As soon as you turn your back, Osamu stammers at you.
“I-I’m cooking up some stuff at the back. Do you want to stay and eat? Think of it as a return favor for the other week.” he refers to the episode of his sick day.
You’re caught off guard but you slowly nod your head to agree. You hadn’t had Osamu’s cooking in a while and it was getting quite late. He opens the door for you and you follow him towards the back of his shop.
In a messy plastic table, you see an array of salads and pickles with different kinds of miso soup laid out. You feel almost intrusive, even more than last week.
You set the table. Osamu fetches hot rice.
It feels unnecessary for you to be here especially if he is with someone else. You do your best to keep your mouth shut. This is a friendly return of favor.
Osamu notices how unusually quiet you are. He chats you up about work. He tries his best to be animated and show interest in your latest project. He asks about your coworkers and your work environment. Were you having fun? Do you get to eat on time?
For dessert, he brings out mochi wrapped in leaves.
“It’s made by the girl I was telling you about.” he remarks, while clearing the dishes.
“Oh,” your heart sinks. You get up and leave, feeling humiliated by your naivety. Of course he’s with her. You feel stupid for even hoping.
You’re about to walk out when he comes back in. “Apparently, she’s been secretly in a relationship with another chef in her family inn. They recently got married and are hoping to start a family soon. She sent these down to inform me. I suppose that solves the problem of having to see someone outside of work—”
He sees you standing. Confusion runs through his expression.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“Just stretching…” you lie.
You want to shoot yourself in the foot in embarrassment.
When realization dawns on him, Osamu looks crestfallen. Any energy left in his body abandons him. He sighs, resigned.
“It’s ok if you want to go,” he nods, “Or if I’m making you uncomfortable.”
He bites his lip and looks down on his shoes. The room is still and pregnant with silence.
“I really am just stretching. My hip feels wonky from sitting all day.” you insist with some renewed energy. You grab hold of the pot on the table. “Also, can we get some more hot water? Tea would be nice with the mochi and it’s kind of gone cold.”
He offers to make another pot, relief evident on his face.
“I’ll go heat up the water.” he walks to the kettle, “Are you sure you want dessert?”
You sit back down.
“Yeah, I want to stay.” you murmur. For once you don’t go running to the door.
He glances at you, content, a small smile creeping on his face.
——————————————————
Atsumu, Osamu’s twin brother, always finds himself in his brother’s kitchen every time he visits. He doesn’t mind too much though. It gives them something to do when they catch up.
“Samu, you can’t still be moping around your ex!” Atsumu exclaims. He’s washing Osamu’s dishes as his brother prepares for their meal.
“I’m not ready to get back out there.” Osamu waves dismissively.
Atsumu flicks some water his way. “You’re just not open to seeing someone else.”
His words clearly prick Osamu who throws flour into his face. Atsumu dodges right on time and flicks some flour right back.
Some flour grazes Osamu’s sleeve. He sighs and dusts himself.
“It’s tough, because I’m working all the time. This job doesn’t pay too much and it’s not glamorous. Who’d wanna date someone like me?” he murmurs.
“That’s why you gotta date around to find out!” Atsumu emphasizes, “Maybe you’ll even find someone who might help you with your business when you get married.”
Osamu obstinately shakes his head. “It’s not as easy as you think.”
Atsumu dries his hand and carefully observes his brother. He puts his towel down onto the kitchen counter and raises his brow, “Or maybe I should just give you advice on getting back together.’
As if right on cue, Osamu slams his hand down onto the counter, “I hate that we still haven’t gotten back together. This is killing me!”
Atsumu chuckles in satisfaction. He’s hit the nail right on the head.
“Why has nothing happened yet? I’m already in the city!” Osamu continues on, “They can cook too! Did you know that?! I wish we can skip to the part where we can settle down.”
He vigorously gestures in frustration.
“I cannot! I just cannot move on until I know I’ve given everything to make this work and yet every time I see them all I do is offer them food!”
Atsumu places his hand on his brother’s shoulder, “You need to be more strategic about it. Here’s what you need to do…”
———————————————————————————
Osamu takes a deep breath before knocking at your door. He holds a bag of onigiri in one hand and whatever courage he has in another.
One knock, then another. He hasn’t been this nervous in a long while.
When you open the door, his ear picks up on a male voice inside your house. Combined with your expression, he realizes that he’s come at an inconvenient time.
“I brought you something.” he tries to smile despite the sweat pooling, “I made you lunch. I just wanted to make sure you were eating. We don’t have to talk. I just wanted to give this to you.”
He tries to look past your shoulder, attempting to glimpse at your guests.
“Are you seeing someone else by any chance?” he blurts out, “I want to clarify before I make any more free deliveries.”
You frown. “That’s none of your business, Osamu. You should leave.”
Your frankness pierces something within him. He hadn’t expected to be rejected so quickly.
Osamu’s eyes widen and his mouth drops. He quickly gathers himself before he gets disheartened.
“I want you to give me a second chance. You loved me so deeply. Maybe you can find love in me again.” he says quietly.
“I thought I was too much of a city girl for you,” you retort, despite lacking an edge in your voice. You notice his hands tightly clutching the plastic bag.
The noise at the back seems to melt away. It’s like you’re back in that party, standing too close to each other near the coat rack and the door.
“Maybe you’re not.” his shoulders gracefully go up and down.
You shook your head wryly, “Osamu, I haven’t changed. I like my job and the city. I’m not the life and business partner that you’re looking for. I’m just a customer and we should keep it that way.”
“I can stop if you like.” he offers meekly, putting his hands behind his back.
“Yeah, you should. You’ve hurt me so much.” you cover your mouth with your hands while you try not to sob, “There’s nothing to go back to.”
“I’m sorry I ended things the way I did.” he looks away, “Seeing you walk by me every day feels like penitence…“
You close the door before he says anymore.
Osamu gazes longingly at the door. It’s only now that the full weight of losing you sinks in.
——————————————
“How’d it go?” Atsumu calls to check on Osamu.
Osamu sucks in his breath, his palm pressed on his temple. Atsumu braces himself, this doesn’t sound good.
“They had someone else over.” Osamu is seething in frustration and angry tears.
“Calm down. Were they alone? Or was it a friend group?” Atsumu ’s mind races. He sifts through the situation in an attempt to placate his brother.
“Yeah? No? I don’t know.” Osamu snaps, “They told me she didn’t want to talk about it. Your advice sucks!”
Osamu walks most of the way home. When he catches sight of his store, he curses. He had left his damn bike at your apartment complex! The universe is not giving him any breaks today.
He sighs and continues towards his store. He had a friend watch it while he was away. He’ll have to come pick up after he closes the store.
Throughout the rest of the day, he tries to push you out of his mind. By the time he closes the store, he is bursting at the seams with anticipation to make his way back to your apartment.
Before he sets off, he sees your figure wheeling his bike towards him.
“You left your bike.” you breathe out. You fish something out of your pocket and toss him the key to his bike lock, “You left this in your lock too.”
“Every time you see me, I just look dumber and dumber.” he sighs in exasperation.
You can’t help but burst into laughter at his candidness. He perks up a bit. He hasn’t made you laugh in a while. Of course he’d rather have you laugh with him than at him. Still, this was a start right?
"Did Atsumu put you up to this?" you chuckle, handing the bike over.
“Yeah, how did you know?” he asks dumbfounded.
“I just do.” you scoff, “It’s not like you to show up on people’s doors.”
He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, “Sorry about that. It won’t happen again. It was a moment of weakness.”
Your eyes lower, framing the sad expression that sets into your face, “Yeah, it better not. I’ve moved on.”
You turn around to walk away. In a brief moment of courage, he cups his hands around his mouth.
“I’m not ready to move on from you and if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.” he calls out.
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Taglist: @itstheee-ha-chan @kaizumi @holaaaf @glxar
Comment or message to be added to the taglist! I’m definitely making a part 2!
#osamu miya#miya osamu#osamu miya x you#osamu miya x reader#osamu miya x y/n#miya twins#miya twins x you#miya twins x reader#miya osamu x y/n#miya osamu x reader#miya osamu x you#osamu x reader#osamu x y/n#hq x self insert#hq x you#hq x reader#haikyuu fanfic#hq fanfic#hinata fic#osamu angst
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How the lack of a nickname can become something more [Corpse x reader]
Paring: Corpse husband x Gender Neutral!reader
Summary: “Hi! Sorry if this is weird, it’s my first time making a request but could you maybe write something for Corpse Husband where the reader is a streamer that’s very friendly and always calls her friends/people she’s playing with these cute nicknames (like babe, sweetie, hun...). But she has a crush on Corpse, so she never uses any of the nicknames on him and everyone thinks it’s because she doesn’t like him, so she has to explain to her stream?” requested by @voidcaine
Warnings: fluff, sorta angst
Words: 1.9k words
A/N: I had a good idea where this was supposed to go, then it went the complete other direction. Also does anyone want to read my original stuff?
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
“Hey guys!” You join the discord call with the group of people to start a game of Raft. Tonight, it’s going to be you, Rae, Sykkuno, Toast and Corpse. You all greet each other and exchange pleasantries.
“Hey Y/N, how was your time off?” Toast is the first to ask about your 2 weeks off from streaming.
“Thank you hun, it was pretty nice. I got a lot of things done, and I can soon tell the date of my next project.” You tease your audience.
The rest have already played the Raft before, leading to them giving you a chaotic introduction to the game. Leaving you more confused about what you are supposed to do than before.
“Rae babe, am I supposed to know what’s going on?” You don’t have to wait long, as Rae immediately responds.
“No. Not at all.” Resulting in a laugh from everyone.
You join into the game, and slowly start figure the controls out. Mostly you are just following Sykkuno around and trying to do the same things as him, yet somehow you do it worse.
Sykkuno ends up falling off the raft and gets killed by a shark before long.
“Sykkuno nooo! Not my sweetheart this world is too cruel!” You act dramatic, before he respawns.
“Does this mean I’m a ghost now? Because I will haunt you for pushing me off.” Sykkuno pokes right back at you.
You share another laugh before getting back to trying to make the Raft as big and confusing as ever. Some more time goes by as you head onto your 4th island this stream.
“Hey Corpse, can you get an axe from the Raft when you get onto the island? I forgot to bring one.” You don’t think much of not giving him a nickname like everyone has one. Well you do, more so you can’t bring yourself to give him one, because you are currently harboring a crush for him. Which means calling him an affectionate nickname, feels like lying to yourself about a future that will never happen.
This goes on for the rest of the stream, nobody mentions it, but in the goodbye section of the stream, everyone is on edge but you. The rest convinced that you have something against Corpse, including Corpse. Especially Corpse.
You stay in voice chat so the 5 of you can bid goodbye without your individual audiences listening in.
“Hey thanks for today, it was a good stream!” You cheerfully tell the others.
“Y/N, what was that?” Rae is the first to ask, bringing the issue the rest has had on their minds since the beginning of the stream.
“What was what?”
“What was not giving Corpse a nickname? You give everyone a nickname. If you look on twitter, there are already people asking if you don’t like him.”
“Rae, I can talk for myself, you don’t have to give me a nickname Y/N.” Corpse adds onto the conversation, now that you think about it, the upbeat mood of the stream has started to falter out towards the end of the stream.
“I’m so sorry Corpse! It wasn’t meant like that not at all! I don’t hate you!” You are quick to respond. If you could see Rae right now, you would be able to see her face, realizing what was going on.
“You know what, how about we leave the two of you to talk it out? Yeah? Yeah.” She quickly kicks Toast and Sykkuno from the call and then leaves herself. Before any of you get a chance to say goodbye.
“So… We are alone now…” You try to break the silence.
Corpse doesn’t respond, he can feel himself starting to go through the worst-case scenarios. That you hate him, and don’t want to be friends anymore. He thought the two of you had become close.
“Corpse I’m sorry, I hope you didn’t start to doubt yourself. I didn’t mean to make you feel like this, I’m so sorry. I’ll release a statement or something. I can fix this. I promise.” You have already thrown yourself straight into panic mode, especially after what Rae said about people thinking you hate Corpse.
Corpse can’t help sigh of relief when you start apologizing, “Y/N it’s alright, but why don’t I have a nickname?” Corpse is unsure if this is alright to ask, he wants to know, the two of you have been friends for close to half a year now, and you usually have a nickname for people with in your first time streaming or playing with them.
“I don’t think that’s something we should talk about over discord.” That was how the conversation dried up, a bit of small talk happened before the two of you bid your goodbyes. Leaving you frustrated over knowing Corpse would only think the worst.
The air between you two had thickened after that day, and everyone you ended up streaming with could feel it, while the two of you could hide it from your fans, your friends was a whole other thing. They had caught on to the two of you not being on the best speaking terms.
You wanted to explain yourself but felt that it was better to do face to face. He wanted to tell you he missed talking like the two of you used to do.
Then a chance finally came, Rae was hosting a party, and you were invited. Your first reaction to hearing it was asking if Corpse was coming too. Rae had told you he said yes, so you booked a ticket to the big city from your small town in Colorado. You would be able to stay at the collab house with Rae.
You were excited to meet the others again, you had only been able to meet up with Rae twice before. So, this was a good chance for you to talk to the others some more, and not to mention come clean to Corpse.
You settled down in Rae’s room quickly, and greeted everyone as you walked around the house, waiting for more guest to arrive. You kept looking for Corpse. Making you not the greatest conversational partner as you barely listened, only agreeing, and disagreeing on the right times.
You notice his mop of black curls quickly when he comes into the living room. You immediately leave the conversation you were barely listening to, you try to wave him down, but he doesn’t seem to have noticed you.
You head his way instead; he’s currently talking a bit to Rae probably thanking her for inviting him. You stand a bit to the side not saying anything just waiting for your turn, as to not interrupt their conversation. Rae points to you, and wave you down. You try to act surprised, not just having stood there like a stalker and watched their entire conversation.
“Hey,” you smile at him, and he returns it.
“I’ll leave you to it.” Rae walks away, totally not having planned this so the two of you could meet. Rae had after the awkward conversation gotten the real reason out of you why you didn’t want to give Corpse a nickname. While she had enjoyed teasing you about your crush, she had never spoken a word to anyone else about it.
“So… we finally meet.” You try to break the ice.
“We do, do you want to go outside?”
“Oh, thank god, yes.” You follow after him, not noticing Rae pointing the two of you leaving to go outside to Sykkuno that she might have told your secret to by accident.
You find a bench and settle down, the weather being pretty decent, no wind to be felt.
“You said, you wanted to talk about what has been bothering you face to face?” Corpse gets straight to the thing that’s on both of your minds.
“Yeah, I’m sorry about it, I really am, I’m sorry, I know I’ve been cryptic and-”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing, we’re friends. Don’t apologize for existing.” Corpse reassures you.
“Yeah, sorry about that… I don’t know how to tell you this, and I really don’t want to ruin our friendship and I mean that. And I realized I had caught feelings for you, it wasn’t on purpose I swear.”
“Why would-”
“Please let me finish before you ask anything.” You look at him pleading. He nods to let you continue. “I didn’t want to give you a nickname, and I know that’s my entire brand at this point… I just couldn’t get myself to call you something affectionate and keep it platonic in my mind. Because I wanted more, I still do. I don’t want to just be your friend, and I don’t want to ruin what we have, because you are a good friend, one of my best.” You rub your hands over your face.
You can feel the awkwardness radiating off Corpse.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” You get off the bench and prepare to walk away when Corpse grabs around your wrist.
“Didn’t I tell you not to apologize for existing.” You can’t help but laugh a dry laugh, you can feel the tears ready themselves as you wait for the inevitable rejection.
“Corpse, don’t drag this out. I like you okay, and I don’t want to be more hurt over it.” You try to tug your hand to yourself.
“What if I like you too?” He might not have been as in tune with his feelings as you had. However, he had come to realize he had feelings for you. They had crept up on him in the form of suddenly missing you whenever you hung up after talking. They had come at him slow and over a long time, while your feeling had washed over you as a tsunami coursing through your heart.
“Corpse, it’s okay, just let me down gently.” You take you free hand to dry the tears that are now seemingly escaping.
“No Y/N, what if I like you too. Because I do. I like to hear your laugh, I like when we talk so far into the night I can hear your roommates alarm go off. I like when you say my name, even if I was you would give me a nickname.” He can’t help but chuckle. “ I like you Y/N.”
Your tears are now streaming out not of sadness but of the pure happy feeling of having your feeling returned from the guy you never thought who would return them.
He pulls you into a hug.
You can’t help but whisper to him.
“I like you Corpse.”
“I like you too Y/N.”
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
#corpse husband#corpse husband x y/n#corpse#corpse husband fanfic#corpse fic#corpse husband fanfiction#corpse husband x reader#corpse x reader#corpse husband fic#gender neutral!reader#delias own writing#corpse husband imagine
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Good Girl, Bad Boy (Pt. 07 of 15)
Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader
Word count: 1.6 K
Summary: You're the extreme opposite of Billy Hargrove. The good girl, with perfect grades, the child every mother wants to have. And you don't want to have nothing to do with his kind. Ignoring Billy – and his constant, lingering stare – became an habit. But after you're put together for a special school program, you'll have no choice but to get along with him. And soon enough you'll find out that Billy is so much more than just Hawkins' bad boy.
<-Previous part (06)
Next part (08) ->
{Stranger Things Masterlist}
{Dacre Montgomery Masterlist}
×
Don't Go
Billy did threw the keychain away when he got home. It was on the trash can he has in his bedroom, beside the desk. It remained there, among a few school papers for half an hour before he took it again.
It went right back to it's previous place at the nightstand.
Billy is deliberately skipping class. It's the fourth day now, and he doesn't feel like he'll be returning tomorrow.
He leaves everyday at the same time he would for school, and returns after. But he drives to lonely places where he thinks he can run away from his own mind. But it is everywhere he goes.
She is everywhere he goes.
Billy Hargrove did considered going back to his old ways. He even managed to make his way to the phone, ready to call Stacy again. But when he picked up the phone, he caught himself halfway through her number. The number that belongs to the girl he can't stop thinking about. To the girl he can't ruin. Whose life he can't destroy.
She's too good for him, and he knows that. An angel, as stupid as it may sound coming from a asshole like him. Because that's what Billy thinks he is. He'd live a thousand lifetimes and never deserve (Y/N). Her smile, her laughter, her blushing cheeks. Her amazing, sweet scent, that shine in her eyes when she looks at him.
What does that even mean?
Billy is looking at Hawkins, parked on this cliff. (Y/N) would like it, and he wonders if she ever came here. Probably not, since the only people who know this place are those who come here for a hook up. There are a lot of places Billy would like to show her, some of them would take an hour drive through the woods, but it's worth it. He found them soon after getting into town, because he couldn't handle to stay still, so he drove. Pretty much as he's doing now, constantly running away from something that's inside of him.
Sighing, he pushes the car door close. At this time, he should be leaving school, going to her place as always. Today they'd go over the Biology class, if he's not mistaken. (Y/N) loves it, mostly when it's about animals. She loves birds. She didn't had to tell him that, he got it from the way she smiled as the teacher spoke.
These little things, the small details, as silly as they may be, are making him fall harder.
But he can't.
Well, he can.
But not her. Billy knows who he was. Or who he still is. So he knows what people will say about her. They'll call (Y/N) mean names, say she's just another of his sluts. And that's something he can't do, not to her.
But despite knowing this is the right thing to do, it hurts. It hurts that he has to step away from her, for good this time. Billy doesn't know how he'll live from now on without their daily meetings. Without her soft voice, her sweet scent inebriating him every damn time.
He has it bad.
It's only worse because he remembers it clearly, that day at that stupid parlor, how she said they could try. They could wait and see what happens.
That was a chance. A small one, that probably would lead to nothing, but still, a chance. Something he never thought he'd get. Not with (Y/N). But now, he won't even try anymore.
This might be love, he thinks. Putting someone else's well being before his own.
It's a hard thing to acknowledge, but when it's real, there's no way to run from it.
Sighing, Billy starts the car, putting the daisy keychain on the passenger seat. For a moment he sees her image, looking at him and smiling. On the next second, it's gone.
With a weight on his chest, he maneuvers the car, heading back to the hell on Earth he calls home.
“I don't know, Nan. He just... He disappeared. Like smoke in the air and I don't know why.” Sitting shotgun in Nancy's car, you let your heart out. Billy didn't show up at school last week, and not today either. It's been five days already, and he doesn't even answer your calls.
“You know Billy Hargrove, (Y/N). I'm not impressed with this sudden change and neither should you.”
“No, Nan...” Running a hand through your hair, you sigh. “Trust me, Billy... He's not like that. Not with me at least and I know what you'll say. That he lies to get girls but... I've seen how he treats them and so have you. He... He never yelled at me, or called me bad names, he...” You're defending him. The idiot fled with no explanation and still, you're defending him.
“(Y/N), I trust your judgment.” She stops by your place, turning her body towards you. “If what you're saying it true, go after him.”
“I–”
“Look, I get that you don't want to talk about it because you're scared of having feelings for the bad boy, and I'll wait until you're ready, but honestly, I think you know what you feel.”
Looking down at your hands, you blush. “I really like to be around him, Nancy.” Your voice is low and weak, as you admit it to her and to yourself at the same time. “And I miss him.”
“Don't call him, then. Go after him.” She touches your shoulder, smiling. “...Just don't let Steve know Billy is making you sad because you know he'll freak out.”
“God, no!” Giggling, you reach for your bag on the backseat. Steve looks out for you, even now, and it's good to know he has your back. But you definitely don't need the two guys having a fight over some misunderstanding. “Tell him I'm fine. Because I am. I'll... I'll fix things. And if Billy does want to stay away from me for whatever reason... I'll be alright.”
“Good luck and call me if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you, Nan.” Giving her a hug, you step out of the car, heading inside. “Mom! I'm home!”
“Hi, darling!” She shouts from upstairs. Taking the chance, you run to the phone, quickly dialing Billy's number. It's not the first time you call, and whenever he picks up, you say ‘hello’ and the call is cut. It breaks your heart every time.
“Who's this?” A female voice answers, slightly pissed.
Relieved, you breathe out. “Hi, Max. It's (Y/N).”
“AKA the reason why the shitface has been locked in his bedroom like a jerk.” She speaks fast, and you furrow your eyebrows and giggle. “I think Billy is in love with you or something.”
“What?” Max says as if it's no big deal, as if she didn't made your heart start beating insanely fast, neck and cheeks heating up. “I-I don't think–”
“Billy never gets upset over a girl so...” Her voice fades, and you hear something in the back, wondering if it's Billy. “He has your keychain, by the way. A daisy flower.”
“Keychain?” You don't remember any keychains, so you just sigh, pacing around. “Max, can you do me a favor? I'm going there so don't let Billy go anywhere. And when I ring the door bell, let him answer it, please.”
“Alright. But don't take too long. Neil will be back around eight.”
“I'm going now. Thanks.” And you hang up, heading to the front door. “Mom, I'm going to get Billy!”
“Alright!” Good thing she doens't ask much questions, God bless her for that.
You try not to drive too fast, and you try to tell yourself this is no big deal. But you don't know what will happen. Preparing yourself for a heartbreak sounds good, so you decide to expect the worse.
So when you're parking on the sidewalk in front of Bill'y house, you know what you'll do. You'll put a finger on his face and ask what the hell he's thinking skipping class like that.
When you reach the front door, you realize you've never been here. Well, Billy did dropped his sister a few times before driving back to your place. And then, you're whole act drops. “Damn it.” Pressing the door bell, you wonder if you'd have enough time to just run back to the car and leave. There's a discussion inside the house, with Billy telling Max to get the door, and she refusing. You would have time to run, but you decide to be brave. So you stand your ground, pressing the bell again.
“Damn you, Maxine.” Billy groans, and on the next second the door is violently pulled open.
You freeze, watching as Billy's face drops. “Hi.” You mutter, looking down at your hands, blushing. You shouldn't be here. This is stupid. Whatever Billy said at Scoops Ahoy, it's over. But still, you want to try. To break through him, even if it means you'll be pushed further away. “C-can we talk?”
There's silence, several seconds of silence. And you curse yourself. Billy would never like you. He's the bad boy Nancy warns you about, that girls like you should avoid. Biting your lip, you feel your throat burning, tears wanting to make their way to your eyes.
“Nevermind, I shouldn't have come.” Pushing the words out, you turn on your heels to leave. But Billy grabs your arm, forcing you to stop. “Let go.” You beg, looking back at him. Your heart is breaking and you don't even know why. You just need to be away from Billy right now, and from all these feelings boiling inside you.
“No, please, just... Don't go.” His grip gets loose, and his hand slides from your forearm to your hand, and he holds it, pulling you inside. “Come in.”
Taking a deep breath, you weakly nod, letting him pull you into the house.
×
@multific @clockworkballerina @tina1938 @graciehams @moatsnow @all-the-stars-on-your-skin @captain039 @rebelemilu @vivian-likes-frogs @prettyinpunk85
#billy hargrove fanfiction#billy hargrove x y/n#imagine billy hargrove#billy hargrove imagine#billy stranger things fanfiction#billy stranger things imagine#billy stranger things#stranger things fanfiction#imagine stranger things
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blue lagoon — gojo satoru
ೃ pairing: gojo satoru x fem! reader
ೃ tags: smut 18+ (the rest of the tags are below the cut!)
ೃ warnings: nsfw
ೃ wc: 2771 words
ೃ Gojo Satoru’s high profile sorcerer life is plagued by malicious and good for nothing rumors that describe and entail him as a pompous casanova. To finally debunk said rumors, he comes to you, his loving girlfriend, for advice on how to publicly announce your relationship with him. all it takes is some loving and some teasing from you to finally gain the courage and come to his senses.
additional tags: teasing, bathroom sex, and overstimulation (enjoy!)
A skirt-chaser, womanizer, and possibly a gallivanter who jumps from woman to woman.
That’s mostly the perception that people have about him.
He was just too good to be true.
They didn’t dare to think that Gojo Satoru would be a perfect man on his own.
There should always be a catch.
Handsome, possibly the strongest sorcerer known to man, charming, tall, and sexy, and not to mention, a bad-ass.
No one could just act that part casually and nonchalantly without hiding some skeletons in the closet, right?
Even his three first-year students, who had some assumptions and have heard some rumors that maybe their beloved teacher was a ladies’ man who could possibly never just have one significant other in his life.
They were wrong. All of them are wrong.
There was you.
The first woman he fell in love with and the woman he would come back home to after a tiring day.
He met you when you were casually roaming about the blinding lights district that was Shinjuku, catching the next train ride home.
Just a small-town girl… living in a lonely world... she took the midnight train going anywhere…
The moment he saw you, he was entranced.
He stopped in his tracks, taking in your beauty as you continuously walk farther and farther away from him.
Gojo knew he had to find you again.
And as fate would have it, the two of you end up catching the same train, a week later. Engaged in small talk, some laughs and giggles, and you were automatically charmed by his personality and looks. The two of you then went on some casual dates before taking a few steps further, and now, here you are. It’s been a year and a half since you two started dating.
The white-haired man needed to shut down these rumors, once and for all.
He wants to proudly tell everybody that there was only one woman in his life and this woman is one worth spending the rest of his life with.
So, as he meets with you tonight in your apartment like he always does, he wants to ask you for advice on how to do so.
Only problem is, how can he be honest with you like this?
What if you react differently and be taken aback over the fact that the two of you aren’t necessarily considered as official yet on his side of things?
You bob your head up at the sound of your apartment door unlocking. Your captivating boyfriend enters inside, a soft and loving smile appearing on his face as soon as he sees you.
“Sorry if I’m a bit late today.” He pardons himself but you shake your head as you stood up from your seat to run towards him, enveloping him in an amorous hug. “It’s alright babe. Have you had dinner already?” You ask innocently, tiptoeing just a little bit to give him a greeting peck on the lips.
“Yup.” He says popping the p, trying his best to emanate his usual playful and energetic aura, As the two of you break free from the hug. He begins to stretch his arms and shoulders, groaning in the process. “I’m a bit soar though. Is it alright if I take a bath?”
“Of course, love! The water’s ready actually. I just poured in some hot water in the bath for my nightly wash, thinking you won’t arrive tonight.”
“A-aaaah! I’m sorry for making you wait!” He pulls you in for another hug, peppering kisses on your cheek, giggling as he does so. “What can I possibly do to cheer you up my mistress!?”
“Pfft. Like I said, It’s alright, my love. Just get in the tub, ‘Toru.” You laugh, pushing him away playfully as he heads for your bathroom. But before he completely enters, he steps back a little, turning to you dramatically.
“Oh, my woman, why must you wound me?”
You laugh once again at his little dramatic quip as you shoo him away.
Whilst waiting for Satoru to finish by waiting for him at the door, you feel as if there’s a strange air between the two of you. Like he was hiding something. You had to get him to talk and bare his heart to you and as your mind begins to think up ideas faster speed of light, you feel a lightbulb light up in your head.
What if you went inside the bathroom and surprise him? After all, despite his very tall yet alluring height, the two of you would fit perfectly in the Japanese tub you recently just bought with him in during your monthly IKEA.
It was perfect.
You quickly make loose of your clothes, dashing into the bathroom and make a beeline towards Gojo who was chilling in the tub, head most probably in the clouds, aimlessly playing with the bubbles in the tub.
Just from looking at him like this, you know something was up.
After you wet yourself down, you hop into the tub with Gojo. As soon as he sees you dip in, he snaps back into reality, slightly bewildered and mouth agape at the sight of your beauty as you sit comfortably in front of him.
“(Y/N)!” He slightly jerks up from his position, but quickly recovers by pulling a playful pout. “I didn’t expect you to just barge in on me like this…” His fingers trace circles around your shoulder and then around the base of your neck, earning whimpers from you.
You lean back against him, and you feel him tense up even more at the touch of your bodies. “Toru… is there something up? Something you’re not telling me? You’ve been down in the dumps today…” You continue to lounge in the water, letting out a content yet exasperated sigh. Behind you, Gojo smiles half-heartedly.
If only he could tell you these conflicted emotions he’s been feeling recently.
“Everything’s fine love. Don’t worry.” He says in his usual cheeky and smug tone. He licks his lips seductively; lust fills his ethereal azure eyes as you feel Satoru’s hard cock against your ass. You perk up and push back against it slightly to get a better feel.
Gojo doesn’t react, but you hear him gulp down a lump on his throat, so you quietly reach your hand until-
“Not in the bathtub missy.” He teases you playfully, combing his hand through your mildly wet hair. “Wait just a l-little bit moree.”
Why does this man have to play with you like this?
You turn to him, the water rippling with you, shooting him an indignant stare as you lift your hands out of the water to show him you’ll behave. He sighs skittishly at the disappointed look you just gave him right now, getting goosebumps as you feel his breath against the back of your neck.
Gojo’s natural scent mixes with the bath’s hot steam. Somehow, it calms you down and gets you excited at the same time. He notices you shiver a bit as the cold breeze of wind passes by the two of you. This gives him another chance to tease you again.
“Keep your shoulders under the water so that you stay warm. It’ll help soothe away your fatigue. You had a long day today, after all~”
You roll your eyes, turning to him once more, cupping his cheek. “Pleaseeeee. You’ve had an even more draining day than I did as always.”
Gojo scoops up some bathwater, and began pouring it over your shoulders. Resulting in you relaxing even further in his arms.
Here you were right in front of him.
Completely bare and naked. Waiting for him to ravage you.
He just couldn’t help it. The teasing didn’t satisfy him enough, and now that the two of you are lying comfortably in this huge-ass bathtub, might as well use it all to your advantage, right?
Satoru’s carnal instincts kick in and all of a sudden, before you could even react probably, he grabs your boobs. Gently squeezing them and flicking your now perked up nipples. You mewl at his every touch, his touch feeling a bit more intense when it’s wet.
He pauses for a moment… and then,
“Shall we continue?”
“T-toru please… yes.” You say in between moans as he squeezes your breasts a little tighter, digging his fingers in.
“A-ah… that feels so good.”
Your white-haired lover smirks, pinching your nipples once more, steamy warmth radiating from his hands.
“They’re extra smooth and squishy today.” He teases once again, giving them an extra squeeze, earning giggles from you as his hands wander south. You practically twitch as a result of the combined stimulations that Satoru was giving you, as water flows out of the tub.
Meanwhile, you can feel that Gojo’s cock is at full mast now.
You scoot backwards a bit, spreading your legs wide so that you can get a good look at it.
Just then, Gojo’s hand comes into view as he reaches down to play with your clit. You continue to lull your head back, your bodies pressing even more than before as you feel a different sort of wetness between your legs, so you keep letting him do his thing.
“’Toru… put it in me.” You whisper in between your moans once more, the rush of sudden arousal and excitement coursing through your veins.
“Sure, I could do that, but… is it safe to have sex underwater?” He chuckles to his own joke, slightly ruining the momentum. You were about to react and shoot him a glare again but you knew that this was your time to get back at him.
You reach down and stroke the underside of his huge cock. Gojo moans softly at your sudden gesture, and he immediately bites down on your earlobe, almost reflexively.
“(Y/N)… who gave you the right to be this damn beautiful?” He licks and nibbles your neck carefully, making sure not to leave any obvious marks, making you shiver with anticipation and desire.
Your loud and his soft moans mix together like a harmonious tune, Satoru knew that he had to take this a step further now, holding you by the waist, and tracing circles on your stomach to try and ease you before hie makes his big move.
“I’m going to put it in now, okay? So, take a deep breath and just relax… stay right there and I’ll do the rest~” He whispers to your ear softly as you assume the position and Gojo slides his cock inside of you.
You mewl and cover your mouth as soon you feel his huge throbbing cock penetrate your insides. Your mind goes hazy for a moment as you feel all the ecstasy and excitement circulate around your body all at the same time, as you continue to stay in position for him to continue his full entrance.
“A-ah.. I f-feel it!” You murmur, your hand still covering your mouth.
“(Y/N)! You’re so tight!” Maybe it’s just the water, but Gojo’s cock feel way warmer than usual. Was it the stimulation or the fact that this was your first time doing it in the tub of all places?
The two of you pause for a moment to let your bodies adjust… then Gojo bounces you on his cock like you were a ragdoll.
“(Y/N)… if this hurts, please tell me alright? I’ll stop if you say so.” He says in between hitched breaths as he continues to bounce you up and down, each movement eliciting a loud and hot moan from you, you shake your head from side to side to let him know that it’s alright and he can keep going.
Over and over, he slams into your deepest parts, and before long you can’t feel your legs anymore from all this excitement and energy you were releasing.
“T-toru! Fuck me harder!” You finally scream out on the top of your lungs, and you notice Gojo slow his movements for just a second to process what you had just said as he continues.
With each motion, the bathwater ripples and rocks, loudly splashing over the edge and onto the floor. As Satoru continues to thrust, he wraps his arms around you from behind, holding you tight.
“(Y/N)!”
Gojo presses his face against your shoulder, kissing and nibbling every soft spot he could find. Your mind becomes blank again and you couldn’t do anything but continue bucking your hips to the rhythm, riding out the ecstasy.
Your pussy has become a revolving door of cock-water-cock-water. The heat making your brain all fuzzy.
“(Y/N)! I love you! This feels incredible… I’m a-about to!”
“I-I love you too…” You breathe heavily, your thighs slap together with increasing frequency, climax right around the corner.
“(Y/N)! I’m cumming!”
“A-ah! M-me too!”
His cock swells up inside of you, filling you with liquid even hotter than the bathwater. Your mind melts to mush as you achieve an absolutely transcendent orgasm.
Gojo continues to hold you in place as he empties all his load inside of you. You rest your weight against him as you come down from the climax, his cum trickling out of you and mixing with the bathwater.
“T-that was amazing…” You giggle, still trying to catch your breath as your boyfriend laughs along with you.
“I feel like I kinda lost control there.” says Gojo, who was trying to catch his breath just as much as you were.
“N-no… it’s alright.” You turn your head to him once again, cupping his cheek. Even after the orgasm, his cock is still hard enough to stay inside you.
“I think we spent too much time here.” Gojo whispers, resting his head on your shoulder. “The water’s getting cold and we can’t just sit here foreverrrr.” He pouts and you pat his head. You honestly bet he still enjoys the way your bodies are still perfectly connected, but alas, it was time to clean up.
“Alright. Alright. Let’s get out of here.”
Desperately suppressing the urge to keep fooling around, you get out of the tub. Gojo follows you out and the two of you have a quick shower. The two of you walk back to your room, hand in hand, with nothing but a towel before retreating to your room.
This is where he finally pops the question.
Waiting for you to finish drying your hair up, Gojo is laying down on your bed with newly laundered clothes he leaves at your apartment for whenever he sleeps over. He stares up at the ceiling, waiting for you to spark up a conversation. He takes a deep breath and sits up from the bed, watching you lovingly as you blow dry your hair.
“I need to tell you something…” He finally speaks up, fiddling with his hands as he says so. “The people in Jujutsu High don’t know we’re an item? Like- They have no idea that I have an absolutely amazing girlfriend and they think that I’m this shitty womanizer who only puts up a front-“
“Woah… calm down love.” You approach him, sitting beside him on the bed, a bit sad that your boyfriend fumbling with his words which was very unlikely and out of character for him. “Look, if you think it’s the right and appropriate time to tell them, then tell them. I’ll always be here to support you through every step of the way. I know it’s tough and I know they’ll relentlessly continue their shitty assumptions about you, but, I’m here now okay? I’ll be here for you.” You stand up from the bed, planting a kiss on his forehead. “I love you. You’re the best sorcerer out there and the most confident and loving man I know- let the haters hate.”
He looks up at you, his cerulean eyes sparkling in the dim bedroom light.
“I love you too.” He replies, finally, a soft and genuine smile appears on his face for the very first time tonight. “I guess I gotta get new haters since the old ones are starting to like me huh?”
“Now, let’s get to bed.”
“Awee. Shall we go for another round?”
“Toru… no.”
“Phah! Says the girl who literally went inside the tub with me like it was nothing!”
“My legs feel like jelly already… no.”
attempted to write this faster than the speed of light as soon as i finished watching jjk!!
#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jjk x reader#jjk smut#jujutsu kaisen smut#gojo satoru x reader#gojo x reader#gojo satoru smut#gojo satoru x reader smut
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An Old Scent [2] - Negan x Reader (A/B/O AU)
Summary: During summer break, you decide to come back home to visit your dad, Rick. Over the course of your stay, you realize that your dad's friend is pretty hot.
Warnings: Eventual smut, A/B/O dynamics, cheating, angst, age gap, Negan, a bit of gore if you squint
A/N: ok so everything is written i'm just gonna stagger posting a little bit :')
2.7k words
The first thing I woke up to in the morning was a dull ache in my lower abdomen. Great. My heat was starting up again. Growing up, Bee always asked why I never went on suppressants. I always got a bad vibe from them. Then, a few years ago, a large brand got recalled because it was shown to cause cancer in a lot of different patients. Now suppressants were harder to come by, more regulated, and needed a doctor's prescription. A lot of omegas took the hit hard, but out of it came an influx of at-home ways to take care of your heats by yourself. Super helpful for a single girl like me. When my heats started to get really bad around my junior year of high school, Bee took me out on a shopping spree and got me a bunch of toys to try and satisfy myself. It worked for a while, but they got worse as the years passed. By my age, a lot of omegas were already claimed and had an alpha to help them through their heats. I was still relying on the toys Bee had bought me. The box was tucked neatly under my bed, waiting for me. I rolled over with a small groan and sighed. The heat wouldn't be in full swing for another few days or so, so I could still go to the courthouse with my dad. Speaking of, I heard Rick shuffling down the hall and slid out of bed, gathering my bathroom stuff and walking out of my room into the small tiled room to start the day.
~~~
"So you weren't at the garage on the night of the eight?" Negan hummed, leaning against the railing in front of the tv. His eyes were glued to the face of the man sitting on the stand. The poor guy was drenched in a nervous sweat, tight blue shirt sucking at his chubby neck. He swallowed thickly and leaned forward to the microphone.
"That's correct," he croaked.
"Oh, Jeremy," Negan chuckled, shaking his head and looking at his feet. "Don't you know perjury is a criminal offense?"
"I-I'm not lying!"
"Is that so?" The alpha held up the remote to the TV "I have some footage here that directly contradicts your story, man. One last chance." He wiggled the remote teasingly and raised his eyebrows. Jeremy held his ground. "Alrighty then, let's see what we have here." He took a step back and furrowed his brow at the remote and pressed a button. The screen in front of him came to life. I had to lean forward in order to see the video, but in reality it wasn't the security tape I was watching. It was him. I couldn't look away. He had dominated the room for the past hour and a half. His deep voice was never raised, but it still carried a commanding tone that had every person sitting on the stand shaking in their boots. My eyes trailed down his body. His suit clung to him in every perfect way. His hair was slicked back in its iconic style and the way his glasses perched on his face made my insides burn. Part of me regretted seeing him like this so close to my heat, but another part couldn't imagine if I hadn't. Rick leaned over and tapped my elbow.
"We've got him now for sure." He whispered in my ear. A smile formed on my lips as I nodded to him. There was a child-like joy on his face. He really did appreciate my presence. I turned my attention back to the video screen. The footage was fuzzy, but there was a clear figure of a woman standing still hunched over what I presumed was her phone. She was texting away, fingers flying over her screen. Suddenly a large figure, who had the same height and build as Jeremy, slunk out from the shadows. He slowly approached the woman from behind and raised a crowbar high above his head. He swung it down with brutal force. There were small gasps of horror from the jury and the crowd as the crowbar connected solidly with the woman's head. She collapsed in a heap, but Jeremy didn't stop beating her until she was a pile of mush. Negan clicked the TV off.
"Well, shit, Jeremy," He boomed "I do in fact think you are lyin' to me." He tossed the remote down on his table top and gave a grim scoff. "Everyone just saw you turn poor Miss Parker's head into your personal punching bag. You still wanna claim you were no where near there?" All of the color had drained from Jeremy's round face. He swallowed again, tugging at his restricting collar. But soon, his face turned a deep shade of pink and he slammed his beefy palms on the flat surface of the box he was sitting in.
"That bitch deserved it!" He howled, gasping for air. "She had no business-" He stopped when Negan raised his hand silently.
"I really don't care," He sighed, turning around and grinning broadly when he saw the defense team resting their heads in their hands in defeat. "I'll let the jury do the rest, your honor."
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Smith." The judge said, voice prickling with annoyance. Negan returned to his bench and pulled out his seat. But before he sat down he gave Rick a small thumbs up. And I could have sworn that he flashed me a little smile as well.
~~~
"You were incredible in there!" I cheered, giving Negan a high five. The contact made my skin tingle, but I passed it off as the consequences of the impact. "You really made that guy tremble like a kid!"
"It's what I do," Negan chuckled deeply. He looked around me and furrowed his brow. "Where's your dad?"
"He's pulling the car around," I said "I just figured I should let you know how good you did before I leave." He was so close. He smelled so good. The same combination of whiskey and campfire that could get me drunk in a few breaths. I was so focused on his intoxicating musk that I didn't notice the group of alphas that were headed our way. Negan did, though. I heard a rumbling from his chest and felt a hand clasp around my shoulder. Confusion clouded my mind and I looked up to him for some answers.
"The next case is starting soon," He said smoothly "Let's go wait for your dad outside." I agreed and he steered me out onto the steps of the courthouse. The short skirt and heels I was wearing weren't exactly comfortable for walking down stairs, so I held onto Negan's forearm as he guided me down to street level. There was a small breeze and I saw his jaw tense as a soft gust of wind swirled up from behind me and into his body. It no doubt carried my scent on it, and an alpha like Negan could probably tell what state I was in.
"So," I sighed, looking to engage him further "What's next?"
"Well," He tilted his head and ran a hand over his bear-covered chin. "Jeremy goes to jail. Your dad and the department get praise. And I get to go to the bar for a celebratory drink." He paused for a moment, looking me up and down quickly. "You want to join me?" I opened my mouth to say something. To be honest, I wasn't sure what I was going to say. I didn't really drink, but I was willing to do absolutely anything that Negan wanted. But it was then that Rick rounded the corner and gave the horn a little honk.
"I would love to," I settled on "But dad has a full day of father-daughter fun times planned, and I don't really want to keep him waiting." I gestured awkwardly to where Rick was sitting in the car, bopping his head gently to incoherent music.
"Totally understand, doll." He grinned.
"Maybe another time, though?"
"For sure."
"See you around, Negan."
"Bye, doll, have fun. And be safe"
~~~
Negan was pleasantly buzzed, as per usual. He got off his motorcycle and hung his helmet on the handlebar before lightly stumbling into the house from the dark garage. The sight he saw he did not expect. There sat his fiancé in the living room, arms crossed over her chest with a pissed expression on her face. And beside her was a woman he knew all too well.
"The hell is goin' on here?" He asked, slurring his words slightly.
"I could ask you the same thing, Negan."
"Lucille, what the fuck is she doing in our house?"
"Oh, so you know her?" Lucille growled. Negan just licked his lips and flicked his gaze between the two women sitting in front of him. "Of course you do. You have been fucking her after all." Negan groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Baby, please-" He started, but Lucille cut him off.
"Don't you dare," She hissed, jumping to her feet and balling her hands into fists "You don't get to call me that after what you've done, Negan. You slept with another woman. Hell, maybe more than one. You ruined our relationship." Negan took a step forward but Lucille raised her hand and pointed to the kitchen table. "Don't take another step. Your stuff is in that box." Negan looked to see a cardboard box sitting alone in the dark kitchen, his belongings poking out of the top. "I never want to see you in my house again."
"Lucille, can't we just talk about this? You don't understand." He pleased, extending a hand to her. She batted it away.
"There's nothing to talk about." She spat "You cheated on me, Negan! What is there to understand? How can you expect me to forgive you for that?" A moment of silence passed between them. The other woman shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Negan glared at her before turning his eyes back to his now ex-fiancé.
"I have no where to stay." He whispered.
"That's not my problem." Lucille said boldly "Take your shit and leave. Don't come back. We're done."
~~~
I stirred the pot of spaghetti while humming a song I heard on a radio earlier. The father-daughter activities had consisted of driving around town and revisiting old spots we used to go to when I was younger. We got ice cream at the shop down the street and then watched the sun set at the park that we used to picnic at. It was nice. College did really fix our relationship. The TV in the next room hummed quietly and Rick was talking on the phone with someone. I heard him hang up and walk into the kitchen.
"Think there's enough in there for three?" He asks with a sigh, looking over my shoulder.
"Should be, why?" I return, meeting his gaze. He takes a deep breath and scratches his neck.
"Um, well, Negan's fiancé kicked him out of the house. Apparently she found out he was cheating on her. He doesn't have anywhere to stay." He mumbled "He's gonna be sleeping here for a bit." I stopped stirring. The water started to bubble too close to the top, but I blew a gust of air to push it down.
"Why here?" was all I could muster.
"He really helped me with your mom. It's the least I can do."
I just hummed in acknowledgement and returned to my cooking. So Negan was engaged. And he CHEATED on his fiancé? Maybe I didn't know Negan as well as I thought I did...
~~~
"I just can't believe she kicked me out!" Negan seethed, shoveling a spoonful of spaghetti into his mouth. He was still chewing when he continued. "She didn't even give me a chance to explain myself!"
"I hate to say it, but you did cheat on her, buddy," Rick said carefully, not wanting to poke the angry alpha in the wrong way "She's upset."
"I was in a rut." Negan growled.
"For four months?"
I was making a plate for myself, listening to the conversation from across the room. Rick's phone buzzed on the kitchen table and he picked it up.
"Sorry, I have to take this." He sighed, shaking his head and standing to his feet. He left the room and suddenly it was just me and Negan. I took my plate to the opposite head of the table, watching Negan wolf down his dinner.
"This shit is really good, sweetheart," He groaned. Normally, the noise would have sent me over the moon. But there were so many other emotions clouding my mind. "You ever consider changing your major to culinary arts?" I didn't say anything, just twirled my fork in my serving of pasta.
"Why'd you do it?" I said quietly, almost in a whisper. Negan paused instantly.
"What?"
"Why'd you cheat on her?" My eyes never left my plate but I could hear him shifting in his seat, rubbing his face while trying to answer my question.
"I don't know," He said. His voice was soft, sincere. Something I had never heard from him before. My eyes drifted up and met his. They were the same tawny color, but there was something else behind them. Something I couldn't distinguish. "I thought...Something was off in our relationship. I guess I thought that I could fix it by trying something different. I ran into Tanya at a bar a few months ago. She's a beta, just like Lucille. Wanted to be with an alpha. I gave in. Just for a quick fuck, didn't mean anything. I didn't like her. I told her that but...she...she wanted more, I guess. She fucking threatened me. Threatened to ruin my life unless I kept seeing her. I chose to do it. I don't know if that decision was the right one or not but it's the one I made. I texted her last night to tell her it was over. Never fucking thought she would come to my home." I was chewing the inside of my cheek the whole time he was speaking. I didn't know how much of his story was true, but he sounded like he was hurting.
"Why did you break it off?" I whispered.
"That's your damn question?" He scoffed, giving a short smile. He looked in my eyes. I knew the answer. Or at least I thought I did. He opened his mouth, but Rick reentered the room before he could say anything.
"Alright, sorry about that guys," He said, slipping back into his seat. "What did I miss?"
~~~
Negan was set up in the bedroom next door to mine. Our doors faced each other from across the hall. We would have to share a bathroom. Rick didn't seem to have a problem with it, but with my heat starting I wasn't too sure about the whole arrangement. I felt more cramps riddle my body. I was ready to bed, ready to curl up in a ball and go to sleep, but something called me across the hall. Curiosity got me and I turned slightly, walking up and leaning on the doorframe. There was Negan, clad in grey sweatpants and a black tank top, unpacking his things.
"Hey," I said quietly, not wanting to startle him. He turned around. He looked older like this, hair unkempt and his glasses on. When he saw me his lips curled in a smile. Any trace of vulnerability I had seen earlier was now gone.
"Hey to you."
"I just want to apologize for earlier," I said "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm also sorry that you have to be subjected to me and my dad for the foreseeable future." He let out a snicker and shook his head.
"Don't worry about it, doll. And you're not that bad. I appreciate Rick; he's a good man." He scratched his beard and looked over at the clock next to the bed. "It's late, you should get some rest." He took a deep breath and I nodded. I turned to leave but he called my name softly. "You know I meant what I said last night, you are looking good." I smiled but didn't say anything and crossed the hall, shutting my door and hopping into bed.
#negan x y/n#negan x you#negan x reader#negan smith#alpha!negan#omega!reader#twd a/b/o#a/b/o kink#a/b/o dynamics
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hi i love your work and am excited for your series. i was wondering if you can do a one shot where the reader comforts tom and let’s him fall asleep on her while she plays with her hair 😩 soft tom 😈
Yesssss! Soft Tom - I cannot resist! This may have gotten away from me a bit so I hope you enjoy 2.6k of fluffy comfort!
Tag List: @jinxqsu @naps-and-lemons @riddles-wifey @mainlynonsense @cakesarecute @crumpets-are-better-with-jam
What Equates to Worship
The door to your bedroom is open and you roll your eyes when you peer inside and find the source of your broken wards slumped in the armchair next to your bed. Tom’s best robes are in a heap at the foot of the bed, his smartest brogues are kicked into the furthest corner of the room, his hair - usually so neat - is disarray. He looks like the world’s most harangued man. “Good evening, my love,” You murmur as you make your way over to his side, kneeling on the floor so that you can take hold of his hands which are resting loosely in his lap. “You broke my wards again.”
It’s late when you get home. There is a Very Important Case being tried in the Wizengamot and your boss, Gerald Montague, is running you ragged in an attempt to get the edge on the prosecution. It’s a nasty case, the defendant, Mr Vickers, is on trial for the kidnapping and murders of five women. His chances aren’t looking good - there is enough physical evidence to bury him and his alibi is flimsy at best. In private, both you and Montague are convinced of his guilt but that doesn’t matter when it’s your job to convince the Wizengamot and a jury of his innocence. Needless to say, it’s not been an easy couple of weeks.
Your shoes click against the uneven cobblestones as you make your way down the narrow road to your flat situated just off the main drag of Knockturn Alley. It’s not the best part of town, but the flat itself is double the size of what you would be able to afford if you lived somewhere more reputable. Besides, it’s not as though you’ve ever been scared by the less savoury parts of humanity and society - you’d be awful at your job if that were the case. You throw a couple of sickles to the hag that operates outside your building, and she promises you glory in the afterlife in thanks. “If you could promise me glory when I’m alive, I think I’d find that more useful,” You say as you fumble with your keys.
She laughs, “That will cost you more than a few sickles, love, try again tomorrow.” You chuckle and shrug a shoulder. It was worth try at least. The gas lamps that lead the way up the winding stairs to your attic flat are already lit, casting a dim, flicking light across the stairwell. You frown slightly as you make your way up the stairs; no one usually lights the lamps, leaving it up to you to light them when you return from the Ministry every day. Your curiosity is further piqued when you reach your front door and find it glowing a dim red, indicating that someone has broken through the wards. You have an idea of who it is, but you take your wand out just in case you’re mistaken. You have a few files from the Very Important Case hidden in the depths of your bedroom, which in the wrong hands, would be disastrous for you and Montague.
The inside of your flat is dark and cold and looks just as you’d left it this morning. With a sigh, you flick your wand at the fire and smile as flames begin to flicker and burn. Your flat is relatively spacious, but the fireplace is enchanted to spread the warmth further than a normal fire would and with any luck you’ll be toasty and warm within a few minutes. You shrug out of your travelling robes and kick off your heels, rubbing your aching feet with relish. Next on your list of things to do is figure out who has broken into your flat and if it's something you should be concerned about.
You pad through the flat, your stockinged feet making no noise against the polished wooden floorboards. The door to your bedroom is open and you roll your eyes when you peer inside and find the source of your broken wards slumped in the armchair next to your bed. Tom’s best robes are in a heap at the foot of the bed, his smartest brogues are kicked into the furthest corner of the room, his hair - usually so neat - is in disarray. He looks like the world’s most harangued man. “Good evening, my love,” You murmur as you make your way over to his side, kneeling on the floor so that you can take hold of his hands which are resting loosely in his lap. “You broke my wards again.”
He makes a small sound in the back of his throat which is honestly pitiful and you are struck by a burning desire to make whoever put him in such a state pay for their crimes. Tom should never look so downtrodden - it doesn’t suit him in the slightest. You rub soft circles against his palms, smoothing the tension out of his fingers with careful strokes as the quiet of your flat weaves a gentle spell of calm and soothing around the two of you. “Is it a good evening?” He mutters and when you look up at his face, you can see the hard lines of annoyance and defeat marring his forehead.
“Hmm, don’t frown, darling - you’ll ruin your pretty face.” This at least gets a small hum of amusement out of him which you count as a win. Heaven knows that when Tom gets in these moods it can take a lot more than gentle touches and murmured sweet-nothings to get him to smile. You rise from your position and move behind the armchair, resting your cheek on the crown on his head and your hands on his shoulders to kneed at his knotted muscles. “I assume that you didn’t get the job?”
You’ve been so busy with your own work that you’d forgotten that Tom’s interview with Dumbledore was today. If you had remembered you would have taken the day off because even the most optimistic person would have known there was a fool’s chance of Tom getting the Defence job. Despite everything though, Tom is an optimist. You would never have guessed it when you first got to know him, but underneath his taciturn facade is a terribly hopeful young man who still believes that things will turn out in his favour. His idealism is part of what you love about him if you’re being honest with yourself. It’s a good contrast to your cynical realism.
It’s ridiculous, of course. Tom, despite his young age, is the most qualified person you can think of for the position. He knows more about Defensive magic than anyone save for maybe Dumbledore himself, and beyond that, he has the right temperament for it. It comes as a surprise to most people who meet him that Tom would be a good teacher, but he really is. His love of Hogwarts, defensive magic, and his desire to impart that knowledge all adds up to someone who sees struggling students and wants them to succeed. If it had been anyone other than Dumbledore, he would have been a shoo-in for the role.
“You assume correctly.” His voice is still tight and muted with resigned anger, but he begins to loosen under your hands, his head lolling to the side and coming to rest against your forearm.
“Did he give you a reason why?”
Tom sighs and the sound is world-weary and destitute. At that moment, your hatred for Dumbledore intensifies. “He never intended on giving me a chance. He invited me in and lectured me about dark magic. He essentially said that as long as he was Headmaster I would not be welcome in the castle.” The worst thing is that Tom sounds so forlorn. Unlike you, who had decided after a year at Hogwarts that the only thing you wanted to do was leave, Tom’s fondness for the school is unparalleled. “Knowing him, that won’t be for another hundred years or so.”
“I’m so sorry, Tom,” You say, dropping a kiss into the dark curls of his hair. “He’s an old coot. Still so struck by the mythology of his own genius that he can’t see past his own prejudices.” He hums lowly in response and eventually, you feel him start to relax. It’s gratifying to know that it’s you over anyone else, that he comes to when he needs support. You know his friends and followers would do anything to gain his favour, but at the end of the day, he doesn’t seek them out. No, he doesn’t trust them to see him like this, to see him in his more human moments of vulnerability. He trusts you to understand him and comfort him. That in itself is a gift.
“Now, come on. We can worry about Dumbledore later, but right now, let me find us something to eat.” Food, in your opinion, can go a long way to right a lot of wrongs and you have a sneaking suspicion that Tom probably hasn’t eaten all day. He’s annoying like that, too wrapped up in his own thoughts to care about silly little things like eating and taking care of oneself. You can’t help but chuckle softly as he mumbles something under his breath and reaches for your hands to hold you in place. “Later, my love. I promise,” You say and disentangles yourself from his grasp.
Tom follows you out of the bedroom and watches you with a look of exasperated amusement as you search your kitchen. Your cupboards are sinfully bare when you go to inspect them, the rush of the last two weeks has meant that you’ve neglected a lot of your more basic chores. “And you accuse me of neglecting my needs. You hardly set a good example, my dear.” He murmurs from where he’s lounging against the stove. You roll your eyes as you shove your feet back into your heels and head for the door.
“Veeraswamy?” You ask and have to hide your smile when Tom’s eyes light up. It’s not often that the two of you treat yourselves to restaurant-quality food as neither of your jobs’ salaries really allow the indulgence, however, tonight, you think an exception is called for. “Feel free to look over the files I brought home - maybe you’ll notice something I missed.” You don’t even finish your sentence before Tom is digging through your work bag and pulling out the offending files. Typical, you think fondly. Tom is as curious as a cat and one of the easiest ways of making him feel better about anything is to introduce him to a puzzle.
Fifteen minutes later you apparate home with a brown paper bag of Veeraswamy’s finest selection of curries and sweet treats. As a rule, they’re dine-in only, as many of the restaurants in muggle London are, however, you’re not above a confundus charm to get what you want and you always make sure to tip splendidly to offset any guilt you feel for taking advantage. When you get in, Tom has the case files splayed out on the small kitchen table and you spare yourself a moment to admire the elegant curve of his neck and the way his curls fall in graceful arcs across his brow. Without looking up, he makes a space for you to drop the bag of goodies on the table and you collect plates and the bottle of wine that is the only thing you already had in your flat.
You discuss the Very Important Case over dinner and he indulges in your complaints about Montague’s refusal to even consider your line of defence. “Vickers says that he went to a Seer and was told that these women would die by his hand. I want to make the case that he can’t be fully held accountable for the murders if it’s already foretold.” Never mind that that isn’t how prophecies or fortune work, no one in the Wizengamot understands the intricacies of Divination well enough to know that just because something is said, doesn’t mean it will come to pass. “Montague is convinced that we can prove his innocence without resorting to asking for lesser charges.”
“And he’ll lose the case because of it.” He hums, sets his fork down and reaches for your hand, his long fingers looping around your wrist. “Have you considered the fact that Vickers may have been compromised? The file says that when he was found, Vickers was abnormally placid and made no attempts to hide the evidence that would have been easily disposed of? Maybe hire a mind-healer and see if he’s been the victim of an imperius curse,” He says nonchalantly as though he hasn’t just dropped the biggest break in the case in your lap.
“Tom. Tom, you are a genius. How did you even begin to come to that conclusion?” He must hear the wonder in your voice because a small, self-satisfied smile curves his upper lip and he leans over the table to press a chaste kiss to the corner of your lips.
“These things are obvious if you know what you’re looking for.” The knowing in his voice hints at something darker and your eyes narrow slightly. Tom’s proclivity for the dark arts is no secret, neither is his cunning and ruthlessness. You don’t ask and he doesn’t tell, but you suppose it’s probably a good thing that you’re training to become a defence lawyer. Maybe one day he’ll need one.
Tonight is not the night for those kinds of thoughts though. You doubt any night will be - if ever there comes a day when you have to reckon with Tom’s less savoury pursuits, you already know where your allegiances lie. With a soft hum of acknowledgement, you stand and lead him to the bedroom. “Enough maudlin talk for tonight, I think,” You say as you settle against the headboard and motion for him to join you. “You must be tired after today.”
Even though he tries to hide it, you can see that the day has worn on him. Shadows form like ink stains underneath his eyes, and he holds himself with a kind of forlorn regret that fills you with a feeling of sympathetic sorrow. He crawls up the bed and raises an eyebrow when you don’t move to make room for him. Instead, you simply lift an arm and smile, sleepiness and tenderness mingling into something soft in your eyes. After a few second of internal debate where Tom looks from you to the spot you’ve made for him, he gingerly lowers himself against you, his head resting in the hollow where your shoulder meets your neck. He lies unnaturally still and tense in the way a feral kitten might react to the kindness of a stranger.
Honestly, it’s more than a little heartbreaking. Slowly - carefully - you rest one hand over his heart and begin to card your other through his hair. You’re not entirely sure how he manages it - you’ve never seen a haircare potion in his vicinity - but Tom has the softest hair of anyone you’ve met. It’s dreadfully unfair, really. You rub gentle circles against his scalp and smile softly in the dim light as you feel him relax against you, the long hard lines of his body soften as you continue your gentle ministrations. Gradually, you sense him ease into a contented state as he seeks clemency from the day in your touch.
That you can do this for him, that you can be this for him is not something you would have ever thought possible. You remember vividly the uptight rigidity with which he had held himself throughout your time at school. The fervent dedication he had channelled to reach the top of the pecking order, never allowing himself a moment of softness or reprieve. You’re certain that if he’s not careful he will burn himself out before he’s had a chance to truly shine, and you know just how brightly he could if given the chance.
You brush his hair from his eyes and lazily draw abstract patterns against his chest, feeling the way his breathing deepens as sleep overtakes him. In this moment of calm, sleepy repose, you feel your heart expand with all love and care you think you might ever feel, and you brush a soft kiss to the crown of his head, revelling in the almost breathy sigh that escapes him. “You’re far too good to me,” He mumbles, half asleep and entirely too sincere.
“Agree to disagree, my love. I am exactly as good to you as you deserve.” He chuckles at this, nestling deeper into your side and flinging an arm across your waist. “Now, sleep - we have so much time for everything else.”
AN: Also before anyone accuses me of anachronisms, Veeraswamy is London’s oldest Indian restaurant. It was opened in 1926 and I’ve been there once before - the food was so so so good and it was disgustingly expensive. I’m assuming that it wasn’t that pricey in the 40’s
#tom riddle#tom marvolo riddle#tom riddle x reader#tom riddle x you#tom riddle x y/n#tom riddle x oc#tom riddle imagines#tom riddle imagine#tom riddle fanfic#tom riddle fic#tom riddle fanfiction#tom riddle oneshot#minific#asks#request#prompt fill#prompt fic#harry potter#harry james potter
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atlas
Alex Chen × Steph Gingrich fluffy comfort one-shot
(I was talking to a friend about the game and we were discussing how Alex is probably still carrying a lot of trauma. And even after everything that happened at the mines we still don't see her really grieve for the whole situation and herself. So- I had to write it, you know?)
Enjoy!
TW: mentions of suicide, death and mental health issues.
It's two months into their relationship now, and they are somewhere in a Californian town, living in a tiny apartment close to the beach. They play together in small venues and underground clubs. Alex bartends and Steph referees for DND campaigns at a nerd bar they found by chance on their first week there.
They're happy. As happy as Alex remembers being since she was- well, maybe nine.
Every day, it's a little like waking up into a dream. Living in an apartment with her first girlfriend, listening to music as they cooked dinner together. Getting to kiss her just because Alex felt like it. Because her heart went a little loopy inside her chest when she smiled. Because she knew Steph would hold on to her waist and make her feel like she was full of electricity.
The 'falling in love' business felt overrated before Steph.
But Being in the middle of it now, Alex doesn't think there's anything better.
Although a part of her still felt quite numb - she guesses it's not something that will go away that easily - and day by day, Alex felt a little bit more like she could breathe... like she was finally letting herself go, at least a little bit.
****
Now that she could comprehend and use her powers, it also seemed as if she'd started to become even more of a magnet for all sorts of emotion around her. And apparently Alex could do it in her sleep too.
The nightmares came in clusters most of the time, a badly cut-together mess of voices and feelings. The lady that lived under them, who lost her son when he was little. The couple from down the street, who were going through a hard time in their relationship. Even the little girl from upstairs, who had terrible night terrors of sharp-teethed monsters reaching from under her bed.
They all mixed inside her head until she woke up gasping for air and sizzling with emotion.
It was rare that she'd have a full dream, one that made sense and completed itself, but when she did they were always about Gabe. About sitting together at the rooftop of the Lantern and sharing a beer. Or climbing trees, like they used to do when they were little.
It was a relief from the usual doom.
And that dream was supposed to be nothing different. Or at least she thought it wasn't.
****
In it, they were at the ravine. A world of twinkling stars shining above their heads. The Colorado mountains all around them creating a landscape that was just as beautiful as it was bittersweet. Alex could see the log she'd crossed, still standing between her and the tiny outcrop of stone Ethan had been stranded on.
She hadn't dreamed of the ravine since leaving Haven Springs, but while she was there, Alex dreamt of it every night. She would see it when her eyes were closed. She could hear it, - the sirens, the terrible, deafening rumble of the ground splitting beneath them. The panic, pounding into her ears.
But this is different. Because when she looks around, Alex realizes she's standing over the elevated plateau, tied to the waist and leaning all her weight against a sturdy piece of rock.
Looking at her from below is Gabe. Lying on the cold ground. A cheesy smile spread across his face.
"Why are we switched?" Alex asks because that's all she can think of asking, as she stares at the rope that anchored her to the ground... to Gabe.
"Beats me. This is all your brain, not mine." He says, and Alex huffs in annoyance, "you know what's going to happen, but you keep coming here."
"I don't have a choice."
"Hmmm..." Gabe hums, but there's some humor in his expression as he stares intently back at her, "and that's exactly why... I'm here because I should say goodbye."
A coldness spreads over Alex's limbs. Around her, the very fabric of the dream dims into darkness as a strong breeze blows past them. She suddenly feels like throwing up.
"What- what does that mean?" It's a stupid question. This is her dream. Alex knows what it means.
Deep down, she knew she'd been conjuring him up for her own sake. Trying to bring back any morsel of relief into the giant hole he'd left inside her heart. However, Alex also knew at some point he'd be gone- she just didn't expect-
"You don't need me anymore, Alex." He says. As if it's that simple. As if she'd ever-
"I'll always need you, Gabe. Of course I need you." The words stumble out of her mouth, and she can feel the hot, angry tears falling down her face.
It feels like a hot iron pressed to the very top of her chest.
Like lava, boiling up into her bloodstream until Alex wants to punch something. The steam that prickles from under her skin, fighting to break free.
Anger always comes first when people feel cornered. It's something she noticed a while back. Out of all the emotions Alex had dealt with the past few months, that, at least, hadn't changed.
"Shit, Gabe. When you died I needed you more than ever."
"But we can't fix that, can we?" He asks, and another wave of anger rips through her. She looks anywhere but him, because Alex feels that if she does, she'll tackle and kill him all over again. But when he says nothing and they're left in the same pocket of silence - the one right before the whole world collapsed - her eyes eventually fall back to her brother. Tied to her and laid on the ground beneath. Looking at her like just as much the goofy asshole she missed so much.
Anger always felt urgent and fast, like a flash going through her body and leaving everything inside it in disarray. It demanded to be completely felt, but only for the moment it took for Alex to decide it wasn't worth launching the nearest object at a window.
Or trying to kill her dead brother.
"You might have needed Gabe. But you don't need this Gabe anymore, Alex. You can do it on your own now."
The fear and sadness that came after? They were usually much, much worse.
"But this is the only Gabe I have."
Those emotions, when mixed, turned into a horrible harmony that paralyzed her lungs and darkened the sides of her vision. They felt just as urgent as anger, but complacent. A beast staring at her from the very bottom of a pit. Tied to her by the waist and trying to lure her down into the abyss.
And, for Alex, the abyss was as deep as a ventilation shaft for a Colorado mining site.
"No, it's not. You'll always have me, Alex. And you know that." Not in the way that matters. Alex wants to say, but it's so redundant. He's the ghost. He should already know that. "And you have Ryan now, and Eleanor, Riley, Charlotte, Ethan... Steph..." he gives her a cheesy smile in the last name, wiggling his eyebrows back at her teasingly.
"Oh, God, way to ruin the moment." Alex can't help but chuckle a little through her tears. Is she blushing? You can't blame her for blushing, right? God, she feels like Diane.
"Hey. Let me have it. One of my only regrets is that I never got to tease the hell out of Steph for dating my little sister... and for being whipped as hell."
"That would have been so funny."
"I knew she'd get along with you but I guess I didn't expect... that. Shame on me. Should've had more artistic vision."
Alex chuckles as more tears run down her face. It's so bittersweet it hurts from the very inside of herself.
"All jokes aside. I'm glad you have her, and that she has you. She's good. Just make sure you tell her I'll haunt her from the grave if her dumb ass breaks your heart, okay?" Alex nods, and her body starts shaking with strangled sobs. So much emotion she just can't let go of. Because if she does, Alex is afraid there'll be nothing left.
"Hey. Don't cry. You can do this, Alex. You know how to live life now."
"I don't want to lose you again, Gabe."
"You'll never lose me. You'll just have to look a little harder." He smiles up at her, pulling jokingly on the rope, "now play your part - or is it my part? You get it."
And then- too soon. (Same as it was that night.) The sirens blast through the mountains, and somewhere above them, a giant explosion blows her eardrums, and boulders the size of cars come tumbling down the mountain.
She barely has time to blink. Barely has time to breathe one last time. Seen as she's Gabe, when she looks up all she sees is the giant rock, flying towards her, hitting her across the torso so hard, before she knows, she's flying way above the ravine, and one last glimpse of the stars catches hold over the veil of her memory before everything turns black.
****
She wakes up in bed, desperately clawing at the top of her chest as she gasps for air. Her lungs feel like they're made of lead, and all around her, she can feel the weight of the rocks, the explosion, the debris, weighing down her body.
Alex pats across the mattress for Steph, who is not there. Another wave of panic washes over her. So strong her mouth turns dry and her head aches as she tries to breathe in, but her lungs can only handle tiny, torturous gasps of half-breath.
Alex dispels a world of curses towards herself inside. Willing her own body to just calm down. In the bathroom, she can hear Steph singing softly to herself- she must have come home late from the DND tournament. Alex told her she'd swing by, but she'd had a long shift and ended up just passing out as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Alex hadn't had an incident like this in very long. She could control it now. Most times. It wasn't easy, with being on the road and constantly surrounded by people. Sometimes, she still got more than she could bargain. When she walked across a depressed person on the sidewalk, or heard one of their multiple neighbors yelling at each other through the walls, and suddenly she felt as if the world blended out of focus into a tsunami of feeling.
Feeling that wasn't hers but still felt so much like it was.
Steph helped whenever it happened. For a sarcastic punk rock mess, she was surprisingly stable and so very reassuring.
Just the fact that she can hear her voice. That Steph is there in the apartment with her, is enough to calm some of her nerves, and while Alex still can't keep herself from pulling in gasps of air as she tries to hold in any kind of oxygen, she at least has a plan.
Water. Water will make her feel better, right?
Almost as soon as the idea crosses her mind, Alex's half-delirious brain commands her to get up, but her body feels so very heavy. Like she's really been trampled over by a wave of giant boulders. And as soon as her feet touch the ground, her legs give up under the weight, and she falls onto the hard floor with a loud, heavy thud.
The girl's hands fly up to hold her weight against the bed, and thankfully that means she doesn't face plant the ground, but it sends her heart into a neck-breaking pace, and all air Alex'd been able to gather so far escapes her in a single huff until she's hyperventilating again, hot, angry tears running down her face.
You're so weak. You're such a fucking idiot. Of course, you had to go and lose Gabe twice, who the fuck would want to stay with such a mess-
"Alex, are you okay?" Steph's voice comes, as she opens the door to find her girlfriend sitting on the ground, looking like she might pass out from just trying to get her lungs to work, "Alex!"
In a second she's crossed their room and kneeled by her, both hands going up to her cheeks on instinct, smearing away her tears.
"Breathe with me, okay? We've done this before, you can do it." She always gets just a tiny bit of a scared aura around her when Alex gets like this, never for long enough that she can read it, but it's still there, the tiny flutter of fear, "come on, breathe."
Her eyes go up to find Steph's, her strong, glittering green gaze. Alex might be the one with superpowers, but it was Steph who could so easily reach in and soften her edges like it was nothing. It was Steph who could just lean in and hold Alex's hand against her chest, letting her feel the determined rise of her lungs. Strong. Stable. Even Alex couldn't possibly understand how she did that.
How she always made Alex's breathing slowly come to shaky, deep breaths, crawling painfully out of her dry throat, but still better than gasping like a fish. Inside her, Alex feels the furious hurricane of emotion, twisting itself into the bottom of her lungs, taking hold of every bit of her until she felt like she could throw up.
"Wait here, I'll get you water," Steph says, and Alex wants to complain, she doesn't want to be alone, even for a second.
But before she can, Steph has left their bedroom for the kitchen, and Alex feels as if she's stable enough to crawl into bed, so she does so at a glacial pace. She grabs Shu-Shu, holding her close to her chest as she sits and waits for Steph.
She eventually comes back in with a glass full and Alex gulps it down in silence, unsure if whatever dam of emotion that has taken place inside of her will break if she tries to speak. So she sets the glass back and lies her head down on the pillow, facing away from Steph and the rest of the room as she tries to reel herself back in.
She can hear Steph taking off her boots and climbing into bed, one arm winding around her waist as she pulls Alex in closer.
"Was it the lady from upstairs?" Steph asks, eventually, after they sit in a few long minutes of silence.
"No." She replies, and it comes out so strangled, so broken, a few more tears run down her face. Steph pulls her even closer, a tight, steady pressure.
"The couple again? I swear to God I'll call the police on that asshole this time."
"No." Alex says, and she detaches herself from Steph just enough so she can turn around and look at her, "I had a dream about Gabe." Simply saying his name makes her whole body shake. Steph is looking at her so intensely, Alex has to close her eyes, holding on to the fabric of her shirt with all she had not to explode in whatever terrifying, dizzying bomb of emotion she could feel brewing inside herself.
Alex felt so much from other people it overwhelmed her multiple times a day, and even then, it was nothing compared to this. Nothing compared to how much sheer strength it took from her not to let it blow.
It scared her. More than anything.
"He wanted to say goodbye." She says eventually, "it was- I don't know. This- I- this isn't coming from anyone- How do I get rid of it? It's like it's all inside of me and it's taking up so much space and I don't know how to fix it" The words come tumbling out before she can stop them, and she's rambling through tears.
Steph sighs. And Alex can feel the love and sadness mixed together, blowing from her in waves as she holds Alex's chin, bringing her up so they can look at each other.
"Baby..." there are tears in her eyes now, as she pulls her closer until their foreheads are touching, and they are so close Alex can smell her lemongrass shampoo, "This is all yours."
And such simple words shouldn't hit her this fucking hard.
But it all suddenly makes so much sense-
Alex was numb after her dad left. She felt nothing for months. It was one of the most terrifying feelings in the world, a deep and powerful depression that threatened to overtake her at any given point.
Like her whole body was nothing but dead weight and her brain was way too tired to even try and keep up.
Young as she was, Alex guesses she never realized the first time she felt anything at all after that was when she discovered her powers. The day a boy came to the orphanage and he was so angry it blew her across the hallway. Ever since then, everything around her was a cacophony of feeling. Coming from every direction. Every street corner, every store, every park.
Every moment of her life since she was eleven, Alex could only feel for others.
"I- I forgot." She realizes, half surprise and half so much sadness another sob breaks through her throat.
Now it made sense, the anger, the sadness, the fear, a hurricane of emotion so very powerful it made her ears ring.
"I'm scared." She admits. Because for someone who had been so focused on learning how to exist among other people's feelings, Alex had no clue how to handle herself, "what do I do with all of this? How do I fix it?"
"Alex. Look at me." Steph brings her face upwards until they are so close, Alex can see the speckles of blue in her eyes, "Gabe died just four months ago, and you were there to see everything- then you got shot and thrown down God knows how many stories into a dark abyss that you somehow walked out of, but not before also finding out about your dad's tragic death - and I haven't seen you cry, actually cry, for yourself, even once."
"I- I can't, it's too much. I don't know how, Steph." Alex had learned her lesson. She'd seen her life as it was and survived it. Deep down she knew it wasn't her responsibility anymore - that it never was her responsibility, to begin with - to hold herself together for others. She knows.
But old habits die hard, and Alex guesses it'll take a while before she starts feeling it too.
Because right now, it still felt like the world might collapse if she wasn't there to hold it together.
"Just- give it to me. Everything you have, I can carry it for you." Steph says, with such determination, Alex actually believes her, but she takes her eyes away, trying to avoid the bubbling of tears threatening to jump out through her throat "Let it go, please, Alex. I can't watch you carry it alone anymore."
At that moment, Alex glances at her again, and there's so much pain, so much love in her eyes, that inside Alex, the dam finally breaks and she's choking on sobs. Tears start running down her cheeks as Steph leans in and pulls her closer, one arm around her shoulder and one on her hip, squeezing tight in reassurance.
If she didn't know better, Alex would've guessed Steph was the one with the superpowers, with the way she coaxes wave after wave of emotion out of her with nothing but her steady presence and quick, light kisses she leaves on Alex's head and hair as she holds on to her shirt for dear life.
It overwhelmed her more than anything she'd experienced so far, and for what feels like hours, she just sobs as Steph holds her.
She cries for her mom. Dead before her time, trying to hold them together to the very end. She cries for her dad, dying a slow death deep underground, a picture of the two children he'd never see again dangling around his neck. She cries for Gabe, for the time they'd never have, for the time they did have.
Above all, for the first time, Alex cried for herself. For being the last out of all of them. For the little girl that had to love and lose every single one of them in succession.
And in the middle of all of it, like a speckle of golden light hidden under all the darkness, for the first time, she feels that it could all start to feel alright.
#send me chenrich prompts#i dare you#chenrich#chengrich#alex chen#steph gingrich#life is strange true colors#long post#chenrich fanfic#chenrich fic#alex chen × steph gingrich
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Could we get wedding HC's with Bailey, Eden and Mason? The sort of ceremony they have, where it is, how intimate it would be, how they wreck PC's insides on their wedding night, the sort of langire they'd like to see their spouse in, who's invited, who's NOT invited, what kind of honeymoon they'd have, how long would it be, etc 😇
I know jack shit about dresses and fancy clothes
NSFW below
Bailey
There's a prenup. No chance in hell they're giving you even the slightest chance of running off with their money in a divorce.
Your idea, and it'll take a long while to get that yes.
Would prefer for you to grab a witness and just elope at the town hall, but you have to make it difficult and want a ceremony.
It's expensive, you know? Flowers alone can cost several thousand.
Whos gonna give you away? Doren? Your English teacher? Well alright then.
Let's you plan, and by letting I mean hovers over your shoulder and makes constant comments that what you're doing is wrong.
Pulls in every favour to cheapen prices.
Expensive ass showy rings, though. The best of the best.
Classic black tux for masc Bailey. Nothing too fancy or boring. He hates how he looks in all white, reminds him of those shitty Vagas weddings you see.
Short sleeved, open back white dress for fem Bailey. Shows off her tattoos nicely.
If you're making a big show out of it, then may as well use it as a publicity stunt.
The orphanage is there - and they're all on their best behaviour. Smile and wave at the lovely people, maybe you'll attract customers so Bailey can make their money back.
Quinn is there, too. Maybe the local news paper. There's a lot of people you don't recognise but Bailey says they're important.
Hires security. Probably knows about people like Whitney or Kylar that might gate-crash and won't let them in.
Acts perfectly charming and like they're enjoying themselves the whole time. They might be enjoying themselves, actually, that smile looks real.
Chokes a little seeing you walk up the isle/walking up themselves. Has to clear their throat and blink a few times to regain composure.
Uses the ready-made vows. Not about to be vulnerable in front of an audience.
Surprisingly soft when they kiss you.
Okay so this is fun. It's a break from work, there's tons of free gifts, you look amazing and the cake is delicious.
The honeymoon has to be short, Bailey can't leave the brats for too long.
A trip out of town, a week or so away with just the two of you. Maybe a spa, with couples massages and hot tubs. And wine.
Regardless of your gender, Bailey wants you in lingere. Wants to unwrap you like a present, watch how the material bunches in their hands as they slide it from your skin.
Will spend so long fingerings you into overstimilation, having you lie across their lap and drool into the bedsheets while they talk dirty in your ear.
Eden
You're already married, what are you talking about?
Oh you mean legally. Right.
Doesn't see the need. Hates that much attention on themselves, doesn't want to be in town, doesn't want anyone at the cabin, doesn't need a piece of paper to say they love you.
Might give into a small ceremony, by the lake, just you, the officiate, and a witness.
But Eden chooses them both, control freak that they are.
Reluctantly goes shopping with you to find your clothes. Does not believe in silly things like not seeing the bride in the dress, so will show you which ones they like and ask you to try them on/watch them do so.
A little self conclusion being dressed up. Would prefer to do it in their own clothes, if only you'd let them.
Gets handsy in the changing room.
Or helps you handmake a dress.
Gathering wild flowers for the bouquet and to add to your hair or theirs.
The day comes and the witness turns out to be Bailey. You ask about it and they'll just shrug and say "Don't really know anyone else."
File away into things to investigate later.
Prepared their own vows actually. They stumble through them, eyes flickering to the ground but it's heartfelt and real. You may end up crying.
Very harsh, possessive kiss. Lasts only a few seconds though, there's people watching.
Thanks Bailey and the officiate before sending them off with the signed papers.
Honeymoons are difficult to have when you live in the forest. Maybe Bailey hooks the two of you up with a hotel, for a price, a chance to relax. A chance to eat so much.
Eden is going to abuse that room service.
Meal after meal they don't have to prepare? And you don't, so they can fuck you till it arrives? This is amazing.
Now picture Eden in one of those massive robes, lounging in a comfy bed, satisfied smile on their face from having a full gut and their spouse at their side.
Does the tearing the garter off with their teeth thing if you're wearing it. Immediately goes down on you when it's off.
Breeding kink turns up to 1000%.
Getting Eden a ring that has a matt black texture to the metal so that light is less likely to reflect from it and spook their prey.
Mason
Oh look a normal person.
Proposes to you, very flustered and scared you'll say no.
Plans the proposal out, has a lovely dinner, takes you for a walk, does it in front of a view.
Cries and hugs you tight when you say yes.
Planning together, going on food testing days, touring venues, finding your perfect rings. Not too expensive, but still pretty.
Tells you all about their family, gossiping about who does what and where to sit people.
Warns you about certain relatives being rather traditional, so if anyone asks you're both virgins.
Even if Mason has ruined you pretty much every day since you've moved in.
Is curious about who you'll invite. Who's going to give you away?
Having to deal with Bailey seems like a bad idea if you need someone to give you away, you should probably choose someone else. Sam? Sam could work. Maybe Darryl, even Charlie.
Leighton is not invited. Whitney is banned. Robin can come. Kylar is also banned.
Doren will be there, maybe River, maybe Winter. Doren is the only one that looks genuinely happy to be there out of the three.
Modest dress for you/them. Again, it's the traditional thing. But it's beautiful all the same.
Won't see you the night before the wedding, but will sit on call with you all night even if their bachelor/hen party tries to pull them away.
Refuses to go to a strip club, goes to a fancy restaurant instead for the bachelor/hen party. Or maybe even laser tag.
Also prepares their own vows. Cries when you/they walk down the Isle.
The kiss is long and accompanied with a bone crushing hug.
A proper honeymoon, takes you someone tropical!
Swimming in the ocean together! Even going scuba diving or in shark cages! Going to theme parks, tanning on the beach. Possibly going to a nude beach, you're in a foreign country, no one would know.
So shy when you both strip out of your clothes on the first night, like it's the very first time again.
Tells you they love you every five seconds, bangs you on every surface, can't walk properly the next day.
You in lingere will send Mason nuts. Especially if you give them a lap dance, they won't be able to stay still.
Also intent on indulging their breeding kink.
#degrees of lewdity bailey#degrees of lewdity eden#degrees of mason#degrees of lewdity#spill your guts#anonymous
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The Great IKEA Game
Chapter 1 - Meet the Players
Marinette originally came to the IKEA an hour outside of Gotham to buy twinkle lights for her new living room. She eventually extended her trip into obtaining new dishes since all she had right now was empty takeout containers she kept rewashing. She would have been very content getting what she needed and being on her way, (no, she wasn't lonely Plagg, she had two dozen mini-gods to keep her company, shut up) but halfway between the bedding and lights sections, Marinette’s life changed forever.
For the better, if she was being honest.
She never would have realized it if she hadn’t ducked into a showroom to test out a couch. She settled against the fluffy folds, knowing it would be destroyed within minutes if she ever brought it home when she noticed him. A boy, no man, about her age, hiding behind a desk looking for all the world as if he were plotting world domination or someone’s demise.
They looked at each other in shock for a moment.
“Are… are you ok-”
“Shhh!” his green eyes narrowed, and boy, Marinette had been on the receiving end of death glares before, but this one had to take the cake.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
He rolled his eyes. “Do you see a group of dark-haired obnoxious idiots out there?” he asked.
The request was an odd one, but Marinette rose from the couch and glanced around outside of the showroom. She didn’t see anyone fitting his description. She shook her head.
He smirked. “My idiot older brothers dragged me along for a “family bonding experience”." He made the little quotation marks, and Marinette never thought anyone could look cool doing that, but somehow this person nailed it. "Tt. I’ve successfully avoided them for an hour. Didn’t know when the coast would be clear though.” He rose gracefully from the ground, looking all the more like a prince, rather than a crazy person hiding from his family.
It was absurd.
Marinette found herself instantly amused.
“I have friends exactly like that, I totally get it,” she said, thinking how Adrian would be beside himself when she told him the story later. The pang of loneliness that had been present since she’d left her friends in Paris, for college in America re-emerged. She shook her head of the maudlin thoughts.
The Kwamis would have had a field day with this idea too, thankfully she had left them in her severely under-furnished apartment for the day in order to avoid the squabbling that came with only taking a few of them out of the house.
Marinette looked back out at the hallway again, wondering if the man's brothers would soon appear, finding herself invested in what would happen. “What are you going to do now?”
“Well, Drake has the keys, and those idiots will be at their shenanigans till the store closes, so…” he shrugged.
“Are they like… furnishing a whole house?” Marinette didn’t know how you could spend an entire day here. Sure, it was big, but…
“No. We’re engaged in a no holds barred game of hide-and-seek.” Marinette’s mouth dropped open. “If one of them catches me I become the seeker.”
“Why?”
He smirked, “Because I’ve held out the longest.”
"No, I mean, why are you playing hide-and-seek?" It seemed an odd choice for a bunch of adults. Well, Marinette and her friends would do it. But they also willing became superheroes at the age of fourteen so their judgment was already in question.
He shrugged. "My oldest brother thought it would be fun, and our father is... out of town at the moment," he said with a bit of hesitation.
“So, you’re just going to hide in this showroom till the store closes?”
A devious smile spread across the man’s handsome features. “No. I intend to troll them. If Grayson wants my participation, I'm going to make him regret it.”
It was at that moment she crossed the point of no return, not that Marinette knew it yet.
Throwing away any idea of finishing her shopping today she returned his smirk. “Any chance I could join you in your crusade?”
The guy looked her over suspiciously. “Why should I allow a stranger to join me and potentially ruin my chances at victory?”
Marinette thought for a moment. “Well, your brothers know you well?” He nodded. “Then they likely know what you’ll do to avoid and troll them. You need a fresh perspective. Plus, I can operate out in the open, I’m not officially a part of the game.”
“Hmm...” his face was impassive; Marinette couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “You make some good points, but I’m not fully convinced.”
Marinette huffed, “I also grew up in Paris without being akumatized.”
He looked at her oddly. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Paris had a terrorist for five years that turned people into monsterized versions of themselves if they felt negative feelings. They were called Akuamas. Everyone in my class had it happen to them at least once. More for some particularly loose cannons.”
The guy looked bewildered. “Why didn’t anyone hear about this?”
Marinette shrugged, trying to play off her knowledge as what a normal civilian would know. “Combination of corrupt politicians, social media blackouts, and magic. People died during these attacks, but everything was put to rights at the end of every fight due to the superheroes powers.”
His mouth dropped, but he recovered quickly looking contemplative. “I want to know more about this at a later time, but if what you say is true you can control yourself better than the average peon. But my brothers and I are a combination of street orphans, circus brats, gymnastics freaks, and geniuses - are you sure you can keep up?”
Marinette nearly laughed at his description but managed to keep a straight face. “Positive.”
“Alright, I'll do whatever it takes to win.” He offered her his hand. “I’m Damian.”
She took it, feeling a slight shock as her fingers touched his. “I’m Marinette, nice to meet you, Damian.”
“You won’t be saying that soon enough,” he said with a slight smirk. He looked over her shoulder. “Shit.” He dove beneath the desk he’d been hiding behind earlier. “Tall guy with the white streak in his hair.” Marinette turned to look. “Don’t make it too obvious,” he hissed.
Marinette grabbed her phone and leaned against the desk. With small side glances, she saw a man probably mid to late twenties with two-toned hair. He wore a leather jacket and seemed to be searching for something, or someone.
“Who’s that?” she asked quietly.
“Second oldest brother, Jason Todd - arguably the most and least dangerous.”
“Why both?”
“He did not want to participate initially, so he’s reluctant, but at the same time, he hates losing. He’ll hang on to the bitter end. More resourceful than the other two, and more violent, although less sophisticated.”
Jason moved closer to their showroom.
“Hush, he’s headed this way,” she whispered. Damian remained quiet and Marinette tried to make herself look busy.
“Quick question miss?” Marinette glanced up from her phone. Jason stood at the entrance to the showroom.
“Oh, uh, oui? Non, non, I mean yes?” Marinette said in an exaggerated accent, playing into the oblivious tourist stereotype always came in handy.
“Oh French, shit, haven’t spoken that in a while,” he muttered. “Um...”
“Non, it iz okay, I speak English well. Can I help you?” She batted her eyes just a bit. Marinette had long since grown from the days of not using all her advantages - courtesy of forced confidence from Chole. A friendship no one had seen coming but had grown quick and strong once they reached an understanding.
“Oh, I’m looking for my little brother, about yay high, black hair, green eyes, permanent scowl. Have you seen him?”
Marinette pretended to think for a second. “Non... I do not theenk so, perhaps help desk at zee front?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Jason said, Marinette could see he had already written her off as useless. “Thanks, anyway.” He walked away quickly.
There was a minute of silence. “Coast is clear,” said Marinette once Jason was out of sight.
Damian popped up, a gleam in his eyes. “Your lying skills are adequate; we may just win this yet.”
“I’m glad to meet such high approval, monsieur. Let’s get going.”
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
#damian x marinette#maribat#maridami#ml x dc#mlb crossover#damimari#damianette#marinnette dupain cheng x damian wayne
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