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sirloozelite · 4 years

Note

Since we know exactly what Ahsoka went through during Order 66, maybe you could do a prompt of her having a nightmare of it? I’m sure Dr. Larte knows how to deal with panic attacks!

Hey anon.... thanks for the prompt. This one turned into a 3000 word one shot! I hope you enjoy it. I included some Rex too as it made more sense to me that he would be able to comfort Ahsoka about this particular dream. but Kaeden is there too, so a bit of a compromise. I hope you enjoy it.

This one shot is also up on both Fanfic.net and Archive if my readers over there are interested. Links are below.

Fanfic link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12833125/49/The-One-Shot-Saga

Archive link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13648131/chapters/57906610

Anyways, here is the prompt for you anon. Thanks again. I had great fun writing this one!

An endless swarm of blaster fire erupted in her direction, each shot either missing her by inches, or being precisely deflected away by her sabers. Usually she would reflect them back at those that had dared to attack her, but this time…. This time was different.

She didn't want to hurt them…. Not if she couldn't help it.

Pivoting on her heel, she brought her shoto up again, defecting a trio of blue bolts away from her, before pooling what energy she had left in her to unleash the Force forward, knocking her would be assassins off their feet.

Pivoting again, she brought her blade up to reflect another series of bolts from a group that had flanked her, clearly trying to strike her back when it was turned.

Once again, she deflected the bolts, before trusting in the Force to push her foes away.

"Get me to the ship!" A cry from beside her caught her attention, stun blasts erupting from his own blasters as he too fought off those that would see them both dead.

Nodding her head once, she moved into position, continuing to deflect the bolts, protecting both herself and her companion.

Once ready, she nodded at her companion, who turned his attention away from the horde of their former friends that were surrounding them and made towards the Y-wing.

More bolts came their way, and more and more, and she began to tire. This was a do or die moment, and she had no intention of dying today…. Not like this…. Not to her own men!

Her companion reached the ledge, and she turned, pushing out with the Force to send her companion careening through the air, before landing on the front of the fighter that was their only salvation.

A small sigh of relief left her body before something hit her back, resulting in pain and agony flooding through her. It wasn't the first shot she had taken so far. Her arms were burnt from various shots that had glanced her skin thus far, and her hips were aching from a direct blast she had taken to it courtesy of someone she one trusted. For not the first time she thanked her Mandalorian friends for the outfit they had gifted her for the campaign. What areas it did protect of her body had likely saved her life.

Spinning around again, she unleashed the Force once more, knocking three more assailants off their feet.

Moving her arms, something that was becoming increasingly more difficult, she altered her blades to continue to deflect more incoming fire whilst her companion got to safety.

Blast after blast came her way, and she tried as she could to deflect as many as she could, ensuring that she didn't harm anyone else in the process.

The burn on her back pulsated in agony, but she couldn't pay it any mind, not right now.

Another shot grazed her arm, causing her to flinch in pain, but again, she could pay it no mind. She had to fight! She had to survive! She had to…

Another shot broke through her defenses, grazing her knee and forcing her to collapse briefly, narrowly avoiding a shot that was aimed for her head in the process.

Hissing through her teeth, she pushed herself up, ignoring the agonizing pain that echoed around her body as she continued her collapsing defense. She couldn't afford to take another hit. Any more and…

A loud explosion echoed throughout the hanger, her montrals ringing in response to the sudden sound before the entire ship began to list to one side, causing all of her former friends to lose their balance and…

*******************************************

"NO!"

The scream of terror, followed by the way her companion shot up in bed was more than enough to instantly wake up Kaeden Larte. Usually she was slow to wake up, preferring to let her body and mind prepare itself for the day ahead at it's own pace.

But this…this was something different, Kaeden could tell.

Pushing herself up, Kaeden instantly turned her attention to Ahsoka, who was now sat up in bed, eyes wide and haunted, entire frame shivering with terror.

"Ahsoka?" Kaeden asked quietly, reaching a hand over to place on her back, hoping to comfort her.

The Togruta flinched in response, her panicked eyes darting around the room, before her hands reached out and summoned something to her.

The next thing Kaeden knew Ahsoka was up out of their bed, her body dropping into a combat stance as her lightsabers flew into her waiting hands, white blades ignited and waiting for something. Kaeden watched as the Togruta pivoted her blades in various arcs, as if deflecting blaster fire away from her.

Except, there was no blaster fire… and there was no one trying to harm Ahsoka in the way she clearly thought there was. Whatever Ahsoka had been dreaming off was obviously bad if this was how she was reacting.

"Ahsoka? Ahsoka, it's me, Kaeden. Are you alright?" Kaeden spoke softly, trying to get through to her partner.

The Togruta's eyes continued to dart around, her blades moving around her in defensive arcs, still blocking the imaginary blaster fire away from her.

"Ahsoka?" Kaeden tried again, slowly reaching down to her side of the bed, picking up her dressing gown to drape over her own body in the process.

"Kae… Kaeden?" Ahsoka spoke this time, the alert in her eyes and body stance fading, her lightsabers extinguishing in an instant, dropping out of her hands and landing at her feet in the process as the Togruta began to shiver again.

"Hey, hey Ahsoka… it's alright. Come, sit down with me." Kaeden spoke, slowly reaching a hand forward to grasp Ahsoka's pulling her to a sitting position on the side of the bed before joining her, wrapping one arm around Ahsoka's body to comfort her.

Kaeden knew that Ahsoka had nightmares from time to time. Kriff, she had seen a few of them herself. Ahsoka would wake up in the middle of the night with a haunted look on her face, perhaps a few breathless gasps, before she would lay back down and cuddle into Kaeden's body, seeking comfort.

But never before had she shot up out of bed like that. Never before had she tried to defend herself from an imaginary threat!

Clearly, whatever the nightmare had been about was bad. Very very bad.

Ahsoka would not stop shivering, her body becoming slick with sweat, even as Kaeden tried to comfort her, whispering soothing words into her lekku.

"Talk to me Ahsoka. Tell me." Kaeden spoke, hoping that maybe if she talked about it, it would help. It usually did.

"I… I…"

"Yes?"

Ahsoka froze suddenly, gasping out in what appeared to be sudden pain from something, but what Kaeden did not know.

"Kaeden! Get me the bacta patches quick! I've been shot! I'm trying not to hurt them, but they shot me!"

Alarm flooded Kaeden once more. Ahsoka had been shot! How? When? By whom?

"Hurry Kaeden! It hurts!"

Kaeden vaulted to her feet, taking care not to hurt Ahsoka any more as she rushed over to the make-up table she had brought, opening a draw on it and removing a container of emergency bacta patches.

Spinning back around, she moved towards Ahsoka and spoke, her mind in 'Doctor Larte' mode.

"Where are you hit Ahsoka?" Kaeden asked, removing one of the bacta patches from the container, preparing to lay it across the wounds when Ahsoka revealed where it was. It would only be a temporary fix, but for now it would do.

"Everywhere! They got me on the knee, and the back. The waist too! And my arms! Look!"

The sheer panic in Ahsoka's voice was beginning to scare Kaeden. She was never ever like this, even when actually being shot at. Her dream must have been beyond bad!

"Show me Ahsoka." Kaeden spoke, controlling her worry the only way she knew how, by being a Doctor. She had treated blaster wounds before. She just had to get her patient to calm down.

"Here!" Ahsoka's cry in response as she removed one hand from where she had been covering part of her arm, likely the spot where she had been shot.

However, when Kaeden glanced at the wound, Kaeden saw nothing. There was no damage to the skin, not that Kaeden could see. There was a small mark however, one that looked like a faded scar from a time when she had been shot. The wound had clearly healed over time, so why was Ahsoka….

"And here too!" Ahsoka cried out again, gesturing to another part on the other arm, where again, there was no blaster mark except for a faded scar of the past.

"Ahsoka…. There's nothing there, love." Kaeden spoke softly, confusion flooding her mind. Ahsoka seemed so sure that she had been shot, but there was nothing she could see on her body to say so, nor was there the stench of burnt flesh that Kaeden associated with a blaster wound.

"There is Kaeden! There is! They got me on my back too! And my waist! Look!"

Despite knowing she wouldn't find anything, Kaeden did look. Ahsoka's back was already a mess of scars thanks to Palpatine's Force lightning assault, but still, Kaeden could find no fresh blaster wound to treat, nor could she find any on the Togruta's waist.

"THEY ARE THERE KAEDEN! I SWEAR TO YOU! THEY ARE!"

Ahsoka's screams of self belief were accompanied by tears pouring from her eyes, sobs wracking her body in the process as the Togruta began to curl up in herself, shivering at a much more violent rate.

Kaeden honestly didn't know what to do. She'd never dealt with something in this condition before. She was a physical healer, not a mental one, and without the proper context as to what her dream had been about, Kaeden was utterly lost of what to do next.

Luckily for her, help came right away.

The bedroom door burst open, and the figure of Ahsoka's closest and oldest friend came darting into the room, a look of deep panic on his face.

"What's wrong!? I heard shouting!" Captain Rex asked, his own hazel eyes widening at the state of Ahsoka shivering on the bed. The old Clone had come round for a barbecue, and had chosen to sleep the night in the spare room. Clearly he had been awoken by the noise in the adjacent room, despite the soundproofing. How, Kaeden didn't know, and right now she wasn't even thinking about it. She had more pressing concerns.

"I don't know! She had a nightmare I think. She woke up, and grabbed her sabers, like she was deflecting blaster fire. She said she'd been shot and she tried to show me wounds on her arms and back, and her waist, but I can't find anything Rex!" Kaeden explained, trying in vain to keep the panic out of her voice. Ahsoka was hurting, and there seemed to be nothing Kaeden could do.

"Do you know what she was dreaming about Kaeden?" Rex asked, panic in his own voice as he approached the curled up Togruta, hesitating to reach out and touch her, to try and bring her back to them.

"No I… she didn't say anything Rex. She just suddenly started shaking violently and said something about trying not to hurt the people who were shooting her! I don't know what to do Rex!"

"It's ok Kaeden, it's ok. We'll figure it out. Where on the arm did she say she was shot?" Rex spoke, calming himself down despite the situation they were in. The constant sobs of the Togruta on the bed began to subside, however the shaking and what sounded like groans of pain did not.

"There." Kaeden replied, pointing towards where Ahsoka had gestured earlier, towards the small scar from the past. "But there is nothing there anymore. Any injury she did have has healed. I don't understand Rex!"

Rex didn't reply at first, not as he surveyed the small exposed mark on Ahsoka's arm. Something was going through the old Clone's mind, that much was clear, but whatever it was Kaeden did not know.

"I do. I understand perfectly." Rex finally replied, before gesturing to the container in Kaeden's hand, requesting a bacta patch.

Choosing to trust Ahsoka's oldest friend, Kaeden extracted the patch and gave it to Rex, who nodded in appreciation and moved towards Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka? Ahsoka can you hear me? It's Rex."

Ahsoka's shivering seemed to slow for a moment, as if she was recognizing the voice and it's owner.

"Re…. Rex?"

"Yeah, it's me Ahsoka. Are you ok?"

The Togruta moved in an instant, pushing her body up and throwing herself at the Clone, head buried in his neck like a lost child to a parent. From the way Rex reacted, he didn't mind. The Clone wrapped his arms around the Togruta, holding her tight as she began to sob again.

"Ssshh…, it's ok Ahsoka. You're safe. You're not hurt."

"I am Rex…. I am. They shot at me! My own men. Your brothers."

"Ahsoka, that was over twenty years ago. They can't hurt you anymore. You're safe, remember?"

"I… I'm safe?"

"Always Ahsoka. Always. Now, let me look at your wounds please"

"Ok."

The timid response from Ahsoka was surprising to Kaeden, but right now she was more glad that the Togruta had stopped shaking and sobbing and was holding a conversation with someone, no matter how small.

Kaeden watched as Ahsoka pulled back from Rex slightly, allowing the Clone to begin to inspect her arms for the wounds Ahsoka was convinced existed.

"Ahsoka, your wounds have healed nicely. They have left scars however. Is that ok?"

At Rex's words, the Togruta nodded, allowing Rex to continue.

"The wound on your back has also faded, though you have other scars there too. Again though, no major damage. Purely cosmetic."

"Ok."

"As for your waist, well the Beskar plating you were wearing took the brunt of the blaster impact. The only lasting damage was a bruise, which has faded."

"It has?"

"It has. You're going to be ok kid, you hear me?"

"Yeah… yeah I hear you. Thanks Captain. Sorry."

"Don't ever worry about it."

The Togruta's entire body language changed instantly, the terror that had been permeating from her fading away and instead being replaced with the calm serenity that Ahsoka was known for.

Kaeden watched as Rex stood from the bed, pulling back the covers enough for Ahsoka to climb back under, before tucking the Togruta into bed as she dozed off to sleep.

Content that his job was done, Rex passed the unused bacta patch back to Kaeden, before gesturing for her to follow him out the door.

*******************************************************

Several minutes later, and with a cup of hot blue milk in each of their hands as they sat in the lounge, Rex began to explain.

"Ahsoka was dreaming about the day Order 66 was issued. The Clones, including me, turned on her and tried to kill her. She got my chip out of my head and we had to fight our way off the ship together. Ahsoka was adamant that we not harm anyone, but that didn't stop my brothers from using lethal Force."

Kaeden sat and listened, feeling sick to her stomach. She knew all about Rex's story involving Order 66. Part of her had been mad at him until Ahsoka had explained the chips and their function. Now, Kaeden felt nothing but pity for the Clones. They had been used as a weapon against those who trusted them most.

"We made it to the hanger, and whilst we were there Ahsoka got hit, a lot. She took several grazes to her arms, as well as one to her knee, but she also got him in the back and the waist. I think she was having a nightmare about that." Rex continued, a haunted look in his eyes as he recalled the events.

"What about you?" Kaeden asked, wondering just how well Rex had fared. It couldn't have been easy, going against his own brothers in a life or death situation.

"I took a shot to my shoulder, as well as a few close calls, but aside from that I was fine. Ahsoka was in a much worse state than me. I treated those wounds of hers years ago after it was all said and done, and she treated mine. It's not a day I'll ever forget, that's for sure."

"Do you think Ahsoka has PTSD over it?" Kaeden asked, already knowing the answer, but needing to hear it from Rex to confirm it.

"I know I do Kaeden. We both very nearly died that day. It was us against an entire ship of Clones, and Maul certainly didn't help matters when he left us behind to die!"

A rise of anger built up inside Kaeden at the mention of Maul leaving them to die. Clearly that had now changed, but even still, she'd make sure Maul suffered for that one, even if it did happen years ago.

"I think I understand. I guess she responded to you better than me because you were actually there with her Rex." Kaeden said, coming to the realization of why she couldn't reach the panicked Ahsoka. Rex was the only one who truly knew what Ahsoka had been through that day, and the two of them had an unbreakable bond thanks to it. Kaeden wasn't jealous, not by a long mile, but she did understand, and frankly she was glad that Ahsoka had someone like Rex around to help her in times like these.

****************************************************

Both Kaeden and Rex finished their drinks in silence, each contemplating the situation they had found themselves in, and each thanking the Force for the peaceful resolution.

Glancing over at the chronometer on the wall, Kaeden noted the time as shortly after midnight. Kaeden didn't know how long they had both been up, or when Ahsoka's nightmare had begun, but right now she knew she needed to get back to bed, a feeling that was shared by Rex.

Placing their mugs in the sink, they retired upstairs, with Rex returning to the spare room and Kaeden moving to join Ahsoka in their bed.

Opening the door to their bedroom, Kaeden slowly crept into the room, gently closing the door in the process and approaching her side of the bed.

Pulling back the covers enough to expose her side of the bed, Kaeden dropped her dressing gown on the floor before sliding under the covers next to Ahsoka.

As quiet as she tried to be however, Kaeden's movement was enough to disturb Ahsoka, whose eyes opened slightly, a sleepy smile coming to her face as she recognized Kaeden.

"Hey."

"Hey back." Kaeden replied, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Ahsoka's, pulling her into an embrace in the process.

The terror and fear that had been in Ahsoka's eyes earlier had faded, instead being replaced by the happiness that the Togruta always seemed to reveal when around Kaeden.

"Missed you." Ahsoka whispered, one of her hands coming up to Kaeden's cheek to gently caress it.

"I wasn't gone that long Ahsoka." Kaeden replied, leaning her face into Ahsoka's palm and pressing a gentle kiss to it, relishing the contact.

"I know. Still missed you. Love you." Ahsoka spoke, before she again closed her eyes, dozing off once more, content and peaceful in Kaeden's arms.

Smiling to herself, Kaeden too closed her eyes, allowing sleep to claim her alongside the woman she adored the most, and the one she would protect from anything, even nightmares.

"Love you too Ahsoka."

#The One-Shot Saga #ahsoka tano #kaeden larte #kaesoka #captain rex

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sighingsiren-tales · 5 years

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Finding you in the shower |EXO REACTION|

I haven't forgotten about you guys, I’m working on your reaction requests. Hehehe

~Kae

MINSEOK

You decided to take a long hot shower after the long day you had had. The oils in your body wash as well as the music playing in the background was more than enough to relax you as you began to lather the soap onto your skin. You took your time, watching the bubbles arise on your skin as you washed away the stress of the day. You heard a low whistle from behind you, the shower curtain now pulled back slightly as your boyfriend stood watching you from his space next to the tub. His eyes didn’t leave your form, not even as you began to speak. “Minseok?”.

“Baby?” He asked in a dark voice.

“This is a one person shower” You sassed, holding your dark colored loofah to your chest. He looked up for a moment, a soft groan escaping his lips as you saw his suit pants shift a bit.

“Yeah? For how long though?” He questioned, loosening his tie and letting it fall to the bathroom floor. You tsked.

“Let me finish my shower” You turned back around to face the water, causing Minseok let out a low sound from deep in his chest.

“5 minutes. If my head isn’t between your legs in 5 minutes, so help me God” He huffed, quite childishly might you add before leaving the bathroom.

You smiled as you shook your head. Your shower was not going to take 6 and a half minutes.

JUNMYEON

It had been a long, but rewarding day, you were on your feet almost all day and you weren’t too sure how you survived such a long shift. Sinking into the tub filled with rose petals and lavender, you let out a deep, contented sigh. Now this was the life. You let your head lean back against the rim of the tub, happily enjoying your bath as you soaked away all your troubles. It wasn’t until you felt fingertips on the delicate skin of your knees that your eyes opened again. You found your boyfriend sitting besides the tub, watching you with eyes as dark as you’ve ever seen them.

“You’re beautiful” He murmured as his hand traveled much higher than your knee. You hummed your thank you, letting your eyes close once again.

“Long day?” He asked quietly, to which you nodded. Your body arched slowly as his finger found your clit easily.

“I love seeing you arch like that” He spoke darkly, maneuvering himself so that his arm could sink deeper into the water. A small quiet moan left your lips as you your man slowly ran his fingers around your lips.

“Relax” He instructed, kissing your bare shoulder softly before sinking two fingers into your depths, eliciting a gasp from you.

“I got you beautiful, just relax”.

YIXING

You needed a shower. The day had just been too hard. While you loved Yixing, him being away from home was hard on you;You barely saw you. While you missed him, you would never stop him from pursuing his dream so you encouraged him best you could and supported him with everything you had but God knows you missed your man. It had been so long since held you, since he touched you. Sighing, you stepped underneath the warm water, letting the loud music in the room lighten your mood as you tried to alleviate the heaviness of your heart. Closing your eyes, you let the water run over you. Yixing was all that went through your mind. Was he okay? Has he eaten? Is he well rested? Does he miss you? Ugh, too many questions. Just as you reached for the soap, another hand grabbed it before you could, causing you to let out a terrifying shriek. Turning around, you were more than pleasantly surprised to see Yixing there, naked and holding your body wash. You felt the tears well up in your eyes before you could even register your own feelings. Stepping forward, you pulled Yixing to you in a hug, letting your face nuzzle in his neck as his arms wrapped around your waist. You kissed his neck again and again and again.

“I can’t believe you’re here” You whispered.

“I don’t have to tell you that I missed you do I?” He asked lowly in your ear as you pulled your closer, his erection poking at your lips.

You practically purred at his insinuation. Pulling away from the hug, you could finally see the way Yixing was looking at you. The look in his eyes alone was enough to make you dripping wet but the teasing touches of his fingers that you missed so much made it 1000 times worse. Looking into his eyes, you spoke the few words that pretty much sealed your night.

“Show me how much you missed me”.

BAEKHYUN

Long week was an understatement. The break was coming up and you were looking forward to nothing more than just relaxing with your boyfriend. To kick off your break, you lit a few candles, set up your speakers and dimmed the lights in your bathroom. The tub was filled to the brim with fluffy bubbles and you couldn’t wait to soak in it. Dropping your towel, you stepped into the tub, sitting down carefully and letting yourself enjoy your bubble bath. The soft sounds of Kim Taehyung was more than enough to have you unwind. You sighed in content, swishing the bubbles around with your finger. Leaning back, you closed your eyes so you could fully enjoy the moment.

“Wow, a sexy bath without me, I’m hurt” You heard your boyfriend’s voice in your ear.

A smile spread across your lips as you felt his hands begin to massage your shoulders.

“You couldn’t wait for me, hmm?” He asked before biting on your ear gently.

“Do you know what I could’ve done for you in this bath?” He asked, letting his hands trail downwards from your neck.

“I could’ve kissed on your neck, just how you like me to. I know how wet it gets you sweetheart” He paused, letting his fingers tease your nipples.

“I could’ve let my fingers slip between those pretty thighs and make you make all those sexy little sounds” His voice was so low, oh so low.

“But” He stood up abruptly.

“You wanna take baths without me so do it yourself” He said childishly before leaving the bathroom.

You groaned in frustration.

Fucking Byun Baekhyun.

JONGDAE

“Your ass is getting bigger”.

You let out a small squeal as you turned around to see Jongdae watching you, more specifically your backside as you were trying to wash your hair. He pulled back the shower curtain a bit more.

“Those hips, that ass and you only want me?” He asked, as if he couldn’t believe it.

You rolled your eyes playfully, splashing water in his general direction before turning back around. You barely got two swipes of the loofah across your body before you felt Jongdae pull you into him.

“I still can’t believe I’m the only one who gets to make this body arch over and over again every night” He groaned, pulling your hips flush against his so you could feel his erection.

You turned around to see him under the water with only a pair of grey shorts on. Although the was trying to be sexy you found that hilarious.

“Your shorts are gonna get wet” You said between giggles. He made a low sound before pulling you back into him.

“Yeah but I’ll make sure its from what’s between your legs”. You purred at those words, rubbing your head again his chest adorably.

“Or just take them off” You purred as your hand trailed down his toned chest and stomach.

“Do it for me angel”.

CHANYEOL

Just a bath.

All you wanted was a simple goddamn bath and here comes your boyfriend barreling into the bathroom while you’re stark naked, just about to step into the aquamarine colored water.

“Babe, have you seen my-”. You stood before him with your hands on your hips obviously annoyed at him stopped you from getting into your bath. You raised an eyebrow in annoyance as you stared directly at your body.

“Yes Chanyeol?” You asked, quite annoyed. He looked you up and down slowly once more before going over to the door and locking it. You stood up straighter at this action. Grabbing the back of his shirt, he pulled it up and over his head in one smooth fluid motion before throwing it to the floor.

“What are you doing?” You asked when he buttoned his pants.

He didn’t answer until his underwear was down his legs as well. Walking up to you, he placed a hand on your lower back before leaning down to test the water with his hand.

“What's happening is that we’re taking a bath” He spoke lowly, looking you directly in your eyes as he got into the tub, the most noticeable thing about his physique currently being the hard-on between his legs.

Chanyeol sank into the water first, letting out a soft sigh before holding out his hand for you to join him. He guided you to sit over him, holding your hips above his erection as he took in your form.

“You look so good like this” He said in a dark voice, letting one hand wrap around your waist and pull you closer.

“What were you calling me for earlier?” You asked, as Chanyeol rubbed his head back and forth against your lips. You bit your lip to keep in a moan.

“Not important right now. Now,” He paused to kiss your neck in the most heavenly way possible before speaking to you.

“You wet enough to let me slide in or do I have to put in a little more work?”

KYUNGSOO

Your shower was your time to relax. You blasted exo songs as loud as your speaker would let you, belting out your boyfriends high notes as if no one was around. You let your body sway a bit as you continued to lather yourself under the water.

“You know” You squealed, turning around to find Kyungsoo watching you.

“I was gonna get mad at you for waking me up but, with the way those hips move, I may have to reconsider”.

You rolled your eyes playfully.

“Let me finish my shower brat”. Kyungsoo tsked.

“Don’t be selfish. I wanna watch the show” He spoke lowly, pulling back the glass shower door a bit.

“You didn’t get a ticket” You spoke childishly, raising an eyebrow at him unbuttoning his shirt.

“Oh?” He countered, his gaze trailing downward.

“And what would I have to do to get one?” His question was an absolute tease. One of his best talents actually; Even if he didn’t touch you he was teasing you. You shrugged, trying to hide how aroused you were.

“Surprise me”. You turned back to face the water, letting the warm stream wash away all the suds before you felt hands on your waist. Leaning down, his lips near your ear, he spoke.

“I have a blindfold, two ice cubes and a tongue that may convince you”.

Well shit.

JONGIN

You grabbed the incense from the counter top, lighting the vanilla scented item before walking back to your bathroom. Today was going to be your day to pamper yourself endlessly and you intended to do just that. You set the incense down in the cute holder you had bought for them a few hours before. Turning your attention from the sink counter in the bathroom to the tub, you could see your boyfriend sprinkling dried rose petals in the water. Your surprise changed to absolute adoration as you watched him put the finishing touches on your bath. An adorable smile crossed his face once he saw you.

“Come here princess”.

You gushed at the nickname silently before disrobing swiftly and making your way to the rub. Jongin held out a hand to help you slip into the water easily. Once you were fully underneath the water, you sighed pleasurably. Jongin let his hands caress your shoulders and neck before his fingertips began massaging the area tenderly. You let out a light moan at the feeling, letting you head lean back again his stomach.

“Enjoy every moment of this. Because trust me when I say I’m not fucking you like a princess”.

SEHUN

You nearly jumped out of your skin seeing Sehun leaning up against the doorway watching you through the the distorted glass shower door with nothing but a pair of jeans on. You placed a hand on your heart before addressing him.

“You scared me half to death baby!” You got out between chuckles.

Sehun chuckled darkly, pushing up off the doorframe.

“You look beautiful. You can’t expect me not to stare”.

“But I can expect you to let me finish my shower” You sassed.

Sehun hummed quietly.

“Look at me, look down and say that again”.

You looked over at him, your gaze trailing downwards and finding the growing tent in his jeans.

“Can’t worry about that right now, now can I?” You threw over your shoulder.

“You can’t leave me like this baby, please” Sehun whined adorably, pouting cutely.

“Don’t pout” You chastised gently.

“Then let me get in” He spoke, stepping towards the shower and unbuttoning his jeans.

“The shower or me?” You questioned.

A slow mile spread across his face as his eyes darkened sexily.

“Yes”.

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dancingdemonz · 4 years

Text

‘Cause the Girl She’s Hiding Horns

It wasn’t something that had even crossed my mind. I mean, I knew about the academies and universities that allowed people to hone their quirks to become heroes, and yet the thought to go to any of them never even crossed my mind. The US wasn’t as regulated and crime was at an all time high, so far Japan held the highest standard as other countries struggled to keep up. Becoming a hero didn’t take much in the US, which was partly why I never thought of going to an academy.

But…

“You’ll go, won’t you Kae?” My stepfather, Evan, looked at me with a meaningful look, he looked like he would beg me to go if i resisted.

“Dad…I…” I hesitated looking away, heaviness in my heart.

“Kae, this is your chance, seize the opportunity.” He held the letter up, the only thing that stood out was a big UA symbol on the top.

U.A The worlds most prestigious hero academy, some of the best heroes came from there and I had an offer to transfer into their hero course.

“You’ve done all you could, everyone will be okay. You’ve trained the best you could on your own, you have experience that I'm sure other you age don't possess, but having a formal training will help you. So please, go to U.A, go to Japan.” He urged as my dad came in, he stood beside my stepfather, his arm wrapping around his waist.

“He’s right darlin’ as much as it pains me to send my little girl overseas, this is something we all know is needed for you.” My dad smiled soothingly at us both.

His brown hair was shaggy, he had a beard that could be akin to the cowboy dude from that overwatch game and with a style to match. My dad was definitely from the country in style, he dressed like a cowboy/lumber jack. Pretty contrasting to my stepfather’s neat and clean suit and tie look. His cheeks and forearms were tan from long motorcycle rides in the sun but the rest of his body he was white AF. Whereas Evan was African American and I was darker in skin tone due to my mom’s indigenous gene’s. We were one hell of a mixed family and i wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve been doing hero work a long time kid, I can handle it.” Evan grinned giving me a thumbs up.

I laughed softly.

“Of course you can, I never had any doubts.” I said softly.

My stepfather was one of the best heroes in the US, he was more elusive than the other heroes, he kept his identity secret and had no formal training. Notice how i said best but not top, he was far from being the top, that was because the hero system wasn’t the best at ranking. You could buy out the media and politicians to get the so called top position. It was essentially a corrupt system, holding the top position had no meaning. The US wasn’t as regulated as other counties, no surprise there. So heroes came and went, but due to almost no regulation villains were the highest they’ve ever been…along with other threats.

My stepfather was my biggest hero, always had been. He had a levitation/energy quirk. He could levitate things and make energy to fire off blasts. I remember the day I first seen him, he had saved my life. A month into living in the city and my dad, Terry, takes me with him to go grocery shopping. No big deal, but in Hell's Gate, something as simple as grocery shopping can turn sour pretty quick. There was something about the city, it was like it was cursed or something, anything that could go bad generally did. The city was known as the world's most unluckiest city, let just say the guy who named the city was spot on with picking a name.

Dad was carrying the bags of groceries while I walked ahead, being as young as I was, I went a little too far ahead of my dad, and that distance made a big difference. The crosswalk sign showed it was safe to walk, so I happily skip along the crosswalk to go to the other side, however, it just so happened there was a garbage truck with faulty brakes, and it was barreling right at me.

I was like a deer in headlights, I froze the moment I noticed the truck, it was coming too fast to make a difference of me moving out of the way. I knew it, and dad could see it, but that didn't stop my dad from dropping the bags to try and save me. Just when I curled into myself, eyes shut and bracing for impact, I felt weightless, and it wasn't the sort of weightlessness people often describe when they're flying through the air after being hit by a car. No, this weightlessness came from an indescribable force.

I opened my eyes, and that's when I saw him. He stood, tall and powerful, his broad shoulders tense as he had one gloved hand facing up towards me, levitating me off the ground and the other pointed at the truck, levitating the vehicle off the ground. His suit was blue and white, and his mask covered his whole face and it was made from a very sturdy material. For a young kid like me, seeing him was like seeing Santa, The Toothfairy, or All Might. Rather than being scared out of my wits for almost dying, I was absolutely enthralled with the man.

When everything was all said and done, the truck stopped and put back on the ground, and I was in my poor weeping father's arms. I remember looking up at Striker as he made his way over from the police to me, I instantly pull away from my dad, practically running to meet the man who saved my life. My father was behind me and I could vaguely hear him thanking the hero over and over a sob hitching his voice.

Striker had a deep voice, it was much deeper than my fathers I realized, and something about the way he was talking to my father in reply to his thanks, the tone he had, lodged an idea in my brain, a question really, and instantly I blurted it out. Honestly I don't think it would be something Striker could ever forget, because I haven't and my dad definitely never lets me forget it.

"Will you go on a date with my dad! You could be my dad too!” It wasn’t even phrased as a question, I said more as a command.

Oh boy was that a sight to be seen the moment those words left my mouth. My dad was a blushing mess, Striker was frozen, and I was waiting for an answer with a seriousness that would make someone think my life was on the line. For my young mind, it was. My dad was easily flustered, and thinking back on it now, what he said was hysterical and would give anyone second hand embarrassment.

"I am so sorry! S...she just has such a big mouth sometimes...Not that I'd mind going on a date with you or being her dad..I MEAN! Its just your really cool and...and you probably don't even like guys and....Oh dear I'm babbling." He held his face in his hands as Striker began to laugh, flattered.

Striker may have declined, but a week later as a civilian, Evan appeared at my father’s shop needing a mechanic, he took the chance and asked my dad out. A year later they were married and unknowingly my wish to have Striker as my father had been granted.

My dad or I didn’t know he was Striker until a year or so ago when I was 17 almost 18 years old. There were other exciting and major events before the offer to transfer to UA came up, but we’ll get to them later.

I weighed my options, this was a great opportunity to not only attend the academy but to do it with all expenses paid. However, it was risky. I carried too many secrets, secrets that I wasn’t ready to release. Secrets not even my dad knew. I knew I needed all the training I could get, especially if my step father was to fully retire, I needed to be ready to take his place.

As I debated with myself Evan’s blue eyes flicked over to me then to my dad, his eyes always stood out especially with his dark complexion. He was taller than my dad by a good margin and muscular. I was taller than my dad as well, I was a bit taller than girls my age and tended to go for a tomboy look. You could take one look at me and go “Yup she’s somewhere on the rainbow.” The moment I made my decision, Evan’s blue eyes met my orange ones and a nodded at him.

“I’ll attend UA.”

Check out my AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/23749423/chapters/57038704

#bocu no hero academia #my hero academy oc #my hero fanfic #my hero academy fanfiction #bakugou x oc #Bakugou Katsuki #katsuki bakugo x reader #Cause the girl she's hiding horns #fanfiction

7 notes · View notes

blurry-fics · 5 years

Text

Saturday

A Weekend at the Josephs | Series Masterlist

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3057

Author’s Note: I hope all of you are enjoying this miniseries so far. I know it’s a little different than what I usually post! I hope you like the chapter :) (picture credit)

Sun was shining down on my legs as I sat on the front steps, waiting for Sav and Josh to come and pick me up. A light wind was rustling the trees and knocking the first few orange leaves from their branches onto the pavement below. Inside, I could just barely make out Zack and Jay having an argument.

Sav’s Jeep came into view around the corner and I stood up to meet them at the end of the driveway. She had all of the windows rolled down, revealing Josh and his bright blue hair hanging out the back. He called out to me once I was within earshot.

“I gave you shotgun! Sav told me you’ve been stressed.”

I turned and looked towards the front door, paranoid that one of the kids had opened it and overheard what Josh said. Nobody was there, as should have been expected.

“Thanks, Josh,” I said as I climbed into the passenger seat. Sav turned down the music she had been blasting and smiled at me.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m exhausted,” I explained. “Tyler kept me up until nearly three playing video games and then I had to wake up at nine so that I would be ready for breakfast. I’m not used to being on a schedule like this.”

“At least you and Tyler are getting along!”

“Yeah, you definitely have a point.”

Sav pulled away from the curb and used one of the neighbor’s driveways to turn around and head back for the main road. She had still yet to fill me in on what the final plan for the day was.

“Did you ever talk about him ditching you?”

“He was actually the first one to bring it up, which was nice because I’m not so sure I would have been able to go through with it. He apologized for how he’s been acting and said he really wants to work on being better.”

“That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, I’m just hoping that he means it, you know?”

“I’m sure he does.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Sav didn’t say anything after that, so I turned and looked out the window. Josh started to tell a story soon after, which I half paid attention to.

Mostly, my mind was just on Tyler.

* * *

As I soon found out, the established plan was to get smoothies and sit outside the small shop in what little bit of summer we had left before fall started to set in. I was on one side of the table facing Josh and Sav, who were sitting closer in their metal chairs than I thought was possible for two humans to sit. One of Josh’s arms was slung casually over the back of Sav’s chair, the other busy holding his smoothie.

“Do you work tomorrow?” Sav asked, turning her head towards Josh. She was currently pushing her straw through her smoothie, trying to get it to flow a little better.

“Yeah, I have a shift in the morning.”

“Kae.”

“Yeah?”

“You want to come over tomorrow morning? We can hang out with Paul.”

I smiled at the mention of Sav’s bearded dragon. Any opportunity to hang out with him - and Sav - was a good one.

“Yeah, that would be cool. Can you pick me up?”

“Yep.”

“Ok, awesome.”

I turned out towards the parking lot. There was a group of teenagers standing outside one car, obviously in the middle of some sort of heated argument. One of them was waving their arms wildly in the air.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

I didn’t realize Sav’s statement was directed at me until it was met with silence. I turned my gaze away from the group of teenagers and looked down at my smoothie, which was starting to need a stir of its own.

“What’s up?”

“Do you still like Tyler?”

My eyes snapped to hers. Josh was looking between the two of us, as if this wasn’t a possibility that he had considered before. I could tell by the way that she was looking at me that it was a genuine question, not something meant to lay all my secrets out in front of Josh.

“Um, yeah. I do.”

“How did I not pick up on that?” Josh sighed.

“I try not to talk about it often,” I laughed. “The less people know that I have a huge crush on my best friend, the better it is for all of us.”

“How long have you liked him?”

“A few months or so. It started developing during spring break, but by the time summer rolled around and we started to spend more time together, there was no going back.”

“Does he know how you feel?”

“No, I try not to hint at it.”

Josh’s eyebrows furrowed, “Why not?”

“It’s awkward, I guess, and I never really got the vibe that he felt the same.”

Josh shifted a little so that now both of his elbows were rested on his knees. He and I had never been that close, mostly due to the fact that he and Sav had only been dating for just under a year and I had been hesitant to get close to him until I knew it was serious, so I was surprised by his level of investment in my love life.

“What if he’s just as scared as you to hint at his feelings?”

I fiddled with the plastic rim of my smoothie cup lid. “I guess I had never thought of it that way before.”

Josh leaned back in his chair and put his arm back where it had been behind Sav. After a long sip of his smoothie, he continued talking.

“Sometimes you have to take risks when it comes to feelings. I wasn’t sure that Sav felt the same way I did, but I asked her on a date anyway and now look where we are.”

Josh turned to Sav with a dorky grin, but she was looking at him with a confused expression.

“Josh, I came into Guitar Center like three times a week. How could you think I wasn’t into you?”

“For awhile there I thought you were just really into drums!”

“Yes, because you worked with the drums, dummy,” Sav laughed, leaning into Josh’s shoulder.

“Ok, yeah, maybe I should have picked up on that,” he said. He moved his arm forward so that it was now resting on Sav’s shoulders rather than the chair. “Anyway, my point is, it might not be such a bad idea for you to start hinting at your feelings.”

“And how do I do that?” I asked. Flirting had never really been a skill of mine.

“Go into Guitar Center three times a week,” Sav snorted.

“Or just make little forms of physical affection, like touching his arm or something.”

“But if he’s my best friend, isn’t he going to think that’s normal?”

“Yeah, they kind of already act like a couple,” Sav interjected.

“What?” I asked.

“Oh, come on. You always sit next to one another and get your legs all tangled up and Tyler laughs at all your jokes and you tease him all the time. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you two were already together.”

“So what I’m hearing is that they both like one another but are too afraid to admit it?” Josh asked.

“Pretty much.”

“That’s not the case,” I frowned.

My phone buzzed against the metal table, allowing me a temporary escape from Josh and Sav grilling me. I flipped it over and checked the notifications. Among a few from Tumblr, there was a text from Tyler.

Tyler: are you at the house?

Kae: no. sav and josh came and picked me up to get smoothies and hang out for awhile. why do you ask?

“Who is that?” Sav asked.

“Tyler,” I said, knowing that answer definitely wasn’t going to help my case.

“What did he say?”

“He asked if I was at the house.”

“Why?”

“Um, because…”

Tyler: i’m at band practice and we were debating going a little longer, but i would rather come home and hang out with you if that was a possibility.

“...he was trying to decide if he should keep practicing with the band or come home early to hang out with me instead.”

Sav immediately threw her hands in the air. “What did I tell you?”

I was too busy typing out a text to respond to her immediately.

Kae: oh yeah, i’m not at the house. i’ll be home for dinner though, so we can hang out after that :)

“He probably just wants to make sure I’m not bored out of my mind or stuck with his family.”

“Uh huh, totally,” Sav said, shooting me a look. “Not because he genuinely wants to spend time with you or anything.”

Tyler: perfect :)

“Shut up,” I laughed, setting my phone back down on the table.

“I’m just saying,” Sav shrugged. “There could be something there.”

* * *

I ended up getting back to the house earlier than intended, although I was pretty sure part of that was Sav’s doing. She claimed that her mom needed her and Josh back to their house by four, even though she had claimed they were free until I had to get back when they had initially picked me up. Not that I minded, I was looking forward to spending more time with Tyler.

“There you are!” he grinned as I opened the door. He had been sprawled out on the couch when I walked in the door, but in a matter of seconds he had gotten up and joined me in the entryway. “I’ve been bored out of my mind.”

“You know it’s not my job to entertain you, even if I’m staying here,” I laughed as I kicked off my shoes. “Besides, weren’t you at band practice until a little while ago?”

“Yeah, but that’s been stressful lately because of Chris and Nick wanting to leave and stuff.”

“Well, my plan is to just sit around on my laptop until dinner is ready, but you’re free to join me in doing that.”

“Sure, that sounds fun.”

That wasn’t the answer I had been expecting from Tyler, but I was happy to hear it nonetheless.

“You want to race up the stairs?” Tyler asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

“Always.”

Together, we made an unnecessary amount of noise as we ran up the stairs to the guest room and launched ourselves onto the bed. Tyler beat me by a fraction of a second, but only because I forgot which direction to go at the top of the stairs in my rush to beat him. He laughed as I crashed down next to him.

“Ten bucks my mom makes a comment about us running down the stairs when she comes to get us for dinner.”

“You think that will happen?”

“Definitely.”

“Then I would be dumb to take that bet,” I laughed.

I sat up so that I could grab my laptop from the nightstand and shifted so that my back was against the headboard. Tyler stayed laying down for a moment longer before he sat up and scooted close enough that our arms brushed against one another every time I slid my fingers across the trackpad.

“Hey, speaking of band stuff,” I said as I began to pull up Tumblr. “Sav’s boyfriend is a drummer and a really cool guy. If you need someone to take Chris’ place, he might not be a bad option.”

“It’s starting to look like that might be the case,” he sighed. “I’d love to meet him though, even if we just end up being friends.”

“For sure.”

I began to scroll through Tumblr, catching up on the things that I had missed while I was out with Sav and Josh. Tyler watched over my shoulder, occasionally asking questions about things that popped up. It was nice hanging out with Tyler like this again, just doing something completely mundane but managing to make the most out of it. No wonder him ditching me had been so upsetting, there weren’t many other people in my life that were able to make the most of any situation like Tyler could.

“Who is that again?” he asked, pointing to a photoset that was on the screen.

“For the third time, that is Brendon Urie,” I laughed.

“And what does he do?”

“He’s a musician! Panic! At The Disco? My favorite band?”

“Right, right. I remember now.”

“If you ask about him again, I’m not going to answer.”

“Ok.”

I had scrolled maybe two posts down when another picture of Brendon popped up. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the evil grin that was plastered on Tyler’s face.

“Who is that?” he asked, pointing to the picture that he very obviously recognized.

Although I was smiling, I was determined to stay true to my promise to not answer Tyler if he asked about him again. Tyler, of course, wasn’t planning to make this easy.

“Kae, come on,” he said, drawing out the end. “Who is that?”

I shook my head.

“I’m just trying to recognize the people you like!”

An eye roll.

“Kae,” he whined, leaning his head onto my shoulder.

My smile was wiped in an instant, replaced with panic. I took a deep breath - though not deep enough that Tyler would be able to tell I was intentionally taking a deep breath - and continued to scroll. Tyler and I did stuff like this all the time, so it was no big deal, right?

That is, until I remembered what Sav had said.

“Is it Brendon Urie?” he asked.

“Yes, Ty, it’s Brendon Urie.”

“Ha! I got you to say it.”

I expected Tyler to move his head after he got the answer that he wanted out of me, but instead he continued to lean on me as I scrolled through Tumblr. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I really liked having him this close to me. It was tempting to tilt my head just a little so that it was resting on top of his, but I decided against it. That seemed a little too obvious for my liking.

We stayed like that for at least twenty minutes, just scrolling through my Tumblr with Tyler making occasional comments. Neither of us commented on the fact that he was leaning on me, but neither of us did anything to stop it either. If you asked me, it was a pretty good summary of how our relationship had been up until this point.

“Hey, can I talk to you about something?” Tyler asked.

“Sure,” I said, removing my hand from my laptop. “What’s going on?”

“There's something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for awhile now.”

I sincerely hoped that Tyler couldn’t tell how hard my heart was pounding from where he was laying.

“What is that?”

“So, um, I-”

Tyler was interrupted by his mom knocking on the door. He pulled away from me so fast that he nearly overshot his landing and ended up on the floor on the far side of the bed, but he managed to catch himself just in time to prevent that from happening. I was barely able to contain my laughter from his escapades paired with the panicked look on his face.

“Dinner is ready,” his mom smiled.

“Thanks, we’ll be down soon,” Tyler answered.

His mom closed the door, none the wiser to what had just been happening. I was sure my cheeks were bright red just from the amount of heat I could feel burning within them and I was glad she hadn’t decided to ask any questions about it.

“Should we go?” he asked, pointing a finger towards the door.

I briefly debated asking Tyler what he was about to say, but decided it was better left unsaid if he hadn’t brought it up a second time. Besides, I wasn’t about to risk making things awkward when he was my only savior during family dinners.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

* * *

I scooped the last bit of melted ice cream from the bottom of my bowl and brought it to my mouth, making obnoxious slurping sounds that I knew would bother Tyler. He looked up from his keyboard and shot me a look, which only made me giggle and nearly get ice cream all over my - well, Tyler’s - sweatshirt.

“If you do that one more time I’m going to smack that spoon out of your hands,” Tyler laughed.

“Lucky for you, that was the last little bit of ice cream I had.”

Tyler mouthed a quiet thank you in the ceiling’s direction before looking back down at his keyboard with a smile. I set my bowl on the desk and scooted further into the middle of the room, giving me room to swing idly from side to side. He watched me for a moment before grabbing a pencil and scribbling some words down.

“Hey, Ty?”

“Yeah?”

“What were you going to ask me earlier?”

Tyler pursed his lips for a moment and drew in a deep breath. After a moment, he reached up and pulled his headphones completely off, letting them hang around his neck.

“It was, um, just something.”

“Just something? Didn’t you say you’ve been meaning to tell me for awhile?”

His nose scrunched up as he scratched at his eyebrow. “Uh, yeah, I did say that.”

“So are you going to tell me?”

“Not tonight.”

I swallowed down the frustration that was starting to bubble in my chest. “Then when?”

“I don’t know. Tomorrow, maybe?”

“And you can’t tell me now because..?”

He smiled to himself, “You’re going to hate me for saying this, but it just doesn’t feel right.”

“And how do you know tomorrow will?”

“I don’t.”

“Tyler.”

“What?”

“Just tell me.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

I pursed my lips and leaned back into the chair, letting my head tilt back until I was looking up at the ceiling. Starting an argument was tempting, but I didn’t want to ruin what little chance there was of Tyler telling me, well, whatever this was before I had to go back home on Monday morning.

“It’ll be worth the wait, Kae. I promise.”

#ks youau wc #tyler x kae #a weekend at the josephs #awatj #blurry-fics

22 notes · View notes

beanfic · 5 years

Text

New Roommates - Ch.4

Word Count: 1971

Warnings: Language and fluff!

Author’s Note: Here is chapter 4! Enjoy! :))

“Sav!” Josh’s voice called out as he knocked on my door. I slowly opened my eyes as I woke from a deep slumber.

“What?” I mumbled, closing my eyes once again.

“Time to wake up! Get dressed and come to the kitchen!”

“Why?” I turned over and checked the time on my phone.

8:27. Way too early for a Saturday morning.

“Just do it, and don’t ask questions! If you don’t come out in ten minutes then I will go get Tyler and Mark to drag you out.”

“Okay!” I shouted back. I listened as Josh’s footsteps got further away. I stretched my arms and made sure to pop and crack all the necessary joints to start the day.

I threw on a pair of Adidas sweatpants and a black t-shirt. My hair quickly got thrown into a messy bun and I shuffled out to the kitchen.

“Happy first week of living with us!” the boys cheered in unison as I turned the corner into the kitchen. I jumped as I was not expecting them all to shout at me this early in the morning.

“I made us waffles!” Mark smiled down at the plate that was piled high with a stack of fluffy waffles. There were bowls of different fruit next to it, along with a bottle of whipped cream.

“What is this all for?” I nervously laughed.

“To celebrate that you have been living with us for officially a week now!” Tyler explained.

“This is kind of odd, but I will never pass up waffles!” I sat down on a stool and plopped a waffle down on a plate. They were still warm. “Thank you, guys!”

“Of course! Nothing but the best for the best roomie!” Mark teased. I let out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m surprised you’re actually awake,” Josh noted. I glared over at him and crinkled my nose as I took a bite out of my waffle.

“I didn’t feel like being dragged out of bed this morning.”

“Fair enough.”

“So, Sav, now that you have been living here for a week, what are some of your favorite memories?” Tyler asked with a mouthful of strawberries.

“My favorite memories?” I pondered for a second while the boys shoveled waffles down their throats. “The first one that comes to mind is when we all played rage cage a few days ago.”

“Rage cage?” Josh asked and I nodded.

“I never really played drinking games with my friend back at home and it was really fun! Especially seeing you guys tipsy! Plus Kae was a good supervisor.”

“We need to get Kae to play, but I can drink for them!” Mark said.

Tyler shook his head, “Have you seen them throw a ping pong ball? You would get drunk so fast.”

“Hey! Don’t roast Kae when they aren’t even here to stand up for themselves.” I balled up my napkin and threw it at Tyler’s chest.

“I’m just speaking the truth!” he giggled.

“Another one of my favorite things about living here is having almost every meal cooked for me! Thank you chef mark.”

“My pleasure!” He pretended to curtsey.

“How does your head feel?” Tyler asked Josh as he tossed some Tylenol in his mouth and washed it down with orange juice.

“I’m not as hungover as I thought I would be, and to be honest, I am surprised I was able to wake up this early.”

“You woke up with a hangover just to surprise me?” I asked, putting my hands on my heart and sarcastically acting flattered.

“It was because I wanted the waffles, obviously.”

“Sure,” I teased back. Josh gave my shoulder a little shove as he walked past me and went to sit on the couch. I smiled to myself and looked up at Tyler and Mark who were exchanging glances.

Once I ended up finishing my plate of waffles and cleaned up, I headed back into my room to edit the photos I had taken at the football games from Friday night. I was really excited with how my photos turned out, and I was hoping to send some to the local newspapers and news sources for them to use.

I continued to edit my photos, occasionally getting distracted by Pinterest and Tumblr, while I waited for Kae to come over. We were going to go thrift shopping in downtown Columbus this afternoon. Kae said that they knew of the best thrift shops with the best finds, and they mentioned there is this really chill coffee shop that we could stop at as well which sounded perfect since today was such an overcast day.

“You ready!” My door flew open as Kae came rushing in and shouting at the top of their lungs.

“Holy shit!” I jumped out of my chair as they scared me. “You scared me!”

“Ha!” they cackled. I turned around and grabbed a pillow and chucked it at them. It landed right into their stomach. “Ouch!”

“That’s what you get!”

“It’s not my fault you get scared easily!”

“Just give me one second to put my shoes on and then I’ll be ready to head out!” I said and Kae nodded. They left my room, probably to go talk to Tyler, and I quickly tied my vans and grabbed my coat.

“Welcome to my crib!” Kae joked as they opened the door to their Red Kia Forte. It smelled like fresh laundry. They plugged their phone into the aux cord and started to play a playlist which consisted of Panic!, Queen, Paramore, and the occasional Fall Out Boy song.

“You have such a good music taste!” I complimented.

“Oh my gosh, really? I’m so self-conscious about it.”

“Why?”

“Having a boyfriend who is a musician makes you more aware of how others can be judgmental! But I am glad you like it!” They reached over and turned up the sound as Nicotine by Panic! blasted.

“Downtown Columbus is so pretty,” I said in awe as Kae found parking on the street.

“Have you been down here before?”

“LIke three or four times when I was younger and was visiting my grandma and aunt!”

“I love it down here!” Kae locked their car and started walking down the street. I followed close behind. We exchanged conversation about different movies we like, and hobbies that we both enjoyed while we looked in different thrift shops.

“I love this shirt!” I whispered to myself as I pulled out an old Death Cab for Cutie concert shirt. It was a little large but it was perfect because I enjoy oversized shirts.

“That’s awesome!” Kae said as they looked through jackets. “What do you think of this?” I turned around to see them holding up a vintage Levi’s denim jacket.

“Try it on!”

“Okay!” They slipped their arms through it and shrugged it on. It was a perfect fit.

“It looks so good, you have to get it.”

“It’s so comfortable! I can also put some pins on the pocket right here,” they pointed to the pockets on the chest. It looked really good on them.

“You get a jacket and I get a t-shirt!!”

“Sounds like a plan!” Kae and I headed over to the register to pay. My t-shirt ended up only being six dollars which was a huge steal. Kae’s denim jacket was thirty bucks, which is super good for a vintage Levi’s jacket.

We both ended up ordering the same exact thing at the coffee shop, and that was a mocha with whipped cream. We sat next to a window so we could look out and admire all the doggies that would pass by us.

“Hey, Sav, can I ask you a question?” Kae took a sip of their drink and set it down in front of them.

“Sure!” I shifted in my chair as I anxiously awaited their question.

“Do you like Josh? Like, like like?” They whispered.

“What?” I nearly spat out the mocha that I had in my mouth. “Who told you? I mean, yes, i mean, no, what?”

“Sav! It’s okay! You don’t need to get flustered.” Kae giggled as they handed me a napkin to clean up the mocha.

“Yes, I might have a little crush on Josh, but why are you asking? Is it obvious? Did the boys mention something?”

“Yes, Tyler mentioned that he might have thought you and Josh were flirting so I decided to get to the bottom of things!”

“Josh and I flirting? Like he was flirting with me too? I never noticed that.”

“I don’t really notice it but I guess Mark and Tyler do! Nothing is wrong if you like him, Sav.”

“Yes, there is! He is my roommate. I can’t fall for my roommate, haven’t you seen those movies?”

“This is real life, unfortunately, but I don’t think there is anything bad about it. You can’t control your emotions!”

“That’s exactly what my other friend said to me,” I sighed. “I just don’t know if I even want to pursue these feelings because what if he doesn’t feel the same about me? He has so many girls over all the time anyways.”

“I suggest just continue living your life, and just become closer to him! Friends, roommates, or even more. Don’t force it and let it come naturally!” Kae wrapped their arms around my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze.

“Thank you, Kae. It’s actually really nice to talk about it with someone who knows him, I feel a lot better now.”

The car ride back to the apartment was longer because of traffic so Kae decided to show me different car games they like to play. One was the original slug bug, but then they also showed me popeye and happy slappy. Popeye is when you punch the top of the roof anytime you see a car with only one headlight, and happy slappy is when you slap the other person when they spot a yellow car.

“Ow!” I squealed as Kae’s fist came into contact with my shoulder.

“Happy slappy, yellow one!” they shouted. A yellow slug bug came passing us on the left side.

“You’re too good at this game,” I mumbled. I made sure to keep an eye out for any yellow car or slug bug the entire way home, but I ended up losing that time very badly.

Once we got into the house we were welcomed by Tyler and Mark who were in the middle of an intense Mario kart race while Josh was busy reading a book on the couch.

“We’re home!” Kae announced. “You like my jacket?” They did a 360 turn for the boys to see.

“That’s sick!” Tyler said. “Dang it! You distracted me, Kae!”

“Sorry, but sometimes I am more important a game,” they snickered and headed over to sit next to Tyler.

“Did you get anything?” Mark asked me and I nodded.

“I found this old Death Cab for Cutie concert tee!” I pulled it out of the bag to show everybody.

“Did you buy that because you know it’s my favorite band?” Josh teased as he looked up from his book.

“Not everything is about you, Josh.” I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Do you even know how to read?”

“Yes, in fact, I do! This book is about-”

“I don’t really care.”

“Well, in that case,” Josh closed the book and chucked it at me, barely missing my shoulder.

“Joshua! What if that hit me?”

“Then I guess would have needed to call an ambulance, huh?”

“You’re so annoying!” I rolled my eyes and turned to Kae who was raising their eyebrows at me. They definitely had a point that Josh was flirting with me, but I knew better than to get my hopes up.

********

Tag list: @takenvysleep @fromcalmto-ill @svintsandghosts @reginawashere15 @breadbinishigh @ohprettyweeper @myjourneystartsnow19 @wearebxnditos @gaiatheroyalrabbit

#ks youau wc #tyler joseph #josh dun #twenty one pilots #tyler joseph fanfic #josh dun fanfic #twenty one pilots fanfic #twenty one pilots fanfiction #twenty one pilots fic #josh dun fanfiction #josh dun fic #tyler joseph fanfiction #tyler joseph fic #tøp fanfiction #tøp fanfic #josh dun angst #josh dun fluff #tyler joseph fluff #beanfic

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ultraguardians · 5 years

Photo

Happy Birthday Luke!

—

Here’s a list of everyone on this drawing:

Top two behind, left to right: radicole + ctarhne

Middle, left to right: lotsofdreamboatz, cc, kaestiell, ultraguardians, lyssyloops, shutupsprinkles, cheapsushii

bottom two, left to right: sparkiemcfly + dragonessgem

—

BUT, before you go, make sure to read our messages :D!

“Happy birthday, bro! You’re a huge inspiration to me and frankly I cant thank you enough. I used to watch your content all the time when I was younger, rediscovering your content and joining your streams has been one of the best decisions ive ever decided to make. To make a long story short, my mental health has been in a rough spot for a long while but the first stream of yours’ I attended had me smiling all night for the first time in genuine years. Your music is just incredible, Ive used it to cheer myself up, get me inspired and to pump me up on many occasions, I seriously cant get enough of it and im not a good enough of a wordsmith to be able to describe how much your stuff has helped me and sadly I dont think there’s ever a way I could possibly repay you for all the rad stuff you’ve given to all of us. Keep being awesome, keep giving those good vibes! Happy birthday and all the best.“ -Lyssyloops

—-

“uhh hey mr town, happy birthday dude!! im very much a lurker im trying to sort of get out of that hole but. ive been a fan for. a long ass time now and ive always really appreciated your music and the few streams ive caught and just you.. existing, man. thanks for being you, happy removal day :kicc: (click here to see what :kicc: is!) -CC”

—- “hey luke! i’m way too shy to talk on streams sometimes, but i just want to say that you’re a huge inspiration to me and your music really helped me through a bit of a rough patch in 2018. keep being awesome, and happy birthday!” - from cheapsushii

—-

“YOOOO Put sprinkles on your birthday cake man!” -shutupsprinkles

—-

“luke, i sincerely just want to say thank you. thank you for everything you have done. all the music you’ve made, and all the videos as well on your channel. through your channel, i have met the most WONDERFUL people I could have ever met. each and almost every twitch stream, i get to meet more and more new friends each time. i always thought I was the lonely one out of the bunch, but now, all I see are friends all around me. now I see you all are here for me, and that’s such a cozy feeling, getting to talk to those on the stream and anywhere else. luke, just know this. you have made this summer the best summer I could have ever asked for- and i really REALLY mean that. thank you. sincerely. i hope you know how much of an impact you’ve made on all of our lives. happy birthday, luke. from all of us. - kae/kaestiell

—- ”(read each word out loud) hey mr luke it’s herobrine. thank you for teaching me the overwatch sir… remember kids education is important like a victory royale. anyway i believe i must admit mr sizemore, your cover of fireflies by owl city and heart-felt confession of wanting cocaine, which means crack truly moved me. dig up diamonds and craft those diamonds and make some armor, get it, go and forge that like you so MLG pro, godspeed, mr sizemore. uwu i howope youwu have a gweat biwthday….. i remember the first day i hopped in this stream and i thought, “uwu, whats dis?” it was magical. the absolute glee and giddy i find bubbling in my chest whenever I see the notification of your presence on my twitch is unrivaled. you have brought me those epic positive vibes and i respect you immensely. for that, i wish upon you epic kills and minecraft cake. hit it fergie, godspeed - dream/lotsofdreamboatz (click here for free food)”

—- “Hey Luke! Hope you are having a good day! I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you. I’ve only really been on your streams for about 3 months but those months have been an absolute blast. You are such an awesome creator and even if I only am able to stop by for a little bit I always leave your streams with a smile. You always have such positive, wholesome vibes and I really appreciate it. You are also incredibly talented and you inspire me to work hard to do the things I love. I hope that you achieve everything you could ever want to, you really deserve it. Honestly, just thank you for existing. You make the world a little brighter every day. Happy birthday! Never stop being awesome -Dragonessgem

—-

hi mister luke yungtown sizemore; have a happy very good very nice amazing birthday,,, you are a legend thank you for blessing me, mister seth ctarhne (and everyone else) with beautiful amazing content. get that bread bro :D if you don’t have a good birthday I might just have to come out of my hidey hole and i will put a good curse??? spell?? magic,, thing,,, on you so you can have a good day because you deserve it >:)

👁👃👁

👄

—- I'm a little late but Happy birthday Luke!! I can't express how much I friggen love you. You brought back my love for rapping and I even plan on doing the Triforce rap for my talent show! (If I can find an instrumental version) You're kind and sweet and love what you do I respect that. You deserve so much! You're better than any modern rapper out there, Eminem included. I love you so much I named a stuffed animal of my favorite animal (penquin) after you! Have the best birthday possible!! ~Yellow Daisy AKA TRGFan101

----

“Hello mr town it is I. A cryptid. Twitch is the worst and won’t let me verify my account but I wish you the best birthday wishes possible and also the world, considering I have Asagao to thank for many friends of mine. Keep doing your funky thing sir. Happy birthday.”-Hawky, the one who’s mentioned by people but never shows up

—-

“Happy birthday, Luke. I’m glad I was able to find your twitch. Your content is down to earth and engaging, making it feel really personal and rewarding to interact with and watch your streams. You have continually been an incredibly respectful and genuine person, and that’s everything someone could want from a content creator, or just a friend in general. You’ve made yourself a friend to so many people, even making some friends around me genuinely light up when twitch notifications appear on their phone or laptop. I couldn’t thank you more for helping the people around me. I’ve only just started watching, but I’m here to stay. Have a phenominal year. - Crime/lordcrime”

—-

and last but not least, me, the one who put this all together :D!

“hewwo luke. I hope you have a great birthday my dude!! I tried my best to draw the apricot nectar cake, since you seemed so happy when you talked about it. But besides that, I hope you’re the happiest that you can be on this day and that your smile outshines the sun. Just know we all love you, dude, you’re fun, chill, happy and bring everyone’s spirits up, and the chat is always fun to talk in. Having come across your twitch streams over 6 months ago was the best thing that has happened this year, because, man, you have made a great community and I’m so glad man. Here’s hoping for more years with you and the yungfam. Again, happy birthday you mad lad. -eon/ultraguardians.”

—-

#yungtown #well... for his birthday anyways!#also luke if you read the tags remember to eat paper

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youcantkillamutant · 6 years

Text

A Map Made in Heaven (Chapter 6)

Prologue…Chapter 1…Chapter 2…Chapter 3…Chapter 4...Chapter 5

Author: youcantkillamutant

Fandom: Marvel (Black Panther)

Pairing: Erik Stevens/Killmonger x Black!OC

Summary: Erik ‘Killmonger’ Stevens is the biggest bootlegger in South Carolina, but he wants to be more than the middle man. After he receives a letter from an ‘old friend’ of his father, he embarks on a quest to find his homeland. Enter Audrey Cade, the finest mapmaker in the County.

Warnings: Mentions of slavery, death, and a lil angst

Words: 7K+

A/N: Back with that 1920’s AU! This is the final chapter before the epilogue y’all. I literally wrote this all today I don’t even know who I aim anymore I can’t even believe I wrote all this???? Thank you to everyone for reading liking and reblogging and recommending (!?!??!) this story. I love that y’all read and review. That stuff always makes my day! 😘😘😘

I only own my original characters of course. As usual Marvel don’t sue me I’m broke.

Listening to: Falling for Me by Johnnyswim, WATER (IF ONLY THEY KNEW) by Kojey Radical ft. Mahalia, XXX by Kendrick Lamar and City Burns by Andra Day

If ever there was a chapter to listen to the suggested songs, it’s this one!

CHAPTER VI

June 28, 1920: Wakanda

“What exactly are we looking at here?” Erik didn’t mean to sound rude, only annoyed. W’Kabi had interrupted his night with Audrey to show him what exactly?

The duo lurked in the hall just outside the garden of the Heart Shaped Herb. Erik had never bothered to spend much time here, even as a kid. He much preferred the Royal Greenhouse to this singular garden. Cast in the purple glow from the flower itself, the whole room looked like a menacing dream. Women in long robes shuffled around, standing and stooping to complete their duties along the way.

“Zuri has been sending gardeners away all week. They leave with something wrapped in cloth and return with nothing.” Just as W’Kabi said it, a gardener scurried off with a cloth wrapped package.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“He started doing it the second you arrived my Prince.” Erik’s head spun with the possibilities, but he didn’t latch onto anything just yet. He needed to do some research.

“W’Kabi, tomorrow, I’m going to talk to a few people who knew my father. You coming?” W’Kabi nodded easily. He didn’t know N’Jadaka anymore, the princeling had changed a great deal in his time away from Wakanda, but those changed seemed to be for the better.

“Anything you need my Prince.”

—o—

Zuri of Badu was running out of time. He’d never been a stupid man, so why he deluded himself into believing he could hide the truth made no sense at all. Still his brain scurried like a rat, reaching for life rings in the form of ideas that would never truly save him. The evidence of his service to T’Chaka was littered around his room. There were small things he’d never gotten rid of, only swept under his bed and behind his wardrobe until he forgot about them completely.

It was like N’Jadaka was the catalyst for all of these things resurfacing. Like an earthquake, he shook evidence free. Tickets flutters from the place in the rafters of his room, dust trickling down alongside it. A blindfold found its way from under the bed. A bloody panther claw rolled out from underneath the wardrobe.

Each of these items he sent to burn. He promise T’Chaka there would be no evidence, and in since the deed had been done, he grew lethargic in its wake. Now the prince had returned, and the Gardener scuttled to complete a twenty year old task.

—o—

June 29, 1920: Wakanda

Erik rose with the sun to meet Nelene Okiyete. Nelene was one of the two chairwomen for the Wakandian Farmers Association. The other was her twin sister Mokate. Nelene was a stocky woman, skin darkened by the sun and arms strengthened by working the land. She had a smile a mile wide and welcomed N’Jadaka to her lands with open arms.

“Come in, come in my prince.” She shuffled N’Jadaka into a sunroom that overlooked her vast fields.

“I must admit, I was happy to hear that the lost prince hadn’t lost his love for the land. Just like his mother.” N’Jadaka could only smile and duck his head at the mention of his mother, heart twinging at the thought of her.

“Thank you for having me over Aunti.” Nelene waved him off and poured some tea, gesturing for N’Jadaka to seat on the plushly cushioned wicker chairs. He sank into the seat reaching for a cookie from the low silver table. No doubt it was made of vibranium or gilded to look so.

“How is Kae doing?” Nelene asked innocently as she child into a chair of her own beside N’Jadaka. She could see so much of his father in him. The quiet intellect that simmered beneath the surface, how his eyes scanned every part of a room the second he entered, those sharp little ears.

“What?” Nelene nodded to Erik’s hair and his hand shot up to the dreads.

“I’d know her work anywhere.” N’Jadaka nodded uncomfortably, flashes of his last meeting with Mrs. Kae flooding his mind as shame filled his gut. He wondered what Kae would think of him now, having found Wakanda.

“She’s alright.” Nelene nodded into her tea, taking another sip before speaking.

“Well you’ve got me here Prince, what do you want to know?”

“Anything you can tell me about my father and Zuri would be good.”

“Your father and Zuri?” N’Jadaka only nodded intently, encouraging Nelene to continue.

“There’s not much to tell. I’m pretty sure those two hated each other.”

“Did they always?” Nelene nodded and then slowed, biting her lip and furrowing her brow. Thinking.

“I suppose not. I think Zuri’s true anger reared its head when N’Jobu met your mother. Bast he had stars in his eyes for that women and no one could shake them free. Not that I blame him. Your mother was a beauty.” Nelene winked her brown eyes at Erik jovially.

“N’Jobu couldn’t do enough for that girl. Always coming to Wakanda to bring her fresh blooms and new seeds. He would have done anything for that woman. Would have done anything for you too.” She nodded to N’Jadaka seriously.

“So Zuri hated my pops because he was in love?”

“I don’t think that was it.” She paused and glanced around. “I overheard a conversation between the King, your Father and the Gardener once. N’Jobu was trying to convince the king to provide aid to the Southern American states. Zuri and the king would not have it.”

Nelene could remember the conversation like it was yesterday. She had just finished her first meeting as secretary for the WFA and may have found herself a bit lost on the way out. The trio stood there bickering back and forth like children about the fate of an entire country.

“The King said something along the lines of ‘I cannot rule Wakanda and the Southern United States brother’ and N’Jobu grew increasingly frustrated.” Nelene turned to see N’Jadaka nearly tipping forward out of his chair to listen. She gave him a sad smile.

“I’ve never seen your father so angry before. By all accounts, he was the fun brother.” A small chuckle escaped her mouth. “But not after what the King had said. Bast he was heated. He told the king that ‘This is not about ruling or power’” Nelene paused for effect, turning her entire body towards N’Jadaka

“N’Jobu practically spat the words at his brother. He told T’Chaka ‘We have turned our backs on our brethren for too long. If we do not check ourselves now it will be too late to salvage even a sliver of our humanity ubhuti.’”

“And Zuri?”

“Zuri comforted the King.”

—o—

Audrey had work to do. The next Council meeting is in a few days, and she promised Shuri to have the maps done by then. In return, Shuri had slid an impossible amount of American Dollars into her suitcase. Audrey nearly had a heart attack when she saw the envelope. She would have never thought to charge that much for a commission like this, but she is working with royalty.

She made her way to the Lab to find Shuri and continue her work. Music was blasting from the space as usual, it made it easier to find in the winding hallways and staircases of the vast Wakandan palace. Shuri was jumping up and down excitedly as she spoke to Ayo, who listened on, unamused.

“…and that way the bucket falls on his head.” Shuri slapped her hands together excitedly and Ayo rolled her eyes.

“Shuri, what are you talking about?”

“Oh nothing dear cousin.” Audrey raised her eyebrow and Shuri crumbled.

“Fine. Ayo and I were just planning a little prank for the king and his future advisor, cousin.”

“I am not planning anything. I am merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Audrey’s smile lifted at Ayo’s smart retort and it only took a second for her to respond.

“I want in.” Shuri pumped her arm excitedly whispering ‘yes!’ while Audrey continued. “And why are you calling me cousin? We aren’t related.”

“Not yet, but I am sure we are about to be cousin. I saw the way N’Jadaka gazed at you. That man is point two seconds from professing his love to you and proposing.” Audrey couldn’t keep her heart from jumping at the idea of it, but she still shook her head at Shuri.

“He’s not focused on me. He’s got too much ambition to focus on me Shuri.”

“Sure.” Shuri rolled her eyes at Audrey’s comment. She’d spent plenty of time with N’Jadaka since his return and she could tell her cousin was 100% gone on Audrey. She watched his eyes dart to Audrey every time she entered a room. His hand hovered behind her back whenever they walked together. His eyes twinkled whenever they bantered. Bast, at this point Audrey could propose and he’d say yes.

“I didn’t come down here to plan pranks with you though. I need to keep working on those maps of Jabariland for the Council meeting.” Shuri had mentioned that Audrey could use the old cartographer’s office today and she was ready to spread out. The desk in her room was perfectly adequate for letter writing, but she needed more space. For the first time since she’d arrived in Wakanda, Audrey missed Cade’s Atlas.

Catching on quickly, Shuri led Audrey back up the steps of the Lab. She wove them through small walkways Audrey had never noticed before and expansive rooms that held windows bigger than her apartment. Finally they reached a room with a wooden door. The only wooden door Audrey had ever seen in the palace.

“The old cartographer married a Jabari woman. This was a gift from her wife I think. We haven’t had an official cartographer since before I was born though.” The door swung open to reveal a room twice the size of Cade’s Atlas. The vibranium floors, while dusty, still glittered. A large window was covered with a dark heavy drape and Shuri coughed as she pulled it open.

“Baba used to warn me against going in here. Said I would be bored to tears.” Shuri shrugged as she found the light switch. The bulbs took a moment to flick on, and Audrey was stunned to see the immaculate vibranium table. Half of it was covered in glass and lit from beneath creating an amazing lightbox, and the other half was the smoothest surface she’d ever felt. Her fingers itched to dip a pen in ink and get to work.

—o—

July 2, 1920: Wakanda

Audrey paced the vibranium floor so much she thought shed run a hole in it. She’s finished mapping Jabariland days ago. That wasn’t what compelled her to pace. That wasn’t what tied her stomach in knots. That wasn’t what kept her completely puzzled. When she had first started working in the old cartographer’s office, she’d flown through the Jabariland commission. She even made the changes Shuri suggested before tracing a copy in archival ink.

She found the maps on the lightbox. Audrey was planning to neatly pile all of the papers to the side of the table so she could finish up the commission, but the maps on the lightbox would let her. So instead, she studied them. They were maps of Wakanda and the southern states. In the mid 1800’s the island looked to be 500 or so miles away. But when she placed the map from 1900 over top of it, the island seemed to be drifting farther into the sea. Another map from 1905 confirmed her suspicions.

According to these maps Wakanda was drifting out to sea. Which in itself wasn’t too much of a cause for alarm, but there were numbers—calculations written all over the maps. This drifting wasn’t natural, it was plotted, planned, calculated even, and right underneath the calculations on every map was T’Chaka’s name, scratched in black ink.

It was more advanced than anything she had ever seen. No one had ever moved land mass like this. It shouldn’t have been possible. Audrey knew that Wakanda was advanced but she never imagined something like this. And why would T’Chaka push the island further away from civilization. Sure the south isn’t the greatest place to live, but southerners are notorious for being friendly neighbors. Why would anyone go to so much trouble? To push an island into the sea?

Audrey thought for a moment about telling Erik. He might be able to explain some of this, but something stopped her. This was bigger than whatever they were. It was definitely bigger than what Erik probably knew. This is a question for the king. Audrey bit her lip and pushed away the pang of betrayal she felt when she wrote Erik off. T’Challa is king, he has to know about this first.

It took her half a day to sketch copies of the maps, but by lunchtime she had gathered them into a thin folder. It took her another half day to write a note to T’Challa. She wasn’t sure how to word any of this, especially if T’Challa had no idea this was happening so she did her best to be concise. The moon illuminated the sky by the time she finished.

Winding her way through the palace, Audrey made it to T’Challa’s office. She only knew where it was because it was right beside Erik’s. She caught sight of his glittering vibarnium nameplate and smiled. N’Jadaka Udaku, Advisor to the King. Erik had come a long way, hell he had come home. Audrey hoped this wouldn’t ruin anything for him, hoped that her curiosity wouldn’t get her in trouble. Still unsure of her decision, Audrey slid the papers under T’Challa’s door praying to whoever was listening that she made the right decision.

—o—

Zuri could remember the night it all happened. He was a garden apprentice then, only trusted to purify the water and prune the new growth. T’Chaka and N’Jobu had made their way into the garden, voices carrying angrily as they drifted closer to Zuri. On his knees Zuri could just see their figures huddled close.

“Brother you can not keep pushing the island away from this! They will come soon enough.” N’Jobu had never cared for their plan to push the island further away from the mainland.

“I know you are upset about your wife, but moving Wakanda is the only way to keep our people safe.”

“This is not about my wife. This is about Wakanda brother.”

“Are you sure about that ubhuti?”

“As your trusted advisor, I propose we go to the mainland.” Zuri had to hold back a scoff at the use of the word ’trusted.’ T’Chaka hadn’t trusted his brother since the day he returned from the mainland, calling for a better future for people that were not his own.

“Talk to the people there, fight for them. If we build those people up—If we build our people up, protecting Wakanda from the mainland’s oppressors will no longer be an issue brother. If we welcome them home, they will see its importance. They will help us protect it, just as we helped them.”

“This is too great a problem to bend to your ridiculous ideologies N’Jobu.”

“So you would hide us away?” T’Chaka was silent for a time, Zuri held his breath even tighter then.

“We must help them. They are people just like us. They come from our lands, they are our people.” The rest transpired so quickly Zuri could not fathom it. The pair fought for that last time that night, and when Zuri scrambled and surveyed the scene he retched. The king on his knees, his brother in his lap, a gleaming vibranium claw stuck in his chest.

“My King. I am sorry.” Zuri could remember the embarrassment that flamed in his queasy stomach after vomiting in front of the king.

“Zuri, speak nothing of this day.” Zuri had agreed, even offered his assistance in any way he could. The king commanded he clean up the mess of N’Jobu, and they plotted what to do with N’Jadaka. From that day on, they were co-conspirators. Now the king was dead, another in his place, and Zuri, son of Badu could do nothing but choke on the secrets and the lies.

—o—

Another morning in the fields and another afternoon at the palace. Nelene had been helping N’Jadaka with well…everything. She taught him how to test the soil, and replot the land. She helped him research the best hops that would grow in the Wakandan climate and encouraged him to try a few different seedlings along with his main planned harvest.

Overnight, Nelene had become like a mother to him. Erik remembered when he would sit with his mother at the end of every winter. He would swing his feet beneath the wooden kitchen chair as he sat at the table with his mother, plotting the coming year’s harvest. She would always let him chose a new plant to try, grinning when he chose something outrageous. Still somehow, his mother made something grow.

He had to blink away the memory when he arrived at the palace before being swept away by his tutors. He’d already had all of the lessons he could from Ramonda, and the Council demanded he be well versed in all things Wakanda, but there were only so many senseless Wakandian etiquette rules that a man could take before he felt ready to bump off the next person who demanded he greet his cousin like a ‘king.’

Erik sighed with relief when he was finally released from his classes, deciding to make his way to the greenhouse. He could catch up with W’Kabi another time. For now, he just wanted to breathe in the plants and admire their color. Halfway to the royal hothouse he ran into Okoye. The two had never talked much, silently sized each other up and ignoring the need for communication. Apparently, that was over for Okoye.

“I have half a mind to ask you what you are really doing in Wakanda, but even I am not bold enough to question royalty.” Erik rolled his eyes and held back a snort. He’d seen the general in Council meetings. She couldn’t hold her tongue any more than he could hold his.

“You can relax Okoye. I’m not here to to anything but farm my father’s land.” An easy lie for it was a half truth. Erik still searched for the truth of what happened to his father, but Okoye didn’t need to know that.

“So you are N’Jadaka Udaku, the first Wakandan prince without ambition?” Her voice dripped with skepticism, and N’Jadaka shook his head.

“I didn’t say all that. Just that I don’t want no dinky ass chair to get fat in.” Okoye studied him for a long while. He raised his brow in challenge and she nodded in acceptance.

“Kuba ngumthetheli ongenakunqwenela. Ubukumkani abukho indawo yezihlunu.” With that warning uttered she marched off, leaving N’Jadaka to his devices.

—o—

July 3, 1920: Wakanda

“Shuri!” The prank went off without a hitch. Well, sort of. Erik was supposed to get hit with the water too, but he was a bit too fast for the bucket.

“It wasn’t all me brother! Audrey did it too!”

“Shuri!” Audrey gasped the name and whipped her head back to a bewildered T’Challa. “I didn’t sir, um I mean, your majes—” Audrey couldn’t continue her fumbling because Erik had burst out laughing.

Audrey had never seen him like this, clutching his sides and bending over in glee. Shuri wasn’t much better, even Ayo cracked a smile. Still, Audrey was happy that the throne room sat relatively empty. The queen was there, sat regally in her throne. A few of the Dora were there too, Okoye doing a much better job at hiding her amusement than Ayo.

“Audrey, do you have a moment?” Shuri’s laughter ended abruptly. Erik whispered ‘ohhh’ like a school child. Audrey squared her shoulders and followed Ramonda’s retreating form while Shuri and Erik whispered back and forth.

Audrey followed Ramonda through the ornate palace halls squinting as the sunlight strobed in her face as she passed window after window. She wasn’t sure if she was meant to catch up to Ramonda or stay behind but after a few minutes of walking she nearly bumped into Ramonda’s back when she stopped in the center of the hallway.

They had passed a few doors along the way, glittering with vibranium locks and panther carved handles, but now there were only paintings. Paintings of prestigious Kings and Queens, panthers and generals. Ramonda had stopped the pair in front of a painting of a woman. The entire image was cast in blue. Violet and cerulean glanced off of the woman’s broad nose and left a dreamy glint in her big brown eyes. With her left arm outstretched Ramonda grazed her fingers along the wall beneath the painting.

“Years ago, my mother was the country cartographer.” The vibranium nameplate gleamed under her brown thumb. Cebisa Undakewe, Official Cartographer of Wakanda.

“She travelled all over the island mapping courses and painting worlds on paper. She was the first to map Jabariland. She was the only one they allowed in. I can still remember when the king requested her presence in the palace. It was how I met T’Chaka.” Ramonda’s face drifted into a soft smile.

“He was so rude to my mother, I told him off. I Let him know that no one, prince or otherwise speaks to my mother with anything less than respect. I can still see the shock on his face!” She chuckled a bit, and Audrey’s face lifted into a tight smile still wondering what she was doing here.

“You remind me of her. I can see a world of wonder in your eyes. They way you hold your pen…Bast she never went anywhere without a pen.” Ramonda pressed her thumb into the wall, and to the right the wall split, drifting into the floor and ceiling respectively.

“The king was impressed when he saw my mother’s map. Hired her on the spot. Gave her this room to map the world ten times over.” Ramonda gestured for Audrey to walk in ahead of her and after another moment of hesitation she did.

The room itself wasn’t much to look at in comparison to the rest of the palace.

“I don’t mean to be rude Queen Ramonda, but—”

“Why did I bring you here?” Audrey nodded. “I’ve kept this place a secret for longer than I care to remember. I was hiding it. After my mother died I would come here until it no longer smelled like her sweet jasmine and cocoa scent. When that faded I could not bring myself to return. T’Chaka did not understand the pain of it, losing a mother, but I could not fathom another being in this space, her space. Until I met you.”

“You tumbled onto our little island and brought my nephew home. I prayed to Bast for him back and She dropped you into our laps like a gift. My mother would want you to create more worlds here. I want you to use her space as she did in the past.” Revive her memory. If only for a moment.

“Queen Ramonda I—”

“Please, call me Ramonda, or Auntie if that suits you.” Audrey’s eyes widened at the queen’s wink and she nodded.

“I do hope you stay Audrey. N’Jadaka is very clearly taken with you, as he should be.”

“Enkosi.”

“Your Wakandan is getting better!” Audrey could only nod bashfully. She wasn’t perfect, but she was trying.

—o—

July 5, 1920: Wakanda

“Stevens! Wait up.” Each day since she returned from Jabariland Audrey saw Erik in his father’s fields talking to all manner of people. Farmers mostly she assumed, but sometimes a guard slipped into the crowd, or a Border Tribesman. Audrey knew that N’Jobu had never had any sort of official affiliation with the tribe, so this had to be a new alliance. The idea of an alliance of any kind made Audrey…suspicious.

“Hey babydoll, what do you need?” Erik’s answer was easy. After all talking to Audrey had become eat most simple thing in his life at the moment. He hadn’t told her anything about the clandestine meetings, or his heavy surveillance of Zuri. She was a smart broad but she didn’t need to know all of that.

“What are you up to?” Erik should have known that he wouldn’t get anything past Audrey. He should have been surprised that Audrey held her tongue for this long. Instead, he let her question roll off of his back.

“What do you mean A?”

“I mean why are you meeting with the Border Tribe.”

“There’s something going on here Audrey. I need to get to the bottom of it.”

“Of course there’s something going on here. There are a million things going on here! It’s a Royal Court Stevens! That doesn’t mean you need to do whatever it is you’re doing now. I thought you came here for land. To start farming it and brewing and selling? have you forgotten about that?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. But ever since we got here, things have been strange Audrey. Certain stories just don’t add up.”

“What stories?”

“My disappearance for one. Everyone thinks I was taken by Klaue. That he killed my father and kidnapped me, but that’s not what I remember.”

“I thought you didn’t remember it at all.” Audrey remembered him mentioning that when they were first working on the map, that he couldn’t remember exactly how he got to America from Wakanda, just that he did.

“I don’t remember much. Just a blindfold, leaves brushing against my arms and silence.”

“That’s not nothing. Eri—” Audrey was interrupted yet again by a small Wakandan man. he held a satchel and a tablet the lit up his face. The back of it gleamed with solar panels and it fit into the palm of his hand. He tapped the screen with his fingers frustrated, murmuring about ‘annoying prototypes’ and something in Wakandan she couldn’t understand.

“Miss Cade, there’s a letter for you from Jabariland.” He tapped the screen a few more times with his pointer finger and then dug into his satchel for a small envelope. It was brown, and covered in childlike lettering. The stamp held an image of a Gorilla with the word Hanuman stamped below it. Audrey was so stunned to receive a letter that Erik had to take it for her.

He studied the woman he had grown to admire closely. He knew at some point she had to have received a letter from someone but this one seemed to trigger her somehow. Audrey’s mind flashed to the last time she had gotten anything hand delivered like this.

In Audrey’s eyes this man looked just like the other postman that knocked on the door of Cade’s Atlas nearly a decade ago. Tired eyes and slouching back, spine curving into a ‘c’ under the weight of his messages.

“Miss Cade, I am sorry to have to share this news with you, but on his latest expedition your grandfather met an untimely end—” Audrey had stopped listening then, having heard all she needed to know. A large envelope fell into her hands. The deed to Cade’s Atlas among other things. Erik’s voice interrupted Audrey’s detached memory.

“Audrey! Babydoll, hey.” Erik waved his hands in front of her, crowding her space and shuffling her towards the wall and away from the center of the hallway. “What the hell is going on? You want me to get rid of this thing?” Erik motioned to the letter in his hand and Audrey snapped back into action, snatching the brown paper from his hands.

“No. I—I got it, thanks.” Audrey ran her hands over the rough brown paper, admiring the pulp and blotchy ink.

To: Bincinke Audrey Cade

From: Princess Ti of the Jabari Tribe

With a smile and a deep breath Audrey broke the chunky wax seal. There were two pieces of parchment folded into the envelope, one a letter that detailed all of Ti’s exploits with her sisters and a question on when Audrey would return to Jabariland; the other was a map “home to Jabariland. Just in case you forget bincinke!” Audrey breathed out a laugh at the map’s title, and Erik couldn’t stop himself from speaking.

“Audrey, what was that abo—l” He could see Audrey shutting down, her lips closing tightly and eyes going hard. “Never mind, what did you get?”

“It’s a map. Ti drew it for me.” Audrey ran her fingers over the chunky hills and watery lakes that lay between the palace and Jabariland. Erik came around to her shoulder, leaning over it. He was so close to Audrey that his breath fanned the page and she could smell the earth on him.

“Cute.” Audrey nodded, and the pair resumed their palace stroll. Erik standing closer to Audrey than before and studying her for any sign of…whatever had just happened. They ambled past the kitchens and library in silence nearly at the Council Chambers before Audrey spoke again.

“What are you going to do?” Erik took his time formulating his response. He knew Audrey would wait for him. Raised voices from the Council room interrupted his thoughts and drew his and Audrey’s attention.

“You were never going to tell me? That my father the King—Bast Zuri.” It was T’Challa speaking to Zuri the succinct gardener that also happened to be T’Challa’s most trusted advisor.

“How could he kill his own brother?”

“N’Jobu was never fit to lead Wakanda. He always had his eyes in another man’s revolution. When N’Jobu came to the Council begging to aid the newly freed slaves in building their lives, T’Chaka refused. He knew Wakanda would stretch itself too thin.”

Zuri could remember that night. T’Chaka had sent the Council home after a full hour of arguing went on between him and N’Jobu. The sun has melted into the horizon and the moon rose from the sea. Still the pair fought.

“How can you turn your back so easily brother? And to actively push the island away from the mainland…I assume the Council does not know.” N’Jobu had been disturbed to learn of T’Chaka’s plan to push the island farther into the sea. Zuri saw no problem with the action. It was the only way to keep Wakanda out of the clutches of oppressors who would see to pillage the island they so deeply love. The country they so violently fought for.

“I am not our father. I refuse to indulge every one of your whims N’Jobu. I have a country to lead.” T’Chaka had been dismissive of N’Jobu’s pleading since his coronation. N’Jobu did not understand what had happened to cause such a marked change in his brother’s ideals. He could still remember the days they vowed to free the mainlanders of their chains and help them build a Wakanda on the coast.

“What is that supposed to mean ubhuti?”

“It means that Father turned his head when you brought that white man into our country to steal for your little rebellion. I will not do the same. I will not allow you to betray Wakanda for people that are not our own.” T’Chaka spit the words. N’Jobu had been at this for too long, and it was his fault, T’Chaka thought. As king, he never should have allowed that extended war dog mission to the American South. It only served to radicalize his brother and produced an unnecessary heir to the Wakandan throne.

“He knew?”

“He was the Black Panther. King of Wakanda. Nothing gets past him brother. He encouraged me to indulge your whims, but I can not in good conscience allow you to do this any longer.” Zuri remembered the relief that flooded his heart. Finally the king would no longer be beholden to his brothers indiscretions. Finally T’Chaka could truly be great.

“Why did he not say anything then.”

“He believed your cause noble. Honorable even.” T’Chaka’s derisive snort rivaled that of their mother’s. A woman known for her intelligence and intolerance for idiocy.

“And you ubhiti? Do you not feel the same?”

“They fought. T’Chaka lived. N’Jadaka was all that was left. We had to loose him, leave him.” Zuri was still shaking himself from the memory when T’Challa responded.

“No. No.” T’Challa’s head spun. For years he had allowed Zuri to lead the search for N’Jadaka. For year he had searched for his cousin himself. Now to find he was never meant to be found, to learn that his father killed his own brother.

“Klaue attempted to break out of the prison that same night. We staged a kidnapping. We had to maintain the lie. We left him far from the border of. To grow and forget our Wakanda.”

“Zuri—”

“We had to do it T’Challa, if he is his father’s child…his presence here will bring more pain than joy.” Erik had heard enough, and he was gone before Audrey could reach for him. She stood in the glittering palace hallway, wishing for the first time that she had never found Wakanda at all.

—o—

July 6, 1920: Wakanda

N’Jadaka had a plan. A plan that would prove Zuri right, just before he burned the entire island to the ground. It’s what they all deserve. He had already relayed a version of the plot to W’Kabi, telling him just what he needed to know and nothing more. W’Kabi would get him access to where he needed to be, and all he would need to do is light the match to watch the island burn. Finally, he felt like Killmonger again.

Audrey had spent all day searching for Erik. He wasn’t in his cottage, or his palace room, not in his father’s fields or in the lavish library overflowing with books. He didn’t want to be found so Audrey changed tactics. She looked for his allies. The farmers were all home, and she didn’t find a border tribesman to follow until the morning. After two hours of following the man on errands, she found Erik in the palace basement. The only dark place she’d ever seen in Wakanda.

The basement was cool, a stark contrast to the wet island heat Audrey had gotten used to. Erik stood centered on the concrete floor surrounded by vibranium chests and rolls of parchment. Audrey could only see his back, covered in keloids and broad shoulders rising and falling slowly. he looked larger than Audrey remembered.

“Erik.” Audrey voice drifted through the room and Erik cocked his head towards the sound. He never answered, or turned so Audrey tried again.

“Erik, what are you doing down here?” Erik reveled in the way his name fell from her lips, knowing it’s probably the last time he’ll hear it.

“He killed my father.” Audrey had nothing to say to that, and Erik knew she wouldn’t. He reveled in her cautious silence like he never had before.

“I can’t let that go dollface.” Audrey’s lip curled in annoyance. The nickname was enough to know that she was speaking to the infamous Killmonger. Erik Stevens was no longer rational, no longer calling the shots.

“You should talk to T’Challa.” Killmonger scoffed. “I’m not telling you to let it all go, but T’Challa didn’t even know, Erik.” It felt strange saying his name so often, but Audrey was willing to try anything to bring killmonger to his senses. Whatever he was planning would be too much.

“Why are you trying to protect him?”

“I’m not trying to protect him I’m trying to protect you.” And she was. She had already caught sight of the matchbook clenched in his hands. Audrey had a feeling that there was more than vibranium chests and parchment down here.

“Everything you’ve worked for, all of this? You want to destroy it like that?” She snapped her fingers before continuing.

“They offered you a position as advisor to the king! You can use your position to get what you really want. You can use it to better the world like your father wanted.” Erik twitched at the use of his father’s words. Audrey knew he would hate her for it, but she also knew he would hate himself more if he destroyed his home.

“They killed my pops Audrey. My father! All because he ain’t agree with the king. I can’t let that slide.” Erik finally turned, and Audrey hated herself for jumping. She had never seen him so angry. His dreads fell in his face and his golden fangs were bared in anger. Steeling herself, Audrey pushed forward, closer to Killmonger.

“So what are you going to do? Kill the royal court?” Audrey’s arms waved in question. “I wish you could hear yourself Erik! God I wish you would just take a moment to think. Erik Azzuri Stevens.” Erik stilled, it was the first time he’d heard Audrey say his full name. It burned on the way down. He knew he’d never hear it again.

“Imma do what I have to to honor my father Audrey.” Audrey shook her head in disappointment.

“You know, I always wondered what it would be like. To know my home, to know who I’m really supposed to be. I would kill to feel like I truly belong somewhere, to stand in my history. Hell to even know my history and you— You have it all. You’re a freaking prince. You’re home, and you want to throw it away?”

“You don’t understand.”

“Of course I understand Erik! They left you, they took me. My ancestors, our ancestors were never even supposed to be here. We were traded and sold and left alone in this world—” Tears fell, and Audrey tried to wrangle her cracking voice.

“Of course I understand Erik.”

“It’s not that simple dollface.”

“It never is, but that doesn’t mean you throw it all away.”

“You should go.”

—o—

So she left. Audrey packed her things, grabbing the key to Killmonger’s model T and hopped on the next ferry to the mainland. The border tribe said nothing as she boarded the boat and only one thing when it docked on the soil of South Carolina.

“NgoMeyi Makugcinwe udade okhuselekileyo.” Exhausted and cried out, Audrey couldn’t even begin trying to decipher that sentence.

Instead she unfurled the map that got her into this mess, and made her way to Erik’s automobile. The sleek black machine started without a problem and she pushed the pedal hard, sailing down Highway 17, towards home. In a blink she was back in Charleston rolling the car to a stop in front of Oakies.

It looked just as dingy as it had when they left, Lights flickering in the lettered sign and music spilling into the street. Her feet carried her into the bar before her mind could stop them and she made her way to Killmonger’s golden booth. The music tonight was harsher than she’d ever heard it, and Audrey closed her eyes to listen.

I know a couple of devils in Prada tuxedos…

A dark skinned man spoke into the microphone while a woman crooned beside him. Audrey gazed at the pair, taking in the woman’s braided hair tucked into a silken scarf. She swallowed and sunk further into the booth, letting the music wash over her.

I think there’s something in the water…

Slowly, Audrey’s mind awoke from being on autopilot during her journey. Inhaling made her heart lurch. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. What she just left. Who she just left. Erik was—is hurting. She shouldn’t have— The front door banged against the wall and Junie’s voice jolted Audrey out of her spiraling mind.

“Audrey Cade! You’re back!” Junie ambled to the gold booth where her friend sat, taking her in. Her skin shone like it never had before, she looked younger and wiser somehow and Junie couldn’t stop the grin that formed on her face. She missed her little sister. Sliding into the booth with a smile, Junie waved down a waiter.

“So how was it? Tell me everything.”

That sentence was all it took for Audrey to break down in tears.

—o—

His car key was gone. Audrey was gone. He sent Audrey away. Erik didn’t think she would actually listen. This is the first time she’s ever truly listened to his demands. Fuck.

Erik had already been to her room. He had already stared at the empty closet for too long and rooted around the desk. The drawers were empty, no ink, no paper, no Audrey. Erik even went where he shouldn’t have, to her secret mapmaking room. he ran his fingers searchingly along the walls until he found the button that allowed him access. He spent hours pouring over the maps, her maps. The whole place even smelled like her.

For a second he convinced himself that nothing had changed. Erik imagined a future where even in his prince hood she would come home to him every night. He would pick something from the fields to cook, and she would tell him all about her daily adventures. After dinner she would sketch him as he read, or did dishes, or wrote. When the moon and stars kissed the sky they would fall into bed together lazily, and drift into a dreamless sleep. They didn’t need dreams anymore, they lived one.

“My Prince.” N’Jadaka was jolted from his reverie by W’Kabi.

“Everything is prepared.” Erik nodded. Still, even with Audrey on his mind he couldn’t shake his ideals. She may have soothing answers but the truth still burns him. Flame was licking his stomach from the inside out.

“My prince, are you ready?” W’Kabi questioned.

With a strike and a breath, N’Jadaka lit the match.

—o—

Translations

Kuba ngumthetheli ongenakunqwenela. Ubukumkani abukho indawo yezihlunu: Be careful ambitionless Prince. The monarchy does not have room for fools.

—o—

Enkosi: Thank you

—o—

Bincinke: Explorer (Hausa)

—o—

NgoMeyi Makugcinwe udade okhuselekileyo: may Bast keep you safe sister.

A/N: So...yeah...Erik’s going through it. All has been revealed and...shit stinks okay. To be honest that last conversation between Erik and Audrey was one of the first scenes I wrote when I was imagining this story. As an African-American I found it so so easy to relate to Erik in the movie because DAMN y’all didn’t want to help nobody Wakanda??? For real???? But I’m with Audrey on this one, if some how I could find my way back home and be embraced the way that Erik is...Idk man...I might not feel so adrift. At least in terms of family history and whatnot.

I think I’m in love with the idea of knowing who I could have been had slavery and all that foul shit not happened. What my culture would have been, or how my diet would be different, even the different bedtime stories I might have heard as a child. I’m into theorizing about that I guess if that makes sense. Which is why the conversation Audrey has with Erik is so important to me.

Anyways...enough about me. So...the couple is separated and Erik is ready to drop that match on Wakandan soil...I can fix this I think. It’ll just take some time for those two to find their way back home.

I really hope no one is disappointed by this. I’ve put a lot into this fic and this is always how it was going to end. I actually never start writing a story until I know how I want it to end. Either way, I love you all for liking and reading and reblogging and reviewing, you’ve made my life much richer! 😘

Only the epilogue to go, and then it’s on to another story. 😎An even crazier AU

Also! I’ve been posting this fic on Ao3 my username there is thegirlwiththebags here’s the link if you want to read it there! I always post on tumblr first though 😊😊😊

Taglist: @muse-of-mbaku @k-michaelis @nemesispawn @queenamaniii @thatrandomfangirl98 @princessstevens @killmongurl @bidibidibombaclaat @thelovelyliterary @panthergoddessbast @dreadedphilosphy @elaindeereads @thedom223

#A Map Made in Heaven #my writing #mine #bp fic #erik killmonger #erik killmonger x black!OC #black panther #erik killmonger fic #1920's AU

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raufnirsramblings · 7 years

Text

Black Citadel (working title)

Yesterday this happened in a rush of inspiration! Huge thanks to @vege-tali for her unwavering enthusiasm and support!! I’d also like to thank @dreamyblossoms for chatting about one character (who will get more air time later I think). I’ve got a lot of this blocked out in my mind already, and there’s backstory for all four main characters as introduced here. If you want to know more, comment or inbox me!

“Doesn’t all that racket disturb your studies?” the young woman giggled as she approached his table.

Books and parchment, scrolls, and even some rare clay tablets from the restricted section covered the carved table so densely it might have taken an archaeologist six weeks to dig to the bottom.

“I like this corner,” he said without looking up at her or glancing at the latticed window which hung open to his left. On the cool breeze that drifted in across a stone sill, the clang and ring of half a hundred practice swords reached their ears. After a moment though he shot her a sidelong glance and a smirk. “Usually I don’t get disturbed way back here in the stacks.”

Silver-grey eyes flashed at her, expression sharper than those steel blades below, but she only chuckled and awkwardly began to drag a heavy, carved wooden chair away from the table. The chair’s feet dragged on cold flagstones and howled raucously in the quiet of the library, but she didn’t care. She needed to get it out of the way in order for her wheelchair to pull close to the table. It was a fairly dainty thing, much smaller than the one the Magisters had found for her when she’d first arrived at the castle. Kae had had a hand in redesigning it with her. Some days she didn’t need it, and crutches would do, but today was not such a day. “Your eyesight’s bad enough already, Kae,” she scoffed, running her hand through her short, blonde hair, as if that would have had any effect on the way it sat on her head like a small bird’s nest.

Kae squinted comically at her. “You know, it’s funny,” he said, tapping his dip pen against the sharp line of his jaw, “I thought I heard an annoying little chirping, but… well… I can’t see anything, so it must be a figment of my imagination.”

She thumped him hard on the top of his lean arm. “Do you even know what time it is, smartarse?” Her eyes glittered dangerously, and he licked his lips. “You were supposed to meet with Magister Gerrome in the North Tower two hours ago.”

That made him sit up and shut up. “Shit.”

She laughed again, a bright sound like burnished gold, and sat back in the chair with her hands behind her head while he scrabbled frantically to put away his small writing kit. His ink-stained hands fretted to close the books, leaving them in a precarious stack. He towered over her as he pushed his chair back and stood. After grabbing his books and the inlaid ivory writing box, he turned to face her, peering down from his six foot height. With a hasty smile, he grinned shyly. “Thanks, Fyna.”

“You’re welcome, paper-brain!” she called after him as he raced out of the library like some young buck startled from the sanctuary of a meadow. A fourth year journeyman of the Black Citadel ought to have learned some of the grace of the High Accepted by now, but somehow that all seemed to pass him by. Most things seemed to pass Kae by. He was happy as long as he had his research and his peace and quiet. Lessons with the Masters seemed little more than an inconvenience to the bright young mage.

She shook her head fondly as his pewter grey cloak, hemmed with yellow to denote his cloister, billowed behind him on his ungainly exit. She had only just earned that grey cloak herself, choosing a cloister which would allow her to specialise after the general training of novice-hood. It was an archaic system, but then again, the Black Citadel had been training mages in that fashion, sorting them according to their various strengths and interests, for thousands of years. She’d risen from the white cloak of a novice to the grey of a journeyman only a year ago. Kae should be on the verge of taking the test for a black cloak of his own soon, that was, if he could stop and remember his duties and obligations for half a moment.

Kae Erranyn was beautiful enough to pass as a prince from any fairy-tale, or at least he would have been if he didn’t stoop quite so much over his books, and if he didn’t squint at the spider-scrawl handwriting of ancient loremasters for hours at a time. The tomes he favoured were so dusty they were practically a health hazard, though the lack of light he studied by was likely to bite him long before the dust clogged his lungs. His scruffy hair, perpetually unkempt and caught somewhere between long and short, was so black it seemed to glow blue in certain lights. Those silver eyes had the graceful, upward slant of a southerner from Myrrath, and he had the soft, lyrical accent and smooth, tanned skin to match.

Fyna, by contrast, was short, wiry, and, despite her apparent weaknesses, was in fact tough as old boots. Her freckled face split into a grin as she shook her head. “Oh Kae,” she chortled. “Magister Gerrome’s gonna be so pissed – you’ll be washing pots in the kitchens with the novices for a month,” she chuckled. “If you’re lucky…”

Idly she flipped open one of the covers of the books he’d left behind and scowled. From what she could translate of the title, which wasn’t much since it was written in ancient Kaelish, and in iron gall ink that had corroded most of the paper away anyway, she thought it was about the now-mythic art of weaving. She shook her head. Magic based on runes and geometry she could get her head around. Numbers and energy equations lay themselves down at her feet like pilgrims before a shine. Those were the principles around which all modern magic was centred. That was what people came to the Black Citadel mages for. Weaving was an ancient art so long forgotten that most dismissed it as nothing more than fluff and bedtime stories for impressionable children.

The ring of the swords in the practice yard below rose once more through her consciousness, and she pushed closer to the low casement, peering out. Through the distorted glass of the mullions, she watched the Greycloak squires training, acting out their forms and steps until their arms must have ached, and then some.

She sighed. “None of you will ever be contracted to me,” she sighed, glancing down at her legs. “Not like this.” Turning away from the window with a sigh she’d long ago promised herself she’d never give again, she headed back down to the workshops. Machines and clocks, practical instruments and devices were her kind of magic. Warded chests for kings and councilmen, runed safes for bankers, great lifting cranes for dock workers: that was where her heart lay. Not in the dusty tomes of long-forgotten loremasters. There was a reason that Kae was in Ankar, a cloister devoted to history and research, while her cloister was Furlocke. The pounding rumble of the drop hammer and the roar of the blast furnaces were where she felt at home. Libraries were eerie places; too quiet, too still, too… dead. She shivered.

Kae flew out of the library building and bolted across the yard, sticking to the shadows of the keep wall and avoiding the pairs of young soldiers and squires training in the yard. The Black Citadel had trained its Greycloaks beside the mages for millennia, but he had no time to dwell on the history of the partnership between warrior and mage. Not with the thought of Magister Gerrome pacing his study, yanking his forked beard with long fingers, those ice-blue eyes boring a hole in the floor tiles of his study.

One of those young Greycloaks, leaning casually against the stable wall on the far side of the courtyard looked up as he saw the tall figure sprinting towards the North Tower. He chuckled to himself at the sight of a mage, usually such a calm and composed lot, hurtling across the courtyard with all the grace of a startled goose.

The short redhead beside him scoffed and tugged at her braid without realising she was doing it. “What d’you think he’s done?” she asked, nodding at the young man.

The Greycloak beside her flipped a short throwing knife in his hand without looking down at it. He had the piercing golden eyes of a hawk, and he watched the boy steadily with a soft smirk on his lips. The mage could have been no older than the handsome trainee soldier was at sixteen, though he might have been a year younger. The journeyman’s height did add months to his age though. “Dunno,” he grinned. “I have seen him around the citadel before,” he added. “Always seems halfway to somewhere else in his mind, you know?”

The girl stretched an arm over her head with a grunt. “Whatever he’s done, he’s balls-deep in cow shit with no rope to pull him out.”

The Greycloak laughed and somehow the knife seemed to disappear up his sleeve, or perhaps back into a coat pocket. Atla always seemed to have one of those neat little phrases tucked up her sleeve like one of his knives. He pushed himself off the wall, his muscular body moving with an elegance that spoke volumes of his strength. He tied his shoulder-length brown hair back with a strip of leather and turned to look down at the girl. “You fancy training together for a bit?” he asked.

She grinned wolfishly and punched him hard on his bicep, dodging out of the way of his returning blow with the speed of a sparrow. “If you think you can face the shame of losing again, Tomas!” she cackled.

“I figure it’s worth a shot,” he retorted playfully. “Come on… First to land three blows.”

“First to three hits,” she agreed, glancing back at him over her shoulder as she walked away. “Done.” She wore tight buckskin leggings and a long linen shift that barely kissed her hips, lashed around the waist by a simple belt. Long red hair hung down her back in a plait as thick as a ship’s rope, and green eyes glittered. She was the envy of half the women in the Greycloaks, and the object of many a young man’s fantasy. Not that she paid much of it any mind.

The pair moved away towards a quieter corner of the yard, the young scholar forgotten as they chose practice swords from the rack of dulled steel weapons and circled around each other.

Shouts and catcalls rose as the other pairs noticed them, and they drew a small crowd. Cries of “Atla!” and “Tomas!” rang out, accompanied by the clink of coin and the shaking of hands.

The moment Kae stepped into the North Tower, all sound from the training yard was extinguished behind him as surely as though he’d lost his hearing. His ears rang and he shook his head unconsciously. In all the years he’d been a journeyman, he’d still never become accustomed to the wards placed around the Magisters’ Tower.

Magister Gerrome’s study sat at the end of a short corridor, and as he knocked on the door, his blood roared in his ears. He raised his knuckles and rapped on the door, heart sinking.

“Enter.”

He pushed the door open, head bowed, cheeks blushing. “Magister Gerrome, I –” his voice died in his throat at the look he received as the middle aged Magister whipped around, ice blue eyes fierce. His sinking heart hit the bottom of his stomach and still tried to keep on going. “I’m sorry.”

#fantasy #fantasy story #mages #mage story #magic #hopefully it's not too derivative and tropey #ace female character #disabled character #soldiers #I have all this mapped out #i got totally carried away with this new story yesterday #hope you like it!#i know you followed me for fanfic #but here's some original writing #raufnir's original fiction #original writing #fantasy fiction #please be nice to me about it

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erincardenthailandblog · 7 years

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Making the days count

I have nineteen days left in Thailand. I made it to August. I’ve thought over and over again about what I would feel like when I finally made it to last month. It feels surreal to know that the month I felt would never come is finally here.

The bright cloudless days are gone. Mist hangs around the mountains in the distance, catching in the banana tree leaves that are the size of small umbrellas. The fields are thick and green with rice. Sprouted plants surround my home. It has been raining for three days straight. It’s raining when I wake up and it’s raining when I go to sleep. The rice fields are over flowing. They look like rivers. Everyone is saying that this is the wettest rainy season Thailand has had in years. A foreign teacher who has lived in Thailand for fifteen years said he’s never seen it rain this much. As sick as I am of the rain, there is something special about living in Thailand long enough to experience all the seasons. Getting caught in the monsoon storms has brought me a curious sense of belonging. I like knowing that I truly understand what it means to live in Thailand at this time of the year. This morning, when the school anthem started blasting through the speakers, students darted back and forth, chatting to one another as they clutched their umbrellas and tried to shield themselves from the rain. “Welcome to rainy season” I said to myself.

I recently learned that many of the rice fields in my village are also rice field fisheries. These fields grow not only rice but also wild fish. Most of the fish enter naturally from the surrounding water which floods into the fields. These rice field fisheries constitute a vital source of income and nutrition for many farmers. Every day people wade hip deep in the rice fields with huge nets made out of mesh and tall bamboo splits. They submerge the nets into the flooded fields and when they have caught enough fish, they lift the nets up using an extended bamboo pole. One weekend Olivia and I saw people gathered around, watching the fishermen fish with as if it were some sort of sporting event.

This past weekend WorldTeach held an End of Service event. The volunteers gathered together and told stories about what our students had done the past few weeks since we had last seen each other. This reminded me of when I have listened to parents speaking and laughing about things their child had done. I now understand this sentiment. As teachers we find pleasure in recounting something a particular student did, at how predictable they are and yet how they continue to surprise us.

I love reminders that on a dull, seemingly insignificant day there is still color in the world. There are things that still surprise me. I am still in awe. Not once have I considered my life here average but there are some things that I have forgotten felt so strange when I first arrived. Bathrooms without toilet paper or sinks have become normal. Power outages on a weekly, if not daily basis are expected. I am no longer bothered by the fact that I have to flick ants off my arms while relaxing in bed. I can now distinguish the sound between a gecko and a frog. Eyeing heaps of burning trash in my neighbor’s backyard no longer warrants a feeling of danger. Spicy Thai dishes no longer make my eyes water and mouth burn. I can tell whether a storm will shed light of heavy rain based on the cloud’s shade of grey and the strength of the wind. On a daily basis I use the handful of Thai phrases that I know- such as- “cow jai mai” which means, “understand?” with my youngest students. I no longer cower in fear during my runs when confronted by a mangy barking dog. I have learned the right precautions to take. If the dog is chasing me and barking, then I stop and walk. If the dog is chasing me but not barking, or barking but not chasing me, then I continue my run. I now walk through traffic dodging cars and motorbikes, with ease.

This past weekend WorldTeach also held a session on cultural readjustment in which we discussed the grief that comes with reverse culture shock. We talked about the loneliness of not being able to connect with anyone at home about our experience because it’s not something many people can relate to. We talked about the confusion, stress, and discomfort we may feel trying to reconcile this new version of ourselves in a place where an old version of our self exists. Talking about the challenges we will face while readjusting to the life we left at home has made me aware of all that I appreciate about my life in Na Kae.

Throughout my time in Thailand, whenever I was homesick, restless, or impatient, it was because I was excited to return to the U.S and “start my life.” Teaching and traveling abroad was an opportunity I seized with the goal of expanding future career and personal possibilities but I always held the expiration date in mind. It took me a while to realize that this is my life. I have already started it, and I am living in Thailand.

A few weeks ago I sat on a crowded songthaew that I had waited one and a half hours for. The air was heavy with humidity and my back was slick with sweat. A little girl sitting directly in front of me on the middle bench was playing footsie with me. She kept brushing her feet against mine, and her little hands kept grazing my knee. My knee- caps hurt. They were pressed against the metal bench and the metal bars behind me were digging into my back. Another baby on the songthaew was crying. Because I am the “ferong” (foreigner) and I stick out like a sore thumb, everyone was staring and talking about me. I was hot, tired, and grumpy. Then, the songthaew started moving. The warm breeze came and dried the sweat from my face. Soon we were racing past the downy green rice fields. I looked at the children asleep in their mother’s arms and I became aware of how special it was to be sweaty and uncomfortable in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, partaking in something so much of a part of the daily routine and the daily lifestyle of a culture that was previously so unknown, but that now, is a part of me.

There is a new Pilipino teacher at my school who has never taught before. She confided in me about having a hard time adjusting to her new environment. I told her not to expect anything to come easily, and that it will take time for the students to feel comfortable with her, as it will take time for her to feel comfortable with the students. I told her that patience is key. I admitted that it was only after summer vacation that I ever entered into the classroom feeling like a “teacher.” I admitted that before I always felt like I was running around the classroom like a headless chicken in the dark. I told her to be patient with not only her students, but more importantly, with herself. I told her that with trust in the process of time, she would begin to feel more grounded.

It is easy to recognize the small ways that I have changed while the bigger changes are only now beginning to resonate as my departure date approaches. Giving advice to this new teacher made me realize that I have in fact, grown as a teacher and as a person. Six months ago I don’t think I could have imagined myself as the one giving advice. I did not think of myself as a source of wisdom or experience for someone else. But now, here I was, verbalizing for the first time, the importance of patience and realizing, for the first time, the way that trusting the patience I gave myself, has changed me.

Reflecting on these past eleven months I have surprised myself in numerous ways. When I first moved to Thailand none of the volunteers knew each other and we and had to start from scratch in order to get to know one another. I was surprised by how soon it was that I began to feel close to a handful of volunteers. I was surprised by the fact that I felt I could tell them anything and everything. I never felt like I needed to be anything more. I didn’t need to be funnier, louder, more interesting, or smarter. I didn’t need to be anyone other than who I already was. I was surprised to realize that this was probably not only because of the people they are, but also because of a sense of inner peace that all the hours I have spent alone has given me. I am also surprised by how much I enjoy serving as a person with whom others confide in and seek advice from. I am surprised by the fact that I now enjoy my own company. When I first moved to Na Kae, spending what felt like endless hours alone felt uncomfortable and unsettling. Although too many hours alone can still leave me feeling restless, I now find comfort in the silence of my own thoughts.

Other July/ August Highlights:

-My male seventh graders are a huge handful but I cannot deny that they are also sweet as pie. Every day they greet me with precious, genuine smiles and say “thank you teacher” at the end of every lesson. It is so special to be thanked every day by children. They are grateful to learn. And no matter how hard they are to manage, I am grateful to be their teacher.

-A group of ninth graders asked me to watch them practice a Beauty and the Beast Saturday Night Live skit that had the word “ass” in it about five times. They were planning on performing it for a province wide English competition. I couldn’t stop laughing. I had to explain to them why the word “ass” was inappropriate for a school competition and why they had to find another script or they would probably be disqualified.

- After introducing new vocabulary I often ask my seventh graders to recite the new vocabulary words out loud to me after giving them an assignment. I have them stand in a line and one by one come up to me to read the words out loud. It makes me happy to hear the ones in line practicing before it is their turn. It shows me that they care and they want to do well.

- I love it when the higher-level students help the lower level students. When my seventh graders recite vocabulary words the advanced students will say it under their breath for the less advanced students because they don’t want to leave their friends hanging. I don’t mind that they are giving away the answer because I support the fact that they are growing and learning from each other.

- I taught my seventh graders about parts of the body and gave them an assignment to draw an alien with labeled body parts. A lot of my students drew really impressive drawings and I kept my favorites because I want to frame them when I’m home.

-One of my eight graders got an A+ on her midterm. She was the only one in the class. She was not advanced last semester but this semester she has the highest grade. She studies very hard and it made me so happy to see her succeed. She squealed when I gave her back her test. It brought me so much joy to see how happy she was.

-I asked my students to write me letters and some of their responses were: o “Do you love me?” o “I don’t like a grub. Do you like a grub? Why you beautiful?”

- An eleventh grader wrote me a note apologizing for missing class. I almost cried I was so touched.

- Because it is rainy season most Thai people wear huge plastic ponchos when riding on their motorbikes. One day Olivia and I saw a woman put on silver rain pants and a silver raincoat. She looked like she was wearing a space suit. Olivia and I have pepto bismol colored rain ponchos and we feel like teletubbies every time we were them.

-I love going for motorbike rides with Olivia. Last week we passed by… o An old white man with a mustache riding a pink motorbike.

o Women sitting atop platforms made out of bamboo stalks, weaving baskets out of dried palm leaves.

o Men walking home from the rice fields carrying huge loads of grass on their backs. o Baby water buffalo napping in mud piles under the shade of willow trees.

o The simple, wild, untouched, and raw beauty that is the Issan region of Thailand.

Lowlights of July/ August

- The power turning on and off multiple times in a night and which wakes me up every time because I am a horribly light sleeper.

- The animal living in my roof has begun to dig a hole in my ceiling and I was woken up one morning at 4 A.M by pieces of crumbling plaster falling on my head.

- A tenth grader, who always plays games on her cellphone during class, one day lost the game and shrieked at the top of her lungs in the middle of my lesson. I walked over to her and said, “Turn your phone off, or leave the classroom. You are disrespectful.” This was the first time where I had to be truly stern with a student and I was surprised by my own reaction. I didn’t recognize myself. I am known as the sweet teacher, the teacher who is almost “too nice.” But it felt right to assert my authority and refuse to let my students take advantage of my kindness.

- One of my sweet seventh graders failed the midterm and when I handed the test back to her she covered her face, hugged me, and wailed, “teacher nooooo.” I told her “mai pen rai” which means “no worries” and patted her back. I felt bad. Why should I be required to grade these students when it is such a challenge to learn from me in the first place? The classes are huge. There are 45 students and there aren’t even enough chairs for the entire class. I have at least ten students sitting on the floor and almost every day it rains. The rain falls on the school building’s tin roof and it sounds like millions of acorns are falling from the sky. When I teach I am yelling, almost at the top of my lungs so students in the fifth row can hear me, but when their English comprehension is so low, even the few words that they do understand are lost. It feels unfair to have so much power as a teacher when I have so little experience teaching.

Throughout my eleven months in Thailand running has been my favorite past time. I have experienced every season that Thailand has to offer and I can categorize the change in seasons by my memories of my surroundings during my runs through the rice fields. During the cool season I ran past dried tufts of grass and among fields of golden brown rice stalks waiting to be harvested. Now that is rainy season I run through puddles of mud and past soft emerald greenery that glistens in the golden hour of the evenings. Ahead of me I run towards mountains hugged by rows of palm trees. Drips of dew cling to tall blades of grass that sprinkle my shins and ankles. I am in motion but in my heart I am still, calm, comforted.

I am holding on the motivation to enjoy every day knowing that I have so few left. I am making the days count.

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