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moumouton4 · 9 months

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Their Reactions To You Offering Them Flowers || Naruto characters x reader 3

A/n : This grew in my mind a while ago as well. I hope you'll like it

Naruto Headcanons series : 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Warnings : Contains both fluff and slow burn-ish ends ( under the cut ) but seriously there is nothing harmful, like at all. And sad-ish for Sasori but fluff at the end

Masterlist ⚜

I don’t give permission to repost my work, if you want to share it just reblogue it

Word count : 3863

Sasuke Uchiha : He was doing the dishes. He turned around when he felt you entering the kitchen. He slightly side eyed the bouquet you were holding delicately in your hands “What is that for ?” But you extended it towards him “It’s for you” you beamed. “You can set them there” he said pointing to the kitchen table, a hint of pink appearing on his cheeks. You knew he liked it even if he struggled to express it. Though he started to feel remorse for not acknowledging your present properly and with the due happiness it deserved. so the next day he made himself go to the flower shop and bought you one as well. Yes, the seller was shocked to see the Sasuke Uchiha come to their shop, and ask for help on a flower arrangement with a cold, distant tone. When he gave them to you still with a hint of pink on his cheeks, he saw the glint in your eyes and it made everything better.

Naruto Uzumaki : Flowers ?!? NO WAY ?!? He is just so excited. Seriously you could have given him some grass he would have been genuinely happy as it’s from you. He engulfs you in a bone crushing hug “Aaaah Y/n thank you thank you thank you !!” he screams. You’re so pleased to see this glint of pure joy in his eyes. He wants to know everything about them. He is so eager to put them in a pot. You help him. Unfortunately one dies in the process. So Here you are 45 later walking in the forest looking for THE perfect flower to add to the other. Well his tummy ended up having the better of him and you guys finished your stroll in the forest at Ichiraku’s. As if this could have ended in another way.

Itachi Uchiha : He was cooking when you entered your house. He knew you were going straight to him as he felt your aura approaching him “Hello my Love. Did you enjoy your day ?” Instead of answering him you just handed him the bouquet a huge smile plastered on your face. Which was quickly reciprocated on his own face “Thank you Precious this means a lot” he said carefully cradling the flowers against his chest. He extended a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear as he left a white flower there “They are almost as beautiful as you. Almost” his voice was soft as he gazed into your eyes, silently asking permission to kiss you. Which you granted directly with a nod. He set a gentle hand on your cheek and pulled you closer to him eager to taste your lips once again. He peppered your lips with soft kisses expressing the depth of his love and longing for you. The next day he too was going to surprise you, with the velvety box he brought a week ago and safely tucked in his drawer.

Sai : Bro is so goofy. When you extended the bouquet towards him his face changed to a sad expression “I’m sorry for your loss” Your eyes widened “Sai my love no one died. They’re for you” Now it was the turn of his eyes to widen “Ooooh I see… thank you ?” he said. He didn’t really know how to act, as he never was gifted in this way. Though he couldn’t help the fireworks in his heart as you handed them in his hands. He put them against his heart “I’ll cherish them. Let me just- no here. Come here and hold them. I’m going to draw you” You complied happily and let him guide you into the pose he had in mind.

Neji Hyuga : When you handed him the flowers he looked at you with a surprised look. He was the man so why are you giving him the flowers ? Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around ? Or maybe you had enough waiting for him to gift you so you did this to wake him up ? “Sunshine just take them. It’s from the bottom of my heart. I love you” He smiled softly at your words as he took the bouquet. Despite his reserved nature he took a step towards you and engulfed you in a gentle embrace, before giving a kiss to your neck “Thank you Y/n. I’ll do them honor and take good care of them” he stated, still holding you. You gave him a big smile. Even it was just flowers you were immensely happy that he wanted to cherish them like this.

Rock Lee : You don’t even have time to give them to him. The moment he understands it’s for him he knock your off your feet. He literally tackles you to the ground. Hot stream of tears strimming down how face - even some snot down his knows - as he nuzzles against your side “You don’t even know how this touches me deep in my heart ! I will cherish ad protect them with my life ! I will never forget your present ! Ever !” You laughed at his enthusiasm “Lee it’s just flowers. You don't need to get yourself into this state” you said rubbing his back hoping no one will come at the training ground and see you both on the ground, and also that he didn’t crush the flowers with his body. But when he helps you up from the ground and finally takes the flowers he sees a a petal falling from the bouquet almost in slow motion. His irises seem to shatter into fragments of glass as the petal hits the ground "NOOO ! I'm so sorry ! How could I let this happen ?!?" You began to reassure him "Don't worry, it would have happened sooner or later" And as he cried on your shoulder, you promised yourself to buy something that was less likely to break. Like weights, for example.

Gaara : He is SHOOK. What you took from your time to buy him something ? Was he worthy of your time and money like this ? He blushes furiously as the bouquet makes contact with his shaky hand “T-thank y-you Y/n. But I don’t think I deserv-” “Nonsense Peanut. It’s my pleasure. It’s only a mere proof for my love for you after all” you smiled trying to ease the tension building within him. It worked because the frown on his face gave way to a more relaxed smile. But then you took him by surprise and picked out a yellow flower from the bouquet and slided it between strands of his red hair “Perfect. You look the prettiest bride ever” He blushed even further “Y-Y/n ! I-I’m your h-husband” he whined as he stuttered against your neck. He didn’t want you to see how flustered you’ve made him. Now he had to find a way to fluster you as well. It would only be fair.

Hashirama Senju : You entered his Hokage office with the flowers in hands, opening the door with your back. He was so busy he didn’t even lift his nose from the stack of papers in front of him “Tobirama I told you earlier no I can’t change the colour of the wallflower just because you don’t like the yellow-” “I like the wallflower” you said chuckling at his lack of attention. “S-sweetie ! I didn’t know you were going to come-” his hazelnut eyes finally set on the bouquet “Oh are they for me ?” he said getting up. His eyes were glittering as he saw you nodding. “Thank you so much for the attention. Here put them there” he put a spare vase on his desk “That way I’ll always have a reminder of you” You chuckled at his words “You mean something more striking than the ring on your finger” sending him blush in the next century. “No no as strong. Of course not” He gave you a chaste kiss before walking back behind his desk. “If you’re willing to take a sit there and wait for me for… 30 min or so I’ll be able to leave early with you today. Hopefully Tobirama won’t catch us” he laughed as he took a sit and motioned for you to sit in front of him. Let’s just hope his brother isn’t going to come back to talk about this damn wallflower.

Madara Uchiha : He was at his office planning some missions for other ninjas when you quietly entered the room. He noticed right away the delicate flowers that you were holding. You set them in a vase in front of him and put your hands on his shoulders massaging gently. All this without uttering a word. You knew how tired he was and how much he just wanted to go to bed at hours like this. So you hoped they would bring him at least some joy. He took his time admiring the beautiful petal and the vivid green colour of the stalk. While letting you hands work their magic on his tired shoulders. Then in silence, he pulled you on his lap and gazed briefly into your eyes before giving a long and slow kiss to your forehead. The corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he attempted to smile despite his fatigue “Thank you my Love” he said breaking the silence “I’ll join you in bed son okay ?” you nodded “Okay” giving a kiss to his lips “I’ll stay with you there” you said setting your head on his shoulder. He felt his heart swell with love as he went back to his work. Fuelled in working better and faster by your presence.

Yamato : “I’ve finally found you. Here I got you these” you said showing him your gift. "Wow, they're incredible. What are these ? Poison ? Hidden kunais compartment ? Another kind of weapon ?" You laughed out loud, quickly putting a hand on your mouth “Yamato, Dear It’s only flowers” He makes a face. Not a face that looks like one of surprise as it should noooo. He makes his signature Yamato face with a creepy smile “I think he is happy” you thought. As you gave them to him he held them carefully almost scared to break them. You almost want to tell him that being an ANBU doesn’t make him a flower breaker, but you don’t want to make him even more anxious. He blinked slowly - like a cat - as he looked back at you “Thank you very much. I didn’t know or else I would have taken something for you as well. You’re important to me you know that” he said softly gazing into you eyes. “Don’t worry about this. Just knowing you came back safely means the world to me” Your words were his cue and finally he leaning in and kissed you deeply… the gear in his mind still working to find the perfect gift for you.

Sasori : He ✨side eyes ✨ the flowers as if they were a rotten apple “You know I don’t like flowers” he says. You don’t even know how he knows since his face stayed turned to the puppet he was fixing. “I thought it was because they were from someone else-” “From someone else or from you I don’t like flowers. That’s all” he said, as cold as ever. On your side you could sense he sounded kinda sad ? Maybe because the delicate plants were so fragile to the time and its flow. “I’m going to plant them. I’m sure they will grow taller. And every year their seed will make a new flower” you said leaving him to his work. Unbeknownst to you he stopped abruptly in his task, thinking about your words. And just like that he decided to get up and see how you were going to take care of them. How you were going to ensure their life in this world despite their short lifetime. Yeah you sparked something within him and for once in his life he was eager to wait and see how your care would save those little flowers.

Slow burn-ish ends starts here :

Iruka Umino : When his eyes set on the flowers he gets red. Almost as red as the roses you’re handing him “W-wow Y-Y/n they l-look so pretty. B-but I didn’t bring anything for you. I d-didn’t know y-you’d-” but you cut him off with a kiss on his rosy cheeks “It’s my pleasure Iruka. And I’ll bring you some as long as you like them. Just to see your wide smile, the sparkle in your beautiful eyes and the colors of your cheeks” you teased him pinching his cheek lightly. “Y-Y/nnnnnn” he whined looking as sheepish as ever “You’re teasing me” he tried to look up at you again without succeeding. finally after a deep breath he pulled you against his chest. He gave the top of your head a kiss, breathing in your scent “I want to take you out to dinner with me… i-if that’s fine with you” he mumbled. “I’d love that Iruka. We’ve both been busy lately. I think that would be really nice” He smiled widely hearing your words. Indeed it sounded really nice to spend the evening with you and maybe well have you come and sleep over…

Orochimaru : That little ✨shit✨ chuckles when you give him the bouquet. Making you almost self-conscious. You’re torturing yourself. Wondering if he likes them, or if he thinks you’re dumb for offering flowers to someone as powerful as him. His natural suave voice makes you shivers as he speaks “Ooh Pet look at you. Offering me something as fragile and vulnerable as you for me to take care of” he gets closer to you “I’m sorry to disappoint but my attention will stay solely on you my Dear. Well most of it since now I have to give them a little bit of care too” He tries to stay in character but inside it’s a whole firework going on ( 4th July for my fellow American and 14th July for my French comrades ) he wants to jump up and down with you in his arms while crying and ask the skies how they found him worthy of your time and love. But he doesn’t. Instead he gives you a long and needy kiss on the pulse point of your neck. And lets you here saying he is going to look for a vase. Letting you there longing for more.

Deidara : You didn’t even have time to give them to him that he screamed “Y/n ! Those are per-fect ! See those beautiful petals how soon they will fall. Slowly giving traits to the time passing and taking their beauty with it ! This is true art ! You’re an amazing partner ! I couldn’t dream nor create a better one ! Such beautiful flowers… quick quick I need to make something to help me remember how sumptuous they were !” He took the flowers from your hand and started running somewhere, his blond hair swaying with each jump. Suddenly you saw him run back to you. He gave you a passionate *French* kiss and with that rushed the other way. But not before screaming “Do not worry you will get rewarded later” You didn’t know which kind of reward he was meaning though with him literally anything was possible.

Kakashi Hatake : When he saw you entering your shared apartment with the flowers in hand, he smiled under his mask “What a nice surprise. And to tell I was wondering what took you so long” He pulled down his mask and gave you a long awaited kiss after a long day of work for both of you. As he took them he took in there delicate parfum “And that smell as nice as they look. Thank you Y/n. I’ll see how I can make it up to you as well” Your heart swelled “Kakashi you don’t need too it’s my pleasure” But he took you of guard “Okay I’ll give you pleasure” “Huh ? What ?” with a swift motion the flowers were securely put in a vase and you were carried on his shoulder towards your bedroom.

Shikamaru Nara : When he saw you coming from afar he sighed before shaking his head slightly. When you handed him the flower he took them while a smirk was playing on his lips “My why are you always this troublesome ?” he said. But you knew he liked the present “This is going to be such a drag to water everyday” he took a step closer towards you “Though for you I’m sure I can make some room for that” he said twirling a strand of your hair around his finger. This time it was you who smirked “Only for that Shika ?” He chuckled at your comment before leaning in and pecking your lips chastely “Keep going and you’ll see I have plenty of room to make when it’s for you” “Well then What are you waitin-” you didn’t even finish your sentence that he swept you off your feet. Well at least now you were going to know what he was hinting at. Though a part of you knew damn well what it was going to be about.

Utakata : He saw you coming from afar. He noticed the pep in your step and followed you walking up to him from the corner of his eye “Utakata ?” you said it was clear that you were excited for some reason “Y/n ?” he said, unsure of what you were up to “I’ve brought you… this !” you said, taking the flowers from behind your back and guiding them into his hands. He looked at the bouquet which was now in his hands, then back at you. And back at the flowers and back at you “What are those for ?” he said. His usual cold tone accompanying each one of his words “They are for you Dear” “I see that but what for ?” “I think the pastel blue brings out your beautiful brown eyes, that's all” you said smiling at him. His eyes widened as he saw your face inching closer to his. Your lips looked very kissable from his point of vue all of a sudden. Maybe your training could wait only for one kiss or two after all. So he dipped in and tasted your soft lips “Mmmh still so exquisite” he thought. Yes, maybe training could wait a bit more.

Minato Namikaze : You’ve set him the surprise in a pretty vase and set it on the table waiting for him to discover it when he’ll be back from his Hokage office. He didn’t even notice them bruh or if he did he wouldn’t have though they were for them “My my does the fastest man of Konohagakure go so fast he doesn’t even see the flowers her wife bought for him ?” you joked. “Y-you’ve b-bought me f-flowers ? I don’t k-know what to say” You got up but in no time he went from the door to in front of you. You cupped his blushing cheek “Just a kiss will but even a smile will suffice” He immediately leaned in and pressed his lips to yours. As he pulled away though he took your hand in his “But if you allow me I can give you much more than just a kiss Y/n” he said. His eyes were twinkling with a mischievous glow despite his quiet tone. “Only if you’re not too tired” you responded. “I’m never tired for you. In fact…” he swept you off your feet and brought you to your room “…now I feel widely awake to do whatever you’re in for” And that’s how the next day you had troubles walking ; )

Tobirama Senju : He’s part of the side eye team as well. The bouquet receives a criminal offensive one “I’m a ninja I don’t need flowers” Despite his harsh answer you smirked. First because you knew he would react like this and second because you could sense he was glad you thought to grind him something even if he didn’t know how to actually handle the gift. So you decided to tease him further lmao. Pointing towards your chest you said “Those neither and if I recall yesterday you-“ You didn’t even finish your sentence his hand went to your mouth “Shhhhhhhhh ! Okay ! Okay fine ugh… thank you. They look pretty… I guess” you engulfed him into a hug “See it wasn’t that hard with a little help” you chuckled. He was looking at everything but you, his cheeks slightly flushed “You’re insufferable” he said, shaking his head slightly, though he couldn’t help the little smile that had appeared on his lips.

Hidan : He looks at you curiously when you extend the bouquet to him “Doll you know those aren’t part of my rituals for Jashin right ?” you giggled at his straightforwardness “Of course I know that. I bought them for you and no one else” He saw you walk toward a vase you also bought and set them on his night table. His purplish eyes followed your every move as you walked back up to him. His hands gripped your hips as he continued with a seductive tone “Mmh and what for then ?” you smiled at him “Well let’s just say that you worship Jashin and I worship…” you walked your fingers on his broad shoulder “…you” His eyes widened slightly at your words as a smirk spread on his lips “Oooh and can your worship lie in more than flowers or…” he let his words trail “All you ask I’ll do” you said breathlessly lost in his gaze as you started to feel his hands rubbing circles on the skin your shirt was showing “Okay then you see this cupboard ? Bend on it and let me do the rest. My good little worshiper” he said with a husky voice that gave you an inkling of what was to come.

Genma Shiranui : He raises an eyebrow at you, his tone teasing as always “Mmh look at that. A beautiful flower gifting me beautiful flowers. But between us you look appetizing compared to them” You blushed slightly at his suggestive comment “Genma just take them. Don’t embarrass me on the damn street. People will hear you” he chuckled darkly “Baby the whole village hears you when the night comes-” “Shhhhhhhhh !!!!!” you hissed. Making him chuckle even more. His arm circled your shoulders as he pulled you closer to him and kissed your temple “You know I like teasing you. I can’t help it. Your reactions are always delightful” he said, playing with the senbon between his teeth as he looked down at you. You playfully stuck your tongue out at him “You’re so mean” “But I know you love it” he chuckled rubbing his hand on your shoulder. And gosh know it was true.

A/n : I hope you guys liked it ! 🧇🥓 Again my requests are open 🥚🧁

Taglist : @foxxymunson, @cl0vr, @ilovemanypeople, @glossy1pearl, @jane57sstuff

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dentos-wife · 1 year

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Let’s talk how about Chrom and Robin’s bond evolved over time

With everyone clamoring over the new emblem I wanted to take a look back how we got here with their relationship and why I think at this point Chrobin is the intended or inferred Chrom pairing when it didn’t used to be.

In 2012 we got Fire Emblem Awakening, and as Chrom was related to Marth, his inferred pairing was Sumia a pegasus knight as a nod to Caeda, Marth’s canon wife. Granted because part of Awakening’s charm is you could pair anyone up, you didn’t have to pair Chrom up with Sumia if you didn’t wish to. But to IS she was the intended choice.

She had special scenes with Chrom and was the most likely to end up paired with him if you weren’t gunning for a specific wife for him

And you see her here in the opening with Lucina

Robin is you, the avatar, they don’t even have official art, just them with a hood

They had a canon design what we all know now but it wasn’t really used. And that should have been it as far as IS was concerned. Awakening was their last hurrah. And then FE blew up.

Robin’s canon design is now getting used, both the male and female version are now in Smash Bros. Then we have Warriors and Heroes and the Awakening cast shows up more. But not Sumia. Perhaps it’s because she’s not popular or the people flocked to Cordelia instead but she is the pegusus knight everyone loves. Sumia isn’t even in Warriors or the base FEH she gets added much later to FEH only with other less popular Awakening characters.

It’s here when FE became more maintstream I believe that IS changed their tune on Sumia being the intended wife and retconed it. I fully think Sumia was dropped and they no longer had an intended pairing for him all because she just wasn’t popular. Him and Robin were close of course they always were, obviously some would see it as friendship others would see it as something more the usual nothing really changed there.

And then 2022 ten full years after Awakening’s release...this happened

Couple things here. I fully believe the reason Chrom was paired with MRobin here instead of FRobin is for two big reasons reasons.

1) If they paired him with FRobin it canonizes a pairing so MRobin is the safer option, FEH doesn’t usually pair men and women unless they’re already a pairing. So MRobin got paired with Chrom and FRobin was on her own but she still has lines about how much Chrom meant to her.

2) MRobin is the more popular Robin as has been shown every year in CYL and he’d even win next year

So Chrom and Robin were always close it was a no brainer to make them a duo unit, they picked the male version on a very family oriented banner.

That said some of these lines...well let’s just say if a man and a woman were saying that to each other there would be no doubt here. Imagine if this Robin was the female version

Robin: There's Lissa, Emmeryn, Lucina, Frederick... I think we've got gifts for everyone. Don't we? Chrom: Well, all but one. What would you like your gift to be, Robin? Robin: What? Me? You can't just come out and ask like that, you know. There are rules! Chrom: You know I don't care about that. Just tell me what you want. Robin: Truthfully...I can't think of anything. Chrom: You don't want anything? Aw, come on. Think of the bind that puts me in. Robin: You gave my life meaning when I had nothing—not even my memory. The sense of purpose I've found at your side, working for peace in the world, is all I could ever ask for. Chrom: You're not alone in that, you know. I feel the same way. That's why I wanted to give you something nice. To show you how I feel. Robin: All right, all right. In that case, why don't you give me one of those flowers you're wearing? Chrom: It's only going to wilt. Robin: I'll press it into one of my books. That way I'll never forget this Day of Devotion.

Snippet from their duo convo. Usually when someone gives flowers it’s considered a pretty romantic gesture I’ve heard plenty of people call this alt playfully the gays and yeah this is very strong.

FRobin even comments on them in one of her lines.

“That man with Chrom is a Robin from another world, right? They get along so well, I'm almost jealous...“

There was no need for that line at all, we can tell from their lines how flipping close they are but they felt the need to have another character comment on it in base lines

I do believe MRobin was used not to canonize a pairing...at first. And then they gave up because it looked like people really liked it going even further in the next year.

In Awakening Chrom and Robin refer to themselves as two halves of the same whole which is already a loaded term. But it’s never been used after and was just part of the game

Enter the next time they pair up as the Emblem of Bonds which brought that back for the first time since 2012, in full force

Correct me if I’m wrong but no one besides them have referred to each other as their other half in Awakening

Lucina does it in Engage. For reference other half means husband, wife or partner (romantic). I think after the Valentine’s alt they decided sure why not and now they’re really going in with Robin being Chrom’s other half when they only touched the term once past Awakening in a FRobin cipher card. Other half in Engage is Robin and he pops up when engaged with Chrom to mix magic with the attack. I don’t doubt you can mean a friend with this term but when paired with everything else they say to each other, it’s pretty strong evidence it’s further than friendship.

Okay now for the the ultimate Robin is now Chrom’s intended partner view, Legendary Robin also released this year

“Tactician of Ylisse. Celebrated as Exalt Chrom's other half in the legends that followed their exploits. Appears in Fire Emblem Awakening. “

I saw some people argue exalt could mean Lucina too but no it doesn’t, it clearly means Chorm it says so and if you didn’t believe that, we got a map that was the two called Chrom and his other half. Which is Robin.

His art also references his other half status, he now wears blueish green jewelry which stands for Chrom and the brand of the exalt is on his chest plate

Finally in his damage art he once again has the symbol of the exalt formed in magic.

And a ring, some have argued it’s his clothes but usually the magic gauntlets he wears are on his middle finger and not under his gloves; pretty sure it’s a ring, it’s even on the ring finger of his left hand, where you generally put a wedding ring.

All this together is some very strong evidence, but put it with everything else they’ve done since last year and it’s clear to me, IS now is pushing Chrom and Robin as the intended pairing. Not canon like Marth and Caeda or Alm and Celica, but intended like they do with Eliwood and Ninian and some others I’m probably forgetting. And because MRobin is who they use and their “canon” sort of like FCorrin is the “canon” Corrin, IS is strongly hinting at MChrobin

Which fascinates me, we went from Chrom with a intended implied wife to scrapping it and pretended it never happened to this, Chrom with an intended husband. Him and his best friend, both two guys, very much in love. In ten years IS changed it’s mind on the intended canon pairing that isn’t even possible in the base game. They are a fate defying duo, the emblem of bonds, the exalt and his other half, two halves of the same whole and they are showing that in symbolism harder than ever. I think that’s really cool

To end this I’m aroace and see romance a little differently from the amatonormic norm Chrom and Robin could just be really good friends lord knows I also think friendship should be just as important as romance BUT if they were, it’s very clear they are each others most important person over any wife they might separately have. But even that doesn’t follow a typical heteronormative relationship no? Chrom and Robin’s bonds are so strong they transcend the concept of romance and friendship as we know it, there is no name for the type of love they share it’s beyond us.

But what about Lucina? (and Morgan) In a world with magic, dragons, people dying and coming back to life, time travel and more the idea of two guys somehow having a child is no longer far fetched at all really, or even surrogates exist.

Also they act like kind of like dads with her and it’s really cute

Now granted IS could remake Awakening and MRobin will still not be able to marry Chrom and this whole analysis would have been for naught but I think if they do remake it they’ll add it. Look at how many people have been introduced to them just through Heroes and Engage you don’t think people are going to want to pair up the exalt and his other half in their game?

To sum it up, yes there literally is no heterosexual explanation for where IS has taken this. It wasn’t originally the intended pairing but it sure is now, I don’t think there is any room for denial anymore until we see what they do with a remake.

#chrobin #fire emblem #MChrobin #fire emblem awakening #fire emblem engage #analysis #like at this point if you don't like it you can ignore it but it's VERY clear to me IS is going with it now #if Sumia was more popular would we still have ended up here? Dunno #this all is still the same for FRobin btw but she's not who IS is pushing as the canon Robin but it still stands #anything she gets with Chrom? Take the same way Chrom loves all Robins #if you read all this I love you

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dontexpectmuch · 3 months

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Hey, Love! If you are still taking requests, I have one! Something along the lines of building one of those Lego bouqets with Jude and maybe having customized Lego characters that both carry around of each other. Such a fan of your works BTW ❤️❤️

side note: i just recently got a lego bouquet gifted for my bday! they are so pretty 🥹

—

“do we need anything else?”

you shake your head as an answer, already eagerly opening the lego box placed in front of you.

jude settled down next to you, eating some of the popcorn from the bowl, while also feeding you a few pieces, his eyes never leaving your excited face. he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly made him feel so good right now as he was looking at you, but that expression on your face, the sparkle in your eyes and your smile that almost reaches your ears, are all reasons he is grateful for taking jobe with him to the mall a few hour ago.

“why don’t you get those lego flowers? everyone loves them.” jobes points to the lego section of the store with his chin, his hands inside his pockets.

“to do what? don’t you think it’s childish?” jude questions, eyebrows drawn together as his body fully turns into the direction of where the section is located.

“i guess it would be a nice gift for an artist, eh? since they already put so mich time into self-made stuff and shit.” jobe explains his thoughts, though he doesn’t really go into it any further, stepping closer to another section in the opposite direction.

without any further ado, jude moves closer to the lego flowers, your face being the only picture in his mind.

“okay, would you like to read the instructions? or should i do it?” your voice cuts him out of his thoughts, making him look back at your face that continues to have a smile on it.

jude takes the instruction papers out of your hand, leaning back on the other. his eyes skim through it as he hums knowingly.

“i guess i’ll read them, you put the pieces together.”

“sure.”

turning back to the different plastic bags in front of your, jude couldn’t help but move closer to you, pressing a kiss on your head. the papers are long forgotten as he sneaks his arm around your shoulder, pulling your body into his.

“should we play with each other first? get a better feeling?” he pushes the blanket off his lap, his lips trailing down your check to your neck.

you sigh, leaning into his touch and moving your head to the side, giving him more access to your neck, “mh, don’t know, jude. maybe finish this first?”

nodding, he pulls away, though the scent of his aftershave still surrounding you.

you put the blanket over your legs, starting to read the first instructions to build your flowers. silence takes a comfortable place in the living room, granting you two a moment to relax and enjoy the presence of one another. scented candles find their way to your nose, dimmed lights and the platter of the rain outside create a small safe haven, only for you to have.

even if you are really happy about the present your boyfriend has given you and you want to focus on it, you can’t help but feel your eyes wander to his direction.

the feeling of adoration settles in your chest, caused by the concentrated look on judes face. his tongue pokes out from his lips, his nostrils are flared, but he looked oh-so good under the dimmed lights, ethereal almost.

“do i have something on my face?” jude looks up from his hands that hold the first stem of the flowers, his eyes wide in question.

smiling, you shake your head, “no, just admired my pretty boyfriend.”

laughing, jude bumps his shoulder against yours, “nah, babe. it’s your prettiness reflecting on me.”

his words make you smile, bumping your shoulder against his this time, “stop being so romantic, it’s making me feel mushy inside, completely ruining my dark and mysterious vibe.”

“i can ruin even more if you’d let me, love.”

you throw your head back, laughing at his attempt, “flowers first, pretty boy.”

“as you wish, captain.”

#jude bellingham #football one shot #football x reader #x reader #jude bellingham x reader #jude bellingham imagine #jude bellingham one shot #jude bellingham x you #football #jude bellingham fluff

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artsy-moonwalker · 10 months

Text

A new fairy among the fountain.

Let me get a little personal.

My first introduction to the legend of zelda came to me when I was around eight years old. I was at my grandmother’s house, and noticed she had Mario 64 in her basket of n64 games. I was already a big Mario fan and wanted to play it, but my grandma insisted that I try out something different. So she put me on Ocarina of Time.

Ever since then, to be fully dramatic, it changed my life. That moment is so very special to me. Zelda has become my most favorite piece of media and was rooted that way since I was a little kid. My childhood would be completely different if I was never introduced to it, and I can’t imagine who I would be today without that spark of adventure motivating my life for all those years. It brought me comfort, creativity, warmth, inspiration, etc. etc. etc… I could go on all day. I would never change a single things if it meant not having the cherished memories I have with each Zelda game I’ve played.

But very recently, the person who introduced me to the series as a kid left us.

And when I returned home that day, the world spinning, my head numb, the only thing I could think of doing was playing Ocarina of Time. She loved this series. She loved the fantasy and the magic and the characters. She loved every aspect of it, especially the fairies. She even called herself one. I think I played oot that day because I wanted nothing more than to feel her presence once again. To bring out the thing her and I bonded over the most. Our strongest shared interest. I can’t begin to thank her enough for everything she gave me. The butterfly effect is SO real. And her gift of a childhood full of adventure is one I’ll never take for granted.

And now that enough time has passed, I like to think she flies among all of the fairy fountains in every version of Hyrule.

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schrodinger-swriter · 2 months

Note

Number 10: Sharing clothes with Lute 🥺🥺 can be fem or gn reader. I don’t know if you need the type of clothes the reader wears but I’ll try and be vague if you do need something. Maybe just baggy/loose fitting clothes that doesn’t show off much skin. Have a nice day or night

Prompt 10 with Lute

Another Lute request! I was not expecting her to be so popular! Granted she's not the most written character on this blog, but I am a little surprised she has some enjoyers. No shade, of course! I can see some of the appeal! If Hazbin came out when I was younger and if I liked women, I'd definitely have a crush on her.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy Anon! C:

SHARING CLOTHES:

It's not often, but every once in a blue moon Lute will borrow your clothing. This is usually when you happen to be away for an extended period of time. Lute is not usual the one to miss someone, she tends to cope very well with separation actually. However one can grow accustomed to company, and having that taken away can change one's behavior. To be loved is to be changed, or so the saying goes. It's almost always shirts, they smell like you and though she will never admit it.. she likes it.

Though as I write this I am struck with another idea, perhaps Lute uses one of your shirts as sleepwear? She takes such good care of it, it was a gift you had given her and it does bring her some level of comfort. Besides, it's very comfortable, and she would be a little miffed if she had to replace it.

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel imagine #hazbin imagine #hazbin x reader #hazbin x you #lute x you #lute imagine #lute x reader

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nebbyy · 5 days

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Hi! I'm not sure if you are currently taking requests, so feel free to ignore mine if you aren't! If you are taking them, however, would you please write something for King Baldwin IV overhearing reader sing and falling further in love with her because of her soft and sweet voice? Upon realizing that he's there, she becomes extremely flustered and apologizes for disrupting his peace and quiet. Thank you!

King Baldwin IV x reader - Sweetest of melodies

A/N: omg it’s been so long since I’ve received a request! I can’t lie, Baldwin is my supreme comfort character, I think I’ll never stop writing fro him because it gives me sooo much joy😩😩😩 I personally like to think of this piece as taking place a few months after Baldwin’s and reader’s wedding, so it could be considered a sequel for my first fic ever. Also, the song mentioned in this piece is a real song from the 12th century called "Can vei la lauzeta" (in English,"When I see the lark") by Bernart de Ventadorn, and the painting is "Lovers in a garden" by Charles Edward Perugini!!

Oh btw!! I’m working on a long ass series about him, based off of a prompt by @phantomsghoulette which I absolutely LOVED. Sooo all the KoH fans stay tuned for future updates🤭

Warning: nothing really, just pure fluff. Maybe you could say that religious innuendos could be something triggering for some people but I don’t know. There might be ONE, SLIGHTLY spicy mention but only if you squint really really hard. Also, keep in mind that the historical accuracy in my fics is rather relative, I try to add some details here and there but I don’t have the knowledge (nor the skills) to write a piece 100% accurate to the real history. Also, reader’s gender is female and uses she/her pronouns!!

Word count: 2918

Someone would say Baldwin's patience could already be put to test by only his illness, which she ruthlessly does not grant him a moment's respite, the eternal enemy of his body and his spirit. But no, to this perpetual torment of his had to be added the perilous duties of a king. And it was certainly not governing his people and lands that sucked what little energy he had left; this duty of his, given by his father and willed by divine design, he had long since embraced.

It was the nobles, the leeches who had drained him of his lifeblood lately. It was their endless demands, the insidious words that hissed behind his back, the languid bows and sleazy gifts designed only to gain some favor from him. Looking around him, he seemed to see only vices and sinners, power-hungry beasts just waiting for his moment of weakness so they could feed on what Baldwin had under his power.

In fact, not without reason in the past the young monarch had attempted to abdicate the throne and leave it in the hands of one of his sisters, rid himself of this burden and devote the rest of his short life taking care of his declining health and to nurture his mind away from so much corruption. At times he dreamed of retiring to France, experiencing for the first time that cold climate and verdant landscape of which his preceptors and advisors told him so much.

In fact, not without reason in the past the young monarch had attempted to abdicate the throne and leave it in the hands of one of his sisters, rid himself of this burden and devote the rest of his short life taking care of his declining health and to nurture his mind away from so much corruption. At times he dreamed of retiring to France, to experience for the first time that cold climate and verdant landscape of which his preceptors and advisors told him so much.

And he dreamed of taking you with him, imagined how sweet his life would be if his only concerns were taking care of his health and you, faithful wife, sole blessing in his life battered by such burdens. How he would wish that his days would revolve around you, that his first thought in the morning would be riding by your side through the flourishing meadows, and his last thought in the evening would be caressing your face as you lie slumbering in his arms.

It would have been a blissful fate his, if only Sybilla's husband had not died at the very moment when he would have needed him most. If only his mother had not convinced him that Guido de Lusignan was a good fit for his sister and had continued to seek a new consort for her, perhaps that fate would not have been snatched from him so early. Too late to repent now, for Baldwin would have preferred to die agonizingly on his throne rather than leave power in the hands of that bumptious and arrogant lord, who was noble only in title.

And so he found himself in this sort of hellish limbo, forced into a position that should never be required of a man in his condition, but prevented by his morality from abandoning his reign, impelled by faith in God's greater plan, that his suffering should not be in vain.

And his faith always seemed to strengthen when he had a way to escape the stifling air that characterized the throne room, always packed with knights and crusaders and nobles, when he had a way to retreat to the palace gardens, one of the few verdant places in all of Jerusalem.

With slow, swaying steps, Baldwin strolled slowly among the local palm trees and flower beds from the faraway lands, those where men speak Italian and the more distant ones, those from which his fathers came. Exotic fruits mingled with those more congenial to the French, who out of nostalgia for their lands and fields did what they could to bring the seeds of these plants with them to overseas.

His mind seemed to go out, shifting his attention from the constant buzz of court demands and duties to the chirping of birds perched on the roof, to the eviction of the soft branches that shielded him from the scorching sun. He enjoyed the refreshing air that reigned in that small oasis of greens, which was able to infiltrate the fabric of his white robes, crossing the bandages that covered much of his body and finally reaching his skin, numbed by leprosy.

To tell the truth, of that refreshing sensation little reached his damaged nerves, if not for those few points that had been spared by the merciless disease, from which departed that unusual shiver that caused him a delicate smile of relief, enjoying the refreshing breeze. Then he closed his eyes and breathed in, discovering with satisfied surprise that that light gust was also a harbinger of an intoxicating perfume, a mixture of exotic and familiar.

How funny to think of the concept of "exotic", for an Angevin born and raised in the unknown lands of the east. For him it was exotic French fruit, exotic were the green plains and heavy clothing that brought his allies from the northwest, and equally alien to the snowy mountains and forest beasts that he saw drawn in detail in his childhood books. It was these changes of perspective that stimulated his mind in a myriad of thoughts and reflections, but in a pleasurable way for him, not as exhausting as his daily duties.

His reflections on exotic and local made his mind travel, wandering until he came to a subject very close to him: Muslims and Jews, reflecting well on the landscape in front of him, recognized that he could share with them the same concepts of what is foreign and what they can claim the original belonging. And he could not but reflect on how it must have been for the first inhabitants of Jerusalem to observe the Franks who came as conquerors, and filled their gardens with such foreign plants as those pale warriors who had taken possession of their dwelling... But after all, the French soldiers who were emissaries of God’s will needed something familiar to stabilize them as they fought to reclaim the Promised Land, ut Deus voluit.

But all his brooding over these matters of conquest and submission ended up in the background in his mind, when a colorful scarlet sphere caught his attention. An exquisitely red apple seemed to tempt him from a branch just above his head, beckoning him to be picked and savored by the king, that he might lose himself in the juicy sweetness of that fruit with origins so far removed from the Holy Land. But the king's modesty prevented him from yielding to that temptation, wanting to avoid exposing the advanced state of deterioration in which his mouth was.

And in fact if that temptation had been alive it would have pale in front of something much more captivating, a sound that echoed in the most melodious distance of the song of any nightingale. Baldwin was surprised to think that he had not realized before the melody that inibriated the atmosphere around him, so taken by the tribulations of his mind that he almost missed such an intoxicating song. He did not know what he felt once he arrived in Heaven, if he had ever arrived in spite of the unjust fate in Hell that the evil Saracens wished him. He didn’t know it, but if one ever had to imagine what Heaven sounded like, that song would come to mind.

When I see the lark beating

Its wings in joy against the rays of the sun

That it forgets itself and lets itself fall

Because of the sweetness that comes to its heart

She sang in Occitan, the beautiful one in the distance. The voice of his people, of his lineage, that few in the palace can pronounce after so many years of distance from their homeland in Provence. Paying more attention to the echoing song, he would not even have had to approach it to give a face to that melodic voice: he knew how to recognize his wife’s voice.

Yet it was a new context in which he saw you, new facets of you that he had not yet had a chance to observe. Your voice, sweet as honey, venerable like all your other traits, he had never heard it except in speech, when you were proclaiming orders before your subjects with the authority fit for a queen, or when you laughed at the poems and performances of the court singers, or when you whispered in Baldwin’s ears sweet words, while you lay with bodies merged between the soft silk sheets. Always spoken, but never sung.

Alas! Such great envy then overwhelms me

Of all those whom I see rejoicing,

But though he didn’t need to approach you to recognize you, the desire to see your face exceeded any of his other needs. As if mesmerized by the sound of a siren, Baldwin was advancing towards you, with steps so slow that it seemed a hunter about to catch a deer in the woods. He wanted nothing more than to hear you sing again, that you continue to bless him with that angelic melody. What worse sin would there be than to interrupt your song, more sacred than a prayer?

His stomach filled with butterflies and turned upside down like the beasts' jugglers, his breath seemed to stop in his throat, depriving him of the breath he no longer needed, as long as he could hear you sing a moment more. And her cheeks warmed, when finally she saw you among the white lilies, more beautiful than divine salvation.

I wonder that my heart, at that moment,

Does not melt from desire.

Baldwin wondered if you sang with him in mind, if those words of love reflected your own emotional turmoil.

Oh, if only it were so, and your singing equalled his own words inscribed in the sonnets and poems he composed in your honor, which he himself commissioned from your favorite singers to perform at banquets, only to steal an embarrassed smile and to see the blush of your cheeks, along with the glint in your eyes.

Whether it was or not, the outcome remained the same since he was at that moment in your proximity, in the same state mixed with adoration, love and wonder at the bold gesture. But if only he had confirmation from your words...

Alas! How much I thought I knew

About love, and how little I know,

Because I cannot keep myself from loving

The one from whom I will gain nothing.

"My angel, your voice sounds like heaven but your words are false." Baldwin practically saw you blow up from your session, completely taken aback by his sudden appearance, unaware that your husband has been acting as a secret public all this time. Your initial surprise quickly turns into a laugh to mask your embarrassment for being caught in a moment like this, when you thought you were alone to be able to run the streets of music with your voice.

"I beg your pardon, I thought I was alone in the gardens," your eyes met his own only for a moment, before you turned your face to try and hide the blush of your face, "it was just a silly song I heard singing to the Provençal knights. I hope I did not disrupt your walk, my love..”

He laughed softly, trying to hide his amusement from having caught you off guard. He approached you more quickly than when he did just a few moments before, but with the same phlegm that managed to inspire a feeling of safeness in you. Sitting by your side on the bare rock, he raised his bandaged hand to gently cup your face and make you turn your eyes towards him. It was only then, when you had no choice but to look at Baldwin in the face that you noticed how his eyes, the only part of his face exposed to the outside world, formed two half-moons, and you came to find that it was because of how widely he was smiling, as you lowered the veil from his face.

He was making fun of you, you realized. With that swagger in his manner, you understood that his amusement came from your embarrassment at that silly misunderstanding. Laughing softly, he gently shook his head before bringing both hands to your face, holding it as if it were the most sacred of relics. "As much as I would love to hear you sing of your affection for me, just to hear your voice echoing in the air is the sweetest of gifts. How could you deprive me of this blessing thus far, my dear?"

You could do nothing but giggle at his sweet words, bringing your hands to his wrists to feel him closer to you. "You flatter me, my king. My voice boasts nothing more than those sweet melodies that the singers in the palace sing. Mine is only a dabble."

His gaze softened, his playful spirit addicted to your presence. He took the floor again, in a tone as soft as cotton, "At least this once, my queen, allow me to disagree with your words. My life may be short and my reality small, but never have I heard such an angelic voice, singing such sweet melodies. And God may not yet have granted me the ability to predict the future, but in my heart I know well that never will any singer be able to hold a candle to your beautiful voice, never will any song be able to express the same feeling of ecstasy.

"You, my angel, have managed to make a simple ballad an absolute work of art through your voice. I think I should take you with me into battle next time, for with your mere voice you could addict Saladin and his entire army.

"And seeing you here, angelic and perfect like the lilies that surround you, singing so softly that it would make any bird jealous, that I realize that whatever toil, whatever challenges God has stored up for me, and all those that still await me in my life, are worth it, if at the end of each of them there is you, voice of an angel, to hold a place for me in your arms of heaven."

You were sure you were on the verge of crying a flood of tears, the result of pure emotion at his sweet words. It was not new to you that Baldwin worshipped you as much as the God to whom his kingdom was consecrated, from the first moment he got to hear your voice and admire your face, and you knew at once that he had become yours, body and soul. But it was new to you to see him like that, completely entranced by your simple being-it was something new. A wonderful newness that made you feel like the most desired of women on this earth.

Taken by a rush of boldness, you practically jumped into his arms, wrapping your arms around his neck; you ended up on top of him, with his hands around your hips. You both laughed, like two little boys frolicking in the gardens. And you left a kiss on his left cheek, then on the bridge of his nose. A kiss again on his forehead, and then down on the side of his lips. When you were about to give him another kiss, just where he most yearned for your lips, against his, you stopped a few inches away, with a wide smile, before speaking again, "If so little is enough to make your happiness, then I will sing to you every day, whenever you ask. Let me be your nightingale, your morning song and your lullaby all at once!"

"I couldn't wish for anything else, my dear. Now, however, I beg you, sing one more melody for me, before my duties drag me back to the palace, and I shall consider myself a blessed man."

"With great pleasure, my love." Your voice was now little more than a whisper. With a languid movement, Baldwin moved his body to rest his head on your lap, and you eagerly greeted him. After slightly moving the hood that veiled his head, so that you could play with his golden locks, you began to sing a new melody, one that this time spoke of reciprocated love, of the joy of being able to hold your loved one in your arms. But the words you sang barely reached Baldwin before his sky-colored eyes closed softly, his mind giving him at least a moment's despite from his perilous life. You continued to sing, caressing his face, which from day to day appeared more and more mutilated by his disease, singing the sweetest of melodies so as to prolong this idyll in which you and your husband found yourselves in.

For with you Baldwin had a way of putting the crown aside, and being nothing more than a foolish young man in love, whose only duty was to love you, to love you with all the love that an angel like you deserved.

@sweetworkoffiction hope you like it <3

#fluff #writers on tumblr #f!reader #kingdom of heaven #king baldwin iv #king baldwin x reader #king baldwin x you #koh #medieval fiction #historical fiction #writing requests #requests open #anon ask #anon request

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lovelyyandereaddictionpoint · 1 year

Note

A reader in TW with character and Power abilities from Chinsaw Man? I think she will fit well into this universeXD

Chainsaw Man Reader | Yandere Twisted Wonderland

You most certainly are an odd one, even without the little chainsaw tug hanging from your chest. When you gain the favor of your harem newfound friends and they raise alarm to the minimalistic crappy style of life. Nonetheless, you're still smiling and happily eating the rations you’ve been ‘gifted’. And while the smallest things mean the most to you nobody expected your face to turn into this chainsaw demon when Crowley asked you to clear out some trees

“What? You asked me to clear it out didn’t you?”

Trey Clover

“O-oh my–huh?”

Dude is bewildered beyond belief

But ultimately he doesn’t mind your power

Because you’re still dependent on him

You’re always sticking close to him

“Oh, Angel of all things delicious! Do you have anything for me to eat!”

“Not right now..but I’m going to make something now if you want?”

“Yeeessss!”

He loves how happy you are to eat his food

Subsequently loving him since he feeds you for free

He’s acutely aware of your disparity with emotions

But he doesn’t care

Especially when you’re so willing to do anything for it

“So all I have to do is just not talk to them and I’ll get sweets forever?”

“Yeah…you also can’t tell them why okay?”

Azul Ashengrotto

“Wait wait so if you want me to enlist your services you just want…”

“A place to stay!”

“Yes and…”

“Meals and that I get to touch some nipples!”

“...yeah…just anybody’s will do?”

“Yup!”

Please let it be his

He sees how easily you’re willing to stray despite your massive power

“I can’t let them go…they may be able to do that but they don’t understand this world. They don’t understand anything so it's only right that I keep—take them in.”

In a way, he does think of you like a dog, only in your brain though

You wonderfully don’t have much morale other than comfortability

“That’s perfect! So we have a deal then.”

Dire Crowley

“AAAAA I’m sorry for not giving you a bigger budget! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

He’s probably the most shaken

Suddenly he’s worried his generosity isn’t enough

Despite suddenly giving more and encouraging students to house you while he revamps Ramshackle

But once he calms down and he sees you genuinely hold no resentment

Specifically, after he offered you some takeout

With a sweat drop, he suddenly starts showing up around you more often

Praising you and letting you take breaks

And eventually, a proposal is made to send you to someone who will experiment on you for your condition

Granted Crowley has…cleaned up quite a few messes himself

But once he does he realizes this will never stop

But who are they to take his baby bird from him…even if you turn into a chainsaw creature on occasion

Nonetheless, he’s decided you cannot be seen, touched, or otherwise

Where safer than in his own little nest

It’ll take some time to get it ready, but he’ll be generous with his creation so that you can be comfy when he makes the move

“No worries (Y/n) I’ve already begun preparing the nest for you to stay in!”

“Ewww I wouldn’t want to live in a nest. That’d be cramped and scratchy.”

“No no *ahem* it’s a house or room rather…”

“Oh! Will there be food?”

“...uh…yes, yes there will be is.”

“Yay!”

Ace Trappola

“Oi oi could you do the hedges for the Heartslabyul hedges? Sure’d save me loads of time.”

“Eh?! I don’t want Riddle to yell at me…”

“I'll let you touch my balls.”

“YES SIR! Those hedges will be cut! “

“Just trim them, make shapes if you wanna. I don’t care.”

Leans into your carnal desires the most

Dangling food and sex to get what he wants from you

He loves it though

In private he blushes like crazy

totally taking advantage of your eagerness

He gets off on just about everything you do

But part of the fun is pretending he’s just this cool unbothered love interest

“Hehehe look at you sucking like that~like a dog.”

Now while you may be the one with chainsaws

He’s the one who actually sets you on them

Or decides to do something about the ones who want to do the same

“They might have said they’ll do anything but I’m letting you know now they will not be. Especially since you’re not going to be able to ask.”

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the-blind-assassin-12 · 3 months

Text

Survivor Blues

DEAD WOOD: JOEL'S POV

A/N: After far too long, this one is back in action! I have missed writing this story so darn much and it feels great to be back with these characters. This interlude has been living in my wip folder for a damn year, and I am really exciting to finally be sharing it. It takes place immediately following the events of Part Five, and it marks the first time that we get to see things through Joel's eyes in this universe. (It also alludes to some things that I haven't expanded on within this story yet, but that I am so SO excited to.)

Series Masterlist

Word count: 4.4k

Warnings: language, mention of character death, loss, grief, trauma, brief description of injury, Ellie is a snarky teenager, PLOT SPOILERS FOR TLOU, feel free to message me if you have questions (it's actually a lot more hopeful than the title makes it sound)

Summary: Home from the supply run, Joel contemplates how far he's come since arriving in Jackson... and hopes that it will be the same for you. Tommy and Ellie - of course - have thoughts and opinions on things, too.

By the time Joel got home after a quick stop at the clinic, it was past seven, the house - and Ellie’s garage - both standing dark and empty against the beginnings of night.

She must be out with friends. Good.

It had taken a few years, but he was finally in a place where her absence didn’t immediately put him on edge. When they first settled into the house on Rancher Street, Joel would insist that Ellie stay at Tommy and Maria’s anytime he was gone overnight. Even the walls and the close knit community couldn’t fully satisfy that need to know that she was safe then. But now a note stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet telling him where she’d gone was more than sufficient.

Which was exactly what he found when he entered the kitchen. Plucking the piece of paper from the fridge door and leaning against the counter, he read the girl’s hastily scrawled words.

Joel,

Not sure when you’re getting back but I might not be here when you do. Staying with some friends tonight and tomorrow. I’ll be home on Tuesday. Movie night - don’t forget!

-Ellie

He chuckled to himself and shook his head. Like I’d ever forget movie night, kiddo.

Getting that back - that time with her where they could just be a family, laughing together and watching some movie that was made fifteen years before she was born, that time that both of them desperately craved where they could put down all the things they carried and all the things they’d gone through even if only for 120 minutes at a time - that was a gift he would never take for granted. Her eventual forgiveness and understanding, once he’d finally explained his reasoning for the choices he made, was everything to Joel. And it was still fresh. The two of them were still awkwardly trying to find their way back to the kind of relationship they had before the lie came to light. But it was a chance that Joel never imagined he’d get, and it wasn’t one he would ever squander.

He raised his hand to stick Ellie’s note back on the refrigerator door for now, but paused before using the same faded orange Longhorns magnet that she had used to secure it. Instead, he dug into his back pocket and pulled out a new one. Turning it over in his palm, Joel glanced down at the yellow letters spelling out Wyoming and remembered the look on your face when he handed you one identical to it that morning.

It wasn’t really a smile, more like the framework of one, a hint of what it would look like fully fleshed out. It was different from the ones he’d seen you wear while working in the bakery or waving to someone on the street. Those were pleasantries that you were refamiliarizing yourself with. This one touched your eyes, softening them for a few seconds. It made Joel wonder what he unearthed with that small gesture - what part of your former life he’d been able to reach and awaken, at least partially. He didn’t bother with wondering what it meant that he’d taken an identical magnet for himself.

With a sigh, he used the gas station souvenir to tack up Ellie’s note where he’d found it. Keeping his injured arm down at his side, he reached to open the cupboard next to the fridge and pulled down a glass and the bottle he kept there. He let out a grunt as he twisted the cap off, needing to use both hands to do so and being punished for the miniscule movement with a throb of discomfort through his bicep. Shit, that hurts.

Though your work had held up just fine all the way back to Jackson, the wound had still garnered a hiss and a wince from the nurse on duty at the clinic. Using a cloth and clear grain alcohol, she’d carefully cleaned between and around the stitches, telling him that he was lucky he had someone with him who knew what they were doing, because the cut was deep and without closing it properly, he would have lost a lot more blood than he did. Slathering the area with an antiseptic cream, she re-wrapped his arm and sent him on his way, recommending that he not get the stitches wet for a good two days.

Gonna have to stick my arm outta the shower I guess. First thing’s first, though.

But before he could finish making himself a drink, he was interrupted by the call of his name. “Joel?” Tommy’s voice joined the stomp of his boots as he climbed the porch stairs and let himself through the front door. “Hey, Joel? Where-”

I shoulda known he’d be over.

Holly, the nurse at the clinic, was close friends with Maria. There was no way that she didn’t radio over to let Maria know that she’d just taken care of her brother-in-law. And that meant that Tommy knew, too.

“Kitchen,” Joel answered, cutting his brother’s question short and reaching into the cupboard for a second glass. Setting it on the counter, he opened the freezer and scooped a few ice cubes into his palm before dividing them between the two tumblers. They clinked against the cut glass but fell silent as Joel poured a few fingers of whiskey in each, turning around in time to see Tommy appear in the doorway. “Hey, little brother.”

Tommy’s eyes were alert as he gave Joel the once over, his heightened focus settling on the bandage on his arm. “Shit, you alright? Holly said-”

“M’fine, Tommy.” He picked up one of the glasses and handed it over, the younger man accepting it with visible relief. “Just a cut. Fell into some broken glass.”

Tommy raised one eyebrow. “You fell, huh?”

Joel rolled his eyes with a gruff groan. “Couple’a infected caught us by surprise at the eye doctor. Nothin’ we couldn’t handle.” He leaned back against the counter and lifted his glass to his lips, taking a swig.

“Jesus.” Tommy took a drink, too, bending forward to rest his elbows on the island in the center of the kitchen. He set his glass down but kept his fingers around it, forehead furrowing as he spoke your name in the form of a question. “She’s alright, too? Holly didn’t say anything about-”

Joel shook his head. “She’s fine, Tommy. Didn’t even have to stop at the clinic, so Holly didn’t see her.” He took another small drink, letting the rich amber liquid coat his tongue before swallowing. “She went straight back to her place from the stables.”

“Good.” Tommy nodded and blew out a breath, the last of the worry leaving his expression. “That’s good.” He cleared his throat and swirled the contents of his glass, watching the ice slide around the sides. “And uh… she did alright?” His eyes came back up then. “I mean, dealin’ with the infected and all?”

Joel recalled the way you snapped immediately into action, shifting seamlessly from defense to attack, muscle memory taking over and guiding your blade exactly where it needed to go without hesitation.

Alright’s an understatement.

You’d had a moment of panic in the aftermath, but though Joel was certain that was what Tommy was asking about with the addition of “and all”, he decided not to consider it in his response. Your explanation was solid. No harm had been done, and he didn’t think it warranted mentioning. Nor did the fact that he had only been knocked through the glass display case because he’d glanced in your direction first to make sure you didn’t need help.

We’re both fine. No point in worryin’ him over nothin’. She’s no more of a liability on a run than I am. She just… she needs time. Like we all did.

“Yeah,” he answered, brows pinched together as he took another drink. He shrugged his bandaged arm out in front of him. “She even patched me up once we were in the clear.”

Tommy’s eyes widened. “Well, shit.” The tiniest twitch of his mustache gave away a hidden smirk, and he used the hand holding his glass to point at Joel. “You mean you actually let someone take care of you?”

Joel rolled his eyes again. “Shut it, Tommy.”

That got a laugh out of him, the younger man setting his glass on the island to lift both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m just messin’ with you, big brother.” He smiled, a smaller chuckle slipping through it as his hands dropped to the counter. “Really, though.” He nodded. “I’m glad you’re both okay.”

“Yeah.” Your near-smile flashed in Joel’s memory again as his eyes shifted to the magnet on the refrigerator. “Me too.” The kitchen fell silent for a handful of seconds, both men finishing their drinks before Joel spoke again. “Hey, do… do you remember that time you gave me a hand takin’ down the old oak tree in the yard?”

Tommy blinked, clearly surprised by the question, but didn’t ask why Joel had brought it up. Instead, he tilted his head, brow furrowed as he sorted through his memories. The moment he dug the right one from its hiding spot, his expression changed. The creases in his forehead smoothed out and gave way to curved lines around his mouth as he broke into a smile.

“Yeah.” He let out a huff of laughter, hanging his head and letting it shake from side to side before lifting it again. When he did he was still smiling, though there was a bittersweet shadow behind it. I know. You miss her too. “I remember us catchin’ hell for it.”

We sure did. Joel tipped the bottle to fill both glasses with a half measure, then screwed the cap back on and put the bottle back in the cabinet it came from.

The tree in question had been Sarah’s favorite. A swing hung from one of its branches, and Joel had tacked scraps of wood into the trunk that she used as footholds to scamper up so she could sit in the Y-shaped split in the center. And though she was only seven at the time, she had put up quite a fight when it came to taking it down. Joel could still picture the determined scowl on her face as she sat against the trunk. She had her scrawny arms crossed over her chest as she informed her father and her uncle that she wouldn’t let them kill her tree. What she didn’t know was that the tree was diseased, and that if left alone, not only would it become a safety hazard, but it ran the risk of infecting other nearby trees.

He matched Tommy’s smile. “That girl all but tied herself to that damn trunk.” Joel always had the suspicion that if she had the time and an accomplice to help her with the knots, she would have. “She could be persistent, huh?”

Tommy hummed. “Wonder where she got that from. What is it they say about apples again?” He laughed, but then curiosity got the better of him. “What…” He coughed to clear his throat. “What made you think’a that?”

I’m gettin’ to it. “You remember how I had to prove to her that the tree was sick? Took my pocket knife and scratched the bark so she could see it was already dyin’ underneath?” She had gasped when the scratch test revealed a grayish, ashy underlayer, her eyes going wide and her bottom lip quivering, tears threatening to spill as her outrage instantly turned to fear for the other trees in the yard. “I had to scrape ‘em all, show her the rest of ‘em were still green and alive, even though they all looked the same on the outside.”

Tommy’s eyes narrowed and he swallowed. “Yeah… Where you goin’ with this, Joel?”

“I been thinkin’ about how it’s like that for people, too. It was like that for me. It was like that for me for a long time, Tommy.” Tilting the glass in his hand, he watched the amber liquid collect in the corner of it, shining gold through the cut crystal where the overhead light struck. “Scratch test came up gray for years. Thought I’d never really feel anything again… Thought I was done.”

Straightening the glass, he let its contents slosh back to cover the bottom before bringing it to his lips and taking a sip. Honey and malt slid over his tongue, a subtle layer of smoke and spice following as he swallowed. Back in Boston, drinking wasn’t something he did for enjoyment or relaxation. It wasn’t for savoring or even tasting, really. Then he drank to forget. To sleep. To turn it all off. Here in Jackson though, he could share a drink with his brother and remember.

Remember what life tasted and looked and felt like. Remember his daughter. Remember who he was beneath all the dead wood around his heart.

“Yeah.” Tommy’s eyes were on his own glass, a frown pulling at his mouth and etching creases between his eyebrows again. “I know.” He cleared his throat and took a long swig, finishing his drink with a wince that cracked into a fool’s gold grin - one that Joel knew was covering feelings of guilt and empathy and other things Tommy still felt compelled to atone for even though Joel had tried his best to lay those things to rest in the years since their reunion. We were no good to each other like that, little brother. We would have just broken each other. I don’t blame you for leavin’. Not anymore. Tommy reached over, grin still stretched across his face but growing more genuine as he clapped Joel on the shoulder of his good arm. “But you ain’t done, you old fucker. Not yet.”

That was thanks almost entirely to Ellie and they both knew it. The girl was determined, borderline relentless, same as Sarah had been with the tree. She had been the one to keep scratching, keep digging, keep checking for the hint of green under all that twisted, lifeless gray. And when she found it, all the things that he thought had disappeared started coming out of their dormancy.

Things like jokes and laughter. Memories. The capacity to care deeply for others again. Things like movie nights. The things that made surviving the worst worthwhile.

It was also thanks in part to Jackson - and to Tommy and Maria for welcoming him and Ellie into their lives. Some days it terrified him, allowing himself to have so much to lose again. There were still times he worried that he had peeled back too many of those hardened layers. That he’d let his guard down too much, exposed his heart to happiness for too long and that it would all be lost to blight. But even on those days he knew what Tommy had just said to be true - that he wasn’t done yet.

And neither is she.

Joel spoke your name then, nodding solemnly. “I think it’s been like that for her for a long time, too.”

Tommy sighed. “Yeah.” He finished his drink and walked over to set the empty glass in the sink. “I got that impression, too.” Turning around, he tilted his head to one side. “You said she was alright on the trip though. Somethin’ happen?”

Joel took a breath in through his nose, letting it back out slowly. “Just…” He tapped his pointer finger absently against the glass he still held. “I think I saw that in her. The green underneath. I think… bein’ here is… it’s helpin’ her.” Even if she’s got a long way to go. “It’s… she’s still in there.”

You were. And Joel realized, for the first time since meeting Tess all those years ago in Boston, that he wanted to know that person - the person who showed him the hint of a genuine smile, the person who carefully and gently patched him up, the person who shared a coveted instant coffee packet with him to pass the time and stay warm on a chilly night. And that scares the hell outta me.

“Well that’s-” Tommy’s smile had nothing but warmth behind it that time. “That’s real good to hear.” He stepped away from the counter and towards the kitchen door then, bringing his hands together. “Well, I’ll get outta here so you can get yourself cleaned up and all. Just had to make sure you were good after we heard from Holly.”

Joel nodded, following him out into the living room. “Yeah. How’d you put it? Thanks for still givin’ a shit about me?” He heard his brother snort out a laugh before turning around to face him again.

“Yeah, exactly.” He paused then, the joking smile falling away to reveal something more serious yet still full of relief and warmth. When he spoke again his words were quiet, but they made a big impact. “It’s real good to hear you talk about Sarah again, too.”

With that, he left, and Joel was left to respond to the empty room. “Yeah. It is.”

– – –

Twenty minutes later he was drying off from the shower when he heard the sound of the back door opening, followed by the call of his name.

“Joel? You home?” Ellie’s voice was muffled by the closed door and the towel that he was dragging over his hair.

Ellie? Thought she was stayin’ out tonight?

He called back. “Yeah. Gimme five minutes, I’ll be right down.”

Moving from the bathroom into his bedroom, Joel pulled clean clothes and underwear from his dresser - a pair of thick navy blue sweatpants along with a dark gray t- shirt and a pair of wool socks. Easing the shirt carefully over his wrapped bicep, he sighed, knowing that as soon as Ellie saw it she would react. She hated seeing him injured, as anyone would hate to see someone they cared about get hurt. But Joel knew that in her case, it was more than that. In her case, it reminded her of those dark days in Colorado, when she did all she could to keep him alive and still wasn’t sure he would make it through the night.

It won’t always be like that, though. ‘Least I hope not. For her sake.

The thought of covering it up with a loose fitting flannel or long sleeved shirt didn’t even occur to him, though. After coming clean about everything that happened in Salt Lake City with the Fireflies and the doctor they were working with, Joel made a solemn vow to himself that he’d never withhold the truth from her again. Even when it might hurt. Especially when it might hurt. Because he knew that nothing he’d done in that hospital had hurt her more than the lie he told her on the outskirts of Jackson.

And I’ll never do that to her again.

As he made his way down the stairs, he heard her moving around in the kitchen, the sound of plates being set on the counter meeting his ears. “I’m making sandwiches,” she yelled when the fourth step from the bottom creaked under his weight. “You want one?”

“Sure, kiddo.” What happened to stayin’ with your friends? Everything alright?” He wasn’t trying to distract her by keeping her talking before she saw his arm, but Joel wanted her to hear it in his voice that he was okay.

She groaned. “Kat and Dina are having some kind of stupid drama and I didn’t wanna get sucked into it so I decided to come home. You know, they’re both important to me but sometimes they can just - Fuck! Joel! What the?”

He’d walked into the kitchen at the same time that she looked up from the slices of bread that she was piling with leftover chicken, the sight of him making her stop what she was doing and scramble around the island to stand in front of him.

“Hey, hey, it’s…” He held up both hands, only wincing a little at the pull of his stitches when he lifted his arm. “I’m fine, Ellie. Just a cut.”

“Well …” Her eyes were wide but she tore them from the bandage to look up at him. “Well, what happened? I thought it was supposed to be an easy run?”

“It was. But you know as well as I do that easy runs can turn, yeah?” He reached forward, placing his hand on her shoulder and tilting his head to the side. “Hey. I’m okay, kiddo.” Giving her a light squeeze, he waited for her to nod and accept what he was saying, and then he shot a glance at the half-finished sandwiches. “C’mon, I’m starvin’. Let’s eat and I’ll fill you in.”

Just like he did the night that he and Tommy brought you into town, Joel sat down and told her everything that happened at the optometrist’s office - how the pair of infected had seemingly come from nowhere and were suddenly on the two of you, how the one that lunged at him managed to knock him backwards and through a glass case, how you had made sure that the wound was cleaned and tended to as best as you could. And though she had been concerned and rattled at the beginning of his story, Ellie was wearing something close to a smirk as he finished.

“Oh.” She bit off a mouthful of her sandwich, raising her eyebrows as she chewed and speaking again before she swallowed. “So you like… really trust this chick, huh?”

Joel clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. Her too? First Tommy and now- “That’s your comment? Not ‘Well I’m glad you had someone there to help you, Joel’?”

Ellie rolled her eyes right back. “Yeah, yeah that too. But I mean…” She gave a casual, one-shouldered shrug. “First you let her take care of you, then you decide to both sleep at the same time instead of taking shifts?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. “You never do that unless it’s me or Tommy.” Something dawned on her then, and she turned mid-chew toward the sink, gesturing towards it with the hand that still held what was left of her sandwich. “Wait. Is that why there’s two glasses in there? Did she come over when you got back to town?”

“What? No. Ellie…” He sighed, and shook his head. “No. There’s two glasses in the sink because Tommy was here earlier, not-”

“Well you should invite her over for dinner then. As a thank you-” She emphasized her intention to silence his protest. “- for sewing you up, you know?”

Joel took a bite of his food, chewing it slowly to buy himself more time before answering. The idea of having you in his home, sharing a meal, talking and laughing - he’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t like it. But I don’t know if she…

He thought back to his own first few months in Jackson and how skittish he was every time someone would try to include him in anything that wasn’t directly related to security or survival. It all still seemed so impractical. Cookouts and movie nights and holidays while the world outside the walls continued to crumble? And then there was the guilt. That grating, shredding near-constant feeling that he shouldn’t be there - shouldn’t be safe, shouldn’t be happy or comfortable or even alive - not when Tess didn’t get to be there too. Not when Sarah never had a chance to. You hadn’t said much about the things you’d been through or the people you’d lost, other than that you’d recently lost your nephew. But Joel knew from experience that while those devastating wounds never fully healed, they did become less raw when they were given some time.

I’d like it. But I don’t know if she’s ready for somethin’ like that. He swallowed and brought a hand up to wipe his mouth. Yet.

“Maybe when the weather’s nicer an’ we can cook outside.” He got up from the table and took his plate with him, setting it in the sink next to the two glasses.

The scrape of chair legs on the floor told him that Ellie had gotten up, too, the girl appearing at his elbow to stack her plate atop his. “What does the weather have to do with-” He shot her a look then and she rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. But we’re circling back to this in June.”

Joel leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Speakin’ of circling back, you said somethin’ about your friends fightin’? You wanna talk about that?” He lifted one eyebrow as she shot him a look of her own.

“I do not.”

Joel snorted a laugh. “Alright, then. Just try not to go breakin’ too many hearts, yeah? You don’t-”

Without missing a beat, Ellie grabbed the dish towel that was hanging on the oven handle, balling it up and throwing it at his face. “Shut up.” She was laughing too, though, bending down to pick up the towel after Joel had batted it away. “So stupid.” Straightening back up with an exaggerated sigh, she whipped the towel onto the countertop. “On that note, I’m gonna get outta here.” She glanced at his arm, mouth dipping into a quick frown that was gone by the time she looked back up at his face. “I’m glad you’re home, Joel. Have a good night.”

He smiled, chest warming as he did. “G’night, kiddo. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that she turned and was nearly out the door when something caught her eye and she stopped in front of the refrigerator. “Hey, you got a new magnet.” She pointed at the note she’d left him, now stuck up with the square-ish shape of Wyoming. “I used the cowhead one but this one’s-” She looked over her shoulder, a smirk beginning to grow. “You brought home a souvenir from your trip, huh? So you could remember it? Any reason for that?”

Joel narrowed his eyes at her, but all it did was pull a laugh out of her. “Good night, Ellie.” She laughed all the way down the back porch steps but Joel didn’t mind. She ain’t wrong.

Thank you for reading! If you would like to be added to or removed from the tags for this or any of my stories, please feel free to let me know! You can also fill out the form on my masterlist!

Tags: @something-tofightfor @littlemisspascal @mishasminion360 @nyctophiliiiiaaa @practicalghost @amb11 @mindidjarin @jk7789 @tentacruels @cannedsoupsucks @harriedandharassed @marauderskeeper @joelmillerscoffee @woodlandmouth @swtaura @grfields @valkblue @stealyourblorbos @sleepylunarwolf @trickstersp8 @imtryingmybeskar @wildmoonflower @mswarriorbabe80 @theredwritingwitch @silverstarsandsuns @competentpotato @pedro-pedrito-pascalito @mumma-moonchild @jedi-in-crocs @hannahkatharine @anoverwhelmingdin @chiyo13 @myloveistoolittle @Noisynightmarepoetry

#survivor blues interlude #survivor blues #tlou fic #joel miller #pedrostories #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller fic #tlou joel #tlou ellie #ellie williams #tommy miller #the last of us #the last of us fic #tlou #pedro pascal character #survivor blues: joel pov #survivor blues: dead wood

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cellarspider · 2 months

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22/?? An old man, allegedly

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We return once again to that movie I wish to send the gift of a single tribble, Prometheus.

Yes, the movie’s gotten around to a twist it’s been clumsily foreshadowing for much of its runtime: Ol’ Man Capitalism, AKA Peter Weyland, is in fact alive and on the ship. I’ve been informed this was a relatively late addition to the plot, according to the available script drafts. His inclusion makes a stab at some themes. Let’s see how they do.

Content warning for deliberately gross old feet, weird religious imagery, death mention, Holloway mention.

Yes, David’s discovery of a living Engineer has meant it’s time to take Weyland out of the tupperware and reheat him for a bit. And it means we get to see Guy Pierce in the flesh, under a pile of old man makeup.

Weyland looks no less weird than he did as a hologram. In fact, he possibly looks weirder, because we no longer have that excuse for why he looks like this. Weyland is very frail, and very frail people’s appearance can change rather drastically in ways that aren’t usually put to film, but frankly, he looks more like Grima Wormtongue has been giving him investment advice.

Weyland is here because he thinks the Engineers can stop him from dying. I’m not certain he’s not already expired, and I’m also not sure where he got that impression. There’s a missing step of logic here, which the movie never mentions, but it’s likely related to the assumptions of christianized worldview: if something is the creator of humanity, then it must also have ultimate power over human life and death. Therefore, appealing directly to it can grant you eternal life. The cosmic watchmaker can replace your gears and keep you ticking indefinitely.

I will go along with this framing for just a bit, particularly because this scene is obviously reaching for some biblical imagery I’ll try and tackle in a moment. When the movie remembers to have characters engage with its themes, there are various reactions to the potential of meeting humanity’s creators.

Shaw is positioned as a true believer, but what that actually means to her is extremely unclear. She has some curiosity about the details of creation, so she’s not buying tickets to the Ark Encounter or whatever. She assumes welcoming and benevolent intention from the Engineers, but there’s never any indication of what she intends to do here, beyond prove herself right.

She’s also christian, and she thinks the christian God ultimately created the Engineers. How does that fit into her cosmogony? She has to be the sort of christian that takes Genesis as allegory, but what does it mean that humans were shaped by another species in their own image? Are humans more faithfully created in the christian God’s image than the Engineers were? Does she think the Engineers have souls? Are they angels?

We get no opinion on any of that from her. We don’t even see much of anything about how her apparently strong faith affects her life, beyond having a family keepsake and having belief in things. Holloway at least had an explicit goal in mind–it was a hubristic goal, but it was a goal. He wanted to get all his questions answered about life, the universe, and everything, answered personally, rather than letting anyone else get there first. Finding out the Engineers were dead immediately took the shine off of that, seemingly because he’d thought they were omnipotent and omniscient, despite being positioned as an atheist in the dialog.

Holloway’s position here was odd, particularly for an alleged scientist. He expresses that the creation of life turned out to be “nothing special” during his drunken funk. This echoes common misconceptions by deeply religious folks about how atheists and/or scientists think: the idea that if you’re so set on finding natural, rational explanations for everything, you’re doomed to view the world without wonder or beauty, just chemicals bouncing around for no purpose. That to seek the logic behind the world is to fling yourself into total anhedonia.

As many others have stated before, that’s not what comes out of it, what they’re describing is in fact called “clinical depression.” Understanding more technical details about how the world works doesn’t take the awe out of it, it makes it even more amazing. I’ve excitedly rambled to people that if sequencing tech was cheaper and easier, I’d love to study the genetics and epigenetics of weeds growing on dirt roads, to find out what makes them different from their cousins living only a few feet away in less crappy soil. The existence of a tuft of grass in dusty gravel is endlessly fascinating to me, and I know just enough about them to want to know more.

But no, Holloway’s behavior is common in depictions of atheists by religious people who fundamentally don’t get that one can exist around religious folks without secretly thinking the same way they do. It’s doubly weird, given how surface-level Shaw’s faith is, in a way that also seems to be written by somebody who doesn’t understand the concept too well.

In any case, Holloway got pre-disappointed in the answers he didn’t get, to the very basic philosophical questions he wanted to ask: why were we made? Do we have a purpose? Those sorts of things. Honestly, he could have had more complex things to say about this, even without dislodging his bro persona. Being a bro does not negate the possibility of thoughtfulness, it just means that thoughtfulness might be expressed differently. I didn’t see the movie doing that with him.

The only other potentially intentional thing it was doing with him is using the sum total of his behavior as a negative example: don’t question these things, it’ll lead you to despair and death. Not sure if they meant that, but the rest of the movie uses the punitive morality of some slasher movies as part of its basic structure, so it’s not an impossible read.

Skipping over David for now and going to Weyland: he’s all about what the Engineers can do for him. It’s a gesture toward people who approach christianity from a transactional angle. Faith in exchange for something. There are definitely people like that out there. A lot of premillennial dispensationalist evangelicals fearfully cling to the belief that, as long as they say the right words, they’ll bodily ascend to heaven and leave everyone else behind for the Antichrist, conveniently skipping that unpleasant “death” thing they don’t want to face.

For those who grew up with that stuff or those brainrotted enough like me to remember it, yes. Yes, I am comparing Peter Weyland to Tim LaHaye. The dialog in this movie is bad enough that it makes me think of Left Behind.

All of this stuff positions the Engineers as either equivalent to the christian god, or to the imperfect gnostic demiurge who is mistaken for a god. But frankly, the Engineers seem more like they were trying to make a sourdough starter, but the last time they opened the fridge, it’d grown fuzz and smelled awful. They were ready to throw out their project.

Was there a heavy ritual aspect involved in their actions? Sure. But the movie hasn’t sold me on the idea that they are themselves acting as christian allegory, only that christian allegory is being placed on them by others.

Speaking of Weyland and more christian stuff, he’s getting his feet washed by David.

Must be maundy thursday. Foot washing before entering a dwelling is a practice that started as a practical act in a sandal-wearing culture, and became one of power dynamics and religious symbolism. Water would be provided, or a host would wash the feet of a guest themself, or, if they were rich enough, a servant or slave would do the washing. This is very much the dynamic as far as Weyland is concerned. Weyland believes in souls, David, by his estimation, does not have one, therefore he serves humans.

Of course, foot washing also has connotations of humility, and is strongly associated in christianity with Jesus washing the apostles’ feet after the Last Supper. David has certainly and consistently shown himself to be more competent at everything he does than the other characters, and they wouldn’t have gotten this far without him. He’s working on a level they aren’t, even if he’s still forced to be humble about it. If this is the reading we’re meant to reach for, David’s managing a complicated double-act as Jesus (he’s going to be killed for the sins of man yet rise from the dead pretty soon), and also Judas (he is hella jazzed to betray somebody to their death).

In any case, Shaw tries to convince them not to wake up the Engineer. In response, Weyland essentially goads her about Holloway’s death and her beliefs: “And what would Charlie do, now that we’re so close to answering the most meaningful questions ever asked by mankind? How can you leave without knowing what they are? Or have you lost your faith, Shaw?”

Yes, indeed, Weyland, WWCD. Once you determine that, you do the opposite, and you’ll never be steered wrong.

So of course Shaw decides to go with them.

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Alt-text rambles

https://wheelchair.spinergy.com/collections/wheelchair-everyday/products/lite-extreme-lx

https://youtu.be/7h8zJHywjAw

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2015/11/05/left-behind-index-the-whole-thing/

https://www.slashfilm.com/503786/first-photo-and-video-footage-from-robert-zemeckis-a-christmas-carol/

Overflow Ramble #1

I’m in wait-and-see mode on Fallout one right now. I’m not personally a FO:NV person, so I don’t have special attachment to the West Coast stuff, but I see what they were *trying* to do, even if it didn’t land with me at all (TL;DR playing a queer character felt especially bleak thanks to a lack of underground queer culture in the face of the homophobia).

The trailer looks good, there’s conflict between the BoS and NCR, which hopefully means both factions are going to be the absolute, incurable disasters they should be. Goggins playing a ghoul who helped sell the lie of the Vaults is good, and he’s a damn solid TV and character actor. Dale Cooper and 80s!Paul Atreidies himself Kyle MacLachlan plays the vault overseer, so that’s fun. I’m not a TV person so I don’t recognize the rest of the cast, but I’m hoping it manages to be something good. We’ll find out in April, by which point I’ll hopefully be fREE OF THIS MOVIE

Overflow Ramble #2: Tribulation Force

Close-up of Nick Cage deep in his “paying the bills” phase as Rayford Steele in Left Behind (2014), looking precisely as enthused as he should be, to be playing Rayford Steele. I chose this reaction image because I am not subjecting anyone to flashbacks of the older movies with Kirk Cameron in them.

Want to know how I know too much about this stuff, despite literally spending my childhood thinking people just entertained the idea of Jesus the way they did Santa Claus around the holidays?

Because of a blogger by the name of Fred Clark, who decided one strange day in 2003 to write a thorough dissection of the Left Behind books (cite 3). Thankfully for his sanity, he lost steam eventually. …When Tim LaHaye died in 2016. All fear and respect to Fred Clark.

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#Prometheus 2012 #Prometheus (2012)#this was entry 19 or 20 a week or two ago #And then I found more stuff to ramble about and so I had to restructure #I thought it was going to end at 25 but that's definitely no longer the case #w e l p

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topguncortez · 9 months

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WELCOME TO G’S WHUMPTOBER 2023 CHALLENGE:)

➢It’s that time of year again!!! This year I am taking part in @/ailesswhumptober and I can’t be more excited!

MY RULES:

One topic/day will be assigned to one character for that day (i.e Jake gets Day 1, Rooster Day 2, Floydsin Day 3). I will not be doing more than one character a day.

ABSOLUTELY NO MINORS. As these topics all fall under the WHUMP category, there will be heavy content written and shared. Fics will be tagged accordingly, but no minors are permitted to interact. If I find you are a minor interacting, you will be blocked immediately.

During this time I will not be posting any other fics/blurbs/one-shots or taking requests, primarily because I’ll be writing a lot and posting a lot and I don’t need that added stress.

HOW TO REQUEST:

As I said before, one character will be used a day. Therefore, whatever day and character come in first will be assigned.

Example: “Jake, Day 27 pls!”

-Jake will be used as the main character on Day 27.

Example: Rooster Day 18!

Iceman day 18!

-Rooster will be used as the main character on Day 18 because the request came in first.

You can request what prompt you would like

My normal requesting rules still stand: if you are a blank blog, a minor, a character I don’t write for, or exceed the two-three sentence limit, your request will not be fulfilled

I will update the calendar/character list on SUNDAYS, so you know what days are left.

ALL REQUESTS MUST BE DONE BY: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd (exceptions maybe made if days aren’t all filled)

THE WHUMPTOBER CALENDAR: (the days are in bold)

1 | PICK YOUR POISON

Drugging | Sick | Poisoned

2 | SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE DEAD

Overworked | Insomnia | Exhaustion

3 | LET YOUR SENSES GUIDE YOU

Sensory Deprivation | Overstimulation | Isolation

4 | THE SECRETS THAT YOU KEEP

Hiding an injury | betrayal | lying

5 | HELD AGAINST YOUR WILL

Hostage | Kidnapping | Held at Gunpoint

6 | OUT OF YOUR MIND

Conditioning | Mind Control | Forced to Hurt Someone Else

7 | NOT DEAD TILL YOU’RE WARM N DEAD

Flatline | Restrained | CPR

8 | A BRAIN ON FIRE

Panice Attacks | Dissociation | Seizure

9 | DEAD ON YOUR FEET

Scar Reveal | Interrogation | Presumed Dead

10 | A GIFT TO REMEMBER

Branding | Scarring | Collar

11 | FLOAT LIKE A FEATHER

Fainting | Paralyzed | Adrenaline

12 | LEFT A SCAR ON MY HEART

Self Harm | Sacrifice | Character Death

13 | A FORCE OF NATURE, AN ACT OF GOD

Earthquake | Flood | Crushed

14 | 9-1-1, WHAT’S YOUR EMERGENCY?

Bleeding through the bandage | Field Medicine | No Anesthesia

15 | WHO’S THE NEW KID?

Experimentation | Muzzle | Transformation

16 | ONE HALF OF A WHOLE PERSON

Amputation | Chronic Pain | Hospital

17 | INTO THE FIRE

Hypothermia | Heat Stroke | “You Look a Little Pale?”

18 | TAKING A SICK DAY

Fever | Vomiting | Warm Soup

19 | I’LL NEVER PUSH YOU AROUND

Taken for Granted | Left Behind | “Why Wasn’t I Enough?”

20 | THE BEAUTY FELL FOR THE BEAST

Dehumanization | Stockholm Syndrome | Master & Servant

21 | WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU

Blood loss | Shock | Near Death Experience

22 | PAIN MAKES YOU STRONGER

Whipping | punishment | stress position

23 | DON’T TRY TO BE THE HERO

Begging | “Take Me Instead” | Forced to Watch

24 | RUNNING UP THAT HILL TO MAKE A DEAL WITH GOD

Failed Escape | Hunted Down | Too Exhausted to Keep Running

25 | BAD DREAMS, BAD DREAMS, HERE TO STAY

Nightmares | Flashback | “Why Didn’t You Save Me?”

26 | THE LAZARUS EFFECT

Magical Exhaustion or Injury | Curse | Came Back Wrong

27 | NEVER LET GO

Forgotten | Locked Away | Immortal

28 | OUT OF BREATH AND OUT OF TIME

Whumpee hair pulling | Oxygen Deprivation | Sweating

29 | ONE TICKET TO HELL

“The Easy Way or The Hard Way? | Bargaining | Forced to Choose

30 | YOU’RE MINE, ALWAYS WILL BE MINE

Possession | Mind Games | Coma

31 | A light at the end of the tunnel

PTSD | Headaches | Crying

MY CHARACTER LIST:

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd Natasha ‘Phoenix’ Trace Javy ‘Coyote’ Machado Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw Henry ‘Wolfman’ Ruth Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson Rhett Abbott

MY PAIRING LIST:

Jake & Shy!Wifey Dragon & Rooster Coyote & Val Phoenix & Cerberus Bob & Bea Hangman & Athena

Fill out the Form to be Tagged:)

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dailyreverie · 5 months

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☃️ 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 🎄(2023 edition)

❄️ As it is already our little tradition, I present to you the 2023 dailyreverie holiday prompt event! Below the cut there are 25 fics, but this will carry on through all december.

❄️As always, you are welcome to request! I’m giving myself the self-indulgent Christmas gift of choosing who to write about for some of the prompts BUT feel free to request one for your favorite character so we can celebrate together.

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 !

❄️ Characters:

Bucky Barnes

Poe Dameron / Poe x Solo!Reader (From Your wish is my command series)

Santiago Garcia

Moon knight system (any of them)

Miguel O'Hara

Duke Leto Atreides

Steve Harrington

TASM!Peter Parker

I’ll be using this post as a masterlist, so as we go on the links to the prompts will be added below.

❄️ Prompts:

Ice skating + Poe Dameron

“You shouldn’t have” + Bucky Barnes

Peppermint + Steve Harrington

Kissing cold noses + Steven Grant

Family gathering

Silver and gold

“We have to hurry”

Wrapping paper + Bucky Barnes

Evergreen tree + Poe Dameron

Naughty + Poe Dameron

Nice + Bucky Barnes

Warming the other’s hands + Santiago Garcia

“You look really cute in my clothes” + Poe Dameron

Stockings

Frosted windows

The best present

“Here, take my scarf” + Duke Leto Atreides

Twinkling lights

The night before

Holiday music + Bucky Barnes

Sweet kisses

Moonlight + Santiago Garcia

Late morning

“May I have this dance?” + Santiago Garcia

New year's kiss

SEND YOUR REQUEST ☃️

Disclaimer: prompts come from @lavenderotpprompts December OTP Prompts post (x) + A few ones from last year's event that never saw the light of day.

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punchdrunkdoc · 6 months

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Part 3, Chapter 3

Summary: After the events of S3, Matt Murdock is trying to once again balance life as a lawyer and a vigilante. But he’s been scarred by loss and betrayal - will a mysterious new neighbour help him heal? Or will her secrets drag him back into the darkness?

Notes: This is a slow burn romance with an original female character, told in 3 (maybe 4??) parts. There is mystery, intrigue, action/violence and angst - all the good stuff!

Also available on AO3 and Wattpad

Masterlist

Reference pics

————–

PART 3

Chapter 3

The next morning, Matt smiled as he walked passed the florist on his way to work, the rich, heady scent of roses filling the air.

Yesterday, that fragrant reminder of the upcoming romantic celebration had only added to his bad mood - the bad mood caused by a week spent worrying about Calina and her strange phone call, and a month and a half spent missing her. The fact that Valentine’s Day was approaching meant he was bitterly reminded of what was taken from them, and what other couple’s took for granted - the chance to be with each other.

But today, he was actually feeling…optimistic.

Calina may have been a few days early, but she’d given him the perfect Valentine’s gift:

Hope.

Her brief visit last night had spurned him out of his morose despondency. It was the catalyst he’d needed to realise that it was time to stop dwelling on the negatives and obsessing over what they’d lost.

Instead, it was time to focus on the positives. They were both still alive. Still healthy. And still fighting for each other. Distance didn’t matter. Being temporarily separated didn’t matter. They loved each other. They would have the rest of their lives together. A few months apart was nothing compared to the years to come.

Matt had been dealt some crap hands throughout his life - losing his sight. Losing his father. Losing again and again. But he’d always found a reason to stay in the game. To accept the defeats and find the will to carry on playing.

This was no different.

He just had to have faith that God’s plan would reveal itself.

And this morning, he felt like he was finally getting a glimpse of the tapestry. He was finally seeing the beauty in the chaos. This separation would only strengthen them as a couple. It would serve to reinforce their bond, and ensure that they never took each other - or their happiness together - for granted.

“You seem…better,” Karen commented when Matt reached the office.

Matt shrugged. “I feel better.”

“That’s good.” She gifted him with a wide smile, and Foggy patted him on the shoulder.

It made Matt realise how much his foul mood had been impacting his friends and their workplace. “I’m sorry, guys,” he said. “For being such a miserable bastard the last couple of months.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘miserable bastard’,” Foggy replied. “That’s a bit harsh. ‘Forlorn asshole’, maybe. Or ‘wretched son of a bitch’ would be more accurate.”

Matt laughed. “Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll try to be more upbeat from now on.”

“What brought on this sudden change in attitude?” Foggy asked.

Matt couldn’t help his smile. “I saw Calina last night.”

“So you got laid! That explains everything!”

Karen slapped Foggy’s chest with the back of her hand. “God, Foggy.”

Matt just laughed. “No, it was just a quick visit. But it helped give me some perspective. It’s like you said, Fog - this is just a long distance relationship. It won’t last forever…and other couples go through similar experiences all the time.”

“Exactly, man. Astronauts.”

Matt smiled. “Yeah. Astronauts.”

“She’s Neil Armstrong, and you’re the little lady waiting back on earth.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “Something like that.”

“Okay,” Foggy said, rubbing his hands together. “Well, since you’re in such a good mood, you can take point on the meeting with the new nightmare client, while I finish off the brief for the Chisholm case.”

“Nightmare client?” Matt asked.

“Yeah, a tenant dispute case. They’re arriving at 10.”

“Fine,” Matt agreed. Liaising with a difficult client was the least he could do to make up for his less than stellar performance the last couple of months. “But I have something to do first.” He held up the USB drive that Calina had slipped to him last night.

“What’s that?” Karen asked.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I do.”

Matt booted up his computer and plugged in the device. It contained a single large document which he printed off in braille and started scanning through. At first there was just a list of chemicals - the results of the analysis by the Widow scientist - but then Calina added some context.

And it changed everything.

“Guys?” he called out. “You gotta hear this.”

“What is it?” Karen said, taking a seat on the other side of his desk. Foggy joined them a moment later and leaned against the door frame.

“Calina found something.” Matt spun his monitor around to show the document on the screen. “Apparently, one of the main ingredients of the fear pheromone is something called Arsonium bromide. Its a chemical that environmental groups have been calling for greater regulation on, because it’s disposal has been linked to soil contamination which is affecting agriculture yields across the country. Those environmental groups were successful in convincing a prominent politician to lobby their cause to the EPA last year.”

“Okay,” Karen said slowly. “How does this help us?”

“That prominent politician was Governor Andrew Benson.”

“The guy Calina was supposed to assassinate?”

“Yes.” Matt leaned forward as he laid out Calina’s theory. “Two days after the failed assassination, Benson suddenly, and without warning, withdrew his petition to the EPA, and walked back all his previous objections to the chemical.”

“Somebody got to him,” Karen added. “Somebody with a vested interest in the use of Arsonium bromide.”

“Exactly. With Benson’s support, the environmental groups were gaining traction in their fight. So someone tried to take Benson out. And when that failed, they likely played off the assassination attempt as a warning.”

“Do as we say, or next time it’ll be for real,” Foggy guessed. “Which means whoever is behind the manufacture of the fear pheromone-”

“Is the same person who arranged for Calina to be reactivated,” Karen finished.

“It’s all connected,” Matt said. “If we find out who created the pheromone, we find out who ordered Calina’s mind control. And vice versa - if we can find out who paid to have their very own Widow assassin, we find our pheromone guy.”

“Holy shit,” Karen whispered, tilting the monitor so she could read through the information on the screen.

“I take it the Widows are concentrating on finding out who bought Calina’s ‘services’, for want of a better term?” Foggy asked, reading the screen over Karen’s shoulder.

“As much as they can - but they’re more focussed on hunting down Volkov. He’s the bigger threat to them right now. Which means we’ll be doing them a favour if we find this information first.”

“So where do we begin?” Foggy asked.

“I say we concentrate on researching this chemical. Where its manufactured, who buys it, and how.”

“I’ll start today,” Karen answered, scribbling in her notebook.

“What does this mean?” Foggy said, pointing to something on Matt’s screen.

“Which part?” Matt asked, shuffling through his print outs.

“The last sentence. It says, ‘I hope this helps, shereen-am.’ What is ‘shereen-am’?”

Matt tried to control his reaction. “It’s nothing. Just an inside joke.”

It wasn’t nothing. And it wasn’t a joke. But it was something private, just between Matt and Calina. He’d googled the phrase before calling the others into his office and found that it was a Persian term of endearment. Roughly translated from Farsi into English it meant ‘Honey’.

By using that term, Calina was reminding him of Christmas Day, when she’d whispered all those terms of endearment into his ear as they’d made love on the couch.

She was reminding him of a happier time, to help get him through the dark and lonely days to come.

Matt smiled as he skimmed his fingers over that word again: Shereen-am.

Calina’s visit last night had given him hope. The information on the USB had given him a lead. And the affectionate nickname on the end of her message had given him a glimpse of how things would be between them in the future.

It was a promise, of better times ahead.

———

“And then he grabbed her and kissed her!”

“It was like something out of a movie - the way he dipped her back, and with the two of them bathed in the moonlight with the stars twinkling overhead…”

Calina groaned and sank into her chair as Katya and Inessa gushed to the other Widows about Matt’s antics on the boat last night. The three of them had arrived back at the mansion at dawn, and after a brief nap, they were now debriefing the rest of the team.

But it had gotten a little side-tracked.

“‘Bathed in the moonlight’?” Sofia repeated. “Come on, Inessa, I think you’ve been reading too many of those romance novels.”

“But that’s exactly what it was like!” the younger Widow protested. “It was the most romantic, swoon-worthy thing I’ve ever seen!”

“That’s not really saying much, given the way we were raised,” Viktoria commented.

Inessa rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth to respond but Anya cut her off. “Enough about Calina’s love life. Did you find the warehouse?”

Calina sat up again. “Yes, enough about me. Tell them what you found.”

Anya had found mention on Ranieri’s laptop of a recent real estate transaction. Which wasn’t unusual in itself - the Ranieri family seemed to prioritise property and commercial investments over gambling on the stock market. But while the rest of Salvatore’s portfolio made sense for a party guy in his late twenties - night clubs, bars, trendy apartments in major cities across the world - a former wholesale carpet warehouse in an industrial estate in New Jersey did not.

So Katya and Inessa had been tasked with scoping it out.

Katya tossed a USB stick to Anya. “Photographs and schematics as requested. The place was deserted - no personnel on the grounds - but it was spotless, with signs of a recent professional clean. It’s definitely being prepped for something.”

“Like a lab to manufacture the mind control serum,” Sofia guessed.

“Possibly,” Yelena interjected. “But we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We need more evidence. We need to be sure before we make any moves.”

“Agreed,” Anya chimed in.

“Which is why we planted a few cameras,” Inessa said with a cocky grin. “And several bugs. We’ll know soon enough what the plan is for that building.”

“Good,” Yelena responded. She looked around the room at the rest of the Widows. And a rare smile graced her face. “I know I just told you all to be cautious…but I have a good feeling about this. I think this is how we get Volkov. I think this will all be over soon.”

Several of the women whooped and cheered in response - a sign that Calina wasn’t the only one who was looking forward to this confinement ending.

And it also proved to Calina how much the Widows had come out of their shells over the last few months. They laughed more readily now. They expressed their emotions without prompting. Conversations flowed instead of stuttered, and there was an easy camaraderie between everyone.

The stilted, angry, and bitter atmosphere that often pervaded the base in South Carolina didn’t exist here in Maine. And Calina knew it had nothing to do with the change in scenery - the weather outside the mansion was dark and grey and wet these days, holding little of the sunny, vibrant beauty of Charleston.

Time was the reason.

They’d been given time to start the healing process. To learn about themselves and the world around them. Time to find their little moments of joy.

Joy that even Volkov couldn’t take away. If anything, the looming threat that he posed had the opposite effect - as if the Widows were defiantly enjoying themselves even more to spite him and his attempts to force them back into an emotionless, violent existence.

Calina would be sorry to leave this place when the time came. She no longer felt the need to escape this environment. Not like in the beginning, when she’d first been freed. Back then, she’d felt suffocated by all the pain and rage around her. She’d wanted to strike out on her own and discover who she was away from that toxic environment.

But everything was different now. Now she would miss living here with all her sisters.

Though not as much as she missed Matt.

Seeing him last night had been a rollercoaster ride. She’d swung from the lowest low of wanting to escape his presence, to the highest high from that kiss. Because as much as it made Calina cringe, Inessa’s description had been spot-on - it had been the most wonderful, romantic, swoon-worthy gesture in the history of the world.

But on the journey back to Maine, the high had worn off. And all her doubts and fears - and all the guilt - had come flooding back.

And all of it boiled down to one thing - she didn’t feel worthy of him.

She didn’t feel worthy of the kind of man who would fly a hundred feet through the air just to kiss her. She didn’t feel worthy of a man as amazing and kind and smart as Matt. A man who fiercely protected the strangers in his city, and could touch her with such reverent tenderness.

The kiss had made her forget all that. It had short-circuited her brain and over-rode all her negative emotions, until the only thing left was passion. She’d given in to the moment, to the feel of being in Matt’s arms again.

Which she’d known would happen. It was the reason she’d chosen that cramped, awkward crane jib as their meeting point in the first place. She’d known that if they’d met in his apartment, or on the pier - or anywhere else out in the open - he would have taken her in his arms and she would have been powerless to resist. She would have accepted his embrace and returned his kiss all the while feeling undeserving of him.

So she’d chosen that metal cage instead, as a way to deny herself.

As a punishment.

But he’d gotten around her little ploy. He’d kissed the life out of her on that boat deck, and everything else had faded away. How guilty she felt about Italy. How scared she was that if he truly knew her and everything she’d done as a Widow that he’d hate her.

How terrified she was that they were too good to be true.

“Calina!”

Calina lifted her head at the sound of her name. The other widows were all staring at her. “Huh?” she asked.

“You spaced out there,” Inessa explained.

“Sorry. Just tired,” she lied. “I’m going to head back to bed.”

The chorus of ‘Byes’ and ‘Sleep wells’ from her sisters followed Calina up the stairs, but she was already lost in thought again.

She didn’t know what to do about Matt and all these doubts she was having.

Did she share them with him? Admit her fears about not being worthy of his love? Could she even explain them without having to divulge all the dirty secrets of her past? Wouldn’t that just bring about the end of their relationship and defeat the purpose of the whole ‘sharing’ thing?

Calina fell forward onto her bed and smothered her frustrated groan with her pillow. Then she flipped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling as she contemplated the alternative scenario: being with Matt, with this constant pit of worry in her stomach. Revelling in his affection and his love whilst always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

A tear leaked from the corner of Calina’s eye as she wrestled with all of these unfamiliar emotions. A tiny part of her longed for the days of being an unfeeling automaton…but she quickly squashed that treacherous notion.

This was better.

Despite all the uncertainty and pain and confusion, dealing with these emotions was far better than living as a shell of a human being under the Red Room’s control.

“Hey, you okay?”

Calina hastily wiped away the tear as Katya entered their room. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Liar,” Katya teased, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “You’ve not been okay since Italy. Did something else happen there?”

Calina levered herself up to rest against the headboard. “What do you mean?”

“Well, when you debriefed us after the mission you said Ranieri just got a bit handsy. Did something…more…happen that night? You can tell me.”

Calina shook her head. “No, nothing else happened.”

“So what is it? What’s going on with you?”

Calina’s first instinct was to lie again. To keep everything to herself. It was the way she was raised - the way they all had been. Even before the mind control serum took away their emotions they were trained to hide them. To bury their sadness and their loneliness and their pain. To never confide in anyone how they were feeling.

It was a difficult habit to break, but Calina was determined to tear away this next layer of Red Room conditioning. So she took a deep breath and told Katya everything. How she’d called Matt before the party in Italy. How having Ranieri’s hands on her felt. And how it was all messing with her head. “I know intellectually that nothing really happened,” she explained. “It was just a few unwanted gropes and a kiss on the neck - I’ve been through much worse on missions like that - but I just feel so…guilty. I keep imagining if it was Matt in that situation, and he’d let some other woman touch him. I would hate it. Which means I can’t tell him, because then he’d hate me.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Katya interjected. “If you just explain to him that it was a mission and you were playing a role-”

“But that would just open up this whole can of worms. About all the other roles I’ve played in the past, and the things I’ve done-”

“While under mind control, Calina.”

“Again, I know that intellectually…but don’t you still feel guilty about everything you did while under the serum?”

Katya smiled. “I feel guilty for stabbing you in Seoul.”

Calina rolled her eyes. “I’m being serious. We all did some really messed up shit for Dreykov. Doesn’t that…stick with you at all?”

Katya looked down as she picked at a loose thread in the bedspread. “Occasionally. Usually at night - my dreams are sometimes…not fun.”

Calina placed her hand over Katya’s remembering what it was like when she first arrived in New York - the endless nights spent pacing the rooftop, unable to sleep. “I’m sorry.”

Katya shrugged. “It’s fine. They’re just memories. The important thing is that I don’t blame myself for it. And you’re not to blame either. We were kids when we were brainwashed, and then we were forced against our will to commit all those acts.”

“But what about now? We’re acting on our own free will, and we’re still murdering and stealing-”

“Yes, to stop the bad guys!” Katya protested. “We’re on the side of good now. And we have the rest of our lives to be on that good side, and to make up for everything we’ve done”

“Can we, though? Can we possibly balance a ledger with so much red in it?”

“Now you sound like Natasha. And look what she’s accomplished. She’s an Avenger. Little girls all over the world want to be like her, because she’s a hero. We can be like that too.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever feel like a hero. Matt’s a hero, and he-”

It was Katya’s turn to roll her eyes. “You know I like Matt, but he’s not exactly squeaky-clean. He’s a vigilante - he breaks the law every night.”

“It’s different. He has a moral code. One I’ve violated again and again. If he ever found out the truth about me, he’d hate me.”

Katya studied her for a few moments, a frown marring her face. “Calina, what is the ‘truth’ about you?”

Calina swallowed harshly. When she finally answered, her voice was small and shaky. “That I’m not a good person.”

Katya reared back. “That’s ridiculous! You were brainwashed and under mind control-”

“I’m not talking about that! Since leaving the Red Room, I’ve abandoned my sisters, I’ve lied to everyone I’ve met, I’ve killed people, and I- I cheated on my boyfriend!”

“You didn’t cheat!”

“What would you call it?”

“I call it necessary! We’re fighting a war here, Calina. And wars are messy, and they involve sacrifice and difficult decisions. Killing the men who came after you, lying to protect your identity and going undercover to steal from Ranieri were difficult decisions, but necessary.”

“But-”

“I’m not finished!”

Calina snapped her mouth closed. She’d never seen Katya like this - so agitated and…loud. She’d always been one of the quieter, more rational Widows.

“As to your other ‘sin’,” Katya continued. “You did not abandon us. You came to save me in Korea - you risked your life to save me. That’s not abandonment. And the other widows told me what you were like after you were freed - they could all see you were struggling. Moving to New York was another necessary decision. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a good person. You were never cut out for this kind of life. Even as kids we realised that you were too sweet and sensitive. And the Red Room persisted in trying to beat that out of you, but they never could. Despite what you’ve been through and what you were forced to do, you’re still that same sweet, sensitive, good person. It’s why you’re feeling all of this so much more than the rest of us. And while we all appreciate your help with taking down Volkov, if you want to leave again, not one person would blame you.”

She bumped her shoulder against Calina’s. “We love you, Calina. You are worthy of love. You just need to convince yourself of that.”

————–

So do we think Katya got through to Calina? Does she believe now that she's worthy of Matt?

Read chapter 4 to find out...

Tag list: @hollandorks @stilldreaming666 @yanna-banana @chezagnes @tearoseart-blog @acharliecoxedfan @freckledbabyyy

If you’d like to be added - let me know!

#daredevil #daredevil fic #tabula rasa #daredevil fanfic #daredevil fanfiction #matt murdock #daredevil x original female character #marvel's daredevil #matt murdock fanfic #daredevil fandom #matt murdock x oc

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anisette-blackwirth · 2 years

Text

SAGAU: Happy Birthday, Tartaglia

summary: Childe decides to spoil you and Zhongli on his birthday. You try to thank him but he's resistant to your offers, preferring to focus on you instead.

content warning: Smut alert! This is smut. It's a threesome. Granted, Zhongli is in the background bc I wanted to focus on Childe, but still. Reader is not gendered. Reader is also broke IRL bc huge mood.

notes: Happy birthday to my first 5-star, my first main, and the man who hit 63k randomly the other day for no good reason whatsoever. I see you out there, my guy. We'll do Spiral Abyss for fun later this evening, I promise.

3k+ words, under the cut.

It always struck you as odd that characters would send the Traveler letters and gifts on their birthday, but Childe manages to explain it as he invites you and Zhongli to go to dinner with him on the evening of the 20th.

“You and Aether have done so much to help us the last two years. Making the two of you happy makes our day better too, you know!”

“But don’t you want to be spoiled on your birthday?” you ask.

“I’ll be spending time with my two favorite people in the world, doesn’t that count?” Childe answers with an easy, open grin at both you and Zhongli, and you're distracted from any further questions

The three of you end up, unsurprisingly, at Liuli Pavillion. Childe sheepishly scratches the back of his head as he takes his seat to your left.

“Sorry, xiansheng. I know we always end up here, but when I had a look at the Xinyue Kiosk’s menu most of their specialties were seafood. I figured you’d prefer the same stuff as usual.”

“Indeed,” Zhongli says as he takes the chair at the head of the table - you bite back a smile as you realize the three of you are mirroring the same layout from his introductory cutscene, with you in the Traveler’s spot. “Considerate as always, Childe. I doubt I could ever grow tired of the cuisine here, but if you are truly worried then I will try to pick something new.”

“Idunno, I think we’ve pretty much eaten everything in here,” Childe mutters as he waves for a menu from a waiter. He glances over it, front and back, before handing it to you and leaning back. He slings one arm over the back of your chair so you can feel the warmth from his arm hovering behind your shoulders.

“Let me know if anything catches your eye. Otherwise we’ll just order the usual and we can all share,” he says. Zhongli nods approvingly as he accepts the cup of tea the waiter has just poured.

The menu has no prices on it, which you kind of expected but are still amused to see as you look through. You’re well aware that this place is ridiculously expensive. It’d probably warrant a Michelin star or two in real life, and you’re eager to try a level of luxury you’d probably never have a shot at under normal circumstances. Not when your “fancy” dinners consist of Applebees or Olive Garden…

“Well I always want to try Tianshu meat whenever I see it in the cooking menu…” you say with a laugh as you finally locate it.

“Anything else?” Childe asks, and your mind immediately scatters. Because yes, there are other things you desperately want to try - like the entire menu - but the thought of getting more than one entree for yourself is hard to get past for a moment. You pretend to look over the menu a bit more as you remind yourself firmly that this is Fatui money, that it’s fine to ask for things, and that Childe and Zhongli are probably going to order half the menu anyway, so….

“The pork hotpot? I don’t mind spice,” you say as you note the description lists some spiciness. Huh. Was that in the game description? Clearly you hadn’t paid that much attention.

“An excellent choice,” Zhongli says before turning to give the waiter his own order. You listen in growing amusement and horror as the two of them do indeed order a veritable mountain of food, and you wonder briefly if it will be possible to get any leftovers to bring home and stick in your fridge. You’d probably be able to feed yourself all week off them, though it would undoubtedly be an insult to the food quality to stick it in a microwave later….

You and Childe take turns prodding Zhongli for trivia about the Li and Yue cuisine styles as you wait, both of you catching each other in dreamy looks as he goes on about the development of each style in length and each poking the other to break the spell. It’s silly camaraderie that Zhongli shakes his head at more than once, and you think to yourself that even if the food is horrible... tonight will already have been memorable.

The food is not horrible. The food, when it arrives, is a vision in beauty to both your eyes and nose, and you can barely spare the attention to watch Childe struggle with his chopsticks as you pick up your own and bring a bite of Tianshu meat to your mouth.

It’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted before, truly. The meat is soft and almost smooth, barely requiring you to chew, and tastes both salty and sweet with hints of onions and ginger. You take another bite to try and distinguish more flavors, and then another and another until you realize you’ve almost devoured your entire dish.

"Good?" Childe asks. He's not even trying to eat his dish anymore, just smiling at you with his cheek propped in his hand. His lightless eyes hold such open, honest affection it makes your heart ache. You only ever see him look this alive when he's in combat or with the ones he loves, and the reminder that he feels that way about you is….

"It's unbelievable," you whisper, and he laughs.

"Your eyes are sparkling," he teases, "it must be."

"Childe, do get your elbows off the table," Zhongli chides, calm. As Childe obeys and returns to arguing with his utensils, you subtly wipe your eyes. Your thumb comes away wet.

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

You beg shamelessly and do manage to get some leftovers, which Childe promises he'll keep in his cold-box until you're ready to leave. You're quiet during the walk back, content to lag behind and let Childe and Zhongli fill the silence with idle chatter about their weeks as you simply process the amazing meal you just had. The tastes linger pleasantly in your memory the same way the soft summer breeze lingers on your skin. ….and clearly your brain is still a little frazzled. You can hardly believe you're going to go back to eating ramen and frozen dinners after this….

As the three of you reach Childe's building and climb the stairs to his third-floor apartments, Zhongli falls back to whisper in your ear.

"Would you be opposed to a collaboration tonight?"

"Collaboration?" you whisper back.

His mouth quirks up in a devious smile. "I hoped to show our dear Ajax what he means to both of us." You are immediately onboard. It's in-line with what you had wanted to do to thank him for tonight.

"Whatever you two are whispering about back there, you know the walls have ears, right?" Childe calls back in good humor as he unlocks his door and holds it open for you.

Zhongli passes through first, still smiling. "I am aware of that particular Liyue idiom, yes."

You follow and hug Childe from behind as he puts the leftovers away, shoving your face into his back. He chuckles and turns sideways to sling his left arm around your shoulders as he shifts things around to make room with his other hand. "What's up, sweetheart?"

"Just want to remind you it's your birthday," you say. You stand tiptoe to press a kiss against his cheek, and then one on his cheekbone, one at the corner of his jaw- and that's as far as you get before he's closing the cold-box door and leaning back against it. His arms circle your waist, dragging you to lean against him.

"Mmhmm, it is my birthday." He smirks at you. "I think I deserve a kiss. Don't you, xiansheng?"

"You know my answer to that, Ajax."

You jump in Childe's arms as Zhongli's voice comes from right behind you, making the Harbinger laugh. The ex-Archon's gloved hand glides up your right arm and shoulder. You shiver and forget to breathe as the leather brushes over and around your neck before he grabs your jaw and gently urges you to tilt your head up further. It's the perfect angle for Childe to lean down and kiss you.

Childe's kiss tastes of the ginger tea you had all finished dinner with. He moves his mouth slowly but hungrily over yours as his own gloved hands slip under your shirt and spread over your waist in a possessive grip. Zhongli's first hand holds steady on your jaw, and he brings his second one up to press his entire palm against your upper back. You whine and grip the fabric of Childe's jacket as you try to balance being sandwiched between the two, but you're quickly losing focus. Fuck, why are they both so hot? Why??

Childe breaks off the kiss with a groan and then leans up past you to kiss Zhongli above your head. You whine again because now you're really sandwiched, but you wiggle around and free yourself to sink to your knees and bite at the fabric over Childe's thighs.

"Mm- fuck, Y/N, you-" Childe is interrupted again as Zhongli presses him back, clearly intent on overwhelming his lover.

You drag your mouth up, biting gently at his thighs through the fabric until you reach the bulge of his cock. You open your mouth wide and breathe hot air over it, mouthing around the outline with your lips. His hips press forward on instinct, and one of his hands lands on your right shoulder.

"Zhongli, fuck, hang on a minu- ahhhh"

Zhongli chuckles above you, deep and resonant. You glance up to see that he's finally relinquished his claim on Childe's mouth and is now pressing kisses down his neck, stripping his jacket and shirt.

"Aww~" you tease before licking near where the head of his cock seems to be, making sure to get the fabric nice and wet. Childe's head rolls down to look at you, mouth open on a gasp. "Relax, love. Let us thank you."

"Th-that's - hah. You don't haaa~ve to."

You undo his belt buckle and Zhongli's hand reaches down to help you thread his Vision/Delusion combo off. You hear a clink of metal on marble as it's put to the side on the counter somewhere.

You ignore the rest as you undo the clasp and slide his pants and underwear down together. "But I want to," you say, playing up the sweetness in your voice. You stick your tongue out. "You spent so much on me tonight, this is the least I can do~"

You're just trying to tease Childe. You know he loves it when you praise him and rely on him for things, so you really aren't expecting the hand on your shoulder to stop you from leaning forward and swallowing his cock down.

You look up, mouth still open and tongue hanging out. "Uh?"

He pushes Zhongli back too - or maybe Zhongli pulls back on his own, because he pulls off his coat and goes to hang it up.

Childe holds your gaze as you look back at him. "You don't have to thank me for that, Y/N. You- you know that, right?"

You sit back on your heels, perplexed. "Sure, but I want to?"

"No, you - I mean, you don't have to give me a blowjob just because you - you don't owe me for that."

You tilt your head. "Right. I know I don't owe you anything. ….but I want to thank you anyway?"

"I have to agree with Ajax," Zhongli says as he returns. You're momentarily distracted by him unbuttoning his shirt. "There's no need to reciprocate monetary gifts with sexual favors."

You're very confused now. You know logically you don't owe Childe anything for dinner, because… well, you can't pay him back for it anyway. You have no idea how much it cost. But he still gave you an amazing, unique (to you) experience on his birthday out of a desire to see you smile, because for some reason seeing you smile counts as a birthday present to him. You're unbearably grateful for that, and you want to show him.

…..you also just really like the desperate noises he makes whenever you go down on him. Is that not enough?

Apparently you've taken too long thinking about it because strong arms wrap around your back and under your legs as Zhongli lifts you and moves you to the bedroom. Childe follows, stripping the rest of the way. Zhongli climbs up on the bed and sits against the headrest, cradling you back-to-front in his lap.

"Spread?" Childe says as he climbs on the bed in front of you two, and Zhongli slides his ankles under your own.

"Pardon me," he states politely as he bends his knees and spreads his legs wide, just as asked. With your legs hooked over his, you're effectively trapped on display for both of them.

Your hands shoot down to balance yourself, but Zhongli grabs your wrists and pulls them back. He holds both immovable in the air on either side of your head, placing a soft kiss on the back of your knuckles.

Childe drags his nails up your thighs, chuckling as you squirm and pant. You don't want to struggle against Zhongli's grip, but you're already sensitive from the embarrassment of being exposed like this…

"I'm not letting you thank me for tonight, Y/N. This is all selfish," Childe mutters against your lips - when did he get so close??

"I -I know that!" you protest.

"Oh? Do you?" Childe breathes against the skin of your neck - then laughs when you whine. Which causes you to whine again, because his voice has dropped an octave, making him sound closer to Tartaglia than Ajax- "Then I'm sure you won't be surprised if I indulge for a while."

And then he leans right down and gets to work on making you cum with his tongue.

The first orgasm is fast, because you really didn't stand a chance when Tartaglia is lapping at you with single-minded focus and Zhongli is murmuring praises directly in your ears, the deep vibrations tickling your back and making you feel both seen and safe. The second orgasm takes time and you feel almost delirious with pleasure by the time you reach your peak. You shake and gasp through Zhongli's teeth on your neck and Tartaglia's tongue curling around you, but it's the self-assured look in his ocean-deep eyes that ultimately sends you over the edge.

Confidence looks so fucking good on him and he knows it.

You melt back into Zhongli's chest as Tartaglia finally offers you a break to wipe his mouth. The consultant's cock is rock-hard, pressed against the small of your back. You would be surprised he hadn't cum at your squirming around in his lap for the past half hour, but you both know by now that his restraint is some adepti-level bullshit.

If he so chooses, anyway. Because as Tartaglia licks the edges of his mouth to clean them, Zhongli grinds his cock up against your back and groans in your ear, clearly indulging.

"Ajax, trade places with me?"

The ginger chuckles and flops back, his expression softening back into Childe. He leans against the headboard to Zhongli's right, by to the edge of the bed. "Sure, xiansheng. Do you want a tur- oof?"

He's cut off as Zhongli spins you around and drops you on Childe's lap, face to face with the Harbinger. You don't even wait for Zhongli to say anything: you need Childe inside you now. You lift yourself up on still-shaking knees and line his cock up with your hole - definitely loose enough after all that - and sink down with a relieved breath.

"Hgk." Ajax tosses his head back as he feels you close around him, eyes squeezed shut. You can feel him throbbing inside you immediately, and you take pity on him by not moving immediately.

"Now, Ajax, while I agree with you on your earlier point, I feel that Y/N also had some valid points." Zhongli leisurely walks around the bed to the other side, on your right. He reaches out and tangles his hand in Ajax's hair, just caressing for the moment.

"It is your birthday, and you deserve to be made to feel just as special as you've made us both feel today." His eyes flash gold as he tightens his grip and drags the man's head closer to his cock. Ajax goes willingly, eyes glazing over in delight as he opens his mouth and licks under the head. "So let us indulge in you as well," Zhongli says before shoving his dick in Ajax's mouth.

Ajax chokes around a moan, but you're not worried: you've seen him take rougher and adore it. So you focus instead on finally rolling your hips to soothe the aching burn inside you, moaning without abandon as you get the feeling of fullness you've been craving. Ajax whines as his hips stutter underneath you, and you can tell he won't last long, but that's fine. You're not aiming for another orgasm yourself, you just want him to fill you.

And he does just a few minutes later when Zhongli shoves his head down and makes him choke on it the way he loves. Ajax's hands tighten around your waist hard enough that you hope they'll bruise later, but you don't let up. You keep rolling your hips and sliding your hole up and down his softening cock, working him into overstimulated whimpers until you hear Zhongli moan out loud as he cums down Ajax's throat.

Zhongli takes care of most of the cleanup, leaving you with the equally important job of tending to Ajax as you both come out of it. You do recover enough to trade with Zhongli so you can brush your teeth and clean yourself up in the adjacent bathroom, before you collapse into bed together to cuddle Ajax close. You press a sleepy kiss to his shoulder and drift off, content beyond belief.

"Happy birthday, Ajax."

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

I glanced at the wiki while writing this and realized that Xinyue Kiosk (aka Yue cuisine) serves mainly seafood? So Zhongli clearly prefers Liuli Pavilion (aka Li cuisine). It makes so much sense in retrospect why they always meet there. I wonder if Li cuisine was also named after him.....?

Did you know there's an official recipe for Tianshu meat? It's in Chinese, but it's pretty cool.

#sagau #genshin sagau #tartaglia #tartaglia x reader #genshin smut #OKAY WHY DID THIS TAKE THREE TRIES TO SHOW UP IN THE TAGS #PLEASE #WHAT THE HELL #It might be the link I had to the recipe #actually bc that was in chinese #that's like my only actual theory ;;;

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down2illusions · 2 years

Text

Balancing Act: Chapter 1

Focus (as of now): Steven Grant x f!Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

A/N: I've been thinking of this idea for a long time and I'm excited to finally start this series! While I do my best to do the characters and DID justice, I’m not perfect so criticism welcomed. I hope you enjoy the fic, if not, Happy Scrolling!

Balancing Act Masterlist

Prologue Chapter 2

You tapped Steven’s copy of The Book of the Dead against your hand as you scanned the room. There weren’t many people here, as expected. Thursdays were never all that busy in the British Museum. There were a few odd crowds and wanderers, but nothing major; most people at this time would be at work.

Looking over the ocean of customers you checked to see “most people” included Steven himself. Your intuition was right, Steven had just gone behind the counter and was looking over the packets of jelly. You stopped tapping the copy against your hand, opting to put it under your arm. After that you fixed your clothes and got ready to say hi, but from across the room you saw Dylan talking to him at the counter briefly then walking away to her tour group.

What were they talking about?

Walking across the room with your eyes locked on your destination, you saw that Donna started talking to him too. She didn’t look ready to put him in the oven either. Steven on the other hand… he looked annoyed. Knowing how Donna can be, you approached the gift shop faster. When you were a few steps away, you smiled.

Show time.

“Hey, Donna. Morning, Steven!” Your tone was lazy sounding, but friendly, like a teen counselor at a kids summer camp. While you didn’t necessarily care about Donna, it didn’t pay to advertise.

Steven smiled, most definitely glad he didn’t have to deal with Donna alone. “Good-”

“You know Stevie here’s got a date,” Donna asked, talking over Steven, who reverted back to his annoyed expression. You were taken aback, both because of her question and because she sounded almost offended when asking you.

You didn’t drop character though. “Steven,” you started with a fake shocked tone. You put your hand to your chest dramatically, “You didn’t tell me.”

“Well, it just sort of happened–”

“He’s going to a Steakhouse with Dylan! What’s a bloody vegan gonna eat at a steakhouse?”

You both told her simultaneously he CAN still eat at a steakhouse.

Donna shot a skeptical look. “Eat what?”

“I don’t know. Bread? A salad,” said Steven.

“Baked potatoes,” you added. You looked over at Steven, “they should have vegetables, right? Like on the side?”

“Yeah, I’m sure they just grill them up- OH! Beans!” Steven turned to Donna then pointed at you.

“Beans,” you nodded and pointed back.

Donna rolled her eyes, shook her head, then walked away muttering something about not being able to “deal with you two”.

You watched her, smiling, waiting until she was out of earshot then you turned to Steven. He had a grin on his face. You tried not to laugh as you asked him “you think we made her mad?”

“She’s been driving me mad so it’s about even,” Steven said leaning over the glass counter.

“C’mon, you can’t be talking about your best friend, Donna, like that.”

The smile on his face lessened. “I’ll apologize when we do inventory tonight…”

“Damn. Again?” Inventory seemed to be Donna’s go-to for any minor inconvenience lately. There was no rocket science to be calculated to figure out Steven probably got it because he was late again. Late by a few minutes because of when the trolley reached its stop, sure, but that didn’t matter to Ms. Manager over there.

“It’s not all bad. You get out a bit earlier today. Maybe if I get everything handled quickly or if you want to, we could still walk around a bit?”

“Sure, if you're okay with that, then yeah… Anyway, I gotta clean the archive room.”

“Oh- oh, yeah. Go on then.”

You turned away until you remembered. Taking the book from under your arm, you handed the book back to Steven. “Thanks for the book again, it saved my life.”

“Saved your life, little ironic, innit?”

You shrugged. “You never know when you need it until you do.” You glanced at the clock, “Anyway,” you pointed to the back. Steven smiled and you walked away.

As you went across the room you glanced at Dylan and her tour group. It looked like she was doing a good job, the group was engaged in her explanation of the picture. Not that it should be a surprise, she knew how to tell a story and make people laugh and listen to what she said.

It wasn’t really a surprise that Steven had admired her. They could probably have a two-sided conversation about Egypt and the entire history of everything, more than you could. He wouldn’t have to teach her to have a conversation.

You open the door to the custodial supplies and walk forward. It’s good that they’re going on a date.

It’s good for him.

The light inside the supply closet flickered then stayed on, showing all the detergents and paper towels.

“It’s fine.” Steven deserves to be happy.

Like he said, Steven waited for you to get off the clock, having gotten out before you despite saying he would be on inventory. He told you that Donna kicked him out after he brought up a mistake with the Ennead’s poster. As the museum became further behind the two of you, Steven brought up ideas that would bring justice for the nine deities, and prompted you to dig up years old information in the dark corners of your memory to verbally piece it all together.

By the time the two of you had gotten to a restaurant, four out of nine concepts were created. By the time you left the restaurant with your food you had added another completed concept and the conversation blended into your idea of getting Gus a travel tank and walking around the Botanical Gardens in a wagon. Steven agreed that it would be a fun idea for the two of you, and Gus, to do on a weekend. That way he could show it to her, along with other small adventures you two have been on around the city.

Eventually, you two have made it to performance square with the fountains, fire jugglers, and the golden-statue man. Steven used his free hand to swipe off any debris from the fountain then gestured for you to sit down before doing the same thing for his spot. You two didn’t discuss the other four deities in the Ennead anymore; Steven had more pressing matters on his mind as you ate together.

“Honestly, it’s like my body wants to get up and wander about, you know? Like it has to get 10,000 steps in.” He took a bite from his wrap and stared off, and you let him gather his thoughts. While this wasn’t the first time he’s told you of this problem, and most definitely won’t be the last time, you feel the stress about this issue radiating off him; and he has looked more tired lately. “I don’t even know about it until I wake up wherever.”

“That hasn’t happened for a while though, right?” Your hands clutch your own food as you ask the question.

“Not from the last time I told you, a couple of months ago when I passed out at my desk; but since then, I’ve been thinking about what happens if I were to wander about and end up waking up in another country. It’s why I try to stay awake at night. What do you think?”

Steven put his attention on you while you thought, unsure if he wanted general input or if he was asking you about actually waking up somewhere else. There wasn’t much you could tell him about waking up in another country, but it’s not like you had any more nuance to add from the last couple of times you’ve discussed this. “Well, since you’re a British man, as long as you don’t wake up in France, I think you’re good. Although, if you did, you’d do a whole lot better than me in France, so you got that…”

Steven laughed softly. “Je ne pense pas que tu te donnes assez de crédit, mais merci de croire en moi.”

You smiled back, but shook your head. “Sorry, Steven, but I still don’t speak Italian.” Of course you knew he was speaking French, that’s unmistakable. The only word you were able to catch onto and process was his “thank you”. Steven didn’t respond to your joke, though. He was looking at you, but you couldn’t read his face. You probably shouldn’t have made that joke. You decided to watch the fire jugglers, it was easier to stare into the white centers of the flame than look back at Steven. “So, you and Dylan, when did you ask her out?”

“I didn’t ask her. I don’t know how it happened.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I was probably tired out of my wits to remember.”

“Sounds like you.”

“You say that as if you haven’t been walking around like you came out of the sarcophagus.” A trail of green follows from the fire as you shoot a playful glare at Steven. The green spots danced around the soft violet and orange lights reflecting off his face and in his eyes. It’s not so hard to imagine if things were a little different… but no. Steven cleared his throat, “but, yeah. If I am gonna have a girlfriend– at some point…” he said huddling closer to you, “I can’t have ankle restraints on my bed can I?”

A cackle rips from your throat making you lose balance as you pull away, putting your wrist over your mouth to not disturb the whole district. Steven looked concerned as you choked on your laughs. You apologize through coughs, “that’s just- I’m sorry that sounds so bad out of context.” When you got enough control over yourself, you told him, “go on.”

“You’re having a laugh, but that’s the thing, innit; it’s sort of a Red Flag– the definition of a Red Flag.”

“I dunno, I mean, if you just had the restraint lying around that’s a question mark, but you also have that sand barrier around your bed so– y’know, it’s just, if you explain you you have a sleeping disorder and that you sleep walk and they have a problem with it, I don’t think you need that negativity in your life.”

“Maybe not, but gotta figure something out.” Silence rode out for a while, with neither of you having much to say.

Before you knew it, both of you were finished with dinner and less people were around although the sky was no more navy blue. You two left the fountain area after giving spare cash to the performers. Steven went with you to walk you home.

“What did you think of the book,” Steven asked. “You told me it saved your life.”

“Well, yeah, you never know when you're going to drop into that journey. It just makes me feel prepared for when I go to the Sands of Duvat.”

“Duat,” Steven corrected.

“Duat. Sands of Duat.” Of course, at this point you know you’ve been saying it wrong, but you got too used to saying it wrong from all this time. It’s hard dropping the habit, even if Steven corrects it all the time. “It was better to read that than stare at the ceiling or talking to my roommate late at night, so there’s that.”

“And the other book, what do you think about The Alchemist right now?”

“I’m taking my time with it, but it’s good so far. If you want it back though, I could try blasting through it.”

“No, no, there’s no rush. Take all the time you need, there’s a reason why I recommended it.”

“You say that but you never tell me why.” When he first recommended The Alchemist, you would’ve sworn on your last dollar it was because the story was about someone going to Egypt based on the description. It was a shock when he said no. Ever since you made that assumption, whenever you tried to ask him why he’ll tell you:

“I’ll tell you after.”

“But why not now?”

“You haven’t finished the book, finish the book then I’ll tell you.”

“What if I die?”

“You’re not going—”

“What if you die?”

“What? No! No one’s going to die.”

“You don’t know that.”

Steven stumbled then caught himself, “I promise you, neither of us are going to die before you finish the book.”

“Fine, but if I die first, I’ll haunt you until you tell me.”

“And if I die,” Steven asked.

“I’ll see if I could find you.”

Steven laughed. You walked too close to the edge and you needed to take a step back, and play it off like it’s an absolute joke.

You told him where you were in the story and the new thoughts you’ve formed in the past two or so days. Steven did his best to contribute, but he had a hard time doing so without “spoiling the experience”. You tried to trick him into doing it, but he’d just cover his mouth or threaten to not speak for the remainder of the walk. You were doubtful of such threats, when Steven had something on his mind, he would say it at least 97% of the time; but you agreed regardless.

By the time you passed the building marking the halfway point of your apartment, it was quiet between the two of you. The type that didn’t leave you anxious. Traffic still passed you by and street lights surrounded you both. Steven’s arm brushed against yours, a common symptom of walking too close on a wide path,

It was hard to imagine that one day, these conversations would end. Maybe sooner than you thought, with Steven going on a date with Dylan.

Steven’s arm bumped into yours again. An engine rolled by and you shoved your hands into your pockets then kicked a pebble that was your way. There was a small list of landmarks to pass and you had to say goodbye to him.

You kicked another pebble in your way. Then another.

Another loud engine flew past and you looked over at the street, missing the car. Steven was rubbing his hands together, probably thinking of something that made him nervous. You asked him what he was thinking about.

He confirmed that he was nervous. He didn’t want to “muck everything up” and then have to see Dylan at the museum on Monday. “I know the basics of dating; but hypothetically, if it was you, and we are going on our first date, what should I do, or what should I not do?”

You thought and thought then just settled on the basic things you couldn’t imagine Steven, literally the nicest man you’ve ever met, not doing. “Other than that, just be honest and be yourself I guess. It’s obvious that Dylan likes you already, if she didn’t she wouldn’t have agreed to going on the date. You’re great, and you’ll be fine.”

“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?”

“No, you are.”

Steven thanked you then soon enough the two of you were walking down your street. Glancing over at Steven, you saw he was still messing with his hands.

Maybe it was a dumb idea, but you spoke up, “you can tell me about how your date went afterward, if you’re comfortable with it.”

“Yeah,” Steven answered. “Sounds good, maybe we can meet up even if you’re not busy.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out.”

Steven slipped past you to open the door of the apartment building with a slight bow. “Definitely. Well, here you are.” You stepped inside, nodding and muttering a thank you in return. You turned back at him and he was still holding the door. “Laters, gators.”

“Take care, polar bear.” Steven lingered at the door for a moment then waved goodbye and gently closed it.

You stared at the door then turned around slowly.

You took just the right amount of steps to stand in front of your mailbox and unthinkingly unlocked the muted green door then grabbed whatever papers and letters that were inside and forced the door shut. You walked down the rest of the hall to the elevator keeping your head down as you flipped through the mail.

The jaundiced light above you flickered rapidly when you were on your second piece of junk mail. You looked to the right, then behind you, then to the left.

Nothing.

You stood in front of the elevator, waiting for anything else. When it was long enough you rolled your eyes and reached for the elevator button.

The lights flickered more before you could.

The elevator dinged, then opened. A young woman holding a sleeping child at her hip smiled at you. You moved so she could pass without waking her offspring then entered the now empty elevator, pressing the cold metal button for your floor.

The green elevator doors closed then the lights flickered twice then his voice hummed around you, “I told you to let go of attachments.”

Your eyes drift off into the clouded colors of your person in the metal, trying to ignore what he said so calm and effortlessly. There was nothing wrong with having Steven for a friend.

“There is nothing else for you here.”

You stare harder into the stainless steel reflection trying to keep eye contact with the blurred picture of yourself. The mail crinkled under your grip.

“I am sorry however.”

It sounds like he actually means it.

You shook your head. “It’s fine.”

“Good.”

The elevator made its own humming tune with the lights; and it got colder. Your mind wandered to Steven, who was not just an attachment, still walking in London’s streets. He was probably almost home. He was off tomorrow, so he was probably going to stay up into tomorrow reading all those books in his one-man library. He was definitely going to have more fun than you were.

All you could ask yourself is: what now? What’s next? And the quietest question in your mind: why me?

The elevator dinged in response. Your arms were covered in goosebumps by the time you came to the rattling stop.

The doors opened.

Straightening your back, you walked out of the elevator with your head held high. When you turned right the overwhelming smoke of his presence led to the other end where he stood, head held higher. As you got closer, the focus of your eyes lowered from the towering stature of Anubis, former Lord of the Dead.

Former God of Mummification.

“Even through grief, we are to do what is expected of us.” You can’t put a number on the amount of times he’s said that to you throughout your years together. At this point, you don’t even try. “Set your items down then be ready.” He wrapped his words in a stern voice, he wanted you out there fast.

You nodded. When he didn’t say anything else you marched inside. You stood out there long enough.

The time passed through you like wind. Particular buildings or squares didn’t register on your radar, you doubt you have not been in a fight with someone before squatting on the stone roof of a crypt you seem to end up on more times than not, but it was nothing more than picking up a decorative couch pillow from the floor. The night was too quiet and unspectacular.

All you have at this moment is frustration caused by some group of frat boys who were drunk off their ass and leaving cans and bottles on headstones. Rage swarmed around you like mosquitos, looking on into the distance Anubis was there fuming stoically. The grasp of the metal around your neck tightened along with the wraps of the rest of your armor, beckoning you to deliver Anubis’s divine judgment.

You stood up from the crypt then unwielded a khopesh, holding it out to the side. Then you stomped on the roof, echoing the thumps echo into the field of headstones.

The group’s attention was on you, but they didn’t move.

You pointed the hooked blade toward them then jumped down and stormed toward them. They ran, swearing amongst themselves on how they weren’t dying tonight. You slowed down, eyeing the refuse you now had to pick up.

Then out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a pale moon. The pale moon of a straggler taking his pants down near a tree with a yellow ribbon around the trunk.

Now you were seeing red, you threw the khopesh near him. The straggler jumped ten feet in the air then ran off pulling up his pants.

Everyone was gone, Slugging the rest of the way until you stood in front of a glossy headstone of where the party was. The blade in the ground turned into sand in the air then reformed into your hand. You stared deeply into the green bottle on top.

You sliced the glass in half, then struck it to the ground.

The armor comes down allowing you to finally breathe. Kneeling, you gathered the garbage into a pile, starting with the top half of the bottle you sliced clean.

“You should have done that to the ones desecrating these grounds.”

The flash of anger was fizzling still. If there was ever a time where you wished someone was petty enough to stick around, it would be now. Instead, it was only you and Anubis. Standing by, fuming. A giant cloud full of lightning, without nearly as much thunder.

Wherever you ran for that night, the storm cloud followed, uncaring of anything.

Except, for the British Museum. The museum was a lightning rod for everything important to Anubis.

#moon knight x reader #marc spector x reader #steven grant x reader #steven grant x fem!reader #marc spector x f!reader #moon knight x reader angst #steven grant x reader angst #marc spector x reader angst

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