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fallout4reactsblog · 3 years

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I was wondering if you could do an ask for those of us who don't have family to celebrate the holidays with. Companions react to Sole being upset spending their first holiday season without their family.

Cait: “Do you wish you had someone this holiday, Cait?”

It’s a weird question to come out of nowhere, and she leans around the curio she’s searching through to eye them quizzically.

“Why do you ask?”

They shrug. “I was just thinking about my family and everything, and how I miss them, and I thought I would get your opinion.”

She chews her lip thoughtfully and returns to rifling through drawers. “The way I see it, this is the one holiday I actually do have someone to spend it with. Before you, nobody gave a shite about me, you know?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought about it like that.” They laugh a little. “What an odd pair we make.”

“At least you’re not completely alone. You’ve got me, after all. Think of how much worse it would’ve been if you were by yourself.”

“That’s a surprisingly adept observation coming from you, Cait.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She chucks a loose snack cake at them.

They dodge, laughing. “It’s just strangely philosophical, you telling me to focus on what I have instead of dwelling on what I don’t. I guess I can learn a thing or too from you, huh?”

“Damn straight. You should listen to me more.”

“If I did, I’d end up dead.”

“Probably just maimed.”

“Brutally maimed.”

She waves a hand through the air. “Details.”

When they’ve quieted for a moment, she murmurs, “But for real, I am glad to have you, sole.”

Quietly, she hears. “I’m glad to have you, too.”

Curie: She taps the end of her pencil to her cheek as she searches for the right word. It’s not “impossible,” and “improbably” sounds too formal, but the word she wants escapes her. Frustrating.

“Curie?”

She glances up at sole, who’s sitting on the other end of the couch. In the middle, their legs have tangled together, and she looks past them to look them in the eyes.

“What is troubling you Madame/Monsieur?”

“Nothing, nothing. I just noticed you’ve been a lot more affectionate lately. I mean, you’ve barely left my side.”

She flushes. “Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all, I just thought it was strange.”

“I simply thought you would be feeling more lonely this time of year. Holidays can be a difficult time of year for those of us without family to celebrate with, non?”

They narrow their eyes. “Why were you even thinking about that?”

“I was simply reminiscing on my time with the other scientists before the war, and I remembered how lonely it was all by myself in the lab. They were always so happy around the holidays. And I thought to myself, sole is not in a lab, but they are also missing their family. I thought perhaps you would appreciate a little extra support.”

“That’s...” they shake their head. “That’s really sweet, Curie. Thank you.”

“Oh, do not mention it. It is merely a gesture of our friendship. You saved me from my loneliness, and I wish to return the favor.”

“Still, it’s kind. I appreciate it.”

“You are more than welcome, Madame/Monsieur. Anytime.”

Danse: He finds them out on the deck, wind whipping past them as they stare over the Commonwealth. They’ve been distant for days now, giving nothing but short answers, eyes far away when they talk. If he’s honest, he’s worried about them. It’s why he’s ditched the power armor in his bay for the moment; right now he wants to be a person, not a Paladin.

“Evening, Danse.”

They don’t turn to him when he approaches, and he doesn’t know how they can recognize his footsteps outside power armor, but he doesn’t question it. He just leans against the railing beside them.

“Something has been troubling you,” he says.

They sigh, and he can almost see them deflate against the railing. “You know, Danse, I thought that it would be easier than this.”

“What?”

“The holidays. I thought, you know, even though my family wasn’t here, maybe the Brotherhood would help fill that- that emptiness, if even just a little. But I guess it just doesn’t look like that.”

Their words hit too close to home, and he deflates a little, too. “I’m afraid you’re a year too late. With the war, there will be no holidays onboard the Prydwen.”

“Did there used to be?”

He nods, not trusting his words. He can’t tell them that, even though he understands why it’s necessary, it still hurts. They’re still new, still building their trust. He can’t sabotage that.

His silence means nothing, though, as sole seems to read his mind. “You must miss that. In a way, you don’t have a family for the holidays, either.”

Gently, they lean their shoulder to his, and he allows himself to lean back against them, just this once.

“At least we have each other,” they whisper.

He nods. “At least there’s that.”

Deacon: He doesn’t want to say it in such direct terms, but the truth is that sole’s house is a little... sad.

To be fair, they’ve only been in the Commonwealth a few months, and a lot of that was spent trying to figure out what the hell had happened to them and the world, but still. Sole’s place feels entirely like a house, and nothing like a home.

“You know, boss, you should just spend the holidays with us.”

They look up from their coffee mug from their place at their sad table with its sad, lone chair. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, just come live at HQ a while. It’s gotta be better than spending the holidays alone out here.” Slowly, he turns in a circle, as if to emphasize how empty (and sad) the walls are.

“But my memories are here, Deeks.” They blow on their coffee. “This is where I should’ve spent the holiday.”

“Yeah, with your family, if the world hadn’t gone to shit and blown up. But it did, so you should just come celebrate with us. Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier.”

He doesn’t mention the number of holidays he spent in an empty farmhouse for the sake of memory, and thankfully sole doesn’t ask.

“Deacon, are you actually... worried about me?”

“Oh, you bet, boss. I mean, look at this place. It doesn’t even have electricity. You couldn’t have holiday lights if you wanted them.”

“Do you guys do holiday lights?”

He shrugs. “Do you want to?”

For a brief moment, there’s a spark of life in their eyes. “Would it be okay?”

“Who’s gonna complain? Carrington? Just tell him that he doesn’t have to look at them.”

They hum and say, “I guess I’ll consider it.”

That’s his cue to hit him with the ace up his sleeve. “We do a game of Secret Santa, too.”

They try to hide their smile, but they’re bad at it, and Deacon breathes a sigh of relief, knowing they’re sold.

Gage: “Fuck do you mean, you miss them?”

“I mean I was fucking married and had a kid, you eyeless prick. I actually cared about my family, and it sucks that they’re not here. I’m sorry that you cut ties with your family completely, but not all of us can or want to.”

He huffs, because he can tell he’s pushing a little too hard, and if he keeps going he’ll end up wishing he’d kept his mouth shut.

“Well, Overboss, trust me when I say you won’t even remember them. We got a bit of a tradition here, ourselves.”

They eye him warily. “Do tell.”

He shrugs. “Not much to say. It’s a party, we get drunk, fuck around, light some shit on fire. It’s a good time. Can’t lay around feelin’ sorry for yourself when you’re lightin’ something on fire.”

“So, Yule. You’ve reinvented Yule.”

“Call it what you want. As long as you have a good time, who cares, right?”

Their face is still doubtful.

“At least give it a shot, boss. You’re gonna have to be there anyway to keep up appearances. Might as well try to have a good time while you’re at it.”

“Alright.” They sigh in resignation. “But if I end up drunk and crying in a corner, it’s your fault.”

“I promise to hide you before you can embarrass yourself.”

“I guess that’s all I can ask for.”

Hancock: “Hey, sister/brother, what do you think of these?”

He holds up a couple strands of garland and tosses them over to a waiting sole, still perched on a ladder.

“Shockingly good condition,” they say. “But I think this stuff usually goes on the tree.”

He waves a hand. “You put it wherever you want. I’m just helpin’.”

“Well, do you have a tree?”

“Somewhere around here.” He glances around, but realizing it’s not within direct line-of-sight, shouts, “Fahrenheit!”

“What?” Her voice is muffled by the distance, but her irritation is not.

“Where’s my tree?”

“Wherever you put it last year. I don’t keep track.”

“Damn,” he huffs. “ I thought for sure that’d work.”

He heads into the other room to rifle around for his tree. There’s a beat of silence before sole says, “You know, I never have properly thanked you.”

“For what?” He glares down at the wreath in his hands, which had tricked him into thinking it was a tree, before shrugging and tossing it to the side to get hung up anyway.

“For giving me stuff to do like this. Staying busy really helps me feel less... alone, you know?”

He rocks back on his heels, peering into the other room to make eye contact with them. “Sure thing, sunshine. But I’ll warn you, it wasn’t all my idea.”

They laugh a little. “I figure Daisy had a hand in things, but still. It’s nice of you.”

“I appreciate you assumin’ that I’m not just using you for free labor.”

They laugh again, for real this time, and he can’t help but smile.”

MacCready: He wants to say something. He wants to tell them that it’ll be alright, that he’s been there and it hurts, but you make it out in the end. He wants to be able to comfort them somehow as he watches them duck their head and pretend to not see the decorations in Diamond City, but he’ll be damned if he knows how.

Fortunately, sole has the words where he does not.

“This sucks,” they declare, holed up in the corner of the Bobrov’s bar.

“I’ll drink to that.”

They clink their beers together, sip, and lapse into silence before sole says, “I really miss my family, Mac.”

He closes his eyes, pictures his boy back in D.C., and agrees. “It’s a tough time of year to be without them.”

They reach across the table and grab his hand. “Next year, we’ll go down to D.C. We’ll have found the cure by then. We’ll go see Duncan.”

“Would you really want to go?” His heart is thrilled to hear their words, but his head tells him that might only hurt them more.

“Of course. I want to see you go home and see your kid. I wish we could’ve done it this year, but...”

“That didn’t work out,” he finishes.

They nod.

“You know,” he says, taking another sip of beer, “next year we’ll have a big family celebration to compensate.”

“What, you and Duncan?”

“No, all three of us. We’ll go the whole nine yards. Lights, presents, everything. The real deal, all three of us. Family.”

That brings a smile to their face, and he smiles to see it. Maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but for a moment he can see the whole thing before him. The three of them together, laughing, making a family out of nothing.

Just make it through this year, he promises sole silently, and I’ll make sure you have a family holiday again.

Nick: He eyes sole in the corner of the agency, where they’re talking to Ellie about some case they’re working. They’ve been talking about leaving these past few days, about heading up to Sanctuary for the holidays. It doesn’t sit right with him. He knows sole, and he knows that only bad things await them at their old home this year.

“Well, I’m headed out.” They breeze by his desk to grab their hat. “Have a nice holiday, you two.

He looks them dead in the eyes and asks, “Why?”

They freeze right where they are. “Why what?”

“Why are you leaving? Got somethin’ real exciting up north?”

Their expression tells him they don’t have a good answer, and he sighs.

“Look, kid, I get it. You think you wanna be alone to mourn and cope with your loss. But I’m tellin’ ya, you’re not coping. You’re just making yourself miserable.”

Under their breath, they mutter, “Damn detectives. Always analyzing you,” before turning to him directly. “Well, you and Ellie already have your thing going on. I’d hate to intrude...”

“You’re not intruding,” Ellie pipes up. “In fact, I already bought you a present. In a way, it would almost be ruder to leave.”

“I bought one, too,” he says. “How about that?”

They hesitate. “Are you sure?”

“Bed upstairs is all yours. Stay a while. It’s not like ya can’t change your mind and leave later.”

They turn to Ellie, but she’s just nodding along. “I freshened up the sheets just the other day, actually.”

“Well... alright.”

He lets himself smile.

Piper: “Damn, Blue. This place looks worse than the Glowing Sea.”

Her eyes scan Sanctuary Hills. Even Preston has headed off to the Castle for the month, so the place looks well and truly abandoned. The breeze kicks up as if on cue, scattering a few leaves across the road.

“Isn’t it great?” They kick a pebble across the street, bitter expression on their face. “No family for the holidays, and nobody else, either.”

“You can’t stay here,” she says, staring at the bleak, run-down houses.

They shrug. “I don’t really have anywhere else to go. I could stay at one of the other settlements, but that just feels weird. My home is here.”

Piper shakes her head. “No way, Blue. I won’t allow it. You are not spending the holidays here and that is final, you hear me? Final.”

They glance over at her with a bemused expression. “Then where am I going?”

“Home, with me, to Diamond City. You’ll spend the holidays with Nat and I, not here in, well, this. I mean, at least Diamond City decorates.”

They laugh a little. “Piper there is no room for me in your house.”

“We will make room. This isn’t up for debate, Blue. And don’t start with the ‘Oh, I’ll be intruding’ stuff, either. Nat’s gonna be thrilled to see you, and I’ll be thrilled you aren’t moping around this place that could probably make Takahashi depressed.”

“What, the noodle bot?”

“The very same. Now, go make yourself a sleeping bag, get whatever else you need, and let’s go.”

They salute her mockingly, “Yes, ma’am. Right away, ma’am.”

Better to be mocked than leave sole here.

Preston: He knows without sole saying a word. He knows that pain, the haunted look that trails them, the way they linger just a moment too long in the doorway of their home before sighing. He can’t help but feel for them, too, because he still feels like he’s in those shoes, lonely around the one time of year no one should be lonely.

Maybe that’s why he does what he does. He tells himself he’s crazy, even as he treks across the Commonwealth, searching out their companions, inviting them to Sanctuary so sole can be surrounded by this new, found family they’ve made. He can’t let sole suffer alone, not this time, not ever. He knows what that loneliness does to a person, and he refuses to ask sole to face it on top of everything else.

He reminds X6 that, if he doesn’t play nice, he probably won’t live to regret it.

He meets Gage at neutral territory and, even though it disgusts him beyond belief, they make a temporary armistice for the next few months.

He tells Danse that if he makes so much as one comment about ghouls, synths, or anyone else, he won’t be able to get all the sand out of his power armor for months.

It’s not the most glamorous job in the Commonwealth, but he is bound and determined to make this thing work, no matter the cost or consequence.

X6: “I don’t think I understand. Your family is here.”

They sigh. “But they’re not, X6. Sure, I found Shaun, but he’s hardly the child I thought I was looking for, and my spouse is still dead. My own son doesn’t even know me, much less would want to spend the holidays with me. I may have found Shaun, but...” They sigh. “Did I find my son?”

He takes a moment to contemplate their words. “You’re quite distressed about this.”

“I guess?” They shake their head. “I’m just lonely, X6. That’s all. I miss my family and having someone to spend the holidays with. It just doesn’t feel the same.”

He looks at them, takes in their tired, beaten expression and their slumped posture. Quietly, he evaluates a series of options and outcomes before leaning in and whispering, “Do you want to know a secret?”

“What?”

“A secret. Do you want to know a secret?”

They slide toward him, dropping their voice to a whisper, too. “Yes.”

“Us coursers aren’t supposed to have holidays. We are not supposed to have a sense of family. You know this.”

“Of course.”

“Perhaps you would like to join us, who also have no family, for a small celebration, then. It isn’t much, but there are snack cakes.”

They look at him, almost impressed. “X6, you know that’s not allowed. Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I trust you, and I think you need us as much as we need each other. I only ask that you don’t report it, if for no other reason than our bond as friends.”

“I- X6, I’m not going to tell anyone. I’d love to go.”

He nods. “It’s settled then. December twenty-second, one in the morning, the abandoned areas behind biosciences. Bring snack cakes, and bring lots if you want to make friends.”

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noneatnonedotcom · 4 years

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ruby’s a weapons expert (accidental villain jaune au)

jaune was pacing the floor as ruby looked over some of the weapons he’d been able to steal from saphire’s catches around patch. it was starting to get out of hand, he was pretty sure he’d seen her sneaking around the militia bases. it’s not like she was locked out or anything either. she just seemed to enjoy fucking with the militias

and the council was blaming him for it! his militias should just be made of sterner stuff. they get to go home at least HE LIVES WITH HER!” “Hmm, I've never seen a grenade like this one before. There are two basic types of grenades: fragmentation grenades, which use shrapnel to kill or maim the target, and explosive grenades, which use the blast from the explosion as the offensive means. But the grenade I've got there isn't either of those. My best guess is that it's meant to knock the enemy out without hurting them. Most likely it's an entirely new kind of weapon developed exclusively by saphire, though where she got the knowledge to do that i have no idea I've heard that the Ace OPS is working on a low-impact grenade for training purposes...but I never thought they'd be used in an actual battle... The flash of light that occurs when the grenade explodes is probably produced by magnesium. It's the same stuff that's used in camera flashes. I'm thinking they cut down on killing power by reducing the amount of explosives and made up for it by making the flash and bang so strong that it overwhelms the enemy's senses. I guess you could call it a 'stun grenade.'

jaune smirked gripping ruby by the hips and pulling her close to him “alot like you then huh?” he leans down and kisses her “stunning”

ruby how ever was in no mood, she was in the zone. “Snap out of it. Anyone around when that thing goes off'll be laid out. It ought to come in handy when you're trying to storm a room, or when you don't want to kill the enemy. but i‘ve no idea how she could have come up with this!” “what about the gun then?”

“well she’s got two, but that custom sidearm of hers is something special!” “i mean you’re the weapon’s expert here, to me all it is is shiny” she looked at him like he’d kicked zwei “ listen you heathen that handgun is a work of art! First of all, the feeding ramp has been polished to a mirror sheen. It's not going to have any feeding problems. The slide's been replaced with a reinforced version. And it meshes perfectly with the frame. The frame itself has been iron-welded and scraped down multiple times for maximum precision. The front strap part of the frame has been checkered to make it dig into the hand. That prevents any slipping. The sight system's original, too. It's a 3-dot type. It's got an enlarged front sight, giving it superior target sighting capability. The regular hammer's been replaced with a ring hammer. That enhances the cocking speed and increases the hammer-down speed. They also reworked the grip safety to accommodate the ring hammer. Looks like they eliminated it altogether. it’s a tool for pros! The thumbs safety and the slide stop are extended to allow for more precise handling. The base of the trigger guard is whittled down, so you can use a high grip. And the trigger itself is a long type for easy finger access. The trigger pull is about 3.5 pounds. That's about a pound and a half lighter than normal. The magazine well has been widened to make it easier to put in a new magazine. The magazine catch button has been cut down low to make it harder to hit by mistake. The mainspring housing has been changed to a flat type to increase grip. And it's even been fitted with stepping so that it doesn't slip from the recoil when firing. On top of that, they added cocking serrations to the front part of the slide. That lets you load and eject cartridges faster in an emergency. Whoever did this is a professional! No question - this thing could shoot a one-hole at 25 yards in a machine rest!” ruby huffed and puffed heavily after her rant before blushing red when she noticed how jaune was looking at her “i love you so much you know that?” he said as ruby pouted “you didn’t understand any of that did you” she said poking his chest indignantly

“not a word” ruby sighed shaking her head and mumbling something about it being a good thing he was cute jaune laughed “what about the armor she was wearing?” ruby frowned “don’t know much about that, i know that it’s sound absorbing though, looks like it somehow helps her conserve energy too. i’d bet shes got it infused with dust to help her project her aura shield as well” she shrugged “you’ll need to ask someone who knows about fabrics and stuff, i just do guns” “and her bigger gun? looks kinda like an old Atlas 16″

“It's an XA16E1, a top-of-the-line rifle that chivalric arms recently put forward. a prototype adopted recently on a trial basis. The atlas military was working on a new concept for a light infantry weapon What they came up with was the atlas-16, the so-called 'black rifle.' The one you've got there, the XA16E1, is a modified Atlas-16 that's been fitted with a bolt forward assist. I heard they're doing performance evaluations down in Southeast Minstral."

“so she stole a prototype weapon? from atlas of all places?”

“That's my guess. But the thing looks a lot different from a regular XA16E1. There must have been a gunsmith present at the field tests who made all these modification on the spot. The fact that it's painted in camouflage colors shows that more and more people aren’t letting their babies stand out like they should." she looked up from her work bench to stare at jaune “i was considering painting crescent rose in candy apple red earlier by the way. haven’t decided yet” “right well... how do we get it away from her?” “...” “ruby?” “have you heard of the paladin project?” she said looking him dead in the eyes “how bad is this gonna be ruby? be honest.”

ruby looked away for a second before walking over to the door “YANG GET THE HAREM GIRL OUTFITS!” jaune sighed tired beyond all belief “well fuck” ruby looked back “that’s the plan yeah”

#accidental villain jaune #rwby au #lancaster rwby #lancaster #rwby #Dragonslayer #sunlitknight #Jaune Arc #ruby rose

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frozen-odin · 4 years

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Hello nerds of the internet. A new trailer for the next Dimension 20 series just dropped so that means it’s that time again! Time to get all of their classes wrong!

First up we have Cheese. Is almost definately a wizard based on the spell book and Crystal ball he seems to be using as a Yo-yo. If he’s a divination wizard that’d would make him the 4th major one to appear and the 2nd from Leviathan but if he really was into Divination, he probably would’ve remembered to wear pants! Evocation is my bet for this scallywag.

Literal Angel. Probably bard college of glamour based on appearance and insistence on diplomacy. Probably sings at Gardy’s pub and talk about what is like to be such perfect Aasimars. Too beautiful for this world

Bob is the girl you take home to meet your folks, Myrtle the Merrow is the one who drags you to her undersea bed and you know you want it. At least until her warlock patron shows up cause she is definately a warlock based on those Davey Jones/ Ursula lines Brennan was giving her. I wonder if her patron can also make her a pair of legs or else getting around leviathan will be hard. Still easier than without a voice but I digress.

Now we’re getting to the players I know better and conversely the characters I understand less. I’m not even sure what type of animal this guy is, Shifter? That Golden trident seems interesting, especially since it seems to be mostly for display while he uses that mean looking blade that’s just small enough to be a short sword. He definately seems like the closest to a real pirate out of the bunch so perhaps Rogue, though more assassin than swashbuckler. Possibly even Oath of Conquest Paladin. I know from LA by night that B Dave enjoys having people bow down to his characters.

Now I can finally get my Aarakroka player to watch this show. I have no idea what the hell her class is though. Seems lightly armored but that means nothing in this show, Ricky Matsui’s armor was that he’s hot. The hook on the right side feels less like a weapon and more like a holy symbol though. Is she a cleric who worships a fallen pirate? DOES SHE WORSHIP BILL SEACASTER?!?!

Ok now I know they’re home brewing cause if there was a Rat race I’d know about it. I love whenever Matt gets a chance to play and he’s just the sweetest boy. The broken mast makes me think he works for that one Warforged lady as a Boatswain and also reminds me of Brian David Gilbert’s character who also has a plank of wood as a fighter weapon. Dignified fighter Battlemaster seems to suit this old rat well. Possibly samurai to play up his devotion to the city. It seems like Matt is finally gonna get to do his ship to ship combat system after all.

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r00en · 4 years

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Still Good Chapter 10

A Million Kisses

All Might x Reader (OC)

I just wanted some cute fluff with Toshi being an absolute angel boy! A basic domestic conversation about food and Toshi just adoring his tiny new girlfriend.

Warnings: Some heavy kissing and super fluffy. Toshi cries. It’s all good!

(I’m running out of All Might gifs people!)

The day's after the attack on U.S.J were some of the greatest Toshi could recall. At least since his injury. All of the students were given the following days off for 'safety' which mostly meant the heads of the school were looking into the breech, upping their security and making a game plan should another attack happen. They needed to be prepared. Both the media and parents of at least the first year students were all on edge and rather critical of each move U.A made. Having the great All Might on staff did sway some hearts and he was labeled as the hero of the hour Toshi felt anything but and was thankful the Principal was doing more to put the citizens at ease.

There was only so much Toshi could do in his current state. He had maybe an hour now if he was lucky which would need to be used for teaching and possibly appearances on the street during days off to keep everyone's suspicions at bay. All Might was a major public figure. Constantly out and about meeting people, doing interviews, showing up on TV and in movies. A literal Symbol needed to be everywhere at once and be seen by as many people as possible. And of course his hero work. There were mutterings that something was wrong with All Might given how rarely the people of the town around U.A ever saw him. The school tried their best to filter the rumors and spread a few of their own. He was often around different cities helping with major disasters, school and teaching took up most of his time and he was such a valuable asset to the next young hero's. He trusted the police and local hero's to do their jobs and left them to it. Simple things like that. It worked well enough and the attack only solidified his need to stay on campus. That was one of two good things that had come from that horrible day. The second was standing next to him in his kitchen, humming away as she chopped some carrots.

They had been busy making dinner, each slipping comfortably in this new relationship. Honestly very little had changed between the two of them save for Toshi's obsessive need to pepper her cheeks with kisses every time she was within reach. So much so that he was expecting to be beaten off each time his lanky arms wrapped around her middle and pinned her in place to assault her with his mouth. But each and every time she would erupt into a fit of giggles, planting a few of her own on his boney jaw and only teasingly shooing him away so she could finish what ever task he interrupted.

"I like it." She told him plainly after he apologized for his millionth kiss that morning while she was attempting to make coffee. "Being wanted so much is...nice. My brain dosn't have time to worry about things when every few minuets you remind it how happy it is now." That earned her a mild tackle of a hug and another thousand smooches.

And it wasn't just him. She often came up behind him to snuggle into his long back and hold him tight. He adored when she would climb herself into his lap while they watched TV as if it were the most natural thing in the world to be as close as possible. She often couldn't reach his face and so she would tug on his shirt slightly to demand he bend down to her level so she could kiss him how she liked. Often starting on her toes and working her way to his lips. Toshi had to admit they already acted as if they were a couple long before he had confessed. The rest of the teachers apparently had a betting pool on when one of them would finally break. He was glad it was him. Toshi adored the old school romance of it all. The heated confession after a dangerous battle! It felt like one of his American action movies. Though he could have easily done without the fight....

And the fact that even with his twisted, broken, scared and scary body she touched him as if he was in his prime. Not an ounce of fear or disgust on her features. At time's he honestly forgot how he looked. Really believing her when she muttered how handsome he was while they were lounging on the bed together one morning. She seemed to love tracing small patterns against his arms and following the thin but textured muscles in his shoulders and neck. Remaking how strong he was and giggling and cheering when he would scoop her into a hug and swing her around like she weight nothing at all.

So here they were, in his apartment getting ready for dinner. His arms locked around her little frame with his head resting atop her's like a strange parrot. Listening to her quiet little hum as she worked. Perfect, this was perfect. "Toshi..." His arms wound a little tighter on her sides. Nuzzling his face against her hair with a little sigh of his own. "Yeah?" He couldn't think of anything better than these moments. It almost made him forget his loss as a symbol, his injury, his troubles. "Toshi the meat...." Her voice sounded a little worried. Always so concerned about his well being. "It should be fine. We didn't add too many seasonings this time so it won't bother me as much as last night." The thought of their little blunder with spices last night made him nonexistent stomach churn a bit. Spending hours laying on the bed eating chipped ice and taking advantage of her quirk had not been pleasant.

"No I mean it's burning!" She laughed, wiggling herself out of his arms to turn off the small hot plate. A dark patchy smoke rising from what was meant to be their grilled pork.

He stood there dumbfounded for a second. Watching her try and salvage the chard meat. "My apologizes....I was so wrapped up in what I was doing-" That sounded a bit stupid, what he was doing was clinging onto her like an infant. The shame heated his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "H-here I'll finish the vegetables. I doubt I can screw that up." Now that he said that the knife looked very sharp and the small little shapes she had been cutting seconds ago looked far more professional than anything he would manage to do with his clumsy long fingers. With a heavy sigh he took up her post, glancing over to watch her cut the thick chard sections of meat. "I don't think I ever noticed before but you are a very good cook. Your recipes are simple yet delicious and you know your way around a knife." He motioned to the well cut veggies on the board and his mess of what looked like a hacked up bit of onion.

It took her a second to respond. So focused on the task at hand. Or maybe it was hard to answer. "It's kinda embarrassing...but I'm a really picky eater..." She muttered, plating their meat carefully now that it had been saved from his blunder. "I had to learn new tricks pretty quickly when I moved to Japan. But my family was very ah...." She struggled with the Japanese for a second. Toshi could see the gears turning in her head and had to stop himself from smushing her cheeks. 'So cute...'

"Meat and Potatoes! That's it!"

"Meat....and potatoes? Dear... we have that here in Japan though." He raised a brow at her and grinned. "We are having meat and potatoes tonight." He playfully motioned to the boiling pot of potatoes right next to her.

That earned him a little playful swat on the arm and a small nudge so he could scoot his skinny butt over and let her finish. He gladly moved, still afraid to ruin their meal any farther but still bent on figuring out what she meant. "Come to think of it that is all you seem to order when we eat out. Simple dishes, a lot of carbs. I assumed it was because you were trying to accommodate me." People who knew about his injury and stomach issues had a hard time eating freely around Toshi. It was a guilt thing. Like people not drinking around an alcoholic. He could have a wide variety of foods. It's not like he was limited to rice crackers and water. Well not any more. It was mostly heavy spices and seasonings that bothered him. Without a stomach to help break it all down spicy foods would often burn his insides. Never a nice feeling. Toshi let his hand rest on her head, giving it a little rub before he moved off to get them some drinks. "So this meat and potatoes thing?"

"Oh! Well it means you eat very plain foods normally. It can mean a wide range of things ironically but my family tended to eat hardy meals with lots of meat and carb based foods like mashed potatoes."

"No vegetables?" That was something Toshi often enjoyed. Steamed veggies were nice and easy on his stomach but could add different flavors to things without being too harsh.

"Well yes but we stuck to simple things. If we were having steak it would normally be with a carb and one simple vegetable side dish like green beans or corn. Here there is always a rainbow mix of veggies in almost everything so my pallet it's really accustom to it yet." Paladin moved to place their dishes down on the table. Taking her spot as he carefully bent his knees in across from her. "I worry I'll never develop a full taste for Japanese food. I do like most of it though but I find it's far easier to cook at home and add the things I like rather than getting pre-made food's and having to remove what I don't." As always she was already starting on her small strips of pork. Toshi remembered the meal she made one night for him. It was steak but rather than being cut and cooked in strips which was custom in Japan she had cooked both slabs whole. He was tentative at first but her way of searing it gave the top a wonderful crunchy texture but the middle was so juicy it tasted like it had just come from a hot pot yet still melted in his mouth. And there was so much butter!

"I see. So your pallet just happens to work with my dirt restrictions." A happy coincidence that convinced Toshi they were indeed destined for each other. The thought warmed his heart it also chilled it. Fate...a future. All Might wasn't sure he even had one of those. The echo of his friends dooming prediction played through his mind. What did he have? A year at best? A single year to spend with her like this. He should tell her. But the thought of living every day on edge, her worried about their small short time....sad. Always sad and already mourning a man who wasn't dead yet.

No.

At least for now he wanted to be happy. Even if it was constructed on a lie by omission he wanted her to smile at him with no dark cloud hanging over them. He could pretend he didn't know. He had been pretending for years now and it wasn't turning out so bad. But now suddenly, watching Paladin eating across from him, happily giggling along with something on the T.V he had long since stopped watching he wasn't so sure he was okay with dying. If living meant being here with her longer. But Nighteye was never wrong. All Might would die a horrible, violent death at the hands of a villain. He would leave her alone. At the very least she knew he would pass before her naturally. He was almost twenty years older than her, that was a given but she didn't know just how true and how close.

It felt like some kind of disgusting lie that he would have to keep up with. His side burned as if punishing him already for letting any of this start. What could he possibly do? He would break her heart one way or the other. Ignore their feelings, pretend he wasn't in love with her and break her heart by forcing a friendship neither of them truly wanted? Disappear from her life without a word? Or die in a fight in a year. He could at least pretend that one was a more natural way for him to go. More so now with the targeted villain attack. She would be devastated but at least she would have closure. Plus she as a pro hero! She knew the risks they all took with their line of work. This lie would be better.

A hand reached out to brush carefully against his arm. Shaking him from his thoughts with a jolt. "Y-yes?!" She was looking at him with a worried expression. How long had he been silent?

"The food's not that bad is it? You've been glaring at it for like ten minuets...." Shoot. Toshi flipped his palm and gripped her's tightly trying to grin at her as if nothing in the world was wrong.

"It's nothing....really." She gave him another worried clench of her hand and he returned it trying his best to put her at ease. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I find myself still thinking about the attack on U.S.J...I know! I know you said it's not my fault. Everyone has said that." He was quick to correct when she got that little pouty look on her face that told him she was about to argue. "I'm far past the point of blaming myself now." Out loud "But the attack has me worried. I'm not as strong as I used to be. That's a fact and one we can't dance around any longer. I know the school is setting more security measures in place but still..." He glared down at his thin hand wrapped around her's. His face scrunched in what seemed like anger. "I wish there was more I could do. Feeling so helpless, it's not something I'm used to feeling. I'm still not used to it."

Paladin didn't seem to have an answer. This wasn't a quick fix sort of issue and one Toshi had been struggling with since his injury. It was worse now that his power was so limited. Relying on others to keep him safe, being unable to protect those he wanted to protect. Her hand slipped from his and Toshi hated the loss of contact. As she stood to gather their plates; his hardly touched, his appetite was gone for now she pressed a careful kiss his to his head in passing. "I don't think it's something you ever get used to Toshi. Not really. You lived most of your life so powerful that this reality may not even seem real. And the weaker you get the more it sinks in and the darker it feels. The more attacks you can't fend off the more it will eat at you." Well she wasn't anything if she wasn't brutally honest. "But you were always going to need to face this. One day All Might was going to die. Slip away in his bed surrounded by loved one's. Too old and weak to be the Hero he once was. It happens to everyone. This is just....an unexpected speed up. You're training Young Midoriya for this very reason."

He was nodding along, her words were wise if not a bit rough. He was going to die one day, he would have been on the exact same path he was on today....just give or take twenty years. That seemed like such a long time but given how long he was the Symbol of Peace it wasn't too far in the future. The danger that now lurked over Japan due to his near absence was the only major change in the true inevitability. "Yes but if I had more- Wait! You know I'm training Young Midoriya as my successor?!" He was so startled his sudden upright jerk crashed his poor knees into the underside of the table. Forcing him back down with a heavy groan as he rubbed his legs. "Y-you know?!"

Peaking out from the kitchen Paladin gave a little shrug. "Well I know for sure now. Sorry if it was meant to be a secret...I mean it still is. Of course I'm not going to tell anyone but it's a bit obvious." Toshi grumbled and pulled himself away from the offending furniture and joined her. Hovering by the doorway.

"Really?"

She was elbow deep in some dishes. The pot already on for their nightly coffee and tea. If he wasn't so worried this would be a perfect moment for more kitchen cuddles but he was more interested about her realization. "Well I spend a lot of time with both class 1-A and you personally so it might just be me. But you constantly sneak off with him to get in some one on one training. You worry about him and his progress more than the other students...and if his records are correct his quirk shows amazing potential if he can figure out how to not break his own body using it. I got to thinking and it all just kinda fits you know?" That made sense. She was a smart girl and had more detailed records of Young Midoriya's medical history and quirk than most. Plus if Toshi wasn't with her or teaching he was training the boy. It would have been very easy to pick up on for someone like her. He should have been at least a bit more careful. "Honestly if I didn't know you were off with him I would get a little worried..." Toshi jerked back, waving his hands with a look of utter disgust plastered on his face.

"I would never!" When he looked up at her she was laughing, her tongue sticking out at him letting him sigh with relief. Of course she was kidding.

His cheeks still burned.

"Of course you wouldn't. That's the one thing I never have to worry about with you." The very though made him feel dirty. And not in the slightly less shameful way like the dark hours of the night before they started dating and he was alone with his thoughts. His shoulders slumped forward slightly, curling inward a bit his arms crossed over his chest trying to hide the embarrassment of the memory. The though of those perverted day dreams he was so privy to in the past possibly coming true made a heat bloom in his groin though he tried his best to hide it. For now. How did one even breech such a topic. It's not as if they were fumbling teenagers both young and experienced. All hands and teeth and no nerves. Well 'she' wasn't those things anyway. He was all but a young teen wishing he had at least given into a few of those old propositions from his past. Maybe even a bit of experience under his belt he would know how to act. Then again the idea of sharing that first time with her had it's own thrills. They scared the hell out of him. Like the drop on a roller coaster. Thrilling and dangerous but fun and exciting. "I think he's a good choice though."

Once again her voice cut through his inner ramblings. This was a better conversation to get his mind off of the dark pink places it was wandering off in. "You do?" Toshi moved into the kitchen at last. Setting out their cups and grabbing his tea and her instant coffee making a small face as the harsh smell hit his nose. He couldn't stand he stuff too strong.

"He's always so cheerful, really cares about his friends and those around him. His entrance exam was proof of that. The only student in how many years who put someones life above his own chances at his dream future. He had no way of knowing that of course we would never let anything happen to that young girl yet he jumped in to save her. Sacrificing those last few seconds he had to take hold of his spot. He moved before he could even think, like being a hero was just a natural instinct for him." He felt her snuggle up against his left side carefully. Warm breath seeped through his cotton shirt to pool against his scar and Toshi was quick to secure an arm around her as best he could while he tried to carefully mix her coffee the way she liked it. "He's so much like you."

A shiver ran up his spin. The drinks forgotten as the both sat there in a happy moment of comfort and silence. A woman so wonderful chose to be with him like this and it baffled him beyond all else. But he wouldn't complain. Her spunky little attitude, her willingness to scold him and be bold enough to call out his nonsense, to see him for who he was and not for the icon he built himself up to be...yet to still understand the need for it. Respect and admire it. To see it in Young Midoriya. She reminded him so much of his late Master. Toshi wondered what she might think of all this. She always stressed the importance of keeping true to himself, never forgetting who he was. The same normal high wisdom he expected all teachers stressed to their young students but perhaps she was trying to tell him to do this. Be with someone who made him feel whole or at least a little less broken that before. Nana would adore her.

He should tell her. Let her know the truth about his power and the boy. If only to prove how right she was. If anything it may have been a small boost in validation that Toshi had made the correct choice in successor. "That is a good point. You're a bit more right than you think you are."

It seemed she had gotten the snuggles out of her system and was now perked at full attention. The deeper tone in his voice told her this was important. Wide eyes stared up and him waiting for him to continue. "What I'm about to tell you is of the utmost importance and to be kept secret. You can tell no one....Recovery Girl and the Principal already know. As well as two old....acquaintances from my past." That was most likely the best way to put it without any more prying questions about them. He could already see the look of aggressive curiosity growing on her face and he wanted to make his point quickly and possibly never speak of those two 'acquaintances' ever again. "My quirk...you remember how we spoke about it being a mystery?"

Her head gave a little nod as she thought back. "Right, speed or strength or something different altogether. No one really knows to this day exactly what it is. It's one of the worlds greatest mysteries." Toshi chuckled and ruffled her hair a but. Leading her back into the main room with their drinks. At least she didn't ramble like Young Midoriya...

"Right. Well it has a name. One for All. I won't get into the messy details. It might take weeks to really explain everything." Her expression told him she wanted those details. Wiggling on the spot so ready to explode with questions that Toshi needed to hold up a hand and stop her before she got start. "I'll tell you over time I promise. No use in over loading you with information when there are more important bits." It seemed to work well enough for now. Leaving her a little pouty but excited for this 'info' he kept hinting at. "It was given to me when I was about Young Midoriya's age." His hand came up again. Snapping her jaw shut and keeping her silent from the flood of questions about to burst forth from her little body. "H-hang on. Yes I was quirkless. It wasn't strange back then. In fact it was in the midst of society coming to terms with superpowers in general. I was considered normal really. Not that I wanted to be. My master saw something in me back then.....and she passed her quirk, One for All to me. To become the Symbol of Peace I thought the world needed. To protect those who couldn't protect themselves. I wanted to be the hero that everyone looked to. That made people feel safe no matter where they were. I think that's why she gave it to me. She knew my ideals and goals were for the good of society and One for All would be used for justice." He could tell she was a bit lost. Her face flitting between confusion to deep concentration. Trying to piece together everything he just said.

He let her think for a few minuets. Sipping he tea quietly. "I'll tell you as much as I can over time. Though that's really the meat of it. Even I don't know the full extent of One for All. What it truly is and how it works. I don't think I mastered all there is to it even after so much time. But I was able to use enough to become All Might and fulfill my promise. I can't ask for much more...."

"After your injury....you needed to find someone else then. Someone to take up the place of All Might. Become the next Symbol of Peace." Toshi gave nod, leaning himself on his elbows against the table as he waited for her to process some more. It was a lot and he wasn't lying when he said even he didn't fully understand it all. The previous holders, how to unlock it's full power. After all this time he was still only able to stay All Might for so many years. He wasn't indestructible. Perhaps if he knew more he wouldn't have ended up like this.

She startled him by moving suddenly. Slowly crawling her way into his lap and snuggling herself down so her back was pressed against his chest. Toshi was glad for the sudden closeness keeping her hugged tight against him in a cage of legs and arms. Nuzzling his gaunt face into the crook of her neck and letting out a small sigh. "I saw all those things you can see in Young Midoriya. I saw myself in him. I knew he was the right choice as my successor. I came to U.A to find one but before I could we crossed paths. It was like fate." That word made him cringe. He didn't want to think about such a concept now. Not for the second time tonight. He took some solace in knowing that he was being honest with her about this. At least it was something. An honesty to cover up the darker lie he was prepared to keep up for another year. "I don't regret that decision. He tried to save his friend from a villain even when he was quirkless....saved me at U.S.J. Jumping into the fight even at the expensive his his legs. Buying me those last few seconds of time to keep my hero form. Without him my secret would be out. I don't even what to think of what those villains would do with that information." She felt the little shutter run through his body and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. The angle was hard on his back but it was a minor sacrifice for this intimacy he craved so much from her.

He could feel her fingers petting softly at the hair on the back of his neck. A soothing gesture that lulled him into a quiet peace. "I think he'll make a wonderful Symbol of Peace one day. Plus he couldn't have a better teacher." Toshi flushed and hugged her tighter in his embarrassment. Chuckling softly when she made a little sound of surprise at the tightness. "I worry about the people now." He muttered softly against her shoulder. "While I train Young Midoriya they have no protector, nothing to keep them safe and secure..."

"It will take time...and it will be hard." She responded softly, careful to pick her words "But the hope you gave people won't wash away. Even in your absence what you taught us will stick around for longer than you think. It will help the hero's who take up the reins for now until Midoriya is able to. What you gave us isn't something that will so easily be forgotten. We still have that fire you sparked in all of us to be better people, to Go Beyond what we think we can do on our own. No one can take that no matter how many years it takes for Midoriya to learn to be the next Symbol."

Silence.

Toshi couldn't tell at first. It was only when the fabric of her shirt against her shoulder was starting to soak that he noticed the tears streaming down his face. Thick and heavy and so sudden they didn't come with the usual pressure behind his eyes and hitching choking breaths. They just appeared. "I'm sorry....." She was so soft, seeing now that he was crying so quietly behind her that worry seeped back into her voice. It wasn't what he wanted to hear. He wanted her to keep talking. Keep telling him everything would be okay. Chase away those hateful demons that clawed at the back of his mind and made him doubt the society he spent his whole life protecting. Validate his feelings for what he cultivated and strived for for so long. Her words were so very much what he desperately needed to hear. "Did I say something-"

He didn't want to give her time to apologize. That was the last thing she ever needed to do. In those few short moments she just understood. Understood what he had been trying to do and his fear of losing it. And in those few seconds after eased those fears into the background and filled him with a warmth he hadn't remember ever feeling before. Not like this. To be truly and honestly understood like this felt so personal. He spun her around as carefully yet quickly as he could. Crashing his mouth down on her's as if he couldn't be physically close enough to her. Just contact. This deep, intimate contact as if without it she might not seem real. He could feel her fingers curling into the soft cotton of his shirt. Tugging at clenching at the sudden surprise of his actions. His tongue pressed desperately against her lips that she gladly opened for him. Delving forward to dance and lap against her's. Exploring the warm expanse of her mouth before finally pulling away with a heavy gasp for breath. His tongue still hanging ever so slightly past his thin lower lip as he panted for much needed air.

She moved to speak again. The small sound dying somewhere in the back of her throat as he dove forward so roughly he toppled them over the table and pressed her back against the hard surface. The crash of their mugs all but white noise to him now. He could hear their teeth click together, he could feel her fingers carding through his wild hair. Tugging sharply as he caught her lower lip between his teeth and gave her a teasing bite until it was rosie and pink. Licking at the tiny mark he created there to soothe the heat away before attacking her mouth again giving her no time to breath or think. A sound came from his chest. Something between a growl and a groan as he felt her wiggle under his heavy hold. His tongue pressed deeper. Toying with her's in a wet battle. She was so much smaller in every way that he almost filled her mouth completely.

It was like every emotion he had felt over the last five years had just bubbled forward. Pouring all that pent up fear, anger and self hate into this kiss. He couldn't help himself, couldn't stop. But he had to. He couldn't breath now and so he begrudgingly pulled himself back with a wet pop and slid his lips to her cheeks. It was salty and wet. His tears had rubbed off on her during their heated kissing. He was thankful she wasn't crying at least. He moved to kiss and nuzzle against her neck. Watching the harsh rise and fall of her chest as she tried to catch her own breath. He hid down there for now. His mind racing. Pushing him to keep going, keep touching. But as his hands hovered over her sides feeling the soft curve of her hips he felt himself grow nervous. Hard....but shy. He really had put everything into that kiss. Including his nerve. His head peaked up from her chest. Blue icy eyes shining in the dark that surrounded them. Looking more like a puppy then the man who had just kissed about a weeks worth of air from her lungs and still had the wet and slick lips to prove it.

"I-I...." He gulped hard, Adams apple bobbing harshly as he repeated the words over in his head just in case. Scooting himself up to hover over her flushed out face. Looking so dazed and well worn yet grinning like a fool. He was rather proud of himself for putting that look there. Long fingers traced down her heated cheeks tilting her head so she would at last look at him properly no matter how distant her eyes seemed to be in that moment. "I love you."

He wasn't sure if he meant to say it really. If this was the right time. So soon after his confession, so soon in their relationship at all. But he felt it. It needed to be said. His gut gave a little twist when she finally seemed to process his words. Looking so shocked a real panic started to set in him when she gave a little gasp like the words had smacked her hard in the face. "Oh..."

Oh what not what he expected nor wanted to hear. Oh was not the sound someone made when another person just confessed their love. Oh was bad. Oh was very very bad and Toshi found himself hiding away again against her chest. Jaw clenched tight in shame, trying to prep himself for the awkward conversation they were about to have about boundaries. The feel of her fingers against his cheeks caught him off guard. Pulling up slightly so he was force to look at her this time. 'No. No please don't.....don't look at me. I'm so sorry....' his mind already beating him for this horrible, impulsive, ridiculous-

"....I am so very madly and absolutely emphatically in love with you too."

'Holy shit....'

#All Might/Reader #all might x reader #Toshinori x reader #Toshinori Yagi #All Might #MHA #my hero acadamy #fanfiction

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razorblade180 · 4 years

Text

Twin Snowflakes pt16:Royal Court

Flynt:Well look who it is!? Wasn’t expecting to be sent back to the past like this.

Veronica:Nice to see you too Mr. Smooth Criminal.

Flynt:I see your mom gave you her wittiness too.

Veronica:Hardly. If you hear me crack a pun then check to see if I have the flu or something.

Flynt:I meant Blake.

Veronica:Oh…not, not sure how I should take that.

Flynt:Don’t think about it too much. So you’re here to help set everything up? Well we sure don’t mind all the extra hands; more helpers mean more time for everyone to rest. Unless you’re a crazy person who doesn’t know how to rest.

Nick:Gee I didn’t realize Atlas became Shade. Always picking on me for the little things.

Flynt:All in good fun. Well Veronica, glad to have you. I won’t lie to you and say our school holds the most welcoming environment despite their reasons for being here, so don’t hesitate to come get me if anything serious happens.

Veronica:Thanks for the offer but I know how to handle myself and a few close minded simpletons.

Flynt:Somehow I have no doubt about that.

He grabbed a pin that said committee on his desk and put it on her shirt. Veronica bowed slightly before taking her leave. It was always interesting for Nick seeing the girl be so polite. The way she could flip between her manners with anyone so fast was always something she was good at. He once saw her go from shaking a man’s hand to punching them in the face in the blink of an eye.

Flynt:Is your sister here today?

Nick:I’ll hunt her down if she isn’t, why?

Flynt:Only asking. I know I tell you to let others handle their own workload but I advise you to keep an eye on Veronica just in case.

Nick:Trust me, Veronica might have a temper but she typically thinks things through; the school won’t get a bad-

Flynt:I don’t care about this place’s reputations, or my position for that matter. Your friend just looks like she’s nearing the end of her rope.

Nick:Really? What gives you that vibe?

Flynt:When you partner up with a cat faunus, you learn a thing or two. As far as tails go, it usually isn't good when they’re wrapped around the waist and all tense; almost like she’s hugging or bracing herself.

Nick:When does Neon do it.

Flynt:When she’s being defensive. Keep in mind I could be entirely wrong in Veronica’s case though. Just something to be aware of.

Nick:Hmm interesting. Thanks for the heads up.

Nicholas gave his principal a wave before heading out, his words taken to heart. ‘Maybe Yang was right to worry?’ He chewed on his bottom lip as he slowly caught up to the girl. ‘Right or wrong, getting her to eat couldn’t hurt.’

Nick:You know I think breakfast is still being served. I’m pretty hungry after looking for you and I bet running on rooftops made you peckish. Wanna grab a bite really quick? The school’s chicken bisc-

Veronica:Not interested, sorry. I would rather find where I’ll be working.

Nick: ‘Too direct’ Lunch isn’t for awhile. Working on an empty stomach-

Veronica stopped and opened her bag. Nick looked in it and saw several fruits and what was probably protein bars. He’d be impressed if prior knowledge didn’t make this seem like a yellow flag at best.

Veronica zipped back up her bag and continued walking, now a little faster. Her focus was derailed by Nick grabbing her wrist and making her jolt, spooking both of them. He didn’t comment on it and started guiding her down a different hallway.

Nick:You’re walking as if you know where to go. For future reference, wooden doors are regular classes and school stuff. Metal doors are combat related. You’ll work in the student council room; the creative arts hallway is to the right of it. They have plenty of time between classes for you to get whatever you need.

Veronica:Alright, easy enough to remember.

Nick:Fill free to explore the school if you want but don’t interrupt any classes and a lunch monitor will probably get on you if you go in there during different blocks.Summer has lunch at noon.

Veronica:And why would that matter to me?

Nick:So you don’t bump into her on accident, or if you need her for whatever reason. Do not, and I repeat, do not give her a hard time. She already hates school enough.

Veronica:Relax, I’ll play nice. Don’t expect me to sit with her at lunch or anything. That lunch room is probably loud as hell.

Nick:Summer eats on the roof, or the nurses office. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen her at a lunch table. Then again, I don’t spend a lot of time there either.

For some reason that was interesting to learn. Veronica was sure those two would have taken the time to eat with each other or be around peers; even if it was for show. Nick seemed like he’d use lunch for studying so she guessed it wasn’t that surprising. ‘Knowing Summer she would go there if you did.’ Veronica thought.

They finally reached the committee room. Nick grabbed the door knob but didn’t get the chance to twist it before it already swung open with Eliza on the other side.

Eliza:I swear if this boiler room doesn’t get its shit togeth-

Nick:....Uh, hey. Busy morning?

Eliza:You would know if you got here early like the president this school believes you to be!

Nick:One, I’m usually here thirty minutes prior so don’t come at me. Two, a hello would be nice. Finally, the boiler room messing up again?

Eliza:One, hello. Two, I’m here an hour early, three, yes it’s taking too long to warm certain things if at all. Finally, where’s the person who knows how to fix it?

Nick:Haven’t seen Valerie and you definitely know I haven’t seen Winchester, that’s your headache.

Eliza:Ugh, I guess I’ll cheat and warm it up myself.

Nick:Don’t blow us up…

Eliza:Shut up, unlike you I’m cautious. Might’ve come in handy against that Paladin.

Nick:Like you would’ve said yes if I asked.

Eliza:Who knows? If you got on your knees I might’ve said yes instantly. Guess we’ll never know; why aren’t you in home room ?

Nick:Last time I checked, you want to be kept in the loop from now on. We have another person helping starting today.

Eliza directed her attention to Veronica and looked her up and down before looking at Nick annoyed.

Nick:Problem?

Eliza:Yeah, I would’ve called a short meeting if I had known earlier. Being kept in the loop doesn’t mean telling me something last second.

Veronica:This was a last second decision. Lucky me because I hate meetings. I’m-

Eliza:I know who you are Veronica Belladonna; I’ve read about you quite a bit actually. Quite a shame your work doesn’t have much to show for it.

Veronica:I could say the same thing about your tournament rankings. Third place gets such a tiny font in the papers.

Eliza:Hmph, kitty has claws alright. Looking forward to seeing what you contribute. Nick looks confident in you so I’m sure it’ll be fruitful. There’s a list of things that need to be done inside the room already. Don’t hesitate to make my life easier.

Eliza shot Nick a cold look as she walked out slowly. Nick couldn’t help but notice the girls slightly sluggish movements.

Veronica:I don’t like her.

Nick:You don’t like most people so what’s new? Eliza is a hard ass but she’s a good person. Definitely reliable, so don’t piss her off. She’s already gunning for me at the tournament and I don’t need anger behind her hits.

Veronica:This list of people I have to be chummy with is getting too long for my taste.

Nick:Vee, I’ve only named three people. Three good people at that. Well...two and a half. Anyways I gotta get to class so you’re on your own for now.

Veronica:Have fun with that. Don’t be surprised if I’m running this entire place by the end of the day.

Nick:That would mean dethroning me, a tall order.

Veronica:Who says we can’t rule together? You know, as king and queen?

A blush spread across his face before he heard Veronica chuckle, only making him redder. Nick turned away in embarrassment and headed to class. It never took much to get him flustered. Veronica felt a little bad; it was something his classmates probably didn’t know.

‘Try all you want Nick,I won’t let you keep your cool.’ Veronica thought, still chuckling to herself. She would’ve continued to do so if the bell didn’t snap her out of it and hurt her ears. “That’s gonna take some getting used to.

Vee went ahead inside the student council room. It was surprisingly spacious and barren. Mostly tables lined around it and a giant blackboard filled with words. Papers were spread around the desks. ‘Wow, disorganized much?’ She took a deep whiff of all the different scents in the room, recognizing a few.

Her eyes scanned the desks. ‘Nick, Valerie, Eliza, even Summer, and several more.’ One paper caught her nose in particular. ‘It wouldn’t be unusual for all the members to have held the list. So...this one?’ She picked up a thin stack that was stapled together. Bingo, the nose always knows.

Venue, light arrangement, stage size, schedule events, all of it was laid out in detail; even down to the estimated budget. One page was a map of the layout which really helped? But something was off. All of this might’ve been planned out it seemed...conceptual. Scatterbrained even. Like all the thoughts were together but going in different directions at the same time.

‘The room isn’t the only thing disorganized it looks like. This list is like a buffet when it should be a potluck. Divide the work, make sure there’s no repeats or clashing themes. If the fights are the main course…’ Veronica took a seat and grabbed a pencil along with fresh paper. ‘Then let’s make sure to give the people plenty of complimenting sides and palate cleanser.’

xxxx

“That's all you can do! Talk about slow!” Valerie shouted with gusto, her hands juggling her tomahawks in the middle of the arena ring.

“Shut up!” Cried her sword wielding opponent. They charged forward with their sword at the ready.

Valerie made no attempt to stop her juggling. Her eyes pierced right into her foe’s as they prepared for a thrust. Valerie shook her head in disappointment. “Sloppy”

The words reached the student and a dark blue glow washed over them. Suddenly their muscles felt heavy, air felt stingy, and their balance was off. The steel sword tipped too far forward and made them stumble, their body stopping at the perfect distance to receive a powerful roundhouse kick to the face that sent them flying out of the ring.

A buzzer rang right after and Valerie finally let her weapons hit the ground as she walked to the edge to see Harriet helping the dazed student.

Valerie:Their jaw okay?

Harriet:If you have to ask then that means you knew you were being too rough. You get a B- Valerie. Please remember restraint. Your semblance and strength can really hurt someone.

Valerie:Sorry…

Harriet:Don’t be sorry, be careful.

That was a line Valerie was familiar with. She watched Harriet help the student to their feet and guided them to the changing room before turning to the rest of the class.

Harriet:Well then, I say that’s enough for practical fights. Unless we have any volunteers, Summer?

Summer: Y-Yes!? I mean no! No, I’m fine. Training is all...covered and stuff.

Harriet:Fine then. Okay everyone knows the drill. Five laps around the track and then you are free from my charming voice. *claps hands* hop to it!

A collective groan came from the class before they started walking to the door. Summer waited for others to be ahead of her like usual and waited for Valerie to catch up.

Valerie:Enjoy the show?

Summer:Eh, felt like a rerun of most of your matches.

Valerie:What can I say? Being this good means I’m always a safe bet princess.

Summer:You won’t be if you call me that again.

Valerie:Ooo feisty today.

Harriet:You’re one to talk. *folds arms* Valerie, thirteen laps for you.

Valerie:What!? But I hate cardio!

Harriet:Good, I’m sure whatever aggression you have will burnout; Summer you have seven. A warning for all your absences.

Summer:Fair, but literally the day after? We’re still sore.

Harriet:Physically or mentally? Just kidding, I know it’s both. Now go before I add more laps.

Summer and Valerie:Yes ma’am…*runs off*

Harriet:Teenagers…

Valerie:Man this sucks! So I hit a little harder than I meant to, so what?

Summer:You’re gonna run out of breath before you start your laps.

Valerie:Maybe then I won’t overlap you.

Summer:Please, you’d need time dilation to do that with your speed. I’ll call you if I need to move some furniture, you lumberjack.

Valerie:Ouch, feisty. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

Summer:No, but obviously you did. Seeing you in my bus seat this morning was pretty unexpected.

Valerie:Too sore to swallow. I figured-

Summer:That you wanted distance from Nick?

A pit in Valerie’s stomach dropped like a weight. She looked towards Summer to see neutral eyes examine her in great detail. She wondered what exactly it was that Summer was looking at. Color, sweat, hidden guilt, or fear?

Summer:Did you tell him about the bus? Actually, not fair, I don’t wanna know that. What I should be asking is...no, not that either. Sorry, I probably sound like I’m spouting craziness. What I’m getting at is I’m upset too, about my performance during the exam.

Valerie:You tr-

Summer:I swear if you say I tried my best then I’ll scream.

Valerie:....Sorry. You’re wrong though, about me being upset. Frankly I don’t know exactly what I’m feeling. Anxious, embarrassed maybe? I just know I don’t really want to deal with Nick right now. Nothing personal, honestly.

Summer:No offense but it’s entirely personal. I’m not gonna blame you for wanting alone time. Nick and his overwhelming nature is...overwhelming. Always butting in, worrying about everyone but himself and-

Valerie:Being absolutely sweet? It’s all out of kindness; which I don’t necessarily know if it makes it better. I think it does anyways.

Her eyes seemed to drift off thinking about it. He really was always there for anything. Good or bad, Valerie would see the idiot next to her. It was genuinely comforting, and scary. Scary for reasons that for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out.

She was thankful when Summer touched her arm and dispelled the mix of conflicting emotions. Val shook her head and cleared her throat.

Valerie:Enough about Nick! Let’s talk about something more progressive, like how to delete a video the entire school has seen.

Summer:No amount of money or power will erase it. Eliza really screwed us on this one.

Valerie:Wait, what!?

Summer:She’s the one who recorded the quality video. Not out of malice or anything but-

Valerie:I’m gonna fight her…

Summer:Ignoring me? That’s cool too.

Valerie:Oh I heard you, still pissed!

Summer:What happened to not being pissed?

Valerie:Okay, so I’m a little pissed. Ugh! Of all people. I hope she makes it far in the tournament. I don’t think I can take any more nosy people.

Summer:(Should I mention Veronica?)

Valerie:*cracking knuckles* I’m fired up now!

Summer:(Nope) Cool, start running then. Think of it as a head start.

Valerie:Fine, but if I finish my laps before you then I think that’s worth some sort of prize. Let’s say...a movie, just the two of us?

Summer:Hmmm, no deal. I sort of have this thing where I don’t go on dates with my brother’s crushes.

Valerie:We don’t have to call it a date. It would be two friends hanging out like buds.

Summer:.....

Valerie:Yeah, I didn’t believe myself either. Come on, what’s wrong with one simple date?

Summer:Nothing, if it were simple. One of these days you’ll figure it out.

Valerie:Figure what out?

Summer:Finish your laps first and I might tell you, if you beat me that is.

Valerie:You’re on!

Summer makes no effort to start running as Valerie takes off with renewed determination. No doubt it will carry her for at least three laps. Win or lose, Summer planned to keep her mouth shut. There were certain things that should be learned in time, instead of told outright. She had faith in Valerie.

Either way it would take time, almost like a cheesy romance novel. Slow burns never interested Summer. There was always a person who crossed a line. Good thing Nick and Valerie were way too smart to do anything that would endanger their friendship, right?

xxxx

Time seemed to be moving at a snail's pace today. At least it was for Veronica anyways. There was a small stack of paper near her now. Each one filled with edits that reorganized all the organized chaos from the council. ‘I hate to admit it, but this Eliza check really puts in work. They all do in some way; Valerie might look dense and lazy but I shouldn’t be surprised that she can handle work. Can’t say much for her creativity though. Still, Nick seems to stand above it all. Just like him to try without showing it. Tiny notes that build upon the others.’

Veronica grabbed the next sheet of paper and kept her pace. This was far easier than designing clothes. It was almost therapeutic in a way. The only thing that was distracting her from her growing agitation. Snacks, all gone. Hunger? So intense that it hurt everywhere. Bones, eyes, nerves, all of it. She wasn’t used to this pain, and she doubted she ever would be.

Calmly she felt her stomach grumble against her nails; which threatened to sharpen. It wouldn’t surprise her if her eyes looked more cat like right now. A wiser Veronica would’ve binged at a buffet before visiting Atlas. She could usually go longer without caving; maybe it was the boat ride? Veronica knew for a fact any instinctual push could potentially set her off. Too late for regrets. No way would she let people see her go feral. Not when they were already talking…

“Did you see that girl with Nick today? Haven’t seen her before.” Said someone in the hall. “You think that girl is rich or something? A girl said in a classroom. “Ha! How rich could a faunus get!?”

The chatter kept coming from every direction.

“That girl is pretty smoking.”

“Jungle fever much?”

“You know what they say about faunus girls.”

“Probably a charity project.”

“Never seen ears and a tail at once.”

“I think she’s ugly honestly”

“Pretty, for a faunus.”

“I think she’s a halfbreed.”

“Freak….”

Her pencil snapped. She basically shattered it to gain some sort of control, ignoring the splinters yet accepting the pain in full force as she kept her fist clenched tight. Veronica wished folding her ears down could be enough, that if she covered them tight she could finally get some quiet; that would be wishful thinking. Tactics like those never worked.

‘Different place, same people. So do what you were told Veronica.’ She told herself. A deep breath in, then out. Letting her eyes close and focus on the only thing that mattered. Herself. Her thoughts and opinions; long flowing hair, sun tanned skin, ears, tail, blood…

All little things that made her up she thought were just fine; not perfect, but not flawed either. They were simply her and that was glorious. As long as she believed that, as long as the people who mattered believed it, then who gives a fuck about what’s said outside?

“Hey princess, come to grace us with your presence?” Veronica heard, from what could possibly be the fakest happy voice in existence. accompanied by the frailest one she’s heard all her life.

xxxx

Summer:Ple-please le-leave-ah!

An arm brushes pass her head and slams into a locker directly behind her. Summer clenches her belongings close to her chest and stares up into the taller girl's brown eyes. Dark brown hair and brown skin really made her stand our. No doubt a cheerleader or head of a club. Combat school or not, beauty was the law of the land to an extent.

A small crowd started forming around them in curiosity because of the noise.

Jordan:What, Princess? Am I not worth your time? I just wanna catch up.

Summer:You’re...causing a scene.

Jordan:That a problem? Don’t you like all that attention and limelight; the personal benefits that somehow let you float above it all?

The girl put her fingers through Summer’s hair. Her eyes drilling into the girl with obvious hostile intent.

Jordan:You know, I’m getting really sick and tired of being overshadowed by someone who never lifts a finger. I miss a day and there’s hell to pay. You miss weeks before and yet your grades stay the same. What, got that fine brother of yours bending over backwards?

Summer:What? No I-

Jordan:I was really hoping you’d get what was coming to you yesterday but of course not. I will say it is hilarious letting people see how frail and useless you are. Maybe if you spent more time eating a sandwich instead of trying to do something with that useless voice of yours…

That insult hit a special spot.

Jordan:Then maybe you wouldn’t be such a lightweight. At least you finally know how to dress yourself. A blow to the head must’ve knocked some sense into you. Doesn’t change the fact you still have all those hideous scars. I bet your fans would love to see-

It was sudden, almost instantaneous. The girl had gone from trash talking one minute, then to holding her wrist right after a loud smack from another hand had invaded Summer and Jordan’s delightful conversation. Summer hadn’t even realized Veronica was watching, let alone standing next to her currently.

Murmurs started to grow louder as the students stared at this unfamiliar faunus that stood confidently, hands on her hips and a look that could kill. Veronica paid no attention to them or Summer for that matter. Instead she had her attention on the bully. A thin red whelp on the girl’s wrist made Veronica silently say “shit” to herself. Her nails must’ve grazed the skin; a genuine mistake.

She was already questioning why she showed up here in the first place. A fight was the last thing she needed or attention. So why intervene? Why prevent Summer from turning on the water works? Easy answer, basic people pissed her off

Veronica:Ever heard of personal space? I thought all Atlesians knew basic etiquette but apparently not.

Jordan:Umm who the hell are you supposed to be?

Veronica:It’s not polite to ask others their name without introducing yourself either, but I guess anyone would want to know the name of a person that threatens them. Then again, a school like this would be diligent in political topics.

Summer:You think the majority of kids here pay attention to the news or the bad part of history?

Veronica:I guess this is what passes for elite around here. How disappointing.

Jordan:Listen, apparently you don’t know things work around here new girl but I’m-

Veronica:Completely irrelevant to me, an afterthought when this is all over. I don’t know how popular you might be or who you might know. Keeping shooting your mouth off and this headache of mine isn’t going to go away. Find something more productive to do than play bully.

Jordan:Ha, so that’s what this is about!? Didn’t realize that good for nothing princess had any friends besides that idiot sports jockey.

Veronica:Please, I wouldn’t be this child’s friend even if she paid me. Her crying hurts my ears almost as much as your prissy voice.

‘Oooos’ came from the crowd of people. It didn’t matter what school you went to, kids craved this kind of back talk. Summer wasn’t sure how things suddenly got so hostile, but that jab at her irritated her.

Summer:Yeah well why would I ever want a friend like you?

Veronica:Crippling loneliness.

Summer:Oh, so I would have to be desperate? That sounds about right.

Veronica:Go jump in front of another robot arm or something, the big kids are talking. Or I’m talking, this chick is pouting.

Jordan:I will not be talked to like this! Not by some...some…

Veronica:Say it, call me anything that has to do with being a faunus and see how far it gets you.

Jordan:A flea bag like you doesn’t scare me you bitch.

Summer:Hey! D-

Jordan:Excuse you, why are you even talking still, or even here!? Do us all a favor and fucking disappear like the nothing you are. I mean honestly, why the hell are you even alive?

The crowd went absolutely silent, all eyes went on Summer. Her heartbeat felt like it nearly stopped entirely. Feeling small was something she was used to. Jordan hadn’t said anything Summer didn’t think of before and yet right now, in this moment, Summer felt like she had been shot right in the heart.

Why? Why couldn’t she say anything back? What made all these eyes so terrifying? The eyes that no doubt saw her on stage before where they didn’t mean a thing. The eyes that most likely laughed when they saw that stupid video. Summer could feel herself choking up and bit her lip.

‘Something, do something damnit! Anything is better than nothing!’ Her chest felt like fire and Jordan smiled as she knew what would happen next, only making Summer angrier. ‘Do anything but cry! Just-’

Her screaming thoughts were suddenly halted by the sting of Veronica flicking her arm. Her face showed severe annoyance at Summer.

Veronica:So what, you can fight with me all day but do nothing here? Could it be...you think I’m somehow beneath her!? The hell is up with that?

Jordan:The fact that you don’t realize that proves just how delusional-

Summer:Please, you’re way more insufferable Veronica. Jordan might as well be an ant with how basic she is- *covers mouth*

More “oooos” came from people chattering. That might’ve been the first time her classmates heard her say anything so...so rude. Jordan grit her teeth and clenched her first, definitely uncharted territory for Summer.

It might’ve been a good idea to leave, hell, maybe even apologize just to prevent further trouble, but the look Veronica gave her made it clear that wasn’t a choice. Not only wasn’t it smug, it pissed Summer off a little. Like hell she’d back down now!

Summer:I mean just look at her, all looks with no substance.

Veronica:I bet this bitch thinks she’s so smart. At least compared to you.

Summer:Hell no! I can sleep through half a test and still be ahead of her with her with how bad her grades are.

Veronica:Oh so she’s trying to get by on her looks? How pathetic.

Summer:Looks she bought too, or I should say her parents bought.

Jordan:Says who!?

Summer:You think no one would notice last year when you came back from spring break with a new nose? Or were you thinking everyone would focus on the boob job? Puberty doesn’t do all that in two weeks so you either found the gods, a ton of surgeons, or a godlike surgeon.

Jordan:*red* Like you’re one to talk about looks. Upset no amount of money could remove those hideous-

Veronica:So you admit to the surgery?

Jordan:Shut up bimbo!

Veronica:That sounds like hater talk.

Summer:Yeah at least Veronica is a natural beauty. I might wear a smidge of concealer but that’s nothing compared to you. Boring...

Veronica:You hate to see it, basic. Do you even fight? I don’t think I’ve ever read the name Jordan on any scoreboards. If pretty is your only trick then get a new one.

Jordan:Like someone like you is any better! Fighting or otherwise I bet I could-

“Lose.” A voice came from around the corner. Everyone turned their head to see Valerie still in her P.E. uniform and a little sweaty.

Her eyes focused on Veronica and immediately she was happy that running made her too tired to fight. That didn’t curve her attitude however, but it looked like that there was more than one annoying problem in this hallway.

Valerie:You’d lose Jordan. To me, to Summer, and most definitely Veronica Belladonna.

Veronica:Way to ruin my fun. I barely meet people stupid enough to be so racist to my face. It’s usually when they think I can’t hear them.

Multiple faces in the crowd looked a little uncomfortable after that statement.

Summer:Finish your laps finally?

Valerie:Hardy har. So, care to explain why not one but two insufferable bitches are causing a scene.

Veronica: “That bitch” you could at least calm me that instead of comparing me to that loser. Also shouldn’t you be showering, or home? You smell like the entire football team.

Valerie:Shouldn’t you be oceans away!? Why-

Veronica:*points to pin* Apparently the great kingdom of Atlas can’t organize events without spreading themselves too thin. I’m catching your slack. Nick is very grateful about it.

That sure ticked Valerie off. Maybe she wasn’t as tired as she thought. Veronica’s face was looking pretty punchable right now.

Valerie:Well good on you, being his little errand girl must make you feel like a winner huh?

Veronica:Keep talking shit and people won’t have to wait for a tournament to see you knocked on your ass.

Jordan:Umm-

“Shut up!” All three said sternly. Clearly Jordan had become nothing more than an afterthought. The crowd didn’t care who fought. Action was all that mattered.

Valerie wasn’t afraid to step up until her and Veronica were centimeters apart. Veronica showed no fear despite being the shorter girl. Giving into the impulse would be so easy right now. So...gratifying. Like an apex humbling what they saw as a beta. Veronica clenched her fist.

“HEY!” Another voice shouted, cutting through all the hostility of the hallway. The crowd split in half to show Eliza. Everyone could see embers and sparks twinkle around the girl, a clear sign she was ready to break up this altercation.

Eliza:Get.To.Class….or do you want to learn the difference between lightning dust and the real deal?

The crowd didn’t need to be told twice and scattered, even Jordan left. Valerie was given a dirty look that made her step away from Veronica while Summer found the nerve to the wall between Eliza and the other two.

Summer:Sorry! Things got out of hand because of me. I-

Eliza:I highly doubt that. Even if it’s true, our Vice President should learn how to keep the peace. And I expect a guest at our school to not cause any agitation in this already aggressive hornets nest.

Valerie:Pfft, she might as well be a baseball bat.

Veronica:I’ll swing a baseball bat upside your-

Eliza:Do you really want to keep arguing in front of me!? I swear if you three weren’t-ugh! Val, hit the showers. Summer if you aren’t going to lunch then I suggest you go over the numbers we need for the tournament.

Summer:I did that already.

Eliza:Yeah well I just went to our room and our guest has been reworking things so I would like our treasure to double check her work. It’s your money after all.

Summer:Alr-

Veronica:Ahem! aren’t you forgetting something?

Summer:...Right, I’ll get on that Eliza. Right after I get lunch, with milk.

Eliza:Ummm okay? As for you Ms. Belladonna… I’ll overlook this but remember Nick will be held somewhat accountable for everything you do. Good and bad, understand?

Veronica:..Crystal. And can you not call me that?

Eliza:As you wish. Now if you excuse me, I have practice to attend to.

As quickly as she showed up, Eliza left and took Valerie with her. Veronica let out a deep breath before turning to see Summer still standing around and looking right at her. All she could manage to do was give an awkward nod before heading to lunch. Obviously she wanted to say something but for some reason decided against it. A wise decision.

Veronica looked at the cuts in her own hands from clenching her fists to tight, her heart still pounding. Man, she really wanted a burger right now. Anything to sink her teeth in.

Part 15

#rwby #rwby twin snowflakes #nicholas schnee #summer schnee #val valkyrie #veronica belladonna #eliza marigold #flynt coal #harriet bree

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justheretobreakthings · 4 years

Text

Kings Over Aces - Chapter 4

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Word Count: 5,778 (Total Word Count: 15,109) Read on AO3

Story Summary:

The Voltron Coalition has an alliance in the works with the resource-rich planet of Yuipra, and it’s the paladins’ job to keep on the king’s good side while the deal is made. That shouldn’t shouldn’t be too great a challenge; after all, they’ve courted plenty of planets before for the sake of alliances.

Unfortunately, things are made much more complicated when the king takes a special interest in Keith.

Chapter content warnings for non-consensual touching, threats of rape. Fic content warning for attempted rape.

Keith kept up his smile as best he could as Olren reached the bottom stair. It wasn’t easy; the closer Olren got, the more aware Keith felt of every sensation in his body - the sweat against the coarse fabric of his outfit; the nervous heartbeat that must have been so loud, and surely Olren could hear it and was going to misinterpret it; his posture, and where his feet were, and why did it feel like he was standing wrong, how did he normally stand, he couldn’t remember.

“You got this, Keith,” Pidge said. “We’re with you every step of the way.”

It wasn’t a huge reassurance, but it was just enough that Keith managed to swallow down some of the nerves by the time the king was standing before him.

“Paladin Keith,” Olren said, taking Keith’s hand in his. He lifted it to press a kiss to the back of the hand - a spot left vulnerable since Keith didn’t have his usual gloves on - before continuing, “You’re looking positively lovely this evening.”

“Um, thanks,” Keith mumbled. In his ear, Lance’s voice told him, “Don’t wipe your hand.”

“He wasn’t trying to wipe his hand,” Hunk’s voice said.

“It’s Keith, he’s one hundred percent the type of person who wipes off kisses.” Surely the point was moot anyway, Keith thought, as his hand was still trapped in Olren’s grasp, but he couldn’t say anything to the others without raising some brows.

“Return the compliment, Keith,” Allura’s voice piped up.

“You look lovely too,” Keith said.

“Well, use a different word, don’t just repeat his.”

Keith fought back an annoyed wince before amending, “I mean, you look, um… radiant.”

Lance barked out a laugh, but Keith was saved from having to figure out what was so funny about his word choice by the fact that Olren seemed to take the remark in stride, smiling brightly before adjusting his grip on Keith’s hand so that their arms were at their sides, fingers intertwined. Lance had been right - Keith did want to wipe his hand off. There was a cold stickiness left on the skin where Olren had kissed it, although he didn’t know whether the lips had actually left that much residue, or if it was just his imagination.

“Come along,” Olren said, giving Keith’s hand a little tug as he turned toward the hall leading away from the foyer. “I’ve had the staff cook up some personal favorite dishes of mine. I’m sure you’ll love them. I only wanted the very best for a paladin of Voltron.”

“Right,” Keith said. Shiro was making some sort of comment in his ear as Olren dragged him along, saying it was a good thing they’d practiced the hand-holding the day before. Really, Keith thought, the practice hadn’t done much. Holding hands with Olren was much weirder; at least he actually knew Coran.

But Olren seemed keen on it, so Keith tried to imagine that the hand in his was a friend’s, tried to picture it as Shiro’s or Pidge’s or Hunk’s, and it seemed he was successful enough at imagining that it managed to get him through the walk to the private dining room.

Again, the door was flanked by guards who opened the doors for them, and there were more stationed inside; Keith wondered idly if the dining room was guarded like that all the time, or if this was just for him. Either way, the omnipresent guards were a little unnerving, and Keith was glad that the golden visors on their helmets made it a bit easier to pretend they weren’t watching him the whole time.

A small circular table, big enough only for two, sat in the middle of the room, and one of the guards pulled Keith’s chair out for him as he and Olren approached. Keith took his seat, peering around the room. A chandelier to match the ones in the banquet hall hung over the table, and its light danced off the decorations on the walls, which mostly consisted of elaborate tapestries. The table itself was just as opulent despite its small size, its legs carved into intricate patterns and its surface polished to a sheen. Olren appeared to have brought out the Yuipran equivalent of fine china as well, since the crystal-like, jewel-edged tableware was much fancier than the ones that had been set out for the dinner they’d attended before.

Olren began launching into descriptions of the foods as Keith helped himself to small servings of each. Right now, his nerves being what they were, he couldn’t enjoy the flavor of any of them - they all might as well have been tasteless to him, like he was sitting here eating paper or cotton balls - but sampling them gave him an excuse to not talk for now, so he pressed on.

“Ohohoh, man, that looks good,” Hunk said as Keith started cutting into the main dish. “Does it taste as good as it looks?”

“This is very tasty, your majesty,” Keith said, interrupting Olren’s chatter about how well the beverage he’d picked complemented the vegetable dish. He couldn’t actually tell right now, but at least the food did smell good, so that hopefully translated to taste as well.

“Why, thank you,” Olren said, seeming unfazed by the interruption. “I’ll pass along the compliments to the kitchen staff.”

“Ask him if he can give you the recipe,” said Hunk.

Keith did so, and Olren laughed lightly. “Tell you what, I’ll go ahead and throw the recipe in as one of the perks of our upcoming alliance if this evening goes well.”

“Oh. Uh - ”

“So you enjoy cooking, Keith?”

Keith shrugged. “I mean, I cook, but more out of necessity than enjoyment. One of my teammates is more into cooking, though.”

“Careful not to mumble, Keith,” said Shiro. “Speak up.”

Keith cleared his throat before resuming in a louder voice. “Um, do you cook?”

“Don’t just repeat him,” Allura said.

“Oh, stars, no,” Olren said. “Haven’t the time to learn a chore of the sort. It isn’t a necessity for me, what with the chefs we keep in our employ. Some of the top cuisiniers in all of Yuipra can be found right in my palace’s kitchen, so no contribution I’d make to the meals would even be worth the time and effort. You could say I’m more a patron of the arts than an artist.”

“Ask him what his hobbies are,” Coran said. “You’ve got a good opening for that one.”

“So, uh, you don’t cook,” said Keith. “What do you do? In your spare time, I mean.”

“Ah, the list of what I don’t do would be shorter,” Olren replied. “I’ve trained in many athletic disciplines and I’ve always considered myself to be a lifelong scholar. The palace’s library contains quite the impressive collection, and it’s befitting of a king to be well-versed in as many fields as he is able, yes? So I am. In sciences, history, the arts. I travel extensively, of course, my rapport with my subjects and my allies is of great importance to me, and I have done quite well in that regard. My royal family line is long-beloved by the populace, and I strive to ensure the reverence is not misplaced.”

“This guy’s a real piece of work, isn’t he,” Pidge muttered.

“Now, now, Pidge,” said Coran. “Expounding on one’s positive qualities is hardly unusual behavior for a first date.”

“If you say so.”

“Still,” Olren continued, and Keith tried to block out the voices in his earpiece and return his attention to the one across the table. “I was perfectly serious when I said I was a patron of the arts. You will find no more ardent theater-goer in my domain than myself, and I really must show you my private art collection at some point. Or the palace gardens, it would be a lovely night for them.”

He leaned forward, bringing his eyes to level with Keith. “I am a great admirer of beauty, you see, and it is a passion of mine to find beauty in the world and make it my own. In all its many forms. Whether it be a painting on my wall or a flower in my garden. A jewel on my crown - “ He reached out suddenly, cold fingertips grazing Keith’s cheek as he tucked a lock of the latter’s hair behind his hair. “ - Or a companion at my side.”

“Christ, that’s a hell of a line,” said Lance. “You think he rehearsed that? I bet he rehearsed it.”

“Um,” said Keith. “That’s, uh - that’s - ”

“Say, erm, that you’re honored he sees you that way,” Allura said. “He was complimenting you.”

“Right,” Keith said. “I’m honored you, um, see me that way.”

“You should be,” Olren said. “That’s not something I’d say of just anyone.”

His stare was growing more intense by the second, and Keith could feel the sweat growing along his hairline. He coughed into his sleeve, using it as an excuse to lean away from him. “So,” he said loudly. “Um, Allura says Yuipra and Altea go way back, huh? What’s, uh - what’s - tell me about that.”

“Did we not go over segues and subject changes with him yesterday?” Shiro asked. “I thought we did.”

Keith repeated the ‘smile with your eyes’ mantra to himself to keep from scowling. Sure, that had been clumsy, but Olren didn’t seem to care. The king was already launching into a history lecture about Yuipra’s past alliances and the interplanetary relations forged by past kings and queens. It was all in one ear and out the other for Keith, but it was keeping Olren busy and had gotten him to cool it with that weird stare, so he was counting it as a win.

He managed to finish off the main course by the time Olren was winding down, having reached the most recent generation of rulers in his exhaustive recounting of the royal lineage. “Of course, the trade agreement with Thuabos is one that would doubtless be considered the most beneficial to our energy sector in all of Yuipran history. Still, King Arihan’s diplomacy and positive relations with their chancellor were instrumental in that deal, and I know that more than one advisor had been worried that it may falter after I took the throne.” He let out a long sigh, and brought a hand to his chest. “I’m sure your princess would more than understand - it’s not easy, losing a father and a king all at once. The burden placed upon my shoulders as ruler in these past decaphoebs is a heavy one.”

“Offer your condolences, Keith,” said Allura. “He’s pushing for sympathy.”

Well, obviously. Keith wasn’t the best at reading people, sure, but even he could pick up on melodrama. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Why would he bring that up in the middle of a first date?” said Pidge. “Is that normal?”

“Maybe he’s angling for, like, comfort cuddles or something,” said Hunk.

“Thank you,” Olren said. He dabbed lightly at his eyes with his fingertips before opening them again. “I apologize, if I get too personal too soon. But, to that end, I do believe that openness is a cornerstone of interpersonal relations. Our struggles, our strengths - they need not be kept secret.” He folded his hands on the table, tilting his chin toward Keith. “Don’t you agree?”

“Yeah,” Keith said. “Yeah, sure.”

Olren smiled. “I thought so. You’re a delightful confidante, Keith. A wonderful listener. That is something that you can consider a strength of yourself and Voltron - your willingness to let others place their burdens before you.”

“Uh-huh,” Keith said with a nod. “Yeah, we’re all - we’re very good listeners.”

“Are we including Lance in that assessment?” asked Pidge.

“What?” said Lance.

Shiro shushed him as Olren went on. “Of course, I do not want to give you an inaccurate impression of me and my capabilities. Yuipra is still a force to be reckoned with under my leadership. I see no reason why a soft heart and strong hand should be mutually exclusive. The same can be said of Voltron, can’t it? Its presence is a beacon of hope, but also a show of force. Of power.”

“That’s, um - yeah, I suppose so.”

Olren nodded. “Yuipra would fit well into your coalition. We do not possess the military strength of some of your allies, no, but we are powerful in other ways. We would not have lasted as long as we have otherwise. We’re resolute. I never yield, Keith, never waver. When there is something my kingdom needs, I go after it. I pull out all stops to get what I want, and I persevere no matter the resistance.” He paused to scoop a bite of food into his mouth, the last on his plate, and set his fork down. “Diligence is the precursor to endurance, Keith. Giving up is never an option.”

“I see,” Keith said slowly.

“Okay, come on,” Pidge said. “There’s no way this is normal first date conversation.”

“Well,” said Shiro, “A ‘date’ with a king and potential war ally is probably pretty different from a ‘normal’ first date.”

“Still,” said Hunk. “Just listening to him is exhausting.”

“Don’t pause so long, Keith,” said Allura. “Humor him, say you agree.”

“Right,” said Keith. “That - that makes sense. A good, uh, good way to look at things.”

“I had a feeling you’d agree,” Olren said.

“Uh-huh. Though, uh, you know, the coalition is more of - ”

He dropped his sentence and his fork at the same time, startling at the sudden sensation of a hand on his knee. Olren showed no change in his expression, still giving him that little sharp-eyed smile he’d held throughout the dinner, but his hands, no longer occupied with the food, were now out of sight, and even as their gazes met, Keith could feel the hand moving back and forth over his knee, as if Olren was petting it.

“Keith?” Hunk said. “Did our audio cut out?”

“The coalition is what?” Olren asked lightly.

“Um,” Keith said. He squirmed in his seat, moving against the back of the chair, but the hand followed, the thumb now rubbing little circles into his thigh. “It, uh, it’s more - it’s - you know, there’s um, it’s numbers, and, um - and resources for - for, uh - ”

“Keith, you oughtn’t fidget like that,” Allura’s voice chided in his ear. “What’s going on?”

“You okay, man?” Hunk asked.

Right. Of course, the others would have no way of knowing what was going on under the table, and he couldn’t very well explain it to them. He took a deep breath through his nose and tried to hold his leg still, gritting his teeth when Olren seemed to interpret this as an invitation to slide his hand even further up his thigh, his fingertips brushing against the fabric of the too-thin pants and feeling like insect legs crawling along his skin.

“Your coalition sounds like a perfect fit for Yuipra,” Olren said, replying as if Keith had given him a perfectly coherent answer. “And speaking of - ”

Fingers pinched the skin of his thigh, and without thinking Keith shot up out of his seat, gripping the edge of the table as firmly as if it were the only thing keeping him from falling into an abyss. Olren somehow appeared entirely unfazed by this, maintaining his little smile even now. “Is something wrong, Keith?”

“N-no,” Keith stuttered, even as the voices in his earpiece asked the same question. “No, I, uh - it’s getting cramped, in here. Just wanted to get up.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Er, perhaps suggest an alternate activity, Keith?” said Coran.

“You could, uh, show me that art collection or garden or something,” Keith said. That would be good. Something that involved standing and walking, something where the camera could catch it if Olren started getting handsy, and the others could tell him what to do about it.

“All right,” Olren said. “If you’d like. Are you sure you don’t want to wait for our dessert course? I’ve selected some sweets for the evening that are positively decadent.”

Keith shook his head. “No thanks, I’m - I’m full.”

“And eager, it seems,” Olren said with a smirk. “Very well, Keith. I’ll show you to the gardens; it’s a beautiful season for them, some lovely specimens blooming.” He rose from the table too, and as he did, the guards on standby opened the door to admit a group of servants who quickly swept in to clear the table. “Come,” he said, holding out the crook of his arm.

“Hold him by the arm, just above the elbow,” Shiro said. “Wrap the hand around, but keep the grip light.”

Keith obliged, and Olren led the way out of the dining room. Keith still would have preferred to not be holding onto Olren at all, but this beat holding his hand, so it wasn’t so bad to endure as they strode through the palace’s corridors and out into the courtyard.

“It’s not too chilly out for you, is it?” Olren asked.

“Huh?” Keith said. “Uh, no?”

“You can feel free to come closer, if you get cold.”

Someone, probably Lance, wolf-whistled into his earpiece, and Keith made a mental note to kick him in the shin when he got back to the Castle. “I’m fine, thanks.”

“If you’re sure.” They had reached a tall gate at the other end of the courtyard, one that was once again flanked by two of those ubiquitous guards who opened the gate and bowed them through. Keith made to drop his hand from the king’s arm, but just as he was about to, Olren brought his other hand up, lightly draping it over Keith’s as they walked. Looked like he was stuck for now.

The garden was nice, Keith supposed. The plants on display were lush and colorful, and they’d arrived during sunset, which left the sky on this planet - or at least in this area of it - a bold shade of violet that was warmed by the orange glow of the lamps placed at intervals throughout the stone walkways.

The structure reminded him a bit of the botanical gardens that his class had visited on a field trip back in middle school, with its stone pathways and the tidy arrangement of the plants, so perhaps he could pretend that this was just a school field trip rather than a date, and perhaps that would help with the mild nausea that had been plaguing him since entering the palace.

Of course, on that field trip, two of his classmates had tried to hold his head under the water in a fountain and gotten all three of them sent back to the bus for half the day, but there didn’t seem to be any fountains in this garden, so he was probably safe from that at least.

Olren had started talking without Keith realizing, so he hastened to try to focus. Fortunately Olren didn’t seem to realize that Keith had zoned out - he often didn’t, Keith was beginning to learn - and was totally preoccupied with pointing out his own favorite plants and describing whatever he knew about them.

“Participate in the conversation,” Allura said. “Find something you like, point it out.”

“You know, these lampposts are really pretty,” Keith said, gesturing to one that had been carved to look like an intricate series of stone vines was wrapped around it.

“Pick a plant, Keith, you’re in a garden,” Allura said, and Keith could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

“Oh, and, uh, these - these flowers here,” Keith said, pointing toward a bed of red and orange flowers with particularly wide petals.

Olren grinned. “You like these?” He finally let go of Keith’s hand, and Keith, relieved, dropped his arm to the side as Olren bent down toward the flowers. He plucked one, and stood up again, and held it out to Keith. “Go ahead,” he said. Keith gingerly accepted the flower. “Smell it,” Olren added.

He brought the flower to the nose and gave it a sniff. It smelled vaguely like a mix of apples and laundry detergent. Nothing to write home about, but Olren was watching him eagerly, so Keith gave him a stiff smile and nod.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” said Olren.

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m glad you picked that one. Its pollen is an aphrodisiac, you know.”

Immediately Keith dropped the flower, while in his ear Pidge made a retching sound. “Ew, dude, what the fuck?” she said.

“You know, I believe we grow a variety of that flower in our herbatorium,” Coran said. “Its roots can soothe burns. I hadn’t been aware of this property, though.”

“Everything’s an aphrodisiac if you’re kinky enough,” said Lance.

Olren, meanwhile, was laughing as he leaned over to pick the flower back up. “Well,” he said, “It is to Yuiprans, anyway. I don’t know that the effect is universal.” Grinning, he reached up and put the flower under Keith’s nose again, tickling at it with the petals, and Keith couldn’t help but take a step back. The king just laughed again. “You oughtn’t be so nervous, paladin Keith,” he said, letting the flower fall back to the ground. “It’s probably so much harder to enjoy the evening that way.”

“I’m - I’m not nervous,” Keith stammered.

Olren clicked his tongue and shook his head, still smiling. “No need to try to pretend. I find it flattering, really. That you’re so anxious for things to go well between us. That I excite you, scare you. Take your breath away. Your hands are shaking, you know.” Suddenly his hand was laid flat against Keith’s chest. “Your heart’s pounding. You feel a flurry, don’t you? A spark?”

“Uh…” was the only sound Keith could manage.

The hand on his chest moved to his chin, tilting his head back slowly as Olren stared at his face, eyes like spears piercing his own. “You’re very beautiful, you know,” he said softly.

And before Keith could say a word in protest, Olren had moved in for a kiss.

He was too stunned to do anything but stand there and let it happen. In his earpiece he could hear his team, letting out a mix of congratulations that he was pulling this off, and disgusted groans. He wasn’t sure whose voice was whose, but he himself would be firmly in the latter category if he could. And with the camera’s positioning, the others didn’t have to watch the actual kiss go down.

There would probably be more sounds of disgust if they could, Keith figured as the kiss continued, Olren’s saliva feeling like slush against the skin around Keith’s lips. He tried to start pulling his face away, but Olren tightened his grip on his chin and held him in place, prying Keith’s lips apart as his tongue poked into his mouth. It was bizarrely cool and slick as it joined the kiss. Like there was a slug writhing around in his mouth. Olren began letting out little grunts of delight, while it was all Keith could do not to gag.

“Is he ever gonna stop for breath?” Pidge said.

“God, I did not sign up for listening to Keith have a makeout session,” said Lance. “There a fast-forward button on this thing?”

“Er, Keith?” Allura said. “You… you can pull away, if you need to…”

Gratefully Keith took her up on her offer, although it took a couple of tugs to get Olren to finally break the kiss and let Keith stumble back. Olren was quick to catch him with an arm on his back, and that sharp grin returned as he straightened Keith up. “Delectable,” he said. “Utterly delectable. You’re quite the treat, paladin Keith.”

“Yeah, okay,” Keith managed to grunt out. “So, um, how - how much longer do you, um, do you have planned? For tonight?”

“Keith, don’t ask that!” Shiro said. “Don’t make it obvious you want to leave!”

Olren raised a brow. “You’re so keen already to move on to the end of the evening?”

“Well, you know.” Keith shrugged, ignoring Shiro’s groan in his ear.

Thankfully, Olren didn’t seem offended. In fact, his smile seemed to widen as he nodded. “Certainly,” he said. “I admit, I do usually like a little more time with my companions first, but tonight has been… well, simply lovely, to say the least. I’m willing to make an exception.” He held out his arm. “Come along. We can adjourn to my private chambers ahead of schedule, and consummate our alliance now.”

Keith stood in shocked silence, not quite sure if he’d heard right. The same must have happened with his teammates back at the castle, since there was a pause before Lance hesitantly spoke. “I’m sorry, did he - did he just say - ?”

“Head out of the gutter, Lance,” said Shiro. “In business, ‘consummate’ just means to finalize something, make it official.”

“But why would they need to go to his ‘private chambers’ for that?”

“Maybe, er,” said Allura. “Maybe he meant a private office?”

Meanwhile Olren was still staring at Keith, his arm still held out invitingly. Cautiously, Keith took a step back before asking, “Um, when - when you say ‘consummate’, do - do you mean, um…?”

“Physically,” Olren said. “Of course.” He laughed lightly as the sounds of his teams’ indignation echoed in Keith’s earpiece. “You’re still a little nervous, aren’t you?” He stepped toward Keith, a hand coming up to take him by the shoulder. “There’s no need to be. I can be gentle. At first.” He winked, and Keith’s stomach clenched.

“Is he fucking serious?!” said Pidge. “What the hell?!”

“Shit, is he - he’s actually telling Keith to - ” Lance said.

“It doesn’t matter what he’s telling Keith to do, he’s not gonna fucking do it!” Pidge snapped.

She was right. Black Paladin or not, alliance or not, this was too much. This was a line he couldn’t cross. “Look, um,” Keith said, shrugging Olren’s hand off of his shoulder. “I’m, uh, I’m flattered and all, really, but - ”

“I’ve got ways we can settle those nervous of yours,” Olren said. “Aromatherapy is a wonder, you know. Lotions, candles.”

“Ew, ew, ew,” Hunk said. “That’s - this is so sleazy - ”

“Keith?” said Coran. “Keith, you don’t have to go that far.”

“Say you’re feeling ill,” said Allura.

“I’m actually feeling, um, kinda sick,” Keith said. “Probably shouldn’t, uh - ”

“So suddenly?” Olren asked. His hand was back, this time snaking around Keith’s back and pulling him close. “Mm, I think the only illness here is shyness. I happen to know a marvelous cure.”

“Look, I mean it, I - ”

“It’s necessary, you know, for a true alliance. That vulnerability, that trust. The closeness.”

“I don’t think - ”

“Say you’re engaged to another,” Allura suggested, her voice growing steadily more frantic. “Or, say that you’re - ”

“No, forget diplomacy,” Pidge said. “Tell him to fuck off, and RUN!”

Olren was leaning closer, his other hand coming up to card his fingers into Keith’s hair. Swallowing down his fear, Keith yanked away, his own hands up to push back from the king with a grunt of, “Get off me!”

Olren released him, frowning as Keith stumbled back. Keith tried his best to straighten on his gelatin-like legs, his heart beating like a sledgehammer against his throat. “I’m not - I don’t - no,” Keith panted. “No.”

His heart hammered in his throat as Olren stared at him, his perpetual smile gone for the first time all evening. “I see…” he said slowly. “Perhaps you can rejoin me tomorrow evening, then. It would give you some time to grow more… amenable, before we finalize our alliance.”

Keith shook his head. “I’m not going to ‘finalize’ anything with you. Not if that’s what you were aiming for.”

Something flashed across Olren’s face, something Keith couldn’t quite read, before the king said, “I’m afraid I don’t quite understand. Did you not enjoy our evening together? Do you find me so unappealing that partnering with me upsets you so? You’re shaking again, Keith.”

“Hey, I didn’t - it’s not about that. That isn’t something I do. Ever. With anyone.”

“No?” Olren said, quirking a brow.

“No,” Keith repeated.

“Mm.” Olren crossed his arms, and somehow he seemed to be taller than Keith had remembered him being, the shadow cast on the stone walkway from the nearest lamp looming over Keith like a storm cloud. “That does present a difficulty, doesn’t it? I don’t much like to ally with those I cannot fully trust to commit fully.”

“Oh god, this is creepy,” Pidge whispered. “This is so, so creepy.”

“We - we need to do something,” said Hunk. “Guys?”

“Is this how you guys made your old alliance with Yuipra way back when?” Lance asked.

“No, of course not,” Allura said. “This is - stars, he cannot possibly think - ”

“Keith,” said Shiro. “Get out of there. We don’t need an alliance that badly.”

Keith took a deep breath. “Okay, look, um, clearly - clearly there was a, um, a misunderstanding, here, about what tonight was about. So I’m - I’m gonna just - ”

Cautiously he made to step around him, but Olren slid effortlessly into his path, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him back to face him. Keith winced at the grip; it was harder than any other time Olren had put a hand on him this evening. “I can’t help but wonder, paladin,” Olren said, his voice chilly in its steadiness. “What were you expecting tonight to be about?”

“Um.” Keith blinked. “Um, the alliance. You joining the Coalition.”

“And you still thought that, right up until moments ago, when you decided that you did not wish to accompany me to bed. Is that correct?”

“Uh…”

“Was I unclear in my intentions, Keith? I specifically asked you here as my date. I laid out the best dinner at the finest table I had to offer so that I could court you. I brought you out here to be with me beneath the moonlight. I took your hand, and you did not pull away.” With his free hand, Olren took Keith’s hand, intertwining the fingers and giving it a squeeze. “I kissed you, and you kissed me back.” He leaned in, close enough that Keith could feel his breath on his skin as steely eyes bore into his own. “That was not about the coalition, Keith. That was about you, and about me.”

“Okay, yeah, but I - I didn’t think - ” He tried to pull his hand out of Olren’s grasp, but the king held firm. “I didn’t think you wanted to go that far.”

“Things always go that far, eventually,” Olren said. “Why did you think we wouldn’t, Keith? When you decided to accompany me tonight, did you not consider where we might take our affections?”

“Look, those are your affections, okay?!” Keith growled. “You’re the one who wanted to make this a date! All we wanted was an alliance!”

Olren froze, eyes widening, and Keith felt his nails start digging into his arm where he held him.

“Uh, Keith…” Shiro said uncertainly. “Maybe don’t - ”

“I think I understand now,” Olren said. “All this time, all evening, you’ve been making a fool of me.”

Keith shook his head hastily. “No, listen, it - ”

“You were here only for my resources, my services to Voltron. Were willing to take the offering from me and leave me in the dust.”

Keith managed to yank his arm free of Olren’s grip, and made to jump back, but Olren kept a hold of his hand and pulled him back in, his other hand grabbing the fabric of Keith’s collar instead. “I don’t like being used, Keith,” he snarled, and his voice had a raspiness, an iciness, that hadn’t been there before. “I don’t like people playing with my heart, toying with me, breaking my heart for their own gain.”

“It’s - it’s not like that!” Keith gasped out. He reached up a hand to claw at Olren’s where it grasped his collar, trying to loosen the hold that was starting to squeeze against his windpipe. “I only wanted - ”

“I know what you wanted!” Olren said, giving Keith a forceful shake. “You wanted to take Yuipra’s riches and my dignity with it, and leave nothing in return. Well, Keith, I wanted something too, tonight. And like I’ve told you: I always get what I want.”

Finally Keith gave up on trying to pry Olren’s hand loose. Instead, he balled his own into a fist, and with all the force he could muster, aimed a blow toward the king’s face. The punch landed with a sickening crack, and in his shock Olren released him.

The moment he turned around to run, though, he was grabbed again, both arms in bruising grips that didn’t belong to Olren. A glance down showed golden gauntlets wrapped around his triceps, and too late he remembered the guards that were stationed everywhere in this palace. Two were holding him, and he thought he could hear a third behind him.

His team was shouting something, but he couldn’t discern the words. It all became a buzz to him as he thrashed in the guards’ grips, trying to get away. He heard a grunt as he elbowed one, and he flailed his legs and managed to land a kick with his heel against the other’s greave, before something was slammed against the back of his knee and pain radiated up and down his leg. The other was hit right after, and he was forced to the ground on his knees, his arms wrenched up behind his back with nearly enough force to pull his shoulders out of their sockets, one hand digging into his scalp to grab him by the hair and pull his head back, stretching out his neck as he panted for breath.

Olren stood before him, regal as ever, dabbing the back of his hand against his face where deep green Yuipran blood was trickling from his nose. “Not a wise move,” he said. “Assaulting a king in his own palace. You can’t have thought I would give up that easily.”

He stepped forward, kneeling down to lean in toward Keith’s face, and stretched a hand out to brush the back of his fingers against his cheek. “Even in your rage, still so beautiful,” he said softly. “A pity you had to make things difficult like this.”

His hand moved to take Keith’s chin, squeezing his jaw in an iron grip. Keith could feel the sharp nails break the skin, warm blood droplets beginning to well beneath the claws. “We’re going to form that alliance, Keith,” Olren said. “And we’re going to do it my way.”

#aroace keith #keith kogane #keith #vld keith #vld fic #my writing #fic: kings over aces

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raeynbowboi · 4 years

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Into the Dragon’s Dungeon: How to Play as Itachi in DnD 5e

After covering one of my favorite villains and then my favorite superhero, it’s time to tackle my favorite anime “villain” by building the illusion master Itachi Uchiha from the Naruto franchise. Unlike the last two options, only one person has been responsible for creating and choosing the powers of this character, so I don’t have to look at multiple sources to pin down his powers, skills, and abilities.

The Makings of A Hero

Race probably seems like a no brainer. Itachi is a human. Super duper Simple. But for me personally, I tend to view most Shonen anime characters as Variant Humans. If a character can get kicked against a wall so hard they make a crater and then get up like it’s nothing, that’s not a normal human. So, I file them under Variant Humans in my builds.

When it comes to morality, it’s very easy to argue that Itachi is Lawful Evil. He’s committed horrible attrocities in the name of the law. But the slaughter of his family was for the greater good of the village, so you could also call that Chaotic Good. You could even argue that he’s sort of neutral. So the alignment you give him will depend largely on how you view him.

As a ninja, and a former secret police ninja to boot, Spy is a possible background for him. However, he’s also a rogue ninja, meaning he’s a wanted criminal, which could fit the Criminal background. Since Itachi is a member of the criminal organization Akatsuki, he could be considered a Faction Agent. And since he’s killed his entire clan, you could make him a Haunted One.

Fighting Style

The number one most important factor in a proper Itachi build is a high AC. Itachi’s best quality is that the guy is hard to pin down. I’d bet that if I went back through the entire series, I could count the number of times anyone actually managed to hit Itachi on one hand. Itachi tends to prefer to fight from mid to long range. When he was a child, he was much more focused on his physical combat. It wasn’t until Itachi was an adult that his focus shifted to magic and illusions. However, by the time he first appears in the series, his magic has become his primary means of fighting. Itachi is a very defensive fighter. Above anything else, Itachi is focused on avoiding damage and turning an opponent’s power against them.

The Sharingan

The magical eyes of the Uchiha Clan can copy techniques, mirror unknown jutsus in real time, and see through illusions. The Sharingan also improves reflexes and reaction time by giving the wielder an enhanced sense like Spider-man’s Spidey Senses. The evolved version, the Mangekyo Sharingan gives Itachi access to three important abilities. Amaterasu, a black flame so hot it can burn through the esophagus of a fire-breathing mountain toad. Susano’o, a giant skeletal spectral warrior that surrounds the user and protect them. And Itachi’s most signature ability, the Tsukuyomi, a powerful illusion that traps targets in a nightmare world that tortures them. While Amaterasu and Susano’o are a little harder to work into this particular build, Tsukuyomi is a lot easier to fit to the dnd format.

Physical Abilities

Itachi is one of the fastest characters in the series. In most video games, Itachi moves noticeably faster than the other characters. So a good build of Itachi should focus on mobility. However, just as important is the rapidness of his attacks. The more he can attack, the better.

Itachi is adept at fighting with shuriken (darts), kunai (daggers), and his short sword, all of which are finesse weapons.

Magical Abilities

All ninjas in the Naruto franchise are able to walk on water, walk up vertical surfaces, disguise themselves as other people, and create non-corporeal clones of themselves.

Every member of the Uchiha Clan has an affinity for Fire ninjutsu, and Itachi’s secondary affinity is Water ninjutsu.

Itachi takes the standard ninja clones one step further, creating his famous Crow Clone, an illusory clone of himself that disperses into a flock of crows upon being damaged. Itachi uses these crows to confuse, distract, and disorient his opponents.

Itachi is the strongest master of illusion magic in the series. Itachi has caused his foes to feel pain from shuriken he never threw, fight someone made to look like Itachi with illusions, turn another master illusionist’s genjutsu against her, and has made people waste time and energy fighting the air instead of him.

Itachi’s Spellbook & Feats

Mobility Haste (Sorcerer, Wizard) Longstrider (Bard, Druid, Ranger, Wizard) Mobile (Feat)

Basic Ninja Abilities Alter Self (Sorcerer, Wizard) Disguise Self (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) Spider Climb (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Water Walk (Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer)

Fire Aganazzar’s Scorcher (Sorcerer, Wizard) Delayed Fireball Blast (Sorcerer, Wizard) Dragon’s Breath (Sorcerer, Wizard) Fireball (Sorcerer, Wizard) Fire Bolt (Sorcerer, Wizard) Flaming Sphere (Druid, Wizard) Immolation (Sorcerer, Wizard) Investiture of Flame (Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Scorching Ray (Sorcerer, Wizard)

Water Control Water (Cleric, Druid, Wizard) Shape Water (Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard) Tidal Wave (Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard) Wall of Water (Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard) Watery Sphere (Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard)

Sharingan Alert (Feat) Arcane Eye (Wizard) Defensive Duelist (Feat) Detect Magic (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Sorcerer, Wizard) Dispel Magic (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Foresight (Bard, Druid, Warlock, Wizard) Slow (Sorcerer, Wizard) True Seeing (Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard)

Illusions, Counters, Crows, & Redirection Blur (Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard) Confusion (Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard) Counterspell (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Enemies Abound (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Flock of Familiars (Warlock, Wizard) Hallucinatory Terrain (Bard, Druid, Warlock, Wizard) Illusory Dragon (Wizard) Major Image (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Minor Illusion (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Mirage Arcane (Bard, Druid, Wizard) Mirror Image (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Mislead (Bard, Wizard) Phantasmal Force (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) Phantasmal Killer (Wizard) Programmed Illusion (Bard, Wizard) Project Image (Bard, Wizard) Psychic Scream (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Seeming (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) Silent Image (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard) Simulacrum (Wizard) Synaptic Static (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard)

Tsukuyomi Cause Fear (Warlock, Wizard) Eyebite (Warlock, Wizard) Fear (Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Feeblemind (Bard, Druid, Warlock, Wizard) Maddening Darkness (Warlock, Wizard) Mental Prison (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Mind Spike (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Power Word: Pain (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard) Weird (Wizard)

Get to Class

Itachi’s mix of martial and magical combat means he’s going to be multiclassing. While he could be an Arcane Trickster Rogue, there’s a wider selection of spells that a Wizard class would help him with. So, a good build for Itachi is a mix of Wizard, Rogue, and a little bit of Monk for the unarmored defense. As a rogue, the most useful subclass for him is the Scout, as it allows him to disengage whenever enemies get too close, letting him keep his distance in a fight. As a monk, the Way of Kensei will give Itachi the use of the Agile Parry and the Kensei’s shot, which will improve his aim with ranged weapon attacks. But the most important class for an Itachi build is a School of Illusions Wizard.

Stats and Proficiencies

First and foremost, Itachi needs to have a high AC because pinning this guy down is nigh impossible. So the higher you can make his AC, the better off he’ll be. So Dexterity is going to take top billing. As a Wizard, he’s going to cast spells with his Intelligence modifier, so that’s the next priority. Due to his monk levels and Itachi’s keen Sharingan eyes, Wisdom is going to be the next most important. Next, Deception is a vital part of convincing people to believe your illusions are real, so a good Charisma modifier is needed. Next up is Strength. because Anime characters are pretty strong. And we’ll have to dump Constitution, but as long as he can avoid being hit, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Itachi is a prodigy, becoming an elite secret police officer by the age most of us are popping pimples and worrying about asking that special someone to the dance. As such, he’s going to have a lot of skills. Luckily, being a Rogue gives Itachi more skills to choose from and more expertise. His skills include: Acrobatics (Dex) Athletics (Str) Deception (Cha) Insight (Wis) Intimidation (Cha) Investigation (Int) Perception (Wis) Sleight of Hand (Dex) Stealth (Dex)

This build was particularly frustrating. Not because I didn’t know how to build him, but because it got accidentally deleted when I was halfway through it. Still, I hope I’ve built Itachi the right way to encompass his abilities and fighting style. I did my own level 20 build which you can check out right [here]. Do you agree with how I built Itachi? Do you have a better suggestion for how to build him? And I’m taking requests. Do you have a character you’d like to see me build? Let me know and I’ll see you next time in the Dragon’s Dungeon.

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shy-magpie · 4 years

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RQG 154

Wherein red stringing occurs. Liveblog under the cut:

Not much hype this week, just a lot of being quietly thrilled RSB got the beginning of the episode dedicated to us. I hope the rest of the fandom doesn't feel like Bryn plays favorites. Its sweet he back reads and answers questions but its nothing he wouldn't do in official. Last week was such a gift that I think it cut down on hype for this week because even if (Alex forbid) they immediately time skipped to the end of the week, quarantine still got us amazing backstory and character moments. Unless Alex gets truly desperate and has someone attack the inn or infects both the new kids, the characters are safe from physical danger so no fear hype either.

Yes I want follow up on that Hamid & Zolf conversation: I am so proud of him for calling Zolf out on being patronizing (I can't believe I didn't see earlier with his family, of course that's the aspect that got to him) and they need to figure out how to deal with the chain of command. Zolf already seems more willing to get input on his decisions so its mostly losing the attitude when things happen like Hamid casting lights. Yes I also want Cel to talk about themself more, but I am fine with waiting until they aren't locked up with no privacy. Azu's backstory is coming out at a decent pace and Helen spoils us so not even worried about not hearing more about her becoming a paladin. I am curious if Alex thinks its worth bonding with the new kids and this better not be a set up for splitting the party. So enough pre episode babbling, final bets on if they play with the brorb now or wait until they can take it to Cel's? Gotta love that music. Oh they do want to get back to things! Listen to how fast they're talking. That's nice I wouldn't have thought they'd be as excited about the pure RP backstory and character bits as they get about a boss fight. No Alex neither players nor fans want to skip anything. I will concede that further conversation was unlikely to be productive that night so the morning makes sense. There was only one corridor! Barnes is still using the stairs to get some space. Some might see it as a sign he is infected or afraid of infection but honestly not wanting to puppy pile with a group as tight knit as the party especially while they are shaking out their issues is valid. Azu checks on Carter who passed out drunk face down. Zolf is sleeping in. With Hamid's family issues, Bryn being so careful to specify he has a healthy relationship with alcohol every time makes it a lot easier to not tense up listening. Oh My God thanks Bryn! I know he said the beginning of the episode was dedicated to us but I was expecting a throw away line not a proper red stringing scene! I am grinning so big right now. Azu is watching Hamid Cel is sleeping curled up with the sealed bottle of elvish mead. Because Lydia is as much a criminal as Bryn just plays a longer game. Speaking of criminal, Ben really plays up this rivalry from Azu & Zolf covering similar roles and its a really close second to the rank thing between him & Hamid in character arcs I'm interested in. I think both are aiming towards a happy ending but no idea how the middle is going to play out. I don't think it's aiming for a "this party isn't big enough for two of us". Alex is encouraging this. This is great just going to get a clip of this rather than attempt to transcribe on first listen. Bryn/Hamid is laying this out so clearly: The knowns, assumed, and questions are being labeled nicely. (I wonder if our little discord helped him refresh his memory so he'd be able to match how much Hamid would remember in character.) Bryn also goes 3rd person? Hope it isn't a stress tell like Alex. Yes Bryn is obsessed and as a listener its is utterly charming when he shows up in RSB or Official and is unabashedly as big a fan of the show as us. Zolf wakes up to Hamid red stringing. Thank goodness he isn't letting security concerns lead him to putting the brakes on. I know there was some concern that if one of them was infected sharing they could pass on anything they talk about. As long as they don't get too specific about classified info, using the time and frankly just having a project to distract them is a good idea. Plus in my mind Hamid always looks so hurt when Zolf pulls on the reigns. Lilliana is not allowed to be the connecting thread. Oh seed is finally being addressed. Aw Hamid handed Cel a glass of water. It really is the little things I love about this show: 1)told you he has a knack for leadership: anticipating the needs of team members even as they diverge from his own 2)He does see Cel as a team member not just someone he worked with, you don't hear him cooing over Carter 3)does it quickly then moves on, because as a gentleman he thinks it's what anyone would do. 4)speaking of, I wonder that Azu & Zolf haven't done rounds. its not like they have anything to save the spells for and the field is only in the cell.

Svalbard! Do not taunt us, does Ben have any idea how much we want to see the science dwarves of the north? Um hmm, vindi-fing-cation. I know it wasn't exactly a huge insight but the mixture of science and various schools of magic is key to my theory on what “Erasing The Line” refers to. Oh Frankenstein in this world is such a concept. Plus it makes Mary Shelley canon. Aw Alex thought we'd never get to this bit of lore. Thank you Blue Veins info being given as whole instead of bits & pieces. Ooh and Barnes is taking it. Time to get a sense of who he is when he's not swinging a sword. Navel engagement with Blue Veins? Hive mind! Minimize harm? Not dead. Paladins are complicated, maybe a rumor, maybe transfer of allegiance. Cyborg kraken Cyborg Zolf Oh splitting the kraken to make more Barnes just checks out as the conversation goes over his head Called it I told you it was a sensible test. (ETA Zolf��s fart test) (ETA: Re: people with Blue Veins) No lies, no embarrassment, very literal. Other instances? Riots London->Paris->Europe Not safe to go to London If you're in their presence you are highly likely to be infected, mass infections, not passed by corpses? Memetic effect? Tick tock. Ben and Alex have one of their friendly tussles as Carter decides its a me may Yes he did! And Helen name dropped us! I know I'm just a little part of the brigade but I'm going to to be smug for at least a week that we are so good at what we do one of the actual players looked to us. Hey Lydia is welcome too. Paperwork time! Yeah yeah I knew security was going to be used to undermine Hamid. At least it isn't Zolf and they aren't trying to make him look rash for the whole idea. Getting new info from the paperwork is a bit different than talking about what they already know. Make the place bigger? Nice spell Zolf. If this leads to Animorphs again... Oh I was thinking more like a big horde somewhere you could check stone in & out of a stone plane of existence ties in with elemental lore right? Seriously "Cure Hangover" isn't a spell? Or do Zolf & Azu just not approve of using their magic that way? Intoxicants have to fall under mild poisoning, right? Do the studying later in the week? That's a fair compromise; even if Zolf is still presenting it as an order he is explaining instead of giving his advice or IDK putting it to a vote. I'm not positive but I think Lydia is suggesting they go over their character sheets in character. Alex is not amused. Lydia sounds pleased with herself. Perception check? Azu hears someone knocking something over upstairs. Azu tries to not wake Carter as she listens at the door. It had to be her foot in his mouth. Multiple people in the inn. Carter tries to pick the lock. Azu & Carter start bickering. Carter is perception penalty. The inn is being searched Zolf suggests they wake Wilde up by making a racket. Cel hears the door being unlocked. Voices speaking muffled Japanese. Cel just shouts "Hey what's going on?". Zolf joins in. Azu uses her armor to make noise. Thump of someone hitting the floor! Wilde's voice! Lots of feet? Yes Helen, what if it is the kobolds? Oh god what if Skraak checked on them and found out they were in cages underground? Poor guy would think Wilde is their Shoin. Bryn clarifies Hamid shouts out to Wilde Zolf forbids them leaving the basement Cel shields themself. Azu goes for her armor Barnes is keeping Carter from going for the lock again. Hamid casts Fear (!oh that’s a new one isn't it) I assume #jail is already full of angst criminals connecting Hamid's bully days and him going from S1!Hamid scared of every fight to now casting fear as a way to control his enemies). Also these better be his enemies because I still don't put it past Alex to set us up for a tragic misunderstanding. Dragon roar and dragon face is how he casts fear Ok Rusty Quill LOTR night sounds awesome Zolf helps Azu put on her armor The other feet flee Zolf cries out for Wilde as loud as he physically can but still won't let them risk infecting Japan by leaving quarantine early. Oh if that ain't a fic and a half. A set of small claws! It is a kobold End the episode with the kobolds?

#Rusty Quill Gaming #RQG Spoilers #live blog thingy #RQG 154 #RQG season 4 #long post

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answrs · 4 years

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Catbun Shiro AU

I promised to post my notes for this au and then never got on the desktop to do it, asdfkl sorry y’all. :x @headspacedad this one’s for you. (I reeeeeally hope this isn’t too confusing, it’s mostly a big jumble of notes for the au assembled in relative order to something resembling a plot. so uh, you’ve been warned. there’s pictures at the end though!)

Important note on setting, since I’m deathly allergic to basically anything besides the existence of characters post season 2, the whole deal with the castle is pretty malleable as a setting to me. basically, castleship wasn’t destroyed, at least not entirely. it’s disabled and most of it is too damaged to inhabit, but the lion hangars and the controls are still functional, if a bit beat up. (tbh mostly because it’s much easier than trying to juggle everyone with the lions as the only transport). so they’ll end up setting up camp close to the lions with Allura and Coran having a quick way to get to the control room to steer the castle out of any action they fall into, since the weapons/defenses are basically shot. no time travel nonsense or other funky shenanigans either, but the characters are all there.

also I’ve never written voltron before and it shows asdfkl but I TRIED AND THAT’S WHAT MATTERS

Now that’s out of the way, the actual good part of the au, the plot! :p

It happens when Allura tries to smash “their” Shiro into the clone’s body. Something goes wrong, or maybe Shiro’s soul is just so affronted by the idea of them expecting him to just... nonconsensually wrest control from an already occupied body. But he’s still being yanked back onto the mortal plane and if he doesn’t have a body his mind will die, so either subconsciously on his part or purposefully on Black’s, it rebounds into the nearest available viable occupancy.

The group watches as Allura struggles, frustratedly trying to shove “Real” Shiro into the traitor’s body, but before they can comprehend the shock and despair on her face as the tendril of essence is ripped away from her, the black lion roars and bursts away, no pilot at the helm and racing towards stars-knows-where.

It’s a small junk planet of sorts, with no obvious humanoid or sentient species. Shiro is groggy and stumbling around because there is very much something wrong with his limbs…

(the black lion seems much larger than he remembers and oh look he can see his reflection in her plating now and whoops…)

The body looking back out at him from the mirrored surface is some sort of small quadruped creature. Its fur is entirely black, or possibly a dark gray, but for the tuft of bright white on the head just like his former body’s had had. did whatever stuck him in this thing have just that sheer luck finding a body, or was that obnoxious hairstyle just inexplicably tied to his soul now-? (he can feel Black huffing her laughter in his mind, she'd had the option of a body with matching fur to her namesake color, but his quintessence had bleached his new little mane going in. or… something to that effect, at least. he'd gotten much more fluent in translating her thoughts and images into words in that void of her mind, but a year could only teach you so much with a whole universe's worth of cultural (and species) divide.)

rolling the steel grey eyes- again just like his own- or would it be former? body ("windows to the soul", a quote surfaces in his memory), he goes back to plotting out this new vessel. It's quite fluffy, but he can make out two long ears that remind him of a rabbit. the hind legs are elongated like one too, though not to the extent an Earth's species' would be, he thinks. The tail poking out just behind them is short too, but reminds him more of the grouchy old cat his grandmother kept when he was growing up. opening his mouth, the similarities to the old bobtail seem to extend to its dentition too, pointed fangs indicative of whatever species this was being at least some sort of predator. Life hadn't been kind to the former inhabitant, and not just that this body had been recently vacated. nicks are evident on an ear, and he'd bet the unkempt fur covered up at least a few scars of its own. But thankfully none of his own scars had seemingly crossed over on top of the rest. he can very much feel his (formerly) missing arm… paw? and he starts when it finally dawns on him just how much easier his breathing is without that huge scar marring the bridge of his nose.

the team arrive to find Black lying in a covered clearing of sorts, calm as can be, and shields down. nothing seems amiss but as they get closer, Lance with his sharpshooting eye is the first to spot something on Black's muzzle. with everyone on edge after the clone, even the local fauna don't get a pass from their scrutiny and they ready their weapons, but the moment a charge starts to hum the shields slam up, startling them.

(the clone = Ryou/Jiro/Taka, Shiro’d called him many things watching him from his place in Black, which is absolutely of course not just an excuse I’m making up because I can’t decide what he decides to go by so I just keep using them interchangeably sorry if it’s confusing D:)

Once the team collects Black and her finally returned passenger, Shiro absolutely is constantly sitting on Ryou's head, or riding on his shoulder, or just generally hanging out around the clone.

(Honestly, at first it's also because he's not entirely sure he trusts anyone, clone or not, not to do anything rash and he'll be damned if he's not be there to prevent another tragedy.)

(He's still rather indignant on the man's behalf, honestly, and even if he can somewhat see why the group reacted how they did he doesn't accept their actions. And he's been watching the guy through Black basically the whole time, it was so obvious to him the poor kid was being controlled against his will. Not to mention his reaction afterward, how he doesn't trust himself and is afraid of hurting anyone even tied up and literally disarmed in the back of the cockpit the group is convened in. Maybe Black has rubbed off on him with treating her chosen paladins as cubs to be protected, but he sees him almost as a little brother and it rubs him the wrong way how he's being treated by the group. So even if the comfort he can offer him is little and a bit strange, he'll chill on his leg for hours for a nap and some eventual fingers combing through his fur when the clone is finally distracted enough to not be thinking about it.)

It’s possible Shiro had been part of Black long enough to pick up how to communicate through the lion's bond, and uses it to talk to his new little brother. (It’s certainly a lot easier than constant, neverending charades)

Telling the kid to ask the others to remove the restraints, to which Jiro steadfastedly refuses, half because he's afraid of himself, the other because (to the other's confusion, since they only hear the clone talking out loud) they absolutely would not believe that the request isn't just his own and he was making it all up. Gets kind of heated because Shiro just will not let it go despite his refusal, because to him he obviously isn't dangerous and doesn't see the problem here. He's been disconnected from the problems of the living for a bit too long perhaps, and while he knows on a level there’s distrust between the team and the clone, and even the clone with himself, because he's seen the man’s soul and has known him much longer in a metaphysical sense he kinda forgets others don’t automatically see in that way.

There's one point early on, that the group first learns Shiro can (and has been) talking through the mind link to him. Lance notices the small fluffy body half inside of his bag, rummaging around through his toiletries. He’s been going crazy with all the extra fur on this body (it might even be shedding season for the creature, and it's just so. damn. ITCHY.) and he's desperate enough he’s resorted to getting the scissors he knows are hiding in there out himself. Except no one knows what he's doing and eventually break to come ask the clone if he knows what the fuck is going on and what he's trying to tell them, to which he's like, he wants you to trim down the fur?? he's been driving me insane complaining about it the past few days?? can he not tell you himself?? (he thought Shiro could and had been talking to the others just like he had been to him the whole time. and was just choosing to complain and annoy him constantly for whatever reason instead of asking them himself)

Piloting the lions in a battle the first time is... not great. There's a nearby planet being attacked and Red nothing short of demands her pilot back, allowing Blue a perfect excuse to grab Lance again, because Black's got two perfectly semi-functional pilots right here, so really, what's the problem? the paladins eventually figure since Black refuses to respond to Keith and Red is practically banging down the door to his mind while ignoring Lance that it's better to have four lions than two and fly in their original configuration, leaving Allura to pilot the remains of the castle to a safe distance since the weapons and shields are damn near useless in a fight right now.

None of the paladins would want to fly with Jiro, and he doesn't trust himself enough to do it even if they would, but Shiro can't exactly reach the controls right now and she's been out of the battle long enough and the galra are converging and ffs, Black just has to do everything herself now doesn't she... Cue a very terrifying sudden scene of his body going lax with a blank look on the poor clone's face, eyes glowing the bright yellow of the giant lion as he robotically stands up and goes straight to the awaiting lion's maw, ignoring or discarding any restraint with impossible strength as the Alteans and company scramble to stop him, only to ram into metal or shield as the lion scoops them both up, apparently tired of waiting. (They didn't notice, but the small passenger's body clinging to the material of his shirt had also gone ramrod straight, but Black is very much telling both of them to Cat Up and just get over here already)

thankfully they don't have to form Voltron, since there's absolutely no way they'd be able to just then, even if the rest of the team somehow thought only the "real" Shiro was at the controls. after the battle Black finally allows the others to enter, and en masse they burst in to find The Traitor™ sitting in the seat, lone hand on one part of the controls, Real Shiro™™ situated on his knee, paws resting on the other half. Clone is eyeing them guiltily, but not moving in order not to jostle his passenger, who’s just now turning to look at the small audience, blinking owlishly as he finally manages to disengage from Black's direct connection. (he's spent so long enveloped in that nebulous and vast mindspace he needs to remember he has a body to return to now, mismatched as it is.)

---

and now some pictures! pro-tip, turns out it’s much harder to mix together a cat and bunny than i’d ever expected like what??? ah well, have a doodle of The Fur Boi

And a little pre- vs post- haircut inspo:

#vld #vld au #vld shiro #voltron #headspacedad #mine #answrs does plotshells #how tf do you tag this #ive never written voltron before and it shows omf

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smolstrawberrychara · 4 years

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October Klance Prompts - 28/10 - Alien

I saw alien and immediately thought: Galra Keith. So it’s a Galra Keith fic! And longer than all my other 3 combined ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Summary: Lance aims to make this next mission a romantic one as he and Keith land on a new planet. But when rumours start spreading of monsters appearing at night, Lance notices Keith acting strangely and the planet becomes a little more spooky. (Hurt, comfort and love ♥)

Also on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21071726/chapters/50576729

The sun was setting by the time Lance and Keith landed planet side. The descent had gone smoothly, no laser fire or homing missiles or field of thorns to land in. Lance was feeling pretty good. But maybe that was more to do with the fact that this was a two-person mission - a couples-mission if you would - with Lance’s one and only crush.

It had been a few months now that he’d noticed his feet turned to springs every time he walked around Keith. There was a little wriggle in his stomach every time someone mentioned him. And time always seemed too short when they talked. It was rosy - Lance knew that - but it was bubbling like wine.

The two were getting closer. The wriggles in Lance’s belly more like barrel rolls. And one long night at the Byzantee’s liberation ball, they were an eyelash’s width away from kissing. They’d been edging closer all night, goading each other into eating strange foods, laughing at how the Byzantee stumbled drunkenly around despite being slug-like and sturdy. They’d made their escape into the halls, hiding under dark wooden walls, leaning in close. Their voices were hushed, Keith’s breath warm, heart rushing.

And then Hunk came crashing through.

One hand threw them apart, the other clamped over his mouth whilst his panicking eyes shouted, ‘MOVE MOVE MOVE’. It would be safe to say, the mood was lost.

Which is what made this mission so important. Not the so-called Galra presence Lance wasn’t detecting along the cobbled streets. And Keith seemed to feel it too, striding between the hodge-podge of town houses with his face to the sky, breathing in the sunset.

“Seems pretty safe if you ask me.” Lance commented, noticing the pots of flowers lining the curbs. He could have very well been in a small English town if it wasn’t for the luminescent petals and the tall bees stalking over them as if on stilts.

Keith hummed. Then he shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “We should go watch the sunset.”

That was easier than expected.

“Sure!” Lance cried, and he did a little hop as he fell into step next to Keith. “I saw a hill up ahead, wanna go up there?”

“Sounds good.”

Conveniently, the residents of the town had built a winding stone path into the hillside, meaning Lance’s thighs were spared the ache of a direct climb. They hadn’t seen many of the residents, Lance noted. In town the population kept to themselves, raking beady eyes down the two before popping into shops or houses. On the hill, only a single man had passed them. He was a near giant, lumbering down the pass on trunk-like legs. Yet, when he spotted the two, he ducked his hat and hid his eyes as if trying to hide.

“Is there a native species to this planet?” Lance asked Keith as they hopped off the path at a spot Keith had deemed decent.

“Dunno.” Keith answered, moving onto the ground and swivelling around until he had one knee up and one knee down. Then he patted the grass next to him, curling his elbow against his knee and sending Lance a lazy smile. “Does it matter?”

Lance’s knees buckled.

“I-it’s just, everyone I’ve seen...” Lance felt his cheeks flame. He was rambling. And wobbling. And making unnecessary observations about diversity. He threw himself onto the grass before he could say anymore.

“Pidge said it was a common immigration planet.” Keith offered, wearing a sly smile as he turned to the sky, “Like a safe-haven.”

Lance breathed. At least Keith seemed calm.

“Damn Galra,” he hissed, awkwardly sticking his hands into the grass, “how many people have they got to displace? We’ve got a whole planet here!”

Keith was too busy gazing out at the sunset to respond and Lance was too busy fussing over his foot placements to notice. There were a few wispy clouds tinged in pink sailing across the sky and when Lance finally stopped fidgeting, he could appreciate just how calming it was to watch them - like boats bobbing on the sea. He could almost feel the salty air tugging on his hair, hear the rhythmic clanking of sails on masts and feel the sand slipping between his toes. Lance let his head fall towards his shoulder.

“It’s nice here,” he said.

“But?

Lance sighed. “But it’s not Earth.”

For him, the sky was just a little too golden, sun a little too big - and there was no denying it was beautiful - but Earth’s had a rawness unmatched by space. The cooling temperatures, the lengthening shadows, the blues fading and changing. It was a new experience every time - and yet never a disappointment.

Besides, there was no ocean here. Lance knew logically there were plenty of places to watch the sun set on earth without ever even acknowledging the ocean, but he’d never seen the point. Maybe he was just biased. Or homesick. Probably the latter.

“It’s kinda like Earth,” Keith offered, curling over his knee once again like a lazy cat. “Green grass. Single sun. Someone interrupting the quiet every five seconds.”

Lance made an offended noise. He was about to defend himself when he found Keith smiling up at him and forgot what he was angry about. Lance had always liked it when Keith relaxed. Especially like this, when Lance could observe the softness of his planes and the way his cheek squashed into his eye, pushing against the angle of his knee. But, here, in the gold light of evening, the boy was infinitely sweeter and despite his misgivings with where they were, Lance found himself smiling too.

“It’s not Cuba.” He said, without nearly enough sadness.

“That’s it’s not.” Keith agreed.

They turned back to the sky.

“You’d like Cuba.” Lance said suddenly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Why’s that?”

Lance grinned. “Because you like me.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but Lance did not miss the amused puff of air that left his nose. He didn’t comment. Just shook his shoulders in a smug sort of way, the warmth of triumph sinking into his chest.

It was peaceful as the evening drew on, the two watching the sun sink down in relative quiet. Lance found himself relaxing into the grass almost sleepily, rolling his head closer to Keith with every comment. But as the circle started to melt, there was some shuffling from behind. Lance glanced over his shoulder just as a woman broke the hilltop behind them. She froze, staring. Then she shook her head, turning back once again.

“Odd.” Lance commented, turning back around. Keith shrugged, copying Lance’s stance by kicking out his legs and leaning back on his elbows.

“Probably wanted our spot.”

But as the sun continued to fall, a couple walked passed, and Lance couldn’t help notice how their conversation turned to whispers as their footsteps grew louder. Then an old man showed up.

“You should get inside.” He called out, shaking his head as he leaned heavy on his walking stick. “Not safe.”

Lance looked him over. He was a thin kind of alien, wearing an oversized jacket and red woollen hat. His skin was leathery and hung loose on his cheek bones, reminding Lance of the old fisherman back home. Only this fisherman had skin bluer than the sea and raised bumps on his forehead like the shell of a turtle. Keith raised an eyebrow, prompting Lance to call back.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine sir, thank you for worrying!”

The man tutted. Then he turned muttering to himself. Lance could feel a chill run along his neck. But the sun wasn’t fully set yet.

“There’s monsters out here y’know!”

Lance jolted at the shout. Spinning around he found another alien, with curling white hair and deep magenta skin.

“Monsters.” She repeated. Her tongue slid between her teeth like a snake and Lance shuddered.

“Thanks!” He cried, because he didn’t know what else to do. “Will bear that in mind!”

He turned back with a nervous laugh, staring intently at the sun. He wished it wasn’t so low.

“Monsters!” She repeated, voice shrill and loud. “You ought to be inside.”

“YES THANK YOU.” Lance yelped. Why couldn’t sunsets make sounds? And if they did, why couldn’t they come with a remote so he could turn it up?

“Don’t you hear me!?”

“Yep! We got it!”

The woman huffed angrily. “GET INSIDE!”

Lance squeezed his fists into the grass. He hadn’t wanted a shouting match this evening. Hadn’t wanted to feel this angry. But it burned through his eyes as he glared red at the sun.

“WE WILL LATER!”

There was a tut. “You better.”

Lance wanted to punch her. But she said no more. And as the quiet returned, Lance assumed she left. Still, he didn’t dare turn around. Just glared at the sun until it disappeared. Stupid aliens ruining stupid sunsets. How were they supposed to be romantic when people kept talking about monsters and danger?

“Lance?”

“What?” Lance snapped before remembering where he was. “Sorry.”

“S’okay,” Keith said, laughing softly. “You wanna go?”

Lance didn’t respond right away.

Keith spoke again, “you okay?”

Lance shrugged. Then he frowned. Then he found himself pulling his jacket closer around his shoulders as he talked. “I know monsters aren’t real...”

“But?”

Lance shook his head. Climbing to his feet, he offered out a hand and pulled Keith up too. “Rumours don’t come from nowhere.”

Keith squeezed his hand. “This planet’s safe.”

“I know.” Lance said, but found himself unable to let go as he looked down at the grass.

“You’re a paladin of Voltron,” Keith continued, ducking down to catch his eye, “maybe not an official monster hunter but I’d place a pretty good bet on you in a fight against one.”

Lance smirked. “Really? You have a bad habit of losing bets.”

“That’s because they’re always against you.”

Lance started laughing. “You wanna bet?”

Keith punched him in the arm.

“Come on, monsters or not, it’s getting late.”

“Sure,” Lance sang. It was as if Keith had sucked all the fear from him with just a few choice words. And Lance began ambling down the path after him feeling giddy once more, “wouldn’t want Prince Charming losing out on his beauty sleep. Less than eight hours and you’ll be the monster everyone’s avoiding.”

Keith turned back to glare and it filled Lance with glee. He couldn’t help it as he threw his head back and laughed. He’d made a habit of pushing his luck around Keith, but he got the feeling the other didn’t really mind.

Town was much less welcoming now they were walking at dusk. Curtains were closed, shutters hurriedly being placed onto windowsills and any passers-by setting a brisk pace with hats pulled low. The inn sat centre of the street, metal sign swinging shrilly in the wind. Keith ducked inside, ahead of Lance, pulling at his jacket sleeves. He seemed to have made a habit of that since re-entering town. Lance had assumed the boy wasn’t affected by the cold given his habit of sweating profusely on the fridge they called a castle, but maybe it was a case of strong winds and a barely-there jacket.

Nobody was manning reception when they arrived, so Lance dinged the bell. Swinging on his toes as he waited, he noticed Keith scratching at his arm, glimpsing irritated skin.

“You okay?” He asked. Keith immediately pulled down his sleeve.

“M’fine.”

It was a rather abrupt reply. And Keith purposely turned his stare up to the keys lining the wall to cut off any further conversation. His hand was glued to his sleeve.

“Really?” Lance asked unbelieving, “thought you might have got yourself a rash given how you can’t leave your arm alone.”

Keith’s eyes widened a fraction before they flickered down to his arm. His fingers tightened around his wrist.

“It’s nothing.” He said. Then he met Lance’s gaze and shrugged guiltily. “I mean, it’s a rash. I’ll ask Coran when we get back.”

Lance hummed. It was nice to hear he intended to get help, but Keith sounded very unsure of the whole ordeal.

“If it gets worse tell me.”

Keith didn’t answer. But it didn’t matter because at that moment, their conversation was interrupted by heavy footsteps and swishing fabric.

“Hello?”

An alien appeared at the door, dressed in a coat that reached the floor and a floppy hat that did not match the season. They had speckled skin, of indigo and white, though it was only just visible on their chin as the brim of their hat fell low enough to touch their white lips.

“Hi!” Lance greeted brightly, waving briefly, “we’re looking for a room. Just a few nights. Two beds?”

The alien pursed their lips, forming a heart shape.

“A few nights.” They repeated uncertainly. “It’s the waxing moon you realise?”

“Uhh...” Lance looked to Keith but he looked just as lost as Lance felt. “No?”

“You mustn’t go out.”

“What? Why?”

“The waxing moon.” Is all the explanation the alien gave before spinning around and grabbing a set of keys. They threw them down on the counter loudly.

“Monsters.” They said, squeezing the metal under gloved fingers. “They come out at night. The full moon asks of it.”

“O-kay?”

Lance was starting not to like this place at all, glancing to Keith for help. But he wasn’t looking. His hand was scratching his arm again and he was staring out the window, as if watching something.

“Keith?” Lance prompted, nudging an elbow into his side.

“What? I’m fine.” Keith snapped, shoving his arm behind his back. “These the keys?” He said flatly to the server. The alien nodded, passing them over.

“It’s a suite.” They said, “two bedrooms, one bathroom, a shared sitting space. It’s located on the second floor. Enjoy.”

Lance didn’t feel the genuine intent of that last instruction, the flat delivery and immediate disappearance of their host offering no comfort whatsoever.

“Should we-” Lance began but Keith was already stamping up the stairs. “Hey wait!”

Keith went straight to his room without another word.

Lance was a light sleeper at the best of times. But with the unnerving town and talk of monsters he’d fallen into a restless slumber. So, when there was a crash of falling glass, he sprang up instantly.

“Keith?” He called out. The wind was rumbling overhead, and only the rattling roof tiles gave answer. A cold tickle of air slipped under the window break, and crawled around his neck. With a shudder Lance leapt out of bed. “KEITH!”

There was the sudden slam of a door. “I’m fine!”

Lance jumped at the noise. Then he processed who it was and slumped breathlessly into the wall. “You scared me. What’s going on, are you alright?”

“Yeah!” Keith cried. Lance slipped out his bedroom. “Just dropped a glass. I’ll get another from downstairs.”

Lance stopped short. “Wait, you’re leaving the apartment?”

The night suddenly felt a lot colder. Lance pulled on his shirt sleeves.

“I uh already have...” Keith called back. Lance realised now the hall light was glowing around the front door and Keith’s bedroom was wide open.

“I’ll come with you!” Lance shouted, throwing himself back into his room to grab a jacket.

“NO!”

Lance tripped over his own feet. “What, why not!?”

“I mean... I’m fine. It’s not far. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Hurried footsteps followed and Lance was left bewildered. He was still midway to the floor, bulk of his jacket gripped between tense fingers, but with Keith’s sudden retreat he was left slowly rebalancing. It was odd. Lance had thought they’d built a kind of report in the last few months where they did things together, even if it wasn’t necessary. Just a kind of habit of keeping company. It was hard not to feel a little hurt at the betrayal. Lance clutched the jacket to his chest.

The room wasn’t so dark now his eyes had adjusted. But that only made the whole thing worse. The shadows all looked menacing, Lance caught flashes of horns and figures before he refocused on chairs and clothes. He sunk into the wall. Keith would be back soon. Lance wouldn’t be alone for much longer. So he settled into fiddling with the material of his pockets. Keith would be back soon, he repeated to himself like a mantra, as his eyes blinked slower and slower and the floor seemed to get closer and closer. He didn’t hear the latch of the door before he fell asleep.

The next day was weirder than the first. Lance had a crick in his neck and a bad temper. He’d intended to wait Keith out the night before, standing against the wall in order to stay awake long enough to hear the latch click. But it never did. And Lance woke up slouched between the wall and hard floor with a painful dent in his face formed by the zip of his jacket.

Instinctively, he blamed Keith for his pain. But the boy wasn’t acting early nsmug enough for it to feel right. In fact, Keith was keeping very quiet. Over breakfast he took on a distant look, skin pale and eyes rimmed with red. Lance had asked how he’d slept, a subtle way of promoting his own poor night and Keith had rushed out a yes before hurriedly throwing down his knife and fork and jetting off to the bathroom.

That didn’t exactly answer Lance’s question. And left him with many more.

Maybe Keith was just having stomach problems? Not everyone was as open as Lance was about these things. He had the excuse that you couldn’t afford not to be open in a house with eight other people. But Keith had lived alone and had a general habit of keeping to himself, so Lance decided not to push. Instead, he suggested they do another check of the town.

“If we don’t see anymore Galra, we could ask around,” Lance offered as they began their trek, “maybe people will be more welcoming when they see we want to help.”

Keith grunted, shrugging on his jacket. Lance noticed the mark on his skin was gone.

“Your rash looks better.”

Keith jolted like he’d been shot with electricity.

“What!?” He spluttered, pulling down his sleeves with the desperation of a teenage boy covering up a new tattoo.

“Your rash?” Lance repeated uncertainly, “it’s gone.”

“Oh...” Keith peaked down his sleeves and relaxed at whatever he saw. Lance couldn’t help noting the fact he wasn’t allowed to see anything. Between this and the odd disappearance at breakfast, Lance felt a mighty need to speak.

“You know being ill isn’t a crime.” He said rather huffily. “You don’t need to cover it up.”

“What?”

Lance scoffed. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Yes. I am.” Keith hissed, before throwing a hand through his hair and getting caught in the knots. “I’m just not ill.”

“You sure don’t look it.”

“I said I’m not.” Keith snapped, glare sharper now his hair wasn’t in the way. Lance raised his hands in surrender.

“Okay.”

Keith didn’t seem to notice, gritting out another warning. “Just drop it.”

“I said okay!” Lance cried, exasperated at the lack of attention Keith was showing.

“Good.” The other all but growled out. Then he strode ahead, beelining towards the streets they hadn’t checked yesterday. Lance scoffed. He didn’t particularly want to follow now that Keith had irked him but didn’t have much of a choice. The mission came first and all. At least, that’s what Keith always said.

The villagers had struck Lance as mice the day before. And to some extent they still did today, scurrying away every time Lance got close to even looking at them. But they had become a little bolder. Only where Keith was concerned, but bolder none the less. They openly stared at him - some smiling almost sympathetically as they passed. They paid Lance no such favours. But with Keith, they’d seemed to have struck some sort of kinship, one even going as so far as to nod at him. It irritated Lance. He was supposed to be the friendly one. But it seemed to unnerve Keith. He nodded awkwardly back, ducked his head at their smiles, and began glancing around more wildly as they went on.

Lance didn’t like this. He began walking closer and in a sheer stroke of confidence, he brushed their knuckles together in the hopes of offering some sort of comfort. The first time, Keith just stepped further away, seemingly unaware of the purpose behind the gesture. And the second time he just shoved his hands in his pockets, craning his head around the opposing alley.

So Lance shoved his hands in his own pockets.

“Maybe we should start talking to villagers?”

“No!”

It was the most convinced Keith had sounded all day. His eyes went wide, and he stiffened like he’d seen a ghost. He seemed to notice Lance’s shock as he immediately went limp again and avoided his gaze.

“I mean, they don’t seem to like you much. Maybe we should split up?”

Lance sucked on his teeth. Whilst it was true the people had not appeared to take a shine to Lance, he didn’t much like to hear it.

“Right.” He said, trying not to let the bitterness ring out on the ‘t’ sound. “You go ask questions and I’ll do what? Keep walking around uselessly?”

Keith finally had the guts to look guilty now. His brows tilted in pain, and his lips squashed together. “Yes?”

Lance tutted. This made Keith panic.

“Not uselessly! Umm... just investigate? Check for bases and uhh... Galra stuff?”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“I-“ Keith began before sighing, “I’m not.”

He scuffed his boot against the curb. “I don’t know what’s going on here. And I don’t like it.“

Lance paused. Keith had lost the brashness of before, and the strange flighty behaviour was gone. Instead, he seemed lost. But more than that, he was willing to admit it. And that stood out to Lance more than all the throw away comments. Without another thought he stepped forward and squeezed Keith’s arm.

“It’s okay.” He soothed, staying within the others space like a satellite around a planet. “I don’t know what’s up with this town either. If there are Galra, I don’t know why they’re hiding. And if there aren’t, then these monsters are probably freaky enough. We’ll do our best though, right?”

“Right.” Keith agreed to the floor. Then he looked up, giving Lance one of his soft smiles. One that Lance hadn’t nearly seen enough of in the last few days. It made him stand stronger in his conviction.

“You go talk, I’ll go walk.”

Keith’s smile somehow grew warmer. “Okay.”

Lance wasn’t sure how long the walking and talking was supposed to last. But it was already sundown when Lance re-entered the town. There’d been no bases out in the fields, and no missile launchers hidden under basements. It was all rather too sweet and homely. Lance was starting to doubt the accuracy of Pidge’s intel. Maybe their coordinates had been wrong? Either way Lance was coming back empty handed. And the dark streets were even creepier on his own. Lance hurried along, pulling his jacket close to his body. Why hadn’t he headed back sooner?

There was a bang and Lance stumbled.

“Hello?” He called, like an idiot who wanted to get murdered. There was a second noise, a scraping of metal this time, coming from the alley way filled with bins. Lance crept forward. “Someone out there?”

Nothing now. Just the sprawling silence of night. He dug out his phone from his pocket and flicked on the torch. “Hello?”

Swishing the light along the alley he caught glimpses of shiny black sacks and food packets spilling on the floor. Lance drew out his breath. It was just fairy stories tricking his mind. Casually, he flicked the light back. Then something jumped into the beam and he nearly fell backwards. The shadow. It was like a bat ear. Lance threw the light around, glimpsing claws, fur, purple. Galra. Lance was stuck frozen a moment. Then the adrenaline kicked in and he was running, pelting down the pavement with his heart beating loud in his ears. Why were the Galra here!? On a quiet planet in the middle of the night. Lance burst into the alley but the Galra had a head start. And they ran at double speed, heavy boots stomping through the alley. Claws whined against stone as they scrambled for the corner, disappearing fast. Lance slammed into the wall, panting at the retreating figure. A Galra. Here of all places. Hiding in the shadows. Lance couldn’t understand why he hadn’t seen one sooner. Then it clicked. The monsters that appeared at night. They were Galra! Lance sprinted back to the hotel.

“Keith!” He yelled only halfway down the corridor. “KEITH!”

Skidding into their door, Lance banged his fists in the wood. “The Galra! They’re the monsters! Open up we need to go!”

There was no answer.

“Keith?”

Lance leant his head against the door, getting his breath back. Maybe Keith was still out?

“I’ll go get the spare keys.” Lance muttered, smacking the door once more before running off again. His plan formed naturally in his head. Grab weapons. Find Keith. Hunt Galra. So caught up in these thoughts, Lance forgot to pay attention as he ran and the next moment he was colliding with a huge mass.

“Sorry!” Lance cried, stumbling towards the floor. In a stroke of luck, he managed to get his footing just before his nose hit the ground but his triumph was short lived when he heard the sound of crashing behind him. Clearly, his opponent hadn’t been spared the same fate. Lance spun around, worry about to spill from his lips when he came to an abrupt halt.

Across the hall was a Galra. There was no way to deny it - indigo skin, large bat-like ears, blown pupils and yellow irises. But that’s not what caught Lance’s attention. Because across the hall from him was someone familiar. And the petrified look smacked across their face was so wrong it made his stomach turn leaden.

“Keith?”

“Don’t look!” Keith shouted, throwing his hands to his face. “Please.”

His ears drooped - large purple ones covered in fur - and he attempted to hide under his shoulders. But Lance couldn’t stop looking. Even with his hands over his face, Lance could see how Keith’s skin had changed - texture like a peach, colour of a plum. His shape was the same, but his features were sharper. Or maybe just more striking in this palate. Either way, Lance had never seen Keith like this before. He wanted to speak but moved instead. And that was a mistake as Keith flinched back.

“Don’t!” He yelled, eyes flashing gold. He was trembling, curling into the corner where the floor met the wall. “I’ll be fine in the morning, okay? Just- don’t look. Please.”

He wasn’t looking at Lance. But the cracks in his voice made Lance sure if he saw his face in that moment, it would break his heart. Lance hated this place in an instant. Hated the whole universe for making his best friend cower on the floor. But more than that, he was filled with a mighty need to see Keith standing with his usual strength once again. So Lance stepped forward, more carefully than before and bent into a crouch.

“Keith?” He called quietly. The boy slowly lifted his head, hesitant but willing. And when he did, Lance brought his hands up, cupping Keith’s cheeks and sweeping his thumbs along the plump lift in his skin. “Please don’t hide.”

Then he tilted forward, capturing Keith’s lips in his own. It was gentle, Lance slowly letting his warmth spread through Keith. But not without purpose. With every moment of the kiss, Lance wanted Keith to feel that he wasn’t alone. That he was loved. That he had no reason to be scared. And when they parted, Lance felt a little giddy, eyes catching on the shine lining Keith’s lips.

“You- why’d you-?” Keith stammered, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“Kiss you?” Lance supplied, leaning back with a sly grin, “because I wanted to.”

Keith gawped. Then glanced away and that’s where the gawping ended. He seemed to remember where he was, who he was, and his cheeks burned bright red. He pulled back out of Lance’s hands.

“You shouldn’t have.”

“Why not?”

“Because!” Keith cried, eyes suddenly flashing yellow, “I’m a Galra! I’m a monster! Even without the freaky moonlight, nothing’s going to change that! It’s in my dna!”

The words were harsh, and they left splinters in Lance’s ears. But he felt no less determined.

“You’re not a monster.” Lance said firmly. “Never have been.”

Then he reached out, tracing his fingers around Keith’s jaw, noticing how the soft hairs moved with him. “And Galra or not, who you are has nothing to do with the looks on your face or the genes in your bones.”

“But-” Keith began. His eyes became watery, words holding half the fight they had before. And a moment later, the boy collapsed all together, falling into Lance’s chest. “What about the team?” He asked wetly, twisting his fingers into the front of Lance’s shirt. “Allura. And Pidge. They hate Galra.”

Lance shook his head. Curling his arms around Keith, he pulled him closer, burying his nose in his hair.

“They don’t.” He said softly, pressing a kiss behind Keith’s ear, and inhaling the earthy scent. “They hate what happened. They like you.”

Keith’s ear twitched. He snuggled in closer, almost like he was trying to hide.

“And you?”

The question was spoken so quietly Lance might have missed it. But the vulnerability made it impossible to. Lance looked down at the boy in his arms. A lump of purple and fluff clinging to his chest like a koala. And couldn’t understand how anyone could hate such a gentle person. Someone who only showed strength in adversity, chose kindness even though he’d suffered so much. Lance burned with a sudden illogical feeling of injustice. Because Keith deserved to be happy. Just like anyone else.

“Of course I like you.” It seemed too obvious to even say. Lance didn’t go around kissing just anyone after all.

“And what about the Galra?” Keith asked, or more mumbled. Lance felt the movement of it right against his neck and was almost too distracted to answer. But he knew how important this conversation was. So, squeezing Keith tight, he answered honestly.

“The Galra aren’t evil.” He said, with a sort of finality that made it cement in his mind. “There are good Galra. And there are bad Galra. Just like humans. There are confused Galra and then, there’s survivors. Like you.”

Lance pulled back, reaching between them to take Keith’s hand and tangle their fingers together. “You’re scared?”

Keith nodded weakly. “What if they hate me?”

The way his voice wavered broke Lance’s heart.

“They won’t.” He pressed, tugging Keith’s hand up to his lips to kiss along his knuckles. “I won’t.”

He continued pressing kisses to the purple skin as he spoke, “and if anyone decides to dislike you for your biology then more fool them.” And then, because the thought made Lance’s lips widen uncontrollably, he added, “and more you for me,’ before kissing all they way up Keith’s arm and landing right in the crook of his neck. Keith squirmed under he attention but there were hints of laughter in his breaths so Lance decided not to stop. He pressed a final kiss under his jaw, humming against the sensitive skin before finally hooking his chin over Keith’s shoulder and pulling them into embrace once again.

“What if I stay like this forever?” Keith asked. His words were vibrations across Lance’s chest, but they carried a weight that sunk much deeper.

“You won’t.” Lance assured, remembering their previous conversations with the receptionist and the strange people on the hill, all about the moon and monsters that only came out at night. He realised now, they were probably just nervous of outsiders seeing their Galra traits and Lance could understand why; a seed of guilt planting in his stomach when he thought of the awful things he’d said about the Galra. And he realised then what he needed to say.

“But it wouldn’t matter if you did.”

Lance leaned back now, fixing Keith with a determine look.

“You’re you Keith.” He said softly, brushing at the tears trailing the others cheeks. “You’re kind. You’re brave. You’re stupid. You’re Galra. You’re everything you are. And you don’t need to be ashamed of any of it.”

Keith’s lashes fluttered as he looked down, cheek poking Lance’s fingers. “I am though.”

The words rang heavy in the quiet room. Lance knew the feeling. Of wanting to hide. The fear of not being good enough, of somehow being wrong. It wasn’t a pleasant one. But it wasn’t one he’d defeated yet either.

“Sometimes,” he said, voice unexpectedly raw. He coughed, clearing his throat, but it didn’t help much. “Sometimes it feels like the world wants to hate us. And sometimes it’s hard not to agree. But we don’t have to.”

He pulled Keith close again, tangling his fingers into his hair. “I don’t like who I am sometimes. And sometimes it’s really hard to fight those thoughts.” There were prickles forming in his eyes, but Lance pressed forward. “But I don’t want to feel like that forever.”

The feeling glowed like a fire in the pit of his stomach slowly taking form. It wasn’t roaring yet, just embers dancing around a fat wooden log. But it would. And Lance took comfort in the fact that he would get there.

“We won’t.” Keith whispered back. “I’ll fight with you.”

And Lance felt it’s flames flicker a little brighter. With a sudden resolution, he buried a kiss into Keith’s neck, messy like a raspberry. “Thank you.” He murmured. It felt like more than just two words. He took a moment to feel them. Then Lance took in a lungful of air, and got to his feet, refreshed but no less exhausted.

“Come on,” he said, offering out a hand. “Let’s go to bed.”

Keith smiled shyly. Then he took it. And allowed himself to be led all the way back to the suite, into Lance’s room and into his bed.

It wasn’t much different from being on the floor really. Lance tugging Keith close until his head fit snuggly against his neck and their chests pressed firmly together. Only now, he could feel the soft drumming of Keith’s heart. And hear the peaceful ins and outs of his sleeping breaths, puffing gently over his skin. It was relaxing. And surrounded by the warmth of blankets and intimate embrace, Lance decided he’d found something to like about this planet. It was a haven.

#monthlyklance #klance #klance fic #klangst #galra keith #galra keith fic #klance hurt/comfort #voltron fanfic #My writing #my post

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fallout4reactsblog · 4 years

Note

(If you haven't already) Is it okay to ask if you can do a companions react to Danse being a synth? I have been looking for something like that for a while...

Cait: “You know, it is a damn shame. I bet under all that power armor and testosterone, he’s pretty cute.”

Sole chuckled, but attempted to hide it by frowning. It did not work. “Cait, this is a serious issue. We’re talking about a man’s life on the line here.”

“I am being serious. Are you saying you don’t think he’s good-looking under all that?”

“Well, I’m not saying that.” They opened another bottle of beer for each of them. “I happen to have actually seen him out of power armor. The view’s not bad, I guess.”

It was Cait’s turn to laugh as she accepted the beer, and after a moment, laid her head against sole’s shoulder. Why not, right? It was late, they were both a little tipsy, and what was the harm in a little gossip between friends?

“So, are you going to kill him?”

“Hopefully, he’ll be able to leave the Commonwealth, or at least find some peace here. I think Preston will take care of him, and working with the Minutemen will help.”

She frowned against their shoulder, not content with their response, and for a moment they were both quiet. The only sound in the night air was that of a light breeze through the grass, and a few chirping bugs. It was almost peaceful.

“I don’t get why you’d vouch for him. He’s a synth. Better off dead, if you ask me.”

“It’s complicated.” They pressed a cheek to her hair. “It will be hard to kill him, if I have to.”

“Reckon he’s taken care of that for you by this point?”

They sighed and took another drink from their beer. “I wouldn’t be surprised, but honestly, I’d rather discuss something else. It’s too nice a night for talk like this.”

Cait happily agreed and turned the conversation to other things.

Curie: She wanted to understand. Really, she did, but the things sole was saying just didn’t make sense.

“I do not understand why he would be so upset. Surely to be a synth is a good thing, no? I am very happy to have this body, synthetic though it may be.”

“Danse’s case is different, Curie. He thought he was a human.”

“But he is the same man, synth or no. What difference does it make? Though he has been indoctrinated to a certain way of thinking during his time with the Brotherhood, he must accept his true nature.”

“And he will. It’s just going to take some time for him to adjust. Just like it took time for you to get used to your new body.”

She hummed, curling her fingers into the grass. “I suppose that makes sense. It is a new way of life for him.”

“You get it. He’ll get used to the idea eventually.”

“Oh, but I had you to help me.” Gently, she nudged them with her shoulder. “There must be some way in which we can help him, yes? Some exercise or task that he could do to improve his mindset? Before, we could have perhaps sought the council of a therapist, but finding one seems unlikely these days.”

They laughed softly beside her and agreed. “Maybe you could teach him how to make some of the more science-based weapons mods. Exposure to other synths could help.”

“A wonderful idea! Perhaps I could even discuss with him an automatic chems applicator for his power armor suit...”

She continued on, bouncing ideas off of sole, and hoped that at least one of them would work.

Deacon: “You’re kidding.”

“Cross my heart.” Sole rather dramatically traced an “X” over their sternum. “He’s a synth.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

Deacon rocked back on his heels, trying to remember if maybe Danse had been through the Railroad before. There was something awfully familiar about his face, but that could just be because Deacon had seen him around before. After all, he’d met a lot of people; he couldn’t be expected to remember all of their names.

“I was gonna ask Dez or Tom if maybe he was one of yours. It might be easier to know he escaped, rather than that he’s a replacement, you know? Might make him feel more human.”

“Sure, I can ask around.” In the back of his head, Deacon was still trying to remember is the designation M7-97 was familiar. “Someone will remember if he came through. Hell, Amari alone might be able to help.”

They nodded thoughtfully. “I was planning to stop by Goodneighbor anyway. It might not hurt to check in with her.”

“No harm in it. Just, you know, don’t get your hopes up. A lot of people get replaced in the Commonwealth. It happens every day. There’s no shame in being a replacement, either.”

“I know that, but he doesn’t.” They huffed in a way that perfectly portrayed their desire to help and their frustration with the situation. “I just want to give him what peace of mind I can.”

“And that’s very noble of you, boss.” He adjusted his sunglasses to wink at them over the top of the frame. “But be sure to tell him that, if he wants to start all over again, we’d be happy to help out.”

They chuckled, gently punching his arm. “I don’t think I’d ever convince him to do that, but I’ll make sure he knows.”

Gage: “We are killing him, right?”

Sole shot him a glare out of the corner of their eye. “That’s the third time you’ve asked. How many more times do you have to be told?”

“I just don’t want you getting any doubts in your head, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m not. And if you keep bothering me about it, I’ll go take care of it on my own. Is that clear?”

He rolled his eye. They’d been testy ever since they’d gotten the news, which was annoying. It wasn’t like the Brotherhood was good for anything, anyway. What did it matter if they were going to kill one of them. If he had his way, they’d kill the whole lot and be done with it, but sole insisted they still had a use, and they were the boss.

“It’s stupid to run,” he said, kicking at a rock in his path. “He has to know we’ll find him. He can’t hide forever.”

“He was scared. You’d run, if you heard I was after your head.”

“Fuck, of course I would. Difference is, I’d run straight the hell out of the Commonwealth and hope whatever I did wasn’t so bad you’d want to chase me.”

“To be fair, he doesn’t know that it’s me they’re sending. Maxson doesn’t even really know where he is, at least, not yet. They’re probably following us.”

“So let’s kill them.”

“Not yet.”

“It’s always, ‘not yet,’“ he huffed.

They shot him a look that clearly said he was testing their patience. “And until I say it is time, you’re gonna keep your finger off the trigger. Otherwise, you better start running now. I promise not to chase you past the Commonwealth.”

He shuddered at the thought of the Overboss tracking him out of town, and shook his head. “I just do what you tell me. You say, ‘don’t shoot,’ and I won’t.”

“Damn straight.”

Hancock: This had to be one of the strangest days Hancock had had in a long time.

“We’re talking about the same Danse, right? Tall, wears a can around, fluffy hair? Hates my guts?”

“That’s the one.”

“Him. He’s a synth. The guy who hates all ghouls, synths, supermutants, you name it, he’s the one out of all of us that turns out to be a synth.”

“I saw the data with my own eyes.” They shook their head. “There’s no faking that kind of stuff. He’s a synth.”

“Damn.”

He leaned his head back against the couch, staring up at the slowly rotting ceiling. Slowly, he reached over to put his hand on top of theirs.

“So, what are you gonna do?”

“They told me to kill him, but-” They sighed. “I want to at least hear him out, first. He deserves that much.”

“Well, let’s get going, then.” He stood, dusting off his jacket. “I’d hate to keep crew-cut waiting.”

“You don’t have to come. I know you two haven’t ever really gotten along.”

He snorted. “That’s an understatement. But, even if he and I aren’t pals, I’m not about to leave you high and dry. If we’re gonna do something, we’re gonna do it together, right?”

“Right.” With a sigh, they stood, pulling their bag up with them. “Let’s go.”

MacCready: “You have to admit that it’s a little funny.”

“It is not,” sole chided. “He’s had his whole life ripped away from him. It’s not a laughing matter.”

“You can’t say it isn’t ironic, at least.”

They huffed. “I suppose I can see the irony. But that doesn’t make it funny.”

“Maybe not in your eyes.”

They whacked him with a rolled-up Boston Bugle, pulling the swing back at the last minute so it barely tapped him. Still, there was a hint of a smile on their face.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, Mac. You’re a lost cause.”

“Probably.” He rifled through his pockets for his lighter. “But speaking of lost causes, what are you going to do about the tin can? Maxson told you to kill him, didn’t he?”

They nodded. “I suppose we’ll trek out there to Listening Post Bravo. At the very least, that’s where we’d have to go anyway. I just wondered if you had any thoughts about it.”

“No thoughts here. You point, I shoot. Just say the word.”

They folded their arms. “No thoughts? None at all? That doesn’t sound like you.”

He stuck his tongue out at them, still trying to light his cigarette. “No. The guy’s a synth. Do with that what you will.”

“Fine.” They stuck their tongue out back. “Then let’s get going.”

Nick: “Is he doing alright?”

Both he and sole glanced across the street to watch Danse fiddle with his power armor, something he’d been doing for damn near an hour. Nick didn’t think he’d done anything productive except maybe clean a rusty pin.

“He’s hanging in there.” They leaned back against the steps. “It’s not easy, but I don’t think anyone thought it would be.”

“Gotta admit, I’m not so sure I should be here. I might just be making things worse on him.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Maybe it’ll help warm him up to the idea.”

He shot them a deadpan look that he hoped read as unimpressed. “With a mug like this? Likely story.”

“I happen to like that mug of yours fine, so hush.”

They both turned back to the former Paladin in question, who was still staring at his power armor. Nick really did feel bad for the guy. It was hard to realize the things you thought you knew weren’t yours to begin with. He ought to know.

“He’ll be alright,” he said, attempting to provide some reassurance to his partner. “If there’s anything I can do...”

That earned him a smile. “Thanks, Nick.”

“Sure, anytime. Just make sure that you remember helping him sometimes might include telling me to beat it. I doubt anyone looks at me these days and wishes they were a synth, too.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m pretty sure what you look like is the furthest thing from his mind.”

He hummed noncommittally and returned to watching.

Piper: “You’re not going to do it.”

“Piper...”

“Blue, you can’t. He should at least have a chance to live his life in peace, right? Preston could recruit him to the Minutemen or something. It doesn’t have to end in violence.”

“I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’ll need the facts, first.”

“But he’s your friend. You’re not just going to kill him because he’s a synth. Nick’s a synth, too, isn’t he?”

“Piper.”

“I’m just telling you the truth. If he’s your friend, you should give him the chance to explain himself, and let him go. Not all synths are bad, and he doesn’t seem like a bad guy. A little misguided, maybe, and he’s probably got a little too much machismo for his own good, but that’s not a reason for him to die.”

“Piper, I’m not killing him.”

“Well, good!” She pulled her cap up out of her eyes. “You shouldn’t have to.”

“It’s just not going to be easy to convince him that I shouldn’t. The Brotherhood is all he has. When Maxson makes an order, he follows it without question, without fail. We’ll have to show him that an exception can be made in this case.”

“That’s the spirit, Blue. There’s nothing wrong with going against orders every now and then, right?”

They laughed. “Piper, I don’t think you’re the type of person who’s ever followed orders.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that...”

Preston: “Danse, do you have a minute?”

Former Paladin Danse looked surprised to see him. Carefully, he set the gun he was working on cleaning to the side.

“I suppose so. Is there a problem, Garvey?”

Already defensive. It hurt Preston to see a man, who had once been so confident and proud, suddenly feeling so afraid. Though he couldn’t deny that it was nice to have Danse on the side of the Minutemen, the circumstances were unfortunate, to say the least.

“Not at all. I just wanted to thank you for the effort you’ve been putting in around here. I know that everyone else appreciates it, too.” Gently, he rested a hand on Danse’s arm. “We’re all glad that you’re here, and if there’s anything you need, or any way I can help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Though Danse avoided his gaze, he could see a touch of relief on his face. “It’s the least I can do. After all, you’re all putting yourselves in the line of fire by harboring me here.”

Preston shook his head. “We just want to make sure you have a place to call home, Danse. You’ve been dealt a rough hand, and I wanted to make sure you were doing alright.”

“I’m... as expected, I suppose. Staying busy has been good. It’s nice to work.”

“The work helps?”

He nodded. “It’s difficult to be caught up in my own thoughts when I’m completing a task that requires my full attention. I appreciate that.”

“Well, there’s plenty of work to be done around here.” He patted the metal arm of the armor. “If you ever want to do some work for the other settlements, there’s plenty to be done. County Crossing just sent word about some ghouls. I was going to let the General know when they got back, but if you want it first, just say the word.”

“Certainly. I appreciate the consideration.”

He nodded, and though they went to their separate tasks, Preston did feel a little bit better.

X6: “So what are we supposed to do with him?”

Sole shrugged as they opened up a box of snack cakes, and extended the package to offer him one. “I’m really not sure. If nobody at the Institute knew he was a synth, then is there a point to bringing him in?”

“Of course.” X6 pulled one of the cakes out of the box. “All synths should be returned to the Institute. At the very least, we should see if we can get any information out of him. He could be a useful asset.”

They nodded, but their eyes were far away. The snack cake in their hand remained unopened.

“Ma’am/Sir, don’t let your fondness for him cloud your judgement.”

They sighed heavily. “But he’s a good man, X6. I don’t want to throw him to the wolves.”

“I know that your loyalties make it hard to be objective in this situation. But if he’s left by himself, he’ll be hunted for the rest of his life by people he once called friends. The Institute can keep him safe, perhaps give him a new purpose. He could make for a fine courser.”

“If he’d ever agree to that.”

He shrugged. “That would be his choice to make.”

“And what if I don’t bring him in?” Their eyes challenged him. “What would you do?”

He stared at them for a brief moment, contemplating his answer. They had been a good friend to him so far, and he trusted them nearly blindly. To grant them one small favor wouldn’t hurt anything, would it?

“I suppose I could turn a blind eye this once. But I wouldn’t advise crossing Father. You may not like the consequences.”

They nodded, offered him the box of snack cakes again, and turned the conversation to other things.

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masterweaverx · 4 years

Text

Homestuck and D&D, two great tastes that probably would not go well together at all but I’m a mad chef so now, let’s talk about which classes from Homestuck would match which classes of D&D 5E Player’s handbook, excluding aspects (they can be subclasses of whatever class is matched up if you can homebrew it right, ya know?). Also, some of this is Homestuck Fan Speculation, so... yeah.

The Sylph and the Maid

These Homestuck classes have the keyword “Create,” as in they create their aspect. Sylphs, being a passive class, create through and inspire creation of their aspect; Maids are the ones literally creating their aspect, all the time. In the source material this is generally seen as ‘healing’ through their aspect, though in different ways; as such, we look at the traditional healing classes of D&D, the Cleric and the Paladin. Maids are sometimes referred to as being ‘made of’ their aspect, which implies a lot of access to their aspect early on and generally has a sort of caster feel; the two canon sylphs are excellent combatants, and given the passive nature of the class having less direct spells would work. So a Sylph of Homestuck would probably be a Paladin, and a Maid of Homestuck would probably be a Cleric.

The Knight and the Page

The keyword for these classes is “Serve.” Exactly which of these classes is the active or passive one is up in the air, but they use their aspect to help others, in wildly different manners. Knights are physical fighters, while Pages start weak but can buff the battlefield with their aspect to incredible degrees. Knights aren’t shown to be casters, so giving them the Fighter class is a pretty safe bet. Pages are definitely potent casters (and buffers), so they wind up being Bards. D&D Bards, I mean. Not Homestuck Bards, I’ll cover that later.

The Seer and the Mage

“Know” is the keyword for these classes, and given the Mage is the active class, assigning them the Wizard class is a nobrainer. That said, a Seer knows through and inspires knowledge of their Aspect, which doesn’t quite fit any of the 5E classes. But given that Rose fought incredibly well with a pair of needles, and Terezi was a blind girl walloping people with a cane, I’d offer up the Monk class; true, it primarily focuses on being Super Good With Physical Stuff, but if the Aspect is a subclass you can easily get away with “knowing through” and “inspiring knowledge of” while still having a viable character.

The Heir and the Witch

Witches Use their aspect, and Heirs use through and inspire usage of their aspect. And look, witches are incredibly knowledgeable of their aspect right from the get-go and tend to have weird abilities, so they’re Sorcerers! Heirs... do cast, sort of, we’ve seen John become wind (read: Breath), but they also get into the physical fights and have affinity with animals. So Heirs seem to be very much the Druids of Homestuck’s claspects.

The Rogue and the Thief

So the Homestuck Rogue and the D&D Rogue aren’t synonymous. Rogues and Thieves both have the word “Take” as their keyword, but Thieves are the active class, the one that directly take their aspect, so they wind up being the Rogues of D&D. Homestuck Rogues take through and inspire taking of their aspect, and are considered the ‘Robin Hoods’ of the classes; it’s easier to imagine them as Rangers who just so happen to be good at stealing.

The Bard and the Prince

Here we have two classes whose keyword is “Destroy.” And Barbarians, they are good at destruction, with the ability to pound away at anything, so they wind up being the Princes of Homestuck. Which leaves Bards with the Warlock class, and given how much of a quirky wildcard both are described as, that seems to fit pretty well.

#Homestuck #Dungeons & Dragons #D&D 5E #Speculation

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jq37 · 5 years

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so...... thoughts on the first ep?

**spoilers for start spreading the news**

What is UP you guys? The new season of Dimension 20 is out and your girl is back (implies I left, which is false) with only the hottest of takes.

Usually I vomit up my opinions with little rhyme or reason and, don't worry, I'm not changing that format any time soon. But, because of the structure of the episode, I think it'll be easier to use headings and go through each character/element of this. So let's do this y'all!

The Setting

I think the best thing you can do as a writer or a creative person in general is the make something that only you could make, you know? Like, make the thing that only someone with your specific life experiences and weird brain could have come up with. And I really think that this is that for Brennan. I already talked about this in other posts, but the version of NYC that Brennan created for this game is that to me. Like, magical NY has been done, but the specific details? Who else could have written, "The annual SantaCon is actually Santa dumping all of his defective clones into NYC where the magic barrier that keeps normals from seeing magic will disguise them and the protectors of the city will be able to deal with them"? That's so specific and so wild and so New York and so Brennan.

And I haven't lived in NY for so long but I've had one winter here and the way he describes what it's like to walk down the street during winter in the city is so real. Like smelling garbage then laundry detergent then sugared nuts from those corner stands and you're freezing and then baking in the subway in your coat. That was so so real. (I will be saying this phrase a lot so get used to it now)

And I like that he didn't make the obvious choices, you know? Like we've had three, like, magical figureheads across D20 and those are usually classic old, white, possibly British roles, you know? Like a Gandalf or a Dumbledore. But he had Aguefort in FH and now Esther and Alejandro in TUS. I just think it's cool that we're getting some different archetypes to fill these roles instead of the same dude c.p'd in again, you know?

Also, the fantasy NYC map is so dope. I wanna go back and try to read everything on it when I have the chance.

Pete

Ally is a DRUG DEALER. I thought Pete was gonna be a stripper but he's a DRUG DEALER. Honestly, I could have figured this out sooner if I'd just checked Urban Dictionary like I did just now and found out that "plug" means "someone who is a resource for obtaining something valuable that would otherwise be difficult to obtain" or, more simply, "drug dealer". But I'm glad I didn't because it was much more fun to find out in real time.

Ally makes some character choices sometimes that are too specific to not be rooted in life experience and that whole microwave cheese monologue was one of them.

Pete's official diagnosis is that he has "a lot going on."

Ally almost won MVP line of the episode with, "Shot my tits off." Murph losing it in the background killed me almost more than the actual line.

I really, really want Pete's doctor to be a recurring character because he is wild in how wild he isn't. He has so much wild stuff happening around him and he is in a wild line of work but he seems like a relatively stable guy. I love him. Also, the completely wrong cadence he used to say, "lgbt ally" was gold.

Is Ally ever gonna have a character with a good relationship with their parents? One time? Ever?

I literally don't even know how to begin to address the wild magic trip Pete went on. Like, I don't think Ally knew what they were doing when they decided to be a wild magic sorcerer. I don't think they knew what kind of challenge they were issuing to Brennan. And after seeing the wild nonsense Brennan consistently came up with for Jer'ih'meh in Bloodkeep, I can't want to see the insanity he spits out for Pete.

"You're the one who they they wanted to play a wild magic sorcerer."

Also, Brennan just using lyrics from "New York, New York" for whatever dream demon or whatever was going on in that trip was, like, equal parts clever and hilarious. Sidenote, do you think all the ep titles are gonna be from songs about NY? I mean, there are enough songs I bet.

Pete has this thing where he constantly lands on the exact wrong part of the situation to focus on. Like later when he gets stuffed in the magic closet at the hospital and he's like, "Hospitals are so advanced, also go much is this gonna cost?" Ally's comic timing on that is always perfect.

WILD that that was the first intro. Like, way to kick off the new season with a bang. I really wonder what this episode would have felt like if this was the last intro or if the intro for the two normal people hadn’t been right at the top. Actually now that I’m editing, I feel like we almost got the intros from least experienced w/ this stuff to most experienced. Because Pete is a total noob. Sophia is also a noob but she has met Kugrash at least once. Then you have Ricky who’s only been in this for about a year. Then Kingston who probably has more experience than Kug by years but Kug has been a rat man his whole life (presumably). Finally Misty who is probably like a BS amount of years old and steeped in this stuff. Honestly, if I was DM’ing, I might have fudged the die rolls to look exactly like how it turned out.

Sophia

Emily describing her character and slipping into her character voice gradually as she went on was so pro.

"Like if Fran Dresher went on an Amy Winehouse bender." I love her.

"Did you not want baby bangs?"

"She's a WHOO-OAR."

I'm gonna die if Brennan make than woman an actual succubus because of an offhanded comment.

My favorite thing is when Emily is saying some nonsense and she can barely even get through it without breaking. Also, Murph is so visibly amused by Emily's entire intro. It's great.

I love that both of the "normal" characters spent most of this episode intoxicated in one way or another.

So Emily absolutely won the episode in my eyes for coming up with one of the sickest burns I've heard and in real time. A dude tells her to read his dick and she, after only a momentary pause, says, "No I'm not gonna read your dick (beat) because I don't read short stories!" Brennan doesn't even make her roll. He just narrates her success. The table goes wild. The bar she's at goes wild. Zac specifically is cracking up. Like, I feel like this is gonna be a little bit of a deep cut reference but did any of you ever play the Monkey Island games and do the insult swordfighting? That's what that scene was. Amazing.

Murph's, like, entire posture and expression (@ 1:24ish) when Emily is saying Sophia thinks she saw a giant rat man who gave her an egg sandwich and Gatorade is total gold.

"Gotta kill some brain cells to kill the ones with the memory of Dale in them."

OK so funny story (funny to me at least) at the Fantasy High live show, I was talking to some other girls who were there and we ended up talking about how the small of a woman's back is basically the worst place you can casually touch them outside of the really bad places and how viscerally terrible it is so when Brennan said one of the trolls touched one of the girls there and Sophie/Emily was like BIG NOPE, I had a That's So Raven flashback to that conversation immediately.

Emily leaps into action...and rolls a nat 1 to fight a bunch of trolls. She actually does really well in the rest of the fight though so that's good.

Oh, also Siobhan made everyone dope themed dice boxes!

Ricky

I hope Dimension 20 runs for the next 10 years and I hope Zac plays a good, big, doofus in every single season.

"He's basically like Superman if Superman were Japanese." Love.

Also, I love the distinction that he's 5' 8" but buff.

Ricky surrounded by a raging fire: First of all, that's a cool bear.

I like the way that Brennan skinned the cleric and paladin powers for this game so they're more about values than deities. I was wondering how it was gonna work in this setting and I think this was such a cool way to handle it.

I really think Brennan has a great handle of presenting certain things in such a way that it's interesting for the players as well as the audience. Like, when Ricky is trying to escape the burning apartment, he puts an obstacle in his way that forces him to use his Paladin powers (to create water specifically). It's not really a hard "puzzle" or something he has to roll for, but it introduces to the audiences that he's not just a firefighter. I just think it's really cool that he's able to pull off narrative things like that without actually controlling the characters. (And, props to the players too, of course, for being so consistently entertaining).

"Mr. March."

Ricky in the middle of the winter: I'm not as tan as I used to be.

Ricky rooftop runs like a freaking superhero.

OK, this is barely related to what I'm talking about right now but it's important to me that you all know this. I commented in an earlier post that Ricky clearly had circus music playing in his head at all times and then I was like, "Hmm, I wonder what that one circus song is called." You know, the song that you think about immediately when you hear the phrase "circus music" so I looked it up and APPARENTLY it is a CZECH MILITARY MARCH known alternately as (brace yourselves) ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS and THUNDER AND BLAZES. I kid you not. That's actually what that song is called. I called my brother and told him immediately. OK, back on topic.

Is a questing blade a thing? I feel like it's a Thing from legend or fairy tales or something but, when I Google it, I come up with basically nothing.

Does Ricky have a thing for Esther or is he just a super awkward texter and nice guy who does not want to be set up by his sister for a different reason?

I need Brennan to explain how the Santa Question works in this world. The question being, "Why don't parents freak about the gifts they're not buying?" and, side question, "Why don't poor kids get presents?" My go-to answers are always, "He Jedi Mind Tricks into thinking they bought them," and, "He has to work within each family's socio-economic means in order to not be obvious." So there are def plausible answers. But, like, this is something I like to see addressed when we're doing the "Santa is real," thing.

"I grew up with twins and one of them was worse than the others so that makes sense."

"Is Santa good?"/"The ethics of it are alarming, I won't lie."

So, my paranoid thought for this episode is I'm a little Concerned that someone down the line (maybe Esther, but hopefully not) is going to take advantage of Ricky's Big Dumb energy and his "It's the right thing to do," mentality and manipulate him into doing something Not Great. Like, it's not based on anything besides mainlining a ton of media over the past 24 years but I'm just gonna keep an eye out.

Re the Santa/Peppermint Zombification: Hey Brennan, turn your location on. I just wanna talk.

I have to say, from the bottom of my heart, what the hell?

That creeped me out in the same way that episode of Adventure time where Princess Bubblegum (infused with the primal elemental candy energy or whatever) turned everyone into Candy people and everyone started singing Let Me Call You Sweetheart. What a weirdly specific body horror thing for me to encounter more than once. That one peppermint tooth thing is gonna haunt me.

Kingston

I gotta say, props to Lou for pulling a complete 180 on the kind of character he picked this time around. He went from playing this super extra rich pretty boy to this salt of the Earth quasi patriarch and he's just as comfortable with it. Kingston is so real. I went to church with like 50 guys like him back home.

Why are you fighting so hard about free food Kingston? Take the free homecooked food Kingston!

The intensity of his, "I will be here until I die," was hysterical.

Mentioned this before but I love the flavoring of the cleric class where instead of being attuned to a deity Kingston is basically attuned to the entire city. Also, the perks are excellent. Bus service anywhere for free. Sign me up.

I like that Ricky's sister works at the hospital. It's a really cool potential connection for later.

"We're gonna take the thing outchyo butt. We're not gonna deny you medical services."

"Aint nothing wrong with being a freak." --Kingston Brown

Fantasy creatures having to deal with updated tech (like the Toll bridge trolls talking about EZ-passes) is one of my fave urban fantasy tropes.

"I've got a really sweet smelling man here!"

"Yeah, my tooth fell out and now it's a candy. Hey, how much is this gonna cost?" This is what I’m talking about. Priorities my dude.

I love that Kingston knows Pete's weird mob doctor. It seems like part of his deal is that he just knows everything about everyone in the city (within whatever parameters).

Pete says, in quick succession about Ricky, "I feel like he would bully me," and, "He seems like a golden retriever," which I feel are almost mutually exclusive statements.

Kugrash

Well, I asked what kind of druid nonsense was happening in Central Park and the answer is Murph apparently.

I really wish I could have been there when Murph announced he wanted to play a literal rat.

"I am the shit that feeds the flies. A dumpster druid."

"Wherever you are rat Jesus, I love you." You're killing me Brennan.

Aww Kugrash goes around feeding the homeless and stuff. He's like this grumpy ass rat man who really cares about the community.

"Santa you fucking bum." --Kugrash

"I'm sorry are you a rat?"

The idea of a roach with a hobo sack pisses me off because it's adorable but roaches are the worst.

"Is Santa dead?"/"I don't know. I'm not religious."

"Santa Claus is real and he's DEAD."

Brennan loves to use the modifiers "full" and "fully" and I have picked it up irl and in my writing.

"Let's get a little fucked up and go see if Santa's dead!"

Just that whole squirrel interaction.

The sixth borough huh? Interesting. I see you Brennan.

Also, the detail that Kug's clothes are made from old MTA vests is great.

Misty

Siobahn is playing basically exactly the character I thought she'd be playing but she's doing it so much better and more extra than I could have imagined.

"A lady would never say her age, so I won't."

Is her pianist magic or something too? I have my suspicions.

So Misty gets some kind of bard and/or fairy high from praise and adoration which is interesting.

What kind of weird, morally dubious and/or unpleasant fae thing is Misty gonna have to do soonish? It's not gonna be good. Fae stuff never is.

DON CONFETTI

"I don't study magic. I just *am* magic."

So many of these intro vignettes end with, "You don't know that...but you do know who does." Like I said before, I really love the weaving together of all the story threads to get everyone in the same place at the same time in an organic feeling way.

Also he makes all these transitions sound cinematic, like he's writing the description parts of a movie script and not narrating in person.

Public Library! I knew we'd end up here eventually but I didn't know it'd be pretty much immediately. Like, if you're going w/ the "NY is magic" premise, the library has to figure in, you know?

Emily immediately having Sophia recognize Ricky as Mr. March was such a funny and on point character decision. I love how one-off, spur of the moment lines end up being running jokes because other players pick on them and drop them an hour later.

"Are you a rat?"/"Yeah, I'm a rat man!"/"I'm sorry if that was rude."

Brennan: The lions are alive and they're boyfriends.

Misty and Siobhan both are genre savvy enough to want to nip a knights/knave door puzzle situation in the bud.

Ricky on escape rooms: I'm not very good at them but I can definitely try my hardest. (Guys, I love him so much.)

Love me some MC Escher steps.

Underrated Misty line: It's all infernal to me.

Misty's little, "Ugh" at learning they have to go to Times Square is the real NY experience.

Is this Alejandro dude gonna die? What's the over under on this dude eating it very soon?

Misty encouraging Pete to shoot Alejandro is so needlessly chaotic which is a common fae trait and I really hope this escalates.

I dunno what Murph rolled for initiative but he looks like he just shamed his entire family line.

And we’re fighting an army of crazed Santa clones next week! We have literally just started and we are already fully off the rails. I cannot *wait* to see where we go from here if this is the *starting point*.

#dimension 20 #the unsleeping city #asks #anon #Anonymous

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