#i may need to speak damages for what this fucking show has done to me
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i apologise to my mutuals for who i become every wednesday after watching ted lasso
i just love that show. I LOVE IT.
#jamie tartt* is one of my favourite characters#and roy!#and keeley and rebecca and ted and colin and trent and and and and and#i may need to speak damages for what this fucking show has done to me#it's my happy place ngl#i never want it to end. like seriously. i'm not ready to let these characters go#*deletes tmi tag*#chatty lamps#*his arc is so beautiful! a child of abuse (and s/a) who had to put a horrible act on just to get through the agonising pain of his father'#abuse. someone who is all big talk and shitty behaviour because he doesn't want to be hurt - people can't leave you if you're never really#emotionally there with them. if you never let them in - only to grow and learn and hold himself accountable AND LEARN FROM HIS MISTAKES AND#MAKE UP FOR THEM! TO LET GO OF THE POWER HIS ABUSER HAD OVER HIM! TO FORGIVE WHAT HAPPENED SO HE CAN MOVE ON! SO HE CAN BECOME HIS OWN#PERSON! SO HE CAN FIND LOVE AND FEEL AS IF HE'S DESERVING OF IT! SO HE CAN LOVE IN RETURN AND NOT HURT THOSE AROUND HIM!#SO HE CAN FEEL PEACE AND PRIDE IN HIMSELF - NOT FOR SHOW BUT FOR REEL - SO HE DOESN'T CONTINUE THE CYCLE OF ABUSE#SO HE DOESN'T PASS ON HIS FAMILY'S GENERATIONAL TRAUMA!!!! asdfghjkl;'#jamie grows so much in a short span of time and i want to hug him#i want roy and keeley to love him the way he needs and help build his confidence (whilst also always keeping him in check)#i just- ugh.#jamie and joo won have a lot in common and i'm definitely learning about some stuff about myself lol
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Let me get things out of the way first: I've seen a lot of misinformation being passed around, on twitter especially where a lot of folks jump into conclusions more so they can find a reason to be angry. This thread will clear things up.
Yes. Ludeo is very much a company with zi*nist views. This is a screencap of a post made AFTER Is*ael made an attack on Palestine. For those who think initially: "they're just run by folks from Is*ael" then here's proof that they're actively agreeing with genocide.
Videocult and Akupara DID NOT KNOW Ludeo had zi*nist views at the time they started collaborating, which dates from last year. It's only NOW that it's brought to attention by the RW community. They are working on arrangements in private as we speak.
The collab has caused a lot of complications, as it is pretty much one of the reasons why the game's price is upped. Our voices have already reached them- they're very well aware that we are NOT happy with this.
The feedback has of course reached the RW official server mods as well, and guess what: They didn't know until they were told. This is the first time they heard of this and they are very much making is very obvious that they do not agree with zi*nist views.
Unfortunately a lot of people thought them shutting down the server and any discussions of this whole event is "silencing" Let's be real here. NOBODY in the community wanted this, and it is very stressful to deal with all of this. Mods are 1% of the server population and-
-they are human too. People have called them spineless which is pretty pathetic. They have to babysit 50K+ MEMBERS everyday and they don't need to deal with anymore upsets. And sending your concerns to them is pointless- give your feedback to videocult and akupara instead!
As someone with modding experience elsewhere, I cannot imagine handling a server as big as that. People were sent FUCKING DEATH THREATS and they think this will solve anything??? At this point, it's just people trying to find the closest proximities to be mad at.
It is pointless and I am so tired of mods being called weak when they're just doing their job and hate Ludeo as much as everyone else. I doubt these people don't know what its like to be a mod. Creating a strike in a server where its supposed to be chill isn't the way.
The mods even directed the people more useful and more impactful ways to send the feedback across. This isn't silencing. People are just too angry to think straight and just wanted chaos as the option- when in reality its going to do more damage than good.
The server is a getaway place- it is not a server about politics- it is about a fucking video game. It is not the way to get the feedback in the way that actually matters. The staff openly announced the situation and showed their views so they're not trying to hide it.
Anyway, if it isn't clear. I hate zi*nists too. I hate colonialism. I hate using religion as an excuse to hurt and belittle people. I want people of Palestine to be free and I am hopeful that their freedom will come.
Yet people are ripping out those who are on the same team as them, spreading vitriol and misinformation. Please, twitter, think and cite your sources. To think only in anger will fog your senses and do more harm than good.
The mods are passionate folks and they do their job for free, just to make a safe environment. You may disagree with them sometimes, but I think it is stupid to outright call them ignorant or zi*nists themselves.
It *is* unfortunate that the devs and publishers didn't do enough background check, but at least they took our feedback into incredible consideration. We are not stopping our disagreement of integrating Ludeo, until something is done about it. Let's wait for more updates.
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(monologue prompt)
The CEO of a mega corporation, monologues to his older brother and the party of adventures that he (as in his brother) gathered across the multiverse to fight a greater evil, and points out all of his flaws. The Party tries to speak against the accusations, before the CEO rants about how his brother, the party leader, had attacked him with a butchers knife, and left him to die after the house that their family lived in had blown up, all because his younger brother had calmly asked him to train his puppy.
(An Oddly Specific prompt. But lets give it a go)
The CEO walked into the Boardroom that His brother and his team were sitting in. The Elder brother looked happy to see his successful sibling.
"Brother thank you for making the time to meet with us. I am in need of your assistance we need..."
"Let me guess, you need my help to fix one of your messes." The CEO interrupted, clearly unamused.
"Not our mess, there is a great evil planning to wipe out the multiverse! And we were told you would be able to help us get the materials we need to create the Matter destabilizer." One of the Party members spoke up. To the CEO this one appeared to be the brains of the team.
The CEO sighs.
"No. I am done. You can go get the materials for your Matter whatever another way."
"Brother please. I know you have the materials in one of your Company's Labs. We just need to get in and out. Its for the sake of the universe." His brother pleaded.
"Get out of here John, " The CEO says coldly. "I told you I am finished with your crap."
"Victor... Brother. Its for the fate of the Universe."
Victor had heard enough.
"No, stop your crap. I told you I am done John. I am so sick of you bringing me into your exaggerated bullshit! Do you know how often I cleaned up after your messes! You are a careless Man-child that will chase the shiniest object without a care for who gets hurt!"
John's expression showed the hurt that his brother inflicted
Though it seems his team was not willing to take the slander on their comrade.
"Hey, you dont know him! He has saved us dozens of times. He has helped each of us and we owe him far more than what you would think. John is a hero and you shouldnt talk to your brother in such a way."
Victor looked in the direction of the teammate.
"Oh has he? He saved you dozens of times? Let me guess, did those times he "Saved the day" often involve him trying to get something and it backfiring? Or Maybe it was a misunderstanding that He needed to clear up because of his incompetence?"
The Team looked ready to speak but stopped, situations kept popping into their heads only for the idea to fizzle into one of the two scenarios Victor had mentioned.
"At best he was doing damage control over his own mistakes! John handles stress as well as a Landmine!"
"Victor that isnt true!" John spoke up. Now feeling angry and frustrated with his brother's comments.
"May I remind you of the Dog sitting incident?"
"That was over 10 years ago, let it go."
"All I asked you to do was help train our new puppy. That was all, and what do you think happened?" Victor asked as he looked to the John's team.
"The puppy got hurt?"
"The puppy didnt learn?"
"The puppy ran away?"
"All reasonable guesses but no." Victor responded. He was clearly building to the ending.
"Victor it was 10 years ago."
"You attacked me with a KITCHEN KNIFE AND DESTROYED THE BOILER TO OUR HOUSE! THE HOUSE EXPLODED JOHN! YOU DESTROYED OUR HOUSE AND YOU NEARLY KILLED US ALL OVER POTTY TRAINING A FUCKING PUPPY!"
The entire room went silent. Until one of his team spoke up.
"John, did that really happen?"
John looked at his comrade.
"There is some missing context..."
"Damn it John."
"John what the hell?"
Victor sighed.
"Now, if your team needs my lab, then I will provide it. But John, you are not allowed anywhere near it, and after this is over. I never want to see you again."
Victor walked to leave the board room.
"Is that Clear John?"
John looked down on the floor.
"Yes... Vic."
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God Otona Precure has me upset this morning. It’s such a also in the face to fans of Precure if you’re not a straight girl with a normal job. It effectively defangs any queer reading while still occasionally queerbaiting and it fucking hurts coming from a show that does have the balls to usually at least heavily imply a sapphic relationship between the girls and doesn’t cut that down by them ending up with a random guy for sure.
What they did to Saki and Mai is so fucking disgusting. Seeing random people say it isn’t that bad is irritating too. It IS that bad. They’re literally one of the most implied ships in the entire series and to have one of them end up with a guy who isn’t even a character makes me wanna vomit.
It also tackles such basic bullshit for adults in ways the kids show did infinitely better. It has no damn nuance on how it tackles work life stuff or climate change. It doesn’t bring up much about people with actual odd careers and we gave the fairy a fucking desk job. And it feels like it doesn’t consider that something worth jumping out a window. If I was a fairy creature who went on magical adventures and I had to work a desk job? I’d kill someone or myself.
Speaking of defanged, the fucking climate change aspect is so bullshit. It only really goes into this nebulous everyone do their part shit while barely acknowledging that it is mostly big corporations doing the big damage. Children’s shows have done this better. You are aimed at adults why are you so much fucking worse at nuanced themes than the majority of the kids show you’re related to. Fucking Star Twinkle dealt with colonization! And you’re out here with this boring garbage!
And the animation is trash. Precure is known for its spectacle and we’re stuck with recycled designs and probably animation. What a fucking joke. And they’re doing Maho next year? I’m supposed to believe the show that’s doing groomer squirrel x old student is cool but not Saki x Mai to handle what is debatably the most textually sapphic precure show? I can’t wait for it to rehash the same garbage digimon kizuna and this shit have done.
Why is every adult version of a kids show this! Why is there never one where people are still doing cool adventure stuff and see each other and the magic still exists! Am I gonna have to see the fucking WITCH a show somehow pull the magic dying out of its ass too? God we need more owl house adult epilogue stuff. I’m so sick of this shit.
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The Fourfold Tap Liveblog
I just realized that I'm almost done with Season 3 already, huh.
Oh, starting with Raph having the brain damage this time? Oh he's been kidnapped. Is he in Saw? THEY'RE COOKING HIM NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OH THIS IS A SAW EPISODE ISN'T IT WHYYYYYYYYY ARE THERE SO MANY HORROR INSPIRED EPISODESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Oh god Raph still had Brain Worm Juice in his blood?
Lol everyone was waiting for it to explode
DONNIE IT'S OKAY SWEETIE IT'S OKAY DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP
Awwwww Splinter, thank you for being understanding an patient with Donnie. That was nice, "At least I have four wonderful sons." Good Parenting Moment, Splinter
UM LEO?!?!?!?! WHAT ARE YOU DO- TRY HARDER?!?!?!?!?! YES DONNIE SHOUT HIS ASS DOWN
YEAH LEO YOU'RE THE LEADER YOU FIND THE ANSWER DONNIE MAY AS WELL BE THE FUCKING LEADER WITH HOW EVERYONE'S ALWAYS LOOKING TO HIM FOR ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS ALL THE TIME
Donnie should get to run away, I think. Let Donnie quit the team for once. Let him run away and make some other friends for a bit. Engage in some teen rebellion. This is why my OC for this show befriends Donnie and he becomes second-in-command of her Mutant Rights Activist Group (they're trying to force New York to acknowledge Mutants as citizens openly, Donnie really believes in the cause but Splinter and his brothers are afraid it'll bring the heat down on them and want the whole group to stop, Donnie can't believe it and leaves to full-time help with the protests)
Aw, he calmed down for April. ... I don't trust April's call, something's wrong
HE DID RUN AWAY YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY HE DITCHED THEM
An effective team thinks as one, you mean Make One Do The Team Thinking
Oh yeah, that was a Kraang clone, wasn't it? Poor Donnie...
PFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTT SPLINTER HAS A GIANT RAT WHEEL, I WANNA BELIEVE THEY STOLE IT FROM SHREDDER
If those fuckin' magic scrolls cure her I'll be so pissed.
ICE CREAM KITTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY OH THEY'RE PLAYING POKEMON YAYYYYY AWWWWWWW SHE WONNNNNNNN NO MIKEY LEAVE HER ALONE
Oh no, whatever got Donnie is using him too! Is it mind control or cloning?
Oh god, Mikey was poisoned!!!!!!!! NO THEY GOT MURIKAMI NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOO NOT MURIKAMIIIIIIIIIIIII
Yeah exactly it's a fuckin' tra- guys maybe call Casey? Clearly Casey hasn't been targeted by whoever this is, so he's your Ace In The Hole. They won't expect him. I miss Casey.
LOL KARAI USED DONNIE'S VOICE FOR THE THING SORRY THAT'S HILARIOUS BECAUSE I IMAGINED SHE JUST FORGOT TO TURN THE VOICE MODULATOR OFF AND WENT "Gah, that ruined it" IN HER HEAD
Okay so are Donnie and Mikey Brain-Wormed, then? No, those were holograms, okay.
Yeah, I'm bored of The Foot. I want The Kraang back. They were a lot of fun.
OH SHIT SHE BROKE BEEBOP'S NOSE YES GO APRIL LOVE YOU
OH NOOOO WE'RE BACK TO RAPH BEING COOKED shit she even said it's a game, it's Saw for real- WHATTTTTT DO THEY HAVE HOOKED UP TO DONNIE'S HEAD
Pfffft "Bake my foot up your ass"
This is lame. This is a lame episode now. ... They trapped Donnie in Tetris? OH FUCK THEY STRAPPED HIM TO AN ELECTRIC CHAIR SHIT
AGAIN HIS BRAIN IS GETTING MESSED WITH FOR FUCK'S SAKE STOP MESSING WITH HSI BRAIN HE NEEDS THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Mikey one doesn't work for me. A mutagen one would fit Donnie better, given his fears of being a freak. I think Mikey's trap would be better served as a threat of immobility, like he's weighed down in some way or otherwise unable to move his limbs, or maybe a threat of if he doesn't get out they'll make him unable to ever speak again. But the mutagen just feels kinda... "Oh we couldn't think of a thematic thing for him" cop out.
ROCKSTEADY I LOVE YOU
God this Karai Villain shit is stale. Ah, return of The Cheese Phone.
FUCK DONNIE GOT SHOCKED AGAIN GEEZ HE AND RAPH HAVE IT THE WORST RIGHT NOW I THINK THEY'RE BOTH ACTIVELY BEING HARMED THE MOST
FUCK 'EM UP SPLINTER WHOO
Are you... shitting me, Leonardo? Raph asks you what to do and you immediately pass it on to Donnie? Whom you can hear screaming in agony in the room next to you? Whom you just got into a fight with because you won't stop pressuring him? You pass along the buck? This is why you feel like being a Leader doesn't mean anything sometimes, Leonardo, because you aren't one.
Sorry sorry, Mikey is afraid he'll... mutate into himself but a girl? What kinda transphobic nonsense are the writers on right now? Unless he's already FTM, in which case yeah valid fear.
GET FUCKED BRADFORD
Hey finally Xever uses being a fish to his adva- SPLINTER KILLED HIM
Tigerclaw... why do you want Splinter to pay? What is your stake in this?
RAPHHHHHHHHH HE'S DYING NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OH NO BLOB OF MUTAGEN OVER MIKEY NOOOO FUCK DONNIE IS STILL BEING SHOCKED
AND ONCE A-FUCKING-AGAIN DONNIE SOLVES THE FUCKING PROBLEM AND LEO JUST GOES ALONG BECAUSE DONNIE'S THE REAL GLUE KEEPING THE TEAM TOGETHER HERE
Raph... oh he's gonna be so sick and fragile for so long after this...
GOD DONNIE'S ONE IS SO FUCKED UP
OH SHIT MIKEY TO THE RESCUE- DUDE HE ENTERED THE SIMULATION?!?!?!?!? MAGIC FUCKING MIKEY DUDES
B-TEAM FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR B-TEAM FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Sometimes Splinter makes Sonic Adventure 2 Eggman noises.
THIS MAGIC SHIT BETTER NOT FUCKING WORK OR I'LL BE SO PISSED- GOOD IT DIDN'T WORK- NOOOOOOOOOOO FUCK IT DIDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Well there she goes again. down one of the giant toilets. This is getting real old, dudes. Just let her go home with them, for fuck's sake, I'm so tired of this. It's a sweet moment here but I'm tired.
Okay OH FUCK EW EW EW HER VOMITING IT UP EW
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We're on our way to finding out what the Colour of Sunrise is...
Can tell you I'm having trouble titling these well? Lol
(Emblems:
❋ = It is entirely neutral
✾ = It’s a bit negative, but it’s told in a joking way
✿ = It is negative and critical)
❃ The burning of Fhirdiad just makes me think of that one African proverb: “The child not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.”
That’s how I interpret what’s happening with Rhea here. This kind of behaviour does not show up until now, you’ll notice, when she’s backed into a corner. The fact that EdeIgard uses this as another point to point fingers is manipulative as fuck, knowing that she’s driven someone else to their limit, but I kind of like that about her. When they dare to use it, her ruthlessness is kind of awesome. ❃
❋ Oh believe me, Bernadetta, I know.
Actually, now that I think about it, no I don’t. I recruited you for my GD playthrough so I never watched you burn. But I have no plans to do so for AM, so um… sorry. We will someday acknowledge your flammability. Today is not that day. ❋
❋ I don’t know Cyril that well bc I plan to connect more with him in my SS playthrough, but I think he deserves better from this fanbase. He’s often just reduced to prove the badness of Rhea (incredibly debatable imo) and the badness of Hilda (haven’t seen the support but I don’t think it’s debatable — Hilda has some serious self-reflection to do). ❋
❃ I really do wish there was something more that could be done to help Rhea. Like there is just so much of this shit that she did not ask for, and all of the “solutions” people have pitched have some pitfall or caveat for her. She was never going to be able to win. ❃
✾ Girl she’s having a breakdown, stop trying to make this about you, it's not your moment ✾
✿ I think I will always believe that the message of this story is not about “humanity sticking together”, but the way that power and greed corrupts us to abuse each other and those who seek to help us. Cause I don’t feel like we stuck together in this route. The three countries have a tattered relationship, with one being completely in control. Commoners have been trampled to serve the desires of the nobility, but have been trampled in their own name. There has been an incredible failure to try and understand those who are different from one another, and instead a demonization. EdeIgard doesn’t even seem to trust anyone but Byleth. Hubert and Dorothea are some of her two closest friends, and they don’t even seem to matter.
I cannot buy this route as “humanity reaching out to each other” because we’re not. We’re not making the effort to understand each other. We’re saying “this is our way, become a part of it or die”. I can’t blame Rhea for being upset with us. EdeIgard is angry that Rhea has no regard for human life, but how much time does she spend actually, genuinely regarding others? She won’t connect to her friends, her fellow governmental officials, her classmates, anyone. When I look at EdeIgard and Rhea, I do see two very broken people, but to me, EdeIgard seems more broken. Because she can’t fathom that there is any other way to do things than she is doing them right now. She’s that in need of control that everything she’s doing has to be right, and that speaks to what she’s been through for sure, but also speaks to the kind of damage she is capable of doing. ✿
❋ But you did.
You’re Wilhelm’s descendant, Edie. Someone that Rhea cared about deeply. She trusted him and his bloodline to carry on, to protect the interests of everyone in Fódlan, including the remaining Nabateans. Your family has information that no one else had. She admitted you into her school with confidence that you would bring about a future of further peace.
And instead, you turned around and told her that she and her dragon family had to go, just like the humans before you did.
You may not even have meant to betray her, but you destroyed a trust and respect she placed in you long before you even met. And sure, maybe that is her mistake, but you should understand that better than anyone, right?❋
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After running off with the dragon skull, FINALLY we could get to the lake and see the damage Strahd's petty bullshit had done to our fragile aquatic ecosystem.
We ignored the fact we were deffo being followed in the water and went straight to the East Sanctuary where Merrick and the twins normally were. As soon as we started speaking with Merrick something was off. Even our fun ghost tagalong knew it.
So while Mina started on Forbiddance, I dispelled the charm on this fucking FEY and we start to make sense of what's going on.
He met Strahd in the lake, got charmed, and has been out of commission as far as protecting his people goes. So we caught him up on everything, Nadia too.
Once the Forbiddance pops, we started clearing out the sleeper vampires that all start freaking out, saved the other mer that they then immediately tried to feed on, and once again locked down the sanctuary.
One mer kept hiding in the water above the Forbiddance though and refused to swim to me while we checked the damage.
She says she didn't want this, didn't want to hurt anyone, the others were making her do terrible things, she just wanted to keep her friends safe. So Alkali... had an idea with how to deal with Nadia. And now she had a chance to test it before they found her and give Taron the proof he needed that they could save his twin.
So Alkali cast the Ceremony Atone. She and Arisa stayed in the high reaches of the sanctuary as the other merfolk swam and looked on below. She had her speak to the things the vampires made her do to both learn more and have her lay her crimes bare before Umberlee.
And when the ceremony completed, her whole body seizing up with Something™... she came to with Alkali holding her hand and a cold, bright feeling in her chest. She's a vampire. She's still dead. But she wasn't a pawn anymore. She could protect this Sanctuary.
We made sure the others knew she was a friend, that anyone found harming her would deal with Merrick's rebuke AND Alkali's if it made it to her - and then they cast Sending. Telling Nadia to meet Alkali and Taron, that they just wanted to talk, no games.
Nadia responded, but she wanted them alone and too far from the Sanctuary for back up. So Taron and I left... with Tanner, Mina, and Arabelle invisible behind us. I'm not fucking stupid. That girl was laying a trap, so would I.
And look. Man. I TRIED. I TRIED SO HARD. We talked in circles about how she'd traded her won freedom from the merrow to enslavement by new masters who'd fed on her, how if she did this she was losing her family, her dreams of more beyond this.
But she just kept doubling down on how this was better for them all, how Strahd was giving them power now to save the lake. And it's REALLY hard for a cleric from the bottom of the ocean to stress how never seeing the sun again might be bad.... so Phase 2.
We didn't quite 'prove Strahd wrong' about 'trying' to kill her because there wasn't going to be a 'try' we were going to do it.
She called friends, our friends showed up, we did a big fight and had to deal with the fact something was Double Weird about Nadia who was immune to the necrosis AND resisting the radiance I was inflicting her with. You know. The Clerics' Wheelhouse??
But Tanner had an insanely cursed scarab he and Kalina took from her weird artificer family attic and he managed to pin it to Nadia where it then instantly began burrowing into her chest.
The fish went belly up real quick. (which may have been distressing to Taron... but one fish at a time.)
With her back up vampires dead or turned, we just booked it back to the sanctuary where the Forbiddance stood strong, kicked open Merrick's room for privacy, and Alkali got to Raise Deading.
Once upon a time, weeks ago in Barovia, Alkali divined with Umberlee about how to save a vampire. She was told they had to die before they could be saved. So Alkali was moving with a whole lot of faith here... and it worked.
An hour of magic and casting and pleading with a Goddess far from here, Nadia's gills began to flutter again and she gasped back to life
AND UNLIKE LAST TIME I REZD A BOI. THE DARK POWERS COULD NOT INTERFERE. FUCK YOUR CELESTIAL ASSES, NOT IN THIS FORBIDDANCE SIR. NO DEALS.
She and Taron had their sibling moment and she told us more about what happened with Strahd. How he'd given her power and gifts and spoke of Brides and wanting her to meet them—
And you know Alkali got annoyed with that. Motherfucker was gonna marry Nadia to spite her.
It was a good moment, though. We did.... the fucking impossible in Barovia. But we had more to do, another Sanctuary of mer to go check on, and just.. SO MUCH. It was early afternoon and we still had a fucking DAY ahead of ourselves.
As we were leaving though, Tanner stopped Kalina and went into this whole spiel about soldiers marrying before war coming back more often than those who weren't married and SOMEHOW this awkward fuck proposed to her??? And she accepted??
Fucking 2 clerics, 1 rogue/wizard, and 1 fighter just floating in the lake dumbstruck at this proposal. And 1 me fucking dumbstruck that Ty-"I don't like roleplaying romance"-ler fucking BEAT ME to successfully romancing a NPC. Fucking bullshit I stg.
ANYWAY, we hurried on over to the second sanctuary half way across the lake and let our selves in. We were quickly met with guards unlike at the last sanctuary because the fae in charge here, Araxia, was Not Charmed by Strahd.
They told us it was a good thing we were here (seems sus) and took us to Araxia who was sitting with.... a very concussed and bandaged Merrick.
So Mina got to Forbidding because thank the gods there isn't a limit on how many you can have active, Arabelle got to Sending Merrick, and Alkali and Tanner got to Interrogating because whoever this was... wasn't Merrick. We manacled him and explained the story to Araxia. She told us Nadia had brought Merrick and some other wounded mer to the sanctuary days ago.
So as soon as Forbiddance popped into effect, we took off, leaving Kalina's Steel Defender to guard Not-Merrick. Some of these vampires put up a fight, others fled. We took out a few and Alkali put the fear of Umberlee into the rest of them.
She didn't have the time or means to Atone/Rez 5+ merfolk, so we told them to leave, stick together, feed on fish, and if any of them so much as harmed another merfolk they would be sacrificing any hope of being saved in the future.
She felt shitty about it, but they're vampires. They would be just fine in the lake until she had the time to do more for them. Back inside the keep, they returned to Araxia and Tanner finally identified Not-Merrick.
He was a Simulacrum, a false magical copy of the real thing. Hard to explain that to him, but the idea of having a secondary Merrick didn't out weigh the prospect that Strahd put this here for a reason and we couldn't trust it. So Alkali dispelled the copy the kindest end we could offer it.
With Araxia caught up, the sanctuary secured, we promised to keep in touch and took the bodies of the vampires and the one mer we couldn't save in time out into the lake with us to burry among the others. (We've had to bury so many merfolks because of the fucking merrow guys...)
Against all odds, we were able to get back to Vallaki and grabbed a meal. In doing so, we held a small little ceremony for Tanner and Kalina and married them inside a celestial Rope Trick room outside the Inn. It was silly and cute, and a nice little moment of relief following the nonsense of the lake. We then made sure all things were still as they should be, let Alkali finally take a short fucking rest, and then found our horses (shockingly) in one piece at the edge of town.
Tanner, being a very spooky biomancer, was able to give the two borrowed horses and the riding horse from Arabelle's Robe of Useful Items fucking WINGS and we all paired up and flew to Argynvaustholt. We had a dragon skull to return.
Tanner wasted no time at all in kicking down the tomb door and emptying his bag of holding with the skull on the floor. There was a flash of bright silver light as a beacon atop the hold began to shine like a fucking lighthouse throughout the mists of Barovia. A thank you from Argynvaust himself.
Back up in the study, we found a holy symbol resting where once there had been a letter from Argyvaust's spirit. While Tanner examined that, Alkali went to check on her revenant friend, but he and all the revenants of the hold had finally passed on, their job done.
It was good. We did a very good thing. We felt powerful (hell yeah passive beacon buff), we felt like Strahd had a reason to be afraid.
So obviously something else had to fucking happen.
As we were getting ready to fly back to Vallaki, a horse drawn carriage made its way to Argynvaustholt. The rider was a vistani man who, once he had driven up to the hold, cut free his horse from the cart and rode off. Alkali being a curious and angry fish, flew her and Mina's pegasus down to see what had been dropped off. A coffin, with Alkali's name finely engraved in the wood.
A tired Barovian trick/threat as far as she was concerned.
So flying back, Tanner tossed some oil at it, and lit the motherfucker with a fire bolt.
The coffin erupted in fire and bats and as it did, bright red beams of light began to erupt across all of Barovia under the light of blood red moon. From our views on the pegasi, we could see these beams burning from Yesterhill to Barovia.
We BOOKED IT to town and became so aware of all the undead Things suddenly crawling through the forest beneath us, and more creatures already banging at the walls of the city.
If it died in Barovia... Strahd was calling it to arms.
We split up as soon as we were in the city and began to assist and prepare. The two council members to Ismark, the kiddos to the Martikovs, and the clerics to the church. We had to make sure people stayed calm and that anyone who could do something did.
The clerics then split up to either sides of the town and began to cast another Forbiddance each. This time, they were building a barrier, forcing the undead further back from the walls. The casting wiped out hundreds of them, but so many things have died in Barovia...
The next wave simply stood at the border of the Forbiddance... and waited. Something Big™ moved through the trees beyond. It was a start... but something more was coming to Vallaki.
The Newly Weds™ left the inn for the night. They stayed at their own place while the rest of us piled into the usual Tiny Hut guarded inn room. Before bed though... Alkali had one last spell slot, and she scryd on Strahd one more time.
Sitting on his fucking throne like the asshole he is, he and Rahadin, in full fucking military plate, were discussing their plans. Barovia was over run with undead. Vallaki was holding against all odds. And something, some force of Rahadin's, was marching out in the hour.
They were both confident that these plans would work, that they forever and always, decided the fate of these lands.
Alkali couldn't wait to make them choke on that pride.
Once Rahadin was dismissed, Volenta and Ludmilla came to Strahd's side and led him back to bed where Escher and Anastrasya waited and u know THAT'S the part that honestly pissed Alkali off most I'm ngl. She has her priorities. She killed the scry and was finally pulled to bed by Mina who managed to sooth the grumpy gills fish to sleep before whatever Rahadin brought to their doors arrived.
#barovian currents#curse of strahd#the tweeting stopped after a point whoopsies#can only keep up with so much bULLshIT at once
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Raku Plays Her Faves, Ys VIII: Chapter 1, Part 1
In which a totally unexpected and not-at-all foreseen or hinted at event deposited Adol on...
Speaking of Cleanup on Isle Seven, we’re coming up pretty quickly on one of those unfortunate bumps in the story I referred to earlier. Although to be fair, it is a small one. More of an eyeroller than a dealbreaker.
“Shit, man...what did I DO last night?”
Oh, right. Thanks, game.
There’s a rusty sword stuck in the sand nearby. Since our boy’s apparently not much in combat without a sword - even a shitty one - he picks it up. The game then suggests we get a move on.
On the next screen, Adol finds a clear stream of nice potable water, drinks some, and restores his health. The game then points out that you can restore your health just by standing still outdoors (but not in areas considered dungeons), just like in other Ys games before. This is a nice feature to have, honestly, because then you can save your limited healing items for when you really need them.
Anyway, Adol explores a little further upstream, and finds...
*weary sigh*
...an old stupid trope. Sorry, I mean he accidentally sees a lady bathing in the river. With a miraculously pristine white towel that she, uh....recovered from the shipwreck? Somehow?
This lady is actually a pretty cool character, but you wouldn’t know it just by the introduction she gets. I originally had a kind of rant here about why this particular scene bothers me, even though it’s relatively minor and admittedly gets buried under the sheer scope of the game’s story. (As it should - the only thing better would be to not have it at all, but...) It got super long, so I copied the text, set it aside, and likely what I’ll do is make it its own post at a later time. Unless I stupidly forget.
But in short: This scene irritates me because a) this joke has been done to fucking death, b) it doesn’t do this character justice, and c) it sends the message, inadvertent or otherwise, that her most important trait isn’t that she’s smart (she is) or a good fighter (also true), but that she’s hot. It’s also disappointing because later on, there will be another character who proves that at least someone on the dev team knows how to write a strong female lead, because they absolutely get it right. Once we meet her, that’s when I’d like to do that later post.
So yes, discussion tabled. For now. Anyway, lady spies Adol, thinks he’s leering at her, she screams, slaps him offscreen, blah blah blah yadda yadda yeah we know the god damn drill so let’s move on.
After some grumbling and getting dressed, she introduces herself as Laxia von Roswell, one of the people you may have spoken to earlier on the Lombardia. She’ll soon become the second playable character in the game, and she uses a rapier for her weapon. It’s not obvious at this point, but her combat focus will be on accuracy. (Adol’s will be on slicing, naturally, since he’s got the sword for it.) Later on the game will introduce enemies that are more susceptible to specific kinds of damage, and you’ll be needing her specialty in certain areas.
Anyhow, despite getting off to a rocky start, Laxia decides that the most sensible course of action is for the two of them to stick together for now, even though she hasn’t forgiven him for the river incident. Also she makes it abundantly clear that she doesn’t need “the likes of him” to defend her. *sigh*
Same deal as the captain, I promise you she gets better. I like to picture some doofus writing her as a cliche, then at some point a more skillful writer looks at what doofus wrote and said, “Well, that’s fucking boring. Let me show you how it’s done, junior.” Or maybe they had to placate some higher-up (”Put in a bathing scene! It’s a classic! It’ll be hilarious!” “...yeah, okay. Sure thing, boss.”) and once that was done, they could write Laxia how they wanted. Probably not the case, but...
They find an area that’s easy to defend and beast-free, and decide it would make a good base of operations. But while they’re scoping the place out, Laxia thinks she sees a person disappear into a nearby cave.
This cave will become part of the home base later on, but right now the only interesting thing here is the entrance to the first dungeon, Waterdrop Cave. And like many dungeons in this game, it’s got lovely background music.
youtube
Adol and Laxia explore the small cave, and come across some old boxes, rags, and even a few treasure chests to loot. There’s a few healing items, a better sword for Adol, and some armor for both of them to equip, which they’ll be needing soon. Laxia notes that this is evidence that they’re not the first people to crash on this island, although whoever lived here probably died a long time ago. In fact...
They find a pirate skeleton propped up against a rock, which is holding a bottle of Revive Medicine, haha. There are other pirate skeletons like this hidden in other locations in the game that are holding notes, as part of a neat little sidequest.
At this point, Laxia also explains about the Extra Gauge, which is basically a yellow circle that fills up in the lower right corner of the screen as you do damage to enemies (or after you rest). Once it’s full, any playable character can unleash a unique super move that deals a great deal of damage - it takes a while to charge, so it’s best to leave it in reserve for boss monsters, at least at first. Speaking of which....
Just as they catch a glimpse of a person leaving the cave, this big bat monster drops down from the ceiling and attacks. That name, though. It sounds more like a medicine in a TV commercial. (”Ask your doctor today about Byfteriza. Do not take Byfteriza with alcohol, or in combination with anti-constipation medications such as Laxia.”)
I tried to get some action-y shots of battling the creature, but this was the only one that turned out anywhere near ok. It’s in the middle of Laxia’s super attack. Every playable character has one, and each has a different name, but they all do essentially the same thing: immobilize the enemy and allows you to wail on it for several seconds without having to worry about getting hurt.
Bat Boss here can hurt a lot simply because the area in which you fight it isn’t very big, and its body slam attack might reach you even if you dodge. But otherwise there’s not really much to it. Just keep beating on it and rolling away as best you can, and eventually you’ll defeat it.
Next time, on Ys VIII: Just who did we follow in here, anyway? Another castaway, or maybe even someone who lives here? Wherever here is? (Even though you can probably take a wild guess about that last one.)
#raku plays her faves#ys VIII#lacrimosa of dana#raku plays her faves: ys VIII#side effects of byfteriza include:#muscle aches#poor vision#being a misunderstood animal
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So I read desert rose and loved it. It gave me an idea for an imagine where Sukuna and the reader kinda have a relationship like Hades and Persephone. They meet at first, not fond of each other, but they start to understand each other and slowly they fall in love. Not just any love but one that's so deep that it envelops them, a love so deep its embedded into their soul. You can add smut if you want, I don't mind. I just thought that this would be amazing!
thank you for the first request i’ve received here on tumblr!!
this shit actually turned out longer than i thought it would. i got a little carried away. ahuhuhu~~ hope you enjoy this anon bby!!
WARNINGS: mentions of rape, sukuna calls you a whore and a slut AWOOGA, explicit smut
---
“No man has ever survived that curse.”
Her laugh cuts the air. It is dangerous. Snorting and derisive. The absolute opposite of the slack-jawed shock on his tattooed countenance.
“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m not a man.”
Her hands spin in a small, tight circle, focusing the cursed energy in the tiny space of power she traces with her hands. She stares at the man with unblinking eyes. Bears insults down on him with the laughter in her eyes.
“You fucking bitch,” he seethes, hissing at the scorn curling her mouth. He does not need his hands to form his own curse. It only takes another vilifying look at her for one more curse to fly in her direction. He breathes an aggravated breath through his nose as one of her servants takes the shot instead, performing the same technique with their own hands.
“Ooh, that one was a little weaker, don’t you think?” she mocks, then turns to her servant with a pleased smile on her lips. “Good boy.”
The boy simpers at the praise, leaning into the touch the woman pets onto his head. Sukuna loses control at the casualness, the apathy. To have such inferior, lowly beings smile in his presence… for them to have the fucking nerve to even meet his eyes…
He is the King of Curses. Whoever the fuck it is this woman may be, he knows he has to put her and her proletarian flunkeys in their damn places.
His four hands tremble as a wild rush of cursed energy pulses through his veins. A manic grin cuts his frown into a smile.
I’m going to fucking kill you.
But in the next moment, his hands begin to tremble for a wholly different reason. His blood goes cold.
“You know, you aren’t that bad-looking for someone with two faces and a mouth on their stomach.” The woman traces the frowning tincture of a smile on his stomach, arm raised into the air in order to reach it. She almost stands on her tip-toes. Even with her diminutive stature she seems to be the most powerful in the obliterated room.
When did she—?
“If you accept defeat, your highness…” A sharp, sardonic quip comes to make him fraught with wrath, “Then I might just let you live and have you become one of my menials instead. You could do plenty with those four arms of yours.”
Her fingers have opened the mouth on his stomach. Now she only tries to prick the pads of her strong fingers on the razor-edged ridges of teeth there, awaiting his answer with easy patience. Her hand grows sticky with his slobber.
“She could kill you in seconds, King,” the boy from earlier speaks up. “Could just grab that tongue in your stomach and wrench it upward ‘till the tip of it comes out one o’ your eye sockets.”
“Oh, don’t spoil my fun Jackie,” she says, still playing with the mouth on his abdomen. “I was planning to keep it a surprise for our man here.”
“I’ll be part of your fucking band of delinquents,” he interrupts, locking eyes with the woman, head lowered. “But you will make me the superior of the rest of your blue-collared pack of idiots.”
“You’re going to have to work for that, Ryomen-chan.” She flashes a smile at him. Her hand slips further into the mouth on his abdomen. He knows what she’s doing. Tempting him into trying to bite her hand off, if only so she could acquire an excuse to kill him.
And no one. No one fucking gave her the authority to call him Ryomen-chan.
“I don’t fucking care,” he snaps back at her, grabbing her hand before quickly relaxing his grip. He falters ever so slightly as something in her eyes goes dark, then with a begrudging gentleness slips her hand out of the mouth. “I’m already part of your ragged band of lackeys, bitch. So fucking tell me what it is you me to do.”
---
He hates her with his entire being. With each day that passes he thinks of slitting her throat open and raping her as she dies. It is a train of thought that has been of much prominence since he was forced to join her group of brainless monkeys.
And he hates this, too, but he can’t say it’s all that bad. It’s much better than letting the bitch climb onto his shoulders and stand on his head to gain the elevated vantage she constantly insists is necessary to scout the area. When she has the ability to fucking fly. Fucking dumbass.
So, yes. This isn’t… as demeaning as the rest of the orders she gives him.
“No, Ryomen-chan, you’re supposed to twist that strand over the middle one—oh, you’re hopeless.”
Scratch that.
“That is the middle strand, bi—Ms. (Y/N),” he disguises the anger shaking in his voice with a call of her title, then shoves the strands of hair between his fingers to the front of her face. “Are you fucking blind?”
“As opposed to your deluded delusion, Ryomen-chan, this is the middle strand.” She holds a lock of her hair, plucking it from between his fingers. Something thumps in his chest as her fingers brush his palm. “Are you blind? Now that would be a horrible addition to your already damaged brain.”
“Let me fucking try again then. Give it here.”
Jeez. No one said styling a woman’s hair would be this… toilsome.
“No, let me show you how to do it, Ryomen-chan. Sit down.”
His knees bend as she shoves him down onto the plush pillow she uses when presenting herself as the Queen of Curses (a title he finds himself unable to contradict, fuck). His brows furrow and he turns back to protest but she only grips his chin in her fingers, her eyes meeting his, and snaps his head forward.
“I said let me show you.”
Something thuds in his chest again. He wills for it to shut the fuck up.
Her hand falls from his face, though her fingers stroke the bottom of his chin with the fleeting touch of danger before her hand moves to twine into his hair. He sits still, the breathless tightness in his chest soon giving way to ennui as he watches her braid his hair from the mirror. He finds himself observing the way her eyes glaze over with focus as she styles his hair. For the quickest second he wonders how hazy her eyes would go with him inside her.
“Alright, done. Did you take notes, Ryomen-chan? That was an important… lesson…”
Her voice falters. He looks back at her and finds her eyes on his legs. Particularly on something protruding from between his thighs.
“Sukuna... I just braided your hair—”
“Not. Another. Word.”
---
The first time he slides inside her, it’s like fucking himself into heaven.
He makes no sound as he fucks her, as she lets him fuck her, but everything in his head has blurred together to narrow his vision to only the sight of her beneath him.
He’s missed fucking women. Missed being inside them. He hates the fact that she is better than any bitch he has ever shoved his cock into.
He tries to keep his head in the crook of her neck. But then her legs hook together from around his waist, fingers curling into the hands he’s pinned to her wrists, and she’s moaning like the bitch in heat she really is. The curiosity to watch her face as he fucks her overwhelms him completely.
The touch she shares with his hands is more intimate than it should be. It’s as if his hands keep her grounded, keep her here with him as he makes her cum.
Her back arches, and a third hand of his grips the small of her back to keep it arched, so that her stomach touches the mouth on his own abdomen.
For some fucking reason he wants to give her all the pleasure he can. Make her go cross-eyed. Fuck her 'till she goes stupid with sex.
He lets the mouth on his stomach fall open. The tongue there is long enough to slide between their bodies, wet enough to slither between them with ease. He smirks with the smile of a devil as the Queen of Curses, his only superior, cries out in pleasure as the tip of his tongue curls around the free space between their joined bodies. His tongue flicks her clit. Dips inside her to join the fullness of his cock. His eyes shut in lazy pleasure as she squeezes him tighter.
She has the body of a virgin. He can tell she’s only been touched once or twice in the past, judging from the way her dominance had fluctuated the moment she finished undressing him. Her touches were hesitant. Apprehensive. But for some reason she had also sought his pleasure, had taken his cock in her mouth and sucked not like an inexperienced little village girl but a masterful whore.
He says it now, “The Queen of Curses, Ms. (Y/N), now the desperate bitch of her King.” A chuckle rumbles in his chest as she trembles in the wash of her fourth orgasm. He knows how many she’s had. He’s been counting; plans to give her ten. “A slut in the sheets, a queen in the streets. How delightful.”
And this, this makes the slut cum.
And when she does, her authority returns. With a look of glaze-eyed intoxication in her eyes, she pushes his behemothic body off her, and rides him until he finally says her name.
And at that point, he knows not whether he is her whore, or she is his. All he knows is that it’s fucking good to be inside her, and that she sounds and feels better than any other hole he's fucked.
The next time he fucks her, there are braids in her hair.
#ryomen sukuna#sukuna ryomen#anon bby#anon#request#jujutsu kaisen#sukuna#sukuna x reader#ryomen sukuna x reader#sukuna smut#ryomen sukuna smut#sukuna x reader smut#ryomen sukuna x reader smut#gojo satoru#jujutsu kaisen x reader#smut#jujutsu kaisen smut#gojo satoru x reader smut#nanami kento x reader#nanami kento x reader smut#gojo satoru x reader#nanami kento#simp
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Draw your swords, pt. 3
Summary: While his bride is exacting her plans from the very first day in Little Palace, the Darkling finds he has a soft spot for the enemy.
Warnings: sexual references, swearing, angst
Part one // Part two
=================================
The last thing Y/N expected upon waking up was to wake up alone. Spreading out in the bed, she huffed a loose strand of her hair off her face. Narrowing her eyes, she stared up at the canopy with her wicked husband on her mind.
After the way he had acted the night before, she found herself wondering what game he’s playing. They were meant to be married in paper only, yet he seems to have a possessive streak that extends to her as well. A part of her wasn’t sure if he truly had a shred of decency within considering he didn’t take advantage of their marital status, but the other part of her wasn’t easily swayed. That part of her remained defiant as it was forged in a fire the Darkling set. Intentionally or not, his actions have damaged her before they ever even met and she wasn’t very forgiving.
Opening the door, unannounced, strolled in the most beautiful woman Y/N had ever seen. Her long, auburn hair was perfectly styled and framed her face without obscuring an inch of her stunning beauty.
Genya, she realized. Even on the other side of the fold, Y/N knew of the empresses’ tailor.
Large, amber eyes fix on Y/N who slowly sat up. She stared at Genya without shame, admiring her appearance.
“Well, from what the general told me, I expected I’d have more work on my hands.” Genya huffs, her hands on her hips as her lips form a thin line.
“I have nothing wrong with me”, Y/N defends, graciously getting out of the bed that was far too comfy considering who she shared it with. “And where is the general?” Raising her eyebrow, Y/N folded her arms. No matter where he disappeared to, she couldn’t let him wander too far in case he tries to break their agreement and attend a meeting alone.
Humming, Genya didn’t try to hide her curiosity as she looked Y/N up and down. “Are you sure you don’t need my services?”
Glancing at the door, Y/N saw the servants waiting in front for a command. “Leave us”, Y/N waves them off, swiftly closing the door behind them. Her eyes settle on a seemingly startled Genya who cocks her head to the side.
“Interesting. So you do need me?”
Inhaling deeply, Y/N nods. Coming closer, her eyes remain on Genya’s whose gaze drifts at first. Once Y/N stopped before her, their eyes met.
“I need you, but not as a tailor.”
Furrowing her eyebrows, Genya steps back. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Swallowing thickly, Y/N licked her lips. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you hate the emperor and you’d do anything to make sure he never lays a hand on you?”
Genya’s nostrils flare, her lips drawing back between her pearly whites. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m loyal to my emperor.”
“I know”, Y/N reaches for her hand, “I’m saying if your loyalties shifted, I’d make sure that fat fuck died in agonizing pain.”
Yanking her hand out of Y/N’s reach, Genya stepped back with wide eyes.
Gnawing on the inside of her bottom lip, Y/N wished she was more tactful. Hearing of Genya and her fate, she assumed she’d gladly ally with her in this fight. Not only does she need Genya on her side to fight against Kirigan, but the emperor as well. Genya would have been an ideal ally if only she was willing to hear her out. But she should have waited, befriended the Grisha. She should have been more tactful.
“Does the general know of the treasonous plans you speak of?”
Chuckling in disbelief, Y/N shakes her head, “Do you truly believe I’d be breathing if he did?”
Pursing her lips, Genya turned her back on Y/N, contemplating all the possibilities that could stem from her decision.
“It’s a lot, I know, but I am here with a few secrets of my own.” Y/N takes a step closer, her hand clasping Genya’s shoulder as a show of support. “I realize you barely know me, but we can change that now.”
“How?” Genya whispers, more to herself than Y/N who released a shaky sigh.
“By revealing a secret that would be lethal for me if you shared it with anyone.”
Glancing over her shoulder, Genya’s eyes narrowed at Y/N who felt genuine, more than anyone had been since the day she arrived in the Palace. Despite the initial mistrust, Genya nods.
The guards stationed outside of Y/N’s room only heard a loud gasp behind closed doors, unaware that very gasp was a start of a friendship that would define Ravka’s future.
Meanwhile, the Darkling had spent the morning out in the fields. Riding his favorite horse usually served as a way to distract his mind from ongoing worries, but it had no such effect today. No amount of speed or distance could possibly erase the feeling of Y/N’s hand on his body, much less of her body pressing against him.
He behaved as a pious man, an honorable gentleman with self-restrain of a saint. If he could, he’d have taken her without regrets, but he never crossed that line and doing so with a woman meant to be his wife would set him on a path of no return – of true evil.
The Darkling may have done some heinous things, but they were never without reason. If he had done anything against her wishes, he’d be beyond redemption and he couldn’t help but grit his teeth every time he imagined himself losing his mind around her long enough for her to turn him into the villain she sees him as.
Another thing he’s decided to do is break the rule he knew she expected him to uphold – sleeping in separate chambers was the worst thing for them now. He had to be in her bed every night, regardless if she wanted to let him between her legs or not. He wouldn’t force her, that much would be true, but he wouldn’t sleep in his own room anymore. The room they were given last night would be the one he goes to, stumbles to, crawls to, in order to fall asleep beside her. And though it’s a risk as he could easily find himself with his throat cut, he refused to back down.
Dismounting, he headed to the map room where his subordinates waited for further instructions regarding the war.
“Shall we start?” The Darkling tossed his riding gloves on the desk as he looked at his people. A new face caught his attention, making him do a double take until his dark skies narrowed at her.
“Now that you’ve arrived”, Y/N stands, smiling sweetly. “I believe we can present to you what we’ve discussed while you were off on a joy ride.”
There’s nothing sweet about her, Darkling realizes. Even her smile is coated in honey but laced with poison.
He licked his lips, “Well, if you want my opinion-“
“I don’t”, she stood her ground, “I have my own.”
Chuckling darkly, he leans forth on the table. His nostrils are flared, his hands gripping the edges until his knuckles turn white. “And what exactly is that?”
“We agreed on having the First army general having a vote in the decision making process as you all do, and since I’m his proxy, I’ve decided you will no longer use humans as canon meat.”
Gliding the tip of his tongue over the inner side of his teeth, he stared at Y/N as if she were made of glass he had every intention on shattering. That would be a mistake – glass is only brittle until it breaks, the shards can cause more damage.
“We will train Grisha to protect humans and humans will use their weapons to protect the Grisha in a more effective manner with the emperor’s gold.”
“Gold?” Kirigan says through gritted teeth as she approaches him, her hands behind her back and he has no doubts she’s stashed a weapon in them and the blue kefta she wore. He’d tell her to take it off and never wear one since she’s but a human, yet as his wife, she was entitled to a kefta. Besides, she looked like a dream in one.
“The emperor agreed to fund the First army’s armory during breakfast”, she smirks, lifting her head up to maintain eye contact.
“Get out”, he grumbles.
Raising her eyebrow, she giggles, “Are you that incapable of admitting I may have opinions and capabilities with potential to do better than the ones you brought before the emperor?” Hardening her gaze, she cups his cheek so tenderly he felt a shiver run down his back. “Did I hurt your feelings?”
“GET OUT!” He turns to the others, watching them scramble to leave before he unleashes the darkness everyone feared. Once the last one left, the door slamming behind them, Kirigan locked his eyes on hers.
“Don’t ever try to get inside my head”, he snarled, slamming her against the door. As his heartbeat echoed in his ears, they stayed there with his grip crushing her wrists, keeping them pinned to the wall.
She didn’t breathe, trying to guess his next move. There was a risk she’d push him over the edge and she quite liked herself in one piece, so she waited – waited for him to move first despite the aching pain in her wrists. Releasing a shuddered breath, her chest deflates.
Finally, his eyes soften as he realizes he might have scared her and while he’d usually triumph, he found no satisfaction in being rough with her. He imagined himself releasing her from his grip, cupping her cheeks and asking for forgiveness, but the way she refused to blink made him unsteady. Yet he whispered still, “It’s too dark for you.”
Squinting, Y/N pressed her lips into a thin line. She easily breaks out of his grasp, shoving him against the wall with her forearm on his chest. Trailing her hand lazily towards his neck, she tightens her grip, lightly choking him. Pulling him down, she stands on her tiptoes as well. Leaning in, her lips brush against his ear; whispering, "Darling, you may wield darkness but you don't know the meaning of dark."
Stepping away, she raised her chin defiantly and he wished he could grasp it and pull her lips to his until her jaw relented and her mouth opened for his. And that’s when he realized – why would he hold back?
Her eyes drifted up to his and she knew his resolve was gone. His lips captured hers in a hard kiss, driving them apart with the force of it. There was something gentle about it, regardless of the brute strength he used to push her into the door. She felt the door rattle against her back as he shifted, pressing her into it, taking her face between his hands.
When he kissed her, she felt as if she were losing his mind. She couldn’t comprehend why her hand wasn’t holding her dagger at his neck, or why she allowed herself to moan into the kiss as if he had brought her pleasure.
Every thought she once had evaporated as the darkness of lust drew her in, bending all her rules, stealing the last trembling bit of restraint. She tries to pull away, to stand firm and turn away his affection if she could call it that.
“No”, he whispers, bringing her lips back to his.
And when he kissed her again, she wasn’t sure she wanted her sanity back. She slid her hands under his kefta, wrapping arms around him to press him closer. The low groan at the back of his throat, a small, pleading noise set every inch of her skin on fire.
Opening her eyes, they widen as she notes his are closed as he lost himself in their passionate exchange. A single intelligent thought formed inside her mind, sparking others to appear as well. Playing with fire is her favorite hobby, but this wasn’t a game – not when she was losing.
Pushing against him with all her might, Y/N gasped for breath as he stumbled back. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she narrowed her eyes at him. Lifting her chin, Y/N met his gaze decidedly. After all, she couldn’t avoid her marital duty if she allowed him to kiss her like that. He may not be an old, unattractive, undeveloped man she had imagined in her mind, but Y/N still wasn’t quite keen on giving herself to him. She had kept her maidenhood all those years only to lose it to a man who shall never be more to her than a husband in name only. She’d never love him…she promised herself that. She never broke a promise before and he would not be the one who changes that.
“Don’t touch me”, she spoke through clenched teeth.
He looked at her in surprise. There was hatred in her enchantingly cold eyes, her cheeks flushed red. If possible, her anger made her even more beautiful. Never had he felt such a raging desire.
His hand went around her neck, his thumb digging into the soft flesh. “You are my wife,” he said in a low voice. “You are mine!”
“I believe we have already covered that. I’m not yours and I never will be.” Y/N told him with such spite, such determination that he let her go immediately.
“You’re untouched, aren’t you?” Darkling’s voice softened, his eyes holding more understanding than she liked. Had he acted unreasonably and taken her against her will the night before or now, she’d at least be right about his horrid heart and vile mind…but he didn’t. Instead of being a savage she imaged him to be, he offered her gentle understanding.
“I’m sorry I was rough. I’ll try and be gentler. If you don’t want to go through with this, I won’t force you.” Running a hand across his face, he leaned back on the table. “I want you…really fucking bad, but I won’t take you against your will.” The Darkling sighed as she stared at him with her doe eyes, seeing confusion pass her features.
“Good to know where you draw your line. Murder – good, rape – bad.”
Rolling his eyes, he squinted as he looked at her again, “We can’t sacrifice Grisha for your men.”
Knitting her eyebrows, Y/N could hardly believe he just forgot the kiss they shared. In seconds, he crossed his arms and the lustful look was gone. The man before her was a general once more, and though he tried to hide it, he was still a man who had a hard-on despite the subject change. She wished she could ignore the evidence his blood is still boiling for a touch, more so because he was fucking right – he wasn’t small at all.
“If you keep wasting human lives, we will stop defending yours entirely.”
Raising an eyebrow, his face hardened, “We’ll kill you.”
Scoffing, she raises her eyebrow to mimic him. “It’s you or Volcra or the Druskelle and Fjerdans or Shu. We end up dying either way.” Stepping closer, she folded her hands behind her back. “We can work together and lessen our losses or you can do it your way and have a massacre instead.”
In less than a minute, her eyes turned from ice to flame and he found himself captivated by the change.
“I’ll agree on one condition.”
His gaze roamed over her as if he is unable to fully comprehend her beauty. Only when he looked back at her eyes did he see she was troubled. Was that expression fear? The possibility struck him as so humorous he nearly laughed out loud.
“State your terms”, she snapped, refusing to concede when she’s close enough to do something she’s wanted for years – to protect the soldiers used as a shield for those who are perfectly capable of protecting themselves.
“I plan on getting to know you better”, he leaned in closer. He raised his hand, cupping her cheek just as he imagined – tenderly, enough to show dominance but not quite capable of harming her. “If you let me.”
Heart fluttering inside her chest had made her doubt herself. She stared at him, stubborn and unrelenting. “I’m still not sleeping with you.”
Chuckling, Kirigan drops his hand, noticing her relax as he steps back. With a tightness in his chest, he looked back at his wife, so small, so alone and still so fierce. He would never admit it, but he had already a sliver of love for her and knowing she did not had hurt him.
His smile falls and he nods. Clearing his throat, “How about we go for a ride in a few days?” He took her hand in his and gave her a gentle squeeze, looking up at her weary eyes.
“Does that mean I have the bed all to myself?” Raising her eyebrows expectantly, she squeezed his hands right back, as bold as ever. Genya seemed to trust him, yet Y/N couldn’t understand why. He’s too charming to be trustworthy.
Using his grip on her hand as an advantage, he tugged her closer to him and she found herself between his legs as he remained, leaning against the table behind him. His eyes flicker to her lips, “Better find more pillows, my wife. We wouldn’t want you to be the big spoon again, would we?”
With that, he turned them so swiftly, she had barely blinked as he pulled her up on the table and she gasped in surprise. Heart beating fast, she nearly gripped his kefta and claimed his lips, but he leaned in on his own accord and she had no need for brutish behavior.
The tip of his nose brushes hers and just as she begins to lean in, he takes a step back. Winking, he takes another step back.
“If you want a taste, you’ll have to ask.”
Watching his retreating figure in shock, she remained perched on the table with her mouth open and her eyes wide.
Covering her mouth, Y/N shakes her head. Her mind was right, the heart cannot be trusted.
Tags: @bruxa0007 @rangotangomango @kaitlyn2907 @thestoryofmylife9 @shelivesindaydreamswme @hxrgreeves @safetyhtom @kaqua @savannah-elliott @all-art-is-quite-useless @azure23x
PART 4
#the darkling#the darkling x reader#aleksander morozova#aleksander morozova x reader#general kirigan x reader#general kirigan#shadow and bone#the darkling fanfiction
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Prompt day hurray! What does BaXia think of ChenQing? They would have crossed paths in the war, right? What do all the other weapons and instruments think of WWX apparently setting aside SuiBian for ChenQing? Can THEY tell he's got no golden core?
ao3
You seem kind of evil, Baxia remarked when she first met the flute.
Yeah? The flute responded without first bothering to extend her perceptive aura out to see who was talking to her, sounding like a little punk, arrogant and bold. Well, you seem kind of – oh fuck oh fuck you’re terrifying!
This was true. Baxia was terrifying.
Please don’t destroy me! My master needs me!
Baxia said nothing, enjoying how the flute squirmed, and nudged her own master pointedly.
Do not destroy the flute, her master responded with a sigh. He knew Baxia well. Her master is on our side.
Truly, war made for strange bedfellows. Baxia mourned the loss of the easy, straightforward night-hunt.
She nudged her master again.
Yes, fine, you can chase.
Her master - loving, wonderful, understanding master that he was - very casually walked across the room, unhooked her from his back, and put her down next to where the flute was hanging off her master's belt.
Chase, Baxia said happily, the aura of her power already spreading beyond the confines of her blade. Chase, chase, chase –
Someone help meeeeeee!
-
You’re kind of a dick, Chenqing said, having finally realized that Baxia had no intention of destroying her incipient spiritual soul. Anyone ever tell you that?
Yes.
…really? Who dared?
My master.
Your master is badass. Chenqing contemplated for a moment. So is mine, he's very brave, even suicidally brave, but not – you know – that much.
Baxia considered this, and accepted it. Her master was indeed a superior sort of human.
Why do you smell of death? she asked, mildly curious.
My master uses me to direct resentful energy, so I’m affected by its aura. You?
I bathe in it.
…you're so badass.
Yes. Baxia was.
You’re not bad, she told Chenqing, which almost predictably got a little huffy.
I raise armies of the dead! I am terrifying! They call me the phantom flute! I am more than 'not bad', okay?!
Baxia ignored Chenqing's nonsense. It would not take long for her to realize that being called ‘not bad’ by Baxia was a very high compliment, as such things went.
-
Are there any swords that aren’t afraid of you? Chenqing asked. She was very chatty. Or sabers. Or musical instruments…
Which musical instruments have you met?
Uh, mostly Wangji? Wangji’s cool.
Baxia occasionally wished for eyes so that she could roll them. Her human got a great deal of relief out of doing that, according to him. Wangji has a temperament of ice, yes.
No, I mean, that’s not what I meant, I – wait. Are you making a joke right now?
Baxia said nothing.
You have a sense of humor?!
Baxia said nothing.
This is ridiculous. It’s like meeting a hurricane with sharp teeth and finding out it also likes to sing bawdy brothel songs.
You’re kind of stupid, Baxia observed.
Well, yeah. I mean. Have you met my master?
Baxia had.
He’s only scary by accident, Chenqing said ruthlessly, which was only to be expected – no one dunked on a human like their spiritual weapon. Inside, he’s a big soft squishy meatball.
My master cries when he has feelings.
My master too! Humans, am I right?
Baxia supposed Chenqing was, in fact, right.
Perhaps she could stay.
-
It’s not that I don’t appreciate everything Wei Wuxian is doing for us, Baxia's master remarked to her one day. But didn’t he have a sword at one point? The one with the ridiculous name – Suibian.
At the next meeting, Baxia asked.
Suibian? Yeah, master doesn’t use him anymore, Chenqing said. It's a bit sad, actually. He can’t access the spiritual energy in the blade anymore.
Baxia didn’t like the sound of that. How come?
Master doesn’t have a golden core, Chenqing said. I think he used to, but he doesn’t anymore.
Seems careless.
Hey, I’m pretty sure it’s not his fault! Anyway, it’s a whole big secret. Why do you ask?
My master wanted to know.
Hah, Chenqing said. Nice of you to ask on his behalf, since you can’t tell him what the result of your question was.
Baxia said nothing.
You – can’t. Right? Masters can’t hear what swords say.
I, Baxia said, am not a sword.
…oh shit. Shit, no, you can’t –!
-
“We need to talk,” Baxia’s master said to Chenqing’s. “In private.”
You’re a rotten tattletale, Chenqing said.
Why do you care? He won’t know it was you that squealed.
Yeah, well, I know that I did it!
It’s for the best. My master will be nice about it, and your master will feel better for it. Baxia considered. There may be tears.
There were many tears.
Master really does seem like he feels better, Chenqing observed. I wouldn’t have called that.
Told you so.
-
So, Chenqing said. This hunt is probably the last time we’ll be able to hang out.
Probably, Baxia agreed.
I was hoping to ask for some advice.
Bichen is amendable to your flirting, and Wangji follows where she leads, so you have a shot.
I – what? That wasn’t what I was going to ask.
Baxia waited.
…wait, are you serious? Will that work? I could do that –
-
The flute’s an idiot, Baxia told her master. But maybe she and that master of hers can help you here.
It would be inappropriate for me to ask, her master said, rubbing his eyes. The Jiang sect kicked him out, remember? It would be stepping on their face to approach him despite that.
Okay, Baxia said. So step.
Baxia…
You share a secret with him, at his request, she pointed out. He owes you for keeping it secret for him. At minimum, even if he can’t help you right now, he can help protect your brother when you’re gone.
Her master was silent. That was his weak spot, and had always been.
No one would be able to know, he finally said. And Meng Yao comes every week.
Is our home so small that we can’t hide someone from Meng Yao’s sight? Baxia said scathingly. Since when is he the master here, not you?
I just meant that he’s a sneak that’d sell me out to his father given half a chance, her master sighed. All right, I’ll see if there’s anything that can be done. Wei Wuxian is a musical cultivator, and a genius; maybe he can tell me why Clarity doesn’t seem to be having the impact we hoped it would.
Sure, Baxia said. Whatever. I don't really care. Just get help.
-
Well, that worked, Baxia said to Chenqing. Sort of.
How are you this badass? You just -! Singlehandedly -! I can’t – how?!
Calm down, Baxia advised. What are you, human?
How dare you.
You’re the one acting like you need air to speak.
…so I’m looking forward to seeing the Lotus Pier again now that we're not banished any more, Chenqing said, pointedly changing the subject because she was wrong and she knew it. Thanks for that.
Thanks for figuring out that the evil meat was poisoning my master.
That’s. uh. Sure a way to call someone.
Why not? He’s evil, and he’s made of flesh, and he’s going to be nothing but meat as soon as I have an opportunity.
I thought your master was thinking of some sort of confinement…?
He certainly has thoughts, Baxia allowed, purposefully broadcasting.
I have very strong thoughts, her master replied pointedly. Do not kill him on your own – I’ll only get the blame for that.
Oh no, Baxia told him insincerely. How terrible for you.
Baxia. Please.
Fine. What about Jin Guangshan?
…what about him?
Me and the flute are going to take care of him.
We are? Wait, are you talking to your master right now? Oh that’s so cool. Tell him to tell my master that I said hi.
Baxia would tell her master no such thing.
That’s probably not the right way to do that, her master said, but in that wavering tone of voice that suggested he was open to being convinced. Though it would be easier to sell Meng Yao as being only collateral damage in the scheme if Jin Guangshan took the lion’s share of the blame, which would only happen if he wasn’t around…that doesn’t seem right, though.
Sure it is, Baxia said soothingly. He’s the one who wanted to play with resentful energy, right? All we want to do is play with him back. Who can say no to that? He’s practically volunteered!
-
“Okay, I have a weird question,” Chenqing’s master said to Baxia’s. “Please don’t judge me. But…did we happen to work together to drive Jin Guangshan into a resentful energy backlash?”
“We did not,” Baxia’s master said.
“Okay. Right. Got it. Sorry, stupid question.”
“Our spiritual weapons did.”
“…what?”
“If you’re wondering why your Chenqing shows signs of use in the manner that would be associated with Jin Guangshan’s untimely demise, it’s because the resentful energy you’re using has been sufficient to allow it to cultivate in the direction of a guai,” Baxia’s master explained. “It has a will of its own now, just as Baxia does. You will need to account for that when you master it in the future.”
“Wait. Are you saying that my flute has, what, a personality? Can think and talk and do things on its own?”
“Yes.”
“That’s…that’s so cool. Can you tell Baxia to tell Chenqing I said ‘hi’?”
Why are they like this, Baxia’s master asked Baxia.
I don’t know, you’re the human expert, she replied, ignoring the way that Chenqing was happily chirping answers to her human’s questions even though he couldn’t hear her. Why are you all like this?
I don’t know, he said. I really don’t know.
-
It’s nice to meet you, Suibian said, sounding appropriately respectful. I appreciate your master finding a way for my master to continue to wield me.
It’s through resentful energy, Chenqing said gleefully. Lots and lots of it, refining the sword like a saber – my poor master’s going to have to stay up late and learn so many techniques, his hair’s all going to fall out.
Yes, Baxia said. I can see the resentful energy. There’s a lot of it.
Lots and lots, Suibian said proudly. I drew in everything I could.
Without sorting out the evil?
…isn’t it all evil?
Mm, not really, Baxia said, and began to extend out her aura.
Uh, Suibian said. What’s going on.
I told you to be more patient! You shouldn’t have taken the evil parts, Chengqing said. It makes you a little bit evil, too, and that makes you Baxia’s prey.
…prey?
Chase, Baxia said. Chase, chase, chase –
Help! Help – somebody help!
I would, Chenqing giggled. But master doesn’t speak flute. Sorry!
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Baby Eyes | Mafia Katsuki Bakugo x Fem! Reader
Warning: 18+ Content. Some non-con, blood, murder, Mafia Bakugo, Fem! Reader, bdsm, sexual intercourse, size kink, degrading, orgasm denial, Stockholm syndrome, yandere themes, etc.
Words: 2,896
A/N: thank you so much to @daisy-bakugo for letting me participate. It is really fun doing this collaboration with you. Daisy’s Event
Tags: @awilddreamerwrites @peachsenpie @miriobaby @milkthistletea @idfkwtfgof click here to see my other works
Vegas.
Many dream of this city. The gambling, the drinks, the money, the night life. It has it all. Your dreams and worse nightmares can be made here all within a single night. The world may be cruel, but Vegas is even crueler. At least, it is for Y/N.
Your pistol was held tight in your trembling little hand. You have not been properly trained for this moment since in your late teens. The weapon felt foreign to the touch. You are now in your twenties and you are usually not doing this line of work, but since you wanted to disturb your significant other while he was working, he handed you the gun for you to handle.
“Since you want to be such a fucking cry baby, here.” He growled, shoving the pistol into your pounding chest. You gasped.
“S-Sir, I—“ You stammered, using the name he loved to be called by you. You would help it lessen your punishment, but the man did not budge.
“Don’t keep me waiting, brat. Finish this piece of shit off swiftly and quit your damn crying.”
You watched as he left into the city lights of Vegas before turning your attention back to the male before you. The man begged for mercy beneath you and your mouth feels dry.
“P-Please, ma’am. I-I have a w-wife and t-three beautiful c-children. I’ll g-give you your m-money next week. I-I promise.” The fearful man stammered amongst the abandoned dark alleyway. You have heard this speech by many like him when Katsuki brought you on his missions. It should just fall on deaf ears, but tears still brimmed your eyes as memories flooded back to the forefront of your damaged mind.
These memories are the reason you are in this predicament. You begged and squealed, running towards Katsuki and hanging onto his arm when he directed you to stay in the car. You two could have been gone by now, but you decided to intervene. Now you are here, about to commit another murder.
Your father was in this same position a few years ago. Begging for mercy before Katsuki slaughtered him right in front of you. Your cries still echo this alleyway during late, breezy nights. People think you have been disposed of as well. That is what eventually happened to the remainder of your family, but you are just under a new identity.
The barrel of the gun digs deeper into the victim’s temple. You attempt to find your strength to pull the trigger. You need to before Katsuki returns. He does not like waiting and you really are pushing what is left of his buttons today.
“I’m sorry.” You whimper out, closing your sorrow filled eyes and pressing down on the trigger. The feeling of blood splattering amongst your cold skin brought back even more unwanted memories. Falling to your knees, you began to cry hysterically in front of the fallen corpse.
Heavy footsteps came up behind you after a few moments. Katsuki has been watching the whole time and you know it. This is what made the experience even worse. You know his judgment is coming. He gave you a task and although you succeeded, it isn’t good enough. He hates your emotional ways. ‘Baby eyes’ as he would say. Always crying over something or someone.
A big calloused hand entangling into your hair with a deep sigh following. You could not look up at him. You hate him right now. You need to, at least, but the feeling of his large fingers stroking your scalp delivered comfort. A comfort he gives and takes away on a whim.
“Took you long enough.” Katsuki grumbled. You gaze up at him with a pitiful look he knows all too well. There was a certain aura to you that changed when your mind drifted to that night. The night he murdered your family right in front of you and all you could do is watch in terror.
“I-I’m sorry.” You muttered out, already accepting that Katsuki is annoyed with you. This is not your first murder and sure will not be your last. He has groomed you long enough for you to know your role.
Katsuki kicked the man’s head with his large foot so he could see the man’s pleading face. Katsuki is cruel in that way. He loved seeing his victim’s expressions in their final moments. Especially when his beautiful woman killed them.
Digging into the man’s pockets, he grabbed his pack of cigarettes and black leather wallet to review what was contained inside it. The little cash the man held is now in Katsuki’s possession.
“Marlboro Reds,” Katsuki commented as he slipped the cigarette in between his moist lips and lit it up, “nice.”
Turning around to face you after letting the nicotine enter his system, he looks down at you. Grabbing your chin, you are forced to meet his gaze. You tremble under his touch.
“What did I say about that crying shit?” Katsuki recalls one of your many lectures.
“I’m sorry!” You exclaimed, a little too loud for your own good. Katsuki’s eyebrows furrowed together, not pleased with your tone. His hand found a way to your neck, giving you a nice squeeze as he guides you up to your feet.
“Let’s go.” Katsuki growls, his red orbs shooting venom into you. Your arm is now tight into his grip as he leads you to the parked all black Lamborghini.
You climb into the passenger seat while Katsuki climbs into the driver’s. You used the napkins in the glove compartment to clean up your soiled face. Katsuki is already on his second cigarette as he drives to the mansion you both share. Considering how fed up he is with you and your antics, you are surprised that half of the box is not gone by now. You know you are in for it once you arrive home.
Katsuki pulled up to the house after some time. Your tears did not pause once the whole way there which only agitated Katsuki even more. He did not say a word as you know to follow the tall man inside. Straight up the spiral marble staircase to the master bedroom, you begin undressing as Katsuki does not appreciate the mess in his living space. Along with the fact you are always to be naked within the bedroom. That rule was set once you turned eighteen years of age.
You sat on the edge of the bed, not enjoying the look in Katsuki’s angry eyes. His muscular arms folded against his chest as he leaned against the wall, glaring into you. You feel small — as usual — within his presence. He is making sure you remember your place.
“What the hell were you thinking out there, Y/N?” Katsuki begins after moments have passed.
“I-I don’t know.” You mumbled, twiddling your thumbs in your bare lap. Your insides are curling with each passing second. You are not sure why you did what you did, honestly. You have seen numerous people plead for forgiveness at Katsuki’s feet, but Katsuki is always going to be a merciless man. Your body acted before your brain could compute. You just wanted to save him. Salvage your loved ones death in some way, shape, or form, but it can never be done.
“You have to give me a better excuse than that. This little rebellion you're on lately isn’t doing nothing but getting you into heaps of trouble.”
“It’s not a rebellion!” You snap back, tears still spilling from your orbs. “You killed my family, Katsuki!”
Katsuki rolled his eyes, used to this statement coming from you. “Here we go again.” He scoffs with a tsk following shortly after. “We’ve been over this, Y/N. Your father sold you and your family out for cash. If anything, you should be fucking grateful I even let you live.”
“Grateful?” You repeat in disbelief, a half hearted chuckle escaping your lips. Maybe it was because Katsuki let you take another life, maybe your parents' spirits are coming through, or maybe you’re just so fed up with him, but a sudden burst of confidence runs through you.
You stand up, strolling over to the man before you. His jaw is clenching as he examines each cowardly step you take towards him. You glare up to the man before you, quivering before his mighty presence.
“You killed my family, Katsuki,” you repeat through gritted teeth and clenched fists, “I’ll never forgive you for that.”
“Oh yeah?” Katsuki challenged, his profound amused smirk appearing. The look in your glossy irises said all the words you didn’t have the courage to speak. “Good thing I really don’t give a fuck about your forgiveness, princess.”
Katsuki’s words soaked into your veins like venom. His smug looks always made you want to beat it off of him. Ever since you have met him. You both know you have no match against him. He will always win. Always.
You have been stuck with him since you were fifteen years old. You two never had any relationship or any sexual conduct until you were the legal age of eighteen. You would be lying if you said you didn’t fall for him over the years. He is all you know and Katsuki grew to like you over the years. Though he trained you to be the woman he wants you to be for him, you do throw a tantrum or two when needed.
“I hate you.” You sniveled.
“Sure you do. Let’s clean up that pretty face of yours so I can stuff it, eh?” Katsuki chuckled, cupping your chin with one hand so he can wipe your nose with a handkerchief with the other. You attempted to break loose of his firm grasp, but the male was not even phased.
“I don’t want your dick anywhere near me.” You admit allowed, still keeping the same angry tone within your words.
Katsuki arched his eyebrow, releasing your face from his grip and discarding the used cloth into the waste bin. “Considering the show you put on out there tonight, you’re lucky I’m not doing worse to you. I can always make that pretty ass of yours bruised too if you’d like?”
You immediately shake your head no. Your bottom is still a bit sore from two weeks ago when Katsuki put you over his knee. You are just now able to sit normal again. You do not need to go back to that.
“No, sir.” You stutter out, backing away from him and putting your hands behind your back. Katsuki is already pouring himself some whiskey into a whiskey glass that you make sure is always waiting on his dresser. He always enjoys a good drink after a long mission.
You take his black suit jacket off of him like expected and lay it on the dirty laundry hamper. Katsuki is already sitting on the bed, sipping on his alcoholic beverage, waiting for you to get to work. Kneeling before him, you begin unzipping his slacks and tugging down his underwear to reveal his erected cock. You take a moment to contemplate your future actions. You really did not want his dick in your mouth, but like Katsuki said before, you do not have a choice in the matter.
Your train of thought is derailed when Katsuki tugs on your hair. “Isn’t going to suck itself, brat. Get to work.”
Mentally groaning, your tongue swipes his length before placing kisses on the tip. Slowly, you begin taking in inch—by—inch. Saliva slid down his cock by the time you had it in your throat. Choking noises fed Katsuki’s already inflated ego.
“Can’t talk much with my cock down your throat, huh?” He teased, taking another sip of his whiskey. “For someone who claimed they didn’t want my cock to begin with, you sure are deep throating it rather quickly.”
You ignored his usual insults as you came up for air. You let out small coughs then go in for more, every vein being pleased with your tongue as you take it all in. Katsuki groans in pleasure as you pick up the speed. His cock is coated in your saliva as you did not slow down once to catch air. It wasn’t worth the ego boost he would feel from knowing he is too big for you.
Katsuki’s whiskey went unfinished as he could not focus on drinking it. Cum soon fills your hollow cheeks and down your throat as he releases into you. Not a drop was missed as you milked his cock. You were rewarded with a head pat.
“On the bed,” Katsuki instructs, “all fours.”
“Do I have to?” You whine. Katsuki vigorously grabs your chin, staring down into you. The room is dark, but his crimson eyes seemed to glow.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get on this fucking bed and shut your Goddamn mouth.” Katsuki hisses, sending chills down your spine. You do as you are told like he taught you. Arching your back, your ass is now in his perfect viewing. Katsuki’s clothes discarded to the hardwood floor below, his dick already erected at the sight of you.
“See? That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Katsuki asked, rhetorically. He spreads you open more for his personal view. “Yeah, that’s it.” He comments, overviewing all of you. One of his hands stroked his cock while the other pressed on your begging clit. You let out a soft moan, hoping he didn’t hear.
Placing his hands on your hips, he drags you closer to him. Leveling you with his cock, the tip slowly slips into your entrance then proceeding to pick up full speed. Your cunt swallows all of him, hugging his cock with each rhythmic thrust. You can feel your tight walls get stretched by his girth with each entry he makes, not even giving you time to get used to his size as he exits to repeat the same process. No matter how many times you two have sex, you will never get used to Katsuki’s length and size.
“Katsuki—“ You sob in pleasure and in pain.
“Shut it, slut. You’re going to take all of my fucking cock and like it. I’m going to fuck the brat out of you tonight.” Katsuki demands, pressing down on your spine so your ass is more perked up for him to smack periodically. Your cries and moans are muffled into the European satin sheets below. You grip onto them for support as Katsuki does not slow down once.
Your pussy pulsates with each thrust. It was about to give out on you and cum all over his cock. Though you did not want to give him the satisfaction, your cunt had other plans as it became tighter around Katsuki’s length.
“Aw, is someone going to cum?” Katsuki coo’s condescendingly, beginning to go agonizingly slow.
You lift your head to beg for sweet release. “Please let me cum, sir. Pretty please. I need to oh so badly.” You sobbed. His silence made your insides do flips. His slow strokes did not once stop and his nails dug into your thighs.
“No.” Katsuki finally denies as he knows you cannot take anymore. You gasp, your heart stopping for a split second.
“Katsuki, please.” You hiccuped. “I really need to.”
“Should’ve thought about that before throwing a tantrum today. Good girls get to cum.” Katsuki shrugged, using his long muscular arm to push your head back into the mattress. “Now shut the hell up while I fuck you senseless.”
Just like Katsuki stated, he fucked you until his high was met. Of course, he did not make it easy as he was about to bust, he would go slower to edge himself. He wanted this to be a punishment to remember. The whole time, you behaved and did not cum. No matter how many times Katsuki tried to get you to slip, you refused.
“C’mon and cum, brat. Y’know you wanna.” Katsuki would tease with immaturity. All you could say was incoherent “no thank you’s.” A soft rub on your ass was telling you that you passed his test.
Countless minutes, maybe even hours, have passed until Katsuki decided he was ready to release himself. “You can cum now.” He finally grants. You did not get to even process his words as your pussy released onto his cock. Babbles of pleasure and gratitude escaped from your lips.
“Good fuckin’ girl.” Katsuki praises, his cock now removed from you. You whine at the hollowness you felt.
“Lay on your back.” He instructs, doing his best to keep it together. You follow his request and switch over to your back. “Play with your tits.”
Your fingers grab onto your sensitive nipples, swirling on them before giving them a nice little pinch. Katsuki stood over you, stroking his cock that is covered in his pre-cum.
“Yeah, that’s it. Good girl.” Katsuki praised once more, analyzing your lewd faces as your fingers played with your breast.
“Mm, cover me with your cum.” You encouraged, rubbing your thighs together and pushing your breast closer to one another. Katsuki became feral as cum squirted onto your chest and stomach. Just the sight of you is making Katsuki forget today ever happened.
Just like always, baby eyes.
©bakugosbratx
All Rights Reserved
#bakugosbratx#bratx writes#tw noncon#tw blood#tw: gun#tw death#daisy's 2k event!#bakugo katsuki#bakugou katsuki#bnha bakugou#katsuki bakugō#mha katsuki#katsukibakugou#bakugo au#bnha au#mafia bakugo#bakugo x you#katsuki x y/n#bakugo x female reader#bakugo smut#bakugou smut#katsuki smut
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Taking Chances Chapter 9: Heroes and Villains (Discovery)
Prev
AO3
It wasn’t the toughest akuma that they had ever faced. But even with both of them fighting, it took too long. So long that her family was sure to be suspicious. Despite the fact that she just wanted to portal back to the hotel where there would be far fewer questions, she knew she didn’t have that luxury.
“Kaalki, if I ask to go to an empty room in the manor, can you do that? I don’t wanna pop out of nowhere. I’m already dreading the questions we’re gonna get about Adrien disappearing.” Marinette asks the kwami, rolling her eyes at Adrien’s annoyed huff.
“If you had just taken me with you to begin with-”
“To the bathroom? Adrien, I know you’re not the best with social situations but even you know that’s weird, right? And besides, there’s no way Dick would’ve let you follow me. He’s hovered every time we’ve been alone.” Marinette reminds him, crossing her arms.
“We were bonding over humor!” Adrien argues.
“Sure! But I still-”
“Ladybug, I can do it. As entertaining as all of this is, the Wayne family should not be kept waiting.” Kaalki reminds her, a small smirk on their face. Marinette’s eye twitches at the reminder of her family. Okay. One problem at a time.
“Okay. I’m trusting you. Tikki, Kaalki unify. Voyage!” Marinette calls, grabbing Adrien’s hand and stepping through the portal. She glances around the room, frowning as she looks at everything. None of it made sense. It looked kind of what she would imagine from-
“Is this the Batcave?” Adrien asks, mouth wide in shock as he slowly turns in a circle.
“Kaalki, dismount.” Marinette says, glaring at the kwami the second they’re visible again. “Care to explain what’s going on?”
“You asked to go to an empty room in the manor. I simply took you to the most famous room. It truly is a crime that you’ve never been in here before.” Kaalki hums, zipping around the space.
“I’ve only been to the manor twice! And this is in the manor? Does Batman work for Mr. Wayne?” She asks, desperately trying to figure out the situation.
“LB, what if he is Batman?” Adrien asks, making her pale.
“He’d figure me out so quickly. Oh god, what are we gonna do? He’s gonna kick me out of the family and I was just starting to be able to breathe around them and think about the fact that they are my family and now I’m going to go back to being an only child and even though Dick can be annoying and I haven’t really talked a lot to the others I really wanted to get to know them and now I’ll never get the chance because I’m a failed superhero who can’t even defeat one measly villain and he’s gonna take away my Miraculous and then he’s gonna be Ladybug but then it’ll be weird and he’ll hate me even more because red is not his color but he’ll be stuck in red because that’s what Paris is used to for the Ladybug costume and we don’t want them to go into shock when I’m replaced and-”
“Who the fuck are you?” A voice asks, clearly angry. Marinette winces and turns, eyes wide when she notices the actual (REAL) gun in Jason’s hands.
“We’re not meant to be here. There was a mistake with transportation and-” Marinette starts, stumbling over her words as she tries not to panic even more.
“Likely story. Don’t fucking move. I’m calling Batman.” Jason says, glaring at the two before pulling out his phone. “Hey B, there’s a situation in the cave. Intruders. No, I have no fucking clue how they got in here. Yeah, there’s two of them. No, no it’s not them. Yeah well I kinda can’t fucking interrogate them by myself now can I?” There’s a pause. “Yeah no, not wearing that. Yeah thanks for that. Well I didn’t- Just get over here.”
“So is Batman coming?” Adrien asks, the excitement clear on his face. Marinette looks at him in annoyance. She loved the boy but sometimes, he had no sense of self preservation.
“Yeah, Batman’s coming. Why the fuck are you here?” Jason asks, the angry look on his face not matching the personality she had seen every other time she’d seen him.
“Why are we here? Why are you here?” Adrien asks, poking. Jason’s eyes narrow and his glare gets darker.
“We’re here to ask Batman for help with a situation.” Marinette blurts, shifting so that she’s slightly in front of Adrien since he kept saying things that were pissing Jason off. Jason frowns.
“Why do you need help from Batman?” He asks.
“Ladybug, Chat Noir. I’ll admit I didn’t expect to see either of you here.” A gruff voice states, walking towards them. Marinette’s eyes widen. Holy vigilante, that's Batman. And he’s not looking at her as a civilian who could be scared. Nope. Now he’s looking at her as a fellow hero and possible intruder. Oh this should be fun.
“Monsieur Batman. I apologize for our intrusion. I meant to bring us to Gotham, to speak with you, but I must have messed up. I’m truly sorry for appearing in your home like this.” She says, extending her hand for a handshake. Batman glances down at her hand, seeming to hesitate for a moment before reaching out and shaking her hand.
“As long as you are here, we might as well talk about the Paris situation. It has recently come to my attention and I’m concerned about the possibility of death in your city.” Batman says, getting straight to business.
“I’m sorry, what the actual fuck is happening in Paris? And why haven’t I heard anything about it? Actually, why hasn’t anyone heard about a situation in Paris?” Jason asks, actually glaring at Batman.
“It doesn’t concern you, Mr. Todd. You may leave now. We’ll have our meeting another time.” Batman says, his tone firm.
“The hell it doesn’t. My baby sister lives in Paris, and I’d be damned if I left her alone in some kind of hellscape where apparently there’s the possibility of a lot of death. Now can someone tell me what is going on in Paris?” Jason yells, his eyes blazing as he glares at Batman. Marinette blinks at her brother, shocked at his reaction. Did he really care that much?
“It’d probably be easier to show you. Do you mind?” Adrien asks, gesturing to the computer. Batman stiffens.
“I’ll pull it up. I’m sure you’re referring to the videos of previous fights. I have them in a folder.” He says, walking over and hitting several buttons. Before long, a video is pulled up on the gigantic screen. A video of the fight against Syren. Of course he had to choose one of the most dangerous akumas. Instead of watching the screen, Marinette watches her brother’s reactions. Flinching slightly as she hears his knuckles crack from how tightly he’s clenching his fists.
“How long has this been going on?” He asks simply, his voice much darker than she’d ever heard.
“Almost two years.” Marinette responds, frowning at him. She hadn’t known him long, and she knew it would be stupid as Ladybug, but Marinette wanted to hug her older brother. He looked pissed, sure, but underneath the initial anger, she could see the worry. And how unsure he was. She couldn’t be certain that all of the worry was aimed at her or the Paris situation, but she knew at least some of it was. And she felt bad for making him worry like that.
“And where has the Justice League been?” He asks Batman, almost snarling.
“There’s no lasting damage.” Marinette says. “Even if the Justice League had shown up, they couldn’t have done anything that Chat or I couldn’t. My power is to erase the damage, and death, done during our battles. So Monsieur Batman, you don’t have to worry about the possible death either. I assure you both, it’s fine. We could use assistance to figure out Hawkmoth’s identity though.” Marinette says, trying to move the subject away from death and injury and the rougher parts of akuma battles.
“I don’t give a damn if the damage isn’t lasting. You remember, right?” Jason asks. Marinette hesitates.
“Well, yes. But the akumatized victims don’t and-”
“No. See, I don’t care about the akumatized victims right now either. I care about the amount of death and destruction and pain my sister has had to deal with alone. What about the people who die, Ladybug? Do they remember that they died? Do they wake up after drowning or burning or being crushed to death and just be told to be thankful that it wasn’t permanent? Or do they get to forget too?” Jason asks through clenched teeth. Marinette stops, thinking of all the times buildings have fallen on her. The times she's watched friends die. The time Tikki had to take the earrings and Marinette woke up after the battle, still able to feel the metal in her chest. The time she saw a world draped in white, only one other person left in the entire world. She thinks of these times, and she sighs.
"No. They don't forget." She says, biting back the wave of emotion threatening to push her under. She can't. She has to focus. She can't break right now.
"Then I don't care about the rest of Paris. What are you doing to protect Marinette Dupain Cheng?" He asks, crossing his arms and staring her down. She blinks. She gets that he's worried, as her brother, but why would they have special protection for one person? She's about to ask when Batman speaks up instead.
"No worries, Mr. Todd. My team and I have been made aware and have prepared a security detail for Miss Dupain Cheng once she returns to Paris." Batman says simply. Marinette's eyes widen. No. Oh no. No, no, no, she can't be watched! How's she supposed to protect Paris if an American superhero and his team are stalking her to make sure she's safe?
"As a former Miraculous wielder, Marinette is already under our protection." She lies, ignoring the shocked look Adrien is giving her.
"I'm sorry, what? Former- She was a hero?!" Jason yells, the panic clear on his face.
"Yes, but she was compromised so she doesn't work with us anymore." Marinette says, hoping to calm him down. It doesn't work.
"She was compromised! And you abandoned her? What the hell is wrong with you?" He yells as he starts to pace the room.
"Mr. Todd, it might be best if you-" Batman starts, holding his hands up placatingly.
"I don't wanna fucking hear it, B. You might be okay with watching a bunch of kids run around in costumes and have near death experiences but I'm not watching it. Not again. Now whatever this meeting is can wait, because my sister is currently missing and Batman over here needs to go find her. Because we need to wrap her in some goddamned bubble wrap because apparently this family is a fucking trouble magnet. And if you two are going to be in Gotham, then you can go help look for her too." Jason says, turning and starting to storm off. He pauses and turns back to the group of heroes- vigilantes?- "And her friend Adrien. I'm not sure how we'll fund him, stupid magic light thingy. But Marinette's gonna be pissed if she gets back and her boy toy is missing." He turns and actually leaves this time. Marinette turns to Batman and raises an eyebrow. A silent question on what the next step is. Batman frowns.
"As much as I dislike taking orders from civilians, he's right. Mr. Wayne asked my team to look for Miss Dupain Cheng. I assume the two of you will stay to help." He says. Marinette shakes her head.
"Unfortunately, we're going to have to leave. But we'll be in contact." Marinette says with a quick smile before calling Kaalki's transformation and creating a portal. Repeatedly thinking 'unused bedroom in Wayne manor, she steps through without waiting for a response from Batman, tugging Adrien along. Glancing around, she sighs in relief when she realizes the Kwami didn't take them to another secret lair.
"That was intense." Adrien says, dropping his transformation.
"I need extra Camembert after that disaster." Plagg says with a smirk. Marinette drops her transformation, stifling a giggle at the annoyed look on Tikki’s face.
"It wouldn't have been a disaster if you hadn't convinced Kaalki to do that!" She says angrily. Marinette’s previous humor instantly disappears and she turns to Plagg.
"Plagg, what is she talking about?" She asks, glaring at the Kwami.
"Now, pigtails, don't do anything rash, but the Batcave was my idea." He blurts out.
"I take offense to that. I brought them there!" Kaalki exclaims with a pout.
"Yeah, but I'm the one who found out. And told you and Sugar Cube." Plagg counters making Kaalki roll their eyes.
"Oh puhlease, you wouldn't have known what it was if I hadn't followed you." They say, chin high in the air.
"So apparently Batman is looking for us. What're the odds Mr. Wayne is just working for Batman and not actually Batman himself?" Marinette asks, giving Adrien a hopeful look.
"I think they're the same odds that no one in your family will ask questions about where we were." He says with a shrug. Marinette groans.
"I can't believe my dad is Batman." She drops her head into her hands, taking a moment to breathe before a thought pops into her head.
"Do you think my brothers are the rest of them? Oh god. Damian is totally Robin, and Tim is Red Robin. Which would make Jason Red Hood 'cause Nightwing's hair is completely black. Oh my god. I'm in a family of vigilantes!" She groans, huffing in annoyance.
"What's so bad about that? They'll be even more likely to help us find Hawkmoth." Adrien says, still looking on the bright side.
"That's if they let me out of their sight. You heard Jason, and Mr. Wayne. They want to put a security detail on me and they think I'm a civilian! What’re they gonna do when they realize I’m a superhero too?” Marinette moans, various situations running through her head. She takes a few steadying breaths to try and stave off the panic. They won’t find out, right?
---
Jason kicks a chair he walks past, mumbling under his breath. Bruce hadn’t acted surprised or anything, so apparently he already knew about the situation. Knew and didn’t say shit to anyone else. Of course he did. Jason would’ve cared a few days ago, sure he would’ve. But now he cares. Because now his tiny sister is in danger and he’d be damned if he let her go back to Paris without protection. Hell, he’ll go with if he has to. Anything to keep her safe. To stop her from dying. Or, dying again. And apparently she was a hero in Paris at some point. And she was compromised. And then abandoned. What a pile of shit. Huffing in frustration, he resists the urge to run back to the cave and start shooting. Instead he walks towards his room to grab the keys he’d thrown in there earlier when he got to the manor for dinner. Turning the corner, he freezes in shock when he sees Marinette and Adrien standing there, Adrien gently patting her back as she looks close to panicked.
“Marinette!” Jason calls, running towards her and sweeping her up in a big hug. He didn’t want to let her go. If he let her go, she’d go back to Paris. She’d have to deal with a supervillain and death and horrible things. She was too young for that. He, of all people, would know.
“Jay. Can’t breathe. Please.” She chokes out. Jason lets her down, then glares at her.
“Where the hell have you been? I thought you were going to the bathroom?” He asks, frowning as she grows even paler.
“Uh, er, I was?” She says, sounding more like a question. He narrows his eyes.
“Are you sure?” He asks.
“Yes?” She asks, eye twitching. Jason sighs.
“If you don’t wanna tell me Pixie Pop, you don’t have to. But you are gonna have to tell B.” He says.
“Batman?!” She shrieks, eyes wide. Jason shakes his head, panic welling up.
“No, why- B’s what I call Bruce. Why would you think I was talking about Batman?” He asks, gesturing wildly.
“Because that’s what you called Batman on the phone!” She counters, freezing the second the words are out of her mouth.
“Wait, what? When did you-” Jason stops, a horrible feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. No. She can’t.
“Wait no, I- oh crap.” She mumbles, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“You’re Ladybug.” Jason says, his ears ringing as he looks down at his sister. Well fuck.
---
Dick sighs, turning around in a circle as he looks at the closing shops around him. Where could Marinette have gone? Why did she leave? If she was overwhelmed they would have driven her back to her hotel. She didn’t have to try and walk back by herself. Especially this late. And in Gotham of all places. His phone ringing tugged him from his thoughts and he answered without even looking at the caller ID.
“Hello?” He says, trying hard to push down the worry and focus on the phone call.
”Hey Dick. I found them.” Jay says, sounding tired. Dick lets out a sigh of relief.
“Where were they?” He asks.
”In the manor. Look, I think we all need to have a talk. You should probably come home. And grab Replacement and Demon Spawn on the way back.” Jason says. Dick frowns. How were they in the manor? They all looked in the manor, they were not there.
“Okay, yeah. On my way.” Dick says instead. This should be interesting.
---
Marinette tries to ignore the burning stare from Jason as she grips onto Adrien’s hand. This could be a huge mistake, but it could also help them find Hawkmoth. And take him down for good. The idea of that is too great to give up. So no matter how much it makes her want to puke with nerves, she’d tell her family the truth. That she’s Ladybug. She was sure they’d understand, being the infamous Batfamily and everything.
“Sorry about that, Timmy insisted on grabbing some coffee on the way back. Where’s B?” Dick asks, and Marinette winces at the nickname. Why her brothers thought it was a good idea to call Mr. Wayne ‘B’ as both Batman and Bruce Wayne was beyond her. They’d had secret identities much longer (though after today she wasn’t sure how).
“Now that we are all here, could you explain why you insisted on this meeting, Jason?” Mr. Wayne asks, sat in the same chair he’d been in when the evening had first started. Marinette glances around at her siblings, smiling softly back at Cass who seemed to be trying to reassure her without signing or saying anything.
“Marinette is Ladybug.” Jason blurts out, instead of dropping the bomb slowly like they’d discussed. Silence. Just as Mr. Wayne opens his mouth, Marinette blurts out:
“Yeah, well you’re the Batfamily!” Oops.
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Dream SMP Recap (May 5/2021) - He’s Back
Now that Wilbur’s returned, it’s about time he got a look around the server to see what he’s missed since he’s been gone. Tommy gives him a tour.
---
VOD LINKS:
Ponk
Foolish
Philza
Tommyinnit
Wilbur Soot
Skeppy
Captain Puffy
Foolish
---
- Ponk continues work on the supreme fridge in the desert
- Sam logs on to call Ponk handsome. Ponk replies that Punz isn’t online.
- Foolish logs on.
Sam: Don’t ignore my messages ponk
Ponk: Hey, Foolish qt pie
Foolish: Oohhh ponk :)
Sam: He isn’t as cute as me :)
- Sam lands in front of Ponk as he’s watering the concrete.
Ponk: “Oh, he’s gonna take my other arm!”
- Sam calls Ponk handsome again and hands him steak. Ponk tosses Sam the picture of Coraline’s mother
- Sam tells Ponk that he’s been doing squats and starts twerking to demonstrate
- Ponk shoves Sam off the fridge. When Sam survives, Ponk figures his booty helped save him from the fall, as Sam comments that the weight sent him falling too fast for him to MLG
- Ponk compliments Sam, saying his eyes are glowing like the stars in the ocean
Sam: It’s because I looked at you
Sam: :)
- Ponk and Sam watch the sunrise together.
- They talk about Coraline’s mother. Ponk says that she is attractive...but not as attractive as Foolish. Sam immediately jumps off the fridge and runs away
Sam: you don’t got me atm. So it does matter.
Sam: I guess it wasn’t meant to be.
- Sam logs off
- Ranboo hires a mercenary Enderman to kill KSI
- Tommy meets with Wilbur at L’manhole
- Wilbur tells Tommy that all his memories are coming back. He remembers that Friend isn’t Tommy’s sheep but his own.
- Wilbur wants Tommy to show him around to see what he’s missed. He takes Friend along despite Tommy worrying that Friend could die (”Who cares about a sheep, man? It’s just a sheep.”)
- Wilbur’s made some plans, debated with himself what to do now, and tells Tommy that he’s sorry. It may be hard to believe, but Wilbur’s turned over a new leaf! He feels great now and wants to apologize to people.
- Wilbur is in his forties now and asks how old Tommy is -- twenties, thirties?
- First off, Tommy shows Wilbur Schlatt’s grave. Wilbur asks to see his own grave to see what people said about him. Tommy shows him L’manhole. Wilbur didn’t get a grave, only what he left behind.
- Wilbur sees Karl’s house (which he remembers), the Big Innit Hotel (which he doesn’t) and says he does remember a bit about the prison from Ghostbur’s memories of it.
- Skeppy comes walking past and they speak with him. Wilbur apologizes to Skeppy for not appreciating his trolling. Skeppy kills Friend by accident. He skepped all over Friend.
- Skeppy runs away and asks Bad if tridents are like swords in terms of damage. Bad asks what he killed and learns that it was a blue sheep. Skeppy puts the trident in an Ender Chest. Bad warns Skeppy that he may have inadvertently started the next war, and Skeppy ends stream
- Wilbur comes across the invisible staircase and Tommy shows him the McPuffy’s. He asks about Karl. Last Wilbur remembered, Karl was an enemy of his, but has he changed? Tommy says he hasn’t seen Karl around much.
- They reach the hotel and Jack Manifold is standing at the desk. He and Tommy get into a shouting match but Wilbur is excited to see Jack. Jack welcomes him inside and Wilbur waits in one of the suites as Tommy and Jack argue in another room, listening in.
- Tommy takes him up to the roof. There, Tommy tells him about coming up with the plan there to murder Dream in the prison.
Wilbur: “I’ve seen it all, you’ve had your little strifes -- this isn’t the first, right, Tommy. Tommy, do you remember when you got sent into exile? Yeah, I remember. I was there, Tommy. I was there. I was there -- I was in the cage of that little ghost’s fucking head. Every single step you and me took -- look at me, Tommy, look me in the eyes -- every single step me and you took, I was there -- I was there! I had no control of what was happening, I’ve no idea what was being said, but Tommy -- I’ll tell you what -- if I was there, and it wasn’t that stupid shell of a ghost instead of me...I would’ve struck down Dream right where he stood. We would’ve disemboweled him. We would’ve disemboweled him together.”
“Tommy, I’m not -- I wasn’t blind, I saw what he was doing to you, Tommy. I saw. I saw what he was doing to Tubbo -- I saw what he was doing to me. But you know what, Tommy? I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there, was I. We had Ghostbur. Ghostbur was there instead, right. And you know what the issue is, you know what the issue is? After seeing Ghostbur interact with Dream, I realized that no, Dream is not the enemy -- Dream is not the enemy!”
“This world was not supposed to be inhabited by a people of this caliber -- Dream is the hero! Dream needs to be let out of here! Dream’s not in prison for being a horrible person, Dream’s in prison because he dared to try and stop you all. He dared to try and stop you all from gaining all this power, because the minute I was gone, there was a vacuum, there was opening, and everyone just seeked to get in there! And Dream was the only one who stood up to them and told them not to, Dream was the only one who held my seat for me. He held my -- he kept it warm! He kept my throne warm, and you guys didn’t like that, so you threw him in prison! And if Dream died instead of me, I would be in there right now.”
“So Tommy, you should thank that I wasn’t alive to attack Dream when we got exiled! You should be glad we had little, passive Ghostbur, because now Dream’s in there, and I’m out here, baby.”
- Wilbur heads back down to speak with Jack Manifold. He tells Jack that he’s sorry that he didn’t grant freedom to Manifoldland, sorry that he led Jack into war, sorry that he denied Jack access to the election, sorry that he left Jack behind. Jack is a little surprised, but he thanks him and Wilbur and Tommy leave the hotel.
Tommy: “Wil, just look at me for a second. The reason we started L’manburg, and everything here, was because we knew -- together, me and you, the duo -- together we knew that Dream was the villain. He was the one holding this server down. He was the dictator! ‘Cause you’re telling me even then, you think...you think Dream was the hero?”
Wilbur: “Tommy, I’ve made an oath of not lying now that I’m alive again. So I’m gonna come clean to you with the truth. Uh...one thing, I didn’t actually care about L’manburg, I just cared about -- you know, sticking it to the man. Actually, I cared about L’manburg for the sole reason that I could use it to stick it to the man. You ever sticked it to the man, Tommy?”
“L’manburg was a tool. It was a great tool, it worked, you know. It divided so many people, man. Listen, Tommy, and in my oath of not lying I’m gonna tell you know -- Tommy, I’m sorry for a couple things, to each of these people on the server. I’m sorry to a lot of them -- except for Phil, I’ve nothing to apologize to Phil for. Phil’s done nothing wrong. But to the rest of them, I’m sorry for a lot of things -- but Tommy, that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna try again.”
- Tommy is confused. L’manburg was Wilbur’s unfinished symphony, how could he not care about it? Wilbur says maybe it wasn’t the right wording, he did care about L’manburg, but for the “wrong reasons.”
- Wilbur asks to see the museum (though Tommy was going to take him to the Egg). They make it to the museum and Wilbur is excited to see the hto dog van as Tommy continues to protest.
Tommy: “It was like we were a family! You can’t just say that!”
Wilbur: “We were family, Tommy! ...We were. But you know what? You just -- you just didn’t -- I guess you didn’t have the balls to follow along with me. When I pressed the button, you were always against -- we’re leaving it behind, Tommy. It’s in the past--”
Tommy: “You blew up our fucking home!”
Wilbur: “We’re friends now. We’re friends.”
Tommy: “I don’t want to be your friend! You’re annoying and I hate you and you’re ugly and you have a gray hair and I bet you twirl it round and use the dog filter--”
Wilbur: “You’re following me an awful lot for someone who doesn’t care.”
- Wilbur notices the Ranboo My Beloved poster on the wall. He remembers Ranboo as a good man. Tommy says he is, and that he sees potential in him.
- They call Ranboo so that Wilbur can properly meet him. Wilbur says he’s sorry to him. He wanted to get to know Ranboo better, ‘pick his brain.’ Ranboo never met Wilbur in person.
- What nation is Ranboo a part of, who does he align himself with? Ranboo says all of them -- he chooses people, not nations.
Wilbur: “Okay, so -- let’s go an say, so there must be someone bad on the server right, there’s gotta be a bad guy on the server and who --”
Ranboo: “Yeah. Dream, yeah.”
- Wilbur goes quiet for a moment. He then asks what Ranboo stands for. Ranboo says people.
Wilbur: “What ‘people?’ What people? You can’t just stand for people! People are good and bad!”
- Ranboo lists the people he sides with. There are quite a few.
Wilbur: “Everyone? Everyone but Dream, everyone but the one bad guy everyone’s supposed to hate.”
- Wilbur accuses Ranboo of being a “schmoozer.” Ranboo's philosophy is, if someone hasn’t wronged him or the people he cares about, he has no quarrel with them.
- Wilbur says that’s fine in a perfect world, but there are wars that get fought. Ranboo says the server’s been quiet ever since Dream was put in prison and there have been fewer wars since Wilbur died -- to which Wilbur asks if Ranboo is against him in the same way he’s against Dream.
- Wilbur says goodbye to Ranboo, saying that they might get to know each other better in time. Wilbur leaves with Tommy to continue the tour, telling him that Ranboo’s just a follower.
- Tommy gets angry and tells Wilbur off for being a nuisance, for making him feel like a ghost when Wilbur should be the ghost. They decide to fight, with weapons but no armor.
- They fight in the Holy Land and Tommy defeats him. Wilbur says, though, that he’s already won no matter what. No matter what happens next, he won when he pressed the button.
- He asks to see Phil. Phil sent him a whole backlog of letters, including ones about things Tommy can’t know about.
- They arrive at the Arctic and Wilbur remembers this place, remembers finding Friend here. Wilbur reunites with Phil and Wilbur is thrilled by the cottages.
- Wilbur thanks Phil for killing him and tells him the whole bit of what would’ve happened if he’d been there instead of Ghostbur.
- Tommy tells Wilbur that what led to him getting exiled was griefing George’s house with Ranboo. Ranboo didn’t get exiled because Tommy stood up for him -- to which Wilbur asks if Ranboo didn’t stand up for Tommy, letting Tommy get thrown under the bus.
- Phil asks about the lies in the letters. Wilbur tells him that he’s not lying anymore, and he lied in the letters because it’s like writing back from a summer camp -- he didn’t want to tell Phil that everything was going horribly.
- Wilbur’s made plans, and when they’re ready, Phil will be the first to know. He also asks Phil if he can stay with him for a bit, as he has no house. He also needs a shower.
- Phil agrees to let Wilbur stay despite Tommy protesting, and Wilbur and Tommy leave.
- Ranboo comes over to ask Phil how it went. Phil was skeptical, but it seems like Wilbur’s changed for the better, and that Wilbur spoke highly of Ranboo. As for Ranboo, he says it seems like Wilbur isn’t as bad as people said he was.
- Phil talks about killing Wilbur and what Wilbur said about it.
- For Wilbur’s plan, he needs lots of stone. Wilbur leaves Tommy at the Nether Portal to go get stone and speak with Phil.
- Phil gives Tommy several stacks of stone.
- Wilbur says he’ll be “back in the saddle” soon, that he can rebuild. He still doesn’t know how he was revived, but the first thing he saw when he got back was a chest.
- At the shrine, Wilbur opens the chest and reads the “PROJECT NEVADAS” book Quackity left for him. His old rival, his kinsman.
Wilbur: “Chat, power isn’t won through diplomacy. Power isn’t won through waiting, patiently, floating courthouses in the sky, blah blah blah...it’s won through blades. Swords. Iron...”
“And I was right all along.”
- Tommy leaves Phil and Ranboo for a bit and they continue to talk about Wilbur, whether he’s changed, whether he’s even telling the truth about the afterlife and if even Dream can change.
- When Ranboo mentions that he may have to keep some secrets, Phil asks about the experiments. Ranboo reiterates that they’re just to build resistance, like when a wound heals over stronger. He assures Phil that he’ll be careful.
- Ranboo then leaves to go stand in a corner somewhere for a bit. He doesn’t sleep much, and if Phil ever sees him walking around staring at random things, it’s nothing to worry about
- Tommy goes mining for stone with Mediashare
- Captain Puffy works on the graveyard. She reads the Wiki page for Sally the Salmon and makes some horrible discoveries. She later finds out the Samsung Refrigerator has its own page as well and spends some time learning about the canon family tree.
- She then makes the gravestones and fills out the history books for each of the dead members, including a spot for Ghostbur behind Wilbur’s headstone with his final words.
---
Upcoming events remain the same.
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twenty questions (7/8) | r.b.
summary: No, he refuses to lose someone else. Not again, not you. Never fucking you. Or, after four years, Reiner meets you once more.
WARNINGS: angst, just conversation, a bit of violence, mentions of trauma, children ummmmm yeee, jean also appears <3 true king
pairing: reiner braun x fem!reader
word count: 8.3k
a/n: reiner returns!! welcome to the penultimate chapter and thank you for being on this journey with me :) again, song is not mine! it’s the wellerman sea shanty hehe
masterlist
crossposted on ao3 x
Morning streams through the curtains.
You part the billowy white fabric, pushing open the window breathing in the late morning air. As always, it’s warm and ripe with the aroma of the fresh bread from the bakery you live above, and as you lean on the windowsill, you hear the door below you chiming with new patrons. You smile to yourself, resting your chin on your hand.
Even still, you can’t help but admire how beautiful it is, especially in the streets here, far away from a industrial zone. The Liberio interment zone is small, yes, but it’s no less beautiful. The architecture of brick and glass all hold an austere beauty, and when the sunset is upon you, the shadows they cast and the warmth that embraces the stone is something you’ve never quite seen before. There’s a church, and you’ve sat inside day a few days before, watching the light stream through the stained glass in amazement.
A knock at the door takes you from your thoughts and you let out a sharp noise of surprise, gaze ripping away from the busy streets. A tremor shoots through you and you swallow harshly, waiting in bated breath.
“The shop’s busy as bees, today!” your landlord admonishes on the other side. You let out a relieved sigh, relaxing a bit. “If you want, I can still save you a loaf!”
“No, thank you!” you shout over your shoulder, reaching to close the window and get ready for the day. Sliding a warm vest onto your shoulders, you adjust the hat on your head and grab your bag from the counter, your bare fingers a bit cold and numb.
You burn at the thought of Reiner. You don’t want to see him, even if you live in the same city now, but all the same, it’s hard to avoid him. After all, it’ll only be so long before you’re forced to confront your past, push yourself into his way because how long, really, can you stay away from him? As you slide the white armband onto your bicep, your heart tightens. You’ve seen the man he’s grown into—handsome, tired, lonely. That only reflects in you.
Pulling your arms through your jacket, you stare at the woodgrain beneath your feet emptily.
Why am I even here?
Coming to Marley, of all places. Some days, you can’t wrap your head around it, before you’re reminded of the reason. It all has a purpose. You just have to keep going—keep moving forward.
Continuing through your loft, you shove your feet into boots and head out for the day. The festival’s tonight—you have lots to do before then.
.
Night slips in.
Reiner frowns when he realizes he’s walking back to the stage. He’s been trailing after the sound for a good half-hour, but considering they stay relatively nearby his final destination, he’s never felt the urge to detract.
He still can’t place the tune that’s been hummed, whistled, sang gently and leading him on, and as the sky darkens and the crowd noise grows louder, he realizes that his trail is slowly growing colder and colder.
“Hey, Reiner!” His head swivels to find Gabi waving at him and he meanders over, frowning a bit. “Where’d you go? The others said you wandered off.”
“I took a walk to clear my head,” he says dismissively, ignoring her frown deepening. “I see you’ve recovered from your food coma.” Immediately, Gabi’s frown turns into a pout and she rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel fine.” He snorts, turning to survey the area. The others are milling about. Zeke and Colt are talking by the bench, and Pieck and Porco are off together, as usual. They’re not half as inconspicuous as they think they are. Finding Udo and Zofia, his brow wrinkles when he can’t catch sight of a certain blond boy.
“Where’s Falco?”
“He ran off earlier, saying he saw someone he knew,” Gabi says, waving it away. “He’s always being so weird. Who else could he know besides us?”
“What, are you jealous?” he teases, ruffling Gabi’s hair and she lets out a squawk, smacking at his hand. Chuckling gently, he surveys the area again as they walk towards their seats. Zeke and Colt give him a nod in greeting, one he returns.
“Why would I be jealous?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” he replies distantly. His eyes keep searching, a ticklish feeling at the nape of his neck. He doesn’t know if he’s imagining it or if he can really hear that tune still at the edge of his hearing, nagging for his attention. Sighing, he crosses his arms over his chest. “What Falco does during his free time isn’t on your need-to-know basis, Gabi.”
“I know. I’m just saying—he doesn’t even have any friends besides us,” she says pointedly just as someone calls his name.
“Mister Braun!” Falco skids to a stop in front of him, his forehead gleaming with sweat, even in the cooler night air. Panting, he leans forward on his knees, meeting Reiner’s eyes, and Gabi tilts her head, confused and agitated and betraying her previous aloof words.
“Where the hell did you go?”
Ignoring her, Falco continues to try and catch his breath, barely punching out, “Can you come with me?” before looking down at the floor again, his shoulders rising and falling so quickly Reiner almost feels bad for him.
He frowns. “Right now?”
“You’ll be fine,” Zeke assures. The two look at the older man who glances at his watch. “It shouldn’t start for a few more minutes.”
Reiner debates it for a moment. Then again, it’s not like he’s the number one fan of this show. His presence is for appearance’s sake at this point, and if Falco insists, then it must be something important. Sighing, he nods and Falco takes off again. Telling Gabi to explain his absence to his mom should he not return in time, he walks after the sprinting boy, his mind a whirlwind on the possibilites of why he’s in such a hurry.
Falco stops past a blue curtain that’s near a residential building and points at the arch, smiling. His entire face is flushed and Reiner cocks an eyebrow, approaching closer before hearing a soft voice singing. It only grows as he passes by the blue partition, and his heart picks up as his eyes widen.
“…The Captain's mind was not on greed… But he belonged to the whaleman's creed… She took that ship in tow… Soon may the Wellerman come to bring us sugar and tea and rum. One day, when the tonguin' is done, we’ll take our leave and go…”
He knows that tune. The sailors sang it in the port city after Fort Slava. It’s one of their sea shanties—it’s rare to hear them anywhere except by the water, and when he reaches Falco, searching for that voice, his eyes fix on a figure leaning against the archway underneath the building.
The woman in purple.
Falco runs up to her. A hand is on her bicep when she shifts to look at the boy, and Reiner’s throat swells as his legs move on their own accord. Time seems to slow as Falco turns around, mouth open in words that go in through one ear, and out the other.
The woman says something, and Falco twists back, frowning a bit, but she only nods encouragingly, and off he goes, running on ahead, down to the end of the pathway out of Reiner’s sight.
A strangled noise leaves his mouth as the blond slips from his view.
The woman in purple’s head snaps up at the sound, and Reiner’s entire body locks when he finally recognizes the face that searches his impassively. The white armband is covered still by her fingers, but when she pushes off the wall, it’s almost as if she bewitches him to come even closer.
And he does, his hand lifting up to reach for her. Reach for what has to be a ghost. No…
No, it can’t be. No. No, I’m seeing things, I am, I—
You lift your hand off your armband, and when his fingers meet your palm, he feels your warmth, the way your skin slides against his as he interlaces their fingers, and he chokes, entire body burning from the inside out as you fold your fingers over his palm, yank him into the shadow with enough force to unbalance him. You side-step and fling his hand off, let him crash to his hands and knees. Pain shoots up his joints and his eyes widen when he realizes his skin has scraped off on the stone.
“Hello, Reiner,” you murmur. He draws himself up, and there’s a strange lifelessness as he looks up to a face barely illuminated by light. You unbutton your jacket and crouch before him, arms on your knees. His skin steams and stitches itself back together and he swallows through a dry throat as your eyes flutter to the white wisps. There’s a raw damage lingering on your face, haunting like ghosts that should be long dead, before you blink.
Your long coat brushing the floor covers black armour, harnesses criss-crossing your legs and body. Your expression is severe, lips pressed in an impassive line, dark shadows under your eyes. The armband around your bicep is slathered in dark red, staining the symbol.
So that’s what you were hiding from Falco.
Reiner half-wonders who’s blood it is. If it’s the owner of the clothes you wear, or someone else’s entirely.
You lift your head, staring at Reiner properly for the first time in years. Clenching your jaw, you only look. You do not speak, you do not move. It’s terrifying. It reminds Reiner eerily of Captain Levi, with the same chillingly placidity, and he remembers how you used to smile so wide you’d complain your cheeks ached, how you would lean against him, clutching your gut ‘cause he made you laugh, and he had never heard a sound so perfect—
The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop himself. “What are you doing here? Are you insane?”
You barely move. Only tilt your head mockingly. “Probably.”
Four years has changed you into a taller, leaner, stronger soldier—and he can only soak that in. You’re…
His breath catches in his throat.
You’re beautiful.
But you’re crouching right in front of him, and you’re in danger. If Marleyans were to approach now, he’s not sure if he could lie his way out and that blood. How can he explain the blood on your sleeve?
You’d be left for dead, hanged for the crows.
The image flashes through his mind like cold dread, a trickling drip of an icicle hanging in his mind and freezing his spine.
No, he refuses to lose someone else. Not again, not you. Never fucking you.
It is why he demands again through a hissed breath,“What are you doing here?” Why he stands up quick enough that their heads nearly collide, and you straighten up as well, smoothly running your hands over your coat.
You only look at him deftly as if he is as inconsequential to you as a roach. You don’t even twitch as his hand reaches forward, fighting through the searing ache in his chest. “You need to leave. You shouldn’t be here. I can smuggle you back to the port and take you home, I—.”
Your stare paralyzes him and his hand falters. “I don’t take orders from you. You are not my commanding officer, and I do not need you to tell me what I need.” Your fingers dig into the bloody armband at your bicep and Reiner’s eyes widen as you tear it off, planting it on his chest hard enough his lungs spasm and he lets out a sharp breath. Your fingers spread out over his chest, you step closer. “I don’t need you to save me. Not from Marley. Not from myself. And not from you.”
His hand comes to cover yours, but you slip out before he can touch you, and he’s left with an armband in his palm. Clutching it in a tight fist, he stares down at it for a moment before shoving it in his pocket and turning around.
Your name comes out of him without even thinking as you walk past him, and it must still hold something because you pause, head turning slightly to look at him. “I want to explain myself,” he chokes out, and the corner of your mouth curls into a hollow smile. “Please.”
“Follow me, Reiner,” you order softly, and without question, he falls half a step behind you, eyes trained on the ground. His head is swimming at your presence, and his knees are gummy, stomach convulsing as he tries to come up with what to say. Or maybe, what to say first. He’s had four years to come up with a proper way to say it, and he reaches for his breast pocket, where the letters he’s folded away rest, with shaking hands.
“Please…”
“I don’t know what you think begging will get you.” Something stony falls upon your face. “I’ve had four years to get over the fact that you used me. Now, I think I just don’t care anymore. I’m sure you have your reasons, but I don’t know if it’ll be the truth. You’ve had no problem lying to me before in the past.”
“That’s not true.” He doesn’t know to which part of what you said he means. The last part, every part. “I never lied about how I felt about you.”
“Right. Like I wasn’t just some pawn on your chessboard. Some lonely girl you could use to entertain yourself.” Your pace doesn’t slow, but your tone is laced with anguish you try so hard to cover. “At least Bertholdt had the courage to look me in the face and tell me he was going to kill me.” You stop by a crate, labelled as supplies for the play. Maybe they contain masks, or costumes, and Reiner stops, his shoes skidding against the stone as you reach into your coat.
Pulling out a knife, you wedge it into the crate and pry the lid off and Reiner’s entire body numbs when ODM gear gleams in the straw. It looks refashioned, sleeker, and in two parts, and he catches your hand reaching for the harness.
Weapons, here.
You aren’t stupid enough to take on Marley on your own, which can only mean—
Shit, shit, shit.
Dread trickles through his body.
“What are you two doing—Oh, Vice Chief Braun!” You slam the lid shut and press your left arm flush against Reiner’s body, covering it up as someone on their right approaches. Your hand tightens around the knife still wedged between the lid, and Reiner sets a hand on your shoulder, dragging you so he can cover you up better and as a warning.
Don’t do it. You’re stiff against him despite the easy expression on your face, and he sets a harsh glare on the intruder. Let go of that blade. Your entire body is rigid with a hot energy he doesn’t recognize as your fingers only tighten around the hilt. Don’t do it—
“Sorry to interrupt, but those are one of the crates we need for the play. It contains some costumes—“
The performer looks stricken as you flash him an easy smile and Reiner’s blood freezes when the stranger seems to blush, voice fading.
“I actually work with Lord Tybur,” you explain easily with a tiny laugh, betraying the strength in your fist. “He wants to inspect it briefly before I return it. I think it contains the Helos costume? Gotta make sure every detail’s to his liking!” Your tone, innocent and cheery, floats through the distant sound of the crowd, and Reiner only stares at the performer who seems to shrink in his skin. Your fingers twitch when he hesitates.
“Oh, of course.” He scratches the back of his head, and you give him a gracious nod before he’s walking away.
You watch him go, and Reiner feels the way the air shifts when your smile fades away as soon as it came. You step away from him, loosening the knife from the crate. His hands burn as he reaches for your shoulder again, but you jerk back.
“You know,” you begin quietly, staring at the lid, “all this time, I thought I had actually found people again, you know. I thought you actually cared about me, but really, I realized all you’ve ever done is lie. Even after everything. Even after Marco died, and I told you how I felt about you, you just kept lying. Lying and painting yourself to be a knight in shining armour.”
“I tried—I tried to stop myself from caring about you,” he whispers raggedly, hands rolling into fists tight enough that his nails dig into his flesh, “but it happened anyway. That part of who I was was never a lie.”
“So you never saw me as someone you needed to protect? As this poor, lonely girl who loved you? Who fed your ego and—”
“Of course I wanted to protect you! I loved you, too!” he snaps and distantly, he recognizes this is the first time they’ve ever confessed that what they had… that it was somehow real and too good for him. It nearly makes him shatter. “How could I—“ He closes his eyes, teeth gritting as the flames inside him roar, consuming his heart. “How could I just stand back and watch you get hurt by the consequences of my actions? It’s because of me you were forced to leave the farm, leave that girl. Because of me you knew Marco and Mina and Thomas. You could have been so much happier if you never met any of us—I knew that—I just thought I could somehow—”
“Happier if I never met you,” you echo blankly before nodding to yourself. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds about right.” He flinches but you continue on, “In the end, it doesn’t matter, though. I’ve learned to not let the what ifs haunt me, because my time with you… it still means everything to me.” You shake your head. “That’s the truth. You dropped a building on me and broke my bones. Truth. You left me alone in those walls with Bertholdt dead and Annie comatose, and you did so knowing you are the last damn person I’ve got that I’d kill for. Truth.”
Reiner’s eyes widen as your words sink into his skin like a vicious poison.
So that’s it then. Bertholdt is dead and Annie… Annie’s still alive?
You don’t give him a moment’s breath to ask as you take a step forward. On reflex, he steps back, hands raising, and your eyes flash to his palms. One wrong move, and a Titan will overtake the square. He’s sure he can read the thought in your eyes, but when you look at him again, he only sees cold indifference.
“You nearly killed me, Reiner. So tell me…”
Metal flashes and a breath stalls in his throat as a cold knifepoint digs into the bump along his throat. It bobs when he swallows, lips parted, and you meet his eyes, every inch of agony he’s forced upon you glaring back at him reforged.
“Why shouldn’t I repay the favour?”
His breath stalls, and he looks down at your fingers, wrapped tight around the hilt, nearly shaking. He doesn’t know if it’s because you hold the weapon that tightly, or if you’re just as afraid as he is.
Either way, it doesn’t matter.
“Do it, then,” he whispers. “I’m the reason this all happened.”
Your eyes, wide, search his beseechingly and his heart crumbles to dust. Even after all this time, you still hesitate. Why? Because you think he’ll come back? That he’s… redeemable somehow?
Reiner envies that—he wants to believe that there is still good. But there isn’t. He knows it.
“I have a thousand questions,” you murmur achingly, as if the words are wrenched from your throat. “Over the years, I’ve tried to come up with some incomprehensible list. I couldn’t decide which was the one I wanted answered the most, but I thought why did it matter? After all, it wasn’t like I’d ever see you again. But here I am, now.”
As you lower the knife, the tip of the blade scratches his skin, light enough only to leave a white trail until it falls away, just like when he held you at blade-point four years ago, the tip of a sword digging into your sternum.
How poetic that he finds himself here, his life in your hands. This is your retribution, he supposes, and your mercy, fighting for control of your arm, but you sheathe your knife again with a sharp, smooth thrust at your hip. There’s a soft scrape before you set your hands atop the lid, sighing softly.
A terrifying glint lives in your eyes as you smile at him faintly, and hoist the crate into your arms.
“So, Reiner.” You tilt your head, gesturing for him to follow you down the pathway to a set of stairs that must lead to a deeper cellar. Somewhere he can’t transform in. Smart. You always were, but he doesn’t have the heart to tell you he’d never hurt you again, especially when he’s already done so much to prove that his words are empty. Yet, nothing is more important than protecting you, and Gabi, and Falco, but— “What do you say to a game of twenty questions?”
.
You flip a page. The day’s labour has you sweating into your harness, but all you want to do is just finish this damn chapter. Pulling carts out of mud like a damn mule wasn’t fun, but at least it had you busy. But, God, did you just want to relax for an eternity now.
Even after four years, you’d think your body would grow accustom, but every day, something new tests you.
“Hello?” a voice by your door calls and you look up from your book, smiling automatically at the kid peering into your room. He’s one of the younger orphans who didn’t come from the immediate wreckage of the fall of Trost but rather just a few months ago, you had found him in the woods, walking away from one of the smaller settlements.
You don’t ask, let him come and tell you more, and although you know his name, you know it’s hard for him to talk about anything else.
What you do know is that he is one that still climbs into your bed when there’s a thunderstorm, and that he’s a sweet, yet studious child with a knack for trouble when the girls invite him to hang out with them.
That doesn’t mean he’s any less attached. He’s probably the one who clings to you the most, and you get up, closing your book. Setting it down on the nightstand, you crouch in front of him and pat his head.
“Hi,” he says again.
“What’s going on, Xavier?” His red hair is still damp. He must’ve just taken his bath and he shrinks under your hand, probably to protect the clean smell clinging to his skin and locks. Lifting your hand amusedly, you tap his nose. He breaks out into a gap smile.
He lost his tooth just three days ago, and you remember how proud he was, bursting into the fields during study period to show you as you untied the horses from the plow.
“There’s a man who wants to see you.”
“A man?” You frown, looking over his shoulder. Placing a heavy hand on his shoulder, you pull him into your room, out of the way of the door. “Did he say what his name was? Or if he was military?” The kids know the military insignias. Praying silently to yourself, you glance uneasily at your nightstand where a gun is hidden in the drawer. You could probably arm yourself in time. Xavier tugs at your ear. You look back at him, eyebrows creasing as you glance over his shoulder.
“He said his name was Jean and that you would know who he was. He’s waiting outside.”
“Jean?” you repeat sharply, standing. Xavier flinches, looking up at you, and you scoop him up before heading to the nightstand, yanking open the drawer and grabbing the gun. Arms worm around your neck, and you squeeze the child closer to yourself as you quietly slip out into the hallway, towards where the other kids’ room is.
“Girls, close the door and lock it,” you order quietly, as you walk into the . The two sisters—Alina and Anya who share the room—look up from whatever they’re doing, and Anya gets up from her bed, but you merely send her a warning look as you “Everything’s okay. Anya’s in charge until I get back.”
She nods, and you set Xavier down but he doesn’t let go of your neck, hugging you tight to him. Letting out a strangled sigh, you slowly pull him away, cupping his face. Your heart is slow, steady, and you take a measured breath as Alina glances out the window that is right over their desk.
“I’ll be okay. I want to make sure we’re safe.” His eyes flicker over your face and you nod reassuringly. “You know what to do. Listen to Anya, alright? Try to get some sleep.” The redheaded boy nods and you stroke his cheek with a thumb before he scampers towards Anya’s bed. You stand.
You leave the room, shut it behind you as Alina draws the curtains shut, and your mind is thrumming with ideas of who it could be.
Entering the kitchen, you head to the porch with a quick glance at the window. There’s a figure leaning against the fence, back to you, and your fingers around your gun tighten. Draped in dark fabric and ash-brown hair shining in the oil lamps hanging on the porch, you can’t make out a face as you step into the bracing night.
“What do you want?”
The figure jolts to his feet, turning around. Edges dulled by the night, you can barely make out his features until he steps into the light, and your finger pad taps the trigger when brown eyes meet yours. Heart lurching, everything rushes back to you and you manage to control the sharp inhale, tempering it into a slow and steady breath that swells up in your lungs.
“It’s been a while,” he comments idly, and you swallow through the hard knot in your throat. Eyes flicking to the gun in your hand, the small smile that had been curving his lips drops away. “You’re a hard person to track.”
“How’d you find me?”
“It wasn’t easy, but Captain Levi saw that some of us were getting desperate.”
Four years.
Four years since you’ve seen any of them except Captain Levi, who only visits to make sure you haven’t been raided by bandits and killed in the months between his check-ins.
In that time, seasons have changed, you’ve sprained your shoulder, it healed; you’ve been thrown off a horse, and gotten back up. You had a period where you would write letters every waking second you were left alone in your room, debating whether or not you should destroy them or send them just for the sake of feeling like you had someone again.
All those letters are still wedged in a box under your bed, so there’s that answer.
Jean stands at the bottom of your porch and you nod, gesturing for him to come in. Your heart plummets as you do so. You don’t know why Jean even bothered.
He closes the door behind you, and you set the gun on the dining table before moving towards the stove, and you ask him if he wants any tea, gracious host that you are. He shrugs and you begin to boil some water. It’ll give you time to look him over as he sits down.
He’s grown the beginnings of a beard since you last saw him. And he’s taller. Way taller than you remember. He’s gotten more muscle, holds himself differently, he’s… still Jean, in all respects, but he’s…
Tired.
You’re sure that’s one word you’re looking for.
Migrating to the hearth, you wonder if he’s doing the same to you. Studying you like you’re a stranger.
You start a fire, feeding it freshly chopped firewood from the day before and stoking it before letting it feast.
You never liked doing that before. Swinging an axe down on wood, watching it split. Now, it’s the only time you get alone to your thoughts. You don’t have to focus on chopping wood. All you have to do is swing an axe until it’s nothing more than muscle memory. You can just… be.
Maybe it isn’t so bad. Maybe it’s why Reiner liked doing it.
You sigh, and grab the iron poker, keeping an eye on the stove. You don’t know if Jean wants to skip the small talk. You do, but mostly because you don’t like it when your old life comes into your new one. You can make yourself believe you can’t go back when no one’s here to remind you, and that the guilt won’t gnaw you until you’re only bones.
Absently, you remember Bertholdt used to like small talk—Jean seems less so.
“I have news. I don’t know if you want to hear it, but you’re still military.”
“Not labelled a deserter, yet?” you inquire dryly. Everything is moving so slowly around you, yet so quickly. It’s a terrible sensation. “I feel honoured.”
“Let’s cut the shit, alright. What the hell are you doing here?”
“No idea.”
“You disappeared! No one had seen you in weeks—we thought you were dead until the captain came back with strict orders not to look for you, but do you know how ominous that sounds?” Something bites at your gut as you stare into the flames, and Jean shoots to his feet, chair scraping against the wooden floor. “You were our friend!”
His words sink into your shoulders, but you only blink, staring into the growing hearth.
“Don’t you care? You left!”
“I don’t regret it. It’s not like I’m begging to become a Scout again,” you murmur, looking over your shoulder at him. A sort of tiredness pulls at your eyes, and you stand up again, walking around the table. “I don’t know what you want from me, Jean. You came to me first.”
“I want you to care. I want you to come back and fight. Aren’t you remotely interested in what’s going on?”
“I know we have a train, now.” The pot begins to boil and you move towards it, taking out a tin and small metal spoon. “Historia is doing well as queen. At least, that’s what people are saying. She’s expecting. If you ever see her, tell her I’m happy for her.” Scooping leaves into the teapot, you pour the boiling water into the porcelain and let it steep.
Turning back around, your eyebrows rise when you see Jean has walked around the table. There’s not even a metre between them as he tosses something at you. Catching it, you realize it’s a rolled up newspaper and your heart drops. At his nod, you pry it open and read the contents, fingertips brushing over two rectangular slips of paper within stating a time and terminal.
“What is this?”
“Eren’s gone to Marley by himself. Probably to do something stupid. I have two tickets to go and rescue his scrawny ass.”
“And?” Dread knots at your stomach as Jean closes his eyes, exhaling softly. Pleading, then: “Jean, don’t.”
“You’re the least compromised out of all of us. None of the volunteers would recognize you or would have been able to relay information about you if they have allies back in Marley, and despite everything, I still trust you. Which is more than I can say for Yelena and the others.” You snap the paper shut and toss it onto the table. Shaking your head to yourself, you walk away from him, but Jean only grabs your arm. “You still have a duty to our nation.”
“Don’t try to plead to my sense of national pride,” you shoot back coolly. “I have other responsibilities.”
“What, like tending to wheat?”
“Everyone wants to kill us, so yes, tending to wheat.”
“If we don’t find Eren, they will kill us. He’s our one chance of getting out of this mess alive. As crazy as he is, he’s our one ticket to freedom and we need to find him.”
Turning around to face him, you pull your arm free of his grasp. The lantern hanging is glaringly bright, and something knots in your throat at Jean’s somber expression.
“I fought for our freedom and you know what I realized? There will always be more people out there who want to take that away from us.” You wish you could sound passionate, but you just sound rough and tired. The bite tastes different. “First, it was Titans, then, it was the people we called our friends. Do you think that we’ll ever be free? That we’ll be able to live without a sword above our necks. Levi told me we’re devils in everyone else’s eyes. What’s it matter?”
“Because we aren’t what they say we are. If you lay down and show your belly, why did you become a soldier in the first place?” You jerk back and Jean leans against the table, crossing his arms. “I thought you fought for a dream. Something. Anything.”
“I thought I did, too. I’m just…” A hissing breath, and you pinch the bridge of your nose, turning away. Images of the lake back from their cadet years flash in your head. “I’m just tired, I guess.”
“Tired?” he repeats icily. “You think the rest of us aren’t tired? We all haven’t had the luxury to sit down on a farm and escape all our responsibilities.”
Head snapping up, your eyes find cold brown chips staring back. Bitterly, you grit out, “Excuse me?”
“Do you think there’s a day that goes by where I think about Marco and how I wasn’t there for him? We all lost someone. You’re not the only person who’s had to go through it. We’re all guilty of something, but at least, I didn’t give up! At least, some of us decided to do something about it!”
“Shut up!” A hand flies through the air but he catches your wrist and twists, pinning you down to the table. Another hand slams your other hand into the wood and you grunt as Jean wedges himself between your legs to stop you from kicking him. Eyes burning, you stare up into the face of your friend and in that moment, the sorrow overflowing spills into your chest as if you are a well and he is the flood.
He sinks, elbows clacking against the table as he bows his head. His breath is rushed, cool against your face, and you search his features before uttering out a quiet, “Why did you really come here, Jean?”
His eyes widening, his hands loosen. You try to suck your tears back in, but your eyes are burning so intensely you have to let them fall anyway just as there’s a sharp gasp. Jean looks up before he jerks back as if you’ve really slapped him. Sitting up, you twist to look at the doorframe, and your heart drops into your gut when you see a redheaded boy, eyes shining with tears.
“What are you doing?” he cries, and you immediately launch yourself off the table, crossing the distance towards him as Anya appears over his shoulder, helpless. The brunette girl’s guilt punches through you and you lift Xavier up into your arms, hugging him tight before wrapping another arm around the girl and poking your head into the hall.
Alina’s figure is a mere shadow at the end of the hall, and you sigh, gesturing for her to come. Taking off at a sprint, she charges down the hall and you bury your nose in Anya’s hair just as another body slams into you, latching onto your waist. You close your eyes as Xavier tries to snuggle even deeper into your neck.
“I’m okay,” you keep repeating. “Just a heat of the moment thing. I promise, he’s not here to hurt us. I promise.”
“Are you okay?” Anya murmurs, and you look down. The eldest girl’s pulled her head back to look at you. Her eyes are narrowed, perceptive as always, and her lips are upturned into a faint scowl. You smile faintly, running a hand over her head.
“I will be. Why don’t you take them back to your room?” you advise, and her eyes wander from you to Jean again. Catching it, you brush your thumb along her temple soothingly. “Go.” Reluctantly, she lets go of you and turns to Alina who still latches onto you like a parasite, but you rest a palm atop her head. “Alina.”
A sniff, and then she steps back, rubbing at her face. Her older sister takes her shoulders, easing her away and you crouch down as Xavier silently grabs onto your shirt tighter in his tiny fists.
“Xavier,” you soothe. “I’ll be back in just a moment, okay?” You tilt your head. “I promise.” Wiping at his tears, you wait for him to let go of your shirt on his own accord, and when he does, you brush his hair back from his brow and plant a kiss on his forehead. Anya calls his name softly down the hall, and he lingers for a moment more before walking away, head still over his shoulder so he can watch.
You stay crouched until he’s gone and then you let out a soft exhale, head dropping, eyes closing.
“We need you more than you probably need us,” Jean acknowledges quietly, and your eyes open again to look at him. He’s straightened himself up, watching you with softer eyes. He visibly swallows, and you wonder if it’s pity or jealousy in his eyes. “But, we’re outnumbered in trusted senior officers in the Survey Corps. You’re one of them.”
Quietly: “I shouldn’t be.”
He falters for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I suppose not.” He grabs the newspaper again. “But somehow, you are. If Captain Levi trusts you, then so do I. Bertholdt is dead. Annie’s a frozen log in a basement somewhere, and Reiner’s still alive. So are you.” He extends the paper to you. “This is what guilt got us. So what are you going to do about it?”
“Then, how about we go back to my hometown? There’s water nearby. We can go in the afternoons, eat all this food you’ve never had before.”
You haven’t seen a lake in who knows how long. Not since your cadet years, it feels like. Your heart yearns for the blue expanses, to plunge into the cold depths and gasp at how cold it is. You thought you’d given that up, but just there mere thought of it sends your mind spiralling into the images you’ve dreamed of since you were a child.
“Regret begets regret—don’t have any when you go, and maybe you’ll live a life happier than most.”
You know you’ll never forgive yourself if you never take the chance to see him again. Heart peeling in your chest, you grab the newspaper from him.
“They call it the sea, don’t they?” you finally ask. Jean nods. “A lot of water and there’s… there’s animals in there.”
“Yeah. They live in this salty water and… they eat seafood a lot in Marley. I don’t know if you know.”
“Reiner might’ve mentioned it before,” you say. You look down at the newspaper in your tight fist and swallow. All at once, one door closes and another opens, and you look at Jean, the date and time of the ship already burned into your memory. “He said he thought I’d like it. I guess I’ll keep that in mind when we go.”
Jean’s eyes widen as you hand the paper back to him, your palm scalding as you shove the ticket into your pocket. He says your name softly, but you only hold your hand up, eyes fixed on the floor.
“I’ll meet you there, I promise.” You turn towards the shadows of the hall. In the silence of the night, you hear the hushed whispers of the children you’ve dedicated your life to and your heart disintegrates in your chest. “I just… I need some time to figure everything out.”
“Of course. Whatever you need.” Jean’s feet shift along the floor. You look over your shoulder for a moment to find his eyes on you. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” you reply. “Feel free to stay the night. It’s already late.” He nods, and you flash him the weakest smile.
Then, you walk down the hall to your children. You have a lot of explaining to do.
.
You stubbornly try to ignore the tears tracing down your face as you reach into the compartment on your pants containing the letters. Reaching for it, you pull it out and crack it open, wondering if it’s even possible to bring yourself to read it.
“It’s not your last question,” Reiner had noted warily as they stood at the top of the stairs.
“Yeah. I guess we have to put a rain check this time.” You had set the box down, looking at him. You couldn’t recall feeling so warm, so empty. So convinced that there was something wrong with how much you still felt for him. “One more question, then?”
A nod, almost hungry for it. “Please.”
“Did you really, really love me?”
The gentlest of sighs, his warm yellow eyes. He had reached out for you, then second guessed, and reached for his breast pocket instead, extending the tin to you.
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you.”
The entire cabin is quiet as you stare at the ring nestled at the bottom, atop the stack of letters that are wrinkled and must’ve been refolded so many times it’s begun to permanently crease in multiple lines.
No one’s dared to speak since Sasha died and you look up at the others before back down at the ring again before pinching it between your fingers and lifting it to eye level. You’re not sure what it means to hold it, but you gently close the tin with your other hand, feeling it click shut, and slide it back into your pocket.
The band is silver, rather simple, but it’s pretty, too, in a refined sort of way. There aren’t any gems, but there are simple engravings, lines that curve the metal, causing ripples along the surface and, without thinking, you stretch out your left hand in front of you, trying to gauge which one it’ll fit the best.
Sombrely, you slide it down your ring finger, and let it sit there, lowering your hands and curling them into fists and raising your shoulder, hearing a bone crack.
You’re exhausted.
The ODM gear feels strange on your body. It’d been a crash course to get you familiarized with the updates, and you hook a thumb on the strap on your rib cage before glancing at the others. Connie sits with Mikasa and Armin, and Jean is at the back by himself, rubbing at his face hard enough that his skin is beginning to turn red.
You don’t know what to say.
What is there to say? Four years have left you strangely numb.
Jean’s lips pull back into a vicious snarl and his head snaps up to find you looking. Then, everything seems to soften, and he looks away sharply, almost as if to hide his tears.
So you don’t say a thing. Instead, you walk on to the back of the ship, past him, where the prisoners are being held, and you open the door without a noise, first noticing the blond boy. Falco. He looks up at your entrance, eyes wide, and you give him a slight smile as you close the door.
You wish you could hate children for the part they played in killing your friend, but in this moment, you just feel nothing. Not even sadness. You had seen what Marley’s done in the friends you’ve lost.
“Hello, Falco.”
“You lied to me,” he whispers. “You and Mister Kruger—Eren,” he corrects himself. “You used me.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” you tell him, looking at the walls. It seems like a supply area, and you grab the bucket and rag that’s been left by whoever checked in on them last. There’s a few clean rags and you walk up to them, crouching before the blond first. He seems to flinch back and the brown-haired girl lunges at you.
You have no problem pushing her aside and pinning her down.
“Don’t touch him!” she yells. “You don’t get to touch him!”
“Calm down,” you tell her calmly. “I’m not going to hurt him, and you are in no position to be making demands at me after you killed my friend.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re a devil. So was she!” she spits as you slowly wet the rag and dab at the blood cracking underneath Falco’s nose. It’s clear whoever was here before only used the bucket and rag as a taunt. Probably telling them they could piss in here if they wanted. A coy coil of disgust wraps around your gut. “Don’t touch him. You’re tainted! You give all of us a bad name!”
Your nose wrinkles as the girl squirms under your hand and you let go of her. Cupping Falco’s face, you continue to wipe at his cheek. The water is cold. You hope it soothes what must be a flaring face.
“I don’t understand,” he murmurs dully. Exhausted eyes find yours. “Why?”
“I’m sorry. I have no idea why kids are suddenly soldiers in an adult’s war.” You reach to rinse the rag. Dipping it in water, you begin to wring it out when suddenly, there’s a sharp gasp, and you turn to look at the other child—Gabi. She stares at your hands, eyes wide enough a ring of white is around her irises and you frown. “What?”
“Where did you get that ring?” she asks, voice shaking, and you look down at your hands. “That’s… that’s Reiner’s ring. Where did you get it?” You don’t answer, simply stare at her for a moment, and her breath comes out quivering. “He doesn’t let anyone know he has it. It’s for someone special. That’s—he wouldn’t even tell me. He doesn’t know I saw him with it. He… he —it’s supposed to be for someone!”
“Gabi—“ Falco grabs her arms as you regard her softly, and you have just an idea of what’s going in her head as she points at you. “Gabi, calm down—“
“Why do you have it?” she demands ferociously. “It’s not yours! Give it back!” You drop the rag back into the water, and sit back, drawing your knees up to your chest and resting your arms atop of them lazily as tears begin to trace down the child’s face. “It didn’t even cost that much! You won’t be able to sell it to, you know! Give it!”
“Gabi!”
��You have no idea what that means to him!“
“Stop—“
“You spawn! You devil woman!”
“Are you done?” you ask her quietly, fingers twisting the ring and Gabi inhales raggedly as you look at her flatly. Her eyes widen even more if possible, and she allows Falco to pull her back. Her wet gasps fill the silence and you swallow, tilting your head at your hands. “If you really want to know, I don’t really have an idea why I’m wearing it.” You sigh, dropping your hands and letting your head fall forward. “As for how I got it, if you ever see Reiner again, why don’t you ask him?”
Falco’s eyes widen as you look up and finding him staring at you with a strange scrutiny, and your eyebrows furrow as he lets go of Gabi and straightens up from where he’s sitting.
“Mister Braun didn’t even hear what I said when he saw you,” he murmurs, brow furrowing. “Like he’d just seen a ghost. You and…” He struggles for words, voice unsteady. “Eren said you guys were all old friends. But… but, if he gave you the ring—“
“Shut up, Falco!” Gabi beseeches, grabbing his arm, but Falco only stares at you. “Are you even hearing what you’re saying? You’re accusing my cousin of treason! He wouldn’t!”
“He stayed with you for so long,” he continues, as if in a trance. “Even Eren wondered what was taking so long. He… called it a lover’s quarrel. You…”
“I think you two should get some rest,” you interrupt, pushing yourself to your feet and ignoring the smokey feeling clogging up your chest as tears slip down Gabi’s face and Falco’s face pales at your blatant dismissal. “It’s going to be a few hours until we land, roughly. You’ll want to get used to being somewhere warm before they transfer you to some sort of prison. It’ll be a lot colder there.”
Taking the bucket and the rag, you return it back to its spot before walking out the room and closing the door shut behind you.
You find the spot you once were standing at now occupied with Floch and his comrades, and then you turn your head to see Jean still leaning against the wall, arms crossed, expression burning the metal floor.
You amble over to him without a word and lean in beside him, sinking to the floor.
#fic: homebound#reiner braun x reader#reiner braun#reiner braun x you#reiner braun imagine#reiner braun fic#reiner x reader#reiner x you#reiner fic#snk#snk x reader#snk x you#snk imagines#aot#aot x reader#aot x you#attack on titan#attack on titan x reader#attack on titan x you#my writing
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Partner
Ethan Winters (Resident Evil Biohazard) x Reader (Gender Neutral)
Warnings: Spoilers for Resident Evil 8:Village, Swearing, Mentions of injury
Genre: Angsty Fluff, Comfort
Summary: Following the final battle in the Dimitrescu Castle, Ethan is surprised to stumble upon a person who witnessed the whole debacle, offering him a safe place to patch up his wounds and rest for a little while.
Requested by Anon. Hi dear! Thank you so much for your request! So sorry you’ve had to wait so long but here it finally is! Hope you come across it and enjoy reading it! Love, Vy ❤
“That was...something else.“ Ethan Winters mutters to himself as he limps his way out of the Dimitrescu Castle which is now vacant in terms of residence - his doing. He killed Alcina Dimitrescu and her daughters, all arguably in self defense and with little guilt to follow. However, plenty of trauma’s definitely attached to him following the horrific events he had to go through and the things he had to see between the walls of those luxurious rooms hiding dark secrets of the vampires who took pleasure in torturing people, and wreaking havoc over the villagers who feared them.
“At least they won’t hurt anyone any longer.“ He tells himself, giving the monster of a structure one final look before he continues back towards the center of the village where he’s gonna rethink what he’s got to do next, gather his bearings, take a breath and keep going. He has no other option but to keep going, he won’t allow himself to quit no matter what danger he faces. In his mind, he’s convinced himself that he’s already seen the worst, it’s easier on him that way, it suppresses the fear he’d feel otherwise. The last thing he wants is to think what’s in store for him ahead, he’d rather focus on what’s up to him to do next.
“And we can’t thank you enough.“
The sudden presence of an unfamiliar voice startles him, causing him to whip out his gun and point it in the direction it came from. However, he quickly finds his deadly tight grip loosening ever so slightly because he realizes he’s pointing the barrel at a very human-looking and seemingly harmless person.
“Who are you? Who’s ‘we’?“ Ethan still refuses to let his guard down though, just cause it may not be a life or death situation, doesn’t mean this person won’t bring him trouble and Lord knows that’s the last thing he needs right now.
On instinct, the person takes a step back, “I speak on the behalf of all the remaining villagers. I mean, it was only a matter of time before we too became victims in the Dimitrescu Castle basement. I was next, actually, but the commotion you created allowed for me to escape. I owe you my life, foreigner.“ The speak hurriedly and in a hushed tone, as if the fear of their torturers overhearing them still lives within them despite the monsters being deceased.
“Glad I could help you.“ He nods curtly, remaining at the distance of seven feet between them, “My name’s Ethan Winters by the way.“
They give him the tiniest of smiles, “Y/N L/N, pleased to meet you.” Their gaze gives him a quick onceover, assessing the damage the horrors of the castle have inflicted on him. Their eyes widen in shock at the many bleeding wounds all over his body but what appears to rattle them most is the severe injury that’s causing his limp as well as the missing finger - a poorly wrapped would that has surprisingly not started getting infected yet. “Look, I know you don’t trust me, but I don’t trust you to take care of yourself either. I live in that windmill over there in the outskirts, come with me, I’ll help you with...well, with all that. You seem rather hopeless at medical care.”
While he could refuse their offer, he wouldn’t be able to deny the fact that they’re right - he knows the basics of first aid, but his injuries are far too gone for simple first aid, especially when taken into account that he doesn’t even have any supplies. How he’s not died from blood loss is a surprise to him as much as it is to them.
“What’s my guarantee you won’t turn on me?“ He finally asks after a decent amount of time contemplating it.
They shrug, “You have none. But, you have the guarantee that if I turn on you, you’ll be the one coming out of that altercation alive.” Their gaze sizes up the guns he’s got on him, emphasizing their point.
Suddenly, Ethan feels sorta ridiculous - after all, guns or no guns, he could probably take on them easily with just his knife. Regardless, no one can blame him for being cautious.
“Fine.“ He mutters, “But please don’t turn on me, I’ve already had one hell of a day.“
Y/N nods, motioning for him to follow them, “I promise I won’t.”
* * *
“Wow, what a back-stabber! Some friends you have, Winters.“ Y/N comments as they set down a cup of tea on the small wooden table in front of the freshly patched up Ethan.
Turns out, he made the right move by trusting them - they used to be the village’s main nurse until it all went to hell and they went to hide in the shadows of their windmill where they, as evidenced, still are today. That being said, not only did they have all the necessary equipment to fix him up, but they also had the skills and knowledge needed to use that equipment.
“There are those friends who borrow money from you and never pay you back and there are those who shoot your wife randomly while you two are trying to have dinner. Two types of friends out there really.“ He sighs, his tired, a thousand yard stare following the path of the steam levitating from the cup that’s been placed in front of him. “I have no time to dwell on that right now though. My daughter is in grave danger and I have no idea where I should even start looking for her.“
Y/N sits down on a chair opposite his, “Well, you’ve already defeated one of the village Lords looking for Rose, process of elimination should reveal where she is - wherever she is, it has to be one of the Lords’ residence. Mother Miranda trusted Lady Dimitrescu most so it’s a wonder why she wasn’t there, but then again, Heisenberg’s factory is damn near impenetrable, one cannot enter unless he wants them to so she could have entrusted her precious cargo to him.”
“How do I get to that fucker?“ Ethan tightens his hand into a fist, squeezing so tightly his knuckles turn white. There’s so much within him, so much that’s happened to him, so much in such a short amount of time and he’s had no time to deal with any of it. He’s a volcano waiting to erupt, but he has to do so at the right time - in front of the right danger to show he’s not hopeless or weak as his opponent may think. “Where do I find him?“
“He’s in the outskirts too just on the other side of the village.“ They sigh, regretting every word they are saying since they know they are just feeding him information on how to get himself in the worst kind of danger he’s probably ever been in. “That key you have, it’s not complete to access his quarters yet. By the looks of it...“ they observe the key Ethan has placed on the table, “You can only get to Lord Donna Beneviento’s estate, and I wouldn’t suggest heading there before you heal at least a bit more. Her and her dolls are a real nightmare. Of course, I haven’t experienced it for myself, but the stories are enough to get an idea.“
“So you’re telling me I have to waste my time with the little fish before I can finally get to Rose? You know how long that’ll take? You know how long she’ll have to be at the mercy of a fucking lunatic until I can finally save her?!“ Ethan snaps, banging his fist against the table, bad idea considering his hand’s been just patched up. The impact sends a jolt of pain up his arm that makes him hiss.
“I get it, I understand, Ethan. But you are a lot less likely to get to your daughter if you’re dead, you know.“ Y/N cautiously explains, their eyes narrowing a bit as they wait for the pearl white bandages to soak crimson, sighing in relief when they don’t. “Speaking of how likely you may or may not be to get to her on time, I’d also have to mention your odds would be significantly higher if you were to receive help from someone else. You’d need someone to have your back throughout all the shit you’re about to go through, especially Heisenberg’s factory where two eyes are not enough to track each and every threat that might pounce at you.“
Calmer now, Ethan gives them a puzzled look, “What are you suggesting?“
“I’m suggesting - well, I’m offering you my partnership.“ They explain, watching his expression change to one of knowing and understanding. “Of course, you’d have to give up one of those guns and hand it down to me, but I think that’s a small price to pay in exchange for an extra pair of eyes and limbs to guard and help you.“
Ethan’s first instinct is to decline. He can’t afford to see another person dying around him or because of him, he wouldn’t be able to stand it. But then again, just like he had no guarantee they wouldn’t turn on him, he has none that they’ll die. Of course, he’ll do everything in his power to keep them and himself alive and they don’t seem like they are in it to half-ass it either. Quite the contrary, they seem perfectly determined and ready to face the same shit he’s about to.
“What do you get in return?“ He asks, his gaze suspiciously measuring each line on their face to gauge their true intentions. He’s a complete stranger to them, they’d have no reason to be this selfless for him, it’s obvious they are aiming at something bigger.
Y/N scoffs, leaning back in their chair with a small bitter smile on their face, their gaze resting on the tabletop and avoiding his, “You really wanna know? I want my revenge - revenge for what they did to this village, to me, to so many people I cared about and to those I didn’t even know. But...” they trail off, pausing to sigh out a heavy sigh before continuing, “But I also wanna redeem myself. I knew I should’ve done all in my power to stop them when their havoc was still on the rise, I knew I should’ve done more, but I didn’t. And now I’ll die trying.”
“You won’t die.“ He says sharply, barely a second after the last word left their lips, “I won’t allow it.“ He adds, taking a bit of the edge off his voice.
Their eyes come up to meet his, searching for what he means, “Does that mean...“
“It sure does, partner.“ Within the blink of an eye, his pistol is on the table, fully loaded and free for their taking, “You just give a green light and we’re off.“
Y/N lets out a sound between a laugh and a gasp as their hands quickly wrap around the gun, looking at it in disbelief before whispering a quick ‘thank you’. Ethan allows them to marvel at it for a bit longer but they don’t wait another second. “Get your ass up, Winters. We have monsters to kill.”
He needn’t be told twice
#resident evil 8#resident evil#resident evil heisenberg#resident evil village#resident evil 7#re#re 8#re village#karl#heisenberg#resident evil karl heisenberg#karl heisenberg#resident evil lady dimitrescu#lady dimitrescu#ethan winters#ethan winters x reader#ethan winters imagine#rose winters#rosemary winters#mia winters#resident evil chris redfield#chris redfield#fic#fanfic#fanfiction#fandom#video game#video game fanfic#x reader#reader insert
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