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bougiebutchbitch · 2 years

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PLEASE fucked-up-fish!Joker and Bruce having absolute ungodly sex would be top tier

Rating: M Pairing: Batjokes Warnings: uh. many. Mostly gore and cannibalism (does it count as cannibalism, if it’s a semi-human monster doing the eating?)

This is unedited flash fic - please excuse any errors!

The harbour stinks at night.

It stinks at every other hour too, as corrosive concoctions leach from the output sluices of the chemical plants and raw sewage splatters from black-crusted pipes, draining the city's rot like pus from a lanced boil. But at night, there's no breeze. No stir of the thick, soupy air. The stench presses sweaty hands over your nose and mouth, smothering you in effluent and acid.

Batman lands silent on the broad concrete pipe of a storm drain, letting his heavy duffel rest at his feet, and wishes he'd let Alfred pipette a few drops of peppermint essence into his nosepiece.

He's come here several times over the past year. Once a month at first, now twice a week. The frequent exposure hasn't helped him acclimatize. The only way to inure yourself is to line your boots with lead, jump in to the water, and let your lungs fill until you add your own putrefaction to the perfume.

Or to slip, while fleeing the scene of a petty robbery with Batman pounding close behind. To laugh, breathless and bewildered, as Batman lunged for his hand and missed...

Batman shuts his eyes. Breathes in, breathes out.

Then unknots his duffel and pulls out a leg.

The pale flesh looks unreal in the moonlight. Like wax, like clay. But Batman can feel the limb's fleshy solidity through his gauntlets, down to the faint crispness in the soft tissue where it hasn't quite thawed from its stint in the deep-freeze unit at the morgue.

Batman holds it a moment longer, studying the curve of muscle over the tibia and fibula , the dots of hairs that either fell off in the freezer or were shaved away pre-mortem and never had chance to regrow. Reminding himself of the humanity this lump of meat once possessed feels important, somehow. Though he got laughed at, last time he tried to explain why.

He lets go. Down the leg tumbles, down-down-down, until it hits the black.

The water seals over it and reforms without a ripple. One hungry gulp.

After that, the only thing to do is wait. Batman chooses to stay standing, the moon casting his shadow over the greasy tidelines that stripe the soakaway below.

He doesn't need to wait long. He never does.

He's fishing out the second offering - an arm, from a young RTC fatality who donated her body to science - when he hears it. The water doesn't splash against the harbour edge; it slops, a thick and constant sound, oddly perverse, like skin striking skin. But there's always a rhythm to it, steady as a heartbeat. It only changes when something falls in or pulls itself out.

Batman doesn't turn to look. Just unhooks the duffel from the petrified elbow joint and tightens the strings.

A hollow, wet thump echoes from inside the storm drain. As if whatever just emerged from the river just hauled itself inside.

"Hello, darling," it says. "Business, or pleasure?"

Batman shoulders the duffel. He swings down into the tunnel, shining his flashlight into the gloom. Four reflective eyes bounce it back, bright as coins. They all blink in synchrony - then alight on the arm and widen, pupils shrinking to predatory points.

"Ooh," coos the monster, slithering closer. Sleek scales scrape on the rough concrete. The rank stench of the estuary gains an extra touch of acid. "For little ol' me? You shouldn't have." A stroke of an eerie white stomach, concave as that of a famine victim. "A girl's gotta watch her figure."

"You can have it," says Batman, guttural, "if you tell me what I want to know."

That too-wide mouth tilts down at its edges, hiding a disquieting number of serrated teeth. At least that stops the monster from licking his lips. "Business first, huh? No fun. Haven't you heard, Bats - All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?"

"Last time I was here, you told me Jack's dead. Now it's only Joker."

Joker waves one hand as if to dismiss his past words as the rambles of a madman. Which, Batman supposes, isn't inaccurate. The webs between his fingers come down to their tips, where the corpse-pale flesh turns slimy and black as mildew. "Dead's usually what happens, when you push people into this harbour."

"I didn't push you. You fell."

"Fell hard," Joker agrees, clasping both hands to his cheek and fluttering all four pairs of non-existent lashes.

Batman fights not to let his scowl twitch. He walked right into that one. "No games tonight, Joker. I need to know what happened to Murray Alberwitz."

Joker slithers to sit before him, criss-cross applesauce. Joker. Why he calls himself that, Batman can't figure . He certainly doesn't find what happened to this man funny.

From a distance, the mutation seems mostly cosmetic: the freakish white skin, the toxic-waste hair. The dapplings of soft purple scales that coat Joker's long, skinny bare legs. Only when you get close do you notice the really disturbing parts. The fleshy gills opening and closing down the lines of his ribs, the color of infected knife wounds. The grotesque sheen of his skin, like he's half-liquid, held together with mucus and spite. The extra two eyes, situated laterally and inferiorly to the originals, but all the exact nuclear shade of green.

The improbable quantity of meat-ripping teeth.

Joker bares these at Batman in a cheery and utterly horrifying smile. "Whomsy-what-now?"

"Murray Alberwitz. He vanished yesterday, last seen heading home along the dock path after his shift at ACE Chemicals. Here." Batman pulls the photograph from his utility belt, holding it under his flashlight beam. Joker tilts his head, rubbing the sticky webbing between his index finger and thumb back and forth over his top lip.

"Can't say he rings any bells. Big fan of the beard though: points for lumberjack realness. Now, that's business over - onto pleasure?"

Joker leans back, letting his slim legs slide apart. He arches his back so his thin dorsal spines scrape the pipe's interior, concrete on bone. His translucent eyelids slide halfway over his irises, dampening the acidic intensity of his stare - the closest he can come to bedroom-eyes.

Repulsion flickers in Batman's stomach. That's far more welcome than what else flickers there.

A year is a long time, after all. At first, the visits were out of necessity. Having discovered what the smalltime criminal nobody he'd chased out to the harbour that night had become - and what he needed to eat, to survive - it only seemed right for Batman to take responsibility. And - sure, he'd allowed himself to show a touch of kindness. But that was because he’d been reminiscing over Harvey's fate, hoping he could spare this man the same pain as he learnt to live with his disfigurement.

Joker had never seemed particularly bothered by his new state of being, though. He'd been far more intrigued with Batman.

And flirty. So very flirty.

Irrepressably, shamelessly. Night after night. Snuggling up to Batman, mouth stained with blood from the bags Batman took from the hospital bank, like he wanted to absorb his bodyheat. Winking at him, two of the four eyes twitching closed. Modelling bikinis he'd stolen from god-knew-which-beach - certainly, there were none local - with the strappy tops hanging off his rake-thin chest. Pouting at Batman; teasing him; ever-determined to make him laugh, as if the horrific left-turn his life had taken the moment he hit the cesspit of chemical waste in Gotham harbor was nothing but one big joke...

But there will be no laughing tonight. No tucking his arm around that gaunt shape, so squishy where it ought to be sharp, Joker's mutated bones bending into his embrace. No strumming down the spinous prcesses that jut from his back, just to make him shiver. No kissing the blood off his teeth.

A trickling stream of rainwater spills along the base of the pipe, moistening Joker's too-soft amphibious skin. Batman wants to lick it off, and the thought makes him want to plunge his batarang into his own mouth and cut out his tongue.

"You're lying to me," he whispers.

Joker's eyes are cold as his blood. "Huh," he says, mild like they're discussing the weather. "Took you long enough to figure that one out."

Batman's swallow pulls at the collar of his suit. Behind him, the water's surface shimmers with oil. It looks so thick you might walk across to the far side of the estuary, where the Narrows shine harsh and sharp as a mouthful of broken teeth.

Batman isn't fooled. Firstly, oil spreads itself to a mono-molecular thinness over water's surface, no way near enough to hold a man's full weight. Secondly, deaths around this sector of Gotham's jagged waterfront have doubled in the past month.

Accidental drownings, according to the papers. Drunks shambling home through the industrial district who totter into the water when they're too inebriated to tell up from down. Workers exhausted from a night shift, stumbling, falling, smacking their heads open on the reclaimed concrete shoreline and adding their brainmatter to the toxic stew.

Batman doesn't believe it. Though he wishes he could.

Drowned men don't show up with bites missing.

You cannot turn a blind eye, Alfred had insisted.

This needs to be dealt with, said Gordon, by you or by us.

They're right. And Batman shouldn't have needed to be told.

"Why? I - I bring you food. I've been helping you! Why would you...?"

Joker shrugs. "Sometimes there ain't a reason, Batsy. Sometimes, the water's just gotta eat."

"If the corpses aren't enough, you could've said! I could get you more." He's sure he could source them from more donors, if he expanded his search radius outside of Gotham.

Now the flash in Joker's eyes is dangerous. He scoots back a little way, into the shadows of the tunnel, rocking up onto his haunches. His bare feet are flat as flippers, the bones oddly elongated, toes joined with a single thick web. He complained once to Batman that the one thing he misses is being able to wear high heels. "Oh, good little Batsy. Feeding his pet. Providing soooo much enrichment in his enclosure, with the regular fuckings."

The harsh words hit Batman like fists. "That's not what's going on here, and you know it."

"Isn't it?"

...Isn't it?

No. No. Joker can't manipulate his way out of this. The appropriate action when feeling trapped in a relationship, concerned that your partner is exerting too much control, is to talk to them and establish boundaries. Not to start eating anyone who dares approach the water at night.

Batman holds up the cadaver’s arm. This is stupid. So very stupid. Alfred told him as much, Dick too.

You need to bring him in. This is the time. Or else, more civilians will be forfeit...

Batman knows that. He knows. But he still can’t help but hope...

“I’ll bring you a whole body,” he says, gruffly. “Once a week. That should be more than enough. And no more people go missing in the harbour.”

“Sure,” agrees Joker. He’s smiling again. Batman doesn’t like it one bit.

But what can he do?

More than this, whispers a little voice in the back of his head. Batman drives it away.

He passes the arm to Joker - not tossing it, because Joker isn’t an animal in a cage, no matter his delusions. Though that could be doubted, watching him eat. His eyes go utterly blank, nothing in them but hunger as he unhinges his jaw and tears the limb apart, swallowing it in two devastating bites.

Not a pleasant sight. Still, Batman refuses to look away.

“Now,” says Joker when he’s finished eating, wiping the gore on the back of his hand. It leaves a vermillion smear, rudely bright in the pale glow of the flashlight. “Not that I don’t appreciate the UberEats service, but - hey, wait. Have you seen the one about the hot stepson and the UberEats driver?”

“Is this the set-up to a joke?”

“A porno,” Joker explains, shuffling closer again. Batman can smell blood and rotten human meat on his breath. “I thought we could improve on it. I mean, I’m like, freakishly flexible now and there’s some new moves I wanna try - and I reckon the ol’ PornHub’s missing out on the ‘mutant freak’ category. You gotta anticipate the market on these things.”

Batman lets the rambling wash over him. Somehow, despite the bleached skin decorating Joker’s face and torso, the smatterings of amethyst scales on his legs, his lips are still bright red. It’s not just the blood. Physical markings, from the acid that birthed him. Nature’s venemous warning signs.

“Promise me,” he whispers. “No more bodies.”

Joker rolls his eyes like he can’t believe he’s being this boring, and presses his cold, damp lips to Bruce’s. The kiss of a drowned thing, dredged from the harbour floor.

“No more bodies,” he singsongs. “I’ll eat all the evidence, next time. Even though beard hairs get stuck between my teeth. The things I do for you, darling...”

Batman tenses. “Joker...”

But the monster’s already crawled into his lap, kissing him hard and just a touch too toothy, arms locked around his neck and legs around his waist, squirming against him like it wants to burrow inside his ribcage and wrap itself around his heart. Iron fills Batman’s mouth, painted over his tongue by the Joker’s. He wonders, if he nicked his lip on one of those sharp teeth, whether Joker would be able to control himself, or if the feeding frenzy would take over.

He wonders if Joker would mourn, if it did.

But though the night is cold, Joker is colder. Though the stink rolls off the harbor, the death on Joker’s breath is worse. He’s Gotham’s ugliest parts condensed into one monster. He’s killed before and he’ll kill again. He’s in Bruce’s arms, in his mind, in his blood. Permeating him like poisoned water.

Batman kisses him back. He holds him tight as a straitjacket and tries not to think of tomorrow.

#batjokes #batman #joker #the joker #batman comics #batman x joker #monsterfucking #joker x batman #tw: violence #tw: death #tw: blood #tw: dismemberment #tw: cannibalism #(sorta)#dc comics #my fic #my art #ask and ye shall receive #tw: gore

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nlxmoon · 2 years

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( KIM TAEHYUNG, CIS MAN, 25, HE/HIM ) welcome to sunny los angeles, ALEXANDER “ALEX” PARK! we heard you’re quite ENERGETIC, but at the same time, you can be a little CHILDISH. i hope it doesn’t impact your job as a MUSICIAN too much. either way, kick your feet up! we’ll see you around town― especially at BOCA TACOS.

hello!! i’m c and i’m so excited to bring u all my chaotic pop punk kid... pls give this a like if you’d like to plot, or don’t hesitate to hmu first on discord for such! ♡

trigger warnings found: mention of pregnancy and miscarriage

PINTEREST || PLAYLIST || ABOUT SO IT GOES! || DISCOGRAPHY

BASICS

FULL NAME: Alexander Jacob Park

NICKNAMES: Alex, AJ

BIRTHDATE: July 28th, 1997

AGE: 25

ZODIAC SIGN: Leo

BIRTHPLACE: San Francisco, California

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual biromantic

GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis man, he/him

OCCUPATION: musician (frontman of So It Goes!)

MBTI: ESFP, the entertainer

ALIGNMENT: chaotic good

+POSITIVE TRAITS: confident, energetic, kind hearted, caring, charming

-NEGATIVE TRAITS: impulsive, reckless, childish, emotional, stubborn

BIO

Alex was born in San Francisco, California as the middle child of the Park-Kwon household. Two high school sweethearts that did nothing but provide the best they could for their kids: Alex lived a quiet, peaceful childhood, surrounded by love and support.

However... he also grew up becoming the “black sheep” of the family. His parents were respected doctors, and his siblings were book smart: Alex on the other hand... he was always getting in trouble, especially when his teenage years began. He was often found in detention, skipping classes, barely passing them. It’s safe to say that during this time, his relationship with his parents wasn’t as sweet as before.

While his siblings prepared to one day go to med school too... Alex had a very different passion: music. From a young age, he developed a love and interest for it. Asking for a guitar for Christmas when he just was 12 years old: after stumbling upon a Blink 182 video playing on tv, the moment his life changed forever when he found the solace he needed in pop punk music.

At 15 he started a pop punk band with his two childhood best friends that they called “So It Goes!”, his parents weren’t necessarily against his musical dreams: but they did have a hard time understanding them. Especially when no one in the family happened to be music inclined before. For as long as Alex can remember, he has always naturally stood from any crowd.. always the odd one out, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Still: his parents were supportive, deep inside hoping Alex would eventually get his shit together and pursue a career in the medical field too (spoiler: that never happened lmao).

So It Goes! began to gain local popularity, eventually expanding to an online following too. Till being discovered and signed by a label during their senior year of high school, prompting for them to move to L.A after graduation to pursue their dreams and start working on their debut album: Gloom Boy Season, that was released in September 2016.

Since debuting, So It Goes! become a favorite in the alternative/pop punk scene: having released 4 albums and 1 EP by now, and having toured around the world (also, a couple of Warped Tours on their bag). They aren’t My Chemical Romance or Green Day type of fame (yet)... but they have a core fanbase, and anyone who enjoys pop punk probably has heard their name before as one of the late 2010s bands to keep an eye on.

Oh yeah... I’m basing So It Goes! on one of my favorite bands aka Waterparks: in case you didn’t know who they were before, this is my time to shamelessly promo them and tell you to check out this banger for Alex’s band vibes.

ALSO CHECK OUT THIS POST FOR ALEX’S BAND (SO IT GOES!) ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY!

If you were wondering about where his relationship with his parents stands now.. they’re okay now after he proved them that he Made It with his band and apparently “got his shit together” by it... they still don’t quite get him, but they love and support him which is what matters 😞 💓.

(tw pregnancy and miscarriage mention) Beginning 2018, Alex got into his purest and greatest relationship to date ( @scftglows ). Near their first anniversary, they found out she was expecting. They decided to keep the news to themselves and those closest to them until her belly was “noticeable enough” to tell the world: but unfortunately, Josie had a miscarriage during the first trimester. They tried to make the relationship work afterwards, but the pain was too much in the end, so they decided to call it quits instead in the summer of 2019: never revealing to the public the real reason behind the breakup.

Of course this caused Alex to spiral: first falling into a deep depression, then indulging in reckless behavior to try and numb the pain. Encouraged by his band mates to deal with it all in a “more healthy way”: he finally felt brave enough to go back into the studio and their saddest album to date (“Crying Over It All”) was released in late 2020.

Putting himself back into the spotlight and touring again was pretty scary at first: but being near the fans again and feeling/seeing all their support ultimately ended up being pretty healing, motivating him to quickly go back into the studio and releasing an album early this year (“Lowkey As Hell”), with another tour coming during the spring and summer.

The past couple of years have been A Lot, so after So It Goes!’ summer tour ended: Alex finally decided he needed a little rest (something he didn’t really have ever since his band debuted in 2016), which is what he’s been doing ever since he got back home two months ago: just enjoying and cherishing all this free time to take care of himself.

Though this moment of peace has been lowkey (highkey) disrupted now, after his label/management recently forced him to get into a PR relationship with band rival @nadinexluna in order to promote an upcoming summer festival the two will be headlining. (hoping you all brought your popcorn bc this will be Messy™)

Three years later and thanks to all the love and support from his family, friends and fans (and tons of therapy): Alex is doing way better now. The whole thing it’s still a really painful topic he never talks about, but he finally managed to go back to being his old, goofy self again ♡ (a little bit more mature tho).

PERSONALITY/HEADCANONS

Just your average Leo man™ who loves the attention. On a good day he’s too hyper for his own good: pretty impulsive so his energy is A Lot to deal with lmaoo (chaos for days). He can also come off as childish a lot of the times over the same thing, but he’s really kind hearted and would do anything for those he cares for... golden retriever energy. On a bad day: he just retreats from the world and doesn’t leave his apartment, since he tends to be pretty emotional and sometimes that gets the best of him.

Big comic book nerd! Marvel fanboy (his fave superhero of all time is Spiderman): has a huge funko pop collection, and he also loves to come up with his own characters and stories (another safe haven of his). He’s been able to use these skills for designing merch or the artwork for all of his band’s albums. One of his love languages is to gift lil comic books where his loved ones are the protagonists of the story.

Has a six year old female cat named Sally (yes, after that one Blink 182 song) that he adopted after he moved to L.A.

Loved Sk8r Boi by Avril Lavigne (forever his #1 love) as a kid so much that he became The Sk8r Boi... though it’s been a while since he properly skated, but he’s getting back to it so catch him wounded often lmao.

All he ever wants in life is to be like Tom DeLonge someday /: (without quitting his own band... u get it). Gerard Way is also one of his heroes bc well... music and comics, duh.

Landed a Travis Barker feature for his latest album and will never get over it

A lil bit of a himbo ngl

A hopeless romantic, falls in love too easily and has a new crush every week, which has caused problems throughout his life especially when it’s a “no strings attached” relationship, since he always catches feelings in the end and when they are not reciprocated that’s when he gets hurt /:

Loves to dye his hair and used to change it for every era his band had, the timeline was this: blue, blonde, black, red... but now that he got back home and he’s taking a break, he went back to natural (dark brown).

idk what else to add... but pls give us all the plots (some quick ideas: fans of his band, one night stands/former flings, a fwb -can go terribly wrong since he always catches feelings-, crushes -can be one sided from either side-, exes on bad terms bc he hurt them without rlly meaning to but it’s angsty and it all went terribly wrong and it’s been a while but it still hurts, an ex who hurt him and all the angsty songs are for them, fellow music/art friends, a muse, the possibilities are endless!!). if u made it to the end i thank u and salute u with a forehead kiss ♡

#angeles:intro #tw pregnancy mention #tw miscarriage mention

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thescrapbookingscientist · 11 months

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Biweekly Media Roundup

- All Saints Street (Anime) - Adorable and underrated, been enjoying s3 and happy to see Crystal be animated!

- The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (Anime) - One of the many yuri-centric anime I missed from last/earlier this year, I have been enjoying this one for it's fun 'magic-technology fusion' plot and interesting central characters. I still have a little left to go so I'll save most thoughts till the end, but for now I think it's cute, Anisphia is a fun mad scientist lead, Euphie is adorable, I hate the stupid "evil faces" they pull but appreciate that they do at least give her brother a valid motivation, even if it wasn't built up great, and the vampire reveal was unexpected but kind of funny so it's fine.

- Chainsaw Man (Anime) - Rewatch for my sister's benefit, still love and fear Makima.

- The Locked Tomb Series (Books) - Lagged a bit on finishing the audiobook of Harrow due to the books intentionally confusing first half not jiving with my usual "listen while working" habit, but I took a couple days to clean through my room and in the process finally got through, and boy did I have to say the second half really returned my interest, this series is insane. I do prefer Gideon's narration over Harrows, I like them both as characters and can appreciate the more serious tone of Harrows thought process but Gideon's is just more my speed with how fun and memorable it is, at least in audiobook form. Anyway Ianthe is great, I miss griddlehark interactions, would've loved to see more of Harrows canon ship AUs, and excited to see what level of f-ed up Nona ends up being - this series is very good.

- Link Click (Anime) - Rewatching s1 in preparation for season 2, which is airing now. Not much to say yet, I like the backgrounds.

- Voltron (Cartoon) - This is a weird add here as I didn't actually watch Voltron recently, but I have been listening to multiple video essays on the series as a whole and the very weird way it went downhill before it's awful finale. With series like this with a decent premise but poor execution I can't help but want to rewrite it in my mind, so Step 1 way more of the team needs to be aliens, the aliens need to look more, you know, alien and not just like elves, Lotor should have stayed a sympathetic doing f-ed up things for good reasons villain, and while I did like Shiro during the first couple seasons I actually did watch, he should have died in order to make the surviving team members dynamic fit better/character development reasons. Can't believe they made Keith here essentially a space werewolf and then had the gall to only show that with 1 purple scar and 1 frame of yellow eyes like, commit dammit!

- Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (Video Game) - This sure is a game so far.

- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Video Game) - Got the Ember set and it looks dope, as well as finally fighting the gloom hands/ Phantom Ganon which were not as frustrating as I assumed they would be, and they do have awesome designs. In general, I really like how much they upped the monster designs in this game, I'll have to do a ranking of them on my monster blog sometime.

- Crazy Ex Girlfriend (TV) - S4 has been pretty slow paced compared to the previous seasons, which works fine for the narrative and themes but does lead to me watching it a bit slower rather than the cliffhanger binges of previous seasons. As usual the songs are still bangers, with "I Always Never Believed in You" and "I Want To Be A Child Star" being recent faves.

Listening to: Sway Cover and Eat Your Young Cover by Reinaeiry, Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, It Was A Shit Show and Hello, Nice To Meet You from Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Let's Get This Over With by They Might Be Giants, If We Have Each Other by Alec Benjamin, Fight For Me by AlicebanD, I Wish by Haley Kiyoko, Crush by David Archuleta, Not Another Song About Love by Hollywood Ending, Fences by Paramore.

#weekly roundup #my post

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hollisonceagain · 1 year

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youtube

some songs for june day 25: hello gloom - young boy

#some songs for june #hello gloom #ungjae #imfact

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kpoptimeout · 2 years

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K-Pop Debuts and Comebacks for the 4th Week of May 2022 (May 23-29 2022)

May 23

GOT7 - NANANA

The boys of GOT7 return as a group, following their departure from JYP and solo activities, in this bright and trendy song.

youtube

May 24

LIGHTSUM - ALIVE

CUBE's maknae girl group is back in this upbeat dancepop song.

youtube

KANG DANIEL - Upside Down

South Korea's IT boy is back in this vibey track.

youtube

May 25

BVNDIT - VENOM

Underrated girl group BVNDIT shows their fierce energy again in this comeback!

youtube

GIRIBOY - Issu du Feu

Popular Korean rapper GIRIBOY is back with this experimental piece.

youtube

NINE9 - Don't hate my love

Korean rock band Dear Cloud's vocalist NINE9 drops this emotion-filled ballad.

youtube

May 26

No releases.

May 27

SEVENTEEN - HOT

Popular boy group SEVENTEEN returns in this powerful and dominating performance.

youtube

May 28

HELLO GLOOM - YOUNG BOY

IMFACT's maknae Ungjae is soloist HELLO GLOOM in this dance-pop song.

youtube

KOYO - PARTY

Underrated soloist KOYO is back in this fun and exciting party anthem.

youtube

Son Chamchi - I

Jellyfish Entertainment soloist Son Chamchi returns in this soothing alt-RnB piece.

youtube

May 29

No releases.

What is your favourite release of this week?

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bsd-bibliophile · 2 years

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Wind, Light, and the Twenty-Year-Old Me by Sakaguchi Ango Translated by Maplopo

Buy it in paperback or an eBook on Amazon. Check out Maplopo and their other translations on their website.

Quotes from Wind, Light, and the Twenty-Year-Old Me:

Looking back and examining my history during my year as a teacher, strangely and completely satisfied, I feel as though that person was someone else; every time I think about it, it feels like a lie - an inexplicably transparent falsehood.

“By nature, I give myself license to do things at whim; with my natural disposition, it’s impossible for me to obey the orders of others.”

“Truly adorable kids exist among the ones that are considered bad. Children are all adorable, of course, but beautiful souls reside within the naughty ones. The naughty ones have warm hearts and an appreciation for the nostalgic.”

“I was not in the slightest affected by these slurs, because those days I held myself entirely aloof from the worldly stuff, emotionally distancing myself from feelings of anger, sadness, hatred, or joy; I tried to live life allowing nature to take its course and didn’t fuss about anything, like a cloud drifting in the sky or water floating with the tide.”

“I think it’s inherently wrong to reflect upon the way others think and act, instead of thinking and acting on one’s own...”

In the midst of being absorbed by this vacant feeling, I came to imagine an apparition of myself sticking out its neck from the shadow of the clock on the wall and saying hello. I’d suddenly catch myself seeing myself, and I felt like my apparition was standing next to me and speaking to me, “Hey, what’s going on?” Although I like having my mind in a dull haze, sometimes my apparition would unexpectedly appear next to me like this and nag: “Hey, you! Don’t be so satisfied,” he’d say, glaringly.

“I can’t be satisfied?”

“Of course not. You must suffer. You must make yourself suffer as much as you can.”

“For what?”

“You suffer and only through that suffering will you be shown the answer. A person’s nobility lies in having oneself suffer. Everybody prefers being satisfied, even a beast.”

Is this true, I thought?...

“I could gaze at life so dear within every single drop of rain on a rainy day and within the sound of the madly screaming wind on a stormy day. I continued feeling this precious life in the leaves of trees, birds, insects, and those clouds that drifted above - always chatting with my heart.”

“I cannot help but think my future holds only unhappiness for these three [students]. My initial gaze into what unhappiness was came not from my own relation to unhappiness, but from above the students’ gloom. This unhappiness means one is not loved; one is not respected.”

“Men of [twenty-two], though, are more mature than men of forty or fifty. Their moderate nature comes naturally to them and is not fabricated, forced, or twisted like that of an older man. For a certain period in life, I think every man is an optimist like [Voltaire’s] Candide. Then they fall and become decadent. But, I assume most lose purity in their souls as their bodies become more decadent.”

“Children act out because they’re sad; invariably, there is meaning behind their actions, therefore, we should never judge a child’s actions by what we see on the surface.”

The troubles and agony children lock in their hearts are persistent and serious just as with adults, and perhaps even more so with children. Just because the reasons for their troubles are childish, we cannot conclude the depth of their agony is infantile. The degree of self-reproach and anguish is the same for everyone regardless of age, whether a boy of seven or a man of forty.

“If you can’t help but do bad things, don’t use others. Act on your own. Good or bad, you’ve got to do things on your own.”

“You see, I had wanted to become a novelist since I was a young boy. But I convinced myself I did not possess the talent. This deeply entrenched belief that had me give up right hope altogether could be what fundamentally drove me to madness and desperation.”

#sakaguchi ango #japanese literature #maplopo #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd

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hellogloom · 2 years

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HELLO GLOOM: YOUNG BOY.

#ungjae #hello gloom #imfact #the faker club #kflops #dailybg #*m #the most precious lil sleepy guy #this is for a very specific audience (me)#AND!!!!!!!#since it's ungjae comeback day i decided to rebrand 😌💞

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tomtenadia · 3 years

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A Little Braver - 24

Hello everyone! Here we are with chapter 24

It’s winter in Orynth and the guys have a busy day. Rowan and Lorcan enjoy their ride with the team and we also have some Elorcan gossip.

Rowan and Lorcan also talk and we discover something about Lyria...

Have fun!

The following morning Aelin woke up abruptly and missed the warm body at her side and curled under the duvet in a human burrito.

“Ro?” She called with just her head peeking from under her cover.

A moment later he sat down in bed offering her a cup of coffee.

“Cold.”

He leaned over to kiss her “it snowed last night. There’s over a metre of snow outside.”

“Lovely,” she protested “heaters fires, accidents, roof collapses due to snow, slips, more road accidents, pile ups.”

“Doom and gloom this early in the morning?”

She groaned and grabbed the coffee, sitting up with still the duvet all around her “I love snow and winter, but on my day off.” She took a sip of her coffee “house fires increase wildly. All those mantlepieces not properly attended. Electrical fires because too many appliances are connected to an outlet. And let’s not forget carbon monoxide related deaths. Such a magical time.”

“We’ll build a snowman when you are off shift.”

Then he offered her a plate full of scrambled eggs and bacon.

“You definitely know how to woo a woman.” She grabbed the plate and tucked in happily.

“You and Lorcan need to stay on the truck. No matter what’s going on outside.”

Rowan nodded “we will.” And he kissed her head. He was really looking forward to ride with the team.

An hour later they were walking across the yard in front of the station when Lorcan and Elide arrived as well. Together. Hand in hand.

Aelin tugged Rowan gently and he nodded.

“Arriving together?” Joked Aelin “naughty, naughty girl.”

Elide smiled “yes, I slept at Lorcan’s. Guilty.”

“Hey, I am just happy for you two.”

The four walked into the station and while Elide and Aelin went to get changed, the two men went to the common room where some members of the team were already there.

“The posh boys are here.” Shouted Aedion as soon as they stepped in.

Rowan bowed “indeed we are.” Then he noticed two new women and went to introduce himself “Hi, I am Rowan.”

“This is Borte, our new truck candidate,” Aedion went to the woman’s side and made the introductions “he is the captain’s flying boy,” then he pointed at Lorcan “grumpy pants over here is Lorcan. He grunts a lot but does not bite. And he’s Elide’s.”

Rowan burst out laughing.

“This young lady here is Evangeline.” And he moved to the side of the blonde-haired woman “she is our paramedic in training. She is riding with Lys and Elide.”

Rowan greeted her back and she gave him a timid smile.

Aelin arrived a moment later and went to give a kiss on the cheek of her cousin “did you remove all the snow from the entrance all alone?”

“No, he had two minions.” Said Brullo sprawled on the sofa watching tv “the man is a tyrant.”

“My arms are useless.” Complained Ress.

Aelin patted both on the shoulders “well, better get ready for a busy day. From the pile of reports I have on my desk from second shift it looks like we are in for a treat.”

“Are truck and engine all stocked up and ready?”

Aedion nodded “I did a check and we are good.”

“Lys and Elide are doing a final check on the ambulance for supplies.”

In that instant dispatch alarm went off calling all units of east station on site for a structure fire.

“Here we go guys.” They all scrambled, wore their gear and reached the trucks.

“You two, in there and stay put, ok?”

The two men nodded.

The trucks left the station and Rowan felt a thrill run through his spine.

“What’s a structure fire?”

“Bad news,” joked Brullo at Rowan’s side.

“Or usually, what we call Monday.” Added Aelin never averting the eyes from the road.

Rowan stared at Nox driving and was impressed at the skill. He navigated busy intersections with confidence.

Aelin honked the horn a few times “move, you idiots.” The traffic peeled to the side and the engine resumed its run swiftly.

Once they arrived at the site Rowan gasped. The fire had enveloped the entire house.

“That is a structure fire,” said Aelin and the team got off truck and engine and Aelin started to give orders.

“Manon, Luca, venting the back.”

“Wes you are taking second floor with me. Aedion, Kyllian, Nox, you go to the first floor. Borte you go with them and stick to Aedion. Asterin, Ansel, you do ground floor. Brullo, Ren you are at the water lines. We need to be quick.”

Both Rowan and Lorcan were watching the scene speechless.

“I know she does this on a daily basis, but seeing her jumping into a building on fire is different than just imagining it.”

Dorian arrived on the scene a moment later and got an update from Brullo and Ren who were ready with the water lines.

“Chief, captain, you have two minutes to finish primary search and rescue then you all evacuate.” He looked up at the fire and flinched “Manon, how’s that venting going?”

“Venting now, sir.”

Temporary relief washed over him when he saw Nox run out with a woman in tow.

Lorcan’s eyes set on Elide, jumping in the woman’s rescue with Lysandra.

Rowan stared as more firefighters came out with people but never Aelin. He noticed Dorian staring at the fire nervously “Evacuate now.” He ordered over the radio. The chief must have noticed a change in the fire to call for abandoning the rescue. Rowan followed in fascination trying to remember some of the thing about fire he had read in Aelin’s books.

Aelin was walking low, almost crawling looking for people hiding below the smoke “fire department call out.”

“I am all clear, we need to go.” Said Wesley at her back.

Aelin had a last look around and was about to leave the room when she heard a voice “Wes, get out. I got this.”

“Cap, we need to go. The chief ordered us to evacuate.”

“Wes, get out.” She shouted and left, running to the locked door where she heard the voice coming from.

She gave her back to the door and kicked it open. Then she turned and saw a crib and inside there was a toddler.

“Aelin, get the hell out now.” Dorian’s voice came over the radio. She picked up the boy and squeezed him in her fire jacket and held him close for protection.

“Come on… come on…” Rowan heard Dorian’s order and his heart was racing painfully. Why wasn’t she listening?

Then he saw it the flareup in her floor and shouted “Aelin, please…”

Aelin looked around the room and realised the flashover had cut off her only exit route. Then ran to the window and with her elbow she smashed the glass all while holding the infant.

“There!” shouted someone from a lower level.

“Ress, move the aerial to her.”

Aelin leaned over and sat astride on the window ledge.

Aedion ran up the aerial and grabbed the toddler “I got him, get your arse in here.”

She was about to fully climb over when another flashover rocked the house and Aelin got thrown off balance and grabbed the ledge with her hands and hung there.

Aedion saw her and ran back up “give me a hand.” The man grabbed a hand and pulled her over on the aerial.

“You are fucking crazy.” He told her quietly.

She followed him down and she was on the street again.

“I said evacuate.” Shouted Dorian.

“Don’t.” She bit back “I saved that boy’s life.”

“Sit.” Dorian ordered her. Aelin removed her mask and marched off to sit against the truck, rotating her shoulders to ease the pain.

Lysandra passed her a bottle of water “are you okay?”

Aelin nodded while drinking eagerly and watching while the rest of the team put the fire out.

Rowan opened the door of the engine and went to her “you are insane. And I think I almost lost it in there.”

“I am fine.” She told him quietly extending her hand to him.

He marched back in the engine, joining Lorcan.

“Do you still think women can’t do dangerous jobs?” He bit back. A part of him was a bit mad at Aelin. What she did had been insane. But he could not ignore the deep sense of pride he had in her. He was utterly in love with a super badass woman. He watched as the team slowly wrapped up their jobs. Dorian had called for a secondary search and they were getting out the burnt down house right now. Aelin still sitting on the front bumper of the truck grounded by Dorian.

He looked at her and smiled. She was covered in soot but she still looked stunning to him. Rowan turned his head and saw Lorcan still studying Elide while she went from victim to victim and checked them out with Lysandra.

“I think I am badly in love with Elide.” He said very, very quietly.

“You what?”

“You heard me, Whitethorn. Don’t make me say it twice.”

“Would it be so bad?” Asked Rowan, sitting beside him.

“I don’t want to fuck this up.”

“Well, don’t.” In that instant the door opened and the team climbed back in. He took a seat behind Aelin and with his hand extended he brushed her cheek and she took his hand gently “did you enjoy the show?”

“It was literally terrifying.”

“Main to all units. Car accident on Southside. Multiple vehicles involved.”

“Copy that main, east station is en route. Dispatch an ambulance on site. Our one is on its way to Orynth general.” Replied Aelin over the radio.

“Copy that east. We are sending an ambulance to assist.”

“Punch it, Nox.”

“You two boys are in for a ride. A nice fire and a car pile-up. We just need a chemical spillage and most of the fun is complete.”

“Don’t jink it,” said Asterin from behind.

They drove for a short distance and at the site Rowan looked out of the window and saw a few cars all smashed against each other.

Aelin and the team got off engine and truck and she patted at his window and blew him a kiss and ran away.

Seeing her in action he suddenly realised why she ate so much.

“Luca, you come with me we’ll take the upturned car.” She shouted at the youngster “Aedion, take the red one with Ansel and Borte. Everyone spread and take the other cars. Remember fuel leaks.”

Luca grabbed his tools and started trying to pry open the door.

Aelin kneeled down and checked the woman “I need a c-collar,” she screamed to the paramedics.

The woman’s head was bloodied, she checked the pulse through the cracked window and found it weak and she was not breathing.

Luca finally did manage to get the door open and together they pulled it away. Aelin sneaked into the front of the car and pulled the collar around the woman’s neck.

Lysandra and Elide were back from the hospital run and joined them ready and waiting for their patient.

“Aelin, you need to pull her out quickly.”

“I know,” snapped Aelin trying to cut the belt. Once the belt was free she realised the woman’s legs were stuck.

“Luca, I need spreaders. Right now.” She told him and the young man ran to the truck to grab the tool. He came back and with some acrobatics Aelin placed the tool in the area where the pedals were and started separating the metal. “As soon as she is free grab her.”

The metal slowly bent and freed the woman’s legs. “Go.” Luca took the woman and passed her in the care of the paramedics.

“Evangeline, grab an intubation kit and intubate the woman.”

The young woman nodded and Aelin stared with worry.

Once she was intubated Elide and Lysandra continued to do all possible to revive the woman. Aelin and Luca towered over them ready to help if needed.

She saw them use a defibrillator.

“Pushing epi.” She heard Elide say and Aelin knew from her emergency medical training that it was bad.

She paced nervously running a hand in her dirty hair. She took stock of the situation and noticed a few people out of the cars and being helped out and looked after by the other ambulances. Good at least the others did manage to save someone.

Aelin heard the long continuous beep of a flat line and realised the woman did not make it. Then she heard Lysandra calling it.

“Sorry, Aelin.”

Luca was at her side in an instant “cap, we did all we could.”

“Well, it was not enough.” She snapped while in her head she started going through all she could have done differently.

“Aelin,” Lysandra stood to face her friend “there was very little you could have done differently.” Knowing exactly where her friend’s mind had wandered off “She was in bad shape already. We did all we could, as Luca said.”

Dorian joined them a moment later “Aelin, come.”

They moved to the side “Get it out of the system quickly. Yes, you lost one person and it hurts, but I kept an eye on you and you haven’t done anything that I wouldn’t have done myself. You tried. But that was the car in worst shape.” He patted her shoulder “think about the boy you saved from the fire. Think about the second chance you gave him.”

Aelin nodded and walked away and joined her team in packing up all the gear once they were done.

Once she climbed back on the engine she looked at Rowan and his expression was full of worry for her. Gods, she just wanted to melt in his arms for ten minutes and shut down everything. She felt his hand sneak in the space between seat and door and try to grab hers. He didn’t say anything. He just held her hand.

They arrived back at the station not long after.

Aelin got off the engine and started removing her turnout gear.

“Aedion, take Borte and show her the checks to do to the engines after a call. I’ll take the equipment. Before heading to their duties they all ran to the bathrooms to remove the layers of soot and dirt from the two calls.

Once everyone had stored their gear Aelin hid in the room for equipment and began doing her checks and clean it. She needed some time alone.

Ten minutes later a head of silver hair peeked through the open door “hey,” he said quietly.

“Come in,” she said to him and Rowan took a step in and sat on the bench at her side.

“I am in awe.” His knuckles brushed her cheek “I had an idea of what you guys did, but seeing it for real. I was amazed. But also utterly terrified.”

“I could not help that woman, though.” She said sadly, placing a mask on the ground “she died.”

“Fireheart, I heard what Dorian said and I agree. I am sure you did all you could. Her car looked in pretty banged up state from my corner. If she survived it would have been a big damn miracle.”

“I know,” she let out a loose breath “I know.” Her head heavy against a jacket “it’s just not easy. I knew she was in bad conditions but I still wanted to save her.”

“Come here.” He pulled her to him “I have a piece of gossip for you.”

Her head whipped to him and he saw a smile finally appear.

“Lorcan admitted to me he thinks he is badly in love with Elide.”

Aelin’s hand went to her mouth in surprise “this is big.”

Rowan nodded “I don’t think he told her yet. He is just worried he will mess it up.”

“He’d better not. Elide has strong feelings for him as well. He breaks her heart and I will have his head.”

He nodded “I have been keeping an eye on him.”

“Good, now go back to the others and let me finish.”

He leaned forward and kissed her deeply. Aelin dropped what she had in her hands and once free they grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her and then on top of her as she leaned back on the bench. He caged her head between his arms and was about to kiss her again when dispatch alarm went off.

“Really?” She stood quickly and kisses him “stay at the station.” He nodded and she ran out. And he walked out slowly and joined Lorcan and both men stared at the vehicles leave the floor.

“Are they alway this busy? They have been back for forty minutes.”

Rowan sighed “Aelin mentioned this morning that with snow, things tend to get busier.” Then he had an idea “ever built a snowman?”

Lorcan rolled his eyes “yes, I was a kid once too, remember?”

“Get your coat back on and come with me.”

Once both men were ready with warm clothes Rowan walked outside to the front of the fire station near the entrance “Here.” Said Rowan pointing at the spot.

“Here what?”

“The snowman. To cheer them up. They had a stressful morning and probably it will not slow down.”

Lorcan tied his hair and started rolling the snow to form a ball for the body. Rowan smiled and joined him, preparing a second one. Once Lorcan had the bottom part ready, Rowan lifted the second one on top and both started fixing the body to give it an even shape. Then Rowan created a smaller ball for the head. Once done he lifted the final piece and took a step back to look at their work “not too bad.”

Lorcan removed his scarf and placed it around the snowman’s neck. Then Rowan ran back inside in Aelin’s office and grabbed the plastic fake firefighter hat he had won the day they did drills, got back and placed it on the snowman. Finally they gave him eyes and a mouth and Lorcan added some wooden sticks at the side so that they looked like arms.

Rowan looked around and then spotted something more he could add. He ran to a corner and picked up an abandoned tool.

“What is that?”

Rowan lifted the tool “I think Aelin called it an Halligan bar. The guys use it to pry open things.” He explained placing it near the sticky hand of the snowman “now he looks perfect.”

Once they were done the two men went back into the station and decided to prepare a meal for them “they must be famished.”

Lorcan nodded “I agree. Let’s prepare a nice meal.”

They were halfway through making lunch when they heard the trucks finally return and both ran outside, and only truck and engine appeared. The ambulance must have gone to the hospital.

Rowan’s eyes landed on a wet Aelin, her body wrapped in a few thick blankets. He ran to her and wrapped his arms around her frame. She was freezing and he felt her shiver and her teeth clattering “What happened?” His hands brushed her back quickly.

“We had two calls. Another fire and then a kid who fell in the water while skating on the frozen lake in a park. Aelin grabbed the kid but fell in when the rope dropped.” Explained Aedion.

As on pure instinct Rowan got into action. He took Aelin and dragged her to her quarters “we need to get you out of those wet clothes.”

She stood in front of him shaking and hugging the blankets against her body. Slowly he helped her remove all the layers until she was stark naked in front of him.

“Any..” teeth clattering “any excuse to get me naked.” Her tone was deep with tiredness.

He chuckled and went to the shower block to grab some towels and once back he begun drying her up.

“I’ll be back in a second.” Rowan disappeared once more and this time went to Aedion “do you have any spare clothes for Aelin?”

The man nodded and he was back a few minutes later with a pile of dry clothes in his hands “how is she doing?”

“Trying to warm her up.” He was about to move away when he turned to the man “what the heck happened?”

“Aelin wanted Borte to practice with the ropes in a real situation so she had Borte drop her in the ice crack to help the boy. The girl lost hold of the rope. It happened so fast that I was not quick enough to grab her,” he explained “She kept diving in in the cold water until she grabbed the boy. Only once he was safe she let us help her out.”

“You should have taken her to the hospital.” Rowan bit back annoyed.

“Don’t you think we tried?” Aedion matched him in tone “she is stubborn. She refused treatment.”

Rowan growled and grabbed the clothes “thanks for this.” And ran back to her quarters.

Aelin was sitting on her bed, the blankets still wrapped around her.

“I have dry clothes for you.”

“I have spare bra and knickers in my locker. The combination is your birthday.” Her speech was slow and he could feel her exhaustion.

Rowan gave her a smirk and rushed out once again and returning not long after with the garments.

“My underwear doesn’t scare you anymore?”

Rowan chuckled “we live together and I have seen enough of your daring lingerie not to be affected.”

Aelin slowly dressed up again and when she was done Rowan pulled back the blankets and pushed her legs under and finished drying her hair “now you relax, I’ll see if I can get some hot food for you.” A gentle kiss on her head.

Rowan then went to Lorcan and asked him to make something hot for her. She was still shivering hard and he was getting very nervous.

He was back in her quarters when Lysandra popped in with a bag in her hands “do you mind if I check on her?”

He stood “no, please.”

Lysandra took her temperature “still 33 degrees. It was 32 when we took her out.” She grabbed the transparent bag at her side “this is an IV of warm saline, it will help her and should bring her temperature up.”

“Lorcan is making something hot for her.”

Lysandra nodded “have water at her side as well.” And Rowan nodded “it might take a while before her temperature goes up again and she will be exhausted.”

The woman then hanged the IV bag against the edge of her closet and left.

Dispatch alarm went off again and Aelin made a move but Rowan stopped her “you are not going anywhere.”

“I-I am the cap-captain. I have to.” She was still shivering from the cold.

He ran to the apparatus floor “Aedion, Aelin is not coming. She is still cold.”

“I was not expecting her to. I told Dorian she is out for today.”

“Thank you.”

The man nodded.

“Stay safe, all of you.”

Lorcan met him halfway “I am making soup.”

Rowan patted his arm “thank you.”

“Lorcan is making you soup.” He announced as he got back to her “we’ll go home as soon as you are feeling warmer.”

“I am fine.”

“No,” he brushed his hand through her hair “you are still shivery. You eat something hot. Warm up and then we’ll see.”

“I should be with the guys.”

Rowan shook his head “Aedion alerted Dorian and told him you are out for the day.”

Aelin was about to reply but Lorcan joined them carrying a bowl with hot soup.

“How is our fearless leader doing?” He asked while placing the bowl on her night stand with a spoon on the side.

“Still feeling cold.”

“I hope you’ll like the soup. I made it the other night for Elide and she loved it.”

“Thank you, Lorcan.”

He gave her a quick salute and a tight smile and disappeared.

“Are we sure he is the same man?”

Rowan shrugged and grabbed the bowl but Aelin snatched it from his hands “don’t you dare and try to spoon feed me. Stop fussing, captain.”

“Fine.” He stood “I’ll leave you to it.” And left.

He reached Lorcan who was sitting on the sofa watching tv.

“You okay?” He sat beside him.

“Yeah. I put the food away until they are back.” He sighed “I thought we had it bad in our last mission but the guys don’t seem to have too much downtime either.”

“Yeah, today is pretty bad. I saw them on slow days when they have even time to play games. Today has been hell.”

“How’s Aelin doing?”

Rowan’s head snapped in his direction “this is the first time you finally call her with her name. It’s always the captain or your woman.”

Lorcan cleared his voice almost embarrassed “I am starting to like her.”

“Good because I am planning on keeping her around.”

“At least she is not whiny.”

Rowan sighed. He knew Lorcan never liked Lyria. He was the only person who had been the most vocal about his disagreement in him marrying the woman. His other friends were not her fans but had shown him support when he proposed and after. Lorcan had always made his opinion clear. He had told him in his face that he was marrying the wrong woman.

“Well, at least you approve of this one.”

Lorcan snorted “damn man, there is no comparison. Lyria used the marriage to try and change you into her puppet and when it did not work she lost it and became this jealous bitch.” He stood and paced “she came to me and begged me to invent an excuse to fire you.”

“I did not know.”

“I never told you because for some crazy reason you seemed attached to her. Truth is… the woman was toxic.” He stopped in front of Rowan “Essar told me she saw her a few times in a club with another man, while we were away.”

Rowan leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes “that I suspected, just as much as I suspected that the baby was not mine.” He confessed “before we deployed for the mission in which I had to go home for her funeral I found the divorce paper she had ready.”

“And you still grieved.”

“She was my wife.” He almost shouted “yes, she was not perfect but I loved her.”

“Loved her as much as you love Aelin? Because in all the time I have known you I have never seen you with a woman the way you are with Aelin.”

“No, not even close.”

“Would you marry her?”

Rowan only indulged on that thought once. It was far too early. They had just started to actually build their relationship. He was happy where they were right now.

“Not while I am still on active duty. I promised myself that next time I get married I will not be an absent husband again. And I want a family one day. I just need to hold on for a bit. Less than five years and the prison is over.”

“I can make a few calls and get you a full time position at pilot school. I know you have been having issue with the force recently but your skills are vital.”

Rowan shook his head “Thanks but no. Once I retire I will be out forever and I have another path in mind. I want to train to become a paramedic and work in a firehouse.”

“Well, I guess your time as nurse Whitethorn will come handy on your application.”

Rowan flipped him off and patted his leg “let me go and check on Aelin.”

He left Lorcan and joined Aelin and found her wrapped under the blankets with just her face peeking out. Her phone against the head of the bed. He smiled when he saw the bowl completely empty. Good.

“Hey you,” he sat her side and brushed her head “how are you feeling?”

“Not great and I can’t seem to shake the cold from my bones and I feel so tired.”

He lay down at her side and tucked her against his body and looked at the saline bag “the IV is almost finished.”

“You need skin to skin to keep me warm.”

He flipped her nose “we can’t do that here at the fire station so this is it for now.”

“I am going to write a review on the sexy nurse website that sent you and complain that I am not satisfied with the service.”

“Menace.”

“Are the guys still out?”

Rowan nodded “Lorcan prepared lunch for everyone and I hope they will have time to sit down and eat when they come back.”

Rowan nodded “what were you watching?” He asked as he noticed her phone playing a movie.

“I don’t know a random fantasy series Netflix recommended. I wasn’t paying much attention.”

He bent his legs and placed the phone against them and put an arm around her shoulder “well, let’s watch trash tv together.” He made sure she was all tucked in and cozy.

Eventually he heard the squad come back in the station, turned his head and noticed Aelin napping. He stood and joined the team at the front. They all looked exhausted and he hoped Lorcan’s meal would be enough to cheer them up.

“I saw our new frozen candidate.” Joked Brullo while shedding his turnout gear.

“Lorcan and I thought it would cheer you up guys.”

The tall dark-haired man joined them as well “I have loads of food ready. Come and eat before you get called again.”

The team cheered and scrambled into the kitchen. Aedion joined Rowan “how is she doing?”

“Warming up but tired. She is sleeping now.”

“How was the last call?” Asked Lorcan curious.

“Drunken driver. Crashed into a car with a family. The father is a goner and one of the kids is in bad shape.” Explained Manon reining in her rage.

Lorcan cursed savagely “the bastard.”

The conversation died after that, the topic too hard to even add anything else.

“Thank you for lunch, both of you,” said Elide, giving a smile to both Lorcan and Rowan.

“Honestly, it was all Lorcan, I was busy playing nurse.” Added Rowan.

In that moment Dorian popped in.

“Chief!” Shouted Ren “come have food.”

The chief sat down and joined the team “how are you all doing? You guys had a long day.”

No one said much “I went at the hospital and checked on the last family you saved from the drunken driver. The doctors are confident the boy will make a full recovery with time.”

Everyone sighed in relief.

He took a bite “how is Aelin doing?”

“She is in her bunk, sleeping under a pile of blankets. She is very tired and cold.” Rowan explained.

“Is she warming up now?”asked Lysandra “she was showing some very early stages of hypothermia. Her temperature was around 32 degree when we pulled her out.”

“She did not accept to be taken to the hospital.” Pointed out Aedion with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

“I heard that.” Continued Dorian “we should have pushed her. Aelin can be stubborn.”

A few snorts echoed in the room.

In that instant Aelin walked into the room with her hoodie on and a blanket around her.

“Hey,” Rowan stood and went to her “what are you doing here?”

“I didn’t want to be alone.” And she sat heavily in Rowan’s lap, never letting the blanket go.

“How are you feeling?”

“Hungry,” she croaked.

Everyone laughed and Rowan gave her his seat and placed a plate in front of her. Lysandra sneaked in and took her temperature very quickly “35.5 you are almost back to normal. Do you still feel cold?”

Aelin took a bite “I still don’t feel great.”

“That is normal. Your body went through a lot of shock.” Explained Elide.

“Captain Whitethorn, make sure she takes tomorrow off. This is an order.” Said Dorian staring at the other man.

“I am getting used to play nurse.”

Lorcan snorted “you can ask Lysandra or Elide to give you a ride in the ambulance, paramedic Whitethorn.” Rowan glared at him. That was something he had confessed only to Aelin and Lorcan.

“What is he talking about?” Asked Brullo curiously.

“I…” Rowan sighed “when I retire from the TAF in less than five years I want to retrain as a paramedic and work in a firehouse.”

“That is awesome,” shouted Asterin, sipping on her tea.

“You know that women will pretend to be sick to be treated by you?” Joked Ansel winking at him.

“Over my dead body.” Added Aelin while eating her food.

“If you need help to get into the program you let me know. I know it’s still a long time away, but, I work closely with the board and some of the trainers.” Added Dorian with a big smile.

Rowan nodded “thank you, sir. I will keep it in mind.”

“Are you sure you will be okay with leaving the airforce?” Asked Nox.

“I already did 12 years and signed up for five more a while ago. I will have no regrets when I retire.” He explained

Aedion was about to add something when dispatch alarm went off.

Dorian stood “come on guys. It’s one of those days.” Then he looked at Rowan “take her home.”

They all disappeared and Aelin sighed and drank more hot tea. Rowan and Lorcan tidied up the table and the kitchen.

It was an hour later when Rowan and Aelin got back home. He took her to the bedroom and she curled in bed hugging bird Rowan.

“Go under the blankets,” he said, pulling the duvet over her head “I can make you some tea.”

Aelin nodded “green tea, please?”

He kissed her head “yes, milady.”

Rowan came back five minutes later with a pot of tea and a cup “here you go.” Then he touched her forehead with his hand “you seem to get warmer.” Another kiss on her head “that is good.”

He climbed in bed and opened his laptop and started Netflix “Fancy watching something silly?”

“Can we watch a stupid movie that we can make fun of?”

Rowan chuckled and browsed a few titles “what do you think?” He pointed at a movie “this one seems quite silly.”

Aelin nodded and he placed the laptop on their legs, bird Rowan tucked between them and then his arm went around Aelin’s and pulled her to him.

“You got a day off tomorrow. We can go to the theatre if you feel like it.”

Aelin’s head snapped toward him and she smiled “I’d love to.” She grabbed her phone and showed him something “have you seen this play?”

Rowan had a look on her phone and nodded and her saddened face broke his heart “hey,” he took her hand “we can go and see it. The first time I went I was on my own and I had no one with whom to enjoy it with.” She gave him a smile “I want to go with you. Also, it was another production. So it won’t be the same play.”

Aelin grabbed bird Rowan “yes, captain.” She said in a funny voice “I want to go to the theatre with you.” She brushed the toy in Rowan’s face “are you my boyfriend, sexy man?”

Rowan took the toy “you are actually cuter than your owner.”

“You are a mean man.” She hit him with a pillow.

“What do you think, birdie? She is also violent.” He hugged the toy “you and I we need to stick together, partner. Such a tyrant.”

“Well, I’ll let you two make out and I’ll go and make out with the last few chocolate brownies left.” She got off the bed and walked away swaying her hips on purpose to taunt Rowan “they are better boyfriend material than the current one.”

Rowan growled and got off the bed and padded quickly to the kitchen lifted her in his arms and placed her on the counter, his arms at either side of her.

Aelin’s stare was mischievous and she leaned over for a kiss but he moved away and Aelin pulled him back to her “come here, Whitethorn. Stop annoying me.”

“I should have really read the terms and conditions of this relationship.” He teased her moving a bit closer, reducing the space between their bodies.

“You might eventually get out of the airforce, but you are not getting out of this.” She whispered against his lips. Then tensed for a brief second realising the enormity of what she had just said. Truth was she did not want let go of him. A part of her, one that she kept still hidden, desired that they would one day become more. And those thoughts terrified her. She had gone from hating the man, to wishing he would never leave her. It was crazy but her heart was telling that what she was feeling was real.

Rowan stared at her, his pine green eyes on her and an expression that she could not read. Terror seeping through her that she had gone too far and ruined the moment.

“Is that a promise?” His voice low, almost hopeful, his gaze never averting hers.

Aelin’s heart raced madly “if you want it.” She shook her head “I am sorry, it just came out.”

His hand joined hers on her knee and twinned his fingers to hers “did you mean it, though?”

Aelin slowly nodded and he smiled at her. His lips tugged up and the smile reached his eyes in a way that never fully happened before. The result left her breathless. Gods, he was even more stunning than usual. And she knew she had just seen a side of Rowan probably no one ever saw before. He smiled with others but she knew they were not full smiles. But this one… this one was something rare.

“And that’s all it matters for now.” His free hand brushed her face “there’s no hurry and I am loving this. Getting to know you. Spending time together. Spoiling you.”

“I am loving it too. So very much.” Her body inched closer “are you finally going to kiss me or you placed me on the counter to brag that you are taller than me?”

Rowan closed the distance and the kiss was everything but gentle. His hand shifted and grabbed her buttocks pulling her close while Aelin hands found their target on his back.

“We shouldn’t.” He pulled away “you need to rest.”

Aelin grabbed the collar of his t-shirt “you get me all wet and then back away? A nice energetic tumble in the sheets will get me all exhausted and ready for bed.”

Rowan did not answer, he just lifted her in his arms and her legs wrapped around his back and he carried her to the bedroom.

“Good boy.” She whispered.

And Rowan realised, while leaning forward to steal a kiss from her, that if he could do this for the rest of his existence, he’d be the happiest man of earth.

TAGS

@rowaelinismyotp

@swankii-art-teacher

@courtofjurdan

@whimsicallyreading

@themoonthestarsthesuriel

@bruiseonthefaceofhumanity

@acreativelydifferentlove

@mis-lil-red

@thegreyj

@sailorsassley

@leiawritesstories

@clairec79

#rowaelin #rowaelin fanfic #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan x aelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #elide lochan #Lysandra #aedion ashryver

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todoscript · 4 years

Text

Syndicate — [ 1 ]

Parts | one ; two ; three

Genre | Mafia AU / Anti-Villain AU.

Pairing(s) | MafiaBosses!TodoBakuDeku x Fem!Reader

Rating | Mature

Words | 5.2k+

Summary | Being the lover of, not one, but three influential young men, who are the leaders of the most wanted crime syndicate in Japan, it is no surprise that other eyes are watching you beyond the three’s own.

Warnings | Violence. Cursing/crude language. Guns. Mafia talk/“negotiating”. Lots of fighting. Reader is inspired by the femme fatale archetype. Polyamorous relationship. Characters are aged-up. Sexual undertones/implied sexual content. Possessiveness. Heavily self-indulgent. Written in 3rd POV. Shouto’s “codename” is Mercury (b/c the planet is both half-hot and half-cold lol).

Author’s Notes | Hello all! This is the first ever fanfic I’ve posted on tumblr! Sorry, the idea was lingering in my head until I suddenly felt the burst of energy to start writing this out of nowhere in the dead of 3AM. I’ve written fanfiction before but I’ve never published anything for tumblr so this is exciting.

The air is still, nearly silent apart from the nocturnal creatures that scurry and prowl through alleys, navigating over the dewy darkness between the seams. The moon graces the gloom of the night with its luster across desolated areas in Japan. Business hours have longed past as services are halted until the next coming day. Civilians are nowhere to be found, tucked away in their homes with their lights flickered off.

What remains alive in Japan during this hour is the wind cast through the streets, the scamper of animals in the nocturne, and a low hum of an ebony vehicle driven down roads of street lights.

“Whatever the fuck Overhaul wants better be worth my fucking time, Deku,” hisses a peeved Katsuki Bakugou, leaning against the window of their sleek automobile and looking highly uninterested during the ride. Izuku Midoriya, the young man with the head of unruly verdant hair, nods his head. His expression is mild at his friend’s usual discontented tone.

“Kai Chisaki—the head boss of the Shie Hassaikai yakuza—wants to negotiate with us, Kacchan. Surely it would be advantageous for us to hear him out. If anything we’ll manage to at least squeak some intel from him to reference for later on.” A glint rises in the male’s eyes.

“‘Some intel’ ain’t enough. If they’re gonna drag all three of us out here, then it better be for something good, or else I might have to let off some explosions to satisfy my boredom.” Bakugou’s quirk begins to pop and crack around his palms at the idea of letting loose.

Shouto Todoroki—the third of the trio—sighs exasperatingly at his fellow inflamed mafia boss, running his hand through his red and white tresses.

“Bakugou, I’d advise against it. Knowing the location we’re heading to, your explosions would only cause a ruckus in the area that’d get the annoying heroes involved. I’ve had enough dealing with those fools as it is and we also don’t need the men in blue following after our trail.”

“Shut up Icy-Hot! If this ‘negotiation’ isn’t beneficial to us, I’ll find my own way to make them pay for wasting our damn time!” Bakugou yells.

These three young men—Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugou, and Shouto Todoroki—are known as the bosses of one of Japan’s most powerful organized crime syndicates.

Notorious, ruthless, and authoritative, these three, despite their youth, have secured a name for themselves within the underground crime world. Aside from their tenacity and skill, the strength of each of their quirks played a large factor in their rise among the rivaling crime groups. They easily snuffed out the weak competition without so much as a sweat, and working under them are other strong combatants, each of them possessing their own unique and powerful quirks.

With everything at their disposal, the Yuuei mafia group quickly obtained a vast, large territory within the capital of Japan—the epicenter of where all the shady deals and disputes occur.

“We didn’t even bring Angel Face with us. What a drag.” Bakugou gruffs. He leans back in his seat, arms crossed, and cushioned behind his head as the lamps flicker past them, the dim lights splayed across the endless road.

“Letting ____ rest was the least we could do after her successful infiltration at the political officials gala,” the middle of the three states matter-a-factly.

“Especially after the rounds she endured even after her mission,” Todoroki adds, vividly remembering the gala dress cascading down her skin and clinging to her body that night, as well as their antics that ensued afterward.

He recalls the beautiful, red formal gown she wore for the occasion, the material hugging her figure perfectly and accentuating her curves in all the right places. God, he prayed that something within him wouldn’t stir at the thought of it again.

They all remembered it quite clearly. It made their fingers itch the very evening of the event, yearning to touch all the dips and arcs that sculpted her body. Her hair, styled up and tied with a matching silk red ribbon, kept the skin of her neck bare and begging to be marked while gold lined her wrists and collar bones. To say she was a goddess that night would be an understatement. The three could barely keep their hands off her before she even left the mansion, let alone attend the gala. But once her mission was complete, she arrived home to be thoroughly loved and lusted, with three young and hungry men indulging in all the divine fruits this celestial being had to offer to them.

The girl they speak of is not only their right-hand woman but also the three’s beloved paramour. Since their journey into coming to power, ____ has been with them through thick and thin and has become an influential asset in attaining their position.

Beautiful, yet dangerous, she proved to be an incredibly powerful fighter in many forms of combat in combination with her quirk, along with having a gift for deception that allowed her to climb her way to the top of the pack. Naturally, the trio found themselves drawn to her, not just for her strength and beauty, but also her passion and ability to mend the spirits of those around her. If it weren’t her, the Yuuei mafia group would not be as intact and well-oiled as it is today.

“Besides, we have some of our best following in the car behind us in case anything suspicious happens,” Midoriya gestures to the similar-looking sleek and dark-tinted car trailing behind their own.

“I very much doubt we need them, but it’s best not to worry Angel too much while she’s resting,” Todoroki murmurs, crossing his legs.

A few more turns and they’ve eventually entered the area of a vacant warehouse located on the edge of Japan near the shore.

The moment their vehicle is directed to a stop, the three bosses exit. Bakugou vehemently slams his door, eyeing the building with a vexing glare.

“Let’s get this shit show over with. This better be good.”

The warehouse is eerily quiet in the dead of the night and smells of salt from the ocean behind it. Spotting them walking to the entrance, the watchmen of the Shie Hassaikai yakuza hastily open the doors enclosing the warehouse. The hinges bear an uncomfortable creaking sound that jars through the silence.

“Oh, he’s here! He’s here! My cute little Izuku is here!” hollers a shrill voice belonging to an all-too-energetic head of messy, bunned-up blonde hair. The said boy blinks twice at her enthusiasm as they approach the lone wooden table situated in the center of the warehouse.

Uh, do I know her? He ponders for a second before dismissing the thought.

A pale man with gloved hands and shaggy auburn hair holds a hand out to halt the girl behind him. “Calm down Toga, we haven’t spoken of negotiations yet, so I need you to be quiet.”

Toga pouts, nearly grasping a silver blade at her side but stills herself for now. In the meantime, she opts to fidget with the tubular machine wrapped around her body.

The three look up to view a small group illuminated by the light fixed above the wooden table. Their eyes swiftly count seven or eight of them surrounding that area, including the ringleader, and likely more hidden somewhere in the darkness around them. After all, any fine and experienced villainous group would know better than to invite the bosses of the most dangerous crime syndicate without being thoroughly prepared for a possible scuffle to occur.

However, for now, they all advance with the notion to talk first before unleashing quirks and violence (well most of them anyway).

“Welcome, welcome. I see you made it to this place without much trouble; you’re right on time,” Overhaul greets the three young men mildly, “Deku, Ground Zero, and Mercury.”

Midoriya walks forward as the center of their entourage to return the cordial greeting. “Yes, it’s nice to finally meet you, Kai Chisaki of the Shie Hassaikai yakuza. Otherwise known as Overhaul.”

“Ah, so you know of me and my cause. It seems our reputation precedes us.”

“Of course. The Shie Hassaikai yakuza has long been in business in the crime world…” Midoriya muses, “Though they’ve wrung out past their former glory. Having since been pushed back into the underground after the rise of heroes.”

Bakugou smirks, close to letting out a snicker at the backhanded comment.

It’s true. While the Shie Hassaikai were one of the main criminal groups running the yakuza underground, that all soon fell and crumbled as the surge of heroes came into society. It was only after the former boss’ grandson, Kai Chisaki, came into power and took leadership that their name grew back into prominence once again, albeit little by little.

“Why you little–” A man donning a long white raincoat and plague doctor mask swiftly appears with a pistol pointed in Midoriya’s direction, none too amused by the remark. However, he’s cut off by a wall of ice erected at Midoriya’s side.

“Watch where you point those toys you little rat,” Todoroki sneers, and the tone of his voice nearly exposes chills to the air.

“Calm down, Chrono. We’re the ones that invited them as guests, thus we need to treat them like so.”

The white-haired subordinate withdraws at the words of his leader, retracting the gun back into the pocket of his coat.

“I apologize, he’s simply on edge over the fact we have some pretty powerful people at our doorstep. You’ll have to excuse him.”

“It’s quite all–”

“Did we come here to talk, or did we come here to fight?” Bakugou barges through, shoving past Midoriya with no restraint.

“I thought this was a fucking negotiation, not an apology fess. If one of your dogs is so edgy, I’d be happy to give him a good thrashing to satiate him if you want,” his raised hand sparks and flickers in the dark, “If not then get to it, Overhaul,” he threatens. Midoriya sighs.

“I think we’re simply all… piqued as to why this meeting was demanded out of nowhere and scheduled for the dead of the night no less, but I’m sure you have some important matters to discuss with us right, Overhaul?” Midoriya reasons, a sly grin on his lips.

“Right, let's get to it shall we?” Approaching closer to the table separating them, Overhaul continues, “First off, I must congratulate you on successfully infiltrating that gala the other night. Not many crime organizations can sneak into a party of that caliber. Especially when it’s so heavily guarded and kept secretive to all suspicious eyes of the dark,” he commends, digging a hand into the pocket of his jacket.

The three exchange quick, wary glances from the corner of their eyes that the opposite party misses.

“You were there?” Todoroki questions bluntly in which Overhaul hums in response.

“Hm, yes. But for different reasons, I’m sure. You see, I’ve been… examining little details of the Yuuei mafia group recently. It fascinates me how well-oiled and efficient you are at running your organization, so I began to ponder: ‘How do they do it?’ Little did I know, the answer all became more than clear to me from what I saw at that gala,” the auburn-haired man drawls, finally plucking out a photo from his pocket and sliding it across the wood under the light.

The moment the three recognized the image, their eyes widened, soon shifting into visages of sheer hostility at the next statement pronounced.

“This girl here? I want her.”

Within the confines of the paper is ____, dressed in the red gown she wore the very night of the gala, a masquerade mask over her features with the purpose to obscure herself in the throng.

The three before Overhaul seethe vessels of wrath.

“What did you just say? Do you even know what you’re asking of us?” Todoroki feels icy and heated atmospheres form on his opposing left and right sides upon hearing Overhaul’s words, sensing the tension rising around his fellow partners as well.

“The girl, I must say, does excellent work at her job. She’s skilled and tactical, having infiltrated many influential organizations and assassinated several powerful faces getting in the way of your mafia group. Such precision, efficiency, and beauty makes her the perfect woman, wouldn’t you agree?” He picks up the picture, bringing it up next to him.

Given the deadly pressure in the air, the next words he utters might be the final nail in his coffin.

“Well, I want you to hand her over to me.”

The nail is hit. There’s a lingering silence before hell nearly breaks loose and the next motions could deliver his soul down the River of Styx.

Fueled by blood-boiling anger and annoyance, Bakugou charges forward to land an explosive hit on the yakuza boss. “LIKE HELL WE WOULD, YA FUCKING BASTARD!” He’s thwarted by a yellow barrier emerging to shield the leader from the attack, courtesy of a henchman at his left side. The blonde jumps back, his hands still crackling and his rage not dissipating anytime soon. “Don’t go spewing a bunch of shit outta your mouth!”

“Now… let’s be rational or you’ll start getting dirt everywhere...” Overhaul dusts off his shoulder before resuming the conversation nonchalantly, “Of course I’ll provide you with compensation. I wouldn’t be so naive as to expect to be given something so valuable without offering payment after all.”

With a snap of his fingers a large, bulky man promptly lays a silver briefcase on the table. The locks click open to reveal wads of cash layering the case to the brim, enough to flabbergast and entice any common citizen in Japan.

“If this amount isn’t enough, I have another briefcase with—”

A jolting sound of the wooden table and metal briefcase breaking beneath Midoriya’s foot is enough to diminish the rest of Overhaul’s remark, signifying their blunt answer to his offer.

“What a waste of a night it’s been. Presenting money to us in hopes that we’d simply hand over our beloved like she’s some prostitute for sale? You're more of a fool than I took you for, Kai Chisaki,” Each word that rolls off Midoriya’s tongue is laced with venom. Such malice is enough to paralyze those who hear it, as if it would be the last statement they’ll ever listen to before hitting the concrete dead.

Reasoning with the trio any further is equivalent to bargaining with the god of the underworld, offering nothing but your knees on the floor and a sad pleading voice, only to be whisked back to the deepest, darkest chambers of hell.

Overhaul simply pauses before following with a long, testy sigh.

“A no then? Alright. Toga.”

The bun-headed blonde pounces forward at the command almost instantaneously, knife in her grasp and ready to swing. Midoriya moves to the side with ease, evading the blade as well as dodging a puncture from a needle. His agility is manifested in green electric currents of aura.

“Ooh, I finally get to cut up and obtain cute Izuku’s yummy blood!” She grins psychotically, keeping both eyes trained on the green-haired boy. “Heehee, I’ve been waiting for this day! Ever since I saw that photo of you all bruised up in a fight, I had to have you all to myself! I just love a man all red and bloodied!” Toga exclaims in utter glee, giggling like a schoolgirl meeting her celebrity idol.

Midoriya grimaces, nearly shivering at her excitement over announcing her neurotic confession to him. Her contorted facade is not earning her any points either. Taking notice of the wary expression that crosses his brows, Toga grins wider.

“It’s OK, even if you don’t like me now, you’ll definitely like me when I get a drop of that girl’s blood and transform into her! We’ll look so much alike, you’ll have heart-eyes for me too!” Her features curve into a look of pure hysteric that leaves Midoriya speechless, so much so it takes a loud blast hurled past him to finally bring his senses back to the conflict.

“Move it, Deku!” Bakugou’s attacks are relentless and powerful, but Toga’s nimbleness prevents her from getting hit.

“Deku, Ground Zero, back up,” Todoroki raises his left hand, the corresponding side flaring with heat before quickly igniting into bright hot flames enough to cover his entire arm. “You lot have some nerve to call us and arrange this abhorrent deal under the guise of a ‘negotiation.’ I’ll incinerate you all for even thinking you could take her from us.”

His quirk is unleashed in a flurry of fire that’s launched toward his enemies.

“Dabi,” Overhaul signals and a lanky man with patched, burnt scars and skin held together by staples and stitches steps forward, triggering his blue blazes to combat the red-orange ones. The infernos collide into a firestorm that soon scatters and disperses due to a power struggle.

“Tch,” Todoroki narrows his brows, annoyed.

“Hm, the brat’s not all talk after all,” Dabi’s expression remains stoic while his hand hovers in front of him, still swallowed by his azure flames. Wordlessly he releases his blazes once more only to be countered by Todoroki’s wall of ice diminishing the onslaught of fire.

On their end, Midoriya and Bakugou are in pursuit of the head honcho Overhaul himself, while attempting to throw blows at Toga along the way.

Now enveloped in energy that increases his strength and dexterity tenfold, it isn’t long until the green-haired young man catches up to crafty Toga’s momentum. With a grunt, Midoriya kicks forward, swinging his foot into the girl’s direction with tremendous force that’s too quick for her to avoid.

Toga braces herself for the impact but the attack never meets. Instead, a yellow shield materializes in front of her to take the blow, a crack now evident on the surface of the saffron safeguard. “Oooh! Izuku’s really out for blood! How thrilling!” she squeals, licking her lips.

“It’s that fucking barrier bastard again! Move over, I’ll kill him!” yells a pissed Bakugou who jumps over Midoriya’s head, running across the top of the manifested barrier. From there, he spots his offender.

Gritting his teeth, he dashes off the shield before it can disappear and uses it to propel himself forward. His palms glow and envelope themselves with heat as he holds them outward.

“Rappa! I can’t conduct another shield so quickly, get him!” Tengai, the one with the barrier quirk, hastens his partner. Rappa zealously swoops in front of him with iron-knuckle gloves ready.

“Oh no, you don’t! Try and fucking dodge this!” Bakugou brings his hands forward while still in midair, “Stun Grenade!” A radiant, gleaming light emits from his palms, effectively blinding all those within his vicinity.

Rappa and Tengai have no choice but to cover their eyes from the intensity of the light, leaving them wide open to strike!

Without hesitation, the ash-blonde creates two more explosions to launch himself forward, spinning in the air and gathering momentum before firing his attack encased in an explosive tornado.

“Howitzer Impact!!”

In an instance, a flash exudes in a fiery burst of nuclear reaction, which releases violent discharges of kinetic energy towards his enemies. The attack hits home, covering a chuck of the area with debris and rubble, and producing a hole on the right side of the warehouse.

Tengai and Rappa are incapacitated.

“Kac— Ground Zero, you went all out didn’t you…” Midoriya mutters while holding Toga down despite all her fidgeting. In a last-ditch effort, the girl draws out the spare knife tucked away in her utility belt, however the young man on top of her knocks it away before she can react any further.

“Toga, am I correct? I suggest you stand down, or I may have to break something to make you cooperate.” Midoriya’s warning exudes a menacing tone, in contrast to his former courteous character and the gentle features adorning his face. Yet Toga does not seem fazed by this.

“Heehee, you’re so cute when you make threats like that…” she giggles, shifting her head ever so slightly to catch glimpses of the male’s appearance. He’s quite disheveled down to his wrinkled suit, unbuttoned collar, sweat glistening on his forehead, and what’s this?

Toga peeks at a single crimson line split on the skin of his cheek with dilated pupils.

“Even though you were so fast, I at least managed to graze you just a teeny-tiny bit! That scarlet cut looks so nice on you, Izuku, aw how I wish I can give you more!” She prattles on and on, beaming over every utterance spoken past her lips. “I did say red is the best color on you, after all!”

Midoriya’s eyes narrow at her behavior, fists clenched and apt to deliver a silencing blow.

“Although… blue wouldn’t look half bad either.”

Unable to express confusion at her remark, he soon perceives a blast of cerulean blue flames aimed and released in his direction, forcing him to jump up to dodge the attack. Toga makes her escape after the fire diffuses, withdrawing next to Dabi. The patched man continues his onslaught on Todoroki and Midoriya.

“They’ve managed to defeat our spear and shield, and nearly took out Toga,” Overhaul’s stance is methodical and calculating, overseeing the fight from the back lines of his unit with a gloved hand beneath his chin. “I suppose it’s time to use that,” he declares.

Chrono briefly glances at him before reaching for a gun in the pocket of his coat—a different weapon from the pistol he pointed at Midoriya earlier. In a container held behind him, he produces a peculiarly shaped bullet, one that takes on the form of a cartridge with a hypodermic needle sticking out on one end.

“Dabi, when these bullets hit, that will be your chance to burn them all away,” orders the auburn-haired man. He raises an arm to prep for the signal as Chrono readies the gun wielded in his hand, positioning his target onto the spiky blonde mafia boss.

“Ha! You think a pathetic little gun is going to stop me?!” While Bakugou exudes confidence and arrogance, his dual-haired comrade is not as keen about the situation at hand.

Why would those fools try to use such a primitive method of fighting at this point? They saw how useless that gun was earlier… ponders Todoroki in the heat of battle, Unless…

“Ground Zero! Be careful! There’s something fishy about that weapon they’re using!” he warns, making the blonde’s expression fix into an irritated glare.

“Shut up Icy-Hot; I know what I’m doing! Why don’t you pay attention to patchwork over there before you get another scar!” Bakugou quips back, eyes never leaving Overhaul. “I’m gonna make this washout yakuza leader regret ever giving us a call to this useless negotiation.”

The man is impassive at the blonde’s threats, lips remaining in a fine line underneath his mask. His arm stays raised next to him for Chrono to acknowledge.

At once, Bakugou’s body launches back into action like a jet engine propelling a rocket. His movements gather more and more sweat to strengthen himself for another devastating assault.

“Pesky thing won’t stop moving…” mutters Chrono, hand continually shifting aim at Bakugou’s unpredictable tumbling. “I’ll just make you sit still!”

On command, arrow-shaped hair pierces through the fabric of his hood and extends straight to Bakugou. His quirk’s versatility and quick instincts allow him to evade the attack to the left with ease. However, it seems Chrono was waiting for that very moment as the blonde is now within his gun’s line of sight.

Overhaul draws his hand down, giving Chrono the signal to finally pull the trigger. A crack of a sonic boom resonates within the single millisecond it is shot. The dart is fired.

The gunshot rings throughout the space of the warehouse. Todoroki and Midoriya can barely register the shot in time to yell out to Bakugou, whose head turns toward the capsule’s velocity in almost slow motion.

Crap..! he curses, unable to move away to escape the bullet in time and preparing to embrace the shot.

However, it never makes its mark.

“Boss! Watch out!”

A gruff voice suddenly makes its debut within the fray, taking everyone by surprise as the newcomer throws himself in front of Bakugou, hardened arms crossed.

“What the—!”

Chrono watches in despair. The bullet ricochets right off the rock-like body of a man with spiked tufts of crimson red hair.

“What the hell? Red Riot?!” sputters a bewildered Bakugou at Kirishima’s abrupt entrance.

“D-Dammit!” Chrono tries to fire again to rectify his failure, but his attempt is in vain. Something muscly wraps around his arm tightly, tossing him away.

“Froppy!” Midoriya calls out to the girl as she retracts her froggy tongue, currently clung to the wall, and camouflaged into her surroundings. She reveals herself into the battle with a small “ribbit.”

“While you guys were inside, a bunch of their goons started surrounding our cars. We knew something shady was up, especially when we heard explosions coming from inside, so we busted our way in here right past them!” Kirishima explains, now standing back-to-back against Bakugou, “Seems like you’re fighting a battle too!”

“I see, so they planned on ambushing all of us if we didn’t comply with their deal,” says Todoroki. He fires more flames in their direction. “How pathetic. They were woefully unprepared.”

“Agreed! Ambushing is no way to fight! Real men would come at us head-on!” Kirishima emphasizes his fierceness through clanking his hardened fists against each other, jagged edges sparking.

“Red Riot! Froppy!” exclaims Midoriya, “Where are the others?”

Asui ribbits before answering, “They’re handling the rest of the—”

“L-Leader..! Leader!” a frantic voice shouts from the entrance of the warehouse, where a ragged up Shie Hassaikai henchman tries to pry inside.

“T-The girl..! She isn’t h-here, she isn’t— GAH!”

His message is interrupted. A menacing shadowy figure looms over the goon like a monster hiding within the dark and throws him back to the struggle outside, proceeding to rampage across the battlefield. Desperate cries leak out but to no avail.

Overhaul discerns the sputtered message:

The girl he so desired was not with them to begin with.

To his dismay, this fight was pointless. If what he sought could not be forcibly taken right then and there, then there is no reason to continue the battle. There was no prize to be won by the end of it all.

Now, he must adjust his plans due to the unfavorable news. How tragic.

At the thought of having lost time, energy, and resources, the yakuza leader pinches the bridge of his nose, utterly furious. There’s a pause in which Overhaul seethes an aura of killing intent over this frustration.

But it eventually simmers and subsides. What happens now cannot be changed, no matter how enraged he is. So he must take logical steps to preserve and remedy the repercussions, which to him was simple:

“We’re withdrawing.”

“What?” Dabi looks at him incredulously, “After all this?”

“Yes, they've taken down our spear and shield, and have wiped out the majority of the soldiers. If what we want isn’t here, then there is no point in staying,” Overhaul’s husky tone bears weight and authority at every word.

“Nemoto, grab Chrono from wherever he was thrown.”

“Yes, Overhaul. What about Rappa and Tengai?”

The auburn-haired man doesn’t so much as spare a glance toward his two defeated subordinates lying on the ground, “Leave them. They’re expendable to me.”

Nemoto nods, going to gather a knocked out Chrono thrown across the warehouse and now lying unconscious atop broken wooden crates.

Midoriya’s fists clenched tightly at the scene, realizing what the yakuza’s next plan of action was going to be.

“They’re trying to escape!”

“Oh, the fuck they are. I won’t let a single one of you bastards leave!” Bakugou bursts into the air, propelled by the explosions from his palms in hot pursuit, with Midoriya catching up thanks to his heightened speeds.

“Sorry boys, party’s over!” Toga intercepts the two using twin knives flung in their direction, catching them off guard. Dabi follows the diversion by gathering a massive amount of flames into his hands before swiftly releasing the kindled energy to erect a blue wall of fire throughout his surroundings.

“Bye Izuku~!” a feminine voice shrills from behind the fiery wall, becoming the last words they hear as they wait for the flames to dissipate, ultimately revealing that their enemies had already fled.

“Those fuckers couldn’t have gone far,” Bakugou doesn’t relent, poised on finding them and having them pay the full consequences of their actions. Midoriya grasps his shoulder, stopping him.

“Let them go, Kacchan. Considering the location they decided for this meeting, they likely fled by boat. We have no way of following them at the moment.”

Todoroki agrees, adding on, “Besides, there are more important things to worry about right now,” he casts his gaze to the wooden table Midoriya had broken prior to the fight transpiring. “For one, they’re after ____ and are willing to go to any lengths to get her. We need to head back to the mansion to make sure she’s safe.” There’s slight urgency evident in his tone. Despite their tenacity, the idea of having their beloved wrenched away is enough to render them even a little bit fearful. Had she been present in the conflict, there’s no telling what could have happened.

“And two,” Todoroki walks off to another site of the warehouse, picking up something dropped on the floor, “we need to figure out what this is.” In his hand, he holds the small capsule bullet that is now slightly dented thanks to the impact against Kirishima’s hardened skin.

The other two examine the capsule briefly until Bakugou decides to take it from Todoroki’s fingers for closer inspection. If Overhaul was so keen on using a gun to do away with them all, despite how inferior it was, then this must be no ordinary bullet.

The three decide to contain the item for further examination for now as they, Kirishima, and Asui make their way outside again. There, bodies of Shie Hassaikai thugs littered the floor after having been thoroughly beaten into submission. Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, and Kaminari lean against the cars casually but remain attentive after the fight.

“It was quite an ill-planned move to dare to attack us in the night,” Tokoyami’s eyes closed in thought at the havoc he wreaked thanks to the amplified powers of his quirk. Kaminari snickers and boasts with an electric snap of his fingers, “Yakuza didn’t know what hit them, the mafia always stays on top.”

“Excellent work everyone, it seems the henchmen were of no trouble to you,” Midoriya commends the squad, “Now, we must leave before the police arrive on the scene to assess the damage.”

Their six combatants all nod at the order, about to gather back in their vehicle until Bakugou huffs with a final statement before they make their getaway.

“Know that the next time we see those Shie Hassaikai bastards, we will take them down,” He narrows his eyes at the ocean, the moon still hanging above the sky and basking the waters in moonlight,

“without hesitation.”

Ending Notes | Whew.. thanks for reading! For the next part I was considering writing it in 2nd POV since the reader will actually be physically present during the events of the story now, but I’m not sure yet. Please let me know your thoughts and follow if you’re interested in this series <3

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draggingthedregs · 3 years

Note

Hello! Absolutely adored your protective Kanej fic, especially how you managed to make it meet the middle ground in a dignified manner. I was wondering if you could do the same with the topic of jealousy? Would you be willing to write a fic about Jesper's feelings for Kaz, and his pov on Kanej falling in love, with a healthy dose of jealousy? Maybe a bit where he and Inej bond over their feelings for Kaz? Totally understand if you don't want to, but thank you either way!

a/n: ah! thank you so much! i’m so glad you enjoyed that lil fic!! i also really loved your ask and was really excited to write it. i’m actually on vacation right now and didn’t bring a laptop so i hope you don’t mind that it’s in the headcannon type structure (i did get slightly carried away but what’s new)! so yeah! here ya go <3

Inej had been gone for nearly a month, her first voyage on The Wraith proving to be a success

And all of Ketterdam felt her absence in the darkening shadow of gloom that followed Kaz Brekker.

The Dregs were careful to keep every toe in line, for fear they would find a cane breaking the bone. Even Jesper managed to tone down his charm

Though he wasn’t sure if Kaz’s anger was the whole reason.

When she’d left, they had all gone to the dock to see her off

Jesper slung his arm around her shoulder, pulled her tight, and made her laugh with one last terrible joke

Then he watched as Kaz said goodbye, in whatever twisted way he was capable. It didn’t sit right with him.

The way Kaz spoke to her, how he held her hand, hell- how he looked at her. As if it were the first and last time he was seeing her.

Jes watched until he couldn’t any longer. Something had balled up inside him, manifesting itself in his pounding chest and heated cheeks

He recognized the feeling

It was the feeling of someone else winning at Makkers Wheel, of watching someone make Wylan laugh, of his revolvers in anyone else’s hands.

it was the feeling of jealousy

It warmed his skin and froze his bones. He hated himself for it.

It wasn’t as if he loved Kaz the way she did, wanted him the way she did. But you’ve been here longer, saved his life just as many times.

Then she was gone, disappearing into the sea like she’d always been good at. And a dullness settled in Kaz’s eyes as he headed back to his city.

Now, as they all approached the dock once more to welcome her home, Jes felt anxiety flipping in his stomach

Wylan must have noticed, taking one of the hands that he’d begun to tap along his thigh

The dock was crowded, a mess of ships coming and going, and still they knew which ship was hers as it sailed smoothly into her berth

And through the thick, bustling crowd they knew their Wraith by silhouette alone. Her grin was wide, her hair down and curling in the salty air.

Jesper laughed, his anxiety forgotten, as he grabbed her and lifted her off the ground

“Is it possible you got smaller out there?”

Inej laughed now. “Is it possible you’ve gotten taller?”

“Just prettier. But I see how that would be confusing.”

He let her go and Wylan reached for a hug. As they spoke, he became aware of a dark spot ebbing into view

And so did Inej.

She looked up to him, taking a deep breath as she scanned him in his entirety

When Jes followed her gaze, he could see that Kaz was doing the same to her

Then, Kaz reached a single hand out, every inch deliberate. She watched him with careful eyes until he gave a single nod.

Jesper was sure he didn’t make up the near desperation on her face as she rushed toward him for an embrace.

His hands wrapped around her frame slowly, pulling her closer and tighter to him. There was a hitch in his breathing and Inej looked up at him, but Kaz didn’t pull away.

As he watched, he could feel the ball of jealousy rattling once more

Wylan cleared his throat, “All of your things you left at the house are still there. You’re both more than welcome to eat with us tonight.”

Then he tugged at Jespers hand and off they went. He had turned back once to see that the pair separated, but the intensity on both their faces remained

What are you even jealous of? She deserves to be happy. That’s all that should matter to you.

It was dark by the time Inej snuck inside the Van Eck mansion. She approached the sitting room from behind, nearly scaring them to death

“Hope i’m not too late?”

After Wylan recovered from his heart attack, “Of course not.”

Jesper mustered a nod, unable to shake his feelings this time

Inej came around and sat in an open chair

And suddenly Wylan was up. He squeezed Jes’ hand and gave him a small smile. “I’ll just be in the kitchen cleaning up.”

Of course he noticed. My merchling has decided to be observant.

The two of them left sat silently for a bit, letting the crackling fire fill the air, then, “I missed you... I missed being here.”

Her eyes were already on him when he looked up. Inej gave him the barest smile and shrug.

“Well- I’m impossible not to miss.”

She laughed, pulling her legs up underneath her. “Fair enough. How was it here while I was gone?”

Jes let out a scoff. “Kaz didn’t tell you anything?”

“Not about Ketterdam, no.”

“Well it’s been shitty. He’s been worse than usual, if that’s even possible.”

He could see the look on her face as she registered that he was upset. Inej turned to the fire then.

“You know-“ He immediately regretted it. “I couldn’t begin to guess what he has over you but he isn’t worth it, Wraith.”

“Jesper. You’re being mean”

“To who? Him?”

She turned to face him now, her face severe. “To me.”

It was then that he crumpled.

Jesper fell inward, elbows on his knees, face in his hands. “I’m sorry- I just-“

You just what? What could you say to dig yourself out of this? Why do you even feel like this?

Then she was beside him, taking his hand.

“Jes, what is it?”

Even if he’d wanted to, he couldn’t lie to her. And he couldn’t control what he said next.

“You’re too good for him- we all are! And- and yet we all just go along with it all! For what? It’s not like we get anything back, he doesn’t even-“

“Care?”

Jesper looked up at her again.

“Look- I know how he is. He’s cold and frustrating and nearly impossible. But he’s also loyal and fierce and he would do anything for his crows. I think that’s what we all stick around for.”

“Is that enough?”

He could see her turning his question over in her mind.

“I wasn’t always sure but- I believe so. And if it isn’t, then we’ll revisit this conversation. Surely you can see that things are changing.”

Despite his anger or jealousy or frustration, Jesper couldn’t ignore that she was right. When isn’t she?

Kaz was changing. Between Per Haskell and Pekka Rollins, Inej leaving and becoming a barrel boss, he was different.

“Call me crazy. Call me too optimistic or pious for my own good, but there is something in him. Even if it’s buried deep.”

Jesper interrupted, “Very, very, very deep.”

Inej laughed. “I know.”

“I just want something in return sometimes. It feels like running on water and getting nowhere. The rest of us- that’s friendship, but him-“

“It isn’t the same. I understand that. Though he does feel something for you... something deeper than friendship I believe.”

He thought back to the clocktower of the Geldrenner, to the intensity in Kaz’s eyes. What do you think my forgiveness looks like, Jordie?

He nodded, supposing he wouldn’t start doubting Inej today.

“You aren’t alone, Jes. I know how you feel...”

That, he hadn’t even considered. Of course she knew how this felt, probably better than anyone.

“How do you do it, Inej? How do you love him?”

To his surprise, the Wraith smiled. “I love Kaz as he is, in every way. Not the boy he was or the man he could have been, but who he is right now. Ketterdam needs him like this just as much as it needs you and me as we are.”

Jesper hadn’t known Kaz before he had become the Bastard of the Barrel and he’d always had a difficult time placing him as a child. He couldn’t picture a young Kaz, coffee eyes and black hair glinting in the setting sun as his little legs carried him home.

But he figured Inej could. She always saw the big picture, the city from above instead of a single grimy street.

“How long will you be in Ketterdam?”

She shrugged. “As long as I’m needed here and not somewhere else.”

“Waffles in the morning then. On me.”

Inej laughed. “Jesper paying for breakfast? Things really have changed.”

It felt like a weight lifted off him as he laughed with her. “Dont get used to it.”

They stood, hugging for a brief moment.

“Goodnight, Jes.”

Then, he watched as she melted into the steady shadows with ease, as though she had never missed an evening in the mansion.

#six of crows #kanejheadcanons #jesper #jesper fahey #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #shadow and bone #kanej #soc #leigh bardugo #grishaverse #kaz x inej #soc fanfic #grishaverse fanfic #soc fanfiction #kanej fic

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izaswritings · 3 years

Text

Title: the brothers grim

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Synopsis: Left in an unfamiliar land with a mission he never wanted, a young Kaeya lies, survives, and somehow finds a family in the process.

Or: How Kaeya came to Dawn Winery, and why he left it. Includes lore, sibling bickering, found family struggles, and a more in-depth look at the years between Kaeya’s arrival and Crepus’s death.

AO3 link is here.

[Next chapter is here!]

chapter one: the storm

Kaeya’s first day in the nation of Mondstadt is a silent one.

They reach the border sometime in the bitter blue dawn, and by midday have reached the rolling hills. His father walks bent under the weight of the winds and Kaeya picks his way along the path behind him, half-hidden in the stooping shadow and lone eye fixed on his father’s back. They do not stop to eat. There is a statue of the Seven settled in the heart of a shallow lake, and they do not stop there either. The whole way through this windy land, despite his secret promise to keep his eye on his father until the end, Kaeya’s gaze drifts, fascinated, to the sea of grass sounding them.

His father has no such distractions. Though he has never set foot in Mondstadt either, his gaze never drifts, his eyes fixed cold and sure on the horizon. He walks with purpose, and does not falter, even when Kaeya lags behind. He does not speak. Beyond the quiet oath he had made Kaeya swear the night before, in that last campfire, he has not said a word.

The clouds clutter close and gray. The wind howls. Kaeya quickens his pace, lingering by his father’s heels, and says, “I think it’s going to rain.”

His father’s eyes flicker up. He is quiet for a moment. He says, “That will help you.”

Kaeya presses his lips and doesn’t argue. He thinks about the oath. He reaches for his covered eye and then forces his hand back down.

In the late afternoon, they arrive. His father leaves him on the side of the road just as the storm is beginning to form, the clouds churning high above their heads, gray and angry like the ghosts of Khaenri'ah at their worst. His hands weigh heavy on Kaeya’s shoulders; his gaze unsettles him. His eyes are pale and focused and do not seem to see Kaeya at all.

“You understand,” he says again, as he has been saying for days now, and Kaeya nods. “This is it, Kaeya. Your last chance. You are our only hope.” His fingers dig tight into Kaeya’s shoulders. “You understand.”

“I do,” Kaeya says back. This is serious, and he should be taking it seriously, but he has heard these words so often now they’ve become exhausting for him. Still, he says what his father wants to hear: “I understand.”

“Good,” his father says. His hands draw back, and he steps away. He is staring out somewhere over Kaeya’s head—to Khaenri'ah, to home, and there is a bitter curl to his lip and yet a brightness to his eyes. “Good.”

Kaeya waits. His father says nothing else. He prompts, “See you.”

His father pauses. His eyes flicker down to Kaeya, and for a moment he actually seems to see him fully: Kaeya, the chosen son, nine years old and tired from the journey, too-thin wrists and thread-bare hems and all. He considers him. And instead of echoing the words, instead of see you again or good luck or make me proud, all he says is, “Goodbye.”

It is late afternoon and those distant storm clouds are staining red. The wind is beginning to howl. Kaeya stands off on the side of the road, the grasses swaying by his waist, and watches his father leave him behind. It is cold. His fingertips are already going numb. He chuffs his hands and crosses his arms, and settles down to wait.

By evening it starts to rain, and Kaeya curls his arms around himself and thinks it would be very funny if all their information turned out wrong, and their last chance died out in the brutal storm from the cold. He entertains the idea for a good few minutes, grinning to himself, and then the raindrops start to soak through the cloth he’s tied around his eye, and he is distracted from the hilarity by annoyance. The cold is sinking into his bones.

The dusty road has turned to sludge, and the winds have been echoing mournful howls for hours now—perhaps this is why he misses the coming of the carriage. In the growing twilight shade it is near impossible to see, half-taken by the fog, and Kaeya spots it only moments before he finally hears the creaking wheels over the wind.

His smile falls. He holds himself still. He waits until they are close enough to see him, and then he ducks his head and backs away as if they’ve startled him.

The carriage is slowing to a stop, voices beginning to rise over the wind. The door opens. A man steps out from the carriage, one hand shading his eyes. Even in the gloom, the red of his hair is striking; his face is lined with an age that crinkles warm at his eyes. Kaeya watches him, wary. The rain drips in his eye.

The man has an umbrella, and he props it open. Someone else in the carriage protests. “Master Crepus, please—”

“Peace,” says the man, waving the second voice away, and then he gets the umbrella open and picks his way through the soaked grasses and muddy road to where Kaeya is standing. He is limping slightly; an old injury, maybe, made worse by weather. Kaeya judges the man’s expression and shuffles back another step. The man stops.

“Hello,” he says. He has to raise his voice to be heard over the wind. Kaeya squints at him through the downpour. “What are you doing out here, child?”

Kaeya opens his mouth and closes it again. He hesitates. At last, he calls back. “I’m waiting.”

“For what?”

For you. “My father. He said—he’s coming back.” He is not. The lie curls at his toes; not so much the act of lying but the fact it’s a lie at all. Goodbye. What a wash.

The man’s face is blank, and he takes in this answer with a flicker of a frown. “Back from where? Is he nearby?”

This time Kaeya stays silent, and looks away. The rain has soaked his hair flat; the water is icy cold against his skin. He makes a face down at the road.

“Boy,” the man says, after a pause, “you are just about soaked through. This storm is… do you have somewhere you can go?”

“He said he was going to get some juice,” Kaeya says. This lie, at least, is easy to speak aloud. “He said to wait here, I—”

“When was this?”

Another long pause.

“Child—”

“This afternoon.”

This time the silence weighs heavy. Kaeya keeps his eye on the ground, trying to think of how a fearful, abandoned child should act; but he’s tired now, all of a sudden, too tired to really sell the lie. He can’t stop shivering. He is starting to get a little angry. He is playing his part and playing it well, but this man is forgetting his lines. Say something already.

It occurs to him that maybe Crepus Ragnvindr is deciding what to do, that perhaps he is wary about taking in this strange, half-staved boy from the road. Maybe Kaeya should push it a little, ask for a night of shelter and then “offer” to help work around the winery to pay him back. A fair bit suspicious at first, perhaps, but if he keeps his head down, they’ll probably forget about him within the month, and he will be free to act. Kaeya can do that. He lifts his head—

“Master Crepus!” someone from the carriage calls, and the man turns away.

“Yes,” he says, sounding annoyed now. “I know, I know, just a moment!” And before Kaeya can speak he has turned back to face him, is crouching down carefully to Kaeya’s level and offering out his hand. Kaeya blinks at it. “I’m sure your father will come back soon,” he says warmly, and Kaeya’s planned response falters at that. For a moment he almost wants to laugh. You do? I don’t. “But it is getting dark, and I can’t in good conscience let a child wander about in a storm. How about this— let me shelter you for the night, and when this storm has passed we can come back here and wait for your father to return together. Is that all right?”

Kaeya stares at him. The man smiles patiently back. He looks tired too.

He should build the lie further, Kaeya knows; he should act his role a little longer yet. But he’s cold, and his fingers feel frozen, and deep down Kaeya feels a little like his insides have turned to ice too. The momentary warmth of his father’s hand on his shoulder has faded.

And in the end, all Kaeya says is, “Okay.”

If the man is suspicious about how quickly Kaeya gives in, it doesn’t show on his face. He is smiling, looking almost relieved; he stands and beckons Kaeya to the carriage. “I am Crepus,” he says, kindly. “What is your name, boy?”

“Kaeya.” He bites his last name back behind his teeth at the final moment. Alberich, no longer. He has to get used to it.

“Kaeya?” It is not a Mondstadt name, Kaeya knows, and holds himself briefly still, but all Master Crepus does is hum. “It is nice to meet you. Come along, then—let’s get you out of the cold.”

Suspicious, wary, and in no position to argue, Kaeya follows him.

The carriage is a fancy thing, and bigger than first thought. As a man comes down from the side to take back Master Crepus’s umbrella, Master Crepus reaches over Kaeya’s head and opens the door, gesturing him onward. Inside is dimly lit and another man is settled in the opposing seat, brown-haired and masked and scowling. Kaeya pauses in the door.

“What is this?” the second man demands. “Master Crepus—”

“Good sir,” Master Crepus says, from behind Kaeya. Kaeya looks back at him, and when Master Crepus gestures him on again, resists the urge to roll his eyes and finally climbs into the carriage. “This is Kaeya. He will be joining us on our ride to the winery—I trust you have no objections?” The man opens his mouth. “Wonderful,” Master Crepus says, before the other can speak. “The Fatui are truly generous. The Tsaritsa is lucky indeed to have such people as her subjects.”

He climbs inside the carriage and closes the door, and raps his fist against the wall. With a quiet lurch, the carriage starts to move. The man scowls, briefly, but does not try to speak again.

Kaeya sits against the far wall on the edge of the seat, his legs hanging over the drop. His fingers seize up and he rubs at them again. The air is too warm here, too hot—his fingertips, once frozen, now feel as if he’s set them on fire. He curls his aching hands in and out of fists and keeps his eyes on the window.

Outside the closed doors of the carriage, the storm is rattling still; in contrast the carriage itself sits in silence. Master Crepus watches Kaeya with the slightest of frowns, a knot of worry in his brow; the Fatui man avoids looking at Kaeya at all. Kaeya keeps his eye on the window. The falling rain, the meandering road; still, he watches it all, gaze fixed on the distant and misty fields, the swaying grass dripping rain. He wonders how far his father has gone. He wonders if his father has left Mondstadt yet, if he has found shelter from the storm, if he is still thinking of Kaeya at all.

Master Crepus has promised to bring him back here, and something about that sits bitter in Kaeya’s chest. There is nothing left to be found. But he is not angry. He is not upset. Because when it comes to this, to this last chance and last hope, this final oath taken by that final campfire, Kaeya has always understood.

#genshin impact #kaeya alberich #diluc ragnvindr #ragnvindr brothers #crepus ragnvindr #kaeya ragnvindr #kaeya #diluc #genshin #genshin fic #don't tag as ship #iza fanfic #fic: the brothers grim #ive had this fic on ao3 for awhile but im gonna start posting here too #I'll get all the chapters on here eventually haha #reblogs are always appreciated!!!!

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k-bullshite · 2 years

Text

my stanlist

(it’s a lot, just so you know before you click ‘expand’)

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✨👑 Huening Bahiyyih 👑✨

💙 Jay Chang 💙

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Xdinary Heroes [Jooyeon / OT6], TXT [Hueningkai / OT5], ATEEZ [Mingi / OT8], Son Dongyo [MIRAE]

active groups

BTS [RM / OT7], Monsta X [Kihyun / OT7], Stray Kids [Felix / OT8], Seventeen [Woozi / OT13], BOY STORY [Shuyang / OT6], NCT [Jisung & Lucas / OT29], RIIZE [Shotaro / OT7], MCND [Win & Minjae / OT5], Cravity [Seongmin / OT9], SB19 [Pablo / OT5], VIXX [Hyuk / OT6], 9bic [Satsuki / OT6], FlowBack [OT5], UNVS [Jun H. & Jen / OT5], AB6IX [Daehwi & Youngmin / OT5], SHINee [Taemin & Jonghyun / OT5], Bz-Boys [Bon / OT5], ENHYPEN [Ni-ki / OT7], TREASURE [Yoshi / OT12], BLITZERS [Chris / OT7], A.C.E [Jun & Donghun / OT5], Floria [OT4], P1Harmony [Keeho / OT6], WEi [OT6], DKB [OT9], SF9 [Inseong / OT9], E’LAST [OT8], CIX [OT5], DRIPPIN [OT7], MIRAE [Dongpyo / OT7], RoaD-B [Eddy / OT4], OnlyOneOf [Junji / OT7], JO1 [OT11], xikers [Yechan / OT10], SUPER FANTASY [Tsubasa / OT4], ITZY [Chaeryeong / OT5], BAE173 [J-Min / OT9], &TEAM [Jo / OT9], The KingDom [Chiwoo / OT8], VICTON [Hanse / OT7], Ciipher [Keita / OT7], NewKidd [Yunmin / OT7], BDC [OT3], NTX [Hyeongjin & Seongwon / OT10], ASTRO [Cha Eunwoo / OT6], EPEX [OT8], OMEGA X [Xen / OT11], B.I.G [OT4], IRRIS [OT5], 7m!n [OT7], GHOST9 [Prince / OT9], UNIQ [OT5], LUMINOUS [OT4], withus [OT5], DKZ [OT7], 24K [OT5], JUST B [Geonu / OT6], M.O.N.T [OT3], KARD [BM / OT4], TNX [Hyunsoo / OT6], F.able [OT5], MEGAMAX [OT6], EVERGLOW [OT6], TWICE [OT9], TRENDZ [OT7], TEMPEST [Hanbin / OT7], JWiiver [OT7], ATBO [Yeonkyu / OT7], VERIVERY [OT7], SUPERKIND [Saejin / OT7], AIMERS [OT6], XODIAC [Lex / OT9], CSR [OT7], LE SSERAFIM [Hong Eunchae / OT5], Rocking Doll [OT4], NMIXX [Lily / OT7], LOONA [Chuu / OT12], cignature [OT7], Billlie [Tsuki / OT7], THE SUPER FRUIT [Teru / OT7], Girl’s World [OT4], CLASS:y [OT7], IVE [Rei / OT6], NINE.i [Jiho & Minjun / OT10], ONF [U / OT7], tripleS [OT24], INI [Masaya & Fengfan / OT11], SATURDAY [OT5], aespa [OT4], woo!ah! [Nana / OT5], 2PM [OT6], VAV [OT7], ZEROBASEONE [Park Gunwook / OT9], BXB [June / OT5], ILY:1 [OT6], WeNU [Heechan / OT5], DXTEEN [OT6], BOYNEXTDOOR [Woonhak / OT6], The Wind [An Chanwon / OT7], Forestella [OT4], Bunny.T [OT4], PLAVE [Bamby / OT5], TOZ [OT4], 82MAJOR [OT6], NewJeans [OT5], WHIB [OT8], BABYMONSTER [OT6], YOUNG POSSE [OT5]. NEKIRU [OT3], TWS [OT6], POW [OT5], ME:I [OT11], Candy Shop [OT4], ViV [OT5], (G)I-DLE [OT5], I:MOND [OT4], VIVIZ [OT3]

active duets

Poetic Narrator [DOKO], Davichi [Minkyung], MIND U, 415, AKMU [Chanhyuk], High Tension, Kenta • Sanggyun, lilli lilli, MANITO, TMC

soloists

DAWN, Yesung, Jackson Wang, Jeong Sewoon, Jo Kwon, HOLLAND, YooA, Yamada Kento, RAIN, SUNMI, BOYHOOD, Jang Dong Woo, Lee Seung Hyub (J.DON), Ahn Byeong Woong, Kim Yongjin, Lim Young Woong, Beomhan, TAKUWA, Lisa Manoban, Gaho, Lee Chaeyeon, Jo Yuri, Ji Jinseok, Lee Jun Young, Maddox, KUN (Cai Xukun), Guan Yue, XIN Liu, Kim Jion, HELLO GLOOM, Yena, Daniel Jikal

active bands

PURPLE RAIN [OT5], Gift [OT3], IZ [OT4], W24 [OT4], ONEWE [OT5]

pre-debut

DIOS [OT4], JYPE LOUD [Amaru / OT5], Choi Suhwan, Park Jaehoon & Yang Donghwa (THE ORIGIN), Murakami Ouju (B3o1z), OCJ Newbies [OT10], 24kumi [OT5], Ezrela, Taeseon, NXD [OT5], AMYLASE [OT6]

special cases

I-LAND 2020, CIRCLE ‘BLITZ’ [OT5], Super Kids [OT6], Former TO1 [Woonggi / OT4], JN Ent. 2021 BG [OT7], Ten-X [OT4], W.A.O [Donghwa / OT8], Trainee A (2022) [Leo / OT7], INTER GIRLS [OT4]

SBS LOUD [my top 8]

Tanaka Koki

Woo Kyung Jun, Mitsuyuki Amaru, Choi Tae Hun, Lee Gye Hun, Ellery Hyeon Bae, Lee Ye Dam, Lim Kyeong Mun

disbanded

Triple H [E’Dawn / OT3], Girls2000 [Dowon / OT4], ENOi [Laon / OT7], ARGON [Jaeun / OT6], Fallanc [OT4], TFN (T1419) [Kio / OT9], D-CRUNCH [OT9], TO1 (TOO) [OT9], HISTORY [OT5], Wanna One [Daniel / OT11], BUZZ-ER [Yuya / OT7], WIN=W1N [OT4], MY.st [OT5], We1ne [Donghwa / OT5], NU’EST [Minhyun / OT5], PLAY:MOON [OT2], D1CE [Jinyoung / OT5], GWSN [Miya / OT7], GIRLKIND [Medic Jin / OT4], NATURE [OT9], X1 [Dongpyo / OT11], XEED [OT5], THE7 [Opp & Peanut / OT7]

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magalidragon · 3 years

Note

Romantic one-liners

“However many years we have left, I want to spend them all with you.”

Can it be some fluffy angst? 🥺😁

Sooo when I saw this quote I IMMEDIATELY thought of leap of faith universe. 🥺🤭 This is angsty fluff/fluffy angst in the only way I know how....with a happy ending! Enjoy! (?)

(Oh this has a TW for cancer)

Romantic One Liner Prompts

When his mother died, he'd been too young to be in hospital rooms with her for longer than a few moments at a time, the doctors afraid that he'd be bringing in all the germs and general dirtiness that followed around a preteen boy. It had been relatively quick; she fell off her horse and broke her neck and after a few days on a ventilator, his uncle made the sad decision to turn it off, with the knowledge that her organs would go on to help others. It was what Lyanna would have wanted.

All he remembered was entering the room a couple of times, the last time kissing her forehead, whispering he loved her and would miss her, and then being ushered out by his Uncle Benjen. The woman lying there with all the machines and tubes was not his mother, so it was easier for him to process. He'd kissed her goodbye when he had been on the way to school, surrounded by her earthy scent from spending her waking hours with horses in the stable, and the faintest sweetness of winter roses.

Any other time in the hospital as a patient, he had blocked it out, because he hated it so much, but there was one thing he oculd never get rid of when he walked through the doors nad it was that antiseptic coldness. It gave him a headache, forced him back to those days saying goodbye to his mother, to his uncle Ned after his heart attack, and then when he'd been there after his accident, his discharge from the military already stamped the moment he'd coded on the trauma room table Beyond the Wall.

Now, he was not here as a patient or as a visitor, but as a supportive partner. That antiseptic smell was still there, the room cold and sterile, and he maintained his composure, because he had to be strong. He couldn't afford to succumb to his own fears about why they were there or his spiraling thoughts of doom and gloom.

The papery gown crinkled under his light touch, his hand running up and down her cold arm, comforting her as best as he could. He didn't say "it will be fine" because they didn't know if it would be fine. He studied her blank expression, her lavender eyes sunken, dull shadows under them. It had been a long time since he'd seen those shadows.

They'd only been married a year, he thought, glancing at his silver wedding band. He leaned on the edge of the exam table, his arm wrapping around her shoulder, bringing her head to his shoulder. She rested it there, eyelids fluttering closed, her tiny body sagging against his, exhausted.

"What if it's back?" she whispered.

"Then it is back and we deal with it."

She nodded, turning her face into his chest, her hand clutching his shirt. He covered it with his, lifting to kiss her knuckles. "You didn't go through it the first time with me," she murmured. Her eyes clenched shut, tears trickling down her cheeks, wetting his hand when he tilted her chin up so he could gaze down a ther. She sniffed. "I was so sick, Jon. I thought the cure would kill me."

He cocked his head, knowing that all to well form his own accident recovery. "You have me now," he said. They'd talked about this, breifly, when she'd been having the headaches again, when he found her on the floor of their bedroom, sick to her stomach, too dizzy to stand, the pain blinding. She'd called her doctor immediately, scheduled an appointment.

They were waiting on rush lab results now, to determine if she would go down the hallway to get a brain scan. He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, tucking the long strands back over her shoulder. It had grown out since he'd met her, tumbling beautiful over her shoulders, like a silver waterfall.

The motion had her tears falling faster, but she remained silent. "I don't want to shave my head again," she mumbled. "It's stupid, but...I don't want to have to do that again."

"Dany we don't know yet if..." If it's back, he didn't say, the words stuck in his throat. He took a deep breath and moved his arms from her, placing them on her cheeks, her face tilted to his. He wasn't very good with words, he hoped he could explain this to her. "I love you, Daenerys, and I have loved you since the moment you walked into my life and jumped out of a plane with me." He dragged his thumbs over her cheekbones, her forehead furrowed. The motion drew his attention briefly to the thin silver scar that he could see in a part in her hair, from the first surgery she had.

He took a deep breath, his heart hammering into his ribs, swallowing down that fear that he'd almost lost her, but he didn't, because he had her now. And he would have her forever too, she wans't going anywhere. "Dany whatever those results show, I am here with you, forever. For a thousand years and more, like we promised each other before the heart tree and however many years we have left, I want to spend them all with you."

She hiccupped, her hands wrapping around his wrists, smile wavering. "I love you too. So much...but it's a lot..."

"You're my wife," he breathed. He grinned. "My dragon, my partner, and whatever happens I'm here. I'm with you Dany."

She nodded quickly, eyes closing again as he brushed feather kisses over her cheeks, kissing away the tears. Her arms snaked around him, holding tight, and she released a long, shaky breath, mumbling, "I am so lucky I found you."

Me too, he thought, eyes screwed shut, squeezing her close. He had made his peace with the idea that if it was back, he was going to be there for her in everything. It would be better, he thought, because he was here for her. Last time she had been alone. Sure, she had her brothers-- one of whom was an esteemed doctor himself-- along with Missandei, but this was different.

They remained in each other's arms for a long time, until the door opened, her oncologist entering, Dr. Mel a tower of crimson hair and odd robe-like dress with her medical coat. "Good afternoon," she drawled, her accent unique and entracing. She turned her blue eyes to them, smiling serenely. "Daenerys, how lovely, you have found your promised prince."

Dany laughed, wiping her eyes with the heel of her palm. "Um, yes, I suppose I have."

"Lovely. I reviewed your blood tests and I am pleased to tell you upon first look I do not see indicators of a cancer resurgence, however I will do a CT scan to confirm. That being said, there was an anomaly in your bloodwork." Mel smiled again, unblinking, her head cocked. "One I suspect you will be pleased with."

Pleased? Jon barely registered that, because all he heard was Dany's relieved sob, her hand clutching his, her other going to cover her mouth. "Oh! Oh thank you Mel! There's nothing?" She frowned, realizing there was more. "Wait...what...pleased? I don't understand."

Jon didn't either, an arm around her shoulder now, his hand so tight in hers he wondered which one might break the other's first. "Whatever it is," he began, but didn't finished, because Mel spoke over him.

"You're pregnant."

His heart stopped beating, before it lurched into his throat, strangling any sound he might have made. In his arms, Dany cried out, shocked, her hands over her mouth. She dropped them after a second, whispering, incredulous: "Pregnant?"

"Hmm, indeed. I suspect your migraines were the result of fluctuating hormones, the dizziness and the nausea were morning sickness that perhaps carried out throughout the day." She squinted. "Are you still jumping out of planes? That might also have something to do with it, you're dehydrated again."

"But I..." she stuttered, while he was also at a loss for words. She pressed her palm over her belly, breathing. "I wasn't supposed to be able to...after the chemo and...and the radiation..."

"This is a miracle from the Lord of Light," Mel cooed.

Jon thought it more a miracle from his Old Gods, but as Dany believed in neither the Fire God of Mel or the Old Gods of his forest, he said nothing. He wasn't sure how he felt, the knowledge that they were having a baby...he met her gaze, the joy within her formerly sad eyes. "A baby," he whispered.

"A baby," she laughed, beginning to sob, arms clutching him. "I didn't think it was possible!"

"I'll give you both a moment," Mel said, turning and leaving them, door closing quietly behind her.

In his arms, Dany cried, relief and exhaustion and happiness at once. He scrubbed his palm over his face, dropping it to her back, rubbing lightly. She pulled back and lifted up her gown, peering at her flat stomach. "Hello in there," she called, lightly touching her fingertips to her hipbone. "It's Mummy and Papa."

He lightly pressed his hand over hers, touching her belly, and smiled, unable to stop. It was frozen to his face, the dopey grin. "It still stands," he said, a moment later, after they had quietly reflected, fingers joined over her stomach.

"What?"

"However long in this life we have, whether it's just a year or for a thousand of them, I want to spen dit with you." He brushed his lips over her brow, embracin gher, amending it slightly. "With you both."

Dany nodded, touching her fingertips to his cheek. "Me too." She laughed, glancing down at her tote bag. After a second, she climbed from the bed and went to it, pulling out her battered notebook. She flicked to her list, which was all checked off and removed the pen, making a notation at the bottom.

When she left with Mel to go get a CT scan, just to double check, he took a quick look at the note she'd made.

Have a baby dragon.

He picked up the pen and made a simple edit, before folding the book back up and returning it to her tote.

Have Hatch baby dragon dragons.

#jonerys #jonerys au #my fics #my moodboards #jonerys fanfic #jonerys drabbles #tw cancer

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