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klbwriting · 4 months

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Surface Tension

Chapter 2: Landslide

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none just building some fluff

Summary: The first few months are awkward, but they figure things out

Note: Chapter 2! So excited for this, and I love Orm being both confused but still trying to pretend he knows what's going on! Comments/critiques appreciated! Also, song is 'Landslides by Fleetwood Mac

The first month Y/N and Orm only exchanged pleasantries when they saw each other leaving or entering their homes. A quick hello, or how are you, followed by a hasty exit that left Orm confused, what if he had caused her to dislike him, and Y/N worried, what if he became suspicious of her? Despite their meetings being quick and dismissive both found themselves fascinated by the other. Y/N would often stand in her bathroom upstairs, in the bathtub no less, discreetly watching Orm as he walked the beach, sometimes swimming despite the chill of the autumn weather. She envied him honestly, he must have been on the surface because he wanted to be for some reason. If he were hiding out here he would be too afraid to go into the water like she was. Either that or he was still just as self-centered as he was as king and didn't fear being caught. She hadn't stepped foot in the water for the last decade, afraid that somehow her mother would find her and drag her back for punishment for a crime she had tried to prevent.

Y/N thought she was being discreet but Orm could feel her watch him. What he couldn't figure out was why she wouldn't talk to him. She hurried through any interaction they had, putting as much distance between them as possible. He didn't think he had said or done anything offensive, mostly just tried to smile and be polite. It had worked with other surface dwellers, why not her? Could she sense he didn't belong here somehow? He pondered this while he swam in the shallows of the ocean, receiving strange looks from those walking by. He knew the weather was too cold for humans to be swimming but he needed to be in the water, feel a part of the sea at least for a little while during the day. And today was the day he was finally going to confront Y/N, at least so he could apologize for whatever he had done to make her dislike him.

Orm was just coming in from the beach through the back sliding door of the house when he heard Y/N returning home through the wall splitting the house. He waited for several minutes, getting dried off, before he approached her door, knocking. She peeked out of the peephole and nearly passed out. Why was he here? Had he seen her watching him and wanted to tell her off for being creepy? She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Hi," she said, trying to hide how nervous she was. Orm swallowed, almost forgetting the words he wanted to say. She looked like she had had a long day, hair in a messy ponytail and clothes wrinkled from whatever job she did. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed and the thought of her in bed almost made him blush.

"Hello, I just, I notice that you seem to run off at the sight of me and I am wondering have I...done something to offend you?" he asked finally, stringing a usable sentence together, much to his surprise. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, this was not it.

"O, um, no, I'm...I'm sorry," she stammered out, trying to think fast about why she was avoiding him. "Its just, strange man moving in next door to me, not the first time I've been polite to a neighbor and he has thought that I was flirting, I didn't want to, I just wanted to make sure you weren't a creep first before being nicer." Was that an explanation? Did those words even work? Orm drew his eyebrows together, thinking over her statement.

"I hope I didn't come off as a creep, I am not one I don't think?" he said, voice unsure. Y/N couldn't fight the smile that appeared, he seemed so sweet and genuine. He wanted her to think he was a good man, not someone to be afraid of. She took a deep breath and decided to give him a chance.

"No, you haven't, you've been perfectly respectful," she said. "I'm sorry for making assumptions but you can never be too careful can you?" Orm agreed and looked at the weather. It was overcast, but not rainy.

"Would you like to take a walk on the beach?" he asked. This was actually surprising. Y/N looked towards the back of the house, thinking about the rocks and the water and then Atlantis. Then she pictured a force arriving on the beach to carry her back to the kingdom for execution. She shook her head.

"No, but how about a walk to the park?" she asked. Orm nodded. "Give me 2 minutes to change my shirt, I just got off work and feel like I smell." She laughed at herself and Orm smiled, nodding.

While he waited he thought about the look she had on her face when she had looked towards the ocean. It wasn't boredom, or even nervousness, it was fear in her eyes. Was she scared of the water? If so, why live in this house where the waves sung him to sleep every night? What was she afraid of? He filed the question away to think about later as the door opened again and she came out in a sweater and her ponytail smoothed out.

"Shall we?" she asked, offering him her elbow. He looked at her for a second before she laughed. "Sorry, its the gentleman's job to offer his arm isn't it?" Orm cocked his head to the side before mirroring her move, sticking his elbow out. Now he wished that he had watched those movies that Arthur had talked about, maybe he would know what was supposed to happen with his arm like this. Then Y/N slid her arm through his and linked them together. Now he understood. And he liked it. They started off towards the small green park that was nearby.

"Its nice today," Y/N said, breaking the silence as they started to circle the fountain at the park entrance. "Cloudy, but the temperature isn't too cold yet. I'll bet we'll have snow soon though." Orm looked up at the sky.

"I've never seen snow before," he said. He knew about the weather pattern, water froze in the air and then fell lightly to the ground in white flakes, but he had never bothered to go see snow. He wondered if he would like it.

"A southern man, I see," Y/N said, stopping by the edge of the community garden. She walked over to the small patch she took care of, grabbing a small bit of weed that had popped up in the last day and tossed it aside. "That's my part of the garden, I grow some vegetables."

"I've never gardened before either," Orm said. As they walked he was realizing he hadn't done a lot despite being on land for almost a full year now and wondered if he should start actually trying to live instead of just hide here. He shook the thought from his head and looked back at his walking partner. "So, you just got off work, where do you work?"

"I own a cafe in town, little place that's open for breakfast and lunch," she explained. "You should come by sometime, could always use more customers." She nudged him with her elbow, making her own heart skip a beat and deciding maybe it wasn't a good idea to walk with him, be this close to him. But he was like a magnet for her and she had spent so much time trying to fight speaking to him, it had been exhausting. They could be friends.

After the walk, for two months they had small talk. Nothing too deep, just general things they liked and disliked, some bland stories from their past that could easily be pulled from almost any surface dwellers memories. They walked in the park a few days a week and despite either of their best interests they were starting to really enjoy each other's company. Y/N loved to hear Orm's laugh and see his smile. Orm liked how the sun made Y/N's eyes a deeper color, but how the rainy days brought out her silly side, splashing in puddles or swinging at the vacant, soaked, playground. These walks were Orm's favorite times of the week, but after tonight he would have another favorite to add.

It was late, after midnight, and Orm was barely dozing, a nightmare waking him over and over. One would think the nightmares he had would be about his imprisonment, or the attempted assassination from his coronation day, but no, the nightmare's were about his father on his 18th birthday. His party had just ended, and it wasn't much of a party, more a show where his father could pretend to be so happy and proud of his soon-to-be king son. They had known his father was sick by then, would be dying within the next few months, so he had thrown Orm a grand bash to remember him by. Orm couldn't recall a single thing about the evening until he was saying goodnight to his father at the door to his room.

"You ate still an embarrassment," Orvax had said, looking Orm over. He was wearing his finest armor but still felt like a child playing knight and his father knew it. "Your reign will be the worst of any of the Atlantian kings and I hate that my child is going to be the greatest disappointment in the history of the sea." Then his father went into his room and died that very night.

Orm had spent the next decade trying to prove his father wrong. He knew he had, he knew now that Arthur being king was the greatest thing that could happen to Atlantis, but there was still a part of him that felt the pang of guilt and shame of being exactly the disappointment his father knew he was going to be. He woke up with the shame swimming in his body, but this time he heard something outside. He stood, throwing on a shirt as he ventured downstairs. The sound wasn't threatening, it was, music. Y/N was outside on the back porch playing...guitar...that was the word, and singing. He thought he recognized the voice but couldn't place where from. He opened the sliding door to the back quietly, wanting to listen. She was seated on a wicker rocking chair facing the ocean, strumming as she sang to the sea.

Orm must have made a noise because the song stopped and she turned, looking at him. He blushed, feeling caught peeking into something he wasn't supposed to see. After a moment though, she smiled and waved him out. He closed the door and moved to sit on the other wicker chair out on her porch.

Oh, mirror in the sky

What is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changing oceans tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

"I hope I wasn't keeping you awake," she said, still strumming softly. Orm watched her fingers, shaking his head. "I can't sleep either. What's got you awake, if you don't mind me asking."

"My past," he said softly. She nodded, seeming to understand. "You?"

"My past," she mimicked his voice before laughing. Orm chuckled. It must have been the sound of the waves or the sight of the stars because Y/N decided then to trust Orm with a little more of herself. "I was blamed for something that I didn't do, but because of me it was still able to happen. Someone almost died, so I ran. I couldn't live at home anymore, seeing what my foolishness caused so, here I am." Orm looked at her and sighed. "What? Same thing for you?"

"Worse," he said. Her eyebrows shot up. "I also did something foolish, and well, I was high on who I was, the power my name afforded me, and I did hurt people, almost killed my own brother. He forgave me, taught me a hard lesson in the process, and now I just want to figure out who I am without that world, without that power." Y/N reached out her hand and set it gently on his.

"I'm glad we found each other then, maybe we can be friends and help each other be better then we were," she said. Orm smiled, squeezing her hand and sitting back to enjoy the ocean as Y/N pulled back to start playing again, singing him to sleep.

#orm marius #king orm #ormmarius #orm marius x reader #king orm x reader #kingorm #ormmariusxreader #ormmariusoneshot #kingormxreader #ormseries3

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strangesickness · 2 months

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i've probably brought this up before but commenters really are everything (also for clarity i jumped ship from my old AO3 account, thats why i'm talking like i've been posting fic for years but my AO3 is as barren of fics as your bed is of women) (laughtrack plays)

i was writing a multichapter when i was like 15, and it was the first time i'd ever attempted that, it was the longest thing i had written (still not super long but yknow) and it was fun but kind of stressful. there was this person who would comment on every chapter, talking about what they liked, speculating, etc. and their comments encouraged me to keep writing even when i was losing interest! theres probably a whole extra chapter on that fic than their would've been without that persons support

i posted a fic i was pretty nervous about, it was mostly just a fluffy romantic thing, but i was pretty proud of it, and being aromantic, i'm always pretty nervous about writing romance. someone commented a longass comment where they highlighted specific quotes they liked, and mentioned how much they loved my characterization! i still go back to that comment years later.

fandom is a community affair! we should be encouraging each other :) my love for fandom has returned tenfold after creating this blog and interacting with my mutuals and actually feeling like i'm part of something, rather than an outside observer. fandom is not an individual sport!

#posts afflicted with a strange sickness

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fluffypotatey · 8 months

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Hello again! I hope you don't mind. What's your opinion on Azure Lion, and the Brotherhood? You said they were a toxic group, can you explain how and why? I am very dense. Also have you watched the newest Monkey King movie? What do you think of it? Are there any part of JTTW or Sun Wukong's story you'd like to see be made into a movie that doesn't get much attention? Not LMK verse of course. I'd like to see Ao Lie, the White Dragon Horse's story get expanded on, especially when the group encounter the Dragon family during their journey. What about you? What's your opnion on LBD's host, or Bai He as the fans are calling her? Would you like an interaction between her and SWK? Have a good month!

ok imma save your brotherhood question for last because once i start with them and swk's relationship with them, i will not stop.

anyway,

no, i haven't seen the new Monkey King movie yet T^T i hope to see it soon when i have free time, but uni's began, so i will be busy with assignments T^T goodbye summer vacation :'(

as for what jttw story i'd like to see more of? hmmmmm, idk, though tbh i am very new with any jttw interpretation (my introduction to this story was through OSP, and after seeing the sun&moon poll i decided to check out lmk), so my personal information is still small compared to the people who grew up with the many stories and variations of Journey to the West and its characters.

however, i kind of wanna say Sha Wujing/Sandy? mostly because he does seem like an interesting character (2nd strongest out of the companions if i'm remembering right), and is fairly clever with his fighting (which might be why he gets along with swk a lot). idk, it would be fun to get some background on how he acquired his skull necklace (pretty sure they were enemies of his???? or something idk) and his own motivations for redemption, not to mention he does become a Bodhisattva just like swk and Tripitaka (pretty Pigsy/Zhu Baije doesn't???), so that would be fun to touch on!

moving on now....i actually do like how the fandom just adopted :BD's host and we all affectionately call her Bai He! it's sweet and i like that we all kind of want to see her own recovery of being possessed for like months (or a year idk lmk timeline is weird and funky and no i am not annoyed-) i am a big fan of the "Macky adopts previously possessed child out of solidarity but also she latched onto him first and wouldn't let go so he's kind of stuck with her now :)" it's very fanon but, eh, i'm a sucker for "reluctant dad to protect the smol" characters (prob another reason why i love Pigsy and swk so much lmao).

ALSO, i think her interactions with swk would be so funny (for me) and awkward (for swk) because she's like "thanks for saving the world and me!" and swk like "MHM! uh yeah, sure, np kiddo" bc he did almost kill her (tho he really did try to find a way to not do that) but also Bai He might not even be mad at him for that. (maybe i want her to attempt to befriend him, but swk is just so nervous and feeling a tad guilty so he avoids her but she's a persistent little fucker, maybe i want to a lot, sue me)

idk what her role is now in the show tbh. she could be sidelined now, and we only get cameos of her (s3 ending & s4 special) for the time being just showing her slow recovery (lmk has been doing a "minor/background character development happening behind the scenes" for awhile (DBK fam) so i wouldn't be surprised if we see that with her). but it's possible that she could grow to have some role in s5 or s6 (maybe she's got some leftover LBD powers bc post-possession symptoms, maybe Mr. Hoodie Man wants to use her too bc she was such a great host for LBD, maybe she saw something plot relevant while possessed concerning MK and wants to warn him or his friend??? WHO KNOWS???)

ok.....Brotherhood™️ what are my thoughts on them......

this post is already long as is, and i have class in 30 minutes, oh boy let's go >:3

sO, let try and summarize my thoughts of them before delving in: i think that narratively, the Brotherhood are a great way for establishing who Sun Wukong was pre-jttw as well as giving us access to his history with Macky (THANK FUCKING GOD I WAS SO DESPERATE FOR THEIR BACKSTORY).

the Brotherhood is also a great way to showcase MK's growing similarities with swk and the narrative parallels the two characters have for each other. we already knew swk was trying to mentor MK is a way that was different from how swk lived his life before because, we he's shown, he really does regret his past actions, and wants MK to be a better version, believes MK can be this better version of him. and you can see him trying, but also he fails to really explain WHY his teaching methods are slow and vague sooooooo, uh oh :)

anyway, character-wise.....the Brotherhood is written to be both sympathetic and dislikable. the sympathetic aspect comes with Azure and his Cause™️ because that shows you that "wait a minute...he really did want to do good, but lost sight of it and the harm he was doing along the way." you're supposed to sympathize with him, you're supposed to feel confused about his shaky relationship with swk because "Azure only wanted to do good, yet swk ruined it" <- this is some excellent unreliable narrator shit i love about this show btw

HOWEVER! Azure is not an archetype character (lmk doesn't really do archetypes. okay, they do, BUT it's more of deconstruction of the archetype than really using an archetype, you feel me?) he is a character who is deeply flawed. he is idealistic and vain (yes, yes he is vain bc have you seen this lion????) Azure built up swk on a pedestal of what a true role model king should look like (nevermind that swk's kingdom was on a island and his subjects were just monkeys, meaning his reign was fairly small compared to Heaven, therefore more manageable BUT I DIGRESS)

basically, Azure placed so much admiration and all his ideal onto swk, who was frankly a lot younger than the celestial lion being that he would have only recently met him post-Havoc & he was only about 500-600 years old by then (maybe????), and saw the monkey more as a perfect weapon to use to defeat the Jade Emperor and start a new, "more compassionate" era.

ok, and this is just me speaking, but, Azure, honey, if you really wanted to help restart Heaven into helping out the poor humans, instead of the very flawed bureaucracy you argued against.....maybe, don't continue on with a monarchy????? idk, maybe it's the Western influence talking but Azure, if you hate the celestial lords and emperor so much, maybe create a system that DOESN'T favor the lords and emperor????? break the whole system apart and create something new???? course you didn't think that far (which was eloquently shown in the special) so i'm honestly not surprised that your mission failed so many times

anyway, the dislikable aspect! Peng is a wonderful character for this section! so, when meeting Azure, you may come to a couple conclusions: wow a pretty lion! is he trustworthy? well, he seems to really want to help out.....damn he's got quite the silvertongue there, very convincing and great orator....you seem very upset about whatever swk did to you, huh? but meeting Peng you get: ooooh pretty bird man! oh, they're kind of a bitch, aren't they? yeah, still a bitch (and depending on the viewer, bitch can be affectionate or derogatory)

but yeah, so Peng, one of Azure's brother trio who worked with him in the Celestial Court and views him as the leader of the Brotherhood rather than swk (actually, none of the brotherhood members even consider swk their leader, except Azure and maybe Macky (but that might be bc Macky does not fucking care about the brotherhood member BUT swk) bc the rest view swk as their prized weapon)

Peng is really the character that starts to make you reconsider Azure's trustworthiness because my god is this bird the most condescending and bitchiest of friends. they are that toxic friend, okay? it was because of Peng that i clocked in "oh, ok, this is high school toxicity 101, got it" lol

anyway, Peng does not really seem to care that much for...the Cause™️ like Azure and Yellow Tusk do. rather, they seem to just stick around mostly because Azure and Yellow Tusk are their brothers and that's it. i guess props for staying loyal??? but still, Peng is the character that gives us the first crack into Azure's worthy crusade because their character will resort to violence first, turns on anyone who slightly disagrees with Azure's methods (*cough cough* Mac *cough cough*) or, hm, let's say....surrenders to the Jade Emperor, is missing for 500 years, then miraculously is freed and is working with a Buddhist monk?

so yeah, uh running out of time but to sum up: Azure and the brotherhood were never really "friends" they were colleagues who though they all had a common goal to defeat Heaven but their loyalty was built on ideals and pedestals and flaky attitudes which was why Mac was never comfortable around them, why DBK stopped interacting with them after the war, and WHY swk was so easily pointed as a traitor and a villain by the Camelhead Trio.

*jazz hands* and there you go, i would say more but i have class!

#lmk #lmk analysis #lmk brotherhood #lmk sun wukong #lmk six eared macaque #lego monkie kid #asks #I HAVE 5 MINUTES FUCK #long post

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softxsuki · 8 months

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god i hope i’m not late i was about to sleep but then i remembered your requests and i had to write one!!! sorry for the late request!!!

So my pronouns are she/her. The three fandoms i wouldn’t mind being paired up would be BTS, BNHA, and Obey Me! I would love to be paired up with male characters in a romantic setting.

I am an INFP and my zodiac sign is a Pisces!

I value mostly trust and friendship. I want to be able to joke around and have my lover be my best friend! We need to radiate the same energy and hopefully they will give back the same or even more in which I will gladly reciprocate back. But they also need to be calm and collected because I have trouble doing that. Acts of service and being told I do well is certainly my love language. I prefer taller people but everyone is taller than me lol since i’m only 5’2. I also don’t mind a man in glasses.

Generally when i meet people i am shy and nervous. Don’t really know how to break the ice. With friends, I laugh loudly and love to listen rather than talk about my own life. I love reading, drawing, and writing but spend most of my time immersed in video games. My taste in music I believe is trash because I listen to the same damn songs over and over again and most likely never get tired of them. I also take lots of naps because i tire easily and it’s been difficult because of my chronic illness, lupus. Every day is different and honestly the last month or so I haven’t been feeling the greatest…But I am doing better!

Lastly the type of scenario I would like would be possibly a “first interaction??” or how they would take care of me? I am lover of just fluff and the start of relationships where everything just feels right and new. I would to explore something like that. Thank you so much for doing this!!

1000 Follower Event Matchup #34

This event is CLOSED. The event masterlist is here.

Note: Hope you enjoy, sorry it's late!

***pls note that I no longer accept requests for bts <3 i love my boys but I don't feel comfortable writing fanfics for them anymore :)

I match you with: KIRISHIMA, JUNGKOOK, and DIAVOLO

Runner ups: Kaminari, Jin, Mammon

Kirishima:

Kirishima makes the best lover but also friend for you

It’s like dating your best friend, with the perks of being able to kiss and stuff

He loves joking around with you and playing video games with you and the rest of your friends

Acts of service are his thing–he’s always doing little things for you that he knows you’d like, for instance, asking Bakugou to teach him to cook something so he can make a meal for you, buying you flowers, opening the door for you, lending you his jackets. IT'S THE SMALL THINGS THAT COUNT

He’s an extrovert so he does talk a lot and loves that you listen to him, though he wants to hear from you as well, so he’d ask you questions to help get some answers from you

How does he take care of you?

Kirishima is always watching out for you, making sure you’re doing okay

He’s the type of guy who has a conversation with someone, but is also paying attention to you at the same time

Let’s say you’re both out for dinner with your friends and you drop your fork so you bend down to pick it up

He places his hand along the edge of the table as you bend down, while absorbed in a conversation with Kaminiari, making sure you don’t hit your head on the table when you come back up–he’s always watching you (not in a creepy way lol)

He’s very subtle but exact with his caring for you, he won’t be over the top, but at the end of the day, you’ll never feel insecure that he doesn’t care for you

Jungkook:

Jungkook would just be such a fun boyfriend for you

He’s quirky and lots of fun, going out of his comfort zone to do the most daring things, and he’s definitely inviting you along for it all

I just picture you having the time of your life with him

He’s very daring and adventurous, but he’s also a cutie that believes in love at first sight by hearing a bell chime and I think that is so adorable :(

He’s so pure hearted and kind, thinking of you all the time through everything he does

Jungkook always compliments you on how well you’re doing something, he even randomly says it so you know that you’re doing well and making someone proud, so you should be happy with yourself as well

Jungkook loves to draw with you, you both have fun trying to draw each other or just spending quality time together drawing and playing video games together

There’s never a dull moment with him

How does he take care of you?

Jungkook is very protective over you, so he naturally takes very good care of you

Any ounce of discomfort on your face and he jumps in immediately to take care of the issue (if he can)

He knows you struggles with lupus and does whatever he can to support you, yet doesn’t want you to miss out on the fun on days where it may be harder for you, so he has no problem just being there for you at home, enjoying each others company

Truly perfect, I’m telling you

Diavolo:

Diavolo! It was a close match between Dia and Mammon for me

But I went with Diavolo, because as fun and laid back as he may be, he also knows when to be serious and mature, something Mammon struggles with

Diavolo loves having fun with you; he’s always trying to escape from his mountain of paperwork, sneaking past Barbatos so he can spend some time with you in a place that isn’t his office lol

You both sneak off into town together to get some food

He even likes bringing you to the human world where you can introduce him to some of your favorite things to do and favorite foods to eat

Leviathan got him into games so he likes to practice his skills with you

His go-to is quiet moments with you in his office (since Barbatos always drags him there and he drags you with him lol) so while he does his paperwork, you find a quiet corner in his office (that he has supplied with comfortable pillows and blankets) so you can read

How does he take care of you?

As Future King of the Devildom, he uses his power and connection to get the best doctor for you when your lupus gets particularly bad

He’d go as far as to call help from the human world if the doctors in the Devildom can’t help you

Though he’s incredibly busy as President of the RAD student council and Future King of the Devildom, he’s never too busy for you, and goes out of his way to ensure he can always care for you and be there for you when you need it

He walks you back home (whether you live in his castle or with the brothers is up to you) since he knows how dangerous it can be for you to walk alone since not everyone there agreed with your presence in the Devildom (not that anyone would be dumb enough to mess with the future leader’s woman lol)

But yeah :) I think he’s a great match for you!

EVENT REQUESTS ARE CLOSED

REGULAR REQUESTS ARE OPEN :D

Posted: 9/6/2023

#mha x reader #bnha x reader #kirishima x reader #mha matchup #bnha matchup #bts x reader #jungkook x reader #bts matchup #obey me x reader #obey me x mc #diavolo x reader #diavolo x mc #obey me matchups

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ina11rarepair · 8 months

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Can i request some Megane x Natsumi Headcanons?🥺 i'm not really sure if they are a rarepair since they interact a lot but no one except for me ships them in the fandom as far as i know

YAAA OF COURSE DON'T WORRY!! SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG BTWW ══ .✾. ════ 1. Their dynamic seems so pathetic guy x girlboss for me,, they also remind me of this funky little meme too,,, 2. Megane would the first one to make a move. He would be all nervous and shaky while asking her out to the point Natsumi would just be concerned about him 3. Who is the most romantic? it's in between,, I feel like none of them know how to be romantic,, mostly Natsumi honestly,, but I can definitely see Megane being somewhat romantic! 4. Who says ‘I love you’ first? MEGANE TBH,, no need for explanation, we all know why!? /j he would probably feel like the luckiest guy ever to be in a relationship with Natsumi this is literally Megane and Natsumi 5. In their free time, Megane likes to teach Natsumi how to play different video games (eventually she gets better at them than him) 6. Megane probably hides the fact that he tend to get scared easily 7. Every time Raimon makes a mess, Megane and Natsumi are the ones to do the cleaning,, (occasionally Aki and Haruna would help!). They'd probably chit chat about how much disorganized the team tend to be 8. They'd be the most organized couple ever. Everything in their house is literally placed in order from A-Z, smallest to biggest and even shades,,, /hj 9. They're the type to go out get groceries together for Raimon. Megane would help Natsumi with the cooking too! 10. They adopt a silly fluffy white cat as their kid,, 11. They argue the most when they're both cooking, Megane tries to tell Natsumi how to cook but she doesn't understand 12. When they sleep in the Inazuma Bus, I feel like Natsumi would wait for him to fall asleep and just quietly move next to him 13. Natsumi'd buy him gifts and send them anonymously 14. When they're at the claw machine section, Megane would be the one to be getting Natsumi the gifts; he'd feel so confident in getting them, even though he sucks ass at playing it 15. Natsumi listens to Megane's ramble about his fav interests!! He would even send her silly memes of the said interests,, 16. When Megane forgot his umbrella on a rainy day, Natsumi would lend him her umbrella!! 17. They both fail miserably at verbal affection,, but they still love each other nonetheless!? 18. They would definitely study together honestly,, 19. Whenever Megane is about to tell some info, Natsumi would butts in and tells it to the team instead of him; she then realized and apologized to him 20. Megane would probably insist on choosing matching costumes(of his interests) for them on every Halloween -👛, 🌲

#inazuma eleven #meganatsu #megane x natsumi #natsumi x megane #megane kakeru #raimon natsumi #inazuma eleven headcanon #IE headcanon #inazuma eleven rarepair #admin 👛#admin 🌲

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isabel3710 · 1 year

Note

Nervous breakdown for 'bad things happen bingo'

I got a busy weekend ahead of me, not only do I got the next chapter of Carpe Diem to finish up but I got two other prompts to write!

Fandom: Gravity Falls

Prompt: Nervous Breakdown

Masterlist

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Dipper had his elbows braced on his knees and he stared down at the floor, the constant feeling of Mabel rubbing his back brought some comfort.

“You got this,” Mabel murmured, “he can’t hurt you.”

“No,” Dipper agreed quietly, “but I’ll see him.”

Dipper ended up agreeing to testify in court, he would only have to speak in two different cases. For ‘the suit-man’ (or David) and Missy. Carl (or Nigel) had taken a plea deal. Today was David’s case.

He was sitting in the witness room with Mabel, she and the Grunkles had come with him. Both to show their support and to testify the day before. Dipper’s parents wanted to come too but couldn’t be pulled away from work in time.

“You don’t have to look at him,” Mabel said “just look at me or Stan or Ford, okay.”

Dipper took a deep breath “yeah, okay.”

Mabel stood up “I gotta get in there, are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah... Yeah I’ll be okay.”

His sister left the room and Dipper was left alone, well mostly alone. There were four other people in the room. He vaguely recognized three of them to be the women and guards who nabbed him from the warehouse but the last one he didn’t know. Dipper could feel them staring at him but he did his best to ignore it, hiding his face in a book (he wasn’t allowed his phone).

One by one the other witnesses were pulled away to testify and Dipper didn’t see them after. He wasn’t surprised, as soon as he was done he was high-tailing it out of there. Thank goodness Pacifica (being the law student that she was) agreed to sit in on everything and give him the sparknotes.

Finally, it was his turn to testify. Dipper took a deep breath and followed the bailiff into the courtroom. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on the defendant's table where David was sitting, staring at him with a cold, calculating expression. Dipper felt a shiver run down his spine.

Dipper sat at the witness stand and answered the questions as best he could, he made sure to look anywhere but the defendant’s table. Despite knowing Stan, Ford, and Mabel were in the room Dipper didn’t look at them as he shared his story. He didn’t want to see their reactions.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dipper's testimony was over. He was dismissed from the stand and allowed to leave the courtroom. He walked out, feeling a sense of relief and exhaustion wash over him. He sat down on a bench outside and soon the rest of his family joined him. Doing his best to hold in his lunch.

“Are you alright Dipper?” Ford asked.

“Yeah…” Dipper said “I just want to go back to the hotel.”

Stan tried to brighten the mood “look on the bright side kid, the worst part is over.”

“No.” Dipper said “next week Missy is going to court. And I need to testify.”

—-----

Dipper sat behind the witness stand once again, his hands shaking from where they were clasped in his lap. In front of him was the accusation lawyer.

“Mr Pines.” He said “can you share with the court your first interaction with Ms Kelly?”

“Y-yes” Dipper said, voice shaking a bit. “She was the first person I interacted with, she had me undress for her and then shaved off all my hair.” He ran a hand over his head, his hair finally starting to grow back. “She kept touching me the whole time she was with me.”

“Can you explain what you mean by ‘touching you’ Mr Pines?”

“Um yeah...” Dipper said “she would place her hands on my arms, my shoulders, my back, my chest. She would run her hands over my body, even when I asked her to stop.”

The questioning kept on like that, the lawyer asked him about things Missy did or say and Dipper answered the best he could. Finally he heard the blessed “no further questions, your honor.” He was half way done.

The defense lawyer stood and for the first time Dipper (accidently) looked at Missy. She smirked at him and winked. His breath caught and his heart raced. The judge must have glanced at him and noticed the look on his face.

“We will take a brief, fifteen minute recess,” she decided.

“But your honor,” the defense lawyer said “I need to cross-examine the witness.”

“And you can do it after.” The judge stood and everyone followed, watching as she left the room.

“Mr Pines,” Dipper turned to see one of the bailiff said “I can bring you to a separate room if you would like a minute to compose yourself.”

“Yes” Dipper said “yes, yes please…. Yeah that would be great. Thank… Thank you.”

“Of course,” The bailiff said and led him out of a side door and to a small, private room. “Would you like me to get anyone for you?” Dipper shook his head “very well, I’ll be back in a few minutes after the break.”

“T-thanks.”

As soon as the bailiff left Dipper sat down heavily in a chair and the dam broke. His body shook and tears polled in his eyes. It felt like he was having a nasty mix between a nervous breakdown (or panic attack) and an emotional breakdown.

Dipper thought he was doing okay, sure, sleeping sucked and he had trouble letting people touch him. But other than that he was doing fine! Then all it took was to see David and Missy for him to break down. Dipper pulled out the small packet of tissues from his suit jacket that Ford insisted he put there and wiped at his eyes and forced himself to take deep breaths.

Dipper was so much more scared of Missy than he was of David or Nigel. During his time in captivity the two men were the ones to hurt him or order others to. Missy never did that. But that did not mean she was innocent, she had power over him that David and Nigal never had. And that’s what scared him.

He was grateful every day that nothing permanent ever happened but it was only because Missy never made him do anything. Dipper was positive that if he hadn’t been saved when he had she would have done it.

There was a soft tap at the door and the bailiff poked his head in. “Time to go back?” Dipper asked and he nodded.

Standing Dipper was led back to the courtroom, the bailiff not commenting on his shaking hands or his blotchy face. Dipper soon sat one again behind the witness stand and the defense lawyer stood.

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Author's Note:

I was going to add in another scene but I didn't have time. Nothing I can do about it, I'll probably write it out and include it in the AO3 version.

Also, another little thing. If any of you have questions about my inspiration, thoughts, motivations, etc on some of the prompts feel free to send me an ask. While I can't give out spoilers I'm happy to answer questions. I also might include some hints for future parts in my answers.

LVRODWLRQ

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Tag List:

@badthingshappenbingo @zkang288 @julietwiskey1 @syn-northpine @libraryadia

#bad things happen bingo #gravity falls #fanfic #gravity falls fanfiction #gravity falls dipper #whump #fanfiction #dipper pines #whump prompt #stanley pines #standford pines #Mabel Pines #prompt nervous breakdown

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greywindys · 2 years

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Me trying to get into your head to understand what you like about Taylor: 🕵️‍♀️ (not hate, just curious)

No offense is taken! It's really not that complicated though. I grew up listening to her music (alongside a lot of other music), and I can relate to what she sings about both in my lived IRL experience...and as someone who had a period of time as a somewhat well-known Gorillaz fan. Whether or not her image is manufactured isn’t really important to me, though if you were to ask me my opinion, I do think she’s being honest about her insecurities and emotional responses to what she has experienced in relationships and as a famous person.

Like, to maybe illustrate this a little bit from a fandom perspective (I'm not going to get too into my personal life here) - there’s a scene in “Anti-Hero” where she depicts herself as a giant trying to fit into a room full of regular sized people, and getting stared at while she tries to awkward seat herself at the table with them. I understood that SO much! That scene depicted exactly how I used to feel in 2017-2018 while writing TA. I remember that period of time seeing all kind of servers advertised and never joining them because I knew that people would just like, stare at me or feel nervous trying to talk to me for various reasons (I've had friends confirm this for me as well - that people were nervous about me liking them, or about how to talk to me, that other friend groups had TA discussion groups etc etc). When your work starts taking off, either IRL or online, you eventually reach a level where you know you’re actively being discussed among friend groups, and even if it’s mostly positive, you worry about accidentally stepping into a space where they are and making them feel awkward. It's a strange position to be in, but that scene made me feel seen haha.

IMO, any level of "fame" is a trade off. Being unknown, there’s less pressure, more ease in chatting in fandom spaces, but sometimes frustration that no one sees your work. On the other end the spectrum, when you’re well-known, you *do* get a lot of interaction, thoughtful feedback, an easier time meeting new people. The cons - having people constantly scrutinizing you, trying to find reasons why you don’t deserve that position, getting angry at you when you don’t match the image they have of you in their head, trying to “befriend” you to basically network or for some other disingenuous reason. People usually have trouble empathizing with the latter because it’s something only a few people experience, and it’s also a position people daydream about, or become envious of. So when they see people bring it up, they're first response is "what do they have to complain about? Get over it!" I appreciate Taylor talking about this though, and I think if anyone is qualified to do it, it’s her. People project all sorts of things onto her when the reality is probably closer to her being a regular, imperfect person just like the rest of us.

This would also be a good time to give my fandom friends a shout out for not treating me any different and caring about me as a person regardless of fandom rep, past or present. You do eventually find the real ones.

#asks.#Anonymous #also addition that I was never THAT well known relative to other larger fandoms #and esp relative to t swift #I still felt it! and I empathize with those people even if I don't always agree with them

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tsui-no-sora · 2 years

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I am on a talkative mood rn so yes have this <3

To be fair I am a lurker pretty much and I was so close to being a lurker with Karmaland too; the only reason I made a side blog was because I wanted to make a pun out of the url (Quackity with K of Karmaland - Kuackity).

I didn't see more than a couple of reblogs, maybe a tag or two in the future of that blog. I am usually nervous talking like in text cause I am not the most elocuent person nor the one with the best gramatic and wording.

But I think you were the one who made me want to become active, I just couldn't help responding to your takes and the back and forth of input made me so happy that I decided to invest myself in this of being active and voicing things.

Thanks to you I made a pinned comment (yes my example was your own, sorry), I started liveblogging (seeing you reblog my live blogs was special), you were my first ask (and probably the reason I have gotten asks since most are anons and you told me I had it off), I made banners cause I saw you made one, and so many little things.

Now I have 30 followers (is not a lot maybe to some but I was always on 2 in my main), a lot of posts, people reblogging content, adding their own, I have guides now, and anons with special names and so much.

I am sappy now, but thank you so much. I am so glad to be your mutual (you my first mutual too) and I am just happy in general to be able to droo here, or in your tags, or see you in my tags, in my asks. Just yeah 💜💚

-kuackity

Sorry I read this and then I re read this and then I read it again because I was freaking out I took screenshots of it so I don't lose this ask

You don't know how happy it makes me hear that me yelling back to the posts you wrote made you want to be more active I have never really been active in any fandom before except for one where it was literally just me and my irl friends posting for each other it's really difficult for me to get enough confidence and energy to post my fics and to post my analysis about things even now I still have so many posts on drafts because I get nervous and scared easily you are really like the first person I have interacted like this with ever

You are also the reason I even get asks and stuff now I have always been used to just sending them and lurking around but now I mostly get at least one or two asks a day you don't know how insane that is to me and trust me I get it 30 doesn't feel like a lot compared to other people but I had my main for about eleven years now and used to be really active on it and never got past like 10 followers and they were all irl friends so it is a lot

It's so cool being told you made the banners because you saw mine because I loved the banners you made and immediately wanted to use them and I inspired my own pin posts out of the blogs I looked up to the Liveblogs thing as well I got more interested in posting my random thoughts in real time because I saw you doing the same and I wanted to keep reblogging and interacting

I initially thought that posting about Karmaland was just going to be me yelling to the void with maybe one or two reblogs here and there you don't know how happy it has made me to actually have somebody to speak about my Minecraft series with and somebody to send asks and reply to posts back and forth to make theories and headcanons with it's really the best part of fandom

You are the first mutual on this fandom that I actually speak with consistently and I really love your posts and I'm glad I helped you get a little more confidence to share them with the world our community it's rather small but I like that it exists and we are in it you know it's really cool it warms my heart and you even got your anons with cool names

Thank you too for being such a cool person and hanging out with me in my blog I love hanging out in your inbox and in your tags all the time

#❤️💖💗💓💘♥️💝#k i love you let me give you a hug #for real aaaaaa this ask made me so happy #you have no clue how nice it is to hear this from u #u the best #kuackity tag #beloved's asks

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mmollymercury · 2 years

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For the ask game: 💚💚💚

44. How often do you lie? Is all lying inherently bad? Are you generally truthful?

67. What’s the worst thing a person can be?

93. Do you draw meaning from your dreams, or do you disregard them?

OoOooOOO here we go!

Prepare for a long post with some venting sprinkled in

Okay, first: do I lie? Not much. I know a lot of people say that but I'm actually pretty proud of the fact that I don't lie often; I used to have a big problem with making stuff up about my life as a way to mask and fit in with neurotypicals. I was never my true self with my friends, out of fear of being shamed or bullied. I mostly stayed on tumblr back then (way more than now, if u can believe it) still had this blog, just a 'beta' version of it lol and I was in soooo many fandoms, I didn't interact with ppl tho, I'd be scrolling through fanfic and art all day, reblogging stuff and posting art that got literally ZERO notes lol, daydreaming about living in my hyperfixations and venting to a brick wall (essentially) about what I now know to be OCD. When I was revamping this blog, deleting all my old posts, I found that vent post I made all those years ago, I took a screenshot of it just to keep. It was so insane to see how far I've come but also sad to remember how I was feeling back then.

I actually cried thinking abt how I'd never be able to be my full self around someone and that I'd never have a genuine friend who I could laugh with and feel comfortable with. Whenever friends wanted to hang out or call me, I'd be nervous all day thinking about it, dreading it, basically. It was bad. But then I met @valentineee and she's honestly the first true friend I've ever had, she's my wife and I love her with all my heart‼️‼️‼️😭😭💗💗💗

So, since I met Valentine, I've finally become comfortable being who I am and I vowed to stop lying. Obviously sometimes it's inevitable, like if you have to do it because of circumstances- but other than that, I think I'm very truthful! And I'm really proud of myself for it💗

That kinda branches off to the sub-question, is all lying inherently bad? I don't think so because some people may have genuine, mental blocks or traumas that can make them feel like they need to to protect themselves. However, there are people out there who lie and take advantage of people just because they can, which is different. Overall, I think lying isn't too bad unless you are generally a trustworthy person💖

What's the worst thing a person can be?

A LIAR- no just kidding lol😭😭

Wow glitter... way to hit me with the heavy questions😭

Imo, the worst thing a person can be is immoral, inconsiderate, hurtful and evil, all on purpose. If someone does these things because they find it fun to see people suffer, that's the worst kind of person to me.

💤💤💫💫💫Dreamss💫💫💫💤💤

I used to draw meaning from my dreams to an unhealthy degree. All of you that have OCD would know that intrusions invade your dreams, I had awful dreams like this and every time I woke up, I'd be convinced I was actually a monster, dreaming of disgusting stuff. But that's not true, I was only dreaming about it because I spent EVERY. WAKING. MOMENT thinking about my intrusive thoughts, literally, I was inconsolable, I was constantly rocking back and forth or pacing or shaking my leg, every so often I'd scream and yell and twitch and my face would be pulled down in this awful grimace. It was painful, I literally can't believe I survived that. I couldn't be left alone because I was so scared and I had to sleep with my mam because the thoughts got worse when I was alone. I'm medicated now, so things are good. Intrusive thoughts will always be there but I've gotten so much better at trusting that I'm a good person🥰

Mkay... went on a whole ass vent there and bared my soul, oops-

Point being, I don’t really assign meaning to my dreams, if people do, I'm completely alright with it. I choose not to because of trauma. Also, I dont think it’s really possible to assign a definitive meaning to something as fleeting as a dream (wow am I a poet-) like, I do find it cool that a lot of ppl will dream of the same thing but I think that's just another thing that connects us, we're all human and have similar anxieties and fears.

I think I've written enough now😳😳 sorry for the angst urrrr

💗💗💗

#ask game #tw ocd #tw depression #ask #thank you💗💗💗

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artzee-bee · 3 years

Text

Popularity is overrated anyways | Rory Keaner x gn!popular!reader

Fandom: My babysitter’s a vampire

Request: “ Hello! Your writing is so amazing, truly! Could you write Rory x Gn!Popular!Reader in which the reader falls hard and so they try flirting and try to impress him? I think that would be an interesting dynamic to explore cause I usually see things going the other way around. No need to take this request if you don't want to write it of course! Have a great day/night<33 “

Pronouns: none specified

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: none

~~~

The first time you saw Rory was in art class. It was your first day and you were somewhat nervous, but he walked in as if he owned the place. He yelled "Good morning gays, gals and pals" with this kind hearted smile and you couldn't help but laugh at how comfortable he was around here. How he seemed to be at home.

At the end of class, you decided to walk up to him, say hello. At the very least learn his name, except by the time you were done packing your things, he was gone. You felt a little lost looking at the empty seat he sat in just a moment ago but you were already dead set on getting to know the blonde kid better.

Since then, you've made lots of friends, partly due to you joining the photography club, which was pretty well known around the school. You were also best friends with the star of the football team which sure gave you a big boost on the popularity chart, not that you cared. Even with your newfound attention, you still felt like you were a little behind Rory. You'd see him every week in art class, always cracking a joke, making you and everyone else around him laugh. You often saw him hanging out with the same 2 brown haired boys and you couldn't help the jealousy you were feeling, so eventually you decided you've had enough. You were going to get closer to Rory!

The perfect opportunity snuck up on you one Friday, when you saw Rory eating lunch in the cafeteria alone. You excused yourself from your friends, making your way instead towards the blonde

"Is this seat open?" you said motioning to the seat right in front of him

"Yeah!" he replied with a bright smile, as if he was more than excited that you wanted to sit with him "I'm Rory!"

You sat down and gave him your name in return. From where you were sitting, you could see your friends.They were sitting around their usual table, glaring at you as if they couldn't understand what you could possibly be doing there, instead of by them. In fact, mostly everyone in the cafeteria was now watching you and Rory with judging looks. You knew Rory wasn't the most popular person in school, but you also didn't care. For what it's worth, he seemed to be a lot cooler than any other "popular" kid you knew.

"Is that a V for Vendetta pin on your shirt?" he asked, reaching over to touch the little handmade pin you had. You felt his fingertips press into your collarbone and sucked in a deep breath, suddenly shy at the unexpected contact

"Yeah! I made it myself out of an old coin a while back!"

"That's so cool! I used to make pins out of beer bottle caps when I was little! I didn't actually drink the beer, I would sneak the caps from my parents at family events!" you giggled. You barely knew the boy and yet this seemed like such a ‘him’ thing to do

"And how did you make them?"

For the entire lunch break, you sat next to Rory, listening to him talk about his pins and his favorite comic books, which just so happened to match a lot of your favorites. You were more than excited by finding out that you had a lot in common. You liked the same bands and the same movies. He was full of stories about the supernatural and you have always been passionate about that kind of stuff.

You always knew you kinda fancied the blonde boy and you weren’t ashamed of that, but now, actually being with him, talking to him, connecting with him, the feeling of butterflies in your stomach was almost insufferable.His mere presence was making you dizzy. He was so cute and his smile was worth millions. You loved listening to him talk and seeing his bright eyes sparkle with joy, but than the bell rang and you had to leave for your next class

"I had fun talking to you Rory!”

"Thank you, you're really cool, we should hang out more!" he said, making you blush

From that point on, you and Rory were much closer. You would hang out during school hours usually, which bummed you out, since you really saw Rory as more than a ‘convenience’ friend that you got along with simply because you saw each other almost everyday. You wished you could get closer to him, get to know him more intimately, but you didn’t want to push him into anything. The week after your first real interaction, Rory came to sit next to you in art. You were too engulfed in the video you were watching on your phone to notice when he walked in, but he made sure to make his presence known by wrapping his arms around you from behind

"Hi friend!" he said in a sing-song voice that made you giggle. He dragged his chair as close to you as he could, so you 2 could whisper to each other during class. Now, being so close to him, you could hear each of his sarcastic jokes and clueless questions better, each one making you laugh and smile. At times, he would lean into you to whisper something in your ear and you could feel his breath on your skin, sending shivers through your entire body.

One thing you learned about Rory during art class was just how competitive he was. Each class turned into a game of seeing who was the better artist. You weren't a huge fan of drawing, but you gave it your everything knowing that Rory was going to study your picture. He never said anything bad about it, he was too nice for that, but with each drawing you tried to impress him more and more.

Eventually, one day, you noticed Rory heading out of the school and decided to quickly followed him out

"Hey Rors! Wait up!!"

"Hey Y/N, wazzap?" he said in the funny voice he always made, making you smile

"All is good. I just had a question for you"

"Ok, shoot!"

"Are you free Saturday?" the boy looked at you with a confused smile

"I think so, yes. Why?"

"Would you like to go to the movies with me?"

"Yeah! That sounds awesome!! Who's coming?" his eyes were bright with excitement, only making you more nervous

"I mean...I was thinking it could be just the 2 of us..."

"Just us?"

"Yeah, you know. Like a date..."

"A date?"

"Yeah"

"With me?"

"I mean if you want to, I'm not..."

"I would love to!" he smiled

"You-You would?"

"Yeah, sounds awesome!"

"Ok, um, great! Can I get your number so I can text you the details?"

On your way home, you held the little piece of paper with Rory's number in your closed fist, your face hot from excitement and happiness. God, you could barely wait for Saturday!

#mbav #mbav x reader #rory keaner #rory keaner x reader #rory keaner fluff #rory keaner imagine

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infernalrevenge · 3 years

Text

All Dolled Up

Fandom: Resident Evil 8: Village

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Rating: G

Summary: Donna decides to practice talking to Reader, using a mini Reader!

Notes: Resident Evil 8 owns my ass and so do the lords. This is just some bashful Donna, inspired by headcanons by @wallflowerimagines! Check out their stuff, I love how they've characterized the lords and their reactions to crushes and relationships and the like. Here's the original post!

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

And... done!

Donna closed the slot at the back of the doll's head and turned it to face her, noting all the details of her latest creation.

It had a simple uniform on: A white button down under a black vest with coattails, on its left breast was a patch of the Beneviento family crest. It was fitted with matching dark grey pants and even a pair of leather shoes for its porcelain feet.

It looked just like Y/N -- their face, their skin, their hair. It was perfect.

"Looks just like 'em, Donna!" Angie chirped, bounding up from her lap and hanging onto the side of the desk to get a better look.

Everything had to be perfect if she was going to get this plan to work, but this was just part one of... who knows how many steps. She wasn't sure exactly how long this would take, but this first step forward was better than nothing.

She set the doll gently on the desk slumped against a glass, letting out a breath as she willed the implanted Cadou to bring it to life. Angie peeked over and giggled to herself in excitement, hanging from the side to watch it all happen. Maybe when this was all done, she could have a new friend to play with too!

Soon enough, its head twitched up ever so slightly, its shining eyes trying to focus on the woman before them. They attempted to sit up straighter, their movements jerky yet slow as they tested the waters. They waved a hand in greeting, pink painted lips curling into a familiar smile.

"Good evening, Lady Beneviento!" they said, in that enthusiastic tone she knew so well. Y/N's voice wasn't quite as high pitched as the doll's, but the underlying warmth in their speech was still unmistakable.

Donna cleared her throat, giving a nod and a soft "Hello" in return.

Doll-Y/N shakily stood up on their feet, taking a few steps forward to greet the other doll. "Miss Angie, come join me up here!" They extended their hands to her, and she hoisted herself onto the wooden surface with their help. They were just about Angie's height standing up, but was now at eye level with Donna.

"Is there anything I can do for you, my lady?" they addressed the woman.

She knew it was just a title, something servants commonly called those of higher status, and she's heard Y/N say it many times, but she still couldn't help the heat rising to her cheeks at what she wished it implied.

To be someone's. To be Y/N's.

Angie was just about to respond but kept quiet with one turn of Donna's head. She made this doll to practice talking to Y/N -- the real, life-sized version of them. She wanted to spend more time with them and get used to their company. It had been so long since she tried speaking to another human being directly, almost always at a loss for words until Angie would swoop in and say what was on her mind. But she knew that with Y/N, she couldn't hide behind her forever. As much as she loved Angie and what she did for her, she also wanted to be with them as her, as Donna Beneviento. She already knew they cared for Angie like she did, and she wanted to let them know personally -- no barriers, no lies, no dolls -- how she felt.

One day, she would say everything to them. But for now, this doll should suffice.

She and Angie thought that she was used to the company of her Cadou dolls, and since she would like to get used to Y/N, then making a doll of them might help with that. Made sense, right? It wasn't ideal, but it made some sense.

She didn't quite count on how much it would be like them, though. As much as she had control over the doll, she can't control how they were when she wills it to act like them.

"If you... would like..." she started to say, almost uncertain as she glanced over at Angie. She only gave an encouraging nod in response, silently telling Donna to speak up. "You can tell me about how your day went." She did always love hearing them speak.

Doll-Y/N's face lit up, bouncing slightly on the balls of their feet and clasping their small hands behind their back. "Of course, my lady. Well, on my way to the market today, I passed a shop selling all sorts of flowers. I didn't know you could grow sunflowers around the village! Or perhaps the Duke brings them in from somewhere..."

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This routine went on for a few days: Donna would greet Doll-Y/N, ask about them, and they would go on about things she might already know -- hobbies they want to take up, their favorite foods and drinks, a show or movie they looked forward to watching (with her and Angie, of course), and so on. The lady would reply with some insight as well, though brief and only softly, so as to not interrupt. The doll's movements also grew smoother and more sure with every interaction, practically having Y/N's own habits and tics down pat whenever they spoke. It felt more and more like she was talking to them, the real Y/N. With every thumbs up Angie gave her after every session, it only emboldened her more. This might just work!

One day, she greeted the doll with a little more enthusiasm than usual. Y/N spent time with her and Angie at the study that evening, with her reading and them arranging some books while Angie talked to them a bit about anything they may have read recently, and new games they could play with the dolls ("And Donna", Angie threw out as a suggestion). If it weren't for her veil, Y/N would've seen how she spent most of the time watching the two people she loved converse so freely with one another, unable to help smiling at them.

Donna came back into her room practically bursting with happiness, a light "Good evening, Y/N!" escaping her as she sat down.

It seemed like Doll-Y/N noticed the positive change, so they brought up something they had in mind. "I'd like to switch things a little, if you don't mind, my lady. How was your day today?" they suggested, stepping closer to her. She suddenly grew a little shy again, hands folded neatly on Angie's lap as she kept her close.

"Oh, it was... wonderful," she replied, a smile curling on her lips.

Doll-Y/N nodded, an encouraging smile on their little face as if to tell her to continue. "I spent some of the day in the garden, watching you work for a while. Um, big you. Then I... spent the rest in the study. Also with... big you. You and Angie talked a lot about books and games." They both made such lovely company, after all. "How about you, Y/N?"

"It went by splendidly! Well, it started off just fine, with my usual chores, but after seeing you in the garden this morning I couldn't help but feel like the day's been brighter ever since," they said, taking another step forward and laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, their beaming smile ever-present.

Oh. Did they just...

She... brightened up their day? Did they really think that? Did the real Y/N think that?

"Really?" she whispered, practically sounding breathless.

"Yes. In fact, your presence alone brings more warmth and radiance than the sun ever could," they continued, their smile turning rather cheeky.

...did they just flirt with her?

Donna could feel herself sinking onto her chair, hands cupping her cheeks as if she needed to hide the raging blush underneath her cowl. Never mind that only Angie and the doll replica was here to witness it. But still! This doll looked so much like her Y/N, looking at her with those bright eyes and that charming smile and sweet look on their face and--

Did she just call them "her Y/N"?

Downstairs, Y/N heard a faint squeal and thud from the other side of the manor, setting down the dish they were washing and hurrying to the lady's room.

They knocked a little frantically, speaking through the door. "Lady Beneviento, is everything alright?"

It was Angie who answered, opening up just a crack so they wouldn't see the situation behind her.

"Hey Y/N! Everything's fine, Donna just, uh, she just dropped something and was caught off-guard is all." She seemed nervous, her eyes shifting a little and barely looking at them.

"Oh, but does Lady Beneviento need help? Did she get hurt or--"

"Nope, no! Don't worry about it, we've got it covered, I promise! Now shoo, off you go!" She waved an arm out to get them to turn around before shutting the door, leaving the somewhat concerned but even more confused servant in the hall.

Donna lifted her head up from her hands, Doll-Y/N now lying lifeless on the wooden floor. Luckily, nothing seemed to have cracked on them when she suddenly relinquished control in her embarrassment. She picked them up and gingerly leaned them against a glass on the working desk, just staring into their eyes as she tried to get her heart beat back to a normal level. Even calling them "hers" in the safety of her own thoughts was enough to fluster the poor woman. If she could see her face right now, it would undoubtedly be as red as a tomato.

Was that something Y/N would even actually say? Was her mind playing tricks on her, her feelings betraying only what she wanted to hear from them? How was she supposed to handle it if they did say that?

"I think that's enough excitement for one day," Angie commented, looking between the mostly frozen Donna and Doll-Y/N. The lady could only nod in agreement.

The next day, Donna stayed in her room, not wishing to be disturbed.

It wasn't unusual for Y/N to not hear much from Lady Beneviento and instead have Angie deliver messages and orders on her behalf, but even her personal mouthpiece seemed to want to avoid them. She just kind of... watched them mindlessly on the couch while they swept the living room. What happened last night?

"Miss Angie, is everything--"

"Please just shut up and clean the carpet."

#resident evil village #resident evil 8 #donna beneviento #donna beneviento x reader #lady beneviento #lady beneviento x reader #gn!reader #gender neutral reader #re8

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venfx · 3 years

Text

magnus fic roundup

as tma comes to a close, i thought i'd post some of my favorite fics to come out of this fandom. most of these are classics, listed in no particular order.

A Weather In The Flesh by @cuttoothed | 3K | S1-S4 | Jon/Martin | Complete

"There is a span of years where Jon doesn’t touch anyone other than the occasional hand shake. It’s not so bad. He’s never been someone who’s needed physical affection."

Jon has never been any good at making people want to stick around.

↳ this is such a well-done exploration of jon’s character and his relationship with touch, and i’ve re-read it at least five times. sweet and sad and phenomenally well-written.

in the chillest land and on the strangest sea by imperfectcircle, singlecrow | 20K | Safehouse, S1-S4 | Jon & Daisy, Jon/Martin | Complete

Jon remembers a statement he read years ago given by a Jesuit priest, who said that the shortest prayer he knew was, just, fuck it, as in fuck it; it's in God's hands. He takes Daisy's hand and trails on after her.

or; hope is a thing with feathers.

↳ hey, you wanna fuckin..... feel things? read this.

The Magnus Institute hires a Data Protection Officer. He sets about diligently booking in meetings, writing policy documents, and training all the staff in the importance of confidentiality. Now if only he could get hold of the Head Archivist, who seems to have vanished again...

(Jon is only trying to save the world, but apparently some people think he should still be doing his day job.)

↳ i’d be surprised to find people who haven’t read this series, but it’s the definition of “the magnus archives is a workplace comedy”. also, alasdair stuart has actually read some clips of this on Twitch, so that’s a fun bonus.

In accordance with the Ride or Die Pact of 2009, Jonathan Sims can call upon Georgie Barker at any time for aid with no strings attached. Despite their rocky history, their childhood friendship, and Jon’s barely recovered alcoholism, this pact is sacred and must be upheld.

Georgie Barker may regret this. She may regret it when she discovers that the world is full of monsters and eldritch gods and dickhead managers. She may regret it when a punk rocker who should be dead collapses on their doorstep, a teenager again who needs their help. She may regret it when her stupid ex-boyfriend starts selling his soul for knowledge and the ability to keep his new family safe.

But she probably won’t. Georgie isn’t scared of anything - not a Clown’s apocalypse, not the apocalypse that Jon is destined to begin, and not Jon’s own loss of humanity.

Maybe she should be.

↳ if you’re looking for an everyone-lives-no-one-dies-happy-ending fic that also happens to be massively chaotic, look no further.

The Reverb in These Holy Halls by @wolftraps | 98K | AU, S1-S4 | Jon/Martin | Complete

Undoing the apocalypse would have been enough for Jon, if all his people survived. Without them, Jon's only recourse is making it so it never happened in the first place. He's going to do better this time.

↳ quintessential time travel AUs. plot-wise, i feel like these can be difficult to write, but op does a fantastic job of tying things together in a way that makes sense. plus, it’s just fun to read.

jon sims v the nhs by @thoughtsbubble | 12K | Series | S3 | Complete

Joan Bright has a new patient. He's carrying an old tape recorder and is covered head to toe in scars. Jonathan Sims looks dangerous, but Dr Bright has dealt with all sorts of atypical individuals. She has no reason to be nervous.

Right?

↳ if you’ve ever thought “hey, jon should probably go to therapy”, then 1) you’re absolutely right and 2) this is... probably what would’ve happened. prior knowledge of The Bright Sessions is not required. also, apparently, this fic is written by the showrunner of The Underwood Collection? wild.

Family, Found by Dribbledscribbles | 9K | S4 | Complete

It’s Basira who catches onto it.

The collective shift that seems to come over them when heading in or out of the Institute. Not just the oppressive sensation of being observed, their every move catalogued for the voyeuristic cravings of some unseen Eye(s). That feeling remained with them even when they left the Institute these days, but it was always stronger inside its walls. That wasn’t the change. Nor was it the point.

The point was: making life worse for Jonathan Sims.

↳ i think being part of the avengers fandom circa 2012 has given me permanent found-family-trope brainrot, but you know what. jonathan sims can have a little happiness, as a treat.

n. an important moment of insight, typically one that leads to a dramatic transformation of attitude or belief

Or, in which Tim becomes an avatar for the end of all things.

↳ tim dies and then he doesn’t. there is catharsis and world building. just....read it.

Come, Change Your Ring With Me by @backofthebookshelf | 29K | S3 | Peter/Jon, Jon/Martin, Peter/Elias | Complete

The Lukases demand the Archivist marry into the family, and the Institute relies on them too much to say no. Peter is smug. Elias is fuming. Martin is suffering. Jon thinks this might be tolerable if only Peter would hurry up and leave him alone already.

OR, the soap opera we call an Archives revolves around Peter Lukas this time.

↳ superb evil-bastards-in-love content, feat. martin pining, tim being obnoxious, and jon being... well, tired, mostly. i will literally never get tired of how op writes peter.

creatures that i briefly move along by @dotsayers | 16K | Series | AU, Post-S4 | background Jon/Martin

Mr Sims was so weird, was the thing. Miss Grant always said calling people weird was rude, and Anna sort of agreed, but she didn’t know what other word to use to describe Mr Sims.

He’d only been in with the class for a few days, really, and half of that he just sat at the back listening, but that didn’t stop her from making a swift judgement. 5BG had had student teachers before, back when they were 3ST, and they’d been uniformly normal.

Mr Sims was… actually, Anna had a better adjective. He was interesting.

↳ i just.... love teacher!jon fics. this series delivers.

Once Bitten by @apatheticbutterflies | 1K | S4 | Jon & Daisy | Complete

Jon Sims has always been a jumpy kind of guy. Nervous. Twitchy. Daisy used to think it meant he was guilty. Turns out he was. Just not of what she’d thought.

Daisy learns how to peel an orange.

↳ daisy and jon’s relationship is an example of an instance where i’m happy to say “fuck what you wrote mr. jonny ‘chocolate torte of tragedy’ sims, i want them to be friends”.

pins and needles by mutterandmumble | 13K | S1-S4 | Complete

He’s got a reputation to uphold anyways; an uptight, rigid reputation that dictates the way that he interacts and functions and is such an integral part of him that he can’t let go of it anytime soon. He likes his safety nets. He likes his contingencies. He likes his privacy, and everything around this place right down to the walls seems to have ears, so he’ll stay tight-lipped up to and beyond the threat of death.

He’s good at that.

In which Jon takes up embroidery and bumbles through life the best that he can.

↳ out of all the introspective jon pieces i’ve read (and there are many), this one stands out. maybe it’s the symbolism or the characterisation, or maybe it’s the fact that i have an embroidery kit lurking in the back of my closet along with a hundred other half-pursued hyperfixations. whatever. this is excellent.

sleeping in by @ivelostmyspectacles | 5K | S2 | Jon/Tim | Complete

“Who are you trying to convince?”

Jon gives up, letting his head sag against Tim’s shoulder. “I don’t know.”

aka Elias gets tired of Jon and Tim's bickering, sends them away for a "team-building" weekend trip, and is sure to book them a room with only one bed

↳ this has everything you’d need from a “oh no there’s only one bed” fic. someone please get these men therapy.

if you try, sometimes (you get what you knead) by @ajcrawly | 3.5K | S1-S4 | Jon/Martin, Tim/Sasha | Complete

It starts with an abundance of boeuf bourguignon and ends up as a team tradition.

Food and love in uncertain times.

↳ more found family fic, this time with a diverse og!archival staff and food as a metaphor for love. hurt in all the right ways. made me hungry in the process.

#tried to keep this shortish but i might just make a part 2 #people in this fandom are crazy talented #tma #the magnus archives #tma fic recs #fic recs #long post #txt #mine

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oopsitsstella · 3 years

Text

A Soldier Comes Home

Peter Parker x Mom! Reader, Sam Wilson x Reader

Fandom: The MCU

Parker-Wilson Family Masterlist: More stories in the same universe

Warnings: Some angst, but it’s not too bad, me not knowing things about being a soldier, so I most likely got things wrong

A/N: Peter is 11 years old in the first section of the fic, and 16 in the second one. Peter acts a bit younger than an eleven year old in the first part, but let’s just go with it. Also, Sam isn’t Peter’s actual dad, Y/N already had Peter when she and Sam started dating.

2012

It was five in the morning on a chilly November day at LaGuardia Airport. Y/N Parker was kneeling in front of her son Peter, wiping the tears off his cheeks, while her sister and boyfriend stood behind them, watching the interaction.

“I don’t want you to go.” Peter said quietly.

A sad smile crept onto Y/N’s face, and she brought Peter in so she could hug him properly.

“I know you don’t. I don’t either, but duty calls.” She tells him, pulling back slightly to look at his face.

“Mom has to go be a hero.” Sam speaks up, and Peter turns his head to look at him.

“Like Iron Man?” He asks, looking back at his mom.

“Yeah. Exactly like Iron Man.” Sam chuckles.

“I’m cooler though, aren’t I?” Y/N asks, and Peter cracks a smile.

“You’ll always be the coolest.” He says, before more tears slip down his face.

“Oh, my darling boy.” Y/N sighs, hugging him again. “It’ll be okay. Sam and May will look after you, and I’ll call, or write letters as often as I can.” She promised him, while Sam crouched down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You trust me, right?” He asked, trying to lighten the mood. It seemingly worked, seeing as Peter let out a teary laugh.

“Yeah.” He said, and Sam also gave him a quick hug.

The two adults stood up again, and May came and put a hand on her nephews shoulder, while Y/N wrapped her arms around Sam.

“Promise you’ll be careful?” He asked.

“I always am.” She assured him, pressing her lips firmly against his. They kept their embrace for a while longer, before pulling away.

Y/N then moved to her sister, giving her a hug too.

“I’ll miss you.” May said quietly.

“I’ll miss you too.” Y/N whispered, tightening her arms around May for a moment before letting go.

“Think you’re ready to go?” Sam asked.

“Not quite.” Y/N said, crouching down to the ground. “Can I have one last hug, Pete?”

Peter didn’t hesitate a second, launching himself into his mom’s arms, one last embrace before she left.

When they let go of each other, Y/N stood back up, and gripped onto her bag.

“I’ll call as soon as I can after I land.” She promised.

One last goodbye from her small family, and off she went.

2017

It had been five years since Y/N saw her son in person. Five years.

Yeah, it came with being a soldier, she knew that, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Not being able to see her son, her boyfriend or her sister for such a long time was not a good feeling. So when Y/N received the news that her deployment was ending, rest assured she was over the moon.

She knew Peter would most likely be in school, so she instead decided to call Sam.

“Hi Sam.” She spoke into the phone.

“Hey Baby. How are you doing?” Sam’s voice greeted.

“I’m doing… spectacular, honestly.”

“Oh really? Any particular reason, or is it just a good day?”

“There is a very particular reason.” Y/N couldn’t help the giddiness seeping into her voice. “My deployment’s ended. I’m coming home.”

“What?! Seriously? You’re not messing with me?”

“Samuel, would I joke about this?”

“Touché, no you wouldn’t.” Sam said. “Do Peter and May know?”

“No, they don’t. I figured Peter’ in school, and May wasn’t answering, so I called you.”

“Well, don’t I feel special now.” Sam said, making Y/N laugh. “When are you coming back?”

“Well, me and the other soldiers who are coming back are getting a flight, it leaves Wednesday night, so two days from now, so if all goes according to plan I’ll be landing at around noon on Thursday.” Y/N explained. “Oh, but that means Peter will be in school when I get home, doesn’t it?”

“It does indeed, sadly.” Sam said. “But I’m sure we could get Peter out of school for the day so he could come greet you.”

“Is it bad I kinda don’t want to tell him so I can surprise him on Thursday?” Y/N spoke hesitantly, and Sam laughed.

“No, I don’t think so. You wanna surprise him?”

“I kinda do.” Y/N chuckled. She could hear the sound of fingers snapping, before Sam spoke again.

“I have an idea. Tony’s been wanting to have dinner with the whole team, May and Peter included, and I also happen to know, and I think you do too, that he’s been wanting to actually meet you in person.”

Y/N had met her son’s superhero mentor a few times when she had been on the phone with Peter, and Tony also happened to be around.

“Sam, are you saying what I think you are?” Y/N asked.

“I mean, great minds think alike, right?” He said, and Y/N laughed.

That day, Sam and Y/N, along with Tony and May made a plan. May would come pick Y/N up from the airport that Thursday, and they would spend some time together. Then Sam would come pick her up, and they would also spend time together, before heading to the tower. Then, later that night, Peter and May would come to the tower for dinner with the team, and there Y/N would be. Ready to see her son for the first time in 5 long years.

“I missed you so much. You don’t even know.” Y/N whispered, tightening her arms around Sam’s neck.

Sam had just pulled up outside the apartment complex where May and Peter lived, where Y/N had been waiting for him, and as soon as he was out of the car, Y/N had launched herself into Sam’s arms.

“If it’s anywhere near as much as I missed you, I think I have a pretty good idea.” Sam replied.

Y/N pulled back slightly to look at her boyfriend. Much like May, he hadn’t changed much, but she was almost thankful for that. It was nice coming home to familiar faces.

“Still as handsome as ever.” She said quietly, placing a hand on his cheek.

“And you’re still as beautiful as when I last saw you.” Sam replied smoothly.

“And you haven’t lost your charm.”

“I could never.”

“Fair enough.” Y/N whispered, before placing her lips on his.

“Peter, come on! We have to go!” May called to her nephew.

“Mr. Stark isn’t going to be mad if we’re a little late!” Peter called back.

“That doesn’t mean we have to be.” May responded as Peter walked into the hallway. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The car ride to the tower was mostly filled with silence. The radio was on, playing music, and May and Peter talked a little bit, but it was mostly silent.

“May, are you okay?” Peter asked after a while. “You seem a little on edge.”

“I’m fine Peter.” May assured him, glancing at him before looking back at the road. “I’m just a bit nervous about meeting the team. I have only met Tony, Pepper and Happy before, you know. Other than Sam, of course.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. It was true that she hadn’t met most of the team yet, but it was most certainly not the reason she was a little nervous.

They soon arrived at the tower, and were greeted by Tony, Pepper and Sam standing at the entrance waiting for them.

“Hey buddy.” Sam said, giving Peter a hug, before giving one to May.

“Welcome, welcome.” Tony said, giving both Peter and May a hug as well, Pepper doing the same. “How are we doing on this fine evening?”

“I’m okay. I’m missing mom a little. Well, more than usual, I haven’t talked to her in a while.” Peter said.

“Well that’s okay.” Sam said, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder as they all stepped into the elevator. “I’m sure we can make you feel a bit better.”

The five of them stepped out of the elevator, and walked through the kitchen.

“Mm, before I forget, I don’t know if May told you, but we have a special guest join us tonight.” Pepper told Peter as they stepped into the dining room.

“Oh really, who-“

Before Peter could finish his sentence, he stopped dead in his tracks. There, standing next to the couch, just a few feet away from him, stood his mom.

Her hair was a little longer than when he last saw her, and she looked a little tired, but there was no doubt about who it was.

“Mom?”

“Hi Peter.”

That was all it took before Peter was running towards her, and she caught him in a hug. Both of Peter’s arms wrapped around Y/N’s waist, while she placed one hand around his shoulder and one at the back of his head.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, tears in his eyes.

“I’m home.” She simply said.

“I missed you so much.” Peter whispered, tightening the hug.

“I missed you too.” Y/N replied, running her fingers through Peter's hair.

“Sam come here.” Peter said after a moment, reaching an arm out to him, making Y/N chuckle.

“Oh, I’m allowed to be part of the family moment?”

“You’ve been a part of this family for forever, now come here. You too May.” Peter said.

Sam let out a chuckle as May walked up to her sister and nephew, before he also joined the trio.

Y/N kept one arm around Peter, her other one moving to wrap around Sam. May had both her arms wrapped around Y/N and Peter, while Sam’s arms were encasing the whole group, Peter still in the middle hugging his mom.

Their family was finally back together again.

#platonic! peter parker x reader #peter parker x reader #peter parker x mom! reader #sam wilson x reader #peter parker imagine #sam wilson imagine #avengers x reader

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tt0bu · 3 years

Text

Periwinkles

Originally posted at AO3

Fandom: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Pairing: GiyuuTan

The first time Kamado Tanjirou met Tomioka Giyuu, he was eight years old.

His Ma and Pa came out of the back door, away from their old oven where the last batch of the shokupan was left to sit, maybe to burn, since little Tanjirou thought something must be wrong. There was haste in his father’s steps, hurried and careful. His mother’s strides were stiff, nervous, unsure. Nezuko, his little sister, was pulling on the grass where she sat, streaks of bright sunlight bouncing off her giggling face.

Tanjirou watched his parents trek up to the end of the street on that little hill in the middle of a city they call home.

He saw every adult from the neighborhood walk the same path, disappearing behind the gates of Nishida-san’s house.

Except for one unfamiliar uncle.

The said uncle, who looked too western, who looked like those uncles from foreigner spy movies his father loved watching, stood unmoving under the waiting shed just across the Kamados’ home. He was looking towards the end of the street too, where all the adults had disappeared, but made no move to follow. He was holding a black book close to his chest, and little Tanjirou couldn’t see anything aside from three blue lines on the cover of it.

New neighbor? “Uncle!” he called out to the man, jumping on his feet and waving his little palm enthusiastically. His young mind wouldn’t have noticed, but whenever Tanjirou would look back to this moment, he finds it weird how everything just disappeared – no adult to reprimand him because he was talking to a stranger, no chirping of the sparrows perched on the wisteria tree behind their fence, no sound from the nearby train station.

Maybe he dislikes being called uncle? The unfamiliar man with raven black hair and pale skin didn’t heed his call, not sparing a glance at the curious boy trying to catch his attention. Tanjirou took the man’s cold demeanor as a sign of discomfort, probably because he may be new to the neighbourhood. But it did not stop him from crossing the street, diligently looking to his left and right, twice to be absolutely sure, just like how his Pa taught him.

“Uncle,” his tiny hands pulled at the hem of the coat the pale man wore.

Tanjirou saw how the most beautiful pair of eyes, blue like the noon skies and the periwinkles he picks behind the hill where the Hashibiras live, looked down on his little self with disbelief. The man continued to gawk on him, gaping and frozen in his place. He clutched the thick book closer to his chest, tightening his grasp on its spine. The blue lines seemed to shimmer, a quick flash of shine running through the three lines, but Tanjirou thought nothing of it. After all, it’s almost naptime, his eyes may be playing tricks on him at the moment.

“You-“ the pale man with the clothes of a spy and the eyes of the sky swallowed, eyeing little Tanjirou with hesitation. “-you can see me?”

“Uhhh,” Tanjirou looked around, but neither his parents nor the neighbor uncles and aunts were in sight. “Am I not supposed to? Are you hiding from anyone?”

“How, how is this possible?” the boy heard the pale man whispered, his own burgundy eyes examining the leather shoes he wore. Those are pretty shoes, but he never saw his father wear one. Maybe, when he gets a little bigger, he will get the same pair for his Pa. “You never saw me before. Not even once, not even when you d-“ the man with blue eyes bit his bottom lips and stopped muttering to himself. “What’s the difference this time?”

“Uh-oh, no,” Tanjirou shook his head, the hanafuda card earrings swaying along his movement. “Are you new here, Uncle? Are you lost? My Ma and Pa went to Nishida-san’s house but if you’re hungry I can get you these anpans my Pa made! They sell out really, really fast and I’m lucky Ma keeps some for me and my little sister before taking them to the store-“

By the time Tanjirou realised the lost uncle was never really listening to him in the first place, he could already hear the faint wailing and sobbing from the house at the end of the street. However, before he could ask, he heard the lost uncle take a shaky breath, pinching the base of his nose in annoyance, Tanjirou wasn’t sure, before carefully opening his book to a certain page. The pale uncle traced what the little burgundy-haired boy could only imagine were words, before softly uttering the name he knew very well.

“Nishida Sora. 58. Lung disease.”

“Oh!” Tanjirou bounced on his feet at the idea. “You know Nishida-san? Are you here for him? If you don’t know where he lives, just walk to the end of the street. You’ll see a really huge wooden gate with crow carvings. That’s where he lives!”

The pale, blue-eyed uncle didn’t even acknowledge his words.

“If you want, I can walk with you. I just need to take Nezuko with-“

The lost uncle gently tugged on his collar to stop him from running back to their home. “I know where it is, tiny human.”

“Owwkay, big human!” The man visibly grimaced at his words, yet Tanjirou beamed. “Are you his doctor?”

The big human seemed to be ignoring him again.

“Sensei?”

“Uncle?”

“Sir?”

“Grandpa?”

“Grandpa? Do I look that old?” Blue eyes met tiny burgundy ones again, offended, making Tanjirou giggle on the back of his hand. The little boy just shrugged, rocking back and forth on the heel of his feet. He saw the uncle sighed once more before shaking his head. “Cheeky tiny human.”

Tanjirou pretended to know what cheeky meant, tilting his head to the side to get a proper look at the man who was ignoring him a minute ago. “Are you Nishidan-san’s relative? I can introduce you if you want?”

“No. I am here to collect.”

“Collect? Collect what? Stones? Bugs? Ohhh! I know a great spot to catch emperor beetles! Inosuke-chan always catches the biggest ones though and Zenitsu-chan’s just a scaredy cat so we don’t have to worry-“

“No, not that. Not beetles. Look-” This time, the man crouched to the little boy’s eye level, and with the close up view of his blue eyes, Tanjirou thought he was staring at the sky itself. “You shouldn’t be seeing me. You shouldn’t be talking to me.”

“I can see you though. I have eyes, Uncle. Ma said they’re very pretty.”

“That’s true – uhum.” The big human coughed to his fist, hiding his face. Tanjirou wanted to ask if he was alright and should he fetch this uncle a glass of water? But the man faced him again, gone was his coughing fit. “Didn’t your parents teach you not to talk to strangers?”

“They did.”

“And?”

Little Tanjirou tapped his finger against his chin, pursing his lips, deep in his childish thoughts. “You seem lonely, and Ma said if one of my classmates smelled lonely, I should do something to cheer them up!” He tugged on the hand of the pale uncle, jumping slightly at how cold his palm felt. “What’s your name? I’m Tanjirou!”

“I don’t have a name.”

“Boo! Don’t be silly!” Tanjirou giggled like a child on a swing flying into the air. “Everybody has a name!”

“Not me.”

“But I told you mine!” Tanjirou stomped his little feet on the concrete pavement of the empty street, throwing a tantrum. His father would give him a good scolding, maybe a little spanking, should he see the burgundy-haired boy giving others troubles. Remembering his father’s words, Tanjirou decided to attack from a different angle.

“Hey, hey – hey, oh, come on.” The blue-eyed man crouched again, meeting teary, burgundy orbs and blushing cheeks. “What now? Why are you crying?”

“Because you wouldn’t tell me your name!” Tanjirou wailed louder, acting like a spoiled little kid which is nothing like him, all because he wanted to befriend this uncle who has the bluest eyes, who looked like a spy.

The big human exhaled, evidently troubled, while Tanjirou beamed. “Fine. You can call me Yuu.”

“Yuu-chan!”

“Not Yuu-chan. Yuu. Yuu.”

“Yuu-chan!”

“Why am I even trying,” Yuu-chan whispered mostly to himself, and Tanjirou’s grin grew wider. “I need to go. Nishida Sora will be here any moment. Is that your house?”

Tanjirou followed where his Yuu-chan was pointing. Red, wooden gates, unlit house lanterns, an old service truck with Kamado Bakery hand painted on its back. Yep. That’s their house. “Yes, Yuu-chan! I live there!”

“Come.” The little burgundy-haired boy tilted his head slightly to the side, confused. Uncle Yuu-chan seemed to understand his unspoken question. “I’ll walk you back to your home.”

Years later, when Tanjirou would look back to that moment, he would laugh at the memory of what he would always fondly call as his first brush with death. But his little self wouldn’t realize that, enjoying the coldness of Yuzu-chan’s palm against his own, celebrating his newfound friendship. He wouldn’t catch how Nezuko, as young as she was, got confused about him laughing on his own, hand raised in the air like he was holding something invisible.

Later that night, delirious from a high fever, Tanjirou dreamt of blue skies and periwinkles and spies invading Japan in crisp suits.

“I heard you spoke to humans today, Giyuu.”

“Human. A tiny human, Shinobu. So what of it?”

“You know what I’m trying to say.”

“He has the gift of Sight!”

“Just be careful, Giyuu. They may let this slip up pass, but we both know consequences are harsh. There’s a reason we never interact with living, breathing humans.”

“I know.”

“I’m sure you do.”

Tanjirou would always look out of his room’s window, ceremoniously, watching each and every adult passing on their street. He was lucky enough to have his room on the upper floor, albeit slightly hating the room during summertime when the sun would burn through the roof. But it was the perfect place, for he can spot Yuu-chan from the crossing.

He mentioned Yuu-chan one evening at dinner, and even when his Ma and Pa was glad he made the new neighbor feel welcomed, they expressed their interest in getting to know the blue-eyed man. He even overheard them talking about it when he went for a pee and his parents were in the living room watching old spy movies again.

“Tanjirou said he’s a new neighbor. But we didn’t hear anyone moving here.”

His father’s kind voice cut through his mother’s worried one. “I’m sure he’s just a passerby.”

“But what if...”

“Don’t worry, if anything, he may be talking about an imaginary friend. Yuu-chan seemed harmless.”

Imaginary? He’s pretty sure Yuu-chan is real! But even if he wanted to defend his ‘not-imaginary’ friend, he would hear his Ma’s voice reminding him to never eavesdrop at adult conversations, Tanjirou. So he let them be, did his business, and went back to sleep. He decided between dreams that he would invite Yuu-chan to his home one day.

But Yuu-chan never showed up at his street again for a long time.

It was snowing when Tanjirou saw him once more. Not the harsh, unpleasant winter, but enough to color the world white. He was clothed from head to toe, layers over layers of protective shirts, mittens and socks. His Ma had always been careful, reminding him that it would be awful to catch a cold during Christmastime.

He was permitted to accompany his Ma on her trip to the local hospital to drop their freshly baked breads and pastries, a Kamado tradition during the holidays. His parents would wake up really early to prepare for it, kneading doughs and cooking fillings because it would mean the world for the health workers if they can get savoury curry pans or their bestselling anpans in between shifts.

Tanjirou watched as his mother dropped the box on the counter, the hospital guard behind her bringing the second one. From the corner of his eyes, on the far-end of the long, white, empty corridor, stood a man who seemed too familiar to him. Before he could even think, Tanjirou let go of his mother’s dress, walking hastily to catch up, sprinting into a full run when the figure headed for the door.

Yuu-chan?

Tanjirou really did his best to catch up, but his tiny legs could only do so much, the stranger who bore resemblance to Yuu-chan got further away even when he pushed against the floor with all his strength. He did not hear his mother’s faint cry, calling his name, wondering where on earth would his first born go and who he was chasing after. But Tanjirou only had one thing in his mind.

“Yuu-chan!” He pushed the heavy glass door open with his little hands, no guard to hold it for him since the man helped his Ma haul the box of pastries inside. But the stranger, with the same black hair cascading below his shoulders in a loose bun, the same crisp gray suit, the same lonely, closed off scent, didn’t acknowledge the pet name. So he tried, hoping to get a reaction, his young heart clenching in sadness because why wouldn’t Yuu-chan want to talk to him? How did his collection go? Would he know if Nishida-san was really gone? “Yuu!”

The man continued walking, past the gates, leaving no chance for the boy to catch up. Tanjirou watched as Yuu-chan turned right to the sidewalk, disappearing behind the brick wall. He wanted to run and give chase even when his lungs felt like it was shrinking in exhaustion, his legs numb from the sprint, his head aching from the lack of oxygen. But before he could move, a gentle yet firm hand grabbed him by his left shoulder, spun him around and before he even realized, his Ma’s comforting and worried scent enveloped him.

“Don’t you dare do that again, my boy.” His Ma whispered in his hair, running her palm up and down Tanjirou’s back to let him know he wasn’t in trouble. “You scared me Tanjirou. What was that about?”

“Sorry Ma,” he was suddenly sobbing, partly because Yuu-chan ignored him like he was a stranger, but mainly because his Ma’s scent was so distressed, anguished, and he never wanted to make his Ma feel that way again. “I-“ a hiccup. “I saw Yuu-chan and I wanted to say hi but-“ another hiccup, and he reached up to wipe the snot dribbling from his nose with the back of his hand. “-but maybe he didn’t like to be my friend anymore.”

“Oh Tanjirou,” his Ma cooed, embracing him tightly against her chest, occasionally wiping his son’s face with her handkerchief. If she noticed that there were no fresh footprints on the snow, no signs of another human being around, she never said a word. Even when she saw his son calling out Yuu-chan to an empty corridor, running after a formless person, she never mentioned a thing. His son doesn’t need anymore heartbreaks on Christmastime, and doesn’t need to hear about how this Yuu-chan is only a fragment of his imagination.

Year: 1945

Month: April

Day: 26

Battle of Okinawa

Giyuu stood in the middle of the dense foliage, on the isolated island of Okinawa, as he watched soldier after soldier fall to their death at the hand of the enemy. Bombs would go off in the distance, their detonation shaking the earth. But he stood unmoving, completely in displeased awe, because this was a scene he had witnessed numerous times before.

“I will never understand humans and their obsession with war.” Makomo stepped quietly to the ground beside Giyuu, and he knew his fellow collector shared his facial expression. They were tired of humans killing each other, hurting each other, to satisfy their greed and hunger. “It hurts Them, these pointless endeavour of humans to best each other.”

“How many have you got?” He chose to ask instead, because even if they wanted to do something, they’re merely collectors. Humans and their dumb ways of dying were out of their duty; they were just sent to collect their due.

“Considering the numbers of soldiers on this island and the guarantee that not even a fourth will come out alive?” Makomo opened her book, flipping several pages. “A lot. You?”

“Thinking about the cups of tea I have to prepare for Choosing already wore me out.”

“Don’t worry, Giyuu. Kyojurou, Mitsuri, and Tengen are here too. Who knows, maybe the numbers are off and we won’t have to collect these much considering the collectors present?”

“When was the book ever wrong, Makomo?”

“Don’t ruin my optimism!”

Their little banter to pass time came to an end when a young, bleeding soldier ran towards their way, a group of foreign forces hot on his trail. He hid behind the trunk of a fallen tree, crying and clutching his jammed rifle to his chest. Giyuu only saw a part of his hair, black like his own, peeking under the helmet he wore on his head. Soot and mud dirtied his young face, but what caught the blue-eyed collector’s interest was his fierce, burgundy eye.

Eye, because his right was shut close, blood covering the half of his face.

“This is what I hate the most.” Makomo opened her book again, tracing the names under her watch. Once she located what she needed, she clicked her tongue in frustration. “Beautiful, innocent souls like him who get dragged to a war he did not wish for. Do you think he cries because he knows he’ll never see his family again? Or perhaps, because he killed another human even when he didn’t even want to fight this war?”

“I think he’s praying.”

“Should we listen to his words?”

“What? No, that’s private.” Giyuu looked at his companion with slight horror in his expression. “He prays to Them, and we can’t disrespect this young soldier’s last minute on this land.”

“I’m just kidding!” Makomo poked him on his cheek, but immediately turned when footstep grew nearer. When they saw the group of soldiers who gave chase surround the praying man, Makomo tucked her book in her arms and whispered. “It’s almost time, little soldier. I’m sorry your family will never see your beautiful eyes again.”

Giyuu decided to leave and do his part of the job too. He gave one last glance at the praying soldier, only to see one of the enemy hammer the heel of his rifle down to the wounded soldier’s forehead. Said soldier slumped against the trunk, but Giyuu thought he saw enough and turned around in haste.

A blunt force like that would likely scar, and he hoped it won’t seep through the soul. But it had been a traumatic experience for the young soldier with burgundy eyes, spending his last minutes alive surrounded by unfriendly faces. That wound would be a birthmark in most cases, but Giyuu hoped this soldier wouldn’t carry the wound to his next life should he choose to be reborn.

Tanjirou reached for the towel as he straightened his back, wiping away the droplets of water on his face. He absentmindedly traced the birth mark on his forehead as he brushed his teeth, his mind going over his plans for the day. He will meet Inosuke and Zenitsu at the latter’s grandpa’s house for a group study in preparation for their high school entrance exam. On his way back, he has to buy cough drops for his Pa who refused to see a doctor and will always counter their arguments with all I need is a good night sleep and plenty of water.

There’s nothing much to do for the day but to study, he figured, so he stuffed all his textbooks and notes into his bag and rode his bike to the Hashibiras to collect his friend. Inosuke thrashed like a bug lying on its back, complaining about why he always gets to sit and not pedal. He said he bets he’s a much better rider than Gonpachiro.

“It’s my bike, Inosuke. That’s why.”

“You’re just afraid I’m better at bikes than you, Monjirou.”

Zenitsu once told him, back when they were young, that Inosuke would actually get their name right after seven tries. I counted, his blond friend would say, because he kept yelling at me and shoving worms and beetles and acorn nuts in my face. Tanjirou tried to keep track the first few months after knowing the dumb fact, but eventually grew tired counting the wrong names before he could hear the right one.

The burgundy-haired teenager squeezed on the breaks, the rubber tires squeaking against the asphalt. He then got off, and gestured for Inosuke to take the handlebar grip. “Pedal away, Inosuke-sama.”

“Ha!” His loud friend thumped his back, with the aggressiveness that would match his excessive energy. Tanjirou had to step a foot forward to stop himself from toppling over. “I knew choosing you as my favorite friend was the right decision!”

Tanjirou shook his head with a little laugh. “Oh, what an honor!”

“Stop daydreaming and get on already! I can’t wait to run Monitsu over!”

“Don’t do that Inosuke.” Tanjirou transferred his backpack to his front, facing the opposite direction, watching the hills roll as his friend pedalled vigorously downhill. He only realised his mistake when they zoomed past the gate of Zenitsu’s home. “Inosuke, stop! Don’t go too fast –“ Tanjirou looked back to see his blond friend getting smaller and smaller until he was just a tiny dot of yellow. “ – we’ve passed by Zenitsu’s house! Turned around!” He shouted over his shoulder, closer to his friend’s ear. “Inosuke! TURN AROUND!”

Without a warning, Inosuke swiveled a hundred and eighty degrees, not knowing he had almost threw Tanjirou off. The burgundy-haired miserable back rider yelped in surprise and fear for his life. But before he could complain, Inosuke started pedalling again with the same intensity, Tanjirou thought he would die on the ride back to where Zenitsu’s home is. Good thing his friend waved and jumped, catching Inosuke’s attention, and the boy squeezed on the break so hard they almost did a cartwheel with the bike.

Never again, Tanjirou thought, as he combed back his hair. I refuse to ride a bike with Inosuke ever again.

“Wow,” Zenitsu stared at the two of them from head to toe. “I’m surprised you didn’t get into an accident.”

“He’s a walking accident.” Tanjirou pointed at his friend who wore his favorite boar shirt. “I am not getting on a bike with you again.”

“Just admit I’m better than you!”

Zenitsu pushed the two of them inside before their pointless discussion lengthened, the three greeting grandpa Jigoro along the way. Soon they fell into a series of question and answer, index cards and flashcards flying across the room. Inosuke would constantly complain about math and why did he have to learn such useless things. Zenitsu would also complain about Inosuke’s complaints, but would snatch away the problem, solve it for the boy, and explain how he got 12 as the value of X.

“Uhhhh,” Tanjirou stretched his arms, arching his back to pop the joints as he stood from their table. “I’m going for a quick konbini run. Anything you guys want?”

“Didn’t you bring any snacks from the bakery?”

“We didn’t open today. Pa’s sick.”

“Onigiri and Nissin for me, Tontaro!”

“Same, but I want tamago sando instead of onigiri.”

“Then it’s not the same, stupid butter head!”

“Bold of you to call me stupid when you’re the walking definition of the word!”

Tanjirou didn’t want to witness the inevitable wrestling match to which Inosuke would mercilessly hug Zenitsu from the back to squeeze out his oxygen, so he excused himself without saying a word. He checked for his wallet before mounting his bike. He didn’t spot any konbini on the way, so he decided to try the opposite street so see if there’s a nearby store. To his luck, he saw the green and red signboard a couple of streets away.

He parked his bike on the sidewalk as he repeated his friends’ choice of snack over and over again to make sure he wouldn’t forget. He opted for a katsu sando and a bag of potato chips, carrying all the food he picked to the counter. Just as the girl behind the register dropped the change to his open hands, he caught a hauntingly familiar figure, through the glass walls of the konbini, with the identical black book held against his chest.

No way.

Yuu-chan?

He quickly grabbed the brown paper bag after throwing a hurried sankyu to the cashier , pushing the doors with his shoulder. He then left the bag on the basket of his bike, before taking off to run after his Yuu-chan. Why didn’t he take the bike instead, Tanjirou could no longer think rationally because he couldn’t believe he’s about to see Yuu’s after all these years.

Was his eyes playing tricks on him again?

Because there’s just no way the person he was made to believe wasn’t real and was just a part of his childhood imagination was actually there. He looked exactly the same; charcoal gray three piece suit, light blue dress shirt, and a navy blue necktie. Just like the spies from his Pa’s old movies he often dreamt about.

“Yuu-chan!” He could no longer contain his excitement, jumping on the back of the man when he was an arm length away. But Yuu quickly turned around, reached for his wrist, effortlessly twisting it in a quick, practiced movement. Tanjirou didn’t manage to introduce himself because his wrist hurt and was twisted in a very awkward way, he thought he might snap it any second. “Ow, ow, ow, ow! It’s me, Yuu-chan! It’s me! Ow!”

As quick as Yuu grabbed him, the man immediately let him go once recognition dawned on his face. “Tiny human?”

“Wow, you remembered me!” Tanjirou beamed, the same wide smile he wore the first time he met Yuu. He almost forgot about those periwinkle eyes and snow white skin as he tried to bury the memory of the day when Nishida-san succumbed to lung cancer. “I almost thought you weren’t real, like a story of make believe I came up with in a desperate attempt to make friends.” Yuu-chan looked away, and Tanjirou wished he could read whatever was on the man’s mind. “It’s been seven years, Yuu-chan.”

“I owe you no explanation, tiny human.” Yuu-chan continued to look away, his blue eyes never meeting Tanjirou’s burgundy ones. “I never agreed to being friends.”

“But you remembered me, big human.”

Yuu-chan flinched. “My work involves a lot of names, and a mistake would result in grave consequences.” The man tucked his book in his arm again, turning around to walk away. “Go home and stop following me.”

“You sound like you’re just making excuses!” Tanjirou continued to annoy the man, hoping to make him talk more because his voice was somehow calming. He didn’t know where the boldness came from, but before he could think, he reached for Yuu’s hands, cold as ever, and pulled him towards the empty bus stop across the street. It should have been strange, with the absence of people on the street and the silence in the air, but Tanjirou didn’t notice. “Come with me! I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“What are you doing?” Yuu-chan gently freed his arm from Tanjirou, keeping it inside the pockets of his pants this time. “This is dangerous. Please keep your distance.”

“Why do you talk so formally, Yuu-chan? Come sit beside me!”

Tanjirou watched as the man glared at the innocent bench, burning holes in it as he considered his options. All the while Tanjirou’s wide grin never wavered, choosing to observe quietly as Yuu-chan argues with himself. The man looked like he never aged at all, like the past seven years were merely a week for him.

“You won’t stop until I indulge you, would you?”

“Nope!” Tanjirou bounced in his seat, grinning triumphantly.

“Fine.” Yuu-chan finally took a seat, a meter away from him. “But you shall not cross this distance.”

“What? Why? I’m not sick!” Tanjirou whined but immediately shut his mouth when Yuu glared at him. There was no hostility, but Yuu-chan has the ability to disappear from his sight, like how he did the past years, so Tanjirou chose not to push his luck further and truly anger the man. “Alright, no need to kill me with you eyes. Very pretty eyes I must say.”

Tanjirou’s throat tightened, and if he was standing, his knees would have buckled from the intensity of Yuu’s eyes. At first he thought the man didn’t like praises, didn’t like talking to him, but he continued staring. Tanjirou, unsure on what to do, chose not to meet Yuu’s eyes as he tried his best not to crumble because the weight of his stare makes the burgundy-haired boy melt.

To his surprise, Yuu, who was so adamant to observe distance, pushed against the metal bench and stood in front of him. Tanjirou raised his head to look at him, but Yuu-chan’s cold fingers brushed against his forehead. Chilly wind blew past them, causing strands of burgundy hairs to fall, but the cold fingers were there to brush them back up. Tanjirou couldn’t help but shiver, due to the wind or the cold skin, he couldn’t tell.

“Is there something wrong?” He managed to ask even when the chill he felt crept up from his lungs to his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

“This,” Yuu ran the pad of his thumb over the mark, twice, before tracing the outlines. “Was this always here? I didn’t – “ He stammered, as if he couldn’t make a sentence out of his train of thought. “ – seven years ago – “

“Oh, this?” Tanjirou instinctively reached up, not expecting a cold hand meeting his own where his sturdy forehead should be. “It had been there as far as I can remember. It just got bigger as I grew older. Seven years ago, it was just this tiiiiiiny thing, you could have mistaken it for a scar.”

He heard the blue-eyed man, who was acting so strange that day, mumbled something under his breath. It was so soft, Tanjirou could have heard three different languages, because even when there were no cars, no people around, he still didn’t understand the incoherence mumbling. Tough luck, for he has lost his gift of keen nose after turning ten, so he has absolutely no idea what this strangeness was all about.

“Does it hurt?” he heard Yuu-chan ask as he pulled his cold fingers away. But he didn’t step back to create a meter of distance again, much to Tanjirou’s delight. “Does it bother you?”

“Not really, no,” he bit his lip, recalling a stupid myth Zenitsu recounted once when they were nine. “They said birthmarks were signs of how a person died in his past life, but that just sounds silly to me.”

Tanjirou looked up, hoping to see Yuu share his opinion about the absurdity of the myth. But he only saw anxious eyes which couldn’t meet his, lips flattened into a straight line, brows furrowed. “Sometimes, old stories passed down with words of mouth would hide a truth or two.”

“Are you telling me - ” Tanjirou’s voice climbed a pitch higher, trying to suppress his laughter after considering that he had a life before this. “ – that I died from a blunt force trauma to the head in my past life? Was I murdered?”

“Don’t be silly,” Tanjirou wanted to scoff because Yuu-chan dared call him silly when he was just spouting nonsense about old stories and hidden truths a minute ago. “Besides, is that your only birthmark?”

Immediately Tanjirou crossed arms over his chest, balling the shirt he wore with his hidden palms. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t spooked at Yuu-chan’s question, because he sounded like an honestly curious man, but his instinct pushed him to cross his arms over his chest where a different set of marks hide. “How did you know about that?”

“Know about what?” Yuu asked back, and Tanjirou couldn’t determine if he was feigning ignorance. “I was just asking.”

Tanjirou gulped the knot on his throat, suddenly feeling stupid about his fascination with his own birthmarks. Science has explanations for these, there must be, so he shouldn’t be bothered by Yuu-chan’s vagueness or Zenitsu’s old stories. He was about to ask the man where he went and why he didn’t see him again, but Yuu was suddenly flipping a page of the book he was carrying over and over again. “What are you doing, Yuu-chan? Looking for something?” Tanjirou tried to peek at the pages, but Yuu-chan pivoted his body around to keep the book out of his sight. “I can help?”

“This is strange.” Yuu flipped the page again like he was trying to see if flipping back and forth would make a change to what was already written in the book. Tanjirou wanted to laugh at Yuu-chan’s endless turning of the page, but the man seemed troubled. “How did this happen?”

“How did what happen?” He was never proud of his nosiness, but it was harmless, he thought. He just wanted to help and stop Yuu-chan from tearing the poor page out of the book. The same book, with three blue lines spreading out horizontally, he was carrying back then.

“I was here to collect, ” Yuu shut the book close, tucking it under his arm once again. “But it seemed I was mistaken. I need to go.”

Collect? Like Nishida-san? Tanjirou wanted to ask, but such things weren’t easy to explain, and he wasn’t even sure he was ready to accept Yuu-chan’s secret, if there is one. He chose not to define who Yuu is, all that matters is that he was there again, talking to him, no longer ignoring him.

Tanjirou knew Yuu was going to disappear again. To where, he had no idea, but at least now, he was sure Yuu wasn’t just a part of his imagination. He felt him, his cold touch, his intense stare. Yet he couldn’t help but feel lonely for no reason at all. “Will I see you again?”

“Perhaps,” was Yuu-chan’s answer which offered no comfort to the boy. Perhaps could mean another seven years, or never again. Perhaps isn’t a guaranteed yes, sounding more like a gentle no. “These meetings wouldn’t benefit the both of us, and could put you in danger. Think of it as breaking the law, tiny human.”

Because more spies will be watching. This he knew, after seeing crisps suits blending in the crowds, peach hair and platinum, purple and aqua eyes. Yet he pulled Yuu to an embrace, burying his face on the folds of his three piece suit. “I stopped dreaming about you. For reasons unknown to me, I kept seeing you in my dreams when I’m running a fever. But when you disappeared, the dreams went away too.”

Yuu removed his arms around his waist, Tanjirou already missing the coldness that seemed to come from every part of Yuu’s skin. He couldn’t read his expression again, but he didn’t expect anything more from the strange man. He speaks vaguely, dresses the same, never aged, so his expressionless face was the least of Tanjirou’s concerns.

“Stay healthy, tiny human.”

Tanjirou snorted at Yuu’s choice of response, turning back to where he left his bike at the konbini. He didn’t want to say goodbye, even when he knew that perhaps he wouldn’t see Yuu-chan again. So he continued walking even when he didn’t hear the man move from his place, because he has his hungry friends waiting for him.

He looked back, hoping to see Yuu watching him leave and walk away.

But like how he disappeared seven years ago, the man was suddenly gone, like he wasn’t even there a minute ago.

He rode his bike back to Zenitsu’s home in a bleary state. Thanks to the numerous trips he made to his blond friend’s house, he found his way even when he didn’t even remember pedalling. He couldn’t feel his legs, his head buzzed, his fingers numb. He recalled grandpa Jigoro asking him what’s wrong and why he looked so pale, before seeing Inosuke’s worried face rushing to him as he slumped against the nearest wall.

He black out a moment after that.

I kept seeing you in my dreams when I’m running a fever.

“That’s not it,” Giyuu sighed, finding it hard to breathe as he watched Tanjirou stumble out of his bike, pushing the gate of his friend’s house with all his strength. That was his fault, for he couldn’t help himself, even when he promised not to bring harm to the beautiful soul again. “It was the other way around. You get fevers because of your dreams.”

“Who are you talking to?” came a voice behind him, but Giyuu didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. Instead, he walked towards the gate of Kuwajima Jigoro’s humble home. He pushed it open, stepping into the other side where his office was. Sabito came in after him, shutting the metal door. “You were supposed to collect a soul today, Giyuu.”

“Who are you, my assistant? So what’s my next schedule?” Giyuu dragged a chair to the table in the middle of the wide room, the only furniture present. His office, much like the others in his line of work, was a high-ceiling room, with a tiled countertop where he prepares teas, coffees, sometimes even sodas, for the souls he brings to the Choosing.

Sabito hauled a tea bag at him, hitting Giyuu on his head, flakes of the dried leaves scattering in his suit. “I wish your brain was sharper than your tongue!”

Giyuu clicked said tongue, wanting to agree because he admits his earlier actions were not well thought out. How could he let a human touch him? How could he not say no, only because those burgundy eyes kept haunting him?

“Kuwajima Jigoro should have died today.” Giyuu pressed his fingers between his eyes, already feeling the early signs of migraine, still wondering what and how it happened because he wasn’t mistaken; he never made mistakes in his job. “I saw his name. It was cardiac arrest.”

“Were you on time?”

He shouldn’t be answering such silly questions. “You know I was never late, Sabito.”

“Were you,” His peach-haired friend sipped on the tea he brewed, holding Giyuu’s periwinkle eyes in an intense stare. “on time, Giyuu?”

Okay, so there was no use lying, and he sincerely believed the slight delay couldn’t hinder death that was already written in the book. He would be guilty if Kuwajima Jigoro’s name was there and that death had simply taken a detour due to his tardiness, but the name was completely gone. Erased, with no sign that it was there before Giyuu left his office, which it definitely was. “I may have been late by a couple of minutes. But it shouldn’t matter because the time of death is absolute even when no collector is present to – “

Sudden realization dawned on Sabito’s face that he was momentarily stuck with his jaw dropping to the floor, and a look of complete disbelief in his eyes. “You talked to a human again, did you? What were you thinking? Were you even using your head like you’re supposed to?”

“He jumped on me from behind! He recognized me-“

“Oh no,” Sabito took the chair opposite him, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He catches his head in his hand, murmuring curses at Giyuu’s stupidity. “It was the same human back then. The human with the gift of Sight. Oh no.”

Giyuu nodded, feeling incredibly frustrated with his inability to follow the rules. “Seven years ago.”

“That was already seven years ago? Yet he still remembered you?”

Giyuu nodded once again, not finding the words to defend himself from Sabito’s unabashed judgment. He couldn’t blame his friend and fellow collector for reacting the way he did, because they weren’t Divines with blessed holiness, nor humans with free will. They were just reapers, tasked to guide souls to the afterlife where they could exercise their freedom to choose one last time and help them decide what they want their fate to be.

He wasn’t human, therefore he doesn’t have the same freedom.

Even if he wanted to see Burgundy Eyes again, not only on the times he was dying, he simply couldn’t choose to do what he wanted.

The clanking of the Sabito’s teacup on the saucer shook Giyuu out of his silent dilemma. His peach-haired friend frowned, the scar on his face more prominent as he pursed his lips in frustration. He once asked the man about his facial scar, which they both agreed seemed to be a birthmark, but Sabito couldn’t recall how and when he acquired it.

“You can’t keep doing this, Giyuu.” Sabito sighed, tracing the patterned yellow and green lines of his own book sitting on the table. “We didn’t know, we may never know, how our presence affects living souls. I’m sure you’ve heard of the myths.”

“I have, but they’re just myths.” Like those about birthmarks, and Giyuu suddenly found himself with the realization that if the myths of men were real, then there’s a chance the myths of the reapers of the old were real too. “No,” he hunched over the table, burying his face in his folded arms. “I messed up. What if – “ Giyuu raised his head, the frantic look in those periwinkle eyes making Sabito flinched. “What if Kuwajima Jigoro’s death took a turn and – “

Sabito reached for his head, shaking it vigorously in an attempt to rattle his brain. Giyuu groaned at the harshness, but was thankful for the distraction. “Don’t think too much of it, Giyuu. If something was indeed wrong, you should have heard from Yorichii-san by now.”

“I swear the name was there!” Giyuu flipped his book open again, trying so hard to prove he was simply mistaken so he could step out of his door to collect the soul. But he couldn’t find the name, couldn’t find the reason why it would just disappear when death was something no one could hinder. Not even the Divines could defy death if They deemed it to be the right time to take back the gift of life They bestowed. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Tan – “

“Don’t speak of his name!” Sabito abruptly stood, his chair tripping over. His booming shriek effectively stopped Giyuu’s string of apologies. “Don’t make another mistake, Giyuu. Remember who we are, and what we bring. Don’t.”

Giyuu understood, for there is a reason souls should only see them after passing.

There is a reason he should never let Tanjirou see him again.

For he brings nothing but death.

Tanjirou should have known.

He tried to whisper, sometimes in his pillow before he sleeps, a wish to see Yuu in his dreams again. But he never had bad fevers again, never got the chance to see the man turn his nightmares into sweet stupor.

He tried to whisper, against the glass pane of the train as it whirred and swayed, words of intercession and petition, begging for a chance to see Yuu once again.

He tried to whisper his name, trying to call for him to come and explain, to let him know that he doesn’t care what he is, to finally understand why he can’t get Yuu out of his system, even after trying to make himself believe the man with the sky in his eyes isn’t real. He wanted to ask him why it felt like Yuu knew him longer than he should have, the same way he felt strangely familiar even when he only met him twice.

Tanjirou should have known that perhaps meant an empty promise, a parting word disguised as an assurance that he will see Yuu again.

For after he touched him with his cold fingers and reached for the scars he was born with, he never saw Yuu again.

#giyuutan #kny fanfic #grim reaper au #reincarnation au #demon slayer #tomioka giyuu #kamado tanjirou

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