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the-swedes-knees · 3 years

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Time in A Bottle (Agent Mobius x Reader)

Summary: Everyone has a guilty pleasure. For Mobius, it's a slice of pie in a very specific slice of time.

Word Count: 1.8k

Located in the middle of Downtown, bordering on the corner of old-time druggies and newly gentrified condos was a moderate sized building with an exorbitant monthly rent.

It was a theme restaurant, if the theme was 'we opened in 1953 and we'll be damned if we change the decor'- done up in chrome and frosted glass windows that clashed against the surrounding brick and mortar. The neon sign bearing the establishment's name had burnt out years ago, but it wasn't the type of place one would seek out.

Unless you were Mobius, that is.

[09:45:00]

Technically, he shouldn't be here.

His unit was nearly a mile out, or, more accurately, they would be within the hour. Dates like this, where a simple flap of a fat pigeon's wing could ripple into Nexus event after Nexus event had a name. A proper designation in their severity and frequency of necessary resets.

But he just always referred to them as 'a real pickle'.

You glance up at the front door as the brass bell affixed to the frame jingles loudly. The man that enters looks around the place before making eye contact with you and smiles. He points to the empty bar and you nod your head.

Once you finish refilling the other customer's drink, you see that he's made himself comfortable in the middle stool.

"Hey there." You greet from the opposite side of the counter. He offers a sheepish greeting in response as you set a water down in front of him, balancing a plastic straw on the rim of the glass. "Can I start you off with some coffee? Just made a fresh pot."

"That'd be great, thanks."

You place the mug and matching saucer in front of him and pour. For a moment you look up at him, and he's smiling a very genuine smile- something very rare these days.

As soon as it's full to the brim you're reaching under the counter and grabbing a clean glass sugar pourer, placing it right next to his cup.

"How'd you know?"

"Customer service intuition, I guess." He thanks you before unfurling the napkin containing his flatware. Like someone with real proper manners, he drapes the napkin over one of his legs before stirring an ample amount of sugar into his drink.

You can't help but notice just how much he fits in to the whole aesthetic with his well fitted brown suit and slim tie. New York offered a multiplicity of personalities, and you'd become quite numb to anything and everything that would walk through that door.

Yet, someone about this man was intriguing, familiar in a way. Like in the past life he was a PI that you hired to confirm your husband's affair.

Both a confidant, and a stranger.

"Feel free to take your time, but, do you know what you'd like?" You note his closed menu pushed to the side. He raises his eyebrows and nods while mid-sip, and you pull out a notepad and pen from your apron.

"Sure do, could I get two slices?" He points the vintage rotating pie cooler to your left and specifies his selection.

Easy enough. You put two generous slices onto separate plates, and he declines your offer of whipped cream or ice cream on top.

"Good choice, this one's my favorite."

"You don't say." The knowing twinkle in his eye wasn't noticed as you busied yourself with refilling his coffee. He holds his hands up in mock defeat and sighs. "Well, I guess you'll have to join me." The ceramic scraped against the quartz tabletop as he pushed one of the plates across the bar, directly opposite himself.

"I'm on the clock-"

"Don't worry, another customer doesn't come in for-" He pauses to flex his arm, riding his jacket sleeve up just enough to check his wristwatch. "12 minutes and 43 seconds."

[09:52:16]

"Am I supposed to trust you on that?" You raise an eyebrow, and his only response is a slight head tilt and pushing the second slice a nudge closer to you.

It wasn't every day courteous men offered you a break in the form of your favorite desert. Your face screwed up in contemplation as you looked at the only other two patrons in the diner before giving in and grabbing a second set of flatware. "Well, it is slow-"

"For a Friday?" He has another bite before setting down his fork and dabbing at his face with his napkin.

"Is it Friday already?" You sigh, bent over the counter to take a bite of the pie. Delicious as ever. "Hardly feels like it, all the days are melding together."

"I think this one will stand out."

"What is the date, anyway?"

"May 4th." You make a hum of acknowledgement and he gives you a lopsided grin. "2012, incase you forgot the year too."

"I'll mark it in my calendar," You laugh, using your hand to cover your mouth as you continue to chew. "'The Day I Met-'"

"Mobius." He introduces himself, extending his hand over the counter and you shake it. His grip is firm, authoritative. Before you can reply with your own name, he refers to you by it while maintaining perfect eye contact.

You can't explain why, but it feels so right when he says it. Like it was perfectly made to be pronounced in his charming Texan drawl with just the faintest hint of gravel.

While you're fixed in a stunned silence his eyes deliberately dart to the lapel of your uniform. You follow his gaze and laugh at yourself for neglecting that you were indeed wearing a nametag.

"So Mobius... like, from maths?"

"Yeah, like math." He eyes his untouched water and picks up the plastic straw. His fingers move carefully, removing the straw from the perorated paper. You watch with curiosity as the man twists the paper once and pinches the two ends together with his thumb and index finger.

Mobius holds his opposite hand out to you, confident, waiting. With a bemused smile you allow him to guide your hand. His skin is warm, presumably from the way he had cradled his coffee mug, but it's comforting in a way. His rough hand guides you, your finger tracing the geometry of the paper-straw shape.

"A path that twists and turns... but always ends back at the same spot."

"I wasn't very good at math." You admit, and gesture around as if working in a place like this was a testament to that fact. "Why does it matter that it always ends where it began?"

"Well, that all depends on perspective. Maybe it doesn't matter. But to the one who observes it, it makes all the difference." You quirk an eyebrow, silently pressing him to elaborate. "Maybe that point's... where you got your first kiss, the feeling when your favorite football team scores a winning touchdown, a perfect sunset-"

Mobius catches himself trailing off, and looks down at his plate. He puts another bite onto his fork and cheers it to you.

"Or having pie in good company."

You look around the mostly empty diner before bracing your arms against the counter, leaning in as if you were to whisper some great secret.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a bit odd?"

[09:59:06]

"No-" His eyes crinkle as he laughs. "No, that's a new one. But you find it charming." He winked, actually winked, and leaned back in his stool, smirking into his coffee.

Your fork was halfway to your mouth as your just stared at him, frozen. You feel your mouth open and close a few times as you try to think of a somewhat dignified response.

"How would you know that?"

"I just know things." He shrugged.

"Like what?" You challenged.

"How about, Paul- over there." You crane your head to follow his line of eye, your coworker currently bussing a table that had just left. "Worked in this place five years, loves Coke- from the glass bottle, nothing else. Has a girl on the Upper East Side and runs a decent sized internet radio station out of his apartment."

"You're one of his listeners." You narrowed your eyes at him, a perfectly reasonable explanation.

"Oh, no. Hyperpop... not my style."

"Alright, BBC Sherlock-" You countered. You give a subtle head tilt to a woman sitting in a far off booth, papers spread out on the table around her pancake combo. Whoever she was, she definitely wasn't a regular. "How about her?"

"Mrs. Braverman. Youngest of eight siblings, English teacher at the charter school up the avenue. Actually prefers imitation maple syrup to the real thing."

You know very well Mobius could be talking out of his ass. But he's confident, nonchalantly so- like this was a game to him and he was obviously winning.

"What about me?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Your anticipation is palpable as he swallows his final bite, taking the time to wipe his face of crumbs before smiling softly at you.

"You are... a poem of a person. Charming, capable, when you walk into a room people notice- even if you convince yourself that they don't." His gaze is steady, patient, and he's looking at you as if you're the only person in the universe. "You have big dreams, far beyond all... this... and you're gonna make it."

[10:04:59]

The sound of the door chime breaks you out of whatever hypnotic state you had found yourself in. Sucking in a breath and blinking away the very beginnings of tears in your eyes you tell the new customer to sit wherever they like.

Mobius took this chance to check his handheld, sighing at the time and the ever-growing slope of the branch variation.

The reset charge would be set soon, with or without him there.

"Look at that. Duty calls." He stands up and pulls a billfold from his jacket pocket, not even counting as he puts the cash down on the counter.

Mobius turns to leave, but hesitates. He turns back around to face you and places his hands on his hips. Allowing himself to play into the fleeting illusion just a tad longer.

"One more thing I know about you-" Mobius rubbed his chin in careful consideration. "You have a date tonight."

"Ah-" You wag your finger at him and shake your head side to side, "got one wrong."

"Did I? Ah- well... How about we change that?"

You pause. The plates you had been holding found their way back to the counter as you set them down slowly. Once again in a very short time span, he had left you speechless.

"That... was possibly the lamest pickup line I've ever heard." Though you mean it to be snarky, it sounds more like praise coming from your smiling lips. "I get off at 6:30."

"Alright." He looks perfectly pleased with himself as he lightly knocks on the counter with his fist. "It's a date."

Walking out the door, Mobius gave one last look at the diner before reporting to the event site.

He knew would see you again, always at 9:45.

#agent mobius #mobius #mobius m. mobius #agent mobius x reader #mobius x reader #loki series #loki #marvel #marvel x reader #sorry for the interruption from my usual content #but I love time traveling men

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akirakurusuimagines · 3 years

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ABCs with Akira Kurusu

From now on, I’ll be tagging not sfw content as “merciless mode”, so please blacklist it if you don’t want to see it!

A = Aftercare

The aftercare king. He’s so sweet and considerate regardless of the type of session you two had. He’ll be carrying you around, helping you clean up and showering you in gentle kisses and praise, making sure you drink water, cuddling you until you sleep while whispering sweet nothings into your ear, anything that makes you feel good, he’ll do it. Chances are, he’ll bring you food in bed tomorrow, too. If you manage to wear him out, make sure you spoil him a little too⁠—he needs it.

B = Body part

Akira’s favorite body part (on himself) is his hips. I mean, have you seen them? He’s got a nice ass and really nice hips and if you pay attention to those parts of his body he will fucking melt, guaranteed. On you, though, it’s hard for him to choose. He’s stuck between your thighs and your hands, loving the sensuality of both very deeply. He’ll pay a lot of attention to your thighs, kissing them, making a few nice marks, even bite them if you’re into it. Akira also loves to squeeze and hold them, just feeling them whether they’re wrapped around his waist or he’s laying down on them. For your hands, however, he also loves to kiss them, though sometimes he’ll playfully suck on your fingers, teasing you that way. He loves to hold your hands and squeeze them while you two are intimate in any way.

C = Cum

If you used your mouth on him, he would probably end up accidentally cumming in your mouth once or twice, but when he can catch himself, will finish on your face or chest, or even himself, depending on the situation. Your mouth really just does things to him. Most often, though, Akira cums in a condom, but if not, he prefers to cum on your thighs and/or tummy, enjoying the way it coats your skin, also paralleling the way you likely make a mess on him. If you ask him to cum inside you, however, he’ll be a little reluctant at first, but when convinced, gets shockingly addicted to the feeling, especially if you cockwarm him afterwards until he gets hard again.

D = Dirty Secret

Akira needed porn to get him off for the longest time, whether he read it, watched it, listened to it, whatever. He just needed something to keep his senses busy while he groped and fisted his dick. But that really started to change when he fell in love with you. He found himself unable to satisfy his lust the same way as he usually did, and anytime he closed his eyes while he pumped his cock, he could only picture you. The way you would writhe underneath him, the way you would feel around him, your sounds, your expressions⁠—when he finally let himself imagine everything he wanted to do with you, he ended up accidentally overstimulating himself, overwhelmed by the sheer desire he had. He couldn’t look at you for a week afterwards, getting too flustered by the memory of cumming all over himself because he thought of you.

E = Experience

He’s actually not that experienced, like at all. He’s young⁠; outside of being with you, the most experience he’s gotten is from his imagination, porn, and masturbating, really. He’s faking it until he makes it, and oftentimes, that works well enough. Akira’s a very quick learner, too, so even if he’s sloppy or a little inconsiderate the first time around, just guide him along a bit and he’ll pick up on things⁠—communication is key, here. Slowly but surely, he’ll become more confident in what he’s doing and become that sex god everyone wants him to be. When he gets older and more experienced, he’s sure to blow your mind every single time, even if it’s just making you cum from his fingers.

F = Favorite Position

Akira’s favorite position to fuck you in is something that you’re on his lap for, or facing him in general. He loves to see your expressions and hear your voice, and wants to kiss you as much as he can, regardless of whether he’s drilling you into the mattress with every thrust, or he’s taking things slowly. His favorite position to be fucked in is from behind, where his chest is on the ground and his ass is in the air.

G = Goofy

He can be both! Depending on the context (whether it’s Akira or whether it’s Joker), whether you two are in the middle of roleplay, whether the current mood is one way or another, whether you’re in a semi-public place or in Leblanc well after it closed, there are so many factors, but there’s always a healthy mix of both. The first time you two got intimate, there were a lot of laughs, though mostly nervous ones until your nerves settled down.

H = Hair

Akira’s got a little bit more of a bush down there, matching his hair almost too well. He makes sure that it’s nothing crazy and that he cleans himself regularly, but it’s not trimmed short or shaved. He doesn’t have a preference regarding whether you shave or trim or let it grow wild, but if you do have a bit of pubic hair, he might grip onto it while his face is shoved onto your sex, using his tongue to drive you crazy.

I = Intimacy

He’s so intimate and romantic, kissing you with every other breath he takes, regardless of the situation, whether he’s a little rough or it’s something soft and sensual, he’s always holding you somehow or kissing your skin. He always mutters praises and gentle “I love you”s even during roleplay or “punishment”, it’s not something he can physically ignore.

J = Jack Off

Akira would get so sexually frustrated so frequently because he was never alone long enough to actually take care of himself, and if Morgana or Sojiro or anyone ever caught him getting himself off, he would probably turn himself in immediately to avoid facing them. When he does get the chance to get himself off, it takes a little while for him to get into the right sort of mood with how stressed and busy he normally is, but he ends up exerting himself a little too much and is totally winded afterwards. He’s left alone with his horny thoughts but can only act on them once a week if he’s lucky.

K = Kink

He loves having his hair tugged. It’s one of his biggest weaknesses, and something that will make him moan the loudest. Tug his hair at every opportunity: when he’s going down on you, when he’s fucking you, when you’re fucking him, when he’s kissing you, anything. Tug his hair, whether you do it softly, or whether it’s a sharp yank. It’ll spur him on or make him dazed, perhaps both. Be careful, though, you might unleash a beast when you do.

L = Location

He’s split between the comfort of his own room, and the safe rooms in the Metaverse. His room is comfortable with a gentle ambiance, and has a lot of potential for any kind of intimate play. However, the safe rooms in the Metaverse give just enough of a rush of getting caught, the danger of being caught by his teammates and shadows alike makes his head spin.

M = Motivation

There’s a lot that turns him on. Something that spurs him on very quickly is when you subtly tease him, especially if there are a lot of people around. Whether by squeezing his hip or sending one too many flirtatious looks, or whispering something indecent to him before acting like nothing happened, or eating food sensually⁠—there is a lot. His hormones are on a complete and utter rampage underneath that calm demeanor. He can’t help it.

N = NO

Things he wouldn’t do fall under the extremes and bodily fluids, so things like watersports or intense BDSM. He also would never smack his partner across the face, and would not want them to do the same to him.

O = Oral

Akira loves to give, and that quickly makes up for his lack of immediate skill. He’s intuitive to your reactions and changes things based on how you react and the limited knowledge he’s gained from porn and sex-tips from magazines, so he finds that his favorite place quickly becomes between your legs, using his tongue to make you cum. Sometimes that’s all you do, and it’s intense and mind-blowing and your legs end up as jelly from the amount of times he pushed you over the edge. He does deeply enjoy receiving, but it’s something you have to beat him to when you get the chance, or he’ll latch onto you like a vice.

P = Pace

It all depends on the mood, it really does. He does have a slight preference for slow and sensual sex, at least to begin, and if it delves into something fast and desperate and unintentionally rough, well, that’s all the more exciting, isn’t it?

Q = Quickie

When he’s strained on time somehow, which is more often than not, he is more than down for a quick round. He prefers being able to take his time, but he has to admit, the moments where you two are clawing at each other’s clothes and kissing so hard you’re knocking teeth together as you stumble into a closet or flop onto the makeshift bed, barely removing any clothes as you desperately plead for him to fuck you, are really wonderful too.

R = Risk

Akira is down to experiment for the most part, but a lot of communication needs to be involved depending on what it is you two decide to do. Taking risks is on a case-by-case basis, depending on whether or not the risk is worth it. He plays it safe at school, knowing being expelled from the academy is essentially a death sentence, but in the Metaverse, he’s far more likely to take that risk.

S = Stamina

At first, he’s wiped out very quickly. He tries to last as long as he can, and he succeeds for the most part, but after he cums, he needs a bit of a break before he can go again. But, like with anything, he builds that stamina up. At the peak of his game, Akira could probably last a long while⁠—long enough to make you cum at least twice⁠—and can go a few rounds, depending on the intensity of the previous session.

T = Toy

Akira doesn’t own any toys. Morgana is far too much of a snoop, people are in his attic all the time, so he doesn’t feel comfortable having them. He would absolutely be down to use them, though, on both himself and his partner, regardless of what it is. It adds an extra layer to the bedroom that, though he thinks you don’t need, doesn’t hurt and only improves the experience.

U = Unfair

Akira and teasing go hand in hand. He just adores getting you riled up and flustered, whether it’s from sweet words that take you by surprise or dirty talk that sends shivers down your spine⁠—anything is fair game if it means getting one of those incredible reactions from you. He likes to tease in the bedroom especially, sometimes playfully and softly, others, more roughly, but if you plead for him to stop teasing you, he might just have to comply.

V = Volume

Akira actually isn’t that loud in bed. He’s rather quiet, actually, more pants than anything, followed by grunts and slight choking noises, small whines and finally genuine moans. He sometimes makes a conscious effort to be less noisy, so if you really want him to not muffle any of his god-like sounds, you could always put him in a ball gag or pry his mouth open with your fingers. But normally, his mouth is used to praise you or demean you, to tease you and torture you, driving you wild with how his voice can go from being so light and gentle to sending bolts of lightning to your nerves with how deep and sexy it is.

W = Wild Card

He has a high-key roleplay kink, especially when it involves his Joker side, whether it be a cops-and-robbers sort of deal, or whether it’s something of a thief stealing away a royal in the night. Akira won’t mention it to you for the longest time, but come to his bedroom wearing a skimpy costume and start pulling on those acting skills as you seduce him and he’ll fall right into your trap.

X = X-Ray

Akira’s slightly above average overall, not as girthy as someone like Ryuji and not as lengthy as someone like Yusuke, but well rounded enough that you can’t complain. Especially when you get to explore his dick and find the prominent veins that made him practically keel over, and realize the slight curve it has. It’s a very pretty dick, though.

Y = Yearning

His sex drive is quite high most of the time, all things considered, but during moments of great distress, such as the deadline for a palace closing in on him, his sex drive will plummet from the stress.

Z = ZZZ

He doesn’t really fall asleep all that quickly, he’s more content whispering sweet things in your ears and kissing your face and telling you how much he loves you and how fantastic you were as you two cuddle, but if he was on the receiving end, he’s far more likely to doze off unintentionally during it.

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mxtantrights · 3 years

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past lives | 7

a/n: we’re coming to the end. I wanna preface this, since this is a reader insert, I'm not gonna kill you off. I save that for my OCs (tee-hee) but then also you kinda did die didn’t you?, eh it’s kinda tricky but hey here’s the next part! enjoy!!

You looked at the new phone on your sleek white desk. It had been dropped off by someone this morning before you got into work. Someone who knew you needed a phone, someone who needed to be in contact with you.

You knew exactly who it was.

And if your intuition wasn’t enough, a text can through.

Gotham Academy. 1pm. Pick up the package.

It was close to twelve thirty according to the clock on your new phone. Which meant you had about twenty minutes to get to Gotham Academy, almost seven avenues away.

You grab your coat, bag and your phone and walk out of your office. In the hallway you run into Fallon. You tell them that you’re handling something for your Aunt and you should be back before three.

Even though Ra's al Ghul gave you orders, you had built a life for yourself. You couldn’t let it crumble.

Into the elevator and down twenty levels, you jog out of the building. Outside you reach the sidewalk and wave your hand to hail a cab. It would be much easier than ordering a ride share and you could tip greatly for increased speed.

Sure enough a black bag pulls up.

You open the backdoor quickly and get in.

“I need to get to Gotham Academy. Quickly! I’ll pay you a weeks worth”

The driver wasted no time- not even to hassle you into putting on a seatbelt. You reach into your bag and take out your special debit card. It was only used in case of emergencies, and this was.

You swiped it through the machine in front of you. You paid for the ride first.

“I make about 540, I don’t think-” the driver begins.

You then made out your tip to be 540, which should have been invalidated, but it went through. And the driver was the amount come up on his fare dial. He laughs a bit but he also increases the speed.

He doesn’t talk much on account of the fact that he’s speeding and trying to get you to Gotham Academy in the least legal ways. And he gets you there with five minutes to spare.

When the cab comes to a stop you thank him repeatedly. You get out of the cab and see the academy at the end of the block. Making quick work you walk there, as to not appear suspicious and text back on your phone.

arrived

you get a response seconds later.

you’re ahead of schedule. good.

Someone calls out your name and you look around. You eyes look over the people walking past you until you land on a very short person in the middle of the block. Not a short person, a child.

Damian.

You stalk over to him. He’s wearing a uniform for the school, but he’s outside of the building during school hours? Did he say that he as home schooled during the interview?

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you homeschooled?” you ask.

“I am, I am working undercover and needed something from Gotham Academy.” he answers.

“Undercover for who?”

“I can’t talk about it here. We should-”

Before he can finish his sentence there’s a loud boom. Out of instinct from being close to Damian, you pull him closer and tuck him underneath you. It happens really fast. Up in a window of the academy, there’s a fire. The sound of glass breaking and shattering. And something tells you that this wasn’t random. You being here, and Damian being here.

You drag him with you away from the building and to the end of the next block. There are swarms of people chattering and looking up at the fire from above. You pull Damian away from you and look at him.

“No cuts right? You’re okay?” you ask.

He nods his head and swats your hands that are checking over him. “I’m fine. What are you doing here?”

“I was in the area. Did you have anything to do with that?”

“No, I was on a recon mission not- we really shouldn’t talk about this here.” he says.

Before you can say anything more, he pulls out a phone from his jacket pocket and makes a call. He calls out Alfred’s name and shares his location. You take out your phone and look at it.

package acquired?

It was Damian. Of course Ra's lured you into this by using him but that was noe thing. It’s a completely other thing to refer to his grandson as the package you were acquiring.

You put your phone away, “When was the last time you talked to your grandfather.”

At that Damian’s eyes widen.

“I will not go back.”

And at his words your eyes widen. He won’t go back. Meaning he left Ra's al Ghul and he’s not happy. On top of that he’s run away to his biological father. Yeah Ghul is not happy at all.

“How long until Alfred comes to pick you up?”

“He went to pick up some things. So about ten minutes- give or take.”

“We need to talk about a lot. But not here- here,” you take out one of your business cards and a pen, scribbling your address on the back of it, “make sure you come undetected.”

“Why?”

You cleared your throat. How do you tell him that his grandfather is angry and most certainly on the war path to get him back to the island, and he enlisted your help without telling you much of anything.

You did this.

“You’re built a life for yourself Damian, and I think someone is trying to ruin that.”

“Grandfather.”

You nod once, “I’ll see you later.”

Back at your desk you let out a breath. You had just sit down again after running to get a cab back to work. You were lucky that there was no one above you or you wouldn’t have been able to get away with it.

You have your phone in your hands, text messages open.

negative.

You had texted that exactly ten minutes ago with no response. It couldn’t be good, but it’s not exactly bad. There was a reason he called on you to get Damian back. It meant that you weren’t low hanging fruit like you had thought.

Now you were thinking about that comment he made about Nyssa. Why did he throw that in your face? It was no secret that you and Nyssa were as thick as thieves. But she hadn’t reached out since you left. There was no real way for you to reciprocate if she didn’t want to be contacted. So how could she miss you?

The phone buzzed.

you will get another opportunity. do not miss it.

A knock came from the other side of your door. It was probably Fallon asking if you were okay. You didn't see them when you came back.

“Come in!”

In walks, not Fallon. Instead you see Tim Drake. Your step brother? You wondered how that worked out.

“I thought you were someone else. Sorry, come in Mr.Drake-”

“Just Tim.” he says.

He closes the door behind him and takes a seat across from you. Within the time he does that you shut your phone and shove it into your desk drawer.

“So what can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to pay you a visit and ask how the article is coming along.” he says.

“You came all the way over here to ask about the article? I left my phone number with your father, you know?”

which now that you thought about could be ringing off the hook. You haven't gotten around to getting a new phone yet with the same phone number as the last few days have been a bit hectic.

You had to get on that soon.

“Okay you caught me...” his pause makes you stare.

Was he about admit to the whole paternity thing? Why would he do that right now? And why him and not Bruce? You watch as he straightens himself out in the chair, even his tie.

“I’m here to poach some writers from you. Sorry. I read some of their pieces online and some of them are really talented.” he answers truthfully.

You let out a bit of a laugh. Oh wow you really thought that he was about to let the cat out of the bag. Speaking of which you were gonna ask Fallon about the Catwoman piece that was coming up.

“Oh you can try. But then I'd have to steal your pretty male receptionist.”

“Derek?” he asks.

“Oh yeah, I think he really liked my receptionist Kacey. You don’t watch out I’ll be taking him off your hands and Kacey will pull him in real quick.”

Tim laughs at that. Full on laughs. And you join him. It felt good to joke about things that didn’t concern the league or Ra's, or your paternity. Even though you two weren’t ever going to talk about that.

“I haven’t laughed like that in a while.”

You can see the bags under his eyes. The way his hair looks kept but if you were to run your fingers through it it’d probably give away a lot of grease. At least he doesn’t spray himself with axe body spray to get away with his lack of self-care.

“Yeah. It’s kinda hard being a twenty something with such a demanding job,” you say and he looks at you, “I would know being deputy writer is truly the most grueling work of all time.”

“I bet.” he says in-between snicker.

His phone buzzes and you can see him tense again. You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if you were Tim. To be so young and have so much on his shoulders.

“If you ever need to talk, I’m here. Or- my phone kinda got dropped into a sewer outside the office but I’m getting a new one soon.” you say.

He gets up from his spot in the chair.

“That’s great. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

With that he waves you goodbye and leaves your office. You want to forget for a moment that you have a text waiting for you in your desk drawer. That you’ll have another chance at picking up a package for the league. Picking up Damian for Ra’s.

You thought to yourself about what normal could look like.

#dc x reader #batman x reader #Tim Drake x reader #Dick Grayson x reader #Jason Todd x reader #Damian Wayne x reader #PAST LIVES

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babypandawrites · 3 years

Text

Allies, Pt. 6

The Fortune Teller

Pairing: Sokka x F Reader Warnings: None Word Count: 4,530 Summary: Meeting Aunt Wu and getting your fortune told by her definitely does not make you come to any realizations at the end of the day. None at all.

-Navigation- | -Allies Masterlist- | -Atla Masterlist-

Sitting a bit away from the rest of the group, Y/n leaned her back against a rock settled on the lake shore. She held a small handmade leather bound journal in her hands, finger tips tracing along the cover. She hummed to herself, squinting at the cover. “Maybe just a small peak…” “Look!” Her head snapped up, looking at the others, then looking in the direction Katara had been pointing. She’d been pointing out to the water, where a green catfish jumped from the water before landing back in it. Y/n tucked the journal away. “He is taunting us… You are so going to be dinner!” As Sokka ran to get his fishing pole, she got up and joined the group. Sokka tried to cast the pole a few times, but nothing happened. “Hey! Where’s the fishing line.” “Oh, I didn’t think you would need it, Sokka.” Aang held up the fishing line, it had been twisted into something. “Aang, it’s all tangled!” “Not tangled- woven .” He airbended a gust of air to push him to his feet, and turned to Katara. “I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one…” Trailing off, he smiled sheepishly and held out the homemade necklace to Katara. She took it from him. “Thanks, Aang. I love it.” Y/n got her bow from where it sat next to the tent, and pulled an arrow from the quiver before joining Sokka at the shore line. He had tossed his fishing pole into the water like a spear, only for it to disappear. “Stop taunting me!” She looked at him with an amused expression. “Sokka, I can catch-” Holding up his hand he cut her off. “No! No, I got this.” He drew out his knife, and lunged into the water, trying to catch the fish with it. Her and Aang both watched his antics in amusement. “So, how do I look?” Y/n turned back to look at Katara. The girl had put on the necklace Aang gave her, and while Y/n was pretty sure the question hadn’t been directed at her, she still gave her a thumbs up. “You mean all of you or just your neck? I mean, uh, both look great.” She raised her eyebrows at Aang. That kid was not very good at hiding his crush. Sokka got out of the lake, holding the fish he had caught as if about to kiss it. “Smoochie, smoochie, someone’s in love.” The fish flipped around in his hands, knocking him back into the lake and earning a laugh from Y/n. Aang rubbed at his head in an embarrassed manner. “I… well…” “Stop teasing him, Sokka.” Katara gave her brother an annoyed look. “Aang’s just a good friend. A sweet little guy- just like Momo.” “Thanks.” He was clearly put down by her words. Y/n rested a comforting hand on his shoulder, as a soaking wet Sokka approached the group. He was empty handed, and looked quite upset about it.

At a sound in the distance, Momo flew off in it’s direction. Aang used his airbending to join the lemur atop a large rock. He pointed to the source of the noise. “Someone’s being attacked by a platypus bear!” He jumped off the rock, presumably down to where the attack was taking place. Sokka and Katara ran off in the direction Aang pointed, as Y/n grabbed her quiver to put on her back, before quickly joining them. The three joined Aang, as a man calmly dodged attacks from the platypus bear. Aang, Katara and Sokka were trying to give advice to the man about how to evade the bear, but he brushed them off, claiming everything would be fine. Appa ended up scaring the platypus bear by roaring at it, not only making it run away but also making it drop an egg. Sokka went to pick up the egg. “Mmm! Lunch!” He sniffed the egg, before looking at the man. “Lucky for you we came along.” “Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry, Aunt Wu predicted I’d have a safe journey.” The man put his hands together in a position of prayer and bowed slightly. “Aunt who?” Aang questioned. “No, Aunt Wu. She’s the fortune teller from my village. Awfully nice knowing your future.” Katara looked amazed. “Wow, it must be. That explains why you were so calm.” “But the fortune teller was wrong! You didn’t have a safe journey, you were almost killed.” “I think us showing up is what made it a safe journey actually, Sokka.” “The girl has a point. All right, have a good one!” The man gave a wave goodbye to the group, and began walking away, but he turned back again. “Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travelers to give them this.” He handed Aang a long, thin wrapped object and walked away. “Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes. It could be fun.” Katara looked between her friends as she spoke her suggestion. Sokka waved off his sister's suggestion. “Oh come on, fortune telling is nonsense.” Glancing between the two siblings, Y/n offered a small shrug. “Even if it is nonsense, it could still be fun.” “See! Y/n gets it! Kinda.” “What do ya know, an umbrella!” The three looked over to Aang, who had unwrapped the wrapped up object, which was clearly an umbrella. The sky abruptly darkened as rain began to pour down. Katara smiled, and waterbended the rain into an arch above her head to avoid getting wet. “That proves it.” She ran to join Aang under the opened umbrella. Y/n found herself joining the two, trying to fit under the umbrella space as well. Sokka held the egg above his head. “No it doesn’t, you can’t really tell the future.” “I guess you’re not really getting wet then.”

The four walked down the road. Aang, Katara and Y/n were dry under the umbrella while Sokka was getting soaking again from walking in the rain. “Of course she predicted it was gonna rain. The sky’s been gray all day.” “Just admit you might be wrong and you can come under the umbrella.” Y/n nodded at Katara’s words. “The umbrella life is pretty nice, I really recommend it.” He looked at them blankly. “Look, I’m going to predict the future now.” Sokka made a bunch of funny movements and noises, before speaking in an exaggerated voice.. “It’s going to keep drizzling.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “See!” The rain instantly stopped, and the sun came out. “Not everyone has the gift, Sokka.” Aang closed the umbrella as he spoke. Appa came up on the group, passing Sokka, he shook out his fur causing the boy to be drenched more.

Soon, they came across a village sat atop a snowy mountain. When they entered through the gates of the village a herald dressed in black greeted them. “Aunt Wu is expecting you.” “Really?” Though it was something simple, it still seemed to amaze Katara in a way. The group followed the man as he led them to a building, closing the door once all four were inside. There were four sitting pillows placed on the ground. A young girl dressed in a pink kimono with her hair tied into large braids entered the room. “My name is Meng and I’m Aunt Wu’s assistant.” The girl seemed to take a quick interest in Aang. “Well hello there.” He rubbed his nose. “Hello.” Y/n took a seat on one of the pillows, Aang and Katara joining her. “Can I get you some tea, or some of Aunt Wu’s special bean curd puffs?” Sokka sat down as well. “I’ll try a curd puff.” “Just a second.” Meng bent down to address Aang. “So what’s your name?” “Aang.” “That rhymes with Meng! And you’ve got some pretty big ears, don’t you?” “Uh… I guess..” Aang seemed confused, rightfully so. “Oh, don’t be so modest. They’re huge!” Sokka spread out his arms wide. Y/n elbowed him in the side, as Aang looked at him angrily. “Well Aang, it is very nice to meet you. Very nice.” “Likewise.” Meng exited the room, leaving the four by themselves. “I can’t believe we’re here in the house of nonsense.” “Try to keep an open mind, Sokka. There are things in this world that just can’t be explained. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some insight into your future?” “It would be nice to have some bean curd puffs.” Katara seemed annoyed by her brother, and his disbelief. Y/n rested her chin in her hands, and looked over to her. “You really believe in this stuff don’t you, Katara?” “You don’t?” She offered a small shrug. “Not particularly. It’s just assumptions and intuition.” Katara looked at her with a blank expression. “You really agree with Sokka?” “I don’t think it’s nonsense.” “But, you don’t believe in it?” “I just don’t think it’s some magical ability, there’s logic set behind it that mostly consists of guesses.” As Katara rolled her eyes, a woman walked into the room. “Welcome young travelers.” This must be Aunt Wu. “Now, who’s next? Don’t be shy.” Aang, Y/n and Sokka all being disinterested, Katara stood up. “I guess that’s me.” She walked away following Aunt Wu into another room. Sokka was chowing down on the curd puffs they were given. “Not bad. Not bad. Mmmm!” He offered some to Aang, who declined. Y/n grabbed one from the tray when he offered them to her. Her nose wrinkled when he tried it, they weren’t really her cup of tea. Aang looked between the two. “So… what do you think they’re talking about back there?” “Boring stuff, I’m sure. Love. Who she’s going to marry. How many babies she’s gonna have.” Sokka shrugged as he spoke, eating another curd puff. “Yeah… dumb stuff like that…” Aang bit at his fingernails. “Well, I’ve gotta find a bathroom!” He jumped up and ran off. Y/n raised an eyebrow. “What’s his deal?” Sokka stretched out over Aang and Katara’s pillows. “Probably going to listen to my sisters dumb palm reading.” “Makes sense.”

After a few minutes Aang came back, clearly pleased by whatever he heard. “Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom break.” “Yeah, when I was in there-” Sokka cut him off. “I don’t wanna know!” Aunt Wu and Katara walked back out. The woman looked between the three. “Who’s next?” “Okay, let’s get this over with.” Sokka pushed himself to his feet. “Your future is full of struggle and anguish, most of it self-inflicted.” “But, you didn’t read my palms or anything!” “I don’t need to- It’s written all over your face.” Y/n held back a laugh. “Um, I can go.” Aunt Wu looked over her for a short moment, before nodding. “Follow me.” She got up from her seat, and followed the woman off into the room Katara had been in prior. The two sat down across from each other. Aunt Wu carefully grabbed onto her hand, and looked over her palm. “Is there anything you’d like to know?” “Uh…” Y/n thought for a short moment. “I’m.. not sure?” “How about we take a look at your love line.” “Alright.” The woman traced her finger tip along her palm. “You will have a difficult and tragic love. Many things will go wrong, and there is no guarantee of reconciliation.” She grimaced. “That sounds…” “Horrible? It will be.” “Um… Is there anything else you're seeing..?” Aunt Wu hummed for a short moment. “I can see… where your soulmate is from. The Water Tribe.” “Wa-Water Tribe..? Southern or Northern?!” “That I don’t know. Though I can see you will care for several children in your future.” “Oh. Can you.. See anything about my future in general?” “Let’s see… Things will get worse, before they get better. Secrets will only harm you in the long run.” She gulped. “That is all.”

After Aang’s reading, the group left. “Well, now you got to see for yourselves that fortunetelling is just a big, stupid hoax.” Katara rolled her eyes at her brother. “You’re just saying that because you’re going to make yourself unhappy your whole life.” “That woman is crazy! My life will be calm! And happy! And joyful!” Sokka got more upset with each word he spoke. He kicked a small rock off the ground, causing it to ricochet off a nearby sigh and hit him on the head knocking him back. “Ow! That doesn’t prove anything!” Y/n helped him off the ground. “If talking to that woman told me anything, it’s that she’s speaking nonsense.” “You just didn’t like what you were told.” She looked at Katara with a blank expression. “Clearly.” Her tone was sarcastic. “Well, I liked my predictions. Certain things are going to turn out very well.” Katara clasped her hands together. “They sure are.” “Why, what did she tell you?” Aang offered a smile to Katara. “Some stuff. You’ll find out.” They all approach a large crowd that’s gathered at the center of the village square. Most of the people in the crowd stood in silence, looking up at the sky. Katara looked up as well. “What’s with the sky?” “We are waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village.” One of the men in the crowd offered the answer. “The whole village?” Y/n looked at the man oddly when he nodded. “Interesting…” Weird stuff. Aang pointed up. “That cloud looks like a fluffy bunny.” “You better hope that’s not a bunny- The fluffy bunny cloud forecast doom and destruction.” “Do you even hear yourself?” The man looked at Sokka with an annoyed expression. A woman from the crowd took a step towards them. “The cloud reading will tell us if Mount Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt.” “We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves, but ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago we have a tradition of not doing that.” Sokka’s expression twisted to a mix of confusion and outrage. “I can’t believe you would trust your lives to that crazy old woman’s superstition.” “Seriously…” Katara shushed the two. “She’s coming!” Aunt Wu walked down and through the crowd, getting up to the stage that had been set up. She gave out several predictions, all of which pleased the village members to hear, one of which included that the volcano would not erupt this year.” Scoffing, Sokka gently elbowed Y/n in the side. “You think she’s crazy too, right?” “Well,” Pausing, she turned her head to look at him. Your soulmate is from the Water Tribe. “Yeah, definitely. She’s talking nonsense.” She breathed out a nervous laugh. “I’m gonna go see what Katara is up to uh- See you later!” Y/n turned fast on her heel and rushed off.

Arms crossed over her chest, Y/n paced in the space in front of Appa. The bison was laying on the ground, just outside the village gates. He let out a grunt. She halted in her steps, looking over to him. “You’re right, I’m stressing out about this way too much. I mean, why am I even freaking out? Aunt Wu’s predictions are just nonsense, right? You think they’re nonsense too don’t you, Appa?” Her eyebrows furrowed together as he grunted. “No, they have to be nonsense. There’s no way that Sokka could be my soulmate, that’s ridiculous. Right?” Appa gave another grunt, she frowned. “You’re not making me feel better here, Appa.” Sighing, she began pacing again. “Maybe I should talk to her again? I know, I know, I said her prediction’s are nonsense, but in the case they aren’t … She didn’t tell me if my soulmate was from the Southern Water Tribe or the Northern Water Tribe, if I get another reading maybe she can pick that up…” The bison grunted again, causing Y/n to look at him with an offended expression. “You could at least pretend to agree with me! This is why I take my issues to Momo, he’s much better at this than you!” Pausing she reached a hand out and patted his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. You’re definitely the better advice animal, Appa. You’re right, I’m just being crazy, it doesn’t matter. Thanks for the help Appa, I’m gonna go find the others now.” As she walked back into the village, Y/n scoffed. “I’m being crazy? Ridiculous, Appa is clearly the crazy one here…” Approaching Aunt Wu’s house, Y/n gave Aang a confused stare as he shouted something at a walking away Katara. “You good there bud?” Surprised by her sudden appearance, Aang jumped slightly. “Huh- Yeah. I’m fine.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you okay, Y/n? You were acting kind of weird earlier.” “Wh-! I was not acting weird. I don’t act weird!” She pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You’re acting weird!” “Uh-huh… You’re not here to get another reading, are you? Didn’t you say Aunt Wu was speaking nonsense?” Gulping, she looked to the side nervously. “I’m not! And she is!” As if on cue, the front door was opened, Aunt Wu standing on the other side. “I knew you would be coming back eventually.” Aang gave her a look. “Shut up.” Y/n turned quickly, and shuffled into the building. “You would like for your question from before to be answered, is that right?” Aunt Wu asked, as the two entered her fortune telling room. “Well uh-” Y/n breathed out a sigh, looking to the ground shamefully. “Yeah.” The woman led her over to an urn, it had been filled with bones. “Let’s try something else this time, pick one.” She motioned to the urn. Y/n looked at it for a moment, before picking one. They sat down, and she threw the bone into the fire when Aunt Wu instructed her too. The bone started to crack, small gaps forming in it. “Let’s see what it says.” Aunt Wu leaned closer to the fire, observing them. “The answer to your question, I’m still not seeing. But I can see that you will reunite with a family member soon.” “You’re sure? There’s nothing about it at all?” Another crack formed in the bone. “Ah… here it is. He will be from the Southern Tribe.” “The Southern Tribe…” Y/n was quick to push herself up to her feet. “I see well uh- thank you.” She bolted out of the house, uttering a quick apology to Katara when she shoved past her. Yeah, no. That woman was crazy! That couldn’t be true, there was no way- Y/n grunted, as she aggressively ran into somebody. She stumbled a bit, but was able to steady herself. “Ah- Sorry about t-” Realizing who she ran into, she’d cut herself off. “Oh wow, look at that, I have to go!” She turned and was ready to rush off, but a firm grip on her arm stopped her. “Woah- Wait! We need to find Katara and warn everyone. The volcano is going to erupt.” A very obvious wave of relief washed over her, as she turned to look at Sokka. “The volcano is going to erupt? So- Aunt Wu was wrong?” Aang and Sokka shared a look, before both offered a nod in confirmation. She breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank spirits… I mean- Not about the volcano thing that’s really bad but the Aunt- You know what nevermind, we need to get going and warn everybody!” As she started to walk away, Aang leaned closer to Sokka. “You think she’s acting weird, right?” “Definitely.” “Are you two coming or not?!”

The three found Katara, waiting outside of Aunt Wu’s door, which wasn’t exactly a surprise to any of them. Aang offered her a small wave of greeting. “Hi, Katara.” “Can you believe she won’t let me in? And after all the business I’ve given her?” Y/n raised an eyebrow at the girl. “But, she doesn’t even charge.” “I know, but still.” “Well, we have other things to worry about. Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano.” Sokka stepped into the conversation, causing Katara to look at him with an expression of annoyance and doubt. “Sokka, you tried to convince me she was wrong before. It’s going to take an awful lot to change my min-” She was cut off but the rumbling sound of the mountain erupting to life, smoke started to raise from the top of it. “Oh no!” The group rushed to the town square, to warn the villagers. They were able to get the villagers attention, and now stood with several people surrounding them. “Everyone! That volcano is gonna blow any second. Aunt Wu was wrong!” Sokka tried to warn the crowd, but they didn’t seem to be buying it. “Yeah, yeah, we know you don’t believe in Aunt Wu, ‘Mr, Science and Reason Lover’.” Y/n let out a groan. “This isn’t about belief! It’s about fact, and the fact is that volcano is going to blow!” “Yeah, we know you don’t believe in Aunt Wu either.” Slapping her palm to her forehead, she sighed. “These people are idiots.” “If you won’t listen to them, maybe you’ll listen to me. I want to believe Aunt Wu and her predictions as you do, but my brother and Aang saw the lava with their own eyes.” The villagers didn’t even listen to Katara’s warning and reason. “Well I heard Aunt Wu’s prediction with my own ears.” Aang airbended himself up onto the roof of Aunt Wu’s house. “Please listen to us! You are all in danger! And we have to get out of here. You can’t rely on Aunt Wu’s prediction. You have to take fate into your own hands.” An explosion came from the volcano, Sokka pointed in it’s direction. “Look! Can your fortune telling explain that?” “Can your science explain why it rains?” “Yes! Yes it can!” The crowd wasn’t convinced, and ended up dispersing back to their homes. Y/n pinched the bridge of her nose as they left, shaking her head. Katara breathed out a sigh. “They just won’t listen to reason.” “But they will listen to Aunt Wu.” Aang spoke up, landing back on the ground with them. Sokka’s eyebrows furrowed together. “I know, that’s the problem.” “Well, it’s about to become the solution. We’re taking fate in our own hands. First, I need to borrow Aunt Au’s cloud reading book.”

With the plan set, they each did their own part to make it happen. While Aang snuck into Aunt Wu’s house to get her cloud reading book, Y/n, Sokka and Katara stood watch. Once he had it, they split into pairs. Aang and Katara flew up on Appa to change the shape of the clouds, while Y/n and Sokka went to get Aunt Wu. “Aunt Wu! You’ll never believe it.” Y/n spoke, as the two guided her up to the stage from before. When they got to it, Sokka pointed at the sky. “Look! Something is happening to the clouds!” “That’s very strange. It shouldn’t…. Oh my!” One of the clouds had been shaped into a skull, to signal volcanic doom. Aang addressed the crowd of villagers when him and Katara got back. “We can still save the village if we act fast. Sokka has a plan.” “Lava is gonna flow downhill to this spot. If we can dig a deep enough trench we can channel all the lava away from the village to the river.” “If any of you are earthbenders come with me.” A twin raised his hand. “I’m an earthbender!” The other twin raised his hand as well. “I’m not!” “Everyone else grab a shovel-” Another explosion sounded, cutting Sokka off. “Come on, we’ve gotta hurry!” They all hurried to start digging out a trench, using the means of both manual work and earthbending. The volcano had started to spew lava, by the time the trench was finished and led into the river. “Everyone needs to evacuate! We’ll come for you when it’s safe!” At Aang’s direction, the villagers ran to safety. The group watched as lava started to race down the side of the volcano, engulfing the village gate and soon the cemetery. Once it reached the trench, it filled it rapidly. “It’s too much! It’s gonna overflow!” Katara shouted, as the lava filled to the top of the trench. Another explosion rocks the ground, burning rocks begin to rain down, along with ash. Y/n, Katara and Sokka began to run away, but stopped realizing Aang stood in place. He ran forward, launching himself into the air with his bending. As the lava begins to overflow, he blows the lava back to keep it from advancing from the village. He drew in a large breath before expelling it, using his airbending to cool the lava into stone. The three watched in awe. Y/n wiped at the sweat beading on her forehead. “Woah.” “Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is.” Katara looked over at her brother. “Wait, what did you just say?” “Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender.” “I suppose he is…”

After the volcano situation was successfully dealt with, everyone had gone back to the town square. Aang returned the cloud book back to Aunt Wu. “By the way, we kind of borrowed your book.” “So you messed with the clouds did you!” She snatched the book angrily from his grip, before beginning to laugh. “Very clever!” Turning his attention away from the two, Sokka addressed the villagers. “No offense, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune telling.” “But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn’t be destroyed, and it wasn’t. She was right, after all.” One of the men spoke up. Sokka got in his face. “I hate you.” Y/n looked between the two with an amused expression. “He has a point.” Pausing, her eyebrows furrowed together and her eyes widened. “Oh spirits, he has a point.” She dropped her head into her hands. Katara grabbed her brother by the shoulders. “It’s ok, Sokka. Everything’s gonna be alright.” Y/n held her head in her hands for a few moments, only looking up when someone nudged her in the shoulder. Ah, Sokka, great. “So,” Turning to face him, she raised a questioning eyebrow at the boy. “So?” “That was some pretty good trenching you did out there. You’re pretty strong.” Pausing, Sokka reached out and gently punched her in the arm. “For a girl.” He spoke in a joking tone, grinning wide. “Oh, uh, thanks. You’re pretty strong yourself.” Y/n punched him in the arm, but much harder than he’d done to her. “For a boy.” He winced, rubbing at the spot she hit. “Ow! I mean-” He cleared his throat. “That didn’t hurt.” She let out a laugh. “Sure it didn’t.” Climbing up on Appa as the group readied for their departure, she ignored the thought in her head that said Aunt Wu’s prediction might not be that bad.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar the last airbender x reader #atla x reader #reader insert #sokka x reader #sokka x y/n #sokka x you #team avatar #slowburn #book one allies

71 notes · View notes

shoichee · 4 years

Note

hi ! <3 I Absolutely luv your scenarios!:) Can I request for the pregnant s/o scenario with Midorima & Murasakibara ? :o Thank you :D

HELLO <333 wahhh tysm for reading, and i hope you’re still around lurking here to see this, my anon <33 also, i did write these in headcanon formats but please PLEASE let me know if you wanted scenarios and i’ll whip up scenarios :>

Pregnant S/O with Midorima, Murasakibara

Note: I am also writing this hc under the premise that the S/O has been dating with them for quite some time and is practically settled with them

Part 1 here

Midorima Shintarou

How He Found Out

i would believe for him to always, always use protection whenever he ends up having sex with you, and make sure you’re on birth control to prevent such an occurence

for a pregnancy to even happen, these conditions need to happen: 1.) he needs to be 100% sure that the two of you will be together for a very, VERY long time enough to not freak out about contraceptives or at least toy with the idea of not use any in the back of his mind and 2.) you somehow riled him up so much that he let it slide once/twice and go condom-free (whether you were on birth control or not that’s up to you, but he’d assume you were)

well, it turns out that during one of those rare moments of unprotected sex, you got pregnant, and now here you are with a positive stick in your hand squinting at it and scratching your head that you were either incredibly lucky or unlucky to get pregnant out of those few times you two went raw

how were you gonna tell him? well, he was a traditional man, so you simply set up a small, cute surprise for him when he gets back home

y’know, balloons in the living room and a little wrapped gift on the cleared table… it would send the message across… you think

hours passed and you were on the sofa twiddling your thumbs like a preschooler on timeout LOL and you didn’t want to go anywhere in case Midorima comes home early

your instincts were right because an hour later, he comes home utterly exhausted, immediately thinking about being roundabout in asking to snuggle with you

but then he freezes when his shoe stepped and POPPED one of the balloons you scattered around prior, and it scared him SHITLESS

he almost dropped his lucky claypot. almost.

“(y/n), what is going on?!”

he thinks it’s one of your antics and pranks as usual, and he immediately sighs exasperatedly at the thought of cleaning the mess up

“Seriously, I can never leave you alone in this house, nanodayo…” and as he shuffles through the floor, trying to avoid the rest of the clutter you caused, he notices you sitting primly on the couch (and giving him a poorly-concealed smile)

“Shintaro! I didn’t know you’d come home so soon~”

“Well, everyone was being annoying as usual, and most of the work has been done for today. I might as well come home to spend the rest of the day with you… obviously.”

you were so obvious, your eyes flitting back to the gift on the table and back to him, and Midorima doesn’t know whether to roll his eyes or laugh

“I’m assuming this is all for me,” he sighed, trying to hide his smile. “I don’t recall any special occasion for today, though.”

oh, your face just grew the biggest shit-eating grin at his words

“Is that so?~” you feigned with a sing-song voice

at your insistence on him opening the present right now, he swiftly pulls the ribbon apart and opens the box to see your positive test

MIDORIMA.EXE has stopped working

“W-W-W-What is that?!”

“A pregnancy test.”

“Whose?!”

“... Mine?”

“Wait, how?! With who??”

“Uh…” You stared at him incredulously. “You?”

MIDORIMA.EXE is failing to reboot

you were pointing at yourself and Midorima to further try to get the POINT ACROSS to this poor man who’s trying to process this OFBEJDIWHRIE

but you stopped your hand motions when you see the purest smile slowly growing on Midorima’s normally stoic face

YOU.EXE has stopped working

he brings you into a tight embrace and for a while you two hug in silence, enjoying each other’s company

“So uh, I’m pregnant,” you said, your words slightly muffled by his shirt

“Yes, I am quite well aware now,” he replied dryly, but his eyes are quite affectionate

“I hope you realize that this is a huge responsibility, (y/n).”

“Hey! I know that it’s a big deal! Come on, who do you take me for?”

“... Right.”

During Pregnancy

the first thing he does was take you to the doctor’s just to find out when you were going to deliver

“What? Why?” you asked him

“I must know our child’s horoscope sign as soon as possible,” he said seriously. “We have to make sure they’re born with no misfortunes attached to them.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

MIDORIMA PLEASE-

okay, but he’d also ask the doctor diligently on what you should be doing and what he should be doing to ensure a successful delivery

Midorima is deadass budget-version doctor at home

it’s that one meme where you go:

“Hey mom can we have a doctor?”

Mom: “We already have a doctor at home.”

Doctor at home: Midorima Shintarou

JOKES aside, he really is knowledgeable on this entire ordeal, which is a blessing and a curse

you could always come to him to rely on him when you’re unsure of something or for him to deal with your moodiness

but at the same time, you can’t get away with snacking on abhorrent things because he’d SNATCH them off your hands and scold you for being irresponsible LOLOL

you could NEVER sneak off unhealthy food because he’s ALWAYS somehow there to catch you or he eventually finds out later and still give you an earful

you still try to do it again anyways

then there’s that side of Midorima where he’d stuff the entire house with bundles of lucky items because he insists on buying two lucky items for you and the kid every day during your pregnancy… all so you can “maximize” your chances of having a successful delivery

you’re sobBING, it’s so CUTE BUT SO DUMB

did I mention that he’s already started on building the nursery and decorating it in ALL sorts of lucky charms and adorable plushies under the guise of “being safe and making the room lucky”

he rarely lets you step out of the house, but if you have to, he’ll always make the time for you so he can accompany you and just glower at anyone who looks at you the wrong way

surprisingly, he’s a lot more lenient on the PDA during your pregnancy: LOTS of hand-holding, chaste kisses on your head/forehead and maybe cheeks, and he does often hug you from the side to protect you

if you bring it up to him though, he’ll deny it to the VERY end and insists that he only does it so you don’t get moody and snap at random strangers passing by, and then it’ll be a hassle to deal with them

yeah right, Midorima

Murasakibara Atsushi

How He Found Out

when you first found out, you decided to hide it from him until you can figure out how to go about your pregnancy

1.) he didn’t seem like the type who can handle kids, let alone even like them

2.) you’re worried about how he’d react considering that he has a “devil-may-care” attitude and has quite a languid view on most things, even to this day

you underestimated Murasakibara though because when you first initially excused yourself to the restroom the first few times, he assumed that you were having too many sweets and barred you from consuming them until you got better

but you didn’t… in fact, you looked even sicker as the days progressed

that was when Murasakibara got suspicious and started paying attention to you and your behavior

when he gets serious, he’s incredibly sharp and intuitive

even still, he doesn’t know if he should confront you or wait until you tell him, because you’ve always been the “big pants” in the relationship, for lack of better terms

so he waits and observes, but he still acts just as normally as any other day, and you, on the other hand, thought you were able to successfully hide this from him

still, when you keep up this sneaky behavior around him, he slowly doubts himself about if he did anything wrong, if he forgot anything important, or if you’re doubting this relationship ???

but he’s not going to admit it to you, so he’s going to casually call Himuro and voice his concerns in such a roundabout way

Himuro immediately understands what he’s trying to ask and simply tells him to talk it out with you

ofc, Murasakibara just huffs and complains about it being so troublesome, but Himuro, smiles, knowing him better that he was going to do it despite his verbal complaints

when asking you if he did anything “wrong” and such, you immediately shake your head and deny it all to ease his worries, and you tell him that it wasn’t anything like what he imagined

at your words, Murasakibara was relieved but at the same time, if these weren’t the problems, why were you acting so strange?

like when you kept oversleeping, kept rushing to the bathroom early mornings, or when you even turned down his offer of going to the grocery store, bakery, and the confectionery store together multiple times simply because you said that you didn’t have the energy

he finally confronted after a few weeks of dodging on your end, draping his entire body over you from behind and placing his chin on top of your head

“Chibi-chin…” he mumbled. “You’ve been acting really weird for the past few weeks. Talk to me.”

you only sighed as you turn around and embrace Murasakibara, and then separated from him to put distance between the two of you as you make eye contact with him

you resigned yourself to tell him the truth because he was going to find it sooner or later, considering that you’ve developed a small bump… so far, you’ve passed off your stomach size as a “food baby” and “gaining weight, I guess,” but you knew you couldn’t use that excuse forever

but before you can utter out a single word, dizziness hits you like a truck, making you completely lose balance before you legit fainted on the spot

poor Murasakibara expresses one of his rare moments of absolute distress as he lunged forward to catch you before you fell to the floor

he’s dialing Himuro because he has no idea what to do and he’s absolutely PANICKING and thinking of the worst-case scenarios of what happened to you

Murasakibara was READY TO CALL THE AMBULANCE AND EVERYTHING but Himuro managed to calm him down enough to reason that it’s better to bring you by car

after all, Himuro had an inkling of an idea of what happened to you, but like a little shit, he’s not gonna tell Murasakibara because seeing him so openly expressive like that was a guilty pleasure for him

POOR MURASAKIBARA

he’s constantly holding you in the car like his life is on the line, and Himuro is just driving and looking straight ahead mentally cackling and wondering how he’s gonna escape his wrath if Murasakibara ever finds out that he knew but didn’t tell him

imagine a distraught giant busting through the doors carrying an unconscious you with a model-like guy trailing behind and pushing the giant to the side to try to coherently talk to the disoriented receptionists

what a life

the doctor merely just says that you fainted and it wasn’t serious, and Murasakibara doesn’t believe them ONE BIT

but he notices Himuro walking over to the doctor’s ear and whispering something, before they had an “ah-ha!” moment, and then right on cue, they had you moved to a different room for testing

poor giant is so agitated, constantly shaking his leg on the floor while he’s sitting in the waiting room, jeez HIMURO PLEASE GIVE HIM A BREAK

“Congratulations! She’s pregnant!”

“Huh.”

“Aren’t you her special someone?”

“Indeed, Atsushi is!” Himuro answers for him with a wink

Murasakibara needs to p r o c e s s this

after a while, you groggily stroll out the room like nothing happened, but still you had a frown on your face because you didn’t want Murasakibara to find out about your pregnancy this way

the car ride home was so AWKWARDLY SILENT

when you both get home, he gets SO PETTY AND CHILDISH AND HUFFS AWAY AND REFUSES TO TALK TO YOU

you try to coax him with kisses, hugs, and tickles, but he’s not budging one bit

even snacks didn’t move him… even though he did eye them for a bit before he turned away

“Atsushiiii,” you whined. “Talk to meeee, I’m sorry.” and there you go pouting and trying to squish his cheeks to get him to give up

he looks at you with an uncharacteristically serious look when he asks, “Why didn’t you tell me, Chibi-chin?”

and here you are, reluctantly explaining your reasons, and Murasakibara is just frowning because he’s thinking about how he needs to get his shit together so you don’t ever think that you can’t rely on him again

lots of wholesome cuddling to make it all up to him

“So… Chibi-chin.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m… gonna be a dad?”

“Yeah.”

and he gives you the brightest smile he’s had since the game against the Jabberwocks, except it was much more intimate and sweeter

During Pregnancy

does Murasakibara have any idea on how to deal with pregnancy? no, but to be fair, most people aren’t prepared anyways

he keeps forgetting that he can’t just give you sweets and snacks willy-nilly anymore because that’d be horrible for the you and the child

but he’s always giving them to you out of habit LOL, but of course, usually you turn his snacks down and remind him that you can’t eat them anymore

except when you have ungodly cravings and just accept his offerings without a complaint

and then Murasakibara feels like something feels off before he realizes you’re tearing off the packaging and ready to shove the entire biscuit into your mouth—

from that point on, he’s a lot more diligent in keeping the processed foods away from you

whenever Himuro stops by to help you out, Murasakibara REFUSES to forget what he did before and he glares daggers at him with every chance he gets, and both you and Himuro ignore him and are having your own conversations about the child AND MURASAKIBARA JUST SULKS IN THE CORNER ALL ANGRY—

he’s so petty and he’s so pouty, and honestly he is the one that becomes clingy during your pregnancy

whenever you shop for baby essentials to prepare, he’s always tailing after you like a lost puppy and trying to learn and understand the baby basics(????), while also doubling as your bodyguard

I mean, who would want to mess with you while there’s a purple titan RIGHT there?

still, you get a huge kick when you see people’s shocked expressions at seeing this gigantic man in the baby sections/aisles following around

you noticed, especially during your later trimesters, that he’s even gentler in how he handles and touches you, and it’s super cute that he’s so conscious about his size and strength around you

your heart is LITERALLY melting

you don’t think he even realizes that himself

but still, Murasakibara has to literally grit his teeth to stop himself from glaring/snapping back at you when your mood swings get really bad

how much do you want to bet that Murasakibara makes you buy extra baby food just to try it?

he’d probably even make you taste test it with him

he says it’s so the baby can eat the best brands out there and doesn’t have to eat the shitty food, but you think that he’s just eating it for fun and you tell him not to spoil the baby so early like that

he leaves the decorations and actual planning up to you though, even though he’ll be right behind you as you do it… he just finds it tiring and too complex sometimes

if you send him on grocery errands and things like that, he’d actually get up and do it without a complaint

if it was all for you and his child’s sake, he’ll do anything… after all, it’s the least he can do to be a dependable father

#knb #knb fic #knb fics #knb headcanons #kuroko no basket #midorima x reader #midorima shintarou #midorima shintaro #midorima shintarou x reader #murasakibara atsushi #murasakibara #murasakibara x reader #murasakibara atsushi x reader #pregnancy headcanon #knb scenarios #anon

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quazartranslates · 3 years

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Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH30

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

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Chapter 30: Star Death Reality Show (XIII)

"This place between the back of the head and the neck is very dangerous, it's easy for you to cause a brain hernia and kill the person. I’m telling you, the correct way is to hold her carotid artery—the place on the side of the neck, and she’ll pass in a few seconds, safe and harmless," Dr. Lu, who had committed several occupational malpractices, prattled on.

Qi Leren tried to breathe: "She’s not dead, I controlled my strength."

Dr. Lu raised his head: "When did you learn this? How did you suddenly change your style and go straight to James Bond?"

Qi Leren looked helpless: "It was all forced out."

"Qianbei is very fierce, almost too much! So handsome!" Du Yue, the fanboy, wore the awestruck expression of a hopeless fan and looked at Qi Leren with stars in his eyes. "Can qianbei teach me? I also want to learn!"

"Well, let’s wait... let’s wait until the show is over," Qi Leren said. "Hurry up and find out if there’s anything important in this basement. Hurry up, Mark may come back soon."

The three men were busy again, especially Dr. Lu, who, like a hamster whose hidden melon seeds had been lost after the sawdust was changed, searched anxiously. He plunked his ass on the ground and looked into the gap under the bookcase, and pulled Du Yue to help when he was met with heavy objects that couldn’t be moved.

Qi Leren looked around the basement. It wasn’t like a private laboratory, but rather a utility room, with cabinets and bookcases everywhere and some metal barrels and strewn about tools in the corner. Qi Leren even saw homemade explosives… This former owner was good at playing around.

Since there were explosives, it wasn’t strange that there had been an explosion here, and the scope of the explosion wasn’t small, which had left the basement a mess, with huge blocks of stones around the collapsed passageway. Although it could be seen that someone had cleaned this passage that led to an unknown location, they still can't do anything about the heavy stones.

Had anyone entered this passage? Had He Yi entered the passage, or were He Yi and Mark both in it?

Considering that the audience voted to prove that Mark had knocked out Xue Jiahui, it seemed that Mark probably hadn’t entered it. With such a thought, the situation at that time was that Mark had tried to go against He Yi. He Yi discovered the passage in the attic, entered the basement, and discovered the explosives. He wanted to kill Mark with these, and accidentally discovered that there was a secret passage here, which he used to escape?

"Oh, come and look at this! Is this the legendary ID card?" With a loud shout, Dr. Lu held up a plastic card to show it to the others.

When Qi Leren took the card, he still couldn't understand the words on it, but the metal identification strip embedded in it made it distinct. The plastic casing was also tied with a rope, which seemed to be hung around his neck to prevent it from being lost.

"You can give it a try. Come on, let's go back to Jing Siyu’s house" Qi Leren was also excited.

The three people left Annie knocked out, quickly left the building, and headed for the temporarily unoccupied house of Jing Siyu.

In the basement of Jing Siyu's house, with a "di-" sound, the heavy metal door opened upwards, revealing the dark metal passage inside. The emergency lights along the bottom of the passage’s walls were on, and the miserable green light source made this corridor look like a ghostly hell.

Sure enough, there was electricity inside. But intelligent life on this planet had gone extinct, yet there was still a power supply in this underground place? It was incredible.

Qi Leren stuffed the ID card into his pocket: "Turn off the cameras."

He was worried that there would be some accidents that would make him have to use his skill cards. Although doing so would arouse the suspicion of the audience, it was better than direct exposure.

"I'll go in first and see. Wait here. I'll call you when I get to the other end," Qi Leren said cautiously.

"Be careful, if you’re injured, come back quickly. I’ll curse you to death if you don’t!" Dr. Lu said.

"Qianbei, you can do it! You’re the best!" Du Yue clenched his fists.

Qi Leren felt a little tired. Why were all his little friends so funny? Couldn’t he get better ones?

In the deep and otherworldly green light, Qi Leren took the first step. His footsteps were as light as a prowling cat, and he didn't make a sound. This disturbing color touched his nerves and made him feel that he was in constant danger.

One step, two steps... Qi Leren moved forward, and the uncertainty of stepping on a censor haunted Qi Leren at every moment, making him more alert. He believed in his intuition. He knew he could even accurately sense the threat of flying knives when he was blindfolded, as Chen Baiqi had already confirmed.

And this passage was not safe.

Just when he was thinking about it, his hunch came true!

[Rain-Day Laundry: At present, the remaining sensing times are 2/3.]

Dididididididi— The shrill alarm sounded! Even if the ID card had been used to open the door, Qi Leren, an illegal intruder, was still caught! The metal door behind him slammed shut, cutting off his escape route! Dr. Lu and Du Yue shouted at the door in alarm, and at the end of the metal corridor, dazzling laser beams were generated!

Qi Leren's pupils suddenly contracted. The knee-high red laser beam quickly rushed toward him from the end of the corridor! Qi Leren couldn’t think about it, he could only jump! The timing and height were just right, avoiding this laser beam perfectly. But this was not the end. More laser beams were coming from the end of the corridor!

Calm down, calm down, calm down... I can't fucking calm down! Qi Leren was extremely nervous. He made a save with the Save/Load Data, but he knew that S/L wasn’t a good solution for this situation! After he saved, he would be cut into pieces of meat by the laser beam. After his resurrection, he would still be standing in place, waiting for the next laser beam to cut him again!

Shit, it was a dead end! This C-rank task was poisonous!

Qi Leren, whose brain had gone blank, recalled watching the movie "Resident Evil" with his father when he was a child. The laser corridor that cut a group of special forces into meat had left a deep shadow on his childhood. He remembered that there was an escape hatch above the laser corridor in the movie.

Qi Leren suddenly looked up, and under the green lights, he saw a neat metal ceiling without any cracks.

All those movies are so deceptive... Qi Leren scolded mentally as the four laser beams scattered in front of him approached within five meters, and the alerts from his "Rain-Day Laundry" skill sounded one after another, directly entering the cooldown period. Qi Leren, who was under high tension, broke out again. He got up and ran towards the laser beam—Jump! Over the first laser beam! Roll forward on the spot! Second beam!

The height of the last two laser beams were very tricky, and there was no way to dodge! They were too low to lie flat, and it was too late to jump. Qi Leren, who had already rolled on the ground, couldn't avoid the oncoming pitfalls. Even at this critical juncture, he used the strength of his arms to prop up his body and did a backflip, with his waist folded into a perfect arc.

The two high and low red beams reflected their dazzling deadly light on the metal wall, and the scorching temperature seemed to cut his arm and lower back, leaving burn marks on his skin. But when Qi Leren landed, he discovered that the laser beams were gone, and he had escaped them!

In these five or six seconds, Qi Leren had made a 180 between life and death. If Chen Baiqi was here, she would be shocked. Qi Leren’s blank mind suddenly flashed such a sentence.

The exit was seven or eight meters ahead, and the door there was open. It seemed that the personnel who had set up this trap didn't think anyone could pass through it alive. But before Qi Leren could breathe a sigh of relief, the laser beam at the end of the corridor lit up again. At first, it was the first one, then the second one and the third one... They were woven over the same position, forming a laser net comparable to a fishing net! It was finer than the laser wall placed by the producers outside this village!

No wonder this laser corridor didn't need to have a closed door! Qi Leren couldn't help but admit defeat and decided to run away—Nonsense, his save point was behind him. If he didn't retreat, he would be barbecued by the laser net once in his present position, then resurrected at the save point behind him, and then be chopped up again!

This round was a disaster. He hoped the laser net would disappear after one use. S/L could only restore his body to the position and state where it was saved, but the material world around him wouldn’t be turned back to the state where it had been. Otherwise, it would be too fatalistic... But it was meaningless to complain about this at this time.

Qi Leren sighed, closed his eyes, and forced himself not to think about the pain of dying. The countdown for the save was eleven seconds, ten seconds, nine seconds...

The scorching temperature kissed him on the cheek, and before he could taste the pain carefully, he was resurrected at the save point, and the laser net that destroyed any living creatures in the corridor disappeared.

This time, Qi Leren started to rush forward without hesitation. Hurry up. He didn't know whether there would be a second group of laser nets at the end of the corridor. If there was one, he had to hurry before the laser nets formed, otherwise he would be trapped and would die here, and would die completely after the S/L skill’s three resurrections were consumed!

As he ran to the end of the corridor, less than two meters away from the exit, the first ray of the second laser net appeared, just at the height of his neck. The next moment, the second one, at the position of his knees, and then the next moment...

It was too late. Engaged in a 100-meter sprint, Qi Leren couldn't adjust his body posture and could only run into the laser beams—his head was separated.

The file was read for the second time.

This time, Qi Leren's reaction is faster than the last time. He must run faster than the last time, otherwise, when the beams at the end of the corridor appeared, he would definitely hit them head-on and make a clean break!

Faster, faster... Qi Leren's feet ran like they didn't touch the ground. Under this extreme test of life and death, he ran faster than he had in any training! Because this wasn’t training, it was a test of life and death.

Here we are, we'll be ready soon...

The red laser beams lit up amidst the continuous shrill alarm sound, and the running Qi Leren closed his eyes in despair. The moment before his death was short, but it was long. The laser cut his body, but his brain was still running. He tried his best to think about how to break this stand-off. Every ten seconds, a laser net would appear at the end of the laser corridor and move forward. This laser net didn’t appear only once, otherwise, he could easily use the S/L Data to escape.

Unless he could "break the shell", as Chen Baiqi had said, and break the limits of his body and enter another state, he was destined to draw the line on the end of his life here.

He could only see the glimmer of hope if he tried his best and gave it a go.

He didn't want to die here, no matter what. He still had too many words to say to Ning Zhou, to tell him of the love he had never dared to express and to let the words hidden in his heart overflow. Even if he died, he couldn't close his eyes peacefully.

He couldn’t let Ning Zhou be sad.

The file was read for the third time and final time.

Qi Leren cleared his brain and drove away all his distractions. His body forgot its exhaustion and weakness in the moment that he finished reading the file. His eyes looked directly at the gate leading to heaven ahead, and he rushed there like lightning.

He didn't think about whether it could be done or the consequences of failure. There was a firm belief that made his soul burn at this moment. Willpower poured energy beyond his limits into his limbs. He was as fast as a meteor. In this dark tunnel, the wind sprinted and rushed to the exit!

The first laser beam lit up, and in the next second, more laser lines would be woven into an impassable net at this position, and anyone who tried to cross this barrier would be cut into pieces. The second laser line lit up, but Qi Leren had already rushed to it, jumped up in this extreme sprint, and jumped between the two laser beams. The world was as silent as when he jumped from the boat and his head became submerged beneath the water.

In the moment when he fell heavily to the ground, the alarm came to an abrupt end. Qi Leren didn't realize that he had passed through the corridor. He pushed up from the ground, rolling and crawling, and looked behind him in a panic. The newly formed laser grid sensed that there was no intruder in the corridor and was automatically dissipated and he, who had already pulled off his seat belt, had escaped this nearly inescapable danger.

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#Welcome to the Nightmare Game #欢迎来到噩梦游戏 #danmei

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3pirouette · 3 years

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Fic: The Good Doctor: Learning Curve (1/1)

Title: The Good Doctor: Learning Curve

By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette

Disclaimer: They're not mine.

The Good Doctor Series on AO3

Learning Curve on AO3

Story Summary: Peggy didn’t realize that she’d put her foot in her mouth when she’d asked Barton if he was a father.

Satisfies the Clint Barton Square for my Steggy Bingo Bash and Day 5 of Steggy Week: Favorite Trope/Genre. Usually the “getting used to the future” trope is saved for Steve, but I thought we’d turn it on its head a little.

A/N: Clint is… a mystery to me. He’s one of the characters I rarely write because I don’t feel like I have a good hold on who he is internally. As a square for my SBB, this is a challenge, but I really liked this idea, and I love this universe, so… Also, I now really like this soft, Daddy!Clint.

~*~

Peggy hated crying.

She hated showing anyone any kind of weakness.

She especially hated crying in the shared kitchen where anyone could come in and just see her standing in the middle of the kitchen, crying. Even though she knew she was alone, that didn’t make it feel any less public or exposed.

But she didn’t really have much of a choice, not when every single thing she’d tried to accomplish today had felt like a struggle and just out of her grasp and Steve was off somewhere and she was here, alone, trying to figure out just when to give up and try to talk to the disembodied voice in the ceiling or call Tony’s girlfriend who was currently all the way across the country.

She reached out to the counter, sniffling, eyes filled with tears from both the smoke of her burnt chicken and the emotional release she was having. She pulled at the slip of paper, trying to make out the number.

“You could just call her, you know.”

She jumped at the voice, warm and soft and male and very much not the AI she’d been expecting. She swiped at her eyes, sniffing away the tears. “I’m sorry?”

“Pepper. She wouldn’t mind.” The man gestured at the paper. “She’s pretty nice, once you get past that outer shell of cold-hearted CEO. She’s actually pretty down to earth.” He shrugged and moved past Peggy into the kitchen. “I mean, you could ask Friday for help, too, but she’s not as good as Jarvis was.”

Peggy watched as he moved around her, seemingly glued to the spot as he pulled her ruined chicken from what she thought had been an oven. “I mean, it’s not your fault everything around here is suped up to eleven.” He shrugged and tossed the chicken in the trash before he ran water in the tray and set it in the sink to soak.

“Who…”

Peggy didn’t even get out the whole sentence before he held his hand out to her. “Clint Barton.” He smiled, but it faded when she didn’t take his hand. He let it drop and moved back to the cabinets. “Picking up some tech and meeting the team in Hungry in the morning. Steve said you’d be here.” He started opening cabinets and picking through the cupboard. “Figured I’d see if there was anything worth scavenging here before we’re on freeze dried protein bars for the next few days.” He turned to her, face scrunching up. “They’re so dry.”

Peggy watched as he walked past the oven and flicked a switch, the overhead fan turning on and pulling the residual smoke from the air.

“Looks like there isn’t much… Wanda make any of that Pepper-stuff?”

“Paprikash?” Peggy stuttered out, still shocked at the ease he was moving around.

“Yeah!” He smiled and pointed at her, moving to the refrigerator. “I have no idea what’s in it, but it’s good.” He pulled out a glass container and smiled. “Bingo! Want some?”

Peggy nodded, shaking herself out of her stupor. “I’m afraid I’ll be of little use lest I burn down the kitchen.”

“Nah,” Clint moved around swiftly, barely looking as he pulled pots and spoons and bowls and set the stew to warm on the stove. “Friday’d activate the fire suppressants first.”

Clint leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms, looking her over. “Please tell me you weren’t crying over just a burnt piece of chicken?”

She cleared her throat, feeling suddenly caught. “Well, I…” she let the sentence drift off, not sure if she could get it all out without falling apart again.

He let the silence hang for a moment before he softened his face as he busied himself but getting the leftovers on the stove. “Steve asked me to check on you. Said he’s been calling and calling and you weren’t answering.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I… I…” Her hands flailed at her sides and the emotional release that had been so rudely interrupted by Barton’s appearance returned in full force.

He immediately moved forward, eyes soft, voice softer. “Hey, hey. Now it can’t be that bad.”

“I broke the phone!” She cried out, hands flailing in front of her and miming her frustrations out. “The little metal piece that goes in to charge it broke off and then I couldn’t charge it and none of the other ones would fit in it because I’d broke off the little piece inside and I tried to get it out but then I ended up making it worse because it wouldn’t turn on and I didn’t know how to fix it and then I was talking to Friday and I don’t know who Jarvis is but that woman in the ceiling knows nothing about phone and kept telling me to charge it and I couldn’t and…” She took a deep breath and dissolved into more tears.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Clint cooed, moving her over to one of the kitchen stools. “Sit. Take a deep breath,” he maneuvered away, filling a glass of water while he kept his eyes on her, “In for five, out for five, come on.” He modeled the breathing in front of her, waiting until she’d managed to even hers out before handing her the glass. “Little sips, ok?”

Peggy nodded, and he watched her as she caught her breath. When he seemed satisfied she wasn’t going to hyperventilate, he stepped back around and stirred the simmering paprikash.

She was quiet until she was no more than breathing heavy, swiping at the tears still falling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. That was… I’m sorry.”

“You know,” he started, almost ignoring her apology, “If I’d been pulled out of green goop and found out it was seventy years later in an entirely new world and my clone had ruined everything I’d try to build, I’d be a little upset, too.” He looked up at her, a half-smile on his face. “No one expects you to understand everything right away.”

She didn’t even have to think about her response. “I do.”

“Yeah, well,” he ladled out the stew into two steaming bowls, “Maybe you should give yourself some slack, too.”

She watched as he slid the bowls over than moved around the counter, gesturing to the seat next to her. “You mind? I won’t get much company the next few days.”

“Not at all,” she whispered, taking the warm bowl in her hands. She breathed in the warm, spicy steam but didn’t move to taste it, instead watching cautiously as Clint started taking heaping mouthfuls.

“You should eat,” he murmured around another spoonful. “You’ll feel better.”

Feeling like a chided child, she took the spoon and dipped it in. She hated to admit that he was right: after a few mouthfuls, she started to feel more like herself. “You must have children,” she said softly. “You were really quite good at stopping that tantrum.”

She noticed immediately the way he stiffened up, the way he carefully didn’t look at her and the way he deliberately took another mouthful of the stew. Peggy didn’t realize that she’d put her foot in her mouth when she’d asked Barton if he was a father. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It’s none of my business.”

“No,” he replied softly, setting his spoon in the bowl and wiping his mouth off with a napkin. “It’s just….” He turned in his chair, leaning on the counter as he looked at her. “I’ve worked with these people for so long, and not one has ever picked up on that. Five minutes and you’re pinning me down.” He smiled and laughed through his nose, turning back to his stew. “What do ya know.”

Peggy kept her eyes glued to him. “What do you mean?”

He laughed for real this time and turned back to her, smiling. “They used to say that Peggy Carter was sharp as a tack. That she could look at you and know everything about you. But when Shield fell and everything with Zola came to light…” Barton shrugged. “People didn’t seem to tell the war stories anymore. Just kinda, phased Director Carter out of Shield’s history. But here you are, in the flesh, and in less than five minutes you’ve got me pegged.” He laughed lightly again, playing with the spoon in his bowl. “You really are that much larger than life, aren’t you?”

Peggy didn’t really know what to make of all he’d said, she was still catching up with all she’d missed, and had steadfastly stayed away from information on the other her. She shrugged. “I’m just an agent, Mr. Barton. A spy. One that takes pride in her craft.” She pointed at him. “You stayed calm in the face of a crying woman, something that not many men can do, I assure you. But not only that, you moved about and settled the situation without any muss or fuss. You’re kind. And Intuitive. And have clearly dealt with toddlers before.” She laughed a little at the last part. “It’s not a hard jump.”

“Three kids. Two boys and a girl,” he whispered, pride exuding from him. “And I do everything I can to make sure as many people know as little about them as possible so they can stay safe.”

“I’d say that’s a smart move in your line of work,” she replied softly.

“Yeah,” he said, daydreaming as if he could see his children before him. It was a long moment before he turned back to her, his melancholy gone and the confident, nearly hyper man she’d first met back. “Let’s get this cleaned up and I’ll help you get set up with a new phone, ok?” He pulled his out of his pocket and started pressing the glass screen before handing it to her, the rings loud in the quiet space. “But first…”

“Barton?” Steve’s voice carried between them loud and clear.

“Here with Peg, Cap.” He smiled at Peggy. “All is well except for a few technology mishaps and a burnt chicken. I’ll get her all squared away before I head out.” He handed her the phone. “You two chat for a bit while I get all this cleaned up.” He hit another button and Steve’s voice was smaller, coming from the earpiece at the top of the square.

Peggy mouthed a thank you as she pulled the phone up to her ear, stepping away and out of the kitchen, watching as the man moved with a lithe grace to clean up as Steve rambled away in her ear.

She placated him quickly, telling him what had happened and feeling no real comfort at his reassurances that it was okay. She hadn’t been lying when talking to Barton: she expected more of herself. The pace she was moving at seemed far too slow compared to the life she’d led, and she wanted out of the invisible boundaries that constantly popped up and surprised her.

Steve was saying his goodbyes before she knew it, and all too soon she was left with a dark cell phone in her hand the faint noise of Barton moving about the small kitchen. With a deep breath she moved forward, holding his phone out to him. “Thank you.”

His smile was small but sincere. “You’re welcome.” He turned, waving his hand over his shoulder for her to follow him. “There’s always an extra phone or two down in storage, between me and Friday we’ll get it all set up for you.”

She followed him wordlessly to the elevator and slipped in next to him, shoving her hands in her pockets to keep from fidgeting. “I won’t tell,” she blurted out somewhere between floors 28 and 22.

Clint smiled, but didn’t turn his head to look at her. “They all know now, anyway. But I appreciate that.”

“I know how hard it can be,” she nearly whispered, turning her eyes to the numbers instead of his profile, “to find people you can trust. To feel like you’re safe. To feel like you have something of your own.” She nodded. “I won’t tell. Ever.”

The door opened with a soft chime, but he didn’t move to exit, just turned at her and smiled a little. “You really are that good, aren’t you?” He extended his arm and tipped his head, waiting for her to step out of the elevator before he did, quickly moving next to her to lead the way. He stopped at the first storage room and let his fingers fly over the keypad. “You know, I’m glad he has someone.” The door slid open and he disappeared, Peggy rushed to follow as he moved down the shelf lined room. “I’m glad you have someone, too, for that matter. This does get lonely.” He stopped, scanned a shelf, and picked up a box, flipping it in the air theatrically before turning and presenting it to her. “We’re a bit of a mish-mash of misfits. The weird kids.” He shrugged, but didn’t seem all that bothered by his own description, “But if you need a friend? Back-up? There’s no one else I’d want to have my back than these people.”

Clint smiled at her as she took the box. “You’re a part of that now, like it or not. You call, we’ll come running. And once you’re ready, I have no doubts you’d do the same for any of us.”

Peggy looked down at the box then back up at Clint, still standing there smiling at her. She couldn’t help it if her eyes watered a little. “Well, that’s quite the tall order to fill.”

He didn’t answer, just smirked and patted her on the shoulder as he passed her. She watched as he walked back down the hall for a long moment before she ran to catch up, quickly realizing she neither knew how to get back upstairs through the labyrinth of the tower nor how to set up the new phone.

She also had the distinct feeling that somehow, she’d made her first real friend since being in the tower. Someone that saw her, not what she’d been through.

“We’ll start with using a cell phone,” he let his voice ring out in the space, “then we’ll work on being an Avenger.”

Peggy smiled, feeling like that was a feat she might actually be able to accomplish one day now that she knew she had more than just Steve on her side.

#steggyweek21 #steggy bingo bash #3P's Fic

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lokidrabbles · 4 years

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Living For You (Loki x Reader)

Loki reflects on his newly developed relationship with reader, all while keeping them safe from an aggressive admirer from work

A/N: A longer one shot focusing on that sweet Loki POV and relationship development. I know it’s super cheese to have the whole partner protects you from unwarranted advances, but it makes for some interesting stuff! As always, Gender Neutral Reader! Warnings: Uncomfortable situations with insistent people who won’t take no for an answer? Otherwise, pretty fluff

Recently, things had become more manageable, at least in New York. Loki did acknowledge his arrangement on Midgard grew feasible now, and although he still received condemning glares from Stark and his entourage, it was more practical to put it in the back of his head. He attributed this to finally integrating himself among the Avengers and the pseudo-hero role that was imposed on him, but mostly due to you making things much more bearable for him while in New York.

His arrangement with the Avengers became interesting with you around, more tolerable. It had been recent since you and Loki confided in each other. You both had openly admitted your attraction to each other and one thing led to another. As things progressed, you had been very clear to take things slowly, not as an offense to him, but because you didn’t want it to become workplace gossip (and risk losing your job).

Humans liked to over complicate things, he figured, but he didn’t take any jabs at you for it. He liked you and that was as plain as it was. Now, the direction this relationship with you would take? He wasn’t sure about it. He avoided dwelling on the million reasons how it could possibly turn sour as to avoid sabotaging the opportunity himself. Instead, he enjoyed the present shenanigans you both would be involved in together and how it would at least aid him in brushing off the fact that Stark and the Avengers continued to vilify him passively. He felt happier having you around, and despite things being uncertain, it was therapeutic having you around to throw banter with.

It was as casual as it could possibly be. He’d meander around the facility to find you, strike up a conversation, but nothing beyond that. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t think about kissing you again like the first time. His memory remained vivid of your soft lips onto his, still unsure of how he’d respond to such an act. This was something he still didn’t mention to you but he continued to long for you coy kiss, allowing himself to think about entanglements beyond that.

He respected your boundaries however, and unless he had a clear say signal, he wouldn’t make any bold moves just yet. Besides, the build up to something like that would be much more savory this way.

Loki took you as a fairly attractive human for his standards. Not just with your physical appearance, but the way you presented yourself. You were quick witted and playful but easy to talk to regardless. You didn’t shy away from having conversations with him just about anything, and although you both came from very different worlds, the connection was instant. Needless to say, you were genuine with yourself and how you projected onto others.

Because of this, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Loki to quickly catch onto another staff member on your floor also having a certain interest in you.

Loki often hovered around your area any time he was back at the facility, but a new method would be warranted to ensure none of that unnecessary ‘gossip’ would begin. Despite it being something he shouldn’t be doing, Loki would utilize his illusions to disguise himself as random staff members and workers around the facility, just enough to take away any suspicion from his affliction with you. You were quick to catch onto his disguises, especially when he would casually stroll into your office and give you a quick wink as a random office worker. It was all part of the shenanigans you’d be involved with unwillingly, but he knew it brightened up your work day in some sense.

Loki’s illusions granted him close observation of those around you, especially the man who was blatantly interested in you. A fellow co-worker of yours, someone who had to provide you with daily reports and therefore would need to have some type of daily interaction with you. It was written all over his face. You weren’t completely clueless over the matter and continued to interact with him in the most appropriate work place manner possible.

Loki scoffed at how sheepish this man looked around you. His fidgeting fingers and lingering eyes told Loki he had an eye out for you for quite some time but was still too cowardly to say or do anything about it. He could tell this man would concoct ways to approach you in efforts to exchange a couple of words, only to have you completely ignore any tell tale signs. You were attentive with him of course, but nothing more. It satisfied Loki. It was ridiculous to assume he was jealous of this man, but it didn’t deter him from keeping watch over how he interacted with you. After all, how could he pride himself of having your interest if other men began to rush all over you? It wasn’t within his line of work.

“He has his sights clearly on you.” Loki had said teasingly to you one evening after you had just finished a couple of reports. “I wonder how harsh you’ll be in letting him down.”

“Oh? What makes you so sure I’ll let him down if he asks anything?” You played with him like this often, which only fueled his motivation to be as arrogant as he could be.

“Perhaps because absolutely no one compares to me?” He retorted, hand plastered over his chest. “It’s a fact you should start getting used to.”

You scoffed at his theatrics. “You know, for taking things slowly, you really seem to be enjoying taking this boyfriend role already.”

“Boyfriend? Don’t be such a child. I’d rather be referred to as, the love of your life.”

“God, shut up. You’re so embarrassing.” You responded with a twisted smile.

“The flush on your face says otherwise, sweet thing.”

Unsurprisingly enough, the scenario Loki had teased you about presented itself to you later into the week. You had told Loki about how this co-worker had boldly approached you about going out sometime for a date and the excruciating efforts you had to make with letting him down gently, making it clear you were not interested in him in that way. You explained to Loki how awkward it had made the process at work now since you would need to have constant interaction with him and how his entire attitude around you had changed. Unbeknownst to you, Loki gleamed with the thought of you letting down the advances of this man solely because your interests lied with himself instead.

“What do you mean?” Loki asked hiding away a satisfied grin.

“He’s just super blunt and quick with stuff he needs to turn in to me. Like, I’ll have a question to ask about something and he zooms out of the office. I think I wrecked him.” You explained, your mouth twisting in worry.

“That’s his own volition then. You didn’t do anything wrong, you were simply being honest with him. If he can’t manage with that fact then he is quite the weak willed man.”

You squinted your eyes at him. “You sure you’re not just saying that because I rejected his advances in favor of you?”

“Well, yes. Is there a problem?”

Days had gone by and Loki continued to observe your admirer from afar through the guise of his illusion. There was something wrong with him. Again, Loki’s observation skills provided him with the clear indication that he had not taken your rejection rather well. Loki caught on to the man’s gaze and how dramatically it had changed. What was an obsessive, admirable stare now became calculated and resentful. He wouldn’t say much to you, but would still notably make efforts to come to your office as often as possible. This piqued at Loki’s interest, but more so, it cautioned him to keep a watchful eye over whatever ill intentions this man had with you. Loki knew men of that nature, and he knew how far they could fall when they don’t get what they want.

Towards the end of your shift, your admirer had once again made way to your office. Loki cast an illusion over himself as one of the security guards on your floor and placed himself strategically where he could see and hear the both of you through the open door of your office. Most security guards at the facility were often watchful of their surroundings, which allowed him to perfectly blend in with his surrounding. He heard you make small conversation with him, something relating to being relieved for the weekend, but he wouldn’t budge. Once you had thanked him for turning in some reports he had made it clear he had no intention of leaving your office yet. Loki’s brow furrowed onto him, his intuition continuing to tell him this man was up to something.

“What’s wrong?” You had asked him.

“Look, I’m sorry.” He began with a faltered laugh. “But I just can’t get over you rejecting me the other day. I have to ask, why?”

Ah. Loki figured as much. This man couldn’t handle something like that from you. Pathetic.

“Wow. I mean, wasn’t I clear?” You responded while gesturing at yourself. “I’m not interested, and I’m sorry. But that’s as respectful as I can be about it.”

“Who do you think you are?” His voice became loud and aggressive, triggering Loki’s defensive instincts.

“Hey, cool it. This is not the place or time to be talking to me about this.” You responded to him but Loki caught on quickly to the shakiness in your voice. You were getting nervous. Loki felt his fist clench, almost ready to instinctively conjure a dagger.

“Oh stop it. Don’t talk down to me like that, after all the efforts I put in for you.” He continued raising his voice at you, instantly pissing off Loki. A rage began to build in the pit of his stomach and a single thought ran in his head. This cretin had the audacity to speak to you, his human, in such a way.

After all, Loki took it upon himself to be your protector, your guardian. It wasn’t out of possessiveness but an affirmation that you, his human, were his to keep watch over. Loki was your tree, and he would protect you under his shade as much as he could.

The opportunity was open for him to simply dash in and knock out this excuse of a man right out.

“Excuse me? Just because we work together doesn’t mean I’m obligated to respond to your advances.” You had responded to him. “I was as respectful as I possibly was with you, what more do you want?” Loki continued to take notice at how uncomfortable you had become. Your usual calm demeanor was shattered by this cretin’s uncalled entitlement. Loki almost lost control of his disguise for a bit.

“You owe me, it’s as clear as that.” He continued, stopping for a bit and taking a long, deep breath. “Look, we can just forget about this and just grab something later this evening. What do you say?”

“Man, you’re insistent aren’t you? I’ve already told you no.” You said, this time standing up from your seat. “ And the reason being is because I’m already involved with someone else. So please, this is the last time I tell you. Leave it be.”

“Are you serious? (Y/N), stop being so fucking difficult!” He slammed a fist onto your desk, causing you to jump.

Bad move.

It all happened within a few seconds. The illusion dissipated, and the ‘ordinary guard’ was instantly replaced by Loki’s regal presence. Loki slammed his face against your desk, twisted and locked his arm in place behind his back, all within the blink of an eye. You pushed yourself back against the wall behind you in shock at the abrupt physicality in front of you. Loki knew this was extremely risky to do, knowing the security cameras could probably catch all of his actions. Simply put, he didn’t care. His only priority was protecting you and getting this piece of human garbage out of your sight.

The man pinned under Loki groaned and cried out to be let go. “Stop, you’re hurting me!”

“Quiet.” Loki snarled. “You were about to lay a finger on them, weren’t you? A huge mistake on your part. Now, how easy would it be for me to pop out your arm out of its socket?”

It would be ridiculously easy for Loki to have mutilated the man then and there. His arm would easily snap with Loki’s inhuman strength and the temptation was just at the tip of his fingers. He wouldn’t do it however, not with you there.

“Loki.” He heard you shakily call out to him, snapping him out of his violent thinking. “Loki, calm down. It’s fine, let him go.”

“Wait, Loki? Are you fucking kidding me?” The man pinned yelped out, only to groan in pain once Loki twisted his arm even harder.

“I told you to be quiet. Now listen. I won’t cause you any harm because this really isn’t a fair fight. However, I do want to make it known that if you ever come by and even land a single glance onto (Y/N), I won’t be so merciful next time.”

“Loki, stop!” You yelped out at him.

Right on cue, Loki released his grip on him, and the man stumbled backwards. He shot an incredulous look at the both of you, which Loki interpreted as shock and lingering fear. His life was in danger for a brief moment after all.

He padded out of your office, hanging his head lowly. He muttered something as he trailed off, but both you and Loki paid no heed to whatever else he had left to say. Loki was certain he wouldn’t even dare mention this to anyone after the threat that was placed on him. His intimidation tactics, while cruel, were still very useful to himself.

“God, Loki.” You said lowly, stepping out from behind your desk. “Thank you, I don’t know what came over him.”

“Stop, it’s fine. Are you alright?”

Before you could respond to him, he approached you and carefully cupped your face towards his own. He planted a desperate kiss onto you, giving in to the inclination he was holding back for weeks now. To hell with whatever you wanted to do with taking things slowly. A rush of warm energy filled him once he felt you reciprocate with your own longing lips. He knew you were aching for it too. You gently pulled back, looking up at him with glassy eyes.

“I can’t believe that happened.” You said, pushing your hair out of your face. “I didn’t think it’d escalate in such a way.”

“Are you sure you’re well? You became terrified for a moment there.” He asked you as his gaze softened.

“Yeah, I’m good. I just can’t believe it had to come to that.”

“Men like that are erratic. I’d consider things fortunate on your end since I was around. A little lesson for you. Whenever a man has a fist formed in a heated argument, it’s a good way to indicate that he will be aggressive. Trust me.”

“Are you serious? I didn’t even notice that. Do you think, he was-“

“That doesn’t matter now.” He interrupted you. “What matters is that he will bother you no more, I will ensure of that.”

“Well, let me talk to Tony about what happened too. At least, to make sure he’s transferred somewhere else and to make sure you don’t get into trouble.” You said, gesturing to the security camera at the corner of your office.

“Don’t worry about me.” He scoffed, appreciating your concern for him. “I can tolerate whatever Stark dishes out to me, but it would be very beneficial to ensure this cretin is forever out of your sight.”

You nodded. “Yeah, I’ll get on that first thing tomorrow morning. Man, I wasn’t even involved in that brawl but I feel so drained now. Is this what you’re going to do every time someone hits on me?”

He rolled his eyes. It was too easy to respond absolutely yes to that. “Of course not. Don’t take me for a jealous type. I will however make sure no one harms you in any shape or form.”

You chuckled. There was that coy smile again, and Loki felt the tension be released from his shoulders. It was a strange feeling, something he didn’t feel for a long time. That easiness of having a person feel so safe and secure with you. It wasn’t gratifying, but it made him feel like he belonged along side with you. The sentiment grew a bit more, slowly blossoming into a much deeper, stronger intent. He didn’t like you anymore; he cherished you.

“By the way, you’re doing extremely good with this whole boyfriend, err, love of my life thing. It was kinda sexy actually.” You said with a playful grin. He chuckled lowly. “That’s what comes with the entire package dear. Shall we venture forth into the evening? Perhaps we could continue discussing how I bravely defended your honor.”

“Really? I mean, if that’s what you want. I was thinking we could have some sex but if you’d really rather just talk.” You retorted mockingly.

“You’re catching much of my sense of humor I see. Besides, what happened to wanting to take things slowly?”

“Well, I figured you care about me deeply if you’re willing to go out of your way to maim a man for me.”

He knew it was all just playful banter, but your questioning of his care for you did tug at him. “Do you think I don’t care about you?”

He saw your smile begin to dwindle to something much smaller. The sourness settled in, and this was one of the million of reasons that he had stored way in the recess of his mind. It was very possibly you had wanted to start things slow at first due to doubting his own feelings for you. He didn’t blame you.

“It’s not that.” You said lowly, your tone becoming more serious. “I mean, I know this is something new to us, but I was just careful about moving in too quickly. Or... is that selfish of me?” “No, it’s not.” He answered. “I think if a human wanted to have a relationship with me, they’d have every right to be wary. I’m not the easiest man to be with.”

“Well, I feel very comfortable with you. And much safer.”

Loki reached out for your hand and gently covered it with his own. He brought it up to his face, to his lips, just close enough for him to brush them against your knuckles.

“I do care about what happens to you.” He began. “And I’d much rather display our entanglement to the public if matters like this will keep happening to you.”

“I don’t think anything else like this will happen.” You assured him. “And if it does, I’m more than confident you’ll take care of it. But...I do still want to keep us....low-key.”

Your eyes veered to the side and Loki felt you holding back a snort.

He let go of your hand instantly, staring at you with his mouth agape. “I can’t believe you really used that on me. How old are you?”

“Oh, come on! It was perfectly used, you got to admit.”

“No. You’ve completely ruined the moment. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

You continued with your efforts in making it known how brilliantly you had set up that line to be, much to Loki’s dismay. Things would remain at a slow, casual pace, just to test out the waters and see how far things could go with the both of you. Loki, again, shoved those intrusive memories at the back of his head, adapting himself to be present in these moments with you. A relationship with a Midgardian was new to him, and although there would still be kinks and knots to straighten out, it would be worthwhile just to continue seeing that gleeful smile on your face whenever he’d be in your presence.

He brought you joy, and you gifted him with something much more meaningful. Something to protect.

#loki x reader #loki x you #loki x (y/n)#loki fanfiction #loki imagine #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #loki (mcu)

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aphrodisians · 3 years

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◜ choi yerim , ciswoman , twenty . ◞ ┈ through her all - seeing crystal ball, [ 𝚁𝙴𝙳𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝙳 ] has her winking eye trained on hestia jones. the ever - enigmatic fifth year is infamous for her righteous ways, but something new seems to be weighing our resident au courant down. a rumor is spreading through these ancient halls like fiendfyre, & even their erudite face can't save them from the flames. she can try to drown out their sorrows to the tune of goddess, but xana can't fix everything ⏤ much less something as grim as [ 𝚁𝙴𝙳𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝙳 ]. but ten points to ravenclaw for trying.

hey besties <3 i’m cc & i’m super excited 2 be here! i’m writing your local hater, hestia jones, who i’ve actually never written before but i’m really excited for her. anywhomstdve, i’d love to plot w all of you & i’m ecstatic for this!

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬.⠀ ⠀

an accidental crack of a book spine that echoes throughout an otherwise silent library, never letting anything pass you by – never letting yourself be unaware, unwelcome surprises that you greet with flushed cheeks and clenched fists, a collection of skirts stolen from a mother that has seemed to have forgotten you, bruises forming next to the scrapes on almost - broken knees, passing tears off as just ‘my eyes are sweating’ & heavy, heavy, bags underneath eyes that just never seem to sleep.

⠀ ﹟𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲

birth name. jeong hyun - ae nickname(s) / alias(es). hestia jones. preferred name. hestia jones, only hyun - ae to family + very close friends age + dob. twenty + dec. 23 hometown. belfast, ireland blood status. half - blood house. ravenclaw activities. fifth year prefect, ravenclaw chaser, chess + duelling label. au courant – aware of what is going on; well informed ethnicity. korean nationality. irish gender. cis woman pronouns. she + her face claim. choi yerim

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝.⠀ ⠀

height. five feet, seven inches / 170cm tattoos. none piercings. earlobes only scars. a two cm line that lays horizontally above her left eyebrow from falling off her broomstick during her third year at hogwarts hair. never dyed, meticulously taken care of but rarely styled. naturally falls straight and is often left down eyes. round and dark, accompanied often by dark bags underneath and an absence of makeup usual expression. stressed. just like, if you look at her you can tell she’s going through it ( and has been for like the past three years ),,, she needs a break but she will not be getting one <3 distinguishing features. cheeks that always seem to be flushed a rosy hue of pink, bags underneath her eyes that are haphazardly covered with fake glasses or makeup, brown - hued hair that just always falls correctly

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀

( + ) positive. erudite, bluestocking, intuitive, heedful ( - ) negative. righteous, hubristic, zealous, moralistic natal chart. triple capricorn, pour one out mbti. istj - a, investigator moral alignment. neutral good godly parent. athena languages spoken. korean + english likes. quiet - the kind of quiet that comes only in the early hours of the morning + in restricted access zones where it’s close to silence ( but not quite ), victory in all forms, feeling appreciated tbh, sleeping but genuinely hasn’t gotten a good night of sleep in years, the color yellow, scarves that are long enough to wrap her entire head <3, being a hater dislikes. attention ( though she is overjoyed / obsessed with winning ), losing - a notoriously sore loser, being out of control in any situation - even if she can have no humanly control over it, nail polish ( because she bites her nails :/ ), actually reading i’ll be honest, staircases quirks. as mentioned above, bites her nails often, doodles when stressed ( which is all the time ) - is halfway decent at it too thanks to all of the practice, can fall asleep in two seconds if given the opportunity, taps her foot a lot hobbies. being a hater, being obnoxious enough to have attention ( aka dramatic ) n then having the audacity to complain about the stress

⠀ ﹟𝐝𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫

when he meets your mother, he tells you it’s like the world stopped turning. she was enchanting, he says, like a rose blooming in the dead of winter, a blossom of red among a blanket of white - and he swears that he has never loved anyone more. their romance is swift, a bouquet of flowers traded for an engagement ring and a passionate kiss exchanged for the start of a family. your father never says anything bad about your mother, raising you on his own with a faint line on his ring finger. she will be back soon, he says with glazed eyes and love-flushed cheeks that you seem to inherit. she will come back soon, he tucks you in with a faraway look on his features and you realize with a ceiling full of glow-in-the-dark stars that he isn’t okay. but, you hold his hand when crossing the streets with you leading and you let him dawdle about your mother and you pat the top of his head when he falls asleep waiting for your mother. she’ll be back, he says, unaware that she only visits when he’s not around. she will come back soon, he waits for her, a stranger in his own body.

you yearn for control the way your peers yearn for freedom. freedom, you have enough of, but everything in your life is just out of reach. for your entire childhood, you grasp at everything and nothing, your fingers brushing past the things you desire most. you are a young girl with magic in your blood, but you watch from the end of your driveway as life seems to spin so wildly out of control. your father isn’t okay, but you don’t understand why. your mother comes around wearing guilt like one wears a birthmark and you can’t fathom why. you are left alone on playgrounds and with scrapes on your knees and people whisper about you but you don’t understand why. life goes on with or without you, and you think it unacceptable. it’s infuriating being in the backseat, unable to control, unable to know. when a letter falls into your hands, you swear to use it to your advantage. you refuse to ever be in the dark again.

you arrive on your own, a year older than your peers, a sheltered girl from a muggle world and you look around, determined to change your life. it’s obvious to anyone early on that you’re a bright girl, ambition tied into your intelligence, potential pouring over every single one of your edges. for a while, it comes easily. you know things, you understand things; most of all, you learn how terribly things can go wrong. you swear to never let that happen to you, but of course, life has bigger plans for you. the first few years fly by quick and your hands build up a reputation that you’re eager to upkeep. you wipe the sweat off of your palms onto your skirts, you might use magic to make sure your hair always looks good, you always know the latest news, you always pass your classes. then, you go home during your third year to an empty house and your father is gone.

when you return after the winter holidays, it’s obvious that something is - wrong, but you do your thing and you pretend everything is okay. your mother in all of her magic and love writes you a letter, telling you that you’ll be in her care and that only stresses you out more, giving you gray hair and bags underneath your eyes that never seem to away from that point on. every blink is heavier now, every sliver of information repeated as least three more times, everything you learn adds a little more weight to your shoulders. but you soldier on. you become more and more high strung, more sharp, more wretched with stress that shouldn’t be yours to shoulder. you are still an intelligent girl, still a bright witch, still gleaming with potential; but you almost permanently look like you’ve been handled an impossible task and worse, you wear your flushed cheeks almost as your father did, a fact that you dislike whenever you see yourself in the mirror.

⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀ has a relatively tough exterior, but wow, words hurt and hestia is a lot more sensitive than she cares to admit. say one off thing about her and she’ll be all “i can’t stand it here!” and storm off angrily, but she’s really just gonna go cry in the owlery and talk to the owls as if they can understand her through her snot bubbles.

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀ is this genius of a witch, right, but is the messiest person ever. her area in her dorm is just . . . yeah, it’s messy. she comes to the library, throws seven books down, loses ten pages of notes; is disorganized and completely messy, but at least she always looks put together.

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀ coming right off of the last one, because she cares most about her image + her reputation than she does anything else, mostly because it’s all that she thinks she has. so, yeah, she may be consistently stressed out and on the brink of a breakdown, but at least she looks GOOD.

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀ her style is a little . . . amateur, if i’m being honest. very season one rachel berry. always looks in uniform even if she’s out of uniform and it’s because she has no personality than being a ravenclaw prefect idk what you want me to tell you. she has never been normal once.

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀ i laugh and kid, but she’s genuinely a genius. might have a bit of dyslexia, but is just,,, a smart kid. also makes it her entire personality though, so i’m not sure what to do about that.

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀ also, not to be That Girl that’s so quirk n clumsy, but hestia is always injured. not gravely, but a scrape on her knee, a cut on her cheek, tape around her fingers, etc. etc. she’s a problem, to say the least, and always hastily takes care of herself ( aka, cleans it, leaves it ).

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀ in general, is a hater, but is so STRESSED from having a #missing father that she’s just like :| in every situation. i wouldn’t call her awkward per se, but she definitely just says what she wants when she wants cause there’s “no point in quieting myself for someone’s comfort” idk?

⠀ ⠀ ﹟𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧.⠀ ⠀ in MY canon, hestia actually conjures up a fox patronus, but it’s non corporeal for now simply because she literally cannot focus long enough to cast the charm correctly – in fact, a lot of her magic has been suffering for the past few years due to her stress, something that really only stresses her out more rip in pieces.

⠀ ﹟𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

academic rival: personally, i’d love for someone who’s just naturally good at academia to be her rival, like the person who doesn’t study and “doesn’t care” but always just manages to beat her in scores; yeah, i think that’d be fun to watch her spontaneously combust.

significant annoyance: someone who really just is the person to tell hestia she’s wound up too tight all the time and tries to get her to live her life, but she just sees them as someone who’s ANNOYING HER because maybe her entire life is being uptight, ever think of that? rabastan

quidditch rival: because quidditch is really the only time she lets her hair down per se, this rivalry is more friendly than it is serious like the academic rival, but there’s still a lot of trash talk involved and meet ups in the corridors to talk shit <3

best friend: the one person who she’s like . . . super grateful for because they’re always there, no matter what she goes through or does to them through her stress induced breakdowns. you know. they’re bffs and always eat together and spend time together n gossip together. eloise

tutee: someone that either hestia’s offered to help or has been forced to help, either way, she’s as strict as any professor and takes her job completely seriously. as in, will approach them in the great hall and ask if they’ve done the work they’re supposed to do.

stress reliever: imagine this - hestia comes up to your muse and is like we need to talk, but they just find a nice seat underneath one of the archways and talk into the night, they make hestia laugh, hestia makes them laugh, they have flushed cheeks by the end of it and she doesn’t speak to them otherwise. xenophilius

their biggest anti: ur muse’s #1 hater??? hestia jones <3 why? probably because they’re better than she is and she’s a nightmare of a person so it’s just her being their biggest anti, probably runs a hate account dedicated toward them tbh <3 rodolphus

The Ex: you know. the ex. didn’t end the way they wanted it to so there’s A Lot There. longing glances, awkward bumps, lots of what-ifs . . . a lot of sad headcanons, a lot of wholesome headcanons. yeah

like family: just someone who hestia is so comfortable with that it feels like they’re family. and by family, i mean like the kind to tackle her on sight just for fun, the sort to tease her and make everyone believe it’s her birthday. you know?

also a barely filled tag here n anything u can possibly brainstorm i’d love <3 thank u love u

#ww.intro #SORRY THIS IS REALLY LONG NOBODY LOOP #LOOK*

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starrykitty013 · 3 years

Text

Sneak Peak!! Gotta Go Hard Ch.5

Full Chapter: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30983819/chapters/80906605

Reminder that all my sneak peaks are unedited and will be severely altered in the actual story.

Enjoy!

This kind of assignment shouldn’t really surprise him.

He has always been assigned to mutant cases, it was kinda his thing what with harboring so many super powered individuals on his main team. It was only natural that Fury trusted him with this assignment.

Although it was a little weird. Fury was oddly content with just monitoring one Peter B. Parker (and he’s known he heard that name before, he just couldn’t put his finger on it.) aka Spiderman and not enlisting him as an asset. Albeit, the kid wasn’t even in high school yet, but he was still of an above average intelligence that set him apart from his peers; besides the, ya know, superpowers and all that.

Maybe it had something to do with Tony Stark vouching for the kid when he was successful in taking down a potential risk to society - or New York, at least - successfully. Two if Scorpion would be included. It seems like Spiderman was starting to indicate a pattern of stopping risks before they could become full blown dangers. Like a soon-to-be drug lord, or a alien hybrid weapon dealer. Phil had to admit, it was impressive.

Spiderman didn’t seem like a threat, although everything was a threat in this line of business. If it wasn’t with you, it was against you - that sort of thing. But Spiderman seemed to genuinely be one of those things that was as non-lethal as they appeared; well lethal non-lethal, the kid could still throw a bus, no problem.

And it’s not like SHIELD had never turned a blind eye to vigilantes. Daredevil being the prime example, which no one could ever figure that one out - that must frustrate Fury beyond belief. But there was no reason to uproot a kid who hasn’t done anything but help so far. Although, one wrong move and he’d be neutralized; but until then they might as well reach out and acquaintance themselves. Before some bad guy gets the drop on an impressionable pre-teen, went without saying.

The ideal solution would be to shut the entire Spiderman thing down, but Stark had already tried that and that only lead the kid to take down one of his planes. So normal life fix was out of the question, so next best option was to make nice and hope he doesn’t stab them in the back - which would be very hard, considering they were still suspicious of the Avengers.

Making nice, as Stark suggested, would be upgrading that eyesore of a suit. Phil couldn’t help but agree. How the hell had a child in a hoodie and beat up converse taken down an entire plane without getting shredded? Phil found that highly unlikely, and a little part of his bleeding heart ached in sympathy.

The kid was approximately 43 seconds early when he dropped silently into the elevated alley that Phil had set the randevoz at. All he had to do was have Stark send a encrypted message to the kid’s phone - although there was some bellyaching about it being a tad harder what with outdated technology and fucking firewalls how does he even get it that strong? Or some other nonsense like that.

“Gotta admit, I thought I was gonna get kidnapped and experimented on.” he said in a casual tone.

“Night is still young.” Phil joked with a plastered friendly smile, that elevated none of the tension in Spiderman’s posture. Huh, not easily fooled. Daisy did say that his smile could come off a little creepy with a splash of pedophilic, maybe she was right. “You’re shorter than I thought you would be.” Because seriously, this kid was basically a step up from a fetus. A foot shorter than Phil, who was admittedly short for his age, and scrawny as all hell - though the oversize stitched up hoodie did obscure that a bit.

“Rude.” the kid muttered “So if not to kidnap and syphon my blood, what does SHIELD want me for?” he asked, getting straight to business.

“Got somewhere you need to be?” Phil quirked an eyebrow and the kid scoffed, but didn’t say anything more. “We want to be allies.” he stated.

“Sorry, I don’t do teams. Lone wolf-spider kind of guy, ya know.” he said and Phil’s mouth quirked at the pun.

“You misunderstand. You aren’t eligible for the Avengers.” yet. SPiderman shifted a little “Ally was a strong word, more of an acquaintanceship if you will.”

“Is that even a word?” the kid asked skeptically.

“It gets my point across, no?” he quirked a brow up.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Spiderman said rocked on the balls of his heels and swinging his arms a bit, a very child like gesture that Phil filed away for later “So what would this ‘acquaintanceship’ entail?” he asked with a cocked head and a curious lit, Phil smiled a little more genuinely. He couldn’t help it, this kid was fucking adorable. He knows most accounts say Spiderman is annoying, but he guesses he shouldn’t take the people he put away word for anything other than petty insults - although he can see why, it must be irritating to be taken out by a 4’ 5” kid in a hand-me-down track suit. Speaking of

“Well, let’s start with the attire.” Phil held out a brief case and SPiderman looked at it then him then back to the case and paused “You gonna take it, it’s kind of heavy.” he said, just to get Spiderman to take a cautious step forward and delicately exchange the briefcase and set it down to gingerly open it. As if it were a bomb. When it didn’t go off, he inspected the suit in the case. Running his hands over it carefully.”Stark made and approved.” he said as the kid explored the high tech polyester “form fitting and flexible for anya nd all acrobatics. HIgh tech lenses to manage your super senses too.” he recited from what he knew when Stark explained it ot him. There were a million other things, but Phil didn’t really care about them.

“It’s bugged.” the kid concluded flatly, shutting the case and looking up.

“Then debug it.” Phil said with a shrug “That was Stark’s addition, it’s not required.” the pre-teen nodded curtly.

“So what’s my contribution?” the kid stood up, handling the case with him. “This isn’t free, I assume.” he wiggled the case a bit.

“You assume correctly.” Phil smiled “And that’s on a need to know-”

“Yeah, I don’t roll that way.” the kid cut off dryly “Tell me up front, or you got no deal.” Phil was a little speechless.

“Disclosure is up to my superiors-”

“Then get permission to disclose.” Spiderman jutted the case out “I’ll wait.” he said and Phil looked at the case and then at the tiny kid who had gave him the oddest ultimatum he had ever heard, then laughed. The kid stiffened. “What’s so funny?” he sounded near offended and Phil waved him off.

“Nothing, just that,” he sighed good naturedly “You are a smart little tike aren’t you.”

“I’m not a toddler.” the kid grumbled.

“Well, I’m not supposed to but since you leave me no other option and I really don’t wanna play messenger for my grumpy boss and a little prepubescent vigilante, I’ll tell you.” Phil sighed, he was so gonna get torn into for doing this. Oh well, he’s done worse. The kid straightened, but didn’t retract his hand. “You can keep the suit, if we can call on you for missions. Back up and what not.” the kid analyzed him for a second and finally hummed.

“Okay, how about this. I keep the suit, but you don’t get to parade me around like a monkey. I won’t be your lackey.” the kid retracted the suit and Phil furrowed his brow and opened his mouth in protest, but the kid cut him off “I will however, act as a consultant. You need information regarding and surrounding or about anything going down in my stomping grounds, I’ll give it to you with no questions asked.” Phil closed his mouth as the kid took a deep breathe “And, additionally, if you need any back-up, in New York, I will provide it.” he said resultly. “Deal?” the kid stuck out his free, tiny hand.

“Hmm.” Phil considered. How good could a child’s information even be? Good enough to stop a drug empire and entire illegal weapon cyndicate. He also seemed to have good intuition, and having a little spider look out jumping around and keeping an ear out for them wouldn’t be so bad. “Deal.” he took the kid’s hand and shaked firmly, which caught the kid a but off guard but then he matched the strength.

“Okay, cool.” he said as they separated, and awkwardly fidgeted - losing most of that confidence he had a moment ago when he was demanding a fair deal. Phil almost laughed at the contrast. “Uhm… yeah that all?” he asked awkwardly, Phil nodded once. “Cool. Kay, see you around Mr. SHIELD-agent-dude.” he waved and then shot a web off to the nearest building and swung away as Phil looked after him. As he disappeared up and around the corner, practically flying away, Phil couldn’t help a more genuine smile spread across his lips.

Fascinating.

OoO

for more on this series go to: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1415002

#marvel #my fic #fanfic #my writing #sneak peak #prequel #starry post #spiderman #Phil coulson

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svt13roses · 4 years

Text

Put A Little Love On Me

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Words: 4.6k

Summary: He was always looking out for you, even since that night. It just took a particularly bad night at the club to realize it.

Pairing: S.Coups x Reader

T/w: mentions of alcohol, swearing

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A/n: It’s Seungcheol day!!! This was originally supposed to be finished up and posted back in July but life got in the way. I hope Seungcheol has a good birthday and knows how much we really appreciate how great of a leader he really is. He deserves all the love ;u;

The weekend scenes were starting to blend together into a mirage of too loud music, too many flashing lights, and too many bodies of people. It was a Friday, again. The weeks seem to fly by until Friday night, and in those few precious hours out, time seems to go by too fast while also being too slow. You can remember ordering some fancy drink to start the night, and you remember the stranger next to you saying the next round of drinks were on him. Somewhere in this mess, one round became two, and like a moment of realization you were out on the dance floor, lost in your own world. You didn’t care though, you knew all eyes were on you at this moment. This was your show, and you were the star every weekend.

You didn’t know who you were performing for, you could put on the air of self-confidence and say you were doing this for yourself because you knew how good you looked and you knew you could probably have anyone you wanted tonight to bring home. However, there was a seed of thought being planted in your mind every time you partied the Friday night away. Could this be a show to prove that you weren’t hurt by him anymore? That you moved on from the shambles of what you could barely call a relationship? In the heat of the moment, none of those thoughts crossed your mind.

You broke out of your trance when you felt something cold dribble down your left shoulder. You could feel the sticky-sugary liquid slowly travel down your arm and onto your fingertips, the sensation made your skin crawl in the worst way. You whipped your head around trying to find who could have spilled the drink, but there were too many bodies pressed against each other making it nearly impossible to see who did or did not have a drink. Taking a breath, you maneuvered through the sea of people trying to get to the bathroom. You somehow managed to get to your destination without too much trouble, though walking took more concentration than it really should have. You made your way over to the sinks and grabbed a paper towel. You looked at yourself in the mirror, and you could finally see the stain along your arm.

“What the hell kind of drink could this have been?” You mumbled to yourself, seeing how it left a long purple streak down your arm. You managed to wipe off the streak, but you could still feel the stain it left behind, the stickiness making itself known with every movement of your arm. “Maybe this is just a sign that I should go home.. fuck. Whoever that asshole was should have at least apologized. If this happens again I swear this heel is going straight-” Your rant was interrupted by a group of girls who definitely were not aware of where they were at the current moment. The blinding fluorescent lights, the loud bass from the music outside, and the shrill cry of the girls became too much. It felt like all your senses were being attacked yet you couldn’t feel anything. You willed yourself to take a step, with each step feeling like you were chained to bricks. You thought you heard one of the girls cry “oh my god is she ok?” before you were met with the cold tile of the bathroom floor.

Pain shot through your right ankle and your head began to spin. Taking in your surroundings, you could see the group of girls beginning to crowd around you. You became overwhelmed by the lights and the scent of overpowering perfume.

“Should we like, get the bartender?”

“Oh my god no! He’s a bartender, what good can a bartender do?”

“Well, I dunno! I haven’t had some chick drop to the floor before!”

“You can’t just call her some chick! She’s literally right in front of us!”

“Well you guys are the ones talking like she’s not in front of us. Maybe I should call a… what’s it called again? The truck! The thing with the lights!! Weeoo weeoo!”

“Oh my god you’re literally so dumb! It’s called an ambulance!”

“Yeah!! That!! Should we call for one of those?”

“Don’t call an ambulance, please. I’ll be ok.” You croaked out, beginning to stand. You knew that you probably should have just waited and asked for help. You knew that what you’re doing in the first place is irrational and probably stupid on your part. Coming out alone on the weekend was never a good idea, yet you did it anyway. Your friends had warned you to just stay home for once, a night in was never a bad idea. Of course, you didn’t listen. You craved the temporary escape from reality, where time was a fleeting illusion. This world, you were the star and he didn’t matter. Your past doesn’t matter; the petty arguments, the words that left incurable wounds in your heart, the actions that can’t be undone. It’s all in the past, and you need to accept the past. But instead of accepting, you only seemed to be running.

Little things reminded you of him everywhere you went. Little, insignificant details that really shouldn’t be a reminder but you couldn’t help seek them out. His favorite color on you was yellow, so you stopped wearing yellow. He always stopped by a coffee shop near your workplace in the mornings because he knew he would run into you there, you avoided that route entirely. He drank a certain kind of bottled water, you went out of your way to drink anything except that brand. He had told you, when things were still ok, that you would never be able to escape him. At the time, you had giggled thinking it was an endearing gesture, but now you couldn’t help but think that he had put a curse on you that day.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

It was a typical Friday night for Seungcheol: he had come home and relaxed for a while, began watching Netflix, and then the itching started. It wasn’t a physical itch, but an intuition of sorts that something was wrong, or something bad was going to happen eventually. He checked the time on his phone: 10:32. I wonder.. Ugh there really is no escaping you huh? Seungcheol chuckled to himself, making his way off the couch to get dressed up for the night ahead of him. Dressing up on a Friday night to head out and socialize wasn’t an unordinary occasion. However, no matter how nice he looked or how much he indulged in the flirtatious games of strangers, he always left just as he arrived. Not a hair out of place, not a button undone, no trace of alcohol to be found. He was a man of routine, and as such he always found himself at the same place every Friday. Seungcheol was very similar to you in that aspect, he did not like change. If things were fine the way they were, why fix it? You both were stubborn and were blindsighted to the small details around you. Small details, however, can build up. As Seungcheol put on the jacket that he wore that night, he was reminded of what truly happens when the small things get ignored for too long.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

A few months ago

Seungcheol knew he messed up, but he knew that you were in the wrong too. However, you were both too stubborn to admit it. Tonight was supposed to be a date night, a rare event as of late. Seungcheol had gotten the notification on his calendar, but absentmindedly disregarded it while helping Jihoon in his studio. You also had a reminder go off, but your boss had you stay late at work. You could have gotten home in a timely manner for dinner, but one of your friends at work had also stayed late. You both had gotten caught up in a conversation and before you knew it, you both made your way to a fast food place for dinner to catch up.

Seuncheol had tried to rush home as soon as he could, not caring if some work was left to be completed tomorrow. When he arrived, you were at the kitchen table eating the remnants of whatever food you hadn’t finished at the restaurant.

“What the hell is this y/n?” He tossed his jacket onto the chair across from you. “Tonight was supposed to be a night for us two, why are you eating now? If you got hungry and couldn’t have waited, you could’ve at least texted me.”

“Oh shit.. I completely forgot. I’m sorry Cheol, maybe next week?” You finished off your fries and put everything in the bag, making your way to the trash. Seungcheol grabbed your arm as you passed.

“No, we can’t do next week. Remember how busy I’m gonna be? And you even told me that you’re going on a business trip with your boss and a few coworkers to a conference next weekend. Did that suddenly change?” His voice began to rise. “Look I feel terrible for not being able to make it tonight but you’re acting like it’s no big deal. Don’t you care at all? Cause right now it seems like it’s some small thing that can be made up!” His grip on your arm began to tighten. The fast food bag dropped to the ground, long forgotten.

“Cheol your grip- please let go.”

“We have to talk now or we’re never going to talk! I haven’t heard from you in days and we fucking live together y/n!” You could feel tears brimming, but you couldn’t tell if it was his tone, his grip, or both.

“Ok well communication’s a two-way street, isn’t it?” You slapped his hand with your free hand, effectively freeing you from his hold. “And don’t grab onto me like I’m some inanimate object, that fucking hurt! You act like I’m the problem when it’s you! I tried to reach out but I was always met with silence or some stupid two-word answer. This date night that we both forgot about? It was my idea because I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks. And guess what? I expected this to happen! Sure I got dinner but can I be the one to blame? You’re the one leaving me behind and coming back when you feel like it! I’m done being… whatever this is!” You screamed, tears falling freely.

“Oh don’t act like I’m the bad guy here. You’re not so saintly either when it comes to talking. I try to talk to you when I’m free but you’re always out with your friends-”

“Because you’re not there for me!”

“Let me finish. You got to talk without interruptions so now it’s my turn.” You huffed, crossing your arms. “Don’t act like that’s so hard to do. Or is it? Cause it seems like I can never get a word in these days! You knew I’ve been busy, and you knew I would be with Jihoon today so obviously things were going to go late. But honestly, at this point it seems like you would rather have me at work so you have an excuse to go out with your friends. Which, by the way, you never even update me on where you are so for all I know you could be hurt and I wouldn’t know-”

“Of course you would know!”

“How do you know that?” he shouted. “Do your friends even know my number? Hell, I don’t even know your friends! For all I know, you could be seeing someone behind my back and I wouldn’t even know! Maybe this ‘business conference’ is just a cover-up for some fancy trip between you and your boss, huh?” You have never seen him so angry before, and the silence was the heaviest force you have ever felt. Wiping your tears, you bit the inside of your cheek and let out a long sigh.

“I don’t even know what to say Cheol…” You whispered. “I thought you knew me better but I guess time apart can be a bitch. I won’t even question where those thoughts came from.” You chuckled bitterly and began to walk away.

“Wait y/n no, that’s not what I meant-”

“Clearly, Seungcheol, it is or else you wouldn’t have said it. When people are angry they say how they really feel. Guess I know now that my boyfriend thinks I’m some cheating whore or something.” You could feel yourself beginning to cry again. It didn’t help when he began to follow you, calling your name. You both ended up in your shared bedroom, you sitting down on the bed. He laid down and wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him. He secured you firmly into his hold, and you buried your face into his chest, letting out all the sobs that had been building up for months. Every insult you had wanted to call him came out in whimpers as your body shook from how hard you cried. You could feel Seungcheol begin to run his fingers through your hair, trying to calm you down in some way. The two of you laid in bed for what seemed like hours, the tension still thick. Finally, he croaked out something you couldn’t hear.

“What was that?” you mumbled into his chest.

“This isn’t us. This isn’t our relationship”

“I don’t think I understand, Cheol.” You looked up at him. He let out a deep breath and sat up, you following suit. He gently cupped your cheeks and began wiping away the stray tears with his thumbs.

“Y/n, we’re not who we used to be. We’re not some love-struck couple stuck in our honeymoon phase. We’re not happy.” He gently kissed your forehead. “I think we need to end this here y/n. I hate seeing you hurt, and knowing I’m the one who caused you that pain.”

“No, I understand. I feel the same way actually.” You moved his hands from your cheeks and held them. “I think we were both too scared to admit it. I mean, we were each other’s first loves, right? We didn’t want to lose something that precious. Besides, neither of us like change all that much.” Seungcheol smiled sadly. “But, I think you’re right. Let’s end this here before we hurt each other even more. I’m sorry for not being as open as I should have. I’ve felt unhappy for so long that I’ve tried to fill that void with my friends. Obviously you saw through that, but I should have known better. You can read me like an open book.” You hugged him tightly as if holding him close would make him stay any longer.

You both spent your final night together wrapped up in each other’s arms, pretending everything was okay for just those moments. And in those moments where everything was peaceful, with you and the rest of the world asleep, he felt a spark of love he hadn’t felt since he first fell in love with you.

“I guess this is goodbye isn’t it, sweetheart?”

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Seungcheol could feel the vibrations from the bass from outside the club. He probably shouldn’t be as familiar with this place as he is, but he justified his reasons for coming to himself. The breakup was just as hard for him as it was for you. However, he hadn’t expected you to be coping the same way as him: with copious amounts of alcohol. It was a complete coincidence that he saw you at this particular club a few weeks after he had moved out of the apartment. He had made sure to stay out of your way, not wanting to cause a possible scene. He couldn’t help but be curious as to who you were here with. When he had said he barely knew your friends, he wasn’t lying. As far as he could tell you were alone, lost in your own world on the dance floor. That first night, he stuck around a little longer than he planned, his eyes never leaving you.

He found himself in front of the same club the next week. He told himself that he had a really good time the previous week and wanted to come back, this time actually planning on getting drunk. However, his plans were ruined once he saw you at the bar. From where he was standing, he could see how uncomfortable you were. Seated next to you was a man who, in his opinion, was way too old to be in a club like this. He was sitting a little too close to his liking next to you, and you couldn’t seem to shake him off no matter how long you talked to him. Seungcheol took it upon himself to try and at least try and drive the man’s attention elsewhere. When the bartender came to take Seungcheol’s order, he asked the bartender to strike up a conversation with the older man. He may have also slid the bartender some extra tip money to make sure he actually got the man away from you. Ten minutes later, the bartender was still talking to the man and you had managed to slip away to the dance floor.

It became a habit for Seungcheol now, coming to the same club every Friday. Every time he would tell himself that it would be different, but each time he found himself looking out for you. If you seemed to have a little too much to drink that night, he would tip the bartender a little extra to make sure you got some water before going home for the night. If he noticed someone was making you uncomfortable at the bar, the bartender already knew to go and try to distract whoever was talking to you. Seuncheol was also there to see you walking out with whichever stranger you deemed fit to spend the night with. Is this really how they’re choosing to move on? He had asked himself on more than one occasion. He knew that you both had further discussed the end of the relationship, and had ended it on mutual terms. However, he couldn’t help but feel a little mad at himself every time he saw you leave with someone new. What did these people have that he didn’t? What weren’t you telling him while you two were still together?

As time moved on and the weeks passed by, he slowly felt himself becoming comfortable with this routine. If he knew you were safe, he was happy. Jihoon had called him a creep multiple times for his behavior, and Seungcheol would retort right away “just because we’re not in love doesn’t mean I don’t still love them.” With this new routine, Seuncheol could feel himself slowly moving on from the past. Sure, it still stung, but now he finds comfort in the fact that for at least one night he knows you’ll be okay. Tonight, however, felt different. When he felt like something bad was going to happen, nine times out of ten something bad almost did happen. There have been multiple times where he’s had to save you from going home with someone who definitely had malicious intentions. He was hoping that tonight would not be one of those nights as he kept his eyes on you on the dance floor. Before he could stop it, he watched as someone accidentally spilled their drink on your arm.

“What the hell is wrong with people?” He muttered, making his way down the bar closer to the bathrooms, making sure you arrived safely. As time passed, he grew more and more worried. No one had left the bathroom you entered since he saw a group of girls go inside. Had he had some liquid courage coursing through his veins, he would have just barged into the bathroom by himself. Before he was about to ask the bartender if there was something he could possibly do, god knows the bartender knows him by now, he saw the bathroom door swing open from the corner of his eye. He turned towards your direction, and he saw you shuffle across to the bar with a hand on your head and the gaggle of girls stumble behind you. He didn’t care at this point if you saw him, he couldn’t leave knowing something was wrong. Before you could catch the bartender’s attention, Cheol had called them over.

“Hey I know you’re probably tired of seeing my ass hanging around here every Friday night without even ordering anything, totally understandable. I need you to do a favor… again. That girl I’m always here for? I think something’s wrong. Give her a bag of ice for her head will you? And maybe call an ambulance if it seems bad enough?” He slid the bartender a few bills and made his way to the club’s entrance, texting Jihoon to come pick him up. Before exiting he took one last look towards the bar, and he saw you sitting on a stool with a paper towel and a bag of ice sitting gingerly on your head. With a sigh of relief, he made his way outside, the crisp air hitting his face.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

After a long and tiring battle of insisting that you did not, in fact, need an ambulance and that your head is fine, with a little help standing up and getting steady, you made your way out of the bathroom. Your head was pounding from the music, and you knew right away that you needed to sit down as your vision began to slightly blur. Somehow you ended up at a barstool safely, and waiting in front of you was a bag of ice and a paper towel.

“Excuse me, sir!” you called out, not knowing whether your hoarse voice would reach the bartender’s ears. Luckily enough, the bartender turned your direction and walked over.

“What can I do for you tonight, miss?”

“Uhh this bag of ice was sitting here and I’m not sure if this was from someone previously sitting here or not.” You explained, carefully fiddling with the bad. The ice hadn’t melted yet so it couldn’t have been here long. Before you could question it any further, you heard the bartender let out a chuckle.

“Ma’am that bag is definitely for you. Someone must be real worried about you, I’ll say that much.” You carefully put the bag of ice on top of where you hit your head. You flinched slightly at the sudden temperature difference between the cold ice cubes versus the hot and humid club.

“Someone knew what happened in the bathroom?”

“What the hell happened in the bathroom? You know what, I don’t wanna know. You seem to be talking fine so you don’t need an ambulance.”

“Ok wait how can you say I don’t need an ambulance but then not know what happened-”

“Look”, the bartender looked you in the eyes, “I don’t know what happened. All I know is the same dude has been coming by my bar for a few weeks now every Friday night. He doesn’t buy anything though. He does, however, always seem to have his eye out for you. Not in the creepy way like I’ve seen in the past though.” You blinked a few times before fully comprehending what the bartender just told you. Someone was looking out for you? You didn’t know anyone who would do such a thing, since your friends didn’t always join you on weekends. Maybe you caught someone’s eye the first night you came here? You sighed, resting your open hand against your cheek. The bartender looked at your confused face and smiled to himself. “He just left when you were stumbling out here. You might be able to catch him, I know I would. He’s a handsome fella; captivating eyes, nice cheeks, pretty lips. He’s not my type, but maybe he’s yours?” The bartender began wiping out a few glasses, walking away.

“He definitely does…” you trailed off, a burst of realization hitting you. If it’s who I think it is I’m going to shit myself. No, it’s just some pretty guy looking out for you, stop this wishful thinking. You set down the bag of ice and wrapped the paper towel around it. “Thank you so much for the ice, and for looking out for me!” You called you, practically running towards the entrance of the club.

The outside air hit you harder than you expected, helping you sober up even more after having the ice on your head. You desperately looked left and right, looking for any sign of who could have been the person helping you. Your eyes caught sight of a familiar car slowing down, as if it was coming to pick someone up. That looks like Jihoon’s car if I’m remembering correctly. Granted, I only rode in it a handful of times. You looked at where the car was headed, and that’s when you caught sight of a very familiar person.

“No.. it can’t be..” you whispered to yourself. “Aw fuck it, what have I got to lose?” You walked a few steps towards him. With a deep breath, you called out as best as your voice would allow. “Seungcheol!” You felt something warm against your cheeks, and after quickly wiping whatever it was away, you realized you were crying. You sniffled and called out one last time. “Seungcheol!”

He turned to look at you. You didn’t know what to expect, nothing had really changed about him since you last saw him except for his hair color. Your eyes met his, and you became just as mesmerized as you did in the past. You didn’t realize you were staring until you noticed him moving. Seungcheol slowly made his way over to you, shouting at you presumed whoever was driving the car that he would only take a minute. He stopped in front of you, and you looked up at him. Up close you could see the small details in his facial features that weren’t there previously. His eyes were still beautiful, but they weren’t as bright as you remembered. The lines under his eyes looked a little darker, and his lips were slightly chapped. You felt something warm being put around your shoulders. You looked down and it was his jacket that he was wearing previously.

“Cheol I-” You stuttered out as he gently grabbed your shoulders.

“Hey, stay safe will you? Don’t worry me too much and get home alright.” He gently patted your head and began walking back to the car. You were well aware at this point of the tears freely falling down your cheeks. You couldn’t help but let out a sob as you saw him give you one last smile and a small wave as he got into the car. As the car began to drive off, you began wondering how long he had been looking out for you and why he never chose to approach you. You felt your phone vibrate from your pocket, and you pulled it out. You chuckled as you saw who the message was from.

“I’ll open it some day, Cheol. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but I will when I think we’re both ready” you mumbled to yourself, opening up your contacts to call your friend to come pick you up. Your friend picked up after two rings. “Hey, I know you told me not to but I went out again. Can you come get me? I.. I saw someone and I need to tell you about it.”

#seventeen #seventeen au #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #svt #scoups #scoups x reader #choi seungcheol #choi seungcheol x reader #svt au #svt imagines #svt scenarios #rose writes #put a little love on me

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argent-vulpine · 4 years

Text

The Queen’s Scheme(r)s

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Rating: G

Characters: Yuri/F!Byleth/Claude, feat. Seteth

Chapter Three: Rest & Relaxation

Read it on AO3

Seteth, ever the caring (doting) hard worker (over-worker, frankly) had very decidedly forced Byleth to take a day off. No paperwork. No church business. No cardinals’ meetings or construction planning or anything that resembled more than relaxing. He had very firmly told her that the bags under her eyes were unbecoming the Archbishop and that she should get some rest.

He was also a massive hypocrite, but she knew it was pointless to argue. They’d become good friends, despite such a rough start to their acquaintanceship, and she really did trust his judgment, especially in matters regarding the church. Deep down, she thought he would have made a much better Archbishop, but now certainly wasn’t the time to try and shift that authority around.

She’d give it a few years. Maybe.

In the meantime, she would do exactly as he suggested and take a break. If she were being honest with herself, it was much needed and she knew it. The strain of running an entire country – kingdom? – alongside the Church of Seiros was a lot.

There was a pang in her chest, the desire to see and talk to her father stronger than ever. What would he do, in her position? Not that he’d have allowed it. Jeralt the Blade Breaker as crown? She could imagine the look of disgust on his face.

“There’s that smile I love so much,” said a voice at her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts. Claude grinned and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “We heard Seteth forced you to take a day off,” he continued, pretending oblivion to the look now gracing her face, “So we decided to help out. Yuri’s already drawn a bath.”

He took her hand in his, giving her a gentle tug. Byleth gave a longsuffering sigh but followed behind him anyway, barely managing to hide her smile.

Claude knew, anyway. He could tell from the way her eyes lit up, the very faint crinkling at the corners. Byleth might never emote as openly as others, but all the little things were there to be read by anyone who cared enough. And he – and Yuri – definitely cared enough. They’d seen the tension building in her shoulders, the way her neck was stiffening, the muscles around her eyes tight with stress.

He wasn’t sure if the spymaster had also spoken to Seteth, but Claude most definitely had.

Thankfully, the advisor had agreed that Byleth needed a break. She didn’t have to know that the concern had come from anyone else. She didn’t like to worry them, after all.

Their trip up to their suite was blessedly short; no one stopped them to talk to Byleth – Seteth’s doing, perhaps? – and so they were able to progress unimpeded.

True to Claude’s word, Yuri was waiting in the bath itself, the water already drawn, heated to exactly how Byleth liked it. Lavender petals had been added to the water, the scent permeating the room.

“You two are too good for me,” she murmured, giving Claude a brief kiss before moving to do the same to Yuri. “Even if you aretroublemakers.”

“Ah, but we’re your troublemakers,” replied Claude with a cheeky grin and an even cheekier wink.

Yuri shot him a look that bordered on annoyed contempt. They all knew it was an act. “Speak for yourself, Khalid. I don’t make the trouble; I deal with it.”

Byleth snorted at that, allowing them both to help her remove the many layers she wore for her duties as Archbishop. “Is that so? What about just last week when I found that trap on the passage leading to Abyss?”

“Well, you can’t be too careful. That door is too close to our quarters and there’s no telling who might find it,” he retorted primly, carefully hanging her robe.

“The trap wards on the terrace?” chimed in Claude, earning a slight frown from Byleth.

“Wyverns and pegasi don’t only belong to the church corps. The wards are to deter unwanted guests from landing.”

“And do those wards know how to tell friend from foe?” Byleth asked, knowing that they didn’t. Or that Yuri hadn’t bothered to have Claude recognized. “You can’t set fire to Khalid and his wyvern just because he poisoned your tea. Although,” she rounded on the man in question with a glare, “You shouldn’t be poisoning his tea to begin with.”

That set off a chain of bickering between the two of them, during which Byleth finished disrobing herself and slipped into the water, sighing happily as the warmth surrounded her, penetrating down to her bones. She tuned them out, used to their antics by now even if the rest of the monastery wasn’t, nor was likely to ever be.

She knew the real people behind the schemes and the pranks – and the vague (or not-so-vague) threats of murder.

Byleth was dimly aware when the bickering stopped; more aware when two bodies entered the very large bath with her, their presence a comfort at her sides. Her eyes were closed, relaxing and resting as she’d been told to do, when one of them – Yuri, she thought – began to carefully wet her hair, using a small cup to pour the water on the green locks.

Claude had one of her hands in his and was gently massaging. Byleth hadn’t even been aware her hands had been that tight, but it certainly explained the increase in cramps of late. Who knew signing papers was more strenuous than wielding a sword?

With Yuri gently washing her hair and Claude massaging her hands and arms, it was no wonder that Byleth drifted off into a light doze. Their careful, loving ministrations reminded her why she loved them in the first place, despite their antics… though she had to admit that their antics had also had something to do with it.

She was only vaguely aware when they helped her out of the bath, drying her off with soft towels. Claude, noting how she was only barely awake, had scooped her up into his arms and carried her to their bed, depositing her gently in the middle while Yuri fussed with the covers, tucking her in.

They left her to sleep and to take care of their own business. Just because Byleth was being made to take a day off didn’t mean they could do the same.

The sun hadn’t traveled that far by the time Byleth awoke, stretching languidly in the bed. It had been perhaps a little more than an hour, but she felt much better than when she’d first woken for the day. Her husbands were nowhere to be found, but that wasn’t surprising. She had missed their comforting presence in the bed, but duties called, she was sure.

One of them had laid out fresh clothes for her, she noted, spotting the pile on the vanity chair.

Might as well get dressed and head out. It wouldn’t do for her to be abed all day. She needed to at least be seen, even if she wasn’t working.

She almost laughed when she saw what clothes had been chosen for her. An outfit resembling her old mercenary garb was laid out – a clear sign that she was neither the Archbishop nor the Queen for today.

Once dressed and with freshly brushed hair, Byleth ventured out of their rooms, giving a smile to her personal guard – the former gatekeeper – who grinned and saluted with a jaunty “Nothing to report!” as she passed.

Byleth took her time heading down the stairs, enjoying a leisurely pace that she maintained even when she took to the halls, nodding her greetings at those she passed. It was almost amusing, really; gone were the days of her zipping through the halls, startling people and causing no small amount of consternation with many of the inhabitants.

It was perhaps unsurprising that she ended up at the little dock on the pond, casting a line out over the water as she settled down, the tips of her boots barely skimming the surface.

She was alone for some time, her basket steadily filling with fish that she would take up to the dining hall when she was done, before she felt the shadow of a visitor fall over her. “Are you finally taking a break of your own?” she asked the shadow, smiling when Seteth huffed out a sigh and joined her at the end of the pier.

He did sit, though he didn’t put his legs over the end as she had. “I was checking in on you… but I suppose it can’t hurt if I take a little break.”

She gave him a slight smile, gesturing with her chin toward some spare rods. He took and baited one from her supply of bait, casting out his own line. “I see Leonie taught you well,” she noted. “You didn’t struggle even a little that time.”

Seteth gave her a look that she knew to be his feigned disapproval. It only made her smile broaden. “Yes, well, she was an invaluable resource.”

“Oh, an invaluable resource, you say? I’ll be sure to let her know you said that when I next have tea with her. She’s due back from the field in the next week or so.”

With Byleth unable to take over her father’s mercenary band, Leonie had decided to give it a shot herself. She’d been earning quite the name for herself. Jeralt would have been proud, she was certain, even if he hadn’t quite understood the woman’s attachment to him. And the group had taken to her easily, to the point she was unquestionably their leader.

They still called themselves Jeralt’s group, though. After all, his name had clout even if the man himself had long passed.

Beside her, her advisor made a strangled sound in his throat, perhaps mild panic. “Please do not tell her I said such,” he finally ground out.

“Mm. Perhaps I won’t.” They fished in silence for several long minutes before Byleth spoke again. “I’m glad that you have made true friends, Seteth. It’s not good to live such a lonely life.”

“I am glad, too. And for you, as well. I wonder… I wonder if Sothis suspected what would happen when you came here.”

“Hmm. Intuitively, perhaps. But she never did say anything.” A pause. “Anything that wasn’t heckling me, at least. Or making comments about others.”

He looked startled at that; Byleth had never before offered up what kind of things had been going on in her head, her secret conversations with the goddess. But the shock wore off and he laughed, a rich sound she didn’t get to hear often. Byleth grinned, pleased with herself as she saw some of the tension drain from his shoulders. “I’d ask what she said about me when first we met, but I’m certain I don’t want to know.”

Byleth hummed in agreement, turning her attention back to the pond. “I miss her voice still, sometimes. But… all the friends I’ve made, they help. I think she would be proud of where we are now.”

“That… that is nice to hear. Thank you, Byleth.”

The conversation drifted away after that, leaving the two in companionable silence until Seteth excused himself to return to work, taking the baskets of fish with him.

Byleth stayed a while longer, not fishing but simply enjoying the way the light played on the water’s surface, before she too rose and left, casting one last glance at the pond.

A fish – the one known as the Goddess Messenger – leapt out of the water, executing a perfect arch, before splashing back down. She smiled and turned, leaving the fish to its fun.

#yurileth #claudeleth #yurilaudeleth #yuri leclerc #claude von riegan #byleth eisner #seteth #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #polyamory

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ramsayboltonsmuse · 4 years

Text

Imagine Ramsay Bolton and The Joker (Heath Ledger) fighting over you....Part 1

Summary: I’m bringing Ledger!Joker to Westeros! My two favorite villains in a smutty little two part imagine that ends in them fighting over The Reader.

You are Cersei Lannister’s oldest daughter and have been betrothed to Ramsay Bolton, a match devised by your grandfather Tywin Lannister to secure the alliance between The Boltons (who are now The Wardens of the North) and the Capital.

What happens when you throw in a chance encounter with J in the woods? Lots of violence, angst, fluff and smut that’s what!

Links to other parts: Part 2, Part 3

Ao3 link

“Kneel.” Ramsay’s voice sliced through the still air.

The Dreadfort’s great hall was empty except for you and him, the handmaiden who had been ordered to fetch you having intelligently bolted out of the room the second she deposited you.

Ramsay was seated behind the great table, shirtless, his toned and muscled build glinting in the moonlight spilling in from the large windows. You could see some blood spatter speckling across his chest. It wasn’t his blood.

As much as you truly hated Ramsay for all the vile things you’d watched him do, you couldn’t deny the fact that some part of you found him downright handsome.

He was nonchalantly turning one of his many knives over and over in his hand. He shot a glance at you and stood up when you didn’t move right away. You flinched as his chair made a scraping noise against the floor as he pushed it away.

Ramsay strode up to you so that you were only inches apart. “[Y/N], I told you to kneel. Now, get on your knees.” His eyes were a dangerous ice blue, daring you to disobey.

You squared your shoulders defiantly. “You sent a handmaid to drag me out of bed after midnight and now you’re ordering me to kneel for some offense I don’t even know I’ve committed. I’m the King’s sister, Twin Lannister’s granddaughter, not to mention your betrothed. You can’t treat me like one of your whores.”

The slap across your face shocked you, but you had no time to recover as his hand shot out to grip your neck, squeezing.

“You’re really beginning to test my patience.” Ramsay growled. “I don’t care who you used to belong to, princess. You’re mine now.” His stare bore into you. “And after the wedding, you can be sure I’ll mark you so you don’t forget.” The corners of his mouth turned up into a slight smile at that last remark.

You knew he was right. It didn’t matter who you were, not here, not in The North. Your infamous father, Robert Baratheon, was dead, and everyone with any sense knew that Tywin Lannister was running the kingdom while your fool of an older brother Joffrey was playing at being King.

But Tywin was no fool. He likely knew what Ramsay Bolton was, but he arranged this dreadful marriage anyway, his only concern formally solidifying the bond between the capital and The North, the largest kingdom. With Roose Bolton named Warden of the North, and Ramsay his successor, it was the strategic choice.

Your mother had nearly killed your grandfather when she heard of his plans to marry her oldest daughter off to The Boltons. But alas, Tywin was the real source of power, and none of them had any choice.

Ramsay squeezed your neck tighter and you began gasping for air, your hands reaching up to wrap around his forearm, trying to pull him off of you.

“You think you’re a golden haired darling little thing don’t you.” Ramsay snickered. “Let me tell you a secret sweetling.” You began clawing at his arm, desperate for air. “Once we’re married, I won’t have to worry about keeping you untarnished for the wedding.”

You started to turn pale, the color draining out of your face. “So when you misbehave, I won’t think twice. I’ll drag you into the dungeons and fasten your wrists and ankles to the cross. I’ll strip you naked and cut and flay you any way I like. I’ll fuck you until you bleed and keep you chained up for days without food or water if I want to because you’ll be my property. So you had better adjust your attitude.”

Ramsay released your neck only to grab your chin hard enough to leave a bruise, jerking your face up to his while your starved lungs desperately refilled themselves with air.

“Now kneel. I hate asking a second time.” Ramsay’s voice was laden with venom and your eyes grew wide, unable to move from the shock of what just happened.

Ramsay had certainly toyed with you in the last month since you arrived at The Dreadfort, and you had seen his handiwork on the many flayed bodies decorating the outer walls, but he had not touched you until now. Your own naivete had led you to believe he would keep his sadistic predilections to pretty young whores and unfortunate serving girls. Evidently, you were wrong.

Ramsay sighed, clearly annoyed at your inability to immediately comply with his demand. You started to panic as he walked around behind you only to roughly push you to your knees, your bare legs underneath your barely-opaque white nightgown hitting the floor hard.

“That’s better.” Ramsay circled back around to your front and crouched down in front of you. He reached out to almost tenderly caress your cheek, causing you to flinch and him to smile at your reaction. “Do you know why you’re being punished little rabbit?” You shook your head, your big green eyes staring up fearfully at him.

“No? Well.” He drew his hand away from you, a malicious smirk spreading slowly across his face. You knew if he was excited about something, it couldn’t possibly spell anything good for you.“You haven’t been the most doting bride to be darling, now have you.”

His face twisted into a mock frown. “You haven’t once come to see me in my bedchambers. It’s made me concerned for the future of our marriage.” His eyes were laughing at you, enjoying this little game of torment, knowing full well you weren’t supposed to have any intimate relations with him until after the wedding.

Your words came out in a quick rush, desperate to explain yourself lest he decide to hurt you. “I’m supposed to stay a virgin until the bedding ceremony!” Your voice came out sounding so much smaller than before. Ramsay heard it too, and smiled.

“There there [Y/N].” He mused, giving your head a pat and causing you to flinch at his touch. “It’s not your fault that the ladies of King’s Landing didn’t properly train you on your responsibilities.”

He grabbed your chin roughly, running his thumb over your bottom lip before popping it into your mouth. He tasted like the forest and something, almost metallic. “There are many things that good girls should do before the bedding ceremony. You don’t need to worry though. I’ll teach you.”

Ramsay stood up then, your gaze following him upward to where he towered above you, a sizable bulge noticeable through his pants. He began unfastening his belt and loosening his pants to reveal, well, you had never seen one before, but you could only imagine it was…

“Never seen one before sweetling? That’s rather adorable, even for you.” Ramsay grabbed one of your delicate hands and moved it toward his cock. You knew you had nothing to compare this to, but you had to admit that it looked giant. You had no idea how that was expected to fit inside you. You trembled at the thought.

Ramsay guided your hand to start stroking up and down his length. He watched your wide eyed expression greedily as you began to get the rhythm. Ramsay released your hand only to grab a bundle of your hair and pull it harshly, forcing you to look up at him.

“You can do better than that pet. Open up.” Intuitively, you knew what was expected of you, Ramsay’s stare telling you everything you needed to know. You parted your lips and began tenderly licking the tip of his cock, then flattening your tongue and drawing it from tip to base. You heard Ramsay’s breathing hitch and looked up at him, towering above you like a dark god.

“Like that Ramsay?” You asked almost shyly, blushing.

Ramsay responded by pulling your hair again, eliciting a small yelp from you.

“‘Like that Sir’. Mind your manners pet. And you’ll have to try a lot harder than that to impress me.” With that, Ramsay grabbed the back of your head and shoved it down the entirety of his length, causing you to gag and lose your breath completely. Your hands grabbed onto his legs to steady yourself as he held you in place, his cock hitting the back of your throat.

He released your head and pulled out, only to slam back into you again, tears starting to prick in the corners of your eyes. All this time and you hadn’t once thought about the chance that someone might walk in on this scene in the middle of the great hall. Then again, it was the middle of the night and you had a suspicion that Ramsay wouldn’t care if someone did. The low growl of his voice took you out of your thoughts.

“Good girl.” He praised you, and you felt an unexpected little ball of warmth inside you, causing you to shift slightly on your knees. You started bobbing your head and stroking his length in time, eager for more praise.

Ramsay didn’t let you keep control though. He thrust his hips forward, pushing himself down your throat with a tight grip on your head, securely keeping you in place. You heard his breathing hitch again as his fingers dug into your skull, your own breath taken away by the sheer size of him. With a final push, he let out a low growl and came down your throat, holding you in place until the last of the come had drained out of him. You could feel it dripping down the back of your throat as he pulled out of your mouth.

“Very good girl.” Your doe eyes smiled up at him. You couldn’t understand why, but the feeling of him violating you in this way was so arousing. Perhaps all your embroidery and dancing lessons hadn’t been enough for you in the Capital. Perhaps you had grown bored over the years, but ignored it. This though, Ramsay and his complete control over you, was new. And you wanted more of it.

Ramsay pulled you up to your feet roughly. “You look quite pretty with my cock in your mouth pet.” A small smile spread across your features. You really were a beauty, and Ramsay knew it.

He would never say it to you, but he never imagined he would marry such highborn royalty, not to mention one of the most beautiful royals in Westeros. Many lords had been vying for you, but The Boltons had ensured they won the bid. There were so many things he was going to do to you.

“I expect to see you in my chambers tomorrow evening darling. Don’t disappoint me.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Ramsay’s cock twitched at that, your voice intoxicating to him. He grabbed a bundle of your hair and pulled you into him, his lips inches from yours.

“That’s my good little girl. You’re mine now [Y/N]. Only mine.”

****

You had decided to go for a ride. It was an absolutely beautiful Summer day, and a particularly warm one, especially for The North. You felt no need to bring a guard with you as every person in this part of the country knew who you were and knew who you were betrothed to. No one would dare so much as look at you for fear of what Ramsay Bolton would do.

You were riding through the familiar forests surrounding The Dreadfort, smiling at the sounds of the birds in the trees and the shady brooks babbling away. It was hard to remember that Ramsay used these same woods to hunt women.

You had ridden for maybe an hour when you decided it would be a good time to stop and eat the small lunch you had brought with you. You dismounted Blanche, a stunningly beautiful white mare that Ramsay had given you as an engagement gift, and tied her up. You patted her neck and she whinnied sweetly at you, making you smile. It really was a lovely --

A strange noise drew your attention to a grove of trees not far off. Grabbing your knife, another, less public, gift from Ramsay, you silently approached the clearing.

It sounded like someone was dragging something heavy. As you got closer, you found a large enough tree to conceal you and peaked out from behind it to get a look at where the noise was coming from.

A tall man, very muscular with tanned skin was dragging what looked like several dead bodies into a large pile in the clearing. You took a gamble, and darted from your tree to one even closer to see better.

They were definitely dead bodies, all men, and all with various torturous wounds ranging from mutilations to stabbings to what looked like skin peeled off with a potato peeler. You had seen plenty of flayed humans thanks to Ramsay, but this wasn’t his handiwork, this was a different signature.

As the man deposited the last body on the pile, he ran his hand through his hair and turned to rummage through his things, producing a flask and taking large swigs of water. He then poured some straight over his hair and shook his head vigorously, the water droplets flying everywhere and his voice letting out an almost maniac scream that made you jump.

He was quite handsome. You watched as he pulled his light leather armor off to reveal his shirtless chest. His clothes were finely made, but in the most bizarre purple and green colors. You had never seen anyone dressed like that before.

And he had beautiful tousled blonde hair, a rarity in The North, and a tall powerful build, his clearly defined muscles visibly bulging as he ran his hand through his hair again. But what was interesting, what you couldn’t stop staring at, were the scars on his face.

You’d seen many scars since you’d come to The Dreadfort, but you had never seen any like this. The strange scars ran like an upturned smile from both corners of his mouth to his structured cheekbones. You wondered what could have done something like that.

You froze as his voice, a somehow simultaneously frightening and soothing sound, rang out.

“Say, uh, sweetheart. Why don’t you come out into the light.” Swallowing hard as adrenaline shot through you, you stepped from behind the tree and into the grove.

The man leaned back against a tree, taking in the sight of you with his dark eyes. You were wearing a simple light blue dress with a questionably low neckline, revealing your pretty young body delightfully. Your long golden hair was cascading in curls down your back and your green eyes were shyly darting away from his stare.

“Mmm. Lovely.” The man hummed, looking at you. “And why is it that such a, uh, innocent young thing is out all alone in the woods?”

You looked at the ground as you answered, not sure why he was making you so nervous. Maybe it was from fear that Ramsay would punish you later for speaking to another man, maybe for fear of the man himself. You weren’t sure.

“It’s just a nice day, I thought I’d go riding. Anyway, I’m not innocent, and it’s perfectly safe for me to go out alone. I’m Robert Baratheon’s daughter, and promised to Ramsay Bolton. No one would dare touch me. Who are you?”

The man laughed then, an almost maniac laugh as he stood, and sauntered over to you. “You’re a, uh, p-r-in-c-ess then? Is that right sweetheart?” He closed in, circling around you. For some reason you found yourself frozen in place.

Suddenly he was behind you, placing his large hands over your exposed collar bone and drumming his fingers against you. He leaned into your ear, his lips nearly brushing your exposed neck.

“My name is The Joker, but you can call me J sweetheart.” He licked his lips. “And why is a princess afraid of someone like me, hmm?” He stepped back and walked around to face you again, his forehead wrinkling in a feigned pout.

You straightened up. “I’m not afraid of you.” You hoped your voice was coming out more sure than you felt. “Anyway I don’t even know who you are. I don’t think you’re from here, and I wouldn’t have any problem demanding someone from the Bolton guard take your head.” You stood taller, feeling the confidence build. “In fact, I’d take your head myself.”

J chuckled and his eyes gleamed. “You have a little fight in you, I like that.” He leaned into you. “I’m not sure if all the, uh, princesses in Westeros are as dumb as you bunny, but having a famous name is exactly the reason NOT to go out riding alone in the big bad woods.” He drawled out the last three words in a much deeper voice, sending shivers down your spine.

“What did these men do?” You tried desperately to get control back of this conversation, but something about his way of speaking made logical thoughts difficult.

J’s eyes widened. “Do? Do?!” He laughed suddenly loudly and maniacally, his black eyes filling with some combination of mirth and insanity. “Oh bunny, they didn’t do anything. I, uh,” J leaned closer to you, as if telling you a secret. “I killed them for f-u-n- ah.”

“You’re just like Ramsay.” You blurt out.

“Ramsay?” J stepped back, turning on his heel and walking away from you over to the pile of bodies. He threw up his hands and shouted. “Ramsay, Ramsay, Ramsay, Ramsay, Ramsay-ah. You can’t walk one mile, one fucking mile in this place without hearing that name.” You watched as he lit the bodies on fire, your breath speeding up a little.

He turned back to you, closing the distance in large strides.

“I’ve been thinking, with all this talk about Ramsay Bolton, that I oughta meet the guy. See if he lives up to his, uh, reputation. Whatdya say sweetheart? Wanna be my bate? Good.” He said without skipping a beat. “I thought you might.”

“He’s going to kill you. He’ll flay you living if you even lay a hand --” J cut you off by roughly grabbing your arms and backing you into the tree behind you.

“Bunny, bunny, bunny. You really wanna play those games?” He grabbed your wrists with one hand, twisting them painfully and raising them above your head. “Look at you.” He growled. “You’re even lying to yourself. You’re not even trying to fight me.”

Shocked at this self discovery, you noted that he was right. You hadn’t even struggled against him.

“I don’t think your Lord Flay knows what he has. And if he does, he’s not using ittt. I knew from the second I saw you sweetheart that you’re an agent of chaos too. Like me.” J ever so gently nipped your ear. “You’re just, how should I put this, untapped. I can always tell the squealers from the killers, and you doll, you have a little darkness in you. Don’t let it, uh, go to waste.”

You didn’t know what to say, staring open-mouthed at this strange man who somehow had read you completely in the span of one conversation, better than you read yourself. Subconsciously, you had a feeling that Ramsay knew this about you too. But why he had let it sit dormant instead of bringing you into his dark world, you didn’t know.

“Speechless? I’m flattered.” J spun you around and yanked your arms behind your back, securely fastening them with a tight rope.

He spun you back to face him and flashed a smile at you. It was a different kind of smile than Ramsay’s, but laden with just as much danger. “It’s for show doll, don’t get too, uh, worked up.” His eyes flicked from your eyes to your body and he licked his lips, running a hand through his blonde lochs again before grabbing your waist and throwing you over his shoulder.

As he carried you into the woods, his voice came out menacingly dark.

“Time for The Joker and Ramsay Bolton to play.”

NEXT PART: Part 2

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undermounts · 4 years

Text

Bound—Chapter 15: Borrowed Time

AO3 | Masterlist

Summary: And so the plot thickens

Pairing: Gaius Augustine/Diana Leigh (BB MC)

Zermatt, Switzerland, 2042

After leaving the restaurant, Diana and Gaius strolled down the pedestrian streets of Zermatt, peeking their heads into small shops and bakeries as they went. Most stores were starting to close, leaving little to do besides wander, but Diana wasn’t quite ready to head back to the hotel. She knew better than to take any moments of peace and quiet for granted and wanted to see as much of Zermatt before they were either found or had to leave again.

But more than that, there was a feeling in her gut that subtly urged her to stay out just a little while longer, to idle down yet another sidestreet. She had not yet decided if it was wanderlust, intuition, or something else.

“Tell me something,” Diana said as they turned around another corner onto another avenue bordered by immaculate buildings of stone and wood. “Anything.”

This had become their thing, ever since that day in the barn. “Tell me something,” one of them would request. Not for the sake of conversation or to banish the silence that fell between them, but to swap little pieces of themselves. To share not because they had to, but because they wanted to. Diana knew that with the bond, she could easily learn whatever she wanted about Gaius and he could do the same. But there was something different about talking like this, about taking their time when there was an eternity stretched out before them. There was nothing that said fate had to be the only thing that bound them.

Gaius pursed his lips, his hands in his pockets as he glanced thoughtfully at the star-flecked sky. After a long moment passed, he finally spoke, his voice distant. “When I was a child and I couldn’t sleep, my mother would take me down to the beach. We would sit below the docks, watching ships come and go for hours, counting them. I was always looking for something…” Gaius’s brow pinched as if he were trying hard to recollect the memories.

“My father…” he murmured at last, wonder coloring his voice. “He was… a sailor. I was always looking for him, trying to find the boat I last saw him leave on, exhausting myself until I fell asleep. Every morning, I woke up back in our home, safely tucked beneath my mother’s arm.” He shook his head. “I still don’t know how she managed to carry me back up all of those steps every time.”

Diana wanted to brush her thumb over his brow and wipe away the crease that had formed there. There was an odd look in his eyes, despondent and confused all at once, as if he was mourning something but didn’t know what or why.

“I’ve never heard you talk about your life before being Turned,” Diana said softly. “Just that one time on the island about Ariadne.” His wife.

It was so easy for Diana to forget how long Gaius had been alive, and even easier forget how much living could happen in three thousand years, regardless of whether or not he had really been himself. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around the fact that he had once been married—even if he had only been a young man at the time and it lasted barely six months. After all, Adrian had been married. He had even had a son. But somehow, that had been easier to rationalize than this. Perhaps it was because it was more fitting of his identity and the loss of them had shaped his life after being Turned. Regardless, Diana realized once again that there were aspects of Gaius’s life she still didn’t know and probably more things that she could not even begin to comprehend.

“I still don’t remember most of it,” Gaius admitted with a frown, his eyes downcast. “I know that Rheya made me forget many things, but perhaps I have just lived too long to remember anymore.”

“I could try to help you recover some of those memories,” Diana offered. She couldn’t imagine being unable to remember her own family. Growing up, they were practically all she had. If she forgot them, she would have almost nothing left of her old life.

Gaius opened his mouth, then hesitated and closed it, shaking his head. “I appreciate the offer, Diana. Perhaps one day, but I don’t think I could…” His mouth twisted as he sought out the words he was looking for. “Not right now. I’m still trying to figure out what I am now. To learn more about the man I once was… I don’t know what that will do.”

Diana nodded. He had told her once years ago that without Rheya’s influence, he wasn’t sure where he stood. I was one man. Then Rheya changed me into something else. Now that change is undone. Am I that first man? The second? Something else entirely?

“Well, whenever you decide that you do want to learn more, I’ll help you,” Diana promised and he met her gaze. “And for what it’s worth,” she added, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Most people don’t know who they are. Sometimes I don’t even know either. But when you think you’ve got it figured out, no matter how long it takes or how temporary it is, I’ll still be here.”

Gaius smiled softly and reached out, squeezing her hand. “Thank you, Diana.”

“Of course,” she replied, lacing her fingers with his before he could think to pull away.

It was easy to be with him in the comfort of their room, where they could pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. Being out in the streets of Zermatt was a small step up. They were still relatively isolated in this alpine village, geographically and socially, but taking that step outside made everything a bit more real. Several times tonight, Diana found herself wondering what would become of them and what sort of ramifications this might have when they left, because surely, there would be. Not only because she would have to tell the others what transpired if this continued, but her life had a habit of being unnecessarily complicated.

“What do you remember about your mother?” Diana asked, bumping his shoulder with hers. His expression seemed to lighten, indicating this was not such a heavy topic.

“She was strong,” Gaius began, his fingers tightening around hers. “Kind. She always knew just the right thing to say, to me and to everyone else. We didn’t have much sometimes, but she always gave to people in need.” He glanced sidelong at Diana. “You kind of remind me of her. The pieces I remember, anyway.”

Diana felt a comforting warmth spread throughout her body, shielding her from the evening’s chilly air. She tilted her head up, studying his face. “What did she look like?”

How much of him was his mother? How much, his father? If she knew what his parents had looked like, could she discern which features he inherited from each?

His eyes were trained on some point in the distance, focused once again although his expression was untroubled. “I have her eyes. Her skin was fair in the rainy seasons, but golden in the summer. Her hair, however, was always black as pitch, no matter how many hours we spent in the sun. High cheekbones, the corners of her eyes creased from smiling.”

“She sounds lovely,” Diana said, deciding that aside from the hair, Gaius must look a lot like his mother.

He nodded. “I don’t know how my father managed to part with her every time he had to leave. But I’ve been told that the call of the ocean is rather irresistible for the seafaring folk.” He huffed, a slight edge to his voice. “They are beside themselves with longing and exhaustion when they are away but miserable and restless when they are home.”

“I suppose I could see where they’re coming from,” Diana conceded after a moment of thought, gazing past the mountains that bordered the village.

“Is that so?” Gaius raised a brow, tilting his head. “I didn’t know you had an affinity for the sea.”

“I always have,” Diana shrugged. “I used to wonder how surfers could throw themselves into the ocean and attempt to ride the waves. It would be so easy to wipe out, to get pulled into the undertow and drown. They get beaten around so much, and yet, they keep going back to chase that perfect ride. And I wondered why they did that. Why they would take the risk.”

Diana was aware of Gaius’s eyes intently trained on her face as she went on, still working out her thoughts on the matter as she shared them. “But I guess the risk is part of the appeal. Knowing that you’re in the middle of something so incomprehensibly vast and powerful. Knowing that you’re so insignificant and could easily be snuffed out at a moment’s notice. There’s a sort of thrill that comes with challenging that kind of power, of coexisting with it.”

Gaius worked his jaw, gaze thoughtful as he considered her point of view. “That is very fitting of you to say.”

Diana’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”

He raised an eyebrow as if he was surprised she didn’t see what he did. “What you just described—the surfers. They sound a lot like you. Running with deadly beings that could have just as easily killed you as welcomed you. Going toe-to-toe with powers you can’t even comprehend. Even as a mortal, you challenged me, knowing it could be suicide. It’s as if you like being in mortal peril, too.”

Diana chewed her lip, mulling that over. She had never thought about it that way, but from his point of view, it made perfect sense. “Maybe I did once,” she relented, absently tugging on a strand of her hair.

“But not now?”

“No,” she decided, sighing. She watched as her breath clouded before her and slowly dissipated on the wind before continuing on. “Sometimes I crave action. The adrenaline. The opportunity to let go, just for a little bit. But not like this, whatever mystery we’re in right now,” she waved her hand at their surroundings. “I’m okay with a little fighting, especially if I’m doing it to protect people. But right now, I just want peace. I’m sick of other people’s lives being at stake. I can’t help but feel like their fate rests in my hands.”

“Diana…”

“Yes, I have Rheya’s powers,” she continued, her throat tightening and cheeks heating with frustration. “But does that really make me qualified to have this much responsibility? My hands are just as stained with sin as anyone else’s. Who’s to say if I will be able to stop Demetrius’s influence and not fall to it?”

“I think you are capable of more good and restraint than you believe, which is why you are a perfect fit. Not just because you have her powers,” Gaius murmured, his gaze roaming across the buildings around them. “I just wish you didn’t think that you were alone in this. If you slip up, someone else will catch you.”

Diana knew he was trying to be comforting and that his logic was sound. But the idea of having others get involved on her behalf—especially if it was because she failed—wasn’t as reassuring as it was meant to be.

They continued for a little while, observing as other people trickled through the streets, slowly retreating to their homes in search of rest and shelter from the cooling night. As the town collectively fell into silence, they came upon a steepled church of gray and white stone. It towered over them, an ancient place that spoke of refuge and repentance but only seemed hollow and forlorn in its emptiness.

Diana stared up at the belltower, watching as gilded arms slowly rotated around the structure’s clock face, and couldn’t help but feel as if it was counting down the seconds until their time here was up, reminding her that the sanctuary she found was only temporary.

“I wish that I could give you the peace you deserve, Diana,” Gaius said softly beside her, his breath turning to mist in front of them.

Diana’s chest caved and she turned to him, tenderly pushing his hair away from his face and fitting her palm against his cheek, his skin cool from the night air. She spoke honestly, pouring her heart into her words. “This is enough for me, Gaius. You are enough and more.”

Unable to bear the anguish that would most certainly cross his features in response, Diana closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his, kissing him softly, sweetly. His arms came up around her, his touch at once tentative and grounding. She let herself lean into his embrace for a little while longer, touching her forehead to his briefly before drawing away, contenting herself with simply holding his hand for now.

Eventually, they drew away from the church, leaving the solemn air behind. As they meandered back to their hotel, Diana picked up a bag of baked goods from a closing café, taking with her the scent of roasted coffee and nutmeg. Before they turned onto the final street that led them back to the lodge, Diana felt a slight presence brush against her mind and caught movement on her peripheral.

She stilled, pulling Gaius to a halt as she turned, her eyes settling on a small antique store on the corner of the block. Inside, an elderly man slowly bustled around a glass display case tucking only the valuable items into a separate box for safekeeping. Diana watched the man as he set about his tasks with great care, not because he dealt with fragile objects but because he clearly cared about what he did and possessed.

She was momentarily struck by how normal life could still go on despite how things changed around them. That would have been her in merely thirty years, not necessarily owning an antique shop, but growing old and hopefully doing what she loved. She had told Gaius that she had long since made peace with her lost life, but sometimes she couldn’t help but feel a little sorrowful as she watched the people she grew up with age and move on while she stayed the same.

Gaius squeezed her hand, the gesture comforting as if he knew what she had been thinking. She supposed he probably did. Diana was about to let her lead him away when her gaze caught on something that glinted in the storefront window among other knick knacks. Her breath caught and she tightened her grip on Gaius’s hand.

“Look,” she breathed and he followed her line of sight. The knife.

It almost looked just as it had in her dreams, with its long curved blade and hilt of bone, although it was significantly tarnished, the handle blackened in some parts as if someone had tossed it into a fire. It’s presence was faint, muted, as if there was a damper on it. But why? To keep it hidden? And from whom?

She and Gaius shared a look before wordlessly deciding to approach the store. Diana pushed the door open, a bell chiming above the entryway as they stepped inside. The store was cramped full of shelves stocked with all sorts of odds and ends. An L-shaped counter stood against one wall, topped with glass display cases and an ancient cash register. It smelled faintly of pumpkin spice as if a candle had been burning not even an hour ago. “Hello? Are you still open? I hope it’s not too late.”

The old man looked up, thick eyebrows raised and pale blue eyes magnified by his thick glasses. His face split into a kind smile worn with laugh lines. “Oh no, come in, come in!” he said cheerfully in a thick German accent. “Have a look around! I still have time before I’m finished packing up. Don’t get many customers this time of year. Winter brings the snow crowd.”

“Actually,” Diana began, pulling Gaius with her further into the store as she waved towards the window. “I was interested in the knife you had on display.”

“That old thing?” He lifted a snowy brow, setting his box of valuables on the counter before hobbling over to the storefront.

“Yeah. I’ve, uh, got a friend at home who likes to collect knives,” Diana supplied, her eyes briefly flicking to Gaius as she let go of his hand and followed the man. “She asked me to bring her back a souvenir.”

The shopkeep paused, shaky hands outstretched towards the blade’s handle. He jutted a thumb over his shoulder. “Oh. Well in that case, I’ve got plenty of nicer knives in the back—”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Gaius cut in smoothly, stepping up to Diana’s side. “Our friend has a very particular taste. Bone hilts and whatnot. An odd collection, but to each his own, I suppose.”

“Right you are. “To each his own. Hmm….” The man squinted, casually plucking the blade off its display and turning it to find the tiny price tag that was attached to the hilt by a bit of yarn. “Ah, here we are. Says here it’s twenty francs,” he looked up, waving his hand nonchalantly. “But I’ll give it to you for fifteen, since it’s a bit burned and all. Found it in a box full of baubles at an estate sale a while back. ”

“Do you accept cards? Or US dollars?”

“Either’s fine,” he shrugged.

“Perfect.” Diana gave him an easy smile. “We’ll take it.”

The man nodded and they followed him to his counter where the decrepit register sat. Diana was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she handed him her card, relieved that she didn’t have to fight or kill anything for this. Yet.

Inside her pocket, she crossed her fingers, just in case.

“Here you go,” the man said at last, handing her card back first, then the knife. “I would have wrapped it, but we’re all out of paper.”

“That’s alright. We appreciate it nonetheless,” Gaius assured him, taking the blade from his hands before Diana could reach for it. He tucked it into the inside of his coat and sent her a look that clearly said, You should not be touching this yet.

Diana sighed. That was fair.

They thanked the shopkeep again, bidding him a goodnight, and stepped out onto the street. Diana let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding when they left the store and nothing horrible befell them. She was even more surprised when they made it all the way back to the hotel room without any issues.

“That was… easy,” Diana frowned as she closed the door to their room behind her, then knocked on the wooden wall for good measure.

“Feels too easy.” Gaius’s brows were drawn together, clearly suspicious as he withdrew the blade and set it carefully on the table against the wall.

Slowly, Diana shook her head and came to stand beside him. As she spoke, she knew her words to be true. “No. I don’t think anyone knows what this is. The shopkeep included. Even I could barely detect it, and we’ve been in town for days. I had no idea this was here.”

Gaius’s frown only deepened and his eyes fell to the golden chain around Diana’s neck, the amulet hidden beneath her shirt. “It seems that the Compass knew where we needed to go before we even did.”

She raised her brows, her fingertips brushing the pendant through her clothing. “You think the amulet brought us here because of the blade? But how did it even know we needed it? Or where the knife was?”

“I don’t know, Diana,” Gaius admitted, running a hand through his hair. “All I know is that for some reason, you and these artifacts are connected. Perhaps the amulet knew what you needed when you established a blood link to it. Or perhaps the artifacts themselves know that they are meant to be used together for something.”

Diana pressed the heels of her hand against her eyes. “Christ.”

“As for how the amulet knew where the knife was,” Gaius continued. “I don’t think it did. Not precisely at least, just the general location. That’s why we ended up at the farm instead.”

“Well, how did it even know that it was in Switzerland?” Diana wondered aloud. She wasn’t sure why she was asking Gaius, but she had to admit he was pretty good about developing fairly sound explanations based on what few clues they had. He was a good fighter, yes, but an even better thinker.

Gaius turning, leaning back against the table as he folded his arms, brows furrowed in thought. Diana could practically see his mind churning through possible explanations as he worked his jaw. When his eyes sharpened and filled with clarity not even a minute later, she knew he had fit the pieces together. “You said you had heard voices when you made contact with the Compass, yes?”

She tilted her head, sitting down on the foot of the bed. “Yeah…”

“Perhaps they knew,” Gaius mused and Diana was surprised that he was being completely serious.

“What?”

“It’s entirely possible that the reason it knew is because that amulet is bound to an entity of sorts. Something sentient,” Gaius explained.

“What, like a ghost?” Diana scoffed, rolling her eyes. Maybe she had jumped the gun a bit in assuming that Gaius could be trusted to always provide a rational explanation.

“No, not a ghost. Don’t be ridiculous.” His eyes narrowed at her. “Do you consider me to be a fool?”

“No, but I think you’re being a little absurd.” She shook her head, snickering to herself. “You are the last person I would ever expect to suggest my necklace is haunted.”

“That’s not what I’m—” Gaius was fully scowling now, his irritation stinging like a whip down the bond. “I’m not going to talk to you if you’re not going to take me seriously, Bloodkeeper.”

Bloodkeeper. Oh, he was not happy with her.

Diana forced the smirk off her face, holding her hands out, palms up to show that she was done mocking. “Sorry. But you have to admit it is a little crazy.”

He glared at her.

“Okay, fine. It’s not.” She rolled her eyes and waved her hand. “Go on. I promise I’m listening.”

Gaius stared down his nose at her for a long moment before he took a deep breath and continued. “I don’t think the Compass is haunted. But perhaps it’s a bridge of sorts. I’ve heard of relics that could connect their user to wells of power. Locations like the forest in Bergen, magical creatures, and so on. When you establish a blood contact with the amulet, the amulet didn’t transport you—”

“It forged a connection to something powerful enough that could,” Diana finished, picking up on his line of thought and he nodded.

Okay, that was reasonable enough. After they made the jump from Copenhagen to the barn, Diana had doubted that even her blood was powerful enough to do something as insane as transport them hundreds of miles away from their starting point. But if it was only using her blood to connect her… perhaps that was possible.

“Well, that still leaves who or what the Compass connected me to,” Diana noted, her fingers anxiously tangling in the ends of her hair.

Gaius opened his mouth, then hesitated. Diana caught his expression and grimaced. “You have an idea, don’t you?”

He winced, eyes flicking to hers, then to a random spot on the wall behind her, his gaze hardening. “I think there’s a reason it’s called the Mercurian Compass.”

Diana blinked at him blankly, then put her head in her hands and groaned. “Have I mentioned that I am sick of this? Because I am sick of it.”

She heard Gaius let out a long-suffering sigh and a moment later, the bed depressed beside her. He squeezed her shoulder, pulling her to rest against his side. “I know, diviana.”

Diana buried her face into his shoulder, muffling her words as she spoke. “Why would a god get involved?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, his breath stirring her hair. “Phampira gifted Rheya, so it’s not unprecedented.”

“Are Roman gods even… alive?” Diana’s brow furrowed. She still wasn’t even entirely sure she believed in gods. Now she had to consider that one of them was real and helping her?

“Roman, Greek, Egyptian… They’re all the same.” Gaius shifted up the bed, pulling her with him until they rested against the pillows. “It doesn’t matter what name they go by. Sometimes their attributes are swapped or condensed into fewer gods, but they’re all the same.”

“I really hate this,” Diana repeated, slinging her arm across his stomach and holding tight, as if she were drowning and he was her only lifeline left.

He kissed her temple. “I know.”

After several minutes had passed, Diana extracted herself from his embrace, combing her hair back as her gaze resettled on the blade resting on the table. “I should probably try to—”

Before Diana could even finish her thought, her phone rang. She sighed, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Her brows rose and she answered. “Kamilah?”

Gaius sat up behind her.

“Diana,” Kamilah said by way of greeting. Then her voice softened a fraction.“You sound tired.”

“Just...frustrated,” Diana shrugged, scooting back against the headboard and leaning against Gaius’s shoulder.

“Still unraveling more mysteries?”

Diana huffed a laugh. “Something like that. Every question answered only leads to more questions.”

“Mm,” Kamilah merely replied and Diana could hear the hint of an amused smile in her voice. “Well, I’m calling you because I think I’ve figured out a way to contain Demetrius’s influence.”

Diana straightened and Gaius’s brow furrowed at her reaction. “You did? How?”

“Demetrius’s influence is synonymous with that of the Tree of Eternal Death, yes?” Kamilah asked, her voice calm and analytical.

“Yeah…”

“Well, the world needs balance, Diana,” Kamilah went on and Diana could distantly hear the click of Kamilah’s heels. She must have been going somewhere. “Good and bad, light and dark, life and death. You know how it goes.” There was a faint ding! She was getting into an elevator, then. “Well, twenty-three years ago, we upended that balance. Back on Mydiea, when we—”

Diana gasped, the realization dawning on her. She thought of an ancient cavern beneath the Order of Dawn compound, which was now barely more than a pile of rubble in the middle of the Mediterranean.“When we destroyed the Tree of Eternal Life.”

“Precisely,” Kamilah agreed and Diana could hear a note of pride in her voice. “For centuries, the Tree of Eternal Life and the Tree of Eternal Death kept each other in check, two sides of the same coin. One can’t exist without the other, not without consequence. And for twenty-three years, the Tree of Eternal Death’s power has grown without its equal to counter it. Now we are paying the price.”

“Can we stop it?” Diana asked, subconsciously clutching her silver lily pendant so hard, its edges cut into her palm.

“Theoretically, yes,” Kamilah declared and Diana almost sighed in relief before Kamilah continued, her voice growing gravely serious. “But it won’t be easy. The only thing that can stem his influence is the Tree of Eternal Life. And we don’t have that. But, we do have the next best thing.”

Something about the way she said that made Diana’s stomach twist into a knot. “Which is?”

“Someone who holds the tree’s power,” Kamilah said softly, almost apologetically. “You, Diana. We need your blood.”

Everything in her body went cold at that. Diana suddenly felt as if there were a yawning pit beneath her, waiting to swallow her whole. She echoed Kamilah numbly, “My blood.”

Gaius stiffened beside her. She felt his gaze burning into her skin but she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. Her blood.

“Yes. I…” She heard Kamilah swallow, struggling to find the words. If Kamilah was hesitating, things were bad.“I wouldn’t ask this of you if I thought there was any other way.”

“How much of it?”

“I don’t know. There’s no way to tell until we do it.” Kamilah’s voice was quiet. “Diana, if you don’t want to do this, it’s okay. We’ll… We’ll figure something else out.”

“It’s okay,” Diana whispered, heart pounding in her ears. “It’s okay,” she repeated. “You said it yourself. You wouldn’t have called unless there were no other options. So, we have to at least try this. I’ll be fine. I’ll do it.”

“...You’re sure of this?” Kamilah questioned.

“Yes.” Diana swallowed the lump in her throat, her fists clenching against her thighs, palms sweating.

“I’ll have Adrian arrange for your flight back. Then we can work out the details,” Kamilah promised and Diana heard her heels clicking once again. “I’m about to meet with him and update him on the situation.”

“Give him my best.” It was a battle to sound upbeat and Diana knew her attempt fell flat.

“I will. Just get home safe,” Kamilah said. “Both of you.”

Ah. Both. So Jax had filled her in.

Diana promised they would, then hung up, her phone dangling between her fingers as she stared blankly at the wall, reeling. She couldn’t explain the pit that had yawned open in her stomach or the inexplicable feeling she had that whatever was coming next, it would demand everything of her.

“Diana…” Gaius murmured and she felt his fingertips on her jaw, gently guiding her face towards his. His eyes were intent on hers, full of questions and concern. Diana wanted to fall into his touch, to drown in him until she forgot about everything that existed beyond this room. She wanted so badly to give in and hide away forever with him, but she couldn’t. Diana had known this would come. Their time was up.

Diana pulled away, rolling out of bed and starting towards the closet that contained what few belongings she had. “Get packed,” she said over her shoulder, yanking out her duffle bag. “We’re going to New York.”

Tagging: @courtesanofedenbrook, @esmeortegas, @xbobbatea, @bachelorettebound14, @somin-yin, @mkamra2355, @bigmemesplz, @dorkylittleweirdo, @memetrashing, @vesselsynths, @mindlesschicca, @mikewawazoski, @choicesplayer101

#gaius augustine #gaius x mc #my writing #bloodbound #choices #pixelberry #kamilah sayeed #adrian raines #jax matsuo #lily spencer #rheya apostolous

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kittinoir · 4 years

Text

Echoes of You ch. 12

Read on Ao3

Chat Noir was in a foul mood. Of course, that seemed to be more and more true lately, but he was turning up more dead-ends than leads and it was eating him alive. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten the tablet with the Grimoire translation on it. Unless his Lady had kept it - and even if he was dead wrong and she had just quit, he still couldn’t see her doing that - Salem would have it. Worse, he had a sneaking suspicion Salem had intentionally ‘forgotten’ to mention it. He found himself again wondering why his Lady had trusted this new guardian, followed by the familiar sting of the inevitable, involuntary follow up of ‘instead of me’?

He hadn’t been able to hunt the guardian down since deciding if his Lady had left him any clues, they would be in there. Of course, that was how he told himself to think on it. The truth was he was running patrols two and three times a day, every day in the hopes Salem would show himself, because the truth was he knew about as much about him as it turned out he had about Ladybug. The guardian could disappear with the Miracle box and the book and he’d never know until it was much, much too late.

The worst of it was the resentment he found creeping in, stealing into his heart in the moments between patrols, between lives, while he snatched moments of rest here and there. How could she do this to him? They were supposed to be a team. They were supposed to trust each other. It was supposed to be them against the world. That’s what they’d always said. She’d never let him down before; why now? Why? Why, why, why, why -

It had become a constant refrain, and in the quietest moments, a small voice whispered to him that the person he really resented was himself. He had made the mistake. He hadn’t been careful enough. He had forced her hand. She was only trying to protect him, and he hadn’t been strong enough to protect her back. They were only where they were because of what he’d done - or failed to do. At the end of the day, he had no one to blame but himself.

Those insidious fears were easier to ignore in the light of day.

Because they were a team. They were the only thing they could count on. She knew that. And, just like with her convoluted lucky charms, there were pieces to the puzzle he just couldn’t see. He had to trust that. More importantly, he had to trust her. She had never let him down before. He doubted very much she would start now. If love were enough, I’d still be here. He had to believe in that.

Red wasn’t exactly helping. She seemed capable, but that partnership, that intuition… It wasn’t there. How could it be? Still, sometimes that feeling flickered to life, in a moment where a shared glanced lead to a perfectly executed plan. It was rare, and surprising, but if nothing else, it gave him hope. Besides, she hadn’t let him down yet, either. She was trying, even though it seemed impossible at times. If nothing else, he had to respect that. She kept showing up. He would, too.

Part of him wondered if this was what his Lady had felt in those last days. The daily burden of akuma fights, plus the responsibility of being the guardian, and then the added weight of his identity. It must have been overwhelming. He wished he’d known, at least about the last part. And there in an of itself was another question: how long had she known? A month? Weeks? Just a few days? How long had she kept that detail to herself until Veritas had wrung it from her? And…was she ever going to tell him about it?

Had she dropped in on him? Had she put herself in his path, curious about what kind of person he was behind the mask? Had he walked by her without even seeing her? Signed a slip of paper outside a shoot, cracked a smile, and carried on? Had she been there?

All questions he intended to have answers to once he found her - once he restored her memory. Another little detail he hadn’t let himself dwell on. The hard truth was that might not have been part of the plan, but it wasn’t a reality he was will to accept. Not yet.

Unfortunately for him, it appeared as though Hawkmoth had about as much information as he did. Whatever the reason, Chat Noir was willing to bet their nemesis was aware or at least suspected Red wasn’t the real Ladybug. Maybe he could sense the change in their dynamic. Maybe he just knew what Ladybug had done. Either way, the akuma attacks had become more frequent and more violent. They’d been challenging before, but Chat Noir could tell Hawkmoth wasn’t just furious, he was creative. He very much doubted the villain would simply settle for their Miraculous anymore: the man was out for blood.

The latest akuma was no exception. Roots the size of pillars exploded out of the ground whenever Weeping Willow twitched her fingers, plowing through buildings and trapping civilians where they stood. If he had to guess, Chat Noir’d bet Hawkmoth had discovered a disgruntled conservationist. Where the hell was he finding these people?

“I think it’s about time to trim back the deadwood,” Chat Noir panted as Red landed next to him. Between trying to locate where the akuma was hiding and luring Willow away from more populated areas, they were both out of breath.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Red said. She reached for her yo-yo, but Chat Noir’s hand snapped out, stopping her. “Hey! What are - ”

“Look!” He pointed down to the street where a flash of pink had caught his eye. At first they just looked like pebbles rolling across the stones, glinting in the afternoon sun. Then, with a flash of fear, he understood. “Oh, my god.”

“What?” Red snapped, squinting in the direction he’d pointed. “Some rocks? We don’t have time for this!”

“It’s another hero,” Chat Noir said, standing. “It’s Multimouse.”

“Who?” Red stood as well, glaring down at the street. “Who’s Multimouse.”

Chat Noir grabbed his baton. “Not sure yet. I hope…Well, I don’t know which would be better, really.”

“That’s really helpful, O’Malley,” Red sniped.

“It’s the best I have,” Chat Noir shot back. He wasn’t the only one whose patience was running thin. He couldn’t blame her. A guilty part of him knew Red was relying on him for guidance and leadership. He should have made time to train with her, but… Well, any reason he could come up with would be an excuse. He needed to make time, but it appeared the guardian was done waiting for them to shape up.

It did mean one thing, though: the guardian was close by. And, if he was anything like his Lady had been, he’d be expecting the mouse Miraculous back as soon as they were done.

“Use your lucky charm,” Chat Noir instructed, glancing back at his partner. “Multimouse is going to help us, and I’m going to help her so you have the time you need to figure it out. Call us when you’re ready, and we’ll nip this in the bud.”

“Wait!” Red reached out and snagged his arm. “I don’t know if…what if I can’t figure it out?”

Chat Noir finally softened, offering her a smile of confidence. “You’ve got this. Ladybug chose you. And if you need help, I’ll be right there. And…if you want to set up some time to train later, just shoot me a message. We’ll set it up.”

She blinked, surprised, and for the first time Chat Noir got the feeling that for all the fuss he’d made insisting she wasn’t Ladybug, Red had never believed that she was or could be. She knew she wasn’t a part of the team, not really - and he’d let her believe that, because he was hurting too much to see it.

“Get going,” Red said, palming her yo-yo. “I’ve got this.”

“I know you do,” Chat Noir said with a quick salute. “Time to prune this weed!” He leapt, using his baton to take him straight down to the fight, but he was surprised to find when he got there that Multimouse, whoever she was, barely needed his help. Dozens of the tiny grey, black, and pink super heroines were swarming the street, taunting Willow. Roots slapped down on the stones like the tentacles of an enormous, pissed-off octopus. Upon closer inspection, Chat Noir was almost certain who was wearing moss Miraculous; his heart leapt every time one of the roots crashed down, terrified for the girl behind the mask.

He jumped as a slight weight landed on his shoulder. He turned his head and came face to whole body with the tiny hero herself. “You guys looked like you could use a hand,” she chirped, swinging the jumprope slung around her waist like she’d been born with one in her hands.

“And you are?” Chat Noir asked, one eyebrow cocked as he held his breath.

“I think you know,” she said with a grin. “Now are you going to help me keep this thing distracted?”

“I was going to,” he admitted, “But you seem to have everything under control.”

“Do you know where the akuma’s hiding?”

He nodded. “Ring on her finger, but we haven’t gotten close enough to do anything about it.”

“Hmmm.” She squinted in Willow’s direction, her nose wrinkling up in a way that struck a chord of familiarity he couldn’t quite place - like he’d been here before. But that was impossible. “Sounds like a job for someone who can sneak up on her. Leave it to me.”

“Ma - Multimouse!” Chat Noir reached for her as she leapt of his shoulder but he missed by a mile. “Wait.”

“Keep her busy for me,” she said as she disappeared onto the street. All he could do was watch her go, scowling. It was just like Marinette to take an analytical approach. It was amazing to watch, but it also scared the life out of him. He loved her confidence. He wished ‘Adrien’s’ celebrity didn’t intimidate her so much.

“That girl thinks she’s invincible,” he muttered to himself as he flung himself into the fray. He whacked roots away with his baton, shredded through others with his claws. He thought about using his cataclysm, but there were too many roots to waste on one attack.

He was still weed-whacking when he saw Red sail by overhead. He made to break away to help, but he’d worked himself nearly to the heart of the akuma and couldn’t break free. Multimouse and ‘Ladybug’ would have to succeed without him.

Minutes later, Chat Noir’s fears were assuaged as the roots shrivelled up and wilted away around him. He looked up in time to see Weeping Willow dissolve back into a scientist he recognized from television. She’d been slated to give a lecture on climate change earlier that day. Apparently it hadn’t gone very well.

“Paw-some job,” he said, making his way around the damage to Red. “I knew you would get it.”

“I hate to say it, but without that Mouse girl I don’t know how it would have gone,” Red admitted. “Is she, like, a member of the team now or something?”

Chat Noir worked to stay calm. “I think this was a one time deal,” he said. He hoped. Because the truth was he didn’t know if he’d be able to handle it if it wasn’t. Not on top of everything else. Not her. “Speaking of, did you see where she got to?”

“She was just here,” Red said, scanning the destroyed street. “You’d think she’d at least say bye or something.”

“Or something,” Chat Noir said. Marinette could try to slip away, but if there was one thing cats were good at, it was hunting down mice. “I’ll catch you later. Let me know about training.”

Red waved him off, collecting her Lucky Charm, but he thought he caught a small smile before she turned her face.

Chat Noir put the fight from his mind as he scanned the street, his enhanced eyes taking in every little detail, and… there! A flash of pink, one of Multimouse’s straggling doubles making for her.

He took to the roofs and gables that lined the street and followed the tiny darting figure back to an alley. Silently, Chat Noir slipped down to a balcony a little ways from the deepest shadows. Moments later a pink flash lit the inside the alley, illuminating both Marinette and, sure enough, Salem.

He watched, his tail practically twitching, as his friend handed back the Miraculous and made for the exit at the other end of the alley. He waited until she’d turned the corner and dropped nearly on top of Salem, using his forearm to pin the guardian to the wall.

“We really have to stop meeting like this,” Salem managed to splutter. He grabbed Chat Noir’s arm but wasn’t able to pull it away.

“We wouldn’t have to if you’d been straightforward from the beginning,” Chat Noir hissed. “You’ve been keeping something from me.”

“I told you…everything,” Salem gasped. Chat Noir eased up, but not enough for Salem to gain any purchase.

“She gave you the tablet along with the box, didn’t she,” Chat Noir demanded. “Didn’t she?”

“There was a tablet,” Salem admitted, “Yes, but it slipped my mind.”

“Slipped your mind?”

“It was easily the least exciting thing that happened that night,” Salem snapped. “Forgive me for being distracted. If you wanted it all you had to do was ask. It’s no use to me anyway. She said I’d know what to do with it, but I can’t even get it unlocked.”

Chat Noir’s ears went flat against his head. “You said she didn’t say anything else that night.”

“I said she didn’t have any other message for you,” Salem said, finally managing to shove Chat Noir off him. He dropped back to the street and straightened his jacket. “But she said a lot of other things.”

“Things like what,” Chat Noir said through gritted teeth.

“As though I remember,” Salem scoffed, but Chat Noir again got the feeling Salem was evading the question. “Do you want the tablet or not?”

“Yes,” Chat Noir said. “I do. Tonight.”

“Tonight,” Salem agreed. “I’ll leave it in Gustav Eiffel’s office for you after hours. And next time you have a question, just message Trixx.”

Chat Noir was about to leave, but paused. “Trixx?”

“I’m…borrowing them,” Salem said. “For now.”

“The Miraculous aren’t to be used for personal reasons,” Chat Noir warned. He wasn’t sure what it was about Salem that made him say it, but something told him Salem needed to hear it.

“That’s the problem with you hero types,” Salem said with a shake of his head. “So altruistic. So good.”

“And what’s wrong with good?” Chat Noir said.

“It’ll get you caught out, every time,” Salem said as he turned toward the mouth of the alley. “Hawkmoth and his little friends won’t play by your rules. He’ll do whatever it takes to win. Will you?”

Until Salem had asked him, Chat Noir honestly didn’t know. There had always been lines he hadn’t wanted to cross, boundaries he’d been careful to maintain. He knew that they created a weakness, but to him, and to his Lady, the end didn’t justify the means.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back,” Chat Noir said. It was the best he had.

“That’s not the same thing as winning,” Salem said, pausing at the corner of the building.

But Chat Noir only shrugged. “It is to me.”

#echoes #echoes of you #miraculous ladybug #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #fic #writing #i need a hOBBY

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