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#only for Jack to go and betray them anyway
amelia-friend · 9 months
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In Livesies/Broadway the scabs seem to be strangers to the Newsies, but in UKsies it very definitely is Splasher, Buttons and Tommy Boy - I mean Crutchie even goes “Tommy Boy? Whatcha doing?” all confused as the three boys walk past.
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rollforjackass · 10 months
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there's an essay cooking in my brain about the emphasis on 'power' in will & hannibal's relationships with killing and its direct ties to the different ways they both view god. also its ties to the way they adopt aesthetics (beautiful & ugly instead of good & bad) to excuse themselves from their own actions and place their own suffering over that which they inflict on others. gotta give it a stir and let it simmer
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luveline · 12 days
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May I pretty please request an emergency medicine doctor!reader x Hotch blurb? I’d love to see both of them in careers that are difficult, yet despite that they still manage to be together because they understand each other so much. Maybe something with the rest of the team as well if it’s possible 🫶🏼🥹
Emily used to think Hotch would never be happy again. She’d drive him home after work, pick him up in the mornings, and she’d think about how miserable he was, the kind of misery that hooks you in its grip, has you turning to wine or whiskey just to keep breathing. 
She thought for sure he’d buckle. When Hayley died, he’d have to. How could you not? But he kept going and proved she should’ve had more faith in him, becoming the father Jack deserves, and, surprisingly, your partner. 
“You’re squeezing me too tight,” you mumble, just loud enough for Emily and the others to hear you where Hotch hugs you a few feet from the dinner table. “Why are you trying to break my back?” 
“I haven’t seen you in three weeks.” 
“Eighteen days is not three weeks.” 
“It might as well be.” Hotch peels away from you to give you a once over. Emily’s half jealousy and half fondness, seeing him love someone so obviously. “Are you hungry? I ordered for you.” 
“Super hungry. Do I smell like antiseptic?” 
“No, just soap.” 
“Well, that’s not much better.” 
Hotch puts his arm behind your back and guides you to the table. The team squeeze out hellos between mouthfuls and you take your place at Hotch’s side behind a steaming plate. You’re as ravenous as the rest of them after your long shift; Morgan can hardly get a word out of you for the first ten minutes, though he tries, and you attempt to be polite. Emily nudges him until he gets the hint to stop. 
“Here,” Hotch says, putting a heaping of his food onto your plate with a large spoon. 
“Stop.” You attack his spoon with a fork. 
“It’s fine, you like it more than I do.” 
“Don’t care. You need your energy. I’m going to make you carry me up the stairs home.” 
He’s unintimidated. “Ah.” 
“Ah,” you echo. “You sound so doubtful.” 
Hotch looks like he might try to keep flirting with you, but he gives in quickly, betraying how much he’s missed you with a hand slipping under the table. Emily sees his fingers curl over your knee, averting her gaze with a feigned sip of coke. 
She can deduce the silent question you ask one another about anyways. 
“We’ll have dessert,” you say. We won’t skip out early. “What are you having, Dr. Reid?” 
Hotch orders you three different things, which you eat fast. 
“They’re not feeding you at the hospital?” Rossi asks. 
“Three emergency transfers in twelve hours,” you explain, slouching now into Hotch’s side, one slow inch at a time. “I didn’t have time for much.” 
“That’s not healthy,” Hotch murmurs in concern. 
“I’m sure I can ask any of your friends about your eating habits and find a similar schedule,” you brush him off, raising your gaze to Emily, then Morgan, then Rossi and Reid. Everyone smiles the same way. Hotch is caught, and his laugh jostles your shoulder. 
“Have you ever heard the saying, ‘do as I say, and not as I do?’” he asks. 
God, Emily thinks with a huff of a laugh she can’t contain, get a room. 
“He likes that one,” Spencer says. 
“I don’t doubt it.” You lift your lips to his jaw and press a peck to the line of it. One, then two. “Maybe that’s why we've lasted as long as we have. Mutual disregard for our wellbeing.” 
“And a great deal of care for each other,” Rossi says, nodding sagely. “This is why my marriages never last.” 
“Is that why?” Spencer asks. 
“You’ve gotten to be quite the lark.”
“Lark,” Hotch whispers to you. Emily, sitting at his other side, might be the only one who hears, the others distracted by Spencer and Rossi’s ensuing squabble.
“Scoundrel,” you agree. 
“How’s your head now?” 
“It’s gonna be a hundred percent better if you give me that,” you say, pointing hopefully at his full drink. 
He doesn’t hesitate to press it into your hand. Emily would never suspect you hadn’t seen one another for weeks; you move and he follows. You rub your cheek against his shoulder. He touches his nose to your hair, his eyes shuttering closed for one stolen, blissful second. “Missed you,” he says under his breath. 
Emily looks away with a smile. Hotch isn’t hopelessly miserable anymore. 
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suuuupernovaaa · 1 year
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kxuke
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kxuke [ˈk’u.kɛ] adj. safe
Anonymous Request: What about Avatar reader x Neteyam with the "I won't say I'm in love" trope. The reader was part of Quaritch's team, but she got captured by the Sullys. She was under Neteyam's supervision, and they both fell in love slowly. However, they don't want to admit their feelings. Reader ends up betraying Quaritch's and fighting alongside the Sullys.
This would probably do better as a multi-chaptered story, so you may see it expanded as such in the future.
5.3k words
For two months, they've carried me from place to place, kept me in the dark, barely spoken to me. When I wake up, I'm back on base, but I have no information to give my team.
I can't see outside. I can't hear anything but what sounds like leaves blowing in the wind and birds chirping, even though I know it's not what I'd think of as birds.
Every morning, it's the same thing. The oldest Sully brings me something to eat, asks me if I have anything to tell him, and I say no. I ask if he has anything to tell me, and he says no.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
I'm tired, I'm sore, and I smell terrible. I'm under 24/7 surveillance by one of the Sullys, and I'm pretty sure that soon, they're going to give up and kill me. After all, I'm the enemy, part of Quartich's elite squad, and there's nothing I have to offer them.
I know what they know: Quartich is hunting the Sullys, and he won't stop until he kills them all, even the children.
The solitude is wearing me down, and my team is growing tired of my uselessness. I don't know why they keep putting me back under every morning - but they do, hoping I'll have something useful for them. I never do.
It's another morning - can't say whether it's sunny, or cloudy, or rainy - and Neteyam arrives as he always does, but he's a little early, and I'm ashamed that he finds me crying.
I begged my team not to put me back here, not to let me spend another day in dark isolation, but they don't want the avatar - a hefty investment - to go to waste. If she doesn't wake up, the Sullys will definitely kill her.
Neteyam clears his throat, and sets the usual meal of fruit and bread in front of me.
"Thanks," I say.
He nods. He doesn't ask if I have anything to tell him, so I don't either. Then, he leaves. Wonderful. The only social interaction I ever get, and it's gone.
I spend the day as I always do - pacing, doing jumping jacks, stretches, and staring at the dark ceiling, wondering who's standing just outside, keeping watch.
As the sun begins to go down, I feel relief. Soon, I can close my eyes, fall asleep, and return to freedom. Though, it's starting to feel less like freedom.
I took this job because I didn't have anything else in my life, and I've always been a good soldier - but it's not like I really believe in Quartich. Sometimes, I've wondered if what we're doing here is even right.
Is the human race so important that we need to displace these people to continue? What good have we done, that we deserve that?
Unexpectedly, the flap to the tent, or pod, I'm in, opens up, and Neteyam steps through.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, standing up.
He holds a thick cloth out to me. "Over your eyes," he says.
My heart rate quickens. This is it. They're finally going to kill my avatar. I've heard it's unpleasant, dying in your avatar, and it isn't like you get to go back to your human body after. It's the end for both of you.
I have to admit, I'm also a little relieved as I take the cloth from him. The last two months have been exhausting, and psychologically damaging, and made me question every single choice I've made in my life.
I can't keep doing this, and I can't escape... so maybe death is the only way out.
After I tie the cloth securely over my eyes, Neteyam checks thoroughly.
"I can't see," I say, as if he would trust me.
He grabs my arm, and pulls. "Come."
This is it.
--
My feet touch sand, and then water, and I want to scream with joy. It's dark out, not that I could see anything anyway, and quiet. I don't hear anyone else around us.
"Water," I whisper. Neteyam keeps pulling me. Is he going to drown me in it? Could he maybe just let me... clean up a little, before he kills me? I don't want to die this dirty.
Neteyam grabs my hand, and places something in it. A small, wet sack.
"To clean," he says, and I hear a pistol cock. "Don't go far, and don't make noise."
Holy shit, he is going to let me clean up. Sure, he's going to hold a gun and watch me wash my naked body, but I'll take it. Without any hesitation or shame, I pull off the dirty tank top and shorts I've been wearing, and go deeper into the water. I scrub every inch of myself, even under the mask, and scrub my hair until my scalp burns. This is definitely an ocean, the salty water burns my eyes and my dry lips, but I don't care at all. It still feels so amazing.
"Oh, my god," I moan when I come up for air. "Thank you."
Neteyam says nothing, just grunts, and grabs my arm. "Come, we must go back."
I'm definitely naked, but Neteyam pulls me away anyway and honestly, the thought of putting those disgusting clothes back on makes me want to die, so I leave them in the ocean. I would rather be naked and clean.
Neteyam takes me back to my prison, and pulls the cloth from my eyes.
We stare at each other for a long moment. "Why?" I ask.
He shrugs, turns, and leaves. I see laying on the floor, some clothes - if you can call them that. The top is essentially a tube top, easy enough to put on, but the bottoms take me a little while longer to figure out, especially with the tail. But they're clean, and so am I, and I cry again.
--
That isn't the last kindness that Neteyam does for me. Late at night, when everyone else is asleep, he often returns, bringing me new clothes, food, even letting me wash once in a while.
After a couple weeks of this, I work up the courage to ask him why.
"You haven't told them where we are, or they would have come. And they keep sending you back. You must be... lonely."
I bite my lip. "I can't tell them. I don't know. They keep sending me back because, because I don't know, and they say, if I don't wake up here, you'll kill... her." I gesture to my avatar body, who is me, but not me. "Why haven't you killed me?"
"Mom and dad can't agree," Neteyam shrugs. "What's your name?"
It takes me aback that I've never told him that, and that he's never asked before. "Y/N," I reply.
"Why do you do what you... do? Why follow him?"
I look down. "Earth is bad, Neteyam. You have parents who care about you, right?"
He nods.
I shrug. "I never had that. I never had anyone. I just had the marines. And I was good at it, so they sent me here. I just... didn't have anywhere else to go."
Without another word, Neteyam leaves again.
I haven't told my team about any of this. I don't think I'm going to.
--
Neteyam keeps asking me questions, every day, about my home on earth, what happened to my family, what being a marine is like... and I ask him questions, too, about growing up on Pandora, about his family, but I'm careful not to ask anything about where we are. All I know is, we're by the ocean. That wouldn't be very helpful information, anyway.
I look forward to seeing Neteyam every day, more than I've ever looked forward to anything in my life. Just sitting and talking with him brings me more happiness than anything else I can remember, and it's equal parts upsetting and confusing.
I'm not sure where I stand, or where we go from here. I'm just a Sky Person, and an evil one... I couldn't possibly be someone Neteyam would want to be friends with, and I definitely couldn't earn the trust of his family, so what will become of me?
Will they still kill me?
Eventually, Neteyam isn't alone when he comes one afternoon. I expected this eventually, but I didn't expect it would be Neytiri, his mother.
It's our first time coming face to face, and in the dim light of my prison, she's terrifying - her wide, glowing eyes, staring down at me; she looks like an angel of death, beautiful and terrifying.
I want to shrink, and avoid eye contact, but my training won't allow it. I stand, shoulders back, returning her gaze.
"Almost four months, we've kept you alive," she says, standing tall and strong before me. "And now I know my idiot son has let you out. You could have told them where we are. Why haven't you?"
"I wear a blindfold," I reply, and glance over her shoulder at Neteyam. The air is tense, and he stares at his mother nervously.
"Bah, I'm not stupid. Tell me why you haven't told them."
She's right. What I've felt and heard outside these walls, it could give my team vital information - but I haven't even let them know I've set foot outside.
I glance at Neteyam again, and this time, she follows my gaze.
"It's my son. You care for him?" She wrinkles her nose, disgusted at the thought.
"No, I - I just... don't want to help them, I guess."
She looks me, head to toe, one more time, and then they both leave.
--
Something has to change. I feel I've lost control of my life, and I want just a little bit back.That evening, when I wake up on base, I give a disappointing report to my team, and then make my plans to leave.
There are countless outposts on Pandora where I could access a link remotely - a few that base can't track, because they're so remote that they had to be fully self-sufficient. All I need to do is pack a bag, and I can be on my way, but it will have to be on foot. Human foot.
Any vehicle that I can steal, they can track. And the forest is easy to navigate in my avatar body, but my human body is small and slow - not to mention, I'll be a target for every predator out there.
Still, I'd rather die in this human form than continue on the way I have. So, I pack my bag, and head out. No one really cares what I do at night anyway, as long as I link back up in the morning for another useless day of gathering zero intel.
--
It takes two days, which is much longer than I thought it would, and I just barely scrape through the jungle before finding one of the scientist's outposts.
There is a chance they'll find me here, but they'll have to search a long time to do it - and the team of avatars would have to fly back, and abandon their physical search for the Sullys, to do it. It doesn't seem like they'd make me a priority.
It's mid-morning when I arrive, dirty and hungry, and as much as I want to link to my avatar - who hopefully hasn't been sunk to the bottom of the ocean yet - I need to clean up, and eat.
As soon as I'm done, I put myself under, and pray it works.
It's moments before I wake up, and I'm disoriented when I do. I usually wake up in the dark, but this time, it's blindingly bright out. I'm not lying down in my lonely hut, instead, I'm speeding through the air, the wind whipping at my back, and Neteyam at my front.
My eyes take a long time to adjust, and my lungs take even longer to get in a good breath of air. I'm on Neteyam's Ikran, tied to him, face to face.
"What the hell!" I scream, and without thinking, wrap my arms around his waist. I'm not a pilot, so not really one for flying. In fact, heights really aren't my thing at all. I cling to him, taking in the scenery around me through wide, terrified eyes.
We're above the ocean, with nothing in sight as far as I can see, which only adds to my fear.
"You're alive," Neteyam responds, having to shout for me to hear him. "I wasn't sure if they'd killed you or not."
"I'll explain when we land," I yell in response, and he nods.
It's very strange, being this close to Neteyam. He's grabbed my arm, even pulled me along by my hand before, but now, I'm straddling him, sitting in his lap, a tight rope around my torso, holding me to him - well, it's purpose was obviously to hold my limp avatar to him, but I'm glad to have the security, nonetheless.
He stares ahead, focused on where we're going, and it allows me a little bit of time to think. Not about our situation, or the plan either of us has... but about him.
I can't deny the joy I feel at being here with Neteyam, and I'm not sure if I'm just glad to have woken up anywhere but my dark, lonesome hut, or if it's something more.
Abandoning my life back on Earth to come to Pandora pretty much guaranteed I would never enjoy a romantic relationship again. I'd never been interested in marines, ironically enough. And scientists certainly weren't interested in me. And that was kind of... it, here.
Except, Neteyam. A man my age. A man who has been taking care of the enemy, showing me mercy, visiting me every day, asking me questions about myself and listening carefully to the responses.
It's such a complex, confusing situation, and there was no way to know if it was just being the baseline of Na'vi decency, or if it was something more for him.
It's a long ride, and I have hours to think about all of it, and how hungry I am.
When we finally land, Neteyam hands me a bag full of dried fruits and meat. I take it gratefully, and ask him what's going on.
"When you didn't wake up, there was a lot of debate about what to do with your body. My mother wanted to throw you to the ocean, my father was starting to agree with her and I... didn't think it was right. So I offered to move you, to wait and see if you woke up, and to leave you far from where my family is if you didn't."
I chew on the tough, dried meat. "Oh. Why?"
Neteyam looks away, removing his poncho, and tucking it into his bag. "I do not want you to die."
I nod. "Oh."
"You tell me this - what do you stand for?"
That's not something I've ever been asked. The answer would have been easy four months ago. I was a marine, I had an assignment, and I was serving my country.
But now I know, I never believed in that. It was just something to make me finally feel like I belonged, but it wasn't something I truly wanted to belong to.
"Neteyam, I really don't know. I don't want to help the Sky People, and I won't do anything to harm your family, but... it leaves me, sort of in-between. Do you understand?"
He nods.
"And I, well, I do care about you. You don't have any reason to be this nice to me, to treat me this good. Why do you do that?"
He furrows his brow, looking as confused as I feel.
"I don't know," he replies.
I don't, either.
--
We set up a camp nearby, Neteyam hangs a hammock in a tree while I stand by uselessly, trying to watch and learn. He hunts after that, and insists I join, but as quiet as I try to be, I'm still too loud.
So, Neteyam finds a new purpose - teach me to hunt. And to fish. And to be like his people.
It's fucking hard. I always thought I was strong, fast and capable, but I'm nothing compared to Neteyam. I lag behind, I'm clumsy and slow, and it takes me forever to learn simple concepts.
Neteyam is endlessly patient with me, in a way I don't deserve, and as the days drag on, we both smile a lot more. We even find ourselves laughing, on occasion.
Neteyam likes to tease me about my lack of coordination, but it's easy to see that he likes teaching me, otherwise he wouldn't take such care to explain things the way he does.
These weeks in the jungle with him, they're the best of my life.
When I wake up in my human body at night, I can't deny how disappointed I am. It's messing with my head, how the tall, blue version of myself is starting to feel like the real me, and this small human feels like the imposter.
Eventually, I'm able to open up to Neteyam about this.
"My father, he asked Eywa to... to transfer him, into his avatar. He had the whole clan to help him, though."
"Why did she do it?"
"He was meant to be one of The People."
I consider that for a while.
--
It's been a couple weeks, just Neteyam and myself here, and I can't deny how I'm feeling any longer.
It makes no sense, for me to be in love with him, but I undeniably am. It's really stupid actually, to fall in love with someone under my circumstances, but I've always thought love was kind of stupid anyway.
So I make a request.
"Do you think... Eywa would let me stay, in this body?"
"Do you want to be one of The People?"
I bite my lip and think. "I want to belong to something bigger than myself, and I want it to be something... selfless. Something that doesn't demand I be something I'm not. And I want, to stay with you."
The corners of his mouth pull up into a smile. "I think she would let you. I think it's dangerous to try, without the clan, but if you want to..." I see the wheels in his head spinning. "We will need your human body, and we will need the tree of souls. At night."
We form a plan.
--
Neteyam carries my avatar in his arms, and I trail behind, very slowly, in my human body. It took us three days to travel back to the outpost where I was staying, and two more days to travel, the three of us, to the tree of souls.
We had to wait then, just outside, until it was deserted.
"You need to be sure," Neteyam says, towering over me as we wait in the wings. "If you are not sure, it will not work." He reaches out and puts a giant hand on my small shoulder. I wonder what he thinks of my dark skin, my curly hair, my frame and build... but I guess it won't matter much longer.
"I'm sure. And listen, I might die down there, right?"
He takes in a deep breath. "Maybe."
I nod. "Great. Well, listen, I might as well just say it then. I'm mostly doing this because Earth sucks, humans suck, and I don't want any part of it anymore. But I'm also doing it because, I think, I might be in love with you a little bit. So, I don't want to die without having said it. And I don't want you to say anything back. You can tell me how you feel, one way or another, if I wake up. Otherwise, say it over my grave."
I can tell Neteyam is trying not to roll his eyes - something he does often in my presence - so he just nods, and squeezes my shoulder.
When the coast is clear, we approach together, and Neteyam walks me through it. I watch him lay down my avatar body, and I lay similarly to her, our heads near each other.
I should be nervous, but I mostly feel calm.
Didn't I want to die just a month or two ago? And now here I am, with a second chance at life.
Neteyam begins to pray over me, and it sounds a little clumsy, but he's got the spirit. I close my eyes, and feel featherlight touches all over my body... and I drift off.
--
She closes her eyes, and Neteyam's heart squeezes in his chest.
He knows this is stupid. He's no Tsahik, and they need the full power of the clan to make this transfer... but that's not possible, and he doesn't see any other way to keep Y/N for himself.
He knows it's selfish, but he also knows that his mother allowed him to fly off with this woman, and that has to mean something.
Eywa will see how strong she is, how determined she is, and how much she deserves a true home. Every time Neteyam thinks about the stories she told him of her childhood, the neglect and the abuse, he has to fight back equal parts rage and incredible sadness.
He thinks of those months, locked in her mauri pod, barely any sunlight or interaction, and wonders how she survived - but now he knows, she survived worse than that at the hands of people who were meant to love and protect her.
Y/N seemed so strong at first, and she is, but he can truly See her now. Part of her is still that child, seeking love and confidence in another person, and he wants nothing more than to give it to her - his family's opinion on it be damned.
He prays hard, begging Eywa to give Y/N this one good thing in her life, finally, and waits for her to open her eyes.
--
It feels as if I drift off into a dream, into a very deep sleep, and when I open my eyes, I feel well-rested - I can't remember the last time I felt well-rested.
It isn't until I see Neteyam hovering over me that I realize what's happened. I tear my eyes from his to look down at myself - and see blue.
It fucking worked. It shouldn't have! We had everything against us - except Eywa, who granted our prayers.
Neteyam lifts me up slowly by my shoulders. It doesn't feel like when I link with this body from the lab; something about this feels different. I never felt fully settled in this body until now.
I turned to look at her - myself - and wonder if I should mourn. I think of all the mistreatment I accepted in that body, all the times I let myself be hurt and abused, and swear to myself that I will not let that happen in this new life I've been given.
"We need to bury her," I say.
Neteyam nods, and wordlessly lifts her up into his arms. I watch as he leans down, removing her mask, and placing a kiss on each of her dimpled cheeks.
"She is beautiful," he says, and my heart wells up into my throat, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.
She is beautiful, and she deserves to rest now. It doesn't take long to find her a quiet resting place, and I shed a few tears for her as we cover her up.
"Goodbye," I whisper, wiping the dirt from my hands, and Neteyam joins me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
"Eywa has given you a new life. What will you do with it?"
I set my jaw and furrow my brow. "I will fight with you, and your family."
--
We make a long, hard journey back across the sea to Neteyam's family and the Metkayina. For the first time, with my own eyes, I see the place I was held captive.
It's beautiful, with white sand beaches and blue green water. It's hard to imagine how depressing and desolate this place seemed to me not that long ago.
We are accosted on the beach as soon as we arrive, and through the large gathering crowd, Neteyam's parents and siblings rush to us.
"What is she doing here?" Neytiri hisses, grabbing her son's arm. He pulls back from her, and reaches out for my hand, pulling me to his side as dozens of pairs of eyes watch.
"There is much to discuss. Y/N is not a threat to us. You must listen to me."
Neytiri hisses at me, and I stand silent and expressionless. Jake looks on, his expression somewhere between anger and confusion. He turns to another man, tall and imposing, covered in tattoos - it's very easy to tell he's in charge.
"We'll handle this," he tells the man, who nods, and Neteyam and I are pulled through the crowd and off the beach, to a set of mauri pods. I've never seen them before, but Neteyam described them to me while we were away. Without the door covered, they're light, airy, and beautiful.
We enter one of the largest ones, and Neteyam's parents turn to us. "Explain."
Neteyam takes a deep breath and does his best to tell them everything, starting with all I learned in the month we were away together, the way I dedicated myself to learning our ways - just like Jake did, when he first met Neytiri.
The comparison is clever, I have to give him that.
I don't know how I feel about what he says next, as he describes my life on earth to his parents. Neteyam is the only person I've ever shared that with, and it hurts to hear him discuss it so freely, but I understand why he's doing it. If they're going to spare my life, they might need to feel a little sympathy.
"Y/N deserves to be one of The People. She could have given us away and instead, she chose to abandon her people, and risk her life in asking Eywa to allow her to stay in this form. And Eywa has granted that request. I buried her human body myself."
For the first time, neither of Neteyam's parents have anything to say. Everyone stares at each other for a long, tense moment.
"I would never do anything to hurt your family," I say finally, stepping out from behind Neteyam. "I can't do anything but promise you that, on my life." I raise my hand to my chest, pressing it to my heart.
"You have passed through the eye, and return?" Neytiri asks.
Neteyam and I both nod.
"You swear this is true, son?" Jake asks solemnly. "You did this yourself? Just the two of you?"
"Impossible," Neytiri adds.
I shrug.
"Impossible, but we did it. Eywa willed it Herself. Y/N deserves to be one of The People."
"Lo'ak," Jake calls, and from just outside the mauri, Neteyam's brother enters. It's the first time I've laid eyes on him, though Neteyam has spoken of him often. Neteyam is all Neytiri, but Lo'ak is practically a carbon copy of his father.
"Take Y/N outside, we need to talk," Jake says, and I look to Neteyam with wide eyes.
He reaches out, taking my face into his hand, running his thumb over my cheek. "It'll be okay," he says, and I nod.
As I leave, I can't help but think, for the thousandth time, that I confessed my love for him, and he hasn't said a word about it since.
--
Lo'ak is clearly unsure what to do with me as we leave, so I recommend sitting on the beach. I haven't enjoyed the beach without a blindfold, and it seems like a relaxing thing to do.
Lo'ak agrees, and leads me through a mess of mauri pods down to the water. I plop myself down, digging my toes into the wet sand, and sigh.
"It's nice to meet you, Lo'ak," I say, trying not to sound too formal, as he sits beside me.
"You too. I knew my brother was sneaking you out, but he never let me join."
It's such a younger brother thing to say, and I have to smile. "He was really nice to me, and he didn't have to be."
"We were all surprised, when we found out. Neteyam always does whatever mom and dad say. He's like, the perfect son."
My smile grows wider. "I think he probably still is."
Lo'ak rolls his eyes, and then I see how alike he and his older brother look.
"Probably. If I'd done this, I'd be skinned alive right now."
For the first time that day, I allow myself to truly laugh.
--
Neteyam joins us on the beach what feels like hours later, and Lo'ak beasts a hasty retreat after clapping his brother on the back.
I grasp the hand that Neteyam extends to me, and stand to look at him, brushing the sand off my thighs.
"Well?" I demand.
"That was rough. They're pretty mad about what we did but, they admitted they didn't really have much of a reason to be, besides me risking myself by going back to the Tree of Souls. They can't argue with Eywa, really. She wouldn't have done this for us if it didn't benefit the balance of life. You're meant to be one of us. My mom isn't happy about it, and my dad doesn't really get it but... you're not going to get any trouble from them. It doesn't mean they like you, especially my mom, but, she'll come around eventually."
I had been holding tension in every single muscle in my body, and at this news, everything relaxes all at once.
It feels as if a war is over. I get to stay in this body, and I get to stay with Neteyam. A wave of euphoria washes over me, and I close my eyes tightly, trying to keep the tears away.
"That's good news," I whisper.
"They especially couldn't argue when I, um, told them that I'm in love with you, and intend to make you my mate."
Mate.
That means wife, to him. And they don't have divorce here on Pandora.
My eyes open in a flash. "You do?"
"If you'll have me," he says, with a shrug and a very small smile. He seems more nervous now than he did earlier, facing his warrior-goddess mother.
In my entire life, I have never known stability. I have never been truly loved, cared for, or had anyone that I could trust. No one has ever tried to put in the effort to gain my trust, and certainly not my love.
Neteyam and I met as guard and prisoner. I was a threat to his family, and to his entire way of life, and still he went out of his way to take care of me. He risked everything for me.
No one has ever shown me that level of commitment - except the marine corps, who wanted my life in return.
Neteyam wants nothing in return. Neteyam loves me, and I know he will take care of me every day for the rest of our lives.
So the commitment isn't scary. It's welcome. It's a relief. It's a warm hug after coming in from the cold. It's everything I have ever needed and didn't think I'd ever be fortunate enough to receive.
The tears are falling freely now, and Neteyam reaches up to try and wipe them away, but they won't stop.
"I love you, Neteyam Sully. I never want to be away from you, not a single day, for the rest of my life." I can barely get the words out through sobs.
He reaches out, pulling me into his arms, hugging me so tightly it almost hurts.
"I will take care of you," he whispers in my ear, "the way you deserve. I promise you this."
With no doubts, I believe him. I will do whatever it takes to keep my mate safe, and I know he will too.
Tag List: @nhloversblog @itsemy01 @eringaitskill
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wolken-himmel · 2 years
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7k Followers Special
In which I give you a detailed recollection of tales about Grim trying to ruin your love life.
The poor cat just doesn't want to lose you... even if he won't admit that.
Request by anon.
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"I don't care about (Y/n)!"
That's what Grim always yelled whenever someone commented on how close you had gotten during your many adventures. Every single time, the fire in his ears would adopt a soft pinkish hue, and his trident tail would betray him by wagging back and forth.
Grim cared about you, and he was the only one who hadn't noticed yet.
It was only when various students tried to get closer to you that he realised his platonic affection for you, his dear henchhuman. Afraid that he would not be your closest companion anymore, the naive cat monster swore to himself that he would drive away any unwanted suitor — so that the two you could remain friends forever. He had been your first friend here in Twisted Wonderland, and that had to mean something, right?
Truth be told: a part of him just didn't want to be the third wheel, but don't tell him that I said that.
The first ones that your protector had to fend off were none other than Ace and Deuce — but oh well, he didn't have to do much himself, anyway. These two idiots always fought amongst themselves instead of working together, and their fits and tantrums never ceased to ruin your day. Grim, on the other hand, was always there by your side whenever Ace and Deuce brawled on the floor. At the end of the day, the lazy cat would rest in bed beside you, not having had to do anything.
The same case applied for Jack and Sebek, who always were rather shy around you — or at least, they weren't themselves. With you nearby, Sebek never managed to produce any coherent sentences, let alone scream and yell as he always did. When you were there, Grim could do whatever he pleased, and the Diasomnia student would never scold him. Jack, too, was rather quiet around you — awkward even. Although, I have to admit that he wasn't as bad as Sebek. Interestingly enough, Jack was a sweet one, always leaving presents on your doorstep — but never revealing that these were his own doing.
And Epel, oh poor Epel. He always lost his newly gained confidence whenever your gaze crossed his. Everything that would come out of his mouth afterwards were heavily-accented curses that shook you to the core. It always was bizarre to hear such vile words coming from such a sweet face.
Again, Grim easily dealt with all of the first-years. However, ruining your love life wasn't always as easy as that.
A lot of witty students attended Night Raven College, and some of them really managed to succeed while others didn't. It was here that Grim knew that he had to step up his game.
Ruggie was a smart one — very sly and quick on his feet. And even worse, Ruggie knew that Grim was a glutton, just as he was. The cat monster's love for food was perhaps his biggest detriment, and the witty hyena used that fact against him dozens of times. The timing seemed perfect too! It was only when Grim was the hungriest that, suddenly, a glazed donut appeared on a bench. Despite the alarms going off in his head, Grim always failed to resist. And even just a few minutes of distraction gave Ruggie enough time to slip beside you and initiate a conversation — until Grim awoke from his food coma and shooed him away.
Lilia found success in a similar way... kind of. The third-year knew of the cat monster's interest in anything edible looking. After all, he had witnessed Grim devouring those strange black stones that appeared after an overblot various times. So, Lilia tried to concoct something delicious that would distract the gluttonous cat monster — oh, the food would make him fall out of his chair. However, it wasn't out of delight. No, the first time that Grim bit into the cake suspiciously placed onto his table at the cafeteria, he lost consciousness for a few seconds. And when he woke up, he would try to cough up the remainder of the vile frosting that had just touched his tongue — only to find out that a small third-year sat in his chair, chatting about the newest cake recipes with you.
Yes, Grim definitely preferred Ruggie's delicious donuts over Lilia literally trying to poison him.
Another student that I thought would pursue the same tactic was Trey. However, Trey didn't use his delicious baking skills to get ahead in the race — no, he instead relied on his flawless reputation as a kind and helpful upperclassman. You and your friends had gotten yourselves into countless of mishaps and dilemmas, and Trey would offer help every single time. Even worse, you always accepted his help without a second thought, and Grim despised your trust in him strongly. The cat always tried to convince you of Trey's darker intentions, but you never believed him — maybe because Grim didn't believe his own advice, anyway. Trey was just too nice...
Another person that tried to kill you with kindness was good old Kalim. He once literally almost drowned you in a heap of presents, but luckily, Grim jumped to your rescue and pulled you out of the mountain of presents by your neck. Kalim apologised profusely afterwards when you landed in the infirmary for a minor concussion after one of the boxes had hit your head at a bad angle. Of course, no one could be angry at him, and you forgave him immediately. And even Grim couldn't convince you to hold a grudge against Kalim.
However, he knew that there was something off about Jamil; that poor boy was troubled right from the start, which shouldn't be a strange thing in an academy for villains. Sadly, Jamil's troubles backfired on Grim when you offered to help with daily errands. You admired the Scarabia vice dorm leader's hard work and tireless energy, although there were times when you noticed the bag under his eyes and the dullness of his eyes. Seeing your friend like that awoke your parental instincts, and no one could stop you in that state — not even a whining cat baby.
Vil also often pulled you aside to fix your hair and clothes, especially to remove all the cat hair that often stuck to your blazer. And what Grim despised especially was the shampoo that Vil gave to you, insisting that you try it out. Somehow, Grim was allergic to something inside that shampoo — and he was sure that Vil must have done this intentionally! Luckily, Grim was able to convince you to stop using the shampoo, for his wellbeing.
Despite the many defeats that Grim had to suffer through, he also experienced quite many successes too, starting from the aforementioned incidents with the first-years. Luckily for him, a few of the students were rather awkward around you — such as Riddle. The usually so strict and frightening dorm leader became unusually quiet when you came to visit Ace and Deuce. These two loved your visits since your presence as an outsider always lessened the intensity of Riddle's punishments. Much to Riddle's dismay, he never could really get closer to you because of his position of superiority when it came to your two best friends, Ace and Deuce.
Another student who had it even worse than Riddle was Idia, who didn't dare to dream up what a personal meeting with you could be like. The two of you had never exchanged a word, safe for that one time you asked him how Ortho was. Talking about Ortho, not even he could fix his brother's reluctance when it came to talking to you. Idia preferred to watch you over his monitors. Sadly, there was an inherent fear of messing up that prevented Idia from approaching you, asking a casual 'wassup' before continuing on his merry way.
And that's why the Ignihyde dorm leader envied a certain extroverted Heartslabyul student so much. Cater always had been talented at chatting people up, making him perhaps one of the biggest threats in Grim's eyes. Cater was such a master at conversation that Grim wasn't able to keep up most of the time: one second, the third-year was asking you about your alchemy exams, the other he had already managed to make you agree to a study date. By then, that one brain cell in the cat's mind hadn't even finished comprehending that Cater had already posted a selfie with the three of you.
And let's not forget about Rook, who was a champion at talking, too. Although he was much more of a shady character than carefree and trustworthy Cater. Also, he was something of a sly fox. Just looking away one second during an uneventful walk through the woods could cause you to disappear, whisked away by a certain hunter. And it wasn't as if you minded the eccentric blond and his antics — no, you found him funny somehow? But... if Grim were to insist more on the watchful eyes that haunted you at night, you would probably listen to him.
But the school was full of dangerous individuals like that. And sadly for Grim, there were three of these that always banded together to torture him. These were none other than the infamous Azul, Jade, and Floyd — the combination of names never failing to instill fear into the hearts of many students. Grim, too, would almost always faint whenever Floyd managed to snatch him away from you during an inconspicuous walk. Azul would order Floyd to squeeze him as tightly as if he were wringing a lemon for the last drop of juice. And every time you would voice your concern about Grim's wellbeing, Jade would assure you that it was just one of Floyd's friendly hugs. At the end, Grim would have to witness as Azul invited you to a free dinner at the Mostro Lounge.
Another dangerous predator that roamed school grounds was a certain lion beastman, only that he didn't do much roaming and instead preferred to nap beneath a shady tree. Leona was a strange case in Grim's book... because this time, you were the one who liked to seek him out most of the times. You were strangely fascinated by his uncaring attitude and thus liked to bother him. Leona never shooed you away though, unless you were particularly bothersome that day, and sometimes even let you play with his ears. The sight always made Grim hiss and growl at you, wanting to be the one whose ears were being played with.
Someone else who enjoyed sleeping in your presence was... drumroll — Silver! This one was especially bad in Grim's eyes with how smart he played his tactics with you. This sly boy would, whenever he sat next to you coincidentally or not, fall asleep in just a few seconds of having sat down. The worst of all was that, no matter how much Grim pawed at his sleeve and tried to wake him up, Silver wouldn't budge until you had to get up and leave. 'Oh, he's so adorable asleep!' you would squeal with his head on your shoulder. And every time, Grim would frown and wish that it was him you said this about.
But! Silver was nothing compared to Malleus, the worst of the worst — the epitome of Grim's biggest fear. Malleus, that smart bugger, only appeared at night when Grim was too tired to focus his whole attention on ruining your love life. Well, you have to give him credit. And in that moment of weakness (his second worst fatal flaw aside from his gluttony), Malleus would appear in your front yard and lure you out with those green fire flies, as Grim always complained. And he would be left behind, asleep and helpless to protect you from the fae's mischief.
Well, in reality, it never really was any mischief. Malleus simply appeared for a few minutes and spewed a few words of wisdom before disappearing again. Similar to this case, perhaps Grim misinterpreted a lot of the boys' affection towards you, or perhaps you simply were too oblivious? It didn't matter which was the truth, Grim still didn't want to lose you, as he had to admit eventually.
"(Y/n)?" Grim called out when he felt fingers running through his fur. The drowsiness in his eyes was soon replaced by confusion as he sat up. "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be with that tall horned dude out there?" Then he briefly paused and crossed his arms. "Not that I care!"
A smile grew on your lips at his defensiveness. "Well, you had a nightmare, so I stayed in here," you explained softly, even laughing when he brightened up noticeably. "I'm sure Malleus will manage on his own for tonight."
"Yeah! Exactly right!" Grim jumped up and threw himself at you. "You care about me more than the others," he muttered quietly while sliding down into your lap, satisfied.
The last echoes of your chuckles faded away into the silence of the night. The two of you spent a moment in silence, simply enjoying each other's presence.
Eventually, you couldn't take it anymore and broke the peace by whispering, "Thank you, Grim."
"What for?" He perked up in confusion to look up at you with big, adorable eyes.
The smile on your lips returned upon seeing him tilt his head to the side cutely. Your heart squeezed happily when he extended his left paw to nudge your arm. You opened your mouth, but you couldn't formulate all the thoughts rushing to you all at once. It was a storm of contentedness and serenity that befell you, overwhelming you.
"I'm happy you're here with me. I'm happy that you care for me," you explained after a while of silence.
The cat's eyes grew larger at your words, and he seemed genuinely surprised yet delighted upon comprehending what you had just said. Then, suddenly, his smile turned into a scowl, and he pushed you away from him. "Ew, I don't care for you! What made you think that?" he howled loudly and crossed his arms.
Amused, you dragged your fingers across his head, which quickly got him to calm down again. "The constant growling whenever any other student is around us, the way you tried to attack Floyd the other day..."
"Okay..." Grim admitted, pouting. "Maybe I do care a little bit..."
"That's alright, Grim. I love you, too."
Grim nuzzled into your hand happily. "More than the other boys, right?"
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jishyucks · 5 months
Text
Happy Holidays! The Universe Hates Me. — hrj
‣ pairing: huang renjun x reader
‣ genre: fluff, academic-rivals-to-(implied)lovers, forced proximity, kinda slice-of-life
‣ wc: 3.7k
‣ summary: You don’t hate many things, but you could proudly say that you hate snow and Huang Renjun. And now that the universe has decided that it was a great idea to have you snowed in with the smartass himself, you’ll gladly add the universe to that list.
‣ warnings: slightly one-sided rivalry (more so Renjun’s developed feelings before reader so he’s acting on it before reader even gets what they’re feeling), the pair eat some cup ramen, set in that weird period where they dk how they feel
‣ an: I rly thought this was going to be easy to write but sike (⊙_⊙) ig its bc its basically e2l and these r difficult to write,, I was excited to write Renjun's but idk if I did my own idea justice,, anyways I hope it's still a fun read!
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You’ve never been so nervous for a final in your life.
Sure, you didn’t find the content difficult, nor did you feel lost. Hell, if you were asked to explain the content with no aids, you can confidently do it. 
The only reason why you were so nervous for a damn final was because you knew that Huang Renjun was going to do better than you. Why? You’re not sure. But you had this gut feeling that his name was going to be listed right above yours on that stupid list and you were not going to let that happen. 
“You need to go home soon, okay?” Karina frowns. She’s all bundled up, a scarf tightly wrapped over her face to shield her from Jack Frost. She knows how much of a workaholic you were, especially when it came to Renjun, “It’s getting late. It’s already dark out and there’s no one else here. Text me when you get home.”
You nod, “I will, I promise. I’ll just finish this last lesson and then I’ll leave. I’m hungry, anyway.” 
Her stern expression softens underneath her scarf and she teasingly ruffles your hair, “Talk to you later, honeybun.” 
You wave and watch her leave before turning back to the scattered papers in front of you, your laptop burning holes in your eyes because you’ve been staring at it for way longer than a physician’s recommendation. The final was on physics, something that wasn’t your strongest suit. It was probably because the way your teachers decided to word the questions on exams screwed you over—but then again, you couldn’t blame your struggles on that. 
Maybe you did just suck at physics. 
Your eyes scanned the lesson you were currently studying, quietly reading it under your breath so that you could process the information—critical threshold… velocity… laminar to turbulent… fluid and momentum… the dissipation of energy…
“Ughhhh!” 
Your heart drops to your stomach, eyes almost slipping out of their sockets at the sound of another person groaning. You clearly remember Karina just saying that there wasn’t anyone else here. 
Then who in the actual fuck…
Your mind jumps to conclusions and thinks up the worst-case scenario. It could be a ghost… were you Scrooge and the ghosts here to visit you? No fucking way… you loved Christmas… Or it could be a murderer. But what kind of murderer groans before he reaches his target?
Using this as an excuse to procrastinate, you quietly push your chair away from the table and stand up. You can recall that the groaning echoed from the back of the library, so you begin making your way down to the back of the room. Your attempt to keep your footsteps quiet, barely lifting them off from the ground.
You guess you were making your way in the correct direction because now you can hear the sound of muffled music. You suppose it was coming out of the other person’s headphones. 
As you approach the end of one of the aisles of books, you bend over and peek through the cracks between the books. Your eyes betray you, not focusing on the figure sitting at one of the tables because the books are in the way. Leaning closer, you squint to get a better look at the figure studying, head bopping to the music blaring through their headphones. 
Who is that?
When your eyes finally adjust, you curse under your breath.
Personally, you would rather it be a murderer on the other side of the shelf. 
Because Huang Renjun of all people? Here? With you? Did the universe hate you or something?
You let out a faint groan, squeezing your eyes before you go to turn back to your table. 
Of course, Huang Renjun would be here and studying late. There’s a small tiny part of you that wasn’t even surprised that Renjun was the only other person at school at this hour. There was a reason why you felt like he was seriously going to do better than you on this physics final. He worked for it despite being naturally intelligent. 
“Fucking Huang Renjun,” you gently let your forehead fall forward, making a gentle thud against the table. Fucking Huang Renjun because, suddenly, you no longer feel hungry and you now desperately wanted to finish a week’s worth of content before leaving. Sure the idea was immature—doing all this for some guy who thought he was smarter than everyone else—but you couldn’t help it. This was how it’s been since junior high. 
And old habits die hard, right?
For the next 2 hours, you push yourself to study for the stupid final, eyes straining as you continuously shift them between your laptop screen and your papers. And you say push yourself because now that you had the knowledge that Renjun was sitting metres away from you, you somehow could not focus for the life of you. It was like he had cast some spell on you to do anything but focus on physics. 
You groan. You have been reading the same paragraph on boundary layers for the past ten minutes, hyper-aware of Renjun. The words blur together, and you become hyper-aware of Renjun's presence nearby. Despite your efforts, your mind wanders, and occasional stolen glances in his direction betray your attempts at concentration.
With an irritated sigh, you shake your head, attempting to bring yourself back to the task at hand. Why the fuck is Renjun occupying so much of your headspace?
Feeling defeated, you reach forward, roughly shutting your laptop closed before you begin bunching your papers up together. Not a single fibre in your body even cared if it was organized or not—that was for you to worry about later—because you just wanted out of here and away from Renjun before he completely plagues your mind. 
Finally, you throw your bag over your shoulder and begin making your way out of the library. 
Meanwhile, Renjun, who was managing well with his work catches sight of your figure leaving, winter coat zipped up to your nose. 
“Wait, Y/N!” 
You turn back to find Renjun pushing his seat back, getting up to make his way towards you. 
“Ugh,” you roll your eyes. You continue making your way out of the room, ignoring Renjun’s calls for you to stop. 
The mature response would be to, well, stop and listen, but after Renjun just indirectly wasted 2 hours of your life trying to absorb some information on physics, you didn’t want anything to do with him. You just wanted to go home and eat, before you pull another all-nighter to make up for the lost time. 
“Y/N!” 
You were jogging now, treating the situation like Renjun was some kind of monster coming after you. It was odd that Renjun was keeping up with you, tailing you like he was one of those salesmen trying to get you to try a sample of their product. 
You’re relieved when you see the front doors of the school ahead of you, streetlights illuminating through the small half-windows. You feel your feet pick up its pace, eager to finally get out of the building and get fresh air. 
“Y/N!” Renjun’s out of breath, “You can’t leave!” He reaches out and quickly grabs your wrist. The contact causes shivers to run up your arm and you’re quick to pull your limb back. 
Brows furrowed, you sent him daggers through your glare, “And why not?” 
Renjun fishes his phone out from his hoodie pocket and he holds it up despite you not being close enough to see anything on it, “The news. All the roads are closed. No cars on the roads. We’re stuck in here until they say everything’s clear.” 
“You’re lying.” Your stubborn ass refuses to believe Renjun. 
Renjun huffs, “Just check it for your fucking self if you don’t want to believe me.” His arms crossed and he pushes all his weight onto one leg. 
Reluctant to look stupid, you slowly pull your own phone out. You realize that you actually haven’t looked at any notifications lately, all your focus directed toward studying. When you finally look at your phone, you’re met with tens of notifications, both from the news app and a handful from your family members and friends, mainly Karina, who are asking if you’re going home soon or if you’ve gone home because of the news the city sent out about the roads. 
“And why didn’t you leave?” you say awkwardly, “When they sent the warnings out?” 
Renjun swallows his spit, “I didn’t see any of them either. I was too caught up with studying.” 
“Are you fucking kidding me?” you mutter. The realization of the situation starts to sink in—you're trapped at school, possibly overnight, and your only company is Huang Renjun, the boy who’s decided to make himself the bane of your existence. Then, you find yourself teetering between relief that you're not alone and frustration that you're stuck with Huang Renjun of all people.
Your eyes flicker at Renjun, who’s waiting for you to say something to him. And you do, “This is all your fault!”
Renjun’s mouth falls open slightly, the space in between his eyebrows wrinkling at your accusation, “How the hell is this my fault? I didn’t tell the damn city to close the roads!” Renjun holds himself back from raising his voice, but the emptiness of the halls causes it to bounce off the walls. 
“If I hadn’t seen you studying and being the overachiever you are, I would have gone home earlier,” you argue back. The second it slips from your lips, you realize how stupid you actually sound—but you don’t say anything. Without saying another word, you push past Renjun intending to return your spot in the library. 
Renjun, however, isn't one to let things slide. He follows you back into the library, his frustration evident in the tight set of his jaw. "So, it's my fault you chose to stay? That you didn’t see the notifications?” 
You shoot him a glare over your shoulder, not slowing your pace. "I chose to stay because of you! Trying too hard being a model student." 
Despite it being pretty clear that the argument was childish and that it was going nowhere, you and Renjun were far too stubborn to back down. 
Renjun scoffs, catching up to you. "Trying too hard!? I study because I take my education seriously. Maybe if you put in half the effort I do, you wouldn't be lagging behind."
"Oh, spare me, Renjun.” Your blood boils at his condescending tone, whirling around to face him and eyes ablaze with frustration. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
This is where you can see Renjun physically falter. The stress in his brows goes slack and there’s a shift in his expression, “Insufferable? Y/N I—”
"Whatever, Renjun. I really don’t want to speak to you right now.” You roll your eyes and turn your back on him, “Now, If you’ll excuse me, I have a fucking final to study for.”
Ignoring his attempts to keep the conversation alive, you make your way back to your table, your anger simmering in your chest. Renjun watches you go, a mixture of annoyance and something else in his eyes.
The library becomes a battleground of silent tension, each of you (mostly you) seething in your own space.
You set your table back up the way it previously was. Then, you quickly send your friends and family texts explaining what had happened and why you weren’t home by now. 
You attempt to start where you left off, the words Boundary Layers practically taunting you at this point. The phrase is pissing you off and you’ve read it enough times for you to be able to recite the sentence from the textbook perfectly. 
Wave interference, you read, eyes blinking at the screen—something about paths intersecting and creating new patterns of unity… discord… 
You let your eyes do the rest of the scanning, not exactly absorbing any of the material before you move on. At this point, you feel like not studying entirely. Besides, you weren’t exactly in the right state of mind to be absorbing material. 
The clock at the front of the library reads 8:28 and you feel like taking a nap is the best idea right now. It’ll help you cool off, pull you back in the right headspace and perhaps help you with the all-nighter you’ll probably pull tonight. 
Twisting your body, you pull your jacket off of your chair, folding it to create a makeshift pillow. Sliding your things aside, you place the pillow in front of you and shimmy your butt back against the chair before leaning forward to rest your head against it. In all honesty, it wasn’t the most comfortable place to rest your head, but it will have to do for now. 
⋆⁺₊❅⋆ ⁺₊❆⋆
The shuffling of feet and the clattering of objects woke you from your nap.
You don’t move, nor do you open your eyes, all you do is listen to try and figure out what the hell is going on. Through the fabric of your jacket, you can hear that Renjun is moving things around on your table and you can’t help but feel your anger shoot up. 
You keep your cool on the outside, pretending to stir in your sleep before you peek through half-opened eyelids. 
You’d honestly find this part funny if you were watching a drama. But the thing was, you weren’t watching a drama. And it was anything but funny. 
Slowly, you raise your head to get a better look at what Renjun was up to, fully expecting him to be messing with your belongings. You guess you were doing your job correctly because Renjun seems to not have noticed you looking at him. 
The scene (you embarrassingly admit) warms a piece of your heart just by a little bit—and you hate that it does.
Renjun’s trying to keep your papers organized, stacking them horizontally and then vertically to keep them grouped in the stacks you already had them in. He had even moved your laptop to a safer spot, off to the side. 
The reason why he was doing all this was sitting just across the table from you and to Renjun’s left. 
Two cups of instant ramen.
“What are you doing?'' Your voice comes out more hoarse than you’d like, but it was probably because you’ve been napping for what felt like an hour or two. 
Renjun freezes, lips parting slightly and eyes growing two times its size when he realizes that you’re awake. Sure, he would have had to wake you up sooner or later, but you waking up on your own wasn’t part of his plan. He should’ve done all this a bit quieter. 
“I…” He starts. Renjun gulps and pulls back, wringing his hands through sweater paws. 
You wait for him to give you a coherent reply, looking at him in hopes of forcing one out of him. 
Renjun’s at a loss for words, afraid that you wouldn’t quite get him if he explained his reasoning. He leans over and wraps his hand around one of the noodle cups, gently sliding it toward you. 
You blink at the steaming cup in front of you, caught between annoyance and a peculiar sense of gratitude. "Are you trying to make this situation bearable or something?" 
“Well it wouldn’t be fair competition if only I was able to eat, would it?” Renjun shrugs. From his hoodie pocket, Renjun pulls out a plastic fork wrapped in tissue, one he had probably taken from the cafeteria, and places it next to your cup of noodles, “Eat.” 
You blink at the noodles and eye the boy suspiciously, “You didn’t do anything to it, did you?” You mistrustfully pull the fork toward you, unwrapping it before you dip it into the soup. 
“Of course not… I’m not evil.” A scoff shoots out through Renjun’s nose. 
Renjun pulls out a chair from your table, taking a seat before pulling his own cup of noodles toward him. 
Your eyes linger on Renjun for a moment longer, contemplating whether or not you should believe him. Eventually, hunger wins over skepticism, and you take a cautious bite of the noodles. They taste surprisingly good, given the circumstances. 
For a while, there's a strange quiet as both of you focus on your meal. The only sounds are the occasional slurps and the storm outside rattling the windows. It's a bizarre scene, you and Renjun sharing instant ramen in the middle of the night, trapped at school. Who would have thought? 
As you dig into your food, you start feeling a shift in your mood. The annoyance from being woken up slowly turns into a grudging acknowledgement that Renjun tried to make things a bit less crappy. It's kind of funny when you think about it. You two had a small argument earlier, and now here you are, quietly sharing a meal. It's like an unspoken agreement, maybe a truce, even if neither of you is ready to admit it out loud.
Meanwhile, Renjun seems engrossed in his noodles, occasionally glancing in your direction as if gauging your reaction to the impromptu meal. He looks like he wants to say something, but he’s not choosing to do so despite the tension that is usually present in your interactions being strangely minimal. 
Finally, you break the silence. "Where did you get the noodles?"
He looks at you, brows raising at your willingness to start a conversation. "It’s not my first time staying past dinner. I have a stash in my locker."
“Not surprised,” you mumble. You pick the cup up and bring the rim up to your lips. Tipping your head back, you take sips of the soup, feeling the warmth of the fluids fall into your stomach like a hug. 
“Oh, shut up,” Renjun groans, “Or else I’ll take the noodles back.”
“Lucky for me,” you look at him and laugh, “I’m finished.” When you plop the fork back into the cup, it makes that noise you hear when you scratch the cardboard. 
Renjun hums. "Well then, I guess you owe me one. After all, you're enjoying the hospitality of my secret noodle stash." 
You roll your eyes, trying to maintain a facade of annoyance, but there's a glint of amusement in your eyes. Of course, Renjun would take this opportunity to gain something for himself. It was such a Renjun move. It’s always been like this. "I could've survived just fine without your instant noodles."
He chuckles, taking the last slurp of his own noodles before he deems himself finished, too. "And yet, you still ate it all up like a starved puppy.” 
There’s a beat of silence before you lean forward, resting your head on your propped arm, “I guess I should say thank you, huh?” 
Renjun grins and you only notice it because it’s more evident in his eyes than it was on his lips. He was seemingly pleased with your acknowledgment, but he quickly covered it up with a nonchalant shrug, "Don't mention it.” His voice comes out soft, mirroring the setting, “If you passed out from hunger under my watch, wouldn’t want that tainting my ‘model student’ image.”
You give him a side-eye, feeling the sudden need to tease him, “Don’t lie, Huang Renjun, you secretly care about me.” The statement was mostly a joke, so you think nothing of it. You stack your empty cup onto Renjun’s and stand up to throw it out. You don’t notice the way Renjun freezes in his seat for half a second.
“And what if I did?” Renjun shrugs. He gulps and feels the sudden need to flee the situation—Why did he say that? 
You turn to face him, surprised by his response. Renjun's casual demeanour, though slightly defensive, holds a hint of genuineness. It's a side of him you're not used to seeing, and it catches you off guard. 
"What if you did what?" you ask, feigning ignorance to see if Renjun would elaborate. A part of you is afraid of what he’s going to say. 
“What if I did care about you?” Renjun’s playing with the corner of one of your papers, creating a sound that fills the silence between the two of you, “I don��t hate you as a person, you know… I get that we always compete in grades and extracurriculars but… I don’t hate you as a person.” 
The confession makes your heart skip a beat and you catch yourself beginning to chew on your bottom lip, something you do when you’re nervous. The unexpected sincerity in his words causes you to halt your own, a momentary pause in your banter. You've grown used to the constant back-and-forth, the verbal sparring that characterizes your interactions with Renjun. This, however, feels different. 
"You're messing with me, right?" you reply, half expecting him to smirk and dismiss the entire conversation as a joke.
“What do you think?” Renjun retorts. 
You take a moment to think everything through. You have a good feeling Renjun’s not joking, that he really doesn’t hate you as a person, and you can’t help but think about the other possibilities of what this meant. Then you think about how you feel towards Renjun because you guess you at least owed him that. 
“You don’t need to say anything now,” Renjun assures, “It’s… confusing. Even I'm still figuring things out… I just know that I don’t hate you.” 
"You're not as insufferable as I claim you are,” you begin cautiously, “But it pisses me off that you both distract and motivate me when it comes to school.” And this was true. Today was a good example of that, though you weren’t entirely sure where these stem from. 
Renjun raises an eyebrow, his lips curling into a half-smile. "I'll take that as a compliment.” 
You roll your eyes. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, Renjun. I’m just saying—” “—Saying that you like me more than you think you do?” Renjun interrupts, “I know, I know.”
Your eyes narrow at Renjun, “You wish.” 
A moment of understanding passes between you, and for the first time, the competitiveness in your dynamic softens. It's not yet a friendship, but it's a recognition that there's more to each other than the constant rivalry. 
Renjun laughs, which transitions into a yawn. He acknowledges your comment with a hum, “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up in a bit so I can study?”
You playfully roll your eyes, a small smile lingering on your lips. 
“Well it wouldn’t be fair competition if I didn’t, would it?”
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tags: @tytrackfebreze @lovesuhng @hoonieji @niinjo @dinonuguaegi
an: the next few parts of the series might be posted a day late (until Felix,, but we'll see!). Next up is Jisung which I feel like will be ADORABLE. ty for taking the time to read! I would love to hear your thoughts even if its something short! hope you enjoyed it!
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caterkinnie · 2 years
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Hi! If that's okay could i request the first years reacting to the MC being liked by Lucius? Like, every time they got class the cat hops off Trein's lap to go snuggle with them and Trein just lets them? (Ofc as long as they're doing their work n all but still)
Lucius' second favorite human.
❥ ⌗ characters: Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Jack Howl, Epel Felmier, Sebek Zigvolt.
❥ ⌗ tags: crack/fluff, romantic not specified if it's an established relationship or mutual pining, mentions of jealousy but it's funny, not proofread, kinda Ace and Sebek slander but its ok cuz i love them
❥ ⌗ a/n: written from the perspective of a cat owner!
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Ace is jealous.
Constantly bothers you about how annoying Lucius is and how he approaches you because you're just as annoying or something like that. It's stupid I know. But he lowkey wishes Lucius liked him too.
Not because he likes cats. I mean, Ace can stand them, but in reality this idiot just wants to brag about professor Trein's infamous cat liking him too. And also he wishes you gave him attention too in class, since Ace constantly bothers you and tries to talk to you, but you tell him to shut up and pay attention and he just goes angry cat mode.
His nagging gets worse whenever Lucius is in your lap.
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Deuce is also jealous, but he's not an stupid idiot like Ace <3 (affectionate)
He goes all 'pspspsps c'mon kitty…' but is instantly rejected by the cat who is totally ignoring him.
Constantly asks you tips about how to approach a cat, since he gets a bit scared of… scaring it. He thinks it's his fault Lucius doesn't like him, animals were scared of him back then anyways…
He takes it so seriously like please Lucius is just mean please.
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Jack is… uncomfortable. A bit.
He assumes you might just attract animals since this is unusual behaviour from Lucius, does this… also affect him?
He wishes you would also pet him, you WILL never know. He hates being jealous of a cat and he knows you would gladly rub his ears if he asked… but he's not going to ask. That's one of the reasons he feels slightly uncomfortable.
The other reason is obvious, I don't think I have to say it.
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I don't think Epel is a huge fan of cats, he can stand them, but I personally think he's more of a dogboy.
He just thinks seeing you with Lucius is cute, and doesn't mind a lot. Has tried to pet him before and almost got scratched… so he personally does not like Lucius, and sometimes worries about him absolutely betraying your trust because cats are just like that (from a cat owner)
In general, Epel doesn't think much about it.
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Sebek has been attacked by Lucius multiple times, deserved.
He's everything a cat hates, he's loud and doesn't know how to deal with a cat.
To make it even worse he goes all THIS THING WILL DISTRACT YOU when Lucius is around like the theatre kid he is, grabs Lucius and gets instantly attacked.
After a while he reluctantly accepts that his efforts for separating this cat from you are completely useless.
Sebek doesn't completely hate Lucius, but it's just… ok let's admit it he's jealous. He's physically mentally spiritually unable to admit he's jealous but it's just so obvious he doesn't like it too much when you're paying attention because of that dumb cat! Now he will have to help you re-study because you were focused on the cat— no, it doesn't matter if you were paying attention, m-maybe you missed something, so he's the only one capable of helping you!
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seireitonin · 6 months
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do u have E.J headcanons?
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Yes! I really love him! These are gonna be very different from how most ppl see him! Ty for the ask!
Jack was almost finished with med school at 25
So he was really close to achieving his dream of being a doctor/ surgeon
He was really only friends with his roommate because he was so focused on school
He also kept in touch with his family
He was so excited for them to come out and see him graduate! They’d be so proud of him!
They worked hard to get him in that school after all!
He was also kinda shy and quiet
Not antisocial per say just quiet and work focused
Then he met Jenny
She was outgoing and sweet and invited him to hang out with her friends all the time
Jack, almost done with school anyway, figured he could use more friends
So he started hanging out with them more
But especially Jenny
They would talk and text outside the group too
Jack started developing a huge crush on her
So when she asked him out for a night out in the woods, just the 2 of them he went along with it
Then he got hit over the head and tied up
He woke up afraid surrounded by people in blue masks with tar coming from the eyes
“Hi Jack!”
Jack recognizes that sweet voice, the one he loved to hear, tainted by what was happening
“Jenny?! What’s happening?!”
“Don’t be afraid Jack! You’re our chosen one!”
“Huh?! Stop! Fucking stop!”
No one listened to Jack though
The people who he thought were his friends were about to ruin him
Take the life he loved away
They started by scooping out his eyes
They didn’t care that Jack was crying and begging for him to stop
Since they were all in med school, they were able to take his eyes out very cleanly
Still lots of pain and blood though
Then came the chanting and the tar being poured into his eye sockets
Jack screaming filled the forest but no one would come to help him
As they chanted the spell to put the demon, Chernobog, inside him he felt his body change
It was extremely painful
He screamed and writhed on the ground as he felt his teeth sharpen. His blood go black, his skin burning as it turned grey. His bones snapping and twisting as he grew a foot taller
He was a monster
And he hates it
His cultist “friends” were so satisfied
And he ripped them to shreds
Saving Jenny for last
He loved her a lot and to be betrayed like that was heartbreaking to say the least
He let out literal growls and roars of anger as he did it all
He hated killing people
But they turned him into this thing
Jack ran into the forest and violently attacked every animal he came across eating it
Crying as he did
Well crying as best as he could
Since the tar messed up his tear ducts, he can only make deep heaving noises of sadness
Jack tried to eat human food
Really he did!
He doesn’t like bloodshed and killing
He was gonna be a doctor and help people he didn’t want this
But it just tasted awful and the cravings for human flesh got stronger
He was so hungry one night he gave in, eating and killing Mitches brother and eating pieces of Mitch himself
God Jack felt disgusted with himself
When he killed Mitch’s brother he felt like an animal
So he recomposed himself and decided to use everything he learned in college with Mitch, just taking something small and simple that Jack could take easily and store even more easily
The kidneys
He still hated using these skills to harm people but at least it’s more humane
He only needs a few pieces of people to survive. No one has to die right?
He’d stitch them back up! It’s like nothing ever happened right?!
This became his routine for years
Sneak in, take what he needed, patch them up and leave
Then he came across everyone else
He related to the proxies of Slenderman the most because like him, they were being controlled by something paranormal as well
And all three of them had no say
Especially sees himself in Masky and Toby though
Masky was in college when his life was taken away from him too
Maskys friends, his life, his family all gone
Had no choice or say in what happened to him
Toby was manipulated by Slenderman into doing his bidding, just like Jack was manipulated by Jenny
They both thought they could trust the people/ entities that took everything from them
Jack was taken in because well all the creeps get hurt and they need a doctor
Jack had so many mixed feelings
One one hand he was happy that he finally got to use his skills to help instead of hurt
But the people he was helping….hurt people
Some of them willingly do it too
But it’s either this or living outside and continuing to hurt people with his own 2 hands
If he stayed and helped and asked for food in return then he wouldn’t have to collect himself anymore
So that’s what he did
Everyone brings him food from their victims and he patches them up
And he has a place to stay
Jack, despite how he looks is still very human
But he can never go back to the life he lost
He looks in the mirror and tries to cry, but he can’t even do that
Just unsettling heaving noises
He hates how he looks. It’s awful
He hates how people are scared of him
He doesn’t want to be this way
Jack is so quiet just because he’s so depressed
He wants his old life back so bad
So bad, in fact, he goes to his old family home a lot and looks at his family through the window wishing he could be in the house with them where he belongs
He’ll watch them sleep
He watches them cry over his disappearance
“I’m right here” he says quietly and starts to heave and whimper sadly as he puts his hand on the window “please, don’t cry. I’m right here”
He knows he can never face his family or society ever again
Not after everything he’s done. Not with what he is now
Jack doesn’t want to die, he thinks that would be a waste of all the organs he took
Just wants his old life back so bad
He can still see, there’s a demon inside him that makes sure of that
If Jack doesn’t eat for extended periods of time, he’ll turn all animalistic and everyone will have to hold him down and restrain him until he snaps out of it
He feels ashamed when that happens
“I’m not a monster. I’m not”
Most of the Creeps don’t judge him
They’re all killers and monsters after all
But he gets along with Jane really well
He gets along with Toby really well too, but Toby can be a lot to handle sometimes
Part of him is scared to get close everyone but he’s scared of being betrayed again
So he keeps to himself a lot
Jack can eat human food again after years of trying. It was like recovery therapy almost
It makes him feel more human when he eats it
He has nightmares about that night. The night they violated his body
He can sometimes feel everyone’s hands on him
So he’ll shower for hours and scrub trying to get the feeling of their hands off him
Then he’ll go to Jane or Toby’s room and sleep on the floor
Doesn’t want to be alone after that
Him and Toby bonded a bunch because Toby is the main one getting patched up
Jack and him talk for hours after he’s done getting patched up
Also Toby needs regular check ups(cipa)
Wants a significant other to love him despite his looks. It’ll make him feel human
Seeing Jane have a wife gives him hope for himself
Hes 6’10
Fluffy brown hair
Never takes off his mask unless he’s around Toby or Jane
He’s insecure about his face
He’s actually pretty nice, still work oriented and quiet though and really serious and blunt
Very clean. Cleans his tools, his clothes, his room, everything
Not the monster that everyone thinks he is, he’s still connected to his humanity and plans to keep it that way
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radioactivesweet · 10 months
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hi, hope you’re having a womdering day!
is it ok to have jack the ripper, beelzebub and hermes with a tsundere reader (i hate everyone but you kinda thing) that is also very motherly towards them? if that’s ok?
thank you for your hard work. 🖤
I hope you have a good day too!! I hope you like it^^
off topic but I was listening to Last Night in Soho soundtrack while writing this, which is completely unrelated hahahah, 10/10 would recommend that movie tho, I liked it a lot
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Jack is good at recognising people's true natue trough the colours they emanate, so when he once saw you answering rudely to an acquaintance of yours, he was quite confused. There was a clear dissonance between your colour and the way you were acting which intrigued him. Despite how hard it was, he managed, trough his gentleman-like ways, to get you act friendly - even though he was the only one you changed your attitude towards. It was a huge step forward anyway. But the way you behaved when you were with him... it was something never believed he could experience himself. He had heard tales about love, which he stopped believing in after his own mother had betrayed him, but you made him reconsider his beliefs. You were protective of him, showing in your own way your affection. It had some motherly traits too, a reminescence of his childhood, of that apparent love he received from his mother. Yours was genuine though, there was something so innocent in the way you'd caress his head that he would never believe it could be false. The same colour you would towards him only was of the purest shade he had ever seen.
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Beelzebub is used to everyone hate nobody but him - so it's quite surprising when you do the exact opposite. He doesn't know how to react at first, are you perhaps trying to use him for some obscure reason? He can't quite grasp it. Yet, somehow, it really looks like you took a liking to him. You don't reply annoyed when he is the one to speak - and actually listen to what he has to say - you ask him how he is and other chit chat, which was unusual of you, and would often seek him out. At first he doesn't really know how to behave: should he act like he does towards anybody else or try to be more friendly too? In the end, despite his first attempt to keep you at a distance, he realised that, after all, he missed someone looking after him. At first, things weren't always easy and sometimes you both would end up snapping at each other - but going back to being on good terms immediately after. Most of the time though, everything went smooth, with you complaining about everything but him. It kinda pleased him. You couldn't tell, since Beelzebub would always mantain the same apathetic expression, but he really was glad to have someone so attached to him. In particular, there were those moments when you would just sit beside him, maybe your head leaning on his shoulder, mostly in silent, sometimes speaking some gentle words, which he loved the most. It made him feel so nostalgic, but loved it anyway.
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Hermes is used to act politely towards others, given his status as the messenger of the gods, it kind of is his duty. Even though he often has to deal with tons of unsufferable and rude deities - which, at first, he thought you were too, seeing the way you'd treat those you spoke with. He was ready to ignore any of you remarks if he had to... but you didn't give him the chance, acting unexpectedly nice towards him only. After that surprisingly nice first meeting, you kept being quite friendly during your exchanges with Hermes, which occured more and more often. He didn't really understand why you'd act so differently just to him but didn't ponder about it too much - he just considered himself to be lucky for once, instead of having to deal with another goddess mad at his father because of one of his many affairs. You weren't mad at him, which greatly relieved him. Actually, you were one of the few decent deities he could deal with. Not prone to anger (towards him, at least), amicable and pleasing when you wanted to, ready to comfort him and listen to his complains after a long day of wandering trough the realms and dealing with absurd requests and demands. His life was tiring, but fortunately for him, you were making it much more bearable. Ares is also scared of you, like many other deities, which comes in his favour when he is sick of dealing with them.
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puppydoggraham · 2 months
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Hannigram is brokeback mountain coded especially the breakdown scene which is Mizumono
(Jack is Hannibal, Ennis is Will)
Jack: “We could’ve had a good life together. Fuckin real good life. Had us a place of our own. But you didn’t want it.”
Hannibal about Florence. That’s what he wanted with Will before Will betrayed him: a good life together. So much so that he was willing to leave without a sacrifice. This line is parallel to the “I gave you a rare gift but you didn’t want it” line. In the same way that Ennis in the film is struggling (he wants to be with Jack but because of internalized homophobia and his circumstances, he doesn’t feel like he can), Will struggles to choose to have a life with Hannibal because of struggles with his morality, not wanting to accept his feelings both about Hannibal and about his darker nature, and the fact that Hannibal actually has feelings for him which he doesn’t think is possible and doesn’t want to it accept it. Both Hannibal and Jack think that Will and Ennis don’t want to be with them “but you didn’t want it” but they do, hence Will saying “didn’t I?” and the following breakdown from Ennis.
Jack: “So what we got now is Brokeback mountain. Everything’s built on that. That’s all we got boy, fuckin all, so I hope you know that if you don’t ever know the rest.”
A lot of Will and Hannibal’s relationship similarly occurs in private away from the outside world. Brokeback mountain in terms of the show represents all of these private moments that their connection was built on (a lot of season 2 but applicable for pretty much any season).
Jack: “You count the damn few times that we have been together in nearly 20 years and you measure the short fuckin leash you keep me on and then you ask me about mexico and you tell me you’ll kill me for needing something I don’t hardly never get.”
Obviously the timeline is different but it’s a similar sentiment with how Hannibal feels that their shared moments are brief. He obviously needs the connection with Will and hardly gets it, which is what Jack is expressing here.
Jack: “You have no idea how bad it gets. And I’m not you, I can’t make it on a couple of high altitude fucks once or twice a year.”
They never explicitly have sex in the show (we all know I think they did and it wasn’t shown LOL) but applying this to them, Hannibal feels like Will can survive off the lack of intimacy (he’s used to being neglected) meanwhile Hannibal can’t. He wants to have all of Will and isn’t content with hardly having him.
Jack: “I wish I knew how to quit you.”
And there it is yeah…. Hannibal cannot give up Will no matter what. They can’t stay away from each other.
Ennis: “Then why don’t you? Why don’t you just let me be then huh it’s because of you Jack that I’m like this. I’m nothin. I’m nowhere.”
Will frequently blames Hannibal for being the way he is. He also just expects that Hannibal will give up on him (he will not).
Jack then walks over and says “it’s okay” and Ennis says get the fuck off me and lashes out and pushes him away. Jack holds him anyways while Ennis breaks down in his arms and Jack tells him it’s all right and says “damn you Ennis”. Ennis says “I just can’t stand this anymore, Jack.”
Hannibal understands Will. He knows how Will is. He expects this kind of reaction. Even when Will lashes out, Hannibal will take it all and still be there for him. No matter what they cannot be away from each other regardless of the forces that try to keep them apart. When Ennis says he can’t stand it anymore, that could be referring to their separation or the relationship because of the back and forth. Both can be applied to hannigram. Will eventually gave up in s2 in Mizumono and then realized his mistake. Ennis realized that mistake after Jack died and regretted it. Will realized his mistake after Hannibal left (symbolic death), regretted it, and tried to make up for it by going after Hannibal in Florence and making sure he understood better. If only Jack and Ennis could do the same.
In conclusion:
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sbk-zgvlt · 11 months
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I’ve actually been sitting on an au idea for quite a while. I discussed this IN DEPTH with my friend a while back but I wanna get your thoughts on it. I was wondering what would have happened if Sebek was sorted into a different dorm. I always settled for him being sorted into Pomefiore, seeing as how their whole thing is embodying the Evil Queen’s spirit of tenacity, of which Sebek has an abundance of. They’re also skilled at cultivating a unique sense of style, something Sebek ALSO does quite well. BUT SEBEK ADMITTED HIMSELF IF HE HAD TO BE IN ANY OTHER DORM BESIDES DIASOMNIA HE’D CHOOSE OCTINAVELLE. But the thought of Sebek in Heartslabyul flourishing under a strict regiment of conduct and Riddle’s no nonsense rule. I JUST KEEP WONDERING WHICH WOULD SUIT HIM BEST. While I also think he would represent Savanaclaw’s persistence well, I just think he’d despise the chaos and lack of order. And Ignihyde is out of the question.
But then that also leads me to the OTHER au of all the freshmen going into different dorms. Jack headed off to Heartslabyul, Epel to Savanaclaw, Deuce to Scarabia, Sebek to Pomefiore and Ace to Octinavelle. Personality wise I think they’d blossom in their newly assigned dorms respectively, but I wanna see what you think.
OH WE ARE COOKING.
I'm going to start playing with the idea of the whole first year group switching dorms before doing the "only Sebek switches" one.
First of all, absolutely love the dorms you casted them in mwah mwah mwah. Jack is a stickler for the rules in his own weird kind of way, believes in fair play and is quite possibly one of the most law-abiding students in the school...if it weren't for the fact that if morality and his own beliefs comes into play, he's willing to break a rule or two for the sake of his friends.
Epel is going to be underestimated by a LOT of Savanaclaw, but his stubbornness will help him put up a good fight. Even if he loses in the end, its shown that the students are smart enough to not go by someone's looks after they prove themselves to be strong and persistent. There is a chance that his character development regarding masculinity and his toxic view of it may be delayed...unless Leona gets on his case about it, because the women in Sunset Savanna are NOT to be messed with and so is any other woman, kid what the FUCK are you on about.
I was a bit unsure of Deuce being in Scarabia, but then I remembered this is the kid who changed his ways after overhearing his mom crying about him and decided the best way to make his mom proud is to become an honor student. Being an honor student is fucking HARD, as someone who USED to be one, so bro needs to plan and worry about more things than just academics, because trying to snag a spot as an honor student also means being on your best behavior.
Then I was STILL unsure, and saw Ace was at Octavinelle, and that's when I realized oh these mfs are a package deal fr!!! Deuce and Ace could switch between Octavinelle and Scarabia and IT WOULD STILL FUCKING FIT THEM. Ace is cunning and resourceful in ways you wouldnt expect (Scarabia), while also being very thoughtful and considerate when it comes to his friends (Octavinelle). Deuce is mindful of how his actions and words can affect other people (and his spot as an honor student) as long as his emotions dont get the best of him (Scarabia), and is goodwilled (Octavinelle). I love Adeuce.
Anyways, onto the ACTUAL idea part. Yeah. that wasn't the whole post. Sue me.
Jack can fulfill Adeuce's role in Book 1, me thinks. Even if he doesn't break any rules, his sense of justice will get him to call out Riddle for how his actions have affected the whole dorm. Riddle's overblot will be a bit delayed, since there's no punching the dormhead and the ruined unbirthday thing, but that shit's definitely going to happen still.
Epel would also be able to fulfill Jack's role. His admiration for Leona and Ruggie will make him feel all the more betrayed when he finds out that theyre actually going to cheat their way through the game. I feel that he would want to showcase his skills by battling a worthy (very much overpowered) opponent, not someone who'll end up underneath a stampede. Jack tagging along will also spur him on as they both share the same admiration for Leona.
ACE IS DEFINITELY GOING TO MESS WITH AZUL HAHAHA. THIS is one overblot that will actually be sped up. The same things still happen, except Yuu and the group get the information much faster from ACE, who is oh so willing to betray Azul and the Leech twins. He got sea anemone'd haha. The loser.
i FORGOT TO MENTION: Ace and Deuce are still the first people Yuu meets. Just yknow. Different dorms and all. Im not sure if Deuce would fall for Azul's contract, considering the fact that he's under Kalim and JAMIL, the latter knowing fully well how Azul is, but for the sake of the story he DID get sea anemone'd.
Because Im a sucker for them, Ace initially didnt give up information without something in return, before Yuu suddenly said out of nowhere that Deuce also fell for Azul's contract. Ace laughs it off, saying if theyre trying to get him to pity Deuce, they have to try harder than that. But eventually, Ace caves in because he genuinely does like Deuce because "he's a cool guy" and agrees to help them out free of charge. Theyre a duo in any universe fr 🔥🔥🔥
Scarabia overblot is the only thing that turns out to be MOSTLY the same, minus Deuce being sad that Jamil wasnt cool like that...but the mess is cleaned up fairly quickly.
FINALLY getting to Sebek. Fuck.
Sebek is INCONSOLABLE that he is NOT in Diasomnia. He unfortunately cannot camp out in their courtyard as he's claimed he will because Vil and Rook have him on CONSTANT supervision. Vil is a bit sad he wasnt able to get the lavender-haired boy in Pomefiore, but I guess he has to settle for the loud guy instead...he can work with this, Sebek already has this unique charm to him anyway.
Rook is FASCINATED. A HALF-FAE!?!?!?! IN THEIR DORM!?!?!? A dream come true. He literally stops tailing after any beastmen and mermen for a week, and Leona prays to the heavens above in thanks. He's even more delighted when he finds out Sebek consumes media of the same obscure opera he follows, so rest assured Rook is hanging around Sebek.
Im not sure if Sebek would take Epel's place in VDC, but I guess its SOMEWHAT possible, since he's shown some skills in Spectral Soiree anyway. Epel is still involved anyway because the apple juice is literally from his family, so.
Sebek's character development will be faster, I will say. Vil's view of beauty does not lie in one's looks as most people may believe, as he views beauty to be something you WORK HARD FOR. Rook sees beauty in EVERYTHING, regardless of any flaws. These two are actually going to be quite impactful on Sebek's journey on learning that his fae blood does NOT make him superior than others, but his human blood doesnt make him inferior as well. Yeah. I think he'll turn out alright.
Ignihyde events turn out the same way, although Im not too sure as well if Sebek takes Epel's place as well. This is where Im too stupid. Sorry guys. And now we head to DIASOMNIA.
...WHICH I WILL CONTINUE IN ANOTHER POST!!! AS WELL AS THE "ONLY SEBEK SWITCHES DORMS" IDEA!!!!!! BECAUSE THIS IS TOO LONG!!!!
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nobodymitskigabriel · 5 months
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Everyone talks about how shitty it was that Michael and Adam were cut short in s15 and how they wanted to see them go on cute dates and move in together and like. Sure. But I wish they'd been expanded in a different way. Imagine Adam being around for Michael's "betrayal" of Sam and Dean. Or maybe the angels welcome Michael out of the Cage and presenting him with the throne and Michael just...not knowing what to do. Or maybe God commands Michael to kill Jack and Michael needs to seriously grapple with potentially making the same mistake twice. And maybe all this is happening while Gabriel or Raphael is alive which adds extra archangel family drama to the pot.
All these hypotheticals just to say that I would've loved to see Michael be a part of a genuine conflict in s15 especially with Adam. They had each other for 1000+ years but now things have changed, and in the grand scheme of the Universe, what is 1000 years anyway? Maybe this was God's plan all along. Okay, so maybe all humans aren't all literally maggots, but is the fucking archangel Michael going to throw away everything he lived for for the angels' Plan B Adam Milligan?
So imagine Michael actually going back to and listening to God or Heaven and Adam being so offended not on the Winchesters' behalf, but just on principle after everything God's done. Adam gives him an ultimatum and tells him he needs to wise up or get out of his body, and Michael goes...you know what? No. I'm an archangel and you're my vessel. Why would you get a say here? So maybe Michael takes Adam for a ride, stuffs him to the back of his consciousness and gets on with his business like the Cage never happened.
Eventually Michael does leave Adam, either by halfway coming to his senses or getting kicked out by force and obviously that experience would be very traumatic for Adam who would just...not know what to do with himself after being betrayed and violated by his only friend for 1000+ years.
But whatever, right? Michael is an archangel. His Father is back. He doesn't need Adam or a vessel. (Except he sososososososo fucking does.)
So imagine Adam tagging along with tfw for some mission that goes wrong. Everyone is surrounded. It's game over. But then whatever demons or angels or whatever are about to kill them get smote like it's nothing. The ground trembles. The windows break. Absolutely blinding white light spills in. Everyone has to shield their eyes and there's this ear-grating noise that only Adam seems able to be able understand. Everyone is writhing on the ground, clutching their ears and Adam is just standing there casually like he's having a depressing and slightly tedious conversation. It goes back and forth between the most ghastly noises anyone has ever heard and Adam saying something like, "I don't know if I can trust you anymore" and this goes on for some time. We never actually hear what Michael says, but it seems to have a major effect on Adam who eventually does decide to forgive him and let him back in.
I also like the idea of Michael taking his throne back with Adam?? Like I know we're not necessarily rooting for Heaven on this show but yesss king make John's secret third son your Heavenly consort 💞💞 I do like the domestic potential Midam has but it doesn't just have to be domestic you know???
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andy-skull · 7 months
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I had to rewatch Ep02 to appreciate it
In my first rewatch, I really despised this episode, mostly for it's pace and how bad the reunion felt like. But then I watched it again and this time I realized something important
During the first and second episodes, we follow Loki through his misadventures, meaning we're seeing the world through his POV. So everything feels rushed, overwhelming, and there is this sense of urgency because (as Loki) we know the TVA is breaking down and that threatens the multiverse so Loki has to do something.
So we go with him to find Sylvie but there this sense of urgency and desperation. So in the rewatch I chose to see things from Sylvie's pov and let me tell you, Sophia fucking delivers!!!!
First, their initial meeting inside, yes, angsty, and nervousness, the feelings are there for both and despite all that happened before, Sylvie could have told Loki to go away, that she didn't want anything with him, neither talk or see him, but instead...
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Sylvie cares about what he wants to say, she's been waiting for him to find her, and to talk to him. She still feels betrayed and awkward, but she still cares enough to hear what he wants to say. So then they talk outside, Loki's been looking forward to this moment, so has Sylvie.
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When Loki suggests he's the last one she wants to see, Sylvie rushes to confirm that, yet in her rush, her voice breaks on that single word. Because it's too much, he's back, he wants to talk to her, it's time to face the consequences and she doesn't know what's gonna happen now and she cares so much!!! Loki states he's not there to make trouble and Sylvie answers with the only way she knows, being direct and rough.
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This is the moment when Loki decides to take a step back from the emotional speech and make it all business. Sylvie just doesn't seem to cooperate. He starts his explanation and she's looking annoyed. She's not buying it, he's stuttering. But then he says "It's been a problem," and THEN Sylvie changes her expression
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Hubby is in trouble! so she's listening now... Keep going, what is it? But he just keeps stuttering and babbling about timey whimey stuff and she's at the edge cause she's only thinking about them, that they are having the conversation about what happened the last time they were together
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She can't handle the emotions anymore, and by this point, she's even holding back her tears even!!! Aaaaand Loki starts talking about the TVA and she closes herself. This again, TVA this and that. She's out. He's here just because of the TVA and not her. He probably doesn't even care about what happened at the end of time, he's over the betrayal and the kiss.
The teenage argument starts because at this point none is really listening what the other is saying, nor are they saying what they really want or what they feel.
The fight is rushed and chaotic so I'm skipping that part
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Sylvie is chilling while they clean the place and take Dox away, but Loki is aware of her. Sylvie still refuses to look at him. He has to pass her by when Mobius tells him they have to go back.
By this point, Sylvie has rejected Loki in different ways, verbally mostly and with "Don't overthink it," she hasn't given him any emotional clue of sympathy, so he's giving her the space she asked for.
And YET, Sylvie:
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Has her eyes on him. While he's determined and giving her space, she has a moment to decide for herself. And she takes it to follow him. Was it because he looked back?
Maybe....?
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And so Sylvie goes to the TVA again, she follows him into the place that represents all wrong in her life. Why? if he's only there for business and everything went wrong anyway. Maybe because, she hopes there's something for her, with him?
But then not lol and she's pissed and leaves. It's fair. I support her completely.
Finally, the last scene is Sylvie on the hood of her car vibing with music, and at the moment Jack gets out, in a split second, Sylvie can be seen fidgeting with her tempad to quickly hide it away.
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It's a quick move, look at her hands. That's because she's been there for a while, reminiscing....
Jack asking her if everything is all right only makes me think that this is not a common behavior for Sylvie. And when he's worried, she quickly changes the subject to cover whatever is actually wrong with her, and even then, her voice is forced out, her throat is tight and the sound comes from a runny nose
Overall, the episode is not that bad, but it's still lousy to me. A rewatch made it better though and gave me a lil hope for Sylki.
But what I have no doubt over whatsoever, is that Sohpia Dimartino is an absolute Queen, delivering such a good acting for such a complex and layered character 10/10 for Sophia as Sylvie Laufeydottir
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place-called-space · 7 months
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send me an angel [part i of 'sweetest poison']
word count: 2,601
Before they start their search for office space, Matt insists that they stop at Clinton Church—to pray for luck, of course. He doesn't know how Foggy convinced him to pray for a wife, or why he listened, but the next thing Matt knows, the smell of incense and old wood is overtaken by lilies and nectar, and you walk in.
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So many things had changed after Matt lost his sight, but the sickeningly sweet scent of incense remained as stifling as ever. After years of being unable to filter through the cacophony of noise surrounding him, settling into the creaky wooden pews of the church with a deep sigh was a welcome reprieve, the incense dulling his senses just enough to stave off the migraines he so constantly found himself the victim of. 
Today was no different except for the presence of Foggy at his side. 
"So, how exactly do you pray?" he asks after several minutes of comfortable silence. "You ask for love and success in exchange for the sacrifice of a virgin?"
"We quite like virgins, actually," Matt corrects without skipping a beat. "They're a rare commodity these days, so we try not to sacrifice them anymore."
"Oh, I see. You just take them for yourselves," cajoled Foggy, nudging him with his foot. The wood of the pew creaked as he leaned back, turning slightly to leverage his elbow over the back. "You Catholics are greedy bastards, eh?"
"And I'm the only one that'll ever admit to it," Matt lamented with a sigh. He poked Foggy gently with his elbow. "Can I go back to praying now?"
"Right," Foggy said immediately, shuffling further away. "Take your time."
Matt shook his head, chuckling quietly before dipping again, fingers fiddling with the rosary held in his hands. He was almost done, with only one more decade to go. Sure, that may be another ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be, but despite how often he'd doze while praying as a kid, the repetition had become therapeutic over the years. Combined with the incense, it was easy to be lulled into an almost hypnotic state of calm, aided by the smooth surface of the beads and the occasional popping of the candles-
"You should pray for a wife."
Matt let out a startled laugh, catching the attention of Mrs. Akers, an old widow who'd been ancient back when Jack Murdock's mom would drag him to mass every Sunday. She turned in her pew but said nothing before turning back to the front with a shake of her head, the movement almost fond. 
"A wife?" Matt asked Foggy, lowering his voice even though he was still chuckling. "I could ask for world peace, an end to poverty and starvation, or even money for our firm, and you're telling me to pray for a wife?"
"In my defense," Foggy said, the slide of cotton against skin betraying the fact that he'd raised his hands in surrender, "hundreds of thousands of people had to have asked for those other things, and all we hear are sob stories about how they were ignored!" He shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know about you, but I don't hear any complaints from the people who've asked for love."
Matt paused for a moment. "No," he said eventually, fiddling with his rosary. "I guess not.”
He shifted in his seat, wincing when his bruised ribs twinged uncomfortably and hiding the expression by bringing his left hand up to adjust his glasses. Foggy wasn't paying attention to him anyway, scraping at a scuff in the floor with the toe of his shoe. 
Years of ingrained loyalty to the church had taught him to be grateful for the small blessings and to never ask for anything more. And for years, Matt had obeyed, stomping on any blooming feelings of want or desire for success or affection. Even now, shrouding himself in black and baptizing himself in blood every night, he avoided asking for anything other than guidance for himself or aid for others, muscling through the pain he endured every night, a true soldier of God. 
Would it… be wrong of him to ask for something for himself, for once? He'd been taking justice into his own hands for some time now, stopping what the police couldn't out of the goodness of his heart, for the betterment of his community. Did he deserve the comfort a wife would provide, the love she’d shower him with?
Matt's heart is practically beating out of his chest as he shifts his grip on his rosary, running his thumb over the little man on the tiny cross as guilt begins to crawl up his throat like bile. What existence would he damn his wife to? A lonely existence with a husband who only joined her in bed a few hours before they were supposed to wake? A life of struggling to make rent when he devoted himself more to the justice he sought at night than the one found in court? A marriage of resigning herself to always being his second priority?
No. Nobody deserved an existence as miserable as that, even if it would make his own more bearable. No matter what he'd done, no matter what good he always strived for, Matthew Murdock would never deserve such a reprieve. 
…But surely, one prayer couldn’t hurt. 
“Are you there, Lord? It’s me again,” Matt started, speaking low enough that only Foggy could hear him. “I need someone to be my friend—”
“Wife!” Foggy hissed. “You have to be specific!”
Matt turned his head in Foggy’s direction, amused. “You don’t think I can be friends with my wife?”
“Of course you can,” Foggy acquiesced with a steely note in his voice, “but you’ve already got one best friend, and I’d hate to claim seniority and break up your marriage.”
That last part got a surprised chuckle out of Matt. “Noted,” he said solemnly, taking a deep breath before continuing, “Maybe send me an angel. The nicest angel you have.”
He spent the next fifteen seconds trying his hardest to keep his face emotionless as Foggy’s head turned ever so slowly until the full brunt of his incredulous expression was focused solely on the man beside him. 
“You,” he started, drawing out the word in his disbelief, “did not just quote Lilo and Stitch.” 
“It’s called praying, Foggy.” Matt shook his head in mock disappointment. “I’d have thought you’d seen me do it enough times to recognize it.”  
Foggy heaved a sigh. “I have had enough of your smartassery,” he said, getting to his feet. “We should leave in a bit if you wanna meet the realtor on time. First impressions and all that.”
“Right,” Matt says distractedly, his attention pulled by the sound of footsteps entering from one of the hallways that branched off deeper into the church. If memory served, that hallway led to Father Lantom’s private office, but the footsteps leaving that hallway were far too light, far too quick to belong to the aging priest. No, this was someone else. 
Well, hello, you. 
Your skirt is long and flowy, made of linen and ideal for the warmer weather they've been getting lately. The hem flutters around your ankles when you walk, but as you pause before the candle-filled altar to light a votive, you raise one foot to scratch at your opposite calf, flashing a bit of soft, bare skin. 
Matt's fingers give an involuntary twitch. Tease. You like a little attention. That much is clear from the tight shirt you're wearing—form-fitting and the sleeves low enough to wrap around your biceps while leaving your shoulders bare. 
Your shoes are clean but well-worn. They smell of grass and soil, gum and sunflower seeds; you'd walked here, but only after taking a detour to soak up some sun in the park, clearly enjoying the weather. Central was too far to be feasible, so it was more likely you'd gone to DeWitt, where the grass was regularly maintained for the baseball season, hence the seeds and gum. 
Still, your childhood must've had some form of worship in it because you're wearing a cardigan concealing the exposed skin of your shoulders. The addition is meant to make the entire ensemble more modest, but the slight tinkling of your jewelry calls attention anyway. No loud bracelets that clashed against each other with every move you made, thank God—only a few sets of hoops and studs scattered throughout the cartilage of your ear to pair with the simple necklace you're wearing. 
Despite the understated embellishments, Matt sees right through the illusion—they're meant to bring attention to the long line of your throat, to the delicate bones of your clavicle, to the regal set of your shoulders. You want attention, but only the slightest bit. Your efforts to look effortless are not wasted—Foggy's heartbeat stutters when he finally sees you, admonishing words dying in his throat as he drinks the sight of you in, and for the first time in decades, Matt is envious of someone else's ability to simply observe. 
The feeling quickly dies, however, because no matter how hard he (or anyone else tries), Foggy's perception is limited to superficial observation, while Matt's is so much more than that.  
Matt can fully enjoy your scent, sweeter than the nectar of freshly bloomed flowers. He can bask in the taste of your skin, still sun-kissed and warm from the outside. He can relish in the sound of your blood pumping through your veins, spurred forward by your persevering heart. That closeness—that intimacy—was reserved for him...
...and him only. 
The thought sent a rush of pride, warped and wicked, through him, and Matt couldn't help the sharp smile that split his face. Despite being born of humor and sarcasm, his prayer had been answered. 
God had sent him an angel. 
He must've looked particularly devious because Foggy dropped his head into his hands with a groan. 
"She's hot, in case you were wondering," he whispered, resigned and conspiratorial at the same time. "Absolutely smoking. But I'm assuming you knew that already."
"I don't care about that, Foggy," Matt said distractedly, too busy listening to the brush of your hair against your cardigan—it smelled of lilies. "What's she doing?"
“Having a moment of silence, it looks like,” Foggy told him. “Which makes my staring at her even more creepy than before. Thanks, dude. Can we go now?”
“She smells so good,” Matt confessed in a hushed whisper, parting his lips to draw more of your scent onto his tongue. He was swaying slightly on his feet, and he grasped at the pew in front of him in a white-knuckled grip as his knees threatened to buckle beneath him—when had he stood up, anyway? “Are you sure we can’t stay a bit longer?”
Foggy startled a bit. “You can smell her from here?” he asked incredulously, the muscles in his forehead stretching as he raised a dubious eyebrow. When Matt didn’t respond, Foggy blew out a long-suffering sigh. There was the scratch of polyester on cotton as Foggy flicked his arm out, raising the hem of his sleeve enough to peer at the face of his watch. "Almost nine-thirty," he said. "We have to meet with the realtor at ten, so you have some time to try and get through the first half of your pickup lines."
And for the first time in years, Matt… hesitated. 
There was a restlessness inside his chest, pushing him to approach you and introduce himself, to flash a smile and hope the dimple Sister Maggie used to compliment so much ignited your curiosity and drew you in. From there, he could go straight into charming you, learning things about you that his senses couldn’t tell him. As the weeks passed, he could bring you to his favorite restaurants, hold your hand, kiss your cheek, taste the skin of your throat as he guided you to his bed, hear what your voice sounded like as you moaned his name-
Okay… maybe not. Maybe…
Maybe he wouldn’t say hello. Maybe he'd accidentally bump into you, have you make the first step in the connection he was already looking forward to fostering. It would undoubtedly be less conspicuous that way—much easier to explain away bumping into a woman you wanted to talk to if you were blind. An exchange like that could end one of two ways: the short, apologetic interaction which didn’t lead to anything substantial, or the extended, flirtatious conversation that might pique your interest and excite you enough into wanting more.  
And even if you chose the former, that didn’t mean he couldn’t introduce himself properly if he, by chance, came across you again, unattended and conveniently available.
And if he was right and the two of you were meant to meet… well, far be it from him to question God's plan. 
Mind made up, Matt sent a distracted smile in Foggy’s general direction. “Just… give me a few minutes, okay?”
Foggy heaved a great sigh, standing from the pew. “I’ll be loitering outside when you’re done. You better not make us late, Murdock!” 
Heart hammering in his chest, Matt felt around for the end of the pew, practically crawling out of the aisle in his haste. He took a moment to run a hand through his hair and straighten the creases in his jacket before stepping forward, tapping his cane as he walked. 
As he approached you, he could tell the exact moment you noticed him. The tapping of his cane announced his presence, and your hair shifted as your head turned to catch a glimpse of him. There was a small intake of breath as your eyes took him in, a slight tilt in your head betraying how you’d looked him up and down. Trying his best not to shrink under your scrutiny, Matt settled into the spot beside you, fingers searching for the candle the nuns kept lit for him at the bottom left. 
You watched him curiously, taking a half step to the side to give him more room. It seemed like you were watching him, silently preventing him from burning himself. And though he was tempted, just for a moment, to let his fingers get singed by a flame he’d strayed too close to, he didn’t, simply picking up the lit candle and lighting another. He set the candle back down, taking a deep breath before bowing his head in prayer. 
He probably looked nervous. He certainly felt nervous, a certain clamminess to his palms that hadn’t been there before. This close, it felt as though you were a magnet, drawing him in, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he was swaying on his feet again, his body instinctively arching toward you without his express permission. Matt’s fingers twitched, aching to reach out and brush against your skin, but he tightened his grip on his cane, determined to at least give off the impression that he didn’t know you were there. 
Your heartbeat was slow and steady in his ears, your breath similar as you, too, ducked your head, your lips moving soundlessly to finish your prayer. 
It was like he wasn’t even there.
Again, Matt grew restless. He’d… he’d expected you to say something. An ‘excuse me,’ at least, not just move away silently as though you didn’t want to be perceived. Because Matt knew you. He knew by how you dressed that you liked a bit of attention, each small but elegant accessory bringing attention to you, accentuating your natural beauty. Every part of your outfit was perfectly tailored to draw attention but not keep it. It was as though you were intentionally keeping in the middle of the pack. No, this… this was done deliberately. 
Well, two could play at that game. 
Letting out a breath, Matt turned abruptly, swinging his cane wide and smacking you in the shin.
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part ii: '(don't fear) the reaper' coming soon to a screen near you!
a/n: there it is! honestly, i've been so excited to finally push this out that i accidentally added an entirely new plot point so the next chapter will probably take a bit longer, my bad y'all. in the meantime, feel free to ask any questions about this fic or send any requests!
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madrone33 · 3 months
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So, I've been re-reading the Deltora Quest books for the first time in years because my obsession with them has recently been revived (just finished Valley of the Lost), and man, I don't think I realised before just how, like, absolutely devoted Lief is to getting rid of the Shadow Lord and freeing Deltora. It's especially apparent in the first few books.
The Belt is basically all that matters to him. Not even finding the Heir is more important, honestly the heir is very much secondary to the Belt. They're just the person who will put on and activate the Belt's magic; they are a means to an end. His own life is secondary to the Belt - which isn't to say he's not afraid of dying, he really really is, but when shit gets real and it looks like this is the end, his thoughts almost always go to the Belt. Just like the heir, Lief thinks of himself as a means to an end. (Which is ironic, seeing as how he is the heir.) Lief will make the Belt, and the heir will wear the Belt, but it's the Belt itself that matters most to him. Because it's the Belt that will save them.
'Do not worry about me,' Lief whispered, trying to keep his voice steady and calm. 'Nothing matters but that we seize the gem. If I die in the attempt, it will not be your fault. You must take the Belt from my body and go on alone, as you have wished.'
I must prepare myself for death, Lief thought. But he could only think of the Belt around his waist. If he was killed here, the Belt would lie forgotten with his bones. The gems would never be restored to it. The heir to the throne of Deltora would never be found. The land would remain under the Shadow forever.
'No!' Lief cried. 'Wait!' At this moment of terror, his one thought was for the Belt of Deltora and the topaz fixed to it. If he did nothing to prevent it, this golden eyed giant would surely find the Belt after he was dead, take it from his body- and perhaps give it to Thaegan. Then Deltora would be lost to the Shadow Lord forever. I must throw the Belt over the cliff, he thought desperately. I must make sure that Barda and Jasmine see me do it. Then they will have some chance of finding it again. If only I can delay him until I can do it...
[Literally just died] Lief felt himself pulled to his feet and slung over Barda's shoulder. His head was spinning. He wanted to cry out, 'What of the crown? The opal?' But then he was that the crown was in Barda's hand.
Lief's fingers felt for the clasp of the Belt he wore under his shirt. If necessary, he would unloose it and let it fall into the mud at the bottom of the stream. It would be better for it to lie there than for it to fall into the hands of the Shadow Lord again.
And maybe it didn't really hit me when I first read them 'cause I was approximately A Child, but it's really sinking in now just how bad things have been in Deltora for the last 16 years. When they talk about slavery and fighting arenas and brandings and starvation and executions in the streets. For some reason all these human atrocities are hitting home a lot more than before. It used to be the monsters that seemed the scariest, but now I can see that yes, the monsters are horrifying and traumatising and terrifying, but Lief and Barda and Jasmine continuously choose to keep going, they willingly put themselves through hell, because the Shadow Lord is worse.
Anyway, all this to say, Deltora really couldn't ask for a more selfless and loyal King that Lief. This kid is willing to die so many times over if it means his people are safe.
(The only thing he tends to go off mission for are his friends and family, but even then, I'm thinking of that part in Isle of the Dead where Laughing Jack holds Jasmine hostage and demand the Belt in return. And Lief refuses. Because his people must come first. And he knows Jasmine would never want him to betray their land for her. Like??? So many feels.)
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crimswnred · 2 months
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LOVE ISLAND THE GAME TEMPTING FATE: WEEKLY THOUGHTS
ready to be loyal 💜
drag Jack for me, Tyler
you literally can call those PJs, Claudia, you're walking in underwear
I wanted Jin's hot chocolate :(
OH MY GOD IT JUST HIT ME HOW SIMILAR EMEL'S SPRITE IS TO CHELSEA'S
dates! dates! dates! vs girls on tour! girls on tour!
yes Sophie please dump Jack we've been all waiting for it (it's volume III)
I mean, Jin is hot so I won't be holding it against you, Soph but you're on my watch list
Oakley's eggs are only on Emel's basket? that's a lie because he was kissing me just the day before
Blowing kisses to my man so he knows I don't intend to cheat!
someone said Tyler was Gary revamped and they were so right
MOTORBIKE GANG. MEMBERS: TYLER AND LUCAS
lmao Jin jumping and saying IT'S OVER and my mc going WHAT DO YOU MEAN???
"Oh no sorry the sparks weren't flying" / "You're not sorry/ / "No, not sorry at all" HEYY MAYBE FUSEBOX ACTUALLY KNOWS HOW TO WRITE FUNNY CHARACTERS?
me 🤝 Tyler hating Jack
why would I spend 17 gems on helping a blonde man and betray a red head girl, tell me fusebox
anyways girls' choice 🥱 I wish we could've been chosen too it would make me feel better
Jin what the hell? why are you talking to boys when you could be talking to ME.
nevermind, me and Sophie will be catfighting in a second WATCH ME
what a silly challenge jesus fucking christ
Tyler err... leave me alone? omg
Jin and I are too strong to be broken up by a motorbike gangster and a dumb red head
"MC IS MY PARTNER. I'M INTO HER. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY" and that's on what? THAT'S ON PERIOD.
oh wait why was the mocktel making scene the best scene we ever got
WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE JIN AND TYLER ARE GONNA ASK ME FOR A THREESOME
I'm sorry Jin but although you're literally the best thing that's ever happened in this Villa you also had your head turned TWICE so chill out
he is so cute oh my god stop making me laugh I'll fall in love with you
are we surprised Claudia wants me like I treat her way better than her man!
watch me flirt with Theo just for the hell of it 🙏
IF SOPHIE PICKS JIN ISTG
she didn't pick him which was for the better but also what is the point of having a bombshell and then having them out on the same volume??
and Sophie is now my #1 enemy sorry
every scene with Jin is so cute :/ I wish we could have more moments where we casually kiss or hold hands or touch or anything is the only thing I'm missing
anyways, it was a fun volume! Tyler bored me to death and I really thought for a second him and Jin would ask me to have a threesome but unfortunately this is a family friendly game now! and what do we think that the iSpy challenge is about??
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