#had home aquariums my whole life and i can promise you the fish do not care
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the best shark friends
third part in the series, gn!reader meeting tubbo! the first two parts are not necessarily needed to be able to read this one though!! let me know what you think, enjoy :D
part 1 (favorite galaxies) / part 2 (fairy tale)
“(Y/N)?” Tommy’s voice rang through your headphones. Techno and you were on a call together, both silently doing your homework. “Hm? Oh, hey Tommy. What’s up?” you answered. “Techno and I are home alone today and Tubbo is coming over and we wanted to go to the aquarium with you!”
he smiled widely and Techno’s eyes widened, mouth opening to protest. This wasn’t the plan they agreed to. “I’d love to!” you said before Techno even had the chance of saying no. Tommy cheered and climbed out of Techno’s lap. “(Y/N) this is going to be a day of torture, oh my god.” Techno groaned as you laughed, “hey we can do this. Do you have enough food to bring along? I could stop by the store to get some on my way to your place.” “That’d be nice actually,” Techno said, scratching the back of his head, “we ran out yesterday and I forgot to go to the store.”
“At what time are we picking Tubbo up?” you asked, finishing up the last exercises. “Uhh 2 PM, so in an hour.” he answered while also working on the last bit of his homework. You hummed, “I’ll get going then. I’ll see you in a bit, I love you.” “I love you too (Y/N).”
After cleaning up your desk, you got ready to leave. Quickly scanning your backpack to see if you had everything you needed you put on your jacket and headed out to the store. You bought some snacks and water bottles, deciding on making some PB&J’s at Techno’s place as well. You said goodbye to the cashier and made your way over to Techno, mentally already preparing for the day ahead.
~
Tommy had seen you arrive through the windows and quickly ran to the door, opening it before you even got the chance to knock. “(Y/N)!!” he exclaimed while lunging at your legs. “Hey big guy!” you laughed, ruffling his hair. “Hey love.” Techno said while walking over to you. “Hey Tech.” you answered and kissed him, making Tommy gag. Techno sighed and you rolled your eyes smiling, getting a warm feeling all over. Every day you grew more appreciative for the bond you created with Techno and his family.
“Do you want to help me draw something for Tubbo?” he asked, looking up at you hopefully. You smiled, “after I’ve made some PB&J’s I’d love to.” He nodded, before walking off to the kitchen table where all of his supplies were spread out already. “How are you feeling?” Techno asked as he closed the door behind you two. “Kind of nervous but otherwise good. What about you?” you answered, while walking to the kitchen. “Preparing for insanity.” he dryly said and you laughed, almost dropping the jar of peanut butter. “Are they really that bad?” you asked Techno, who was now looking at you with a look of disbelief. “You’ve met Tommy. Him and Tubbo are like amplifiers of each other, especially in environments where they can run off easily.” he sighed, “I can’t believe dad hasn’t bought a leash or something yet.”
You snorted, not expecting the last sentence, “We could bribe them to stay with us with candy or something, I’m sure we’ll be fine.” “If you say so.” Techno said, putting the finished sandwiches in a ziplock bag and walking over to your backpack to put them in.
“Ooo that’s pretty.” you giggled as you walked over to Tommy, who was drawing fish on the moon. “What color should I make this fish?” he asked, pointing to one on top of the moon. “Hmm,” you began, “Purple? I think that’ll look nice with the white one and the green one.”
He nodded, quickly grabbing his purple pencil. Techno walked to the table with Tommy’s shoes and jacket. “Ready to go see Tubbo?” he asked before sitting down next to Tommy to put his shoes on. “Yeah!” Tommy exclaimed excitedly, rolling up his drawing. You grabbed your backpack and swung it over your shoulder. The blonde grabbed his jacket from Techno’s hands and put it on himself, then happily skipping to the door. The two of you followed him, Techno locking the door behind him and unlocking the car. You opened the door for Tommy and he quickly climbed in his car seat and buckled himself in, double checking quickly before closing his door and sitting next to Techno. He turned on some music before starting the car and driving off to Tubbo.
~
It was a short drive, honking once all of you arrived. Not a second later Tubbo came running to the car, his dad following shortly behind him. Tubbo’s dad opened the door and put him in his car seat as well. “Hey Techno, thank you for- oh I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Sam.” Sam smiled at you. “No we haven’t, I’m (Y/N), Techno’s partner.” you smiled back, Tubbo and Tommy already talking to each other. Sam smirked and patted Techno on his shoulder, “good job kid.”
You laughed as Techno blushed, “yeah yeah alright. I’ll text you when we’re on our way back.” Sam nodded, “Tubbo be good okay?” “Yes dad, bye!” Tubbo answered quickly before going back to his conversation with his best friend. “Bye Sam!” Techno and you said as he closed the car door, waving as Techno drove off again.
“Look! I made this for you! (Y/N) helped me pick the colors for the fish,” Tommy said while pointing at you, “They’re really nice.”
You waved at Tubbo, Tommy giving him his drawing. “Oh! Thank you. Hi (Y/N)!” Tubbo said, smiling at you. “Hi!” you smiled back, Tommy and Tubbo quickly falling into new conversation.
Twenty minutes later you arrived at the aquarium, the boys getting more excited with every second passing. Techno and you walked behind them to the entrance, not wanting to lose them this fast. Techno did the talking and paid with Phil’s card. He handed you the tickets and you walked to the gates with the boys, who insisted on scanning the tickets themselves. After showing them how you gave them both their tickets, Techno behind them to help them. Whilst they were trying to get through, you got a map of the place.
After a few tries they successfully made it through. “Ready to go?” you asked the younger two. “Yes!” both of them eagerly yelled, running off to the nearest building. Techno sighed before telling them to stay close, making Tommy groan.
The best friends walked in front of you two, occasionally stopping at the smaller aquariums to see which animals were in there. Techno and you walked around too, holding hands and talking about everything and nothing.
After a while of walking around they stood still in front of an arch to a big shark tank. You noticed their frightened expressions and softly smiled, stepping forward to the boys and letting Techno’s hand go.
“It’s not that scary if we go together, I promise. Does that sound good?” you asked the two boys, holding your hands out to both of them. They nodded and held on tightly, slowly walking towards the shark tank with you. Some of the bigger sharks swam by and you felt both of the boys squeezing your hand harder, making you smile slightly. Once directly in front of the water they couldn’t stop looking around with amazed looks on their faces.
Techno had the same look on his face, mixed with absolute adoration. He wasn’t sure what he did to have become so lucky to have you in his life and be able call you his, but he was incredibly grateful. He wished he could frame this moment and hang it up in his room, so he could look at it forever. You turned around to look at Techno, seeing him watch with a wide smile. Your cheeks reddened as you smiled back at him and motioned him to come over.
“Techno look! They’re so cool!” Tommy said, once he noticed Techno was standing next to him, pointing at the sharks that were swimming together. “Yeah they are. Not so scary after all huh?” Techno chuckled and both Tommy and Tubbo shook their heads. “Lunch time?” you suggested and all of the boys agreed. All of you walked to the nearest bench, Techno and you sat at the ends of the bench, Tommy and Tubbo in between. You opened your backpack and gave everyone a sandwich and a bottle of water. “I have some apple slices and gummy bears as well if any of you wants some.” you told them.
“Could I have some apple slices (Y/N)?” Tubbo asked you. “Of course!” you answered as you grabbed them from your backpack. You opened the pack they were in and handed it to Tubbo, Tommy also eating some of them. After a few more sandwiches all of you got up and went to see a dolphin show. Tommy and Tubbo had grown significantly quieter, yawning occasionally. During the show Tommy leaned against you, slowly falling asleep. Tubbo was leaning against Tommy, also dozing off. The clapping of the audience startled them, waking them up.
“Want to go home?” you whispered to Tommy and he nodded, rubbing his eyes. Tommy stood up, Tubbo following suit. Techno and you also stood up, Techno looking at you with a raised eyebrow. You nodded, following him out of the theater. The four of you calmly walked to the exit, the gift shop catching Tommy’s eyes. “Oh! Can we take a look? Please?” he asked, looking up at you with puppy eyes. “A quick one, but don’t touch anything okay?” you told them and he nodded, grabbing Tubbo’s arm and running into the store.
“You know, you have to learn to say no or he’ll actually be the death of you.” Techno said, intertwining his hand with yours again. “Hmm, maybe. But for now it’ll be fine.” you smiled, kissing his cheek before walking in the store.
“(Y/N)!” Tommy yelled once he saw you. “He knows, he definitely knows. He doesn’t even call for me anymore.” Techno dramatically said before laughing and you hit his shoulder lightly. “Yes Tommy?” you answered, walking over to where he was standing. Techno followed, amused by this whole situation. Out of all of the possibilities imaginable, he definitely did not expect Tommy and Tubbo holding shark themed best friend t-shirts and just how great they looked.
“Can we get these? Please? We’ll look so cool together, now everyone will know we’re best friends!” Tommy tried to convince you two, Tubbo frantically nodding next to him. You basically melted at the sight in front of you. “Sure, did you get the right sizes?” you said, Tommy then showing Techno both of the tags who took a brief look and nodded. The two boys cheered and you smiled, looking at Techno with an apologetic look on your face. He laughed, “they looked too cute to resist this time, I’ll agree on that one.”
Tommy and Tubbo had already rushed off to the cashier, Tommy putting the shirts on the counter because he was a little bit taller. Techno stood next him, ready to pay with Phil’s card again. “If dad gets mad you just show him the shirt okay?” Techno said to Tommy when all of you walked out of the store. Once back at the car they quickly put the t-shirts on and high fived. “(Y/N)? Could you take a picture of us?” Tubbo asked, “of course!” you replied while getting your phone out. Tommy and Tubbo stood next to each other smiling, Techno quickly jumping in to straighten out their shirts. “Ready?” you asked the two younger ones. “Yeah!” they both exclaimed before smiling wildly, Tommy’s arm over Tubbo’s shoulder. You took a few pictures of them, now ushering Techno over into the frame. He glared at you before standing in the middle of the two other boys. Tommy quickly flipped him off, surprising you and Tubbo, both of you bursting out in laughter. The two brothers started bickering loudly, making you sigh. “Hey, hey, hey, be nice. Let’s go home, okay?” you tried to interfere, Techno and Tommy still staring each other down. You and Tubbo shared a look, trying hard not to laugh again. “Fine.” Techno said, Tommy proudly smirking when Techno walked away first. You shook your head at him, opening his car door. Techno opened Tubbo’s and both of you helped buckle them up.
Not long after leaving the parking lot they were asleep, exhausted from seeing new things and running around all day. You sighed contentedly, catching Techno’s attention. “We survived.” you laughed and he chuckled, “I’d say we did a pretty good job, I had a lot fun. Except for just now. That little asshole.” You laughed and yawned, stretching in the car seat. “It really caught me off guard. I had fun too but I’m really tired.”
You took a glance in the rearview mirror, giggling at what you saw. “What?” Techno asked. “Look at them.” you answered whilst nodding to the backseat. They were both sound asleep, heads leaning to each other and in their best friends t-shirts. Techno smiled, “they’re never taking those shirts off. Also could you text Sam for me?” he asked, giving you his phone.”Of course.” you said while unlocking his phone and telling Sam you were on your way back.
It didn’t take long for you to arrive at Tubbo’s place, Tubbo waking up a little from the car standing still. Tubbo’s dad came outside and opened the car door, immediately laughing. “Those shirts are everything, oh my gosh. Fits them perfectly as well. Thank you guys a lot, by the looks of it he’s had a lot of fun.” Sam said while unbuckling Tubbo and picking him up. “Of course, don’t worry about it.” Techno answered and you nodded in agreement. “Bye Techno and (Y/N).” Tubbo sleepily said before waving. Techno and you both told him bye while waving as well, driving off home. Tommy was still peacefully asleep when you arrived home. After Techno parked the car, you got out and unbuckled Tommy before picking him up and carrying him inside. “Hey guys.” Wilbur said once he saw you three walk in. You waved at him, pointing to the sleeping blonde in your arms. Wilbur nodded understandably, raising up from his seat to take him over from you and put him to bed. Everyone knew waking up Tommy was a task sent from hell, so dinner would just have to be late for him.
Soon after, Phil came home and Wilbur came downstairs. The four of you ate dinner happily, talking about the day at the aquarium and showing him the picture of them in their shirts and the ones you took of all three of them. Phil loved it so much, he didn’t care how much money they might’ve cost. Techno and you skipped after dinner tea, opting to go to sleep early. You changed into some of his clothes, both of you brushed your teeth and laid down in his bed. Techno put his arm around you and pulled you closer. “I love you (Y/N).” he murmured, making you smile. “I love you too Tech. Goodnight.”
#mcyt x reader#technoblade x reader#technoblade x you#sbi x reader#sbi au#sleepy bois inc#toddler tommyinnit#toddler tubbo#dream smp x reader#dreamsmp x reader
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I Believe In Love [Maxwell Lord x F!Reader] — Twelve: Family
Summary: When you find your calling to leave Themyscira, you venture out to the World of Man with intentions of helping and healing a very specific person’s relationship with his son. You’ve heard his voice before, but only in dreams. You’ve felt his pain and anguish and you’ve never been able to relate to anything more. But things don’t come easy for you, and they certainly don’t come easy for him either. [This series contains spoilers for WW84 and is my interpretation of what happens after the movie ends].
Warnings: THE FINAL CHAPTER! very emotional, new beginnings, bullying mention, poverty mention, abuse mention, allusions to pregnancy.
Word count: 3000>
REBLOGS APPRECIATED.
Masterlist
Previous - Chapter Twelve - Epilogue [coming soon!]
“I don’t know if I could do it,” Maxwell sighed, pacing around in anxious circles. He looked different, in his denim jeans and khaki-green cable knit sweater. It made a change from the oversized powersuits he once donned. Alistair was sat at the dining room table, colouring in, and Max was having a nervous breakdown about getting his haircut. “I’ve had the blonde in for so long.”
You smiled, running your fingers through his shaggy and unstyled hair. When it wasn’t perfectly coiffed, it was wavy and glossy, and smelled distinctly like the freshest green apples. “It’ll be okay. Think of it as washing away all the terrible things that went on in the past and starting anew. Like… turning over a new leaf.”
You made a very good point. Maxwell knew he had to suck it up and just do it. It would be okay. He didn’t have to be Max Lord anymore, and he didn’t have this television persona to live up to. His main focus now was just being a father, and that’s all that mattered. All he needed to be, was himself. Maxwell Lorenzano.
“Daddy look!” Alistair smiled, waving around the piece of paper he’d spent the morning drawing on. It was stained slightly from his breakfast, and crinkled in the corners for where he’d applied slightly too much pressure when colouring, but all-in-all, it was perfect. Maxwell took the artwork and looked closely at it. Another typical family portrait of you, Alistair and Max. But this time, Maxwell was doting brown hair, and it reminded him of his younger days when he was first starting out as a businessman. “This is how you’ll look when you come home from the salon!”
“Wow Alistair, I love it!” Maxwell praised, unable to contain his grin. He held the portrait to his face and showed it off. “What do you think?” he asked you. “Do you think I’ll look good with the brown hair?”
You giggled and nodded your head, before pressing the palm of your hand flat against Maxwell’s chest and brushing your lips against his. “You’ll look so handsome, I’m sure.”
“Ew!” Alistair cried, pulling the paper from his father’s hand as you kissed him softly on the lips. The curve of Max’s nose nudged against yours and he laughed at his son’s reaction.
“Alright,” you said, pointing your finger. “You better go. Don’t want to miss your appointment.”
Maxwell nodded and took a deep breath. “I’ll see you in a few hours.” he announced.
The second Maxwell left the house, your stomach began to twist. You’d been living at Lord manor for a month now but truthfully, it felt like a lifetime. It felt like you had always been there. You were adjusting to your new life pretty well, but this morning sickness that you had started to get was an unwelcome experience. Amazon’s never got ill, so this was brand new to you, and you weren’t enjoying it one bit.
You rubbed your stomach and took a sip of the glass of water that you’d been nursing. Sliding down to sit next to Alistair, you watched as he finished his drawing, adding a few final perfections. Once it was done, you hung it to the refrigerator and praised him for his hard work.
“Ali, why don’t you grab your shoes and we’ll have a walk down to the Smithsonian?” you smiled, grabbing your jacket that was hanging over the kitchen door.
“Ooh! Is there a new exhibition?” He enquired curiously, hopping onto his feet and fastening his shoe laces.
“I don’t think so,” you admitted sheepishly. “I have to go meet with some friends.”
Taking the bus was a new experience for both you and Alistair. Joe, Maxwell’s driver, would normally drive Alistair around to and from places. But not today. The bus was slightly smelly and the seats were sticky, but by the looks of it, Alistair was having the time of his life. He pointed out the window, grinning, and talked to you about all the different D.C. landmarks the both of you passed as you were driven into the city centre. He might have only been six years old, but that was six years of living in the world of man. You’d only been here for a month, and so Alistair could teach you a lot.
Driving past the park, Alistair gasped, and shuffled into your body. “That’s the park where we first met,” Alistair pointed. You narrowed your eyes as you took in the sight of tall green trees and shrubbery. He was right. “Do you remember that day? You were wearing an awesome superhero costume like something out of my comic books. And you wore a tiara, and I asked if you were a princess. And you scared my bullies away, and helped me look for dad.”
“I remember.” you smiled, ruffling Alistair’s dark hair.
You remembered asking Alistair what his father looked like, and the only thing the boy could say was ‘strong, cool, and the best dad in the world’. Counting your lucky stars, you were so thankful you had found your forever family. You had come so far from that moment.
“Did you ever tell daddy… about those bullies in the park?” Alistair asked you hesitantly, his voice suddenly small and timid.
You pulled off him and looked him in the eyes. “No. Why?”
Alistair paused for a moment and glanced back out the window. “I was afraid he’d be disappointed in me.”
Your heart shattered in your chest. “Ali,” you said quietly, tears threatening to prick your eyes. “Your father could never, ever be disappointed in you. You know that, yes?”
Alistair nodded his head silently.
“He loves you so much,” you continued. “And the whole bullying thing… I think he’d understand better than anyone else.”
You remembered all the visions you had of Maxwell, even seeing him as a child at one point. You remembered him wearing rugged clothes that were too small for him and how he was picked on for his broken shoes.
“Really? You think so?” Alistair asked.
“I know so,” you confirmed, pressing a kiss into Alistair’s hair. “Those bullies will never amount to anything if they continue doing what they’re doing. But you are so much better than them. Stronger. Your power lies in your heart, and in the truth, and in love.”
Alistair smiled. “You’re a real hero, aren’t you?”
“We’re all heroes.”
————
Yourself, Maxwell and Alistair loved trips to the Smithsonian. Diana always organised special access for the three of you, to go after hours when the entire museum was empty. Alistair was admiring the fish in the aquarium, when you noticed Barbara and Diana, and waved them over.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you today.” Diana smiled.
“It was sort of an impulse thing,” you explained. “Uhm, actually, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
You pulled Diana to one side and left Barbara with Alistair. “Remember how you said ‘I owe you one’, since I like… got your girlfriend to renounce her wish and kinda helped you save the world by destroying the second dreamstone?” you grinned, trying to hold back a laugh.
Diana rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “What are you plotting?”
“Max has been… worried, to say the least. We’re going to have to sell Black Gold and it’s a real shame because-- he worked so hard on it. We have some money and well, I haven’t exactly ran this by him yet but I was thinking about investing what we do have into the Smithsonian. Just like what Maxwell promised to do in the first place.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Diana sighed. “The gemology department is doing just fine.”
You shook your head, your smile only growing. “No Di, that’s not what I was getting at. How would you feel about… expanding the gemology department?”
“I’m not quite sure I follow…”
“I’ve heard Barbara talk about how there’s a lack of space to facilitate all the rocks and stones the Smithsonian keeps bringing in. She has a real fear that the entire paleontology department could be shut down and replaced with something else.” You sighed, running your fingers through your hair.
“That’s true…”
“So what if we use the Black Gold building as an extension for the Smithsonian, and have it specialise in all these fancy rocks and gems and stones. We could transport everything over and then we could utilize the leftover funds that Maxwell has, to keep all the palaeontologists and geologists employed. Hell, with a whole new building, we could even create more jobs for people. It would also mean that we wouldn’t have to fire Max’s old employees and-- Oh Di, I just know Max would love it. He really does have a passion for gemology. And his son, Ali… he has an interest too.”
“So I heard,” Diana rolled her eyes, but, to be frank, she liked what you were getting at. An expansion wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing… “It’s a big responsibility though, and it seems you haven’t even spoken to Maxwell about it. You would get funding from the Smithsonian as an institution, yes, but… it would still be Max’s business. Do you really think he could handle that? After what happened to his last business?”
“He’s smart,” you assured her. “And he’s a good businessman. He knows all these things I couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Last time he just got unlucky. But this, this could really be something great. We have the building, and the passion, and enough money to get started. Please Diana… I know you could make this happen. Please.”
Diana spent a moment pondering the possibilities before shrugging her shoulders in defeat. “Alright,” She sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
You grinned and squealed excitedly, wrapping your arms around your half sister and squeezing her tight. “Thank you Di!” She laughed and rubbed your back before you pulled off her. “Oh, and Di… there’s one more thing.”
Diana tilted her head and gazed at you with fresh bewilderment. Looking around the museum to make sure no one was around to hear what you had to say, you leaned into the Amazon and whispered a confession you’d been keeping to yourself for the past month.
————
Maxwell sat in the chair and frowned upon seeing his reflection in the mirror. “What can I do for you?” asked the stylist as she smacked her lips on a piece of gum. Max wasn’t sure if he could really bring himself to do this, until he remembered your words. This was ‘turning over a new leaf’-- a new start and fresh beginnings.
“Uh, a trim please,” Maxwell requested before taking a shaky exhale. It was now or never, he just had to take the leap. “No, that’s not everything,” he sighed. “Could you perhaps take the blonde… out of my hair?” The question left his lips with an air of unsurity. Could one even do that? Take the colour out of hair?
“You want the colour stripped?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest. Maxwell supposed that was one way of putting it.
“Yes, I do.” he confirmed.
The stylist processed Maxwell’s words for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. “As you wish.”
As the stylist wrapped Max’s shaggy golden locks into foil, he closed his eyes. He’d come so far since the whole dreamstone debacle. His whole life had been a rollercoaster of up and down events but now, finally, things were evening out for him -- in the best way possible. He’d fallen in love and secured his family and home. The only thing he was mildly worried about, was the issue with Black Gold. But he knew that he’d somehow figure it out, especially now that he had you by his side to help him.
He’d always seen himself as an independent man. He fought hard to be as successful. He escaped his hometown, his abusive father, he ran away from poverty and was discriminated against by upper class white businessmen who told him he could never amount to anything. He proved all of them wrong. Because now, he had everything he could ever want. He didn’t need stacks of money or material possessions when he had you and Alistair. Maybe he wasn’t as independent as he once thought he was. Maybe, just maybe, he liked the company of others. He liked having you and his son around.
In his fight for wealth and success, he’d lost everything that mattered the most. But most importantly, he had lost himself. Maxwell swore that he’d never let that happen again.
As the stylist removed the silver foil from his hair, Maxwell nervously anticipated the result. His once bottle blonde hair was now a chocolate brown colour, and it reminded him distinctly of his youth. Max couldn’t help but feel like he looked younger, and he wasn’t going to complain about that.
He just hoped you liked it as much as he did.
————
“I just don’t understand why mommy is taking so long,” Alistair grumbled as he and Barbara waited outside the ladies restroom. “And why did auntie Diana have to go into the toilet with her?”
Barbara stifled a laugh. “You’re inpatient, just like your dad.”
Impatience must’ve run in the family because you were sitting on the toilet seat, tapping your food as anxiety flooded your body. You didn’t expect to be this nervous. You’d wanted a child for so long -- in fact, your whole life to be exact. But now that there was a chance of it actually happening, you were beyond terrified. Maybe it was the fact Maxwell didn’t know about your symptoms, but you knew better than to feel alone. You were never going to be alone.
“How long left?” you asked Diana, who checked her wristwatch. It was an antique from the early 1900’s, something very special and something she kept very close to her heart.
“It should be ready now.” she told you, handing you the stick you had just peed on.
“I don’t want to look.” you squirmed, covering your face with your hands.
“Wow,” Diana hummed, her jaw parting slightly when she took in the results.
“Wh-- what is it?” you asked, nervously.
“You’re pregnant.”
————
When Maxwell came home, you were shocked to say the least. His brown hair was absolutely gorgeous, and it suited him better than you’d expected. The deep shade was identical to the colour in his sparkling eyes. Jokingly, he tossed his hair and you let out a laugh.
“I was right,” you giggled, running your fingers through his locks. “So handsome.”
“I love it daddy!” Alistair cheered.
“Thanks buddy,” Maxwell grinned. “I like it too.”
Taking a deep breath, you took Max’s hand and pulled him into the living room, shutting the door behind you. It was quiet in there -- the perfect place to tell Maxwell your news. It had been a nostalgic day, and even standing in the living room reminded you of the time Max first brought you home.
“Is everything alright?” he asked you, slightly concerned. But your warm smile soon eased him. You felt the need to wrap your arms around him and envelop him into a hug. Max had taken a big step today, and you were proud of him, but now it was your moment. It was now or never.
Harnessing every ounce of confidence within you, you took his hands and looked him in the eye. “Max, I’m pregnant.”
Max’s brown eyes widened and he was completely lost for words. “I-- you-- you’re--”
“Yes.” you smiled, taking his hands and placing them on your stomach.
His shocked expression turned into an elated grin as he processed the good news. “You’re really--”
“I am.” you confirmed.
You didn’t think you’d ever seen Maxwell so happy in your life. He wrapped his arms around you and held you so tight, like he was afraid to let you go. He swore in that moment he would never leave you, or his growing family, ever again.
This was it for him.
This was the start of Maxwell Lorenzano’s new life.
————
THE END.
————
Author’s Note: “I won’t cry” she says while sobbing into her Google Docs document. Thank you all for reading I Believe In Love. It’s a story I have wanted to share with you since I saw WW84 in the theatre, and I just can’t believe it’s finally over. This fic will always have a special place in my heart. The themes and plot points mean so much to me, but not only that, I’ve had the most amazing feedback on this fic and I will honestly cherish that for the rest of my life. I poured my heart and soul into writing I Believe In Love and it honestly one of my biggest comforts. I want you all to know that an epilogue is coming and if you have any requests for these characters I have created, feel free to send them my way. I adore my Amazon Goddess!Reader and I would absolutely love to continue their story at some point in the future. If you’ve followed me on this journey over the past four months, all I can really say is thank you. I love you so so much.
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Mermay (Convin)
There are two types of merfolk: one that lives in the warm clear blue of the carol reefs and the other that lives in the colder darker depths. The ones that live in the warm waters look closer to human, apart from their tails; the ones that live in the cold waters have evolved to have webbed hands and scales on their torsos to help them swim faster. Connor is one of the warm water merfolk. Gavin is one of the cold water merfolk. They don’t mix. Cold water merfolk think the warm water dwellers are weak and soft and way too full of themselves. Warm water merfolk tell stories to their children at night that if they’re very bad the cold water dwellers will come and drag them down into the depths never to be seen again.
So ...
Gavin is out hunting for lunch, and he spots a particularly tasty looking red snapper so takes chase, his perfectly streamlined body torpedoing through the dim cold water; he snags his tail on yet another sharp rock outcrop, potentially adding to the numerous scars he already had along his tail and torso, but doesn’t stop until — he realises the water around him has got warmer, instantly making him uncomfortable. He looks up and realises that he’s closer to the surface than he should be and very far out of his own territory. The red snapper has gone and he’s surrounded by fish he doesn’t immediately recognise.
Needing to get his bearings he carefully climbs the nearest rock formation, his webbed fingers perfect for adhering to the craggy surface. The sun is hot and he closes his eyes and turns his head away from the blinding bright light. He shouldn’t have come up here. It wasn’t safe. He was too close to the land. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight he moved higher up out of the water and stopped, his heart beating a scared rhythm. There on a sandy rock, basking himself in the suns rays, was not only a warm water dwellers, but also the most breathtakingly beautiful mer he’d ever seen. Gavin could only stare, lifting himself higher on the rocks to see better. The mer was oblivious, enjoying the sea spray crashing on his tail and body.
Gavin caught sight of his webbed hands splayed on the rocks in front of him and shook his head, angry at himself for wasting his time daydreaming about this pretty poser. The twofers (this is what Gavin calls humans bc they have two legs) hunted in this area and if that dumb mer wasn’t careful he’d find his tail on the end of a hook, and himself carted off to some aquarium or other.
Gavin slunk back across the rocks and dove back into the too warm water. He was still hungry and the fish swimming around him were too small to do anything but dull the ache in his stomach. Damn that red snapper for getting away and leading him so far away from home. Gavin dove deeper, leaving the surface far below.
Several weeks later, Gavin’d almost completely forgotten about the pretty posing mer, with his perfect tail glinting into the sunlight, and his perfect smooth torso unmarked by a single scale, and his perfect hair swept back from his face — and then Gavin spotted a flash of movement above him, and it was him. The same mer he’d seen sunbathing beautifully on the sand, and he was swimming against the current, struggling to put distance between himself and the dark shadow of the twofer hunting vessel above. Gavin had seen this too many times not to know what was going to happen next. The twofers had obviously tagged the mer while he was on the surface and now they could pinpoint him with almost perfect accuracy. The harpoon came out of nowhere and pierced straight through the soft flesh of the mer’s tail, the hook catching and starting to drag him back and up. Gavin took chase, gaining speed, but the mechanism dragging the mer out of the ocean was faster. And then the mer grabbed onto a nearby rock outcrop and held on for dear life, the only problem being his stupid unwebbed fingers were useless at gripping and holding firm and soon he was only stopping his ascent by the skin of his finger tips.
Gavin saw the moment the mer saw him, he saw the instant flash of fear, but that didn’t stop him from pulling out his blade and hacking at the metal coil attached to the harpoon. The mer screamed in pain as the harpoon ripped deeper into his flesh but Gavin was intent only on getting him free. The metal quickly dulled his blade and Gavin threw it aside using his razor sharp teeth to bite through the last the few strands
The mer was free but had passed out due to the pain and Gavin did the only thing he knew to do and wrapped his arm around the mer’s waist speeding them away from the surface and down into the safety of the dark. Gavin couldn’t bring the top dweller home, he couldn’t be seen fraternising with their sort, so instead he took him to his private hideout.
The cave was small but they were still able to fit at a squeeze. Up close, this mer was even more beautiful than Gavin had thought, but he was bleeding out and Gavin went to work cleaning and disinfecting the wound, and he continued to keep the wound clean for the next day, only leaving to catch food, until the mer finally woke up.
Again Gavin saw that fear flash in his eyes, and his anger spiked.
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna eat you.”
The mer looked around them, taking in the cave, the supplies, his bandaged tail and finally looked back at Gavin.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“Whatever,” Gavin snapped and went out to catch some fish.
Connor, that was the pretty mer’s name. A pretty name for a pretty mer, and he liked to talk. He found everything of interest. All the unfamiliar fish that swam by, and their unfamiliar tastes. He marvelled at the lichen on the rocks and almost got his fingers caught in a few oyster shells as he reached in to get the pearl and they clamped shut. In the end, Gavin got him a pearl and Connor beamed at him so happily, it made Gavin’s stomach do funny little backflips. Connor almost died with happiness when Gigi, Gavin’s catfish, turned up to say hello.
“You’re not what I expected from, well, from a cold water dwellers.”
“You were going to say ‘webber’, weren’t you?’
Connor looked chastised.
“I’m sorry, it’s just, I’ve been told my whole life that your kind are dangerous. I was told your webbed hands were slimy. But they’re not. They feel so nice on my tail.”
Connor blushed and then so did Gavin.
“You shouldn’t believe everything you’re told.”
Connor was able to swim a little now without too much pain, his tail was healing nicely, and they’d swim together, their tails sometimes touching, Gavin showing Connor all his favourite places; but oddly enough, whenever Gavin brought up the idea that Connor could probably go home soon, a subject both of them had been avoiding, Connor’s wound would suddenly feel much worse and he’d go back to hiding in the cave.
“We both know you’re fine now.” Gavin bit out reluctantly.
“No, it still hurts.”
Gavin levelled a look at him.
“I don’t want to go.” Connor admitted. “I like it here, with you.”
“You can’t stay here, Connor.” Gavin muttered. “You don’t belong here.”
They both fell silent.
It was true.
Their kinds didn’t mix.
This was just a fluke.
An accident.
It was never supposed to happen.
But it had happened.
“We can carry on seeing each other.” Connor says hopefully. “I can come down, you can come up, and we’ll meet somewhere in the middle.”
Gavin did want that. He really did. But if his kind found out, he’d be ostracised. They already lived in a delicate balance and it wouldn’t take much to tip things over into the worse.
“It’s dangerous.”
“I like you.”
“We shouldn’t.”
“I want to keep seeing you.”
“Connor.”
“Please.”
“I’m sorry.”
Connor looked heartbroken but nodded, accepting Gavin’s decision.
“If you change your mind, I’ll be waiting.”
Gavin couldn’t take the risk despite how much he still wanted to see Connor, and he endured the next few angst filled weeks mourning his loss until he couldn’t take it anymore.
Going against his better judgement he swam as fast as possible to the rendezvous point Connor had given him, convinced that Connor wouldn’t be there, and his heart leapt when he saw that he was wrong. Connor was there, just as he’d promised to be, waiting patiently for Gavin. Gavin stopping, and did nothing more than float for the next few moments, just staring at his pretty mer, with his perfect tail and perfect torso and perfect hair that swept back from his face, and was just thankful that Connor hadn’t given up on him.
Gavin uncertainly approached and Connor turned slowly towards him and the smile that lit Connor’s face told him he’d made the right decision. Whatever came next, they’d face it, together.
And so they enter into a secret relationship, where they both have to be careful not to let anyone else know. Like Romeo and Juliet only in this one nobody dies and they all live happily ever after in the end.
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Deep sea baby
Levihan | Rated for mild swearing and mild deed-doing | This is a secret santa gift for @hanji-zoe103 💕
It’s on Ao3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429827
Hanji is born of white foam, where the heavens collide with the sea, and Levi loves her with a fierceness that would make the tides jealous. Levi knows little of poetics, but Hanji promises to find him in the next life and the ones after.
And sure as the waves crashing into shore, she does.
Hanji is the sea. Uncompromising, untamable, painfully beautiful. Levi thinks she’s poetry in motion, the way she dances, barefoot across sandy beaches, the way she walks down towards the place where the sea meets land, unafraid amidst white waters.
He sits, like the shores, and watches her. Watches her bend towards the ground, hands dipping beneath foam, searching for shells. She holds them up against the sun to inspect them when she finds them. Treasure, she calls them.
When she’s waist deep in salt water she turns back to look at him.
“Come on Levi! The water is warm!”
≋
Hanji is born of white foam, where the heavens collide with the sea.
And Levi is the most beautiful boy to have walked the earth, so beautiful he puts the gods to shame. And Hanji fears whatever love they have will be short-lived, because he loves her with a fierceness that would make the tides jealous.
It’s a long way from heaven, but Hanji comes to see him every day. She sits with him in a clearing in the forest while he works and he’s sceptical at first. Nothing good comes from associating with the old gods. But the hem of her dress is caked in mud, there’s earth under her nails, and she swears exactly like a sailor would. He teaches her to climb trees and she names all the sheep in his flock.
“Maybe it would be nice to stay here forever...” she says to him one day, and Levi understands the gravity of what she’s suggesting. The heavens would not allow for it. They would cut her up piece by piece and she would be returned to the sea.
But there’s a conviction in Hanji’s eyes, a severity that justifies the cult of mortals at her feet. The same determination that Hanji has when she’s pulling splinters from her fingers, when she picks wildflowers for Levi, when she holds him against her chest and challenges the gods. She balls her fists and curses the greys of the skies, yet she dances in the rain, giggling, pulling Levi to join her. He surprises himself when he relents.
So Levi tells her she has his heart.
Each night he holds her close, and each night she falls into a deep slumber and she dreams of running barefoot through a field of white roses to reach him. She pierces her foot on a thorn and the field is stained red. A field of red roses. Each one blooming and dying at Levi’s feet.
≋
In a kinder life, they are childhood friends in a sleepy seaside town. Levi has a popsicle in his mouth, the last of it melting on his tongue. Hanji has long finished hers, and her fingers are sticky from the syrup. But it doesn’t matter because Levi is burying her in the sand so she can keep her filth to herself. He contemplates covering her mouth with sand too, but they’re going to turn thirteen soon and he’s tired of pretending that her talking annoys him.
“When I’m older I’m going to sail all over the world!” Hanji grins. Levi thinks it’s funny that now she’s just a talking head in the sand.
But his heart sinks a little. He doesn’t know if his future is on a vessel bound to nowhere. But they’re still young and their plans have little structure and bearing, so for now Levi pretends he’s going to be there with her, sailing across the ocean.
“Did you know it’s a myth that lobsters mate for life?” Hanji says, absentminded, part of her trying to distract from the heat, and another part of her already thinking about that ice cream they have waiting for them in her freezer. “Sad huh... Who knew you can’t trust everything on TV...” she laughs.
“Seahorses mate for life...” Levi says. He tries to stay nonchalant, but he’s a little embarrassed he spends his free time googling facts he thinks Hanji would enjoy.
And Hanji knows. Of course she does. She has known him her whole life. In this life and the next he is her Levi. Her Levi with an endless capacity for kindness. She smiles.
“Seahorses huh...”
≋
They meet on a ship sailing through uncharted waters. Levi joins the Royal Navy when it feels like he’s exhausted all other options. There's a hunger for power that guides their ship to foreign lands.
It’s the middle of the night when hears shouting. He jolts awake and already the rest of the crew are reaching for their weapons. There’s no time to change out of their night clothes. The ship spirals into a frenzy. He spots the warning of black sails and white crossbones from afar. The ship is gaining on them. It’s clear they have to stand their ground and fight.
The pirates board their ship, and there’s a wild clash of knives and swords and the smell of blood in the air mixing with the metallic taste of gold and bronze and silvers. Levi lunges but his sword is halted midair by a cutlass.
“Not so fast Officer...” the pirate says. Past the eyepatch and greasy hair he sees her- he feels her. There’s a white rush by his ears calling for him to come home.
I found you, she whispers in his ear as she brings him aboard her ship.
The sea promises gold and riches beyond imagination, and Levi promises to follow her to the ends of the earth.
≋
Levi works in his uncle's bakery a small town in the middle of godforsaken nowhere. It's a family business, and they've been getting good reviews from travel blogs online looking for spots off the beaten path.
Levi is on a date to the aquarium and Kenny yells a “don't come back tonight if you know what's good for you!” after him. There are still customers in the bakery and everyone is staring at him. The teenagers in the corner snigger.
His date doesn't show, but he's not surprised really. The first date had gone by in a way that could be considered painless. But beyond nice pleasantries, there’s nothing much to look forward to. So Levi completely understands. Then again she could’ve at least had the courtesy to drop him a text. In any case, Kenny will be disappointed. He enters the aquarium anyway. Might as well. He had already purchased the tickets, and he hasn’t been since he was a child in elementary school. He watches the sharks swim laps behind the thick glass. He wonders if they feel unfulfilled, living in a tank, watching as people from all around take family trips to visit the aquarium.
“That one’s Bean!” Levi switches his attention from a particularly small shark to the person beside him.
“What?” He replies.
“That one!” She points to the shark making its way past them, “she’s Bean. We rescued her from a fishing net.”
Levi watches her grin with suspicion. Maybe he should introduce himself. He's not usually one to introduce himself to strangers with wild hair and gleaming eyes behind thick glasses, but there's a first for everything, and before he knows it, he's telling her his name.
"Date stood you up?" she says, and Levi glares at her. "Oh... Wait... That really happened?" she apologises, and the stranger with the wild hair and gleaming eyes becomes Hanji. There’s something about the lights in the aquarium, the blues and violets that reflect off the auburn in her eyes in a way that’s almost ethereal.
The things that conspire after are tricks of the light then, surely. Hanji invites him back to her apartment, and they talk and they polish off a six pack of beers and a few bottles of cheap wine between the two of them. "This is fun! I haven't gotten shipfaced in a while!" Hanji chuckles.
“No.” Levi says, he has little tolerance for bad nautical puns. But it only encourages Hanji to tell him more. There's a mix of "where ya fin all my life" and "you're whaley cute", and finally, when she's absolutely smashed, a "nice boat, wanna fuck?"
At that, the dams break and Levi laughs.
Hanji wakes up the next morning, killer headache, she shoots up and the headache splits her skull open. Too quick.
“Ouch...” she says, eyes blinking through sleep and haze. She grabs at the bottle of water by her bedside and shuffles through her drawer for ibuprofen.
“You idiot...”
Hanji snaps her head up, looking for the owner of the voice and there Levi is, leaning against her door, hands folded across his chest. Hanji’s jaw slackens.
“In case you were wondering, no, nothing happened...”
“But... but you’re here... in... in my room...”
“Tch...” Levi rolls his eyes, “you passed out and I stayed just in case you choked on your own vomit and died in the middle of the night...”
Oh...
“Wait did I?”
Levi raises a brow, she’s still not all there. “Still alive aren’t you?”
Hanji shrugs. This could be hell for all she knows. “Fast acting pain relief” proving to be the biggest scam of the century.
"What a fucking shipwreck of a person..." Levi says and it takes Hanji a minute before she's doubled over in laughter, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.
Levi half expects to never see her ever again, but there she is the day after, as promised, finger pressed to the glass, ordering herself a Pain au Chocolat, an Americano, and his number on a piece of napkin. He sighs, but he's writing it down for her anyway.
"You really followed me home that night huh... Didn't it cross your mind that I could be a serial killer?" She says, examining his handiwork.
Levi scoffs, "you invited a complete stranger you picked up at the aquarium into your house, and then proceeded to get very wasted... Didn't it cross your mind that I could have been the serial killer?"
Hanji laughs, and it startles her when it echoes throughout the bakery, "touché..." she says, "guess I am a shipwreck of a person..." she winks.
The corners of Levi's lips betray a smile as he watches her take a seat by the window to read.
"That's not Petra..." Kenny comments.
"Who said I went home with Petra?" Levi answers.
Kenny's face pulls into a smirk and he lets loose a deep rumble of laughter, “Levi you absolute dog!”
≋
The sea is a passage. To a new life that Hanji can only pray will be fulfilling. She is the princess of a port kingdom- a people favoured by the sun and raised by the sea.
Her ships carry her to a distant land of frigid waters and snowfall, where her betrothed is king. When she sets foot on land, she's greeted by faces paler than hers and a mannerism befitting the heartiness of Northern kingdoms. There are skins being made into pelt, fish hanging out to dry, wines made from preserved fruit. Already, Hanji misses the white sandy beaches and the heat of the midday sun, but she's to be queen now, and she remembers this when she walks past the heavy doors into the throne room. She comes bearing gifts of glass beads, fine porcelain, and dried fruit and nuts- a reminder of Summer.
She takes her place beside her husband, and she smiles at the people who have come to see her- the princess from the other side of the sea. They are her people now.
And that's when she sees him.
His expression doesn't change even when he kneels in front of her and kisses the back of her hand. He vows to protect her.
She calls for him later, and he tells her to call him Levi- he has never been too keen on formalities. Besides, Sir Levi doesn’t suit him quite as much. And she's Hanji, just Hanji.
It's Winter when they take a ride through the forest. She's not used to the heavy furs and wools and Levi has to remind her that the sun doesn't shine the same here. But Hanji knows. Her golden skin now mellowing. She hikes her dress above her knees and toes through the snow. The ground caves beneath her feet like powdered sugar, and Hanji thinks maybe there's beauty in her new home. She thinks maybe there's warmth to be found, as Levi catches her before she slips.
He shows her the lake, now frozen over, and they slide over thick ice like children. She pulls him down with her when she falls and they laugh. There's something in his eyes that Hanji recognises as fear. She feels it in the beat of her own heart, warning her against falling. But they’ve been treading on thin ice around one another, and falling seems inevitable.
So Levi presses back against her and kisses her. Hanji feels a warmth coursing through her- the same fire she's promised in the lullabies her mother used to sing her.
"We should come in Spring. The lake is beautiful then..." Levi says as they make their way back to the castle. And Hanji promises to show him her home. The crystal waters; gentle waters. She knows it's a promise that may never be fulfilled, but nevertheless, this is a moment in time, and promises offer a glimpse into possibility.
Come Spring, they make love by the lake, under the cover of the sea of trees. Everything is beautiful in the Spring.
≋
In another life, the sea promises protection.
There’s only one rule out at sea near the white rocks-
Beware the Siren’s song.
Levi lives in a little house by the sea. Everyday he sails out near the white rocks to catch fish.
Hanji circles his boat. Her iridescent tail catching the light and reflecting deep purples and green. She sings her best song for him- the beautiful fisherman with the grey eyes.
"Don’t swim into the nets," he scolds and Hanji is taken aback. She thinks about her beautiful fisherman when he sails for home. And there's a familiar tugging that she feels in her gut. But the weather has taken a turn for the worse and she doesn’t see him near the white rocks. Not the next day nor the days after. She seeks the council of the waters and the waves carry her to shore.
There’s a storm raging. The windows are rattling against their frames. Lightning illuminates the skeletons of his house and there’s a persistent knocking that weaves in and out of the thunder. Levi takes the screaming kettle off the hobs.
He opens the door to her. She’s standing in the rain, hands wrapping around herself to shield from the cold. Levi’s gaze skims from the tip of her nose down to her bare chest, down to her long legs. He swallows thickly. She’s leaning against the frame of the door, shifting her weight from one unstable leg to another. Like a fawn learning to walk. He frowns but nevertheless, he leaves the door ajar for her to enter.
“You’re gonna get the floors all wet...” he mutters. Rainwater he can manage. But seawater makes the floorboards a little sticky, and that annoys him deeply.
“I told you I’ll come for you.” She says.
Levi shoves a towel in her face, “Dry yourself.” He pauses for a moment, taking in the shock on her face. “Please.”
Surprisingly, she does as she’s told, and when she’s done, she hands the towel back to him.
Levi finds her dry clothes, and she pinches and pulls at them, inspecting after she puts them on.
“I’m here to eat your heart lover boy.”
He considers her. It’s colder this time of year and the sea is relentless. But her skin is gold like honey, sun-kissed in a way that reminds Levi of summers and homemade jam and the grass beneath his feet.
“Levi.” He replies.
Levi. she says, smile spreading across her face like butter on warm toast.
He shares his stew with her and she tells him her name is Hanji when her hands are warming by the fire. She looks at Levi, gaze washing over him like a wave. And there’s familiarity in the way his eyes soften when he looks at her. He looks at her like he's trying to call forth a string of memories tying her to him; him to her. But all he has is an affection for her that ripples through his consciousness. It's accompanied by the sounds of laughter- her laughter- and the pale shimmer of moonlight.
So she returns to him the next day, and the day after, and the days after that.
Hanji brings him little pieces of treasure. A conch shell, a dead sand dollar, bits of sea glass. Her legs grow stronger each time. She dances around his house. She pulls him flush against her chest and rests her chin atop his head and sways to a tune she’s humming.
Beware the Siren’s song, they say.
But they’re far from the white rocks and she’s laughing exactly like a lover would. The floorboards are creaking under their toes.
He looks for her when he’s out at sea, and listens as she tells him stories of the depths, about the men who hurt her, about dying at sea, and about the promise of protection and rebirth.
When she wakes again, there's water in her lungs and she learns to breathe. To call the sea her home.
But maybe it's not by accident that she falls asleep in his arms one night, cocooned in white sheets that remind her of sea foam.
She kisses his nose in the morning and he blinks an eye open to look at her. “I’m gonna eat your heart lover boy...” Hanji teases, hair tickling his skin, the sight of him crossing the boundary between sleep and daybreak takes her breath away.
Levi smiles, pulling her closer, "stop moving so much..." he groans. It’s still early, they can still afford a little shut eye. He cradles her in his arms- a promise of protection. “You already have my heart,” comes his reply, in a moment of tenderness, and Hanji doesn't return to the waters.
≋
In others, the sea forces distance between them.
They don't meet in this life.
But sure as waves reaching towards the shore, they meet in the one after.
≋
They're in their second year of college but nothing really changes.
Except when it does, it happens so fast that Levi doesn't have time to breathe. The next time he takes a breath he's lying beside Hanji. They’re both sated and sleepy and Levi stills his breathing, coming down from his high. And Hanji thinks this life is nice. It's effortless in a way that reminds her that they are meant to be.
The Marine Biologists have gathered for a nights out- a pub crawl to be specific. The entire course is decked in ridiculous outfits. There’s a merman somewhere, and a manatee, there’s even a sea snake (moray eel, Hanji clarifies). And Hanji is dressed as a shark.
Levi is there because he gets dragged along to everything that Hanji is a part of and he gets asked one too many times what his outfit is supposed to be. Because he’s in his jeans and a black top and he just looks- normal?
“He’s my next meal!” Hanji says and Levi pulls a face, he chokes out a, “shitty four eyes...” and he’s blushing a little more than he should because does she even hear herself?
Halfway through the night Levi wonders why he’s so tipsy. This is really unlike him. He remembers meeting Hanji’s friend Moblit, whose Aquaman sends Hanji over the edge with laughter. He remembers hearing a round of “oh hey Levi!” (They all know who he is, after all, he’s often hanging around Hanji). Then the beer bong challenge. Oh right. The beer bong challenge... that’s why. Hanji won, at least he remembers that.
And he also remembers dancing with Hanji at the back of one of the pubs. “This is a good song...” he murmurs in her ear and she visibly shivers. But everything is spinning and the music is delicious, touching is also delicious, and they do just that. And at some point Levi must have just gone for it, because Hanji’s mouth is hot and inviting and Levi thinks he’s delirious so he surrenders to the feeling.
They’re back in Hanji’s room, only because it’s only a flight of stairs up and Levi is unzipping her ridiculous costume that surprising does little to ease his raging hard on. And Hanji, god forbid, isn’t wearing anything underneath.
His top comes off once they make it past the main door to her flat. Levi doesn’t even notice the mess in Hanji’s room as they navigate the narrow space and soon they're on the bed, hands moving in what is best described as a frenzy.
It feels so good and Levi finally admits to himself that he has been thinking about this for a while. And he’s almost relieved when Hanji kisses him and lets her want slide down his throat.
Levi wonders if they can still be considered friends. Last he’s checked friends don’t scream each other’s names the way Hanji is saying his name right now as she bites down on his shoulder. Plus, the whole best friends to lovers trope is just one big cliché. And yet, Levi doesn’t hate it. He has to admit it’s actually really nice.
The next morning Hanji finds Levi rummaging through her sink cupboard.
“My extra toothbrushes are the drawer.” She gestures towards the bottom drawer with her toe. They brush their teeth and they're sitting on the bed again, it's the only place for two to sit, really.
“So... Was it good for you?” Hanji says, a little amused with how the entire situation unfolded.
Levi clears his throat, face going red. “Would’ve been better if you weren’t wearing that stupid outfit...” He wants to say he's never felt this way with anyone before, but he doesn't.
“But hammerheads are cool!” Hanji protests and she’s pouting. Levi wonders if now’s a good time to kiss that stupid look off her face or if that’s too much.
“Fucking one isn’t...” Levi mutters. Hanji throws her head back and laughs.
“So... What do we do now?” Levi asks. And Hanji shrugs saying a "admit we love each other and carry on with our lives?" like it had been obvious.
"Sounds good..." he says, smiling, and he thinks they deserve this effortlessness.
≋
Hanji comes back to him like ship returning to port. She thinks about meeting him when he's six and building sandcastles on the beach. He had ignored her attempt at conversation and Hanji had been a little annoyed.
"You don't remember me do you?" She huffed, pout on her face, arms crossed.
Levi was confused, that definitely caught his attention, "do we know each other?" he asked.
"No," Hanji confessed, "no but... I know I'm supposed to meet you." She said with all the confidence a five year old can muster. Levi bickered with her. How can a five year old be so smug? He was a whole year older and he was by no means as confident. He didn't even know whether to pick sushi or pizza for lunch.
And she thinks about the night before she left.
"I like you Levi..." she had said. She willed herself not to cry, so there's a moment in which she's just chuckling humourlessly to herself. And Levi's scowls at her. "Inconvenient huh..." she added. She had to cross the ocean the next day on a voyage bound somewhere far away and this makes it that much harder.
Fucking inconvenient indeed...
They don't make promises, but Hanji wishes they had. She wishes they would have at least addressed her little confession, because it's been eight years. Eight years of it gnawing at her brain and now it's just a little awkward.
Hanji takes a deep breath as she disembarks at port, her feet a little unsteady on dry land- like a fawn learning to walk again. But she sees him. And the knot in her chest unravels. Eight years. It's been too long. She takes tentative steps towards him, but soon she's running and enveloping him in a sweaty embrace.
He's whispering something, muffled because he's pressed into Hanji's clavicle-
“Did you know seahorses mate for life?”
She smiles. Sure as the sun, he’s in her arms again.
Seahorses huh...
≋
Hanji knows whatever life they've led, this is her favourite.
The one in which her and Levi see the sea for the first time together.
The one in which she’s the Commander, and him, her Captain. And between them, a river of words left unsaid threatening to break the banks.
One day they must cross the ocean, but today they visit the shores again, without the kids this time. And Levi learns why when he watches her peel at her clothes. Her harness comes off first, then her blouse, then everything else, like a little dance for an audience of one. Levi tries not to stare, but he’s already seen her by candlelight in the dead of the night. And yet she never fails to take his breath away.
She makes her way to where the white foams dredge the past up the shores of the present.
"Come on Levi! The water is warm!" she says, and he hears it like a call to come home- where the heavens collide with the sea.
He takes off his clothes and folds them in a neat pile beside Hanji's mess. He swims out to join her.
The moonlight caresses her skin and this scene- this moment- is opulent. Levi unties the patch over her eye and lets the waters carry it away. She chuckles. "I'm never going to get that back am I?" she says, holding his hand and guiding him to shallower waters.
And Levi knows there's some poetry to the way she's kissing him. She tastes like saltwater and Summer all at once, and Levi thinks that he has never felt this way with anyone else. Will never feel this way about anyone else. Instead he glowers at her-
“Hanji don’t you dare fucking die... I’ll never forgive you if you do... I swear I’ll-“
Before Levi can continue, Hanji is laughing, sputtering as her head bobs below the surface of the water.
“Even if I do, you don’t have to say goodbye. I promise I’ll look for you in the next life... And the ones after...” She says, brushing the pad of her finger against his nose. The heavens and the sea bear witness. And Levi promises to follow her to the ends of the earth.
Treasure, he calls her, when the sound of white water crashing provide refuge for words that have little place in this life. Levi knows little of the words lovers say to each other, and even less of poetics, yet here he is with Hanji, sitting on the shores now, and watching salt crystal in her hair. He falls asleep that night to the sound of her breathing. And amidst dreams of roses and white foam,
Levi is home.
#I hope you like it hanji-zoe103~#levihan#levihan fanfic#levihan fanfiction#levi x hange#levi x hanji#hanji zoe#hange zoe#LEVI ACKERMAN#mine#shingeki no kyojin#levihanss2020#levihansecretsanta#my fic
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Hizashi x readers (mafia edition)
(This is so cute I'm crying.This is pure fluff. Sorry if you don't enjoy it.i tried my best.🙏🙏😓😓😓)
"Beep... Beep... Beep." The sound of your alarm clock woke you up like every morning. You brush your teeth, take a shower, and wear a decent cloth that make you look modest. As usual, u walk down stairs and greets everyone. Everyone in the gang respect you to the fullest. You were happy to be the lady of the house. To be treated better than anyone. This didn't make you prideful. You take responsibility of most things in the house where the man who's behind this door takes responsibility of the gang.
You stood cold in front of a large door. You are familiar of this feeling but still can't get use to it. You walk in while holding a food tray for the man who's sitting behind the desk.
His name is Shoto Aizawa. One of the most ruthless boss in Musutafu. He is known to be sharp with his decisions and a cold person. You don't think those rumors are true.
Aizawa was beside you for the longest time. He's your father's right handed before he passed away. He trusted him to the fullest and didn't think twice to give his position to Aizawa. He was pretty close to you before he became the gang leader. But he distanced from you now. You know this is because he cares about you and didn't want you to be hurt.
"Thank you." Aizawa said as you place his breakfast on the table.
"Your welcome." You put on a smile and leave.
As you were about to leave he said, "I'm going on a business trip this afternoon, so you don't need to bring dinner here."
You nodded slightly and left.
You already got use to his stone cold speeches. The only thing you won't get use to it his complements.
"Beeeep Beeeeeep" A long bus honk woke you up from your sleepy self. Today is grocery day. You go buy groceries and things that the gang wants, like tooth brushes, tooth pastes and even shampoos. You waited on the bus stop for your bus to arrive, you can see a glimpse of the blonde man from a far.
His name is Hizashi Yamada, your private security, also your friend. You smile at him and wave him to come. He looked joyful hops towards you.
"Heyyyy y/n. Haven't seen you in a while!"
"Yeaaa, it just I'm busy with the house these days." You smile and continue your chit chat. It was interrupted bye a bunch of high school students.
Hizashi was about to scold them but you hold him. Looking at the high school students, this reminds you that you've never experienced a normal high school life. You were home school by the best teacher in Musutafu. You never dated a high school boy, never had best friends. You missed out on the best moments of life. You felt suffocated sometimes, you hope this life would just end faster.
When Hizashi realized your sad he hold your hand. This shock you a bit.
"Sorry I wasn't focusing." You apologize.
"It's fine. I wanna show you something. Come." He said as he pulled your hand.
He hold your hand and run to somewhere. You felt the cold air hitting your face. It was refreshing. You finally felt something. Like happiness, comfort and freedom.
He stop, causing you to hit his back.
"We're here! Close your eyes!" He said as he closed your eyes with his palm.
"Hehehe, what is it?"
You said as he slowly walk a few steps down with you. It's like a stair?.
"I'm gonna fall, what is it?"
"We're here." He slowly open your eye. And what you see beyond is amazing. You see the whole city.
You were breathless. It's the first time you saw this view. You never know it even exist.
"Whatcha think?"
"It's.... Perfect Hizashi." You give him a smile that he would die for.
"Umm..i'm happy you liked it." You nodded in response. Hizashi blushes how happy you look. He had never seen this type of happiness in you. He wants to see more of it. He wants to spoils you with the outside world. Just to see you smile.
"You know.... I can take you to other places if you like. You can buy the groceries tmr if you want to...." He knows that he's committing a death penalty here. He knows that he will be punish for taking a daughter of a mafia boss to unsafe places are a crime. But, he just wants to make you happy.
"Yes! Pls (✪ω✪)/" He knows he can't say no to that response.
You both first go to a busy market Street, filled with street foods that she had never tried before and color full lanterns.
Hizashi laugh at your expression to different food you tried. He take out his phone and took a picture of you trying the roasted octopus. He laughed how you struggle to bite the tough octopus. 🐙🐙🐙🐙
Later he takes you to an aquarium. Also one of the biggest aquarium in Musutafu.
Your eyes light up when you saw colorful fishes. You love sea creatures since your young. You've seen it on TV but never up close. You smile and giggled at how cute the jellyfishes swim.
"What are you giggling at?" Hizashi said jokingly.
"It's just... They look so cute when they swim. Oh look at that one, it just sinks. That one look so small and cute..." Hizashi is now lost in your words, your smile, your excitement after the jellyfishes.
He loves you more than anything. His feelings for you started since he started working for you after your dad died. You were so kind, so gentle with him, no matter how many lifes he killed, no matter how much blood he is covered in, you still welcome him with open arms.
He promised this is the last place he's taking you. You pouted at him and follow. To be honest, you didn't want this to end, you still wants to see the world with Hizashi.
"I promise this is the last, and you won't regret it." Hizashi says with excitement.
You look at his face carefully now and realized a scar on his right eye. Lucky it did blinded him. You reach your arm out and rub his scar. Which makes him jump.
"Y/N! What's wrong?" His hand clenched on the steering wheel.
"Where did you got this?"
"Oh-it's just in one of the fights don't worry about it." He said so calm and gentle.
"Be careful next time, I can't get my right handed hurt all the time."
He blushed at the nick name you give. He gives a chuckle at you in response.
"Oh we are here!"
"What is this place?" You asked he takes you in to the street filled with bright lanterns.
"Today is new year. As a new year celebrating, people here sell treats and lanterns. They also have games that you probably can play.
He held your hand tight and walk through the crowd. You look around in amazement. Everything is so bright and colorful. You could never imagine you would be here with..
"Y/n I think you can play that one."
Hizashi.
"Okie"
You both try new foods and play many games. You missed the cans everytime you shoot, so Hizashi helps you out. He got it, wining an octopus plushy.
"See I told you I can get it!" Hizashi said proudly.
"Alright Mr smart pants" You said as you pinch his left arm.
"Ouch, hahahaha" You both laugh.
"Oh wait, I need to show you the surprise, what time is it?" He said as he look at his clock.
"Shit it's 11:50!" He hold your hand tightly and run towards the hill.
When both of you got on top on the hill, you both are panting.
"Sorry y/n I didn't watch the clock and..." You hold his cheeks.
"It's fine, now where's the surprise? " He blushes and take you to a little bench on the edge of the hill.
"Here," He look at his clock and smirk.
"Perfect. Now Y/N sag it with me." You both look at each other with a smile and you nodded.
"10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR🎉🎊🎇" You both yelled it out loud. Then..
Colorful fire explodes in the dark blue sky. It's so beautiful, you usually just watched from your window but never seen it this close. You close your ear and giggled with happiness.
Hizashi was not concentrating on the fire works except, he was looking at you. Admiring you giggles and laughs. Even though it's tiring to go around the city, you make it all worthy.
You look back at his beautiful green eyes, there, you finally feel a familiar comforting feeling. The warm, cozy feeling you have felt for years. Is this love?
You felt his soft lips on yours, you first kiss! He's so gentle, it makes you melt in his kisses. You both finally split from your kiss and look at each other with love and adoration.
"I..i'm so sorry y/n, I..I just got caught in the moment, I.." You give him another soft kiss.
"It's fine. I love you too."
Is this really? Is he dreaming? Words that he wish you would say actually came out for your mouth?
"Wait Y/N are you serious?" He look so shocked and blushed it makes you giggled.
"If I weren't serious, I wouldn't kiss you again you dummy." You blushes.
He can't believe it. He was so happy he picks you up and swings you around like a doll in a 360 turn.
"Yessssss! Y/N LOVES ME!" He was yelling it out loud.
"Stop your being too loud, people might here it. " You blushes. He holds you in a bridal style and yell.
"Idc! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH. Doesn't matter if the world hears that." You laugh at his cute behaviour and slap lightly on his chest.
"Stop" You giggled, follows by Hizashi laughs.
(This is too cute, I can help but stop writing the rest. I can't even believe my lonely ass wrote this 😭😭😭💖💞💕😭💕. I hope you all enjoy this cause I definitely do.)
#yamada hizashi#bnha hizashi#hizashi yamada x reader#present mic#bnha fanfiction#present mic x reader#shoto aizawa#hizashi fluff#bnha fluff
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Angsty Headcanons That Nobody Asked For
In which you fail. And you die to Belphie. Permanently.
Mammon
He was in denial and refused to believe what his heart was telling him
He was the first to discover you, he is the fastest of the brothers after all
He had raced up the stairs and didn’t even notice Belphie was even there when he barged into the room
When he saw your crumbled body laying on the floor in the attic something in him snapped.
He didn’t even realize he was crying as he clutched you to him. Quietly muttering to himself he begged, he pleaded, for you to wake up. You could yell and scream and insult him for ever agreeing to let you go do this alone but just please wake up.
“You weren’t suppose’d to leave me! You promised…. please…. please just open your eyes…”
When Mammon sees Belphie finally, he connects the dots quickly, as he remembered how Belphie felt toward humans.
“You. You did this didn’t you? You killed them.”
Anger and rage would fill him. And he would welcome it, he’d rather see red than see you not breathing
It’s only when Lucifer comes and stops him that the blinding anger begins to fade. And he hates it.
Mammon would refuse to accept your death and would try to figure out a way to get you back. It’s only when Lucifer sits him down much later on and has a serious talk with him that he finally gives up. It’s not a pretty scene. Lucifer’s heart breaks a bit when he sees just how much Mammon is suffering because of this.
It takes several sessions of talking before Mammon begins to even vaguely resemble his former self
He hoards the stuff from your room and keeps a picture of you in his wallet so that he can at least have a part of you with him always.
In the end he doesn’t truly recover from your death but will pretend he is okay to keep his brothers from worrying
Leviathan
Was eerily quiet when he saw you laying all too still on the floor
A part of him had clung to the small hope that you could be saved if he got to you fast enough
Memories of all the times he saw you smile and enjoy spending time with him flooded his head and his chest shuddered as a silent wave of despair flooded him
He’d never get to play or spend time with you anymore. He’d never get to watch those romance animes with you. He’d… he’d never…he’d never get to confess
“.....Dammit…. Dammit…”
When he learns that Belphie killed you his feelings toward him become icy.
“You… you killed the human… I hate you. I. Hate. You. You took away the bright stars in my dark night sky. You killed the person I loved!”
He would mourn alone for the most part. Anything you ever gave him will become a treasure that nobody, not even his brothers, would be allowed to touch
Becomes even more of a recluse and eventually stops having pets as they only remind him of when you and him raised one of the fish in his aquarium.
He struggles to get excited about things he would normally enjoy. Ruri-Chan has started to collect dust. His Mononoke Land account hasn’t been touched in months. He no longer goes out for idol concerts.
Time feels so slow and yet so fast. Days turn into weeks and weeks into months. Everyone else begins to recover and he just can’t. He can’t let go of you. You who showed him that little things in life can make him happy, and gave him confidence to pursue coding.
You left a hole in his heart that can’t be filled.
He doesn’t play games alot anymore, but has instead spent his time slowly starting to build an AI via his knowledge of coding. Anyone who sees it knows it’s supposed to be you, but nobody is brave enough to call him out on it.
Will sometimes cry himself to sleep while clinging onto your old uniforms and clothes, wishing desperately that you would come back to his side. To wake him up from this horrible nightmare.
Beel
Guilt.
So much guilt.
When he finds out what happened he actually struggled to get mad at Lucifer for containing Belphie.
After seeing you pale and lifeless, it was the first time he had ever felt his hunger vanish. In a way it was worse, as what replaced the hungry was a heart wrenching feeling like no other. He had no injuries but yet it felt as if someone had shoved a hot poker into his heart.
When Belphie gives him the whole “All Humans suck speech” and tries to laugh it off, Beel loses it.
“She wasn’t like them!”
Even as you grew cold in his arms he had gently stroked the top of your head and whispered a sorrow filled farwell into your ear.
Over the course of the coming weeks he would move into your room. Partially because he wanted to be closer to you and partially because he couldn’t stand to be near Belphie.
He does his best to keep your room clean and tidy, while not moving your things out of place. It looks as if you had never left, almost to the point that sometimes he can easily imagine you opening the door and resuming your life here in the Devildom.
His appetite never truly came back, his love of food diminishing as he would remember all the times you and him would cook together. Or when you would treat each other to Hell’s Kitchen.
He visits where you were buried once every two weeks, so he can replace the Lilys he leaves on your grave
Satan
Ahhh.
Very angry. And gets extremely close to killing Belphie. It’s only through Lucifer’s and Beel’s joined effort that they are able to calm him down to a civil level.
“You bastard of a brother! What the hell have you done?!”
His temper flares constantly at the very mention of Belphie.
He researches night and day to find a way to get you back. No matter the cost, no matter what he needed to do.
It’s only when Lucifer quietly asks him “Do you really think the human would want you to sacrifice everything just to bring them back?” that his resolve begins to crack.
Of course he knew you wouldn’t want to see him like this. But you had no idea how much it hurt to not have you there.
Every moment you're not there by his side is another moment he has failed you.
Eventually he breaks down due to fatigue and he just cries. He’s frustrated because nothing was working. He’s frustrated that everything is a dead end. He is frustrated that you aren’t by his side.
He just…. he wants to see your smile. He wants to see that soft look you get when you hold kittens. He wants to be able to hold you again….
Eventually He gets a small therapy kitten and he names it after you when he notices that it shares the same color of your eyes.
He vents out his pain in writing, and he writes in as much detail as he can of what he remembers of all the times he spent with you
He wants to make sure, above all else, that your memory thrives even if you aren’t by his side
Asmodus
Gets very pissy with Belphie
Reasonably so
Doesn’t realize what he is feeling is heartbreak, as he has never lost someone like this before
He misses you dearly, and oftentimes will use perfumes or cologne that reminds him of you
Unintentionally finds himself often reminiscing about you for weeks
One day he sees someone that vaguely looks like you and his heart nearly leaps out of his chest.
Immediately starts putting the moves on them but quickly realizes the differences between you and them.
The difference in pitch in their voice, the way they walk, the way that their eyes are a different color, the way they laugh. The more he observes the more he asks himself why he ever thought it was you.
He finds himself distraught. This had never happened before when any of his partners left him…. Something had to be done about this.
Attempts to banish you from his mind and goes clubbing.
His plan fails miserably.
Under the dim lights and thudding of the music he almost feels haunted by you, it was almost too easy for him to imagine you sitting and waving at him from the bar with that soft smile on your face.
He gets drunk. Veryyyyy drunk.
When he gets home he ends up just going to Belphie and venting his frustrations.
“This is your fault! Do you have ANY idea how much your actions have hurt ME?!”
Before things could escalate, Lucifer comes and defuses it
After this Amso doesn’t go out socializing anymore. He feels awful everytime he does since you're not with him. And he swears that sometimes he sees you out under the glimmering lights and it reminds him of what he has lost.
He hoards all of the pictures of you he has, and when he has a bad day he goes through them one at a time.
“Even if you are no longer by my side, I will treasure you always.”
Belphie
Mr. Killer himself.
Could not give less than two shits about who you were and what you hoped to achieve
He would have kicked your corpse an extra time if he had known that you’d made Beel care about you.
When the brothers found him he had at least thought Beel, HIS TWIN, would side with him. But nooooo. Because of your meddling you had made him seem like a monster.
“Stupid human, you had no right to stick your nose where it didn’t belong.”
Didn’t understand why the other brothers held you in such high regard, and didn’t care to learn why
Until one day when he was in the House of Lamentation by himself
Everyone had been invited to a Gala at the Castle. Each of the brothers had been personally invited by Diavolo. Save for him, who was under house arrest for his actions.
Boredom struck and he found himself wandering around the house looking for something to do when he strolled past your room.
When the brothers were home they never allowed him to go in. They feared that he would destroy your belongings, and they would lose the last remaining things that were proof of your existence here in the Devildom.
Smirking to himself he made his way inside without a care in the world. Sure the other brothers may have cared for you, but he sure as hell didn’t.
He snooped around your room for a bit before sitting down at your desk.
“How boring…. don’t you have any secrets in here…?”
As if granting his wish he saw a leather bound notebook sitting behind a bunch of Devildom Law textbooks.
Quickly reading through the contents of the smaller book he realized that it was a Journal.
Completely filled with your private thoughts.
Believing he had struck gold he took the Journal back with him to his room and lazily sprawled out on his bed. All he had to do was just dig up whatever disgusting trash you were hiding and then he would be once more in everyone’s good graces. After all it’s not as if some stupid humans privacy matters to him.
And so he read.
And read.
And read.
He firmly believed that you had to have been hiding something, some dreadful secret. But the more he read, the more he began to have this strange feeling in his gut.
Your entries were normal, er well normal of a student going to a school full of demons, and occasionally you had placed photographs of some of the events you talked about.
One of them was a TSL competition with Levi. Another was a selfie of you and Beel at Hell’s Kitchen. There was a keychain stuck between two pages from a trip with Mammon, Satan, and Lucifer to London. There was even a candid shot of a pillow fight with Diavolo and Asmo.
Forgetting that this was your life written in ink, he read more and more about the lives his brothers had led in his absence.
It wasn’t until he laughed at something you wrote that he realized how comfortable he had gotten with the idea of you.
He nearly trashed the Journal after he realized that.
But…. something stopped him.
A while later he’d resume reading. Curious about your adventures… and…
He wanted to know what you thought about him.
Before long he found the entry where you had written about him and he felt his breath hitch.
Why did your opinion of him matter so much?
His fingers touched the inked lines and his jaw clenched as he read the last entry.
You had trusted him.
You who had held no prejudice against demons had trusted him wholeheartedly.
And what had he done?
He had killed you, without a second thought.
He had even enjoyed it.
The dam he didn’t know he had been hiding behind broke, and all the regret he had been burying since he had started reading your Journal had suddenly rushed to the surface.
He hadn’t noticed he had been crying until he saw the wet blots hit the paper and smudge your words.
“I…. what have I done…. I’m so sorry….”
Lucifer
The calmest of the brothers
Outwardly, at least
Internally he wanted to rip out Belphies throat because how dare he
Doesn’t express how much it hurts to have lost you, he needs to be strong. Both for himself and for his brothers.
The tragedy of being the eldest is that he was the role model. His actions would reflect on himself and his brothers. So his reactions are more forced rather than natural.
Diavolo often tries to coax Lucifer into opening up about it but fails everytime.
“If you really cared, you would bring her back, Lord Diavolo.”
Tension between Diavolo and Lucifer gets… bad. The anger and growing resentment toward the heir of the throne only got worse with time, and eventually Lucifer stepped down from his position with Satan taking his place.
He often goes to your old room and locks himself inside, thinking to himself. The brothers are actually a bit nervous every time this happens because they expect that this time Lucifer will finally snap and they will have to deal with an enraged Avatar of Pride. But it never does so it relieves them and makes them stressed at the same time.
But eventually...
It happens
Diavolo comes by to collect the remains of your belongings, with the intent of sending them back to the human world, to your family and friends
Lucifer sees him collecting your stuff and he fucking snaps
“If you value your life you will cease this at once.”
Before Diavolo can summon Barbatos to his side, Lucifer had managed to grab the prince by the throat. His form had changed to that of his demon self, and his eyes were mad from grief and anger.
There is a brief moment of struggle on Diavolo’s behalf followed by Lucifer leaning uncomfortably close with an aura of unbridled fury.
“You will bring her back, I know you are able to. And you will. Why? Because if you don’t I will rampage through this kingdom of yours until there is nothing but ashes left in my wake.”
#Obey Me#Obey Me Headcanon#Obey Me Lucifer#Obey Me Mammon#Obey Me Leviathan#Obey Me Beel#Obey Me Asmodus#Obey Me Satan#Obey Me Belphie#no beta we die like men
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Ink Bloom
Greetings and welcome to the prologue of Ink Bloom!
This is an original story inspired by Asian folklore and Jellyfish! Since this month is Mermay, I wanted to write something about mermaids, but I just didn’t have a clue as to what to do until it hit me like a tidal wave and I knew I had to bring this to life in writing! As always, I would like to say a special thank you to my best friend Olivia (@asunshinepuff ) for joining me in writing this spectacular world onto paper!
For the readers who enjoy Red Rose, Blood Moon, don’t worry I will still be writing chapters and I hope you will enjoy this story as well!
This story only has original characters created by Olivia and myself. For those who want to be tagged, feel free to send an ask to me or Olivia on her blog. If you have any questions, theories, or curiosities about any of our characters or how the story will progress, send them to the ask box!
Now without further adieu, let's dive into this new adventure!
Prologue: For Elodie
The rough waves crashed against the shoreline, the wind howled through the trees, and deep beneath the waves, the fish swam for shelter in the coral and anemones. The sea picked up stranded fish and drifting debris in their massive wake.
One wave managed to pull the largest creature in the reef. A creature with a long serpentine body covered in shimmering deep indigo scales, four long powerful limbs with sharp talons at the end, a mane of bright pink frills, like a jellyfish, joined to a long pink snout with a mouth full of sharp pearl white fangs, a pair of glowing indigo eyes and a crown of deep indigo horns that looked like branches of coral. It tried to escape the pull, but even a creature as strong as them could not overcome the powerful pull of the whirlpool-like waves.
The waves rolled the large creature, and crashed against the rocky shore, knocking it unconscious.
The ocean storm took its course, and the people who weathered through it all rushed to the beach to collect the fish and seaweed left behind. The tide pools with many stranded creatures.
A man with medium-length brown hair, light brown eyes, and light skin were among the people who adjourned at the poolside. He was dressed in a seafoam blue t-shirt, with a black long sleeve shirt beneath it, simple jeans, and black tennis shoes.
The man walked back and forth between the pools of water and the shoreline, carefully returning those stranded creatures that were still living back to their homes. The fact that his shoes were now soaked through hardly was a concern for him. As he walked back up the rocky shores, much further than expected from the rest, he spotted something shiny in the corner of his eye.
There inside a large tidepool, was a tiny very frilly snake with tiny horns. The man had never seen a species of coral snakes like this before, as most were banded with colorful stripes or spots, and never containing frills. Slowly crouching down as he reaches the small animal, he tilts his head in observation, he sees a long gash along the left side of its body, and it is unconscious.
How strange, the man muses to himself, he has never seen a creature quite like this before. It must be a species native to the island. He reaches out both hands and scoops his hands underneath to not startle the creature back to consciousness. Lifting the snake in his arms, he stands once more and walks along the shoreline- avoiding the rest of the crowd to avoid confrontation of questions and took it back to his hotel room. There he can safely treat the creature’s wounds, and return them to the sea. Even if he was curious about it and wanted to study it further.
It’s what Elodie would have wanted him to do.
It didn’t take the man long to treat the wound, and placed the little creature in a decent-sized saltwater fish tank, that he had cleared out the fish earlier, and left it to sleep and rest. He watched the creature for a long while, before returning to his desk, drawing a quick sketch of the little creature as it slept.
It was hours later, nearing midnight when the creature finally awoke, very startled by its small tank and in a strange place. The man noticed the creature was awake when it started splashing against the walls of the tank to escape.
“Hey, hey easy!”
He rose from his desk and reached the tank, the creature backed up against the walls and hissed. The man chuckled with a curious tilt of his head.
“It’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you.”
The creature didn’t seem assured but stopped hissing. The man hummed.
“Maybe you are a snake.”
It seemed like it was glaring at him.
“A very pretty and intelligent snake.”
The man reached for a cooler left by the tank, opening it, he used a tong to pick a large sardine from a Tupperware, then opened the lid of the creature’s tank.
“You must be hungry.”
The frilly snake didn’t move, instead opting to hiss at the offered food.
“It’s not poison, it’s food.” The man huffed.
The creature blinked skeptically. The man stared at it in amazement.
“A snake that can blink?” He watched it for a long while, but the creature did nothing further. With a sigh, he looked at the sardine. “Do you not eat fish?”
When the man looked away, the creature then lunged for the fish, ripping from the tongs and swallowing it whole.
The man stared in awe and mild horror. “Alright, you do eat fish.”
The creature, curled tightly around itself, its eyes gleaming. The man deemed, at least to him, the creature to be smug. The man shook his head in amusement.
“Once you're fully recovered, I’ll return you back to the ocean.” The man vowed, and the creature seemed to believe him.
The man kept the creature for three days, changed the dressing on its wound, and kept it well fed. One of his colleagues visited his room and was shocked at the sight of the strange animal.
“What is it?” His colleague asked.
The man simply shrugged, “I don’t know, it might be a species of sea snake.”
His colleague was a tall man with blonde hair and grey eyes looked to the man. “You haven’t taken samples?”
“It’s injured.”
“True, I guess you can take a sample once you take it back to your lab.”
The man shook his head as the creature looked at both men, cocking its head adorably. In their short time together, the man had learned that the creature can breathe both in and out of the water, it can escape its tank, it has four tiny limbs, and it lets out a light chirp that sounds almost like a cat purring when it’s content with its meal.
“I’m not taking it back to California, I’m returning it back to the sea.”
His colleague frowned. “Are you serious? This could be a new species! You could become famous.”
“I don’t care about that, and besides I already promised.”
“To who?” His friend sighed in exasperation.
“Elodie.” Was the man's response.
“You could name the species Elodie.”
The man glared at his colleague who stayed silent for the rest of his stay, which wasn’t long. The following day, the man deemed the creature healthy and strong enough to be returned back into the wild.
The man returned to the same beach where he had found the creature. Opening the lid of the large cooler, he lays it on its side and backs away. The creature hesitantly walked out, and at the sight of the blue waves, it ran towards it but abruptly stopped, turning to look back at the human.
The man smiled as the creature cocked its head to the side, giving him a tentative chirp.
“Go.”
And that was all the creature needed before it continued on its path back home. And the man followed the strange creature’s example and returned to his home back in California.
Two years later, on the shores of California, the full moon reflected across the blue ocean, tourists and visitors had long returned home to sleep, when a tall Asian woman walked out from the ocean to the sandy shoreline. The woman was dressed in a long traditional Chinese-styled pink dress, with a dark indigo outer robe and matching flats. She had pale skin, long silky ink blue hair, bright pink lips, and glowing indigo eyes.
Indigo eyes caught the sight of an aquarium resting upon the rocky cliffside. She smiled.
#Original Story#Original Characters#Our story#Our ocs#Ladynightmare ocs#asunshinepuff ocs#Cw brief mention of wounds#Magic#Asian Folklore#Jellyfish#Elodie#Mystery Man#Mystery Woman#Frilly four legged snake?#Large Serpentine Creature
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☘️ Pt 3. AgedUp! Sorcerer! Junpei. AU where everything is fine and nothing is wrong.
☘️ (I think Tumblr ate a message i sent you last night i realized Junpei proably would become a closet marine biologist after Moondregs came along seeing how they are a giant ass jelly fish, so here is Junpei and reader on an aquarium date.) (not me spending over an hour looking up an aquarium in Tokyo to make sure this is accurate)
☘️Junpei finally had just decided to turn off his phone after it continued to ring. When he turned it on that morning, your body still curled into his, bracing himself for whatever awaited him. Which turned out to be 50 messages from Yuuji, 30 from Nobara, 60 from Gojo-sensei (seriously this guy), one from Megumi which just read "Did you have send THAT at midnight to my boyfriend? I had been trying to sleep." and an near uncountable number of calls and voicemails. How much they all cared about him and his sex-life was both enduring and concerning. Leaning more towards concerning. They had become his family after the death of his mother, a role they took far too seriously. But it did bring the biggest smile to his face while making his heart swell.
In the end he responded to them as simply as he could including apologizing to Megumi. You still slept on, eyes shielded from the sunlight that streamed into the flat by the shared blanket and his chest. Almost as soon as he sent the message to Yuuji there was a response.
So when do we get to meet them?
Soon, I haven't told them about anything. They only just found out about the scars last night.
Oh shit. How did that go?
Better then expected, its hard to explain over text. But they ended up saying "I love you"
!!!!!!!! No way!!!!! What did you do?
I said it back, and I meant it.
!!!!!WOW!!!! DUDE!!!
I'll tell you about it Monday.
Why can't you tell me today? 😭
Because they are still here and I want to enjoy whatever time I have with them.
WHY are you texting me if they are still there? OMG DUDE!!! Enjoy you day 🤤🥵😉
Junpei shook his head. Yuuji was a ball of sunshine made human even if Sukuna was more a blackhole and arse. It was a wonder that Yuuji had enough sunshine to deal with that, his dower boyfriend, his strange big brother Choso, and Junpei as his bestfriend. But somehow he did. Putting the phone back down he looped both arms around you and held tightly. Though Junpei had been feeling lighter recently. Somethings did dull in their aches with the passage of time. Having something new and bright to focus on helped blunt the edges as well. Not to mention seeing and hearing how you felt about the scars lifted him up higher. You stirred faintly a mewling cry escaping like an exhale. He shifted slightly to see if you were waking up or still sleeping. Blurry eyes looked back at him.
"Good morning."
"Only if there is coffee in my near future." You kissed where shoulder met neck nuzzling in when he shivered.
"If you want coffee I'm going to have to let you go and your going to have to get off of me." He sighed while raising an eyebrow.
Nipping at the sensitive skin before you slipped off him but still tucked close. Reluctance to move and not to just continue to lay in this moment was a weighted blanket on you both. Till his stomach growled. Now there is moment of mortification when your laying in bed with your new lover and they hear that you do in-fact have a body and it makes noise. With a deep shaky sigh he braced himself for what he didn't know.
"I'm hungry too." You murmured against him.
You continued to surprise him. He let out a gentle laugh and kissed the top of your head.
"Well I'll make you breakfast too then. How are your legs feeling now?"
"Better I'm sure I can stand on my own now, if you want help?"
"No its fine. I want to spoil you this morning."
"Keep talking like that and I'll never want to leave."
"That is the master plan." This time he kissed your lips. Both of you setting aside the minor horror of morning breath to enjoy the remembered contact.
Breaking away Junpei got up trying to remember where his boxers had ended up the night before. The floor was cold and he thought about finding socks. Still he got up and went to the hallway kitchen to turn the coffee pot on.
"Do you have any plans today?" You called.
"Not really do you?"
"No. But I'd like to spend more of it with you." Surprised Junpei turned to you with smile, enjoying the blush across your cheeks while you sat up with only the blanket around your shoulders. He continued to set up the pot measuring out the grounds. Hiding a spreading blush of his own.
"I have a pass for the Aquarium in Sumida, is that something you would be interested in?"
"I've never been but it sounds like fun. You must really like the ocean if you have a pass at the Aquarium."
You had no idea, once he had gained Moondregs he had become a little obsessed with jelly fish and then the ocean as a whole. Next to him the coffee started to pour.
"I think its beautiful, at just a glace its so peaceful but the longer you look the more power you see within it."
"That's a beautiful way to put it. Now I really want to see it, but only if you promise to share with me your excitement. Your so cute." He tried to glare at you while pouring coffee into two mugs. Your smile like a thousand stars took away any power it would have had.
"Cream or sugar?"
"Just some cream, I like it strong." He fixed the mugs till it looked right hopefully and brought them over. Sitting back down he handed you the mug.
"Thank you." You pressed a kiss to his shoulder before taking a sip. "Well if you make breakfast I can get ready and then clean up while you get dressed."
"Sounds good. But I will admit I love you like this." His eyes roved around the shapeless blanket knowing under it was your body which was so new and yet beloved to him. Raising an eyebrow you slipped the blanket off. Sucking in a breath and putting his mug on the table Junpei turned to taste the coffee on your lips. Both of you forgetting everything else.
☘️☘️☘️
It was hours later before you both stood in the aquarium. Junpei had instantly tugged you towards the jelly fish. The large tanks on the floor and walls almost made it seem like you were surrounded by the creatures. Excitedly he started to point them out and explain everything he knew about them. For your part seeing the excitement in his eyes and how he seemed to glow as he talked made you fall harder for him. There was so much joy in his actions and how he spoke it was hard not to be effected by it.
"Sorry I'm probably boring you." He smiled sheepishly before pressing a kiss to you forehead.
"I'm enjoying myself, and I love seeing how excited you are." Leaning into his chest, a comforting bliss in the simple act.
"Let me show you my favorite place." His hand tangled with yours.
From the Jelly Fish exabit you moved to Ogasawara Large Aquarium. The back of it, the aquascope, with it small windows and rounded walls left small areas to be able to watch the fish and sharks swim past relatively undisturbed by others. Holding you tucked to his chest while his head rested on your shoulder Junpei began to almost doze with the happiness and warmth buzzing though your bodies.
"Hey don't be falling asleep on me. My legs are still sore and I have no idea how to get home." You whispered in his ear.
"Fine. It's not my fault your so comfortable." Kissing your neck before standing back up still holding you close.
"Flirt." He loved how you shiver at the contact. "This has been an amazing date, we haven't even left and I already want to come back."
"Then come back with me, let's repeat the day tomorrow."
"Including how we woke up?"
"Especially that part." Nuzzling your neck, desire growing bright.
"I like that plan. On our way back can we get something sweet?"
"I already have something sweet." He whispered before nipping at your shoulder a place he had to recently learned was ultra sensitive. Your shiver and laugh was better then sake. Tightening his arms he closed his eyes taking in all he could of this moment hoping that it held the promise of a future overflowing with more moments like these. ☘️
FSUFHD DUDE THIS WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF MY INBOX AHAHA AQUARIUM DATES WITH JUNPEI YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU
as someone who’s majoring in marine biology- it makes me extremely happy just to think that junpei would also love sea life. Also, I think it’s canon that he likes ocean related stuff (idk tho I haven’t googled it)
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Happier (3) | T.H.
Summary: Harrison is looking for answers. More unknown text messages and blackmail. A phone conversation takes place. Wait...who’s the new guy?
A/N: Don’t be shy let me know all your theories! Again, thank you for the support on Happier! The story continues!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
Puzzle
This whole thing was just a giant puzzle that needed to be solved, but the closer one got to solving it, another complication comes around. The story wasn’t clear for anyone, but for Harrison it was a mess. He had so many questions that needed to be answered, so many clues he wish could have been solved at the snap of a finger.
Tom was too lost in himself to even comprehend the puzzling reality, Y/N while also lost in heartbreak had been awefully quiet since she left London, Kate was lying to Harrison, and Natalie had been too friendly with Tom.
Harrison replayed the conversation with Kate over and over again in his mind, trying to remember every little thing she said that night. He knew Kate was aware of something. Her tone said it all.
“Listen I dont know who you are, but if its the same person that sent my best friend a threatening message that she’s better off breaking up with her boyfriend”
“She received a few messages...from Tom.”
“Oh my god.” Harrison said to himself in realization. How could he have been so dim to not recognize what Kate had said in the first place? He paced around as he continued to think it through. But a threat message? Who would send a threat to Y/N? And what did they threaten her with? Tom and Y/N’s relationship has been secretly hidden from the public for as long as they’d been together. No one knew she even existed...right?
For a moment, Harrison stopped in his tracks, thinking of Natalie. Though he quickly shook the idea off. Natalie may have wanted Tom, but she wouldnt go as far as threatening Y/N. He had been friends with her since they went to primary school, and knew she wouldn’t go that far. “Maybe a stalker fan?” He questioned himself. Though he also quickly ruled it out, but something about it just didnt feel right.
In the kitchen, Harrison took out his laptop and started googling Y/N’s name. If her name didn’t show on the News or one of those Tom Holland fan accounts, it would at least answer one theory. As he scrolled through pages and pages, nothing showed up until...he found on account. He logged into the site and browsed the history, realizing it was all about Y/N and Toms life. Not as a couple but seperately. It all seemed too strange. Only very few accounts followed it and yet no other accounts in the world had mentioned Y/N. Harrison quickly shut his laptop when he saw Natalie enter the room.
“Oh don’t mind me just...grabbing a water.” She giggled, making her way to the fridge.
“Hey mate...uh..I guess everyone got hungry at the same time?” Harry asked, a bit surprised to see Harrison and Natalie in the kitchen.
“Yeah. I guess.” Harrison muttered.
“Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine. If i didn’t know I’d say you were the one more affected by the break up then Tom and Y/N themselves.” Natalie commented.
“No. It’s just that I dont think Y/N broke up with Tom just because of some rumors about you and him.” He explained rubbing his face from exhaustion. Natalie’s smile dropped, when she heard Harrison mention his potential theory.
“Well...did you talk to Y/N about it?” Harry asked him, also intrigued by the theory. “Now that I think about it she —“
“Oh come on. Just leave the poor girl alone. Im sure she knew what was best for the both of them. You’ll only make it worse.” Natalie interrupted, taking a sip from her water. “Well since you boys are all talk, Im gonna go find something more worth my while.”
Out of sight and out of mind, Natalie made a quick call about what she heard. “Harrison’s getting suspicious, and so is Harry.”
“Time to clean up then.” The unknown number spoke out before hanging up on Natalie completely.
Meanwhile, Kate had managed to get Y/N out of the apartment and walk the streets of the city. Her heart and spirits were still low, but she appreciated the efforts. Kate and Y/N went around stuffing their faces with crepes and ice cream. It was the cure to any bad days, but it wouldnt have been a Kate and Y/N date if they didn’t hang around the New York Aquarium. It was also the perfect time to crack out what Y/N really knew about the unknown text message, and who was harrassing the both of them. “Look, I know I promised you a stress free outing, but I saw a text from your phone the night you came back home.” Kate confessed.
Y/N’s face became pale almost as if she’d seen a ghost. She knew, and now there was no point in going back. “So you know then.” She says quietly looking at the fishes.
“I only know they threatened you.” Kate states, leaving out that she, herself, was also threatened. Y/N had enough on her plate to worry about, and it wouldn’t be the best time to being up how her message also threatened their friendship. “How long?” She continues.
“Weeks maybe. They started around the time I was fighting with Tom.” Y/N vents, she takes a deep breath before she continues. “Each message was worse than the last. They threatened that if I didnt leave, Tom would lose career, and I...I couldnt do that to him.” Tears were falling slowly, but Y/N was quick to pick them.
“Why didnt you tell him?”
“Yeah, Kate let me just tell him the truth of why I left him because the messages weren’t offensive nor threatening enough. And let’s just assume that the person texting wouldn’t blackmail either of us if they knew I said something. Anyways, maybe it was for the best...I could never fit in his world and those past few months just proved that.” Y/N’s words continue to spill out every fear and thought she had bottled up within her. It felt good..for a moment, but nothing can really erase a heartbreak of losing the one you loved.
As the pair walked through the shark tunnel, Y/N bumped into a tall figure. “Oh my god, Im so sorry...Matt?” she asked in confusion. The moment Y/N looked up into those familiar brown eyes hidden behind the thin glasses, she knew. How could she forget?
“Y/N? Wow, it’s been so long how are you?” Matt greeted as he wrapped her into a hug. “Kate, it’s good to see you again too.”
“Yeah, we’re great, just you know...navigating life.” Kate responded to him. “We haven’t seen you since what? High school?”
Matt smiled and nodded at Kate’s response, his focus remaining on Y/N. He didn’t remember much with Kate back in high school, but Y/N was a different story. They were good friends at the time, always competing in classes, but as junior year rolled by things got awkward. Y/N was falling for Matt while he didn’t return the favor at the time. Though he’d be lying if he didn’t say he may have felt the same at one point, but just never committed. Now all grown up, he didn’t realize how pretty she turned out, but her personality wasn't there. He must have figured something was wrong. After all, a girl with that kind of spunk back in the day, didn't seem like the one to lose hers so easily. “Yeah, look. I know it’s kind of a spur in the moment, but maybe we can all hang out sometime? I’d love to catch up.”
Kate was all for it, but Y/N felt a tension she wasn’t sure if she wanted to act upon. After all, breaking up with your boyfriend after 2 weeks, because of threatening messages and still loving him deeply, it wasn’t an easy thing to move on from. Then again it’s not like Matt was asking for a date, it was just to catch up after not seeing each other for 6 years. “Uh, maybe. I have to check my schedule, and see when Im free, but I can let you know” Y/N answers him.
“Great, well..here’s my number, and hopefully I hear from you guys. I gotta get back to my brother, so hope to see you around.” he quickly says as he walks away.
“Wow. Matt Brynne, who would have guessed?” Kate says, breaking the silence.
“I know...Funny I used to be so head over heels with him at the time, and now I barely feel a thing.”
“Well yeah, cause you still love...you-know-who.” she teases, though it probably wasn't the best time to be making that type of joke with everything going on.
“And I don't think I’ll ever stop.” Y/N mutters to herself. As Y/N and Kate make their way forward, Kate’s phone began to vibrate.
Unknown
Set up a date and take a picture of Y/N and that boy you posted on your insta story. Or Y/N finds out the truth about what you did. XOXO
Kate looked up as she cursed herself, realizing she forgot to keep her story private. It was supposed to be a harmless post of old friends reuniting and now the unknown number has used it as blackmail. It would have been easy to find the culprit, but her view count was up in the thousands with unfamiliar faces. It’s what she gets after gaining a decent following on TikTok. Kate couldn’t let Y/N know what she did, and she’d make sure she would hide that truth from her for as long as she can. “Hey, Y/N...I think we should hit up Matt.” she says, running after her best friend.
At the same time, another texted popped from Y/N’s phone. She picked up thinking it might have been a group chat with her close friends, but it was from the only person who could make her heart flutter and break simultaneously.
Tom
I can’t stop thinking about you. About us. I still love you.
Y/N almost called him..almost, but she knew better. She couldn’t...not unless she wanted to continue to hurt each other.
Meanwhile, back in London, Harrison was ready to come clean to Tom about what he’d found out. He watched as Tom finished typing on his phone, and throwing it on the side of the bed, rubbing his face. This was the new normal. Tom being alone in the dark, reflecting on his sadness and exhaustion. Only stepping out when needed and keeping up smiles for appearances.
It was then Harrison was ready to knock on the door, when his phone received a notification.
Unknown
Don’t even think about it. Or I’ll make sure you and your lads careers are over for good.
Harrison sighed deeply, as he put his phone down, and walked away. Until he came to a most probable conclusion. “Natalie.” he says anger. “I should have fucking known.” At this point he no longer cared, about who she was before and how they were friends. The timing of it all seemed too perfect. Her arrival, the eavesdropping, the flirting. It had to be her but with what proof other than unknown numbers and good timing? Another part of him feared...what if it wasn't her?
Meanwhile, Tom was still unaware of what was really happening behind his door, but he did know, he had to take a chance now and try to contact her instead of sending these useless messages. In the moment, he showed no signs of regret, only praying Y/N would pick up so he could hear her voice.
“Tom?” Y/N answers hesitantly.
Tom closes his eyes, as he takes in her soft and gently voice. “Y/N.” he speaks softly into the phone.
Taglist:
@hollanddolanfangirl @ifilosemyselfagain @hevjadams @averyfosterthoughts @fangirl-with-a-mission @drishtisikarwar @eridanuswave @ifntelyinspirit @trumpettay @astridcommings
#tom holland#tom holland x reader#tom holland imagine#peter parker#peter parker x reader#peter parker imagine
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The Ubiquitous Betta Care Guide
Literally everyone and their mother has written a care guide about bettas, but I felt like I could provide a care guide based around my opinions and experiences in keeping bettas. I’ve kept bettas since I was about 15 years old, they were one of my first fish, and I fell in love with them and at one point I had over a dozen bettas at one time! That’s ridiculous now, but this was 2005/2006, bettas were cheaper and not as disposable then, definitely lasting for the oft-quoted “2-3 year” lifespans that people struggle to see today. Nowadays, I struggle to be able to get a betta to live past 6 months. So, what’s happening? Am I suddenly taking worse care of bettas than I did when I was 15?
Well, no, all of my most recent bettas were kept in tanks that were over 50 gallons, well planted, my tap water is soft (kH of 5), my pH is neutral (7-7.4) and my water is easily modified with botanicals or wood to be about 6 if need be. They live in filtered tanks with 80 degree water, eat nothing but live or frozen food, and never fall ill with disease or parasites. That’s more than I can say about teenage me. I dealt with a lot of issues, obviously, from bacterial to fungal infections because of my ignorance, but nowadays I can’t say I’ve had to treat a betta for anything, they just sorta..die, and at seemingly random too. What’s going on?
Today, bettas come in every color, shape and variety you can think of, which wasn’t the case when I was 15. The reason for the huge variety is the desire for more ornamental fish, but for commercial selling, there’s mass breeding on an industrial scale which leads to poor stock, inbreeding, and deformed fish and genetic issues we just can’t see. It doesn’t matter if it’s a local breeder or from a store, they’re all coming from the same stock now.
I’ve touched about betta problems in the past, and if you’ve followed my blog for a few years or see me in my discord server (Fish Tea), then you already know how I feel. That’s not what this post is about! This post is about caring for your betta, what I’ve learned in my experiences with them, and how to treat and care for the common ailments that befall them.
THEIR CARE:
Min tank size: 10 gallons. Why 10 gallons? In all my time keeping bettas, they do best in larger tanks that allow them to move, they get proper muscle tone in larger tanks because they’re able to move, and I’ve never had an issue with constipation in bettas when placed in larger tanks because movement makes it easier for animals to pass their waste. I can’t think of any other 2 inch-3 inch, active fish that anyone would suggest for a 5 gallon, but for some reason people all say 5 gallons is fine. This is MY recommendation, this is something I will tell people to follow, but whether or not you agree is up to you. You can keep them as you wish, but I prefer having bettas in larger tanks.
Temperature: 80+. In the wild, the Betta genus comes from hot, humid environments in Southeast Asia, living in shallow bodies of water that can be over 80 degrees in temperature. Wild Betta splendens have been observed living in rice paddies with an average temperature of 84 degrees (Jaroensutasinee & Jaroensutansinee, 2001). While it can be argued that domestic bettas are different from their wild counterparts, we have not bred them for cold resistance, and bettas display poor health in colder temps, lethargy, loss of appetite, bloating and constipation.
Water Params: My position about water parameters has evolved over time, but I still think a betta does best in neutral to acidic waters, because a betta in a pH of 8+ will not have a great time. Essentially, most people’s tap water will be fine, you don’t need RO water to keep a domestic betta.
Feeding: I feed my bettas live food in the form of blackworms, fruit flies, random small bugs I find, a spider….anything that’s an invert and they can swallow, they can eat it. I also feed them frozen foods such as bloodworms, krill, mysis, cyclops and sometimes just cut up cocktail shrimp. You can feed them live and frozen, and you can also give them prepared foods, like New Life Spectrum, Bug Bites, or Bug Pro. They have excellent sources of protein that are not derived from soy like other brands such as Hikari, Omega One, Tetra, Aqueon and such. You can also make repashy grub pie and feed them that.
Furnishings: Bettas naturally come from environments that are dense with vegetative growth (Jaroensutasinee & Jaroensutansinee, 2001), which means your bettas should also be in tanks that are filled to the brim with plants! I like live plants, but you can use soft silks too, anything that can provide them some cover that they can serpentine and swim through. My rule of thumb usually is if you can see straight through one end of the tank with no broken lines of sight, you don’t have enough plants. Lack of proper coverage can make them stressed out, lethargic and more susceptible to illness and refusal to eat.
Tank mates: If you want to keep bettas with other fish, I suggest a 20 long as a minimum. If your betta has long fins, avoid getting any boisterous, nipping fish like tetras. Kuhli loaches make wonderful tankmates for bettas because they tolerate the high temps a betta likes, as well as Hypancistrus plecos, some corydoras, smaller spiny eels and more. I don’t recommend ever putting shrimp in with bettas, aside from larger shrimp like amanos, because shrimp are a betta’s natural prey and they will hunt them all down!
WHAT IF MY BETTA GETS SICK?
Bettas can and will get ill, you will most likely encounter an issue with your betta one way or another, but what can you do to help? In most cases, the problem is lack of proper care and poor water conditions. The best way to insure your betta remains happy and healthy is to have a clean tank. The easiest way to do this is to make sure your tank is cycled and you do regular, weekly water changes of 25%-30%.
When you buy a betta, make sure you are picking out an active one, don’t try to be a saint and pick out one laying on its side, half dead. The likelihood is that it will just die, you’ll feel upset, and then you’ll go out and try it again. I’ve been there! It doesn’t work! Get a fish that wiggles at you and looks like it wants to kick your ass. That’s a good betta.
Here’s some common betta ailments:
Popeye: This happens because your water quality is poor and a bacterial infection brews up, causing fluid retention that can pop the eye out. Your best course of action is to address the water quality issue, then use an antibiotic such as kanaplex or metroplex.
Bloat and constipation: The betta is fed too much, the tank is unheated, the water quality is poor, the tank is too small, and more. This is a symptom of an underlying issues, and it needs to be addressed by seeing what you’re doing wrong. To treat it, give your betta a soak in an epsom salt bath for 10-15 minutes in a bucket or other container, with 1 tbs of epsom salt per gallon. Feed them some frozen food like daphnia or brine shrimp to aid in passing their waste.
Ich: This can literally happen to anyone, and it sometimes just. Happens. Inexplicably. Whether or not it’s introduced or always in the water, it can crop up in even the warmest of tanks, as ich nowadays seems to have gotten particularly strong. Up your temps to about 86, your betta can handle temps into the 90’s, and use an ich treatment, I usually do Ich X, follow the directions on the bottle. You can also do a salt dip on the betta at the first signs of ich, 1 tbs of aquarium or table salt per gallon in a separate container, do a 10 minute soak. Up the temps and see if the ich subsides, if not, follow through with medication.
Fin rot: This is a water quality issue, you need to address this first before proceeding with treatment, as usually providing clean, warm water is enough to stop fin rot. If you do this but notice the fin rot is especially aggressive or starting to proceed onto the body, treat with an antibiotic such as kanaplex.
Velvet: This is a parasitic infection like ich, though for this one it comes from yet another water quality issue. It can happen in the store they come from, or it can happen in your home if you’re not up and up on your care. You would treat it the same way as ich, however shut your lights off, as it appears to be light sensitive.
Lethargy, bottom sitting, loss of appetite: These are symptoms of a bigger issue, be it water quality, age, or simply just something going wrong internally that we can’t see. If your tank is too cold, you’re not feeding enough or you’re not on top of water changes, you can help by adjusting all of that. If it’s from age or something else, all you can do is wait and see how much longer the betta has left, or euthanize if you feel he won’t get better. You can attempt an epsom salt bath, raising temps, and feeding live or frozen, but at that point it’s palliative care rather than a solution.
What if you just got your betta, and it seemed fine, and then one day it didn’t look good and the next you found it dead? Well, circling back to my long winded intro, you can see that the answer is in the poor breeding practices. Bettas are not as strong or hardy as they used to be, in fact they seem to just be about as durable as tissue paper nowadays and will die after a few months or a year, with some exceptions. It can be disheartening to feel like you’re failing at a fish that’s touted as being one of the hardiest fish out there, but I promise you that if you’re providing the best care for them, they’ll still die early, and you’re not at fault. I still get bettas, but I only buy one after another passes, and I try to not spend more than $15 on one. I settle with the fact they won’t live as long, and I enjoy them while I have them, and if you feel the same way, go for it.
If you’d like to learn more about bettas, their alternatives and more, the best way to reach me and a whole community of experiences keepers is through Fish Tea, an lgbt+ friendly discord server dedicated to all things aquatic.
(reference: Jaroensutasinee, M., & Jaroensutansinee, K. (2001). Bubble nest habitat characteristics of wild Siamese fighting fish. Journal of Fish Biology, 58(5), 1311-1319. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2001.tb02288.x)
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Aquatope E11: With You at the End of the Siege
The aquatope on white sand, which has proved to be one of my favorite shows this season, has taken quite a somber turn in recent episodes. We’d received hints throughout the season that Kukuru’s ambitions to save Gama Gama Aquarium from its watery grave would be in vain, but until very recently there were still glimmers of hope: hope for a miracle, hope that the tides would turn in their favor, hope that their tireless efforts wouldn’t be in vain. Yet even a miracle isn’t enough to turn the tides of reality. By the end of episode ten, it seems like most of the characters have accepted the cold truth: Gama Gama is closing. Work as hard as they can, nothing will change. The obstacles are insurmountable, and there’s simply no time to try anything new.
By episode eleven, the day’s approached to begin closing down the aquarium—a task that’s especially necessary given the impending hurricane. But, of course, Kukuru’s not quite ready to accept the reality that everyone else has accepted. So she blocks up all the doors and declares a siege. Gama Gama Is Not Closing. Not if she has anything to say about it. And the others, too engrossed in their own typhoon-related business, don’t bother stopping her. Besides, it’s not like it’s the island’s first hurricane, and Kukuru knows what she’s doing. She’ll come around eventually—so they all agree, and disperse into their daily activities.
Later, Fuuka begins to worry about how Kukuru’s doing at the aquarium by herself. Of course, her stay-in grandparents pick up on this, and soon she’s running through the storm furiously, delivering food to Kukuru. Fuuka arrives and lays down an ultimatum: if Kukuru’s staying, she is too. Of course, Kukuru’s not so happy about this, but she doesn’t have much choice. It’s hard work maintaining an aquarium, especially when you’re alone and the weather’s this bad. Not to mention the sudden power outage throwing a wrench into her plans. They’ve only got a few hours before the generator’s power cuts off, stranding the fish without filters or air pumps. But Kukuru’s not ready to give up on the aquarium yet. She can’t give it up: can’t give up her last memories of her parents, can’t give up the joy of the aquarium, can’t let go of the magic. So Fuuka and Kukuru work tirelessly to save the aquarium. It’s their only hope.
Ultimately, however, the truth has a way of confronting futile hopes. A stray rock shatters a side window, exposing the aquarium to the outdoors. The girls try to reinforce it, to no avail: another window shatters, and the pipes start to come undone. And in the shattered pieces of glass strewn on the tile floor, Kukuru sees her own dreams falling apart. “Why can’t I stay here?” she wonders aloud. Why can’t she have Gama Gama? Why can’t she have the one thing she’s had all her life: the one thing that’s given her joy and hope and peace, the only thing she has left to lean on?
As she’s thinking these things, the generator breathes its last breath, and Gama Gama’s lights go out for good. It’s all over. But as Kukuru begins sinking to the floor in despair, Fuuka rushes over to collect Kukuru in her arms. “This place isn’t all you have,” she reminds her. They’ve still got work to do: they still have to protect the animals, even if the aquarium itself isn’t going to make it. So they get to work once again, collecting the fish into buckets and checking up on the tanks. Eventually, as the storm’s dying down, the whole crew makes it to the aquarium to tie up all the loose ends.
Finally, as morning dawns, the power’s restored to the aquarium, and they’re able to return all the animals to their tanks. Our two delinquents apologize profusely for the mess they caused that night, and the crew leaves Gama Gama shortly afterwards. Yet there are still more apologies to be shared. Kukuru apologizes for her coldness to Fuuka, and Fuuka confesses that she found joy in serving alongside Kukuru, despite how things turned out in the end. It’s then that it dawns on Kukuru: Gama Gama is really closing. She tried her best—they all did—but it wasn’t meant to be. And for the first time, she weeps: weeps for her parents, weeps for Gama Gama, weeps for the magical reality she longed to protect but wasn’t able to.
There’s so many things I want to say about this episode. I can’t say I’m surprised that Gama Gama’s shutting down. Again, it’s something that’s been hinted at the whole season. But if I’m being honest, if I were to place my reaction to the shutdown in terms of the characters, I’d be tempted to sympathize with Grandpa Kukuru’s quiet resignation. It’s just how things turned out in the end. Life will go on. The animals will find new homes. The visitors will find new attractions. The workers will find new jobs. Kukuru should just move on from Gama Gama. She should stop trying to delay what’s inevitable. She should stop causing trouble for others with her selfishness.
Yet Grandpa’s fatalistic resignation isn’t something that everyone can live with. Least of all Kukuru, whose entire life has revolved around this aquarium whose lifespan has finally come to an end. Of course she’s in tears when Grandpa thanks her for her work as acting director. She’s not ready to accept that it’s over. And while it’s true that she’s been selfish, in the wake of what she’s lost, she doesn’t need to hear about that. She needs comfort.
But how to provide this comfort—that is the question. It is a difficult question. And since it is a difficult question, I can tend to want to flee from answering it. This flight response, I think, is what Kai’s been struggling with over the past few episodes. He wants to comfort his best friend as she’s struggling with loss, but he’s afraid of hurting her, so he lingers in indecision, neither providing comfort nor confronting her with reality. It’s sort of frustrating, as the Crunchyroll comments will tell you, but it’s sympathetic. It’s easy to sidestep hard conversations, to drape one’s concerns in a vale of frivolity, smiling all the while.
Again, though, that’s not answering the question. That isn’t comfort; it’s merely running away from the problem. Kukuru’s done enough of that, and she’s tired of it: tired of the façade. She needs to face reality, but she also needs comfort. And this, I think, is where Fuuka’s character shines the most, because she’s been exactly where Kukuru is now. She’s stood at the eclipse of a fading dream. She’s walked the path of failure paved with good intentions. She knows what it feels like when people don’t understand your sorrow. So she comforts Kukuru, not by unduly shoving the truth in her face, nor by distancing herself in fear, but by joining Kukuru in her sorrow. Instead of breaking up the siege, she joins the defending forces. She supports her friend until the very end.
There’s a lot we can learn from Fuuka’s gentle kindness to Kukuru in the wake of her fading dreams. First, Fuuka reminds us that there are no textbook answers for those who grieve loss, whether it’s the loss of a loved one or the loss of an important possession or the loss of a lifelong dream. We shouldn’t put on our lecture-hats and pontificate about the futility of earthly desires or the vanity of temporal pursuits. Nor should we offer cheap comforts, as if despair can be resolved in a moment of mindless ecstasy. Kukuru mourns the loss of a serious thing. She’s right to cry, because Gama Gama wasn’t meant to shut down. Things weren’t meant to be like this. And in that moment when we’re faced with the absurdity of a reality stained by disappointment, we should weep with those who weep.
But as Christians, I think Fuuka’s response provides us with an even more compelling hope than she’s able to offer Kukuru. I’m not entirely sure where Aquatope is going to go in its next cour, but I’m certain that if Gama Gama does end up shutting down, Kukuru’s comfort will come in part from Fuuka’s support. She crawled into the siege with her friend when no one else could; she joined Kukuru in her mourning.
Yet there’s a sense of futility to this coalition, isn’t there? Fuuka’s dream expired long ago. Kukuru’s dream is waning over the horizon. They can try to forge through the rubble and find some sort of purpose for themselves in the aftermath, but it’ll always be a fragile construction, because it’ll always be prone to the same failure that caused it. It’s like driving on a road trip with no destination. Arrival is only temporary; every rest-stop is the precursor to another journey. Every dream has cracks baked in; it’s impossible to avoid loss forever.
In contrast, the hope of the Christian faith is centered around a rugged cross and an empty grave. The rugged cross reminds us that God became flesh and dwelt with us and suffered our pain. He crawled into the siege with us when no one else could; he took on the reality of our sin and bore it on the cross for our salvation. The empty grave reminds us that there is a destination to all our journeys. This is a dream that will never be dashed. It’s the promise of eternal life; a promise that he purchased with his own blood, for all who will put their trust in him.
So we weep with those who weep; yet we do not weep as those with no hope. We weep; yet we remember that the God of all comfort transforms our sorrow into joy, that we might comfort those who experience all sorts of sorrows. Fuuka helps us picture the sort of kindness that we as Christians must model throughout our lives. Yet ours is a comfort born out of confident hope rather than bitter resignation. The coming kingdom of our Lord is one that will never be shut down. Our dashed dreams are temporary, but his kingdom is forever. And that’s how we find comfort: for ourselves and for the world.
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The aquatope on white sand can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
#Anime#Christianity#The Aquatope on White Sand#Shiroi Suna no Aquatope#Comfort#Hope#Kindness#Articles#Author: sleepminusminus
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How do you see Fighter's and Tutor's future? And after events of the series and after ten years of joint life? Will they both work? Or someone will work and someone will stay and making their house cozy and cooking dinners? Will they marry? Will they have big goals in life? What do you think?
OOOOH I LOVE THIS QUESTION I spend so much time of my day thinking about them it’s embarrassing but it makes it easy for me to answer this question.
When it comes to working, I think they view the topic in very different ways. Tutor is used to it, doesn’t mind the effort and time required, but he’s had to accept any sort of jobs to make ends meet. As he gets older and completes his degree, I think he’ll want to aim for jobs that are way more fulfilling and closer to his major. He’s not afraid of having to work overtime to get to the position he wants as long as he enjoys his job. He’s smart and has great grades, so I can see him getting hired by some big engineering firm and steadily getting promotion after promotion. I don’t necessarily think he’ll want to start his own company or become a ceo, but I’m sure his ambition is to get to a place where he’s making a lot of money to get back the life he used to have before his father screwed it up. He’s the man of the family, so to speak, so it will make him proud to have an important job that allows him to spoil his loved ones with expensive gifts and holidays. I don’t think this comes from Tutor wanting a luxurious lifestyle, it’s more about undoing what his father did to them.
Fighter has a completely different approach. I think he has a lot of leftover resentment and anger towards his father that will not leave, but he learns how to channel it in ways that are more healthy than keeping it all in. I’m sure he grew up with a lot of pressure to make it big and have an important role in a company, and maybe his father would have been ready to ask for some favors to get him there, but Fighter refuses to do anything his father wants him to. It’s thanks to Tutor that Fighter learns the value and satisfaction of earning your own money, but since he doesn’t need too much of it, he doesn’t want to have a stellar career. I see him as someone who gets more enjoyment out of his hobbies than his work, while Tutor would be one to pour his heart and soul into his job, so Fighter would probably look for a decent paying job that still leaves him enough time for the occasional basketball game or gym session. He gets offered promotions but doesn’t take them because he’s content with his routine, and he knows it makes his father upset to see him be a simple employee, but Fighter is so happy like that. He is not under too much stress from work, he still feels like he’s doing his part when it comes to paying rent, and he has developed a passion for vacuuming right before Tutor comes home from his much longer working hours.
So yes, they will both work but Fighter will be home more so he’ll be in charge of most household activities. Tutor tries to cook a nice meal at least once a week during the weekends, but Fighter gets really really into watching lunchbox tutorials on youtube so for the rest of the week he’s the one doing all the meal prep. They don’t officially move in together, but they both have clothes and a toothbrush at each other’s place. They are still a bit wary of Fighter’s father at first so they spend more time at Tutor’s, but Fighter misses his collection of videogames he has at home so they slowly get used to being around Fighter’s father again.
Fighter will get Tutor a promise ring the second they come back from the beach after ep. 13, clarifying over and over that he’s not proposing but he just needs them to have another reminder of their bond because the necklace and earring came before their breakup and he needs something else. Tutor accepts the ring right away because he feels the same way, their relationship feels like it’s on a whole new level after what they’ve gone through.
Tutor asks to officially move in together first, once they have both graduated and have jobs. Fighter wants to go all in and starts looking at huge properties with a garden and a pool because that’s what he has always imagined for himself, but after talking to Tutor they both realize they would rather have something cozier and more intimate to start with. (they fall in love with a cute flat that they rent for some years until the owner asks them if they’d be interested in buying it. they do, and they live there for the rest of their lives)
Fighter struggles a lot with figuring out what his real dreams are and what was implanted in his brain by his father, so they try a lot of new experiences and Tutor never tells him no. They travel outside of Thailand but realize that they like their country the most. Saifah and Zon get a dog and Fighter dogsits for them all the time, but he learns that him and Tutor would be too busy to properly take care of one, so they get a fish instead. One fish soon turns into ten, and they end up with a nice aquarium in a corner of their living room.
As for marriage... They discuss it a lot, but I don’t see them getting married unless same sex marriage becomes legal in Thailand. They slowly come to the realization that they already have a ring and no intention of ever leaving each other for the rest of their lives, so that’s all they need.
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Promise Me Forever [11]
Fandom: Devil May Cry
Characters: Dante, Lirael Thorne (OC)
Tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe, First Time, Friends to Lovers
Chapters: 11/14
co-written by @lickitysplitfic
Summary: An old, long-forgotten promise between gods comes back to haunt Dante when it deposits an unfamiliar woman on his door. Claiming to be the descendant of Ler, she says that they’re meant to fulfill the oath made by Sparda centuries ago, and all he can do is watch as she turns his life upside down. Yet when her parents come knocking, demanding the oath be fulfilled, he’s forced to choose: return to the bachelor ways he loved so much, or give in to the emotions brewing between him.
»»————- ⚜ ————-««
Lir can't stop smiling as she follows Dante through the streets of Fortuna. The aquarium had been everything she dreamed of and more: large tanks full of exotic fish, an open pool where she had been allowed to pet a sea urchin and a turtle—even if the ticklish sensation of the urchin's spines made her squeal—and even a hallway that passed through an exhibit where a shark swam directly overhead. Dante had been more than patient with her when she stopped and stared in wonder, gently pulling her to the side to allow others to pass.
Her hand reaches to her neck, where a charm he'd bought her rests. It's a simple thing, a shark's tooth on a leather thread, but she cherishes it more than anything else she owns, and he'd seemed pleased by how happy she'd been to receive it. Even now, he's more relaxed than he's been in weeks, strolling along with his hands in his pockets, pointing out the different shops and buildings he recognizes.
She's a bit nervous about meeting Nero and Kyrie again, more so meeting their children, but the high of the aquarium makes it easy to shift that into anticipation. Lir has always been good with children, something that came about when she'd been picked to teach weekly classes for reading and writing, and she hopes these will take to her as easily as the ones from her home had.
Their house is small, but cute, a bike sitting on the tiny patch of grass that is their front lawn and a selection of different kinds of balls on the steps. When Dante rings the doorbell there are shouts and footsteps inside, and Lir is shocked when two boys fling the door open. "Dante!" they scream, launching themselves at him.
"Hey boys!" he laughs, catching each one in an arm. Lir chuckles as he swings them upside down, holding them like footballs.
"Can I touch your gun?" one asks.
"No, Nero would kill me."
"How about me? Can I have one?" the other pleads.
"Maybe later. Go tell Nero we're here."
He swings them both upright and they take off, pushing each other as they disappear in the house. Dante turns to her with a grin and Lir laughs. "Is it always like that when you come over?" she asks.
"Pretty much! They'll be askin' for stories all night. Always gotta be careful which ones I tell, or Nero'll scold me about givin' 'em nightmares."
She nods, and then Nero appears in the doorway, eyeing both of them. "Guns?" he asks, and Dante shakes his head. "Sword? Any other sort of weapon?"
"Just my good looks," Dante jokes.
Nero rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't hurt yourself stretchin' like that." He steps to the side to allow them to enter. "Come on in. Kyrie's makin' spaghetti."
"It smells delicious," Lir says as she enters, and he smiles at her. "Thank you for having us."
"He treating you okay?" Nero asks suspiciously as he closes the door.
Lir nods, and he leads them back through the house. The boys are in the living room watching television and shooting tiny cars along an elaborate racetrack that takes up most of the floor. "Woah!" Dante exclaims, rubbing his hands together as he plops down with them.
Nero nudges her arm. "Come on with me, you don't have to play too," he says with a laugh.
Lir glances back as he leads her towards the kitchen, smiling to see him listening to the boys excitedly talk as they climb into his lap. She would have never guessed he would be so good with kids, and it really makes her happy . . . but then she realizes that is an incredibly dangerous train of thought and focuses squarely on the back of Nero's head.
In the kitchen, they find Kyrie humming to herself as she stirs a pot on the stove. The room smells of garlic and tomatoes and spices, and Lir breathes it in deeply, her mouth watering; visiting the aquarium had left her with a larger appetite than usual, so she's eager to taste the dinner Kyrie has spent so long on. "Get'cha something to drink?" Nero asks.
Lir nods, moving on instinct towards the stove. "What can I do to help?"
"Sit and relax," Kyrie laughs. "You're our guest."
She pauses, then takes a seat at the small table in the kitchen, where she'll be in easy reach if she's needed. Nero sets a glass of white wine in front of her and settles across from her with a bottle of beer clutched loosely in his hand. "Sorry if this is abrupt," he says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "but I wanted to talk to you for a minute without Dante around."
"What about?"
Instead of Nero, it's Kyrie who answers, "He's worried that you might not be happy since this is an arranged marriage. Yes," she adds when Lir inhales sharply, "Nero told me. I'm not one to judge, so don't think that I will. But, having seen how poorly they can go, we both just want to make sure you're alright."
"Yes, it's all wonderful!" she answers immediately, wincing a bit as her voice goes a bit high pitched. Lir clears her throat when they exchange a glance, but she continues on, "Everything is fine. Dante treats me very well, I'm very happy. I'm glad to be here."
"Your family seemed intense," Nero says. He leans against the kitchen counter and folds his arms. "Did they pressure you?"
Lir shrugs, not sure how to answer. "Yes and no. But it was my decision in the end. We needed to do something about the oath, and Dante and I . . ." She sucks in a breath, wanting to avoid that topic altogether. "We figured it was the best solution."
Unfortunately by their expressions, Lir can see her explanation wasn't enough. "What oath?" Kyrie asks just as Nero says, "Best solution?"
"The, uh . . ." Lir shifts uncomfortably. "Sparda and . . . Well, he . . ."
"Sparda," Nero snorts, shaking his head. "At what point are people going to give up all this stupid crap?"
"Nero!" Kyrie scolds. He looks appropriately chagrined, and Kyrie sighs. "Lir, your business is your own. We just want to know you are safe and happy."
Lir nods. "I am."
"Good." Kyrie hands Nero the potholder as he moves to drain the pot. "So . . ." Kyrie says with a wink. "Are we expecting any little ones soon?"
Her heart pounds uncomfortably in her chest. It's an innocent enough question, one she'd heard directed to her friends, who would smile coyly and beat around the bush until all of them were laughing about it. But for her? Is it even possible? She's been regular since she was twelve, but there's no telling if any sort of pregnancy between her and Dante would hold, given that he's half-devil. Yet hadn't Sparda had children just fine, even if it had taken him two thousand years?
"Not yet," she murmurs. "We're still adjusting to this, and children would mean . . ." We'd have to have sex again, she nearly says, but cuts that short. "What about you?"
"Not until after we're married." Nero calls over his shoulder. "Besides, the ones we've got now are more than enough."
As if on cue, there is a crash from the living room, and Nero sighs as he places the pot back on the stove. "What have they done now?" he grumbles as he walks through the kitchen door.
Lir stands as well, but Kyrie just laughs and points to a drawer. "Will you set the table? We're just about ready."
Glad for something to do, she gathers silverware and plates and moves into the dining room on the side. It's a bit cramped, just enough space for six chairs, but Lir can't help but smile to herself as she carefully arranges the place settings, even folding napkins on top in pretty arrangements. This is much more her element, and when Dante swings into the dining room a moment later with one kid on his hip and the other on his back, Nero trailing after, they all stop short. "Wow," Nero says, lifting one of the boys and planting him on a chair.
Lir smiles, and Dante hands off the other kid before walking around to stand next to her. "This looks really nice!" he beams, holding out his hand to help her to a seat.
She looks at his extended palm and swallows thickly before pulling out a chair. "It's no trouble," she says, quickly sitting down.
He gives her a strange look, and she doesn't miss the glance Nero and Kyrie share as they bring the food to the table, and her face burns. After what her mother told her, touching his hand seems too risky; while Lir can't remember if she's done it before, and knows that she probably has—hadn't he helped her up after she'd fallen once?—she's afraid that doing it now, when they've gotten to know each other, will end with her parents taking her away.
"This looks delicious," she says to Kyrie. "Thank you."
Kyrie smiles, though it seems a tad uneasy. "Of course. Dante is like family, and you're included in that now."
Silence descends, broken only by the soft scraping of silverware over plates as they portion out the spaghetti and toasted bread, the two boys intent on eating, and Lir does her best not to sink into her seat. This can be salvaged, she thinks, and she turns to Nero. "Have you lived in Fortuna long?"
He shrugs, grating cheese over his pasta. "My whole life. Grew up in an orphanage for a while. Then Kyrie's dad took me in."
"Childhood sweethearts," Lir murmurs. "That's really sweet."
"Did you have someone before you moved here?" Nero asks.
There is a loud thump under the table followed by Nero's "ow!" Lir jumps, not sure if it was Dante or Kyrie who did it, but she answers, "No, it wasn't exactly encouraged."
"Did you know that my birthday is next week?" the younger boy pipes up.
Relieved for the interruption, Lir shakes her head. "I didn't! Happy birthday! How old will you be?"
He puts up five fingers. "Will you come to the party? Kyrie is making a cake and she promised it would be chocolate."
"That would be very nice," Lir answers.
She catches Dante smiling at her when the other boy asks, "Do you and Dante have babies yet?"
Dante chokes on the mouthful of beer he'd just taken, and her face feels like it's on fire, both from the question and his reaction. "No," she says gently. "We don't. Do you know what that means?"
The boy's nose wrinkles. "You haven't kissed?"
Lir laughs softly. "It means, of course, that you'll get more presents from us on your birthday if you've been a good boy. Have you been a good boy?"
He nods his head eagerly. "Yeah! I can tie my shoes and I'm learnin' how to write and I can spell my name!"
The boys dominate the rest of the conversation, and Lir is happy to ask questions with the occasional interjection from Nero or Kyrie. She can feel Dante's eyes on her though, and at one point swears she feels his hand on her leg, but when she looks down it is gone.
Kyrie offers coffee after dinner, but Lir glances at Dante. "We should get back," she says. "It was a long day, I'm a bit tired. If you don't mind?"
"Of course," Kyrie agrees. "I'm so happy the two of you came to visit, and I know the boys are, too. Nero, will you show them out?"
"Yeah." He stands, jerking his head. "C'mon. Least I can do is make sure you get to the crossroads safely."
Lir and Dante follow him. "This is far enough," Dante says when they're on the porch. Nero turns to him with a frown, and he shrugs. "Kyrie'll need your help with the kids, and I can get us back to our room. No need to worry. Besides, I need to talk to Lir alone."
"Careful out there," Nero says as he nods towards the street. "Demons don't normally come this far towards the water but strange things can happen." He glances at Lir and grins. "Of course, now that the two of you are hitched I guess we don't have to look there for those fuckers, do we?"
Lir sucks in a sharp breath and Dante punches his arm. "Watch the fucking language, kid," he says good-naturedly, then gives a wave as he hops down the steps.
She follows after, ignoring Dante when he holds his hand out to her. Instead she tugs her cardigan closed as they turn down the street. "They are a lovely family," Lir says.
"Yeah. Kid's got it nice now. And it's good that he does. He sure went through enough shit thanks to the Order."
Lir glances at him; his expression is guarded, not quite closed off, and she presses carefully. "What happened then? I know there were demons in the street, and a statue came to life, but the details weren't in the papers."
They pause at a crosswalk, and Dante watches the light. "A cult sprung up around my old man. Called him The Savior, built a church and a statue. Over time, I guess they got powerful enough that Fortuna couldn't do much about 'em. Anyway, they were turnin' themselves into demons, and they opened hell gates all over the city. I took care of those while Nero dealt with them. They'd raised him for years as a sacrifice." He pauses as they start to cross, then adds, "Not so different from you, I guess."
Lir stops, looking up at him in shock and hurt. "I'm not a sacrifice, Dante," she says harshly.
He looks at her and shrugs. "You know what I mean."
"No I don't! I'm not . . ." She folds her arms and huffs, suddenly and furiously hurt. "I'm not anything."
"You're my wife. That's something." Lir stops on the sidewalk, and he continues on for a few steps before noticing and turning to face her. "I didn't want to push ya. I get it, I'm not the easiest person to talk to, and, honestly, I'm surprised you ain't cut and run yet. But something's buggin' you. Has been ever since yer mother called the shop. I thought comin' here would be nice for you, seein' the aquarium, maybe help you figure it out on your own."
"Dante," she whispers, clinging to herself.
"So, you can tell me, or not."
"Your wife," she murmurs. "Your wife. That's all I am, all I was meant to be."
"That's not what I—"
"Raised as a sacrifice, right?" Her lip trembles as she looks at him angrily. "A wife for you, to cook and clean and take care of the son of Sparda, right? Nothing else, nothing else wanted or needed."
Dante frowns. "What—"
"And you know the worst part about it?" Lir cries, her shouting actually drawing a few looks. Dante glances around, rubbing the back of his neck, just like Nero, and that makes her even angrier. Not caring about who is looking, she shouts, "You don't even care about Sparda! Or Ler, or any of it! It's all just a big dumb joke to you all, but this is my life!"
"Lir," he hisses, stepping closer and bending down. "You might not want to shout the name Sparda in the middle of the street."
"Why not? Let them hear about how useless he was at following through on his promises, or writing them down!" She stares up at him defiantly. "And you know what, Dante? It wasn't even necessary! They got it wrong! All we have to do is shake hands, and it's done, it's over with. So here!" Lir holds out her hand. "Shake and be done with it, and send me home. Just like you've wanted to do since I set foot in your shop."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He grabs her, not by the hand but by the arm, frowning down into her face. "What are you talking about?"
Lir grits her teeth. "We didn't have to marry. They had it wrong. So you'll be sending me back then, right? Well I'll save you the trouble, because I—I'm leaving."
Dante's eyes go wide. He drops his hand and takes a step back. "You're leaving?"
She presses her lips together, not knowing what to say. This isn't at all how she wanted to tell him, or do this—hell, she doesn't want to leave at all. But she is too angry now to back down, and Lir is afraid if she doesn't call her own bluff, she'll never be able to know for certain if Dante wants her, truly wants her.
"Yes," she answers. "I was going to tell you when we got back, but . . ." Lir looks down so he won't see her eyes get watery. "This is for the best, Dante."
"What the fuck for?" He sounds confused and angry, but, worse, he sounds hurt, and she winces. "You said you didn't want to go back there. You said you wanted to stay."
"That was before."
"Before? Before what? Lir, if this is about us having sex—"
"It's not!" she insists. "It's . . . You always told me that you weren't the marrying type, and you didn't even want to do this until my parents showed up. Even then, it was just an obligation, so we don't have to . . . We don't have to keep doing this. I'll go home, and you can go back to the life you like without me in the way."
Dante shakes his head. "But Lir, I . . ."
"I should go back," she says, as if trying to convince herself. "I know you had this vacation planned, and the room . . . You can stay and I'll take the train back."
To her surprise, he reaches out and cradles her face in his hands. Lir blinks up at him, her heart pounding as he strokes her cheeks with his thumbs. She sinks into his touch, daring to hope that he will ask her to stay. As he steps closer, his face inching towards her, she imagines he will kiss her, and tell her he wants her, and all of this will be okay.
"There's no trains this late," he says instead. "Come back to the room and stay the night. I'll take you back to the shop in the morning."
Miserably, she nods, and they finish the walk back to the hotel in a heavy, oppressive silence. The fact that there's only one bed—something she'd barely noticed before—sends a fresh wave of tears to her eyes, which she does her best swallow. The last thing she wants after making such a mess of things is to cause Dante any more discomfort, particularly on her account.
Dante glances between her and the bed. "I'll take the floor," he offers gruffly. "You'll need sleep if you're goin' home tomorrow."
"No, no it's fine—"
He doesn't answer, just disappears into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. Lir uses the opportunity to quickly change, pulling on a nightgown and stashing her clothes. She should pack, but Lir can't bring herself to do it, and when Dante finally emerges she rushes in for some peace so she can get herself together.
She brushes her teeth and washes her face, taking as much time as she can, not wanting to face him yet. When she has used up as much time as she thinks she can without him coming to find her, Lir turns off the light and opens the door.
Thankfully the room is dark, but when she makes her way to the bed she is surprised to find Dante on one side. Lir slips into the other, and without turning he mumbles, "Are you sure this is alright?"
"It's for the best," she answers uncertainly.
He huffs a humorless little laugh. "Best for who? You want to go back, that's one thing, but don't say it's for me. I already told you, I like havin' you around. Don't know how many times I have to say it before you believe it."
Lir rolls to her side and looks out the window. The lights of the city make the harbor glitter a bit, and suddenly she is homesick for her own seaside town. But the feeling is unwanted, mixing with wanting Red Grave, and the Devil May Cry, and Dante. He likes having her around . . . but that feels worse somehow.
"I'm sorry I lied to you," she whispers.
"Figured she told you something when I saw your face after you hung up," he mutters. "Just don't do it again."
"Not just about that." Lir feels him shift, the bed dipping and sheets twisting as he rolls over, and she wonders if he's facing her, if she should do the same. "I don't want to go back. There's just . . . I feel so guilty about staying. Your whole life was upended over something that could have taken five seconds, you've had to deal with me and my family. It doesn't seem right to ask to stay after all of this."
She can practically hear him thinking, the subtle bob of his throat and the way he exhales slowly when deeply considering something. It's one of the things about him Lir didn't know she knew until she knew it, like how he likes his socks folded and that he likes peanut butter on top of jelly, not the other way around. She listens to him breathe and think and she thinks of more, like how he slouches when he's paying attention but sits forward when he's tired, how he dusts the picture on his desk every day without fail, how he purposefully leaves her snacks on the bottom shelves where she can reach. Her chest grows tight as she thinks about all the things she's learned about Dante, and how much more she wants to learn, but now she might not get the chance.
"I ain't chasing you, Lir," he murmurs. "If you want to go, if you feel that strongly about it, then you can go. I've said what I needed to say. Sleep on it tonight and you can decide in the morning."
She hears him shift again, rolling over, and Lir looks out the window. He's said his peace, except for the three words she's wanted to hear most.
#dmc#devil may cry#dante sparda#lirael thorne#lir#dante/lir#dante/oc#dante x oc#dmc oc#dmc fanfic#dmc fanfiction#fanfiction#writing#story#myfic#collab#promise me forever#pmf
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Till Death Do Us Part Chapter 3 - Come With Me
Sora/Kairi. Romance, fluff, reincarnation, rebirth, pining. ~1880 words.
Chapter 1 / 2
The years passed, and Kairi graduated first from high school and then from university. She had a good job lined up at a prestigious company starting in April, but the month of March was hers to do with as she pleased.
Maybe waiting wasn’t good enough anymore. If her shadow couldn’t come to her, she should go find him.
“Mom, Dad, I want to travel,” she announced one morning over breakfast.
Her parents exchanged glances.
“Any reason why you can’t wait till Golden Week?” her father asked before snatching a piece of tofu out of his miso soup with his chopsticks.
“Because I’ll be working then, and I don’t know if the company will let me have much of a break. You know how it is for new employees.”
“Well, you do have some money saved up, don’t you?” her mother said.
“Yup, from my part-time job. And I can get a Seishun 18 Ticket to keep costs down.”
“Where are you thinking about going?” her father asked.
“Well, Selphie’s family is from Osaka originally, and she offered to let me stay with her. So I figured I could start out with Kansai first, and maybe hit up Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara while I’m with her?”
“Why not?” her mother said with a sparkle in her eye. “One last hurrah before starting working life.”
Her father nodded. “Heaven knows you’ll need it, sweetheart. The first year at a new job is always rough. They really put you through the ringer with training.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, then handed her several crisp ten thousand yen bills. “Our treat.”
Kairi’s eyes went wide. “Father, I can’t—”
He just smiled at her. “Yes, you can. Go on your adventure. Have fun. Just keep Selphie with you. Not because I’m worried about you, but because I think her parents might worry about her,” he joked.
“Maybe you’ll find that young man in the painting you made back in high school,” her mother said with a teasing smile.
“Maybe so.”
With all the logistics settled, she boarded the train for Osaka. Because she was using the discount ticket, it was going to take longer than normal, but she didn’t really mind. She loved seeing all the beautiful sights outside her window, all the sleepy towns and misty mountains and pretty flowers as the coming of spring brought the world back to life.
When she finally arrived in Osaka, Selphie was there to greet her at the station.
“Welcome to my neck of the woods!” Selphie said with a grin as she took one of her bags. “Now that we’re here, I’ll have to take you to get Osaka-style okonomiyaki, and we’ll have to eat takoyaki at some point too, and we should also go to Universal Studios Japan and the Kaiyukan Aquarium and—”
“Actually, I was wondering… could we go to Kyoto tomorrow?” Kairi asked. “I was thinking… Kyoto tomorrow, Osaka the next few days, and then Nara?”
“Sure, that works. But I really wanna take you to my favorite okonomiyaki place tonight!”
“Deal.”
The okonomiyaki place was just as good as Selphie had promised. The savory meal with its pork and cabbage filling and delicious toppings was more than enough to fill her up, and she was about ready to crash by the time they got back to Selphie’s house. She made sure to greet Selphie’s family and give them a thank you gift before excusing herself to take her evening bath, but once she was lying down on an extra futon in Selphie’s room with Selphie sleeping soundly beside her, she couldn’t sleep.
Something major was going to happen, she just knew it. She’d had this gut feeling ever since she’d decided to come here, and it only grew stronger the closer and closer she got to Kyoto. That was why she wanted to go tomorrow instead of waiting several more days. She didn’t know why, but she had to get to Kyoto no matter what.
The next morning, she and Selphie got up early so they could catch the train. Despite the restless night she’d spent, she was feeling energized and awake.
“You haven’t been to Kyoto since our high school trip, have you?” Selphie asked as they watched the scenery go by. “Any particular places you want to visit?”
“Are the cherry trees blooming yet? I’d love to go somewhere that has a lot of them. Maybe one of the temples?”
“How about Kiyomizu Temple? We’ve had an early warm spell this year, so at least some of the cherry trees should be blooming by now. I’d love to get some matcha ice cream on the way back down in Higashiyama, too.”
“Sounds good.”
Kiyomizu Temple was as splendid as Kairi remembered, and the view from the mountain was gorgeous. All of Kyoto spread out below them, and she made sure she and Selphie got some good shots together with the cherry trees peppering the mountainside. After praying at the main hall, Selphie insisted they stop by Jishu Shrine.
“Don’t you remember how the legend goes?!” Selphie asked with a pout. “If you can find your way from one stone,” she said, pointing at the one currently in front of them, “to the other,” she said as she jabbed a finger at a second stone a little ways away, “AND you can do it with your eyes closed, you’ll have good luck with love!”
“Oh, I remember now.”
“So,” Selphie said with a grin, “you gonna try it?”
“Sure, why not,” Kairi said. She had nothing to lose, right?
“Maybe this will summon your dream man.” Selphie giggled and grabbed Kairi’s hand and put it over her eyes. “No peeking, or the magic won’t work!”
“Right.”
It was a pretty straight shot from one stone to the other, so if Kairi was careful not to stray too far to the left or right, she’d be okay. Of course, this was easier said than done at a place as popular as this, because she had to make constant little detours to avoid running into people, and people still bumped into her all the same. But she carefully counted her steps and used the sounds around her to guide her. Maybe this was just a silly superstition, but a part of her really wanted to do this right.
Please, please let me find him, she prayed. Let me reach the other stone so I’ll be lucky at last.
She had to be getting close, right? How long had she been wandering around without her sight?
“Selphie? Am I hot or cold?” she called. “I think… I’m kinda lost…”
She felt an arm loop through hers. “Nah. You aren’t lost. You’re right where you need to be, Kairi.”
She gasped. That voice. She knew that voice—
She felt a hand go over her eyes. “Don’t look just yet. Can’t have you unlucky in love, now can I? Just follow my lead, and I’ll tell you when we’ve arrived.”
She nodded, unable to speak. Her shadow. Her shadow was really here. He was here and he was real. He gently led her to the stone, and when her feet bumped up against it, he removed his hand from her eyes.
“See? You did it!”
But she didn’t care about the stone anymore, not one single bit. There was something far more important than all the stones in the universe. She turned around so she could see her shadow’s face. He was as beautiful as she remembered, and the smile lighting up his face was radiant. Around his neck he wore a necklace, her necklace, and his blue eyes reflected the longing that she had carried with her her entire life.
No, this life. It was all coming back to her. Their old life, their old memories, everything.
“Sora,” she cried as she burst into tears. In another moment his arms were around her, holding her tightly. But he was crying now too, and she wasn’t sure who was comforting who.
“I’m back,” he choked out. “I kept my promise.”
“You’re home,” she said with a sob. “You’re really here.”
He pulled away a little so he could look her in the eye. “I looked everywhere for you. My whole life I’ve longed to see you again. I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too.”
He brought a trembling hand to her face. “I still can’t believe you’re really here. Feels too good to be true.”
“It’s not, trust me. This is real.”
He smiled through his tears. “Yeah, it is. My journey is over at long last. And to think, we’d meet each other here by chance, What are the odds?”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t chance. It was meant to be.”
The breeze picked up, lifting cherry tree petals into the air and making them float past. She caught one and smiled.
“It’s gone.”
Sora tilted his head. “What’s gone?”
“Mono no aware. Sehnsucht. That feeling that something was missing my whole life. That I was longing for something more. You.”
“Kairi,” he said, ever so softly and tenderly. He gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and she sighed happily. Their last kiss had been when the world was ending, but this, this was about to be a kiss of beginning—
“Um, hello?” came a voice, interrupting them. “I’m still here. Got everything on camera, too,” Selphie said with a giggle as she lowered her phone. “So you’re Kairi’s dream guy, Sora. Can’t believe I didn’t remember you till now.”
Sora scratched the back of his neck and laughed. “Not the first time that’s happened.”
“Hey now!”
Kairi giggled and Sora grinned. “Glad to see you haven’t changed, Selphie.”
“Well, I know when to make myself scarce. Meet me back at Kyoto Station this evening, you lovebirds. Matcha ice cream awaits me.”
They said goodbye to Selphie, then looked at each other again. Kairi would never tire of seeing his spiky hair, his beautiful eyes, his charming smile.
“Well, now that we’re alone in a sea of people…”
He led her a little ways away from the crowds, then dropped to one knee. A lump built in her throat as she watched him fish a little box out of his pocket.
“Kairi,” he began, the biggest smile on his face as he opened the box up, “will you marry me?”
Inside the box was an engagement ring just like her old one. She burst into tears as she nodded and said yes, over and over again. He was a little teary himself as he slipped the ring on her finger and then kissed her hand. She pulled him up into her arms and kissed him over and over again, each kiss to make up for all the lonely years they’d spent apart.
“I love you,” she choked out between kisses.
He smiled. “Love you too.”
She kissed him one last time, a long, lingering kiss that promised him everything. Now that they were together again, she never wanted to be apart from him.
He found her hand once more. “Come with me,” was all he said, and that was all she needed to hear.
They were together again, and she wanted to savor every moment.
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A big thank you once again to @seaberry-siren for the original prompt, @angel-with-a-pipette for reading it over and providing input, and @rapis-razuri for her support as well! And thank you to everyone who reblogged, left comments, etc., I really appreciate it!
#sokai#sora#kairi#kingdom hearts#kh fanfiction#phoenix writes#phoenix downer#romance#fluff#pining#mutual pining#longing#reunion#reincarnation#rebirth#love#post-canon#post canon#long post
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795: the first night
I’m fairly new at this, but my first whump piece of course had to feature a boxboy. The story is still in the works, although I think I have a pretty rough outline of it all. Please keep in mind that English isn’t my first language, but I’m doing my best. Good and bad critique is much appreciated, and let me know if I should add any other trigger warnings! (Also, Thomas calls him ‘kid’, but he’s 19.)
TW/CW: boxboy, cage mention, shock collar and shocking mention, regular collar, (brief) beating mention.
795 was prepared to sleep on the floor or in a cage, or even in the box he came in, but the box had promptly been dismantled for firewood and the man with the beard had told him “the first room up the stairs on the right is yours”.
He didn’t ask questions, of course not. Just bowed his head, looked to the floor and said “yes, Master,” just like he had been taught to. He was a good boxboy, and he was going to be the best boxboy that Master had ever had.
“Jesus, don’t call me that,” the bearded man had said as he flipped through the manual that had come with 795 in the box. His tone wasn’t harsh, but maybe slightly strained, and he cleared his throat afterwards. He didn’t seem quite at ease.
795 caught himself wanting to look up at the man, not Master anymore, but stopped and kept his eyes trained on one of the circles in the hardwood floors, where a branch would be attached if the floorboard still was a tree. “W-what would you like me to call you instead, Sir?” he asked.
Immediately, he regretted the sentence. Don’t stutter. Never presume. Back at the training facility he would already be writhing in pain on the floor if Handler Mason had caught him stuttering and assuming titles. How could he manage to mess up already, a mere five minutes in? He shut his eyes, the muscles in his shoulders tightening and his jaw clenching in anticipation of the pain that was both sharp and dull at the same time.
It didn’t come. His owner was still fixated on the manual. No little, black controller in sight. “Uhm... my name’s Thomas, that should work?” he eventually said after a bit of hesitation. His voice was questioning, unsure, but it was a lifeline for 795.
“Yes, thank you, Sir Thomas.” His spoke clearly now, there was no stuttering. He was a good boy.
The bearded man sighed. “I didn’t ... whatever.”
795 wanted to smile - he didn’t, of course not, but he had done something correctly. He didn’t need positive reinforcement to know that, he just needed relief from the pain, to have any pressure removed. If he wasn’t punished for something, it meant it didn’t warrant punishment, and it meant that he had been good.
What followed was a quick house tour. The bearded man showed him the kitchen, “could you maybe cook two meals a day, breakfast and dinner? I get usually get takeaway for lunch. And cook something for yourself too, while you’re at it, you’re awfully skinny. Write down any groceries you need - you can write, right? - and then I’ll get them on the way home.” 795 was shown the living room, with what looked like a comfortable couch with dark green pillows and a flatscreen opposing it, and the study, which was dark and full of books, and had a wooden desk, and a fireplace and an old armchair with worn leather. 795 nodded and said “yes, Sir Thomas,” as he followed his owner around the house and eagerly picked up every single word the bearded man said. He was to keep everything clean, do and fold the laundry, cook twice a day, answer the door “if it ever rang” and feed the fish in the aquarium in the living room.
--
It had already been late when 795 first arrived, and even though the bearded man tried to keep the tour short, the house was big and there was a lot to go through. His name was Thomas Walker, a college professor with a few book deals and two doctorates under his belt, and all alone in a big, empty house after his brother died. The house was too big to take care off all alone, and the couple of different maids he had had in the past didn’t really cut it when it came to company (after all, they were there to clean, not talk), so when a younger colleague talked about these boxboys, he quietly listened. “Great little things, they do everything you say and never complain, and they’re just a one-time investment. My uncle has two!”
Thomas was a history professor, and one who specialized in the modern era at that, so he knew a thing or two about slavery. Initially, this whole keeping human beings as pets-thing seemed off to him, but maybe that was just because he had read so extensively on the French revolution and the ideals of the enlightenment - liberty and equality and all that.
But his colleague taught sociology, and he was okay with it, so Thomas looked it up and found a legit website that matched the billboards he sometimes caught a glimpse of when going down the highway. They advertised their ...merchandise to be “eager to please”, “user-friendly” and “perfect companions”. The website proclaimed that all parties were of legal consenting age and had signed a clear and informative contract, and were in the programme by their own free will.
Thomas took a weekend to think it over, a weekend spent pacing about the big, empty house, listening to the deafeing silence and his own thoughts, watching the dust collect in the many window sills and on his late brother’s bed. On monday afternoon, he made the call. A month later, when coming home from a late night preparing lectures at work, he returned to find a sizeable wooden box sitting on the porch.
--
It was well over midnight when Thomas, 795 in tow, ended up in his brother’s room. It was cold and dusty, and the light flickered a few times when the light switch was pushed. It was a long time since it had been used.
“So you’ll sleep here, as I mentioned. There are some clothes for you in the closet, I think they should fit, and towels in the bathroom.”
“Yes, Sir Thomas,” 795 said, still delighted with the honor of being allowed to address his owner by his first name. His new life seemed to be a comfortable one, for a boxboy that is. There would be a lot of housework, and since the house was so big, it would take up a fair share of his time. But work was good, he had been taught that. He knew that as long as a he was working, he was useful, and useful boxboys were taken care of. Sir Thomas seemed much less aggressive and much kinder than Handler Mason as well.
“Oh, and, uh, I got you this. Apparently, the laws are pretty strict about them, but I found one I think you’ll like,” Thomas said and picked up something from the dresser beside the door. It was a leather collar, tan, with a brass buckle. It didn’t look as wide and stiff as the ones frequently used at the training facility, which were often accompanied by the black box at the neck and the black controller in the handler’s hand - the type of collar boxboys were sent off with, the type 795 was presently wearing.
It seemed to be just a regular collar, soft, one might used for a dog.
Before Thomas could do anything, 795 kneeled before him and bent his head to reveal the buckle at his neck.
He knew how important collars were. Handler Mason had made sure to beat that lesson into him, quite literally.
“Well, uhm, okay,” Thomas said. He sounded caught off guard and a little unsure, and for a split second, 795 thought he had done something wrong. But then, he felt Sir Thomas’ fingers at the nape of his neck, carefully and a little clumsily undoing the tightly buckled shock collar. He eventually unlatched it and drew it away.
For the few seconds 795′s neck was naked, he was enveloped in fear. He could feel his heart rate speeding up and his hands, which thankfully were clasped together in his lap, started shaking. Somewhere, deep inside, in the very back of his mind, Handler Mason’s voice rose up to meet him.
“You goddamn brat, thought you could get away with-”
“There you go.” Thomas said and gave the boy’s shoulder an awkward, but friendly pat once the new collar, thin, soft, not nearly as tight as the previous one, was fastened.
“Thank you for collaring me, Sir Thomas,” 795 shakily said, swallowing. Thomas was oblivious to the fear in his eyes. But with the familiar feeling of a band of safety around his neck, the fear eventually died down and disappeared.
“Yeah, no worries, kid. Good night.”
795 didn’t move from his blind and helpless position on the cold floor until the bedroom door closed and Thomas’ steps faltered down the stairs. Only when he couldn’t hear them anymore did he slowly get up, almost all alone in a big house.
--
It felt weird to Thomas to be putting a collar on another human being, but laws were laws, and the kid seemed more than thankful to get one - and he seemed as eager to please as the billboards, website and the lady on the phone had promised. Overall, he didn’t think it was a bad investment. A pricy one, sure, but money had never really been a problem. Academia seldom brings riches, but book deals often do, and the inheritance didn’t hurt either. So Thomas fell asleep that night, slightly less alone in the big house than he had been for a long while.
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Michael is walking down the beach at sunset, headphones connected to his phone in his pocket, breathing weed smoke into the air on the day that he meets Jake.
Well. “Meets” is a strong word. But the point stands.
The waves crash rhythmically against the soft sand, audible even over the soft music playing through Michael’s headphones. Since his area is shit, there’s too much litter to walk barefoot, but he can tell through his sneakers that the sand would be soft under his feet. The sky is pink along the horizon, the sun a gentle orange as it sinks beneath the ocean’s surface—it’s already seven PM, but obviously, sunsets are always late during the summer.
This beach is comforting, after so many years of coming out here to walk, listen to music, and, later, smoke. On bad days, it can feel horribly lonely out here with only the waves and the sand as his company, but usually, coming here is like receiving a warm hug.
Michael kicks an old soda can along the shore as he walks, the lyrics of “You Happened” from The Prom (thank Christine Canigula for trying to turn him into a theater kid) playing through his headphones, the upbeat tune contrasting with the quiet serenity of the rest of the beach. Nothing much ever really happens here, but in Michael’s opinion, that’s a definite plus.
Until he sees a head poking out of the water, far out from the coastline. Like, “is it safe for someone to be out that far?” far out. Michael’s never seen anyone swim out that distance, anyway.
He makes to call out to the figure. But just as fast, the figure dives down and disappears, a bright green tail that sparkles in the light of the sunset breaking the surface of the water, before it, too, vanishes beneath the waves.
Michael runs to the water, where the waves soak his sneakers and tug at his socks. The ocean is as always. There’s no sign the mysterious figure ever existed.
~
Jake slips back into his bedroom, flopping down onto his bed and closing his eyes against the light of nearby bioluminescent fish that streams in through his windows, reflecting off the sparkling blue crystal of his ceiling. He can still feel the after effects of adrenaline thrumming through his body, lighting him up from head to tailfin.
It feels like only moments later when someone crashes into the room with a thump of the door falling shut behind him.
“Jake!” Rich’s voice is all beams. Jake groans into his comfy, comfy pillow, pulling his comfy, comfy sheets tighter around him. (It’s a sensory thing, okay?) “Jake, I’m—oh, shit, dude, you look like ass. Are you good?”
“Stayed up way too late,” Jake says, looking up. He’s greeted with the familiar sight of Rich’s deep sun-colored scales, fading from orange at the hip to red at the tailfin, and the dyed-red streak in his hair. “I’m so sleep-deprived, save me from this hell.”
“What?” Rich tilts his head. “Why? I mean, all power to you if you wanna pull a random all-nighter, but—”
“Uh.” Jake propels himself upright, the sun beating hard into his eyes. “There was a reason. And you have to promise not to tell anyone if I tell you what I was doing.”
“Oh shit, this is serious,” Rich says, at Jake’s grave expression. He spins around, sending ripples through the water around them. “Lay it on me, dude! I swear on my life I won’t snitch.”
“Okay.” Jake takes a deep breath, sinking down to let his tail hang over the edge of his bed. “I was at the beach. Watching a human.”
Rich’s expression flashes from earnest to shocked. “What? For reals?”
Jake understands why he’s concerned. For all they know, this could be one of those humans that would turn them over to a—what’s the word?—an aquarium in a heartbeat, never to see the ocean or any sort of freedom again. Or the human could even kill Jake and keep his body instead. God knows there have been mermaids that have done the same to a human, after luring them from their ships into diving into the sea.
“Yeah,” Jake says, tail flipping with nerves, ripples pushing at the particles of sand on the floor in front of him. “He’s so handsome and cute and he seems so nice when he’s there with his friends, I think they’re his friends I mean, and like, I can’t see him as the type to murder someone senselessly! And either way, I haven’t let him see me—um, well, until…”
“‘Until’?” Rich repeats, lying on Jake’s couch at this point. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re in love with him?”
“Yeah.”
Rich looks at Jake.
“Are you gonna go back?” Rich says. “Just based on ‘he seems so nice’?”
Jake sets his jaw, and nods.
“Yeah,” he says, hands clenching into fists against his mattress. “Yeah, I am.”
“Got it,” says Rich briskly, without even moving from his relaxed recline on Jake’s couch, as though he was expecting that answer. “I’m coming with.”
“What?” Jake stares at him. “No way. I can’t ask you to risk that just ‘cause I’ve got a crush.”
“It’s not just a crush if you’re willing to risk it,” says Rich, and the resolution in his tone tells Jake that he may as well just accept it, because Rich won’t back down. “I trust you, dude. So we’re both going.”
“Fine,” says Jake, but inside, he’s extremely grateful. “And…thanks.”
“No prob.” Rich flashes a grin. “Hey, at least I get some eye candy out of it, right?”
~
The day after the beach incident, Michael tells Jeremy about it over lunch at an old 50’s-themed diner, literally named “The Diner” according to the neon letters above its entrance. It’s their favorite because of the arcade machine in one corner and the jukebox in the other. While Michael definitely doesn’t want to go back to the actual 50s—what with all the racism and shit going on—the aesthetic this place pulls off is pretty cool. Plus, the food is amazing.
“You’re serious?” Jeremy says, his pastel pink iPod long paused and abandoned on the plastic table in front of him. He hasn’t even taken out his earbuds. “Really?”
“Yeah!” Michael says, slightly defensive. Because sure, seeing a mermaid on a random stroll on the beach does sound like some kind of clickbait and/or hoax, but what reason does Michael have to lie? “I promise, its tail was the clearest thing I’ve ever seen!”
“You wear glasses.”
“You wear glasses—!”
“And like,” Jeremy goes on, ignoring Michael’s protest, “I don’t think you’re lying deliberately, but, y’know. You could’ve been just high.”
“Who says I was even smoking weed?”
Jeremy just looks at him. Michael sighs, disgruntled.
“Okay, fine, I may have smoked a little,” says Michael, “but I’ve never gotten hallucinations from weed before. It was totally a mermaid. It had to be.”
Absently, Michael wonders what the others in this restaurant think of their debate. Michael’s never pretended to be a totally normal human being, but this is a whole new level of slightly batshit crazy. The lady at one of the stools at the bar sips her banana juice from the vending machine, staring at her phone. Does she know the two teenagers sitting in a booth a few feet away from her are having a discussion about one of them apparently having seen a mermaid at the beach yesterday? Does she even care?
“Besides,” Michael continues, grabbing a fry off his plate. “If the fucking Quetzalcoatlus can be real—”
“Michael, are we really gonna go over this again?”
“Yes! I mean, it’s a fucking bird-dinosaur the height of a giraffe—which, by the way, is also a strange as hell creature—that could still fly—”
“Anyway,” says Jeremy, around a swallow of milkshake. He’s definitely used to dealing with Michael’s rambles by now. The Chuck E. Cheese pizza conspiracy (in which they re-plate uneaten pizza slices, accounting for the uneven crusts of pizzas), the history of the mitochondrion (an ancient cell absorbed an ancient bacterium and they ended up in a symbiotic relationship), the random superstition of knitterly grandmas (you have to put a mistake in your work for the soul to escape through)—you name it, Michael’s probably rambled about it. He prides himself on the vast amount of useless knowledge his brain contains. “Mermaid. I can’t.”
“I can,” says Michael. “I’m gonna go see if I see them again tonight. It’s gonna be a whole proper stake-out with like, snacks and shit. I’ll see them again if it kills me.”
“It probably will,” Jeremy says. “You can’t do that every night until you see this mermaid, who knows when they’ll come back. And who says the mermaid is even coming back at all?”
“Shush, Jeremy, have faith,” says Michael. “It’s totally, like, The Little Mermaid. The mermaid’s gonna come back ASAP to stare at my beautiful face and then we’ll meet on the beach and—”
“You really want your mystery mermaid to lose their voice and tail in a deal with a sea witch and then be unable to communicate with you whatsoever and then they’ll die if—”
“It’s the idea, not the details,” Michael says. Jeremy just doesn’t get it. “Okay? Come if you want, I don’t care.”
“Nah, I’m coming,” says Jeremy. “I don’t have anything better to do. But don’t be disappointed if nothing happens, alright?”
“Something’s gonna happen,” Michael insists. “I can feel it.”
~
The night after Jake was spotted by the human, he and Rich swim as quietly as possible through the halls of Jake’s house, light from bioluminescence filtering through the blue-stained glass of the ceiling shining blobby shapes on their skin. Jake’s parents are home for once, and they wouldn’t take too kindly to seeing their son and his best friend sneaking out in the middle of the night.
Jake lets out a breath once they make it out the door, then turns to Rich.
“You can still back out,” he says, but Rich rolls his eyes.
“I told you, you’re stuck with me,” says Rich. “Now show me the map.”
Jake shows him the map. He got lucky to have made a friend like Rich.
~
“Michael,” Jeremy says from the hood of Michael’s car. The crescent moon shines above them, the light reflecting off the ocean’s waves. “Come pokemon battle me, I brought your DS.”
“No,” says Michael, staring out into the water, sitting right by the water on the folding chair he’d brought. “I need to make sure I see the mermaid if—when they come.”
He checks his watch. Ten o’clock. It’s been three hours since the sun set, and so far, there’s no sign of the mermaid from yesterday. Not even a single stray ripple in the water.
Jeremy sighs at Michael’s words. Michael hears the crinkle of a chip bag being opened. He turns.
“Hey, let me have some!” he says, getting up to grab some chips.
But as soon as Jeremy hands him the bag, he’s back to watching the water.
~
“Are you sure we went the right way?” Rich says, consulting the map. They’re close enough to the surface that sunlight is properly reaching them, far higher than their town is located, but there’s no sign of the ocean floor rising steadily anywhere. “I don’t see a beach.”
“It was definitely this way,” Jake argues. He points at a sunken car, bits of gray peeking out from beneath the green algae covering its surface. “I always pass this thing a few minutes before I get to the shore.”
Rich makes a disbelieving noise.
“Alright, dude,” he says. “You better be right, my tail and arms are dead.”
“I’m right,” says Jake, though he can’t blame Rich for his uncertainty. If the situation were the other way around, Jake hates to admit it, but he might have turned around long ago. “I’ve made this trip, like, twice every week. I know the way.”
~sort of but not really fin (eyy!), i’m gonna finish this another time but for now i’ve gotta submit for the bmq
Word Count: 2010
Team: Michael
Prompts: all main, 9 bonus
Points: 76 (30 game points, 46 for the fic itself)
@bmc-gift-exchange
#june speaks#my writing#im not tagging this bc its super unfinished but take the beginning of a pins and patches mermaid au!!
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