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fatuismooches · 4 months

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fabulam diu oblitus - sequel.

synopsis: The tale of the raven and the sparrow has ended, but that doesn't mean it can't start again.

includes: dottore w/ gn! reader

notes: This is the fifth and final part of this fic, please read the other four before this! This is a fluffier continuation of the last part in order to soothe your hearts from the last part. Thank you to each and every one of you who supported me with this fic, it was a wonderful experience and I hope you all enjoyed it! Now, let's wrap up the tale of the raven and sparrow once and for all. (Also, I realize that this part may seem a bit reader-centric, but I hope it's still good!)

prelude. first interlude. second interlude. postlude. sequel.

It had been years since the Traveler had attended their first Akademiya Extravaganza. It was a marvelous experience. It had also been years since the old sages were overthrown, the Balladeer’s attempt to become a God, and of course, the deletion of the Doctor’s segments as well as the death of the Omega build.

But why was the Traveler still in Teyvat? Since they still had yet to find their treasured sibling, their journey persisted. And so they and their traveling companion had found themselves back in Sumeru for another fun festival. Paimon had already had her fill of games and yummy food, so now they were going to see a performance, by the one and only Nilou. Their friend often danced, but today would be a special one since it was during the festival.

“Oh wow! Zubayr Theater is so much more lively than usual!” Paimon exclaimed. Indeed, there was a large crowd gathered below the stage, all of them excited to watch the dancer’s performance. But there was one person who caught Paimon’s eye. Someone was sitting by themselves, away from the crowd.

“Huh? Look over there, someone is sitting all alone. Do you think they’re okay?”

“Paimon, just because someone is by themselves doesn’t mean they’re in trouble. Maybe they don’t like being around large groups of people.”

“Oh… Paimon knows that! But maybe we should check on them, just in case. We still have some time before Nilou’s performance.” The Traveler gave in to their friend’s request and the pair made their way over to you. But you were too lost in your thoughts to notice them coming.

Your illness still remained, but with all the years that had passed by, at least it wasn’t as bad as it was before. It didn’t totally dominate your life, and you were able to do some things by yourself that you couldn’t do before! It wasn’t a cure, but it was something. Though of course there were bad days, the good days were the ones you focused on more. Good days such as today.

You were back in Sumeru after hundreds of years. You never thought it would happen but, one day your husband came to you and told you the news so casually, you thought you were dreaming. You? Leaving Snezhnaya? It felt unreal! If you were stronger, you would have tackled him to the floor with your love, but alas you had to settle for squeezing him as hard as you could.

Though, to be honest, you weren’t sure if the Fatui actually had business there, or if he wanted to bring you there since you’d been longing for it for so long. (But it seemed unlikely that Pierro would give him vacation days…) Regardless, your joy was received by him adequately as you peppered his face with kisses.

So now you were here, in your home country. Of course, there were numerous top-tier Fatui agents assigned to you in disguise, always trailing behind with great skill, since Dottore was never going to let you be by yourself. But you didn’t really mind. The past few days had been the most fun you’d had in so long! (If only Dottore could join you. Obviously, he couldn’t in broad daylight… not to mention whatever duties he had.)

As you remember it, each Darshan had set up booths for the Wisdom Gala with a ton of interesting mini-games and other stuff. Though the concept was the same, you were once again realizing how things had changed over the centuries you were asleep… these games were truly novel! You were impressed at the creativity because it was nothing like this when you were a student!

One that was funny was when you were given a mallet… yes a mallet, to hit these little wooden fungi that kept popping up and down in different spots. You were given a question and each of the fungi had a different answer. You had to whack the one with the right answer. Now, figuring out the answer wasn’t the question, but rather hitting them. With your illness, lugging this thing quickly enough to smack them was not an easy task… but it was fun! Hehe, you knew Zandy would have whacked all of them anyway. Ugh, you were really feeling robbed now… the best things always happen in school after you already left.

Though your favorite game was the gear puzzles. You were given multiple gears of different sizes and had to insert them to make all of them eventually turn. You ended up finishing them at record speed, causing a whole swarm of Kshahrewar students around you, begging you to join their Darshan. It was a good thing one of your agents caused a distraction elsewhere for you to swiftly escape… Hmm, maybe you should ask Dottore to make these for you, so you could occupy your mind.

Ahh, not to mention the food… the delicious, authentic Sumerian cuisine that you missed so much. Although some things had naturally changed over four hundred years, it was as yummy as you remembered it. You always packaged some so you could share with Dottore (especially the sweets.) At the end of the day, or when you were tired, you were always escorted back to him. The location was secluded of course, for privacy and safety reasons. Your husband would listen to you ramble about quite literally everything, as you explored Sumeru City thoroughly, not just the festival. Even though he already knew everything you spoke about, he liked seeing your curiosity be indulged in.

But today was different. Today you decided to witness the performances going on in the theater. You had always liked watching them (Columbina often invited you to them) in Snezhnaya, so now you wanted to see what Sumeru had to offer. Four hundred years ago, the Akademiya looked down and shamed the arts far more than they do today. Non-academic writing, drawing, sculpting, acting, singing, dancing, you name it. There was no such thing as the Grand Bazaar or Zubayr Theater. Though you didn’t live here anymore, you were very pleased to see how much the arts were appreciated now, as they should be. Especially that red-haired girl, her dancing was awe-inspiring. You had seen her practice before the performance for a few days, and it was beautiful! If only things were like this when you were a student here…

“Hello there! You’re sitting all the way over here by yourself, are you okay?” A squeaky voice interrupted your reminiscing and you turned to see who it was.

The Traveler and Paimon… It seemed that you were blankly staring at them for too long because the floating one spoke again.

“Um… are you okay?”

“Oh! I’m fine, sorry, sorry, I just spaced out for a second there,” you apologetically waved them off. This was going to be a bit annoying.

A while ago, you had decided to let go. Let go of the pain, of any possible thoughts of revenge, of the sheer grief you suffered from your loss. Because continuing to work yourself up like that would only worsen your illness and mental state. For the most part, you’d been successful, living each day as best you could along with your husband. You still thought about the segments though, always thankful for what they did for you.

But now that the Traveler stood in front of you in flesh and blood, your composure wavered a little. This was the same person who killed Omega. You couldn’t help but feel a twinge of hatred, but you relaxed with a deep breath.

“That’s okay! Well, Paimon is Paimon, and this here is the Traveler. We saw you here by yourself and just wanted to see if you were alright!” The blonde nodded in affirmation.

“Ah, I see. There’s no need to worry about me. My body can’t handle standing for so long, so it’s better for me to sit, even if I’m a bit far away from the stage.” There was no harm in telling them right off the bat because you had a feeling that Paimon’s line of questioning would make you reveal your illness anyway. She talked a lot, according to your fellow Fatuis.

“Huh? Are you injured?”

“No, it’s just my illness. My body struggles to do many things a healthy person would, so I need to be careful.” The pair nodded at you in sympathy.

“Oh… Paimon is sorry about that. That sounds really tough…”

“It’s alright. It’s been like this for many years, so I’ve grown accustomed to it.” The fairy placed her hand on her chest in understanding before she brightened.

“Ah, Paimon has a good idea! Why don’t we keep you company during the performance? You know, we’ve been here loads of times and are even friends with Nilou! We can definitely tell you some cool things!”

“Oh, that sounds… nice.” You smiled at them, not because you liked them, but more because you were interested in their stories about this place. Paimon cheered and the Traveler took a seat near you. It made your skin crawl a bit, but you didn’t show any outward reaction.

“Say, Paimon never asked your name.”

“You can call me [Name].” The only person who knew you in this country was the Dendro Archon, and you doubted they would tell her about you, so there was no point in using another name. Also that was too much work.

“So [Name], is this your first time in Sumeru? We can show you all the best restaurants if you need it!” Ah, so the agents were also accurate when they said she liked food a lot. And the fact the Traveler was silent most of the time.

“No, I used to live here. But, I moved away a long time ago, so this is my first time back in many years.”

“That sounds nice. It must feel good to be back, huh? It’s too bad the Interdarshan Championship isn’t taking place this year. That would have been lots of fun!” Paimon sighed, memories of the last one flowing through her mind. Ah yes, you remember that as well. You and Zandik were never chosen as nominees of course… but it was a fun event to observe. For you at least. Zandik would always go on about how foolish the competitors were, how they couldn’t see how simple the seemingly difficult challenge was. You always laughed at his criticism.

“Mhm, it’s too bad. Maybe I can come back another time to see that.”

“Yeah, you definitely should! Speaking of, did you come here with anyone?”

“Yes, my husband accompanied me here. But he’s working right now, so I’m by myself.”

“Aww, that’s too bad. It must be lonely to enjoy a festival by yourself, huh?”

“Perhaps a little bit, but I do not mind. He’s taken care of me for countless years along with his work duties, it’s more than enough for me to even have the opportunity to experience this festival.”

“Wow, you two really do sound like a loving couple!”

“Hehe, yes… yes, we are,” you had started to smile loopily at the thought of Dottore and ignored the look the Traveler and Paimon gave you. But your attention returned when the stage lights flickered on and the crowd started to simmer down.

“Looks like the performance is starting! Oh, Paimon can’t wait to see what Nilou has in store this time!” You were excited to see it as well.

—

The performances were delightful. The play was well-acted and interesting, and the red-haired girl’s dance at the end was beautiful. Huh… you wish they had more festivals like this in Snezhnaya. Or maybe they did, and you didn’t know about them. You’d have to ask Bina about that when you return.

“That was so, so touching,” Paimon sniffed as the Traveler comforted their friend. You couldn’t help but agree as well. “We have to go say hi to Nilou now!” The Traveler and Paimon rose as you watched them.

“Just stay here [Name], we’ll be back in a few minutes!” You smiled at them as they went off to greet their friend before you quickly dropped your expression. Stay? With them? Nah, you had enough for today. You wanted to go back to Dottore now and bother him to let you cuddle him on his lap. So when they weren’t looking, you slipped out of the theater, and your bodyguards slyly followed, attracting the attention of no one.

Ah, you had a lot of things to say to Dottore now, didn’t you…

—

“Huh? Where did [Name] go?” When the pair returned, you were gone.

“They must have left. I bet it’s because you were asking them so many questions, Paimon,” the Traveler teased her.

“Hey! Paimon was being friendly and they didn’t seem to mind! Anyway, let’s go outside. It’s only been a few minutes, maybe they’re still around.” The pair exited and walked around the city for a bit, but you had already disappeared into thin air.

“Traveler, Paimon! It’s nice to see you again!” A gentle voice called out to them. It was Nahida, who walked up to them with a bright smile on her face. The other two responded in kind.

“Oh, hey Nahida! Long time no see, huh?”

“Yes, it’s been quite a while. You must come over for a bit and tell me about your travels sometime. I guess you’ve been enjoying the Akademiya Extravaganza, right?”

“Yup! Traveler and Paimon enjoyed a lot of fun games and delicious food! And then we went to see some performances at the theater, and now we were looking for someone, but eh, it’s not really important anymore.”

“Hmm? Looking for who?”

“Just someone we met a few hours ago at the theater. Their name is [Name].” The Dendro Archon’s eyes widened at the mention of your name, immediately straightening up.

“[Name]? Did you say [Name]?” The Traveler and Paimon noticed the God’s surprised expression and inquired about it.

“Yeah, do you know them, Nahida?”

“I… I can’t believe it. Do they happen to look like…” Nahida then went off to give a brief description of you, and the Traveler confirmed that you indeed matched her words. Paimon was a bit worried.

“Nahida, why are you asking us this? You’re making it seem like we were talking to a long-lost criminal or something.”

“Well, I suppose that wouldn’t be too far off. This [Name] that you’ve met is… part of the Fatui. But that’s not the big part. They’re the Doctor’s lover.” It was silent for a few seconds before Paimon responded, nearly yelling as the Traveler’s jaw dropped.

“The man [Name] is married to is THE DOCTOR?!”

“Oh, so they’re married now? Last time I heard they weren’t.”

“Nahida, surely you must be mistaken, right? You’re far too casual about this, no one could be dating the Doctor of their own free will!” Nahida was about to respond when yet another voice interrupted.

“She’s not lying.” A familiar voice echoed from somewhere and the group turned to face it. It was the former Sixth Harbinger, standing to the side, braced against the wall. “That [Name] is indeed the partner of Dottore. I met them while I was in the Fatui.”

“Ahh… Paimon’s head hurts…” The Traveler nodded in agreement as they too rubbed their head at this revelation. “But why? Why would they want to be with the Doctor?”

“It’s futile to ask me about their relationship,” the puppet scoffed. “I cannot begin to comprehend how the two of them supposedly love each other. I’ve spoken to them a few times…” the puppet thought back to those encounters in the lab, “but our conversations did little to enlighten me on the nature of their relationship.”

“[Name] and Dottore have a long history together. It’s… complicated, but I’m not lying when I say they’ve been together for centuries. But what concerns me is that if [Name] is here, then the Doctor must be close by as well… and the Fatui too… He wouldn’t let them roam around all by themselves.”

“Oh no! That’s right, [Name] said that their husband accompanied them here. So that means the Doctor is in Sumeru!”

“I see… the Matra would have noticed if a boat of Fatui arrived at the port… so that means the other agents must be well disguised. But nothing has happened lately. Sumeru has been at peace like usual, there’s nothing that the Fatui have been digging their nose into recently. I wonder…” the God of Wisdom began to mumble to herself while Wanderer merely looked on.

“Paimon would have never guessed they were in the Fatui… do you think they were lying about their illness too?”

“No, they are indeed afflicted with a mysterious illness. From what I know, [Name] used to be quite a formidable force four hundred years ago. But their illness gradually sapped their strength away from them, leaving them as they are now… so they have virtually no physical prowess anymore.”

“Oh… that’s quite sad. Wait, but that doesn’t change the fact they’re part of the Fatui, with the Doctor no less! They’re our enemy, no doubt!”

“That’s not to mean [Name] is weak. Although their mind has certainly been ravaged by many things, they possess a strong will. Not to mention, they are the one and only Doctor’s close confidant. I’m sure if pressed, they have some tricks up their sleeves.”

“We have to do something! The Fatui are always up to no good, I bet they have some horrible, evil plan to… to… ruin the Akademiya Extravaganza! We can’t let them do that!” Paimon exclaimed while the Traveler nodded in complete agreement. “Nahida, what’s the plan?”

“The plan is to let them be.”

“H-Huh? Nahida, you’re just going to let them go?”

“That’s correct, Paimon.”

“Lesser Lord Kusanali, are you sure?” Even Wanderer, who usually went along with the God albeit with some moaning and groaning, had an objection.

“The festival has been going on for several days now, and tomorrow is the last day. If the Fatui truly were planning something, it would have been done by now. And to be honest, I suspect that the only reason the Doctor made the trip here was for…” You, Nahida wanted to say, but then decided against it. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure, after all. “Actually, never mind. Don’t worry about it, Traveler, Paimon. But if you happen to see them tomorrow, you could speak to them again. I am admittedly… interested in [Name].”

“Well… alright Nahida. We trust you.”

—

While the group was busy chatting about you, you were making your way back to Dottore. It was already evening, and all you wanted to do was relax in the embrace of your beloved. However today, the Fatui agents were escorting somewhere else rather than your temporary home. Where? The more you walked, the quicker you realized.

The large Ruin Golem in the mountains of Sumeru’s forest.

Seeing it from a distance brought back fond memories for you. You remember the first time you and Zandik entered it. He was incredibly fascinated with it and literally spent hours in it. Of course, you were forced to stay with him and help him with all the research and note-taking. But looking back, it was fun. And you may or may not have kissed him a lot in there, and he was very annoyed at you breaking his focus, but did nothing to stop you.

This same spot, near the Ruin Golem, was also a frequent star-gazing spot. Because he would spend so long there, even until night fell, and you kept insisting it’d be romantic to watch the stars here. He didn’t really agree but… Zandik surprisingly indulged you more than you realized.

Soon, you were much closer to the Ruin Golem and Dottore was in sight, waiting for you. The Fatui agents bowed to you as you dismissed them and made your way over to your husband, who was patiently waiting for you while gazing at the large robot in front of him. You wondered if he had finished his work, for him to be wasting time like this.

(In reality, there was no real mission in Sumeru. The five-day long trip was done to indulge your long-time wishes. Pierro had only let Dottore go on it if he managed to finish at least three-quarters of his paperwork before the trip, and the other quarter during it. So needless to say, Dottore had worked quite hard to acquire this time off, but you didn’t need to know that because then you would feel absolutely terrible and he’d have to deal with your countless apologies.)

“[Name],” he greeted you.

“Zandik!” You immediately hugged him to which he reciprocated and patted your head. “I missed you! Oh, I have so much to tell you. You wouldn’t believe what happened. I met the-”

“Traveler,” Dottore interrupted.

“You know already?”

“Of course. I was notified the moment it happened.”

“Oh.” Well, now that you think about it, that made sense. Of course, Dottore would be aware of everything that happened to you… you were alone, but in a way you weren’t. He still had that overprotective and possessive streak, and rightfully so. He chuckled at your reaction.

“But, I believe your point of view will be far more eye-opening. So please, do tell.” You brightened and immediately began prattling about everything, not before you two laid down on the grass and got comfortable, the same as you did four hundred years ago. Though Dottore wasn’t particularly worried about the Traveler doing anything to you, no, of course, he had planned for this possibility (unlike you) and already had measures in place just in case anything happened.

So the conversation began to move onto softer things. Like you bringing up old memories every five seconds. For example, you two also used to come here frequently to investigate the forest for classes. Zandik usually found these ones boring and was much more interested in Ruin Machines, so you often sped through these boring expeditions in record time so he could do more “fun” things.

“Perhaps we should do that again.”

“Do what? Investigate the biodiversity of Sumeru’s forest?”

“Correct.” You laughed at his words but Dottore looked rather serious about it.

“Isn’t the sun going to set soon? And I thought you weren’t interested in that stuff anymore.”

You were surprised he was doing this, but Dottore had already risen to his feet and stuck out his hand to you expectantly.

“No matter. We can still see, no? And I do believe it will be interesting to see how it has changed over four hundred years.” That was a lie. He didn’t actually care about the plants of the forest. He was only doing it because he knew it was something you would like. And he was right of course, for you smiled happily and took his hand, clasping it tightly.

“Alright then! I’ll lead the way, just like old times,” you puffed your chest out. “Just follow me, Zandik. And you’re taking notes this time! You don’t know what you put my hand through all those years ago!” Dottore only chuckled at your huffing. You were always on note duty because he kept breaking his pens and spilling ink everywhere, much to your dismay.

But regardless, you two spent an evening examining Sumeru’s fauna, the conversation turning surprisingly rather intellectual. But it soon turned quiet as you two ended the night off by gazing at the stars, just like old times.

The stars may be a lie, but sometimes lies are still beautiful.

—

Today was the last day of the Akademiya Extravaganza, and you decided to spend the day enjoying the city one last time. You were set to leave with Dottore this afternoon, so you only had about half a day to do what you needed to do. You didn’t know when you’d be back again, so you wanted to imprint it into your mind, and maybe get a few souvenirs as well. It all went well, you did what you needed to do, bought what you wanted and passed it on to your agents to keep for you, and were actually about to head back to Dottore when you met some familiar faces.

The Traveler and Paimon… again. It seemed like the Gods really did hate you, huh?

“Hey [Name]!” That familiar high-pitched voice waved to you and called out your name… ugh. Just as you were about to go, too. But you pretended otherwise.

“Hello Paimon, Traveler. It is good to see you again. I must apologize for leaving yesterday. I had… matters to attend to,” you apologized.

“Don’t worry about that! Paimon understands.” You smiled back in response and waited to see if the pair would say anything else, but they just… stood there for a few seconds and looked at you.

“Well, if that’s all…” You turned to leave, but Paimon blurted out a strained response unusually quickly.

“Wait! Paimon means, would you like to take a walk with us? Our conversation got cut short yesterday, it would be nice to talk a bit more.” You squinted a bit at Paimon’s expression. It seemed a bit… off. Regardless, you did have some more time to kill, and perhaps they would tell you something of amusement you could relay back to Dottore. So it wasn’t too bad of a decision.

“Alright, that sounds fine,” you nodded in agreement. Paimon had to hold in her sigh of relief. And so the three of you began to walk, taking in the sights of the city. Paimon asked you some more questions, but she seemed a bit… nervous? You weren’t dumb, the more she talked the easier it was to notice. The Traveler was good at keeping a poker face, but Paimon on the other hand, was not. She was nervously looking back and forth between you and the blonde. Which could only mean one thing.

They knew your real identity.

Ah, so they found out. Huh. You weren’t expecting that, but you didn’t care much. They were bound to find out eventually, so long as they kept fighting the Fatui. You didn’t know if they were going to confront you right now or not, but you weren’t going to wait around for it. You knew your Fatui bodyguards were close by somewhere, but you didn’t want them to get hurt by the Traveler, so you stretched your arms out, a signal for them to back away a bit. Because you already had a defense mechanism readied that you didn’t want to affect them. Courtesy of Dottore, of course.

So before Paimon could ask another question, you abruptly stopped. You two had exited the city, so there were no regular civilians around either.

“[Name], why did you-”

“There’s no need to pretend anymore. You know who I am, don’t you?” The looks on their faces gave it all away, and the Traveler instantly put up their guard, which you chuckled at.

“Now now, there’s no need to get all worked up. Surely the ever-righteous Traveler won’t hurt a poor, defenseless soul like me, right?” You simply smiled at them, and Paimon was immediately on the verbal defense.

“Hey! You’re in no position here to be saying stuff like that! The Traveler here has taken out countless Fatui, you’re no different,” the travel guide bluffed. She remembered Nahida’s instructions to let you be, but how could she let you talk to her like that?! “And, and,” she scratched her brain for another warning, “we’ll take you to the Matra for questioning!” Paimon blurted out her best threat, which you only laughed at.

“Oh no, I’m so scared…”

“Hey! We’re not joking! You’re connected with the Doctor, they’ll lock you up!”

“Mhm, you know all of that, don’t you? And yes, I’m well aware of your martial prowess,” you looked directly at the blonde. “The same hands killed Omega, didn’t they?” At the segment’s name, the Traveler stiffened. The look in your eyes wasn’t the same as it was before. It had a carefully veiled sense of loathing that had come up to the surface.

“You know, for years I wondered to myself, how did Omega look like in his last moments? What did he think of? What did he do?” Your voice gradually became a soft whisper. “These questions used to drive me mad, but I don’t think I want to know the answer anymore.” The two were shocked at the clear love and longing you had in your voice for the deceased segment. It wasn’t fake at all.

“But why? Why would you willingly be with someone like the Doctor?” Earlier that day, the Traveler and Paimon had decided to scout Sumeru again in hopes of finding notes that you left behind, and after careful exploration once again, they did. Your notes, however, always had careful logical additions left by Zandik. And then, in response… you’d flirt with him on the note, to which the scholar never responded. The pair didn’t know what to feel or say to that.

“Ah, there it is. The same question I receive every time. But it’s okay. I can understand your confusion. Though if I were to stand here and tell you every reason why, it would make you only more confused. So let me answer your question with the simplest answer of them all. I love Dottore. Dottore loves me. That is the foundation of our relationship.” Unfortunately, that answer seemed to only make the two more confused.

“… It seems that you still do not understand. But that’s okay. It’s not like it matters anyway,” you supposed they were unconvinced a man such as Dottore could love, but you weren’t here to convince them of that. So then you turned to leave before Paimon spoke again.

“Where do you think you’re going? You are coming with Traveler and Paimon!” You let out a sigh at this creature’s persistence. Looks like you’d have to do something.

“You know, I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to use this,” you mumbled under your breath before you retrieved a pill from your pocket and swallowed it, although it was a different color from your regular ones. The Traveler continued to watch on carefully, ready to summon their sword at any second.

“Hmph! Any last words?” Paimon put her hands on her hips as she stared at you. You thoughtfully looked up and began to think, before you came up with something. You despised the Traveler, but a question couldn’t help but linger in your chest. And hey, they’ve helped Childe and Arlecchino in the past, despite nearly being killed by them, right? And that Electro God too. You didn’t know if they were stupid or just too nice. It was worth a shot. And, you didn’t care if you were selfish or not. You were tired of being nice.

“Traveler… may I ask you a favor?”

The Traveler raised their eyebrow, partially offended and shocked you would ever ask them that considering the antagonistic stance you took. That was the last thing they expected, but you took their silence as an opportunity to continue.

“You hop to different worlds, don’t you? Different universes?” The Traveler nodded, unsure of where you were going with this. Your gaze flickered to the floor, eyebrows furrowing before you made up your mind.

“Then, when you leave Teyvat, could you… look for me?” Out of everything that could have come out of your mouth, the Traveler could not have expected that.

“I want to know… I just want to know if there exists a world, where none of this happened. Where I was never sick, where he didn’t have to do all of this to find a cure. I want to know if there’s a world where everything is okay for us.” Your eyes fluttered shut as you spoke, loads of memories flashing through your head about everything you’ve gone through. The Traveler and Paimon remained speechless because they truly did not know what to say, before you cringed at yourself for saying something so stupid.

“Ah, what am I saying? I know you have no sympathy for us, it was dumb to ask,” you waved it off. “Forget it. But I’m afraid I’ve wasted too much time here with you. I have things to attend to.” At that moment, you reached into your pocket and produced a strange device, and before the Traveler could summon their sword, an irregular, headache-inducing sound echoed throughout the area. Instantly, the Traveler knew it was the same sound device Omega had used to put them to sleep all those years ago. But it was too late, as their mind became foggy and their knees buckled to the floor.

“To think that you fell for the same thing twice… that’s kind of embarrassing for you, mighty Traveler,” your laugh was the last thing they heard before they fell into a dream. “It’s a good thing Dottore told me to carry this thing… and made a pill so the effects wouldn’t work on me. Well, bye now.”

—

After rendering those two unconscious, you made your way to the boat you and Dottore were going to leave in. Your agents had caught back up to you and you swore you heard them mumbling about how “cool” you were. It was cute.

You saw your husband standing leisurely on the boat. You guess he had no reason to disguise himself considering he was already about to leave. You immediately smiled and climbed onto the boat with his help.

“I guess you were immediately notified of what happened, weren’t you?” You teased.

“Of course,” he went along with your tone. “I am always aware of what hindrances may plague my spouse.” You hummed in acknowledgment as you watched the Fatui prepare to set off.

“You know, this whole trip, I’ve been thinking something stupid.”

“No thought from you could be stupid. Do tell.”

“I’ve been thinking… that I love you so much that it may begin to physically hurt me when you’re not around.” Dottore seemed amused.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, really! All those times when you left me alone in the lab, I swear I started developing some side effects!” You pouted as Dottore found himself laughing at your pain.

“Well, not to worry. I am a doctor, after all, I know very well how to treat this ailment.” Dottore ran his fingers up and down your neck, leaving behind a tingling sensation.

“Oh, do you? Well, go ahead, doctor. Make me feel better.”

“I would be delighted to but, the treatment is a little… hands-on,” his deep voice made your heart race with excitement.

“Aren’t you the one who always gets mad at me for trying to skip my medicine? I see no reason to hesitate.” You smiled boldly.

“As you wish. But don’t say I didn’t warn you…” Dottore then pressed you against the railing of the boat, holding you down so you wouldn’t tip over, and then began to lean into your lips.

(The Fatui agents kept their heads turned the whole time.)

—

That had happened years before the Traveler defeated the Doctor, and consequently killed you in the process. Sometimes they wonder if things could have turned out differently. Especially since some of the other Harbingers were certainly not pleased with them when they finally fought, namely the Third, but she too eventually met her demise. But what’s done is done.

The Traveler thought that would be the last they ever saw of you and the Doctor, but they were wrong. As one would expect, Dottore was connected with many of the events in Teyvat, and so he popped up here and there again throughout the rest of the Traveler’s journey.

But one thing they did not expect was to see you and Dottore again. Where? The Ley Lines had somehow shown them people from the past, as they once did with the Shogun.

It was… strange. Strange to see the two of you just be normal. Normal people, normal students before it all changed. You, a stark contrast to the person they saw before - energetic, bubbly, handling your weapon with ease as you protected Zandik from any possible danger. Zandik, a lot more grouchy and less suave, morally ambiguous but not quite evil yet. Two people who were alone and found company in each other’s likeness. It created a sort of… understanding for the Traveler. Not forgiveness. Understanding.

So when they finally left Teyvat, they decided to fulfill that favor you had asked them. To find you in another universe. It was also to satisfy a sort of curiosity they had themselves. Would you two truly be happy in another world? They would find out as long as they continued to journey with their sibling. So they traveled and traveled and met many new people, and went on many new adventures, your request lingering in the back of their mind every time they visited a new planet.

Admittedly, it was actually kind of… sad to see your fates in the other universes. In many universes, you died, or he died, leaving the other all alone unable to come to terms with their fate. In some universes, you were ill again. You did not survive. In others the relationship did not last, breaking it off due to numerous reasons out of your or Zandik’s control. And maybe the worst fate of them all… you two never crossed paths. Never able to give the other a chance at love.

If the Traveler had a Mora for every time fate divided you two, they might be as rich as Pantalone. They wondered if your request would ever be finished. So when the Traveler entered the next universe, they weren’t expecting much.

This world was a bit different from the others. It had no supernatural powers, but it had great technology. Things like “internet” and “phones” and “computers.” But they had gotten accustomed to it quickly, as they always had. Right now they were at an outdoor cafe, waiting for their sibling when they heard a familiar voice.

“Ugh, I swear, as soon as the term ends, I will be running to give that guy a scalding rating!” The voice spoke with annoyance and a slam followed soon after, presumably textbooks dumped onto the table. This cafe was frequented by students, so this was no surprise for the Traveler. Cheap, yummy, and a good study spot is what they heard from passersby.

“I told you not to take him,” another grouchy voice replied. “You brought this on yourself.”

“You know that he was my only option! I literally got the last seat in the class,” you whined back, the chairs dragging across the concrete. “Besides, I don’t want to hear that from you when you complain about your professors every single day, Zandik.” That name nearly made the Traveler choke on their drink.

Zandik? Did they hear that right…? They turned around, hoping not to arouse attention, and then their eyes widened as they looked at the pair that just arrived.

They were the spitting image of the [Name] and Dottore from Teyvat, although these people were dressed in different clothes that were normal for this planet. There were a few minor differences that the Traveler only recognized because they were familiar with Teyvat’s version of you, but there was no doubt about it.

These two people were this planet’s version of you and Dottore. But the question was, were you two happy together? The Traveler needed to find out, and this position wasn’t good for spying so they moved to another inconspicuous location.

Zandik only rolled his eyes at your defiant quip before opening his heavy textbook, which you soon followed suit. The friendly banter between the two of you flowed naturally. When the food came, you tried feeding him the piece of cake which Zandik tried shooing your hand away, but had to give in after a while with slightly red cheeks. Your hands occasionally brushed against each other, but neither of you pulled away. Interesting, very interesting. Could this be the universe…?

After you two left the cafe, the Traveler decided to follow. This was probably a bit stalkerish, but they just needed to confirm. (Good thing they had skill in this area.)

In the busy public streets, your shoulders only brushed, but when it became more deserted, you reached out to hold hands with Zandik. He huffed and mumbled something to you, which the blonde could not hear, though you only responded with a laugh as you squeezed his hand tighter. But then your attention was diverted by something else.

“Oh, look there Zandik! Do you see that?” You whisper-yelled, drawing his attention to a tree branch. “It’s a raven and a sparrow! Together! The thing is on top of the other’s head!” You couldn’t contain your amusement. “Isn’t that really strange? Don’t ravens eat sparrows sometimes?”

“Yes, and the sparrow must be rather stupid for allowing itself to get so close to something that can kill it,” Zandik said bluntly.

“That’s not nice,” you poked him for that comment. “Just because they’re different doesn’t mean they can’t be friends. Just like us, Zandik!”

“The world is not that nice, [Name],” he sighed, your optimism causing him great headaches sometimes.

“Yeah, I know thatttt~. But you never know! Hehe, you know, this reminds me of the time a few months back when a butterfly landed on your nose. You looked so cute! Ah, I’m so glad I got a picture.” Zandik immediately scowled, because you set the bloody thing as your wallpaper, so anyone who looked at your phone’s home screen could see the embarrassing moment. Ajax and his wretched finance and theater friends did not let him hear the end of it. Your boyfriend then started walking much faster, dragging you along as you yelped at the increased speed.

“Stop babbling and hurry up, otherwise I’ll leave you behind.”

“Okay, okay! Just slow down!!”

Soon, the two of you reached your newly rented apartment. Both of you had only recently moved out of the dorms, but it had been a lot of fun decorating and growing accustomed to this new life. The Traveler watched as you disappeared into the building, and then noticed your figure again through a window near the upper level. You were cradling an animal, a cat actually, and kissed it gently. Zandik then made his way over, uncharacteristically scratching its chin as well, before saying something to you. (Perhaps scolding you for giving your pet too much attention. A very Zandik way of saying he himself wanted more attention too.) You only shook your head with mirth before pressing a kiss to your lover’s lips, and the two of you moved away from the window, now out of sight.

Well, the Traveler’s job was done now. You and Zandik were happy. Maybe not in Teyvat, maybe not in any other world but… you two were happy in this one. And that was all you wished for.

[Name] and Zandik were happy.

And that’s the perfect ending for a fairy tale, right?

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five-rivers · 14 days

Text

Cracked Clay Cup Chapter 7

@greatbigolhampuckjustforme

The documentary was more interesting than Danny had thought it would be; football itself, on the other hand, was quite boring most of the time. Oh there were a few moments of excitement, usually in the few minutes before the game ended, and maybe it’d be more fun if he was actually playing, but otherwise…

Yeah, it was boring. Vlad seemed to like it, though. And the popcorn was good. Very buttery.

“That was exciting, wasn’t it, my boy?”

“I, yeah,” said Danny. “It was fun.”

Vlad nodded, seeming satisfied. “Let’s go get lunch. It’s about that time, and I can show you the dining room and kitchen. You’ll be able to get things from there whenever you want, of course, but it is primarily the Dairy King’s domain.”

“Right,” said Danny. “I’m looking forward to meeting him. He’s your grandfather, right?”

“Yes,” said Vlad. “Although I’m afraid to say we aren’t all that similar.”

“Okay?”

“He’s… something of a… well, he has a somewhat interesting sense of humor.”

“Uh huh,” said Danny. He didn’t really get it.

“You’ll see soon enough, regardless,” said Vlad.

They walked into a grand dining room with a long, polished table and a sparkling chandelier. There were paintings of food on the walls, and Danny’s stomach rumbled, seeing it.

“The kitchen is right through here,” said Vlad, ushering him through a door.

Behind it was a shining, modern kitchen, covered in all sorts of gadgets and devices. The central island counter was piled high with food. Presiding over the stack of food was a small, round, green man with white hair and a bushy mustache. He was wearing a parody of royal clothing.

He was, it was quite clear, none other than the deceased founder of the Dairy King restaurant chain, the Dairy King himself.

“Oh ho!” he said. “I didn’t expect to see the two of you until dinnertime, dontcha know! How are you settling in, Phantom?”

“I’m fine,” said Danny. “My bedroom looks cool.”

“Glad to hear it! Now, what kinda lunch were you fancying?”

“I don’t know,” said Danny. “Surprise me?”

“Ohho!” The Dairy King waved his hands, and cheese, sausages, and cold cuts followed. “How about some lovely charcuterie?”

Danny didn’t know what charcuterie was, but it didn’t look bad.

“It’s finger food,” said the Dairy King. “Nice and light, and full of the most important food group: CHEESE!”

It was, indeed, full of cheese.

“Maybe some vegetables won’t be amis, either,” suggested Vlad, a bit of a sheepish look on his face. “Some fruit?”

“Is cheese not good enough for you?” asked the Dairy King. “For shame, Vladimir, for shame.”

“It’s good enough, but living beings can’t survive on cheese alone, grandfather.”

The Dairy King smiled and pulled a plate of fruit and carrots and celery from behind his back. “I’m glad you’ve finally realized that, grandson!”

After lunch, Vlad went on to show Danny around the rest of his mansion, which was put together in a much more logical way than the Observants’ place. Vlad even showed him the entrance to the lab, although they didn’t come in. Danny was pretty sure he could find his way around.

The Dairy King tagged along with them for a while, then bowed out, saying that he had to start on dinner. After that, it was just him and Vlad walking the halls. It was pleasant to walk quietly for a while, but Danny’s curiosity was too strong to leave it that way for very long.

“So… You knew my parents?”

“Yes, I did,” said Vlad. We met in college and became fast friends. Your father was my roommate, your mother shared most of our classes. We joined most of the same clubs, too. It’s a bit of a boring story, isn’t it?”

“I mean, no? Since I didn’t know any of this before. What were they like?”

“Well… your father was always very… enthusiastic. Your mother was brilliant.”

“So, kind of like Jazz.”

“I suppose so.”

“Both the enthusiasm and being smart.”

“... Yes. I suppose so.”

Danny was tempted, very tempted, to ask more about his parents, but he could tell Vlad was very uncomfortable talking about them. A point towards him telling the truth otherwise, although something was still niggling at him.

“And you knew me,” said Danny.

“Yes,” said Vlad, with some relief.

“Tell me something about myself, then,” said Danny. “Like, something we did together.”

“Oh, my. Well, let’s see… Where to start… Ah, I know. Did Jasmine mention anything about what you use your powers for?”

“No,” said Danny. He made a face. “I think she must have misunderstood the rules. She kept trying to convince me that she was my mother.”

“She took the ‘become your parent’ part literally, I suppose,” said Vlad, shaking his head. “In any case, after you received your powers, you became something of a superhero for your town, protecting it from rogue ghosts and other blackguards.”

Danny decided to ignore the really egregious euphemism for dying in favor of absorbing the fact he’d been a superhero. That sounded so cool. “Really?”

“Yes, really. We even fought side by side a few times,” said Vlad, briefly buffing his nails on the front of his shirt. “Perhaps I could tell you about the time you inadvertently absorbed another ghost’s ability to control the weather?”

“Please,” said Danny.

They went to dinner after that, and it was very good. Gourmet burgers, cheesy french fries and all. Vlad seemed a little put out by it, but Danny liked it.

Danny swam in the indoor pool for a bit after dinner, then played around with a few of the video games - he especially liked Doomed - but when it was time to sleep… He didn’t quite feel like it. Instead, he went downstairs, to the kitchens.

“Ah, Phantom!” said the Dairy King, who was doing… something with a gallon of cream. “What brings you to the kitchen this fine evening?”

Danny shrugged. “It looked like you wanted to tell me something at dinner. And you call me Phantom. The Observants called me that, too.”

“Well, it is part of your name, dontcha know?”

“I don’t know, really. Clockwork said my name is Daniel, and Jazz called me Danny, and the Observants just called me Phantom, and said that was my only name. What’s the truth?”

“I’m not all that well acquainted with you, but I’d say they’re all the truth. I don’t rightly know your family name - couldn’t tell you if I did, against the rules, dontcha know? - but I know you by both names.”

That was one mystery solved, even if it was one of the less important ones. “And the reason you wanted to talk to me?”

The Dairy King sighed and floated down to sit on one of the kitchen counters. “Well, now, that’s a bit more difficult to talk about, dontcha know?”

“Not… really,” said Danny. “Since I don’t know what you’re talking about. Like. At all.”

“You’ve got a point there. Well. You know that I love my grandson, ya know?”

“Sure,” said Danny.

“Yah, well, he’s my grandson. And he cares about you, sure enough. But the two of you didn’t always get along, per se. Not to put too fine a point on it all… you two were enemies.”

“Enemies?” There was the other shoe Danny had been waiting for. He'd known this was too good to be true.

The Dairy King nodded sadly. “He's always wanted to take care of you, but he didn't go about it the right way. Picked fights with you instead of talking to you. And then that feud with your parents. Nasty business, that.”

“Feud?”

“They had a falling out in their youth. Nothing they should have gotten so worked up about, is my understanding, but Vlad took everything so personally… Although, I wasn’t there to see it myself, dontcha know?”

“I guess,” said Danny. He’d really thought that Vlad might be genuine, but he was hiding something big like this… “So, we fought?”

“You did, I’m afraid,” said the Dairy King. “But I can guarantee good as gouda that he regretted it. He considers this whole thing a second chance. A clean slate, so he can start over again, do things right this time. But it didn’t sit right with me, not telling you, dontcha know? And you’d remember eventually, and then what? You’d feel tricked, betrayed, and then everything would be worse off than before.”

“They’re pretty bad now,” muttered Danny.

“He really does mean to do better by you,” said the Dairy King. “Please, won’t you give him a chance?”

Danny bit his lower lip. He’d given Jazz a chance, even though she’d lied to him. This felt different, though. Still.

“I’ll give him a week to tell me the truth. That’s how long I gave Jazz. If he doesn’t…”

“Yes, that sounds reasonable,” said the Dairy King. “Thank you.”

Danny shook his head. “Don’t thank me yet. Neither of us know what Vlad will do.”

First thing after breakfast, they headed down to the lab. Somehow, knowing what, exactly, Vlad’s deal was made it a lot easier to go down there. The lab was… not what he expected.

It was very clean, for one. All the different pieces of equipment were stored neatly and labeled. The ectoplasm samples were stored in carefully marked, sealed jars. Large, bright, computer screens displayed screensavers. And in one of the walls was a large octagonal hole, leading down a dead-end tunnel. It was roped off with caution tape.

Danny stared at it. There was something about it…

“The portal,” said Vlad. “Don’t get too close. It’s off right now, due to the requirements of the trial, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a dangerous piece of equipment.”

“Then why have it?”

“Because it is also very useful. Come along.”

Vlad led him on, into a large, seemingly empty room. The floor and the walls were padded with thin athletic mats.

“Now,” said Vlad, walking into the center of the room as Danny looked around. “First things first. The transformation.”

He struck a pose, and a black ring that somehow glowed sprung out from his waist. As soon as Danny registered its existence, it split into two and swept over his body, turning Vlad from an aristocratic-looking human into a blue-skinned, horned, fanged, and clawed ghost.

“Wow. I knew you could do that, but wow.”

“And you can do it, too,” said Vlad, his voice subtly deeper. “In reverse order, of course.”

“How?” asked Danny.

“Let’s take it step by step.”

They settled into a kind of routine. They’d all eat breakfast together. Then, Vlad and Danny would go train. With Vlad’s help, Danny got a lot better at using his powers, even if he was nowhere near Vlad’s level.

(He had to wonder how he survived their enmity, with such a gulf between their skill levels, but maybe he either was better before losing his memories, or Vlad was going easy on him.)

At noon, the three of them would eat together, and Vlad would assign Danny a few hours of ‘homework.’ It wasn’t as bad as Jazz’s punishing schedule, but it still was tiring. Probably good for him, though.

Then, at dinner, Danny would harass Vlad and the Dairy King for stories about himself. There was just so much he didn’t know.

Finally, they’d usually watch a football game or some movie together before separating for ‘personal activities’ (Vlad’s words) and bedtime.

The days passed quickly like that, and before Danny knew it, he’d reached the deadline he’d set for himself. The evening of the seventh day.

“Did I tell you about our little trip through time?” asked Vlad. “It started with a rather interesting map–”

“You already told me that one,” interrupted Danny. “Come on, you’ve got to have at least a few from before I died, right? You don’t have to worry about embarrassing me with baby stories. I get it.”

“It pains me to say it now, but I was not as involved in your life as I wish I had been. I…”

Danny looked up expectantly, wondering if this was when he'd admit to the truth. When he'd tell Danny they used to be enemies.

“I lived rather far away, you see, and fell out of contact with your family for many years.”

“Oh,” said Danny, disappointed in more ways than one.

“I only made contact again at the reunion, which is when I also learned about you.” He shook his head. “I was so shocked when I found out about you,” he said, voice distant. “I was just… It was unbelievable to me, that what happened to me could happen to someone else.”

“It was a lab accident for you, too?”

Vlad made a face. “Yes.”

Danny pushed the remains of his peas around on his plate. What a way to kill the conversation…

“I’m probably going to leave in the morning,” he said, desperate to break the silence that had gone on for far too long.

“What?” said Vlad. “But we’ve been getting along so well!”

“We have,” said Danny. “But I still need to visit the other people on the list. You’re only the third.”

“You don’t exactly have to,” started Vlad.

“But I want to give everyone a chance. It’s only fair.”

Vlad sighed heavily. “You are nothing if not fair. I do wish you had told me beforehand. I would have made something special for dinner.”

“You mean, you would’ve had me make something special for dinner,” said the Dairy King. “Dontcha worry. I have an ice cream cake in the freezer, on account of this being the one-week anniversary of you being here.”

“Thanks,” said Danny. “I’ve really had a nice time.”

“I’m glad,” said Vlad. “I hope you do consider returning. I don’t know who else has applied for your custody, but I am, at least, a safe choice.”

Danny nodded. He was better than the Observants, anyway. But hiding the fact that they were once enemies didn’t exactly scream safe to Danny.

“Yes,” said Vlad. He sounded just a little choked up. “Well. On to the cake, I suppose!”

“Yeah, cake sounds good.”

#danny phantom #phic phight #fic

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umbralaether · 7 months

Text

You’re better than him, Astarion.

Her words ring in his ears long after she’d said them, but even they couldn’t cast away the dark feelings lingering in his mind.

He hadn’t left their shared room since Cazador’s death. He should be celebrating, maybe, or at least rejoicing in the fact his master was dead and gone— never to hunt him again. Instead, he found a heaviness that refused to leave his limbs, his own psyche weighing him down.

Ah, I see you found yourself a little pet. Or is it a snack? Peculiar choice, regardless.

He thinks of the first time he drank from her, how he’d almost gone too far in his bloodlust. How she woke weak and pale—a hard feat with her dark skin—yet continued to push herself beyond her limits. He thinks of the times she’d bruised from his fangs, how he had manipulated her into his orbit in the first place.

He had done that, and Cazador’s words dig deeper into his chest. Only a someone truly evil could do what he’s done. Once a monster, always a monster.

He doesn’t hear her come in, still staring at the ceiling, but he feels her sit on the bed beside him. She says nothing, taking off her boots and outer clothes. Her scent fills the room, refueling the dull ache in his body and he briefly wonders how many days have passed since he last fed.

Not that it mattered, he would refuse to use her like that ever again.

“Astarion,” his name coming from her mouth is a gift, and yet it stings. She should hate him, or at least be disgusted. Not soft, and gentle and loving.

“Please, look at me.”

He just wants to rot, lay in this dark room until he crumbles to dust. She would be better off, anyway, without a leech at her side. She could have a real life.

“What can I do? I’m begging you, love, please don’t push me away.”

“Go, Ceruli. You deserve better than a parasite.” His voice was rough from disuse, and when he finally looks her way, her face—that godsdamn beautiful face— looks at him as if he’d just slapped her.

Good one, he thinks miserably.

“Do you feel better, getting that off your chest?” She always was quick to regain her composure, “Because I have a few counter arguments.”

He says nothing, and goes back to staring at the ceiling.

“Parasites don’t ask permission, first of all. They just show up and take. That’s not you, no matter what Cazador said.” She moves closer to him, legs tucked under her and her warmth radiating, “I love you. I made a choice to love you, and I won’t stop loving you just because you believe you’re unworthy.”

He feels tears forming, and closes his eyes to keep them from falling.

“If I have to remind you everyday how much you mean to me, I will. I’ll make a list of everything I love about you, engrave it in stone forevermore.” She reaches for him, her hand cupping his cheek, thumb moving back and forth rhythmically. Her signature loving gesture.

A dam breaks, and suddenly he’s pulling her to him. He all but crushes her to him, arms wrapped tightly around her, face buried in her chest— her heart beats steadily, an endless comfort.

Sobs wrack his body; all the guilt, shame, and grief bleeding from him after decades of forming a shell around them. He clings to her, desperate for her touch, her warmth, after refusing her touch for who knows how many days.

She gives it without hesitation. Fingers running through his unkempt hair, down his back. Kisses peppered along his hairline, his temples, his forehead. Anywhere she can reach. She murmurs sweet nothings to him, the kindest of words and just when he feels as though he’ll crumble from her love, she says a name he has not heard in centuries.

“My sweet, shining star.”

It’s like the world spins to a stop. He peers up at her, “What did you say?”

“Your name. In elvish, it means ‘little star’. Or at least I think it does, I’m not fluent but…”

He chokes out a quiet laugh, “You, my love, are incredible.”

He closes the small gap between them with a kiss, reveling once again in the taste of her mouth, her skin. He trails them down her face, along her jaw, then her throat. He hovers over her pulse point, hesitating.

Her hand cups his face again, “Go on, love. You’ll feel better if you feed. Please don’t torture yourself anymore.”

His resolve breaks. He would do anything for her, after all. He sinks his teeth in, and the ecstasy of her blood in his mouth has him groaning with pleasure. He drinks until she stops him, and he kisses all along her face afterwards.

“Thank you, my lovely gem.” He feels lighter, the weight of all his baggage finally dissolving, albeit slowly, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Always, my star. I’m not going anywhere.”

They stay there, holding each other, neither one willing to let go first.

#be nice I’m new to this fandom and not very far into it yet lol #my writing #bg3 #bg3 astarion #tav x astarion #astarion x tav #astarion #bg3 spoilers #baldur’s gate 3 #oc x astarion #mc x astarion #baldur’s gate #ship: love me tender #astarion ancunin #bg3 fanfic #tavstarion

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adventuringblind · 7 months

Text

Stay the Night, Stay Forever

Daniel Ricciardo x Reader, platonic Max Verstappen x reader

Genre: angst

Summary: Reader is stuck in a toxic relationship and Daniel wants to get her out.

Warnings: talk of abuse and injuries, talk of SA, Protective Daniel, Max being sassy

Notes: Once again I’m writing sad things. Also, in the mood to write for my Aussie boys Daniel and Oscar, feel free to send requests :)

Masterlist

Toxic relationships can mess up even the strongest of people. They mess with your head and your heart. It makes you feel as though you'll never understand love, let alone find it.

She has been in many bad relationships. She seems to just attract these people like a magnet. They circle around her, and she can't get out of the ring.

In her defense: they have all started out nice. It's after she gets comfortable that things go sideways. It's a terrible cycle. Maybe it’s her age, something about immaturity keeping her stuck here. Maybe it’s something to do with trauma that she can’t get past.

Regardless, she’s here again.

Working with the Redbull media team has always been a fun job for her. That is, when she’s not trying to drag Max by his teeth to do the marketing videos he hates so much.

Max who saw her boyfriend often since he’s a mechanic. Max who tells her constantly that he’s a “shit mechanic and a even more shit boyfriend.”

This year is a little different when it comes to Max and media because Daniel is back and doing stupid videos with Daniel is much more entertaining. It’s much harder to actually get things done with the three drivers now. Wrangling them is like herding cats some days.

“Have you ever really talked to Daniel?” Asks Max in an early Thursday morning on the way to interviews.

“Not really. In passing sure, but we’ve never sat down and had a full conversation.” She shrugs. The little voice in her head says this conversation Isn’t going to end well for her. The girl already gets enough lectures for spending time with Max, who is taken, and is forced to talk to her because it’s part of the job.

“You should, I think you’d like him.”

“Why’s that?”

Max leaves over and whispers in her ear. “Because unlike the scum bag you’re dating now, he would leave the kind of marks that feel good.”

Sometimes, she hates Max and his blunt personality. Mainly because he’s wearing a cheeky smile and she’s sat there fuming and blushing at the same time.

It’s after that conversation, that she notices Daniel more. The way he looks at her. The way he talks to her. The way he makes it a point to compliment her.

Then it escalates. He brings her water in exhausting long hot days. He’ll bring her food when she hasn’t eaten all day. The Aussie will randomly kiss her cheek for no reason and grab her hand to lead her if he wants to show her something.

The flirting starts in May. Daniel starts pushing the boundaries and testing the waters. The sexual tension is ridiculous and she has to remind herself that she has a boyfriend. Granted, not a good one.

The way Daniel flirts makes her want to pull her hair out. Because she wants so badly to take him up on his hinted offers. She hasn’t had real sex in over a year. She’s dissociated during it so that she can simply keep her boyfriend happy. It’s like she’s a means to an end for him. A way to satisfy himself and keep his needs met until he finds someone he truly loves.

Daniel seems so genuine. She’s aware she’s said that about all her previous relationships, but the difference is that Max trusts Daniel as well and she trusts Max (to an extent).

She spilled her guts one day after Max had helped her hide another bruise and Daniel had caught them in the act. Max, having had to do similar and Daniel being his person, knew how to help in these situations. So when Daniel opened the door to the driver room, everyone froze. The Australian simply looked like someone kicked a puppy in front of him and asked if he could do anything to help.

Max admitted he was late for a meeting with Christian and Helmut Marko and asked if she would be comfortable if Daniel finished up. She said yes despite every nerve in her body trying to get her to run away.

Daniel worked in silence. Then when he was finished, he got on his knees in front of her. Hands move to her cheeks and thumbs wipe away her tears. “I don’t want to push you into anything, but I genuinely have fallen for you. But, if I’m the reason he’s hitting you, say the words and I’ll leave you along or I’ll go fight him. Whatever you need from me, you have it.”

She told him everything. All the dirty secrets from the last almost two years had spilled from her mouth. The entire time he simply listened and offered some comforting words.

Three days later, she works up the nerve to go to the club with some of the Redbull team. The season had been amazing so far and she wanted a chance to revel in it at least once.

Was Mr. Idontwantyoutohavefriends happy about it? Absolutely not. He screamed at her the entire time she was getting ready and before she left.

But at least she's here now. Nursing her second drink next to Daniel at the bar. She hadn't had such a laugh in so long. The two of them are watching the other drivers present slowly descend into further chaotic dancing messes.

They end up dancing together at some point. It grants her the contact she'd been craving. His hands on her bare skin in such a way makes her breath hitch.

Then his lips are on hers. It's hungry, and she needs it. It's the most she's wanted something in so long.

"Wanna get out of here?"

"As long as it's with you?" She smiles.

By the time the night is over, it's the early hours of the morning. The room smells like sweat and sex. Her body is littered with marks that Daniel put there. They are marks she wants. She doesn't look at them with disgust, but with adoration.

Daniel had taken such good care of her. Helped her clean up. Then he said since they'd been drinking, they would probably need to eat, but he has no food in the room. So he'd run out to grab them something to eat.

That's when she looked at her phone. Her notification wall lined with missed calls. That is when she sees his texts.

The realization hitting her that she cheated sits on her chest. She has to leave.

The flurry of grabbing her things and writing Daniel a scrawled note only takes minutes. Her body runs straight to her room on a lower floor. Luckily, all the Redbull team got the same hotel. Unluckily, that meant it was a shorter trip to her doom.

When she opens the door, Mr. Iwanttocontrolyourlife is waiting for her. She drops her things like she's done nothing wrong and starts getting ready for bed.

"Where were you?" His voice is a deadly calm. His body leans against the wall with his arms over his chest.

"At the club."

"With who?"

"The other media team staff, Max and Kelly - that's it really." She lies. She goes into the bathroom and changes into a covering hoodie and sweats in record time.

He's tight outside the door again when she opens it. "Care to explain this then." He shoves his phone in her face, and her mind becomes static. Pictures of her with Daniel as plain as day meet her eyes.

Then pictures of them leaving. Pictures of them going into his room... "We're you stalking me?"

“I’m not toxic like you are.” He scoffs. “A friend sent these to me and said he wanted me to know.”

She wants to cry. Break down and pretend this isn’t happening. Daniel had said he would help her get out. He said he would keep her safe. But now, she’s not sure shes going to make it out the door with her life.

Daniel was already nervous when he saw her note. He knew it couldn’t be good if she’d gone back. Even worse since he’d promised to help her find a way out that didn’t end in violence. Though he would love to punch him in the face for what he’s done to her.

He doesn’t want to make things worse though, so he heads up to Max’s room to stop himself from doing anything stupid.

Max lets him sleep on the couch. They do go back and forth on a few ideas, but Max having been in an abusive situation agrees that it could get so much worse if they go to check on her.

Neither of them hear anything come morning. And for a week they can’t even contact her. It’s like she fell off the face of the planet.

Daniel feels like he might explode when Thursday comes around again. Double headers are tiring sure, but he has far to much energy to not spend it searching the paddock for any sign of her. Until Max breaks the news that she supposedly is really sick and will not be here the whole weekend.

He’s not sure what comes over him, be it anger or fear, but he finds himself storming up to Christian and demanding to know where she is. Max doing his absolute best to talk him down from committing a murder.

He manages to figure out where she is on the condition he stays put for the weekend. Meaning he’s in for the longest four days of his life.

He spends most of it pacing and trying to call her. Lando even mentions he looks sick at one point and forces water and food down his throat. How can he eat knowing he put her in this situation? Max keeps telling him it’s not his fault, but Daniel should have just gotten her out of there sooner. Screw no violence. He’d knock him out cold if that’s whaat it came too.

Finally the weekend is over and Daniel is dragging Max with him to her home. Max refuses to let him drive. And Daniel doesn’t mind considering Max is a fast driver and isn’t running on enough adrenaline that he could run a marathon and not be tired.

He’s out of the car before Max even has time to stop it. He’s banging at the door so loud he’d probably be waking the neighbors in the early hours of the morning.

When is swings open, He almost collapses in relief that she is still alive. However, she looks startled, surprised, and broken. She was never sick, he’d just hit her enough to break her. Her throat looks swollen with fingerprints tattooed to it. Her wrist is in a brace and a murky white bandage plastered to her cheek. And those are just the things that are visible.

He doesn’t have much time to think as the man he’d been wanting to punch into next year sidles up behind her. “What are you doing here Daniel? Did nobody tell you that we’re sick right now?” She cliches away from him when his arms wrap around her waist.

Max comes running a few seconds later. “Just came to check up on you two since we hadn’t heard anything and see if we could help.” The neutral smile Max puts on is for show. He’s deliberately trying to ease the tension.

“Well, we’re fine. Thank you for stopping by.” He goes to try and close the door, but Daniel is quick to deny him.

“Can I ask what happened y/n? What’s with the brace?” Daniel tries not to seethe but it definitely comes out anyway.

“She’s clumsy. Got dizzy and slipped.”

Daniel is shocked when it’s not himself who throws the first punch. Max’s fist collides with the other mans cheek. It sends him reeling backwards enough for Daniel to pry the shaking female away and into the safety of his arms.

“You came for me.”

“Told you I’d make sure he never touched you again. And I always keep my promises.”

Mr. Myexcusesforabusearebadandshouldfindanewhobby goes for a hit on Max, but he misses and falls face first onto the ground right outside the door. “As someone who’s had the ‘it’s just clumsiness’ excuse used for him before, I know what’s going on.” Max pulls an envelope out of his back pocket and drops it in front of the other guys face. “On behalf of all of Redbull, you are fired. hope you get what you deserve.” Max plants a foot on top of his back to keep him on the ground. “Is there anything you need before we leave?”

She had already packed. The stuff she needed had been tucked away for over a year. Thoughts of just running layer heavily on her mind, but she could never bring herself to do it.

“My place is yours if you want to stay there. I have an extra room you can have.” Daniel hadn’t let go of her hand the entire way to the airport. Or on the plane. Or on the car ride to his place.

“That sounds lovely.”

After she got settled, Daniel asked in she needed help with any cuts or bruises. Apparently she’d had the same bandages for a week. He’d probably need to get her into a doctor to see if anything is infected.

“Daniel… thank you.”

“For what? Sticking Max on a prick? No need to that me for that, love.”

“For everything then. Like showing me that I deserve to be loved right.”

“And I’ll see to it that you never doubt that again.”

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idyllic-affections · 1 year

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platonic requests you say?! well,, how about xiao or scaramouche (or both hehe but just do whichever one you’re more inspired for!) with a child reader that’s kinda like a little sibling figure for them, who just follows them around aimlessly & doesn’t listen when they’re told to go away until Big Brother Figure has to accept that they just have this Stray Child attached to them now?! thank you if you decide to do this!! <3

what's with this sassy, lost child?

summary. scaramouche is not a good person.

trigger & content warnings. implied child abuse and canon-typical scara lore.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. found family, fluff, alight angst (?). scaramouche & child!reader. 0.5k words. they/them pronouns used for reader.

author's thoughts. the title is funny; the brainrot is... less funny.... anyways, anon i love this idea! i ended up only doing scara as i had a lot of trouble with getting ideas for xiao's part? its weird since i really like xiao but i had no inspiration for him. additionally, i only wrote about fatui!scara rather than wanderer!scara. if you ever want a wanderer!scara version of this, just shoot me another request and ill be happy to do it <3 this ended up being kind of similar to a character study, which i find super interesting actually. it wasn't meant to be like that but i think its kinda cool c:

scaramouche is not a good person.

he has no issue admitting to this—he is cruel, violent, and temperamental and has no qualms with resorting to methods equally so to get what he wants. despite this... he will not commit crimes against children. that is one thing il dottore, the man very much responsible for his present state of mind, does that he won't.

the balladeer will never be caught dead being the one to take away a child's innocence and hope.

a child's innocence is unlike that of any other. it is fragile and delicate and something to be protected rather than battered and bruised. he didn't get to bask in his own innocence for very long; his view of the world around him began to skew towards darkness the moment ei threw him out as if he was nothing more than a doll that lost its novelty. he knew all too well what it felt like to be thrown away.

maybe that's why he kept them around.

"what are you doing?" he demands, turning to the kid he begrudgingly settled on keeping around. it was mostly just to spite the ignorant fatui agent that had tried to assault them after finding them lost in a research camp. it... definitely had nothing to do with the fact that he saw himself in them, that he saw kunikuzushi staring back at him when he looked down at them. not at all. definitely not, because empathy was something the balladeer absolutely did not have the capacity for.

(deep down, he knows he's only lying to himself. number six was once so gentle and kind and curious. he wasn't always this way.

regardless of how he feels about it, kunikuzushi will always be a part of him.)

"it's raining," is all they say in reply, scooting closer to the harbinger. he shoves them away with gentleness unheard of from someone like him, and they whine, adding on, "it's not even warm rain. it's cold."

"freeze, then."

their lower lip juts out into an intentionally overdramatic pout at that. "big brother's so mean to me..."

he glares down at them.

he does not, however, offer any opposition other than a soft scoff when they scoot back under his hat.

scaramouche's sharp glare redirects to a fatuus that stared at them a little too long as he rests a hand on their head, calloused fingertips rubbing little circles into their damp scalp. they seem happy with the contact—happy enough not to notice the way their guardian's eyes narrow further at the foolish, unmoving agent. it's a warning, an unspoken threat, a promise of a fate worse than death if his underling does not back off. the fatui agent seems to understand well enough, scurrying to get back to work.

the balladeer's hands are drenched in an inconceivable amount of blood and tears that no amount of rain will wash away—some belonging to him, but the majority belonging to his victims. he fears that the crimson will spread onto them like some kind of disease, consuming whatever innocence they have that he's tried so hard to preserve. the worst part is that he knows his fear isn't irrational. even a worm will turn.

number six of the fatui harbingers does not remember what it means to be gentle, but for them...

he's willing to try.

he's desperate to try.

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot!

#aphelion brainrots 🌸#aphelion's requests 🌸#favoniuslibrary #astronetwrk #scaramouche x child reader #scaramouche x reader #platonic scaramouche x reader #platonic genshin x reader #genshin x reader #genshin x child reader #platonic genshin impact x reader #platonic genshin impact #fatui harbingers x reader #scaramouche x you

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andy-wm · 7 months

Text

3D by JK (feat. JH) - my take.

Ok, unpopular opinion maybe, and I might get my ass beaten for this (not in a good way 🤣)

Feel free to disagree RESPECTFULLY.

Disclaimer: If anyone comes at me with that cancel bullshit I will block you, because we all get to have an opinion.

If my post enrages you, scroll past until you can be civil, then come back and talk. Or block me. I dont mind.

And don't tell me that because I don't love this song I have to hand in my ARMY card... I'm not going to.

🙂💜🙂

I'll start by saying I love JK so, so much. Adore him. Will always support him.

But for me, 3D is a misstep.

My feeling is Hybe should have reconsidered releasing it as it is.

JK's lyrics are fun and sexy. The innuendo is on point. The melody is great and the chorus has excellent sing-along value. Even though I'm not a huge pop music fan, I like the vibe.

The MV dancers are awesome, and I got a kick out of the fire hydrant metaphor.

And in that jacket with nothing under it, JK looks hot enough to melt asphalt.

However....

Including Jack Harlow's rap IMO is a mistake. It sucks, frankly. Not in a good way.

It not only misses the mark on the tone of the rest of the song but his lyrics are really just offensive. Misogynistic. And racial refrences are just... not cricket. It's 2023 not 1995, regardless of what his hairstyle tells you.

His lyrics sound like an incel bragging about their sex life when all they've ever done is watch porn. From his words, I doubt he knows how to please any person but himself.

His message is gross, but its still just... generic. Like he went to urban dictionary for spicy language and then googled how to treat women like shit. There's nothing original about what he's saying. He's not even being gross in an intersting way. It's gross AND boring.

(Jack, if you're reading this, sorry my guy you gotta do better.)

I've been army since 2018 and this is the first BTS song I have tried to find merit in and given up.

I honestly tried to be into it and i just... can't. It doesn't sit well with me.

This is a new experience for me because even when BTS release something i don't immediately love, i still stream and watch and let it sink in, or I work on figuring out what I am missing and why it's ACTUALLY good even if i can't grasp it.

This... it's just... not good, in my opinion.

I have to clarify here...

It isn't about explicit content, i am totally down for that. If anyone read my post on Seven, they will know my response to that song. In a nutshell, I believe all adults who want to, should happily and shamelessly be doing ALL the horizontal tango. Every type, every day, in every way. With anyone and everyone they fancy as long as all parties are informed and consenting adults who are equally enjoying the experience.

Yes. I am all about getting down.

That doesn't mean treating your partners like a body count or using and abusing them with no consideration. That's not cool.

**PSA: please be safe and use protection. Get tested regularly if you have multiple partners. Don't do anything you don't feel good about and dont stay with partners who harm or manipulate you 💜**

Now, back to the smut.

Some criticisms i saw of Seven were about how dirty it was. A few people were upset because JK said fuck, and because he sang about how and when he liked to fuck. But more criticism was levelled at Letto. Why?

It seemed like it was because she's a woman, singing about sex.

Letto totally owns her sexuality and she knows what she wants. I snorted with delight at how deliciously filthy her lyrics were. Some very clever wordplay made her verse so visceral, and pretty shocking to the pearl-clutchers, without her ever saying anything directly. I really enjoyed it.

She was telling us straight up how good she is in bed. Good for her. She totally rocks. And she wasn't disrespecting anyone. She didn't need to do that to make herself cool AF.

The difference between Letto's rap and jack harlow's is that jack sounds like he's just looking at the women he's singing about as a hole to stick his dick in. Women have fought for long enough for equality and respect. They don't need this bullshit. You can sing about getting down, and you can be absolutely filthy and nasty and wild, and you can do it without degrading your partners.

I did read a theory about this song being social commentary on toxic masculinity. You can find it here and you can read it below:

Its not bad as a theory. At least it wouldn't be if Namjoon or Yoongi or Hobi - or Jungkook himself - had written the song. If that were the situation we'd see some inkling of self awareness in the rap, and maybe a hint of character development. But there's none.

Sorry ARMY, this is not the class of lyricism we have come to expect.

If jack is trying to make a social statement^*, or play a character, he is not succeeding in showing any growth or humanity at all. He's really just that stereotype.

In the last few lines, after he offers to fly his victim from Korea to Kentucky, he says "and you ain’t gotta guarantee me nothing I just wanna see if I get lucky."

How considerate...

All I see is zero care factor about the actual person he's trying to get with. Which is quite different from JK's lyrics, which show awareness that he's interacting with a conscious, living human being, not a piece of furniture.

jack follows with "I just wanna meet you in the physical and see if you would touch me"

Ugh. Not with a ten foot pole, douchebag.

And how about, in his first verse "All my ABGs get cute for me"

Good god, really? Is he seriously saying this?

So its a no for me.

The ONLY saving grace is that there's an alternative version which is pretty fun. It's almost as if Hybe knew we would hate the version with jack harlow. Wow, such insight!

Now, i know that's not the only reason they made an alternative. They needed a clean version for US radio play (let's be real, what possible other purpose can this song serve? *°)

But they could have censored jack's... actually they couldn't. The rap verses can't be salvaged. They genuinely have no merit, the only hope for the song is totally removing them.

What does that tell you?

ARMY will no doubt still chart the main track but personally, I would feel morally compromised if i supported that version. So I'll stick to the alternative and hope for better things to come.

------------

^* Stylecaster doesnt think so either. I visited their website to check thr lyrics. They said, of D3, "Meanwhile, Jack Harlow brings the cool with his two verses as he raps about all the women he could pull"

Uh, really? I hope that's intended to be ironic.

*° The MV had only 4.5million views after 12 hours. And we know what brilliant strategists Hybe employs. I am travelling in Korea right now. There was no promo visible here. And it was no accident that it was released at lunchtime on Chuseok - the biggest famiily holiday of the year - when relatively few people in Korea would be available to engage with it. THEY KNEW IT WAS A STINKER.

#jeon jungguk #jungkook #bts jungguk #bts jungkook #jungkook 3d #hybe entertainment #bighit

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thelukesalvez · 8 months

Text

Luke Alvez x Reader: What You Deserve

Description: Feeling undeserving of luke's attention and affection.

Word count: 5.3k

Warnings: low self-esteem, negative self-talk, internalized fat phobia

A/N: I wrote this back when I was super insecure about my weight (i.e. this is how i felt about every guy i dated). but just saying i lowkey hate the insecure plus-sized reader trope and want to write better plus-size reader fics in the future, but this is all i have to repost for now!

You were ten when you sprained your ankle on the playground at school and wound up at the doctor’s office with your mom. The doctor was nice and distracted you from the pain in your ankle with some funny jokes. He even let you listen to your own heartbeat with his stethoscope.

But at the end of the visit, once you had a splint on your ankle, he turned to your mom and mentioned the term overweight.

“She’s on the high end of her age’s weight class,” he said matter-of-factly. And maybe it was just a simple matter of fact. You’d never thought much about your weight before that day. You were happy. You loved to play- especially outside. Your favorite game was capture the flag, but it didn’t matter. You were active and healthy.

Your mom listened to his advice intently, because he was the professional after all. Who was she to question his word on your health? And when you get home you were immediately placed on what she calls a diet.

“That means no more ice cream after dinner, and we’re going to cut back on the popcorn, too.”

And maybe the doctor was right, you started to think, as you took a long look at yourself in the full length mirror behind the bathroom door that very same night. You pinched the skin protruding from your stomach and watched as the fat around your thighs jiggled. Maybe you were too big, too fat. You thought of your friends at school and for the first time, (but certainly not the last), you found yourself wondering, why don’t I look like them?

“The diet will help,” your mom told you reassuringly.

Except it doesn’t. Instead, you wound up gaining more weight, this time at a rapid pace, because you’ve found that when Mom says you can’t have ice cream after dinner, you wind up sneaking into the kitchen after she’s gone to bed and eating it anyway. But you don’t stop there. You eat some of the watermelon that’s left in the fridge, too, and some crackers from the cupboard. Just enough from each box so that she doesn’t notice, but enough altogether, that you go to bed with a full, aching stomach.

This becomes a pretty standard part of your nightly routine until your mom caught you digging through the pantry one night, while she had come downstairs quietly for a glass of water.

The look on her face was shock, followed quickly by disgust. You felt embarrassed and ashamed and humiliated.

“I can’t believe you’ve been doing this,” then, “it’s no wonder you’re gaining all that weight.”

…

You’ve always had a difficult time loving yourself, you’ve always looked in the mirror and not necessarily liked what looked back at you. Sure, there were days where you thought to yourself, I look pretty today. But in the back of your mind there was always that voice that would add, for a fat person.

When you’re in your twenties, you finally break the habitual pattern of binge eating that you’d been doing since you were a kid. As you ticked off the number of days it had been since a binge, you sighed. You really would have thought that by stopping consistently overindulging, you’d lose the weight. But that wasn’t the case. Instead, your body has plateaued. No more dramatic gains or losses- it just is. The weight, for the most part, stayed on.

By your thirties, you’d come to an understanding, a blind acceptance, with your body. You didn’t always like it, but you appreciated it. Neutrality, your therapist had encouraged. And that was good enough.

Regardless, you had other things going for you besides your looks and your weight. You had a great job and infinite career goals to focus on. Not everything had to be about being beautiful and desirable, you learned.

…

Your favorite thing about being part of the BAU were your coworkers. You never expected how close you’d get to them, but before you knew it, they felt more like your family than anything else. Something about constantly facing life-threatening situations with one another created an everlasting bond encased in mutual trust.

You and the rest of the team had a rare evening off, which normally, you’d spend waiting skeptically by your phone, convinced that you’d get called in for a case any minute. But not tonight, Emily had promised. All cases were on hold until the morning. You were sitting at home, contemplating what to do with your precious time when the text came through.

It was Tara messaging the group chat, asking if anyone was up for drinks and a night out. It didn’t take long before Luke’s name came flashing across your screen next. It was impossible to ignore the butterflies fluttering rampantly in your stomach as you read the words that he’s typed.

I’m in, he said simply.

Luke was the newest member to have joined the team. Just months prior, he transferred to the BAU from the Fugitive Task Force. As soon as Emily brought him into the conference room, you knew all bets were off. He was tall and handsome, with a clean cut, thick beard and dark skin. While he was given personalized introductions, you had noticed his bicep flexing as he extended his arm out to shake everyone’s hands. When he was introduced to you, his large hand engulfing yours and his dark eyes scanned the length of you, and you knew instantly that Luke Alvez was a catch.

It was pointless and childish and arbitrary, and you knew it. But you couldn’t shake it, no matter how hard you tried- no matter how many times you told yourself he’d never be into a girl like you. A fat girl like you, the voice in your head said. You tried to challenge that voice- fought back and argued with it occasionally just like your therapist had encouraged, but it still found ways of insisting that you weren’t worthy of attention or affection from someone like Luke.

So, before your insecurities could convince you to decline Tara’s invite that night, you typed back a quick, I’m in, too.

…

It turned out most of the team decided to join your night out. And it was fun, or it would have been, if not for the critic in your head being abnormally loud.

Look how skinny JJ looks in that top- you could never pull that off.

Don’t eat the nachos, they’ll think you’re fat.

Eat the nachos, because if you don’t, they’ll know that you know you’re fat.

As always, it was exhausting and all consuming- a never ending battle in your own mind. And while you knew your team didn’t give a shit if you ate the damn nachos or not, you couldn’t stop obsessing over it.

You tried your best to enjoy yourself- to push those thoughts to the back of your mind, but it took effort.

Tara had picked the spot, it was a small pub that serves drinks and food. There was music, but not so loud that you couldn’t hear each other talk. You sipped your vodka lemonade, the straw pinched between your thumb and pointer finger, and watched as Emily and JJ were taking on Rossi and Matt in a game of pool.

Across from you sat Tara and Spencer. They were having an in depth conversation about Jean Piaget, when suddenly, Luke slid into the empty booth seat beside you. Your senses were instantly overwhelmed momentarily by his cologne, strong but not overpowering. His arm brushed yours, the warmth from his skin sending an electrical current through your entire body. You tensed up, if not just from the shock of it all. But as soon as you let your guard down, the voice in your head crept back in. He can feel how fat your arm is- pull away. So you did.

If he noticed, he didn’t comment. Instead he smiled, his white teeth on full display. “Having fun?” he asked.

You took another sip of your lemonade and nodded. “Yeah, it’s nice to have a night away from..” your voice trailed off as you thought of the word.

“Crime? Murder?” Luke smirked. “Serial killers?”

You chuckled, “How about all of the above?”

Luke nodded. “They say crime never sleeps, but we finally will tonight.” He set his drink down and scratched his beard in contemplation. “I’m thinking at least eight hours tonight.”

“Eight hours?” you gawked, “You’re living large!”

Luke laughed. There was a brief pause in the chatter, and you took another sip of your drink awkwardly. You were about to make a joke about the competitive pool game going on in front of you between Rossi and JJ, when Luke leaned over and said quietly, “You look really nice tonight.”

You faltered, you didn't know how to answer, and you couldn’t even bring yourself to look up at Luke’s gaze, because you weren’t sure you could handle it. And while you knew that you should say thank you, you only curled into yourself as if what Luke said was just a snide, nasty remark. Compliments like that were so foreign to you and you felt like you didn’t deserve them, so you had a hard time believing that what Luke had to say was actually genuine. You knew he wasn’t the type of person to ever poke fun at another, but wasn’t that what made the most sense? He certainly wasn’t hitting on you- so maybe it was a pity remark, or just a way to fill the awkward silence.

You ended up just offering him a curt smile, pretending that you didn’t see the way his face fell.

…

You were happy most of the time. Not as carefree as some on the team, but still. You joked with Tara and Emily and had meaningful conversations with Spencer. You asked Dave about his weekends and listened with intent as Matt told you stories about his infinite amount of kids.

But then there were days where you’re nowhere near that feeling.

There were bad days. And when they came, they were always so sudden and unexpected, it almost took your breath away.

You were away on a case with the team in Colorado Springs when you had your first really bad day in a long time.

The case, for the most part, kept you busy, and for a while you were able to ward off the negative thoughts. Instead of fixating on how worthless you felt, you thought about the four victims that had gone missing in the area, you thought of the Unsub and ways your team could find them. You thought about ME reports and patterns in each abduction, it was enough of a puzzle that you were able to stay occupied.

But when you were back at the hotel, the rest of your team in their own rooms, and left to your own thoughts, that’s when the quiet consumed you.

As a child, you learned that the one thing-the only thing- that helped when you were feeling this overwhelming sense of anxiety and dread, was to binge. It helped you stuff the negative thoughts so deep down within yourself, that for at least a little while, you were numb to all the pain.

You knew you shouldn’t- you hadn’t in so long. But just this one time would be okay, right? Only this once, just to feel a little better, and then you wouldn’t do it again.

The battle inside your own head raged on. You took deep breaths, you tried to journal what you were feeling, but the feeling didn't subside. Only when there was a knock at your door, and you were forced to pull yourself back to reality, did the argument get placed on the backburner. You blinked back tears that you didn’t even realize were there before hastily making your way to the hotel door.

“J-just a minute,” you tried to make your voice sound normal, like the debate going on inside your mind about what you were about to do would be obvious to whoever was at the door. You quickly wiped your cheeks and brushed your wrinkled shirt off before hoisting it open.

“Hi,” you managed to smile as you opened the door.

Luke was on the other side, to your surprise, holding two brown paper bags and a couple of bottled drinks.

“Hey,” Luke answered, his eyes lingering on your face for a brief moment. You wondered if he could tell you’d been crying.

“What’s up?” you drawled, as if to politely ask, why the hell are you knocking at my door at eleven pm?

“Everyone else was asleep and I was hungry-” he held up the bag of what was apparently food and shrugged. “Except, I bought way too much, I’ll never eat it all. Are you hungry?”

You gave him a confused look. “I-”

“It’s just burgers, some chicken and some fries, nothing fancy- but I didn’t want to eat alone and I saw your light on..”

You sighed, but then stepped to the side, a gesture for him to come in. Luke gave you a relieved look before entering your room. He headed to the bed, which was the only place to sit.

“Do you mind?” he asked, motioning towards the mattress.

You shook your head, “No, go for it.”

You closed the door behind him and joined Luke, barely noticing that the dread in your stomach from earlier had been replaced by a light, fluttering sensation.

As Luke began unloading the greasy food from the bag, you hesitated. Was this a trick? Was he secretly trying to see how much food you could put away? Was he going to go back and tell the team how much you’d eaten?

Luke picked up on your apprehension.

“Is everything okay?”

You don’t answer quickly enough before he asked, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Goddamn these intuitive profilers.

“Nothing,” you said. But somehow, Luke heard the lie.

“I know I’m the new guy,” he said, “and it’s probably gonna take some time before you trust me, I know that. But I want you to know you can talk to me.”

“Yeah.. it-it’s nothing,” you managed to say, because you couldn’t talk. Not about this and not yet. Maybe not ever.

“Okay,” Luke nodded. “Sometimes, it’s tough being the new guy. I can see how close you guys all are and I just want to be a part of that eventually, you know?” His eyes bore into your own and you caught a glimpse of the sincerity behind his words, and that was when you started to feel guilty for ever thinking he was here to make fun of you. Luke was here for a friend, for comfort of his own.

You sat on the bed next to Luke and took a fry from the basket. “You are part of it.” You assured him. “Everyone here adores you.”

Me included, is what you didn’t say.

“You wouldn’t be included in our group chat if we didn’t.”

That made Luke smile, his dimple evident in his cheek.

He stayed in your room for a while, the two of you laughing and talking throughout the night. You never realized how much you didn’t know about Luke. Like that he had a dog, for example, or that he grew up in Arizona and moved around a lot once he joined the military. He kept you laughing, his jokes and sarcasm thrown intermittently through his speech.

You shared the chicken and fries with him, not even feeling self conscious when you reached for more to put on your plate. You were too wrapped up in whatever story Luke was telling and the way his eyes lit up as he talked about the things that interested him, to be insecure.

Luke took the last drink of his bottled water before sighing. “I suppose I should head back to my room, and try to get a little sleep.” He lifted his arm and looked at the watch on his wrist. “I’m definitely not getting my eight hours tonight,” he laughed.

You nodded in agreement, the two of you standing up in sync, and you walked Luke to the door.

Luke stepped into the hallway before turning to face you. “Thanks for the company,” he said.

You smiled, “Thanks for the food.”

There was a brief, awkward silence, where neither one of you knew what to do next. But then, it happened quickly. One minute, you were studying the way Luke’s warm, brown eyes were trained on you, and then, before you could predict what would happen next, he stepped forward, one hand planting itself firmly on your hip and the other cupping your chin. He paused briefly, like he was giving you the chance to pull away. But you didn’t- and so the next thing you knew, Luke was pulling you closer to his body and his lips were pressing against your own, their warmth spreading the entirety of your body.

Fat, fat, fat- your mind suddenly screamed. You suddenly became hyper-aware of his fingers digging into the soft, fleshy part of your hip, and wondered if he’d be repulsed by what he felt. But if he was, he didn’t make it obvious.

There had to be a catch, you thought- some alternative motive for him to be kissing you like this. Guys like Luke didn’t go after girls like you. Fat girls like you, the voice said.

He just wants sex.

He’s not thinking straight.

He’ll regret this tomorrow.

You pulled away, breathlessly, your heart suddenly racing. Before Luke could suspect that something was wrong, you offered him your best smile. “I should get to bed,” you explained.

Luke could sense the shift in your tone, you imagined that he wanted to ask what’s wrong, but you were already stepping away from him. Instead he nodded, trying to hide his confusion. “Okay, yeah. G-goodnight.”

“Night,” you whispered before shutting the door.

…

Luke hoped he hadn’t fucked up.

That was his first thought as soon as he saw the door close in his face. He bit his lips, they still tasted like you, and slowly backed away.

His feet drummed against the cheap carpet floor of the hotel as he paced the few doors down to his own room.

He really thought you’d liked him- thought you’d reciprocated the kiss even. But judging by the look on your face when you closed the door, he thought that he might be terribly mistaken.

He didn’t get his eight hours of sleep.

In fact, he barely got any. Instead, he spent the night trying to figure out where the hell he could have gotten things so wrong.

When Luke’s phone started buzzing loudly, he felt exhausted and not even close to ready for the inevitably long day ahead.

Regardless, Luke got ready quickly. The one conclusion that he had come to after contemplating all night was that he wanted to find you and clear the air. Despite his obvious feelings for you that were now right out in the open, he couldn’t risk your friendship, or making things awkward at work. Once he was showered and dressed, Luke departed the hotel in search of some coffee.

He remembered that you liked it hot, with just cream and a hint of cinnamon. This would be his peace offering, an apology for crossing the line, the promise that it wouldn’t happen again.

…

You were answering a text from Emily on your phone, directing you to go to the ME office, when you heard a voice calling your name.

Your head snapped up, and there, sure enough, like he was waiting for you in the lobby, Luke came jogging over. In his outstretched arm was a cup of coffee.

“Hey.”

For a moment, you wondered if maybe Luke really was into you. A kiss one night and coffee the next morning? Surely that meant he wasn’t just looking for a hookup, right?

You accepted his offering with a smile. “What’s this?” you asked dumbfoundedly. Could you really be this lucky? Could he actually be interested in you? The butterflies in your stomach started flying rampantly as you quickly got your hopes up.

“I wanted to apologize-” he said, his head falling, like he was ashamed. “For last night.”

Your heart sank.

“I crossed the line, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Your friendship means a lot to me-”

And there it was. You were no stranger to the friendship line. Guys used it all the time as a way out. After going on dates, after hookups- it was always the same response from them when they weren’t interested- I like you but I don’t want to risk our friendship. I really just want to be friends. I’m not ready for a relationship, can we just be friends?

To you that translated as, you’re not good enough for me.

You were a fool for ever getting your hopes up- for ever thinking that someone like Luke could actually be interested in someone like you.

You took the coffee and tried not to meet his eager gaze.

“Don’t worry about it,” is all you could manage to croak out.

Luke could sense the shift in your tone. “I really am sorry,” he said.

But you shook your head, and feigned your best smile. You backed away from him, not wanting him to see the glistening tears evident in your eyes.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, your mind was screaming at you. “It’s fine,” you said instead, your voice cracking slightly just as you turned to leave the hotel lobby.

…

Luke knew he had fucked up.

The peace offering that he had made was nothing short of a disaster, and now he’d have to come up with another way to make up for what he’d done.

That much was obvious as he was left standing alone in the hotel lobby, gazing at the doors you’d just walked out of.

...

Three days later, on the jet ride home, Luke could barely get you to even look at him. Not that he had made much of an effort, but still. He wanted to give you space. Hadn’t he done enough damage already?

He knew he’d have to think of a way to talk to you about what had happened. Maybe if he just explained himself, you’d understand.

But how was he supposed to talk to you when you wouldn’t even look at him?

He finally got his chance when the jet landed and the team was back at the BAU. He found you at your desk, hunched over a stack of paperwork. Rossi, JJ, Tara, and Spencer had already left for the night. Matt was gathering his belongings from his desk and heading out the door, meanwhile Emily was barricaded in her office with the door shut. If Luke was ever going to get a minute alone with you- it was now.

He shuffled cautiously over towards your desk. You gave him no indication that you’d heard him at all, but nonetheless, he cleared his throat before getting too close. He didn’t want to startle you.

You didn’t even look up from what you’re writing.

“Hey,” he said. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“I can’t right now,” your tone is flat.“I have this whole stack I need to do before tomorrow.”

Luke felt frustrated and dismissed, but he bit his tongue. Instead of pushing, he grabbed half the stack of paperwork from atop your desk and took it back to his own desk. Before you could protest or argue, he sat down and flipped open the first file, ready to work.

…

The entire floor was eerily quiet. Besides the occasional clicking of keys and scratching of a pen, you and Luke worked in complete silence.

You felt bad. You really didn’t have to finish all of this paperwork by tomorrow. That was just your excuse to avoid talking with Luke. But now, it was almost 1 AM and you were nearly finished with it all.

You heard his pen click and you knew that was his indicator that he was done with his stack. Your heart clenched in your chest anxiously. You heard him approach your desk. There was a sudden thump when he threw the stack back where he found it.

“There,” he announces. “Can we talk now?”

The man was persistent.

You set your pen down lightly and sighed. Admitting defeat, you nodded.

Luke pulled Spencer’s chair out from his desk, which was right next to yours. He scooted it closer to you.

Your gaze remained hyper focused on your hands, which were cupped and laid neatly in your lap. Luke ducked his head down, trying to catch your eyes. Begrudgingly, you looked up and made eye contact with him.

“Listen,” his voice was soft, “I am really sorry for kissing you the other night.”

You groaned frustratedly. “Will you stop apologizing?” you finally said. “I get it, you didn’t want to kiss me. It’s fine- But I don’t need this- this pity.”

Luke instantly looked taken aback by your frustration, but it was the most you’ve said to him in the last three days, so he took it all in. As your words played back in his mind, he frowned. “I never said I didn’t want to kiss you.”

“Well- whatever you did or didn’t say, I get it, okay? I get that it was a mistake and it didn’t mean anything. It’s fine.”

But Luke continued shaking his head. “I never said any of that-” he protested.

You remained quiet, but he continued. “I never said any of that. Is that how you feel about it?” he asked, hands clasped tightly together.

You shrugged. Your cheeks felt hot- you were insecure with Luke’s eyes trained so intently on you. You wished you could just forget this whole thing happened, wished you could just disappear. But Luke kept pushing.

“Is that how you feel?” he repeated. There was a brief pause. “Because that’s not how I feel,” he said. “I don’t regret kissing you. I like you and I wanted to do it. And I thought you wanted to, too. If I had known you didn’t- I never would have done it. I regret making you uncomfortable, and I regret making things awkward between us, but I don’t regret the kiss.”

Luke’s words swam around in your head, but they were a jumbled mess. You tried to piece them together slowly, in order to process what he was saying. Did he just say he liked you?

There was a part of you that felt like this whole thing had just been a cruel joke. But yet, here he was- sitting in front of you with the most sincere eyes you’d ever seen, and suddenly, you started to wonder if maybe this was real. Maybe, for God-only-knows what reason, Luke actually had feelings for you- was actually attracted to you.

“You like me?” you asked, your voice low.

Luke laughed- like actually laughed- and when you looked up at him, his eyes were squinting as his lips were curled into a wide grin. “Uh, yeah- I thought I’d made that blatantly clear.”

But you shook your head. “I- I didn’t know..”

“I kissed you-” he said, like it’s obvious.

“I know, but I figured you just wanted to hookup- I didn’t think you actually liked me-”

“But I brought you dinner- and coffee. Did you think I just do that for everyone?”

You remained guarded, because you still couldn’t entirely trust this. “Yeah,” you said. “Kind of, I guess.”

“Okay,” Luke nodded. “Let me spell it out for you then. I like you.” He said each word carefully and slowly. “And I liked kissing you. And I’d really like to date you. And if you don’t feel the same, that’s okay. But I’d still like to be friends, and I’d really like for things not to be awkward at work.”

You stared in awe, not able to believe any of this was really happening. You wanted to ask why. Why did this handsome, kind, honest man like you? What made you even remotely good enough for him?

But you didn’t ask. Because did it matter right now?

“Your turn,” Luke urged. “Since I seem to have such a hard time reading you, can you spell it out for me too?”

You hesitated. You’d never flat out told someone how you felt about them. You were insecure and terrified of rejection. And even though Luke had flat out told you rejection wasn’t a possibility, you were still embarrassed to tell him how you felt. You didn’t like how vulnerable that made you- how open to the hurt that made you.

But Luke’s smile was so reassuring and kind, you tried not to think too much before telling him quietly, “I like you too. I have for a while, actually.”

He chuckled, which you think might just be your new favorite sound. “So why’d you pull away the other night?” he asked longingly. “Why have you been so distant?”

“Because- I didn’t think someone like you would ever be into someone like me.”

The moment the words left your lips, you regretted it. And when Luke’s face contorted into a look of confusion, and then hurt, you regretted it even more.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

You fumble with your words, because you weren’t sure how to explain. “I just thought someone like you would be more apt to go after someone that looked more like Tara or JJ or Emily is all.”

“What’s the common denominator there? Because Tara, JJ, and Emily look nothing alike-”

“You know what I mean,” you protested. “I thought someone like you would be more apt to go for someone-” you paused before saying the word, “someone skinnier than- well... me.”

Luke’s face fell, but you laughed it off nervously. “Just makes me wonder why, is all,” you said.

“I like you-” he assured you. “I like you because you’re smart and you’re thoughtful.”

Luke’s managed to scoot his chair increasingly closer to you without you noticing. When you looked down, you realized that your knees were practically touching. The first thing that ran through your mind is, oh my God, your thighs are bigger than his. But you shook the thought away. You weren’t going to let that voice ruin this- not again.

“You’re intuitive- the best profiler.”

The way Luke was looking at you made everything else melt away. All you saw was him and those unimaginably warm eyes.

“You’re kind and generous and you make me laugh,” he paused. “You’re beautiful.”

You remembered how soft his lips felt against yours when you kissed days ago, and all you wanted was to taste him again.

Thankfully, you didn’t have to wait long for your wish to come true. Luke leaned in, closing the gap between you two. Just when he was only inches from your face, he grinned. “I could keep going, you know?”

You ignored him and his cheeky grin and instead you leaned forward, and without thinking, cupped his face between your hands and pulled him closer.

His lips were exactly as you remembered, soft and smooth and all-encompassing. Luke’s hand landed just above your knee and when you started to wonder whether or not your leg felt fat underneath his touch, you were able to silence it. Who the hell cares? Certainly not Luke, that much you were learning quickly. In fact, you wondered if maybe he even liked it. The thought passed quickly, and you were able to focus on the man in front of you instead- the one who was quickly claiming you as his own. The one you deserved.

#luke alvez imagine #luke alvez #luke alvez x reader #luke alvez x reader fic #luke alvez fic #criminal minds fic #criminal minds x reader #luke alvez x reader fanfic #luke alvez x reader imagine

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h2llish · 3 months

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【╰ヾ❝ FROM ME TO YOU ✧„

ROOK HUNT ─── where ink will say what they couldn't ☆ a little bit of angst, gender neutral, reader is gone but it's not specified whether they went home or died so interpret that how you wish, lowercase intended, talks about sad grim as well lol (sobs)

the old dorm felt almost empty, lifeless. the ghosts didn't bother to greet anyone who entered, their love for pranks and scaring seeming to have vanished overnight. no one has seen the dire beast that was attached to their hip in so long, some believing him to have joined his second half wherever they were now. and when asking the first years who made it a regular occurrence to visit the dorm before and after class since they've gone, the group would only look off and shrug, never giving a verbal answer.

but one student knew where the beast could be found; curled up in the middle of the bed they once slept in, hugging a glove that undoubtedly belonged to them. he knew that grim was like a depressed cat, one who curled up beside their most trusted person when they found themselves on their deathbed, but grim had no person to curl up to. he knew grim was the last to see them, the last they said goodbye too. he knew grim was heartbroken (and he was too).

it's why it was such a surprise when he found the dire beast waiting outside the dorm with the ghosts floating sadly beside him.

when grim seen him, the monster held out a letter that had his name written in the prefect's handwriting and said, "it was the last thing they gave me. i didn' wanna give it to ya 'cause it smelled like them."

and when he took it from grim, the monster turned away and entered the dorm again, tail dragging behind him and his ears pinned against his head.

and when he opened the letter, the sight of their handwriting was enough to make him sick. and the contents of the letter made him ache.

dear rook hunt,

okay, how do i say this? i like you i don't think i'll ever give this to you. i'm too much of a coward. i mean, i'm writing this instead of telling you face-to-face. but you'd probably like to get a confession letter like this from someone you liked is it me wouldn't you? so in a way, i'm not that much of a coward as i write this! i'm still a coward i just realized i say random shit ramble even when i'm writing. the more you know, right?

okay, no, this is not why i'm writing this. but i don't know how to make this seem worth reading. not that i'll ever give this to you i'll just write? and hope it makes sense.

rook, i think you're amazing. i mean, you're wonderful. i don't know how to explain it in a way that doesn't seem like i'm just saying this. but you are.

you're really odd, but i like that about you. i know that whenever i need you, you'll be there, and i hope you know it's the same for me. i want to be there for you. for everything. for the times you visit another fan meet for neige, or when we meet up after classes. and during the good days and the bad. i want to know everything about you, all of you.

every time you compliment me, i get so flustered and i want to say all that back to you and more, but i always chicken out. told you i'm a coward i want to tell you how amazing you look every time i see you. do you know you always looks even more amazing every day? it's like every time i see you i notice something i didn't before. like that one time you wore black eyeliner instead of brown. did you run out of brown? it looked so nice, you should try more colors, not just brown. and did you know your eyes sometimes have a little bit of different colors when you're in the sun? i like when it turns a little grey. but i'll always like looking at your eyes regardless

i remember that one-time grim tore your glove because he was giving you a hard time. you tried to hide your hands. nobody else noticed but i did. are you shy about the scars on your hands? i seen them. they're beautiful rook, they tell stories. maybe one day you'll show me and tell me all about how you got them. do you trust me?

you probably don't see me the same way. you're way too good of a guy. and that's also why you'll probably never see this. fuck that sounds sad i'm sorry

i like you no that's not right ignore that.

i'm in love with you i'm not quite there to say i'm completely in love with you but i definitely don't just like you.

i'm falling in love with you, rook hunt.

and i'm sorry.

sincerely, the prefect [name]

so maybe i added some of my own headcannons in that letter.

anyways FUCK YEAH I WROTE SOMETHING >:D

do not repost, translate, copy or run my writing through an ai

#╰ ও ❝ angst #twisted wonderland #twst #x gender neutral reader #x male reader #twisted wonderland x male reader #twisted wonderland angst #twisted wonderland x gender neutral reader #twst x gender neutral reader #twst x male reader #twst angst #rook hunt #rook hunt x male reader #rook hunt x gender neutral reader

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circe69 · 1 year

Note

Hello there!

Congratulations on 1k followers 🥳

Can I ask for prompt 3 or 4 with Simon "Ghost" Riley? I don’t know what mood you’re in when writing; so please pick the one you find more alluring. Hope this is not weird or anything

Again, congrats!!!!

i chose number 3! thank you for sending in this request, dear! 💕

"you're so incompetent sometimes."

ghost's voice echoed off the walls and into your ears as he hovered over the mini table you were quietly sitting at. his large and inked forearms bracing himself on the tabletop shook as he spoke, making it difficult for you to focus.

you slowly stood up, trying to match his dominant attitude, but failing once you realized just how tall he really was.

"what exactly do you mean by that, lieutenant?" you countered, mimicking his stance. the two of you had always had it out for each other, but lately the tension was reaching new levels. you found yourself staring at him for too long, listening too intently, your ears perking whenever his name was mentioned.

even now, as your eyes met with his, you found it difficult not to wander all over his body, and the reality was, he was struggling with the same thing. the way your shirt fit tightly over your frame and how your pants somehow hung off hips but still shaped your backside perfectly was something ghost would always be fascinated by. maybe one of these days he'd educate himself.

ghost straightened his posture, crossing his arms across his chest, and you did the same.

his smirk was visible even through that stupid balaclava, and whenever his mouth moved from underneath the fabric made you want to just rip it off right then and there.

you watched ghost as he looked around the room, making sure the two of you were alone, before whispering,

"learn how to shut your mouth." he was inches away from your face, and his breath hit the side of your neck, making your spine erupt in shivers.

what was there to lose? now's a good time of any to up the ante.

"why don't you come over and shut it for me?" you leaned in even closer, standing your ground regardless of the slight terror and hesitation slipping out through your words.

"please?" you continued, and you swear ghost's knees buckled at your soft plead. now your noses were maybe an inch away, you were close enough to rip off that mask with your teeth, and you were considering it.

"don't do that," ghost said softly, the deep rasp in his voice making you want more and more. every word that came out of his mouth increased the risk of doing something that you could never take back.

"don't do what, simon?"

he grabbed onto your waist with one hand and started walking you backwards, putting a knee in between your legs with every step.

“don’t beg for something you’re not positive you even want.”

you hit a wall, and your back slightly arched into him, making his hand grip your soft flesh ever so gently.

“should i not be positive?” you reply, eyes focused on his mouth where heavy breathing and soft grunts were being emitted.

before he could even reply, you leaned forward a little, and did exactly what you’d planned to do from the beginning. your teeth latched onto the edge of his black mask, and you delighted in the breathy gasp from ghost as you slowly pulled the fabric up, revealing only what you needed, his mouth.

his lips parted in desperation, like he had been waiting for this since he met you.

you were very calculated, very strategic when it came to ghost. you made every move with a motive behind it, carefully and slowly making him want you more as every second passed. you lurched forward, gently but warmly kissing him on the side of his mouth. you let your lips layer between his before you pulled back to look at him once more.

“was that positive enough for you?”

#ghost x reader #ghost x you #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley fluff #modern warfare #ghost fluff #simon riley x you #ghost x y/n #ghost imagine #simon riley #ghost cod #circe69scribbles #circe's1kevent

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frozenjokes · 24 days

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Please For The Love Of Everything Good, MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDS AND LEAVE ME ALONE. With Love, HotGuy <3 (3/3)

Poultry Man was not the type of bird who liked to speak, or even spoke at all. When Poultry Man had something to say, he did so in the form of egg-based political commentary, usually crimes, but not always. Sometimes when he was pissed off, there wasn’t any commentary at all, just chickens. Gotta keep the people guessing, right? Poultry Man liked elaborate schemes, he liked delivering a message, and he liked chickens.

This was not Poultry Man’s first scavenger hunt, nor would it be his last. CuteGuy the villain was dead (among other aliases), but Poultry Man would live on forever, a shining light in this dank city. A golden egg among other, shittier, stupider eggs- whatever, it didn’t matter. Poultry Man was awesome, and Grian felt awesome as he sat at the end of the abandoned road, waiting. He had his postcards ready, simply waiting for HotGuy to arrive. Today was important. Grian would make it count.

Grian ended up waiting a little longer than he thought he would have to, which he probably should have guessed. HotGuy was known to misread and misinterpret basically anything, and it didn’t matter how neat Grian wrote, dyslexia was one son of a bitch.

But HotGuy did eventually arrive, panting and sweaty, and Grian couldn’t help but chuckle imagining him running from place to place and looking for Poultry Man’s hints. Cute, really. HotGuy lit up when he spotted Poultry Man, perched on the roof of a long broken down car, one that had been here for years, no one bothering to haul it off to the dump. Grian smiled, though HotGuy wouldn’t see it under the mask.

“Poultry Man! It’s- I can’t believe I have the chance to finally meet you! Properly, I mean. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you out and about, hasn’t it.. I know CuteGuy was your friend, but I take it you two probably don’t get along much right now.”

Grian shook his head, writing quickly, then tossing the note at HotGuy’s feet. The cardstock was heavy, so it did go a decent distance instead of fluttering pathetically to the ground like normal paper would; Grian had learned that the hard way. Humiliating. Regardless, HotGuy scrambled to pick up the note, reading with wide eyes.

“You’re still friends? Oh, I’m glad! Really, I am. I was a little worried about you, honestly, but I didn’t want to ask just in case the subject was sensitive. CuteGuy and I.. I mean, I’ve been trying, but he just doesn’t like me very much. We don’t really get along, and I just wish I could change his mind. You see, I really like this guy, Cub’s his name, but he and CuteGuy live together, and I just- CuteGuy hates me! He hates that I like Cub, and doesn’t want us to be in any sort of relationship at all, and I just wish I could show him I’m not all that bad, y’know? I mean..” HotGuy trailed off, looking momentarily hopeful, “He told you I wanted to meet with you, right? Was that recently? Did he do that for me?”

Grian considered him for a moment before nodding, and HotGuy just about melted.

“Oh, you have no idea how happy that makes me. And- and that you wanted to meet me in the first place! CuteGuy said you wouldn’t want to, and that you wouldn’t want to talk to me, and I guess you’re not talking, but you’re here, and I’m thrilled! I hope he told you I don’t want to arrest you or hurt you or anything- I don’t know, I got the impression he thought you’d be offended, but with CuteGuy, it’s a little hard to tell. He’s really defensive on your behalf. When I told him I thought he was a good friend for that he tried to beat the shit out of me. Well, he did beat the shit out of me. But that was also for other reasons. It’s complicated. But you don’t look like you want to kill me, and you guys are friends, so maybe you can put in a good word?”

Grian couldn’t suppress the small chuckle that left his throat, and HotGuy seemed to think that was a good sign, perking up, his already large eyes widening. Yeah. Grian could see where Cub was coming from. Having someone like that look at you like this at all hours of the day? Even a heart as icy and dead as his gave a little. He stopped again to write, throwing the postcard to the ground, and HotGuy scurried forward to pick it up.

“Ah- I did get a little distracted, didn’t I? You’re right, you’re right. So- I know you probably won’t answer, but I wanted to ask regardless.. The chickens? The eggs? Where do you get them? And I mean- you probably shouldn’t tell me, full transparency I guess, because I’d probably try to stop you.. Honestly though! I promise it's nothing against you! Well, maybe not nothing- you are committing crimes, but I’m mostly worried about the chickens? The place we bring them to, the sanctuary- they’re happy there! They’re well taken care of and loved. After your.. stunts.. the chickens end up in a good place, and I thought you should know that I care about them. So when I ask, it’s coming from a place of concern for the animals, yeah? I imagine they’re so confused being put in all these random places, having no idea what’s happening or where they’ve ended up.. Wherever you raise them- I’m assuming you raise them- it’s a good place? In our investigation of your activity, we still have no idea where you’re getting them, and I’d just hate to think they’re somewhere underground, unhappy, y’know?”

Grian cocked his head, a visual signal to HotGuy that he was thinking, considering him. That was.. very sweet. Not something Grian would have expected from HotGuy, especially after watching him try to manhandle the chickens Poultry Man had planted, yelling and flailing and generally being far more afraid than should ever be acceptable for someone trying (and failing, miserably) to wrangle chickens. Grian wrote his note, tossing it to the ground.

HotGuy read it aloud this time, “A man after my own heart..” HotGuy trailed off, smiling, and put a hand to his heart as he looked back up. “Of course. That little farm is a great place, Poultry Man, I’m assuming you’ve seen it.” HotGuy paused and Grian nodded, giving a thumbs up to show his approval.

HotGuy looked pleased, continuing, “I just wanted to offer, even though you’ll probably say no.. They would take your chickens, if you wanted to surrender however many you have left. I know it’s mostly eggs with you, and you don’t come around all too frequently, but if you ever decide to give this thing up, or if you can’t care for them anymore, or anything at all, that option is always available for you. Personally, I’d sleep a little easier knowing you weren’t putting live animals in peoples’ houses, but to each their own I guess.”

Grian smiled under the mask, taking a deep breath, “You have nothing to worry about. Well, not the putting chickens in places people don’t want them, I will still be doing that, but the chickens themselves are well taken care of, I can promise you that.”

HotGuy startled at the sound of his voice, jumping to his toes, and Grian couldn’t suppress a laugh, drawing a hand lazily to the beak of his mask as if to try and hide it. Grian was still no good at disguising his voice, so he didn’t bother trying, fastening his hands to the side of his mask and removing it before HotGuy had enough time to process who was actually speaking. HotGuy’s face was worth every anxiety about revealing Poultry Man’s identity.

“Grian!” HotGuy squeaked, a positively delightful sound, “Why are you dressed up as Poultry Man! That- You tricked me! Identity theft is no joke! This is not cool!”

Grian gaped for a moment, mouth opening and closing dumbly, “I- Are you joking.”

“I just told you this is no joke!”

“I am Poultry Man, Scar. HotGuy. Whatever you’re called. I have literally always been Poultry Man.”

“Poultry Man has been around for years!” HotGuy was so genuine, so annoying- Grian was almost offended. Maybe he was offended, actually- What was HotGuy playing at? Was it so impossible to believe he had multiple alter egos?

“Uh, yeah,” Grian finally huffed, rolling his eyes, “So have I.”

“You’re- why?” HotGuy sounded so distressed, so confused, and altogether Grian just couldn’t help but laugh. It was so stupid! He couldn’t stop laughing, arms across his stomach, kicking his feet a bit, talons scratching up the roof of the already beat up car.

“Come on,” Grian wheezed, “Is it really so hard for you to believe?”

“I- Yes! You guys- Poultry Man is noble. Poultry Man is a nuisance, but he has things to say! He has depth. CuteGuy is just a fucking dick!”

“Wow,” Grian drew the world out in fake offense, spreading his wings as he leaned back on the car’s roof, “Maybe you’ve misunderstood Poultry Man all along. Maybe he’s just as evil and uncaring as CuteGuy. They are friends after all, good friends, close.”

“No! CuteGuy was a bad influence on him, that’s all, he just didn’t have many other people to turn to.”

“You know you’re talking about the same person.”

“I- I know that!” HotGuy seethed, like this was quite possibly the most meaningful betrayal he had ever experienced. The little stories he’d made up about Poultry Man, entirely false. It was almost pitiful, really. HotGuy had no idea how to cope, Grian could see it as clearly as the conflict in his face.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Grian crooned, sitting up to rest his elbows on his knees, head in his hands, “Did you like him? Look up to him, even? And all this time you had no idea it was all just lil ol’ me.”

“I didn’t- I don’t look up to Poultry Man. I thought I could help him. I wanted to help him. I don’t- I still don’t think he’s a bad guy!”

“Nothing like CuteGuy, cold and sharp and mean, no, no,” Grian teased, “Denial is a funny thing, isn’t it?”

“I am serious! It doesn’t matter if Poultry Man and CuteGuy and Grian are all technically the same body, you are not the same people, just like HotGuy and civilian HotGuy are not the same.”

“Uh, pretty sure that’s not true, bud. That’s all just Grian, along with every other pseudonym I’ve held over the years.”

“What- really?” HotGuy stopped short, like this was completely foreign to him, “They’re all the same to you? Wait a minute, there’s more? Is every avian supervillain in this city just you? How many alter egos do you have!?” HotGuy puffed up, and Grian snickered.

“I am so glad you asked! My biggest escapade was probably the whole Mooners cult with Mumbo- do you remember? He was the head of course, but I was his faceless right hand man-“

“You know Mumbo?”

“We are roommates in college. I haven’t talked to him in a while though, and given the ‘retirement,’ I’m assuming he probably wouldn’t want to catch up regardless.”

HotGuy groaned loudly into his hands, “The Mooners were so annoying! Do you even know how much damage you two caused with that? People don’t function right when they don’t sleep!”

“Oh, it was a trip. It was awesome. And don’t think I don’t remember you attending our first couple meetings.”

“Yeah, when I thought it was a fun sleepover event thing- no one sleeps during sleepovers, everyone knows that! You guys were weird and crazy and everyone was partying- it was awesome.”

“Uh huh, and you drew quite a bit of attention to us, thanks for that.”

HotGuy groaned again into his hands and Grian snickered from his perch, pleased.

“Less successful was The Entity, but that was still quite a bit of fun. That massive rock I found just outside of town? It was a cool rock. And suddenly, I’m a prophet! People love a good Horror, and boy did I deliver. Flesh and guts and a horrifying puppet of a man, me. I bet I could have gained a bigger following, but I got bored. Still though, I think my favorite stunt I’ve ever pulled off was blowing up the whole thing and disappearing without a trace. I’m not going to tell you how I got my claws on dynamite, but that whole thing was fucking awesome. In the middle of the night, the whole rock, gone. And after- everyone wanted to know! What happened to The Entity? To its prophet? People were feeling like they missed out, like they wished they could have been there before it all exploded. Maybe it didn’t matter how big the cult was in the first place, but how it will be remembered. You like making history, don’t you, HotGuy?”

“Oh my god.”

“Good story, huh?”

“I just can’t believe that was you. How many costumes do you have? Wasn’t that one like- awfully gorey, right? And you just sat out there covered in- I don’t even want to know.”

Grian preened, incredibly pleased. “It was gross. Cub knows about that one actually, only because I disappeared for like a month. Brought me food when I needed it, though, most of the time I was fine.”

HotGuy sighed, drawing his hands over his face. “Anything else?” He didn’t look particularly like he wanted to know, and Grian’s wings fluttered, deeply content.

“Nothing huge. A long time ago, years actually, I convinced a couple of people they were being haunted by salmon. Pretty funny. I actually brought that back recently, I just tormented this one guy- thought he was cursed by the ocean, it was great. Didn’t make headlines, but sometimes that’s not what matters in life.”

“You are- you’re fucking evil. Recently? When have you even had the time!?”

Grian cackled, trailing off into a snicker, “I make the time. I was also unemployed.”

“Ah. I guess that explains it..” HotGuy sighed, frowning gently, something distinctly distant. Honestly, it didn’t look like he was thinking about Grian at all, which was a little annoying; he’d just confessed to being like five different criminals, if not legal crimes, then surely social ones, and HotGuy didn’t even look like he cared! (And listen, Grian wasn’t some kind of whore for attention, but a little recognition would be nice, yeah? Yeah.) But HotGuy did look back up, some kind of quiet despondency behind those eyes. “And it doesn’t bother you?”

“What? Being a public nuisance? That doesn’t bother me at all.”

“No, your identities I mean. It’s all just.. Grian? Not any more complicated than that?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I feel like I’m lying under every name I take.”

Grian shrugged, “You are, aren’t you? So am I. Elaborate lies, kinda, all under one central person. I like to dress up and play pretend and cause problems, just like basically everyone else in this godforsaken city. We aren’t special.”

But HotGuy didn’t look satisfied, eyebrows knitting impossibly tight, “I don’t have a central person. I’m not anyone.”

“Your civilian identity?”

“He’s not real either.” HotGuy looked at his feet, and Grian didn’t really know what to do with that, nor did he understand.

“Oh. That’s wild.”

HotGuy made a bit of a strangled noise before squeaking out a small “Yeah?” He fiddled with his hands for a moment, pulling at the fabric of his gloves, “I don’t know, I didn’t realize.. How did you do that? Not feel.. lost.”

Grian’s lip curled, the question invoking a similar reaction as when he would open the fridge to the smell of something rotting, “I can not even begin to tell you how unqualified I am to talk to you about anything at all. That’s a problem for you and your therapist, pal.”

HotGuy looked briefly indignant at that, then deflated, a more unhappy look crossing his face. “I don’t have a therapist.”

“What? Why not?” Grian sat up, just about as genuinely surprised as someone could be at a confession like that. A lot of things he learned about HotGuy made very little sense, but that just may have been the biggest surprise yet.

“What kind of question is that?”

“A pretty straightforward one I think. There’s no way you’re not all sorts of fucked up, not with the sort of bodily trauma you’ve been through and the job you’re currently holding. And you’ve got, like, infinite money. And you never shut up. Why not pay someone to listen to you.”

“I am not ‘all sorts of fucked up,’” HotGuy scoffed, “I am fine. And I don’t have infinite money, geez. I don’t need a therapist.”

“You say that like you’ve got something against therapy. So you’re one of those guys. Ick.”

“I’m not- no, I am not ‘ick.’ I think therapy is great! Therapists help lots of people, probably just as many as I do, I’d say. They’re the real heroes, yeah?”

Grian rolled his eyes, throwing his head back in a sarcastically languid movement, “Oh, let me guess. You’re the type of person who encourages people to go and see a therapist, but when the same thing is said to you, you say something like ‘Ah, no, therapy just isn’t for me.’ Am I right? You don’t need to tell me, I know I’m right.”

“You are not- Listen! It’s just something that doesn’t work for me, okay? Nothing about that is appealing to me.”

“Have you ever tried it?”

Hotguy pursed his lips, defiant. “..No.”

Grian had to laugh, his voice losing its edge in favor of something more genuine, “Dude, you’d probably love it. I’m serious. You’d go crazy for therapy. I mean, it’s hard work sometimes, and it can be a little bit trying, but then you start hating yourself a little less, and if you’re not in the mood one week, there’s still a very nice lady across from you who you can just talk to about whatever you want! I can’t watch The Bachelor anymore, it’s bad for me, and also bad for Cub, but my therapy sessions have never been more derailed. Good times. Fun! Sometimes it feels like therapists don’t know a single thing about anything that isn’t, like, mental health- I swear I’ve explained things to her I was convinced were common knowledge like- a lot. It happens a lot.”

“You don’t.. You just talk about whatever you want?”

“Yeah! Honestly, for the first couple weeks, I don’t think I talked about myself more than three or four times and I was going twice a week. It’s not uncommon. If you want, I can give you the name of the clinic I go to. I like the people there.”

“I.. I don’t know. I don’t really have the time, and I can talk to anyone about anything if I wanted to for free. I don’t know. And my issues are like- pretty intertwined with my identities, which I can’t really talk about.”

“Sure you can. It’s all confidential unless you’re hurting yourself or others, basically. Like, legally confidential. You can tell all you want about your different identities and your therapist can’t say a thing. I don’t tell about my alter egos for obvious reasons, but that’s not where my issues stem from anyway. But lately, I have been dipping my toes into talking about the superhero business, mostly because it’s pretty relevant to the things I’ve been feeling lately.”

“You talk about me?” An innocent question, one that Grian couldn’t help but laugh sharply at.

“Uh, yeah. You come up. We got a little off track for a minute there, but that’s kind of why I’m here in the chicken costume. I’m about to knock your socks off in a minute, seriously. Eugh. I don’t even want to say it. Makes me a little sick to my stomach, honestly, but I brought you all the way out here and revealed basically every misdeed I’ve ever committed to you, so. Surely this won’t be as hard..” Grian trailed off for a moment, pursing his lips, “No. This is harder. This is so much harder.”

HotGuy threw him an apprehensive smile, shrugging, “You’re making me nervous, here. I’m not actually wearing any socks, but for the sake of this I’ll pretend.” HotGuy ran a hand through his hair, and Grian couldn’t suppress a small chuckle when tiny amounts of glitter floated down.

“Well, HotGuy, I haven’t been very nice to you.”

HotGuy’s eyes jumped up, his attention sufficiently grabbed. He looked awkward then, the hand returning to his hair. “I.. think I would agree..” He took a quick breath, like he was unsure if that was the right thing to say.

Grian gritted his teeth, then let go, breathing deeply, “I want to change that.”

“Oh!” HotGuy threw his hands up in front of his chest, an unfairly endearing reaction of surprise, his eyes as wide as saucers, “I-I mean- You don’t have to-”

Grian threw his head back in a loud cackle, “Seriously?”

“No! No I didn’t mean that. Sorry- I didn’t know how to react to that. That. This is new for me. Did you stop disliking me? Don’t answer that. I’m confused. I don’t understand. I would like very much if you were nice to me. Well. Nicer. You don’t even have to be nice, but it would be cool if you acted like you hated me a little less.”

Grian waved a hand, silencing the nonsense blabber from a very embarrassed looking HotGuy. “I’ve been treating you unfairly, and it has very little to do with you as a person. You’ll never hear me repeat this, and if you ask anyone I’ll deny it, but I don’t think you’re actually a shitty guy. You’re an alright guy, maybe even less bad than I thought you were before we met properly. Maybe even better than most superheroes, but the bar is low, okay, don’t let that get to your head.” Grian took a breath, and HotGuy just stared, stunned, so when he didn’t say anything, Grian went on.

“Jealousy is a tame word I think. Envy doesn’t feel right either. I was.. deeply, viscerally angry, in all the physically animal ways I can not even begin to describe to you. And that’s not.. gone. It won’t leave, it’s just a part of me and I have to find a way to cope with it that’s not being a massive prick to you and Cub, but mostly you. Because you made a move on him before I even understood what I was feeling, feelings I had never considered before because I had never been afraid of losing him like that. I never had a reason to be so possessive before, because I was the only person.. I don’t know. But I think you understand. I’ve been in love, and didn’t really recognize it because neither of us really had anyone else to love, right?”

HotGuy opened his mouth to speak, but Grian cut him off with a shake of his head, “Don’t. Not yet. I’m not done. Yesterday morning I made this decision, that I was going to take him out and try to win him back, yeah? Delusional things, and I knew just as much, but I couldn’t fight it, I couldn’t let it go, and then yesterday afternoon, it kind of just.. hit me. I don’t want to ‘win him back’ from anyone, or anything like that. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were, selfishly, when we were both lonelier, unhappier people. And then I realized, hey, wait a minute, there’s something I want more than that, more than anything I could ever want for myself. I want Cub to be happy. I want him to step out of his shell, date superheroes, maybe even get his heart broken, as long as he’s living, y’know? And I want to live too, I want to put myself out there and meet people and try things I can’t do when I’m at home. Things I couldn’t do before, when it was just me and Cub, kind of miserable and kind of lonely, just stagnating, y’know?”

“You’re saying a lot of words, Grian, and I’m not understanding most of them.”

Grian chuckled into his hand, then sighed, the smile fading, “Cub didn’t want me to tell you this, but I think it’s important that you know, for transparency’s sake. I love him. And he loves me too, yes, like that. And I told him because I couldn’t keep it a secret, because I just couldn’t handle it anymore, and not because I was trying to force my way between you two, and I want you to believe me, so I’ve been honest, I’ve told you everything, all my secrets, all my crimes. I had no idea how he felt, and I don’t think he knew very much either. We’re so close, you have to understand. It was hard to even see it, not before everything was thrown into question, and suddenly things are changing and you’re feeling and you don’t even know what’s going on. But I think I know what would happen, HotGuy, if we acted on those feelings. If we let everything go back to normal, except maybe with a few more stolen kisses, and really, I mean it when I say a few, we are not the most physically inclined people; more lazy than anything.”

Grian stopped himself, realizing HotGuy was looking a bit pale. “Maybe I should cut to the chase. We talked it over for a long time and we both agree we don’t want things to be the way they were before. We don’t want to stagnate and rot away, to have each other, but nothing else, y’know? And I’m afraid of change. I’m afraid of you. But I want to let you in. And he wants you too.”

“Like- Like a polycule?”

“I- No! No-” Grian had to laugh, too startled to do much else, “I guess I could have worded that a little better. No, I mean you and Cub. I think you and Cub should have the chance to love each other, if you still want that.”

“I’m poly, Grian.”

“Goodness- Scar, please, not necessary,” Grian covered his face, struggling to contain his laughter, mostly bubbling up from nerves now, which unfortunately, was painfully obvious, “You don’t love me, and I mean it when I say I don’t want to get in the way. I want you to have this. I want Cub to have this.”

“I could love you. I think I could.”

Grian stared, possibly gaping, though he had no idea. He might have been flustered if his brain hadn’t factory reset itself right then and there. At some point he remembered to breathe, and had to take a couple of moments to do that in silence.

When there was sufficient air in his lungs, he looked up. “But you don’t. And I don’t love you either. And that’s okay, Scar. That’s okay.” Grian felt his voice buckle, the first and last warning he was going to cry, and damn it he didn’t want to, he really hadn’t wanted to cry, but he hadn’t been prepared for this, he was not prepared to be forgiven like it was effortless, to be told he could be loved.

“Grian I- fuck it-” To Grian’s great alarm, HotGuy began to fiddle with his mask, a motion Grian recognized from HotGuy’s first meeting with Cub.

“Whoa! No, no! Don’t- Don’t do anything you’re going to regret, please!” Grian hopped off the car, waving his arms, but HotGuy didn’t listen, breaths coming harshly from his nose. Grian couldn’t stop him before the mask was off, though, even with his face fully bared, Grian didn’t see anything that particularly shocked him. He still didn’t recognize HotGuy from anyone he’d seen on the street, which made perfect sense. Civilian HotGuy probably blended right in. Though a few things stood out, like his eyes, the same striking green as his brother’s, and a few scars that were obscured by the mask, though, that was no surprise. But HotGuy seemed distressed at Grian’s non-reaction, looking near panic as he jumped back.

“Do you- makeup wipes, do you have makeup wipes?”

His panic was infectious, Grian fumbling over his words, “Not on me, I don’t just carry them around.”

“I don’t either!” HotGuy hissed before making a decisive noise, rubbing at his face with his gloved hands instead. “Whatever.”

“HotGuy- Scar, please, you don’t have to do this-” Grian wanted to pull HotGuy’s hands away, but at the same time, couldn’t bring himself to touch the other, “This feels bad, Scar.” But HotGuy didn’t stop, fingers raking over the places where he had covered up scars. And other spots too, where he seemed to have meticulously sculpted lines across his face that just weren’t real- Grian had never noticed, it was so well done.

“I don’t want this anymore! I don’t want to be a secret! I want to be like you, I want you to know me!” But still, Grian was too distressed with this display to properly look at him, which only seemed to upset HotGuy further, growing more and more hysterical, “Grian!”

“I don’t know what you want, HotGuy!”

“Grian, please!” And that was different. Distinctly, world-rockingly different, that was not HotGuy’s voice. That was not HotGuy.

Grian was pretty sure he yelled, soft and then loudly, very loudly, a violent crescendo as he backpedaled anywhere away, away, get away, at all costs get away from the man using Micah’s voice, from Micah in HotGuy’s uniform, frantic and frightened, but above all else, deeply, deeply relieved.

Tripping on flapping wings, it took a second for Grian to be airborne, screaming his distress all the way into the sky, movements uneven and exhausting, but panic did little else but put him in the clouds, flying anywhere as long as it was away.

Poultry Man was a chicken, afterall.

by the way, if you are one of the people reading only this specific story (as indicated by the 3/3) and are interested to know more or what happens next, there is more, and there will be more after this, and you can find all of it on ao3 here

#hermitcraft #hermitcraft fic #hermitfic #grian #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #cubfan #cubfan135 #scarian #cubscar #cubscarian #convexian #hotguy #cuteguy #poultryman #poultry man #hermitshipping

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bunnimatsu · 10 months

Note

The Matsu brothers with a thicc mildly chubby S/O

thanks for the ask anon! as a mildly chubby, ‘thicc’ person myself, this was very nice to do

tag(s): mild nsfw, matsus bein pervy virgins, slight yandere tendencies on choro’s and ichi’s part, chubby!s/o (obviously)

to be fair (and as to not repeat myself), ALL of them would fucking love your chub. even more so, they would love you regardless of what you even look like. buuuuttt, if we’re getting into specifics, let’s see how they would ‘react’..

osomatsu

i think osomatsu would be the one who would prefer having a thicc n chubby s/o more, i just think that’s something he would like in a man/woman, especially your thighs, oh my god those fucking thighs. he could lay on those things all damn day if you let him/if he could. sometimes he likes to pinch your tummy or legs, not to make fun of you but, because 1. he can and 2. because he fucking adores you so much that he HAS to have a hand on you at ALL times. i think his favorite outfit of yours will always be the ones where you decide to wear thigh highs and those cute clothes that involve skirts or shorts. speaking of shorts, fucking man LOVES your ass. the plushiness of your booty and your thighs make this man absolutely feral and oh my god are those literal hearts in his eyes..? how..? you know what, you weren’t gonna question it..

karamatsu

i strongly believe kara doesn’t care what his partner looks like, like at all. if you’re skinny, you’re skinny. if you’re chubby, you’re chubby. looks really don’t matter at all to kara! i mean as long as you’re nice to him he’ll be all over you and smother you with his affections. he’s also the type of person to have his hand on you at all times but it’s more on your waist or the small of your back. i think the only time he’ll acknowledge your body is when you’re dressing up and you’re like “how does this look?” and he’s all like “aaahhh!~ you look as beautiful as ever!~” or somethin cheesy like that, you know how karamatsu is!

choromatsu

(im gonna be self indulgent a little but i think its lowkey canon)

so you know how in the show, choromatsu seems to like the ‘cutesy’ and maybe the traditional japanese girls (you know the ones), yeah, i honestly 100% believe that he’s putting up a front because 1. his brothers and 2. to hide and swallow the fact that he’s into partners like me and you. now, that’s not to say he’s embarrassed to admit it or he would be ashamed to be around you, its more so on the fact that he’s afraid that he won’t be able to control himself around you because of how absolutely gorgeous you are to him. when he first met you, he immediately thought you were so fucking beautiful, you were perfection at its finest, but since its his life and how shitty it is, he thought you were gonna reject him and then maybe spit on him, be upset at him, the usual when he got close to girls. but… you were so nice. you welcomed his virgin ass into your life and you were so….you were so…PERFECT! he was ECSTATIC when you accepted his confession and ever since then, he’s worshiped the ground you walked on and he just can’t get enough of you. your squishy cheeks, your tummy, your legs (oh god your LEGS), your chest, everything.

he also kept you a secret for so long because he didn’t want the world to see his perfect little gem and he didn’t think the world deserved to see your beauty. he likes to keep you to himself and that’s that.

ichimatsu

ichimatsu is another one that doesn’t really give a fuck how you look, i think as long as you accept him and his cats, he’s good. and also as long as you can handle him, he’s good. simultaneously, i think he also worships the ground you walk on and would be so afraid to lose control of himself when it comes to you. i think his favorite things about you are your love handles and the pouch of fat on the side of your boobs when you wear sports bras and tank tops (you know what im talking about baby). his inner demons are always fighting for THEIR LIFE when you wear certain clothes that outline every curve of your body, they’re always clawing at him and telling him to just grab you and keep you to himself, but he holds back. but once you tell him to go all out on you, be prepared [name]

jyushimatsu

biggest hype man fr. he’d be all over you, i mean its jyushimatsu, he’s such a good person. the only thing that’s a ‘downside’, is that he’s horny easily but you know what, you love that too about him. i think he’s the kind of person that squishes your every body part because you’re just so fucking cute to him that he NEEDS to squish you constantly. another one who needs to have his hands on you at all times

todomatsu

cmon, you wanna look me in the eye and tell me he ISN’T gonna fucking drool over pictures of you every chance he gets?

that boy may seem like he wouldn't but totty doesn't fucking care who you are or what you look like. as long as he knows you're there for love and him, he's fine.

todomatsu would adore putting you in cute outfits. he may not have the best fashion taste, but he knows what'll outline your every curve and that boy will soak it up like a sponge.

don't even get him started on your legs and thighs.

and belly.

because FUCK [name]....what are you doing to me...

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and that's thaaaattt! i kinda got through my inbox, thank you to everyone who were patient with me.

love,

jarvis <3

#osomatsu san #mr osomatsu x reader #osomatsu san imagine #osomatsusan #osomatsu san smut #osomatsu san x reader #osomatsu #karamatsu #choromatsu #ichimatsu #jyushimatsu #todomatsu #jarvis.fics

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fun-k-board · 1 year

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If you could, Lackadaisy headcanons for a teen reader who wants to be part of the Lackadaisy Speakeasy. Maybe the reader likes the thrill

Pronouns used : None, no gendered terms.

Note(s) : When you say teen, I'm assuming young teen since 16-17 is not too far from Freckle and Ivy's age. Characterisation may not be accurate and criticism on how I portray them is very much appreciated.

Roark 'Rocky' Rickaby

Likes your spirit! Jokingly calls you the better cousin he never had which earns an eye roll from Freckle. I don't imagine you get out on missions much + it probably took ages to get in because you're fairly young, but when you do, it's chaos. If you get along with Rocky and even encourage his habits, then either the missions will fail or succeed but with broken limbs, at least three blown up buildings and a lot awkward explaining.

If you're not confident enough to say no and on the opposite spectrum, are sometimes the voice of reason, he calls you a mini Freckle and teases you about it constantly. I imagine he'd sort of becomes an elder brother figure regardless of what kind of a person you are, begging for Mitzi to let you stay even if you mess up often. You accept him for who he is, you're his friend, he wants you to still like him and he sees himself in you.

Rocky also gives you some sneaky sips of alcohol they get, hey, it isn't anything too much, and he compares it to church giving out wine which makes Freckle tremble in fear as his mother senses she needs to throw someone out a window. Besides, he worked hard to get it! Even if he was the one to screw the run around up, it's sharing and caring, friendship is very important.

Mitzi May

Has apprehensions about letting you join, it'd take convincing and by then she probably doesn't want to bring you on too many dangerous missions. Given how she is around Rocky, I don't think she'd be uncaring if you're similar to him. High spirits and an urge to please her, similar to the man in question, to her, you're a kid. She has trouble telling you no in a way that isn't tip toeing around the subject.

Even if you can also be useful and your begging is temptation straight from the snake, Mitzi will always tell others you're a kid and treat you like one, no matter if it's important or not in that situation. She feels horrible that you may not make it to the next day, but they're understaffed and need to get business up and running, Mitzi comes to think of you like her own after a while. Although, she wishes you weren't so eager to put your life on the life.

Ivy Pepper

I imagine she also loves your spirit, finds you adorable and will have the urge to become your friend, asking Mitzi to let you join and vouching for you. Ivy is also the only one to treat you on equal ground, even Rocky will just view you as a child in the end, but she tries viewing you as a friend first. This can he bad or good depending, but she doesn't want to pretend you're frail, this doesn't mean she won't crack down on you and be strict like an older sister.

Doesn't matter if you have two left feet and stumble, she will teach you to dance, you won't get out of it, and trust me when I tell you she's determined. The lessons consist of you stepping on her toes and laughing so hard you just fall on the ground.

Since she's fairly new to doing heavy jobs as well, only joining in as they are understaffed, she understands if you mess up sometimes and don't fully get what to do. Ivy was born into this life and teaches you the ropes that you wouldn't understand.

Calvin 'Freckle' McMurray

Uncomfortable to the max, he genuinely can't even look you in the eye for the longest time. He already had worries in joining himself, Ivy has been working in Lackadaisy for a long time, Rocky is... Uh, Rocky. But you? You're a literal teen who just likes the thrill of it, Freckle tries to be a good influence on your life and tells you not to join. Which he understands is incredibly hypocritical, but at the same time, he can't find it in himself to care about his hypocrisy too much.

Hopes to convince Mitzi to not put too much pressure on you, he is very attentive and any limp or struggle is met with a lecture that makes Rocky get flashbacks to Freckle's mother. Gets incredibly apologetic if you see him with guns and how insane he can be, regardless on how you feel, he's guilty that he may be influencing you badly.

Viktor Vasko

At first you thought he wanted you to die, an intense stare placed on you at all times with a smashed glass from his seemingly violent thoughts. But all he sees is a dumb kid, someone who needs to get out before this business kills you. He won't exactly be caring about it either, simply telling you that if you continue being reckless with your life, you will die. If you aren't careful? Maybe others you love.

It's worse if you end up bonding with him, even a little, he gets even angrier with those around you. He will not let you out of his sight if he can help it. Essentially? He's a very tough love guy, Viktor comes off as though he doesn't like you, which may be true on the surface, but deeeeeeeeep deeeeeeeeep down, he likes you a little. Maybe. Sometimes. Not often.

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yandere-kokeshi · 1 year

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Hey! Love your works! 🙇‍♀️

I was hoping to request a mha where darling is somehow able to start an escape. But once she's on the edge of being able to get to the outside world she panics and runs back to their yandere very upset.

Hope that makes sense 😅 and no pressure if this one doesn't interest you. Much love and hope you are doing well 🖤

— Wanna be a brat? I'll treat you like one

Warnings: yandere behavior, slight violence, reader being bratty, drugging (reader drugs Aizawa), and yelling.

Oh boy!! Please excuse me if this is to cliche! I was watching The Invisible Man while writing this; so I may have gotten ideas from it. Hope you enjoy regardless!

(P.S, sorry it took so long for me to answer this. I'm so sorry :((!!)

Everything wasn’t enough.

When you ran to the door, it was double locked. Too many bolts to recognize, so many codes and digits that made your brain swirl in circles.

Trying to pry a window open resulting in you hurting yourself — as well as getting your favorite things taken away as ‘punishments’.

Really, it was fucking hell.

That door slightly cracked open? You took your chance to run, scramble against the floor as you heard him yell your name, suddenly being pulled back by thick rope, right back into the arms of your captor.

The same glare, scowl, and tightening hold on you always irritated you — “Why run? I have everything for you, what more do you want?”

You wanted to go home! Not stay here by force, and end up as a good ol’ housewife that you may or may not shape into a sweet doll. It was humiliating to sit there and watch you leave.

Whenever you acted out, he always shook it off as fear and anger; “I understand your upset.”

HA! Yeah, right. You took me by force, dickhead. You have no idea what it’s like.

But, when you had those bad ‘tantrums’ — where you screamed, sobbed and begged to go home. Where your throat dried up and stung, your body shook so bad you couldn’t stand or you were so tired you refused to eat?

He would just push you into a small, yet cold room. Making sure you cooled off, coming back a few minutes later, looking at you with that damn eyebrow raised: “You done? Cause I am.”

You weren’t sure why he always allowed you to express your anger — even though he left the room the minute you started screaming at him.

You told yourself, maybe it was his guilt. Or possibly him losing his patience.

You weren’t sure. But you wanted to leave.

Though, one night, when the two of you were asleep, or at least he was. You were lying there, staring at the darkened ceiling, admiring and fantasizing what it would be like to stare at the moon again. Feel the grass grazed against your back, cold wind blowing all over you.

You couldn’t sleep but that was common. I mean, how could you sleep laying next to the same captor who took you? Nobody would.

Then a thought came. Why not drug him? I mean, since you always threw ‘tantrums’, you always had benadryl on hand due to the insane headaches you whined about; plus, you would just scream at him more till you were knocked out.

“Why can’t I just take care of you?” Shota asked, giving you the glass of water with two medicines that were deemed to work. You rolled your eyes, throwing down the medicine before doing the same with the water.

You heard him sigh, like always at your attitude. You turned your back, feeling him shift his weight beside you before pulling up his phone — the ‘ding!’ coming on and off while you heard him write some type of email.

And… just like that. You made a decision. Right there and then.

“A drink?” You watched him raise an eyebrow at the coffee, a random act of kindness coming from you was rare. You nodded, acting all innocently. “Yeah, jus’ decided to share it with you cause I made some.” You mumbled off, although you saw him smile in the corner of your eye.

Bingo. You watched him take a sip — hum at the taste before going back to grading papers. Taking more sips before watching the entire cup be empty. It made you laugh.

Of course, you had to make sure he wasn’t suspicious of you. You drank your entire cup, possibly got another one before starting yet another scene; yelling at him, watching him sigh before slumping off into the bedroom next door.

Then you know it, he comes in a bit early — “Time to go to bed.”

You looked at the clock, it was only 7:37 am. You faked a groan, before trotting behind him, crawling into bed and watched him sleep away with drool drizzling down his stubbled chin.

Which is where you are now. Cuddled right by his side, watching him snooze away — too hard per say.

You wanna feel bad, yet you never will. Never for this monster — fuck no.

Giving Aizawa one last glance, you slowly but steadily go out of the bed, carefully replacing his tighter hold onto a thick pillow.

Taking small, light steps towards the main room, you tried your best to not step on certain squeaky planks, making sure to keep quiet.

Getting in front of the front door, you crouched and pulled out a bobby pin; sliding it into the lock before turning and twisting it.

Your blood was pumping — hair on your body stood as your thoughts sprawled all over.

Suddenly, you heard a meow behind you; a loud one that made your heart drop.

Turning around, you saw Mickey, a black cat with different colored eyes blinking at you, yawning at such a late time. Aizawa had gotten it for you to keep company, but you thought it was the damned evil.

Somehow, the cat always knew when you were in trouble. Trotting to Aizawa, almost communicating with him and blowing your cover when you were up to no good.

Not now… you thought.

Mickie had stood there, blinking before moving towards you, rolling and pouring loud as a train.

You continued trying to pry the lock, but to no avail. Nothing worked. It was useless.

Finally, going at it while pushing Mickie away. You heard the third lock unlock.

Hope. It gave you hope. You could finally leave

You looked around, completely aware that any moment given, you could be found. But you kept trying, so hard.

Suddenly, Mickie screamed at you; her voice howled throughout the entire, quiet room.

You put your finger on your mouth, wanting her to shoosh.

Meow!

‘Shush!’ You whispered quietly. Grabbing her before petting her, pushing her off to the side.

Meow!!

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A booming voice came from behind you.

You froze, staying where you were as you slightly trembled, thinking what to do next. Before you could manage to do anything, his hand appeared on your shoulder, forcing you up and facing him.

Locking eyes with dark gray ones, you felt your entire body shake — watching his eyebrows narrowing, jawline sharp and strained while his eyes spoke for itself.

You’re in big trouble, missy.

“I asked you a question.” His sultry voice came out, waiting for an answer.

“Get off me,” you sneered, trying to act tough.

Hearing Aizawa scoff, he yanked your arm and dragged you back into the bedroom. Practically throwing you into the maddress stomach first before hearing metal clanking.

Cold — something bare and heavy attached itself towards your ankles.

“These are only temporary,” Aizawa stated. “Until you can behave correctly, these stay on.” He added, before standing up again, his knees popping.

You looked down, seeing chains connected to your feet; they were heavy, an ugly cold that drugged you of shivers into your core.

He looked down at you, anger rising in his face before he demanded a statement from you.

“Say your sorry — and I might reconsider easing the punishments.” He said, while crossing his arms against his chest. His disappointed posture was deafening through your thoughts.

You stared hard at him, teeth clenching in fear and anger, “Fuck you.”

You saw that those words struck a chord in him. Saw his eye twitch in annoyance. Finally, what felt like an eternity he spoke back up.

“It’s my fault for trusting you too much.” He stated, “Drinking that — stupid fucking coffee.”

Did he know?

He looked at you, directly staring into your soul. Almost waiting for you to answer his question.

“I hate you,” You whispered.

Aizawa nodded frustratingly.

“Fine. Wanna act like a brat? I’ll treat you like one.”

He grumbled, reaching over and grabbed your legs, pulling the chain to connect to the bedpost. Before grabbing a coat from the hanger by his bedside.

He stomped away and slammed the door shut. You heard his footsteps leave the apartment, slamming the front door.

A lump forms in your throat.

Something — something was gonna happen and it was not gonna be nice.

Too deep into your thoughts, you failed to notice Mickey climbing onto the bed. You flinched at the sudden loud meow coming from beside you.

Turning to your left, you saw Mickie laying down, purring beside you as she continued grooming herself.

Now… you’re only left with your thoughts. An occasional meow from the damn cat.

What did you get yourself into?

—

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