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garbagevanfleet · 3 years

Text

Brightest Blue (series)

PART FOURTEEN

Pairing: Josh x reader Warnings: mentions of sexual content, feelings, cigarettes Summary: Things are changing. New state. New school. New roommate. You just pray things are going to click into place.

Notes: HI EVERYONE! I’m sorry I’m so inconsistent lately. I promise that the next chaptered fic I write, I’ll only start posting it when I’m done writing it. I hope you like this chapter - its incredibly sappy because I’m on my period lol

As always, big thanks to my beta, @lantern-inthenight <3

taglist: @valleyd0ll @satingrass-maidensfair @guitarfingers @thebohemianpenguin @peaceisouranthem @oblvions @hansonobsessed @myownparadise96 @anditsmywholeheart @kill-fear-the-power-of-lies @bigblack-catattack @dharma-divine

MASTERPOST

“Remind me again why you want to ride separately from your brother?” You looked pointedly over at Josh, who was smiling as he ran a soapy rag over the plate you’d just finished eating off of.

“I already have to spend my whole winter break with my family, no need to rob myself of alone time with you,” he explained like it was obvious.

A huff escaped your lips. You pushed away from where you had been leaning against the counter and wrapped your arms around his neck from behind. You laid your head in between his shoulder blades, feeling him turn to nuzzle his nose against your arm as it laid on his shoulder.

“We spend so much time together - like every day - which I’m obviously grateful for,” you said, half-muffled by the material of his sweater. “But don’t you think it just makes more sense to carpool?”

You couldn’t see his hands, but the movements you could feel told you he was wiping the extra water off of them before turning around and pressing your chests together. His lips lightly brushed your temple as he spoke.

“You’re right,” he agreed, though you knew him well enough to know he wasn’t about to just relent. “It does make more sense - I just don’t want to.”

You let out a breath, frowning as you tried to figure out if you should say what you were thinking. After a moment of working up the courage, you cupped his jaw with your right hand, knowing full well that the sweet gesture would help him swallow the discomfort your words would cause.

“Josh,” Your voice was low and quiet, but as you met his eyes, you chickened out. They were so honest, looking at you like your presence was the only thing keeping him grounded - like if you left, he’d just cease to exist. You made a mental note to have a talk with him about that at some point, but you decided it would have to be after you’d returned from Christmas break.

“Hm?” You must have been contemplating too long, prompting his features into a look of concern. You couldn’t bear it.

“Jake is going to ride with us,” you said decidedly. “I already told him he could.”

That was a bit of a lie - he had mentioned it a few days ago and you had said you’d run it by Josh, but you had just made up his mind for him.

He huffed a laugh as he rolled his eyes playfully at you. “Sounds like you’re already communicating better with my family than I have in months.”

“Well,” you started, giving him a pointed look - the kind you only give when you feel confident that you’re right. “I think that would mean communicating with them at all. Honestly, Josh, I know you-”

You were abruptly silenced as he placed his forefinger across your open lips, a half-smirk on his face.

“It’s okay,” he assured simply. “He can ride with us.”

A smile spread across your face underneath his finger. “Good. Have you started packing?” Your words were muffled under his touch.

“Eh,” he replied with a noncommittal shrug, lowering his hand to brush his thumb across your chin.

“Do you want help with that?” you inquired cheekily. “Because, you know, we leave in two days.”

He appeared to consider it for a moment before nodding. “Actually, yeah, that sounds nice. You can sit on my bed and watch while I pack really inappropriate clothes for the occasion.”

You half-snorted out a laugh, rolling your eyes because you knew that’s the reaction he was aiming for. “How about I just pack for you?”

+++

For the first time since knowing him, you saw Jake Kiszka wearing a jacket. It was long and dramatic and nearly brushed the top of the snow as he made his way out to your car with a leather duffle bag in his left hand.

He opened the rear, passenger-side door and tossed his bag in next to yours and Josh’s before sliding in next to it.

You greeted him cheerily, to which he shot you back a smile as a reply.

“You’re actually wearing a coat,” you noted as he pulled the seatbelt over his form and buckled in.

He hummed amusedly, reaching into his pocket and popping a stick of gum in his mouth.

“I’ve found that he doesn’t usually dress like a slut to go home,” Josh replied instead as he turned a lighter around in his palm, absent of the task.

“And if I didn’t wear a coat home, I’d never hear the end of it.”

Josh nodded in agreement, and then you watched a shit-eating grin spread across his lips. “I’m kinda surprised Kate isn’t coming with us today, to be honest. Are you waiting until Easter just to make sure?”

You were busy pulling out onto the road, so you didn’t see it, but you could imagine Jake deeply rolling his eyes at the question.

“I would bring Kate home - it would make me truly happy to physically see Mom die a little inside when she starts trying to talk about amphibious breeding cycles at length during dinner,” he mused, voice clear of any kind of sorrow. He finished simply and with a smile, “But she isn’t my girlfriend.”

“I don’t know, it seemed a little sus when I showed up at her house in the morning and you were already there, chillin’ with her dog,” you replied in a sing-song voice.

“I wasn’t already there, I was still there.” You felt him place a hand on your shoulder, and slap his other one against Josh’s. “Not all of us have the luxury of just being able to pop down the hall.”

“Fair enough,” you relented, feeling your face flush warm.

“Or the shower. Or the kitchen that one time,” Josh added unhelpfully, making your eyes immediately pop open.

“Josh,” you scolded and quickly considered reaching over and slapping him, but decided it was unsafe to drive and strike a passenger at the same time.

“No, this is good,” Jake assured through a smirk you could hear. “Let him get it all out before we get there.”

Josh snickered back, “You’re such a prick.”

+++

The Kiszka homestead was almost impossibly cozy. There was a basket of blankets by the big sofa (much nicer and fluffier than the blankets at your apartment, which had been flattened and matted to the point of complete defeat) and the furniture was centered around a glowing, stone fireplace. Josh’s mom had hugged him for a long moment upon your arrival - a gesture that made your throat feel tight as you watched her fingers flex in the material at the back of his shirt.

She was sunny and kind to the point that you could clearly see Josh’s mannerisms reflected in hers, and the dinner she laid out on the dining room table seemed impossibly large to you, having come from a home with just three people in it.

When she asked you how you liked Midwestern cooking, you gushed about it for - what was undeniably - too long. You’d never say, but you weren’t positive that part of it wasn’t just not having had a real home-cooked meal in months.

You had come to decipher that Josh had told his family that you were just a roommate that didn’t have a place to go for winter break, but you were pretty sure you’d be able to tell the nature of your relationship if you were on the outside looking in - you seemed to be magnetically drawn to wherever Josh was these days.

Everyone cleared out of the living room pretty quickly after dinner and conversation, and you finally got the chance to ask the question that had been on your mind all day.

“Do I sleep out here?”

You were posted up on the couch, your legs crossed one over the other with Josh staying a few inches farther away from you than you were used to.

“No,” he replied. “You can take my room and I’ll sleep out here.”

You had asked mostly as a formality - you hadn’t figured that you’d actually have to sleep separately. Through a slight frown, you said, “Oh, man. It’s been a while since I’ve had to sleep alone. What if I freeze to death?”

He flashed you a smile. “I thought ahead and laid a heated blanket out on the bed for you.”

“Heated blanket? This whole time heated blankets were an option?” you whispered harshly.

“Okay, in my defense, by the time I remembered that they existed, we were already sleeping in the same bed every night.”

The suspicious way you stared at him for a few moments had him biting back a laugh - one of those unguarded ones that seemed to be reserved for people he was really comfortable around. Which seemed to just be you most of the time.

“Will you at least come get ready for bed with me?” you asked, subtly looking up at him through your lashes.

“Of course - no puppy eyes necessary,” he assured with a snicker.

This room was decidedly different than the one back in Ann Arbor. Josh’s space back in the apartment was mostly made up of Earth tones - either picked by choice or having just dulled over time. There were little pops of color scattered around the room, like the golden yellow rug that spread across almost all of the wooden floor, or the string of flags that spanned the entire wall above his bed.

This room was different. You could tell that his parents had tried to clean it up since Josh had moved out, but there was still evidence of spots where posters were hung on the maroon red walls. A stack of comics laid on the dresser - the surface of which was covered in residue and paper where he had placed stickers and then tried to peel them off.

You eyed a well-used keyboard placed along the far wall, and what appeared to be milk crates full of sheet music and the idea of him sitting in front of it and practicing for hours brought a smile to your lips.

He hauled both of your bags up onto the bed and you both picked through them for the sleep apparel you’d packed. You watched him change into a short-sleeved tee and a pair of loose flannel pants through the bathroom mirror as you brushed your teeth across the hall, and when he caught your eyes, he gave you a smirk.

You’d been half expecting him to change his mind and just crawl into bed with you, but instead, he helped you clamber under the covers and pulled the comforter up to your chest.

“Wow, full service tuck-in and everything,” you teased, but quickly shut up when his thumb brushed over your lips.

“Well,” he mused, voice low. “Not the full service.”

You gave him a sour grin as he backed up to the door and flicked the light off.

“Good night, Joshua.”

+++

The next couple of days came and went easily. You were starting to get actually acquainted with his family - chatting with his mother and sister over morning coffee, and getting pinned between his brothers on the sofa while Christmas movies played in the background.

You really hadn’t realized how much you missed being around family until it hit you at dinner one night. You watched out of the corner of your eye as Josh unscrewed the lid on the salt under the lip of the table and then asked Sam if he wanted any.

Josh was just about to slide it across the beat-up wooden surface when you snatched it out of his hand, pointedly tightened the lid, and then slid it over.

When you peeked over at him, Josh was glaring at you, but he wasn’t able to stop the mischievous smirk that his mouth took the shape of.

Sam huffed a laugh that sounded more like a scoff, having figured out the plot quickly after seeing the look on Josh’s face.

“Samuel, do me a favor and dump the whole shaker of salt on your potatoes,” Josh requested in a faux-sweet voice. “Please and thank you.”

“Piss off.” Sam’s reply came through a mouth-full of food, but somehow, he still managed to look lovely while saying it. However, that didn’t save him from his mom’s scolding look - though whether that was in response to the harsh language or speaking with a full mouth was anyone’s guess. You guessed that a person never got to grow out of being “the baby”.

It was then - that simple moment - that you realized how oddly welcomed you felt in this setting. It hadn’t been awkward or uncomfortable even once. You’d never felt out of place despite how different it was from your own home experience.

After you were settled into bed that night, you laid awake thinking about nothing and everything. You didn’t feel particularly tired, but you had decided to turn in when Josh started dozing off on the couch while you were watching the tv on low volume.

You had no clue what time it was, as your phone was charging across the room, but at some point you heard the distinct sound of a door creaking open. It was just down the hall - that you could distinguish - but you weren’t positive which room specifically. The person made their way down the hall, and then up a creaky set of steps, though you could tell that they were trying to move quietly when they got to the next floor and the cadence of their steps changed to something lighter.

You thought about it for a moment before pushing the covers off of you, crawling out of the warmth of the nest you’d made, and slipping your feet into a pair of Josh’s fuzzy slippers that were just barely peeking out under the bed frame. Trying to be as quiet as the last person had been, you crept up the stairs in the low light, having to strain to see the steps in the unfamiliar space, lest you lose your footing.

The room at the top of the steps was a study, and on the other side of it was a large, sliding glass door. And on the other side of that, was Jake, sat out on a covered patio with a cigarette in his hand.

You crossed the room, grabbing a blanket off of the worn leather sofa and wrapping it around yourself as you moved.

He barely turned his head to look at you as you slid the glass open and stepped out onto the porch. The brisk air hit you hard enough to nearly knock the breath from your lungs, so you pulled the blanket up your body until only your head was showing.

“Sorry if I scared you.” The volume of your words were just above a whisper as you bent to sit next to him on the cold wood. “Or if I’m intruding.”

He hummed around his cigarette before ashing it into a Coke can. “You didn’t, and you aren’t.” He looked you over for the first time then and frowned deeply at you. “You are going to freeze to death though. Where the hell is your coat?”

“I’m fine, I’ve got the blanket, see?” you assured, though you had to admit that the cold cut right through the thick material.

He ran his eyes up and down it, rolling them affectionately at you. “Okay,” he replied, though it sounded nothing like he believed you. After a few silent moments, he spoke again.

“How are you liking it here?”

A genuine smile spread out over your lips. “Michigan is lovely, if that’s what you mean. Cold to the point where I’m not sure why anyone would want to live here, but. Lovely, all the same.”

He smiled back at you, oddly warm in nature for him. “And what about the family? Do you find all of us lovely too?”

“Absolutely,” you agreed, pulling your knees up to your chest like you were in a cocoon. Another few long moments ticked by as you watched the snow fall. The night was so still that you swore you could hear the flakes as they settled on whatever surface they happened to land on.

“Can I ask you something?” You flicked your eyes over at him to assess his expression. You knew your brows were threaded close together in worry, which he seemed to take into account before he answered.

He nodded as he took another drag. “Sure,” he replied, smoke and steam glowing with the light of the cherry on the end of his cigarette as he exhaled.

You were silently trying to figure out how to word it for long enough that he looked over at you expectantly.

“Do you think Josh would have come home for Christmas if I...weren’t around?”

He met your eyes and huffed a humorless laugh. “I think that he would have spent a week or two anxiously deciding whether he could handle it and then, ultimately, he would feel too guilty to say no. And from there, I think it would have been a repeat of last year - he would have come home here, found it exhausting, and then screened everyone's’ calls for a couple of months again.”

You weren’t sure what to say, so you just stared at his face, your teeth pressed into your bottom lip until you could feel they’d left an indent as you ran your tongue over it.

“But it’s weird, right?” he continued, biting back a smirk that made you a little uneasy about what he was going to say next. “He seems to be almost blissfully happy this year.”

You held your breath for a moment as you tried to organize your emotions, and then exhaled in a rush once it became uncomfortable. “Look, I. He’s obviously a lot of things to me. A best friend, a room mate, a...romantic partner?”

Jake shot you a disbelieving but highly amused look at your wording.

“But I’m worried that he’s tying himself to me too tightly.” With your eyes, you tried to portray the emotions that that thought evoked in you - how compressed it made you feel.

He seemed to chew it over as he stubbed out his cigarette on the damp wood and then - near instantly - materialized another from behind his ear like a magic trick.

“I love seeing him happy, but I’m scared that I’m the only thing making him happy,” you finished, voice admittedly a little shaky. You didn’t ask first - though you should have - but you slid closer to him until your shoulders were touching, and despite not knowing him all that well yet, it still managed to make you feel more grounded. “It’s not that I expect this to end - whatever we have - but what if it does?”

Jake’s eyes flitted around your features like he was trying to map your face as you anxiously waited for him to tell you everything would be alright.

“You know,” he started, voice low. “When we moved away for school, he was the one that decided we wouldn’t room together. I mean, I didn’t blame him or anything, but I always just assumed we would. He used to be so outgoing. I mean, he never missed a party. People would trip over themselves to be next to him. He used to take his ex out any time he could - it didn’t really matter where, because he’s always had a way of making even the most monotonous task seem fun.”

You didn’t try to suppress a smile as it found your lips.

“So, his ex broke it off with him. I don’t know what happened really - only what I’ve been able to pry out of him - but it fucked him up pretty good. And then as he was just starting to get over it, his roommate had some kind of mental break and just moved out one weekend while Josh was gone. It’s not like they were best friends or anything, but they got along.”

“Fuck,” you whispered, resting your head on Jake’s shoulder and not caring whether or not it was polite to do so anymore.

“Yeah,” he agreed, simply. The tone of his voice was something very somber - the kind you’d use if you were giving a eulogy. “I tried to help. I offered to move in with him. I showed up at his apartment all the time, but he got pretty effective at dodging me. Not just me, actually, but everyone. Worried the fuck out of our mom.”

“What then?” You were not-so-secretly hoping that Jake was going to find a way to make you feel better, and the pitch of your voice reflected it. The core of your body felt like it was stuffed full of stones, weighted and heavy. “What happened?”

Jake hummed. “Well, he started to level out a bit. After a good couple months he started at least answering the door when I came to see him. Sometimes he’d text me back after a day or two. That went on like that for a while.”

He titled his head to look over at you then for the first time in a while. You felt oddly vulnerable after hearing all of that, but you tried not to duck away from his eyes.

“But then, suddenly, you were there. He didn’t tell me a thing about you, or even that he was getting a new roommate until well after you were already moved in.”

You huffed a laugh. “If it makes you feel better, he didn’t tell me anything about you either really. Imagine my surprise when I open the door and you were a twin. Uncanny valley territory.”

“I think he learned how to compartmentalize the people in his life. Seems like it’s easier to manage relationships that way when you’re an extremely guarded person like he had suddenly become.”

He took a pause to take a long drag, simultaneously running a hand through his silky hair.

“But to answer your question - I don’t think you’re the only thing making him happy,” he continued, meeting your eyes with an intensity that you understood to your core. “I think you’re just reminding him that there are things to be happy about.”

You weren’t sure what you were expecting him to say, but you were suddenly choking back tears and a tight, hot feeling in your throat.

“You’ve just got to give him time to remember what it’s like.”

When you opened your mouth to reply, you realized you’d been holding your breath for a moment too long, causing you to suck in a shaky breath. “I intend to give him all the time he needs,” you promised.

Jake offered you back a smile as he moved to stand, stretching out his muscles and then extending a hand for you to take. He helped you clamber up off the floor before tucking his lighter back into the pocket of his fleece sleep-pants.

“Good to hear.”

#brightest blue fic #Greta Van Fleet #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fleet fic #josh kiszka #josh fic #josh kiszka fic #josh x reader #writing

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txtniipped · 3 years

Text

ode to flower and cloud

genshin impact -- childe/zhongli, childe & venti, venti & traveler, traveler & paimon, paimon & venti

(2680 words)

ao3 version

With the Windblume Festival in full swing, love is in the air. Who better to teach the art of waxing poetry than the Windborne Bard and his two faithful assistants?

Though… tutoring the Fatui’s Eleventh Harbinger on such a topic was not something the three of them were expecting to be doing.

“Well, now that all that’s settled, we have some time to waste until their two hours are up,” Venti says as he turns towards the Traveler and Paimon, a grin blooming across his face. “Let’s go get a drink, shall we?”

The Traveler smiles awkwardly at the bard as they begin their march from under the city’s Barbatos statue to Angel’s Share, Paimon huffing indignantly as she floats along. “You know they don’t drink, bard! You only suggested it because you don’t know how to do anything else!”

Venti laughs, jovial and completely lacking any shame, which only further riles up Paimon. “So? A good drink always tastes better in good company! You can get grape juice or something.” The bard hops down the steps, two at a time, the traveler following in suit as to not be left behind. “Besides—” Venti pauses near the bottom of the staircase, turning himself back towards his companions, gazing cheekily up at them— “what else are you going to do while we wait to check up on our students? Those commissions no one has posted since the festival began?”

Paimon’s cheeks puff, her little hands balling into fists. “You—!!”

“Ahaha, there you are! Figures I’d find you two mixed up in the sprite’s shenanigans.”

Venti’s cheekiness drops the moment he hears that laugh, a thin smile taking its place as he turns to the presence at the bottom of the staircase. The Traveler’s attention snaps to the Harbinger below just as quickly as Paimon’s, who gasps loud enough for them both. “Childe?!”

“Hey!” The Harbinger greets the three of them with a wave, his smile genuine as far as any of them can tell.

“I thought the shame of losing our little contest would have driven you back home by now!” Venti lilts, bounding down the rest of the steps to land in Childe’s space, that forced smile still plastered on his face.

“Ahh, no, see—” Childe grins at Venti, a little too toothy, this smile much more fitting with the dangerous man the Traveler and Paimon now know him as— “a loss leads to more practice, and more practice leads to more polish, and more polish always warrants another go.”

Venti levels the Snezhnayan with an unimpressed stare. “So you’re here for a rematch,” he states.

Childe laughs, pleasant and warm, the epitome of friendliness. It’s so easy to be drawn into that sound if you know little of the man.

“Not yet! Rather, I heard you’re offering the masses lessons in poetry?”

The question catches both the Traveler and Paimon off guard, and if the silence between the four of them singing louder than any cricket is capable of is anything to go by, it’s surprised Venti too.

“You actually, uh...” Paimon starts after a beat, fidgeting her hands as she speaks, “just missed—.“

The sudden clap of Venti’s hands coming together cuts the fairy-creature off, his tone much more amicable than it just was. “I am! And these two are my assistants!” Venti gestures over to the Traveler and Paimon, who have now finally joined the other two at the bottom of the stairs. “You did actually just miss our assignment period though,” the bard stresses, offering a pitying expression that clearly irks the Harbinger. Paimon saw his fist curl.

Childe laughs mutedly, lifting said fist to his torso, casually smoothing it out over the front of his uniform. “That’s... unfortunate.”

“But!” Venti chimes, switching his demeanor in a heartbeat, leaning forward enough to force Childe back a step. “I’d be willing to let you join late, as long as you’re willing to pay the fee!”

The laugh that falls from Childe’s mouth this time is much fuller than his previous one, amusement dancing across his face. “Sure, sure. How much is it?”

“Welllll~” Venti’s index finger comes to rest on his chin as he turns his head conspiringly towards his two assistants, the corners of his mouth curled up in such a way that it practically screams mischief.

“Since you missed the beginning of the class,” Venti begins as he turns a more scholarly expression towards Childe, his index finger tapping against his chin, “we’ll have to catch you up one-on-one. On top of that, you’re cutting into our break time, which we were really looking forward to after all our hard work with our other students...”

Paimon suddenly seems to brighten up in her spot next to the Traveler, catching onto the scheme the bard is putting forth. The Traveler can practically see her vibrating with her habit of greed. “Seriously! Paimon had to explain the ins and outs of poetry so much, Paimon’s jaw hurts!”

Childe’s eyebrows raise as he appraises the bard and the fairy, and when he glances to the Traveler, they can tell he’s not convinced. However...

“Well, why don’t I just owe you double and we move on?” the Harbinger suggests, his attention returning to Venti.

Venti laughs, delight ringing through the air. “Sounds good to me!”

—

The trio filled Childe in on what information he missed from their earlier class within a few minutes, despite how long both Paimon and Venti alluded to it taking beforehand. Childe didn’t seem bothered over paying double for something that hardly took five minutes, but knowing his spending habits after witnessing everything in Liyue, the Traveler wasn’t surprised.

By the end of it, they assigned Childe a poem to be read and critiqued by the bard as they did the others, and soon enough, the four of them parted ways with an agreement to meet at the Goth Grand Hotel later in the day.

The trio’s idle time passed by swiftly, mostly due to the hilichurl camps nearby the city they decided to clear instead of day drinking. The walk back into town and to the Fatui delegation’s temporary place of residence ate up their remaining time, and though they were clearly invited to the building by the Harbinger earlier, the guard at the door seems unconvinced.

“‘Poetry lessons’ hardly seem in the realm of the Lord Harbinger’s interests,” the doorguard, Luke, states in response to the explanation he’s been given regarding the trio’s presence.

“Well, what else do you expect him to be doing during the Windblume Festival?” Venti asks as he tilts his head curiously, a teasing smile on his face.

Luke scoffs, haughtily turning his head to the side. “The matters of the Lord Harbinger’s love life aren’t mine to divulge. Besides—“ the Traveler raises a hand to cover their sudden smile as Luke continues on, amused over the guard’s predictability. Always a talker, this one. “—last I heard, his partner is in Liyue anyway. What use would he have for the festivities of a Mondstadt festival?”

The mention of a partner has Venti perking up like a dog offered a treat, Paimon now joining the Traveler on covering a smile of her own. “Ohhh, his lover is in Liyue, huh~?” Venti sing-songs. “He must be wanting to send them an authentic piece of his time in another country! How romantic!”

The Traveler and Paimon are both left giggling behind the bard as an embarrassed flush blooms over what’s visible of Luke’s face, the Fatui man clearly only now realizing he’s once again shared too much. “Shut it, you twerp,” Luke spits, trying to reign the conversation in his favor, “unless you want the Lord Harbinger shutting you up himself!”

“Must you threaten my guests, Luke?”

Four heads turn towards the amused voice of said Lord Harbinger, who currently has his upper body partially leaning out a window of what can only be assumed is the foyer. His head is propped up on one of his hands, leaving him looking picturesque under the warm sun and soft breeze.

Venti cackles unabashedly as Luke stammers out an apology in Childe’s direction, Childe’s amused smile pulling into a grin.

“Let them in before you spill more of my secrets,” Childe waves as he pulls himself back into the building, tone light. Luke mumbles an affirmative to the no-longer-present Harbinger and opens the doors of the hotel for the three guests, Venti happily making his way inside with the Traveler and Paimon close behind, the doors softly thudding closed once they’re through.

The foyer of the Goth Grand Hotel hosts two sets of socializing spaces to the left and right of the rug running through the room, decorated with high quality rococo couches, loveseats, and chairs. At the back of the room is the counter, most likely vacant of staff due to the occupation of only Fatui here. On either side of that, stairs leading up, the space required for that leaving the room quite open.

Childe is seated in the room alone, in a chair to the left of the entrance, watching his guests with thinly-veiled amusement. He’s perched so one elbow rests against the armrest of the chair, that hand providing support for his head. He’s leaning heavily to the right, his left leg crossed over the thigh of his right, left hand loose and casual in his lap.

“Someone looks comfortable,” Venti comments good-naturedly as he makes his way over to the couch angled perpendicular to the armchair, the Traveler and Paimon following his lead.

“I am!” Childe laughs as he lifts his head from his hand, regarding the three of them with a bright smile. “Mondstadt is just so lovely right now, what with all the vitriol your people have for us Fatui.”

Paimon huffs, crossing her own legs in the air as she mimics Childe’s positioning, only a lot more balled up. “Well, can you blame them? You guys are always up to something!”

“Ahaha, a fair assessment,” Childe muses as he unfolds himself, planting both feet on the floor as he leans towards the coffee table in front of him. There, he snatches the top paper from a stack of several and offers it in Venti’s direction. “Well, shall we? You’ve more students to see, after all.”

“That we do,” Venti hums, taking the paper from the Harbinger. He sits up properly in his seat then and turns his eyes to the paper only briefly, quickly returning them to Childe. “Would it bother you if I read this aloud?”

Childe grins and waves a hand through the air, casually dismissing the need for permission. “By all means.”

The bard smiles and nods, then once again settles his gaze to the paper, clearing his throat before beginning.

“‘Words come easy to me,’” Venti begins, voice light and pleasant. “‘Over dinner, drinks, the shore. But there are some far more challenging, said aloud than written down.’”

The room is quiet save for Venti’s soft countenance. Childe’s gaze has drifted down to the rest of the pages on the table, where the Traveler can clearly see scribbles and scratches of other versions of the poem Venti’s currently reading.

“‘Surely you know by now, how irreplaceable your presence is, to a man so solitary.’”

Paimon looks to the Traveler then, head tilted in a silent question of who the Harbinger could possibly be talking about—at least until—.

“‘How every word that falls, from your lips and graces my ears, is a sweet treasure, more decadent, than any wine or dessert.’”

Paimon’s eyes widen, and she starts rapidly smacking her hand against the Traveler’s shoulder, pieces being put together. She’s excited, despite how hostile she may or may not be towards the Harbinger. The Traveler can’t help but laugh silently at her antics.

“‘Mondstadt prides itself on freedom, but the freedom you’ve given me, will forever be the envy, of the City of Wind.’”

Venti pauses here, though with a brief glance, the Traveler can see another verse written, just two lines. The script is just messy enough to keep them from making out the words before Venti’s laughing stiltedly, catching the attention of all those in the room. Childe’s eyebrows raise in a silent question, and after a beat passes without an answer, he lifts his upper body to sit up straight.

“What?” Childe laughs, the lightest dusting of color painting his cheeks as he leans back into the chair, the iron grip he’s taken up on the armrest betraying his calm. “Don’t want to finish it, little sprite?”

Venti huffs out a laugh of his own and tosses the paper back in Childe’s direction, who catches it out of the air like it’s a precious thing. Which, honestly...

“To be honest, I was expecting the same sort of mess as your form with a bow, but that was actually well done!”

Childe’s smile turns tight, mirrored perfectly back at him by Venti. The tension is palpable. Concerned, the Traveler turns their attention to Paimon, who meets their gaze with a mildly alarmed look of confusion.

The moment passes as Childe breaks eye contact with the bard, folding the paper in his hands. “Well, as unhelpful as you were, I do owe you,” Childe says as he places the piece of paper on the coffee table. He reaches under the jacket of his uniform after, pulling out a hefty pouch of mora and tossing it carelessly into Venti’s lap. It doesn’t take much thought to how much is in there when the Traveler can practically see Venti’s eyes sparkling—most likely, it’s much more than their efforts today are worth.

“Now,” Childe hums, regarding the three of them with a pleasant smile, “get out.”

—

Luke was more than happy to doubly unwelcome them as the trio stepped out from the hotel with a shout of scram! for good measure, since he apparently decided his Lord Harbinger’s icy dismissal wasn’t enough.

Venti pockets the pouch of mora with a guilt-free grin despite their initial critiquing session lasting a grand total of five minutes max, turning his attention to the Traveler and Paimon.

“Well! Next stop is the Knights of Favonius’s headquarters!” Venti announces with a clap of his hands.

—

The nighttime scene during the Windblume Festival mostly seems to consist of lovers holding hands, playing music, feeding one another food, or in that unlucky instance where the Traveler picked the wrong side path, being tangled together.

The PDA is near unbearable, but Paimon’s never ending hunger has driven them out in search of festival food. Admittedly, everything they’ve tried so far has been mouthwatering, and almost makes up for the trauma both the Traveler and Paimon now have with that one path. Luckily, they’ve wandered into a quieter section of the city, most of the festivities contained to the main street and surrounding areas.

“‘...is a sweet treasure, more decadent, than any wine or dessert.’”

The words coming from somewhere above the duo are immediately recognizable as the work of one Eleventh Harbinger they had already heard earlier in the day. The Traveler and Paimon share a startled look as the voice continues—one they just as easily recognize as Childe himself.

“‘Mondstadt prides itself on freedom, but the freedom you’ve given me, will forever be the envy, of the City of Wind,’” Childe recites, to the sky or to another, they can’t tell. Then...

“‘I love you, dear consultant.’”

A low, rumbling laugh floats down upon the duo then, and the Traveler and Paimon both freeze up.

“I never quite took you as the ‘waxing poetic’ type, Ajax,” Zhongli comments, voice something too tender for these two intruders to be hearing.

“When in Mondstadt,” ‘Ajax’ replies, his tone fond.

“Indeed.”

There’s a quiet moment that neither the Traveler or Paimon are quite sure what to do in, until they hear a deep purr of Childe’s given name. That scares them away immediately, the sound of the Traveler’s footsteps rushing back down towards the main street.

Another beat of silence, and then Childe’s warm laughter rings out from where he and Zhongli are seated against the railing of an upper layer of the city, as innocent as ever. “I cannot believe you,” he says to the consultant through his laughter. Zhongli offers his partner an amused smile in return, his eyes crinkling in delight.

#chili genshin impact #zhongchi genshin impact #childe genshin impact #zhongli genshin impact #venti genshin impact #traveler genshin impact #paimon genshin impact #windblume festival #genshin impact #fanfic #writing #txt.cat #txt.fic

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chubbyreaderchan · 4 years

Text

Technically No | Jacob Black x witch!Reader | Twilight/Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossover| 1

jacob is over 18+ in this as well as reader! It's also a slight modern au because technology makes life easier man. And no I don't know what timeline this is. It's after Jacob phases and before Buffy dies again. So you might see Glory in this. Also it’s under a cut because this introduction/beginning is super long.

"Did you make it okay?" Buffy asked over the phone.

"Yes, Buff. I'm in my new house. I am going to my new job Monday" (Y/n) said with a soft sigh as she leaned against her new counter, having just moved from one small town to the other.

Sunnydale to Forks.

"Good. I'm glad you are safe." (Y/n) smiled a small yet sort of sad smile at the prospect of leaving the scoobs but there was a job offer in Forks that was just to good for her to not take and she was damn lucky to find a house for rent. She wondered if it was haunted. Not that was a big deal for someone who went to high school on top of a literal hellmouth.

"How's Dawny?" (Y/n) also knew that Dawn's first day back to high school was coming up as well as Buffy's first day of college for the year. "And did you get your course schedule yet?" She stated sitting in the empty living room floor eating her favorite fast food meal. Her moving truck wouldn't be there with her stuff for at least another day or two.

It wasn't exactly a house full of stuff yet, of course. She had just gone from living with her parents to on her own within a flash it seemed. It was as if the universe was pulling and placing her right in the middle of now where Washington.

"Yeah but I didn't get some of the courses I wanted. Have to try next semester." She sighed over the phone. Was it normal to talk to someone you had just left the day before as if you hadn't seen them in months? Maybe not but a lot was happening as the end of summer was coming to fruition. "Dawn is excited to go back to school"

"Interesting... She wasn't yesterday." Buffy sighed over the phone as her friend teased her. "Oh! So I'm going to try to get some essentials tomorrow!" She said suddenly remembering what she called Buffy about in the first place. "What color do you think I should decorate my kitchen in? Green? Red?" Buffy almost laughed again at one of her closest friends.

"You'll know when you actually go to the store. It's not like I can see the house." "Not yet! But you all are going to come visit me some day!" She laughed a bit. Her phone buzzed at her to charge. "Hey... Buffy. I gotta go. Phones is dying. Tell Willow and everyone I miss them."

"Will do." With that, the phone was hung up and placed on its charger.

(Y/n) sighed picking up her trash and began the work to make the floor as comfortable as possible until she could actually buy a decent bed.

The next morning, (Y/n) woke up at a fair hour for a Saturday and took a shower. It was nice to wash out some of the travel and sleep stink off before she slipped on her clothes for the day. Then she went to grab her phone as well as keys and her wallet. There was no way she could sleep on the floor for one more day and eating fast food everyday wasn't exactly a healthy option even if she did just arrive in town.

Sure she was still tired from the plane ride but she would stay tired. She need to find at least an air mattress. The car ride was short, it was nice. Familiar. It wasn't a huge change from one small town to another... Minus the demons and vampires. She hoped. It was simple enough to find the small plaza that had a few small shops and even a diner within walking distance of each other.

It was not even remotely difficult to find the things she oh so desperately needed. It was wonderful. (Y/n) was even able to add to her growing collection of magical artifacts when she stumbled into an antique shop. She thanked the gods that her family had loaned her a bit of cash to help her get by until she was fully working again.

Her day was going great... That was until she was hit with pangs of hunger. 'Did I even eat breakfast?' she asked herself before glancing at the time and gasping. She had been out a lot longer than she had realized.

Didn't she see a diner? She walked to her rental car and started a vague drive. Ah-ha! There was a diner.

She pulled in and was seated quite quickly. It wasn't long before her meal was ordered and her attention was drawn to her phone as she waited. There was a text message from Anya complaining about an argument she and Xander were having. (Y/n) laughed softly before responding with her opinion.

While she was distracted she didn't notice the small group enter. Especially a young man who had a slight staring problem. His eyes were locked on (Y/n) as she fiddled around with her phone. The young man was known by most as Jacob Black. A good kid who was madly in love with Bella Swan, his childhood friend.

"Jake... You okay?" Bella another member of the small group asked with concern on her face. An older man in a wheelchair who was previously chatting with the other older man in the group looked at the one named Jacob. A small knowing smile flashed over his features as he looked at his son.

'It's about damn time' Billy the man in the wheelchair thought. "Jake!" Bella's voice called him again, finally snapping the dark haired young man from his thoughts.

(Y/n) who was finally served food sat her phone down finally not even noticing the set of eyes on the back of her head.

"Is she-?" Bella whispered to Jacob just low enough for her father to not hear. "I... Think so... I think..."

"Son..." It was Billy who joined the conversation. "If you don't go talk to her... I will." Jacob's eyes went wide. How embarrassing would that be? His dad talking to his imprint before he could.

Jacob looked at the girl happily eating her dinner and playing around with her technology. Then she giggled. Oh God.

How could it be that just the day before he was trying to convince Bella not to turn into a vampire? That he was so madly and so deeply in love with the vampire girl that he defied Sam his pack leader for turn into dust and be replaced instantly by a young woman he hadn't even spoken to?

Jacob was so distracted by his thoughts he barely caught his father moving to go introduce himself. "No, wait. Dad. I'll go." He quickly stood up and wandered over to the table nervously. What was he going to say? What if she didn't like him? What if he said something dumb?

"Hey I'm Jacob." He said awkwardly, causing her to jump from what she was doing. Her face scrunched up in confusion before she finally looked up. Their eyes locked and it felt like everything stopped. Her heart beat hard against her ribcage at the very tall and dark haired man before her. "You looked lonely. Uhm. I know we just got here. But..." What was he doing? Inviting her to sit with his dad and his dad's best friend for dinner? That's weird isn't it? Especially since he was going to have dinner with a girl he was in love with.

"I'd love to join you." Why did she just agree to crash someone else's dinner? It looked like a family affair of sorts. "I'm (Y/n)!" She suddenly remembered her name. It felt like her face was on fire. He shifted from slightly nervous to having a large smile on his face. How sweet.

He even helped by carrying her stuff to the table. "This is my dad Billy. His friend Charlie and his daughter Bella." Jacob introduced allowing her to sit down. Something in the back of her mind told her that this was weird.

Something was off.

It felt... Magical. She knew magical.

But then Charlie began to talk about how he was a sheriff and the weirdness seemed to disappear. "So...where are you from?" Charlie asked trying to judge if this new girl was going to cause him trouble later. "Oh. Sunnydale," she paused. "California. Also graduated from Sunnydale high." She explained with a small smile.

Maybe it wasn't so bad joining their little dinner. It was nice having people to talk to, especially when one was so new. "What do you like to do Jake?" She said looking over at him before taking a bite of food.

"Oh, uh. I buy and flip cars right now. It's more of a side hustle really." He smiled at her. "Really?" She said with a smile on her lips. "Because the car I'm in is just a rental... If you find anything good will you think of me? I can't pay the rate they are wanting forever." She joked, gently and playfully touching his arm.

It was like fire. Both literally and figuratively. If it weren't for the people she could almost throw herself at him. But then his skin was so hot that it almost burned. "Absolutely." Jacob smiled. "What's your phone number?" He looked almost like a puppy who was just given a treat. She took his phone and put her number in and he sent her a text. A wolf emoji.

Her eyes looked him over again. Then the phone in her hand began ringing. She answered it quickly, it was the moving company.

Jacob watched as she excused herself to talk to whoever. Her once happy self was instantly deflated. Jacob did not like that at all. He felt it. He actually felt the sadness in her. Is this what it was like to have an imprint? Actually feeling their pain? She walked back in and sighed.

“Are you okay?” Jacob asked with what (Y/n) could only describe as genuine concern.

“My moving truck is going to be late. On Monday while I’m at work instead of on Sunday.” She shouldn’t be so easy to talk to someone she had only known for 20 minutes. Jacob didn’t like the look on her face one of distress.

Jacob looked her over again, hardly getting tired of looking at her face. “I have some friends on the Res. Maybe we can meet them. Help you out..” Jacob offered without a second thought.

“Really?” she looked at him unsure at first.

Jacob nodded, a bright smile on his face.��

“O-okay” She agreed.

a/n: Stopping this one here and writing part 2 next. If I didn’t this would be 3000 words. Don’t worry I’m literally going from posting this part to writing the next bit because I already know what I’m going to do. Then I’m going to write a Paul version of this.

#twilight reader insert #jacob black x reader #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #btvs reader insert #part 1

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morgynemberisagenderfluiddaddy · 3 years

Note

All of them *^*

Heya Ash!! Oof you're giving me a project lol thank you so much for the ask!!!

1. How big is your mods folder?

That is a really great question. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, but it got to the point where I had to put all my mods on a thumb drive and only move them around as I need them because I'm computer was running so terribly. So I'd say it's a lot 😅.

2. How would you describe your style?

Uh, I would say very graphic novel type vibes. I'm a huge graphic novel buff and the story I'm actually working on I intended to be a graphic novel, but it really got away from me and is much too big for that now (not a brag, just my legitimate crack head antics) so when I got into Sims editing the thought was always to kind of keep the drawn/comicbook-y feel to it.

3. What is your favorite challenge?

Thus far it's been the stereotype challenge ! It was a lot of fun and I got to do it with four of my OCs who ended up fitting the criteria pretty well! I just think it came out really well both as an edit and as my OCs.

4. Do you make CC?

Aahahaahahahhaahahaah!!!!!! No. I tried to make poses one time! One singular time and it ended so poorly that I decided to swear off making anymore off my own CC for the distant future. Maybe I'll try it again, maybe I'm scarred for life, only time can tell!

5. What type of CC do you hoard?

I had answered this one before, but I FUCKING LOVE POSES!!!! And like I said I didn't have the best experience making my own so I prefer to use downloaded ones. But I never really clean out my poses in case I need them for something else! So my pose folder is astronomical at this point.

6. What default eyes and skin do you use?

You know.... This really is a question I should have the answer to but I'm totally drawing a blank right now so I'll go ahead and put a link to the eyes here and the skin here when I can look it up! ✌

7. How many URLs have you had, and what are the meanings behind them?

On this blog I've only had the one? And I feel like it's pretty self explanatory, I love Morgyn because 1.) They're the absolute best 2.) Untamed magic? Yes ma'am! 3.) They're gender fluid / nonbinary like me!! And 4.) They're an absolute snack!!!! So it was a perfect fit for me.

8. Who is your favorite gameplay blog?

Why would you do me like this??????? I can't choose!!! I love them all and I'm friends with all of them because they're absolutely amazing people that I love so much!!! I don't have a favorite! 🥺

9. Favorite story telling blog?

Please see above answer!!!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS ALL SO MUCH I AHDHAHSGA I CANT!!!!

10. Who is your favorite CC creator?

I don't really want to answer this one either 😭 but I think the only person I know that makes CC is the awesome @barbieaiden they made a really kick ass emo glove CC that I absolutely love and you should check out. (Sorry if the rest of you make CC I'm sure I've probably seen it, probably even downloaded and reblogged, but this is all I can think if right now 💜) Also my go to for all pose stuff is the glorious @katverse they do incredible poses for pretty much anything you could think up, highly recommend.

11. How do you edit you photos?

This is certainly going to get a few gasps, but I make all of my edits on my phone!!!!! I use just a basic free photo editor app and kind of bend it to my will to get what I want out of it! I'm really bad at figuring out stuff like Photoshop and I'm not willing to pay the expensive price when I can do it and get just as good as a result as I want from something free easy and portable.

12. What's the last screenshot you took?

Once again it has to do with an edit I'm working on so here's the last one I put up if you're interested.

13. What do you do when you are unmotivated?

Honestly, this! Editing and the Sims are my escape from the real world. It helps me when I'm having a hard time with my anxiety because it gives me control over something, it helps me a lot with writer's block I can't tell you how my stories have been inspired because of it. But I guess if I'm bored in the game I usually just start a new save or play another game for a bit, I always come back after like a day though! To be fair I haven't been doing this long enough to feel unmotivated yet, maybe we should revisit this when I've been doing this longer than two months 😅

14. Who is your current favorite Sim?

Ugh!!! As you guys have found out about me I don't like to play favorites......... But if I had to say maybe my OC Parker's Sim, he just came out perfectly and is just spot on.

15. Who is your current favorite Sims that isn't yours?

Guidry!!!! He's frickin' hilarious and just so great. I honestly didn't expect them to put as much into him as they did but I'm glad they did!!! He's the best!! He's no Morgyn, but he's pretty great too.

16. Recreate someone else's Sim in your style.

So this sounds like a lot of fun! But I really don't want to change anyone else's Sim, I know how much we all put into them and they're basically like our babies. They mean a lot, so unless I get explicit consent from someone saying I can use their Sim in my style I'm going to pass out of respect this time.

17. Do you talk about the Sims with people in your life?

Yes! One of my really close friends is the whole reason I'm into editing and mods and stuff! She showed me everything I know and is totally awesome for that. (@jennifermakesstuff on Instagram, go check out she's absolutely amazing and a crocheting god, go do it)

18. How many packs do you own?

.......... I don't want to answer this..... It's honestly a problem..... But I have them all.... Minus the star wars one I just I cannot bring myself to get it, it just looks terrible. But yeah I collect the packs and it's a problem 😅 but if you need advice on what pack to get next I'm your person!

19. How many posts do you have on your blog currently?

141 👀 I uh.... I have nothing else to say about that lol

20. How many drafts do you have currently?

Too many. But they're all like ask games and stuff for my OCs so yup!

21. How many posts are currently in your queue?

Only two 🙃 I need to get back to editing so I can hopefully have some more but I'm sick right now so... Maybe it's time for me to start that gameplay I've been threatening.

22. Have you ever moved blogs?

Okay yes, but not intentionally but I've moved three times? I had a blog for when I first started on tumblr it was for music stuff but I forgot to pass code to it so now it's just there, the other one I had was for my art & make up stuff but it wasn't doing good at all so I just turned it into my personal blog, and then from there I moved to this one! Also I'm avoiding my personal one like the plague right now because of a whole disaster that happened with someone I followed and I don't have the balls to unfollow them so I'm just pretending that account doesn't exist 😅.

23. Are you in any Sims related discords?

Yep! This one right here by the very amazing @clumsyghostie I'm really new to discord so it's the only one I've been apart of (EVER) but everyone has been really nice and friendly!!

24. What are your thoughts on the most recent pack? (Paranormal)

I like it! It added more to the gameplay than past packs have, but I always felt it left something to be desired in the way of CAS and build mode. Spoilers starting here if you care: Also it would've been cool if you could have had more interactions with Temperance like you can with Guidry, and if the specters did more that would be cool too. Either way I think it's good, I wouldn't say it's groundbreaking for the game experience, but it is fun.

25. How many hours have you played the Sims?

Let's find out 3,215 hours 😅 that's board line a problem hahaha if my math is right (it probably isn't because I'm gay and bad at math) that's a hundred and thirty three days straight? Jesus I might need help lol.

26. If you play gameplay, do you play with mods?

I used to! But I play on a regular laptop so it can't really run gameplay mods unfortunately so unless I'm doing edits my game is vanilla.

27. What's the furthest you've gotten on a challenge?

So I'm really bad at challenges! My favorite lately has been rags to riches it's a lot of fun but I always get bored after they get married and pregnant :/ I never know what to do after that because like the challenge is over but I'm so invested in these Sims 😅

Thank you again for the asks! This was a lot of fun 💖 I know I answered all the questions just now but feel free to send me an ask for whatever you want! I love interacting with you all, you're all so amazing 💖💖💖

#get to know the simblr #get to know me #izzy answers things #izzy speaks but i really shouldnt #lilypixels #love ya ash!!!#ask game #ask #send me an ask if you want

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jocazep · 4 years

Text

In the Whole Wide Train | Chapter 10

Author’s notes: Hi, remember me? Sorry about the six-month hiatus, but I’m back at it! And it gon’ get dark (even more so than before), so this is just me laying in the groundworks early... ENJOY~

Pairing: Curtis Everett x Reader (Jo, OFC), slight Edgar x Reader

Warnings: Major spoilers for SNOWPIERCER, dystopian society and its countless problems, mentions of forced abortions, language, violence, deaths, slow burn, eventual smut

Synopsis: Having grown up in the Front Sections of the Snowpiercer, you venture down the train when a rare opportunity presents itself, but the excursion quickly changes flavor when you arrive in the Tail Section.

Taglist: Now closed

Series Masterlist

Chapter 10 - Trading Secrets

Curtis couldn’t remember the last time he slept so well--it must have been before the train. There were no dreams, there were no nightmares, just deep, post-climax slumber as if the world around him has melted away--until the alarm blaring “oh-seven-hundred-hours” yanked him out.

He jumped up, but had to take a second before realizing where he was, as the rest of the revolters joined him, stirring awake and confused--the world outside was pitch dark.

“We’re traveling against time zones” Your voice sounded from behind--Curtis turned to see you walking up with a cup of hot water in hand, ”C’mon, need to make some arrangements before we push on.”

“Good morning to you, too.” He took your extended hand, stood up, and pulled you in for a quick kiss. You didn’t kiss back. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh nothing. Gilliam is looking for us is all.”

The truth of the matter is a little bit more complicated than that.

You woke up early. As a medical apprentice, you used to do that before you had important appointments, as it would clear your head and prepare for your day, but today you found no such effect.

Your eyes fixated on Curtis as he lay next to you, breathing in and out, but your head was a million miles away. What was last night? Was it just two people seeking solace in each other after the death of a mutual friend? Or was it the culmination of all those little touches and stolen glances and shared silences? Did it mean anything to him? More importantly, did it mean anything to you?

But then Mason entered your mind in stealth, slowly gnawing away in the back of your head, until you couldn’t focus on the inner debate between your commitment to your father vs. your--your what? Your responsibility? Your debt?--whatever it is you owe to the revolt.

So you push yourself up, and padded barefoot towards where Mason was being held captive.

“It’s about time.” Her unmistakable accent greeted you before your eyes could find her, “ah is that water?”

You didn’t respond, but dipped the mug in your hand lower so she could suck a mouthful of the liquid before you rescinded it.

“Any chance you can spare some food as well, my dear?”

“Not unless you want the fish they gutted before the fight.” You sat down next to Mason, and silence fell for a second.

“Well, I suppose we should make a de--”

“When did he send you to the tail section?”

“Excuse me?”

“I said how old were you when my father first sent you to the tail sections?”

“I must have been around...well, your age.“

“You don’t know how old I am.”

“You, Joanna Catherine Watt Wilford, are thirty-two years and some three odd months old.”

You stare at Mason in astonishment.

“I’ve seen your birth certificate. There was a time when Mr. Wilford thought about giving you to a foster family... After your mother passed away of course...” Mason took a pause, “But I thought you are here to warn me--”

“I am.” You kept your eyes straight ahead, “This is just my human interest story for the report.”

You tend to forget that for some people, there was a life before the train, since you had barely turned fifteen when your estranged father plucked you from the monotony of a privileged private school, into a monotony of the train.

But hey, at least you got to practice medicine and help people. Is that what I’m doing now?

“The report--that’s why I first went down there too, you know...He must see it as a rite of passage.” A smile threatens to break as Mason reminisced about her past.

“Was it..” You didn’t know how to phrase the question, but luckily Mason caught onto your train of thought.

“Oh dear, even more so. Mr. Wilford really turned it around. They were surviving on rats and vermin before the protein block assembly. When I first went down there... it’s as if all society had broken down. There was stories about this pregnant woman... And when they found out who I was, they chained me up and almost tore me to pieces. Imagine what they would do to you. ”

You had heard enough, “All right, here’s the deal. I keep you alive, you keep your mouth shut about me. Sound good?”

Mason nodded enthusiastically as you stood up to leave. “Just one more thing, what does Mr. Wilford want with Curtis?”

You did not look back, “Ask another wrong question, and my father will hear about it.”

Mason all but clasped her hands onto her mouth.

You were planning to sneak back and lay your head on Curtis’ chest, relive the little escape you two had before the day had to begin, but today luck just wasn’t on your side. As your turned the corner back into the makeshift dorm, soft crying and sniffling caught your attention.

It was Tanya. By the dim moonlight reflected from the snow, you could see her clutching a piece of paper and wiping tears from her face. By the time you realized it was the charcoal drawing of Timmy she was holding, it was too late to turn back.

Noticing the light shift, Tanya sat up and look at the person standing a few feet from her. You didn’t know what to do for a moment. You two haven’t been alone since you came clean about Timmy. In a letter no less, you coward.

“I didn’t mean to--”

Tanya lay back down and closed her eyes.

What was the rest of your sentence anyway? You asked yourself as you padded towards the infirmary section, sleep now the last thing on your mind. Didn’t mean to pry? Didn’t man to take Timmy? Didn’t mean to get so close to Curtis and the revolt?

You were pulled from the reverie by Yuna’s hand tugging your sleeve. Around you, the men were deep in discussion, figuring out how many people to station at each section.

Yuna slipped you a piece of paper torn from the small notebook you gifted her. On it she had drawn a picture of herself and Namgoong in the prison section, the many drawers colored dark and ominous. Yuna pointed to the drawers.

“It’s a little advanced for you but ok,” you took the pencil from her and spelled out the word prison, “Prison, it’s a place to hold people that have broken the law.”

Yuna didn’t seem to like that word. She wrestled the paper from you, pointed to the drawers again, and looked at you, waiting for a response.

“Jo?” You whipped your head back to the much less mystifying, but much more important meeting.

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

Curtis gave you an update, “Gilliam will stay behind, with 50 men stationed in the water section, then 15 men at each other section before our base,” Base is what you called the tail section now, “Grey will stay with Gilliam as well.”

“Nonsense, Grey will be much more useful to you than me.”

You shot a look at Gilliam as he chimed in, wondering if he really meant it.

“I think Grey should stay too. We are already a large pack as it is--”

“Don’t forget, Jo, we’re going ahead to take the engine,” Gilliam gave you a long look, “who knows what you will find there”.

Right. You bit your tongue and didn’t argue any further. Let’s never forget

“We were trying to decide what we should do about Mason.” Namgoong picked up the thread of discussion, “What do you think?”

“She’s injured, will only slow us down.” Grey’s voice was very quiet.

“I would rather keep her close than let her stay with the captured soldiers. Who knows what she’ll get them up to.”

“That’s fair, I can’t possibly keep an eye on her the whole time,” Gilliam agreed.

“Tanya’s doing a great job watching her.” *So that’s why she’s not in the meeting.*

“She didn’t want to come with us?”

“Of course she did, but--”

“I think Jo’s saying Tanya should go with you.”

The discussion wrapped up quickly after that, as dusk was threatening to break over the horizon. Your partners in crime stood up and went off--there were bags to pack, arrangements to make, and farewells to say.

You dragged your feet, hoping to spend a few minutes with Gilliam before setting off.

“Having doubts, dear?” Gilliam clicked by on his crutch.

“Before I first came down--”

“Perhaps it’s best you don’t tell me exactly what Wilford asked of you.” Sometimes you wish you had his ability to see right through everything.

“You don’t want to know?”

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t,” Gilliam chuckled, “But I’ve feigned ignorance too many times, even for someone my age. I’d like this occasion to be real.”

“Then...can I ask how much you know?”

“As far as I know, the revolt should have served its purpose after the water supply section.”

You nodded, “Do you ever ask yourself, why he always landed on culling?”

“It wasn’t just him, my dear.”

For the second time that day, you stared in astonishment.

“Perhaps you’re the only person with whom I can share this secret.” There were mini explosions happening in your head as Gilliam spoke, “No past revolt has gotten past the water section. Sometimes it was disorganization, sometimes it was survival instincts, sometimes just plain human greed. But every time, the necessary culling would take place, and the tail section would treasure its existence that was magnanimously gifted by Wilford.”

“Why did they settle?”

“The very first revolts that took place, was only six months into the train journey. Curtis was a little past seventeen, completely unaware, and Edgar, god rest his soul, was just a baby. The leader, he rallied enough people to fight. But every battle cost heavily on his side. Byt the time he got to the prison section, there were only a handful of adult men left. And Mason, who was also a surveyor at the time, managed to entice him with promises of a better life. He held out for a while, but eventually he chose the devil he knew.”

“Your point being?"

"My point being, there's only so much you can do at one given time. Learn to pick your battles."

---

You left Gilliam soon after, head still reeling from the secrets he confided, wondering if he ever regretted his past decisions.

“Hey...” Curtis snuck up on you, taking your hand. You jumped slightly, taken out of your trance. “Do you realize this will be the last time we’re alone for a while?”

“Yeah...?”

He pulled you into him, and caught your lips in a long kiss. You both stumble towards the steel walls of the train, eventually settling in a nook. Curtis dipped his tongue past your teeth, tangling with your tongue, one of his knee wedging between your legs, bringing back heated vignettes of last night. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your hips bucking against his thigh, your belly bumping up against his increasing hardness.

Curtis eventually lifts his lips from you, allowing you to breathe, while he latches onto the side of your neck. His hand roams up your belly, kneading your breasts, squeezing your side--

“Ow!”

“Shit, sorry,” Hard pause as he remembers your injury, “Is it getting better?”

“No, but I’ll live,” you answered, breathless, “when we get to the health section I’ll take a closer look.”

Curtis rest his head against yours, gulping for air, “This is your injury number three, huh?”

“Yeah, you are bad news for me.”

From the front of the section, someone called out, “Curtis, Jo, we’re doing the portrait!”

“You gonna be okay there?” You eyed his bulge.

“Yeah, just gimme a minute...”

The portrait took longer than you expected. While Painter took down your likeness in charcoal, Andrew was playing with the now captive Mason, asserting his newly-earned dominance over this once proud magistrate.

“I was hoping to talk about it earlier.” Curtis said out of the corner of his mouth as you all stood, eight half-frozen figures.

“I...enjoyed it?” You said, tongue in cheek, “Would recommend to a friend.”

“Funny,” Curtis couldn’t help the smile creeping onto his face, “But seriously...”

“I mean...” You looked up at him, “If we both survive when this is all over...”

You were joking but the words hit home for Curtis, as he remembered Edgar. Will you both come out of this alive? He had always considered himself as someone with nothing to lose, but now...

You turned away as you noticed Curtis staring into the distance. Gilliam was standing in the front of the crowd that would stay behind, looking at you with his signature elderly smile, and something else just behind the glasses, a mutual understanding that this is truly farewell.

You found yourself running his words again and again in your head.

“The leader asked for running water, and a stable food supply. Wilford agreed, but asked the leader to help him maintain the balance in the tail section whenever necessary. A few months later, the protein blocks started coming in, a washroom was unlocked, and my secret phone compartment was installed.”

Taglist: @torntaltos @emmalbg @ajosieface

#curtis everett #curtis everett fanfic #curtis everett x reader #curtis everett x you #Chris Evans #chris evans fanfic #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #Snowpiercer #snowpiercer fanfic

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oh-so-scenarios · 4 years

Text

Hello Again...❦| 00 (ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ)

⤳ Tʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʜɪs ᴍᴀɴʏ ʏᴇᴀʀs, Mʀ. Pᴀʀᴋ ʜᴀs ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴍᴀɴʏ ғᴀᴄᴇs. Bᴜᴛ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʜᴇ'ᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴇᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ.

⤳ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ!Jɪᴍɪɴ x ғᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

⤳ᴀɴɢsᴛ, ғʟᴜғғ, ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴ!ᴀᴜ, (ᴀᴛ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ) sᴍᴜᴛ

A/N: This series will be mostly from Jimin’s POV. For this chapter though, we will have an MC’s POv. It’ll feel like you’ve been thrown into the middle of things which is good! lol

***Please ignore any errors! It is unedited!

(Word Count: 3.90K)

Next ◀ ▶ Series Index | Masterlist

Y/N:

Time. Time is everything. At least working for Mr. Park it is. 32 days, I have been here for 32 days and I still shake with nerves every day.

8am: make sure the cooks have begun Mr. Park’s breakfast.

8:45am: breakfast is set. Mr. Park eats, alone.

9:30am: print all of Mr. Park’s appointments and place them in his office.

10:30am: prepare for appointments and point them towards Mr. Park’s office. Do not let them enter early. They must enter at the appointed time.

12:30pm: Mr. Park’s lunch should be set in the dining room. He will eat alone.

The rest of the day continues like that. It’s...a routine. A strict routine. Nothing should be done a minute later or a minute earlier. Though I’ve never seen Mr. Park’s anger when something is done late, I’ve seen the fear in the eyes of other workers when they seem to be running late.

Every 4 days the gardener is expected to do touch-ups on the large garden on the further right back of the house. The maid is to show up every weekday at 2pm and leave by 5pm. She cannot stay a minute longer.

Who knows why Mr. Park is so strict about these details, but I am determined to keep them. I am….the coordinator? That’s the best title for my position. I make sure everything runs correctly and on time. If anything is out of place, I’ll be the one to blame.

The coordinator before me was a frail older woman with a friendly smile. Mrs. Yoon was her name. She wore thick black-rimmed glasses and her years working here did not take away from her kind nature. Though she has told me that Mr. Park is a difficult man to work for. His expectations are high.

I expected as much. Such a time mannered schedule for one’s home life gave it away. However, I do not know what Mr. Park’s work life is either. I assumed his work must be successful to have such a big home, but no details were given.

“Do not answer, unless you are asked.” Those were Mrs. Yoon’s parting words. Do as little talking as possible and just stay on schedule.

Sounds easy enough. The workers know the deal and are able to keep up. They have no choice but to keep up.

The pay here is wonderful and the hours are good. 7am to 7pm, 5 days a week. The posting online for the position was vague, and I thought I was going to walk into some type of scam. I am glad that I took the risk.

Despite working here for 32 days, there is one thing that hasn’t happened. I have not met Mr. Park. I have not seen him once. My first week here, I thought I was being tricked. Is there really a man that lives here? The house is barely decorated, there is no personality to the place.

If it were not for the appointments that come in daily, I’d assume I was looking after a ghost home. I stood in the kitchen with the cooks, sitting at the circular table that was sat in the further end of the kitchen. That’s where we usually sit for our lunch breaks. I was about 30 minutes late to take my break. However, it was worth it, in the end, to see that Mr. Park’s lunch was prepared on time.

This is only the second time I’ve decided to stay in the house to eat. Going out to eat or ordering was always a hassle. Mr. Park’s house was on the outskirts of town, surrounded by a light forest area. The closest house was about a mile away.

I barely made it back in time to enjoy my food, and delivery men were always getting lost, resulting in my food being cold by the time I received it.

Ami, the head chef, suggested cooking lunch for me along with the other kitchen staff, seeing as Mr. Park allows them to do so.

I gladly agreed, and it’s been easier on me since. The food was amazing. Absolutely delicious and I couldn’t get enough. But as I sat at the table, enjoying the rice along with the side dishes, a thought entered my mind.

I glanced over at Ami who had just walked through the swinging door that led to the dining room.

Mr. Park is in the other room. This is the closest I’ve been to him, hearing some soft chatter from the dining room. Ami locks her jaw as she grabs a plate off the kitchen counter to join me at the table. The other kitchen staff has decided to go out to eat, seeing as they won’t need to be back for some hours.

“What’s up?” I asked, my brows furrowing.

“Mr. Park isn’t in a good mood today. He’s arguing with someone on the phone.” She explains, “Sowe really need to be on top of our game.”

I sighed, “He must be a grumpy old man.” I took another spoon of rice, not noticing Ami’s amused eyes on me. When I finally look up, it’s because her hissing laughs were breaking through.

I stared at her confused, not sure what was so funny.

“You’ve never met Mr.Park! I totally forgot!” She said in a small voice, “Did you think Mr. Park was an old man?”

I raise an eyebrow at her, “He’s not an old man? What is his middle-aged?”

“Not even close. He’s not even 30.” She mutters before taking a bite of her phone. My face scrunches up in question. Mr. Park is a young man?

“Huh.” I said letting out a harsh breath, “that’s interesting. I wonder what type of man is so rigorous with his time.”

Ami rolls her eyes, her long black hair pulled into a tight bun on her head. She wore her white chef’s coat with her loose black pants.

“All the times I’ve met him, he’s been very kind. He smiles and says hello, then goes about his day. He gives bonuses often, as long as you do your work properly.”

Before I could respond, I heard some noise from the dining room. Both our heads turned as we heard a crash, followed by a frustrated groan.

“Don’t send her!” The voice hissed, “I am not going to play these games with you!”

I look at Ami with wide eyes and she shrugs, “It must be a business call of some sort. Clients get on his nerves sometimes.” She took another spoonful of food into her mouth, glancing at the doors that led to the dining room.

My brows furrow in thought before I ask my next question, “What type of work does Mr. Park do?”

Ami freezes for a second, her eyes glancing around as she thought for a moment. She lets out a huff of air as something dawns on her.

“I don’t know, I never looked into it. I just cook his food, nothing more.” She gives me a knowing look. It’s clear that no one pokes to know more about Mr. Park. They simply do their job and leave. Fair enough. I know when to poke for more information and there isn’t any.

Even if I am a curious person, I won’t ask questions. I’d rather go about my work peacefully. It isn’t till we hear a distant door slam closed that Ami stands from her seat, a groan leaving her lips as she moves towards the dining room doors.

“You go on with your schedule, I’ll clean up whatever mess he left.” With that, she disappears into the dining room. I finish up my lunch, making sure to clean up my mess and set the plates into the sink. I rush out the other kitchen door, bringing me to the big looby area of the house.

“Mr. Park’s next appointments will be arriving,” I muttered to myself. It’ll be less than 10 minutes before they arrive. I walk through one of the doorways on either side of the grand staircase. One doorway led to the living room with the other took you down long and wide hallways.

I made my way down the hallways as quickly as I could. My grey pencil skirt wasn’t tight, however, it did restrict the full movement of my legs. My simple white blouse had long sleeves and was warmer than it appeared.

I learned after my first week that it was usually cold in the house. I had to figure out all the small things on my own. It’s always cold in the house, Mr. Park likes to keep the curtains drawn. He doesn’t like to see dust anywhere and his appointments are the most important part of his day.

He spends hours with just a single client at times, but he will never posh back an appointment for another client. The time they paid for, is the time they will receive Maybe he’s a therapist?

I rush into the small office that holds employee paperwork and other things. This is informally my office. I spend some time in the small room, making sure everything is running smoothly. I have two computer screens, one of them displaying all the security cameras in real-time. There is another office for security, but they rarely need to leave their space. I grab the red clipboard I’ve become accustomed to and my black pen.

I check the list of names and times, hauling myself through the hallway just in time to catch the outline of a body behind the door. The tempered glass on the black double doors that led into the house always made it easy to see when guests arrived.

It was noted that I should answer the door before they need to ring the bell. Mr. Park doesn’t like the sound of his doorbell. I rushed forward and opened the door, seeing an older man in a sharp suit standing with his fist up.

He must have been ready to knock on the door.

“Name?” I said trying to catch my breath. I glanced down at the clipboard, knowing it was Mr. Gwan.

“Mr. Gwan,” He answers, “I have an appointment for 1:15.” My eyes move to the clock hung up on the wall above the door. Just a few more minutes.

“Follow me,” I say, finally recovering from my running. Mr. Gwan closes the door behind him, and though it is my first time meeting him, I can’t help but stop my motions.

He narrows his eyes at me, his eyes moving up and down my body. I would usually be offended, but it wasn’t in that manner.

His hair was grey, with some traces of while in his eyebrows. His skin was wrinkled, showing his age. He was taller than me with a lean frame. His all-black suit reminded me of something that would be worn at a funeral.

“Do I know you?” He questions.

I chuckle awkwardly, “I doubt it, sir. Have you meet with Mr. Park before?”

“Of course,” He snickers, pointing towards the hallway. I smiled at him before I started walking again, with him following close behind. He knew where he was going.

“I come to see him every few months.” He giggles, realizing I must be new, “Mrs. Yoon finally retired?”

Though it was a question, he already knew the answer,

We turn a corner, Mr. Park’s office door just insight.

“Are you sure we haven’t met before?” Mr. Gwan repeats. We stop in front of Mr. Park’s door and I turn to face the man. His eyes held kindness. They were such a light brown, that they almost looked golden. It looked like they were glowing in the dimly lit hallway.

“I don’t believe so Mr. Gwan, I might just have a familiar face,” I gesture towards the door, “Please, Mr. Park is waiting for you.”

I stepped away from the door and watched as Mr. Gwan opened the door, and stepped into my Mr. Park’s office. The door wasn’t opened so widely that I could see into the office. I spun around on my heels and made my way back to my office.

For the next hour, I’m sitting in my room, going through the appointment booking email to make up Mr. Park’s day tomorrow. The emails never explain the appointments. Mr. Park simply sends me a list of the appointments he has approved and the few he hasn’t.

It wasn’t till I heard the hard taps against my window that I realized it was pouring down. Just as I turned to the window behind me, I caught a crack of lightning,

“Oh! it’s really pouring huh?”

I was sure it was going to clear up in the next few hours, but as I ushered in the last client, it was clear the rain wasn’t letting up. The man took off his drenched jacket and hung it up on the rack.

He’s a regular, so I gladly let him walk to Mr. Park’s room himself. I shut the door, wondering what exactly was going to happen. The wind was howling, the rain was pouring and thunder was roaring. There is no way an uber is gonna get through all this forest to come to pick me up. I am screwed.

The time was 5:30pm. Mr. Park has his dinner at 7pm, and my workday ends at 7pm. However, it doesn’t look like I’ll be leaving at 7.

It’s not long before Mr. Park’s workday comes to an end. The last client leaves and I am sitting there wondering what to do. Ami and the rest of the kitchen staff shuffled into my office earlier, voicing the same concerns I held. I sat at my desk, staring at the phone. All I have to do is press a single button to ring Mr. Park’s office. I don't know why I’m so nervous, seeing as he’s just my boss, this being my first interaction with him, I’d like to make a good impression.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as my desk phone began to ring, the light by the number one letting me know that it’s coming from Mr. Park’s office.

I answered quickly, not wanting to leave him waiting.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Yes, Ms. L/N?” A kind voice spoke, “this is Mr. Park.” He paused, almost waiting for me to respond.

I caught on slowly, finally replying with a small yes.

“Yes, the weather outside is getting worse. The storm won’t pass for the rest of the night. You and the rest of the staff are welcome to stay the night. I have enough room.” He states, “Please make sure the rest of the staff know.”

The phone clicks before I could even reply, leaving me with the hung up dial tone. I put the phone back to the receiver, almost sighing in relief. He is just as kind as Ami said. His voice was light and enticing. There was a nurturing nature to his voice like he could sense my stress.

However, my relief was short-lived as my office phone began to ring once again.

“Hello?”

“Ms. L/N.” This time it was from the security office, my eyes jumped to the screen with the video surveillance.

“Does Mr. Park have another appointment?” My eyes settled on the camera pointed towards the front door just as the guard spoke. Standing there were 3 figures. I could vaguely make out one man and two women. The man is clearly older, seeming old enough to be the younger woman’s father. Her long black hair was parted down the middle and tucked behind her ears. She wore a casual black dress and the older woman beside her stood in a red blouse and black dress pants.

“No, he doesn’t.” I finally answer, “I don’t know who these people are.” I answered, noticing the girl wiped the rain from her face. Oh right! It’s raining!

I’m finally taking in their wet appearance, her hair now starting to stick to her face. I frowned, worried that they would get sick. It doesn’t seem like they have coats with them. How did they get here? I didn’t see any car in the driveway.

“I will go check Ms. L/n. Please don’t worry about it.” The guard said before hanging up the phone. I put the phone down, nervously tapping my fingers on the wooden desk. I hope this doesn’t disturb Mr. Park’s dinner.

Or was he expecting guests for dinner? I’m usually gone by this time. The guard ends up calling Mr. Park, seeing as I soon see two figures walking into the lobby, one of them being very unfamiliar. The guard isn’t who has my attention. It’s the dark-haired man who was clearly slim fit. His hair was messy, and he ran his fingers through his hair as the guard explained the presence of the three guests. He wore a plain white Tee shirt and grey joggers.

He walked some gracefully, his head held high with his hands tucked into his pockets. That’s Mr. Park? He doesn’t look a day over 25! What could such a young man be doing with such a fortune? I couldn’t see his face clearly, just because of the angle of the camera, but he’s obviously handsome.

Strangely, the three guests made no move to ring the doorbell or knock. They only stood there patiently, speaking among themselves. I narrowed my eyes at the strange behavior

I leaned back in my seat, watching as Mr. Park opened the door. He didn’t look pleased to see the guest, but they were not strangers. Mr. Park lets them in, shutting the door behind them, and leaning on the door with his arms crossed. I was so tuned into the camera that I didn’t notice the security guard left.

“They are friends of his.’ The guard says as he waltzes into the office, “But he doesn’t seem happy to see them. I can’t be sure if it’s because they are interrupting his schedule or if he truly doesn’t like them.”

I can only nod, “I see.” I glance back at the screen, watching what seems to be a heated conversation.

Mr. Park kept his position on his back against the door, arms crossed and his attention on his feet. The other three people stood in front of him, all talking at the same time. Are these clients? Maybe family members?

They are weird ones, that’s for sure. All three stood there, completely soaked head to toe, not minding the condition that they were in. Mr. Park is yelling. I could faintly hear it, and he was leaning forward, making the other three move back in...fear?

I get up from my seat as the voices rise in volume. I walk out of my office and tread lightly towards the lobby area.

“Jimin please!” A voice shrill. It must be the older woman? The voice was unsteady and shook as if the person was crying.

“How long are you all going to do this?” Another voice hisses. I’m guessing it must be Mr. Park, who I’m guessing is Jimin?

“Jisoo is a lovely woman, she is so accomplished, so powerful. Everyone is expecting a proposal! If this delays anymore--”

“Uncle, who’s at fault? Who has been planting seeds into everyone’s ears? I never once showed interest in Jisoo but you let your imagination build a fairytale ending in your head! There won't be one!”

Ahh, so they are family? I can hear them, but I can’t see whatever is going on, but it is time for Mr. Park’s dinner. He can’t run late. I don’t want his mood to turn sour as he realizes he is running behind.

I stepped out from the hallway, my presence not being noticed until I spoke.

“Mr. Park, it is time for dinner,” I said after a short gap of silence fell between the four adults. I finally laid eyes on Mr. Park. I must say...what a beautiful man. His features were soft, but the hard look in his eyes and his clenched jaw were not hidden by the kind features. His lips were pretty pink and his eyes a fiery honey brown. Even from where I stood, by the hall doorway, they stood out.

The other three people were standing with their back to me, their postures stiff. They can’t be friends. Friendships shouldn’t feel so tense.

His eyes didn’t leave the face of the man I assumed was his father. It was the older woman who turned around to glance my way, a look that yelled “ugh the help!” in a snobby manner.

But she quickly double-takes, her eyes widened. I am stunned by her eyes, almost the same hypnotizing light brown as Mr. Park. The longer I stare back at her, the more I notice the resemblance. It’s hard to miss.

Is that Mr. Park’s mother?

The room stays silent, the man I’m assuming to be his uncle having a staring contest with the man of the house.

“Are you fucking serious?” The older woman says quietly. She sounds defeated, and almost like she was on the verge of tears, again. I-is she talking to me? At first, I thought that she’s annoyed by my boldness. I interrupted a serious family conversation to announce dinner? I must be out of my mind.

The younger woman turned to look at the older woman gripping her arm for balance. The young woman’s confusion was momentary as she followed the stunned woman’s gaze to my meek presence. The young lady narrowed her eyes, scoffing.

“Wow.” She sounded annoyed.

I looked over my shoulder, checking to see if there was something behind me. They couldn’t possibly be talking about me?

I clasp my hands in front of me, trying to keep my cool customer service smile. I don’t do well with stares.

“Jimin!” The older woman calls. I look towards the master of the house. He’s still glaring at his uncle. It’s almost like his eyes could physically burn a man down if he stared hard enough.

“Jimin for fuck sakes!” The woman wails.

“What is it?” He roars back, looking at the woman. The sudden voice of his voice causes me to jump and that movement catches his attention right away. His eyes bounced onto me, the angry gaze dropping to sadness? Confusion? The emotions flash over his face so quickly I can’t keep up.

I muster up a small smile, waiting for him to say something. There was something on the tip of his tongue.

“Mr. Park?” I call out as everyone stares at me in silence. The uncle was also gawking at me. Their eyes held recognition.

“Y/n?” Mr. Park calls out. It feels unsure, as though he was worried he was calling me the wrong name. Does he not know the name of his employees? I’ve been working here for over a month!

“Yes, Mr. Park?” I hope my exasperation was leaking into my voice, as I was trying to keep my cool. All these people are staring at me like I’ve got three heads.

“What are you…” The uncle trails off, eying me up and down, “How are you…” He trails off again, turning to face me completely.

My eyes move to every face, the questions in their eyes only are meeting with my equally confused face.

“I’m sorry but,” I pause, “have...have we met before?”

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dlamp-dictator · 3 years

Text

Allen X’s Gacha Rules for a ‘Good’ Gacha Game (Featuring Arknights)

Hey look, that Arknights essay came quicker than I thought.

Continuing on my goal of finishing up all my years-old drafts by the end of February, I think it’s pretty damn convenient that I glanced over this half-finished opinion piece just in time for the next limited banner for Arknight’s CN server to be announced. This is a topic I’ve been wanting to cover for awhile now. If there was anything that was a decent marker for Allen X’s gaming experience these past 4-ish years it was the fact that he got real into Gacha Games. I’ve dipped my toe into quite a few different Gacha phone games over the years. AFK Arena, Granblue Fantasy, Girls Frontline, and even an Ikkitousen gacha game at one point. And of course Arknights, which is my current main gacha game at the moment.

Honestly, the only thing I didn’t play was Fate/Grand Order, and for damn good reason, but one thing at a time.

Anyway, with all that time I spent playing these games I’ve slowly given myself a ruleset and mindset for how I handle these gacha games. And I figured I’d talk about how I go about playing some of them, some of the experiences I’ve gained, and what I look into when it comes to the money portion of playing a ‘free-to-play’ game. I’ll mostly be talking about Arknights since it’s the main gacha game I’ve been playing for the past year and I don’t play two of these at once for damn good reason.

So, with that all said, let’s start off with...

Point 1: Methods of Ten-Pulls

For those new, the typical loop for most gacha games is to roll for rare characters and use them to complete segments of the game, whether for their looks, stats, or playstyle (but mostly looks). The characters themselves are usually drawn in an attractive and appealing way, along with having abilities and statistics that are desirable from a gameplay perspective, at least those of a higher rarity. The more you pull and buy into the gacha, the higher the chance you get for a rare character. Some games have deals where you pull can pull for free with some in-game resource like Girls Frontline, and more commonly the game encourages you to pull 10 at a time to increase your chances.

For any good gacha game, I feel you should be able to pull for free at a fair rate. That varies a lot depending the game mechanics at play, how the game handles duplicate pulls, the rarity rate of gacha pulls, and so on, but in general if you can pull 10 times every two weeks I’ll consider the game fair, at least on that front.

Arknights is actually a pretty good example of this. Headhunting aside, you can pull 4 times a day using in-game resources in the recruitment section of the menu, but those pulls tend to be a lot more common and not viable in the endgame like some of the ones you get in headhunting. And even without the recruitment section you can usually ten-pull about twice a month if you do the daily and weekly missions plus the weekly Annihilation missions. When I first discussed Arknights in this regard I had some confusion about how Annihilation worked and assumed it reset monthly. I apologize if I misled people with that statement.

Anyway, by doing all the activities and missions that give you Orundum, the gacha currency, you should be able to collection about 10,000 Orundum every month, which is one guaranteed ten-pull a month. This is a little under what I would had preferred for Arknights and there’s a good chance I’m missing a free source of Orundum somewhere (and I’m rounding down to play it safe), but... it’s fair enough.

But onto my second point.

Point 2: Premium Currency in Relation to Real-World Currency.

In short, I should have a clear idea how much it cost to pull a character if I was going to whale. Typically, in most gacha games you can purchase a premium currency in order to pull characters with real world money. The amount can vary from game to game, but there should be a clear idea of how much it cost to pull for a character.

As a free-to-play game, most gacha games do need some kind of reliable income. Let’s be real here, this game doesn’t run on happiness and sunshine and I don’t mind giving money to products I want to see succeed and continue, but if it takes 20 bucks to ten-pull I’m going to find that ridiculous unless the gacha rate is in highly my favor.

Arknights uses Originium Prime as it’s premium currency, an item that can be transferred into 180 Orundum per unit. One Originium Prime costs one dollar. You need about 33 Originium Prime to get the 6,000 Orundum needed to pull ten times, or a little over 3 Originium Prime to pull once using 600 Orundum. This means on average it costs around $33 to pull on command.

This is absurd for a tower defense game.

Now, Originium Prime does a lot more than let you engage with the gacha, but the brass tacks of this is that for every ten-pull you do you could just as easily get 3 games off a Steam sale, maybe more. I also think I should note that Arknight’s store lets you buy 40 Originium Prime for $30 as a bundle, cutting that cost to about 75 cents per Originium Prime. There’s also an option for 66 Originium Prime for $50, but that for just a little over 75 cents per Originium Prime if my math is correct. Either way, Arknights is asking for quite the price to engage in one of its main mechanics.

And yes, you can gain Originium Prime in game by perfect-clearing stages and clearing the challenge modes, but there’s a finite a moment of those stages and events maps are pretty scarce in Arknights, coming around once every two-ish months with about 15-20 chances for Originium Prime. As a casual player this is... fine, but for folks that rush the endgame this is... a tad much.

Now, I’m a casual player. I don’t rush to the latest content and I don’t try and min-max a gacha game of all things. As much I mostly just buy a monthly pack that grants me about 300 Orundum for free daily for 30 days and 6 Originium Prime upon purchase. This makes the grind a little easier and it’s a cheap way to show monetary support to the development team. However, I do recognize there are people that do these min-max and rush content and my opinion of these folks aside I think those folks probably spend the most money as well, undeservedly so. But this is more a discussion of the individual person and not the gacha community as a whole.

So... moving on...

Point 3: Late Game Viability as a Free-to-Play

To me, it should never feel like you need the gacha to finish the game or get to the endgame content. For a free to play game, you should be able to at least finish the initial pre-update content without needing to try and a pull a rare character to get you through a hard segment of the game. Events and Post-Launch stuff have a bit of wiggle room, but overall I don’t think you should need a team of the rarest characters to just beat the game, at least not a meta-team. That doesn’t mean the desire to pull can’t be there, but at least for the launch-content, you should be able to finish it out as a free-to-play player. Thankfully, most games (most good games) will give you a pretty decent team to work with if you truly have bad luck with rolls. Girls Frontline is a good example of this.

Arknights... isn’t as generous as I’d like it to be.

In Arknights, by the end of Chapter 4, with limited engagement of the Gacha, you’ll have handful of 4-Stars that can be leveled to the late game with decent stats, Amiya, and an assortment of 3 stars that can technically get you through those first four chapters if used and placed wisely. But some four stars like Gavial, Courier, and Dur-nar are time-limited if I remember correctly, so as of me typing this there’s no reliable way to get some of those characters.

Meanwhile, in Girls Frontline you got most of team Anti-Rain by the mid-game pre-updates, a group of 4-star guns that had already great utility and with half of their members being in the meta of the pre-update endgame content, and are still viable to this day if I remember correctly.

This is a major point of contention I have with Arknights. I think they’re fairer than most gacha games, but I’ll admit they don’t like giving handouts, not as many as I’d prefer anyway. Even the stingy AFK Arena gave you more stuff after maintenance updates and the like, and I hate the fact that I complimented AFK Arena on anything.

But onto my last point.

Point 4: 5-Star/SSR Rates Must be Around 4% or Higher.

This is the main reason I’ll never touch F/GO (along with other reasons). Every gacha game should, statistically, guarantee a five-star/SSR/highest-tier rarity after 30 pulls. Any more than that and you’re playing with a rigged slot machine by my standards. Like I said, the main goal of most gacha games is to get you pulling for these are fancily drawn jpegs and pngs, and while those characters technically have gameplay function and even limited animation in certain non-gameplay settings, they’re still pictures nonetheless. And if I have to dip more than 30 times to get something good then what’s the point.

Again, using Arknights, their 5-Stars are at a rather generous 8%, but their 6-Stars being at a tad crueler 2%. By all accounts, I shouldn’t be touching Arknights because of this, but due to the nature of how busted Six-Stars are and a few other details like base functions, potential levels, and some other factors in Arknights gameplay, I let this slide for the moment.

Regardless, I shouldn’t take more than 20 pulls to get a highly rated unit of some sort. The details of the specific unit can be discussed at a later date, but my point remains.

Also, any gacha game that mixes accessories and characters in the same pull pool is equally unplayable. Characters have utility and gameplay functions that can be used for multiple strategies and methods, along with out-of-game benefits ala the base mechanics of Arknights depending on the game. Accessories and items are stat buffs in game where grinding levels is already purposely tedious. Anything making that act more of a hinderance is honestly trying to rob you blind and should be avoided like the plague.

Now... one more thing to talk about.

About Arknights Specifically

You know... between me bitching about Chapter 7, bitching about Chapter 6, bitching about 7-18, and bitching about Code of Brawl I get the feeling you all think I hate Arknights.

Trust me, I only whine and moan because I love this game and the people who made it, I wouldn’t waste my breath or keystrokes otherwise.

That said, I would like to see some things change about Arknights on a foundational level. I’ll try and keep this short, but no promises.

Endgame Team for Free

This is the team you have to work with for 6-7 because of story reasons and I think this team should gained for free to by the end of chapter 6, everyone in this squad should be in your rooster by the end. Even Blaze, her kit is good, but not as busted as Silverash so she wouldn’t shatter the game’s difficulty. This team overall is very well balanced for end game content and has all the essentials to get through it. E2 medics and guards, cheap vanguards and defenders for last minute placements to stall, a good sniper that can do solid burst damage, some specialists just in case you need to manipulate enemy movement and path detection. I believe you can get Rope, FEater, and Myrrh free, but Blaze and Greythroat for reliable lategame damage feels like a must. And I see nothing wrong with giving out those two for free anyway, especially for what was near endgame content at the time and how pivotal Blaze and Greythroat were to the storyline of Chapter 6. And yes I feel the same way about Rosmontis in Chapter 7 too. She’s actually a pretty niche unit and a 6-Star that’s expensive to upgrade, just having her in your pocket wouldn’t shatter the game like it would be if you gave us, again, Silverash.

Gacha Rates

I think arguing for cheaper prices with the Originium Prime is a fools errand because corporations will never listen, but I’ll at least say this. The rules of the gacha that followed the WWE Banner should be for all future banner. You should get a banner-specific currency that lets you outright buy the rare units on said banner if you have bad enough luck. You needed to pull 300 times to get W or Weedy and about 50 times to get Elysium. I feel like both of these should be cut in half. Going by the math I previously did counting that requirement in half would mean only doing 15 ten-pulls, about 495 Originium Prime (89,100 Orundum) or a little over $370 for a limited operator.

This is still absurd for a tower defense game, but it is a far more fair than the original system.

Other Small Quality of Life Changes

A quick pull for recruitment operators so we don’t have to see the bag animation 4 times over. Girls Frontline had something similar by the time I left and it was all the better for it.

A similar form of auto-play to Girls Frontline where you can send in one of your 4 squads to auto play a map off screen a number of times and come back later when they’re down for materials at the cost of extra sanity.

Have a Orundum be a log-in reward. Again, something Girls Frontline did and I think coughing out 1,000 Orundum once a week wouldn’t kill anyone.

Buff Amiya goddammit. Either remove/shorten the stun on her S2 to make her have reliable (if random) magical burst damage or remove the instant retreat on her S3 so she can become a hard-hitting damage unit at the cost of a high SP cost and cooldown timer. Don’t give major drawbacks to your only non-event free 5-Star when Silverash exists. When Click and Haze has more viability than your main character you have a problem.

Anyway, that’ll be it for me. Next time... I talk about something that isn’t me bitching.

#your dictator is speaking #arknights

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drink-the-midnight-oil · 3 years

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a serpent in the water

Bughead AU: Loner Betty and popular Jughead are South Side Serpents. On the day of Serpent initiation, Betty goes to cool off at Sweetwater River, only to encounter an unwelcome surprise.

Ao3

Serpent initiation. The rite of passage for every girl or boy who wanted to join the infamous Riverdale gang, the South Side Serpents. Betty Cooper eagerly awaited it. All she had ever wanted was the chance to prove herself worthy of the South Side Serpents. Her mom, her aunt, even her grandparents were Serpents. It was a title to be worn with the utmost pride, and Betty craved it. However, the stakes this year were far higher. The Serpents’ leader, FP Jones had decided that only the top participant would be accepted into the Serpents. This was to avoid betrayal after what had happened last time.

Betty parked her motorcycle on the banks of Sweetwater River. Approaching the water, she pulled off her helmet and shook her blonde curls loose. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. She dipped her fingertips in the water, pleased to find it cold. Dropping her helmet on the shore, she stripped down to her black bra and panties and waded into the river.

Sweetwater River was Betty’s favorite place to go to relax. The spot she always visited was secluded and it was the best part of the river. The water was always the perfect temperature, and bushes grew nearby, ripe with berries.

She dove down and came back up, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes. The light glittered on the surface of the water like a million twinkling diamonds. Floating on her back, Betty closed her eyes and let the sun warm her face.

The first round of Serpent initiation was later that evening. The law recitation. Betty had known all the laws by heart ever since she was seven years old. Alice Cooper had made sure of it. Initiation would be harder for Betty than the others. Her father was a North Sider, at least that’s what Alice had told her. He had seduced her mother and impregnated her, running off, never to be seen again. And because of that, for the rest of the South Side, Betty was a stigma. A person with dirty blood.

Betty went through the laws once again in her head.

One, a Serpent never betrays her own. Two, if a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care of. Three, no Serpent is left for dead. Four, a Serpent never -

Two large arms wrapped around Betty’s waist and dragged her underwater. Betty tried to scream but quickly shut her mouth, realizing that was stupid. She tried to break free but the arms around her were strong and gripped her tighter. Her back was pressed against a hard chest. Remembering her training, Betty pushed her captor’s hands downward and twisted sideways in his grip, effectively breaking his hold on her. She swam upward as fast she could, her heart hammering in her chest.

She broke the surface of the water, gasping. Turning around just in time, Betty watched as another person came up, laughing and panting. His ebony hair fell in wet strands across his forehead and he pushed it out of his face, still grinning, perfect white teeth on display. His eyes were an impossibly blue color and were complemented by long, dark lashes. A chiseled face with high cheekbones and a strong jawline made him the very image of an Adonis. Realizing who it was, Betty’s eyes narrowed.

Jughead Jones. The Serpent Prince. He was FP’s son, the rightful heir to the Serpent throne. He was known throughout Riverdale for his intimidating demeanor and devilish good looks. Men cowered and women swooned when he walked past. His fame wasn’t because he was the Serpent King’s son, although that played a minute role. Jughead had built his own reputation in town over the years. Brought up a Serpent royal, he had received the best training one could get. Not to mention, he had a way with words that could make anyone believe whatever he said. He could switch from suave to deadly in a matter of seconds, and everybody feared and respected his power. But to Betty, he was the cocky, arrogant asshole she’d known since they were five.

“Jughead, what are you doing here?” Betty asked, annoyed.

“What? I can’t swim in Sweetwater River? Am I not too a citizen of this fair town?” He smirked at her.

Betty crossed her arms, unconvinced.

“Okay, fine. I was riding by and I saw your motorcycle parked uphill. I saw you in the water and figured, why not play a little prank? Lighten up the mood a bit, before tonight’s mission. Which, by the way, is in an hour.”

“An hour?!” Betty looked at the sun and saw that it was dipping lower on the horizon. “Shit. FP’s gonna kill me.”

“Ah, don’t worry. It won’t be the first time you were late for something. Besides, that Serpent jacket is going to be on my back by the time this ends.”

“We’ll see about that.” Betty swam for the river bank, Jughead close behind.

“I’m serious, Betty. I don’t want you to cry after you lose terribly.”

“Says the boy who threw a fit when Sweet Pea won the wrestling tournament.”

“We were TEN. And besides, I could kick Sweet Pea’s ass now.”

Ignoring him, Betty reached the shore and walked to where her clothes lay in the sand. Jughead’s jeans and shirt lay nearby, along with his jacket. Picking up her jeans, she turned around and saw him still in the water, staring at her, an undecipherable look in his eyes. Her wet bra was clinging to her and it was just enough to see the shape and suggestion of her breasts. Also, she was half-naked. Smiling mischievously, Betty jut out a hip.

“Like what you see, Jones?”

Jughead blinked and seemed to see Betty’s cocked eyebrow. He grinned at her.

“Cooper, after all the women’s bodies I’ve seen, yours doesn’t faze me at all.” He walked out of the water, and Betty rolled her eyes.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t good looking. He was gorgeous. Like so many of the other Serpent men, he was built for a fight. Strong shoulders and well-defined arms, a toned stomach. He was tan from working out in the sun. But while the other men were beefy and muscular, Jughead had a more athletic and well-built physique. His boxers were riding dangerously low on his hips, his sharp V-lines, glistening in the sunset. It took some effort to look away from him, and that’s what pissed Betty off.

“When are you going to realize that your dashing looks aren’t going to affect me?” she said, trying to hide her flushed cheeks.

“Oh, Betty. Don’t try to deny it,” he winked at her as he pulled on his own jeans.

“As if I would care how you look,” she scoffed, even more flustered. She hate that he did that to her. She didn’t even like him. He was a narcissistic tool, a product of nepotism, albeit his natural talent. It made her burn with both jealousy and awe. And the fact that he was, not that she’d ever openly admit, handsome, just rubbed salt into the wound.

Jughead just chuckled and shook his head slightly as he buttoned up his jeans.

They finished getting dressed and Betty grabbed her helmet. Walking to the place where she’d parked her motorcycle, she saw a similar bike parked next to hers, but with an Ouroboros drawn on its side. The insignia of the Jones family as the head of the Serpents. It served as a reminder of who the boss was, and to respect and obey them.

“What are you staring at?” Jughead asked as he walked up to the bike, taking his helmet from where it rested on the seat.

“Oh, nothing,” Betty put on her helmet and got on her bike. The only good thing about Jughead, if she had to pick something, was that he never used his position to impose himself on others. In fact, he acted as if he didn’t care for the title of Serpent prince at all.

“Race you to the Wyrm?” Jughead asked her, as he started his bike.

Betty grinned. “You’re on.”

~~~

I’d written this just for fun a few years ago because I liked the scenario. I’d originally planned to turn it into a series because I liked the story concept but I never got around to it. I was going through my drafts and found this, and it put a smile on my face. While I don’t plan on continuing it, I thought I’d post it as a drabble. Hope you liked it!

rhea

#bughead fanfiction #Bughead #jughead jones #betty cooper #betty x jughead #southside serpents #sprousehart stan fanfics #riverdale

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aewriting · 4 years

Text

Angsty Alien Brothers One-Shot

This was inspired by some of @ninswhimsy ‘s recent posts about soulmates - the good AND bad implications of that concept.

If you prefer, here it is on AO3.

Warnings: angst, mentions of police.

***

It was meant to be fun.

Max had been miserable for months, doing the bare minimum at the Pony, sleeping too late, moping. Isobel had been the one to suggest Planet 7.

“No,” Michael had said quickly. He’d been doing well, avoiding Alex. Avoiding Alex with Forrest, specifically. No, no malice, no ill intent, nothing like that. He just… just didn’t want to see it. He keeps hoping it will run its course… but they seem to still be going strong. He sees them sometimes – it’s a small town, and his attention’s drawn to Alex in a way he can’t explain. Magnetic. Cosmic. All of that.

He sees them in the grocery store, late one night. Sees them in the window booth at the Crashdown. Having breakfast. On a weekend. He tries not to imagine what they were doing before breakfast. Sees them crossing the street, casually holding hands in the crosswalk. And once, a few weeks back, there they were, leaving Planet 7. Making out.

So no, he doesn’t want to go to Planet 7.

“Let’s take a drive. Up to Albuquerque. One of the bars up there. See some new sights, meet some new people.”

Isobel raises an eyebrow. “That could be fun.” Her gaze slides to Max. “You in?”

Max just shrugs. “Whatever.”

***

Max is drinking too much tonight. This is a good bar – Michael’s actually been in here before. Twice. Both times over the last few months, since Alex and Forrest… yeah. He’s left with guys, both times. He’s… he’s trying to figure some stuff out, with himself. What he likes. What he wants, outside of Alex. Um, and hopefully, eventually, with Alex. It’s been… fine. Fun. Light. Uncomplicated. Pretty much everything the rest of his life isn’t right now.

No one’s approaching them. He sees some flares of interest – directed at him and Max, but it’s usually short-lived, halted when the other person seems to notice Max’s whole… everything.

Isobel, though… Michael smiles a little at the sight of her, blissed out, leaning up against a strong-looking brunette. She’s gonna get some tonight, Michael can tell. Good for her.

Max, though…

He’s trying to get up, suddenly, head to the bar.

“Hey,” Michael says sharply, snaking out an arm and snagging Max around the elbow. “Think… think you’ve had enough.”

Max scoffs a little. “That’s my line.”

It actually relaxes something in Michael. “Yeah, yeah it is. Not tonight though.”

“Not lately,” Max adds.

“No,” Michael agrees. He doesn’t go to the Pony very much these days. Just, just hurts still. He tried, with Maria. He really did. Hurts that it wasn’t enough. “If you weren’t so drunk right now,” he says, trying to change the subject, “I’d be trying to get you laid.”

Max snorts a bit, sits back down in his chair with too much force. It creaks, makes a too-loud noise. Michael’s ready with the TK, if needed.

The chair holds, and Michael slumps back in his own seat, sips his beer. Stops when he sees Max just… just staring at him.

“What?”

Max’s eyes are wide as he leans in. “Has it ever worked, for you?”

Michael frowns. “Has, has what worked?”

Max laughs a little. “This,” he says, gesturing vaguely around the bar. “Drinking, fucking around?”

“You’re drunk, Max,” Michael says, voice a little hard.

Max’s eyes go even wider. “I’m, I’m serious, Michael. I’m not trying to, like, call you out.”

“Aren’t you?” Michael asks. “Seem to remember plenty of call outs from you, through the years. Usually with a badge and a gun, too.”

“Fuck,” Max mutters, running a hand through his hand. “I… that was shitty of me. I was worried, Michael.”

Fuck. He knows they shouldn’t get into this now, here. It’s public, Max is wasted, but… Michael blows out a breath. “So you fucking talk to me. You don’t… don’t just keep hauling my ass back to the drunk tank in cuffs.”

Max’s jaw tightens. “That’s fair. There were times I was hoping that if there were some actual, I dunno, teeth involved? Consequences? That maybe you’d finally stop. But there were other times that,” he shakes his head. “Dammit, Michael. You were good at pissing people off, you know? And, and I know what you can do. Of course I fucking do. There were times that you, you scared me, Michael. You didn’t fight back. It’s like you, you wanted to just, just take a beating, get your ass handed to you.” He sighs. “Especially when Alex was overseas.”

Michael freezes.

Max shrugs. “Am I wrong?”

Michael looks down quickly, sips his beer.

“I’m not wrong,” Max asserts. “Which is how I know you know. What it’s like. When they leave.”

Michael can’t deal with this. Shakes his head and tries to will Max to shut up.

Doesn’t work.

Max is looking at Isobel and the woman she’s with. “I don’t think it’s happened yet, with Iz. She’d know. She’d feel it the way we do.” Michael still hasn’t said anything, and Max finally seems to notice. “You had to have known this, right?” Max’s hands are out in front of him, upturned. “Me and Liz, you and Alex. And god, you two, like…” Max brings his hands together in a vague sort of way. Michael can’t believe he’s seeing this. “Back in high school, right? God… I don’t know how you did it. Being with Liz, actually having been with her, feeling her – “

“Max,” Michael says sharply, really not wanting to hear the intimate details.

“It’s so much worse now. Like, I always knew it was hopeless, but it’s worse now.” Max is just staring at Michael, half incredulous. “Michael… you do feel it, right? With Alex?”

“Don’t go there, Max,” Michael warns.

“The connection? The, the,” he pauses, “certainty that you’re meant to be together? That it’s bigger than just the two of you?” Max looks at Michael, searching for something, then pulls back. Looks worried. “Michael,” he says, edge of fear toward his voice. “Please tell me you’ve felt that, too. I… all these years, I’ve just assumed it’s an, an us thing.” He pauses. “Is, is it not? Like, it’s not just me, is it?”

Michael bites his lip, grips his glass tighter. “It’s not just you,” he says, finally. It’s one thing to think it. Think it for years, late at night on his own, in stolen moments with Alex, while… while he’s in someone else’s bed. It’s another thing to discuss it, out in the open, with someone else that might actually verify the reality of it.

Some of the tension leaves Max as he blows out a breath. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Seriously, thank you. I know we don’t… don’t talk about this. All those years, should’ve known you were hurting like I was. But you never wanted to talk about it, never wanted us to know. And after everything that happened…” Max hangs his head. “I tried, you know? With Jenna. Like, I wanted to feel things for her. I think you tried too, with – “

“Max,” Michael says, a warning.

Max gives him a look, shakes his head a bit. “I know you tried with her. And remember,” he says, voice softer now, “I saw the two of you together. In Texas.” He raises an eyebrow. “I know you two could have had something. If it wasn’t for Al – “

“Max!” Michael interrupts, raising his voice. Cutting him off before he can finish, before he can make Michael acknowledge the fear… the fear and the hope he’s had all these years.

Max’s eyebrows are raised. “Really? We’re really not gonna talk about him?”

“Do you want to sit around and talk about Liz?” Michael asks.

Max sniffs a bit. Looks around. “Fine,” he says, voice tight. “Fine,” he repeats. Swigs his whiskey. Winces. “What do you want me to do, Michael? Get laid?” he asks, throwing Michael’s earlier words back at him. “Go have… have that guy blow me in the bathroom?”

Michael’s eyes widen and he whips around to see a younger guy eyeing Max. Dark hair, slight build. “Whoa, Max, for real?”

Max shrugs. “That surprise you?”

Michael laughs a little. “Well, yeah. Guess it does.”

Max’s mouth twists a little. “Don’t know how to explain it.” He looks at Michael, then, a little sharper, a littler more with it. “But… but I’m thinking maybe I don’t have to explain it to you. How it’s… how it’s Liz, and everyone else.” He grimaces a little. “Well, not everyone else, obviously, but also, like, more people than you’d think. If you catch my drift.”

Michael nods slowly. “I do. Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“All this time?”

Max sighs. “Hard to say. You know Roswell.” He shakes his head a little. “Wasn’t about to try something there. If I didn’t have to.”

“But you would? Try something?” Max is quiet. “Like, with, with a guy?”

Max shrugs again. “I mean, yeah, I guess? But… but what’s the point?”

Michael just stares at him.

“I’m serious, Michael, what’s the point? Like, I’m asking you. Has it ever helped, really?”

Michael worries his lip a little. Speaks carefully. “I, I don’t think it’s, like, a bad thing. To have fun, figure yourself out.”

“That what you were doing, all those years?” Michael tries to duck Max’s eyes. Can’t. “Cause that, that didn’t look fun, Michael. That looked like you were hurting and trying to figure out the best way to forget.”

Michael sniffs a little. “That was about more than just him.”

“I know,” Max says. “Part of me actually hoped maybe it would help you. With everything. But, over time, your arrest record said otherwise, you know?” Max sighs a little. “And I’m not stupid, Michael. I, I saw how you’d go underground for stretches, when he was home, then be, god, pissed at the world whenever he’d leave.”

It’s still too raw. Still too close to the surface to really talk about. He doesn’t want to break down in the goddamn bar.

“You ever talk about this? With him?” Max asks.

“Didn’t do much talking,” Michael mutters.

Max nods. “Liz and I didn’t talk about it either. Makes me wonder. Do they feel it the way we do?” He bites his lip. “Sometimes I think, I think they couldn’t possibly, because if they did, if they did…”

He trails off and turns his head away. “Fuck,” Michael mutters. Max is crying. Really crying. Big, shuddery sobs. Michael is on him quickly, wrapping an arm around him, trying to shield him from other people’s questioning looks. “Hey,” he assures him. “Hey. Max.”

“She just left, Michael. She left. This time it was her. And I can’t blame anyone but myself.”

And shit… he’s right. There’s nothing Michael can really say to that. “Let’s go outside,” Michael says softly, throwing some money down and propping Max up as they take the closest exit. They’re in the back alley, and there are a few couples there too, wrapped up in each other. One of the bartenders taking a smoke break. He ushers Max a little farther away. Lets him cry, lets him grab Michael while he does it.

Max pulls away after a while, face a mess. “I’m sorry,” he gasps. “I’m sorry. For this, and for all that time when you were just, just trying to be okay.”

Michael lets him cling to his jacket. Nods. “You were right,” he says after a while. “It, it didn’t help. Not really. So I don’t know why I thought this, tonight would help you.”

“So what do we do?” Max asks, looking – god, so sad. Lost.

Michael just looks upward, at the sky. Tries to catch a glimpse at the stars, the moon, but it’s too cloudy, maybe, or the lights of the city are too bright. It depresses him, and he looks back at Max. “We just do our best. We live our lives. Live them right. And try to be better. For them, yeah, but for us, too.” He shrugs. “It’s what I’m trying to do. Now. Only thing I can do, really.” He licks his lips, looks at Max. “This time, let’s not try to do it alone, though, okay?”

Max looks up at him sharply. “You promise?”

And before Michael knows it, he’s hugging him. “I promise you, Max. I promise.”

#my fic #alien brothers #malex #echo #michael guerin #max evans #isobel evans #roswell nm

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royalcordelia · 5 years

Text

The Secret of Distance (2/?)

Summary: Anne and Gilbert embark on their journeys, but stay close to each other at heart. Courting across 1000 miles isn’t easy, but they’re more than willing to step up to the task. (A post s3 story).

Notes: If you want to be tagged when the next chapter is posted, I can do that! I’ve seen others do that, and wanted to throw it out there.

~~*~~

Gilbert had grown so accustomed to the rattling of the window on the side of his face, that as the train slowed to a stop, he roused from his sleep. Around him, passengers shuffled on tired feet down the aisle of the train, but Gilbert squinted tiredly, adjusting to his surroundings. Where was he again?

Outside the train, a sign was lit up by electric lights: “Welcome to Toronto, Ontario.”

Oh, that’s right, he thought to himself, I’m going to medical school. At 4:30 in the morning it seemed. As he grabbed his trunk, his brain felt like it was trudging through mud. He’d left PEI on a ship to the mainland, then situated himself on the train for a fifteen hour trip. And he had kissed Anne.

That woke Gilbert up. He had kissed Anne at exactly noon yesterday, and she had kissed him back. He kissed Anne. She tasted the way he expected sunshine would taste if you could jar it like honey. She fit perfectly against him when he pulled her close, drawn to him as strongly as he was to her. Soft hair framed her face, feathery tufts that grazed his fingers when he held her cheek. He’d never forget the sight of her, so beautifully grown, yet so breathtakingly Anne . The thought was distracting enough that he didn’t realize his footsteps had slowed to a halt in the middle of the path.

He might’ve stood there forever, burning the memory of Anne’s kiss into his mind, but a drunkard rambled past him, colliding with his shoulder. Gilbert stumbled on his feet, righting his coat on his shoulders with a bristled frown. He needed to find his new apartment before he was swept away into whatever unsavory things happened at four in the morning.

From one of his hidden inside pockets, he pulled out a note in Miss Stacy’s familiar script.

Gilbert,

Emily couldn’t get you into a boarding house because of your late admission. She does, however, know a young man who has an extra room in his apartment. He’s agreed to let you board with him, and will leave the door unlocked so you may let yourself in. You’ll find Ronald Stuart at 293 North Sunset St - the right hand apartment.

Good luck on all your endeavors! I know you’ll exceed beyond our expectations.

Your Exceedingly-Proud Educator,

Miss Muriel Stacy

Gilbert didn’t know much about this Ronald Stuart, but had sent the young man a letter telling him when to expect him. Part of him was glad he wouldn’t be living under the supervision of an owner of a boarding house, like Anne certainly would be. If he found this Ronald Stuart agreeable, they could become close friends and enact their own rules, answering only to themselves and to each other.

The house on 293 North Sunset St. was a sizeable place built of bricks the same color as the PEI roads back home. Gilbert snuck as quietly as he could up the creaky stairs leading to the door of his new apartment, before twisting the door knob. Stubbornly, it refused to budge.

Gilbert peaked at the house number, then his note, then tried the door again, this time with more strength. Maybe Ronald hadn’t gotten his letter in time? Maybe he’d forgotten to leave the door unlocked.

There was nothing to do about it. He rapped his knuckles hard enough on the door that the noise likely could be heard by the next door neighbors. Even so, the door remained closed. The chilly August air was beginning to sink into his bones. Gilbert knocked again, more aggressively this time.

“I hear ya, I hear ya!” came a voice from inside the house. Gilbert took a step back from the door, steeling himself for whatever would come once the door opened. A shadowy figure appeared behind the curtains before the door swung open.

Gilbert cleared his throat. “Mr. Stuart?”

The fellow before him was a tall one, lanky with hard angles. His dark hair was a mop upon his head where long, straight hair stuck out in all directions. Long eyebrows quirked back at Gilbert, who clenched his jaw.

“Gil?” the man answered back. Gilbert cocked his head. No one called him Gil. Not even Bash or Anne.

“Yes, that’s me. Gilbert Blythe. The door was locked, otherwise I’d have let myself in.”

Ronald ran a hand through his hair, tousling it into an even greater mess. He stepped aside and let Gilbert enter the space.

“I was real glad was Dr. Oak reached out to me about you coming to stay,” Ronald explained with a yawn. “The last fellow who stayed here graduated last spring, and I’ve been having trouble paying for the whole apartment myself. It’s not much, but it’s plenty for two men to share.”

Gilbert pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to his new roommate. Inside was the first of four years’ worth of rent payments. Bash had promised to send Gilbert his share of the farm’s earnings in plenty of time each month for him to pay his debts.

“That reminds me, this is for you,” Gilbert said. Ronald only tossed the envelope on a nearby table and leaned against it, tired eyes examining his new roommate.

“You drink?” he asked. Gilbert couldn’t tell if the man was offering or judging.

“No,” he replied, shaking his head.

“You snore?”

Gilbert frowned. “...Not...that I know of?”

Ronald shrugged and headed up the stairs.

“We can talk in afternoon. I’m going back to sleep. Your room is up the stairs on the right. Mine’s on the left. There’s one more empty room, for guests I guess, if you ever have any.”

Gilbert bit the inside of his cheek. Would the people from home ever come all the way to Toronto just to see him? Adjusting his cases in his hands, Gilbert took a deep breath.

“Alright, thank you.” But Ronald had already gone.

Outside, the street echoed silence around, giving it an eerie stillness. If he hadn’t been so tired, he might’ve felt the weight of being so far away from home and his family. But exhaustion prevailed in numbing his thoughts, and he found his bed without any welcoming ceremony. Laying fully dressed on top of his blankets, Gilbert fell deep into sleep.

~~*~~

“You a novelist or something?”

Gilbert looked up from the kitchen table and found Ronald in the doorway. He must’ve looked like some sort of writer, with pages upon pages of inked words spread across the table in front of him. A mug of coffee steamed at both places and at the table, and Gilbert nodded down to it. Ronald accepted it appreciatively, sipping it with a satisfied smile. In the daylight, and perhaps after bathing, the man seemed to have a sophisticated air about him that came solely from his looks and not his attitude.

“No, I’m just writing some letters home. There are a few people who’d want to know I made it here in one piece,” Gilbert replied, somewhat nostalgic for home. His gaze found the opening line of the paper in front of him: My Anne...

“Where is home, anyway?”

“Avonlea, PEI.”

“That far away, eh? No wonder you wandered up to the house so early this morning. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of Avonlea, though.” Gilbert nodded politely, not sure how much Ronald Stuart wanted to share about himself or how much he wanted to share in return. “I’m Ron, by the way. I apologize that I’m not terribly friendly before seven in the morning.”

Gilbert chuckled and shook his head.

“I guess I didn’t realize the trip would be over sixteen hours. Sorry for waking you up.”

Ron got up from the table, grabbing some bread from the breadbox and shoving a piece into his mouth.

“What made you want to come here, anyway?”

“Ah, my teacher from home knows Dr. Oak. I was initially intending on attending the, uh...well, the Sorbonne in France, but I changed my mind.”

The expression on Ron’s face told Gilbert he was not convinced.

“Yeah right, you just weren’t accepted. That or you can’t speak french.”

“No, I was accepted - or as good as, anyway. I just chose not to go.” Gilbert paused. “But you’re right, I don’t speak french very well.”

Ron’s jaw dropped.

“I didn’t take you for an idiot, Gilbert.”

Gilbert straightened his shoulders, crossing his arms defensively.

“It’s a long story, one that I’m sure would make perfect sense if you were to hear it.” He paused. Would this Ronald Stuart be convinced that genuine love was more valuable than an educational opportunity? “But to tell the truth, I’d like to just write these letters and get them sent out before the post is collected in a few hours.” Ron held up his hands in surrender and trekked back up to his room.

Returned to silence, Gilbert tilted his face to the sun pouring in from the kitchen window. He wondered if Anne was enjoying the same warmth on her first day of school. Picking his pen back up, he continued to write.

My Anne,

I cannot think of a more wonderful way to start a letter. It does my heart such good knowing that wherever you are, you might be anticipating this specific correspondence. I’d like to begin this particular letter by informing you that I have made it to Toronto safe and sound - albeit at four in the morning! I haven’t been a train for such a long period of time since I traveled with my father. Should you still desire to be my penpal (though I hope you’ll want to be a much more than penpals) you’ll find my complete address on the envelope. North Sunset street is just as beautiful as it sounds.

Have I beat around the bush with enough formality? I may as well jump right in.

Anne, what a fool I’ve been. I’ve had sixteen hours to compose the perfect way to reveal to you in extensive detail all the ways I’ve been a fool, but I fear I don’t have your gift with language, so you will just have to tolerate my inadequate explanations. As Diana might have informed you, I never received your letter, and for the sake of clarity and fairness, I’m going to assume that you never received mine.

I want to eradicate every doubt in your mind. Anne, I never had any real, genuine feelings for Winifred. I have learned the hard way that there is a vast difference between enjoying someone’s company and genuine love. When you love someone, you don’t just enjoy their company. You ache until the next moment you see that person, yet they’re always with you - in your mind, in your heart. The extent to which I adore you and take pride in your existence is so overwhelming that I wonder why I thought I could ever settle for anything else. Is it bold for me to hope you feel the same way? I truly do love you, Anne.

With all that disclosed, I’m certain there are times when I made you feel like I didn’t care for you at all. For that, I hope you know how very ashamed and sorry I am. You won’t ever feel like that again, I promise. If, in our separation, you grow doubtful or lonely, I’ll be on the first train bound for Charlottetown.

As for follow up questions:

Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, when in heaven’s name did you start to have feelings for me? Most days I was certain I’d never win your heart, but then I’d catch you looking across the classroom and think maybe it wasn’t so hopeless after all.

Did you receive the letter I left you in your room? You never said anything, so I wondered. Oh! And what did your letter say? I’m so bitter that it disappeared.

Are you well? How are you adjusting to being away from home? I know Green Gables was so precious to you. How is Queens? Do your new classmates adore you, yet? I’m certain they do.

I’m sure I will have more questions the more I fondly remember each encounter I’ve had with you, but for now, I won’t bombard you.

As for me, I’m better now that I’ve arrived to Toronto and have unpacked all my things. My roommate, Ron, is a peculiar brand, and it’s still unclear as to whether or not he is - as you’d say - a kindred spirit. So far, I have my doubts. We’ve known each other all of eight hours and he’s already called me an idiot. But we have our own bedrooms, and there’s more than enough space for the two of us, so I can’t complain. Class begins tomorrow, but I’ve some final paperwork to complete. I hope to explore the campus and learn all the hidden nooks where a medical student might read and daydream about his love back home.

I still have to write to Bash, and I want to send this as soon as possible, so I’ll conclude here. I miss you terribly already. Yet, how thankful I am that we got the time we did.

Know that I remain always

Yours,

Gilbert

(PS: My roommate called me Gil at our first meeting. I’ve not decided if I like it yet, but maybe if you call me by that name, I’ll warm up to it.)

(PSS: Is it too much trouble if I ask you to enclose a picture of yourself, or something that I can keep on my bedside table that will remind me of you?)

Gilbert had just folded the letter up and sealed it, when Ron came back into the room. In his hand was a picture frame that Gilbert recognized immediately.

“Who’s this?” Ron asked.

Gilbert snatched the frame, eyes icy.

“Were you going through my things?”

“I was just leaving some clean linens, and I saw it on your table. Not trying to pry, but I’m...curious.”

Gilbert peered down at the frame, and felt a wave of homesickness sweep over him. It was a photograph he’d had taken shortly before Hazel had come to live in the house. It had been difficult to find a photographer who wouldn’t fall prey to their prejudices.

“It’s my brother and my niece,” he explained. Ron seemed to sense the thin ice he stood on, so he nodded.

“She’s sweet,” he commented, nodding down at Delphine’s bright eyes.

“The sweetest,” Gilbert agreed, pushing away the photograph when he felt his throat close up. They were silent for a few moments when Ron fixed his eyes on Gilbert.

“Why didn’t you go to the Sorbonne?” he asked evenly. Gilbert matched the serious gaze, unashamed of his choices.

“I would’ve had to marry a girl I didn’t love, and leave behind the one I do.”

Ron’s face didn’t change, but the lack of judgement was slightly promising.

“Family and love, huh? Wish I could relate.” Then he spun on his heels and headed toward the front door. “Well, I’m off.”

“Oh, uh, bye?”

The tense, awkward air in the room evaporated when the door slammed behind Ron. A long exhale left Gilbert’s lips and he grabbed a clean sheet of paper. This letter to Bash continued much like his letter to Anne’s had, full of apprehension about Ronald Stuart and anxiousness about the impending start of school. He’d exhausted all of his mildly uninteresting topics before he added:

I do have some news that might interest you. Anne and I are...well, I don’t know for certain what we are. Courting? Yes likely. More than friends? Absolutely. Together? In every way a man can be together with his love across 1000 of distance. I ended things with Winifred and ran like a madman through Charlottetown to see if Anne would give me one last shot. She did. Thank god, she did.

My courtship with Winifred actually ended two weeks ago, as poorly as you can imagine. But I did right by her in every way I could, and respected her enough to be honest that I could not be with her if it’s Anne that I so greatly adore. Not that I said Anne by name, but Winifred knew. She made me promise not to tell anyone until she could safely leave Charlottetown, which is why you are just hearing about this now. Though I regret having humiliated her to the point of returning back to France, I feel so much...lighter, happier. Knowing that Anne cares for me the way I care for her leaves me feeling confident I made the right choice. I think Winifred will see that one day, too.

I miss you, Bash. Delly too. The more I’m here, the harder it is to imagine that I’ll be living without you. I can barely remember what it was like when it was just me - without my brother, without the laughter of the baby. There’s a room here for guests if you ever want to visit, but I’ll come home when I can. Something tells me if I stray from Avonlea too long, something vital in me will starve.

I love you all. I hope the harvest is going well.

Your brother,

Gilbert.

With both letters sealed and addressed, Gilbert stepped out onto the new streets, drinking in the Toronto sun as he made his way toward town.

#anne of green gables #anne with an e #shirbert #shirbert fic #shirbert ff #tessa writes #catch this on ao3 too!#this chapter called for a lil bit of exposition because gilbert is in an ENTIRELY new place #but i love ron so far he's so annoying #you may recognize ronald stuart as the brother of one christine stuart #muhaha

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professortennant · 4 years

Note

#24 with Sam and Jack!!!

“I needed you! I needed you!” [[post-abyss]]

She shouldn’t be here.

That’s the first thought she has as the Colonel stonily lets her into his home, beer in hand and his eyes on her, watching her intensely. There’s something different about him--heavier. She’d tried to talk to him back on base, drawn the curtains around his infirmary bed and drawn nearer, palms itching to touch him and feel the steady rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of his skin, anything to ground her and remind her that he was safe and back with her.

But he’d taken one long look at her, eyes hooded and dark, the last of his good humor draining from him. He’d sighed and stopped her before she could even start. “Can we just not do this, Carter?”

Then, she’d flinched and nodded out of reflex, agreeing with him. “Of course, sir.” She willed him to meet her eyes once more, to give her a sign that they were okay. Instead, he rolled on his side and silently dismissed her.

But now she was here in his home and everything felt too big to contain in some metaphorical room, the door buckling and bursting at the hinges.

The Colonel didn’t offer her a beer, didn’t lead her into the living room or kitchen, nothing to indicate that he wanted her presence in his home to linger longer than absolutely necessary.

“It’s late.”

She nodded. “I know, sir. I’m sorry.”

“But?”

“But,” she continued. “I wanted to say how glad I am to have you back. I know you don’t want to talk about what happened to you, but, uh, I’m just really glad you’re safe. I--we--were worried.”

Silence meets her words and she feels a fresh surge of anger and hurt and irritation when he does little more than lift his beer bottle in her direction, eyebrow lifting. “You’re right, I don’t want to talk about it. And I’m delighted to be back, Carter. Was there anything else?”

It hits her then that the dismissiveness, the flippancy, it isn’t because he doesn’t want to talk. Well, not just that anyway. It’s his eyes--as cheesy and unbelievable as it sounds. They’re hard and unforgiving and blazing.

He’s mad.

At her.

Sam lifts her head. “If you’re angry with me because I asked you to take the symbiote--for forcing your hand--I’d rather you just get it all out now, sir.” She remembers the way he looked on that base back in Antarctica: pale, clammy skin, disoriented eyes, labored breathing. She remembers the fear she felt, the gripping surge of panic filling her lungs. She juts her chin, pulls her shoulders back like some cadet getting ready for a dressing down. “But I won’t apologize. You can be angry with me all you’d like, sir, but I won’t apologize for keeping you alive.”

The Colonels’ jaw tightens and every inch of him screams at her how much he doesn’t want to have this conversation. “I’m not mad, Carter.”

This time it’s she who raises an eyebrow, her tone dancing along the line of insubordination. “With all due respect, sir, that sounds like something you’re saying so I’ll leave.”

He grinned, sharp and dry and cruel. “Guess it’s not working.”

The hurt she’s been feeling bubbles and her eyes sting with tears. He feels a million miles away despite the fact he’s only a few feet from her. She wishes she had the right to step forward and smooth her palm over his forehead and cheek to smooth the newly-formed lines creasing his skin. She wishes she could take him out on her bike and let him feel alive, wind whipping through his hair and her body pressed against his.

But she can’t.

“Sir...”

He shakes his head at the title and runs a hand over his face, scrubs his fingers through hair agitatedly. “I’m tired, Sam.” The use of her first name catches her attention. He waves a hand at the front door behind her. “If there’s nothing else, just lock up behind you.”

The turning of his back for the second time gets to her and she frowns, stepping forward, calling out after him. “Jack, please. Talk to me. Yell at me. I don’t care, but don’t walk away. Please.”

It’s the same please she’d used on him in Antarctica. The one he hadn’t been able to refuse. They both know it.

Something in him snaps and he turns back to her, beer sloshing in his bottle. “That’s not fair,” he says, voice low. He’s perfectly still and she risks a step towards him and then another when he doesn’t flinch away.

She thinks for this, they can let the door off the room. They’ll suffocate otherwise.

The first touch of her hand against his forearm is like a jolt of electricity for both of them. He sucks in a sharp breath, eyes darting to the place where her palm smooths over his arm, grounding him. For Sam’s part, the warmth of his skin and the pounding pulse she can feel soothes the anxious part of her that still couldn’t quite believe he was back and here with her.

“I asked you to take that symbiote because--” Because I love you. Because I can’t lose you. Because you’re you. The words are all there, the ones she’s not allowed to say. She settles on something in the middle. “Because I needed you.”

He makes a pained sound at that and before she can think or blink or apologize for pressing the issue, his hand is cradling her cheek, tilting her face up to his. “I needed you! I needed you, Sam. Last time, I needed my family. This time it was you. Do you understand? Do you get it? I needed you. I got through it, I survived because of you. Because I knew you’d come for me, that you’d figure it out. I just knew I needed you, needed to get back to you.” His thumb brushed along the curve of her cheek. Her heart hammered in her chest and her hand tightened on his arm. She couldn’t help but turn her cheek into the curve of his palm, nuzzling gently.

“You’ve got me, Jack.”

For a moment, she thought he was going to close the distance between them and finally kiss her the way she’d wanted him to do since she caught sight of him twirling that pen between his fingers at their very first briefing, looking criminally good in that uniform in a way that she was pretty sure the United States Air Force did not intend.

Her tongue peeked out to swipe across her lips in anticipation and want made her stomach clench as his eyes darted down to her mouth, his own lips parting at the sight of her pink tongue and wet mouth.

His fingers tightened briefly in her hair and she felt herself go lax and loose.

And then he was gone, stepping back and taking his warmth and dark eyes and pain with him.

“No, I don’t, Sam.”

Disappointment flooded her veins and she felt cold and bereft, not unlike the way she’d felt watching him disappear up the ramp and through the Stargate to receive a symbiote--unknowingly damning him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Major.”

Another dismissal, the door firmly locked and back in place.

She wrapped her arms around herself and nodded, not ready to push yet.

“Goodnight, sir.”

#sam x jack #shawsbear #sg1 fic #plz forgive me this is not PARTICULARLY good but we are WORKING ON IT

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star-spangled-eyes · 4 years

Text

Winner Take All: Part 12: The Date

This alternate universe fan fiction uses characters created and owned by Pixelberry Studios. Character names, descriptions and likenesses are owned by Pixelberry Studios. The MC, Bragnae Bennett, and story is created and owned by this author.

Book: The Royal Romance (Alternate Universe)

Alternate Universe Theme: Senior Year of College for Drake, Leo, Bragnae and Madeleine in the United States

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC / Leo Reese x MC (Bragnae Bennett – *pronounced Brawn-yah)

Warnings for this series: NSFW, Adult content, suggestive and strong language, sex

Series Description: Bragnae Bennett sought adventure when she first went off to college. Now, navigating through her senior year, she finds herself befriending two gorgeous guys, Drake Walker and Leo Reese, who engage in a seemingly innocent bet with her during a game of pool that leads to a surprising threesome.

Their intimate evening prompts deeper feelings than they all expected to arise, and Bragnae is suddenly swept up in both of their charms, unique to each man himself. Through the pressures of college, work and maintaining a social life, which man will prevail and win Bragnae's heart?

Master List

A/N: Hi there! I want to apologize for the LONG delay! My business has taken off lately as well as I’ve felt less than well with a crohn’s flare up, so I couldn’t do much writing. This chapter is really important, and I didn’t want to rush it or just post it without really being happy with it. The chapter after this one will be the FINAL chapter in this series! I hope you enjoy this, and thank you so much for your patience in waiting to read it.

Warnings for this chapter: NSFW, Adult content, suggestive and strong language, sex

Word Count for this chapter: 8107 (it’s a long one, but I didn’t think you’d mind since there was such a long time gap since my last one)

Setting for this chapter: Drake and Bragnae have a chat after his hockey practice.

Permatags: @burnsoslow @cora-nova @dcbbw @thorfosterlove @emceesynonymroll @edgiestwinter @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @msjr0119 @notoriouscs @drakewalker04 @pedudley @desiree-0816 @choices-lurker @kingliam2019 @loveellamae @drakexnadira @flutistbyday2020 @indiana-jr @moonlightgem7

Series Tags: @yukinagato2012 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @nomadics-stuff @ravenpuff02 @texaskitten30 @themadhatter1029 @randomfandomteacher @queenjilian @princessleac1 @seriouslybadchoices

Part 12: The Date

“Great,” Drake said. “I’ll meet you out front in twenty minutes.”

“Sounds good.” Bragnae stepped away from the open door to the rink, so Drake could shut it again. Once the boards were secure, he offered her a flash of a smile before skating off in the opposite direction.

Bragnae made her way outside the complex towards the front entrance. Autumn was finally here. The air was cool and crisp with beautiful red, yellow and orange leaves starting to make their way off the trees. There was a concrete bench near the entrance, so she took a seat. She responded to a few texts, and flipped through her social media apps on her phone to fill the time.

True to his word, Drake walked out of the complex twenty minutes later. She looked up from her phone to see him sauntering towards her with an athletic duffle bag slung over his shoulder. Sliding the phone back in her purse, Bragnae stood up as he approached her.

“I’m going to throw this in my truck quickly, and then we can head over to a less crowded area. Wanna walk with me?”

“Sure.” They started down the paved path towards the parking lot. “So, I see you made team captain?” Bragnae remembered seeing a big “C” on Drake’s uniform earlier.

“Yeah. The guys voted on that. I guess they like me.” He kept his head facing forward as he responded.

“Can’t blame them for that.” She smiled in his direction, finally prompting him to look at her. The corner of his mouth lifted.

Drake opened the door to his truck and threw his hockey bag on the seat. After locking it back up, he turned to her and pointed to an area with trees and a few picnic tables. “Let’s go over there.”

The area was beautiful. Colorful leaves littered the ground, and there were three white tables with bench seating placed conveniently for visitors. Luckily, it seemed they had the area to themselves. Bragnae set her purse down on the bench and took a seat. Drake sat opposite her.

He looked at her for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry it’s been a while since we last spoke. I got really busy with school and hockey, and well, I just wasn’t ready yet.”

Bragnae dropped her gaze to her fidgeting fingers. “It wasn’t easy not hearing from you, but I understood you needed time to think about everything.” She brought her eyes up to his again. “I didn’t come here today to rush you into talking to me, though. I just… wanted to see you, and watch you play.”

“I’m glad you did. I’ve been wanting to call you, but I talked myself out of it every time.”

“Does that mean you don’t want to see me anymore?” Nervous butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she waited for his answer.

“Quite the opposite actually.” A wistful expression filled his face. “I’ve done a lot of thinking. I can’t exactly be upset that you have feelings for both of us. It makes sense. All of this started because we had that threesome.”

“Do you regret it?”

“I’d like to say I do, but if it wasn’t for that night, I might never have told you how I felt. I may never have even asked you out.” Drake sighed. “Have you seen Leo lately?”

“Just once. He said you punched him.”

“Yeah, well, he fucking deserved it… for more than one reason.” He averted his gaze for a moment. “I’ve missed you, Bragnae.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Her voice was weighted down by the sadness she felt. “So, why did you talk yourself out of calling if you missed me?”

Drake worked his jaw in thought. His brow furrowed making his brown eyes look more intense. “I really like you, and I know you care about me. I want to be with you in the worst way, but if you want to be with me, then I want you to choose me for me. Not because I asked you out and treated you nicely after Leo ditched you. If you tell me that I’m the one, I want it to be because you want just me without anything standing in your way.”

“That’s fair,” she squeaked out.

Drake exhaled a harsh breath, shaking his head in frustration. He kept his eyes trained on the table. “So, I want you to be with Leo.”

“You want me to be with Leo?” Bragnae was shocked, but more so confused.

“Go out with him. Kiss him. Whatever you need to do to find out who you’re drawn to the most.” It looked as if it pained Drake to say it. “In my mind, it’s the only the way you’ll know for sure. I don’t want to hold you back if he’s who you really want to be with.”

She was stunned. “Drake, I don’t know what to say.”

He reached a hand out to cover hers. “This is why I didn’t want to call you. I was pushing it out as long as I could. I knew this was what needed to happen, and believe me, I hate to have to say it. But if you do this, and find that you still want to be with me, then I’ll know for certain that it’s me you want. And I’d rather have that than wonder if you’re still thinking about him as we move on in our relationship.” Squeezing her hand, he implored her. “Will you do this for me?”

The courage it took for him to have to offer up this suggestion blew her away. She felt so guilty for having put him through this, but there was a part of her that was curious about seeing Leo again with nothing holding her back. She didn’t feel right kissing or touching Leo when her relationship with Drake was up in the air, but now that he was giving her permission to explore the idea, it made her want to do it.

“Okay.” She watched as both relief and sadness crossed over his face. “I’m sorry that I’m putting you through this. I feel awful about it.”

“Thank you for saying that, but we’ll get it figured out.” He stood from the bench, prompting Bragnae to do the same. Drake walked over to her, gently grabbing her by the shoulders. “And in case it isn’t me who you choose…” He interrupted himself by drawing her into a tender, yet purposeful kiss that left her feeling lightheaded.

Whether or not it was his intention to persuade her decision with a final kiss, or just have one last chance to take her in that way, the strong connection they shared couldn’t be ignored. Anytime Drake touched her or pressed his lips against hers was earth shattering. And after two weeks of no contact, she missed him desperately.

When he pulled back, he cupped her face looking affectionately into her eyes. “I’ll look forward to hearing your decision.” Drake leaned in once more for a brief, sweet kiss.

Not knowing the words to say, she pulled him into an embrace, and luckily, he returned it. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Later that day, Bragnae was a few hours into cleaning her apartment, thinking about what Drake said. The guilt she felt made her want to run back to Drake’s arms and tell him she didn’t need anyone else to make her decision, but she knew that was the wrong way to go about it. Even though she cared a lot about Drake, she knew she owed it to herself to experience a date with Leo, especially after everything they’d been through. If she didn’t take this opportunity, it might haunt her forever.

Peeling off her disposable gloves, Bragnae picked up her phone and called Leo. She was elated when he answered.

“Hello, Bragnae.” His voice was smooth and had a hint of heat to it that sent a shiver down her spine. “It’s been a while.”

“Hi, Leo. Yes, it has, and I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re worth the wait. So, what’s up?”

She smiled. “Well, I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me sometime.”

He chuckled. “Like a date?”

“Yeah, like a date.” She bit her lower lip waiting for his response.

“Hell yeah, I’ll go out with you.” He said it as if she should have known the answer. “But let me handle the details, alright? When are you free?”

She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Um, I don’t work Wednesday. Does that fit your schedule?”

“Wednesday’s perfect. I’ll pick you up at your place at six o’clock. Sound good?”

Excited nerves filled her body. “Yes, sir. Can’t wait.”

“Great. See you then.”

Bragnae ended the call with an overwhelming sense of happiness surrounding her. That alone told her she needed to do this, and Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough.

There was plenty of time between classes and meeting Leo for Bragnae to finish all of her homework and get ready for the evening. She had showered, fixed her hair in long loose curls, and applied neutral tones of make-up to her face, save for the deep crimson lipstick. Not wanting her outfit to entirely scream sex, she found a long-sleeved, green sweater and paired it with black skinny jeans.

Even though she and Leo had been intimate before, she didn’t want this date to be focused around that, but still wanted to look nice. Stepping into a pair of black knee-high boots, she heard a knock at the front door. Bragnae grabbed her clutch for the evening, and answered it.

Leo stood before her in dark jeans and a plain black V-neck shirt. He wore a brown leather jacket over it adding to his smooth attitude, and his dirty blonde hair was styled in his charmingly messy way. She gave herself a moment to take him in before returning her gaze to his sparkling blue eyes. He leaned casually against the doorframe with his own debonair smile.

“Well, hello there.” His eyes remained on hers.

“Don’t you look nice,” she commented.

“Thank you. Not quite as nice as you, though.” With a warm grin, he presented a long-stemmed single flower from behind his back, holding it out to her. “For you.”

She gasped in surprise. “Leo, this is gorgeous. Is that a Calla Lily?” She accepted the magenta flower, bringing it up to her nose to smell.

“Yes, it is. I’ve always thought those were beautiful, and when I saw it today, I was reminded of you.”

Bragnae felt herself blush. “That’s so sweet. Thank you very much. Just let me put this in some water and then we can go.” Dashing off to the kitchen, she found a tall cup and filled it partially with water. She had a vase it would fit in, but she’d find it later. “Okay, ready?”

“Absolutely,” he replied as she shut the door to the apartment. “I hope you’re hungry. There’s a new Greek place I thought we could try out.”

Her mouth watered at the thought. “That sounds amazing. I love Greek food.” They headed to the complex’s parking lot, but instead of walking to his bike, Leo led Bragnae to a sleek, blue Ford Mustang with two thick, white stripes stretching the length of the car. “Oh, I thought we were taking your bike tonight. That’s why I wore pants this time,” she joked.

“I thought the Mustang would be more comfortable for you.” Leo took her hand and walked her over to the passenger side, opening her door. “After you.”

She smiled at him before stepping into the immaculately clean car. Even though his sports car was an older model, he kept it washed and free of clutter. She settled into the leather seats as Leo climbed in on the other side. As he turned the key, the engine immediately purred. Bragnae wasn’t into cars, but she could appreciate the thrilling and erotic growl of a sports car. And like the Mustang, she was turned on.

As Leo drove out of the parking lot and onto the street, Bragnae admired his stick shift handling. There was something about a man who knew how to drive a manual vehicle. It took patience to learn the extra skills, and it was sexy as hell to witness. She leaned back against her seat biting her lip as she watched Leo rest his wrist on the top of the steering wheel, while his other hand curled around the gear shift between them. He moved it with ease between the gears as he drove.

Leo must have felt her eyes on him, so he glanced her way. “Whatcha lookin’ at?” He smirked as he turned his attention back to the road.

“I’m just enjoying watching you drive. It’s hot.” She slid her hands down her thighs, feeling a tingle between her legs.

“Hotter than the bike? I remember you appreciating seeing me on it.” He continued to steal glances her way.

“Hmmmm,” she thought aloud. “That’s a tough choice. While you looked especially sexy straddling the bike, I think I'm partial to watching you shift gears seeing as I have a front row seat to the action. Then again, I was able to wrap my arms around your waist on the bike, and that’s proving to be a little more difficult here. So, really it’s a toss-up.”

As he pulled up to a stop light, he turned to look at her. “Good thing I have both then, huh?” Leo picked up her hand and let it drape over the stick shift before covering it with his own. The light turned green, and Leo moved the gear with her hand under his while he drove. When his hand relaxed between gears, his fingers playfully entwined with hers. She had to lean closer to the center console to keep her hand on the stick, but she didn’t mind. It was fun to let him include her this way.

Before long, they arrived at the restaurant. Being a Wednesday night, they were seated immediately. The Greek taverna was decorated in white and blue colors with a large mural of the Parthenon and the city of Athens. It was a smaller restaurant, but the atmosphere was inviting and warm.

They asked for two shots of Ouzo and placed their orders for an appetizer and a variety platter of Greek specialties to split.

“So, Bragnae,” Leo said as he stretched his arms beneath the table. “What made you want to ask me out tonight?”

She flashed a brief smile at him before straightening her posture. “Well, I had a talk with Drake last weekend.” She paused as the waitress brought over their Ouzo. Leo’s eyebrows perked up – she had his full attention. “He told me that I should go out with you.”

Leo drew back in surprise. “He did? Why would he say that?”

“It was actually very gracious of him. He wanted me to go out with you so I could figure out who I truly wanted to be with. For his sake and mine, he wanted me to explore this with you so I’d know for sure.”

“Oh,” he said, looking a bit disappointed.

Bragnae immediately rest a hand on his forearm. “I want you to know that this is something I wanted to do anyway, but having Drake’s permission made it easier. He’s given me the choice, and while I have feelings for him, I couldn’t ignore how I felt about you. And after everything, I really wanted to know what it was like to go out with you.” With a gentle squeeze of his arm, she looked deeply into his eyes. “I hope this doesn’t make you feel inferior in any way because that is definitely not how I see you.”

He took a moment to search her face before a soft smile lifted his mouth. “I don’t.”

“Good. And there’s no pressure to impress me tonight. You already have. I just want to enjoy this time with you.”

Leo looked down at his lap. “Actually, there is some pressure, but not from you.” He peered back up at her exhaling a deep breath. “I didn’t do it right last time. Everything I did when I took you to Inferno was solely in my own self-interests.

Bragnae made a disagreeable face. “No, it wasn’t.”

“Yes, it was – trust me. My goal that night was to sleep with you, and I made it so I could get to the finish line as quickly as possible.” He spoke with both regret and confidence. “I picked you up on my bike, not taking into consideration what you wore or even if you’d be comfortable on the back of a motorcycle. Then, I took you to a place I knew well, got us both in for free and led you straight to the bar to lower your inhibitions with alcohol. I didn’t even buy you dinner, Bragnae.” Leo shook his head at himself before continuing. “Then, we danced and I took you upstairs – a place I knew I could get you alone and seduce you.”

Her gaze fell to the table as her mind scanned through the memories of that night. “I don’t remember it that way.”

“That’s because I made it seem like it was all about you.” Leo averted his eyes again. “I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve learned techniques on how to make women feel comfortable and desired enough that they melt as soon as I touch them.” A remorseful expression filled his face as he looked at her again. “I knew I’d have you that night before we even left the bar to dance.”

Bragnae drew in an inaudible gasp, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in her own skin. She was embarrassed that she could be so easily manipulated that way and was apparently predictable. “You make yourself sound like some sort of predator.”

“I was.” Leo leaned toward her and covered her hand with his. “I’m not proud of it. And I’m not telling you this to remind you of why you should still hate me. I just wanted you to see how I used to do things, and how I’ll never do it again. You helped heal my past, Bragnae, but it hurt so badly knowing you wanted nothing to do with me. I could have turned it all around, but I let my fear of heartbreak get in the way. I really screwed things up.”

Turning her hand over, she stroked his palm before weaving her fingers with his as she spoke. “You worked really hard to unscrew it, though. I admired your persistence. In the back of my mind, I knew you were genuine about feeling bad, but I was still so mad and hurt from what you did that I didn’t want to see the good in you.” She stared at their joined hands in thought. The night at the club was where a lot of her deep feelings for Leo stemmed from.

Her eyes found his again. “Leo, do you think my feelings for you are real? Is it possible they aren’t since so much of that night was controlled to fit your agenda?”

He opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it while he considered her words. “I was able to seduce you, Bragnae, but it was still me. The things we talked about earlier that day, the connection we both felt that night… it was all me.” Leo swallowed. A hint of fear flashed in his eyes. “Did you like me before that night? Before the threesome even?”

“Yes, I did. I always thought you were funny, and I liked how you always brought me out of my comfort zone when we hung out.” She offered him a flirty grin. “Not to mention, I always found you devilishly handsome.”

Leo chuckled as his tense body relaxed. “Well, there ya go. I hope you can see your feelings for me are true.”

Taking a second to consider it all, she looked at him. “I do. I think I would’ve been able to see past them if they weren’t. It would’ve been so much easier to get over you had they been based on a lie.”

“I think so, too.” The corner of his mouth lifted as he reached for the shot glass on the table. “How about a toast?”

Bragnae picked hers up as well, and waited for him to speak.

“Here’s to acknowledging and forgiving the past,” he paused to look at her more fondly. “And to a fresh start, and hopefully a promising future.”

She smiled, clinking her glass against his before they both tossed the strong alcohol down their throats. Bragnae blew out a quick breath as the liquid burned on its way down.

The waitress dropped off their food a moment later, and as they tasted their way through Greece on a plate, Bragnae and Leo got to know each other more with real first date questions. It was very pleasant, and made her feel even more connected to him.

Later on after dinner, Leo brought them back to her place. Bragnae unlocked the door to her apartment, and stepped inside.

“Do you want to come in for some coffee or something?” She asked, not ready for the night to end.

Leo hesitated as his eyes raked down her body. “I better not. It’s a school night, young lady,” he said in a teasing tone.

She knew Leo was trying to make this better than the first time they went out, and she wanted to respect that. “Okay, then can I see you again soon when it’s not a school night?”

He smirked. “Friday or Saturday?”

“Friday. I’m off that night.” She lightly tugged on his shirt to bring him closer.

“I’ll make sure I am too.” Leo braced a hand on the open door, standing mere inches away from her.

“Great, then why don’t you come over here on Friday night, and this time, I’ll handle the details.” He nodded at her suggestion. “I had a really nice time with you tonight. Thank you for dinner.”

“Thank you for going out with me. It was nice to have a second chance.” Leo’s eyes dropped to her lips – his still curled up in a tempting grin.

His intoxicating scent delightfully overwhelmed her. It had been so long since they last kissed, and Bragnae was more than ready for it. She ran her hands up his chest until they reached the base of his neck. Pulling him towards her, she raised up on her toes to meet his soft, full lips. The kiss immediately sent a bolt of energy throughout her body. It was gentle and amazing, but it wasn’t enough. She pulled back just long enough to take a breath, and then went in for more.

Leo moved his body more squarely against hers, holding her face as he deepened the kiss. He groaned as his mouth hungrily feasted on hers. His tongue slid across her bottom lip before sinking into her. As her hands slipped down his body to cling to him more, Leo broke the kiss.

“Friday, then?” He asked, slightly out of breath.

Still reeling from the kiss, it was all she could do not to pull him back in. “Mmhmm. Friday.”

“Goodnight, Bragnae,” he said softly, gazing into her eyes.

“Goodnight.”

He gave her another desirous look before forcing himself away from her. Bragnae watched him until he was out of sight, and even then she felt breathless and weak in the knees. She finally shut the door, and walked to her bedroom. Plopping onto her bed, she stared at the ceiling with a fixed smile on her face. Leo was all that filled her mind, and she couldn’t wait for Friday to see him again.

The next day and a half went excruciatingly slow. As soon as Bragnae was out of class on Friday, she stopped at the grocery store to get a few snacks and beer for the night ahead. She told Leo to come over around seven o’clock for a game night, so she had a few hours left to shower and get the food ready.

After getting her hair and make-up just right, Bragnae set a game on the small and round kitchen table. She grabbed the vegetable and cheese and sausage trays out of the fridge, and displayed them on the counter. No sooner had she done that did she hear a knock at the door before it opened.

“Bragnae?” Leo asked as he slipped into the apartment.

She walked around a wall in the kitchen to the foyer to greet him. “Hey there.”

A bright smile appeared on his face as soon as he saw her. “Hi, beautiful.” Leo pulled her to him, connecting them both in a sensual kiss. Pleasant tingles collected between her legs while his lips and firm hands held her body to his. When he drew back, she had to ground herself again.

“Would you like a beer?” She asked.

“I’d love one.”

Bragnae went to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer, and removed their caps before handing one to him.

“So, what game are we playing tonight?” He asked, taking off his leather jacket.

“Yahtzee!” She said emphatically as she walked over to the table.

Leo laughed. “Alright, I like that game.” He took a drink from the bottle, and plunged a stick of celery into the dip before taking a bite.

They both plated some snacks before taking a seat at the table. Bragnae set out the dice, cup and their score sheets, and retrieved two pens for them. As Leo indulged in a piece of sausage between cheese and a cracker, she gave him a playful look.

“What are you planning over there?” He asked, chewing his food.

“What do you say we make this game interesting?”

He threw his head back chuckling. “I should have known. What are the stakes?”

“Not so much stakes as it is the way the game is played. I propose that we play strip Yahtzee.” She arched an eyebrow to accompany her smirk.

He smiled. “And what are the rules to this?”

“Well, if you roll the big ticket items like a three or four of a kind, a full house, or a small or large straight, the other person has to take off a piece of clothing of their choice.”

“And what if someone rolls a Yahtzee?” He asked, taking a swig of beer.

“The person who rolls a Yahtzee gets to choose which article of clothing comes off the other person.” She watched as Leo gave an appreciative nod to the rules. “So, what do you say? Are you up for it?” With Madeleine at work for the rest of the night, she knew they’d be able to have fun without any interruptions.

Leo looked at her with uncertainty. “I don’t know. Are you sure we should do this?”

Her confident expression fell when she realized he was still hung up on ‘making things right’. Normally, he’d jump all over an opportunity like that. “Look, Leo. I appreciate that you’re trying to be better this go around, but I don’t want you to have to change who you are. I know you want to have sex with me again.” She wet her lips, showing off a soft smile. “Honestly, that’s what I want, too. You’ve already proved that things are different now, but I don’t want you to walk on eggshells with me, and hide who you are or what you want just because you’re worried you’ll screw it up like before. I trust you. I know you won’t hurt me.”

After a moment of searching her face, Leo accepted what she had to say with a relieved sigh. “You saying that means a lot to me. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

A wicked smirk transformed his lips. “Well, on that note, I accept your challenge for Strip Yahtzee.” He leaned back in his chair with a new found arrogance about him. “You better say goodbye to those clothes because they’ll be flying off of you once I get my hands on those dice.”

“I love how cocky you can be. You’re on.” She smiled, passing him the cup of dice.

He shook his head. “Ladies first.”

Bragnae reclaimed the cup, giving it a good shake before scattering the five dice across the table. At the end of her third roll, she had only accumulated two of a kind, so she resigned to taking the two 1’s.

“Aww, too bad. My turn.” Leo grabbed the cup and spilled out three 6’s. He put the other two dice back, and rolled again. Another 6. “One more to go.” He shook the cup while smirking at her, then popped the last dice on the table. “Yahtzee!” He shouted as another 6 appeared before them.

Bragnae stared at the dice with her mouth open. “Already? My God!”

Leo folded his arms across his chest. “Oh, didn’t I mention it? I’m pretty good at this game. Go ahead and take off that shirt for me.”

Playfully narrowing her eyes at him, she reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. “This isn’t going to fluster you is it? As I recall from the game of pool that night you were very easily distracted by me.”

“Oh, no. Not this time. I’m even more determined for my prize, and we’re not quite there yet.” His eyes sparkled with excitement as they danced across her chest. She wore a black bra with rhinestones along the wire – one she specifically picked out knowing it would most likely be seen that night.

She reached for the cup of dice, giving it a healthy shake making her breasts do the same. Relishing in his attention, she spilled the dice on the table.

“Look at that! A small straight just for me.” Before marking her scoresheet, she cocked an eyebrow in his direction. “Take off something. Preferably your shirt.”

Leo fumble with his legs under the table, and reached down before bringing his shoe into view. “How’s that?”

“Your shoe? Really?” She didn’t hide her playful attitude.

He fumbled again. “Okay, I’ll give you both shoes.”

“Gee, thanks.” She rolled her eyes.

“You should go for those Yahtzees, and then you can dictate what comes off of me. Now, gimme those dice.” Leo scooped them up and took his turn. Astoundingly, he rolled an immediate Yahtzee. He threw his hands victoriously into the air. “Yes!”

“What?!” Bragnae asked in shock.

Leo leaned over to look under the table. “Oh, good. You’re not wearing shoes. Take off those pants.”

Bragnae still stared at his dice roll with a stunned expression. “How are you doing this? It’s a game of chance!”

He laughed. “Not when you have my skills. Go ahead, take ‘em off.”

Heaving a sigh, Bragnae stood from her chair and hooked her thumbs beneath the waistband of her leggings. Remembering how much he appreciated her backside, she turned away from him as she pushed down the spandex to reveal her bare skin covered only by the lacy fabric of her thong. Keeping her gaze on him over her shoulder, she watched his eyes widen with pleasure while a broad grin covered his face.

Leo blew out a low whistle while she removed the rest of the pants from her legs. “Looking good, sweetheart.”

What was a thrilling moment suddenly turned into an uncomfortable one. Bragnae winced at the generic pet name as she sat in her seat again.

“What’s that look for?” Leo asked. His brow now pinched with concern.

“You called me ‘sweetheart’.” Disappointment was evident in her eyes.

Confusion spread across his face. “Yeah… what’s wrong with that?”

“Did you mean it or is it just something you say?” Sitting there in only her bra and panties was not what was making her feel vulnerable in the conversation.

“Of course I meant it. Why would you question that?” Leo sat forward with intent to listen.

Bragnae took a deep breath and looked at him meekly. “I had a serious boyfriend once who used to use all of those pet names, and I loved it. I really felt like I was in a grown-up, caring relationship.” She looked down at her lap to muster the courage to finish her story. “Then, I found out that my boyfriend was seeing two other women apart from me. And he was using those generic nicknames so he wouldn’t use the wrong name when he was with each of us.”

Leo gave her a sympathetic look as he reached over to cover her hand with his. “I’m sorry that happened to you. That guy was clearly a greedy asshole who didn’t appreciate what he had.” He squeezed her hand gently to get her attention back on him. “When I say it, it’s a term of endearment. I’ve always been the type of guy who enjoys saying those things, but it’s never been because I think I’m going to slip up and call you a different name. When I say it, it comes from my heart.”

She could hear the sincerity in his voice, and realized she was being unfair by assigning baggage from a past relationship to Leo even though he didn’t deserve it.

“And Bragnae, there’s no one else. I haven’t even thought about being with another woman since we were together that night. Even though I tried to push you away from me, I knew what I felt with you was strong and deep, and I couldn’t deny it.”

Laying her other hand on top of his, she gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry I assumed you were doing the same thing. When we went out to the club, I enjoyed hearing you call me those things. I thought it was a good time to move on from what my ex did. But then…”

“But then,” Leo stepped in to finish her sentence. “I made you feel cheap and unwanted – ruining those pet names for you again. I can’t blame you for thinking that you meant nothing to me. But it’s actually quite the opposite.” He poured his heart into her as his eyes searched hers. “If you prefer that I not call you those things, I won’t.”

“No,” she protested. “It sounds wonderful when you say them, especially knowing what I know now.”

“Okay,” he smiled. Leo brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her skin. “I’m glad we talked about this. I don’t want anything standing in our way.”

“Me neither.” The words flowed out of her naturally. It felt so wonderful being open with Leo about this, and instantly felt closer to him.

He slid the cup of dice in her direction. “It’s your turn. Better make this roll count. You are literally hanging on by a few threads over there.” He smirked while admiring what he could see of her above the table.

Bragnae took the cup and shook it a few times, silently praying for five of a kind to appear. She sprawled the dice on the table to find her prayer was answered. “Hell yes! Yahtzee!” She clapped her hands excitedly. “Okay, mister! Take off that shirt!”

Leo laughed at her emphatic display as he stood to remove his t-shirt. Bragnae watched as the fabric lifted to reveal his taut abs and defined pecs. His body was beautifully sculpted.

“I’m very happy right now.” She beamed at him as she drank in the sight of him.

“Not as happy as I’m about to be,” he said, grabbing the dice. Leo shook the cup, and spilled them onto the table. “Three 4’s. I’m going for that Yahtzee.” He replaced the other two dice, and shook them again. Out came two more 4’s. Leo placed the cup down hard on the table and sat back with his arms folded across his chest. A big, cocky grin lit up his face.

Bragnae’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my God! How is that possible?”

He chuckled. “I told you. I mean business.”

Sighing, Bragnae shook her head. “Okay, which one do you want?” With only two pieces of clothing left on her, his choices were limited, but tempting nonetheless.

Leo looked at her for another moment with a triumphant smile on his face, and then leaned over to look at his score sheet. “Well, since I’ve pretty much annihilated you with my score, I should probably put you out of your misery.” He stood from his chair, and knelt in front of her. “I’m going to need those panties, but since I’m such a good sportsman, I’ll take them off of you myself.”

She smiled as he ran his smooth hands up her legs until he reached the straps of her thong. As he pulled the lace down her skin, she lifted slightly in her seat to help him. Leo kept his eyes on his task as he lifted each of her legs to clear the panties completely.

“You know, there’s a prize for second place,” he told her, returning his gaze to hers.

“And what is it?”

“A kiss. Would you settle for that?” A certain heat burned in his eyes making her tingle with anticipation.

“Absolutely.”

Smiling, Leo moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her lower half forward in the seat. She was slouched in the chair comfortably as she watched him gently widen her legs.

Leo picked up her ankles and placed them over his shoulders before cupping her hips with his hands. He laid soft kisses on her inner thigh causing her to squirm with need. And then she felt his tongue draw a sensual line from her silky entrance to her throbbing clit. A moan immediately escaped her as her eyes fluttered closed.

Leo paid extra attention to her sensitive skin as he continued flicking his tongue against her clit at a rapid pace. The warmth in her loins climbed as she concentrated on the precise movements of his tongue hitting the right spot. As one hand gripped his sandy blonde hair, the other crinkled the Yahtzee score sheet while he brought her closer to the edge.

He sucked her swollen bud into his mouth letting his tongue meet her skin again. Bragnae’s head hung over the back of the chair as whimpering moans left her body. His mouth dropped to tease her entrance before returning to the place that would unlock the incredible release she sought. Leo licked with intention for another moment rendering her tense with anticipation.

Bragnae’s breath caught in her throat as Leo’s consistent effort made her come. She writhed and screamed. Grasping for something to hold as the pleasure overwhelmed her, Bragnae swiped the game’s contents onto the floor. As her screams subsided, Leo drew back slowly, kissing the inside of her thighs once more. Her long black hair hung like a waterfall over the back of the chair.

“Wow,” she said breathlessly. Bragnae slowly picked her head up so her eyes could meet his. “That was incredible.”

Leo smiled up at her. “That was just the opening act. There’s much more to come.”

Bragnae sat up and pulled Leo’s lips to hers. “Stand up,” she whispered when she broke the kiss. He did as she requested while Bragnae worked on unbuckling his belt, and then his jeans. Sliding both his boxers and pants down, she sprung free his giant erection that stood eye level with her. Her eyes darkened at the sight of him. She wanted to touch him, wrap her fingers around him, take him in her mouth. She wanted to feel him inside of her again. His glorious cock was the key to her undoing, and she was ready for it.

Encircling her fingers around the base of his shaft, she stroked her hand up to his engorged tip as she watched him take a shuddering breath. His crystal blue eyes appeared like the midnight sky as he looked down at her with desire. She used her other hand to pull his hips toward her as she allowed her mouth to consume his length. Tightening her lips around his steel-hard cock, Bragnae moved against him letting her tongue glide over his most sensitive area.

Leo braced his hands on the back of her chair, exhaling a groan. “You’re going to need to stop, Bragnae.” He waited for her to detach herself from him before lifting her to her feet. “You are really good at that, but I want to do this the right way.” Before she could respond, Leo hoisted Bragnae up by her thighs. She looped her arms around his neck sinking her lips against his.

“I want you so bad, Leo,” she said, staring at his full lips.

Leo started walking towards her bedroom. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m going to give you what you want.” In between kisses, he was able to navigate them to her room where he sat on the bed, keeping Bragnae on top of him.

Bragnae readjusted so her primed clit sat against his hard-on. The anticipation was overwhelming. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted to be with him again since the night they were together until it was staring at her in the face.

Leo brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Last time we did this, it was so cheap – on a couch in a public place. You deserve better than that.”

This was interesting. Up until Leo explained his perspective more thoroughly from the night at Inferno, she had enjoyed her time with him then. Yes, they were on a couch in a private room above a night club, but he had made her feel wanted and special. Now was their chance to make up for that night, but it wasn’t just for Bragnae’s sake. Leo didn’t allow himself to have the passionate and caring sex they both craved that night due to his past, but tonight would be different. He was finally free of the hold his ex’s past actions had over him, so he could truly enjoy what sex was meant to be between two people who cared about each other.

Bragnae framed his face, looking deeply into his eyes. “You deserve better than that, too. You’ve let go of your past and the protective wall that made sex meaningless for you since then. It’s time for you to really indulge in it… with me.”

“I’m dying to,” he replied in a desperate, hoarse whisper.

Their mouths connected in a deep, wanting kiss that was full of emotion. They held each other tightly – their chests pressed against one another. Leo’s fingers found the clasp of her bra, and freed her of it with a quick pinch of the fabric. After slipping her arms out of the straps, Bragnae grinded her hips against his throbbing cock making them both shudder.

She captured his lips once more, drawing back slowly while she raised up on her knees to hover over him. His eyes followed hers as she began to ease herself onto his stiff cock. A trembling gasp left her as Leo’s length filled her up.

Groaning, Leo closed his eyes in relief. “You feel so good.” After another savoring moment, his eyes shot open with concern. “Shit, I forgot to put on a condom.”

“It’s okay,” she dismissed quickly. Her hips rolled up and down his length as she barely managed to speak. “I’ve got that covered,” she told him, knowing she consistently took her birth control pills. The passion and excitement of the moment disallowed her from delving deeper into an explanation. Leo accepted her response hastily as he too was caught up in the pleasing gyration of her hips above him.

Bragnae pressed her palm into Leo’s shoulder to guide him down to the mattress. She followed after him with a tender-locking kiss. His hands slid down her back and onto her ass where he cupped and squeezed her skin helping to move her with him. She placed her hands on the bed, propping herself up. Looking down at his handsome face, Bragnae increased her pace feeling every inch of him slide in and out of her.

“Leo,” she moaned before biting her bottom lip. His cock was warm and firm inside her beckoning the pleasure that lay just beyond a sensual door. He was already knocking, and all he needed to do was open it for her. “Ohmigod.”

“You’re too far away. I need you closer,” he said, arching his neck so he could meet her with a searing kiss. Their uneven mouths moved against one another as gasps and moans filled the spaces between. Leo pulled her down with him, so they were both horizontal again. Bragnae kept her speed consistent, feeling the bliss grow inside.

As Leo hungrily devoured her lips, his hands squeezed her backside. While one kept a handful of her cheek, the other started to massage her puckered skin. The additional stimulation prompted an agreeable moan from Bragnae. And then, one of his fingers slipped inside her back door. She gasped surprisingly, breaking their kiss.

He slowly moved his finger back and forth watching her reaction. She already knew what it felt like to be penetrated by two men at once, and she remembered enjoying it. This was not exactly the same caliber of tools, but it was certainly a welcomed experience.

“How’s that feel, baby?” He asked, sliding his entire finger inside her. There was a warm, delightful pressure that filled her, which was different than what his dick was making her feel. The two combined made her mind spiral in many directions knowing an epic orgasm was about to release.

“Fucking great,” she sputtered out in a breathy tone before burying her face in the crevice of his neck. Leo kept his finger in place and moved her hips back and forth. She gripped the blanket on the bed and squeezed his shoulder as an explosive pleasure filled her body. She called to God over and over as new bursts of ecstasy rained down on her with Leo’s consistent efforts.

“Oh, Bragnae, you’re squeezing the shit out of my cock. I’m gonna to come.” Leo’s breathing grew ragged as he moved her faster against him.

Bragnae recovered enough to meet his gaze and use her own strength to move their bodies together. She watched as his mouth dropped open, and a fire blazed in the depths of his eyes. His body tensed as a low, satisfying groan rumbled in his throat, then he exhaled a few sharp breaths before letting himself completely relax. Bragnae sweetly kissed his neck and jaw giving him a few moments to regain his composure.

“Holy shit,” he said breathlessly before rolling Bragnae onto her back. “That was fucking awesome.” He smirked before diving down to seize her lips.

She giggled. “It sure the hell was.”

“I can’t remember the last time it felt that good.” His expression was more serious now. “I mean, besides the first time we were really together. But this was much better.” His eyes never left hers as he hovered above her.

“I feel the same way.” The single lamp that was on in her room offered a soft, amber glow against the rigid lines of his body. Looking up at him, she saw an intensity of affection that poured out of his eyes – similar to the moment after they came the first time they slept together. But there was something more this time.

Leo dipped down to place a few soft kisses on her chest. She ran her fingers through his feathery hair, enjoying the tender moment. When his eyes found hers again, they were relaxed, peaceful – loving even. “Can I stay the night?”

His question pleasantly surprised her. Even though she knew he had changed, this was a drastically different ending than the first time they had sex when he couldn’t get away from her quick enough. Looking back on the threesome and even the time she slept with Drake, none of those times ended in a cuddle session or anyone spending the night. This was a treat in and of itself.

“I’d love for you to stay.” The corners of her mouth lifted into a gentle smile, which he returned before sinking against her in a deep and warm embrace.

#trr #trr drake #trr leo #leo reese #leo x bragnae #the royal romance #the royal romance fanfic #trr fanfic #trr love triangle #TRR Winner Take All Fanfic #strip yahtzee

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artnerd1123 · 4 years

Text

A Familiar World

Coffee ——————————————

Following the move in, things are still a little tense in the apartment. So Aiden decides to try and get on Journal’s good side. What better way to do so than with coffee?

The masterpost for AFW can be found here. The chapter post for AFW can be found here.

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At long last, it’s another chapter!!! I’m following the dialogue bits in “warming up,” and this was inspired by the second and third sets there. Gotta get these roomies on track to friendship. I got this finished in 2 days, but it’s been in existence for awhile, so! I’m glad to finally get it out here lskdjfs. Hope y’all enjoy!

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Coffee. Black as pitch, with just a touch of creamer. Not the expensive stuff, mind you. Just what one can get from a certain widely known coffee farm. Rindbell, if a familiar remembered right. And the creamer comes from the same place. Make sure it’s warm and well mixed. Keep it ready for breakfast, noon, and night. Anytime is a good time for this coffee. It’s a comfort, an energy source, and a favorite all wrapped into one. Easy to tell, as it’s what’s filled a skittish sorcerer’s cup for a few weeks now. Enough was gone that he was running dangerously low. The gentle scrape of fingers on the bottom of a can had greeted the apartment consistently for a couple days. And the sorcerer? Well, he wasn’t saying anything. His name might’ve been Journal, but he wasn’t about to be an open book. And he’d already established how he didn’t want his roommate worrying about him at all. “I’m headed to do some apartment shopping,” Aiden had said, a few days earlier. Journal had barely spared him a glance. It was one of the few times Aiden caught the sorcerer out of his room. He’d been making coffee, of course. The questor himself hadn’t touched the coffee maker thus far. It was one of the agreements they’d silently come to. Journal had the coffee machine. Aiden didn’t use it. That was how things were. So far. … And Journal didn’t seem to have picked up Aiden’s hint. He decided to be a little more direct. “... Do you... want anything? While I’m out?” Aiden ventured. Journal had fixed him with a withering look. “I don’t need you buying anything for me,” he replied tersely. Aiden quirked a brow, holding up his hands. “Alright. That’s fine. Just… figured I’d ask.” “... Whatever.” And so he hadn’t gotten anything. But now, with Journal’s stash coming to an end, the situation had changed. The sorcerer was twitchy and out even less. Cleary, he was trying to save what he had left. He didn’t want to ask for more, either. But he needed it. Aiden wasn’t about to let Journal go without it. He didn’t need to know his roommate well to see how big of a deal the drink was. And maybe. Just maybe. He could finally get on his good side.

Aiden was up early. He usually was, but it was especially important today. He had errands to run, and his roommate wasn’t one who liked to sleep in. Pulling his cloak around his shoulders, he cast a look around the living room. It was barely deserving of its name. The curtains were drawn, barely letting the sun’s first rays inside. The bookshelf was half full. All the novels that remained were shelved neatly. A news scroll was the only thing on the coffee table. One of the armchairs remained utterly untouched. If he hadn’t been sitting on the couch reading last night, he would’ve sworn the place was still waiting for its tenants. It was… discouraging. But he wasn’t going to give up. Not yet, anyways. “You ready to go, Roo?” the questor called quietly. There was an answering meow from the hall. The indigo cat familiar came into sight a moment later. Rubbing at his eyes, Roo yawned loudly. His patched cloak hung loosely around his neck, and his tail dragged against the ground. It was leaving a little paint trail as he made his way to his originator’s side. He sort of just… stood there. Blinking sleepily. “... mnnh… yeah,” Roo mumbled. “... les… lesgo…” Aiden chuckled softly. The familiar was always droopy in the mornings. “C’mere, roodle doodle,” he said gently, taking his paw. “We won’t be out long.” “Wha’eveh yeh say, dad…” Aiden let Roo out first before locking the door behind them. He had no doubt that his roommate would be fine if he didn’t, but the younger sorcerer preferred a locked door. Hopefully that would change sometime. I’d love having visitors over someday. For now, though, they were off to the store. Down the steps and out the front doors they went. Roo woke up more once they were outside. His tail twitched anxiously, and his ears pressed back against his head. He was walking as close to Aiden as he could manage. Aiden gave him a few reassuring pats. The kitty’s nerves were nothing new. The area was still unfamiliar, after all. “Not far to the store,” he hummed. “And we’re only picking up a few things.” “... ‘s theah gonna b-be… um… a l-lotta people…?” Roo whispered, eyes flicking from place to place. “Probably not. We’re up early enough to miss most people, but late enough for stores to be open,” Aiden explained. “... mnn… okay…” Roo took a couple shaky breaths. The tension slowly eased from his shoulders. “... okay. W-we got this.” “That’s the spirit bud…”

Shopping indeed went quickly. It took a little to find Journal’s preferred coffee, but Roo’s excellent memory had come in handy. Nothing like a detail oriented familiar to remember exactly what labels look like. Aiden also snagged a couple other things while they were out. Biscuits, for roo, and some veggies, for dinner that night. But that was neither here nor there. The purchase that mattered was the coffee. And what mattered now was getting home on time…

The originator and familiar found themselves on their doorstep once again. Aiden fumbled around in his belt pack for the key, grumbling under his breath. He still wasn’t used to keeping track of such things. At least he could manage holding a grocery bag and biscuit box in one arm. “Did yeh drop it?” Roo asked, brows furrowed as he shifted a bag of coffee and carrots in his arms. “I-I don’ see it on the floor out heah…” “No no, I’m sure I have it,” Aiden sighed, checking his cloak pocket. “I distinctly remember putting it away. What a time to remember my organization skills are lacking- ah!” His fingers closed around the small bit of metal, drawing it out. He gave Roo a wink as he stuck it in the lock. “Good thing my memory’s not as cluttered as everything else, eh?” The comment drew a giggle from the paint cat. Aiden nudged open the door, and Roo went scampering inside. Though Aiden held his breath going in, a relieved sigh was the only thing that came out. He could hear some noise from down the hall, but that was alright. The living room was empty, as was the kitchen, from what he could see. Aside from Roo and himself, that is. Good. They’d made it in time. “Take the coffee to the kitchen, bud,” he called softly, throwing his cloak onto the rack. “Already on it!” Roo chirped. He quickly skittered into the kitchen, his originator right behind him. Aiden busied himself putting away the other groceries as Roo climbed cabinets for the coffee container. He made sure to keep an eye on the kitty, though. All he had to do was dump the bag into the tin. But still. Roo was small. And the cabinets were high up. Plenty of opportunity for things to fall on him- or the kitty himself to fall. The sound of coffee beans gently clinking against metal rang out soon enough. From Roo’s little “mrrp!” it was louder than he’d expected. And… did it mask the noises in the hall? Or had they stopped? Aiden snuck a glance out the kitchen doorway as the beans’ clinking slowed to a stop. For a moment- just a moment- he thought he saw someone looking out from the hall. But his glance was over in an instant, and he’d nearly dropped a bag of celery. The questor sighed to himself as he got it set back in the cold cabinet. Hopefully what he saw meant their roommate would join them for breakfast. Turning back to the kitchen, he saw Roo half hanging out of another cabinet. The sight made him snort. Whatever he was digging for, he had several boxes on the verge of tipping onto the floor. He crossed the room quickly. “What’re you up to over there, bud?” Aiden chuckled, lifting him out. “I’m gettin breakfast!” Roo mewed indignantly. He crossed his arms, pouting as he hung in Aiden’s grasp. “I’m gonna have some’a the marshmella cereal!” “You sure you need sugar first thing in the morning?” Aiden asked, one brow raised. “Oh, c’mon! It’s not like I’m askin fer catnip!” Roo huffed. “Mmh… Fair enough,” Aiden nodded. He set him down gently, chuckling as Roo beamed. “Go have a seat. I’ll get it. You nearly knocked everything out of here just trying to get the box.” “Yeah, well, there’s no stools on the counter.” “Also fair.” Aiden shook out some cereal and marshmallows into one bowl for roo, and some cornflakes into another for himself. A snap or two left a milk bottle in his hand, and he poured some milk into the two bowls. He stuck a spoon in each before turning around again. It was when he carried them to the table, though, that he noticed someone standing in the kitchen doorway. Journal. He didn’t look any different than usual. Dark clothes, bright leggings, carefully smoothed and dutifully styled hair, pulled back in a ponytail. Though he still managed to look somewhat disheveled. It was probably the raccoon’s mask of sleeplessness on his face. The sorcerer seemed to hover where he was, uncertain about coming in. With the way his eyes flicked from the originator and familiar to the rest of the room, Aiden could tell he was still nervous. That was fine. He just gave him a gentle, warm smile, as he always did. “Good morning Journal,” he hummed, setting the bowls on the table. Roo gave a quiet thank you before waving at Journal. “N-nice to see yeh again...” Roo said softly. “... yeah. ‘Morning...” Journal mumbled. “... you too…” There was a beat of silence as they all looked at each other. Then the two turned to their cereal as their nervous roommate crossed the room. They’d give him his space. And if he didn’t feel like talking more, that was ok. Didn’t make the silence any less awkward, but still. Aiden couldn’t help but sneak a glance or two at Journal as he reached for his coffee container. Taking it down, the younger sorcerer fumbled with it. A look of surprise flitted across his face. Seems he hadn’t been expecting the weight. He set it down carefully, his surprise turning to bafflement once he took the lid off. It was filled to the top with coffee beans. Across the table, Roo was hiding a smile. Aiden hid one of his own. He’d wait for Journal to say something, though. Sure enough, he spoke up. “... did… did you… get me more coffee?” Journal asked hesitantly. “Hm? Oh, yes.” Aiden looked up before nodding. “I grabbed some while Roo and I were out this morning.” “... huh…” Journal eyed the coffee beans for a moment. Reaching in, he pulled out the freshly emptied bag. It brought a whole new layer of delighted confusion to his gaze. “Wh- how- how’d you know what brand of coffee I like???” “You drink enough that I figured you’d like black,” Aiden shrugged. “... that, and Roo saw the label. He helped me pick the right brand.” Roo chuckled timidly when Journal looked at him. Journal blinked, silent for a moment. “... oh. Well. Uh. Thanks,” he said haltingly. “No problem,” Aiden smiled. Journal gave him a small smile in return as he went back to his coffee making. The silence that followed was different than earlier. This was less tense. More… companionable. Just the quiet sounds of morning breakfast time with three roommates. It was… nice. For the first time, all three of them could admit to that.

When Journal finally had his coffee in a mug, Aiden and Roo were finishing up their cereal. “Good coffee?” Aiden inquired. Journal gave a small nod. “Good,” Aiden smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.” “W… will we see yeh again today…?” Roo piped up. He fidgeted with his paws, looking shyly hopeful. “Besides when you come for more coffee, that is,” Aiden joked gently. Journal was silent for a bit. Considering. He swirled his drink as he looked between the two. Eventually he shrugged, taking another sip of his coffee. “Maybe,” he said. “Maybe.” Heaving a sigh, he started off towards the hall. “Depends how much work I get done today.” “F-faieh enough,” Roo sighed. “I-I hope that goes well…” “I’ll second that,” Aiden nodded. “Again, it was nice to see you, Journal.” Journal looked over his shoulder one last time as he stood before the hallway. “... yeah. You… you too,” he replied. “... thanks again.” “Not a problem, Journal.”

As Journal headed down the hall, Aiden and roo were still smiling. They’d done good this time. And, with some luck, AIden thought, I’ll get Journal out and about yet. For now… they had coffee. That was as good a start as any.

#afw chapter #my story #afw #a familiar world #aiden pingere #roo pingere #journal sherman drapht #arty writes #ayyy ya girl's finished another chapter!!!#after 60 years sldkjfsklf #i'm excited to start on these guys being friends--#i'll have some nettles letters to accompany this latest update sometime soonish #but! there's this for now #lskdjfs i hope y'all like--#*softly* and if u enjoy; rbs of my writing r appreciated...

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porkchop-ao3 · 5 years

Text

A Thrill I’ve Never Known (Chapter 39)

Country Pursuits

Reader’s art dealer job has some unfortunate (but is it really unfortunate..? You’ll see) results. Arthur starts making plans. The bank job is looming on the horizon, y’all... Enjoy!

(All chapters tagged with #ATINK and also posted on Ao3, username PorkChop)

The men were out doing the art dealer job. My art dealer job. I felt full of nervous energy, sitting by the campfire with my sketchbook and pencil, tapping the end of it against the page as I looked around for something to draw that'd take my mind off of it.

The day had been pretty uneventful until then. Arthur and I had returned to camp with a pair of pronghorns for Pearson and the gang, so nobody commented on the fact that we'd spent the evening away from camp. I thought that was a nice trade. Food for their silence. Not even Dutch had anything to say, only stopping to tell Arthur that he had been thinking of how to deal with Bronte, and that he'd need to talk to him once he, John and Lenny returned from stealing those paintings.

That was so long ago, it felt like. The boys had only been gone a couple of hours and realistically it was going to take a few with how far they'd be travelling to Valentine, then Emerald Ranch provided everything went correctly (Hosea had spoken to a friend of his over there, Seamus, who'd be taking the art off our hands). Even so, I was restless the entire time.

I focused my attention on Javier's guitar where it was leaning up against a barrel, and started drawing it. I sketched it to fill up a page, giving it plenty of detail in a bid to stretch out the process, have it consume more time before the boys got back. I could only pray that the job went well, considering I'd brought it to them. If anything went wrong, I wouldn't be able to stomach it.

"You, uh, you ever drawn me in that book o' yours?" The log I was sitting on shifted unsteadily as someone dropped in beside me. Micah. I froze for a moment, eyes going wide with shock.

Micah hadn't been particularly friendly with me as of late, given our quarrels and the whole Arthur kicking his front teeth in thing. He either didn't speak to me at all or he barked some order at me, got me to do something for him. A lot of which, I simply didn't do. I wanted to be useful, not a damn servant.

"Why, you gonna demand that I do so if I say no?" I asked, not taking my eyes from the guitar, carrying on sketching. Micah chuckled, and my throat itched from cigarette smoke as he exhaled it, not bothering to direct it away from me.

"Well, would be nice if you did. Show a little friendliness, make out like you might just be able to stand me," it was all spoken in jest. I finally looked at him.

"I stood you for a long time, remember? More than that, thought you were a decent feller if you tried."

"Well, I told you you was wrong, that this is just who I am."

"Yeah and I never believed you. Though, that was 'bout the only thing that came out of your mouth that's true, so I should've."

"You saying I'm a liar, princess?" He questioned and my mood withered further, eyelids lowering in irritation.

"I ain't gonna waste my breath asking you again, Micah. You know I don't like you calling me that," I deadpanned, and I heard him exhale a drawn out breath. "And lying might not be the right word for it. Twisting things, though, that you do plenty of."

"Still think I was going 'round trying to convince people I'd fucked you? That's all rather conceited of you, don't you think?"

"Perhaps. Not half as conceited as you thinking me showing you the barest of kindnesses means I must want you to kiss me," I quipped back, and there was a pause before he made an unconvincing chuckle.

"Whatever," he breathed, sucking on his cigarette hard enough to hollow his cheeks, the end glowing bright before ebbing again when he exhaled the smoke; once again in my direction. It made my eyes water.

"I don't wish to be unfriendly with you, Micah. I never was one for conflict."

"Then I guess you chose the wrong business, this ain't a life that comes free of conflict. That pretty gash in your neck's some pretty solid evidence of that," he muttered, gesturing to my throat.

Every time someone mentioned it, it burned.

"I can't argue with that. I guess I could be more clear; conflict with people that once upon a time I got along with, dare I say liked," I replied, snapping my sketchbook closed when I became too distracted to carry on.

"You liked me?" He smiled and spoke in a sickly tone that was completely condescending and not in the least bit pleasant or sincere. "First time I've ever been told that. Truly, I am touched."

"Maybe it'd happen more often if you didn't go 'round treating people like crap."

"I've never treated you like crap," he told me in all seriousness, brow forming a heavy line above his eyes. I cocked a brow at him and snorted.

"You ain't? How about dumping all your shit on me, telling me to wash this, fix that, I stood in horse shit, scrub my boots? And saying all those dirty things to Arthur right in front of me?" I provoked and he laughed, shaking his head. Anger fizzed up and over inside. "And telling me that all I'm worth is my unsullied body, and you only wanted to fuck me 'cause I'm a virgin?"

Micah's eyes snapped to me at that, and it was a fair bit of time before he responded.

"If I'd've buttered you up real good, would you have been up for it? If I whispered sweet nothings in your ear and called you beautiful and scattered rose petals on the bedroll? Would you have fucked me then?" He levelled his gaze to me, looking directly at me after flicking his spent cigarette away.

"No!"

"Then what's your problem? So what if that's all I wanted you for, if I weren't gonna get you anyway?"

"Well, I suppose you would look at it that way."

"What way do you look at it? Educate me."

"It just weren't nice having that spat at me like I was nothing, like I was completely useless to you since I weren't gonna give you what you wanted. Especially with how well we worked together, how we got along whenever you weren't in one of your moods."

"Well, I guess I figured I owed you the truth. Otherwise you'd be walking 'round thinking you'd hurt my feelings, feelin' guilty, and we can't have that," he shrugged and I rolled my eyes, looking away. "You got an attitude somewhere in you," he added at that. He was smirking.

I didn't respond, opening up my sketchbook again and flicking through it absentmindedly, opening it to a blank page.

"Well, you should know," he began, "I ain't got no hard feelings. It's pretty clear the ship has sailed, anyway."

"I'm sorry?" I questioned, looking at him.

"You think nobody notices when you walk in here with Morgan, acting like he ain't been pokin' you all night? The bags under your eyes are as tellin' as they are unflattering, my dear," his tone was low and dirty and I screwed my face up in distaste. "You ain't no virgin no more."

"Whatever," I hissed, though my face felt hot.

"Those marks on your neck, too, you didn't get those from that O'Driscoll's knife, did you, sugar plum? Likes doing that, does he? Marking what's his," he added, and I stared at him, mouth agape. He was unbearably audacious!

"I don't know. But he sure liked kicking your teeth in," I reminded him, narrowing my eyes. His lip curled up, revealing the gap in his teeth, and he wriggled his tongue between them crudely. I wrinkled my nose. "Just leave me alone," I eventually sighed.

His nasty little laugh petered off as he surprisingly did as he was told.

I must have dozed off at some point when I was supposed to be darning a pair of socks, leaned up against the large tree by the fire. I woke with a start when something tapped my arm; for a moment I was ready to receive a lecture from Miss Grimshaw for sleeping on the job, but instead a hand holding a bundle of cash was in front of my face. My eyes travelled up the arm it was attached to and settled on John.

"Here's your share, sleepy head. Get up before someone sees you, I know Hosea don't take kindly to people doing what you're doing," he advised me, and I took the cash from him, my brows raising.

"Wow, this is my cut? Just for setting it up? You must've got a lot."

"Yeah, we didn't do too badly at all," John nodded.

"Did it go okay?"

Amusement twisted his features.

"Yeah, went off without a hitch. We all rode off without having to fire a single bullet, no one was hurt on the job," he began, and I was about to voice my relief when he continued, "didn't stop Lenny from fucking his leg up somehow on the way back."

"What?" I balked, sitting up. John stepped aside and gestured to where Arthur was helping Lenny down off his horse. Well, dragging him off of it with control while Lenny clung to him, wincing at every jostle of his leg.

I bolted up and raced over there, John hot behind me.

"Lenny! What happened? Are you alright?" I asked uselessly holding my arms out towards him and Arthur in some vague attempt at offering to help. Arthur managed to get him on the ground, balancing on one foot.

"Sure," Lenny said, face frozen in a grimace, "don't worry, ain't nothing to worry about."

"The kid's horse threw him," Arthur informed me, mild amusement on his face too. Neither Arthur or John seemed too concerned, which brought me some relief.

I looked at the horse in question. Little, tiny Maggie.

"She threw you?" I murmured.

"She saw a snake and got spooked, that's all."

"Was pretty impressive, the way he landed on his feet," Arthur mused.

"Till he hit the floor, screaming bloody murder," John added and they both chuckled.

"Glad it's so amusing," Lenny sighed, looking nothing short of mortified.

"We just robbed a whole bunch of valuable artwork from a serious collector without a single problem, but you can't manage to ride home? Yeah, it's a little amusing. Don't worry, it don't look broken, you probably just sprained it," John said. Lenny shook his head, leaning heavily on both Arthur and John as they helped him towards the house. Arthur called Hosea over, who immediately joined us.

They set Lenny down on a chair inside, and Hosea kneeled down in front of him. He inspected the injured ankle, asking him about the pain; where it was, how bad it was, if he felt anything snap. Hosea seemed satisfied after some investigation that no bones were broken, but he needed to rest it. He sent me off to fetch some medical supplies, and when I returned he bandaged up the ankle firmly to support the joint, and Arthur gave Lenny some whiskey for the pain, patting him on the shoulder.

"Now, you just take it easy for a few days, keep your foot up. You keep moving around on it, you'll make it worse," Hosea explained, tying off the bandage before pushing up to his feet, leaning on Lenny's good knee for support as he did.

"What about the bank?" Lenny queried, and Hosea went quiet for a moment. Arthur and John looked to him for his response.

Bank?

"Well, I'm sure we can manage without you, son," Hosea started, and Lenny sighed and leaned his head back, face a picture of disappointment. "Hey, don't be like that. How irresponsible would it be of us to have you along on a bank job when you can barely walk?"

"I know," Lenny grumbled, "I just wanted to be along for that. Show you fellers I can do a good job."

"I trust you would. Don't worry, there'll be other opportunities, I'm sure."

"'cept Dutch keeps saying this'll be the last big score," John noted with a humourless chuckle. Hosea looked at him, unamused and with a certain look in his eye.

"Well, I ain't got much to say about that," Hosea replied, his tone abrupt. It was clear he believed as much as they did that their scores were numbered. "Anyway, you stay here, Lenny. Rest up. Can we bring you anything?"

"If I'm gonna be sat here on my ass for the foreseeable future, some books would be nice," Lenny snorted, slumping glumly in the chair as Hosea dragged over a crate and had him rest his foot on it.

"Books," Hosea repeated with a nod, "certainly."

With that, he headed off. John left too, with a parting sympathetic pat on Lenny's shoulder, leaving just the three of us behind. I immediately turned to Lenny, fiddling with my own fingers, chewing on my lip a moment before speaking. I felt Arthur's eyes on me the whole time.

"Lenny, I'm so sorry," I began, and Arthur laughed.

"I was waiting for that," Arthur said, and I frowned at him in confusion.

"Huh?" Lenny simply grunted, looking at me cluelessly.

"I'm sorry about your ankle, I was praying all day that none of you'd get hurt, but…"

Lenny looked at Arthur, a hint of a smile curling his lips.

"Is she for real?" Lenny shook his head and I flushed a little, feeling foolish. Was I missing something?

"Just tell her it's okay," Arthur put an arm around my waist and carefully began leading me away.

"You think this is your fault?" Lenny called to me, then laughed, "hey, don't worry about it. I forgive you for making Maggie throw me, I don't appreciate it, but at least you're sorry," he teased.

I stopped in my tracks and turned back to him, resisting Arthur's tugging.

"It was my job you got hurt on, that's what I meant. I mean, obviously, right?"

"Listen, somethin' I came to learn real quick. Shit happens. Sometimes it's somebody's fault, but most of the time? It's just shit," Lenny snickered, shaking his head and grinning at me.

"You're speaking to the lady who felt bad over killin' an O'Driscoll who was about to slit her throat, just let her say what she's gotta say," Arthur explained and I frowned deeper.

"Hey, don't tease me for having… morals and– and guilt. You were the one blaming yourself for that O'Driscoll ordeal just 'cause you didn't make me leave the gang, Arthur, so you're one to talk," I snapped.

"That was a whole different thing," Arthur frowned, going serious, "I still think about that, you know."

"Well, don't!"

"How long you two been married?" Lenny asked and we swivelled our heads to look at him, observing his mischievous grin. Hosea walked back in then, a bundle of books in his hands.

"Here you go, son. These were by your tent, but I can ask around, see if anyone can lend you something different?" He began, putting the books down next to his foot on the crate.

Arthur took the opportunity to lead me off again, with that marriage comment ringing in my ears I didn't try to resist. Oh, to be married to Arthur Morgan… I stopped myself before I got carried away.

He led me outside and we took a seat at the front of the house, on the edge of the fountain. He groaned as he sat down, sighing in exhaustion. He looked about as tired as I'd felt all day.

"You alright?" I asked. Arthur nodded, yawning. "Wow. I hope last night was worth it," I said light-heartedly, smirking.

"Oh, it definitely was. Much better than a restful night, princess," he chuckled. "That job went well, John give you your cut?"

I nodded. "It's a lot."

"Yeah, we did real well. I'll tell Dutch… I gotta speak to him at some point. Wants to talk about Angelo Bronte. Dutch is on about robbing a bank in town, so something's gotta be done about him; the man who seems to run the whole damn city."

"You're gonna rob a bank in the middle of the city?" I balked, eyes going wide and bile rising uneasily in my throat.

"Apparently. Hosea thinks we can do it, couple of the girls have been out scoping the place. Doesn't look too heavily guarded," he explained, though it didn't quell my fears at all.

"Yeah, but what about after? Fleeing through the city? It ain't like Valentine, where you run for thirty seconds and you're out on open plains," I exclaimed and Arthur shook his head, agreeing with me.

"It's a risk. I know. But Hosea says the place is full of cash and gold, so if we get away…" he trailed off, looked up towards the house. Hosea and Dutch were sitting up on the balcony above us, talking.

With a sigh, Arthur took my hand and led me away, over towards the edge of the water, out of earshot from any of the camp. I went along with him wearing a concerned frown. He turned to me, then, taking both of my hands and looking down at them.

"If we get away," he continued, not yet meeting my eye, "we should have a lot of money. Enough for the whole gang to get out."

I stared for a moment, wondering why he needed to tell me that in secret. "That's great, but–"

"Not only that, my cut… my cut would be big enough that – put together with what I have saved – you and I might just be able to– to– we could get away," he finally met my eyes at that. "You and me, princess. We could leave, we'd have enough to support ourselves. I could keep you safe."

My lips parted. I had to admit, that all sounded rather wonderful. A totally fresh start, far away from Dutch and the Pinkertons and the O'Driscolls… with Arthur. Just him and me. I must've started smiling a little because Arthur smiled too, pulled me into a hug.

"We could do it. We'd see that the others made it out alright; Charles, John, Mary-Beth, all those people you've grown close to. We'd have peace of mind and then we could leave, be done with all this getting shot at and knives held to our necks. Start leading a proper life," he whispered against the top of my head, swaying me from side to side in his arms.

"You gotta do the bank, first," I reminded him, "oh, please be careful, Arthur."

"I'm always as careful as I can be," he told me, then pulled back to look at me, "I want this. I'm so certain of that."

"Me too," I nodded, cupping his cheeks.

"All that's holding me back is not knowing what'll happen to these people. I want to make sure they're gonna be okay," he whispered and I nodded in understanding. "This bank could be it, princess."

"Arthur!" Dutch yelled across the camp. I looked over Arthur's shoulder to see him leaning over the edge of the balcony, waving him over. Arthur held a hand up in acknowledgement, then let out a soft breath.

"I'll see you later," he said, kissing my forehead and squeezing my hands. I watched him walk back to the house, a feeling in my stomach a bittersweet combination of hope and dread.

I awoke the next morning in my bedroll, laying on the floor of Arthur's room. I knew he'd be returning at some point in the night after heading out with Dutch, so I'd left his bed free. I had to smile to myself, then, when I felt his presence behind me, a hand softly resting on my hip.

The next thing I registered was the smell. Wet, stagnant, musky… unpleasant. I shifted, looking over my shoulder at Arthur to see him lying asleep in just his union suit. His clothes were in a pile nearby, and I realised they were the source of the smell; his jeans and shirt sodden with filthy water, his boots caked in mud. What on Earth had he been doing last night?

I laid back down, lacing my fingers with his on my hip, lifting his hand from me as I rolled to face him, replacing it on my other hip. Arthur woke up a moment later, either stirred by my movement or sensing my eyes on him. His eyes creased with a smile when he saw me, but before he could say anything, I couldn't help but ask;

"Have you been swimming around in the swamp?"

Arthur only paused for a moment before answering. "Yes."

I quirked a brow, utterly perplexed.

"Dutch had us helping out some feller with a boat, reckons he'll get us to Bronte's house so we won't have to go in through the city," he told me sleepily. He started to appear more alert until it all seemed to come back to him in a rush and his face shifted to urgency. "You should'a seen the goddamn alligator out there. Big as a damn bison, I swear."

I nodded in understanding. "Yeah, some big ones out there. You couldn't pay me to set foot in the water, and I grew up there, what on Earth were you doing out there?"

"It's a long story. Ended with me in the water saving some kid, almost had his leg torn off. This alligator… there's big, and then there's big,” he shook his head in disbelief.

I stared at him, a little bit horrified. "You were in the water with a bloodthirsty gator?"

"I still got all my fingers and toes, don't worry," he chuckled, but it quickly faded off, "this kid weren't so lucky. Well, everything's still attached, I just hope he don't get gangrene. Could be pretty bad…"

"Goodness. And where was Dutch during all of this? It was his thing, getting the boat, right?"

"He was in the boat, yelling, but otherwise being unhelpful," he said drily, moving to sit up with a groan. He stretched out his back and I watched the muscles work through the clingy material of his union suit, my head propped up with my arm. "Still, I reckon he was shittin' himself. Course he weren't getting in to help."

"Course," I tutted. "I'm so glad nothing happened to you. Gators, they can be real vicious."

"You're telling me," he snorted.

"When I was a kid, my closest neighbour's son met his end that way," I started, Arthur looking to me with widened eyes, "was out there fishing, waded in too deep and didn't see this big guy in the water."

"Shit…"

"Yeah… all I know is, his dad started firing his gun at the gator, but ended up aiming at his son just to– well, it was the kindest thing to do, apparently," I murmured solemnly.

"Jesus. This ain't filling me with confidence about getting back in that boat, heading out into the swamps again tonight," Arthur breathed, shaking his head.

"Just make sure everyone keeps their limbs inside the boat this time. You'll be fine," I offered him my most comforting smile.

"Noted. I don't particularly feel like watching someone get torn limb from limb by some dinosaur-looking bastard," he sighed. "Anyway, I best get dressed."

"Me too. And I'll wash those nasty clothes of yours. They stink," I laughed, sitting up and reaching for my suitcase, pulling it over to me and retrieving my corset.

"They do? I'm sorry. I can't smell it, must be used to it. Either that or I stink too," he snorted.

I leaned over and sniffed him, amusement worming its way onto my face. I held my thumb and index finger an inch or so apart and gave him a sheepish smirk. He dropped the clean shirt he was about to put on before nodding.

"I'll wash up first."

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #fanfiction #arthur morgan x reader #atink #arthur morgan x female reader #reader insert #rdr2 fanfic

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alette-stars · 5 years

Text

The giant goes to rest. More than two years, 130 000 words and many screams and tears since its start, Lavender Jade is complete.

Let me start off by thanking you all for supporting this fic! When I started I had no idea it was going to receive the love it has. Before Lavender Jade I was known for more overall lighthearted works (Mint and Poppy in the Monsta X fandom, Stray Romance for ASTRO). All your constant love and support has been a huge help. Thank you so much! Words cannot describe the joy your comments and messages gave me ♡

I’ve made so many amazing friends and spoken to so many beautiful people because of this work, but this fic is dedicated to Monsta X ♡

Okay, enough sappiness! Time to move on to the trivia and extras. This is my 4th trivia post (you can find Mint and Poppy here; Stray Romance here; Wrong (Right) Number here) and longest yet, so it’s in 3 parts:

basic tidbits/extra info

regarding the vei, the card divination system

some personal rambling regarding my character motives (entirely skippable)

If it’s not obvious, there are going to be major spoilers, so if you haven’t read the fic yet but plan to do so, I advise not reading this ^^

If you need, you can always reference the character list here

Okay, so let’s get started! Rest of the post is under the cut

1. Basic Trivia

Most of the extras in the fic were original characters this time, with a few exceptions. Even these exceptions are not exactly based on the idols they’re named after, but I imagined them while writing. These are:

Sojung, Jooheon’s bodyguard - WJSN’s Exy

Sewoon, Kihyun’s manservant - soloist Jeong Sewoon

Seungwoo, another of Kihyun’s servants - soloist Yoo Seungwoo

Dawon, Hyunjung, Jiyeon, Luda, Soobin, Juyeon, the girls mentioned as being part of Jooheon’s people in Eigak - WJSN’s Dawon, Seola, Bona, Luda, Soobin, Eunseo

Along with the ones living, there were those who lived in the past. Mentioned in-text:

Hoseok II, a previous king of Yishin - BTS’ J-Hope

Seokjin, a consort to Hoseok II - BTS’ Jin

Kim Namjoon, prime minister of Hoseok II - BTS’ RM

Hakyeon, the first king of Yishin - VIXX’s N

And those referenced only in the snippets in the chapter summaries:

Jungsoo, a previous king of Yishin - Super Junior’s Leeteuk

Kyuhyun, a historian - Super Junior’s Kyuhyun

Yoongi, a consort to Hoseok II - BTS’ Suga

Taekwoon, high prince to Hakyeon - VIXX’s Leo

For some reason which I still cannot fathom, I’ve been praised for the worldbuilding in this fic. The capital city of Yishin doesn’t even have a name.

The basic geography of the peninsula is Yishin, Eigak to her east, a number of tiny states to her west, the sea to her south. The western side of Yishin is more fertile. The stretch of border between Yishin and Eigak is a rocky wasteland.

Yishin was named as a mix of Wonho’s two surnames: Lee and Shin

The concept of snippets from literature and media from the universe as chapter summaries was inspired by Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen saga. The vei deck (more on it later) was also very heavily inspired by his Deck of Dragons in the same books.

A lot of fics focus on Hyungwon’s looks (something I’m guilty of as well) so I wanted to write a world where he wasn’t considered handsome. I understand why all the shows set in alternate worlds have the same beauty standards as us—it makes for prettier TV—but I decided to set a different one for the world of Lavender Jade. Somewhat arbitrarily, we have:

considered very handsome - Hoseok, Minhyuk, Changkyun

considered somewhat handsome - Kihyun

considered plain/regular - Hyunwoo, Hyungwon, Jooheon

Han Jehan, obviously, also falls in category 1.

Han Jehan was my first time writing a proper villain in my fics, and I don’t know how well I succeeded but I enjoyed it immensely. I went out of my way to add all the traits I like so that I wouldn’t end up hating him, even going so far as to give him the surname of one of my favourite idols (sorry Hyuk).

There are two main things I’d change in the fic if I could turn back time:

tighten up the front end. I’d combine the first couple of chapters

Yeon Hu would be a woman. By the time I realized the awesome power of a badass lady general, it was too late

All court members—Jo Senmi, Yeon Hu, etc—are original characters. They’re both basic archetypes you’ll find in sageuk dramas. I think it’s worth mentioning both of them really do love Yishin, they just had very different, more conservative ideas of what would be best for the country.

I’d thought of using all the proper Korean names for the clothes especially, but decided that would make things difficult to read and binned the idea.

The opening note says the world is inspired by the Joseon dynasty. Regarding the initiatives to improve people’s lives, yes, but the hall/court system is more inspired by (what I know of) the Goryeo dynasty system.

I’ve been asked this before, but I’ll answer it here again: I’d never finished a sageuk drama before Flower Crew (very recently, and only because I was watching it with my sisters), and definitely not while I was planning this fic. Don’t judge me. The one I would recommend is Six Flying Dragons, most like Lavender Jade in tone. The others I’ve made headway into are Moonlight Drawn by the Clouds, Ruler: Master of the Mask, and The King and the Clown.

I’m surprised no one brought up the foreshadowing I did near the end of chapter 16. Seven stars, two possible fates. The final fate of the two lovers (Kihyun and Changkyun) turned out to be a mix of the two stories: there was a fire, and the heavenly king was pulled from heaven (Kihyun from his position) to live the rest of his life with his lover.

Unlike my other secret couple (myungjin in Stray Romance) there are no hints of Hyunwoo and Minhyuk. They never did anything that would show. Minhyuk attempts to fluster Hyunwoo, but he does that with everyone.

Changkyun’s final card from the reading in chapter 8 is the two of Knives. It means a sacrifice.

My favorite parts of the fic to write were Kihyun’s various descriptions of Changkyun’s beauty :)

This is, undoubtedly, the fic that has required the most work from me. I will say the most difficult scenes to write were Minhyuk’s fight with the assassin and Hyunwoo’s with Kim Sungil. Action scenes are not my forte.

If you don’t know, I have written a romantic one-shot set in the same universe, titled Only One

2. The Vei

I don’t know how obvious this was, but the entire vei deck concept was inspired by and based on VIXX. The idea itself came from the Deck of Dragons in Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen saga.

There are 84 cards in the deck: 72 cards in six suits, and 12 Unaligned. The Unaligned can be paired off, where each card is the opposite of its pair (with the exception of the last pair). The Unaligned cards are:

Fountain and Grave - a beginning and an ending

The Open Hand and The Closed Hand - generosity and miserliness

The Lord and The Lady - bad luck and good luck

The Centaur and The Fox - someone proud and someone crafty

Magnolia and Crown of Thorns - misery in success and happiness in failure

Pyramid and Mirror - stability/instability and karmic justice/unfairness

The six suits, along with the member they represent, are:

Stars - N

Rings - Leo

Shells - Ken

Scrolls - Ravi

Flowers - Hongbin

Knives - Hyuk

Each suit, like our playing cards, has a king, queen, and knight (jack). The king of each suit is based on a VIXX member, and has some particular qualities along with being very rare. All visual cues for the kings come from VIXX’s masterpiece MV, Shangri-La.

Stars - King: the Emperor, Queen: Sloth, Knight: the Page. The Emperor is the rarest card in the deck, and is represented by a crowned man with no features, only darkness in place of a face. The Page is the icon of diligence (and was in Minhyuk’s hand in chapter X). The theme of the suit is mystic fates, technically the uncategorized cards. In the natural half of the deck.

Rings - King: Death, Queen: Envy, Knight: the Messenger. Death is a card of finality (like Grave). The theme of the suit is secrets. In the manmade half of the deck.

Shells - King: Life, Queen: Gluttony, Knight: the Fool. Life is a card of possibilities. The Fool denotes absolute luck--essentially the card of negation. The theme of the suit is environment. In the natural half of the deck.

Scrolls - King: the Mage, Queen: Greed, Knight: the Apprentice. The Mage is a figure of knowledge and learning. The theme of the suit is motivations. In the manmade half of the deck.

Flowers - King: the Elf, Queen: Lust, Knight: the Handmaid. The Elf is an elusive, hidden figure with hidden motives. The theme of the suit is happiness. In the natural half of the deck.

Knives - King: War, Queen: Wrath, Knight: the General. War is a decisive figure, one who brings final consequences. The them of the suit is decisions. In the manmade half of the deck.

I’ve been asked about the game played with the vei deck as well. It is a game of my own invention, yes. It’s based on trick-taking games like Hearts, where the object is to win the least cards as possible. It’s played in alternating rounds, one where the Unaligned are not used, the next where they are. I didn’t hash out the details beyond some basic motifs, but it is technically playable. Only if you have a vei deck though. The whole gameplay hinges on the fact that some cards are less likely to appear when picked from the stacked deck.

I’ve heard from more than one person that I got them into tarot as a hobby. That’s great! But the truth is I know next to nothing about tarot haha

3. Rambling

I might suggest skipping this. This adds 0 value to the post and fic aside from giving me a space to ramble and whoa it turned out long

First: King Hoseok. He’s copped a fair share of criticism in this fic regarding his passiveness and his acceptance of the unfair consort system. I will defend my handling of this character to the ends of the Earth. I’m not saying he’s perfect (obviously! the only character that comes close to that is Hyunwoo) but I think he did right by what he had.

A neat indication would be to flip back to chapter 14, the Hyungwon POV chapter. When Hoseok says that the two of them are alone even though the room is filled with servants, Hyungwon forgives it as a result of his upbringing. He’s undoubtedly biased, but he has a point. Hoseok was raised as king. Certain things that are so obvious to others don’t even register to him. The consort system, where they have to swear loyalty to him but he doesn’t to them? He was raised as seeing this as normal. They all were. He never even fathoms a consort would want to leave their position. When Kihyun tells him the truth about the affair, Hoseok is stunned. He doesn’t understand Hyungwon calling his old life of poverty a life of freedom.

Basically, Hoseok is just trying his best after being raised (and still living) in a life of absolute privilege. He expects loyalty, love, because he hasn’t been exposed to anything different. His situation is completely different from Jooheon’s, who’s grown up in a much more volatile situation. Jooheon had to learn early on to really open his eyes, to listen, and he’s much more observant and understanding. By the end of the fic Hoseok’s had a wakeup call, and he’s going to get better.

Second: the consort system. Yes, it’s cruel. It wasn’t what Hakyeon had envisioned when he had his companions instated formally. But in Yishin this is the norm. No one thinks it cruel. It’s a position of huge honor (Kihyun thinks of it a few times).

Even though there’s no homophobia, misogyny etc, Yishin is a conservative society. They haven’t had a change of regime in 23 generations. They’re used to the norm, and consortship is the norm. Also, if you look at most conservative societies, you’ll see romantic love isn’t considered a prerequisite for marriage (which is kind of what consortship is). In many societies (including my own) many people would jump at a chance for consortship, no matter their relationship with the monarch.

Third: the fic had a lot of subversion of typical historical expectations and standards. I still consider myself primarily a fantasy writer. Typical fantasy and historical works have a strong focus on honor, dignity, truth and justice and all those values.

Lavender Jade does not. Kihyun and Changkyun are oathbreakers, they are traitors (by Yishini law). Every insult flung at them is true. The king breaks his country’s laws to help them escape their deserved punishment. Even Hyunwoo, the honorable and admirable commandant, defeats Kim Sungil using an underhanded move, and gets his happy ending with another consort breaking his oath.

At times I seriously considered ending this as a tragedy. It felt fair. Kihyun and Changkyun had broken laws, broken promises. All that happened did as a result of their own actions (even Han Jehan’s targeting of Kihyun was, from what we see, brought about by Kihyun digging into his affairs). A sad ending would be deserved. But then I thought, hmm, why? Why should it be fair? Why should they be miserable because it is deserved?

So we got the ending we got, and I hope you’re all happy. I know I am.

Thank you for reading to the end of this (unnecessarily) long post! It’s almost as long as the fic itself haha If you have any questions or messages you can shoot me an ask or pm here, or on my Twitter or on CuriousCat ^^

So what’s next? I’m writing Wrong (Right) ID, an epistolary fic for ASTRO in the same style as Wrong (Right) Number, and A Match Made in Heaven, my VIXX karma officer fic (it’s an unusual concept! you should try it). Both fics will end soon, maybe even before the end of the year, so you won’t have to bear much waiting ^^;;

I’m also writing Blood, Water, a vampire fic with a strong emphasis on family for ATEEZ, so you can check that out too! This one’s going to be long and angsty and quite self indulgent ^^

I’ve been asked if I’m going to continue writing in this universe. The answer is, yes. I will be writing White Carnation, the book referenced in multiple chapters of this fic, as a novella. I might write a short story on how Hoseok and Hyungwon met, but that’s undecided. I’ve hashed out ideas for side stories involving VIXX (and the founding of Yishin) and ATEEZ (and the change of regimes in Eigak) in this CuriousCat ask and this Twitter thread, but those will probably only remain as threads ^^;;

And in the future? I have Monsta X one shots planned, and perhaps another long fic too. All possibilities are open! I hope you’ll stay with me for them ♡

Again, and as always, thank you. I hope you enjoyed Lavender Jade ♡

#fic #my writing #lavender jade

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