#that is clearly a bit more him being salty at a person | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

targaryenrealnessdarling · 1 year

Text

No Pain, No Gain | Part 1 | PersonalTrainer!Aemond x fem!reader

Summary: The personal trainer your roommate Baela recommended to you is rude, condescending but also hot as hell. Series Masterlist.

A/N: shoutout to my personal trainer Alex for rotting my brain. This is my first modern!Aemond fic, so any feedback is genuinely appreciated, I hope you enjoy this, it was an absolute ball to write (and there will be more!)

Also I could not post this without tagging some absolute modern!Aemond QUEENS who inspired me to write this. @valeskafics @oneeyedvisenya @sapphire-writes you’re the real ones! Also massive hug to @ewanmitchellcrumbs for hyping me up and being a parent to this child she didn't choose to create.

warnings: EVENTUAL SMUT, 18+, sexual tension, binge eating, mentions of breakup, cursing, dickhead Aemond, reader is horny af, English slang (soz), warnings will be added when needed

To say you were broken-hearted would be a bit of an understatement.

You were angry, annoyed, frustrated, wound up tight and pissed off to the highest degree.

And it showed in how you acted these days as you polished off the salty family-size bag of crisps on your own in 10 minutes flat.

You look over at your phone and sigh when you see it’s already 6 o’clock in the afternoon. Another day sat on the sofa, wallowing in self-pity, eating yourself into oblivion and fairly soon pouring a glass of Baela’s finest white wine (now that it was officially almost evening anyway and it was justified).

Scrolling through instagram was like twisting the dagger that was already in your chest. All that stupid fucking app could show you was ‘ex in the bar with his new girlfriend’, ‘ex in the drive-thru with his new girlfriend’, ‘ex on the beach with his new girlfriend’.

It made you want to throw your phone directly at the wall. But you settled for squeezing the life out of it, imagining it was your ex’s stupid face instead.

The absolute waste of space had broken up with you over text on the night you were supposed to go out on a date. And as if that was not bad enough, not even two weeks had gone by before he’d managed to stick his dick into someone else with a pulse. At the time, you were so angry that you didn’t accuse him of anything, he’d already broken up with you. But you did suspect that this ‘sudden’ relationship he’d gotten into wasn’t as recent as first thought.

It’s been a month since you found out about the other woman.

And clearly you were coping really well.

Indulging wasn’t something you usually did, but now you feel you deserved it.

“Hello~” the soft, ringing voice of your roommate Baela was at the door. You half-considered hiding all the packets of various foods you’d managed to stuff down your gob, but Baela had seen worse of you. She’d seen you while you were throwing your guts up after freshers week at university. Nothing was worse than that and you shuddered at the memory.

She walks in, looking more put together than you by a long way, having been hanging out with her sister all day. That’s what you like about Baela, she’s not judgemental, and so when she sees you’ve barely moved an inch she just flashes her usual smile.

“Good day then?” she says with a smirk. You raise your eyebrows in return.

“Apart from seeing him plastered all over instagram I’m great”

“Got any left?” she asks, extending a greedy hand for a crisp. You offer her the bag with a sigh as she slumps on the sofa next to you. She watches boredly whatever you have on the TV,

"Why don't you just block him?" She asks. And to be fair, she has a point.

But you huff and shove another crisp in your mouth, whining, "Cos I'm a nosy bitch with no boundaries"

Baela sighs, pulling out her own phone and scrolling through her notifications, "As much as I love you y/n, this is pathetic, even for you"

You'd be offended if she wasn't completely right. And you know she's only half joking so you just shrug.

"How was Rhaena?" You ask.

"Yeah fine, usual shit with Dad. Oh I didn't tell you-" she starts.

She has that glint in her eye which spells trouble. She's got gossip and you raise your eyebrows in anticipation.

"Hold that thought, wine first?"

"Obviously"

After giggling and waltzing over to the counter to pour two glasses of the finest box wine you could get for under seven English pounds, you hand her one and wait almost too excitedly for her to spill whatever sweet gossip she has.

She sips it, almost like she needs the liquid courage to begin, and she hisses at the sweet, acidic taste.

"God that's foul"

"It was 2 for 1!" You retort with a laugh, but she is right, it does taste foul, "Stop stalling, tell me tell me tell me"

She looks at you as if to say bitch, you are not fucking ready.

“Dad’s married Rhaenyra”

The force of which your jaw drops open is almost comical. You’d guessed for a while that they were at least fucking, but to just elope?!

“I need money, cos I betted on this shit happening!”

“Oh my gosh, Rhaena was fucking hysterical. Jace and Luke aren’t surprised at all, but Alicent is beside herself in the family group chat, it should honestly be a reality TV show” Baela says scrolling through said group chat. From what you can see without being too nosy, is that there’s a lot of long paragraphs and angry emojis.

“What about Viserys, surely he’s…” you ask, trailing off to sip the pissy wine in your hands.

“Oh no, he’s thrilled. Which pisses Alicent off even more if that’s possible”

“Baela I think your Uncle’s gone insane” you bite your lip to stifle a laugh.

“No fucking kidding”

You slump back onto the sofa, “Holy shit, I am a genius. I knew the whole time” you say, smirking in victory.

“And so humble too” Baela gives a sarcastic grin which you return.

“How do you feel about it?”

Baela shucks her phone onto the coffee table, sighing, “Not bothered, we’re all adults now, so it hardly makes a difference to me. Suppose it’ll get Dad to stop bringing back random women now” she says exasperated, “but Rhaenyra gets the impression we’re all really bothered so she’s invited us all to a retreat for a week. Think she just wants to butter us up for marrying our Dad”

“Oh? Anywhere nice?”

Baela looks over, giving you a wearied look.

“What?”

“Well that brings me to you”

“Oh god, what” you ask, dropping the tone to emphasise the seriousness of the talk all of a sudden.

Baela fiddles with the remote, in an attempt to appear cute, “Well~ There’s a spare ticket going and you’re my bestest friend. And I would hate to endure a week of watching my Dad eat Rhaenyra’s face off, so come with me please?” she begs.

You sigh, “Baela usually I would love to sponge off you like that but-”

“Pleasepleaseplease~” she begs, “Rhaena’s bringing her boyfriend and we’re basically together!”

You fake a gagging sound.

“Oh come on, a week on a beach in bikinis,sweltering weather with as many cocktails as you can hold isn’t exactly torture”

You give her an incredulous look, opening your arms to emphasise all the bags of junk food around you, “Do I look beach body ready to you?!”

“Oh fuck off, you’re hot and have an ass that can keep the world fed”

“I know I am hot, I just don’t feel hot” you stare blankly at the TV, trying to ignore her and stuff another crisp into your mouth.

Baela sighs, “I was just thinking it would be a nice distraction, that’s all”

“I want to it’s just…” you start, trying to think of the right words, “...I don’t feel my best”

Baela gives you a playful slap on your arm, “Look, forget your ex, he’s dumb as fuck and it’s not solving anything by staying inside with the curtains drawn all day. If you want to feel better, might be worth taking care of yourself a bit, hm?”

Fuck her, you think, rolling your eyes, she’s right.

You hate how often she’s right. Because she gets that look on her face when she is. Always has done.

“How about that gym membership you’ve not used since February?” she asks,

“Okay firstly, ouch. Secondly, I realised I don’t know the first thing about how to work out in a gym, besides the guys there were…weird”

You shudder at the thought. It was January and so all the new year’s resolution guys were at it in full swing, using the gym as a means to try and pick up girls. And since graduating you find that more often than not the guys who hit on you were students. Maybe it was different now?

Baela pokes her cheek with her tongue, racking her brain.

“One of my cousins is a personal trainer? I could text him to see if he’s happy to take you on. Mates rates” she smiles.

You side-eye her hard. You’ve heard briefly about her cousins. Some of the stories are a bit more…eccentric than others. And even though you’ve never met them, you’ve heard enough stories to satisfy your curiosity.

“This isn’t the manwhore cousin, right? Because if it is then no”

She scoffs, “No. Aegon hasn’t set food in a gym since graduating and he only went cos it was free. The personal trainer one is Aemond. He’s a bit…anti-social?” she pulls a face when she says it.

“He’s anti-social and he’s a personal trainer?” you ask, eyebrow raised, “makes so much sense”

Baela scrolls through her contacts, “Yeahhh. Don’t worry though, he’s just grumpy” she explains, “want me to text him?”

Your head falls to the edge of the sofa in a huff. You want to go and on top of that, it might be nice to finally have a break. That and you’d love to shove it in your exes face when he sees you’re on holiday looking your hottest.

“How long ‘til the holiday?”

Baela grins victoriously, “A month and a bit. He does a month course for stuff like this, I can ask him about it”

What the fuck am I getting myself into, you think briefly.

Fuck it.

“Fine”

The force at which Baela’s nails tap against the screen is almost desperate.

Baela snorts a laugh at the message and turns her phone to show you the messages.

“He seems lovely” you roll your eyes sarcastically.

“Like I said, he’s just grumpy. He’ll be professional though” she says.

You sigh, crushing the empty bag of crisps in your hands.

“Can’t wait”

After following him on instagram, you did a bit of shameless stalking. You’d heard a little bit about Aemond from Baela talking about her family, but he seemed the most mysterious out of all of them (save for the youngest whose name she struggled to even remember).

He had very little photos of himself, mainly progress pictures of other clients he’s helped. And he seems to be pretty successful so far. A girl with a similar body to you managed to get toned on his one-month program and looked hot afterwards, so you had some high hopes that it was possible for you as well. But you did wonder what he looked like. There were only two photos where he was in frame, and he’d been tagged by another person, looking away from the camera.

From what you could see, he was very tall, lithe and slim but built, with silver hair that had been pulled up into a bun. Ah, so he’s a man-bun type of guy. Yikes.

Unfortunately, the photo showed very little of his face, so you couldn’t be too nosy.

You sent a very brief message, introducing yourself, trying not to cringe at the idea that he might be doing the exact same stalking to your instagram right at this moment. A shiver went up your spine at the thought.

It’s only when you’re in TKMaxx with Baela, shopping for gym gear the next day, that you finally get a reply from him.

“What do you think of just wearing a sports bra?” Baela says, eyeing up a black shirt.

You’re too busy staring at the message, “Hm? Oh, I’d just go in gym leggings and a bra yeah. Just got a reply from your mysterious cousin”

Baela hops over, “What’s he said? Nothing bad I hope” she grins.

You show her the screen.

Baela raises her eyebrows, “Very formal. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised” she says, seeming surprised that he’s at least cordial.

“It’s very ‘serial-killer-esque’ of him not to have a profile picture” you joke, locking your phone again.

Baela picks out a black gym set. Black leggings with a mesh pocket on the side for your phone and a black sports bra. You nod, “Yeah looks good to me”

“Oh please you’re gonna look hot in this” she smirks, leading you over to the counter to pay.

She rewards you for your efforts by driving you to McDonald's drive-thru. A send off to junk-food so to speak.

And when Monday rolls around, you nod in the mirror. She was right, it does look hot on you. At least in the safety of your flat where there’s nobody to look at you. In a gym, surrounded by other fit people and a personal trainer you’ve never met? It might feel slightly different.

There’s a faint swirl of anxiety in your gut but you pull your trainers on, grab a hair tie from your nightstand and drive to the gym you’ve agreed to meet at. Luckily it’s your local gym, large and packed to the brim with some good equipment at least. And you briefly wonder what kind of workouts you’ll be doing before pulling into the car park.

You see him as soon as you enter the gym. He’s very tall, slender but muscular and fucking gorgeous. What the fuck, is all you can think when you shamelessly scan him from head to toe. Like the pictures, he has his long silver hair in a bun, with a few pieces having come free and falling around his face. His legs are miles long in the black sweats he’s wearing, as well as the black top that sticks a bit too snugly to his front and shoulders, making your mouth water a bit.

And you can’t help but admire his side profile, how his jaw just so naturally and sharply juts into his chin. How his cheekbones sit so prominently and high on his face, framing his features. His sharp, defined nose. And you can’t see from here because he’s looking down at his phone, but his eyelashes are unnaturally long for a man. It’s just unfair, frankly.

Shaking yourself briefly from the trance you were in, you right yourself and approach him.

He looks up to see you before you even have a chance to open your mouth. Now that he's looking at you face on, you can see the shocking blue of his right eye and the paler, soft hue of the other. Not only that but the angry scar that ran down the side of his face, extending from his forehead to the mid part of his cheek, straight through the eye.

You look at it for a split second, surmising that perhaps he's partially sighted or blind in that eye. But you choose not to say anything and instead smile with an awkward wave.

"Hey, you must be Aemond"

He openly drags his eyes over you, from head to toe, just like you did a moment ago without his knowledge. But now that you're standing right in front of him, in the gym gear that you totally don't feel a bit self conscious in, it feels a bit weird.

He doesn't reply for a moment.

"I'm y/n" you say, forcing a smile to your nervous face.

"Hm" he responds lowly, "Baela's friend"

You pull an awkward face and nod.

You feel so stupidly small against this absolute giraffe of a man and you daren't step forward any more, for fear of looking even smaller under his judgemental and indifferent gaze.

He sighs and gestures for you to follow him, seeming disinterested as he looks down at his phone. For a brief second you wonder how this guy keeps his clients if he's this rude, but you shake the thought away, not wanting to judge too quickly.

He leads you into one of the consultation rooms, separate from the rest of the gym. He sits on one of the seats, sighing as if he's had the hardest day in the world and taking a swig of water from his bottle.

Sat across from him, you feel a bit small under his gaze. He's quite intimidating, you now find.

"Have you ever worked out before" he asks flatly.

You shrug, "I've tried I guess, but never super seriously" you laugh awkwardly, but he doesn't return it.

He runs his eyes over you again, as if to say yeah I can see that.

"Stand up. Shoes off. We're going to take your weight and measurements" he orders, going to his bag to grab some things.

It's beyond awkward and quiet in the room with him as he idly takes down your weight, height and current eating habits, which you've had to be more honest about than you'd cared to admit.

Standing in the middle of the room, he twirls his measuring tape on his fingers. He measures your upper body first, which isn't too bad until he gets to your bust. You try and look anywhere else in the room while he measures across it, his fingers landing softly at either arm, taking a note of the measurement. You internally scold yourself, he is so much taller and surely must be able to see right down the sports bra. It only serves to make your face heat up with embarrassment.

If that wasn't enough, he gets to your lower body, measuring your hips and then thighs. He gets to his knees to do it and you resist the urge to pull your hands into fists at the proximity of him to your intimate area, separated only by a thin pair of gym leggings and underwear.

He doesn't seem to bother himself with the awkwardness. And every time you look at his face, he seems indifferent, bored even. Even then, his face is unnaturally beautiful, even with the scar.

He must really not like people.

Aemond sighs having taken all his notes.

"We'll do one training session and see how much weight we can do" he instructs. You nod.

"I expect you to be in the gym four times a week, three in the week and once at the weekend. We'll do one session together a week so I can check your progress"

His tone is so flat, all you can do is nod. He looks at you,

"Got it?"

Your cheeks heat up, "Um, yeah"

"Good"

He leads you outside to the actual gym floor which luckily isn't too busy, side-eyeing you massively when you pull your hair up into a ponytail to get it off your neck.

His large form leads you over to where the mats are kept, haphazardly throwing two to the floor.

He doesn't say anything past one or two word commands and it's incredibly difficult to not look in the mirror in front of you to watch him as he stretches. The way he stretches his arms over his head and it lifts the hem of his shirt a little, showing his happy trail, biceps rippling.

And when he does leg stretches, instructing you to do the same, you can't help but stare at how his thighs are basically bulging out from his sweats. It takes all of your strength and will to not look any higher than that towards his hips.

He watches your form as you try and copy him stretching. And your heart almost leaps into your chest when he uses his hand to move your ankle slightly, so that you put pressure on a certain muscle. But he focuses completely, professional.

Fuck, be professional.

All caution is thrown completely to the wind when he gets you on machines. He demonstrates some of them first, starting with the so-called 'easier' ones, like the inner and outer thigh machines that look way too…suggestive.

Of course, he's got it on a ridiculous weight to demonstrate which makes you scoff a bit. And when you get on the inner thigh machine, it locks into place with your legs spread. You thank every god there is that there's no mirror in front of you on this machine.

"You have to start with your legs spread as much as possible" he states simply, pushing the pads against your legs even further. It makes your eyes widen, sinful thoughts pop up in your head. But before they take root you shake them away.

It's ridiculously hard the first few times and he raises an eyebrow.

"Really?" He mocks a bit, the tiniest of smirks on his face "you're only on 14kg"

"Fuck off" you mutter under your breath. He tuts and changes it to 9kg, bruising your ego a bit. But you finish the set nonetheless.

You think he's a bit of a psycho, because after that little remark he has you on every leg machine available. Making fun every time you have to be on the lowest weight.

After the session, you're aching in places you didn't even know existed and you haven't even rested yet. Knowing full well you'll be achy as fuck tomorrow and even wlrse than right now. The faintest sheen of sweet is visible on your pinkened chest.

"You're weaker than I thought"

He runs his long fingers through his hair and you want to slap that stupid fucking self-indulgent look off his smug face seeing you all out of puff like this.

"Thanks, means a lot" you say sarcastically, drinking from a water bottle. He raises an eyebrow at the attitude.

"I'll send you your workout plan. If you have any issues do me a favour and don't bother me with them" he retorts.

"Charming" you mutter under your breath once he's gone past you. You watch as he walks away, briefly appreciating his broad shoulders, until the sour taste of his poor behaviour settles in. And you huff, texting Baela immediately.

You curse every god there is that you drive a manual car, because right now the thought of having your aching leg pressing on the clutch pedal might actually drive you to mass-murder.

This is going to be a long month.

Taglist: @mrsgrwy @lovelykhaleesiii

796 notes · View notes

the-final-sif · 4 months

Text

So for those unaware, dasnerth is apparently banned from Karl & MrBeast challenge, accord to the discord message he showed today (1/29/2024), (which notably is from 8/30/2023)

basically, as it stands, almost all the "content" you provide by being in a video almost always gets cut out because you're generally pretty toxic, you take the gameplay extremely seriously which makes your time on-screen inherently destructive / toxic. If you are genuinely super interested in not being blacklisted, if you could just refrain from being toxic we can lift the blacklist. It would also mean reporting any exploits instead of abusing them.

A message he published himself, claiming he was only being competitive.

I've seen in response, certain people claiming that this is unfair, that he needs to be defended, or that this will inevitably lead towards toxicity towards people like Sapnap/Punz/Hannah.

This is not true, and I think people need to understand that there is a line between being competitive and being toxic to be around and effectively unwatchable and making others uncomfortable.

First, take note for a moment that Dasnerth has been banned for well over 5 months, and despite being very clearly and flatly told he's unwelcome, he's not only still stalking the discord to try to join stuff, but also then turned to twitter to kick up a fuss about the ban still being enforced.

This is pretty telling of him as a person. He's clearly been told that he's blacklisted and unwelcome, and five months later he's still trying to sneak in. That is a very clear indication of failing to respect boundaries, feeling entitled to participate in contests, and being unable to take no for an answer.

Putting that aside though, you can still clearly draw lines between taking competition seriously and being a toxic asshole in a game. I think a really good example of this is actually, weirdly enough, 5up's lobbies.

If you don't know 5up, he's a guy who plays among us. When he was starting out, he often played with what were called "sweat lobbies". These lobbies often devolved into yelling, shouting, insults, etc. 5up was noteworthy for generally not falling to that level. You can watch how awful of a viewing experience this is here. These lobbies are very competitive, and also suck so bad 5up left despite generally being willing to tolerate a lot of bullshit.

Contrast this to his later lobby that he built with Hafu, a very experienced streamer with a much calmer vibe. The morning lobbies that they built are known for being relatively serious and competitive, but not being toxic messes. Here's a good example, In this game 5up played an amazing crewmate much like the XQC, and caught Steve and Tina (Tinakitten) as imposters. Tina's distressed but not angry or being mean, and Steve compliments him on figuring out! It's a complete flip of the above. People sometimes yell and get excited, throw a bit, or get a bit salty, but it's nothing like what you see above with the constant screaming and insults. People from other lobbies that are more chaotic come in and are generally surprised by how seriously they take stuff.

To go even further, 5up also plays in the stell lobbies, which are very competitive and take the game very seriously. Listen to a meeting in the stell lobbies. Nobody is yelling, even when directly accused. They all remain calm and polite. They're still playing the game very seriously, they're playing to win, but nobody's being toxic or mean.

There's a difference between being competitive in a fun way, where you take a game seriously and try to win, and just being an asshole and disregarding good sportsmanship. It's perfectly valid for contests to ban players for violating good sportsmanship and abusing exploits. Technoblade was a very competitive person, but even when he's being teasingly toxic to squidkid for example, it's clearly in good fun. The two of them became friends. There's a fundamental level of respect there, and nobody is going over the top.

So yeah, while we don't have the specific behavior cited, it's perfectly valid for an event to ban someone for being toxic, and no, banning someone for being toxic isn't bait or eliminating competitiveness. It's just showing an asshole the door.

#sif speaks #dasnerth #morning lobbies #discourse #5up #the gender ratios also speak volumes #sweat lobbies were 80-90% men #hafu lobbies and stell lobbies are about 50/50 #stell lobbies actually sometimes end up female biased #it's always interesting seeing certain people from old sweat lobbies #get pulled out and into the morning lobbies #the one with easyrod was fascinating #since in the sweat lobbies he was a huge yeller #and then in the morning lobbies he seemed a bit unsure but polite #spoke when asked and tried w/o being a dick #shocking what a good environment can do #also if anyone wonders about my person beef with xqc it was this

44 notes · View notes

thesunshineriptide · 2 years

Note

How would Leona act around a crush? How would he make them his?

A/n: Leona’s pretty subtle with his affections because he’s more so testing the waters with his crush than committing fully. He’s a strategist, and he wants to see if they’ll be able to pull their weight with him. He needs someone who can stand at his side, not beneath him.

Snack break

Leona/Yuu!Reader

Tw: allusions to crowley being an ass and cutting the food funds, also lots of food talk

“I need to get more tuna from the school store, do you guys need something?”

Deuce shakes his head, “No thanks, Yuu. I need to get back to the dorm before Housewarden Rosehearts has my head for not tending to the hedgehogs.”

Ace grins widely, “Well, if you’re offering to pay-“

Deuce elbows him, “Dude, you just went there like, three hours ago. What could you possibly need?”

He shrugs, “I don’t need anything, but free food is free food.”

Spade sighs, “You know damn well that Crowley doesn’t pay them that kind of money.”

A green eye cracks open from where it’s beholder lays under the shade of a birch tree. Leona yawns, stretches out, then coughs to get the groups attention.

“Since you three babbling woke me up, would you mind grabbing me something from the store, Prefect?” His sharp eyes betray his semi-sleepy grin.

A genuine, although sheepish, smile forms on the prefect’s face, “Oh! Sorry about that, but yeah, I’d be glad to do that. What did you want?”

Leona hummed and reached for his pocket, pulling out his wallet, “I’m a bit hungry. Would you grab me somethin’ good to eat? I don’t care what it is, so long as you don’t bring me a can of tuna or somethin’.”

Yuu nodded and made their way toward him, “Sweet, Salty, or Spicy?”

He hummed in response, holding out 200 marks lazily to them, “Not a fan of sweet stuff, usually. Anything else goes.”

The ramshackle prefect looked at his hand surprised, “I think that’s a lot more than a snack costs, Leona.”

“Whatever doesn’t get spent, keep it. I can pay for your favor.”

The human looks clearly astonished by it and nods, “I- uh, I’ll be right back.” They exchange a glance with Ace and Deuce, then wave their goodbyes and walk away with Grim.

Leona’s eyes follow them as they walk away, then easily slip back shut with a little hum.

It’s twenty minutes later when he’s woken up again by a soft touch to his hand.

He refrains from instinctually grabbing the person’s wrist, blinking up at none other than the very prefect he sent away a not long ago.

They smile and say, “Sorry to wake you again, but I was sure that if I hadn’t, Ruggie might have come up to snag your food.”

Leona gave a smile that was almost soft and took the bag, fishing out its contents. He looked a little surprised to find himself holding jerky, barbecue chips, and a fancy soda.

The prefect smiled, “You prefer meat, don’t you? I hope this is alright.”

‘How thoughtful’ he mused to himself, ripping open the bag of jerky. “You know me well. Maybe I should start asking you to get me snacks instead of Ruggie from now on.”

The prefect just laughed a little, smiled, and shrugged, “If you like, I guess. Do you want your change?”

He raised an eyebrow at the humans outstretched hand, then shook his head, “Keep it. You earned it.��

From then on, true to his joke, he would come and request snack runs of Yuu, always giving them too much to spend and never taking the change in return. He was happy to see them in the cafeteria more often, and the way they seemed to get a little more meat on their bones. They seemed more lively, too, more energetic and more focused in classes.

It became a routine with them. He’d find them when they were done with classes for the day, around 4 pm, and would walk up from behind to drape himself over them, dangling money like a cat toy in front of them.

They would laugh and turn around and take the money, smiling before asking, “the usual?” And then they would leave to get snacks while he waited for them in the botanical gardens.

They’d come back and they’d have a snack together. Once in a while, Leona would end up taking a catnap on their shoulder while the Prefect did their homework.

It seemed they spent more time together, nowadays, with their snack breaks and study dates and the occasional sleepover at each others dorms. It seemed comfortable. Leona put in more effort to his classes, because trying to rest while waiting for snack time was making him restless and he needed to do something to take his mind off it.

He invited the prefect to spelldrive games, behind the scenes even. They wouldn’t always come, but when they did, his heart would beat a little faster. They’d wait for him afterwards with a cold bottle of water and smile and they’d congratulate him on the game, even when they lost.

“Tsk, we did absolute shit. The other team is full of powerhouses, I swear.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you won or you lost to me,” they would smile, “I’m just proud you did it. And I think you did a great job. That last shot you made was so cool! And besides,” their eyes would crinkle at the creases as they looked to the beastman with unrestrained fondness, “you’re my champion, aren’t you?”

Leona nearly choked on the water he was drinking, and his face flushed a pretty rose gold color. His eyes stung a little, and he brushed it off as a reaction from the aforementioned choking, but he knew it was deeper than that.

He gave them a smile and excused himself to mull over their words for way, way too long.

He gave every game his all after that.

So the routine went on and they spent more and more time together. Leona got more cuddly and touchy with time, resting his head on top of the prefects or rubbing it against theirs, napping while they studied, showing up randomly to ramshackle, walking them to classes.

Eventually the game of cat and mouse began to grow boring.

“Leona, do you like me?”

The question caught him off guard, and he stared.

“I, uh. I have…feelings for you. I like your company. Wanna go on a date with me? We can watch a movie or something…”

Leona beamed, “You like me? You got all soft on me herbivore…” he gave a teasing grin.

The prefect flushed and mumbled out a “if you don’t like me just say so.”

“I’d love to go on a date with you. I heard there’s this new action movie out, s’posed to be good. I’ll pick you up at eight?”

#twisted wonderland #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #twst yuu #twst oneshot #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland headcanons

647 notes · View notes

kitsuvil · 1 year

Text

— be quiet and drive. [kazuha x gn!reader]

warnings/notes; modern au, angst, NO HAPPY ENDING, breakup angst, lots of arguing, kazuha never actually recovered from his familyless trauma, cursing, im so sorry in advance, listen to glimpse of us by joji after this and imagine yn or zuha expericing it in a new relationship after their breakup

summary; kazuha was on thin ice and he broke it, oops. aka you guys got into an argument and broke up and you drove him home

words; 1k

“I don’t think I can love you anymore like this,” He mutters the words underneath his breath, but every part of my body picks up on it. I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to feel right now. Hurt? Forgiveness? Anger?

‘Do you really mean it?” I drop the car keys.

“No– I mean, I wish I didn’t? You know this, [name]. I love you so much. But neither of us can handle this.”

“Kaedehara Kazuha. No. Why did you think it was a good idea to pull this shit?”

“I never said it was a good idea.”

“So why did you do it?”

“I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

“Stay sorry, there’s no forgiving this. I can’t accept your apology.”

No matter what emotions course through me right now, I can’t make any logical decisions. No matter the feelings Kazuha’s face clearly carries. The widened eyes that have those all too well-known salty tears forming on them, his mouth that’s still left slightly ajar as he was ready to say his next words of regret. None of those words would mean anything, no matter how flowery he could make them.

“Don’t even think about sucking up to me. No flowers at my doorstep tomorrow morning as if nothing happened, alright?”

“Does this really have to be it?”

“You caused it, Kazuha. Who in their right mind would get drunk and rip every single of their lover’s childhood photos and proceed to cry about how alone and unloved they feel, despite the person right next to them and suddenly try to break up with them? I’ve always been there for you, cried with you for your forgotten family, even took you into my own family with so much trust and love, but you do this in response. You’re jealous, so disgustingly jealous.”

“I was drunk, I didn’t mean any of it.”

“YES YOU DID,” The burning sensation in my throat wells up until the hot tear drops fall down my cheeks. Never did I think I’d be yelling at the love of my life like this. It’s not even that deep, but the cracks in my heart from caring for him so much just to get this in response, just for him to pretend like I’ve never been there for him? Those cracks mean so much more to me than the shared memories we’ve created.

I gave him my own family so that he didn’t deal with the trauma of all of his relatives being passed. I gave him everything, out of compassion and sympathy. And he tossed it to the dirt and decided to rip up my memories. That’s not something I could deal with, not right now.

The look he shared with me when I came home from working for the two of us today is engraved in every part of my brain, no matter how much I wish I could pull it out. It was hopeless and cold, nothing like the Kazuha I started dating a year ago. Nothing like the Kazuha who looked cheerful and excited to explore the world with me. It scared me, the loneliness I didn’t know he was capable of, even if it was momentary. And I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to recover from it. Because if he can say that he doesn’t think he loves me anymore the way he did a year ago, there’s no way I can reciprocate the same feeling. There’s still a knot on my heart, one that he created, and one that I’d have to untie myself if he leaves.

“Take me to Heizou’s, I give up. You won’t hear me out.”

“I was already planning on it. Pack your shit, I’ll be in the car.”

I leave, wanting to be anywhere but near him. Just the sight of him makes me want to start crumbling into bits and pieces nonstop. I can’t leave him like this. But at the same time, it’s what I feel the need to do. I couldn’t pretend like nothing happened. Clearly he wants to break up with me and if he’s going to continue with actions like this, there’s no point in putting in anymore work.

But his hair. And his beautiful face. His hands that seem as if they’re chiseled by some divine being. His smile that I cherish so dearly. I’ll never get to wake up in the morning with his comfort again, I’ll never get to brush my fingers through the red and white colors of his hair. I’ll never get to hold onto those fingers, or kiss that face ever again. And oh man, it hurts.

“I’ll put my stuff in the back,” he opens the door and notifies me before throwing his things onto the seats behind me.

“I tried hard, I really did,” Kazuha whispers, almost as if he’s trying to convince himself more than me.

“Be quiet and let me fucking drive, Kazuha. I don’t care,” I start up the engine and drive away from my home, not bothering to turn on the radio. After a few sniffles and eye-rubbing from Kazuha, everything goes completely silent.

I peek over to the right to check on him, seeing him calm and asleep. If only I could look that calm right now. The sound of his slow breathing makes me more peaceful, but I realize quickly that I have to take a hand off the wheel to wipe a tear that ran down my face.

I see Heizou’s apartment building not very far away, nudging Kazuha for a second to wake him up as I pull into the parking lot.

“Wake up, Zuha. Please. We’re here.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, out you go.”

“Right… I guess I’ll be seeing you– Or not. My bad," Kazuha gets out and takes his things from the back seats and walks away into the building, disappearing into the distance.

“Guess I’ll be seeing you? What is that? Fuck. He’s rubbing salt into the wound. He knows I still love him,” I turn on the car again and head to the first place that comes into mind. The swings at the park by the cliff. The place where we met.

I don’t think there will be anyone who could fill the crater in my heart in the future. I wasn’t ready for this.

a/n; just writing this hurt so bad idk why i thought that was a good decision but i hope u guys like it... i will prob proof read it later

198 notes · View notes

jonsimstwitchyeyeballs · 6 months

Text

TMA AU where everything is exactly the same except that Gertrude was Jon's legal guardian when he was a kid

I'm all for the somewhat disinterested unnamed grandma that let him occupy space and didn't show him affection plotline but hear me out:

What if that had been Gertrude?

You can come up with many a reason why she ended up having him under custody (I don't want to say they're necessarily blood family in this AU) and the story would pretty much play out the same way.

She would also be distant and frankly not immediately concerned with raising a child because she's way too busy stopping rituals and making fear avatars fear her, so she sort of leaves him unsupervised most of the time. He has no idea what her job even is, he just knows she prefers to work in secret instead of taking care of him and still is salty about that later on.

He doesn't find out Gertrude's been working for the Institute until he goes to work there himself and it's painfully clear he knows less about her than everyone else there-which is frustrating because he's learning things about her second hand, that's how avoidant she had been with him.

Obviously he resents her for it, so throughout Season 1 his comments about her incompetence are more targeted and personal, though not too personal since the only thing he knows about her is that she didn't care about his upbringing.

As the show progresses and he finds out who she really was it's pretty clear that in a twisted way she was trying to protect him from harm, keeping up an extremely typical relationship so that she doesn't get attached and he doesn't get used against her. She can't afford to be vulnerable for anyone, nor can she have anyone knowing he lives with her.

Of course, some people would find out and she'd make sure they'd never hear the end of it. Though, unfortunately she could not predict the bad luck via which a Leitner ended up in Jon's hands.

In the end, the arc about Jon discovering more about his predecessor and her deeds is largely the same, but it also has that extra vector of personal involvement, as he begins to rationalize her actions towards him too, but maybe not entirely forgiving. It's obvious that between the fate of the world and a child she would choose the former, but a part of him wishes she had told him more about her life and he didn't have to meet the real her post-mortem.

You can add a lot of angsty bits with the concept, like Jon wanting to get through all of Gertrude's tapes to see if he's even mentioned once, only to find out that he never is, or him meeting people who knew Gertrude but had no idea he even existed in relation to her and clearly describing her personality better than he ever could. Oh and of course the tragic irony that since she never told him about the Institute, he couldn't have known it was a bad place and ended up there anyway. I'm particularly fond of this idea because I still want to emphasize that Jon is still just a random guy at the end of the day and didn't end up where he did because of his relation to someone else.

It also serves the theme of human connections, making you wonder that if they had communicated and bonded, would everything play out the same way?

As a conclusion, I'd just like to say that this is by no means a correction of the original story, I like Gertrude being a completely mythical and mysterious figure just as much, I just wanted to share a different take (might make part 2 for more details/headcanons).

#tma #the magnus archives #the magnus pod #jonathan sims #gertrude robinson #tma spoilers #tma jon #tma gertrude #leitner books #tma au #also I just think it'd be cute if she raised him (and was extremely bad at it)

42 notes · View notes

mirikitakato · 3 months

Text

[TRANSLATION] OWEN 4TH ANNIVERSARY SSR CARD STORY “TOGETHER IN A WORLD ADRIFT” AND CARD EPISODE “OWEN AND THE DOOR OF DAYS BYGONE…”

Owen, I feel like you can't stop mentioning Cain in everything you say lol I love it though

Characters: Owen, Akira (mentioning Cain)

Episode 1: A Sweet and Salty Moment.

Owen: Ha. It's been quite a while since I last had such a dull mission...

Owen: It's not merely a bit dull; it's being exaggerated to an extreme extent. You can just ignore it, you know?

The mission assigned to the Northern wizards that day was a result of the Great Calamity's influence, leading to a house cat turning aggressive.

Akira: It was utter chaos.

Owen helped a bunch by talking to the cat and calming it down.

Owen: Those guys are useless, I have no choice but to talk to it.

Owen: Well...the twins tried their best to act like super cute kids, but they were thoroughly disliked, Mithra and Bradley even got threatened by the cat. That was genuinely amusing and fun to watch.

Akira: Ahaha...Once the mission was over, everyone immediately disbanded.

Akira: I wished we could have gone to the shop together. You all came all the way here, but I couldn't offer anything as an apology. I'm truly sorry.

Owen: Doesn't matter. Besides, you don't get rewarded for being the first to run away.

Owen: Instead of that, don't you think you owe me for this mission? Take me to that store quickly.

Akira: Of course! Let me treat you as a token of appreciation.

Akira: That café is recommended by Cain. The decor is very stylish, and the atmosphere is great.

Owen: Heh...Is there a sweet treat that looks like someone's brain has melted and blended into a gooey, sugary snack?

Akira: Pr-probably...? The menu of that shop is very rich, and their most famous item is the baked sea salt cake.

Owen: Salt…? Cake with salt?

Akira: Yes! The salty-sweet combination is addictive.

Akira: You should give it a try...It should be nearby, I'll lead the way.

Owen: Hey... we've been walking for quite a while. Are we there yet?

Akira: Huh? That's odd...

Ten more minutes passed as we continued our search, but the desired café with its blue roof and round sign remained elusive.

Akira: With its blue roof and round sign, it should be easily recognizable...

Owen: ....

Episode 2: A Sweet and Salty Moment.

Akira: Owen, sorry for making you wander around like this. Are you tired...?

Owen: ...Not really.

I thought he'd be in a bad mood since I got him lost, but surprisingly, he wasn't unhappy, which confused me.

Owen: But, I'm thirsty. So, just continue looking for that store alone. Call me if you find it.

Akira: Eh? Ah, Owen!

Owen: Blue roof and round sign…

Owen: (I guess it's this one…)

Owen: ....

Owen: (I can see them clearly from the window seat. That person is still searching for this store in a daze.)

Owen: Amusing. Sir Sage doesn't have a clue that a camouflage spell has been cast on them, and they're still wandering around the same place over and over...

Owen: Haha... Let's just sit back and enjoy the spectacle for a bit.

Owen: (Although they occasionally gets angry, that person is surprisingly tough and won’t break easily. A very good toy indeed.)

Owen: ...Now you mention it, they said the sea salt cake in this store was delicious.

Owen: (Salty cake, but I doubt it's yummy...)

Owen:....

Owen: Oh well, just one bite.

Akira: This path isn't right either...ugh, so confusing.

I tilted my head in confusion and looked at the map in my hand. Still couldn't find the destination, I sighed countless times.

Akira: (It feels like I have been wandering in the same place since the beginning. I don’t even know where Owen went...)

While thinking this, I looked around again and turned the corner of a certain building, then...

Akira: Ah.........I found it!

A store with a blue roof and a round sign. The exquisite and lovely decoration is exactly the same as when I visited before.

Akira: Owen, Owen. I found the shop!

Akira: (He said to call him if I find it. Guess he didn’t go far...)

Akira: Ah...

Seated by the window in the café, Owen rested his chin on his hands, casting a look as if he was watching a show.

A sense of déjà vu washed over me; it felt like I had witnessed this scene before.

Episode 3: A Sweet and Salty Moment.

Akira: Owen!

Except for Owen, who was sitting alone by the window, there were no other customers in the shop. He slowly blinked his different-colored pupils, before casually directing his gaze toward me.

Akira: Great, you got here first. I have no idea why I've been lost for so long...

Owen: I know. I have been watching.

Akira: Eh? Have you been watching me? Since when…?

Owen: Right from the beginning, I used a camouflage spell on you to prevent you from seeing the shop and made you roam in circles, all while observing your bewildered expression.

Akira: So that's why!? When did you cast that kind of magic...?

Owen: Who knows. Thanks to this, I can see your embarrassed and stupid look.

I sighed, wiped sweat off my forehead, and saw Owen happily lift the corners of his mouth. His eyes, concealing their true meaning, formed a curve. It brought back the familiar sensation from when our eyes met outside the store.

Akira: (Speaking of which, when I first met Owen, I was searching for him too... I glanced up, and there he was, staring at me in the same way.)

Akira: (Gazing into those different-colored eyes that seemingly smiling, left a profound impression...)

Remembering the purple sunset on the castle balcony and the enchantingly eerie purple clouds from our initial conversation, I suddenly felt nostalgic.

Akira: (Reminiscing about our first encounter and now sharing afternoon tea like this...it makes me so happy...)

Owen: What's wrong with you? Why are you still laughing when I've obviously made you walk around in vain?

Akira: Ah, no! It's nothing...Oh, Owen. Is this the salty cake?

There sat a small round cake in front of Owen, with some of its white cream already devoured.

Akira: You ordered it! How do you like it? In my world, this kind of dessert is quite popular.

Owen: Yeah. A salty cake, I don't know how to describe it...

Lifting up his chin, Owen thrust the fork into the cake in one swift motion. He then slowly brought the forked piece to his mouth.

Owen: ...But it's not bad.

Licking the cream from the corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue, Owen tilted his head slightly and shook his fork.

Akira: (Although there are times he is inconsistent and difficult to get along with, but I can feel that we are getting closer little by little.)

Akira: (It would be great if I could share more and more things with Owen like this.)

Owen: Huh?

Owen slowly raised his eyelids. Then, with a somewhat mocking look, he gently pointed the tip of the fork at me.

Owen: You can try it. But if it doesn't suit your taste, don't blame me.

This movement, along with the slightly narrowed eyes behind the brim of the hat, seemed a bit different from when we first met.

Card Episode: Owen And The Door Of Days Bygone...

Akira: I heard that on the shores of Borda Isle, there is a door that allows you to see the past.

Akira: Speaking of the past, when I first came to this world, I still had a lot of uneasiness in my heart. Once I recall a certain memory, I feel at ease.

Owen: A certain memory?

Akira: Yes. The memory of a trusted adult reading a book to me as a child.

Owen: Hmm, sounds dreadfully boring.

Akira: B-boring...

Owen: It suits you, though.

Akira: How do you usually comfort yourself when feeling lonely?

Owen: Think of you.

Akira: Eh...

Owen: I think of...

Owen: Your scream as a gigantic dog almost gnawed you to bits and your teary face when abandoned all alone...

Akira: Ple-please stop talking.

Owen: Don't like it?

Akira: I don't. If you suddenly decide to act on those thoughts, I'd be in deep trouble.

Owen: Exactly the kind of thing I'd do.

Akira: Is there nothing else? Ways to comfort loneliness…

Owen: Who knows. I've never known loneliness or anything of the sort.

Owen: If you don't want to feel lonely, why not just be with others?

Akira: Do you mean making friends?

Owen: Of course not. I mean toying with people for my amusement.

Owen: Because there are plenty of humans and weak wizards that can be treated like playthings.

Owen: Threaten them, watch them squirm in terror, and you won't be bored anymore.

Akira: That's too extreme...Have you really done that to someone?

Owen: Of course I have.

Akira: Who...

Owen: The owner of this eyeball.

Akira: Ah...

Akira: …But, you two are friends now, right?

Owen: As if!

Akira: But if you can begrudgingly become friends despite all this...

Owen: I said no. We won't be friends. Are you stupid?

Owen: I've always done things that Sir Knight hates. Same goes for you.

Akira: Eh...?

Owen: I only do nasty things to you. I won't do anything good in the future either.

Owen: Whether I'm alone or you're alone, what you said just now was incredibly stupid.

Owen: Can't believe you said that having someone read a book to you can alleviate your loneliness.

Akira: Ah…No. I mean it's a memory that can comfort…

Owen: Same difference.

Owen: Even without an adult reading to you, you'd still find comfort in an imaginary character within a book, right?

Akira: Eh?

Owen: ...Incredibly boring.

#mahoyaku #mahoutsukai no yakusoku #translation #Owen #Owen you do find comfort in your knight in the past

21 notes · View notes

auspicious-manner · 1 year

Note

uh hii a request for graham dunne where you’re apart of the band and billy like dismisses your input and graham didn’t defend you to you do all the way back to your hometown and graham goes to get you and you have an emotional reunion where he apologizes please

this one ended up being long again lol i’m sorry. also my writing isn’t what it used to be, i’m a little rusty. i really liked this one though!

fem reader x graham dunne

warnings: billy being a bit verbally abusive, brief mention of smoking

The Guitarist

•

working with billy dunne was both immensely rewarding and ruthlessly difficult. he was controlling and overly picky, and had to always have the last say. but, then again, that’s why you all were as good as you were. billy demanded the best and nothing less.

even though billy was the band’s main stressor, it helped to have someone by your side that was better at navigating around billy’s traps. for you, that person was normally graham. your rock.

as a female bassist, you drew the eyes of many people in both positive and negative ways. to many, you were progressive and unique. to some, a woman bassist in a rock band seemed wrong. luckily, the six seemed to lean more towards the majority most of the time.

living in florida for your early years of life turned you into the sun kissed, constantly tan beach bum you now identify as. as lovely as waking up to the ocean and smelling the salty air every morning was, there wasn’t a future for you there. the music scene was subpar, and you knew you needed a change of scenery.

with little money in your pocket, you moved to bright and beautiful california in 1974 with nothing more than a dream. living out of hotels and playing guitar on the streets for extra cash became your new normal.

walking down the strip, you noticed a band seeming to fill the headlines of every big name venue lining the road. both the troubadour and whiskey a go go had a headline showcasing a band called the six. seeming as the name was everywhere, you went into the troubadour one night to see what the hype was about.

upon entering, up on the stage was four boys and one girl. you laughed to yourself, thinking the name of their band wasn’t necessarily fitting but it made them stand out. it was unique. there was a blonde girl on the keys, guiding the rhythm of the songs with her smooth notes. there was a curly haired drummer in the back adding the heartbeat to the music, and a dirty blonde bassist keeping pace. the front man had a voice like velvet and was wild on stage, likely because of the immense drugs in his system. you could just tell he wasn’t well. and then, on the other side of him, was a bright eyed, curly haired guitarist that played tough solos like it wasn’t nothing. he seemed at ease on stage, and you were instantly a fan.

that performance caused you to go out and find the band’s debut album titled seven eight nine. you listened to that album on repeat, and despite your best efforts, your ears kept wandering deeper and deeper into the sound of the guitarist’s killer licks. based off of what you remembered from the show, you pieced together who on the cover played what instrument. you stared at the faces on the album, your eyes always darting back to the blue eyed guitarist. something about him was electric.

as far as you could tell, the names of the individual band members weren’t clearly printed on the album anywhere, and you didn’t want to dig to find their history. to you, the mystery made it fun. you had no predispositions about anyone and no outside factors influencing the way you perceived the music. you wanted a pure relationship with music, and you did just that with the six’s music.

months passed, and you learned how to play most of the songs off seven eight nine on both guitar and bass. you knew that record like the back of your hand at this point. you could pick up the notes on the record and play it back, and you did that for every song.

one day, your heart skipped a beat when you saw a flyer on the strip for auditions to be apart of the greatest band in the world; the six.

the flyer called for a new leading man, and although you clearly weren’t masculine, you went anyway, thinking the worst they could do is say no and the best is that your name gets on their radar. at that point, you didn’t even consider being added to the band. you were there for shits and giggles.

on the day of the audition, you arrived at a quaint home in the beautiful laurel canyon. you strolled up to the house wearing your best boots and bell bottoms with a crocheted halter top and flower shaped sunglasses. your layered, voluminous hair fell over your shoulders.

you saw the group that you had been idolizing for months now in person, sitting in the garage of the house. they hadn’t spotted you yet, but you saw the beautiful blonde that you knew to be the keyboardist, the newly mustached drummer that you recognized from the album cover, and the long haired bassist. the guitarist that truly drew you in was out of frame for you, since he was further in the garage.

you approached the garage, and the drummer’s eyes fell on you first. his look of confusion made the rest of the band turn their eyes to look at you, and you kept your eyes down behind your tinted sunglasses, nervously questioning why you decided to audition for your current favorite band.

then, as you rounded the corner, the boy that you had been pining over aesthetically was staring at you with the same look of confusion, but with more wonderment in his eyes. he seemed unsure, yet impressed, and you couldn’t help but crack a smile seeing your favorite guitarist in the flesh.

before the band could stop you, you set down your guitar and bass cases and went up to the microphone.

“i’m Y/N L/N. i’m a huge fan of all of your work, by the way,” you said into the microphone, lifting your sunglasses so they rested on top of your hair. seeing the boy’s perfect oceanic eyes without the shading of the sunglasses made your heart flutter even more.

you practically watched the band’s ego inflate after that comment, but the long haired bassist of the band quickly went back to his familiar look of confusion. “i’m sorry, but i-”

before he could turn you away, you interrupted him. “i know you called for just guys for this audition, but i couldn’t help myself. i can play guitar, i can play bass, and i can sing a bit too. i have no expectations of being added to the band, i just want to get my name out there,” you swallowed and looked down at the pavement before looking up again. “can i play for you?”

the band looked between each other, talking with their eyes.

“you said your name was Y/N?” the girl asked. she stood up, approaching you slowly. you nodded, hesitant. her thick english accent caught you slightly off guard.

she held out her hand. “i’m karen sirko, i play the keys.”

you smiled and took it, shaking it. you tried not to get too carried away and come off as crazy. “i know, i’m a huge fan of your work.”

karen smiled gently before taking a seat again. the rest of the band looked at her, almost as if they were searching her for answers.

she caught sight of the boys and looked back at you. “she’s already up there, i say we give her a shot. why the hell not?”

you smiled when the rest of the band didn’t protest. “the flyer said to prepare look me in the eye for the audition, but i wasn’t sure if i should learn the bass track or the guitar track, but i do know both,” you said nonchalantly into the mic. the band smiled in amazement, and your eyes quickly darted to look at the boy you’ve been idolizing, whose eyes were never leaving yours. you quickly flicked yours away to prevent the blush from growing too rapidly on your cheeks.

you counted yourself in and started from the second verse.

“i got a wicked on

let me stretch your ears

put down your broomstick, baby

gonna look like a witch”

you focused on playing the bass through the verse, and keeping your voice steady despite the excitement in your soul. keep it contained, the guitarist is watching.

“and I know you don't mean it

i know you don't mean it

because you can't”

going into the music break, you switched from your bass to your guitar as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. the awkward silence when you switched instruments could make anyone cringe. you immediately wondered why you decided that was a good idea.

you started the guitar solo now, mimicking the guitarist’s riffs and licks cleanly. you looked up briefly, and the band seemed to be oddly shocked, especially the bright eyed boy in the corner, who paired his shocked expression with one of astonishment.

you finished the song with a repeat of the chorus, and after you strummed the last note, you looked at the band, hopeful. they seemed impressed with you.

“damn, eddie, she plays your own bass lines better than you!” the drummer said while laughing, nudging the long haired boy’s arm. you now found out a second name; eddie the bassist.

eddie playfully nudged the boy back, before stopping and thinking. he had gears turning in his head. “actually, you’re kind of right.”

the band tensed up, looking at eddie. they clearly didn’t know what he was going on about. you stood awkwardly watching the scene unfold.

“think about it, guys. i was never great at bass to begin with,” eddie said before standing up and walking next to you. “i started on guitar. Y/N-your name is Y/N right?” he said, stopping. you nodded, and he continued.

“Y/N seems a lot more experienced at bass than i am. we could add her to the band and i could go back to rhythm guitar. it’s perfect. what do you say?” he asked excitedly.

“adding her won’t solve our problem, though; we need a frontman still,” said karen.

eddie scoffed and smiled. “guys, i can do it.”

the band looked at each other, almost doubtfully.

you stepped away and gave eddie the mic, and you boldly and anxiously sat on the ground next to your favorite band member. he turned to look at you, a red tint on his cheeks.

“you said you’re a fan of ours, Y/N?” he whispered while eddie played.

a tingle went up your spine when he said your name. you didn’t even know this boy’s name, and he was already giving you butterflies.

“yeah, why?” you asked.

“i think i’m now a fan of you.”

you bit your lip to keep back a giddy smile. “i’m graham dunne, by the way,” he said, holding out his hand. you took it in his and let it linger. “i-uh-” he stammered, getting butterflies from your touch. “i play lead guitar, and my brother billy used to be the frontman before he left.”

“you’re really talented,” you told him, your faces not far from each other. his colorful eyes seemed to keep you paralyzed.

graham seemed to get flustered. “so are you.”

eddie finished, and the rest of the band looked at each other and shrugged. you and graham were sitting in the corner of the garage, however, stifling laughs and glancing at each other because both of you didn’t even listen to eddie’s audition.

the drummer sighed. “it’s the best we can do. is Y/N in then?”

graham turned to look at you before standing up and reaching his hands down to help you stand up. “i say yes. she’s an asset, she’s versatile, and she’s better at bass than eddie.”

you blushed. he saw that you were blushing and he put an arm around your shoulders. at that point, you nearly melted.

eddie, now the new front man for the six, smiled proudly. “let’s do it.”

after getting the offer to move in with the band, you wondered how you got so lucky. you were apart of your favorite band and you were flirting with your favorite guitarist and most beautiful boy you had ever seen on a daily basis. what could be better?

sadly, the honeymoon phase of your arrival didn’t last long. the first time you met billy on the night you moved in, he wasn’t totally thrilled with you presence.

billy and his wife camila saw you sitting on the couch in the house with graham and karen. eddie and warren were sitting on the floor, and graham had his arm resting nonchalantly around your shoulders. you felt the happiest you had ever been until you heard the front door swing open and you laid eyes on the man you recognized from the album cover.

he squinted at you, clearly confused. “is this your new girlfriend, graham?”

graham turned his head and grew red. “no, um… not quite…” he said, trailing off nervously. he seemed to do that a lot around you, like he had to carefully choose his words in order for you to like him. it made you smile.

“she’s our new band member. billy, camila, meet Y/N. she’s our new bassist and background vocalist,” graham finished, removing his arm from around your shoulders.

billy looked oddly smug. however, you noted that camila seemed to be the exact opposite. “you added a new member to the group?” billy asked, an aggressive tone building.

eddie frowned. “well, yeah. billy, you’re out of the band now. why should it matter to you?”

billy looked offended, and like he was ready to fight your arrival in the band. but you watched his expression turn when he realized eddie was right; he was out of the band.

graham saw how uncomfortable billy looked. “she’s really talented. she can sing, and she’s trained on bass. she’s better than eddie, actually. that’s why we added her and moved eddie to lead.”

billy looked pained. but, the band was right. he had no control over what they did anymore.

for a while, that was the energy in the house. billy never did warm up to you, he merely tolerated you because you were close to his brother. you and camila, however, hit it off right away, and oftentimes camila would get frustrated with billy for not being more open to your spot in the band.

graham quickly became your second half. being in a band of mostly boys would be intimidating for any girl, but graham took extra care to make you feel right at home. he seemed to be spending more time with you in his room than anyone else. sometimes you created music together, and sometimes you just talked. a lot of times, your late night talks turned into accidental overnight sleepovers.

obviously graham was one of your best friends. you didn’t want to process that it could be anything more than that, though. for months, there was evident flirting going on, but you had no clue if his intentions were to be playful or thoughtful. you didn’t see any good reason to think about your every interaction more than you already were. you knew if you thought too much, you’d eventually spiral.

then, on the night of the christmas party, billy came back to the band with a new song. much to eddie’s dismay, he was no longer the frontman for the six.

that night, graham pulled you aside into a hallway. “what’s up graham?” you asked, your heart rate picking up. due to the tight nature of the hallway, he seemed to be towering over you, your bodies only a few inches apart. you didn’t need to be that close, the hallway wasn’t that narrow; you both just wanted to be that close.

you watched him swallow nervously. “since it’s, uh, christmas, i wanted to get you something.”

you blushed, and a wide smile spread across your face. your grin made graham beam in return. “graham, you didn’t have to. money is tight right now.”

he nodded. “i know, but you’re worth it. billy doesn’t see your talent and potential, but i do. i wanted to give you something that showed my appreciation for you joining the band,” he said before pulling a small box out from behind his back.

you laughed to yourself. “god, graham, you’re making me blush,” you said, taking the box. “you must sweep girls off their feet with that charm.”

he shook his head. “i don’t get a whole lot of girls. i have my eye on…someone else.”

immediately after he said that, your body seemed to freeze. there’s no way he could be talking about you, right?

you bit your lip and untied the ribbon on the box. inside was a silver bracelet with charms of your favorite flower: sunflowers.

“oh my god,” you breathed, taking the bracelet out of the box and holding it up to the light. “graham, it’s beautiful. how did you know i loved sunflowers?”

“i remember you mentioned it once during one of our talks,” he looked towards the ground smiling, almost as if he was reminiscing on the moment. “i can help you put it on.”

you gave the bracelet to graham and you held out your wrist. gently, like he wasn’t trying to hurt you, he grabbed your wrist softly and brought it closer to him. the warmth of his skin against yours gave you the chills. you could feel his calluses from his guitar on your wrist. he wrapped the bracelet around your wrist, securing it place with the clasp.

graham held your hand in both of his, bringing your wrist closer to his face. “it looks great on you.”

“thank you. i love it so much,” you said lightly. you looked up at him, and he looked down at you, proud of himself for making you smile like that.

“i have something for you too,” you said, feeling a rush of confidence.

“what is it?” graham asked.

you hesitated before leaning up and kissing his cheek before turning down the hallway and walking away. graham stood dumbfounded, and he knew he never wanted to forget that feeling.

with billy back in the group, teddy believed that a collaboration with the band and a singer songwriter named daisy jones could really take everything to the next level.

the day of the studio session, a red headed girl confidently strutted into the studio.

“daisy?” you asked softly, unsure of how she would react to you.

she turned around, giving you a brief smile. “i’m Y/N, the bassist. it’s great to meet you,” you said, holding out your hand.

daisy took it. “it’s good to meet you too,” she replied, her smile growing a bit wider. she seemed eager to meet someone new.

you let go of her hand, spying graham watching the interaction closely. you walked towards the door to meet up with him, and when you opened it, he was already there.

“you already makin’ new friends?” graham asked, looking down at you.

you shrugged. “i’m being nice. she doesn’t know anyone here, i wanted to make her feel comfortable.”

graham laughed and began walking with you with his arm around your shoulders. then, he put you into a soft head lock before ruffling your hair.

“you’re a cute little social butterfly.”

the band began recording the instrumental track for look at us now, and you had some ideas about how the bass lines could go.

“hey billy?” you asked, approaching him. he stoically turned to look at you, waiting for you to say something.

“i-i was wondering if i could try some of my own ideas for bass. i think what i can do will add a lot to the song.”

he stared at you blankly. “and why would i let you do that?”

your eyes widened. “because, whether you like it or not, i’m good at bass. i don’t need you directing me on how to do my job at every second. this record is all of ours, and i should be able to contribute what i want.”

billy grinned smugly. he stood up, making his authority clear by towering over you. “Y/N, you may not know this since you’re still pretty new, but this is my band, and we do as i say. got it?”

just as you were about to comply, you heard graham speak up. “billy, just give her a chance to do her own thing,” he said, walking up behind you. billy squinted, finding it odd that his own brother was standing up to him. “she’s experienced, she’s not a newcomer on the bass. just give her a chance.”

billy glared at graham, then glared at you. “maybe some other time.”

and thats how things went for a bit. look at us now quickly rose in popularity, and during the rehearsals for the diamond head festival, tensions with billy got so much worse.

denying your input on ways to improve songs is one thing, but billy routinely put you off to the side and ignored you. you didn’t seem to exist in his eyes, and you never once got recognized by him. the only time he saw you was when he scolded you for playing something wrong, and then telling you that you didn’t belong in the band. it grew to be extremely detrimental. the rest of the band was easily influenced by billy, and even they started to follow suit and make you feel inferior.

but through it all was graham. he stayed by your side and never let you fight alone. he was your biggest supporter and biggest cheerleader.

one night after a particularly rough day of rehearsals, you were laying next to graham in his bed, your head resting on his shoulder. you both lay looking at the ceiling in a comfortable silence.

“graham?” you asked quietly. you tried to hide the cracks in your voice.

“yeah?”

“why does your brother hate me?” you asked.

graham shuffled a bit, and he turned on his side to look at you. you readjusted and turned in so your faces were only a few inches apart. he saw that your eyes were glossy with the beginning stages of tears, and he used his hand to brush away the strands of hair falling into your face before resting it neatly on your jawline.

“he doesn’t hate you,” graham started, never breaking eye contact. “he just doesn’t understand you.”

“he’s had plenty of opportunities to get to know me and my story. he doesn’t even want to acknowledge my contributions to the band. i just want to know what i did wrong to get on his bad side.”

“no, sweetheart, you did nothing wrong,” graham said, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. he blinked slowly, like he was trying to think of an answer. “billy doesn’t like to share. he’s a total control freak. and when people try to challenge his authority, he feels threatened.”

you nodded. graham looked away before turning onto his back again and using his arm to pull you closer to him. “i don’t like when he says those things to you either. i know it hurts you, and when you hurt, i hurt.”

luckily, the darkness of the room concealed the red growing on your cheeks. he swallowed before continuing. “i don’t know why he’s so dismissive. you’re talented and confident, and you have great concepts for these songs. he doesn’t realize that you make us better.”

he rested a hand on the back of your head. “thank you for being my best friend,” you said, your eyes briefly flicking down to his lips.

he didn’t notice. “thank you for being my best friend.”

after that night, you hoped things with graham would pick up on their own. although you had slept in the same bed before and always looked for ways to lean your head onto his shoulder, that night felt different. the way he brushed your hair back with his hand. the way he carefully tucked the hair behind your ear. the way he rested his hand on the side of your face. it felt so intentional.

but if anything, things got worse between you two. he seemed more distant than normal, and you wondered if he saw you as only a friend. you knew asking could potentially ruin the friendship you have, so you decided not to press it. it was better to be his friend than nothing at all.

even though look at us now was quickly becoming the song to define the summer, you thought it had even more to give. it was missing something you could have delivered with the bass track you wanted to do. billy, however, ruined this for you.

the diamond head festival arrived, and you saw the crowd from the sides of the stage. you felt like you had finally made it after years of working your ass off.

you ran out on stage with the band, playing songs from the band’s previous album. the crowd loved it, but they absolutely lost it when daisy came onto the stage. warren began the beat to look at us now, and you began to feel bored.

when it got to the chorus, you made a spur of the moment decision. you played the track you were fighting for all along. it wasn’t drastically different from the original, but it was enough to notice if you knew the song inside and out like the band did. you tried to block out the confused glares from the rest of the band, but more importantly, the death stare billy gave you. however, despite taking a risk, the crowd loved it.

after finishing the set, you all went off stage. you were smiley until you heard the voice you had been dreading all day.

“Y/N, what the hell was that?”

you turned around to find billy who seemed to be fuming. the rest of the band lingered a few paces behind him, watching the scene unfold.

“what do you mean?”

he rolled his eyes. “don’t fucking play dumb. you know what you did.”

“billy, i-”

“you ruined my song that i wrote. i told you time and time again that this is my band. i make the rules. i don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you can’t seem to follow simple directions.”

“can i fucking explain myself?” you said, raising your voice. “you have dismissed my contributions and talent from day one and treated me like fucking garbage. in fact, i would even go as far to say that graham is the only one here that truly values and listens to my opinion. i’m a real member of this band, billy, and no one seems to recognize me,” you tried your hardest to contain your composure, as angry tears threatened to build at any moment.

billy switched his attention to graham. graham began to say something before billy cut him off. “what is your obsession with her? you always seem to come to her defense. graham, you always used to be on my side on band matters, what happened? tell me right now if you two have something going on. i don’t like secrets”

graham froze under billy’s harsh gaze, and you looked at him desperately. you needed his support now more than ever. he sorrily looked at you before shaking his head no. the tears began to drop.

billy’s tone of voice went from one of aggression to one of disappointment. “you could have screwed the entire song up, Y/N. the rest of the band doesn’t seem too thrilled with your improvisation either.”

“but it sounded good, didn’t it? the crowd enjoyed it, and it worked. it added even more layers of complexity to the song,” you looked to the band, who was avoiding any and all eye contact. you felt lonelier than you ever had before. you were losing a battle that was doomed from the beginning.

you picked up your bass case. “i did what i had to do to prove i wasn’t just a puppet in the billy show. to prove i’m more than the piece of shit you all make me out to be,” you choked down a voice crack. “i was just trying to help.”

you turned the opposite direction and walked away, trying not to look back at anyone else. you felt so betrayed. not only did none of the band come to your defense when you were being consistently torn down by billy, but the one that stuck by you through it all went mute. and he denied any romantic possibilities between the two of you, which absolutely broke your heart.

you thought you were home free to a taxi when you heard your name. upon turning around, you found daisy running after you.

“honey, what’s wrong?” she asked, noticing your tear stained face. without asking questions, she brought you in for a hug, and you almost melted into her arms as the tears fell. it felt good to have a friend again.

“what happened back there?” she asked, pulling away. she held you at arms length, searching you for answers.

“i tried to stand out. i tried to make everyone else notice me since i’m always the forgotten one in the band. i did my own bass line, and it worked, but i was just punished for it. and the one person who made me feel wanted, who saw me as the musician i am, who made me feel beautiful absolutely broke me.”

daisy hugged you again, and you tried to control your infrequent sobs. “i loved what you added. it was so deep and rich. fuck them if they can’t see your talent. i see it.”

you nodded and pulled away. “thank you. but… i-i don’t think i can stay here. it’s too painful for me. no one seems to have my back in that band.”

daisy nodded understandingly, yet gloomily. “where are you going then?”

you sniffled. “i don’t know, maybe home? not the house in the canyon, but my home in florida.”

another taxi pulled up, and you took your case in one hand and daisy held onto your other hand. together, you walked towards the car. trying to make small talk, daisy asked, “where at in florida?”

“cocoa beach. it’s beautiful there,” you replied, distracted for a brief moment.

you placed your case in the trunk and looked at daisy. you asked the driver of the taxi if he had a spare pen and paper, and he did. you wrote your address and phone number down and handed it to daisy.

“if you are ever in the area or need anything, give me a call,” you told her. you wished you could have gotten to know her more before your untimely leave from the band.

she smiled brightly. “good luck, Y/N. be safe.”

the taxi took you to the hotel to pack your belongings, and then it took you to the airport where you bought a one way ticket to florida.

you arrived at the airport in florida at about four in the morning, exhausted from the travel. you grabbed your luggage before finding a taxi.

on your plane ride from hawaii to florida, you had a lot of time to think about you and graham. it’s okay if he didn’t feel the same, but he felt like more than just a friend. he dropped subtle hints about liking you as more than a friend, yet he denied any romantic affiliations despite the flirting that stopped feeling just platonic a long time ago. it hurt you like crazy.

as much as you missed graham, you couldn’t stay somewhere where no one was willing to stand by you. you knew you did the right thing, but your mind kept wandering to graham. your heart wanted to see him, but your mind told you otherwise.

the cab took you to your childhood home. you paid the driver and he sped away. you bit your lip and apathetically approached the door. when you knocked, it took a moment before you saw your mom in a robe and her slippers for the first time in a long time.

she yawned, then fully took notice of you and then tilted her head slightly when she saw you. “Y/N, what’s wrong? if i would have known you were coming, i could have made arrangements, i-”

you cut her off by dropping your belongings and hugging her. you needed quiet support. she hugged back. “do you want to talk about it?”

you shook your head no and headed to your old bedroom. the walls were a light pink, and you had band posters all around the room. it was painful to see, as it reminded you of your band.

you didn’t bother changing into pajamas. before laying down, you noticed you were still wearing the beautiful sunflower bracelet graham had gotten you. a small tear slipped out of your eye as you slid the bracelet off. you set it on your dresser before laying in your old bed and falling fast asleep.

the next morning, you woke up at noon, and felt no desire to leave your bed. you wanted to be melancholic, and you wanted to be alone. every so often, your mom would stop by to bring you food and water, knowing that you needed time to decompress. she didn’t know what was wrong, but she knew something bad must have happened.

you tried your hardest to focus on anything but the events that unfolded the day before. all of it was too painful to revisit. the one thing that normally brought you peace and serenity, music, now hovered in your mind as a dark memory.

you lit a cigarette from the pack still hiding under your bed from when you were a teen. you didn’t smoke that often, but today it seemed dire.

a lot of the day was spent sleeping and reflecting. you weren’t sure where to go from here, but that was a problem for another day.

at about ten o’clock that night, just as you were about to fall asleep, a knock sounded at your bedroom door.

“Y/N?” your mom’s soft voice spoke from the other side of the door.

“yeah?”

“you have a visitor.”

you sat up. no one knew you were here except for daisy. “i’m coming.”

you opened the door and saw your mom. “who is it?” you whispered to her as you walked down the stairs.

“he says he knew you in california.”

as you pieced together what that could mean, you arrived at the bottom of the staircase and saw graham, looking disheveled and tired.

“oh my god,” you mumbled. your heart sank, and your undeniable feelings for him were brought to the surface again. “how did you know where to find me?”

he sighed. “daisy told me i could find you here.” you thought about the immense effort he had to go through just to see you again. he paused then stepped closer to you. “Y/N, we need to talk.”

you looked at your mom nervously. she could tell this was the source of all that you’ve been through the past few days. you nodded, and your mom went further into the house for privacy.

“let’s go upstairs.”

graham followed you to your room, and you closed the door behind you. you sat on the edge of the bed as graham looked around at the band posters.

“you’re, um, a fan of the doors?” he asked, looking at your poster of jim morrison on the wall.

“yeah, they’re one of my favorite bands.”

“y-yeah, me too,” he stuttered, looking down. he looked up and took note of the way you fiddled with your thumbs nervously and avoided eye contact. he could see that you were trying to come to terms with the way your involvement with the band and him ended. he knew that you were hurt.

graham sat next to you on the edge of the bed. “Y/N, i’m sorry about what happened at the festival. billy was way out of line for saying those things, and he had no right to speak to you like that. i-”

“graham, why are you here?” you asked bluntly. he seemed taken aback. “you know that’s not the reason i’m upset.”

“i’m here to apologize. i feel awful about the way billy treated you.” something about his statement still seemed off.

“billy’s words hurt, yes. but it hurt more watching my band stand by and watch as i get shit on time and time again and to have my best friend who always has my back stay silent.”

graham sunk a bit. he knew you were right.

you scooted away from graham. “i was so embarrassed. i still am. i really thought we had something, but i learned the truth the hard way.”

you paused and turned your body slightly inwards so you were facing him more, your head still lowered. “just tell me what it was that i did wrong. what i did to make everyone turn against me, even you. especially you.”

graham took your chin in his hand and lifted your head so you were looking him in the eyes. “Y/N, you did nothing wrong. believe me. i blame myself for the way the band treated you. i could have and should have done more to prevent this,” he said. he broke eye contact for a moment while he hesitated about saying something. “and i-i wasn’t being totally honest with billy when i denied what we had.”

you had been waiting to hear those words for a long time now. you so badly wanted to hug him and forgive him, but part of it didn’t seem completely genuine.

“you’re just saying that to make me feel better,” you said, pushing his hand away from your chin.

“i’m telling the truth,” he said in a low, almost sensual voice before cupping your face in his hands. his thumbs gently ran over your cheeks as a few tears spilled out onto your face.

“i was scared to admit it, Y/N. i was scared to face my feelings. and i was scared to tell the truth to billy in front of the band, because i hadn’t even come to terms with it. i started pulling away from you during rehearsals because i couldn’t face my own emotions. but now, i’m not afraid.”

he leaned his forehead onto yours. “i like you, a lot. not just in the friendly way, i like you. i always have. ever since you auditioned for the band, i’ve admired your talent and your ability to be outspoken and absolutely everything about you. as soon as i saw you running away, i knew i had made a mistake. i couldn’t imagine surviving in this band without you by my side.”

he paused to catch his breath as your tears fell onto your legs. “i’m so, so sorry. i’m sorry for being an idiot and caring about what billy thinks more than your feelings. i want this. i want you.”

“graham, i can’t go back,” you said, lifting your forehead from his. his hands remained on your cheeks and your faces remained close. “no one but you wants me there. i’m going to get torn apart again.”

“no you won’t” he started. “i’m going to protect you forever and always. the band will too. i talked to all of them, and they said they were too afraid to defy billy in the moment when he was in that state. they feel awful about this too. please, come back. we need you.”

you paused before leaning in and putting a long awaited kiss on his lips. he smiled against you, and you put your hands on his chest. this was everything you had ever wanted.

you pulled away giddy, despite the emotional moment you two had just shared.

“okay, i’ll do it. but only because you’re my favorite guitarist and i’m kind of a super fan.”

graham laughed happily and scrunched his nose, wrapping you in a tight hug. you both fell onto the bed laughing, tangled in each other’s arms.

graham kissed the top of your head. “i’ve been wanting to be like this with you for a long time.”

#billy dunne #daisy jones and the six #warren rojas #warren rojas x reader #camila dunne #graham dunne x reader #graham dunne #daisy jones fanfic #billy dunne x reader

100 notes · View notes

jazztag · 5 months

Text

A Cure for Solitude XI

W gets hungry as soon as he leaves M’s lab. He is still in denial, but deep inside he knows he has to eat something. And rotten chicken wings won’t do the trick again. He craves more. And he is deeply embarrassed.

He still remembers those scary humans, shooting at them, calling them monsters. Is he a monster? He just wants to die, truly. But he is scared of not actually doing it so, as M had explained. He could not eat at all, become more and more unable to move, laying on the floor, no more energy.

But the hunger hurts. It hurts so much that instinct makes his body move on his own. The smells become extremely strong, and suddenly there’s the delicious smell of flesh in his nostrils. His legs start moving on their own, and W ends up walking down several flights of stairs and getting back to the shopping center, searching for the source.

He lets the smell guide him around the solitary corridors of an abandoned storage plant. His ears don’t work properly, so he doesn’t realize there’s more like him in the area until he bumps against another cold body. He steps back and looks weakly at the other person, a fairly young girl who looks as zombie as him.

The two look at each other, and W wonders what she could tell him, if she could talk. Aside from them two, a horde of zombies starts roaming the place, and W and the girl start following behind.

The scent grows stronger and stronger, something resembling flesh, but more appetizing. Salty, fresher, human.

The horde enters the main warehouse, and the screaming begins. W is totally taken out by the time he sees the first human and his body launches onto the other person. The human tries to shoot at him, but W has surprised them from behind, and between all the chaos zombies and humans are creating, he gets the upper hand and with a supernatural force, clearly born from the hunger and the necessity to consume, W gets the gun far from them and bites hard.

There’s something inside his being that suddenly feels alive. Like he never felt before. Something warm running inside his entrails. W eats and gulps, and the human, less human bit by bit, keeps screaming until his eyes stop moving. W feels the energy run inside him. He stops trembling, he feels stronger. There’s nothing except him, right now. Him, and the delicious smell, the delicious meat he cannot stop consuming.

Unaware of his surroundings and lost in a daze, W gets scared when a big arm grabs him from the shoulder and pushes him to the floor, far away from the now corpse. W is so out of it, he blindly struggles against the force, and after some seconds of back and forth and by instinct, he bites harshly at whoever is pinning him to the ground.

The creature stops moving when he hears a familiar growl. And he meets M’s blue gaze, and suddenly he gets very aware of the situation.

W looks around. There’s still people running and shooting at the horde of zombies. Looks like a group of people with guns and some experience with them, a few meters down the corridor. There’s other dead people lying around. The creature looks at the Medic again, and suddenly, an emotion replaces every bit of euphoria felt.

Embarrassed. W is totally embarrassed. He looks at his hands, and all he sees is red. His face, his clothes. There’s blood all over him. And he wants to scream. But can’t.

W looks up at M, who is grabbing his arm, which is bleeding profusely from the bite. ‘S-s-s-sorry-y’ mutters W, starting to drag himself over to M, but the human steps back. ‘Don’t you fucking dare step any closer’ shouts the man, and suddenly W sees a gun pointing at his head. But he doesn’t care. The horrified expression of M’s is worse than the fear of pain.

‘I tried. God knows I tried’ W tries to drag himself closer to M, but the human panics and shoots. The Medic pays him one last look, and with a mix of pity and regret, abandons the scene, leaving the horde, the human group still fighting against it, and W bleeding behind.

Taglist: @whump-blog @cupcakes-and-pain (comment to get added/removed from the list!)

#promptfactory #originalcharacter #my ocs #prompt #whump #whump prompt #whump scenario #whumpee x caretaker #zombie whumpee #zombie x human #medic caretaker #zombie #whump writing #writing snippet #medical whump #acureforsolitude

21 notes · View notes

satans-helper · 4 months

Text

Smother the Flame in Your Heart - Part XVI

Read previous parts here or read on Ao3 // Playlist

Pairing: Danny Wagner x Sam Kiszka

Word Count: ~2100

Warnings: this is a Jake chapter ft. sexual fantasies & masturbation

Hope you enjoy ~

---

It was as if the empty nights were made for thinking of him. And sometimes I found myself so vividly aware of him it was as if he had only just left the room and the ring of his voice were still there. And somehow, there was a disturbing comfort in that, and, despite myself, I’d envision his face.

Jake sighed as he read the passage. He’d read Interview with the Vampire before and seen the movie more than once–perhaps he’d consumed both forms of the story more times than he should have because he just kept thinking about Danny’s face. Not that Danny was anything like Lestat, and not that Jake felt he was anything like Louis, but he kept imagining the two of them in place of the fictional vampires–he imagined Danny finding him, destitute and near death, and sinking his teeth into his neck to save him in the bizarre, twisted way only vampires could “save” people. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to ever be a vampire–in all of the books and movies, it seemed pretty awful to Jake. But he knew wholeheartedly that he wanted to be with a vampire. And not just any vampire–he wanted to be with Danny.

The thought of Danny’s teeth piercing his skin made Jake finally shut the book. His imagination was proving to be more vivid than the story–he leaned back against the arm of the couch, back arching as he closed his eyes and let the images in his head carry on. The sensation of his own flesh being pierced, the shock of it and the sharp pain that would ebb as Danny drank; blood dribbling from the open wound into Danny’s mouth, pooling around his tongue, staining Jake’s neck.

He shuddered at the thought, his heartbeat speeding up a bit as he ran one hand through his hair.

Then he thought about what Danny’s facial expression might be–he settled on it being a look of pure, immeasurable pleasure. Those eyes, dark and lush like an autumn forest awash in the light of the setting sun, would be as clear as day as he drank Jake’s blood, and the long, dark lashes would flutter with his muffled ecstasy as he tasted Jake’s blood.

The thought of that made Jake’s breath hitch in real life, his chest constricting for a moment until he exhaled and sighed again, this time louder. Alone in the house, nothing was there to stop his imagination or his body. Picturing himself spread out in the moonlight, his clothes wet from the dewy grass beneath him, Jake could imagine how wanton he’d be with Danny hovering above. The beautiful face carved by the hands of gods would be looking down at him with a tantalizing mixture of concern and lust. Concern because Danny was, even in Jake’s personal adaptation of vampire lore, always so kind and loving, and lust because his vampire nature was undeniable and, in this fantasy, Jake was the only person in Danny’s world in that moment. In his fantasy, Jake needed him and Danny needed him too, and Danny would lick the blood from his lips and bring that soft, red mouth down to kiss him.

Planting one foot on the floor with a huff of desperation, Jake hastily unbuttoned and unzipped himself; he shoved one hand down beneath his underwear to fist his cock, letting out a soft curse of relief. He could see it all so clearly in his mind, but he wanted to feel it too and with his real-life action moving ahead so quickly, the fantasy moved in tandem.

Danny kept kissing him, slow and deep, and Jake could taste the complexity of his own blood–the expected iron tang, but also the underlying murky sweetness. Like maple syrup, sure, but then Jake could taste the salty sweat from Danny’s neck when he kissed him back in the fantasy, sliding his tongue down the length of his throat, licking at his collarbones that were further exposed as he ripped the fabric away from Danny’s chest. He tried to lick and nip his way down, squeezing Danny’s ribs with his eager hands, but soon he was being stripped of his own clothes, made to lay totally bare and exposed in the damp grass.

Though he was indeed alone at home, Jake bit his lip hard to stifle himself as he fantasized and stroked his cock. Feeling too constricted, he yanked down his pants and underwear so he was bare-assed against the couch, then spat into his hand, eyes still closed, and got back to it as the next images played out.

Once Jake was naked, Danny stood up beneath the moon and stripped himself down, and Jake was granted a full view of perfect golden skin, broad shoulders, his lightly muscled torso and long, strong legs–the beautiful, tempting body he wanted to keep his hands on for all eternity. Then Danny was kneeling and crawling over Jake, bending down to lavish his stomach with soft kisses. Danny licked one long stripe up the center of his chest before latching onto one nipple, and in his fantasy Jake cried out just as he did in real life. Danny kept sucking and biting until fantasy-Jake was squirming and begging for more.

“Fuck,” Jake said into the empty living room, his hips squirming against the couch as his cock got even wetter with precum, his balls tightening and aching. He exhaled and slowed it down, not wanting to finish before his fantasy could play out in its entirety.

In his fantasy, Danny slid down his body and took Jake’s cock in his mouth, and Jake looked down, enraptured, never taking his eyes away for a second. Danny knew just how to work him over–he took him deep in his throat and sucked hard on the head when he came up, and he gently squeezed Jake’s balls as he slurped and sucked. Fantasy and real-life Jake both whimpered when Danny carefully dragged his teeth down his shaft, and when the little points of his fangs ran down his sensitive cock, Jake gasped and fisted his hands in the silky yet slightly unruly bundle of curly hair that hung in Danny’s face.

“Oh, god, fuck, fuck,” Jake rasped out, writhing harder against the couch. He let out another deep exhale and made himself slow down once more, grabbing a handful of his own hair at the crown of his head to stay steady and to give him even more of a real sensation of something, even if it wasn’t enough, even if it wasn’t totally right.

Then, in his mind, Jake was being flipped over onto his hands and knees. His fingers slid through the wet blades of grass as Danny slid up against his ass, the big, hard cock pressing against his hole as Jake breathed Danny’s name into the cool air. Danny’s big hands grabbed his hips as he bent over his backside, his curls brushing over Jake’s quivering shoulder as he asked, voice so rough and sexy in his ear, “Are you ready for me?”

Fantasy Jake and real-life Jake gave the same response: “God, yes, fuck yes,” he pleaded, and Jake sped up his strokes as his fantasy self gasped and choked on his own breath as that mysterious vampire slowly filled him up.

Danny was just beginning to fuck him, his cock shoving against his walls, his hips pounding sharply against Jake’s ass, when real-life Jake’s entire body tightened and he cried out again. He cried out Danny’s name, the sound of it ringing through the room, and his fingers tightened in his hair as his cock spurted the white, hot release that had been brewing with the fantasy. With the shudders through his body and longing whimpers from his lips, he kept his eyes closed–the sex part of the fantasy had disappeared with his orgasm, but now he was imagining what it would be like afterwards.

Once they both finished, Danny would hold him close, nestling them both in the grass. He’d kiss Jake’s shoulder and cheek, then his lips, and say softly and sweetly how glad he was that he found him, and how they’d be together forever. How Jake was all his now.

Finally letting the images in his head go, Jake opened his eyes and sighed as he looked down at the mess all over shirt and hand. He wiped the cum from his hand onto his ruined shirt before he hiked his underwear and pants back up with a dejected sigh, then sat on the edge of the couch, shoulders slumped as he looked at the floor.

He hadn’t chosen to fall so hard for Danny. If he could, he’d choose to not be interested whatsoever. He didn’t want to even ever think about betraying Sam–the relationship with his brothers meant more to Jake than anything–but he also didn’t know how to control his feelings. Was it at all possible? What Jake had told Danny about crushes passing was a universal truth–sometimes it happened. Usually, actually, but Jake knew that his own crush wasn’t passing anytime soon. If anything, his desire for Danny was only growing. Growing so hard and fast that he couldn’t even think about Danny or hear his name without his stomach doing a flip and his dick stirring beneath his pants.

Forcing himself to get up and go upstairs to clean up and change, Jake felt even more guilt like a cannonball against his chest as he wished it had been him who had run into Danny on Halloween. He and Josh had been enjoying themselves, getting drunk and dancing, while Sam had stumbled upon something that, to almost every other person on earth, was just a myth, and had ended up in bed with one of the most alluring and intoxicating fictional beings. Except Danny wasn’t a myth, wasn’t fictional, and when Jake had fully realized that, he didn’t even question his reality–he just questioned how he too could be a part of Danny’s.

After he took his shirt off, Jake stood in front of the mirror above his dresser and studied himself. He and Josh were undeniable identical twins even with their obvious, or not-so-obvious to some, differences, but there was a shared resemblance between him and Sam, too. Did Danny ever look at him and see that? Did it stir anything up inside him? Jake had a decent body too, he thought, looking over his chest and down his abdomen. A lifetime of outdoor adventures and playing and hauling around instruments had given him strength and vitality, even if that wasn’t so visually obvious, and he had the same tan, smooth, supple skin as his brothers, Sam included. Did Danny ever think about feeling it? Touching him even just a little?

Jake scoffed at his reflection and turned around to retrieve a clean shirt. Everything he was thinking was wrong, so wrong. Just thinking about it was a cruelty to Sam. Josh too, because Jake had never kept secrets from his twin but he had no intention of being so detailed with his feelings. When he and Josh had gone outside after Sam came to Danny’s rescue, Josh had tried to get the full scoop–Jake wouldn’t tell him beyond what he told all of them. He liked vampires, he figured Danny out, he had a crush on him, it would pass. That was that. Jake knew, however, that Josh knew him well enough to be wiser than that. There was no way he hadn’t picked up on things, even if Danny really hadn’t. His surprise when Jake had confessed his crush seemed genuine and knowing Danny the little bit he did, Jake wasn’t shocked by the naivety either.

Sam was so lucky, Jake thought for the thousandth time, to have someone so sweet, caring, thoughtful, intuitive and intelligent and also so sexy and hot that it was maddening. How was he not supposed to be interested?

He flopped back onto his bed and pulled out his phone, opening his photo album. He had quite a few pictures of them all together, but there was one of just him and Danny. Jake had taken it before the show at The Montage–there he was next to Danny, who was smiling big and bright. One thing Jake loved about Danny was how his smile always showed in his eyes too, like his joy was so radiant and natural that there was no way to not show it. And Jake was going to save this picture until he died because Danny was smiling so big that his fangs were entirely visible.

Just seeing those fangs stirred Jake’s pining desire again, and he settled back against his pillows and stared at the picture as he got his jeans undone all over again.

---

Tagging: @mackalah @sparrowofrhiannon @starbuggie @lightsofthe-living-gvf @sanguinebats @gvfrry @clairesjointshurt @bizzielisteningtogreta @milojames16 @brokebellsgvf @streamsofstardust

If you’d like to be tagged in any of my fics, you can go here or DM me :)

#greta van fleet #gvf #danny wagner #danny gvf #sam kiszka #sam gvf #jake kiszka #jake gvf #josh kiszka #josh gvf #danny wagner x sam kiszka #sanny #gvf fanfiction #gvf slash #gvf smut #stfyh

15 notes · View notes

daybreakrising · 30 days

Text

this will be tagged and everything under a read more, but just to be extra clear:

THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR 2.2 STORY.

if you haven't finished it, don't read this until you have. you have been warned.

so i am... underwhelmed by p.enacony as a story

and before i go further, i want to throw out a quick disclaimer bc otherwise i know there will be someone who comes at me for it: i am by no means saying p.enacony is bad. it isn't. there are some truly great elements to both the setting and the story. my issue with it is simply that i struggled to become invested in it, personally

i already touched on this a bit with my thoughts after catching up to 2.1, but i generally don't enjoy the intrigue kind of plots in stories. that's my personal preference, and that's why i'm not sitting here like: OMG IT'S SO BAD- bc it isn't, it's just a genre of plot that i'm never that interested in. we all have our preferences and that's okay

overall, p.enacony & the story has been interesting and engaging. a few too many lengthy dialogue sections where a lot of information is thrown at you in a short time, which i also don't like in anything, a few moments where the story completely lost my interest, but overall, enjoyable, creative, cleverly done

however

AND AGAIN. these are my OPINIONS (and i don't care if you disagree-)

i'm sorry, but i cannot bring myself to care about f.irefly. THAT'S NOT TO SAY i don't enjoy the portrayals the people i follow have, because i do - honestly, you guys are the only reason i have any interest in the character. but CANONICALLY? i do not care. there is just.... nothing there for me

and i'm talking specifically about f.irefly bc they are a key character in this part of the story (and by key, i mean features heavily) - there are other characters involved that i also care nothing about, for example, but are more background players. i don't know if it's the clearly forced romantic implications between f.irefly & MC (i hate the term usually, but, why are we simping so hard????), the fact we were supposed to have any kind of emotional attachment to a character we met for less than an hour before they were 'killed' in front of us, or the unresolved questions i have regarding their involvement in the story, but.... i just don't care

and before anyone dares to even think it: no, this is not just bc i am "salty" about sam. i am actually really intrigued about how the sam/f.irefly thing works, why it is the way it is, etc. "if f.irefly was a guy you wouldn't-" no, shut up, i absolutely would. if we were presented with a male character with the same plot, i would care equally as little for them. why? because there's no emotional investment

i'm not trying to shit on anybody who does love this character. again, this is just my views based on my preferences - if you developed that emotional attachment, then great, go wild with it. i'm sure i care intensely for characters that others don't (see: ratio-). but for me, some of the f.irefly elements of 2.2 just... didn't vibe with me. and maybe i'll have to watch a playthrough again to really get the nuances of the plot settled in my head, but i just. nah. i'm not feeling it at all. i'm going to just trust that the people i follow can continue to build on f.irefly and do better than the canon plot for me

and as for the flashback-type scenes we got between f.irefly and blade? i know what some parts of the fandom are reading from that and i don't agree. to me, there is nothing 'fatherly' about the way he chides f.irefly on trying to go against the script. please stop trying to cram him into a role that doesn't fit him. you can have a 'found family' dynamic without the members of such fitting into 'traditional' family roles. that's not the point. i think f.irefly using that particular model is feeding into this too much - people are only seeing the "cute girl" and nothing more. people need to remember that f.irefly is also sam, who is known for being a stone cold killer. sam, who once held blade down so he could be convinced to join the s.tellaron hunters. this is not a father-daughter relationship vibe at all. please, please get that the fuck away from me.

on a similar note, i really didn't care for that "oops, it was all just a dream!" thing (though i am glad we didn't actually call upon j.ing y.uan for help - that would have felt really cheap to me). i kinda figured something was up when the boss fight was so quick and... well, easy (not that the real one was hard for me - not a brag, i just have some decent fckn units at my disposal & could build harmony TB instantly), but i do really hate the 'it was just a dream' trope, even when it makes sense in the setting that is p.enacony & the dreamscape. it just felt unnecessary to me, almost like they wanted to drag the story out a bit longer and add in another layer to their 5D chess game

so yeah.... elements that i didn't care for, elements i didn't enjoy. p.enacony in general is a bit of a nightmare for me personally due to sensory overload from all the sounds and colours (and please, can we stop with that acid-trip border effect hyv, it's literally giving people migraines-), which also adds to it. it's not the vibe i typically enjoy so i do take that into consideration when expressing my opinions about it. i know a lot of people love p.enacony & i'm happy for everyone who has been invested in it from day one. that's me with the l.uofu, so, i get it

but as i said, overall, great. i loved the sunday reveal, the boss fight was fun to do (though i feel like a.venturine was better & harder-), and my only complaint about harmony TB is seeing that fucking clock in the ult animation every time. the mikhail & misha reveal was also great & confirmed theories i had & the tying-up of the loose 'nameless' ends was nice.

my final gripe is regarding g.allagher and that is entirely bc i have been building hcs based on a theory that proved to be wrong, and i'm like... really sad that there wasn't anything more to it than that. going forward, i'm definitely making him canon divergent here bc i don't like the way his story ended (if it has, though he did imply 'g.allagher' would cease to exist, so...)

but i did find it amusing that 'death' was just a silly little pet dog who got confused sometimes. he's just a lil guy

#( probably best to avoid the notes too in case people comment- )#( but yes. here it is )#( i've probably missed a few things bc i've been fighting a headache for the past hour )#( and i mean it when i say i don't care if you disagree with me on anything )#( bc. we're allowed to have differing opinions- )#// hsr spoilers

7 notes · View notes

science-lings · 1 year

Note

If you’re still taking prompts: Wind struggles to adjust to being on land all of the time and is constantly tripping over

Wind nearly fell when he first stepped through the portal, suddenly going from the consistent rocking of a ship for the last several months to a steady surface that left him compensating for a movement that clearly wasn't even happening.

Thankfully there was a tree next to him for him to lean on as he got used to the sensation.

Except, it wasn't a tree. His hand that sought for a still anchor landed on metal rather than bark. For a moment he focused on making sure his feet didn't correct his balance so severely that he ended up falling over anyway, in that time, a large hand met his back and gave him another point of steadying contact to focus on.

"You okay kid?" His metal tree asked as he finally trusted his footing to keep him from tripping on nothing. He looked up at the person who he had almost fallen on and found a man covered in strange armor and markings, with a scar slicing through a closed eye and a massive sword sitting behind his shoulder.

Eh, he's fought bigger, and scarier. Even being a little wobbly if the guy ended up being an enemy he could take him. He looked slow and with an obvious blind spot. Even if he could totally take this guy on, he didn't think he would have to.

"I'm fine, I was just on a ship for a while so suddenly being on dry land is a little disorienting," he muttered, thankful that he had at least not eaten recently, as he probably would've thrown up.

"I guess that's understandable, I'm Link." Link took his hand off of the kid's back to offer it to him.

"Cool! That's my name too!" Wind shook his hand before examining the area around them. It was far from familiar, the salty scent that was everywhere in the great sea was completely gone, he had a feeling he wasn't even near any ocean at the moment. "Uh, where are we?"

"Long story, you up for a little bit of a hike?" The hero of time smiled a little, obviously knowing more than he was expressing. But Wind didn't worry about it, he could get the information out of him.

"Do I look like I can't handle a little bit of walking?" He frowned and took his first step on steady ground, he immediately stumbled and obtained a face full of dry dirt and pebbles to the face.

Maybe he would have a little trouble walking...

Send me prompts?

#time and wind my beloveds #linked universe #ask andromeda #lu wind #lu time #writing prompt #lu fic

61 notes · View notes

aheckinmess · 3 months

Text

Apricity || Toshinori x OC

(One-Shot series 1/? - regularly updated every Saturday.)

Read on AO3.

Tags: Toshinori Yagi, All Might, Toshinori x OC, All Might x OC, Smol Might, All Might is a Ray of Sunshine, I Just Want Smol Might to Eat, A Nice Moonlit Beach, Popsicles and Ice Cream, Symbol of Peace to the Rescue

Word Count: 4,653 words

Summary: Ichijiku loves going to the beach and listening to the stories the seagulls tell her, but one evening she sees a stranger being bullied and stands up against his offenders. One spontaneous game of tag, a trip to get ice cream, and some friendly banter later they exchange numbers to keep in touch. As they spend more time together, what sort of secrets will Toshinori and Ichijiku reveal to each other?

Chapter 1: Best of Both Worlds

Ichijiku (Tigress)

Nothing beats the salty brine in the air or the warm crunch of sand underfoot from an evening on the beach. The moon paints a story as it reflects off the waves and the seagulls carry on oral tradition to pass the story along their route. Closing my eyes and listening to the hiss of water trickling into the dry sand helps me relax all my muscles and sigh out today's frustrations.

But there's a sound that disrupts the auditory symphony around me.

"Ew, gross! What the hell are you?" A young voice taunts.

"I'm sorry. I can leave." A tired voice responds.

"You better. You're ruining the scenic view of the beach!"

Normally, I'm not one to get into other peoples' conversations, but after listening to Grandma all day and wondering what this stranger might be going through that he can't even get a break at the beach makes me get up and head towards the only other group of people here.

"Your attitude is ruining the blissful silence." I sass back as I get within hearing range.

There are two blondes, a brunette, and a ginger in my view. All male. You're trying to get killed, aren't you, Ichijiku? No one deserves to be treated less than human. No matter what they look like!

One of the blondes seems to be the victim, because the other three are all wearing smirks and surrounding him. Said victim is tall with a decrepit face and he looks horrified that I've shown up. I can only feel a little tug in my squishy heart for him. He looks a little thin and worse for wear, but that's no reason to call someone ugly or disgusting!

"What are you gonna do about it, sweetheart?" The ginger stands a foot taller than me and seems to think that means I'll cower under him as he towers above me. Not a chance.

"I'm simply here to remind you that this beach is a public space to everyone, not just your massive ego." I purr sweetly, eyes glinting fiercely in the moonlight.

He doesn't appear visibly scared of me - and who would? - but he does shift his weight so he isn't looming over me as much. "Yeah? Well this guy could hardly be considered a person. Have you gotten a good look at him?"

"He's as much human as you and I." I say simply. "Just because you don't like the looks of him doesn't mean anything's wrong with him."

He scoffs, nods, and his two buddies take both of his sides, closing me in.

"Hey, leave her alone." The thin man reaches out, his voice sounding vaguely familiar in his determination and warning tones.

But he really needn't worry.

"Lay off, Pops. We'll be gentle with her." The brunette licks his lips suggestively.

And that's about all he does, because in the next moment I yawn nice and loud. I take a few steps back as all three of them simultaneously flop forward, unconscious and asleep. I step around them and over to the taller man. Taller even than the three goons picking on him. They clearly didn't have any sense of self-preservation.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, tilting my head a bit to look up at him.

"Well, I was going to ask you the same thing, but it appears you had yourself handled." He chuckles, finally meeting my eyes. "I apologize for causing a disturbance."

"I'm not sure why you're apologizing. You didn't do anything." I snort, before looking at the sleeping group of misfits on the ground. I nod towards my stuff further down the beach. "C'mon. Walk with me. You seem like you could use a buddy. I'm Ichijiku."

"Toshinori."

I start the trek towards my beach towel and adventure bag.

"You didn't have to put yourself in danger for my sake, you know." Toshinori says softly.

"Yeah? Tell that to every pro hero who's ever rescued someone." I tease, pausing for a moment a few feet away from my towel to sit in the sand and sift through a little collection of shells. I just need one more. A purple one.

"I guess you've got me there." There's a smirk in his tone and then I feel him shift until he's sitting beside me. "But you could have gotten seriously hurt, and I can take care of myself."

"Of that, I have no doubt." I say for his credit as I toss a blue shell towards the rippling waves. "But no one should be allowed to say such awful things. As someone who grew up in a household like that...sometimes the best advocate is someone who's outside the situation. Stranger or not."

The air is quiet for a time as we both just appreciate the others' presence. I keep tossing out shells until there's none left. Dang. No luck today. I pull my knees up to my chest and just watch the water for some time.

"So, what brought you out to the beach on this fine evening?" I finally ask.

"Mm?" He turns to look at me and I can see reality sinking back into his gaze. "Oh. I just wanted some time to clear my head. I..." He opens his mouth, then closes it. "Nevermind. It's nothing. Suffice it to say that I've been having to come to terms with some distressing news."

"Understandable." I hum softly. "I'm no stranger to distressing news. Is it something you want to talk about or that you need a distraction from?"

"Definitely a distraction." He sighs.

An idea starts forming in my mind. Are you an idiot? He's a stranger! You're taking everything he says at face value. There's no harm in helping him feel better after those people were being so cruel to him. He deserves a break. Indeed. But keep your guard up, just in case. He is still a stranger. I know.

"Well, in that case..." I tap his arm and then jump up to bolt down the beach side. "Tag! You're it!"

I make it maybe thirty feet before I feel a hand tap my shoulder.

"You're it!"

I swat at him again and miss with a little squeal as I slip in the sand. I manage to catch myself before I fall completely and dart right back after him.

"You tall people and your long legs!" I call at his back as I try to pace myself without inducing an asthma attack.

It at least gets a laugh from him. Our impromptu game doesn't last long, but soon we're both panting and giggling in the sand. I'm wheezing, but I pull my inhaler from my bag and give it a few good sprays to manage my mucus-filled airways.

"Oh, hey, sorry. If I'd known you had asthma–"

"You better not say you'd have taken it easy on me, because I'd have punched you straight in the jaw." I laugh, leaning back on my elbows in the sand. "Just because I've got a health condition doesn't make me helpless. It just means I have to find a different way to do the things I enjoy."

He gives me an odd look, his eyes sparkling a bit. I find I enjoy it, as it doesn't look as sad as the expression he wore before our little game.

"So, I've told you about why I was out here...why are you out on the beach alone this evening? You know, aside from being here so you can play tag with strangers." He smiles and I move a little closer to him.

The smile he gets in response doesn't fully reach my eyes. I look into the sand and heave a little sigh.

"I sort of hinted earlier that I grew up in a critical household. Specifically, my grandma was the culprit of that dynamic." I lay all the way back in the sand to look at the stars so I don't feel as lame or pathetic admitting all of this. "You could say that she has to have something to be upset about because nothing ever pleases her. And ever since I was born, I've been the scapegoat for most of that. She called me today to remind me of all my shortcomings, so I needed someplace to relax and clear my head."

Silence stretches between us and the stars. I'm grateful for the comfort I receive from the twinkling lights above me. It's like they're winking at me, telling me that everything is going to be okay. Or like their eyes are glassy with emotions, showing how much they empathize with you. I wonder what tales the stars have of their own. I often wonder too...

"I'm sorry to hear that. I've only known you for the better part of this evening, but based on my experience, it doesn't take long with someone like you to recognize a compassionate heart." Toshinori turns his head to look at me, and I turn to meet his gaze.

"I appreciate that. I've been working on trying to convince myself of that." I chuckle, reaching across the sand to squeeze his hand. I hope that wasn't taken as too intimate of a gesture. I feel like I'm on a date, and all I've done is run around with him and talked. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so close so quickly. You needed a listening ear, and there's nothing wrong with that. But you are wise to be wary of your emotions.

"Well...take it from an outside party," He winks. "You're more than what you give yourself credit for."

My rumbling tummy promptly ruins the mood.

"Sorry." I flush and sit up. I start rummaging through my adventure bag for a granola bar, but find that I failed to pack anything. "Ugh. Squirrel brain..." I mutter.

"You must be hungry. What have you eaten today? Would you like to grab a bite for dinner? Or do you just need a snack?" Toshinori offers. "It's the least I can do for helping me out back there."

"Just a snack should be fine." I say quickly, not wanting to admit that it will probably be the only thing I've eaten all day. "But you don't have to do that. It really was nothing."

"I insist. Besides, it's not safe for you to be out alone so late. I'm sure you're more than capable, but allow me an act of chivalry." He grins.

I can't help but laugh at that. He's not so bad. I could get used to him. I wonder if I can get his number so we can stay friends. "You're probably right about that. If All Might has to save me one more time, he might start charging me a fee."

There's a knowing smile on his face coupled with his shock that makes me giggle. I figured he might find that amusing!

"All Might? Now, this I've got to hear. What did you do to warrant him saving you? More trouble like tonight?"

"Noooo! The other two times weren't my fault!" I pout up at him. "I actually instigated neither of those situations!"

"Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"Listen, I'm not above pretending to need saving so All Might will come here again so he can prove it to you!" I say in a stern tone, but I'm laughing too much to be taken seriously. "I was a victim of circumstance!"

"What sort of circumstances then?" He asks with a shake of his head as he helps me grab my towel and my bag.

"The first time was in a skating rink. A villain with an ice quirk was messing with the rink as everyone was trying to get off of it. I, being the graceful person I am, kept slipping and ended up trapped in said ice." I snort, leaving out parts of the story.

"Is that so?" He laughs, and I can't look at him because the look on his face makes me feel like he might be able to catch me lying if I stare for too long.

He doesn't need to know that I kept trying to help the other people in the rink. He might think I was stupid for not saving myself...or maybe after tonight it wouldn't be that surprising. Gah! I don't know how to interact with people! Relax. Just keep telling the story.

"Yeah, and All Might showed up shortly after. He managed to help save me from the villain and get him tied up. You can imagine...I was freezing! I didn't even get to thank him properly." I shake my head. "I know that he doesn't save people for all the popularity and stuff, but I still wanted to show him my gratitude. Thankfully, a second villain a few weeks after that decided to snatch me up as a hostage. Since All Might rescued me then, I was able to share my gratitude." I kick a rock out of my path.

"I'm sure he knows you're grateful. He's a busy guy, ya know? He understands."

"Oh, I know. I get that he's a big hero and symbol that everyone takes for granted, but I wanted him to know that I wasn't grateful just because he's a hero. I was thankful because he's heroic, and yes, there's a difference." I stick my tongue out at him.

"The world could use more people with that ideology." Toshinori sighs, looking ahead of us. "Hey, there's an ice cream stand ahead. Want to get some ice cream in remembrance of your skating rink incident?"

"Oooo, yes!" I agree, already picking up my pace. "I'm so ready. I've been craving popsicles lately."

"You don't come to an ice cream stand to get popsicles." He crinkles his nose.

"Oh yeah? And who's gonna stop me?" I giggle, already looking over the menu and deciding on an orange popsicle.

"Listen, with as many times as you've had to be saved, ice cream might be what All Might asks for as payment." Toshinori laughs, placing his order and then stepping aside.

"If ice cream is the only payment the Symbol of Peace wants for saving thousands upon thousands of people...I can't really say much. Because I'd probably do the same. Ice cream is the best." I grin, putting in my order and then turning my bag around so I can start pulling out my wallet.

"It's together." I hear Toshinori say, and then a receipt starts printing out that he takes.

I stand with my mouth agape.

"You sneaky little weasel! I was gonna pay for it! You weren't supposed to do that!"

"Oh yeah? And who's gonna stop me?" He smirks.

I make my most unamused face at him before I can't help cracking a smile. I shake my head.

"All I'm saying is if All Might takes your ice cream, it'll be poetic justice."

"Consider the decision justified, then." He says, taking a bite of his ice cream.

I just roll my eyes and take the popsicle. For the next few moments, we're quiet as we indulge in our sweet treats. I follow him as he leads me down the street, pointing out a few places he frequents.

"You've been to that karaoke bar? I've been there a couple of times with my friends. It's pretty nice! And the snacks are amazing." I comment whenever he points out Shigouraiki Karaoke Bar.

"I was about to say, the snacks are the best part. I'm usually by myself, though." He admits, taking another bite from his Mighty Mix ice cream.

"Well, we'll have to change that. Give me your number and I'll invite you some time. Karaoke's no fun by yourself!" I pull out my phone. When he pulls his out too, I tap the top of my phone against his. "There. Don't mind the weird picture."

Toshinori laughs. It's beginning to feel familiar and warm to make up for the cold popsicle.

"What's with the sassy look? You have a blue gift bow on the top of your head, did someone give you a bad gift?" He teases.

"You had to be there to understand." I giggle, about halfway done with my popsicle now. I find myself slowing down because I don't want to stop talking with him. "My friend Hanayuki was taking pictures of me with the bow on my head, and I thought she was done taking them. So I sent her a sassy look and she betrayed me."

"I'm glad she did. The sass suits you." A dribble of ice cream runs down his fingers and he looks at me. "Mind grabbing my napkin?"

"I gotcha." I take the napkin and dab one hand so he can get the other. "My house is only a few more blocks past this shopping district. And then you'll be free of me."

"The world will soon seem duller, then." The sorrow in his tone sounds genuine. "Do you think we could meet up again, sometime soon?"

"Of course! I might even manage to garner a presence from All Might." I wink.

"I look forward to it."

As we make the final trek to my house, I toss my popsicle stick into the nearest trash receptacle. This shouldn't feel like a date when I've only just met him. But he's so easy to talk to. I grab my keys from my bag before turning to him.

"Thank you for walking me home, Toshinori, I appreciate it."

"It's not a problem. Thank you for the company, Ichijiku." He grins as he looks down at me. "I look forward to seeing you again. This was...certainly the best time I've had hanging out with someone in a while."

"Likewise." I say as I crinkle my nose playfully. "Stay safe tonight."

"I'll be sure to call you if I need saving."

"You'd better!"

. . . . .

Toshinori ends up needing to be saved rather frequently. He calls to invite me to his house, where he needs saving from loneliness. He calls to invite me to the karaoke bar, where he needs saving from discordant music notes. He calls to invite me to dinner, where he needs saving from an empty stomach.

At long last, he calls to invite me to be his girlfriend, where he needs saving from a life without me.

"Aww, Toshi-kun, you could have just asked over dinner." I laugh into the receiver while watering plants.

"I know, but...there were people around and I wasn't sure. I was a little scared, to be honest." I can hear the shyness in his voice.

"Well, I'm glad you asked me at all." I admit, moving on into the warmer fuzzier feelings of being his girlfriend. He makes me so happy. "Now you get to help me go through all of the pet names I've been going over in my head. How does schnookums sound?"

"Like a disease."

"Agreed. I hate it. Next one. How are we feeling about darling?"

"It's not bad. I don't know that it fits me."

"Perhaps I'll reserve it for when I'm feeling fanciful. What are your thoughts on honey bunches of oats?"

"Like the cereal? I already feel fragile. I don't want to feel old too." He chuckles.

"That's fair." I reach down to pet my cat as I think up another. "Do you have any objections to lover boy?"

"Mm, it has potential."

"My thoughts exactly, lover boy." I blow a kiss over the receiver. "The others will have to wait, though, because it's just occurred to me that I'm all out of green yarn. And that, my dear, simply will not do."

"My dear has a nice ring to it." He says. "But I'll let you go then. Be safe. Don't talk to strangers."

"Now, Toshinori, when have I ever spoken to strangers?" I ask, grabbing my bag and keys and heading out the door.

"I happen to recall this one night on the beach..."

"Oh dear..."

"And you ran into this tall, decrepit man getting bullied by three strangers..."

"Will you never let me live it down, beloved?"

"Oh! I like that one."

"Yeah, me too." I smile. "But bye-bye, foreels this time. I have to drive."

"Okay, stay safe."

"I will."

For the next thirty minutes, I follow up on my promise. I drive safe, make it to the hobby store safely, and start perusing the yarn section with caution. I manage to grab maybe three skeins of yarn before the shelves rattle dangerously. I notice the other shelves starting to collapse and rush to the end of the aisle to get out of the way, but I don't completely make it.

Pain ripples through my lower back and legs as the shelf catches my back end. Thankfully, my top half is unmarred and able to look around. Lo and behold, a villain starts walking from the back of the store with a gleaming grin on his face. Are you kidding me? A third time?! You'd think they had a radar for when to ruin my day.

"All of you were unsuspecting, right? No one thought the clerk up front could be a villain. That's the problem with society. Everyone thinks evil has the same face!" He roars, kicking another shelf over. It dominoes into the others across from me as I cover my head.

Screams cut across the store as I grit my teeth and try to move once the rumbling fades. Come on, gotta get out! Other people could get hurt! I manage to wiggle a bit, but another wave of searing heat grips my calf, and I know I shouldn't move anymore.

A hand grips my chin tightly as the villain makes me look up at him. I glare at him with all the tiger in my body.

"How does it feel knowing no one will save you?" He whispers to me.

"How does it feel knowing no one will listen to you?" I growl back.

"How does it feel knowing I am here!" A thunderous clap resounds through the store as All Might stomps his foot on the ground.

I don't even blink before a punch sends the villain hurdling back away from me. Relief floods my bones so quickly I feel tears prickling in my eyes. A cacophony of thoughts swirl in my head while the fight ensues. Everything from cheering him on to win the fight to jokingly wondering if I can get him to meet Toshinori and wondering if he'll want ice cream as payment for his services. My brain isn't fully there.

But All Might is fully there, and that's quite literally the only thing keeping me alive.

Once the sound of police sirens accompanies the lack of fighting, I watch All Might hand off the villain to the police. A rescue team makes eye contact with me and one of the men voices my predicament.

"Someone's trapped under that shelf!" He gapes.

"You guys help the others and point out anyone else who needs my help. I'll start with helping this young woman." All Might responds, and in another moment, I'm once again face-to-face with the Symbol of Peace. "I've been seeing you around a lot, young lady." He grunts as he starts lifting both yarn shelves to keep one from collapsing into the other on top of me.

His eyes glisten with mischief as he looks down on me. I can see the blue in his eyes. That blue looks so familiar... I think, before I catch his expression and I understand. Toshinori...

"You're..." I whimper as I begin dragging myself free. "...going to have to start charging me an ice cream fee...with how often you have to save me."

Once I'm free of the shelves, All Might sets them down and turns back to me. His eyes give him away. That soft expression and even his iconic smile tilts up in a way now so familiar to me. He cradles me delicately, perhaps a bit intimately given the secret we both know I've uncovered, before he sets me down in an ambulance outside.

"You..." He opens his mouth and pauses, shaking his head. "I know you must think..." Another pause. "I want to explain..." His face looks so worried and awkward and scared, before he turns as a police officer calls for help from inside the store. His signature smile returns. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I have to go help them." And then he disappears.

I'm crying by the time the EMT reaches me.

Once it's all said and done, my minor wounds are dressed and I'm advised to take it easy on my leg.

"If you have a friend who can take you home now, I'd advise giving them a call. Otherwise, we'll have to find someone to take you home, and it may be a while." The man informs me, but I don't fully hear him.

The world around me swims by in a murky grey as I try to make sense of everything that's just transpired. It's not that any of it is bad, it's just that a lot has happened. A few more tears trickle down my cheeks as I just nod and pull out my phone. It sustained minimal damage thanks to my screen protector and padded buttcheeks.

I scroll to Toshinori and feel my heart ache. He's the only one I want to take me home but...

"I can take it from here." All Might's voice interrupts.

The EMT looks up at him like he's just won the lottery. I look up at him like I'm seeing a ghost.

"O-Of course! Sh-She needs..."

"To get home, so I heard. I don't mind giving the wounded woman a lift!" He says with a smile, before offering his hand. "Ma'am, if you can give me your address, I can get you there safely."

I utter the proper address before he tucks me in his chest again and we're flying. The heights make my tummy swim with butterflies. I don't say anything as the world passes by us.

"I'm sorry again, Ichichan, that I didn't tell you." He says, his voice just a bit louder to make himself heard over the wind. "I can understand if you're upset."

"I-It's not that." I admit, closing my eyes as I try to decipher how I'm feeling. "It's just a lot to process. But it also worries me."

"What do you mean?"

"When you're..." I want to say Toshinori, but it doesn't feel right, because I know he's the same no matter his form. So I use a different nickname. "When you're Smol Might...I already worry that I don't deserve you. You're so kind and sweet, and more than I deserve, really. But...knowing that you're also All Might...it makes me feel even less deserving. You've helped a lot of people and done so much good. I don't really see how you could consider me worth a second glance in either scenario."

All is quiet until we reach my house. Toshinori has to give the door an extra shove since my bag was lost under the shelves in the hobby store, and then we make it inside where he sets me down. Steam starts hissing around him until he exhales and coughs, a splash of blood decorating his hand. He wipes it off on his costume, now three times too big.

He kneels by the couch and cups my face, eyes shining their perfect blue.

"You deserve so much more than me." He breathes, thumb rubbing over my skin. I hold his hand there, enjoying the intimacy. "Even with all I've done as a Symbol, you deserve more. And I mean that."

My little frame rattles as I hug his arm.

"You...You won't leave me?"

"No, Ichichan," He promises, leaning in and making my lips tingle with our first, perfect kiss. "I am here."

6 notes · View notes