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miss-multi45 · 3 months

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Heyheyehey

I love your writing so much, honestly you're the bestttt

I was wondering if you could do headcannons on how the ghouls/ghoulettes react to plus size reader, if you've already done this would you do headcanons on how they'd react to plus size reader feeling insecure and starving herself? (Totally not projecting myself onto this lolz)

Anyway thank you so much, please remeber to stay hydrated and eat something

(I was also wondering if I could be known as 🐝 anon)

of course you can, 🐝 anon! ♡♡ i love the plus size girlies!

GHOULS WITH A PLUS SIZE FEM!READER!

Swiss

this man LOVES plus size girls

so much to love, so much to mark, so much to scent

but when he finds out you're starving yourself?

he started to panic about losing you, losing you to insecurities

next time he saw you, he lifted you up without any trouble (ghouls and ghoulettes are strong as fuck) and carried you to his room

he left his room, and came back with a [favourite sandwich] sandwich and a packet of crisps [i'm british, chips for americans]

he held you in his arms and made sure you ate

while you're eating, he's tracing the stretch marks all over you

"my little tigress, gorgeous girl.." he purrs into your thighs

satan, this man adores plus size people

Sodo

simp for plus size people

when he first saw you, he walked into a wall by accident because of how captivating you are

he did eventually find out about your insecurities and how you were starving yourself through the ghoulettes

he trudged to your room, swung the door open with a bowl of strawberry ice cream in one hand, and a massive poofy, fluffy blanket with skull designs on it in the other

he will put something on for you two to watch and drape the blanket over both of you, and he will make sure you eat

it's completely ok if you don't eat all of it, if you eat a big enough portion that's amazing, but if you don't eat any?

he won't force feed you or spoon feed you, he will put some ice cream in his mouth, then transfer it to your mouth by kissing you

"pretty baby, please eat. you're fucking delicious, i love you and your body."

he massages any places you're massively insecure about

Rain

just like sodo, he saw that you had that bit of chub at the bottom of your torso like every woman has, and he spilled his drink because of how distracted he was

he likes kissing that part of you. like a lot

nobody needed to tell him you were starving yourself, he knew

he could smell it, and he saw the way you left the room when food came in

he was heartbroken you didn’t like your body, he thought you were trying to kill yourself

he came into your room one rainy, foggy night and immediately burst into tears

"my love, my sweet darling, baby shark, please eat something. i don't want to see you starve yourself, you're too precious. i don't care what you look like, i'm in love with you, (y/n)."

i'm making myself blush holy shit-

he gave you a packet of lady fingers and made sure you ate it

Phantom

infatuated with all of you

likes to leave hickeys along your thighs and hips

love handles. are. his. favorite. thing

he caught wind of you not eating, he was enraged that your insecurities went *that* far

as soon as he confirmed it, he bolted to your room and slammed the door behind him

*aggressive panting* *holds up a selection of chocolate bars* "babygirl, either you eat one of these, or i will devour your pussy until you learn to love your delicate and magical body."

you did the first one, he did the second one

he's a switch, in my eyes

Mountain

out of all of the ghouls, he's by far the one who obsesses over plus size women

he just adores everything about them, their thighs, their hips, their love handles, their stretch marks, their breasts

when he started dating you? he left so many marks on you, he scented you to make sure no other ghouls laid a single atom on you

he felt kinda guilty when he found out about you starving yourself because of insecurities

was he obsessing over you too much? did he make you feel uncomfortable? was it his fault?

you had to reassure him it wasn't his fault at all

he dropped to his knees when you told him, wrapping his arms around your waist and looking up at you

"flower, my rose, my gorgeous blooming dandelion, look at you. you're absolutely stunning, every single part of you was blessed by Aphrodite."

genuinely, you are a goddess in his eyes

my eyes too

Aether

he's a thicc boi, he loves any and every female body type that exists

he couldn't handle making eye contact with a woman as beautiful as you

when you asked him if he wanted you be your boyfriend, he got a boner

he hid it well though, you had no clue he was hard

after a while of noticing you behaving oddly, he found out through the ghoulettes

his heart dropped back to the pits where he came from, and his eyes grew cloudy

he rushed to you with a bowl of fucking spaghetti and apple juice (i love apple juice, and you should too) and purred into your back while you ate it

he drank half of the apple juice

"my star, my queen, i love your body. i love you, i want to marry you."

he helped you every step of the way to love your body

Omega

another thicc boy, who love thicc women

you were the first plus size woman he'd seen in ages, literally

fell head over heels for you and 0.004 milliseconds after seeing you, he wanted you, he wanted you to belong to him

when you started dating, he got you a lot of lace underwear

he likes the way it hugs your jaw-dropping body

he dug up the truth himself, his deity of a girlfriend is starving herself? he will drown whoever made you feel like that

you had to tell him it was your insecurities, and he picked you up by your thighs (strong man) and gazed into your eyes

"bunny..what? you're insecurities are making you hate your body it's going into forced starvation? oh bunny, you're perfect. jaw-droppingly beautiful. i wish you could see yourself the way i see you."

he helps you love your body, just like aether

Alpha

buddy already knew the second he saw you, he also fell in love with you the second he saw you

"she's so fucking hot..i know she's insecure. satan, she's too gorgeous for this world.."

you were on his mind 24/7 365/366

he made the first move, he has godlike confidence in himself

"hello, (y/n). would you like to be my mate, pretty girl?"

you said yes, because of the massive crush you had on him

he didn't know you were starving yourself, however

when he did know, he was with you at all times, making sure you ate enough to satiate your body's needs

he made sure to never let you skip a meal ever again

Ifrit

he likes all women, especially thicker, plus size women

likes lifting you up by your thighs just to stare at you

and show off his strength

he could smell you were starving yourself, and he didn't like it

he also knew exactly why you were doing it

"puppy, why do you want to be skinnier? you don't need to change the way you look. insecurities are just bullies that live in your head, you can get rid of bullies, puppy. i will help you."

he wraps his tail around your thighs, "you see this? this is good, it's delicious, it's sexy, good to hold onto and mark and squeeze when i fuck you."

does that with every part of your body you're insecure about

GHOULETTES WITH A PLUS SIZE FEM!READER

Aurora

holy shit, you're stunning

no seriously, she is flabbergasted when she sees you for the first time

"woah..swiss look at her.." "hot." "shut up, she's mine." "..but you told me to look at her-" "to see what you will never have, that girl is mine."

when you officially start dating, she's over the moon

shows you off, like 'my babygirl. my wife. my mate.'

cried when she found out that you stopped eating

did a girls night in and did your nails to make you feel better

strawberry, raspberry, banana, blueberry flavor snacks

not to make you lose or gain weight, she just really likes fruit flavor things

also, aurora is a pro at doing nails. she can do nail art, all that shit

Cirrus

choked on her food when you walked past

"oh my satan..that woman is a goddess..i need her.."

you're her queen

she's your queen

she joins aurora's girls night in and all of the ghoulettes help you to feel empowered by your body

"aurora, i have a special girl here who isn't feeling particularly proud of how delicious her jaw-dropping body is." "WHAT. BRING HER IN THIS INSTANT."

cirrus bought you and her matching sets of lingerie

dark green for her, lilac for you

she is so proud of how far you've come, she will never leave your side

Cumulus

bbg used to be insecure about her body too

learned to love it with the help of cirrus and aurora

she can tell you don't like your body, she can tell you starve yourself

she will do everything in her power to let you love yourself

lets you lay your head on her thighs and plays with your hair as you sleep and you wake up with hickeys and bites all over you

how mysterious

Mist

oh my god you don't understand how much she wants you to sit on her lap

kiss her until your lipstick is her new skin colour

stares at you like 😱 when she finds out you don't eat as much as you need to

"you're insecure? beautiful, that's ok. just don't starve yourself to feel like you're 'perfect', you're already perfect."

gets distracted by your stretch marks and doesn't pay attention to anything she's meant to be hearing

she loves everything about you, and you being plus size makes her horrifically down bad for you

please make sure to eat, drink and sleep, 🐝 anon! I love you ♡♡

#my writing #ghost band x reader #nameless ghouls x reader #nameless ghoulettes x reader

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noodlenoodlenoodlenoodle · 9 months

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Can you stay?

Scout's breath rattled in his chest, body wet with blood and rain. He hadn't even heard Spy coming in the downpour, hadn't even had the chance to react before the knife had been driven in his back and yanked out again. His heartbeat pounded in his ears like a drum, counting down the seconds until he finally died and was sent back to respawn.

Time seemed to slow down as Scout stared up at the cloudy sky, angry clouds overhead pouring down like his mother's tears. His clothes were soaked and cold, sticking uncomfortably to his skin, but he was too light-headed to do anything about it. His senses felt muffled, as if being sent in through a weak radio signal.

Scout wondered if the gunfire and shouts had ceased or if the rain was just too loud to hear anything over. Maybe he was just dying. Maybe it was over.

"Oh god." Engineer's voice carried to Scout's ears, barely audible over the sound of rain pelting against tin. Engineer's boots squelched in the mud as he ran to Scout's side, his face set into a grimace as he kneeled beside his fallen comrade. "What in the sam hell happened?"

It took everything Scout had to turn his head, his vision blurred by blood loss and the rain around them. Everything was starting to get blurry, like he was looking at the world through a warped camera lens.

"Where's Medic?" Scout's voice came out as a painful croak, sending a wave of pain through him, like liquid metal being poured into his jaws.

"Medic's at respawn," Engineer said slowly, his mouth set into a thin line. His hands hovered above Scout's mud-covered bloody body, unsure of what he should even do. Scout wouldn't make it back to respawn in time for Medic to use the medi-gun on him, and there weren't any health packs nearby to use. With all of Engie's 11 PHDs, he wasn't a doctor, and he sure as hell didn't know how to keep Scout stable long enough for Medic to come out all this way—if the doctor even would.

"Am I gonna die?"

The question slices through the air like a knife, Engineer's mouth pulling into a frown at the thought. He wasn't all too fond of Scout, finding him an annoyance at the best of times, but that didn't mean he wanted to watch him die. But... what other options were there? "'fraid so, son."

It wasn't ever easy having to watch a teammate die, even with the knowledge that they'd be back and at full health. The death rattle, the wails of pain, the sight of a teammate gored and bleeding on the ground... it stuck, like a broken CD looping a specific section of a song.

"Can you stay?" Scout swallowed, his mouth tasting of copper and dirt. He knew this moment of vulnerability would come back to haunt him sooner than later. It might be a snide comment or a jab at his weakness as soon as word got out, but in the end, the team would etch Scout into stone as a sniveling coward.

But death was scary, as much as he hated to admit it, and he didn't want to have to go through it by himself. He could let himself be weak, just this once. "Just for a little while? It... would help."

"'course, Scout." Engineer placed his hand over Scout's, his heart aching as their fingers intertwined. The clouds overhead thinned, the downpour becoming a drizzle as a warm sunbeam fell upon the two. "It ain't no good goin' through it alone."

#atticus speaks #tf2 #team fortress 2 #scout #scout tf2 #engineer #engineer tf2 #a little scout x engineer if you squint maybe

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clover1412 · 2 months

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Closer

got to be the most romantic thing i've written so far

~ ♡ ~

It hadn't been long since he last saw Isuka; it was just last week they had fought at a summer island, the heat deadly in more than one way. This time they had stopped at what was supposed to be a rainy island, but there had only been clear skies and a cool breeze so far. Which was good because something told him he was going to be running a lot and very soon.

'Fire fist!'

'Oh Isuka,' he waved in her direction, 'fancy seeing you here,' the comment earned him glares from some of his crew; Isuka wasn't there for pleasantries, which was obvious by the fact she was sprinting towards Ace.

'We'll meet you back here Cap!' Skull shouted after him as he began to run away from her. Ace simply nodded before focusing on trying to get away from the very hotheaded marine currently chasing him.

He managed to run past the small village he had seen before they encountered Isuka and into the surrounding forest. He reached a small clearing before stopping and turning around to face her. Here they could fight with no distractions, no obstacles, just the two of them.

'Fire Fist!' as he'd predicted, she was still right behind him. Her stamina was no joke; by now, Deuce would have collapsed. She was breathing hard, and his eyes dropped to her legs; those shorts were made to kill him.

'Hey, let's get this over with, no hard feelings,' he grinned at her annoyance, 'right?'

'Sure, the faster this is over the faster I can get you in handcuffs,' she drew her rapier, ready to attack.

Ace stepped back into a defensive stance, 'ooh, slow down there, Ensign; I didn't figure you were such a freak.'

The annoyed look on her face briefly turned into a flustered one before she quickly masked it by lunging forward to attack him, 'you will regret that Fire Fist!'

And so their usual tango began, Isuka pressing forward with her attacks and Ace dodging and countering with one of his own. They were unusually matched, Isuka's attacks would be deadly to someone without Logia powers, and no average person would be able to dodge Ace's attacks so easily. So all their fights ended the same way, with Ace managing to get away. Isuka knew she was strong, she wouldn't Ensign otherwise, but it was infuriating that she wasn't strong enough to be a proper opponent for Ace; he seemed to fight her for the sake of it. Even if his flirty comments always said otherwise.

~ ♡ ~

She had no idea how long it had been since they'd begun fighting, her arms were burning from attacking, and she could've sworn she felt rain at some point. They had moved from where they started the fight, leaving evidence of their encounter on the surrounding trees. She said a small apology in her head for all the burn marks and slashes; the trees did not deserve that.

Over the time she'd spent fighting Ace, she'd slowly begun paying less attention to her surroundings when she was with him; he kept the fight between them and only them. Which was probably why neither of them realised they were heading for a cliff. Isuka had taken a step back to avoid one of Ace's attacks when the ground below her gave out. Usually, she could've easily avoided this, but a combination of fatigue and a very slippery floor meant she was going to fall.

But before she could react or even shout, Ace grabbed her hand, yanking her towards him. They fell back together on sturdier ground. Ace had reacted fast, way faster than she could've, and a small part of her wondered why he bothered saving her, but that didn't matter right now. She took a deep breath in; she could've died; she could've fallen and died a painful death. She scrunched his shirt in her hands, trying to calm herself down, and he let her, quietly stroking her back as she tried not to cry. They stayed like that for a while before Ace spoke up.

'Hey, you good?' Isuka looked up at him. He had propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her with concern. She sat up in his lap, glancing away, head in her hands, suddenly aware of the position they'd ended up in. He began to sit up, 'hey? You sure you're okay?'

'I'm perfectly fine, Fire Fist,' she mumbled from behind her hands, attempting to wiggle away from him, but an arm kept her pressed against him. She knew his body was toned, but she really did not need to be up against it or have an arm gripping her waist.

'No, let me see you first. You could've gotten hurt,' she shook her head. If her face were as red as it felt hot, it would be plain embarrassing, and she wasn't in the mood for his teasing. The blush wasn't going to be disappearing anytime soon, not with the way she could feel his muscles shift when he moved.

'Fire Fist, I am perfectly fine,' she repeated, determined not to let him see her face, 'I would appreciate it if you let me go.'

'Hey, come on,' he was struggling to grab her arms and keep her close, 'if I let you go, you're just going to run away. Do you even know where we are?'

'Huh?' the question confused her enough to lower her hands, 'I'm not directionally challenged Fire Fist.'

'Finally,' he grabbed her hands with one of his, pulling them away from her face, 'see, it wasn't that hard.' He scrutinised her face, there were a few scratches, as usual, but nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.

'See, I'm perfectly fine,' finally satisfied with what he'd seen, he loosened his grip on her waist to allow her to climb off him.

'You're really red though, you sure you aren't sick?'

If it was possible, her cheeks burnt a bit brighter or at least that is what it felt like, 'no, perfectly fine.'

'You've been saying that a lot,' he chuckled, dusting himself off as he got up. 'Let's call it a draw, I don't feel like fighting anymore,' he looked over at Isuka, who simply nodded in return.

She was relieved; her heart rate hadn't gone back to normal just yet after that near-death experience or the very sudden exposure to his body, 'yeah, we should head back.'

'Well, miss not-directionally-challenged, where are we headed?' He smirked at her, ''cause I sure as hell don't know.'

'Well, if I remember correctly, the woods are to the north of the village I was planning on staying in tonight with the rest of my crew,' she pulled out a necklace with a small compass as a pendant. 'So, I'm heading this way. Are you joining me Fire Fist? Do you even know where the rest of your crew are?'

'Not exactly, they're probably where I left them, but I'll stick with you for now,' he threw an arm around her, earning a small squeak of annoyance, 'wouldn't want to get hopelessly lost now, would I?'

She shook off his arm before bending to pick up her rapier, 'suit yourself.'

~ ♡ ~

They spent some time walking in silence. Usually, Ace would've tried to make conversation, but she seemed shaken up and frustrated. He wouldn't be able to make it back by himself; well, not quickly, he'd make it back eventually, but his stomach would not be pleased with him. Just as things were looking up, the rain Isuka had hoped wouldn't bother them began pouring. She cursed as she picked up the pace, finding a tree large enough to give them both shelter.

'I was hoping the rain wouldn't be a problem,' she tugged at her shirt, which had been soaked through her jacket; it was sticking to her uncomfortably.

'This is a rainy island,' he offered, trying not to look further down than her collar bones, which were quite defined, 'eyes up Ace, this is no time to be staring at her body', he reprimanded himself. He knew she was well-built; well, how could he not? Her uniform wasn't the most covering, and with the way she constantly pounced on him, it was hard not to notice.

'I guess,' she sighed, 'this is going to make it a lot harder to return back to the village.'

'We should probably find someplace to stay for the night, it's getting darker,' he had an arm on the tree, leaning over her to try and cover her from the rain.

'Yeah that would be best,' she stopped tugging at her shirt, 'I think there was an inn to the north of the village, we should stumble upon it soon enough.'

'Yeah, or we might be stuck out here all night,' he knocked off his hat and ran a hand through his hair which was falling over his eyes, 'not that I'd mind sleeping next to you.'

Isuka choked on nothing in particular, 'now why would I sleep next to you?'

'Body heat,' he grinned like he had cleared it all up.

Isuka shook her head; she didn't have the energy to even bother coming up with a witty response. 'In your dreams Fire Fist, let's just try finding that inn.' After rechecking her compass, she set off towards what was hopefully the inn.

'Why wouldn't I dream of you,' and Isuka tripped in shock. When she turned to face him, a scandalised expression on her face, he simply smiled that flirty smile at her. Now she was really mad; there was no reason for him to tease her as he did.

And so their usual bickering began, a flirty comment from Ace and a shocked response from Isuka. He loved teasing her; her reactions always made it worth it, the way her ears became red, and her expression turned from flustered to angry. He loved riling her up, especially if it meant she tried storming off. She was way too nice to actually leave him, so she'd stop a couple of metres away and tell him to hurry up. To which he'd laugh and jog to catch up with her.

'I'm starting to think we are hopelessly lost Fire Fist,' Isuka complained. They'd been walking for what felt like hours, and yet there was no inn in sight.

'Don't give up too soon,' he decided against placing a hand on her back, 'we'll stumble across it soon enough.'

'I sure hope so,' she shivered, the cold wind worsening the conditions. Isuka wasn't unfamiliar with horrible situations; as a marine, she'd come across many of them, and her training made sure she knew how to survive. However, for some reason, she wanted to throw a tantrum; she shouldn't be lost right now; she should be tucked in bed, pissed off at Fire Fist for escaping.

Ace watched as she shivered, desperately wanting to wrap his arms around her; the cold didn't mean much to him, and the rain barely affected him, but he kept that distance between them. He may be comfortable stepping over lines; that's what he did, break the rules, but Isuka wasn't that type of person; she stayed within the boxes, to a certain degree.

'Let's keep moving,' he gently nudged her shoulder; he lit a small fire in his palm, visibility had reduced, and it was no use trying to walk around the dark, 'sooner we get there the sooner you can dry off.'

'Yeah, I guess,' she started walking again, her arms wrapped around herself, rubbing her arms in an effort to warm up.

It had been about 30 minutes of walking before Ace spotted the inn. They had stopped by another tree, Isuka, wanting to double-check if they were headed in the right direction. Ace smiled fondly at her deeply focused expression, but as he looked up, he spotted a roof, which could only mean one thing: they had made it.

'Hey, we made it!' Ace pointed in the direction of the building.

'We did?' Isuka turned around so fast she nearly fell, arms coming around her to steady her, 'we did!'

She threw her arms around him, on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. Her body was cold against his, 'wow, you're so warm,' she chuckled as she pulled back from the hug, not quite realising what she'd done.

Ace grinned nervously at her. She still had her arms on his shoulders and was making it very hard not to look at her and her very soaked shirt, 'why don't we head inside,' he gently turned her around and pushed her towards the building before she could notice the rising blush on his face.

~ ♡ ~

They headed to the inn; it looked empty, and there were no lights on, which was not a good sign. As they knocked on the door, no one answered. Instead, the door swung open eerily.

'That doesn't look good,' Ace stated, leaning on the doorway as Isuka stepped in.

'No, it does not,' she sighed, 'but at least it's shelter, let's see what we can find.'

'Sounds good,' they split up, Isuka taking the downstairs and Ace the upstairs. There weren't many rooms in the inn. It seemed pretty small; Ace walked from room to room, a small fire in his palm. It didn't look abandoned, just empty for the night, the beds were made, and nothing seemed out of place. They could easily stay for the night; if there was running water and food, they had nothing to worry about.

As he made his way back down to share the good news, he heard laughter, laughter that probably should not exist, considering the fact that it was just him and Isuka in this place.

'Hey, Isuka?' He called tentatively from the stairs. He carefully stepped down, unsure what he'd find, 'hey is everything good?' He could fight a person, but ghosts were a very different story; his fire would just go through them.

He turned a corner only to bump into Isuka and let out an embarrassing scream, Isuka, who had been just as startled, jumped back, clutching her chest.

'Fire Fist? Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again,' she glared at him, her heart racing, 'I was just coming to get you.'

Just as he managed to calm down, a lady walked into view, a very pale lady, an almost ghost-like lady.

'It's a ghost!' he shoved Isuka behind him, holding an arm out, 'stay away from us!'

'No Fire Fist,' she stepped out, pushing his arm down, 'this is Miss Lisa. She owns the inn.'

Ace looked at her confused, then at the ghost-like woman, and back to Isuka, 'she's the owner?'

The said Miss Lisa stepped closer and into the light of Ace's fire, no longer looking like an apparition. She wasn't very old, maybe early thirties, about his height; she had a kind face now that he could see her features.

'Yes, and, luckily for you, I came back to get some wood,' she smiled warmly, 'you kids must be freezing.'

'Why is no one here?'

'As I was telling your little girlfriend here,' Isuka was violently shaking her head, no, and Ace rubbed the back of his neck. Still, she paid no notice to them, 'when the rain gets too heavy the roads become flooded, meaning you end up stranded; we were running low on supplies here, so we moved everyone into town this afternoon.'

'How did you get here then? Isn't a long walk from the town?'

'The both of you are really quite similar, your girlfriend asked the same questions.'

Isuka interrupted before she could carry on, 'Miss Lisa, like I said we're not together in any sense of the word.'

'People don't often get lost in the woods with people they don't know,' she asked, a bit confused.

'Well we know each other,' she began, 'but we're not exactly close,' the owner still looked lost, 'occupational complications,' she added. In the light, it was probably difficult to make out the insignia of the Marines on Isuka's jacket and the colours of his very telling hat.

'I see,' she seemed unconvinced, 'as I was saying, I live nearby with my husband, and I came back to get some more wood. And as I asked your friend over here, would the both of you like to stay at our house? Just for the night.'

'That's why I was coming to get you, this seems like our best option,' Isuka turned towards him.

Ace took in her appearance. Isuka seemed way more exhausted and cold than him. It might do her good to have help, 'if you want to.'

'Perfect, we'll come with you Miss Lisa, thank you.'

'It's no problem at all, you can help me get more wood too,' Isuka smiled gratefully before following the lady to the back entrance. The wood was stacked by the door, Isuka made a move to grab some, but Ace stopped her. He grabbed a big chunk of them, telling her to relax.

~ ♡ ~

As they made their way down the small road to the house, Isuka made small chat with the lady, who was telling her about the area, about how the inhabitants were quite used to the rain and that no one accesses the inn without going through the town first, if they had they would have known it was closed.

'Well, we're here,' she inserted her key and pushed the door open, 'you can place the wood in that corner,' she gestured to a corner with wood already stacked. The three of them removed their shoes, and Lisa placed slippers in front of them, which they happily slipped their feet into.

'Follow me. We only have one other room apart from mine and my husbands,' she led them upstairs and to a sizeable guest room, 'I hope that's okay with the both of you.' Ace nodded, and so did Isuka. There was an en suite and a large bed. She turned to Isuka, 'if you hop in the bath, I can wash and dry your clothes. I'll try and find you something warmer for the night too.'

'Oh, thank you, that would be nice,' she followed her into the bathroom. Lisa turned the water on, she grabbed a bottle from the self and added it, creating bubbles. It had been ages since Isuka had had a luxury such as this. Isuka took off her jacket, shirt and shorts and folded them neatly but left her gloves on; she took off her sunglasses and placed them on the cabinet.

'Allow me to take your undergarments as well, I'll make sure they're dry before giving them back,' she adjusted the temperature of the water. Isuka blushed, 'sweetheart if you want I can wait outside and you can simply slide them into the rest of your clothes and hand them over, but I can't let you wear wet clothing. Now come here and check the temperature.'

Isuka nodded before taking off one of her gloves to test the water, 'that seems fine, thank you Miss Lisa, if it's possible could I have a small plaster.' her hand traced the one currently on her cheek.

'Now you can just call me Lisa, of course I can. I'll wait outside the door,' she stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. Ace was sitting on the chair in the corner. He was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. 'Would you like anything washed or dried?'

'Nope, I'm basically dry,' the upside to having devil fruit powers.

'Yes quite convenient powers you have there, but you'd benefit from taking a shower, there's one in our room.'

Before he could answer, Isuka cracked the door open slightly to place her clothes on the floor, folded neatly with her gloves placed on top, 'Mi-, Lisa, if it's okay, could you bring back my gloves with the clothing?'

'Of course darling,' she bent down to pick up the clothes, 'now you,' she pointed at Ace, 'come on, I'm sure you got plenty dirty in the woods.' She wasn't wrong. His legs were quite muddy, and so were his shorts. He doubted Isuka would let him sleep like that. He got up to follow her.

Isuka sighed happily; the water was so lovely. Lisa had suggested she add lavender-scented salts to the bath, which released a relaxing smell. She dipped her head below the water, letting the warmth engulf her. She lay in the tub until Lisa returned. She opened the door and placed some clothes and a towel on the cabinet.

'You can drain the water and quickly rinse off the soap before getting out. I've placed everything I could find here,' Isuka nodded, and she left the room.

Isuka did as she was told, almost reluctant to leave the tub, but her skin was turning prune-like. She dried herself with the towel, which was warm and soft; she was being spoilt. She slipped her undergarments back on, now warm and dry, and put on the clothes she was given: a pair of black shorts that were slightly longer than the ones she usually wore and a faded yellow jumper long enough to reach below the shorts. It slipped off one of her shoulders no matter how many times she adjusted it. She replaced the plaster on her cheek and put her gloves back on. She stepped out of the bathroom, holding her sunglasses in one hand and drying her hair with the other.

Lisa was waiting outside, 'oh sweetheart, it's too big for you.'

'It's perfectly fine, M-, Lisa,' but she was a bit distracted by Ace standing behind her; he'd been wrangled into a different pair of shorts and an orange jumper. His hair was messy like Lisa had aggressively dried it. He looked surprisingly good when they weren't fighting, huggable and warm.

'I'll make a start on dinner, make yourselves comfortable,' she smiled before closing the door behind her.

'Never thought I'd see the day when you'd look so small Ensign,' he teased, the massive jumper making her look more petite. Not that she usually seemed small, her massive personality and strength normally made up for it.

'Oh and you love the jumper you're in right now,' she playfully poked his chest.

'She wouldn't take 'I'm made of fire' as an excuse,' he frowned halfheartedly, 'she did give me some wood to start a fire, you know, if you're cold.'

'That would be nice,' the fireplace was a reasonable distance away from the bed, which she sat on. She didn't have to go too close to it.

Ace placed some wood in the fireplace and eventually got a fire going. He leaned back to appreciate his handiwork. He turned to see Isuka, whose expression had become nervous, 'hey you good?'

Isuka had thought she would be okay with the fire, but it was making her uncomfortable, the scar on her hand itching as she watched it burn. She was shaken out of her thoughts by Ace, 'oh, I'm fine,' she smiled, but it was unconvincing.

'It doesn't look that way, is it because of the fire?' her slight flinch gave it away. 'If it helps I can always control it, see,' he held out his hand and absorbed some of the fire. It died down a little, reducing the intensity of the flames.

'Thank you Fire Fist, but really, I'm okay,' her smile was slightly pained, and she was rubbing the back of her hand.

Ace remained unconvinced but decided to let it go. He got up and walked over to the chair before sitting down. 'I can sleep on the floor tonight, you can take the bed.'

'Huh,' she locked eyes with him, 'oh no I can't let you do that, I can take the floor, I'll ask Lisa for some extra bedding.'

'Nah, you deserve the bed,' he chuckled, 'plus I'm used to sleeping on the floor, so don't worry about me.'

She hesitated before speaking again, 'how about we share?' Isuka suggested, unsure what she was saying, 'I mean, the bed's quite big and we're both tired, and it's not like I mind. I mean it's okay, if you're okay with it of course, I'm not saying you have to sleep with me, wait I don't mean it like that,' she buried her face in her hands again.

Ace got up; her rambling was adorable, 'hey,' he moved her hands from her face, 'we can share if you want to.'

'I do,' she replied, before adding, 'I mean I don't mind if we do, don't take it the wrong way.'

'Whatever you say, birdie,' he sat down and lay back.

'Birdie?'

'Yeah, your name is a bird name, right?'

'And?'

'It's a nickname, like how you always call me Fire Fist,. It's getting kinda boring calling you Ensign.'

'What's wrong with my name?'

'Nothing, it's cute,' Isuka turned bright red, but thankfully Ace had his eyes closed. Was this man clueless? One does not call his enemy cute. Well, technically, he had said her name was cute, but still, it simply wasn't done. Before she could say anything to retaliate, she heard a snore. He had fallen asleep, she carefully got off the bed, not wanting to disturb him. She knew Lisa hadn't wanted her to help, but she wanted to contribute to dinner in some way; after all, she was letting them stay there for free.

~ ♡ ~

It was less than an hour later, and Isuka was shaking Ace awake. He was a heavy sleeper, and it took all of Iuska's shaking power to wake him up.

'Hm,' his sleepy expression made her giggle, 'is something wrong?'

'No, dinner's ready,' she tugged at his arm, 'let's eat.' Ace put out the fire before following her out the door and down the stairs.

Lisa had prepared what she had bought earlier, but it was not enough for all the inn's guests. It was, however, enough for four people or six, considering Ace could probably eat enough to feed a small army. They met her husband; he, too, seemed like a good-natured person. He was taller than Lisa and was in no way bad looking; he introduced himself as Walker.

'So, my wife tells me you're a pirate,' he laughed heartily.

'She would be correct,' he bowed, 'Portgas D. Ace, it's nice to meet you.'

'Oh ho ho,' he patted Ace on the back, 'you seem like a good man.' Ace rubbed the back of his neck, a little bashful because of the praise.

'I'm Ensign 'Nailing' Isuka of the marines,' she held out her hand to shake his, but he pulled her into a hug instead. She patted his back awkwardly as she stood there, not used to displays of affection.

'A marine and a pirate, what an odd pair you've found, darling,' he called out to his wife.

'Aren't they? I was sure they were dating. You know kids these days always breaking the rules,' she laughed with her husband, but Isuka could only chuckle nervously.

'They aren't?'

'They were pretty insistent that they weren't,' his wife shrugged.

'Shame, they look adorable together,' it was Ace's turn to chuckle nervously as a blush crept up his neck; Isuka was less lucky, her whole face felt hot.

'We really aren't. I'm just the officer that chases after him. We've taken a short break because of the weather.'

'A break, eh,' he gave them a knowing smile. There was, however, nothing to know, 'well I won't keep us longer, let's eat.'

Dinner was a peaceful affair, well as peaceful as it could be around Ace; they all told stories and laughed until all the food had been cleared.

When Lisa made a move to clear the dishes, Isuka stopped her, 'you've done a lot for us. Let us clean up,' she nudged Ace, who then nodded along with what she was saying.

'Oh I couldn't let you, you're guests.'

'Please, I feel bad that you've done enough for us already,' she must've been convincing because Lisa eventually gave up and let them clean up.

'We'll be upstairs, if there are any problems let us know,' she wrapped an arm around her husband before disappearing up the stairs.

Isuka and Ace began clearing up, and washing the dishes came first. She tied her hair back in a small ponytail, which Ace had flicked and burst out laughing like a child. She also rolled up her sleeves and replaced her usual leather gloves with rubber ones she found under the sink.

'You're pretty good at that,' Ace pointed out. He had been assigned to dry the dishes just in case he broke some washing them. He'd been told off by his crew before and didn't want an earful from Isuka too.

'Fire Fist, this is a very basic life skill, plus I was chore girl at a marine base pretty young.'

'Oh, you grew up in the marines?'

'Sort of,' she didn't give anything else, so Ace didn't press her.

'Makes sense; you're pretty young for an Ensign, right?' He figured they were about the same age.

'I guess you don't usually get promoted to a ranked officer without earning it. It's easier when being a marine is all you know.'

'Would you ever give it up?'

'Huh?' Isuka nearly dropped the plate she was holding.

'Forget I asked,' he shook his hands in front of him, embarrassed he'd even considered the thought. Fighting by her side was just a dream.

Isuka stayed silent in contemplation. She'd never considered leaving the marines, and she'd given so much to them. They were her home, in a way, and she wouldn't abandon them.

'What about you? Would you ever consider stopping being a pirate?'

'Nope, wouldn't be anything else. I've got something to achieve.'

'Well, you have my answer as well. We're all doing what we do because we want to,' she turned to face him, but he was already looking at her.

'Yeah,' he was smiling, and Isuka had to admit he was gorgeous when he beamed like that, carefree and happy. 'You've got a little something there,' he pointed at his own cheek, and Isuka tried wiping the soap off her face, failing miserably because her gloves were all soapy. He laughed at her before leaning down to wipe the suds from her face.

'Thanks…' her voice became smaller as Ace didn't remove his hand; instead, he stepped closer, thumb resting on the corner of her mouth. Her voice cracked, 'Fire Fist I-'

He was pressing a small kiss on her lips, pulling away before she could even register it. She stood there starstruck, but Ace was stepping away faster, 'I'm so sorry, I don't know why I did that,' he groaned into his hands. He ran his hands through his hair before looking at her again, but she stayed glued to the spot, unsure of what happened.

'Can we please forget that ever happened?' He looked at her, almost ashamed that he'd let himself act on his thoughts. Her lips looked soft and so inviting, and before he knew it, he was leaning down to kiss them.

She finally found her voice again, 'I don't think that's possible, Fire Fist,' she took off the gloves, abandoning the dishes. She turned to face him, leaning against the cabinet, trying to maintain an unbothered expression when in reality, she was screaming internally. At least he had the decency to look mildly terrified.

'I really don't know what came over me. I really am sorry,' he sounded sincere, and she found herself sighing in defeat. She couldn't stay mad at him, at least not when they weren't fighting and especially not when he looked like a sad puppy.

She walked over to him, 'don't look at me like that! And it's fine I guess I didn't really stop you either.'

'Really? You liked it?' He teased, apparently feeling much more confident.

And there he went, hearing only what he wanted to hear, 'huh? I never said that,' she felt the blush staining her cheeks again. She stumbled back as he leant towards her again, cursing his ability to suddenly flip the situation. She felt her back hit the cabinet, cursing the small kitchen too. He leant in, a hand cupping her cheek, and she shut her eyes, waiting, but he pressed a kiss on her forehead. So she opened her eyes; he had pulled back, rubbing small lines on her cheek. She felt disappointed; wait, disappointed? Since when was she disappointed when a pirate didn't kiss her? She should be relieved, but some part of her enjoyed the kiss, enjoyed the warmth he bought her when he was around.

So she took matters into her own hands, cupping his face with both her hands and dragging his face down to her height, 'wait-' but she was kissing him. She felt him tense, then place his arms around her waist and pull her closer to him, and then melt against her. She felt him smile against her lips, and she knew he was thinking something dumb. She let her hands fall to his chest. The sharp intake of breath made her happy; she still had some power over him.

She pulled back after what felt like the longest minute of her life, 'you really shouldn't tease a girl like that Fire Fist.'

He was gaping at her, 'I wasn't trying to tease you, but if it made you do that, maybe I should tease you more often.' He was hugging her now, gently squeezing her. Usually, Isuka would've pushed the person away, but it was relaxing being in his arms. It was something she could get used to.

'We should really get back to cleaning,' he shook his head and buried it in her hair, lips ghosting her neck. 'Come on Fire Fist we really have to, I kind of insisted.'

He stood up, a resolute look on his face, and suddenly, she regretted trusting him at all, 'call me Ace, and maybe I will.'

'What?'

'You heard me, call me Ace, you never call me by name, it's always Fire Fist.'

'I don't think so. Fire Fist,' she stuck her tongue out.

He laughed exasperatedly, 'come one Birdie, it's not like I'm asking for much.'

Instead, she gently pushed him back to put the gloves back on; she had almost forgotten about the burn on her hand, surprised Ace hadn’t brought it up. He watched as she continued to wash the dishes, 'do you plan on helping,' she paused, 'Ace?'

'What?' He hugged her from the back; she knew he heard the first time.

'I said do you plan on helping, Fire Fist Ace?'

He hugged her tighter, 'I could get used to hearing that everyday.'

'Don't get too used to it, and pick up that cloth and dry some dishes.'

'Yes ma'am,' he saluted her before going back to his spot.

The rest of the cleanup was a lot more peaceful; they worked fast, putting away the leftovers and tidying up the room. When it was over, Ace put out the fire in the room and followed Isuka up the stairs. She said something about asking for toothbrushes, but when he entered the bathroom, they had been placed in a cup already. He laughed at Isuka's little speech about the importance of brushing and ended up cleaning a bit of toothpaste off her face, not without stealing a kiss.

'What side do you sleep on?' He asked, pulling the duvet off the bed.

'Why do you have a side you prefer?'

'Not really, I was just wondering if you do,' he smiled as she threw herself on the bed.

'I don't, I could honestly sleep anywhere.'

'That's something we have in common,' he got in next to her, pulling the covers over the both of them.

'I don't doubt that,' she settled closer to him, closing her eyes, 'I've seen you fall asleep mid-battle before.'

He let her lay her head on his chest, her leg thrown on top of his, a hand clutching his shirt. She was adorable, he thought to himself as he watched her chest rising and falling evenly. She must've been exhausted to have fallen asleep almost immediately. He pressed a small kiss to her forehead and shut his eyes.

~ ♡ ~

The Spades weren't worried about their captain, they rarely were, but Kotatsu was a whole different story. The loyal lynx was pacing back and forth worriedly as his master had not returned all night. The others had assured him that Ace was probably staying somewhere for the night since the rain was heavy. He may be reckless, but he is not an idiot. Furthermore, he was with Isuka, who was level-headed and reasonable.

As soon as Deuce had woken up, Kotatsu had been bothering him, concerned for Ace. Deuce and Skull had barely had breakfast when the lynx was dragging them out.

'Calm down boy,' Deuce rubbed his head, 'Ace isn't that easy to get rid of.'

'Master Ace is strong, he'll be fine boy.'

They spent the morning walking inn to inn to see whether a cowboy hat-wearing pirate had stayed the night. They bumped into Isuka's crew at one of the inns, but they seemed too worried about the disappearance of their Ensign to notice Deuce, Skull and Kotatsu. Which just solidified the theory that the both of them were together and, therefore, most likely safe.

Just as they planned to give up and wait it out on the ship, a woman approached them, 'by any chance are the names of the people you are looking for Ace and Isuka?'

'Yes, Ace is our captain, he must've stayed with Isuka.'

'The both of them are currently at my house, they were stuck outside in the rain so I let them stay the night,' she pointed in the direction of her house. 'I hope you haven't been too worried about them.'

'Oh no, they're both strong, we had no worries.'

'Well, they seemed exhausted, so they are probably still asleep. I slipped out to buy some groceries. If you'd follow me, I could take you there.'

They accepted her offer and followed her back to the house. She gave them slippers and led them into the living room, 'they're upstairs. I can see if they are awake.'

Kotatsu had heard they were upstairs and immediately pounced up the stairs, following his nose to find his master, 'no need, Kotatsu will probably wake up Ace,' Deuce thanked her and followed the lynx up the stairs.

Kotatsu had correctly identified the room Ace was in, but what was throwing him off was the proximity of Isuka's smell, not that he didn't like the marine. It was just odd that they were that close together.

'What's wrong boy?' Deuce asked, pushing the door open for him. He, like Kotatsu and Skull, stood in shock for a second as they entered the room, the image of Isuka and Ace cuddling forever in their minds.

Deuce was the first to burst out laughing, nearly keeling over in laughter, 'oh my god, he's never going to live this down.'

Skull gently shook Ace awake. He woke up, his voice groggy, 'what time is it?'

'Almost ten Master Ace,' Skull replied helpfully.

Ace's sleepiness disappeared almost instantly; he was very aware of the situation. Sometime in the night, he'd kicked off the duvet and wrapped his arms around Isuka under the warmth of her jumper; her slender waist fit perfectly in the crook of his arm. This was definitely not a position he wanted to get caught in; his favourite marine asleep on his shoulder. He could almost feel the teasing energy radiating off Deuce and Kotatsu, who were ready to ridicule him for the rest of his life.

'Fire Fist is something wrong?' Isuka muttered, still half asleep; she could barely register the characters in the room. However, when she did, she sprung away from Ace and dived under the covers hoping it would hide her shame. Deuce was cackling out loud now, not just in his head. Kotatsu was also wheezing; at least, that's what it looked like.

'We'll let you get ready,' Skull said sympathetically, pushing the other two out of the room.

Ace sat up, rubbing his face, 'they're gone now.'

'Doesn't make it any less humiliating,' Isuka complained as she sat up.

'I don't think we can hide this, not from my crew at least.'

'Yeah, mine on the other hand never have to know,' the both of them got up. Lisa had left their clothes on the table, so they got changed and went downstairs, ready to face the obvious questions. Ace squeezed her hand reassuringly before leading her into the room.

They ate breakfast, joined by Deuce and Skull with a bowl of milk for Kotatsu. Surprisingly Deuce kept quiet about the situation, most likely for Isuka's sake.

When they got ready to leave, they thanked Lisa and Walker again; the couple simply waved them off, wishing them the best on their journeys. Lisa winked at Isuka and told her that Ace was quite the catch and to not let him go. They walked together to the edge of the town, where Isuka stopped them, 'well, we should probably separate here. I should really get back to my crew.'

Ace nodded, saddened to see her go, but he understood she had responsibilities to return to. She stunned him by placing a kiss on his cheek before running away. The move earned more teasing from his crew mates. Which was made worse when they returned to the ship and Deuce announced to the whole crew what they'd seen. It was never ending; every time he did something, it was suddenly related to Isuka. He couldn't sleep - it was cause he missed sleeping next to her - they weren't wrong, but they didn't have to put it like that. In the end, he did miss her and her soft lips and the way she muttered in her sleep.

There was more to their relationship now, and Ace knew things couldn't go back to the way they were, but that was a risk he was willing to take. By her side, he felt like anything was possible. First, he had to get her closer to him, which could throw up problems considering she was a dedicated marine, but it didn't worry him. She would always be his, and he hers.

~ ♡ ~

#fanfic #writing #one piece #op marines #esuka #portgas d ace #ensign isuka #isuka #spade pirates #fluff #enemies to lovers #one bed trope

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fenmere · 1 year

Text

First Rain

Prompt we got from the NaNoWriMo team: Write a scene in which it suddenly begins to rain. How does your character react? Do they run indoors or do they decide to brave the weather? Does this change any upcoming plans? ---

Something I didn't include in my book, because it just didn't fit in chronologically, was my first rain.

And what I mean by that is my first experience with real rain while wearing a nanite exobody configured for sensing that kind of thing.

I'd seen rain before. I knew it could even be experienced on the Network, though I'd never bothered. I'd almost always gone without any sort of Avatar on the Network except when absolutely required to for my Students. And even then, until recently, my avatar was this unfeeling, inexpressive ornate bead about the size of someone's head. Right?

And nanite exobodies weren't available until about seventy years ago, and just like on the Network I made my own exobody that same unfeeling, inexpressive floating bead, because I was never in the habit of thinking about myself or focusing on myself.

Imagine that. A 131,300 and some year old person who has never felt the rain. A Tutor, no less! Someone who's supposed to be guiding other people through life, who has guided other people through life. Trying to help Children navigate this strange world they've been born into without knowing what rain actually feels like.

I'd always left that up to the Caretakers.

I don't know. It's not that something about it never appealed to me, or that it scared me. It's that I spent over a hundred millennia not focused on myself. Just doing my job as I'd learned how to do it.

I still can't really comprehend it when I look back on it. My own memory won't even keep the number of years I've been alive accurately. I have to look at my notes for that, and I hate doing so.

It hurts.

Anyway, so.

Shortly after the events of my book, Ni'a, after I'd transitioned to my new Avatar and started exploring my senses on the Network and off it in an exobody, after my Sanction had been lifted, I was walking with my old Student Tetcha and talking about the future of the Tutors and the Monsters.

Tetcha is wonderful. Despite everything xe has been through, and is likely to face, xe still approaches life and other people with this sort of open sense of optimistic curiosity. Xe likes to let people be who they are, and to hear their stories.

And we'd both been through a major transition, each.

Tetcha had become a Monster, rejecting xyr neural terminal and consigning xemself to a permanent death.

I had, more or less, stopped being a Tutor, and had realized that that damn bead Avatar was giving me dysphoria, so I'd taken the form of what I've begun calling a "Ktleteccete", or "dragon". It felt right.

And, by not being a Tutor, I mean that I have not taken on a new Student since I was assigned by the Crew to write my book instead of raise Ni'a. I still haven't intentionally nor officially taken the Vow of the Crew yet, and do not intend to.

And that seems to be OK by everyone for some reason.

But, so, Tetcha was really curious about my recent experiences and how I related to them from the perspective of my past, and I was busy trying to explain to xem how my past didn't really feel like me anymore, when my arm felt this little prick of coldness.

I stopped walking abruptly, which startled several cuttlecrabs on the beach where we were. They'd gotten used to us walking amongst them, so stopping suddenly was now a new thing for them.

And I looked at my arm with concern.

Could that have been some sort of glitch in the Network's algorithms? Was something wrong with my neurology? Or was it a nanite thing? Was it just one nanite spasming or something? Or was it a whole cluster?

Tetcha had stopped as well, looking at me casually, waiting for me to continue my sentence.

I scrunched up my face to say something to xem when I felt the same kind of little prick of coldness on the top of my head, just to the right. And then another one on my right shoulder.

And, ever so subtly, Tetcha twitched, and then laughed. "Oh, Abacus, it's raining," xe said.

At which point I relaxed. It wasn't quite the same sensation, which had thrown me off, but it was somewhat similar to when I'd splashed myself while swimming in my Network space. I just hadn't been expecting it in this context, really.

I held out my hands and looked up at the sky.

I imagine nearly every Tutor who has experienced this has made a similar gesture in some way. But, when the clouds fall on you, you gotta increase your upward facing surface area and look! It's just part of the learning experience!

At first, I didn't feel anything more, and worried that it wasn't really going to start raining. Maybe I'd felt splashes from the waves, but we weren't really close enough to them for that.

The Garden of the Sunspot was totally obscured with clouds where we were. Looking Aftward, I could see that they ended before reaching the Endcap, and the sunlight shown on the Aft Sea and the Endcap with a molten brilliance. Looking Forward, our view was obscured by the trees of the coastal forest.

We were in Wilderness, and only in the company of the cuttlecrabs and the birds that wanted to eat them but were too scared to really try. Especially with us around.

I could feel the wind against my... well, it's not skin. The outer surface of my nanite exobody simulates skin, though, sensorily speaking.

Looking at me, Tetcha could only see a shiny graphine grey amphibian with frills and fins extending from its joints, and a mouth gaping up at the sky. Xe didn't have the neural terminal necessary to see the colors my Avatar projected over the nanites.

"You really haven't experienced this before," xe said.

"No," I shook my head a little.

There they were! A few more drops! Left hand, right thigh, four to the tail, and one to the right elbow!

Tetcha squinted up at the clouds too, and said, "It's going to get a lot heavier real quick, I think."

"Are you OK with that?" I asked. I mean, I knew xem well, but asking was still the polite thing to do.

"Oh, yeah. I don't have anything on me that will be hurt by it. I kinda expected it when we set out, anyway," xe replied.

"I think I'm just going to stand here and get drenched," I said.

"Heh," Tetcha laughed. "I guess I'll watch, then."

And it took a few minutes, but before too long, it was heavy enough we both decided to head for the cover of the trees. Which really only made the drops bigger, if slightly more spread out and less frequent.

But the whole experience was spectacular and surprisingly unpleasant. And absolutely something I will repeat over and over again until I'm used to it.

I could, of course, adjust my Avatar's programming to make it more tolerable, but I feel like that would be cheating.

#Sunspot Chronicles #Abacus #Abacus' first rain

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mint-leaves-in-coffee · 2 years

Note

How would Malleus react to a MC that has a bunch of pet dragons big and small? I feel like he'd loose it at a magic-less MC being able to tame 'em.

Man this took forever, sorry. Though I think I did pretty decent. Content under the cut.

Dragon Tamer

A soft breeze carried with it the petrichor of a distant downpour

And the discoloration of the sky signalled that it was probably time for him to return back to Diasomnia

However, he opted not to and continued on with his night time stroll

The Ramshackle Dorm had always been a favourite of his to explore but since it became inhabited by the magicless prefect, renovations were inevitable

It looked decent now, but a part of his missed the solitude of when it was empty

As he stared at the building some movement caught his eye

Not the familiar movement of the prefect and their companion through the window

It was something different, the shape more reptilian than humanoid

A voice called out to him though, taking his attention away from what he saw

"Is everything alright Tsunotarou?"

The nickname made him smile fondly

It was small but they could see it

Even though the prefect knew his name, they still chose to call him by that silly nickname

Momentarily they looked over their shoulder in the direction he had been staring.

They could see one of the many dragons that lived with them through one of the windows

Its snout was poking out between the ragged curtains

"Your concern is endearing, child of man. I'm quite alright."

They opened their mouth to speak once more, but stopped themselves from doing so as the sky began to drizzle

The fireflies that usually followed Malleus dispersed as the rain dripped from the heavens

They hummed, offering to let him stay in their dorm until the rain passed

They were fully aware that he could easily teleport back to the dorm, but nonetheless extended the invitation to him anyway

After all, he never did get invitations from the other students

His chest grew warm as they did so

And he accepted

They led him indoors just as the light drizzle transitioned to a full storm

Neither of the two were any more than damp, however, a soft towel found its way into his hands courtesy of a small winged dragon no larger than a house cat

The prefect smiled as the dragon perched itself close by with a gentle puff of smoke from its nostrils

They glanced over to Malleus, gauging his reaction

Another dragon, this one more serpentine, wingless and long, coiled around their waist and nudged their face in greeting

Soon the foyer was full of dragons of all sizes, shapes, and colours

Some were wary of him

Others did nothing to acknowledge his presence

He was surprised to say the least but nevertheless intrigued as both he and most of the dragons followed them to the common room

They apologized to him for the crowd but made no move to disperse it

They were worried about what, he would have to say

But he was impressed

A magicless human managing to tame one dragon much less this many was quite the feat

He was curious to know how they'd done it, but he refrained from asking as he watched them interact with all of their draconic friends

A small sense of pride swelled up in his chest

They handled the presence of dragons well

Yet none of the dragons here were as big as him in his dragon form

Part of him wondered how they would react if he were to show them his grandeur

Their voice snapped him out of his thoughts as they called his name

He hummed and shifted his eyes to theirs

As one of the smaller dragons approached him, he held out a hand to it

Their brow was furrowed in concern

"I know you saw them through the window. I didn't expect them all to come out at once when I brought you inside. I'm sorry."

He hummed again, observing as the dragon eyed him

His curiosity was getting the better of him

"Tell me. What did you do for these dragons to become so docile?"

They tilted their head to the side in thought for a moment

Resting their hand on the head of the dragon that had coiled around them upon their entry to the dorm

They smiled

"I found this one hurt. She didn't really trust me a first, but I brought her some food and she let me near her. When I brought her back to the dorm, I patched her up. She wouldn't leave after that. Then more and more of them started to show up. Some were more difficult than others but I managed to befriend them all."

He listened intently as they relayed to him what happened

As creatures that have been given a bad reputation through various stories

Most humans would see a dragon and ignore it or turn tail and run

But now he knows they won't be afraid when he decides to court them

#💜#💚#disney twst #twst #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #malleus draconia #twst malleus #malleus headcanons #malleus x reader #malleus draconia x reader #twisted wonderland malleus #twst malleus x reader #twisted wonderland malleus x reader #mine #anon #moss req #twisted wonderland

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sehnsuchts-trunken · 2 years

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Hi!! I was wondering if you could do a Drabble on Minho? Angsty with fluffy ending??

oooohhhh yes, I haven't written him in a way too long time. let's go!

tw btw, if the prompt didn’t already give that away

The cold was quick to replace the warmth that had filled your body just a second before, swivelling through your veins quicker than the poison could. If this was what dying felt like, it wasn't as bad as you'd thought. There was a faint tickle in your leg where the Griever had plucked its stinger into your skin, but the rest of your body felt unbelievably numb. And heavy. Oh so heavy. Your muscles wouldn't have reacted even if you had tried to force them to work, to hold yourself upright or walk - walk, what a strange, far away memory it was to walk. Sleep was your friend now. Sleep would envelop you and invite you and wrap you in sweet, sweet darkness.

Waking up didn't feel like waking up. Your mind was hazy, your vision blurry, all you had to do was blink a few times against the strange, cold white light that the electric lamps above your head were emitting. Strange, very strange indeed. The whole setting was. Where was Minho? You had a hard time lifting your head, craning your neck to look for him. There were many children here. Where was Minho? You couldn't quite think straight. Your movements did not really feel like you controlled them. Sleep was your friend now.

The room was small, the rain outside barely audible. You'd never felt what rain was like. You imagined it being like the showers, just much less pleasant as the thick drops wet your clothing. Minho was there next to you, one hand below his head, legs drawn up and staring at the ceiling as he lay there on his bed. His lips were moving - you couldn't hear anything but the rain. You wanted to ask him what he was saying, but your tongue wouldn't listen. No, sleep was your friend now.

Your cheeks felt wet, as though there had been raindrops falling onto them. They were only tears, you reminded yourself. You'd never felt the rain. Minho was squeezing your hand tightly as the woman pushed her needle into your arm and his. You'd be sent away together - after all you would not be alone. Not now, at least. Who knew what they'd do after this. But Minho's smile comforted you, as you looked over to him and saw that lopsided grin that he was always wearing you were suddenly okay with whatever would happen; just as long as he was there with you. This time, sleep wasn't your friend. The pain that followed wasn't either.

Your screams were heartbreaking, soulcrushing. The Gladers had heard others scream before, but never as wrenching, as breathstealing. They woke everyone up. No one dared to enter your hut. Minho was sitting there on a chair right next to you, holding your hand tight, locking eyes with you and reminding you to breathe. His cheeks were wet. Rain? You asked yourself. You'd felt rain before.

And when the world stopped, sleep was your friend once more.

The next morning, you woke up feeling a lot better than before, even though your fingers were being crushed by Minho's, who'd sometime in the night joined you in your little bed. You'd sweated through all your layers of clothing and the blanket, but you cared little for that once you tried to move and felt the stinging pain in your leg. Sucking in the air in an attempt not to yell out, you woke up Minho. Bleary-eyed and with a bedhead, but more than just glad that you were conscious again and not screaming. You had a hard time listening to what he was saying, barely managing to greet him yourself, but the little parts that you could indeed pick up were wonderful - your ears were ringing badly despite the healing you’d undergone, but the sound of his voice was soothing as always. The feeling of his fingers brushing through your hair, the warmth of his body as he hugged you, what would you do without him here to comfort you? So you let him shower you with kisses and tell stories you could only understand parts of, slowly but steadily dozing off to his smiles.

Being stung, being poisoned like that, was certainly not an experience you’d wish to go through again, but the memories that it left you with, the little scratches of life before the maze, those were worth a lot of the pain.

#minho maze runner #minho maze runner oneshot #minho #minho x reader #minho oneshot #tmr #tmr minho #tmr minho x reader #tmr minho oneshot #tmr minho fanfic #the maze runner #maze runner #maze runner minho x reader

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spikesbimbo · 3 years

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Puppy Love

Paring: Hirugami x f!reader

Cw: NO SMUT, FLUFF ONLY, pregnancy/family mention, subspace mention, cheating mention

A/N: Gami brainnrot ever since @/chaotickatts said we were compatible, and thanks to @/kmorgzz for the idea

fun fact: i “stole” my first puppy and got a three year old purebred gsd for free, and also my former pug (rest in peace baby) (that i also go for free) and my best friends Pomeranian were also close as us.

I abuse the park trope

Summary: Walking dogs with the love of your life

Word count: 1.3k

You don't know what compelled you to let him have the little lap dogs to walk, or why you choose the biggest one, the heavy set lab, only 6 months old, dragging you around like a rope.

You two volunteered to walk the dogs at the shelter so they could get their kennels cleaned, you immediately finding the dogs that matched yourself personality, hyper and uncontrollable waiting to be ‘freed’ from the room.

The yellow lab, named honeybun, wouldn't leave your side, slapping his paw at you trying to get your attention, you immediately cooing at how cute he was.

“Hirooo, look how cute he is'' you said, batting your eyelashes at your boyfriend. You often day dreamed about adopting them all, getting a piece of land big enough to let them play in your yard, to which he supported saying, “let me get through vet school first” being in his fifth year.

You've been lucky to know him so long, becoming friends in middle school after you consoled him about his mistake in volleyball practice, not being able to walk by someone so noticeably but not visibly distraught, sitting beside him and letting him talk it out, noticing he doesn’t react well to disappointments.

He confessed to you in your 3rd year of highschool after you realized you liked him, then distancing yourself from him for a few weeks before he knew what was wrong. It happened to be some tv drama shit of him catching you in the rain after not seeing you for a whole two weeks, running up to you, to which you started running the other way before he caught you by your wrist and dragged you into him, your two making eye contact until the tension led you two to kiss, with the rain still falling, painting a perfect picture.

Being his friend first also came with the perk of meeting his family as friends, not lovers, which you were glad because they didn't mind friends but seeing that his family was so influential, they'd probably choose someone of the same class to set him up with.

But when he announced you two were dating they welcomed you with open arms, already loving you, his sister now calling you her sister in law officially, doing it to you behind his back before you two were dating, making you avoid his eyes for the rest of the day.

In fact she was the one who convinced Hirugami that you liked him, and that's why you were shying away from him, ultimately leading to your relationship. Bless her.

You turned your head to look at him snuggling up in the corner with the pomeranian and the pug, the two being inseparable, him already making up his mind on who to walk first. You wondered how you got so blessed.

He was such a pretty man, such a good person inside and out. You knew that he had admirers besides you, and you dont blame them. I mean looking at him right now, playing with the little dogs on his lap was enough to send your heart into overdrive.

You sometimes let your worries get to you, thinking he was with another person due to his mutable nature, even though he has given you no reason to believe that. But he always proved you wrong, putting you first, paying attention to no one except you, you being the sun to his earth.

You were brought back to reality by honeybun’s paw slapping you once again accompanied by a whine this time, letting you know he was getting impatient.

“Are you ready honey?” you said in a baby voice, not being able to contain yourself due to his cuteness.

You grabbed his leash, hooking it onto his collar along with Hirugami doing the same, the two of you walk out, him holding the door for you while you get borderline dragged by the big puppy you were walking. Him holding back his laugh, trying not to get his ass beat by you later.

You tried to walk alongside him, but you failed. Honeybun being distracted by every little thing, pulling you along with him. Everything in the park was interesting, the leaves falling were interesting, the sticks on the ground were interesting, the water bowl on the ground was interesting, he pulled you once again, Your arm was definitely going to feel sore tomorrow.

He finally stopped to pee, giving you a break. Turning your head to see your boyfriend behind you, a smile on his face as he walks closer to you with the little dogs sticking by his side. Lucky him.

Suddenly you felt you arm get pulled again but this time it was much stronger, so strong that it dragged you off your feet, you letting go of the leash, trying to see what this was all about, until you saw honeybun chasing a squirrel the fastest you ever seen him run. Luckily the park was fenced it.

You heard a mumbled giggle, followed by a laugh that he wasn't even trying to hide anymore.

“Ow” you started, standing up wiping your butt. “That's not funny” you continued, putting on a facade, your pout backing it. Did it hurt, yes. Did you care, no. But you wouldn't let him get away from it without babying you.

You loved how he took care of you, and he loved taking care of you just as much. If you didn't want to do something yourself, he would gladly do it. Your demure side coming out when he did, your innocent eyes gazing at him, putting you in an almost half-ass subspace.

He whistled and ultimately got honeybun back taking the leash in his hand, the yellow dog sniffing your butt, noticing your hurt, “You want me to take him?” he asks, rubbing your back. You look at honeybun, him sitting and his puppy eyes coming out almost in a form of sorry.

“Nah im good, as long as you'll be a good boy” you said, bending down enough to be eye level with the dog.

You two walked back to the shelter together, hand in hand this time. Honeybun trying his best not to get distracted. The little dogs still sticking by his side until they got back to their kennels. You two said goodbye to them, the little dogs enjoying the praise and petting, and then in the end getting to honeybun, him shoving his face into your neck, giving you kisses everywhere, thanking god you didn't have any makeup on right now, then switching his attention to hirugami doing the same. You two got up and said goodbye to the workers, waving at the dogs one last time.

“I miss them already” you said walking out of the building, sad that you couldn't adopt them all right now, he unsurprisingly felt the same.

“Pinky promise love, we'll get them all one day, with a big yard just like you want” he said wrapping his finger around yours, making your heartbeat a little faster, hoping that day would soon come.

You two drove home, the both of you loving staying indoors excited to finally rest. You ordering take out with “daddy's money” and some cheap wine from the gas station, putting on some romcom that y'all were flaming the whole time.

You two were laughing at every scene, making you choke on your food leading to him slapping the shit out of your back making it go away, eventually.

Saying something along the lines of “vet and med school are similar, i know what i'm doing”. To which you disagree because that one time you had a pregnancy scare, his first thought was to get an ultrasound instead of taking a pregnancy test. Luckily you weren’t.

Your eyes got heavy, your head now resting on his chest, the food being long gone, along with him caressing your body giving you forehead kisses every once in a while, putting you in a trance.

You were so lucky, having a spiritual and physical connection with him, emotionally bonding every chance you got. Not being afraid to express your wants and fantasies, knowing that he loved you unconditionally. You felt like you were in a dream, and you never wanted to wake up.

#hirugami sachirou #hirugami x reader #hirugami fluff #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fluff #hirugami Drabble #haikyuu drabbles

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toujoursmiraculous · 3 years

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Thoughts and Reaction to Mr. Pigeon 72!

I knew this was going to be a really good episode, just because the synopsis we got and the trailer seemed pretty bland. Whenever ML does that, a lot of big things happen in that episode. I screamed and choked on my water in the opening scene where Ladybug's with Alya in Marinette's room. I've been looking forward to Alya and Marinette scenes sooo much since Gang of Secrets! Wayzz & Alya: Hey Marinette, you should take a break and rest. Marinette: Nah, I'm good I gotta keep working Alya: YOU'RE LOSING IT, GIRL! Marinette: Don't care, must work Alya: Okay... you know Adrien and Kagami broke up, right? Marinette: Wait what?! Oh no, Kagami needs me! Alya: Not the reaction I was expecting but okay "Let's not wait for the storm to pass, but let's dance in the rain." I really like this quote! Even during bad times, you need to find the good and enjoy it. And Marinette reaaaally needs to do that. But in a literal sense, please don't dance outside during a dangerous storm.

ALYA AND TRIXX ALDJFSLJDS oh I love them, I'm so happy we'll get to see more of them. The way they both reacted to Marinette saying she has to go console Kagami, they weren't expecting that. xD But I was! I find it very amusing how in episodes like Frightningale she was more upset with Chloe being Ladybug than Chloe being in a video with Adrien that Alya's shocked by her decision, and in Frozer where Marinette was putting Adrien's wants before hers. I really don't understand why people think just because she likes Adrien, she'd not want to help make those around her happy even if it wasn't what she wanted for herself. I'm not surprised at all that Marinette would do this for Kagami, but I'm very happy that she is. "Alya, in Paris, Kagami has no other friend except me. Only I can console her." This makes me so happy. The only times in this show I like Kagami, is when she's with Marinette. After watching this episode, I'm more and more thankful she finally told Alya about being Ladybug I don't even want to know the state she'd be in had she not. O.O She almost ran out of her room as Ladybug (whoops), then almost ran out in her pjs (again, oops). Thanks to Alya, she didn't do either. xD That little detail where Marinette runs out and the sun's really intense, letting us know she's been inside a really long time, so everything outside is really bright. I really appreciate the little things like that. Or at least, that's what I take it as. Unless they're hinting at summer coming up soon... Dang Marinette, just jumps on Kagami's back LOL Kind of reminds me how Chat Noir likes to come up on Ladybug. xD "Your so original friend." Marinette is pretty original! I know the tone implies that's not a good thing, but eh. She's letting her go with Marinette and spend time away, so who cares! Marinette trying really hard to convince Kagami to get back with Adrien and how she's going to help her. I think it's really sweet of her, but Kagami of course clearly doesn't want to. Plagg: What's wrong with you, jumping into ice water! YOU'RE LOSING IT! Adrien: *exposes duffle bag full of Camembert* Plagg: I take back everything I said about you Also huh, Alya just told Marinette she's losing it, now Plagg tells Adrien he's losing it...hmmm. Bob Roth is a horrible person and each time we see him, he does something else to show it. Poor Adrien's allergic to pigeons specifically. I guess he's okay with some birds but not others? Idk? But he told Gabriel it'd be doves, so he approved. But it turned out to be pigeons instead. To be fair, at least in the US, Mourning Doves are often mistaken as pigeons, at least where I live, so they'd make a decent substitute... if it wasn't for Adrien's allergy. Adrien in Gorizilla to Wayhem: If you stop following me around screaming, I think we could be good friends! Wayhem with Cardboard Cut-out Adrien in Mr. Pigeon 72: ADRIENNNNNNN! :/ Marinette has a bag full of everything she may need in all kinds of situations. Comes in handy but good grief girl! How do you lug that all around??? What kind of scenarios do you think up to think of

some of that stuff!? Marinette's so adorable in her bathing suit awwww! Dude. Bob Roth. He said he's allergic to pigeons! And you blame Mr. Ramier because Adrien sneezed and it scared the pigeon away? How is this man successful again? He doesn't listen to anything or anybody. Marinette's like hey Kagami, look at Adrien. You'll start liking him again. Do you feel your heart beating fast now? And she's like "I feel especially bad for the trainer (Mr. Ramier)". I mean same though. He's being treated horribly! x.x Next take, Adrien dives and he sees Marinette with Kagami. But I think he only saw Marinette. Because he says he thought he saw a friend from school (Kagami doesn't attend their school, just the fencing class, as far as we're aware) and also he makes no mention of Kagami at all in this episode. Which means...

Why's your jaw dropping at the sight of your "just a friend" in a bathing suit, Adrien? And, you know, Kagami's literally right there in a bathing suit, too. Just saying. But it's like she's not even there to him. Hmmmmm. Poor Kagami's like, this entire thing is embarrassing, I feel embarrassed for me, Adrien, and this situation. Kagami: Marinette, stop! It's getting crazy! Marinette: Love is crazy! Don't think about it! I love how the more Marinette tries to help Kagami, the more things are working out in Marinette's favor. Interesting, isn't it? The more she tries to tell Adrien her feelings and make opportunities for them, the more they fail. The more she tries to help Kagami, or someone else, the more opportunities for her land in her lap. Hahahahaha the way they both fall LOL "Marinette? 😮" *guilty smile* AND THEN THEY TAKE DOWN POOR EDGAR! :( Mr. Ramier's in the background giving the poor bird CPR as he's drowned and Marinette and Adrien are just casually talking not paying attention lolol "What are you doing here?" "I came to surprise you." Kind of, she was hoping to help Kagami get back with Adrien. So that's a kind of surprise! "Uh, well to relax!" True too, actually. Alya did send her off because she needed to get out of the house and relax from her Ladybug and Guardian duties. Marinette, everyone needs to be careful when at a pool. Clumsy people like you especially need to be careful! lol Good thing Adrien's already seen her fall so many times, it's nothing new lol Gabriel: It's a failure Bob Roth: It's not my fault, it's his! Mr. Ramier: You are under arrest! Edgar is my best friend. He's the most intelligent of the pigeons! Gabriel: It's a pigeon Bob Roth: WHAAAT? IT'S A PIGEON? RAMIER, YOU LIED TO ME. Sorry Gabriel, I'll replace this man! I know a shark trainer First off... LOL that whole scene XDD I actually knew Bob Roth was going to say that entire thing before I heard it lolol Second... awww Edgar's okay! c: and third... I'M SORRY, YOU WANT OUR PRECIOUS BOY TO BE AROUND SHARKS?!?!? Who keeps this man employed?!?! Idk why but this whole time I thought that everyone would turn into giant talking pigeons lol ah well "I realized my mistake! We'll recreate the moment where you fell in love!" ohhh? Like I mentioned earlier, whenever she tries to do something to help Kagami (or someone else) that's when her intentions work out best for her. 😉 One of my favorite things from Style Queen was Plagg and Ladybug working together. Now they're working together again and just... ahhhh I gushed so much at that scene! x3 YESSSSSSS what I've been waiting for! Ladybug can just call Alya now and be like hey, I need your help! And Alya can just be like okay cool, and either goes to her room to get the Miraculous herself, or finds her and gets the Miraculous. So cool! Of course, I'll be most excited if she ever gets to just keep it on her, but... baby steps. Rena did a phenomenal job speaking as both Ladybug and Chat Noir lol. She's such a fan of them both, she knows just how they are around each other. Oh, oh no. We're trapped against a wall by a few pigeons. Looks like our only option is to give up and remove our Miraculous and reveal our identities. Are you seriously buying that, Gabriel? Plagg's like HELLO I'll be taking this! Alya did everything from inside Marinette's room. Ladybug was trapped in that room at the pool the entire time. All it took for this akuma to be defeated was Illusion that can be done from anywhere and Plagg getting the object off Mr. Pigeon. That's amazing! Also, this is the first time Ladybug didn't have to actually see things around her to know what to do. She just focused and thought about it. o.o Okay so hold up. Thanks to Alya, Marinette now knows she can create charms to protect past akuma victims and keep them from getting reakumatized, which is wonderful. I love how much of an impact Alya knowing is having! BUT How exactly does Monsier Rat come about then if he has a charm to protect him??? 🤔🤔🤔 I really like how her drive to want to figure things out was

especially because Mr. Ramier's been akumatized so many times, and she wanted to help him from having to continue to go through that. "This girl is truly Miraculous" awww cute how he got to just watch that this time.

I screamed at this moment because I knew. Since Origins, we have not seen this exact sky. Even during rainy scenes like in Chat Blanc or New York, they didn't look like this. YES, Kagami knows that the way Marinette feels about Adrien shows how much she loves him, but she knows she doesn't feel that way about Adrien too. And "You're right, Adrien is perfect... perfect for you." With a smile and everything! Awwwwww! This acceptance, and the Marinette and Kagami friendship in this episode is really, really good! 😭 "Wow, have you kept it [the umbrella] all this time?" She sure wasn't expecting that!! But wow Adrien, you noticed? Then Coup de Foudre happens again. Yeah, this girl is never getting out of her feelings for him.

Of course she's having trouble with her words still, but that's okay. But she's like oh, I'll give it back, and he just pushes it to her and says she'll need it to get home... unless she'd like a ride with him. AND SHE ACTUALLY ACCEPTED AND WRAPPED HER ARM AROUND HIS OMG.

To then only have the umbrella close on BOTH of them!

AND THEN ASKS IF HE WANTS TO WALK INSTEAD BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE UMBRELLA! She's come so far! And the sheer disappointment when he remembers he can't because of his Chinese lesson :/ And then, because he can't not be looking at Marinette, he hits the back of his head on the car, making himself look silly, just like in Origins she made herself look silly. This time she laughs, and he laughs with her. And it's literally Umbrella Scene 2.0 and it's absolutely everything.

DORKS ❤️❤️❤️ "They are made for each other." awwwww instead of Master Fu, this time it's Kagami. And she sounds very okay with that, that's so nice. "Let's not wait for the storm to pass, but let's dance in the rain." Then proceeds to dance in the rain!

Ahhh what a refreshing, good episode after how much she's been struggling and crying! So lovely! Her friendships with Alya and Kagami were really strong in this episode, her doing her best to help her friend with the guy she herself has always liked, and then Kagami was the one that wasn't really into it, and it made both girls realize that Marinette loves Adrien and is the one best for him, not Kagami. And I'm pretty sure this episode helped Adrien to open his eyes to Marinette more too. At least, this is the beginning of that, anyway! Alya's such a tremendous help to Ladybug now, which is everything. I do wonder if more friends will very slowly start to find out her identity and they end up contributing more to bringing down Hawk Moth, so she really, really isn't alone like she once thought. I don't really have any complaints about this episode at all! Just a bit sad we had no actual Chat Noir, but we got Ladybug and Plagg from it, so it's fine with me! x3 I know some may see it as "Chat Noir isn't necessary, how dare they do this to him!" but no, he's very necessary, sometimes he just can't be there and she can't do it alone. You have to remember how much Chat Noir means to Ladybug, and that she wouldn't even BE Ladybug if it weren't for Chat Noir! I'm really curious now about what episode 5 is, since now we've gotten Episodes 1-4, 6, we're getting 7,8, and 13 later, and we've already gotten 11. Filling in the gaps for the first half of the season! This entire week is going to be crazy with the new episodes, and for each one I'll be writing one of these posts for, so be on the look out for them!

#ml #miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #ml spoilers #ml spoilers season 4 #ml season 4 spoilers #mr pigeon 72 #mr pigeon 72 spoilers #adrienette #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #ladybug #alya cesaire #rena rouge #plagg #ahhhh such a sweet ep!

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yurtletheturtlehenderson · 3 years

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COSMIC - S3:E3; Chapter Three, The Case Of The Missing Lifeguard - [Pt. 4]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

𝘌𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪�� 𝘋&𝘋. 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦.

⚠️: character death, gore, jazzercise, and small mentions of El having a panic attack [will include markers]

📝: the character death and gore is a flashback from last season cause apparently making us watch Bob die once wasn't enough 🥲 also sorry the code cracking scene was so bad, it was kinda hard to write

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

It hadn't taken long to get El ready for her next trip to the void. El found a spot on the ground, dry enough to sit, and began constructing a familiar device with goggles and duct tape they had miraculously found laying around. El had been kicking herself for leaving her headband at home, she should have known she'd need it. But this would do. And it reminded her of her conversation with Joyce that night; the first time someone had helped her through her fears of the void. Y/n and Max got to work behind her, turning on each of the showers to create the white noise El needed.

When they had finished, they took a seat on either side of their friend who now sat before the photo. Drawing in a deep breath, she placed the goggles over her face and began her search.

It was cold and lonely like it always was. Again, she tried to remind herself her friends were with her but it did little to lull the growing fears of what she might find next.

A mailbox was her only clue this time. It wasn't too far away, but the way it stood alone in the distance, waiting for her, unsettled her somehow. Maybe that was just the void, but that felt like a lie she kept trying to tell herself to get through it all.

It bore the numbers 1438, and it was sprinkled in rain. When she finally reached it, she carefully reached out her hand. She could almost feel the tin under her fingertips when suddenly a crimson smoke manifested out of thin air just feet away. It didn't take long for the smoke to build and the picture to form.

"What do you see?" Max asked, after some time.

"A door," El answered, her voice obstructed from the goggles over her nose. "A red door,"

It sat there, waiting for her to move. El knew she had to, and when she did that awful feeling in her gut grew stronger. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she reached for the handle, and it took all she had not to waver as it slowly swung open.

El's frown grew at the sight waiting for her on the other side. A ways away sat a bright white bathtub. She wasn't at all eager to find out what was inside, but when she did, she wished she could say she was surprised.

Ice. Just ice.

Just like with Billy, but the ice hadn't melted yet. The tub was almost overflowing with it and—

El jumped back when a girl shot up from within so suddenly. It was Heather. She was pink-faced and trembling, but something told El it wasn't from the cold. The droplets of water covering her face had easily disguised the tears slipping down her face, and the look in her glassy eyes was pleading up at her.

"Help me," she sobbed.

El didn't have time to react before Heather was pulled violently back under. El shrieked, immediately diving after her only to be met with the watery floor. She was panting for breath, trying so desperately to calm her racing heart but she realized she didn't have time to. Heather was still there, in need of her help and she was quickly disappearing under the water that separated them.

El cried out to her, desperate to reach her but something was stopping her. She could scream and claw at the surface of water separating them, but by the time she found a way to duck her head and arm in after her, it was too late. El watched helplessly in horror as Heather was pulled into the deep black abyss of her watery grave, crying out for help.

"NO!"

■■■■■■■■■■■■■

El threw the goggles off her head in an instant, her shoulders heaving as she gulped down breaths of air.

"What happened?" Max asks immediately, her hand flying to El's shoulder for comfort. "El!"

El didn't answer. With a haunted look in her eyes, she gaped between her friends. Worried, to say the least, Max and Y/n looked to one another afraid as she buries her head in her hands. El didn't say a word and instead collapsed into shaky sobs as she tried to come down.

Y/n recognized the panic attack, and in an instant she had thrown herself to the floor beside El, laying her hand on her back and began rubbing soothing circles.

"Hey, you're okay. You're okay. Take my hand," She whispers, carefully taking El's left hand in her own. She knew it was a good sign when El squeezed back, despite her heaving breaths. It was a sign she was responding. "We're here, it's okay. Just breath. Deep breaths, in and out,"

El's breathing barely slowed, but Y/n kept encouraging her. As they found themselves doing more and more, Max and Y/n lock eyes, their faces horror-stricken for their friend. El doesn't notice. She merely squeezed Y/n's hand tighter and allowed the sobs to come.

■■■■■■■■■■■■■

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

HAWKINS NATIONAL LABORATORY

Once a place thriving with life and secret agency was now a desolate wasteland; a grave for rot and chaos that lay untouched for months.

The sign once erected on the outer gates now lay dented and scuffed among the mud and rain, forgotten like the rest of the laboratory.

RESTRICTED AREA

NO TRESPASSING

U.S. GOVERNMENT

PROPERTY

Hoppers truck comes to a screeching halt outside the lab's doors. Grabbing their bolt cutters and flashlights, Joyce and Hopper make their way to the abandoned laboratory that had caused them so much pain.

Joyce couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. She knew it was silly to be so worried about faulty magnets, but she didn't regret her actions. The last two times she had this unshakeable feeling in her core, she had been right to listen. The first being the moment she found Will's bed empty on the morning of November 7th, 1983. The second being Halloween night, the following year. And each time she felt it, untold horrors had followed.

And now? So far, those instincts hadn't failed her yet.

One visit to Scott Clarke about the town's sudden faulty magnets and her doubts were confirmed. And according to him, the only way an unstable electromagnetic field big enough to reach over all of Hawkins would have cost billions of dollars, and likely government-funded.

This had the lab written all over it. This had to do with the Upside Down and those monsters with it. It just had to. And she wasn't about to sit around and wait for it take her boy again. Or anybody else for that matter.

So here she was, nothing but a flashlight in hand and a fierce determination in her as she stormed the gates of Hawkins Lab, Hopper in toe.

The lab was just as they had left it that night. Glass was shattered among the floors from the busted windows, the chill seeping in from all sides; still as sharp as it was that night.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

The only answer the duo receives is the echo of Hopper's voice bouncing back to them as they step inside.

"We come in peace."

As she stood here now, Joyce realized everything was as she had last left it. That is... all but one thing.

One person.

Bob Newby. Superhero.

《•••》

He stood, the warmest of smiles gracing his face as he looked at the woman he loved. She was safe.

The next thing he felt was a harsh thud in his spine and skull as he was thrown to the floor.

All he knew was fear as he stared death in the face; its haunches in the air and its faceless head peeled away to reveal several rows of sharp thorny teeth as it pinned the man to the floors.

Joyce jumps back at the sight, her horrified screams blending with his own. The creature towers over Bob, and despite the man's best efforts he cannot quite match the beast's strength. It raises a single lean arm into the air, and in one swift motion its talons glide down to meet his left kidney. As its claws sink further into his sides, a cloud of deep crimson stains his scrubs, and a guttural cry of pain tears from deep within his chest.

"No!"

Joyce's cries of anguish alert the chief, who comes in all too late. He draws his rifle, now more in tune with the weapon without a still unconscious Will over his shoulder. But even then, it is far too late when the bullets hit the thing attacking Bob. Life has already begun to drain from the man, and in a matter of seconds, his chest had been torn to shreds.

"No!" She cries, fighting against Hopper's grip, unable to tear her teary eyes away from Bob.

"Go!"

As she is pulled around the corner, her one free arm stretches out after the man who had risked so much.

"Bob!"

The last thing she sees before the scene disappears from her view altogether is Bob's trembling and bloody hand reaching out for her in his remaining moments.

"No!"

《•••》

"Joyce,"

Her eyes are far away and haunted when she finally looks at Hopper. It looked to him as if she was pulling herself out of a memory, and he didn't have to wonder which. Hopper had a hunch this would happen, but he was in no place to blame her.

"You okay?" He asks.

But she was already burying it. Again, something he anticipated.

"I'm fine," she says quickly.

"You wanna wait in the car?"

Joyce all but scoffed and marched ahead.

"I said I'm fine."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Hours. They had been at this. For hours. At least... Well, that's what it felt like to Steve and Dustin as they continued their search.

Really it had only been a little over one.

Spycraft could be pretty boring, they quickly realized.

Their mission was beginning to feel a bit silly as the longer time wore on. After all, what were the odds they'd find an actual evil Russian waltzing around in broad daylight?

"Target acquired," Dustin gasped.

Okay, so maybe the odds were pretty decent.

"Where?"

"Ten o'clock. Sam Goody's,"

"Give me that," Steve says, taking hold of the binoculars.

Sure enough, just as Dustin had said, a towering man in shades, long blonde hair, was carrying a duffle bag as he strode through the crowd.

"Shit. Duffle bag,"

Lowering the binoculars, the duo look to one another with grave faces as it dawns on them.

-"Evil Russian"

He wasn't at all hard to spot in their sudden chase. His all-black jumpsuit stood out among the sea of neon around him as he ascended the escalator.

Despite his casted looks at his surroundings, the man didn't seem to notice the two boys close on his tail.

"Slow down," Dustin warned, as they squeezed through a group of girls.

"We're losin' him,"

"You're getting too close,"

Steve's shoulder suddenly collided with a guy not much older than him, who turned to scowl at him.

"Watch it, dickwad!"

The target slowed, peering curiously over his shoulder. Steve and Dustin fall back against the wall; Steve behind a plant that didn't exactly hide him or his bright blue uniform and Dustin ran for the payphone. He picked it up, immediately speaking into it in a monotone voice he would cringe at later.

"Hello. Yes. I am fine. How are you?"

But he didn't seem to notice, the target had already moved on. He seemed to be in a hurry.

When they were certain he had no reason to spot them, they fell back into a scurry on his tail which carried them all the way to...

Jazzercise?

Peering around the corner, Steve and Dustin watched bewildered as the man hurried to the front of the class.

"All right, everyone, listen up!" He yells.

Their minds raced as he threw the duffle bag onto the counter with an impressive thud before pulling back the zipper.

"I just have one question for you."

What evil did this man have in mind for this poor, unsuspecting group of women?

"Who..."

He rips his glasses off, and reaches into the duffle bag-

"is ready to sweat?"

-and pulls out a boombox.

Simultaneously, their faces fall into small 'o's as they gape at the unexpected turn of events.

The ladies clad in neon tights and leg warmers bounce happily on their mats, and a chorus of agreements ring out throughout the class.

"That's right!" Cheers the non-Russian. With a blindingly white smile, he presses play on the boombox and Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go begins to burst from the speakers. Stepping onto a mat of his own, he unzips his black jumpsuit — which they now realized was a tracksuit — to reveal an equally neon, dangerously thin, muscle tee. "Okay! Let's start nice and easy now."

A grimace falls over Steve and Dustin as they watch the sight unfold.

"Let's move our thighs. Yeah!"

The women cheer as he begins to grind the air.

"Yeah, ladies, warm it up."

They begin to copy his motions.

"Bring it down to your hips. Start feeling that burn, everywhere, down in the loins, right?"

Steve just blinks.

"Slow now. Just isolate."

The man begins thrusting his hips, and Dustin watches horrified.

Okay, so maybe this mission wouldn't be so easy.

But if they were going to find anything, he was sure it would be easier to handle than this.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"The week is long," Robin mutters. "The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west. A trip to China sounds nice if you tread lightly."

She takes a thoughtful sip of her soda, eyes raking over her notepad with the now fully translated message. Turns out, translation went a lot faster without those idiots trying to help. But something was still nagging at her.

"Tread lightly," she mumbles, discarding her drink and beginning to thumb through the translation book.

Had she gotten it wrong? She didn't think she had, but why else would it be bothering her?

She was pulled from her thoughts at the sudden sound of knocking on the back door. In a haste, she unhooks the headphones from her neck and squeezes through the partition window before yanking open the back door.

"Delivery for you,"

"Thank you," she says, grabbing for the package.

It was heavy, but that was to be expected. It must be the new shipment in from Michigan, she thought. With a huff, she drops it onto the break table before turning back to the waiting delivery man.

She scratched her signature in before handing the pen and clipboard back, and that's when her eyes linger on his uniform.

LYNX TRANSPORTATION

That nagging feeling was back, but more than anything it felt like an itch had finally been scratched.

It couldn't be, could it?

"Have a nice day,"

"Yeah, you too," she mumbles.

She could hear the wheels of his hand truck carrying down the hall and that's when Robin peered out after him.

A hint of a smirk grew on her face when she laid eyes on the insignia painted over the back of his uniform.

"Silver cat." She gasps. "Silver. Cat."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

"Hey, Robin, you're not gonna believe who Dustin thought was a Russian," Steve grumbled as they strode back into Scoops Ahoy.

Dustin shoved his arm.

"You did too."

"No, I did not!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I did not."

But Robin wasn't listening. She had shoved herself right past them without so much as a glance in their direction.

Out of breath in exhilaration, Robin finds herself on the ledge of the topiary in the very heart of Starcourt. Her eyes scoured the shops and she can feel everything falling into place.

"A trip to China sounds nice," she mutters. "A trip to China... sounds... nice..."

If Lynx Transportation was the Silver Cat, something in this mall — a store in this mall — then that meant...

Imperial Panda.

Her grin returns.

"A trip to China sounds nice."

She checks her notes again.

'If you tread lightly'

It had to be something with shoes...

How about Kauffman shoes?

"If you tread lightly,"

Now blue and yellow... what could that be — where had she seen that?

"When blue meets yellow..."

Her eyes fly across the walls, and for a moment she wonders if it's somewhere deeper in the mall out of sight. But that didn't make sense. What did make sense were the two clock hands at the center of the mall she had glanced at almost every hour of every shift.

"in the west."

"Robin?"

Steve and Dustin reach her side, peering up at her with a questioning look.

"What are you doing?"

"I cracked it," is all she can say.

"Cracked what?"

No longer able to contain her excitement, she jumped down from the ledge and her lips split into a small, shaky smile.

"I cracked the code."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Stepping through the airlock doors that separated the world from the gate to the Upside Down was not as daunting as it once had been.

For one, the airlock obviously was no longer functioning, nor was anything else in the building and above all, it all felt... empty. It looked more like an abandoned hospital than a notoriously evil government lab dedicated to the study of alternate dimensions and psychic child weapons.

And what once had been a gaping hole that lowered into a stories-high rift to another dimension was now just a slab of fresh concrete. The gate, and any way of reaching it, had long since been sealed.

Hopper gives a definitive, hollow knock on the plaster when they reach the wall, and turns to Joyce, "Nobody's home," and paces away.

"All the cavities have been filled. I watched 'em do it, Joyce."

At the very least, it was hard to swallow. For so long the truth had always led back here. Everything led back here.

The mind flayer, the demodogs. Will himself.

How could this not be the lab? Or at the very least, the Upside Down?

"It's over," Hopper concludes, seemingly reading her thoughts. Sharing a collective sigh with Joyce, Hopper looks around at the remains as she takes a seat on a nearby lift. "It's over,"

"I feel like I'm looking my mind," she says.

"You're not losing your mind," Hopper assures, nervously beginning to pace. "Not any more than I am."

He nibbles on the inside of his cheek as he nervously kicks a loose piece of rubble.

"You know, the other day, I almost shot Betsy Payne's dog because it came rushing at me from behind this fence, and I... I swear to God I thought it was one of those things."

The look in Joyce's eyes was all too familiar. It was a look he knew he had been wearing as long as she had

"You know that I'm keeping a close eye on things, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Because it is important to me." Hopper all but chokes. "It is important to me that you feel safe. That you and your family feel safe. I want you to feel like this can still be your home."

Joyce winces.

"What?" He asks somberly, already knowing the answer. "You didn't think I'd find out about that? Gary called me. He's said he's fixing up your house to put on the market."

Joyce makes no effort to deny his claims and Hopper realizes he never really expected her to. He didn't know what he was expecting. But the Byers leaving Hawkins was something he considered unthinkable.

And knowing that family, he wasn't the only one who'd miss them.

"The kids know yet?"

Joyce doesn't say a word, but it's all the answer he needed. The look on her face says it all; she didn't want to. She was afraid to. But she was also afraid to be in Hawkins. Afraid for her boys being in Hawkins.

And Hopper knew that feeling all too well.

"After Sarah..." he sighs, taking a seat on the ground beside her. "I had to get away... I had to get the hell out of that place, you know? Outrun those, uh... those memories, I guess."

Hopper tries to summon the words but they were having a hard time through the lump in his throat. There wasn't a day that went by he didn't think about his little girl. About what life would have been like had she still been around, how she and El would get along... All of it. But that wasn't the truth, and he knew it.

"I mean, why do you think I ended up back in this shithole?"

Eyes brimming with tears, Hopper peers up at the woman who had wormed her way into his heart all those years ago. She let out a pathetic chuckle, as he did and all he can do is smile weakly up at her.

"But you have something that I never had. You have people that know what you've been through. You have people that care about you. Right here. In Hawkins."

"You mean," she begins, her voice soft and cracked. "You mean, people like Scott Clarke?"

There's a painful silence that Joyce finally puts out of its misery.

"That was a joke," she smiled.

Hopper releases a sharp breath, his eyes fluttering closed in relief and her smile widens just a little further.

"Mm," he groans softly, giving a small laugh.

Lost in the moment and each other's company, they had nearly forgotten where they were had it not been for the sudden clang echoing down the nearby halls.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The Okra Project:

AAIP Mental Health Association

Black Trans Lives Matter Carrd

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"The Okra Project is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them."

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theprojectava · 5 years

Text

The Silent War

Sooo...remember the last post s8 fix-it post I made? I wrote a little something for it (I’ll upload it on ao3, too, but I still have to make an account there).

It’s not beta read and I suck at writing stuff in English since it’s not my mother tongue. Please bear with me. :)

(Fic’s under the cut)

Our room is dark, the blinds are shut tight

And everything is still too much outside

When he left it hurt like hell. It felt like Shiro had finally run out of time. He should've said something sooner.

There had always been tomorrow, another time, next week, after this mission,when this meeting's over, promise, I'll tell him then!

The war had finally, officially ended. But not for them. The universe was in disarray – all the Galra Empire had left in its wake were ruins and ashes of whole worlds burnt to nothing. The war had never stopped and so their duties as Paladins and diplomats of planet Earth continued to tear them apart. Silently. For no one to see. Not even Shiro.

He only felt the sensation of something finally ripping, when it was too late. Keith was gone. By the time they noticed, he was already on the other end of the known universe, fighting off war criminals and rebuilding what was left of civilizations that had taken the brunt of the Empire's wrath over thousands of years. Somebody had to do it, Shiro told himself again and again. And of course it had to be Keith. This was what he was born for. The stars. If he was completely honest with himself he had always known that the younger man was never meant to stay on the ground with both his feet. The moment he had seen him so many years ago, he had known. Keith was meant to fly and reach for the stars or go crashing down with them.

But it still hurt so much. Because in spite of knowing that this day would come, he still wasn't prepared to let him go. He wasn't prepared to lose the man that meant everything to him.

Maybe it had taken him too long to realize what Keith really meant to him. That he couldn't live without him by his side. There had always been tomorrow, another time, next week... The possibility that there would be a tomorrow without Keith by his side seemed so impossible after all they went through. But maybe that's what went wrong in the end. Shiro had taken Keith for granted – a constant in his life that would always be there, no matter what. And now it was too late.

It may be over but not tonight

I may be older but I still cry

I can't stop sleeping in your clothes

You can't stop calling on the phone

Keith never reacted to any of his text messages. Whether it was because he was busy... or for a whole different reason Shiro didn't even want to think of, he didn't know. Silence was all there was between them now. With every unanswered message the hurt sunk deeper into his heart. It festered there and turned into bitterness with every passing month. He felt hollow inside. As Admiral and part of the Terran Delegation there was quite enough work on his hands to keep him busy for most of the day. But every time he'd come back home to a dark apartment and cold sheets he felt like sinking deeper into an all consuming emptiness. He should've given up trying to contact Keith by now. He knew that. In fact he should've stopped thinking about the other man every waking hour. The only problem was... he didn't know how. It was all he'd ever done.

Can't you see I'm in recovery?

Just let it be, I'm in recovery

I'm holding on, I know I'm almost there

Storm reach out and tell me that you care

It stung like a knife to the chest when he found out that he seemed to be the only one who hadn't heard of Keith for almost a year. He'd met up with Pidge at one point, visited Lance and Allura on New Altea merely two months ago. He'd even made it to congratulate Hunk on his family's new house in person... The only one who hadn't seen him ever since he left... was Shiro.

Later he'd wonder if that had been the last straw. If that was what finally broke him. When he found out Keith was back on earth for a few days without telling him, he snapped. He packed all his stuff and left his office like a raging storm. He knew he shouldn't corner Keith like that. He knew deep down, that it was wrong. Patience yields focus, remember? But he didn't care for one second. His whole body felt numb, yet at the same time so full of cold anger. He needed answers. Nobody stopped him when he mounted one of the hoverbikes and sped off into the desert. He knew exactly where to find Keith.

When he reached the shack he knew Keith was there, even before he saw the younger man's pale face in the door frame. He was hurting them. Both of them and Shiro knew. But there was no turning back from this conversation now. There was no way this could go on for any longer. Shiro already felt like crumbling to pieces, he couldn't stand the silence anymore. At this point he really believed that he couldn't hurt much more. He'd been through torture and war. He'd survived the pits. He'd survived experimentation and losing his arm. He died and came back... But there was no way he could withstand this.

The moment they started talking Shiro could already tell Keith was closing in on himself, building up walls even he couldn't tear down anymore. The telltale twitching of his hands, the way his shoulders hunched... Keith was unreadable to most people. Anyone else would've thought of him as indifferent to what was going on. Shiro, on the other hand, knew what to look for. He could read Keith like a book. And that's where the fighting began.

Being shut out felt like a slap in the face. It burnt right down to his very core.

“It's better this way”, Keith told him. “I'm sorry...”

They screamed at each other. They cried. Two thrashing animals caught in a trap, neither of them ready to go down. Ultimately, it was all in vain. Keith had made his decision, for reasons unknown. He'd take this secret to the grave if he had to. Shiro would never know what drove the former Red Paladin away from him. But his choice was final.

Tears burnt in his eyes, when he turned to leave. He never wanted to do this... But the words bubbled up unbidden, nonetheless.

“Fine... If that's what you want. I won't stop you”, he looked back at Keith and saw the exact moment the words registered and hit home. “But don't expect me to be there when you decide to come back one day.”

That day he had hurt Keith in a way, he'd never forgive himself for. There was no going back from this. The damage had been done. He left without looking back, not expecting Keith to reach out and keep him from leaving. He never did, anyway.

I'm finally sober, I see the light

The worst is over, nobody died

I'm still trying to let you go

Oh baby, please, leave me alone

A brand new war began. One that Shiro wasn't sure he'd survive – a silent war. No one else could see it, but they could feel it. There was tension wherever Shiro went, hanging in the air around him like thick rain clouds. None of his friends dared saying anything – they all knew. They had to know. Because Keith never showed up to any of their anniversaries on New Altea, again. It was a silent war and this... this was Keith's way of opening fire. Shiro embraced it. Swallowed it. And then cried it out into the darkness of his empty bedroom, when no one else would hear.

Can't you see I'm in recovery?

Just let it be, I'm in recovery

I know you wanna say you're sorry

But I don't wanna hear that story

Days bled into weeks, weeks bled into months. His heartache wouldn't fade. Shiro's chest had become an open wound refusing to heal. When was the last time he had laughed? He didn't know. All he did these days was work himself into the ground, working overtime for hours on end until he was either too tired to think or fell asleep in his office. That was until he fainted during a meeting. There's only so much sleep deprivation a human-Galra-hybrid clone body can endure.

When he came to himself again there was a man hovering over him. He remembered him from the Atlas. One of the bridge staff. What was his name again? Carl? Curtis? Curtis.

“Are you alright, Sir?”, he asked.

It's weird... how things change so fast.

Turned out Curtis was what Shiro needed. For the moment. Talking to him was easy... kissing him was easier. Easy was good for now.

They moved in together after dating for a few months. Shiro proposed after another two or three. Of course Curtis said yes. Everything was easy with him. So why did Shiro feel like he was drowning? Sending the invitations to their wedding earned him a few rounds of interrogation from his friends, especially Allura and Pidge. They'd picked up on what had occurred between him and Keith – mainly because Keith had quite regular meetings with Allura and Lance on New Altea, since he became a senior member of the Blades... At least that's what Shiro heard. Both of them knew how much Shiro was hurting, but all they could do was give him sympathetic glances. They knew why Keith did what he did. That maybe protecting his own poor heart from potential hurt was what led to them silently tearing each other apart. It hurt to watch.

Of course they sent an invitation to Daibazaal, too. Since none of them knew Keith's current location, they'd chosen to send it to Krolia instead, knowing Keith would get it, sooner or later. That was Shiro's counterblow in this cold war between them.

Always thought you'd be the one

Who always needed me

My home, you'd be my home

After the wedding, the silence only grew. As did the emptiness in Shiro's life. His marriage lasted for a whole 2 years. The time it took them to get divorced included. There were no “I told you so”s from his friends – only support and a lot of hugs. Shiro didn't know what was worse. Because he himself had known this relationship was meant to crash and burn the moment he had proposed. Maybe before.

He felt terrible. Throwing his own heart in the line of fire because he couldn't let go of someone who clearly didn't want him was one thing... Pulling Curtis into this and putting his heart on the line as well, was a whole different thing. Has he always been such a terrible human being? Could this be the reason why Keith left? Because he'd seen how Shiro hurts the people around him on purpose? There was no way of knowing now. Keith was long gone... and yet, he was still everything Shiro ever knew.

Suddenly, your memory

In time is like an enemy, so cold

Five years. It had been five years since the last time they saw each other. Back in Keith's shack. Shiro's last words still rang in his ears, loud and clear. It had taken him a year or so, until he realized he'd used the same words Adam had thrown at him, before he'd left for the Kerberos mission. It felt like a lifetime ago. Another thing in a long line of things he regretted voicing or not voicing in front of Keith. It seemed like he never told Keith the most important things. But if he did tell him anything, only the wrong things came out. Things he never wanted anyone to hear. Unfair things.

The universe, as Shiro had known it, was in shambles.

A soft ping was all it took to tilt the universe back into the right direction. It was 3:00 am. An unusual time to get notifications nowadays. Shiro had stepped back from a few positions in the past year, slowly letting others take the reins. It was time for him to go back and teach at the Garrison... Or maybe... Maybe one day he'd see the stars again. He could hear them calling already.

Another ping and he was fully awake. With half lidded eyes a grabbed his phone. The bright orange light was nearly blinding in the darkness of his bedroom. He took one look at the display and nearly dropped the device into his own face. Wha-... Was he dreaming?!

There were two messages glaring back at him, taunting him. This had to be a dream. It had to.

Keith (03:02):

Dear Shiro.... I know I fucked up royally. Fuck, I'm not good at this. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's been a while..... But can we maybe talk?

Keith (03:03):

I understand if you don't want to. I'll leave you alone if you don't want to see me. But I... I can't do this any longer.

Shiro's heartbeat was deafening. Blood rushed in his ears. He had to pinch himself to make sure this wasn't another cruel dream.

This was happening. This was really happening. It had been five years. Five years of silence.

His fingers moved before he could even register what was happening and pressed “send”.

Shiro (03:05):

Don't be. We both did a lot of fucking up. We can talk whenever you want.

It took about ten minutes and Shiro was ready to dose off again, when his phone went off. It wasn't a text message this time. But a video call.

“Hey.”

A single word. It only took a single word... His voice was tinny and rougher than he remembered. His hair had gotten longer. Long enough to be braided actually. There was an edge to his face that hadn't been there when Shiro last saw him. But it was Keith. Sweet, beautiful Keith.

“Hey”, Shiro replied, his voice raspy and thick with emotions.

They talked. They actually talked. At 3:00 am. Not about what happened between them, not about the reason why Keith left, not about Shiro's marriage or divorce. But they talked about small things, like Keith's latest mission or that annoying woman from the canteen who didn't get the message Shiro was into men. But who could blame her? Ever since Curtis Shiro had never tried dating again.

When they finally hung up it was with the promise of meeting up when Keith got back to earth next month. It was almost 5:00 am. Neither him nor Keith had said it out loud, but it hung between them, so thick it was almost palpable.

“I miss you.”

Can't you see I'm in recovery?

Meeting Keith after all this time was like finally, finally putting the shards of his universe back together. Like finally laying their weapons down and calling off the war they had started on that fateful day in the shack.

It was awkward at first... until it wasn't.

One touch, a simple hand on a shoulder kind of touch, was all it took to open the gates to a flood. There were tears. Lots of tears. Tears of joy and sorrow, of forgiveness and apology. Years worth of silence were shattered by a flood of words. Once they started they couldn't stop. Hugging each other and holding on tight, never wanting to let go ever again.

“I'm so sorry”, whispered Keith in between ugly sobs. “I'm so, so sorry. I thought-... I thought-”

“Shhh”, Shiro tried to calm him, tightening his hold on Keith. But the younger man wasn't having it.

“No-... No, you have to hear this.”

He leaned back a little until he could look into Shiro's eyes. His eyes were red and still full of unshed tears.

“I'm sorry I ran”, Keith tried again. This time his voice was steadier. “I didn't know what to do. I thought... After the war you... You deserved better.”

“Better?”, Shiro frowned. “Better than what?”

“Me.”

At that moment it felt like Shiro's heart would burst out of his chest.

Before he could say anything Keith continued: “I... I thought after all you've been through, you deserved a life far away from war and fights and-... I knew I couldn't give you this.”

Another sob rocked Keith's lean body. He'd bulked up a little over the past few years, but he still felt so small and fragile in Shiro's arms.

“I never wanted to hurt you. But... I was afraid... Of hurting myself.”

There was a moment of silence. But a different kind of silence – a pleasant one. Finally, finally Shiro understood.

“You were trying to protect your heart”, he whispered.

Keith's eyes went wide for a second. But he nodded nonetheless. There was nothing left for him to lose. He'd lived five years without Shiro by his side... He'd been through hell already. All because he couldn't just tell Shiro how he felt.

“Well”, the corners of Shiro's mouth turned up into a soft smile. “there's no need to. Never was.”

Again Keith's eyes went wide, his brows rising almost comically high. Slowly, to give him enough time to pull back if that wasn't what he wanted, Shiro leaned down, until their lips were almost touching.

“I never told you this. I never found the right moment... and then you were gone”, with every word their lips brushed against each other. Keith closed his eyes. “Maybe I can tell you now.”

And with that he closed the distance between them.

Kissing Keith was everything he ever imagined it would be... and still so much more. The soft, warm feeling of his lips, the slow drag of his tongue against Shiro's bottom lip were intoxicating. He was done for. He knew that the moment he had to lean back and take a breath. He already missed the warmth of Keith's lips on his.

“I love you.”

The confession left his lips and he couldn't stop. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Tears filled the younger man's eyes again.

“I love you, too.”

For the first time in years it felt like there was a silver lining at the horizon.

They could to this. They could make this right. It had taken them five years, but finally, finally the universe seemed whole again.

The war of silence was finally over.

Song: “Recovery” by LP

#sheith #voltron #voltron legendary defender #shiro voltron #keith voltron #takashi shirogane #keith kogane #fix it fic #this is how i cope with the s8 ending #i suck at writing i'm sorry #vld #alternate ending #alternate universe #vld au #shiro loves you baby #i did a thing #gays in space #hell yes

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flowers-and-colored-hair · 7 years

Text

Don't write fics when you're high

You can literally see when it hits me

Dan and Phil were a package deal. You couldn't get one without the other. It had been that way for a number of years, and they wouldn't have it any other way. That is until 2012 rained down on them like a hail storm. It was also supposed to be the Mayan apocalypse, so perhaps constant fighting wasn't so terrible compared to the end of the world. Although there were some screaming matches that made Phil think otherwise. Before the horrible age of hatred turned its ugly head, they told each other everything: their fears, their insecurities, their weaknesses. Now, however, they were using those as ammunition. "Phil!" Dan screeched from his bedroom. Phil rolled his eyes and ignored his boyfriend. It was a wonder they hadn't broken up, yet, but not really. Deep down they both wanted this to pass and weren't ready to let go of their relationship. Dan marched to his room and swung the door open, letting it slam against the wall. "Phillip, what the fuck is this?!" Once again, he was ignored. It was a childish tactic, but it worked a forth of the time. Dan would yell a few times and eventually march off in frustration after getting no response. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times. Dan marched up to Phil and shoved his phone in front of his face. "Jesus Christ, Dan, I'm busy," Phil pushed the phone out of his view. "I haven't got time for whatever's got your briefs in a wad this time." "It's a picture of you with a hickey from 2009! And it's tagged with #phan proof. Now what have you got to say about that?" "I've seen that post. If anything, your reply is the real proof." He made it a point to not look up from his computer screen. Dan knew he was right. Had he not replied how he did back in '09, they could have thought the hickey was from anyone. Still, he was too frustrated to think rationally. He marched off, slamming the door shut and muttering curses. Phil groaned and rubbed his forehead. This was taking a serious toll on his mental state, well, both of their mental states. They were always stressed about little things, whether it be what to eat for dinner or which show to watch. It wasn't that they were actually stressed about those particular things, but they were deflecting the negative energy on smaller aspects of their lives. It was only ten at night, but Phil wanted to turn in early. At least in his dreams, the two were still together and happy. He found himself sleeping a lot lately: waking up later, going to sleep earlier, and napping throughout the day. It sure said a lot that he was happier unconscious. He shut down his laptop and went to brush his teeth. By the time he changed into his pajamas, he could hear Dan watching Buffy. Instinctively, he almost went to join him, but then he remembered. They were fighting. So he turned around and climbed into bed. Dan felt a little bad about the fight, and it plagued his thoughts as he tried to appreciate the romance between Tara and Willow. He should apologize. They'd been fighting nonstop and he couldn't help but to feel guilty. He clicked off the T.V. and went to Phil's room, the room that used to be both of theirs.

Softly, he rapped on the door. No response. He tried again a little louder. Nothing. "Hey, Philly?" When he went ignored once more, Dan assumed he was being ignored by his boyfriend. Was he even his boyfriend anymore? It was entirely unclear. They never officially broke up, so technically they were still together. God, Dan hated it when Phil gave him the cold shoulder. It made him feel like a child. He tried calling one more time, but he got no response. Little did he know that Phil was sound asleep. He managed to actually sleep for a full eleven hours. When he woke up at nine, he felt a bit more relaxed and at peace. It was still odd waking up alone after having Dan with him for years. It was especially annoying having to handle his morning wood all alone. In the past, Dan would be there to give him a quick handjob as he wasn't in the mood for full on sex and "a blowjob before brushing my teeth is going to have your cock smelling absolutely rank." He reached into his pajama bottoms and grabbed hold of his own prick. Dan always thought it was a bit odd that he didn't wear pants under his PJ's, but he definitely wouldn't complain either. The moment the thought of Dan entered his mind, he couldn't get him out. Dan. And his perfect body and amazing lips. God those lips, on his neck and around his cock. Phil slowly palmed himself, thinking about the way Dan reacted the first time he saw Phil naked. He actually fell silent and stared for a good twenty seconds before slowly reaching over and tentatively touching him. God that first time they were together. Dan made the prettiest noises. Phil stroked himself at a nice consistent pace, not bringing himself any closer to orgasm, but not teasing or edging himself. It felt good, but not as good as Dan. Sometimes he would get so proud of Phil and ride himself, like when he got the silver play button. They made love from dusk to dawn that night. Phil sped up slightly, remembering that. Then he heard something in the hallways. Instantly, Phil stopped and held his breath. A knock could be heard. "Phil, you up?" It was Dan. "Hey, could we talk?" Phil rolled his eyes and slowly began stroking himself again. He wasn't in the mood to get in another fight with Dan. Not completely sure why, he was oddly aroused by Dan being outside the door, completely unaware of what he was doing.

"Phil, c'mon, let's talk," Dan pleaded. He stayed silent and continued to masturbate. Perhaps this was a new kink of his. Either way, he fucked his hand and bit on his lip to avoid making any noises. His hand sped up when he heard Dan speak again. "Please don't shut me out." He flicked his wrist just the right way and threw his head back, eyes squeezed shut. He'd never gotten so close so quickly before. Phil shimmied off his pajama bottoms to have better access to, well, himself. It was getting hot in those trousers of his. The bed creaked as he took off his shirt as well and Dan heard it. "I know you're awake, Philly. You know I hate it when you ignore me, please don't do this. I'm sorry, okay?" Dan knocked on the door again, but Phil was too wrapped up in his own pleasure to care. God, his lover was right outside his door begging for forgiveness as he touched himself. Phil thought himself a pervert while grabbed the back of his own neck with his left hand and tried to control his breathing. He soon realizing he wasn't just holding onto his neck. No, he had reached a little lower and sunken his nails into the skin. He really was a freak. What could he say? Phil liked it rough, and so did Dan. After sex, they'd both be covered in bruises and scratch marks. "I don't wanna apologize to a door, Phil, please! Don't you wanna patch things up between us?" Dan asked desperately. "We've been in love for so long, don't throw that away. I love you." With that, Phil found himself cumming all over himself. That was always a thing for him, Dan telling him he loved him. "Fine then, if you don't even care enough to respond." Oh shit. He could hear Dan marching away. Phil got up and quickly stumbled around trying to put his pajama bottoms on in a haste, but by the time he did, he could hear the front door slam. Groaning, Phil went to the window in the main room to see if he could spot Dan. Sure enough, he was out there walking away. Phil was about to call him when he noticed the boy's phone on their coffee table. Phil waited by that stupid window for hours waiting for Dan. He really wanted to make things right. Dan had been mature enough to apologize, but Phil was too busy diddling himself. God, he felt like a moron for that. Then he spotted him. Dan was loitering around the front of their building, kicking a rock around. It seemed he didn't want to go in, so Phil grabbed a coat and ran out to meet him. When Dan saw him coming from the building, he huffed and leaned on a lamp post, refusing to look at him. "Dan, I'm sorry," he started. "I shouldn't have ignored you." "Then why did you? I've been stressing out all day about what it would take for you to forgive me." Dan looked at Phil. Choose your own adventure: (scroll down to your letter) A. "It doesn't matter why I did, I love you and you love me, and that's all that matters. B. "Because I was tooting my own horn." A. "It doesn't matter why I did, I love and you and you love me, and that's all that matters," Phil promised, taking a step towards Dan. Dan looked at him like he wasn't sure if he should trust him or not, but he did. Of course he did. He ran into Phil's arms and melted. "Can this be the end of our fighting? Please?" Phil pressed a soft kiss against Dan's forehead. "Of course, bear. Now let's get you inside." B. Phil looked at his boyfriend and sighed. "Because I was tooting my own horn." Dan frowned at his boyfriend in confusion. "You were bragging?" "Not exactly." Phil awkwardly began shifting from foot to foot. "My horn is my penis." The brunet stared at Phil in a mixture of both disbelief, disgust, relief, and another emotion that he couldn't quite identify. "You are so not that bendy," he finally said. "The day you self-suck is the day it snows in hell." Bleep bloop blop You guys I'm too high

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